Top 10 Best Video Game Songs

I know what you're going to say. Who the hell am I to declare the top 10 best video game songs of all time. And you're right. I am no one. I am merely just a gamer- a gamer that happens to really like music of all types and creeds. So, as I count down my top 10 video game songs of all time, remember: I looked over the data for hours and meticulously compiled this list with thought and precision. Or I just drank a coffee and smoked five cigarettes while randomly selecting the songs with reckless abandon.

Now, a few things to point out. Firstly, these songs may or may not be the actual themes from the games, nor appear exclusively in the game I selected. Also, music games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero are completely scratched off the list because, well, I don't want to include them. Now, *cue drum roll* here is my Top 10 Best Video Game Songs Of All Time!

10
Are You Going My Way? from Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec
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Gran Turismo 3 was by far the main reason many of us picked up our first PS2. Nothing comapred to plugging in this game for the first time and watching the opening intro and it's amazing visuals come to life. Granted, now it's pixely compared to the power that next generation consoles put out, but epic for it's time.

9
Wake Me When You Need Me from Halo 3
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The final song you will hear in Halo 3 happens to be the most pinnacle of the whole series. "Wake Me When You Need Me" shows the emotion between the master Chief and Cortana and the love they have for each other. The only thing more epic than this song for the series is the story arc: Halo: Chronicles, here we come.

8
Master Of Puppets from Doom
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Doom was by far the most played FPS before the console generation took over the genre. Killing Hellspawns and exploring Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos, were made epic by a low-bitrate midi of Metallica's epic Master of Puppets. Without the popularity of this franchise, FPS games may have been declared dead, and we may never have seen the inspiration to create games like GoldenEye, Halo, Half-Life and Medal Of Honor. I'll leave out Doom3 for obvious reasons.

7
Underground Theme from Super Mario Bros.
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Yes. Level 1-2. The underground level that has set the theme for music in all future underground Mario and Luigi explorations.


6
Hyrule Field Theme from The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time
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Zelda:OOT was by far the game that re-launched Link and his green underwear into popularity. Too often would we catch ourselves whistling along to the tune while we transversed the field in search of items.

5
Still Alive from Portal
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Portal was the come from behind success of 2007. Sure, Halo 3, Assassin's Creed and Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare were very successful too, but Portal came from no where. The game's dry humour and sarcastic tone were matched with the very beautiful spaces and artwork. Set in the Half-Life universe, Portal is a comparatively short game that you can pick up again and again.

4
Halo Theme Song from Halo: Combat Evolved
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Despite what critics may say about Halo 2 or Halo 3, it cannot be denied that Halo: Combat Evolved was a definite success and nothing garnered the imaginations sweaty, barely pubescent teenaged boys more than punting a few grunts around while this song was blasting out of the headphones. Using a (comparatively) small budget and no leads on what may happen to the series, Martin O'Donnel not only created the theme for Halo:CE, but in the end created an atmosphere around the characters in the game. It could be said that not until the epic soundtrack for Halo 3 shipped that nothing came close to it's awesomeness in the series.

3
Tetris Theme from Tetris
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A stoner's dream, tetris required you to pile blocks in order to get more blocks to pile. This version is slightly reworked but still a master piece, and it also shows how Tetris has stayed, somehow, as a staple of gaming lifestyle since it's creation.

2
Sonic The Hedgehog Theme From Sonic The Hedgehog
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Sonic The Hedgehog was Sega's answer to Mario, and it was by far the best of Sega's games of the time. The game had typical Japanese craziness, but with an American edge to it. This version performed by the famed Video Games Live orchestra.

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Mario Theme from Super Mario Bros.
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If I really have to explain this, than SHAME ON YOU!


So, there you have it. My first top 10 list. Hope you liked it.

Geek Central HOW-TO: RSS Downloading

Now that you have setup uTorrent and your computer for peer-to-peer file sharing, it's time to set it up for more advanced features. This time it is RSS Downloading, a type of search and download function that can be deployed in uTorrent.

Now, you may ask what is RSS downloading, what it does, and how it works. Let's start with what you will know: the logo. You have seen it across the internet, typically on news sites and such. It looks like this:

RSS is "Rich Site Summary " and is a group of web feed formats. An RSS document, which is called a feed, contains either a summary of the website or the whole text. Essentially, the site that is being summarized will update it's feed file and send it to it's subscribers, which have a program or application that reads the feed and turns it back into text and which ever. A good example of this is a home page from Yahoo! or MSN. It uses these feeds and translates them into information that would otherwise be in all corners of the internet and puts it right in front of you.

