Download Realtek HD High Definition Audio Codec 2.42 Update

While the previous Realtek HD High Definition audio codec update boosted the higher frequencies, this one takes care of the lower freqs. I guess the folks at Realtek realized they needed to tone down the default treble effects a bit. Changes are minimal but it's there.

The download link and my Realtek HD High Definition 2.42 equalizer settings after the jump.


>>>Click HERE

>>>Click here to read more...

VideoLAN (VLC) 1.0.5 Changelog / Impressions

The VideoLAN devs have released another version of their downloadable freeware multimedia player, bringing it up to VLC 1.0.5.

Impressions and the changelog after the jump.

VideoLAN 1.0.5 produces minimal audio quality improvements over the previous versions though I've noticed that lower frequencies now have more force. The change is minimal, but it's there.

From the VLC site:

Changes between 1.0.4 and 1.0.5:
--------------------------------

Decoders:
* SubRip extra styles improvements
* Fix potential crashes in SSA and svg decoders

Mac OS X Interface:
* Improved support for the 2009 Apple Remote

Windows port:
* Use of gcc 4.4.2 to compile instead of gcc 4.2. This might slightly
increase performance and fix x264 issues

Translations:
* Portuguese Brazilian, Lithunanian, Romanian, Ukranian, Japanese, Bengali,
Walloon, Galician, Danish, Khmer, Polish, Slovenian, Vietnamese, Finnish
Russian, Slovak translation updates
* New Malayalam, Macedoninan, Nynorsk translations

>>>Click here to read more...

Free Full Version PC Strategy Games News: Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun and Firestorm Released as Freeware

Well what do you know? I talked with some guys at Tech-PC on where to buy System Shock 2 (hailed by Gamespot as one of the greatest games of all time) and when I woke up today, two other classics have now been released as downloadable free full version PC strategy games.

Image taken from the EA site. Placed here for the sole purpose of promoting the release.

That's right, EA has released two new chapters in the war against Kane and the Brotherhood of Nod as free strategy games. I'll download this over the weekend and "take the guns for a spin."

Oh wait, that belongs to another Command and Conquer game. I can wait another decade for that though. If the Scrin won't arrive first. >)_)

>>>I'm too busy to google to see if this game is really free. Is it really?

The download link after the jump.



>>>See my review of the downloadable free PC real-time strategy game Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn HERE

>>>See more downloadable PC full version freeware RTS games HERE

>>>Download Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun and Firestorm, the free full version PC strategy games HERE

>>>Click here to read more...

Free PC FPS Full Spectrum Warrior Lag Stutter Framerate Problems and How to Solve Them

[Note: Full Spectrum Warrior is not a first-person shooter. However, instead of making a new category for third-person shooter games, I decided to incorporate this into my "Free PC FPS" category.]

Video uploaded by Wozu999

I recently came across the news that Full Spectrum Warrior had been released as a downloadable free full version shooter game years ago. I downloaded the installer, installed the game, and... got confounded. The game ran alright --- except that my mouse lagged big time, the intro stuttered, and the free PC FPS game produced abysmal framerates.

I scoured the Internet for a solution to the frames per second problem and found the solution. It can be found after the jump.

The remedy: disable your Internet connection AFTER you launch the game.

How this is done:

1. Launch the game.
2. Alt-Tab and access your PC's Control Panel.
3. Go to Network Connections.
4. Disable your connection to the Internet.
5. Alt-Tab back to the game (or click on the free PC FPS game's tab on the taskbar).

Full Spectrum Warrior should run flawlessly.

>>>See more downloadable full version free FPS PC multiplayer shooter games from HERE

>>>Click here to read more...

Free K-Lite Codec Pack Full Download Update Version 5.7.0

Free-Codecs has released K-lite Codec Pack full version 5.7.0. The free codec bundle provides minimal changes over K-lite Codec Pack full version 5.6.1, improving bass effects but leaving the output quality of higher frequencies unchanged. (My audio output could differ from other users; settings used wildly differs from user to user. See my Realtek HD High Definition Audio Codec Update article to see my equalizer settings. I'm also using a Logitech X-530 5.1 surround sound system.)



