An HD Version Of Wii Is A Good Idea!

When I tour the stores in my area, I get told there are no known plans for a new Nintendo Wii capable of displaying and processing High Quality HD graphics for now, but there are plenty of articles and predictions listed when I Google search about the possibility of a Nintendo Wii made for High Definition graphics.

The second week in February I was looking for extra information on Sony's NGP. When I came across a post from "Crave - The Gadget Blog From CNET" about an HD Nintendo Wii. Even though I knew the article is more likely speculation, I started to think about what if there is a new HD capable Wii. What would that be like? Think of it! The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Mario for the first time with stunning HD graphics!

I think it would be cool if there is a Wii with HD technology. I always thought that the Wii should have been least 720p, to make the graphics sharper, clearer, and more pixel correct. I don't know what Nintendo is planning, but if it does decide on an HD capable Wii, I would hope that it would be fully compatible with its current last gen and classic games. All current Wii games should be fully upscaled to High Quality HD (preferably 1080p),with the graphics sharper, clearer and smoother, resulting from being upscaled like many classic games on PC, but not upscaled like classic PS One games on PS3, where the graphics are barely looking any better, and the blocky graphics are blurred (using smoothing). Something similar to Scale3x, or Scale4x should be used, unless Nintendo would have something better in mind.

Right now, the idea an HD Nintendo Wii coming out seems like a tease, but maybe there will be an announcement any day now with some good news.

This Post is from my person.

Reference to "Crave: The Gadget Post From CNET" that inspired me to give my thoughts on the subject from:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10357422-1.html

You can find Google search at:

https://encrypted.google.com/

You can get more info about NGP at:

http://ultimateantman.blogspot.com/2011/02/could-portables-replace-desktops-for.html

You can find more info about upscaling classic games at:

http://ultimateantman.blogspot.com/2011/04/play-station-one-games-need-to-be.html

The wallpaper used in this post is from:

http://desktop.freewallpaper4.me/download/7170/legend-of-zeldas-link

Add note: you can download the wallpaper visiting the site above, also I believe  the current Nintendo Wii can display some games in 720p, like the first Xbox can, because Nintendo Wii has better hardware than the first Xbox.

Free Games On PC

For a long time, my budget was tight, and still is just not as much. But how did I game when the money was tight, in addtion to getting $3 to $10 steal from time to time from a book store where I lived. I downloaded and played a ton of free games, I had to weed out some just mediocre games to find what was cool. I am not going to mention every game that I have played and downloaded, just to many, and I may update this post from time to time, because I have not played all the free games on the internet, and there are so many free games now. But if you want to find games that will let you play even when money is tight here some that I have found to be entertainning:

Vindictus

• Vindictus:  If you are in the mood for some good hack and slash/ brawling action, then this game is a good game to start with! The game play is comparable to God Of War 1, 2, or 3. This game is a mix of MMO Action and RPG. Like an RPG you will go on Quests, and have a wide variety of weapons to use. I like this game, because it is a mix. Also if you have a Hard Core Gaming/Media PC Rig, and use a good HD Monitor or HDTV, set the game in HD resolution, (I prefer my HDTV monitor), then you will see some of the best free to play HD graphics around. I run this game in1080p (1920x1080) it is very now-gen quality. You can try this game out for yourself on http://vindictus.nexon.net/ , and don't go by the video on the page try it out for yourself. To let everyone know also I use a dual thumbstick control to play this game called the Saitek Rumble Force Pad P2600.

