I like U2 more than Most wanted...

[nfs most wanted vs underground]

I've been playing a lot of Need For Speed: Most Wanted lately, and I've recently beaten Blacklist #9 to finally unlock the Mazda RX7. Here's my favorite car, the Mitsubishi Eclipse that won me all my races and the next car I'm going to upgrade, the RX7 (which I intentionally made to look like Kyoko's RX7 from Initial D 4th Stage).

I like this game, but not as much as NFS: Underground 2. Although NFS Most Wanted is much the same with NFS Underground 2 graphics-wise (car models, environment, weather effects and motion blurs), Most Wanted does outclass the previous NFS games with the lighting effects. The lighting's just beautiful especially on sunsets, although it can blind you on horizons (but that's what's cool about! It actually blinds you!).

In terms of gameplay though, much of what drew me to Underground is no longer around in Most Wanted. While the police chases in Most Wanted are certainly exciting, it simply took too much of the game I became used to (note: I never really liked NFS: Hot Pursuit). Don't get me wrong, smashing through mobile roadblocks and dissing cops (cops on friggin' Corvettes) is cool - but I'm not looking for Grand Theft Auto, I'm looking for NFS.

In NFS Most Wanted:
No more advanced performance tune ups - I liked how Underground 2 allowed me to dabble in being a "mechanic"; performance testing and analyzing car performance graphs; but sadly, in Most Wanted you get this simple tuner slider bar.
No more drift races, rally and the downhill drift races.
No more cute chics at the startup line.
No more hidden races, shops and random challenges in the Free Roam mode. Frankly, Free Roam is useless now, since all the shops are the same and you can simply jump to races and initiate police chases straight from the Safehouse.
No more hydraulics (no more watching the car jump) and speakers systems (you don't feel like a pimp no mo') and less variety on vinyls - overlaying multiple vinyls to create unique and wicked, messed up vinyl designs.
But most of all, NO MORE Toyota Corolla.
No more SUVs (I want my Hummer!). Sure they gave lots of luxury cars this time like the BMW (yeh!), Lamborghinis, Porsches and a Dodge Viper but their just that, friggin pogi cars not streetracing cars - but then again that's just me.

In short, Most Wanted offers less visual flavor, customizability and Initial D-ness but offers ...more cops (and you don't even get to BE a cop!).

Latest from "Gizmag"

Welcome to the newsletter for gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine.

These are the headlines for October the 23rd, 2009.

Barnes & Noble Nook e-Book reader announced

The world's largest bookseller, Barnes & Noble, has confirmed it is to enter the e-Reader market with a device called the nook. Powered by Android 1.5 and sporting the now familiar e-Ink text display, the nook also benefits from a 3.5-inch color touchscreen interface for library browsing and book ordering. It allows wireless access to over a million eBooks, magazines and newspapers and purchases can be shared with friends. Read More

Philips' Wireless HDTV Link transmits up to 1080p

Philips' Wireless HDTV Link (SWW1800/27) replaces the cables that connect the HD cable set-top box, HD satellite receiver, Blu-ray player or gaming console to a HDTV and delivers up to 1080p picture quality at a range of 75 feet. This solution should appeal to viewers who have suffered from a lack of flexibility with their set-ups because of unsightly or too short cables. Read More

Cyclops - the visually-impaired robot

Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created a remote-controlled robot to help test the effectiveness of visual prostheses, such as an artificial retina, which are implanted into visually-impaired patients. Cyclops the robot - or, rather, the mobile robotic platform, or rover - lets scientists “see” the results that human patients could expect without having to test the device on them first. It is hoped that this approach may spare them some unnecessary procedures and one day lead to giving blind people the freedom of independence. Read More

Lexus HB Concept 2WD pedal-assist, carbon-fiber racing bike

Designed totally inside Lexus by Lexus designers, this sleek electric pedal assist bicycle is among the many hidden gems to be unearthed at the 41st Tokyo motor show. Sporting carbon fiber everything – including the battery cover – the Lexus HB Concept has a 2WD system that uses a smaller electric motor on the front wheel and a larger pedal assist motor at the crank. Head on through to the video to learn more. Read More

Microsoft launches long awaited Windows 7

After much anticipation and speculation, Microsoft has finally released its long awaited Windows 7 operating system. Aiming to make it easier for users to “do the things they want to do on a PC”, Microsoft’s successor to the largely ill-conceived Vista brings a host of new features to the table. Read More

Inside the box: Daihatsu Concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show

Daihatsu's stand at the opening day of the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show featured six mini concept cars focused very much on practicality in an urban environment. Somewhat strangely, the company's concepts stood out because, unlike many other vehicles on the showfloor, none of the cars are electric or electric gasoline hybrid. Daihatsu has instead tried to refine existing technology both in lightweight manufacturing and engine efficiency to improve on fuel economy, but that's not to say the company isn't aiming for a zero-local emissions future - this is only the first step in its road map for powertrains that will culminate in a switch to a fuel cell based system. Read More

REVIEW: Mobiu Smart Key offers secure, remote data access on the move

USB keys are a boon to those who need to carry data around with them, and with capacities always on the rise it’s becoming more and more likely that sensitive data will be stored on what is, at the end of the day, an inherently losable little gadget. Various security measures are now available that bring more to the table than standard encryption, but it’s not often we see something as all-encompassing as Mobiu’s Smart Key. We took the 1GB version of the secure Flash drive for a spin to see what it has to offer. Read More

How to Check Who Used Your PC In Your Absence ?

1. Step 1

   Click start --> run --> type "eventvwr.msc" (without quotes)
   
   Event box will appear.

2. Step 2

   Events are stored in three log files : Application, Security, and System. These logs can be reviewed and archived.

3. Step 3

   For our purposes we want the System log. Click on "System" in the left-hand column for a list of events.
   
   Look for a date and time when you weren't home and your computer should have been off.
   
   Double click on the eg: info and it will show u the details.

4. Step 4

   You can also use this log to see how long someone was on the computer. Just look at the time the computer was turned on and off for that day.

Gmail adds favicons to "enhanced" messages.

Google has enabled what they call "enhanced content" in email messages -- which comes in the form of a gadget that serves up additional information (rather than simply the static message you would find normally). The idea is a good one -- real-time content in messages could be quite interesting.