If a torrent indexing site has RSS ability, and it's sorted into proper categories, then you can access this feed from within uTorrent and download torrents that meet your criteria. You then can setup Favorites from within uTorrent to specifically download certain things depending on the criteria. A television show is a prime example of this; it comes out, let's say weekly, on Thursday at 9 and your boss regularly schedules to work Thursday until 10:30. Now, with Favorites and RSS Downloader, you can set uTorrent up to catch the show as soon as a release hits that has your criteria.

Adding a feed

Click on the RSS button, then click Add. Paste in the feed URL and hit OK. If you want to name the feed, simply type the name in front of the URL, like so:
TV Feed|http://somesite.com/rss.xml (NO SPACE BEFORE OR AFTER THE | )

Note that the RSS Downloader will NOT consume any extra resources if you have no feeds present/enabled. Some feeds do not give direct links to the .torrent files (most notably Mininova) and as such won't work, but you can use the RSSatellite to modify those feeds to work properly.

Disabling a feed or filter

Simply uncheck the box next to the feed or filter, and it will no longer be used.

Renaming a feed or filter

You can rename a feed by selecting it, then single clicking or pressing F2. You can do the same thing for renaming filters.

Sorting filters

You can sort filters by drag and drop. Simply click, hold, and drag to wherever in the list you'd like it.

Using feeds that require HTTP authentication

For feeds that require HTTP authentication, simply use this format for the feed URL: http://username:password@sometorrentsite.com/rss.php

Using feeds that require cookies

To use feeds that require cookies, you must find the cookie for the site, and grab UID and pass from it.

* IE users will find their cookies in %UserProfile%\Cookies
* Firefox users will find their cookies in Tools -> Options -> Privacy -> Cookies -> View Cookies
* Opera users will find their cookies in Tools -> Advanced -> Cookies, but they must scroll down manually, find doesn't work
* Users of other browsers will have to consult their browser's documentation

Once you have the appropriate information, use this format for the feed URL:
http://sometorrentsite.com/rss.php:COOKIE:uid=1234;pass=asdjh12378912y3lkj

Some sites do not use uid and pass as the variables, or use additional ones, so you MUST use the exact variable name and the extra variables they specify! For example, on a certain site, it uses id, password, and secure as the cookie variables you must use.

Automatically downloading torrents

To automatically download specific torrents from a feed, you can use Favorites to specify your own filters to grab torrents. It does NOT support regular expressions. Here's a tutorial explaining the various options and how to use them (with examples).

* Hit Add, then type the name of the filter.
* Click on the editbox next to Filter: and add your filter. The allowed wildcards are * ? and |. An example of a filter you could use would be *MP3 Archives*
If you have a strange feed using underscores or something besides periods, you can also try something like *Go?Open*
You cannot specify the season or episode number in the filter if it is decoded by µTorrent (check the Releases tab): you must use the episode number box, OR turn on "Filter matches original name instead of decoded name." You also can't match by group name without first using "Filter matches original name instead of decoded name." Remember, using "Filter matches original name" disables the "Episode number" function!
* Not: allows you to exclude certain strings from matching. An example is you don't want releases with AC3 audio and H.264: you can write *AC3*|*H*264|*x*264* in Not: to exclude those.
* If you want the torrents to automatically download and start without any further input, you MUST specify a folder in Save in:! However, if you have a path set in "Put new downloads in:" in Folder Options, you don't have to set a save folder here.
* Feed: chooses what feed you want the filter to apply to; either all of them or a specific one
* Quality allows you choose various qualities to match against, or allow all. You can choose more than one quality in the dropdown list.
* Episode number is to download only specific ep numbers, say to avoid releases of old episodes. It does support ranges (i.e. 1x4-26).
* "Filter matches original name instead of decoded name" is so that you can match based off what the original name is in the feed, instead of µTorrent's parsed result.
* Give download highest priority sets all torrents downloaded automatically through RSS to the top of the queue, making your seeds and other downloads get queued if you reach the max active torrents.
* Smart ep. filter makes µTorrent only download the first version of each new episode that matches your filter. Do NOT turn this option on if the episode number isn't parseable (shows ? for all episodes)!
* Minimum interval sets a minimum interval between matches for the filter: if you set it to 2 days, µTorrent will not download anything for at least 2 days after a match.
* You can use the Reset button to make µTorrent forget that it has downloaded episodes and the last time matched for that filter.
* Label for new torrents auto-sets a label for torrents that match the filter.
* All changes are automatically saved when you make them, so you don't have to do anything once you're done editing the filter.
* You can select a filter and press ? to see what the last four episodes were that matched, and the last time that the filter matched something. A list of the currently matching episodes from the feeds you've defined for it is also available in the "?" dialog, so you can double-check your filter expression.

