Battlefield 4 Screens!

So some images have leaked online of EAs newest Battlefield game. This is ahead of a major reveal scheduled in San Francisco later on tonight. Word is that one of their servers were hacked which is bad, but we have these 3 screenshots to show which is good! They look like they might be from a single player element of the game...

Flashback Friday - Super Mario Bros

One of my fondest memories that I haven't lost is Christmas when I was 5 years old. Dad asked my brother and I to go help out in the kitchen where mum was making breakfast. As we helped mum set the breakfast table we heard something go "Ding!" My brother and I rushed into the living room to see that Santa had brought us a Nintendo Entertainment System, and he was nice enough to set it up. This was the day I discovered video games, the day I became a nerd. So what was the first game we got? Ninja Turtles, but then we also got this unknown game called "Super Mario bros..." Welcome to flashback Friday readers.

Super Mario Bros was a game that was built purely for gameplay. It is a side scrolling platformer where your objective is to collect as many coins as possible and reach the end of the level within 300 seconds. Along the way you will fight Goombas, Flying turtles and an annoying cloud that throws spiny enemies at you. Apart from the latter, you defeat enemies by jumping on them and to assist you you can also get some out-there power ups such as a mushroom that makes you big and a flower that allows you to shoot fireballs.

The game features about 8 different colors yet the sprites are vibrant and well drawn. The levels are designed well while some are easy and others, particularly the underwater ones, push you to your limits as you dodge cheep-cheep fish and avoid currents that pull you into the abyss. The game features a two player mode where players take it in turns finishing the levels as Mario and Luigi.

This game delivers the fondest memories for this old gamer and it paved the way for many modern franchises we see today. It's available on the 3ds and Wii/Wii U eShop and if you own one of these consoles is an essential purchase.

So What's It Like?
Since it was the original I'll compare it to something it inspired, Take Sonic the Hedgehog + 2d Platforming = Super Mario Bros.
I Give it 9/10.

-Sarge

Nerd Vs Wild - Better than Expected

First stop, Woombah Woods. Woombah Woods is a small caravan park and camping ground just off the Pacific Highway near Iluka. I remember camping with my parents when I was younger at Woody Head near Iluka, great fishing and right on the beach it had everything! As a child it was my favorite camping spot. I remember educating my parent’s circle of friends on the lunchtime economy. What’s the lunchtime economy you ask? Well it takes a while to explain but I got a whole book so what the hell.

The Lunchtime Economy: A system derived in the schooling years of my life, born from the desperation of refusing to eat another Vegemite sandwich. Do you have kids? If so I want you to keep this in mind. Say you send your kids to school with a sandwich, that’s worth next to nothing on the lunchtime economy. What are high value goods? Cans of soft drink, tiny teddies, tim tams and the ever so elusive Space food sticks. Low ranking goods are Fruit, Sandwiches and anything remotely healthy. So how it works is like this… If you are sent to school with a can of soft drink, that’s a free pass to trade for anything, including high value items. I remember I once traded a can of cola for 2 packets of tiny teddies and a roll up. Those were the days when the economy was good. Then came the devastating Health kick credit crunch… Kids were sent to school with healthy foods such as muesli bars and apples. Suddenly kids couldn’t get tiny teddies for a banana or *shudder* tofu roll. Devastating times. It was tough but we managed to pull through.

So back to the trip. Anyways we pull in to Woombah Woods and it was nothing like we expected. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad place it’s just there is nothing nearby… except the highway. The beach is a solid ten minutes’ drive away and our spot is in between 2 rows of permanent residents. The 4WD pulls into the park and we see the guy running the show, “park it anywhere” he says, “plenty of room here!” He’s right, there are only 2 other populated sites out of about 15. “Should we pay now?” my wife asks. Old mate points up the road, “When the missus gets back.” I flash back to our phone call which went something like this…
“Hi, it’s Joshua Hawthorn, just wanted to confirm our booking for the 16^th?” *long pause* (I’m guessing he was pointing up the road) “I’ll have to get the missus to call you back.”
Back in the present I give him a knowing nod. I know what it’s like to be the assistant manager in a marriage… I know.

I’m guessing fate decided to laugh in my face because as soon as we moved the van onto the site, or in-between two sites (I’m still not sure, plenty of room here) its starts to belt down rain. No big deal Court and I say, and we decide to charge out and set this caravan up like the experts we are! First step, unhitching the van. Yep, we got stuck right here, turns out there’s plenty of space here but we decided to park on the only uneven terrain in the entire park. After about 10 minutes I manage to unhook the van and we start unpacking. “Court you go inside and I’ll unpack things outside.” I say. Then I hear a loud tearing type noise which turns out was the caravan’s idea of adding a new window. I look at the 45cm gash in the side of the canvas and laugh, at least the wheels didn’t fall off (Right here I’m not trying to be humorous; I am actually quite surprised the wheels didn’t fall off.) After about 30 minutes of monsoon rain and hitting my head on pretty much everything I possibly could, we had the van set up and it was time for lunch.

