Browser Wars Part 1: The Computer

Everybody knows about Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer. I have news. There's more than just those. So, of all of the browsers that there are, I'll introduce you to a few of them and tell you which ones I think are best for what. Throughout this review, I'll be using this scale:

Speed: X/5

Usability: X/5

Design/apps: X/5

Special touch: X/5

I will cover 5 different browsers: Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and Rockmelt.

First competition: speed. Contrary to what you may think, browsers DO affect speed. So, I put in this link on all of them. And who was first? Chrome had the least lag time and the fastest load time of all of the browsers. Trailing in last came Opera, which still hasn't started playing it yet. Firefox has also been acting weird to this link, and works about 50/50. Safari, surprisingly enough made a pretty good showing in this challenge. So, the ratings:

Speed

Google Chrome: 5/5

Safari: 4/5

Rockmelt: 3/5

Firefox: 2/5

Opera: 1/5

Next comes usability. In this, it becomes a contest of Rockmelt vs. Google Chrome vs. Opera. Rockmelt allosw its special advantage, Facebook give it a one up with a "share" button right next to the URL. However, Google Chrome has only one thing on the top, for the URL and searching, proving quite useful. Opera has an alike setup to Rockmelt, only it does not have the "share" button, and allows you to change your search engine. Bringing up the rear is Safari and Firefox, which allows for virtually no adjustments or useful search sections.

Usability:

Rockmelt: 5/5

Google Chrome: 5/5

Opera: 4/5

Safari: 1/5

Firefox: 1/5

After that is the apps and design advantages. This time, Rockmelt shines above the rest. It allows for Google Chrome apps along with having Facebook practically embedded in the entire browser. However, Google Chrome does make a good appearance because of its apps. Once again, Opera pulls in the rear with virtually no customization aside from the main menu's appearance.

Design/apps

Rockmelt: 5/5

Google Chrome: 4/5

Safari: 3/5

Firefox: 3/5

Opera: 1/5

And now comes the last rating: special touch. Rockmelt takes all again, as it is Faebook embedded in a browser, and it's second search section doesn't create a new tab; it acts like an HTML app and let's you click on a new link to make a new tab. Google Chrome takes the next, as it allows for tons of adjustments to virtually anything, but doesn't do any special things, with the other three browsers being pretty drab.
Special Touch
Rockmelt: 5/5
Google Chrome: 4/5
Safari: 2/5
Firefox: 2/5
Opera: 2/5
So, overall, the ratings are:
Rockmelt: 18/20 90%-An A!
Google Chrome: 18/20 90%-Another aA!
Safari: 10/20 50%-An F!
Firefox: 8/20 40%-A really bad F!
Opera: 8/20 40%-Still a terrible F!
However, I have a special note to make: Rockmelt can only be used if you have a Facebook, so if you don't, then it's useless. Click on their names to download the browser.

Rockmelt:

Google Chrome

I also have a second note to make: Google Chrome does not normally look like how it did in the blog; I got a theme for it, that's why it looks different.

Safari

Firefox

Opera

So, get the browser that you think would work best for you, if you like Facebook, then choose Rockmelt. If you don't, then I think Chrome's the best for you.

Alvarp Out.

Yet again, another apology

sorry for all the apologies... I'm cutting down on my blog posts so i don't go MENTALLY INSANE, so hold tight, I'm working on two good ones, coming soon.

Sorry

Sorry, I can't write a review like thing today. Too much homework.

Portal Review Thingy WARNING: THIS REVIEW HAS BEEN WINGED AT 11:30 PM AND MAY CONTAIN EXPLICIT SPELLING ERRS

So, hopefully this isn't too terrible. As promised, I'm finally reviewing Portal. And lemme say it had awesomes. I has some more screenshots, and I hope you don't  mind if I skip the first couple levels that I reviewed in the demo.

And without further ado, I give to you a review of Portal. And I want a red bull.

So, I'm having a blast shooting myself out of portals onto the floor and back again. Fun and all, but it will get tedious after a while.

And, then I get the other half of the famed portal gun. LOVE IT. Now, I can jump in one portal and fly out of the other without waiting two and a half minutes. But all good things get boring after a while, and Valve studios fixes this up again, with actual enemies. Specifically cute little droids that shoot at you with machine guns. But don't fret, because you can whack them with boxes radios, and even other droids. And, there is of course, recompense at the end: Cake. But is it true? Someone's dying wish stated it was a lie, so I'm not so sure.

But, I shouldn't stay off topic for too long. Anyway, the series of  levels after that include jumping over acid, avoiding these battle droids, defending yourself with an awesome box against lasers. I just wish there were cats, that way I could shoot Gladys with laser cats.

Gladys is the computer which has been sending you on all these crazy missions. You get to kill Gladys at the end, but I forgot to take a screenshot because I was WAY too into the game.

My overall score is:

Gameplay: 5/5

Ingenuity:5/5

Load time 3.5/5

Overall rating: 4.5/5

And as usual, here are my screenshots.

Sorry about the shorter review than usual. Anyway, here's the link to download Portal.

ADIOS! ALVARO OFF!

