Quite a few flaws here, though the most notable one is the use of Nobody. Nobody refers to the absence of physicality, so first you must explain how an absence is capable of manipulating the physical world.

Why not discuss the assimilation of Jamaican people into the city? You're looking for some sort of nerve-center that doesn't exist, presumably because the immigrants have managed to bring their disparate identities together. Don't fake it. Do you really think that your teachers don't know how to use the internet and see that X-event doesn't exist?

Day One: After four hours of waiting in queue the first time around, my internet connection dropped and I got kicked out. Then I tried to use the connection at work, got through the queue, only to realize that the file was 9GBs and wouldn't fit on my flash drive.

Day Two: Coughed up $6 for a Fileplanet membership to skip the queues. Six hours later, the file had downloaded completely, minus a few KB, resulting in an unusable file. Presently halfway through my fourth attempt with a few indeterminable hours to go. Guess I'll go get some coffee and work on some other reviews. It's not like I'll be playing Warhammer Online anytime soon.

I splurged a bit, particularly on the monitor and video card, and ran up a bill of $1100. If you're careful about what you buy, you could easily make a decent machine for around $800.

Yeesh. I never thought about that. In any case, today I turned a bitter 28.

No. I have my degree. I win.

Then again, maybe I have to do something with it to win. Stupid liberal arts major...

But your entertainment room has a Wii and Rock Band. How is that manly?

To echo the opinions already expressed, you're more or less screwed. Since integrated video cards are part of the motherboard, you will need to replace the entire motherboard. For a laptop, you can forget about getting Geek Squad to do the operation. You would need to hire someone more technically inclined, after which, you will probably spend just as much as if you bought a new set-up.

If you need the portability of a laptop, my suggestion would be to purchase a desktop for gaming and other high-end functions, and keep your laptop for the road. If you're not tech-savvy (and unwilling to learn), Dell and HP are the ways to go. For novice techs, sites like CyberPowerPC.com offer quite a few options for customization with a bit of guidance. If you're willing to spend a week or two researching, building your own from scratch is the way to go. I just did it, and honestly, it was nowhere near as difficult as you might think. Building your own is definitely the way to go because A) you learn so much about the operations of your PC, B) you save money on assembly fees, C) you get better parts for a better price, and D) you don't get bogged down with crap like trial software.

If you're adamant about having a laptop that functions as a gaming PC, be prepared to spend around $1500, and more likely $2000+, for anything decent. Even then, mobile video cards NEVER equal the power of their desktop counterparts. Also, good luck on finding anything decent with a 15-inch or smaller screen. 99% of all gaming laptops come in 17-inch widescreen. From personal experience, I can tell you that a 17-inch laptop is the antithesis of portable.

Tell me about it. I was queued up two times last night, but my connection cut out both times. I then sat in queue while at work for five hours, only to realize that the download was 9GB - 5GB too large for my flash drive. I ended up paying the $7 to join FilePlanet tonight to skip the queue for an immediate download. I lose a little cash, but I need the game as soon as possible so I can get to work on the review for GameShark.

Currently waiting in line to download my Warhammer Online Beta. 705th in line with approximately 280 minutes to go. Hmm... This could be a problem since I have to work in seven hours. Here's hoping for a speedy download.

In other news, I finally built that PC I've been talking about for something like two years. I was toying around on Newegg, grabbing parts for fun, and realized that I pretty much had a full PC right there. After two weeks of returning and reordering parts, staring at motherboard diagrams, and a fistful of crossed fingers, it's up and running.

Anyway, here's a few stats:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6000 (3 Ghz)
4GB RAM (ugh... Fatal1ty's brand)
Radeon 512Mb HD 4850
Antec Nine Hundred case (it's like one giant fan)

Edit: 687 since I started writing. Movin' on up.

Lewis. Many of the points you bring up regarding setting, story, etc. are all spot on in my book. BioShock is a game that has to be taken slowly, with open ears and eyes to fully appreciate. There's one problem with that though. We have to look at BioShock with the interactive elements of a game, and not the static properties of a film.

