Oblivion is right, 'cos that's where my money's going.

Taken from www.ctrlaltdel-online.com

So we still don't have a concrete date on Oblivion yet, but they have released the system specs, if you haven't seen them already:

Recommended:

• 3 Ghz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor
  
• 1 GB System RAM
  
• ATI X800 series, Nvidia GeForce 6800 series, or higher video card

Minimum System Requirements:

• Windows XP
  
• 512MB System RAM
  
• 2 Ghz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor
  
• 128MB Direct3D compatible video card and DirectX 9.0 compatible driver;
  
• 8x DVD-ROM drive
  
• 4.6 GB free hard disk space
  
• DirectX 9.0c (included)
  
• DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card
  
• Keyboard, Mouse

Pretty hefty, so you may want to start gearing up now for the hopeful March release. That is, if you're planning to get the game on the PC like I am.

The way I see it, when you look at Morrowind and the staggering accumulation of player-made content for the PC version, and then realize that Xbox players got none of that, the option is clear. Now of course I realize not everyone has a choice between platforms.

But if you do have that choice, I think in the long run you'll be happier with the open-ended PC platform that can extend your gameplay infinitely. Consoles are catching up in terms of downloadable content, but are still restricted to developer offerings. And I find the fanbases are by far more fervent and diligent when it comes to creating new game content.



So, my PC is so close to the recommended specs, but not quite there. Thus, I won't be purchasing Oblivion. I enjoyed Morrowind enough to have fond memories of it, but not enough to spend thousands on upgrading my PC just for Oblivion.
Maybe when Half Life 3 comes out I will.

Speaking of HL, I've decided to purchase Half Life 2 for my birthday. Now they've got all the "Platinum" packages and crap, so I get like 500 bonus things for half the original price. Dude... excellent...
Mostly I'm looking forward to CS: Source. I've always been a fan of the CS games. The physics engine 'Source' that runs Half Life 2 and the latest addition to the Counter Strik titles is near flawless. I just love the way that Half Life and CS lets you take control of the maximum potential of the engine, and play with it.
I'm also looking forward to the SDK that comes with the kit. SDK stands for Software development kit. I've played around with this on a friend's PC, and man, is it cool.

So suffice it to say I'm pretty psyched.

I've been put onto a new podcast, called Engadget. http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/20/engadget-podcast-064-01-20-06/
You can find the one I'm listening to right now there. Just use your common sense to find the other ones.
Anyway, it's not bad. I still prefer Australian Gamer... probably because it's Australian. I can relate to how they're so pissed about the destruction of Aus gaming companies like Ratbag, because it's a massive dent to Australia's gaming industry. We're a small part of the industry.
Anyway, Matt and Yug are cool (Australian Gamer) however the Engadget guys have some interesting things to say about gadgets, hardware, and what's going on in the IT world in general. It's all good.

Yeah, I still endorse podcasts. Love the cast. Although I don't like iPods. Ironic?


Other than that, not much else happening. Found out I'm working at an IT Service Provider and I'm going to be doing PC maintenance for Work Experience, which is alright. I just hope they're cool guys, I can't take negative people.

EDIT: Oh yeah! RDC Studios coming up soon. More on that later.

Peace