Here is the Favorites tab with an example filter:


RSS Downloader Releases Tab

You can add and remove columns to the Releases tab by right clicking on them and choosing from the list. You can double click or right click -> open to download releases listed here.

Icon Meanings

RSS clock icon means the release is less than 24 hours old.
RSS checkmark means that the torrent was already downloaded and moved to the history.

Join me next time when I'll show how to properly forward ports on your computer, firewall and router to maximize download speed and to avoid getting throttled by your ISP.

Geek Central HOW-TO: Peer to Peer Sharing

A few of my friends have been looking into an alternative to share files amongst the masses, and asked for my help. File sharing is a very simple way to share your project with the masses, whether it be a indie film you made or a demo you recorded. Now, Peer-To-peer or P2P Sharing has some negative rep for illegal activities, but so does Las Vegas and it's still on the map. Remember, P2P is LEGAL and downloading stolen, illegal or pirated properties is NOT. For more information on this use google or look here. Aside from that, the only other threat is malicious software in the download and viruses. With this guide to safe P2P sharing, I will show you some tools to help prevent this. As I go, feel free to click on the links for further information on the topic. I will have a link at the bottom for all the programs and other things you may need.

What Torrents Are and How Torrents Work

Torrents are different from standard downloads in many ways. The main way they differ, without getting overtly technical, is in the way they distribute the contents of the file. All torrents use what is called a BitTorrent Protocol to do what they do.

Typical Download Scenario

The contents of the download in a conventional download scenario come from one place, and that is a server. This server gets up to full download speed fast and is able to respond from rises and falls in bandwidth in a very quick time period. The downfall in that situation is the cost. Servers cost big money and so does bandwidth. In addition, a domain may be required to feed all those files. This is where a BitTorrent client comes in handy.

BitTorrent Download Scenario

In a BitTorrent scenario, the contents of the torrent are split into evenly sized pieces, typically under 1 MB. These pieces are spread out around the internet to people when they download the file. Each recipient shares some pieces with the newer recipients and so on. Eventually, there can be tens of thousands of recipients with all the pieces needed to make the file whole again, thus making the whole process cheaper and easier to manage. Each piece has a mathematical equation attached to it; called a "checksum" and in this case is referred to as "SHA1 Hashing Algorithm" which verifies the files' integrity as it downloads.

Terminology 101

There is some different language that needs to be explained for new users to P2P sharing. Here, I will try to define it the best I can using layman's terms. A very complete (but more technical) guide is available here.

Client- This is the application (such as uTorrent or Azureus) that co-ordinates the download.

Tracker- The file you initially download and open into the BitTorrent client is a file that connects to a url that knows the connected peers on the torrent and who has what piece. Think of it as the keys to the car.

DHT- DHT is an abbreviation of Distributed Hash Table. This means that the peers acts as trackers instead of the url.

Peer- A peer is another client also connected to the same torrent. This is determined by the tracker.

Seed- A seed is a peer that has 100% of the file. It is where you get the most data from.

Leech- A peer that has a very poor seeding ratio.

Software You'll Need

BitTorrent Client

The first thing you'll need is an application to read the torrent file. This is called a "client". The most popular client is uTorrent and I highly reccomend it. It utilizes a friendly and easy-to-use user interface, is lightweight and is also freeware, which is an added bonus. Once you install the program, you are pretty much set to share torrents. But not so fast....there is more.


Firewall

The next thing you'll need is a firewall. Sure, you may have a Norton firewall or Windows Defender, but you want a good one. The undisputed King of firewalls is PeerGuardian2 or PG2. This program runs from your system tray (beside the clock, bottom right) and is red when off, black when on. Follow the instruction on their website to set it up. PG2 blocks unwanted IPs and protects you from spyware and adware.

File Extraction

Sometimes you may get files that look like this: foldername.zip or foldername.rar and within it filename.r001, filename.r002 etc. This means the contents that you downloaded are contained in an archive. The quickest and simplest solution is ExtractNow, a powerful yet simple to use archive extraction app. Simply open the app and select the archive you wish to extract, hit "ExtractNow!" and blam! it's done.

More complex is what is called a disc image. These files are typically large, the capacity of a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. They usually have a file extension of .iso or .bin and you will need a program to use/burn these files. Here, there are a few solutions.

First is InfraRecorder, which is a freeware graphical CD/DVD writing program. You can utilize this optimally when you want to burn the image to a disc itself.

The other option is what is called mounting a disc. Basically, the image is sent to a virtual drive (typically a USB destination) to be emulated by the computer and using the hard disk of the computer. An example of this program is Daemon Tools.