With a film, I can be perfectly content to sit back and wonder why a character is doing something. In a game, where I personify said character, I like to have a purpose in mind. My purpose in BioShock (at the outset) was to escape. Why should I be concerned with a bunch of tape recorders left in some rather puzzling locations? Why should I try to kill the Big Daddies when it looks like they and the Little Sisters mean no harm to me?

The loose ends tie a knot in the end, but that doesn't justify the moment - which is precisely when the enjoyment of video games takes place. For that reason, gameplay elements are just as important, if not more so, than plot. As luck would have it, BioShock is also very competent in the gameplay department.

I'm completely shooting into left field here, but is it possible that a sound file (eg chimes and mouse-clicks) could have been corrupted or changed during the install? Perhaps the sound is completely normal but something is wrong with her speakers?

First, that sucks about the pipe. I suppose it could have been worse and busted in the basement, next to your entertainment center.

I'll be jumping on Warhammer Online in three weeks if you care for a change of pace.

It's amazing how much easier the first Retro Evolved feels now. I went back and one-lifed my way to 300,000. Crappy score, but impressive for me.

Saw it here as well, but can't say I was all that thrilled. Here are a few of my opinions.

Script - Everyone speaks in witty one-liners and over-dramatic, unconvincing speeches. "He's not a hero..." Wow, that's um... deep. There are even numerous points when characters repeat, word for word, the dialogue of other characters. Never mind that they were nowhere near one another to eavesdrop. It's as if there are no personalities - just windbags meant to drive home the same five points over and over again.

Character Development - This should have been called Harvey's Dented Joker show or something. It seems like Batman is in his movie as little more than a courtesy to movie-goers. We don't learn anything new about him and his most dramatic point is so painfully predictable. Maybe it would have been better if they had spent more than five minutes on the subject.

Action - Pull back the freakin' camera. It's hard enough to see what happening when a black-garbed hero is beating down similarly colored criminals in pitch black. When all you show me is Batman's face, it's nearly impossible. There are some fairly good sequences, such as the drive on Lower 5th, except there were some glaring flaws as far as character positioning in the choreography.

Joker - The main reason to see this film. Heath Ledger is absolutely amazing, and it saddens me to know that he won't be around for the next one. That hospital scene alone made the experience worthwhile.

I just received an email that has me a little upset.

A while back, I started posting game trailers on YouTube, with the HG logo attached. These are videos distributed by publishers for the purposes of being exhibited around the internet. A few of them have done quite well. The trailer for Naruto: Ninja Destiny has done especially well and is up to 7,000 hits. This video is the subject of the email.

IDG, which owns such publications as PC World, GamePro, and Games.net, has a problem with my video. They filed a copyright claim against me. While there is no lawsuit involved or any legal actions, it gives IDG the ability to view my traffic info and even advertise on my account space.

What really gets me is that I have no recourse to do anything about it. IDG is one of the big boys, so it automatically gets its way. Never mind that the video was handed out to the press and can be seen on countless other sites.

A) That's tragic, and here's hoping for a quick replacement.

B) Operation Darkness? I really hope that wasn't for personal enjoyment.

Word

I love Oldboy as well, but I should warn you that it's very different from the director's other films. Oldboy retains the theme of vengeance (hence the Vengeance Trilogy), but the intensity is unique to that film. Being quite frank, Lady Vengeance was completely and utterly boring, except for about five minutes near the end. The cinematography was attractive, but pretty pictures can only hold my attention for so long.

A friend and I are setting up and ARG for late July, although it's nowhere near the scale you're talking about. It'll be a post-apocalyptic scavenger hunt/race. Teams have limited time to track down items like medical supplies and weapons, decipher the next location, and get there before the rest of the group leaves. It's just a one-day deal and the most hi-tech element will be text messages, but it should be fun. We might even stage another zombie-walk later that night.