Recently upgraded my video card to an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. Yea, it is already obsolete, but less than six months ago it was the fastest card around!
The sole reason for doing this is Doom 3. I (and thousands others) have been eagerly waiting for this game for years. Very few companies can cause people to upgradde computers as well as id and microsoft can! I remember getting my first 3d accelerated card to play Quake 3. Come to think of it, I spent more on that humble Geforce 2 MX a three years back than I did on the new 9800pro!
Anyways, back to the game. Let me set one thing straight, I absolutely LOVE Quake 3, and couldnt care less for Age of Empires. That should give you an idea of the kind of games I like. Unike movies and books where I like the director to challenge me with puzzles, I like games that are straightforward and fast paced. Doom 3 fits the bill almost exactly. It is a typical id game. Shoot anything that moves. No need to think too much or to solve complex puzzles, just fast paced action. If you want something to challenge your grey cells, look elsewhere. If you want to kill wierd alien creatures in the most hackneyed First Person Shooter fashion (exactly what I want), Doom 3 is your game.
The best aspect of the game is the lighting. It is simply brilliant. Nothing I've seen even comes close. It is also the most scariest game I've played. Turn off the lights, pump up the volume, and you are on Mars fighting all kinds of wierd creatures. Sound is great (though I've seen better), but the lighting is simply unbeatable!
Unfortunately, I think the game falls a little behind Quake 3 in terms of fun. Again, this is very subjective, but I loved the no nonsense, no story gameplay of Quake 3. Perhaps the only thing I dont like about Doom 3 is the irritating side story where you are asked to go and do a certain thing to clear a level. It is redundant and boring. Just throw the bad guys at me, and let me kill them!
Also some of the AI is pretty ordinary. If you hear me shoot, or see my flashlight, come and get me! One last thing I dislike is that you cant hold both the flashlight and the gun at the same time - argh!
Give the game a shot - if not for the gameplay, just for the graphics - they are simply awesome! Definitely been worth the wait.
I've been getting increasingly interested in Black and White photography of late. It started with trying to save some money on film and processing, but I guess I'm starting to see the charm and fun of B&W.;
One of the things that comes with B&W; is that you need to develop your own films, or be prepared to spend a fortune on getting a single roll processed. But the good thing is that developing B&W; is really easy and fun! Thanks to the awesome documentation on Ilford's site (particularly this document), and the helpful folks at Nikonians, I managed to develop my first roll recently. While the results werent mindblowing, it was great to see actual pictures on the negatives once the process was done.
Unfortunately I dont have access to a real darkroom or enlarger right now. I've heard from many people that making your own prints is where the real fun is, and cant wait to try that out. Until then I have to be content with with scanning the negatives using the Minolta Dimage Dual Scan IV scanner that I got sometime back.
One amazing resource for all B&W; related stuff is the Black & White Magazine.