Now, if you do not recognize the file extension (.xxx) just type it into Google and you'll find out what you need to open it.

Getting Content

Now you're ready to get some content. So, from your desktop, activate PeerGuardian2 (it's black when on) and navigate to a hosting site. Try torrentz.com or thepiratebay.org for some ideas. When you find the file you wish to download, click on it and then the "download this file" link. It will download the file, and open uTorrent where it will prompt you for some information. Enter the save file destination (typically My Documents > Downloads) and a label if you wish. Labels are used for sorting. Click on start torrent and you are now getting your data.


Software Sources

Here are all the software sources I mentioned earlier in the article. I do not endorse any of these applications beyond my personal experience with them....bear in mind that each computer is different as is it's operator. You may have to find you're own applications to do the trick.

uTorrent -BitTorrent Client
PeerGuardian2- Firewall and HTML blocker
ExtractNow (at the bottom of the page) - Multiple Archive Extraction App
InfraRecorder - Disc Image Recording Tool
Daemon Tools- Optical Media Emulation Tool

Further Assistance....
For any further assistance, please reply below in the comments section. I will be happy to help if I can. Please include any and all details that apply so I can assist you to the best of my ability.

Please stay tuned as I will share some advanced settings you can do in uTorrent to make it easier to download.

Geek Central: Tech Apparel for Spoiled Trust-Fund Babies

You know, it’s amazing that we don’t have flying cars yet and we’re not just saying that because the movies told us we’d have them by now. The reason I find it so perplexing is because of the stuff I'm showing you today.

Some of the items and implants literally allow you to control devices with your mind! No kidding. Now, if technology has advanced that far, then why the heck can’t we have a flying whip with 22” rims?

"sCape? I need to talk to my homies when I`m snowboarding down the Alps! Help Me!" Well, you asked. First up to bat is the G Cell Bluetooth Glove. This baby allows for integration to your Bluetooth cellphone while you're out shredding the slopes. Sporting a speaker and microphone and a convenient vibration notifier of your incoming call, the glove is a sure fire hit with all the trust-fund spoiled rich bastards out there this winter.

"But sCape!" you say, "I need a device for when I'm not being a spoiled bastard on the hills!" Well, young spoiled bastard, I have the glove for you then. Introducing the Verva Vie Sports Gauntlet. Designed by a student at some Kiwi university, this thing is the device to wear when you're out jogging, cycling, or simply walking down the street being a spoiled trust fund baby. Equipped with an integrated heart rate and health systems monitor, GPS navigation and emergency beacon, this glove is controlled with a simple single hand user interface.

"C`mon, sCape! I don`t want to wear a glove everywhere I go!" Well, lucky for this spoiled trust fund baby, there soon will be an alternative. Introducing the delightfully futuristic Digital Tatoo Interface. Yep, that`s right. Utilizing some advanced nanotechnology and an implanted Bluetooth interface, this puppy will connect you and your trust-fund friends with the world around you. The best thing is this thing would rob it`s power from you, so when Skynet tries to kill you, it will be easier for it to take you down.

"Awesome, sCape! Now, let me control things with my mind!" Well, ok. Only because it`s so weak that you`ll surely fail. I give you the Emotiv Epoc, a mind reading device that you put on your head and control videogames and such on. Really. Shipping by Christmas 2008 this bitch has some charm.

From the Emotiv web site:

The Emotiv EPOC now makes it possible for games to be controlled and influenced by the player's mind. Engaging, immersive, and nuanced, Emotiv-inspired game-play will be like nothing ever seen before. Based on the latest developments in neuro-technology, Emotiv has developed a new personal interface for human computer interaction.

The Emotiv EPOC uses a set of sensors to tune into electric signals naturally produced by the brain to detect player thoughts, feelings and expression. It connects wirelessly with all game platforms from consoles to PCs. The Emotiv neuroheadset now makes it possible for games to be controlled and influenced by the player's mind.

Yeah. So set aside some of that trust-fund, you spoiled bastard. Here comes the gadgets.


Time for some games and related news. Starting with Metal Gear Solid 4: The Guns Of The Patriots, which finally has a release date of Q2 2008. Which, by my calculations (and of when it would seem appropriate to release it) puts it around the second Tuesday of June. Yay!

Next on the cool-news list is Haze. Ubisoft promised it before Christmas. Of 2007. They Lied. Well, now it has been confirmed to be coming for May 2008. About goddamned time. Check out the new trailer for Haze, featuring a new song from Korn.

And finally, to wrap it up, we have a release window of April 08, probably to coincide with the release of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue for the PS3`s new DualShock3 Controller. With an MSRP of &54.99 USD, this baby vibrates. Yep.

