<HTML>

  <title>loonygames Feature: It's a Very Geeky Christmas</title>
<body bgcolor="#FEFFEC" link="#000000" vlink="#000000">
<div align="CENTER">
  <div align="CENTER">
    <center>
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "ca-pub-2373963192914918";
/* 468x60 */
google_ad_slot = "3417104156";
google_ad_width = 468;
google_ad_height = 60;
//-->
</script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
</script>
</center>
  </div>
  <div align="CENTER">
    <table border="0" width="600">
      <tr> 
        <td width="261" height="105"><img src="../../images/next_logo_sml.jpg" width="251" height="94" usemap="#map" border="0"> 
        </td>
        <td width="92" height="105" align="LEFT" valign="MIDDLE"> 
          <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">- <a href="../index.html">Contents</a><br>
- <a href="../../../about.1">About</a><br>
            - <a href="../../../submissions/index.html">Submissions</a><br>
            - <a href="../../../feedback.1">Feedback</a><br>
            - <a href="../../archives/index.html">Archives</a></font></p>
        </td>
      </tr>
    </table>
  </div>
  <table border="0" align="CENTER" width="600">
    <tr> 
      <td width="176" height="936" align="LEFT" valign="TOP"> 
        <table border="0" width="172">
          <tr> 
            <td height="1194" align="LEFT" valign="TOP"> 
              <p><font color="#0000FF"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000CC">volume 
                1, issue 17</font></b></font></p>
              <p><font color="#0000FF"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000CC"> 
                </font></b></font></p>
              <p>  <p><font face="Courier New, Courier, mono"><b><font color="#339900" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Today 
                in loonygames:</font></b></font></p>

<P><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">New!!</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> The Archives have been cleaned up, fead links fixed, and printable versions restored! Also, don't miss the new comments <a href="../../../index.html">on the front page</a>!</font></p>
              
<P><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><a href="../../2.15/feat/index.html" target="">Livin' 
  With The Sims</a></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">: 
  theAntiELVIS explores the wild and wacky world that is Will Wright's <b>The Sims</b>, 
  asking the inevitable quesiton, &quot;is <b>The Sims</b> the first step toward a virtual 
  life where everyone is Swedish?&quot;</font></p>
<P><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><a href="../../2.15/pixel/index.html" target="">Pixel 
  Obscura</a></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">: Josh 
  Vasquez on <b>Omikron: The Nomad Soul</b>.</font></p>
<P><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><a href="../../rl/index.html" target="">Real 
  Life</a></font>: <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font size="-1">Check 
  out our newest comic strip, Real Life! Updated daily!</font></font></p>
<P><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><a href="../../uf.1" target="">User 
  Friendly</a></font>: <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <font size="-1">Updated 
  daily!</font></font></p>


</p>
              
              
              
              <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b><font color="#339900">Feedback:</font></b></font></p>
              <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1">You've got 
                an opinion...voice it! Drop a line to our <a href="../../../feedback.1">Feedback</a> 
                column...you could end up with a free T-Shirt!</font></p>
              <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b><font color="#339900">Random 
                Feature :</font></b></font></p>
               
<p align="CENTER"><img src="../../images/sexist_thumb.jpg" width="102" height="128" align="MIDDLE"></p><p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><a href="../../1.3/feat2/index.html">Is Duke Sexist?</a>: An exclusive look at this question that has dogged <B>Duke Nukem's</b> entire career (from our third issue).</font></p>

              <form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/custom" name="">
                <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b><font color="#339900">Search 
                the Archives!</font></b></font> 
               
                 <INPUT TYPE=text name=q size=12 maxlength=255 value="">
 <INPUT type=submit name=sa VALUE="Google Search">
 <INPUT type=hidden name=cof 
VALUE="LW:216;L:http:/home/loonygames/loony.timedoctor.org/content/images/logo1.jpg;LH:55;AH:center;S:http://www.loonygames.com;AWFID:13a298c7abe84fd0;">
<input type=hidden name=domains value="loonygames.com"> 
<input type=hidden name=sitesearch value="loonygames.com">               
</div>
              </form>