If there’s one thing I love more than space food sticks in my lunch its Tuna sandwiches. Not being the guy who parks in the same spot and eats the same thing at a restaurant I have a particular way of making what I like to call, my “Sammiches.” I drain the excess water out of the tins, then divide the tin up as if I’m drawing a tic tac toe, butter my bread and then spread the tuna. So I do this as I always do, make a coffee and eat my “sammich” pouring the salty water from the tins down the drain. We do the dishes and empty the sink. Turns out, the sink hose isn’t attached so we ended up effectively pouring tuna and dishwater all over our clothes. Believe it or not, I Still think things went better than expected!

So there you have it! Finally on the road and already wanting to go home. Next stop is Pelican Park! Stay tuned for the next adventure of Nerd Vs Wild!

The Computer Medic - Essentials

The Computer Medic Part 1 - Essential Programs

There have been so many time a relative or friend or friend of a relative for that matter have called me asking for help in regards to a computer problem. Moat problems are easily fixed but unfortunately some people in the industry see you coming a mile away and next thing you know, you end up paying a small fortune to get it fixed.

This is where I come in. You see before I became a kick ass Sarge type guy, I fixed computers for a living. In this 3 part guide I will tell you exactly what you need to know to not only protect your computer, but fix problems quickly and easily.

The first thing you should get is an anti-virus program. There's no need to pay hundreds of dollars as one of the best anti-virus programs on the market is Avast!Free antivirus.

To make things easier for you here's a download link... 

http://download.cnet.com/Avast-Free-Antivirus/3000-2239_4-10019223.html

Avast automatically updates its definitions daily for free and runs in "Silent mode" allowing you to go about your business without the slowdown or interruptions of other anti-virus programs.

Next for when the crap hits the fan you need Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. This program removes malicious programs such as keyloggers and email spammers.

Download from here..

http://www.malwarebytes.org/lp/malware_lp_form/

This program only needs to be run once a fortnight just to be sure your computer is clean and free of malware.

Last but not least is another free download called "Spybot S&D." This handy application scans and removes spyware left on your system from everyday web browsing. 

Free download link here... 

http://www.safer-networking.org/mirrors16/

This program should be run before you run Malwarebytes Anti Malware once a week.

Ok guys so get these programs and be protected! If you already have an Anti-virus program feel free to stick with it. If you wish to replace it however, make sure you uninstall the old program before installing Avast.

Stay tuned to our site for the next Computer Medic where we instruct you on how to remove viruses after installing all these programs. Even the toughest viruses can be removed easily. 

-Sarge (The Computer Medic)

Nerd Vs Wild Part 6 - D-Day -1

6. D-day - 1

It was the eve of our trip. I had only been out of hospital for about a week and still wasn't feeling my best but we had work to do. A sane couple would have postponed the trip, but we weren't entirely sane... The gas bottles were filled, the batteries charged and the fuel tank was full. Only one thing remained... Just where in the hell were we going? I siggest to Courtenay we head to Woody Head near Illuka, It's only 3 hours away so we could see how well Ruby travelled and how well our car towed the van. I was nervous but I knew I had Courtenay by my side. Now, you may think “How romantic” or “That's lovely he's confident in his wife” but I think we were both filled with the kind of courage you have when you drink alcohol. A crazy sense of courage. We sat under the carport with our van up, It was as ready as it was going to be. We drank coffee and tea while sharing camping war stories with our parents and neighbors. Tomorrow our adventure would begin.

So there you go. Last day at home. Tomorrow we hit the road! Will it be smooth sailing? I'll save you the suspense... it was a disaster! Stay tuned to find out what happened on the next Nerd VS Wild!

You Can Review Games for What's it Like!

Ever wanted to be a games reviewer? Yes? SAME! Well now you can! Submit your Review, or topic you want to talk about to 308.ps3@gmail.com

Not confident writing? Don't be! Below is a guide that you don't have to follow, but may help some people when it comes to writing. Also if you have any thoughts or questions I would be more than happy to help you write an article. Everyone has a story or opinion to share so share it!

Firstly, You need to introduce the game. What's its title? Who makes it? Is it a sequel? Does it open strong? What's the story? Game type (Action, FPS, RPG?)

Then you want to cover the graphics. Graphics don't just mean what it looks like. It includes... Are the levels designed well? Are the characters interesting? Is it an immersive setting? Are the weapons and enemies fun to fight?

Then we cover the gameplay. This includes things like puzzles, controls, combat, and variety. Are there many different enemies or obstacles to overcome? Does the game get repetitive? Is it fun and exciting? Does the game play well?

If the game has multiplayer, talk about that. Does it vary from single player? Does it have Co-op play? Is it online only? Does it have split screen? Can you rank up? Is it balanced?

Then we cover the sound and music. Are sounds clear and crisp pulling you into the game world? Does the music help set the scene? Are the ambient background noises well done?

Then you should close your article with a well thought out conclusion summarizing the review.

Scoring. What do you give it out of ten? Also we like to include our "What's it like?" where we compare it to similar games of the genre.

So thats it. You can review new or old games and if you don't want to review, why not send us a topic of discussion?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on gaming!

-Sarge

Battlefield 4 Teaser Released

Just when I thought I was done for the night we continue with all things Battlefield! EA have just dropped a Battlefield 4 teaser trailer! Check it out here...

So there's not much to go on but I can make out some tank treads and that's about it. The date in the video is for when the full trailer drops on March 27th!