That about wraps it up, but I`m going to include these two videos that provide some more information than I porvided.


Daily Wrap Up From The Feed.


Gaming Update From X-Play.

Random Motivator Gallery

Every once in a while, I'll compile a gallery of images. This time it's motivators with a twist. Enjoy.

Geek Central

Wow. It`s been a while. So to kick off my return, here is a nifty post regarding some tech and up and coming video games.

To start out, let's talk about some gadgetry that is beyond your normal day-to-day gizmo. First off, the USB Dogtag made of sterling silver. This thing is pimped! Of course, at the price their asking, there are different designs you can get and such.

Next, we have the USB to Wireless converter that takes your USB peripheral (printer, memory sticks, hard drives) and broadcasts it to your wireless network. This would be especially convenient for multiple PC homes or people who have a laptop.

Of course, you can't be a geek unless you advertise it. Enter the Zelda T-Shirt from ThinkGeek, a classic looking tee that announces to the world that you are going to save them and take the princess home.

Now I personally think the next two are completely awesome because I am in the business of seasonal retail. First is the GOAT2008 Hybrid Robotic Lawn Mower from Evatech This device is a robotic lawn mower that has numerous models and attachments. You can even equip a snow plow blade to it.

The next is a Flat Screen Fireplace similar to current electric models, but this one is thinner and can be placed virtually anywhere. It has a heater, too, so it outright replaces the current generation.

On to the video games. First out is Conflict:Denied Ops, a FPS that ships on Feb 12th for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.


Next is Army Of Two, is a cooperative third-person shooter that looks promising. Ships March 4th for Xbox360 and PS3.

And lastly, getting the WTF vote for the day, is Faith And A .45, a Bonnie and Clyde style third person romp around the roaring twenties of bootlegging, speakeasys and mobsters that go `Meh!`

I'd be surprised if it does well, but the concept is all there. Release date to be announced and so far it looks like it is destined for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

So that's the wrap up of geeky-goodness. Stay classy, internet.

Alien Spotted On Mars?!

In the ever going quest to explore outer space, in our search for treasure, gold, true love and life, progress seems to be taken in little steps. Sure, back on July 20th, 1969 mankind took its first steps on the moon. Now, as we ready ourselves to step foot on another planet for the first time, images of what that trip may have in store for us become public. Now that image was taken when Spirit landed on Mars back on the 24th January of 2004. Some of my cohorts in the blogging community write it off as a shadow trick, or lighting trick. Others claim that it is indeed life on mars.

In the blown up version of the same image we see that it could indeed be a rock with an odd shadow, or a silhouette of something else. Or it could be some sort of bipedal creature, off to eat rocks and wash them down with space dust.

Regardless of what this may or may not be, the fact remains that we probably won't find out until man explores that planet, or the big hairy creature comes to dine on our exquisite, luxurious rock breeds. But the uneasiness of what we may come across there, the sheer hostility of the planet, the voyage and the endless bounds of space is only further fueled by this speculation. The men and women making that trip may be on their way to define an event in history, or on their way to the slaughter house in a blatant suicide mission without hope.

Mankind will indeed push the ethics of morality and humanity when it makes this push into the depths of our solar system. Not one person involved can consciously admit that the team responsible for this trip has not prepared, or at least be in the midst of preparing, emergency protocols for this adventure. They will come prepared to find water, discover ancient artifacts of sentient, intelligent life and they will come prepared to be received by an unknown civilization. If it is the latter of those, then be sure that the "shoot first, ask later" routine would come into play and that we may find ourselves succumbing to a sickness that we cannot be cured of: the conquest of the universe.

The truth of the matter is, we cannot afford this to be an alien life form. Mankind has yet to understand and exhibit the maturity required to deal with that kind of event yet, and until we can stop blowing up each other over petty differences in skin colour and religion, how can we trust ourselves with a species that came from an entirely different thesis of evolution.

Psycho Lady Goes Completely Off in a Coffee Shop

Psycho Lady Goes Completely Off in a Coffee Shop

Two things are for sure. She hates Mexicans, and decaf would definitely be a better choice next time.

Get humor videos at NothingToxic

Dog From Hell Attacks Two People and Survives a Gunshot

Dog From Hell Attacks Two People and Survives a Gunshot

Nothing is ever gonna stop this demonic dog. I think it feeds on poodles and babies.

Get humor videos at NothingToxic

Welcome To My Sordid Opinion

So I have finally gotten around to it and created a blog. Yep. So now all I have to do is blog about something. Yay. This will obviously get updated as I figure stuff out.

For Now....

sCape