Microsoft XBox One
The new XBox One is here, Microsoft is referring to it as the new “Entertainment System”, people don’t realize that at the core of all this is gaming, we want to play games as well as have other features, gaming is the main feature, everything else is secondary. So Microsoft has to do a lot to live up to, but one thing I like is XBox Live and your Gold Account is going to carry over to the XBox One which is great, the functionality of XBox One is going to be the same with a mix of XBox 360 & Windows 8 so if your familiar with them you will be fine. They are trying to introduce more functionality with TV, Skype, and Internet Explorer, its ok but not key for me. I want to see if they will be releasing another Halo, now that would be Epic, even though I haven’t finished Halo 4 yet, I still have the rest of 2013 to do that. One surprise for me is that they have finally introduced a slot-loading BluRay player, I still buy BluRays but only of movies that I love, so I’m not sure how many people have BluRays when they have the option of streaming, still its a good option.
As far as installation, when you first insert a disc into the Xbox One, it’ll install the game to the hard drive — you won’t have to use the disc again. As for internet connectivity they haven’t given a clear picture, so I’m not sure if it has to have internet connectivity to keep playing the games, that wouldn’t be a wise decision if you have to have constant internet connectivity. I like the idea that you load the disc once and then you don’t have to use it to play the game. The controller is an update that I really like, they put a lot of thought into it and everyone keeps saying how great it is, so that is something I want to try. They new Kenict is a bit like the CIA’s dream it can hear and see you while the console is off, you can use gestures and voice commands to switch the XBox One on and go through its menus.
Annoyances:
- TV Features – Useless to anyone outside the US, and its not a settop box, I want a gaming machine
- Again not backwards compatible – I only have about 20 Games that I cherish, so what to do with them now?
- No Used Games, So I don’t know how thats going to work for rental companies now! Sometimes I want to try a game but don’t want to buy it, so whats the solution?
- New Kenict which is watching you all the time, not a feature I like, will probably point the Kinect to the TV, don’t like being watched!
- Gamers will have to connect the console regularly, possibly at least once a day, and game discs will be restricted to your Xbox profile if you use them on a second console
Both consoles promise to track your motions, power on instantly, and seamlessly update themselves in the background, among many other common features. Lets see how that works out, how many people have power up their XBox 360 or Playstation after a month of not touching to play a new game and end up having to perform a systems update for an hour or more so that you can play that new game. Honestly what I loved about the XBox was XBox Live, I could always play with friends across the globe, this time around I don’t know what they have planned.
Overall I’m honestly excited about the new console but they have to clarify a few points about the 2nd hand market and online connectivity. I’m the graphics will be phenomenal, and I want to see what games they have lined up, not sure what they are going to price it at, but I’m hoping it won’t pass the $400 mark.
Link: TheVerge
Pacific Rim – Where The Robots Come From – Trailer
Posted in Movies on 21 May 2013 at 12:25 pmRobots vs. Monsters, couldn’t get any better and this trailer gives you more of a taste then all the others. Can’t wait to see it on July 12th.
THE OFFICE – Has Come To An End
9 Seasons, a show that nobody thought could end, but when Michael Scott left I think a lot of people who were addicted to the, show such as myself, knew it was going to end at some point. The 75-minute episode capped nine seasons with laugh-out-loud moments and tender tributes. I for one wasn’t choked up while watching the season finale at all, no really I wasn’t, ok I was. I got really worked up about this show, it has had more of an effect then you realize. I got used to seeing The Office over the weekend, used to their episodes with Jim & Dwight getting into some crazy prank or something happening in the office and they end up not doing any work at all.
The season finale was probably one of the best season finale’s I have seen, it gave closure, it gives you a glimpse into the characters that you have loved and enjoyed for so long. I don’t want to ruin for anyone but if you enjoyed this show then you have to watch it. I want to thank my wife for getting me addicted to this show, I watch Season 1-5 one go a few years back and slowly kept watching episode to episode. They really put a huge amount of effort into the season finale, everyone cared so much, and you can genuinely tell that they were all emotional at the end, which made it even harder to watch. This show really ended on a high note, something very few shows have done in the history of television, I even remember the crappy season finale of Seinfeld, after so long you expected to end well but it didn’t but The Office, couldn’t have ended any better. You feel like you know these people, like you are saying good bye to friends that you won’t be seeing any time soon, now I want to get all The Office Bobble Heads, it was an emotional ending, lets just say that. What a show!