Dungeons & Dragons Online (DDO) 

• Dungeons & Dragons Online (DDO): If you are in the mood for a good MMORPG simular to WOW (World Of Warcraft), but has some perks that WOW don't, then try DDO, this game has a variety of quests, some cool weapons, gameplay options, puzzles, and has plenty of interesting areas in the game world; caverns, dungeons, and others. to explore. I set up the game to control like the Fable, so that makes it a plus, I can do that. The graphic in HD resolution, look like they are last gen with now-gen color, lighting,  and post processing effects to enhance the graphics, plus you can enable Very Sharp texture filtering. This game was rated by MMO Hut as the #2 free to play game. I do agree that this is a pretty good MMORPG, plus its free. You can give this game a try at https://signup.ddo.com/ddo.php

Lord Of The Rings Online (LOTRO) 

• Lord Of The Rings Online (LOTRO): This game is very similar to WOW, but the theme is based off of the Lord of The Rings (LOTR) novels. Do you want to play as a Hobbit, Human, Elf, Dwarf, Ranger, Burglar, Wizard, and others, in a genuine LOTR game world, then you should give this game a try. The game does have its moments, When I participated in the Winter Festival, that just past, I had the chance to see a Hobbit passed out drunk, with a mess by his face that could pass for vomit. The graphics on a good gaming PC are better than, WOW, plus like DDO you can enable Very Sharp texture filtering. Here is the link if you want to play for yourself  at http://www.lotro.com/

Spiral Knights 

•  Spiral Knights: Rich now-gen CG 3D Anime style graphics, this game is like if you took earlier games belonging to The Legend of Zelda 2D series, Alundra, or  Land Stalker, and gave them a theme similar to Clockwork Knight on Sega Saturn. From Sega and Three Rings, this game is worth checking out. It ran smooth at 1080p, with graphic settings maxed out. You have to chop down trees and blocks for hearts,  crowns (currency), and other things. I enjoy this game and might even play it when I am finished with this blog post. I could give out more details, but I don't want to spoil it. Play it yourself at http://www.spiralknights.com/

Team Fortress 2 (TF2)

• Team Fortress 2 (TF2): This FPS (First Person Shooter) is now F2P (Free To Play). I received TF2 with The Orange Box that came with Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episode One, Half Life2: Episode Two, Half Life 2: Lost Coast (as an update) and Portal. This game on a Hardcore Gaming PC, with a High Quality HD TV looks good in either 720p (1280x720) or 1080p (1920x1080). It has CG 3D Animation style graphics resembling a Pixar or Dream Works Movie. TF2 is a comical, and fun FPS, with many different modes to play. If you use your headset you can hear players online cracking jokes, and making all kind of humorous statements. TF2 is available at http://store.steampowered.com/app/440/?snr=1_4_4__13

Like I said before I will update this post in the future. There are some free to play games, that I am playing now, that I might recommend later, and some that almost made this list but didn't. In this post are the ones that made it. Have fun!

Screen Shots were by me and were taken while playing each game.

This post is from my personal experience playing these games, only one reference to MMO Hut from:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MMOHut

Add note: Some thing that you might want to know is in LOTRO like many MMORPGs you can click and hold  the left, and the right mouse buttons, at the same time, to move your character forward, then use the mouse to move your character left or right. 

Update: SOE Is Back Up!

Update May 14, 2011:


I checked The Station.com, and SOE.com, after checking out the lastest PSN news, and it looks like that the same is going to offered SOE users as PSN users, Identity Theft Protection with a welcome back package, and a password reset.  If you want more information check out my PSN blog post, and the top two links below.


May 3, 2011:

Today when I was checking my emails, I received one from Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), stating that they believe, any given SOE account holder, who has provided their personal information to SOE, may have had their information stolen.Not only PSN is down, but all gaming services from SOE are down, that includes The Station.com, the site that provides gaming for PC Gamers who love to play games like Free Realms, DC Universe Online, or Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures.

I checked the Station.com and I was taken to the second website listed below instead. The first link is an online version of the email I have received, the second is the site I was redirected to. The idea that any SOE customer now has to worry about the possibility of Identity Theft.

I will repeat this again. What is being done about this?

If you want to get a better idea of what I am talking about, check out the links below.

http://station-access.station.sony.com/

http://www.soe.com/

http://soe.innovyx.net/v?xnJcJWqEPPqPTTWWv

https://www.soe.com/securityupdate/

Photo from:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sony-Online-Entertainment/108441475846300