Portal Demo Relook

As I got quite a few negative comments on my review of the Portal demo, I am going to make a special demo rating system.


Gameplay:5/5


load 3/5


Demo length 4/5


Special part, ingenuity, ect. 5/5


Overall score: 4.25/5

Laser Tron Motorcycles Break Other Motorcycles: A Review on LightBIke 2

I'm pretty sure everybody's seen Tron, or at least heard of it. And you would think that there would be some kind of light cycles game for iPod, computer or something. So you won't be surprised to hear that there is. In fact, there are many. This one shines out from the rest because it isn't some bland copy of the light cycles, it seems like it's inspired by it, but puts its own twist on it.
For one, there are two courses. The first one is the standard square course, but the second one is far more original. It is four squares lined up so that one can jump from one to the other, but not back, creating an interesting game scheme.

And there we are, after about a minute of loading on my iPod 3g, it's up. The main menu. It's pretty simple, consisting of four different buttons, one of which says locked or something on it. It's for multiplayer. 

So, as is reasonable, I check out the single player first. Well, it gives me another menu. Ok.

Well, I'll take the first stage first. GIMME! Guess what I get though! Right! Another menu!

This time, I decide not to take the boring option. I take death match. Okay, here we go. Time to load. And five minutes later, it finally loads up.

And, the game starts. I'm on a square field with a bunch of other light bikes zooming around trying to kill other people-great fun. The rules of the death match are basically that you have three lives. Last one standing wins. And these little bonuses are really useful. I can also boost and jump over other bikes, and I'm even charging up my jump to jump further.

Ok, well that was interesting. I get a little game over screen, and the app returns to the main menu. I go to stage 2 death match now. This next load time is even worse, but my iPod isn't incredible anyway, so I'll give it some leeway here. And now, I get a couple seconds. 3. 2. 1. GO! And we're off. The four block map is very exciting, and allows the bonuses to really take affect.

And BA BAM! I win! I get this really cool cinematic-ish scene, and get the fade to menu again. Now to test out the customization.

About half of the customization things, which are all for your bike, are for achievements, and the other half requires you to pay money. Not the best, but you can still get something out of it. Also, you can't draw your own side or anything, but only flip through a couple presets.

And, here comes the multiplayer, probably the biggest downer. It doesn't work. I get the screen, click join server, wait ten minutes and the app crashes. Rinse and repeat, so I quit on that. I'll give a rating of the game with and without the network matches included.

So, to make a more precise rating system, as I got some complaints on the first post:

Customization: 3/5

Network/Multiplayer: 0/5

Gameplay: 4/5

load times: 2/5

Overall score: 2.25/5

Score without multiplayer/network: 3/5

And of course, for the remaining screenshots

To buy LightBike 2 for the iPod, iPhone, or iPad, click here.

The Race: A Review of the Portal Demo and Some Other Stuff

As it seems quite unnecessary, I will make my first post a race... which will finish first: my portal demo download or a couple thousand items in the trash being safely removed...

Wait, crap, this sucks. Maybe this is why I haven't gotten a blog until now. Oh well.

So, quite off topic, another rant will come to y'all. I've downloaded the iphone app SDK from apple like 5-6 times now, and it's been failing miserably to install every time (yes, I have a mac, I'm not that sterpid) 

Ok, and the competition is over...the trash won. And now, for my review of portal (the demo, I'll give the whole review sometime around next week.

Okay, so for the demo.

A couple questions: what the heck is this freaky thing in the loading screens. I know that's not what my character looks like...so, Valve, what exactly is that?

Okay, really the demo (first eight levels) was actually pretty cool. The first couple levels were a bit drab, and included picking up boxes and setting them down on buttons. That's why there's only one picture.

But, then I got into the next five levels, and I got super pumped. With the portals, you can see yourself looking at yourself at yourself, etc., creating inception graphics. I would like to claim the honor of being probably the only player of this game to manage to hit himself over the head with a falling camera. Sadly, I did not get a screenshot of that.

To put it frankly, the physics of this game are incredible. The eight and last level of the demo really demonstrates that, as it is jumping into portals, and being flung out the other portal to higher ground. Also, if you are put out of a portal upside-down, you do a little barrel roll, and become normal again.

Another question I forgot to ask about the game is this: HOW FREAKING BIG IS THIS PLACE! Yes, I know, when you finish the game you kind of see it, but seriously. 19 levels: 19 elevators.  Each elevator is like 15 seconds long. That's almost a 5 minute ride to the top, or about as long as it takes to get to the top of the arch. LOOK AT THE AMOUNT OF TIME I WAS IN AN ELEVATOR! PEOPLE DO NOT MAKE SCREENSHOTS JUST FOR FUN!

I have more screenshots, but nobody wants to stare at elevator pics anyway.

And, maybe by next week, when I get the full game (probably) and beat it, I'll post my review on that too. Oh, yeah, and this gets a 3.5/5 

Why? To short. Yes it's a demo, but that still applies. That's what the.5 is for. I don't like elevators, also known as long load times, although they are still relatively good.

I leave you now with all of the portal screenshots remaining.

To download Portal, by Valve studios, click here. Have fun!