            </td>
          </tr>
        </table>
      </td>
      <td width="422" height="936" align="LEFT" valign="TOP">
        <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="+3" color="#0022A8">It's 
          a Very Geeky Christmas<font size="+1"></font></font></p>
        <p align="LEFT">&nbsp;</p>
        <p align="RIGHT"><font color="#804000"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">By 
          Jason &quot;<a href="mailto:jason@loonygames.com">loonyboi</a>&quot; 
          Bergman</font></b></font></p>
        <p align="RIGHT">&nbsp;</p>
        <p align="RIGHT"> 
          <script language="JavaScript">

<!--
       function gotoSite(obj)
          {
          var s;
          s=obj.options[obj.selectedIndex].value
                         location.href=s;
          }
// -->

</script>
          <form>
  <div align="RIGHT">
    <select name="SiteSelector" size="1" language="JavaScript" onchange="gotoSite(this)">
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.15/">Jump to an Archived Issue!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.15/">2.15: Livin' With The Sims</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.14/">2.14: To the Extreme</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.13/">2.13: Not Just a Passing Wind</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.12/">2.12: It's Not Easy Being Green</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.11/">2.11: Inside Origin Systems</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.10/">2.10: Game Networking 101</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.9/">2.9: Tell me a Story</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.8/">2.8: Anatomy of a Video Game</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.7/">2.7: 1999 loonygames Awards</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.6/">2.6: PC Fight Club</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.5/">2.5: Paul Steed '99</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.4/">2.4: Sounds From All Over</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.3/">2.3: Kicking Back with a Bear</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.2/">2.2: End of the Line</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.1/">2.1: American McGee's Alice</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.41/">----- Volume 1 -----</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.41/">1.41: Put a Little Love...</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.40/">1.40: Game Programming...</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.39/">1.39: More loonygames @ E3!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.38/">1.38: loonygames at E3!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.37/">1.37: The ReRuns Issue</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.36/">1.36: Inside Raven Software</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.35/">1.35: Waking Graeme Devine</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.34/">1.34: Writing the Game</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.33/">1.33: Totally Tribal</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.32/">1.32: Under His Skin</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.31/">1.31: The Glory of G.O.D.</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.30/">1.30: Chillin' w/Jason Hall</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.29/">1.29: Extreme Annihilation</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.28/">1.28: Adventures in ASCII</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.27/">1.27: Serious Brass Ones</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.26/">1.26: Two Programs...</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.25/">1.25: The Unreal Cliffy B!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.24/">1.24: Gimme Your Money!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.23/">1.23: Old Crusty Gamers</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.22/">1.22: Bugs!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.21/">1.21: 2001</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.20/">1.20: Can't Please Everyone</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.19/">1.19: The Rise and Fall...</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.18/">1.18: romuluSngan HoH!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.17/">1.17: A Very Geeky Christmas</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.16/">1.16: 5 Years of Doom!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.15/">1.15: Tune Up Your Game!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.14/">1.14: NT + Games = ???</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.13/">1.13: Blue and Levelord...</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.12/">1.12: When It's Done!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.11/">1.11: Hangin' With John Romero!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.10/">1.10: Still Sick of Games</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.9/">1.9: Gettin' Odd with the loonies</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.8/">1.8: LAN Parties...</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.7/">1.7: The Community Summit</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.6/">1.6: DRAW Pardner!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.5/">1.5: Taking Aim at Paul Steed</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.4/">1.4: Play Where You Like!</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.3/">1.3: *Special Duke Issue*</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.2/">1.2: Are You Sick of Games?</option>
<option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/1.1/">1.1: Chris Taylor Gets Some!</option>

    </select>
  </div>
</form></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0022A8" size="+1">Part 
          Two: Hardware</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">We don’t kid around here 
          at loonygames when it comes to hardware. We like power, and we likes 
          our power <i>big time</i>. There were two things we really looked at 
          this year…sheer power, and price. Price is a big factor, since the plummeting 
          prices on hardware in the last few months have made it a very competitive 
          market. Check out our picks:</font></p>
        <p></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0022A8"><b>Sound:</b></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b></b></font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>MonsterSound MX300</b>: 
          Expecting a SoundBlaster Live! card here? You won’t find it. While we 
          at loonygames <i>love</i> the SBLive! and all its wonderful features, 
          for the money, you just can’t beat the MX300. Why? It’s quite simple, 
          really. To get the most out of an SBLive! you'll need a full surround 
          sound setup using four speakers and a subwoofer. That’s not the case 
          here with the MX300. Using your normal crappy audio speakers, you’ll 
          get <i>full </i>360 degree positional audio. It has to be heard to be 
          believed. And since games like <b>Unreal</b> and <b>Trespasser</b> are 
          fully supporting it…well…you’ll want to grab yourself one of these. 
          Remember: the SBLive!<b> </b>is the way to go if you’re getting a new 

