Back to School Laptops

It's that time of year again, on for this year, my supplies list includes a laptop.

For the past few weeks, I've been browsing various laptops, and so far, I've come up with 3 laptops that may fit my needs.

The Asus A53SV-XN1

1.) Newegg.ca - ASUS A53 Series A53SV-XN1 Notebook Intel Core i5 2410M(2.30GHz) 15.6" 6GB Memory DDR3 1333 750GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M
ASUS A53 Series A53SV-XN1
Price: $750.00
CPU: Intel Core i5 2410M(2.30GHz)
RAM: 6GB Memory DDR3 1333
GPU: Nvidia GT 540M
HDD: 750 GB (7200 RPM)
Screen: 15.6"
Res: 1366x768 

The MSI FX620DX-256US

2.) Newegg.ca - MSI FX620DX-256US Notebook Intel Core i5 2410M(2.30GHz) 15.6" 6GB Memory 640GB HDD DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M
Price: $730.00
CPU: Intel Core i5 2410M(2.30GHz)
RAM: 6GB Memory DDR3
GPU: Nvidia GT 540M
HDD: 640 GB (??? RPM)
Screen: 15.6"
Res: 1366x768

The Asus A53SV-XTI

3.) Buy the ASUS A53SV-XT1 15.6 Laptop Computer at TigerDirect.ca
Price: $770.00
CPU: Intel Core i7-2630QM 2.0GHz
RAM: 4GB Memory DDR3
GPU: Nvidia GT 540M
HDD: 500GB (5400 RPM)
Screen: 15.6"
Res: 1366x768 

I guess the differences are the CPU (i5 2410 vs i72630, and the ram, 6 GB for i5 vs 4 GB for i7, and the HDD 5400 vs 7200). Anyone care to comment on these things?

I do not own or take credit for all of the above images and wideos, if you would like them to be taken down, please message me.

Which laptop out of the 3 would you choose? What laptop do you use? Any recommendations for any specific laptop or brand or specs?

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Just two days ago, Valve officially announced that a new Counter-Strike will come out.

It is said that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will be out in early 2012. Not much is known about it yet (besides for the few that play tested it) but there will be new characters, maps, weapons and map updates to some of the more popular maps such as "de_dust".

If Valve were to make a sequel to CS:S, it would be now. Even though CS:S is 7 years old, it is still going strong and it seems like a great idea to capitalize using a sequel instead of letting the light burn out.


Are you excited by the news of a new "Counter-Strike"? What FPSs are you playing in the mean time?

Life Sized De_Dust?

Keeping with my seemingly unintentional "video game" themed post for the past week, there is hope that a life sized de_dust will be created!

De_dust, a popular map in the FPS, "Counter-Strike"

I know for some, this is old news (early June to be exact) but for me (as I just found this out) is pretty exciting news. Aram Bartholl is or will be the man responsible for this ambitious project measuring 115 x 110 x 15 metres. But for now though, he has a 1:250 scale model made out of plastic (see below). The final 1:1 piece will be created in full concrete with no colour or textures.

The 1:250 scale model

Bartholl's intention is to create both an art piece and a "walking museum".

Bartholl has worked on various projects such as the "Google Map Project:"

Making landmarks look like "Google Maps"

I do not own or take credit for all of the above images, if you would like them to be taken down, please message me.

What do you think of this de_dust project? Would you have chosen something else to better represent the gaming culture?

Atom Zombie Smasher

A unique zombie game that forces players to strategically manage resources instead of just pointing and clicking.

Gameplay screenshot of Atom Zombie Smasher

For those that did purchase Humble Bundle #3, I recommend giving this one a definite try. For those that are interested but didn't get the Bundle, you can download the demo (On Windows, Mac and Linux) on Blendo's website at http://blendogames.com/atomzombiesmasher/.

For starters, the above screenshot doesn't do this game justice because the game cannot be summed up in just one picture. The gameplay is an ongoing management frenzy of an ever changing circumstances. The object of the game is simple, either kill all the zombies (or Zed as they are called in this game). To aid you in your mission, you are given a helicopter to evacuate civilians and certain mercenaries. These range from infantry soldiers, mines, dynamite roadblocks and more. The strategy comes in when you realize that some of these mercs aren't always available (if you play without mods) and you have to make due with what you're given. This is definitely a game where you need to pick your battles and know when to surrender.

Replay value in this game is definitely high as the "terrain" is always different and you can always experiment with different combination of mercs.

You can get this game now from Blendo or on steam.


I do not own or take credit for all of the above images, if you would like them to be taken down, please message me.


Have you played Atom Zombie Smasher yet? How is it?

Humble Bundle #3

It's not too late yet, you have one last day to get Humble Indie Bundle #3!

The original 5 games of Humble Bundle 3 (2 more have been added)

This will mark the 3rd pack of indie games where you pay what you want. This is a great chance for people to support indie developers and charity!

As added bonuses, 2 additional games have been added to the bundle (Steel Storm & Atom Zombie Smasher). But they aren't done yet, if you pay more than the average purchase price of Humble Bundle #3, you can get the 5 games included in Humble Bundle #3. That's over 13 games for a great bargain.

You can also link these games to your steam account, especially if you want to do those achievements.

Don't miss out, you can get it at http://www.humblebundle.com/

I do not own or take credit for all of the above images, if you would like them to be taken down, please message me.

Have you played any of the games? What indie games have you enjoyed?