JUMEIRAH MESSILAH BEACH HOTEL & SPA
It took so long but it was worth the wait, the only real luxury hotel has opened in Kuwait at last. We have been talking about it, seeing it, and even saw when they first branded it Jumeirah everyone was excited. For once we will have a hotel which is at the level of a Luxury 5 Star Resort from Dubai based on the management and the quality of a hotel that had no expenses spared to build it. Kuwait only has some decent 4 star resorts such as Movenpick & Hilton Manguf, or business Hotels such as Four Points Sheraton, Holiday Inn Downtown, Courtyard Marriott. But none of these hotels are even close to what a five star hotel should be, and the Sheraton & JW Marriot should be demolished and completely rebuilt, they are just too old. Walking into this hotel you know that they really worked on it and are doing everything they can to bring a world class 5 star resort with the management and this amazing property. I was amazed when I walked in, its the soft opening and anyone can go to it, its officially supposed to open in October.
We went their for breakfast early Friday morning and we were surprised to see so many people at the hotel. It was an impressive entrance and even more impressive when you walk out to the pool area, it is seriously beautiful, you forgot that you are in Kuwait, you really feel like you are transported to a resort with everything you want at your finger tips. The pools looked so good that I really wanted to jump in, especially the pool close the seaside, they even made a beautiful cove for people swimming at the hotel so you don’t get the rough seas, too bad the water is still not clean enough to swim in but thats beside the point. They even have an amazing ramp to take boats and jet skis down but I’m not sure if that is available for guest use but I would hope they would let you.
They opened up 8 restaurants and varying cuisines which I am very much interested to try. We had breakfast at Garden Cafe, the presentation was nice and the breakfast was good, but the other restaurants like Pepper and Olio seem to be the highend restaurants, Pepper is open now which I hope to try soon and Olio will open in a month and I want to try it. The Tea Lounge is totally for women, that place is so posh and proper with biscuits and teas of every kind, I can see who this place is targeting.
Restaurants:
- Olio – Italian Cuisine opening in June
- Salt – Seafood Cuisine opening in June
- Pepper – Steakhouse open now
- Arabesque – Arabic food restaurant with shisha, open now
- Garden Cafe – International cuisine, also open for breakfast
- Mint – Beachfront all day casual dining
- Aqua – Healthy lite bites, open in June
- Tea Lounge – International tea and coffee lounge
There are 400+ Rooms and several Chalets for guests, but right now they have only made available 100 Rooms and the Chalets. There 3 Bedroom, 4 Bedroom, and a 5 Bedroom Chalet starting at 500 KD a night which have already been booked for three weeks out. And most of the guests that I saw staying there are Kuwaitis to my surprise. Of course prices aren’t completely set yet and of course it depends what day and when they are in demand, but the Chalets looked very nice, and they have their own private entrances. We didn’t have a chance to check out the rooms but if the quality of the what we saw says anything I’m assuming its going to be just as good, but with varying tastes. I know where I will be sending guests when they come from out of Kuwait, and I might even try the place when I have a chance to stay there, it would be interesting.
Now for the part that surprised us was the Ball room, its huge with a separate entrance for the guests. They really thought about the ball room, it can be separated into three different parts or used as a whole. Its seriously huge and the go to location for weddings be it male or female is currently Al Rayah Ball Room in Kuwait City, I know for a fact that women are going to go nuts when they see the size of this place, I would assume that its going to get booked up very soon with a lot of weddings. It also has a lot to do with the catering and I know for sure they are working on it and they currently have a huge line up of cuisines so it will be interesting to see how soon people can book for weddings.
If you haven’t been to Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel then you really need to check it out, it is above and beyond all expectations. I was surprised by what I saw and very happy, and I think most everyone has. The contact details are below.
