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Saturday 13 April 2013

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon

Ubisoft Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon comes across as the love child of the action movie genre from the inspired 80's.



Blending the likes of Saturday morning cartoon series such as M.A.S.K. and cheesy action / sci-fi movies, all packaged in a degraded VHS-style trailer and retro neon chromatic aberration visuals.


I love it ...definitely one of the best DLC / standalone game I have come across in a while. The setting is in the distant future of 2007 (lol...I know right?), nuclear war has devastated the planet. You play as Sergeant Rex Colt, a Mark 4 Cyber Commando voiced by Terminator and Aliens actor Michael Biehn, who is perfect in this role.


Your mission; infiltrate and raid a small remote island which is populated by a rogue cyber army (who sound like cylons from Battlestar Galactica by the way) where a new bioweapon holds the potential for peace. As a matter of fact, almost everything on the island is a cyborg, there are even dragons with frickin' lasers - hell yeah!!!


Ubisoft Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon is a  3GB standalone digital download DLC with only the gameplay and mechanics much the same as in Far Cry 3. There are collectables, animal hunting and hostage rescue missions. Completing successful side quests unlocks upgrades and the ability to customise weapons.


If you're like me you will love the 8-bit style cut scenes, homages to 80's action genre, very funny deadpan humour, 80's synth based pumping soundtrack, cheesy dialogue, crude language and the obligatory action movie one liners - awesome.

As a side note, apparently, Russian crackers managed to infiltrate Uplay servers and added code, appearing to Uplay that they had administration of all the games.

Therefore, they were able to download and release the unreleased Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon.

The game is currently making the rounds on various sites and several gameplay videos have found their way onto YouTube. Check it out while you can before Ubisoft issues takedown notices.

Regardless, if you can and have the opportunity, get this one when released - you won't regret it.

Tech Wishlist #003

I am not much of a camera guy but when I found out about this recently, I nearly wet myself with wishful envy - ... if I had one I think I would literally cry with joy.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera ... where's my handkerchief.




Back -front




Machined




Highest -quality




Mft -lens -mount



Tripod
Description

The world’s most compact Super 16 digital film camera features an elegant magnesium alloy chassis, 13 stops of dynamic range, Super 16 sensor size, high quality Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) and lossless compressed CinemaDNG RAW recording, as well as interchangeable optics with an active Micro Four Thirds lens mount, all packed into an incredibly tiny size. Includes power supply, removable/rechargeable battery and wrist strap.
Price (recommended)
$995  or £648.55

Camera Features
Effective Sensor Size
2.48mm x 7.02mm
Effective Resolution
1920 x 1080
Shooting Resolutions
Lossless CinemaDNG RAW and Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) at 1920 x 1080
Frame Rates
23.98p, 24p, 25p, 29.97p, 30p
Dynamic Range
13 stops
Focus
Focus button turns on peaking.
Iris Control
Iris button automatically adjusts the lens iris settings so no pixel is clipped in film mode. Scene average auto exposure in video mode.
Lens Mount
Active MFT
Screen Dimensions
3.5" and 800 x 480 resolution.
Screen Type
Integrated LCD.
Metadata Support
Automatic camera data and user data such as shot number, filenames and keywords.
Controls
4 way directional controller for navigating menus and entering metadata. Push buttons for recording and transport control.
Microphone
Integrated stereo microphone.
Speaker
Integrated mono speaker.
Mounting Options
1 x 1/4"-20 UNC thread mounting point on top of camera. 1 x 1/4"-20 UNC thread tripod mount.
Storage Features
Storage Type
Removable SDXC, SDHC cards.

Storage Format
SD card can be formatted in either exFAT or HFS+
Storage Rates
220 Mbps using Apple ProRes 422 (HQ)

Compressed Recording Formats
Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) in QuickTime MOV, lossless CinemaDNG RAW. Recording in 1920 x 1080 with choice of Film or Video Dynamic Range.

Connections
HDMI Video Output
1 x Micro HDMI Type D output.
Analog Audio Input
1 x 3.5mm stereo audio.
Analog Audio Output
1 x 3.5mm stereo jack headphone output.
HDMI Audio Output
2 channels 48 kHz and 24 bit.
Remote Control
1 x 2.5mm LANC for Rec Start/Stop, Iris Control and Focus.
Computer Interface
USB 2.0 mini B port for software updates and configuration.

Blackmagic -pocket -cinema -camera

Software Included
DaVinci Resolve Lite grading software DVD for Mac OS X and Windows.
Supported Software Applications
Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects, Nuke - The Foundry, Adobe Photoshop, DaVinci Resolve.
Operating Systems
Icn -mac
Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or later.
Icn -windows
Windows 7 or later.
 
Power Requirements
External Power
1 x 0.7mm DC Jack for power and battery charging.

Power
Removable, rechargeable Lithium Ion battery for EN-EL20, 12V-20V DC port for external power and battery recharging.
Battery Life
Approximately 1 hour of continuous recording time.
Battery Charge Time
Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes when camera is off, and approximately 2 hours when in use.
Physical Specifications


Blackmagic -pocket -cinema -cameraEnvironmental Specifications
Operating Temperature
0° to 40° C (32° to 104° F)

Storage Temperature
-20° to 45° C (-4° to 113° F)
Relative Humidity
0% to 90% non-condensing
What's Included
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera
Wrist strap
Turret Dust Cap
12V AC Adapter
Product Warranty
12 Month Limited Manufacturer's Warranty.

Source: Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera

Music Playlist #005

Added to my personal playlist ... hope you share the same taste and enjoy

Electric Guest - This Head I Hold (Nu:Logic Remix) - this song gives me goose bumps...



Donae'O - Fire (The Prototypes Remix)



Shapeshifter - Gravity