          system (as long as you’ve got those extra back speakers) but for an 
          upgrade, you’ll definitely want one of these. Especially since you can 
          pick it up for under $100 if you look around.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Manufacturer: <a href="http://www.diamondmm.com">Diamond 
          Multimedia</a></font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Avg. Price: $100</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Geek Factor: 3</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Coolness: 5</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Altec Lansing PowerCube 
          Speakers</b>: there are plenty of different versions out there for you 
          to choose from, so pick the best model that suits your needs. No matter 
          what set you choose, Altec Lansing makes the best two speakers plus 
          subwoofer set on the market. Hands down. Especially interesting this 
          year are the USB models, so if you’re just dying to put that USB port 
          to use you’ll want to check this out. Be sure to use these babies with 
          an Aureal powered sound card, however…you’ll be disappointed in the 
          sound from the SBLive! (at least when using positional audio). </font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Manufacturer: <a href="http://www.altecmm.com">Altec 
          Lansing</a></font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Avg. Price: $80 - $160</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Geek Factor: 3</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Coolness: 4</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b><font color="#0022A8">Video:</font></b></font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Canopus Spectra 2500</b>: 
          No matter who you ask these days, everyone’s ranting about how great 
          this card is. And for good reason…it’s a hell of a piece of hardware. 
          It’s relatively cheap (retails for about $200), offers fantastic 2D 
          performance, and some of the best 3D performance around. It’s still 
          not as widely supported as 3DFX based cards, but its blazing fast RIVA 
          TNT chip supports every Direct3D and OpenGL game out there…and these 
          days Glide specific games are few and far between. If you’re looking 
          for a 2D/3D solution, stop looking now. Just get this one.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Manufacturer: <a href="http://www.pure3d.com">Canopus 
          Corp.</a></font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Avg. Price: $200</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Geek Factor: 3</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Coolness: 5</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Dual Voodoo 2 Cards</b>: 
          There are so many different ways to add a second 3DFX card to your system 
          these days, that this warranted its own section. Here’s the deal: for 
          the supreme geek, you can’t get better 3D acceleration than having dual 
          Voodoo 2 cards in your system. No question. So if you’re serious about 
          gaming (and I mean <i>serious</i> about gaming) you’ll want a second 
          one (I say a <i>second</i> one, since well…chances are that any hardcore 
          geek either has a Voodoo 2 card already, or doesn’t want one at all). 
          Needless to say, this is one thing worth looking into.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Manufacturer: Various</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Avg. Price: less than $150 
          for one, about $300 for both.</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Geek Factor: 5</font></p>
        <p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Coolness: 4</font></p>
        <p>&nbsp;</p>
        <ul>
          <li><a href="toys.php"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Part 
            One: Geek Toys</font></a><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
            <br>
            </font></li>
          <li><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Part Two: Geek Hardware<br>
            <br>
            </font></li>
          <li><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="sw.php">Part 
            Three: Geek Software</a></font></li>
        </ul>
      </td>
    </tr>
  </table>
  </div>
<map name="map">
  <area shape="rect" coords="32,38,226,76" href="../../../index.html" target="_self">
  <area shape="rect" coords="12,79,125,94" href="http://www.bluesnews.com" target="_self">
 
</map>
<table border="0" width="600" align="CENTER">
  <tr> 
    <td><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2"><b>Credits:</b> 
      Illustration &copy; 1998 Dan Zalkus. It's a Very Geeky Christmas is &copy; 
      1998 Jason Bergman. All other content is &copy; 1998 <a target="_self" href="http://www.loonyboi.com">loonyboi 
      productions</a>. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited, dangit.</font></i></td>
  </tr>
</table>
</HTML>
