Stop right there! Last time I checked there was a power switch on my PS3, PC, Wii and my sources tell me that there happens to be one on the XBox as well. Why can’t parents use that? Are parents so stupid that they need a Big Red Button to turn the thing off? Last time my Mum didn’t like the game my brothers were playing she pulled the plug out the wall and confiscated the disc. No need for even an On/Off switch there and definitely not a Big Red Button.

Also games in the EU have a PEGI rating which is enforced in some stores and if a game has cut-scenes in-game those are given ratings in the same way as videos. What is wrong with that? My PS3 has parental controls on it that is capable of even more fine tuning. What extra help is a Big Red Button actually going to give?

Time for parents to grow up and quit being lazy. Pull the plug out the wall and scratch the disc with the car keys…

[Source] [Source]

I preordered Assassin’s Creed a month before it came out and my expectations of the game were not disappointed.

The detail in the maps are incredible and the ability to climb pretty much everything will have you roaming the cities for hours on end.

However, if you try to get through the storyline fast (it’s very tempting as the plot is fascinating) you will find some of the info gathering missions repetitive. This won’t effect you too much as unless you try to do all of them they won’t take too long.

Overall it’s a well thought through game with amazing attention to detail and the graphics and locations are breathtaking. The rumors of freezes on the PS3 are not as bad as is made out (I had it freeze about 3 times total) and Ubisoft have released a patch for it which seems to have fixed the problem.

9/10

Finished Bladestorm last week.

It starts off well (a particularly amazing opening movie) and the rpg element is ok but it drags on and is reeeaaallly repetitive. The ending scene is disappointing as well.

6.5/10

On Ubuntu when the D2 is plugged in it acts like a normal usb memory stick.

Upgrading your firmware wipes the files on your D2 so you need to do this first if your firmware is not up to date
When the D2 starts up it shows the current version number on the splash screen

Firmware and Manual

You can get the firmware from here:

http://www.cowonglobal.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=C08&bmenu=download

and a pdf of the manual from here:

http://www.cowonglobal.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=C09&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&bmenu=download&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&bmenu=download&desc=asc&no=34&bmenu=download

Applications

A quick search for applications reveals the following flash app links (put them in the FLASH folder)

Nice game list here

http://iaudiophile.net/forums/showthread.php?t=15110

apps here

http://iaudiophile.net/forums/showthread.php?t=15780

more games

http://iaudiophile.net/forums/showthread.php?t=15120

and yet more games

http://iaudiophile.net/forums/showthread.php?t=16397

Transcoder for D2

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=404589

Follow instructions on the forums for transcoding tips

Next is investigating how to get music on easily…