Phone: +965 2226 9600
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S.H.I.E.L.D – The New Show – Trailer
Posted in TV on 19 May 2013 at 1:11 pmNow this show I want to watch, and based on Joss Whedon’s track record with Serenity & Firefly (For the SciFi Geeks), and Avengers I know he will do this show justice, to give S.H.I.E.L.D depth and meaning so that it will flourish next season and I’m liking this trailer.
Redemption – Trailer
Posted in Movies on 19 May 2013 at 10:38 amHomeless and on the run from a military court martial, a damaged ex-special forces soldier navigating London’s criminal underworld seizes an opportunity to assume another man’s identity — transforming into an avenging angel in the process.
I never get tired form the Jason Stathom movies, and this one seems to be a bit deeper then most. But I do love that they keep the action going and then he is back to beating the bad guys up. Seems like an interesting story, I do like London criminal movies.
Elementary – Ending With A Bang
A show that I enjoyed from the beginning and one of the most satisfying seasons I have watched yet. Ending on a very high note, and a big bang with the perfect type of build up. This show was so good that I thought of Sherlock Holmes as only this odd genius and nothing else from the movies or the original books. Surprisingly Lucy Liu played an excellent Watson, not the person you would expect to play the role which made it even better, and she was fantastic in the show, and not in her usual roles. This show is a must see with an excellent and well developed story line, it leaves you satisfied and I’m excited to see what they have planned for next season.
Link: IMDB
HTC One – Mophie Juice Pack
This is a surprise to me, turns out the Mophie made a Juice Pack for the HTC One, they never made it for any other device other then the iPhone and the Samsung SIII, and its not that there is huge volume of the HTC One out there, so I wonder what made them change their mind and produce it. I for one am happy that they are producing the juicepack for other manufacturers, and they are bound to make one for the Galaxy S4. For $99 its reasonably priced, and you know you love it the moment your phone is on the verge of dying, 2500 mAh is enough to bring it back to full charge without any use.
Link: AndroidCentral
Machine Guns Vegas
This is one place that reminded me of being in a movie, rarely do you get the chance to shoot these types of weapons let alone shoot at a facility this cool and entertaining. Most gun ranges have a small amount guns for rent and a few in Las Vegas where you can shoot some mean guns, but Machine Guns Vegas is a gun range on another level, lets call tactical entertainment because this isn’t your run of the mill shooting range.
You greeted in the open seated area, and we booked the Full Auto Experience which included the VIP Room and 8 Machine Guns and a few guns thrown into the mix. Honestly there was so many weapons to choose from and half of them I didn’t know but I liked the way they looked and we got a few recommendations from the guy working with us to shoot which guns and which ones are a different experience. There was one weapon which I thought was a bit too much for me, a fully automatic shotgun, that honestly was above my capabilities, so Bu Faisal took it and made some big holes.
The Guns We Shot:
- M60 – Felt Like Rambo
- M249 SAW – Schwarzenegger vs. The Predator
- M4 – Right On Target
- HK MP5 – No Aim What So Ever! lol
- FN SCAR – Loved This Gun
- SPAS 12 – Fully Automatic Shotgun, Scares the Crap Out Of Me!
- KRISS SUPER V – Very Funky Weapon
- 410 Shotgun – Felt like a Cop Movie
- Desert Eagle .50 AE – Almost broke my Wrist
Price Per Person was $575 and we were two people, took us about 1.5 hours to shoot all those bullets and it was well worth it. You have the gun range all to yourself and shoot as much as you can and you can keep adding more weapons and getting more bullets, the fun just doesn’t end. If we didn’t have a 4 hour drive back to Los Angeles we would have kept on shooting, it was honestly the best shooting range I have ever been to. And I love the targets, they were very creative, zombies and bad guys, and sometimes you have to save the cheer leader but you end up putting holes in her too.
Link: MGV
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Riddick – Trailer
Posted in Movies on 16 May 2013 at 7:18 amRiddick looks a lot like a bigger budget version of Pitch Black to me — barren planet, group of armed people trying to catch Riddick, a storm, attacks by aliens — and yet, as I watch this new trailer, I find I don’t really care, because it still looks completely awesome.
Perfectly Sums Up My Thoughts! Loved Pitch Black Going To Love this One!
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