>> What's so special about free, K-Lite Codec Pack full downloadable versions? Click.

The changelog and the download link after the jump.



What's new? This from Free-Codecs.com:

Changes from K-Lite Codec Pack 5.6.1 FULL to K-Lite Codec Pack 5.7.0 FULL :

- Updated Media Player Classic Home Cinema to version 1.3.1595.0
- Changed default video renderer in MPC-HC on Vista/7 to "EVR Sync"
- Changed default H.264 decoder from "ffdshow (libavcodec)" to "DivX H.264"
- This gives better decoding performance, certainly on computers with multiple CPU cores
- Updated Gabest MP4 splitter to version 1.3.1572.0
- Updated AC3ACM to version 1.5
- Updated Codec Tweak Tool to version 4.2.0
- Updated Win7DSFilterTweaker to version 2.8
- Minor changes

The free K-lite Codec Pack full update can be downloaded from HERE.

>>>Click here to read more...

CaptainD's Star Wars: Republic Commando Review (PC FPS Game)

1:05am here and I am seeing blinkos but I'm quite excited about this so down goes another mug of coffee. :D

Below is a review of retail PC FPS game Republic Commando. Dave, the owner of CaptainD's PC Gaming Blog was generous enough to give me permission to post his review of the PC first-person shooter game here.

Below are excerpts of the said review:

Image taken from the Star Wars: Republic Commando Wiki page

"Minimum / Recommended System Specs:
CPU: Pentium III 1 GHz / Pentium IV 2+ GHz
RAM: 256 MB / 512 MBVPU: 64 MB 128Mb
DirectX: 9.0
Ran perfectly on my Packard Bell iPower X9810 (GeForce 9800Gt, 4Gb RAM, Dual-Core CPU) running Vista 64-Bit. Didn't even need patching - virtually unheard of for a LucasArts game!"

The rest of the excerpt, link to the FULL PC FPS review, and two awesome trailers after the jump.



"Star Wars: Republic Commando opens up the door to a hitherto little explored set of characters in the Star Wars universe. Whereas we might think of the Stormtroopers as a group of disposable cloned warriors (which is, in truth, how they're usually portrayed), this puts you in the role of a commando, the leader of Delta Squad - not your everyday, run-of-the-mill clone. Together with your three team members, each of whom has a particular speciality, you will perform daring missions (while those pesky Jedi will get all the media coverage).

Republic Commando is basically a squad-based first person shooter; you only directly control your own character, but you can ask squad members or the squad as a whole to perform particular actions. The squad interface is very simple and easy to get used to; this does perhaps limit the strategic options for deployment, but considering that you'll be spending most of your time trying to stay alive yourself, that's not really a problem.

Video uploaded by Darthlebeau1

The thing that really impressed me about the game (though the game play is good in itself) was the presentation. Right from the opening sequence where you are "born" and introduced to the world and what your life will be by one of the Kaminoans, the race who genetically developed the clone trooper race. From there you are plunged into battle in a pivotal encounter in The Clone Wars, and the graphics are very good throughout, with some cool effects, such as your vision being unfocused when you've just been revived.

All in all, Star Wars: Republic Commando is a very solid game, perhaps a little uninspiring in terms of variety and originality, but it does what it does very well and the aesthetics allow you to get immersed in the game world. FPS fans and Star Wars geeks will obviously get more out of it than others. I'm more the latter, of course. It's also easy to pick this up cheaply nowadays - I got mine pre-owned for £3.99 from GameStation."

Video uploaded by Darthlebeau1

>>>See CaptainD's review of Star Wars: Republic Commando HERE

>>>Click here to read more...

Downloadable PC Full Version Freeware Real-Time Strategy (RTS) Game Ground Control

[UPDATE: This article now has a working link to the downloadable game]



While the years following 1992 saw a whole slew of PC real-time strategy games trying to out-innovate each other while following the formula laid out by Dune 2, Massive Entertainment opted to go a different path with their then-revolutionary release, Ground Control. Utilizing full 3D graphics that allowed players to zoom out for a panoramic view of the battlefield or zoom in to see the finer details of the game, Ground Control had no problems setting itself apart from the usual slew of PC strategy games.

Image taken from FilePlanet

The full review and the FilePlanet download link after the jump.




Massive also introduced a twist with their project: their PC strategy game had no base building elements. Instead it gave players units to deploy for every mission in its lengthy singleplayer campaign. It also threw in levels that had rugged terrain --- canyons, plains, hills, and entire mountains filled Ground Control’s maps. These geographic formations imbued the game with a tactical aspect that was unparalleled in its heyday. Even now, whenever I play it, I can't help but feel that this is the Ghost Recon of real-time strategy gaming for the PC.

There is no fog of war in this free PC strategy game but LOS (line of sight) mechanics impose themselves heavily on the gameplay. This results in gameplay that demands infantry-reliant tactics --- hidden units in this RTS game can wreak havoc on your tanks and support units. Used wisely, recon units or regular power-armored infantry can act as effective pre-emptive countermeasures as they scout valleys and promontories and provide overwatch for your lumbering war machines.




In fact this whole new level of importance this free full version PC strategy game places on footsoldiers is one of the aspects that make Ground Control exceptional. Infantry units, while considered insignificant in most strategy games, are a critical component here --- anti-tank units can decimate tanks with near impunity while footsoldiers armed with the right special weapons pose as hard counters to those anti-armor troopers. The emphasis is really thought out and you’ll be glad those power-armored marines are along for the ride (you’ve no way of chucking them out in the pre-mission unit selection screen); you’ll find out in the first minutes of the game that they are important assets, not liabilities. Among a plethora of infantry-based tactics you will churn out, you will order them to traverse kilometers-long canyons, spot for your artillery units, and lay down suppressing fire on heavy armor if the opportunity presents itself. You will also feel the void an infantry squad leaves behind if ever one gets wiped out; units in this real-time strategy game gain awards and experience whenever they complete missions. As a result, veteran squads have better accuracy, perception, stealth, and damage ratings than rookies.

You can also outfit your squads before missions. The military equipment you have at your disposal, while limited to 2-3 choices in each category (“Special Weapons” and “Equipment”) are as indispensable as the aforementioned infantry. Different kinds of units also get different choices: marines can choose between rifle-mounted anti-infantry mortars or anti-tank rockets while air superiority aerodynes can be outfitted with two types of air-to-air rockets. Units can also be outfitted with equipment like deployable radars or repair kits.

Did I mention air superiority aerodynes?

As you progress through the game, the campaign gives you more units to command and these include artillery, rocket vehicles that can hit both air and ground targets, recon planes, and the ponderous AV/U-45 SRBA “Condors.” Seeing the latter obliterate targets of opportunity---like enemy recon infantry that have gone beyond the shelter of friendly AA emplacements---is awesome to watch. The earth kicks out flame and debris with such fury that sometimes you forget this game was made in the early part of this decade.

The graphics department of Ground Control is no slouch. Tanks kick up dust and leave furrows in the dirt, artillery shells kick out a short distance, shed platings, and gracefully arc up in the air, while---if the map is awash in sunlight---sun flare effects add a level of atmosphere rarely in games created in the year 2000.

While the deliberate, realistic pacing may put off some players, Ground Control is a triumph in gameplay over dated technology, delivering a tactical experience rarely seen in real-time strategy games both old and recent. If this was a game bearing his name, Tom Clancy would have been proud.

>>>Download downloadable PC full version freeware real-time strategy (RTS) game Ground Control from HERE (Note: Download requires that you register with Fileplanet's free Comrade system (for more information about Comrade, please click HERE)

>>>See more downloadable PC full version freeware RTS games HERE

>>>Click here to read more...