The infamous "blue room" of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

I may be a bit late to the Uncharted party, but I couldn't resist sharing this tip for those who may still be working towards their Platinum Trophy for Drake's Fortune.

Fans of the game may be familiar with the area known as the "blue room" or the "water room" near the end of Chapter 5. With little cover and flanking enemies, this room presents one of the most challenging firefights in the game. It's manageable on lower difficulties, only requiring a little luck for some on Hard, but it can be quite unforgiving on Crushing.


If this room if giving you trouble on any difficulty, here is a little cheat to help you get through it:

The trick is to get the enemies to spawn before you drop down into the room so you can simply pick them off from the entrance. To do this, walk up to the ledge at the entrance of the room, but don't drop down. Then turn around and head back down the tunnel you came from and climb back outside into the sunlight. Fire off a round from your gun, or the turret that is there, and you should hear the battle music kick up. That's your cue! The enemies are now in the water room. Head back to the entrance of this room and stay up on the ledge while you take them out. The two shotgun toting pirates that spawn last from the entrance you are standing in will run right past you as long as you don't shoot them before they drop into the room.

Click here for a video showing this technique (skip to 3:40 for the blue room).

Happy treasure hunting!

DrawerBoxes: A comic book storage solution

My little comic book collection finally outgrew it's shoebox a few weeks ago. Nearing 200 issues of this and that, it was time for me to consider a new storage solution. My first thought was to pick up the traditional "long box" used for comic book storage, but then I stumbled upon something better.


Meet the DrawerBox.

The most brilliant comic book storage solution since... well, there is really nothing as good as this right now. Able to hold approximately 235 bagged and boarded comics from the modern or silver age, these heavy duty cardboard drawers are the same size as a long box but with one major advantage: You can stack them six boxes high and still reach your comics in the bottom box without having to do any heavy lifting. The drawers on these boxes slide in and out with ease making looking at any of your comics at any time a breeze.

For more information and a list of stores that carry this product, check out their website here: http://collection.powweb.com/

A website for comic book enthusiasts

Being a comic book fan is not easy. With literally thousands of titles, crossovers, and characters, how are we to keep things straight? How are we to know what Spider-Man volume Maximum Carnage #7 appeared in? If only there was a comprehensive database that we could turn to for such information...

Thankfully, there is. Visit: www.comicvine.com


Comic Vine is the ultimate comic book database, as well as a great place to read news and reviews by people that share your love for the medium. It also offers a massive forum, trivia, the ability to create your own blog, and (a personal favorite of mine) the ability to create lists of your favorite comics or characters. With so many features, there is really no better website for a comic book fan to be a part of, but don't take my word for it, go sign up and see for yourself!

My user name on Comic Vine is afierce.

P.S. Maximum Carnage #7 appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #379. Thank you Comic Vine.

A Mighty Mouse alternative for Mac users

I've been a Mac user for about five years now, but I've never been a fan of the Apple Mighty Mouse. They claim to have "touch-sensitive technology" that detects right and left click, but anyone that has used one knows that right clicking can be a struggle. Sometimes you'll hit the sweet spot, but most often you will just give up and hold down the control key and click for the desired effect.

The first thing I always do when working on a new Mac is plug in my own mouse. Any mouse will do, but if you're looking for a really nice alternative to the Mighty Mouse that matches the rest of your Apple accessories, look no further than the Rocketfish Bluetooth Wireless Laser Mouse.


With its sleek white design and visible right/left click, you're getting form and function with this Mac compatible mouse. The scroll wheel also offers 4-way horizontal and vertical tilt just like the Mighty Mouse scroll ball, as well as a satisfying "click" when you scroll (albeit a bit loud, but that is a very minor complaint).

I picked this mouse up at Best Buy for $50.

Why I'm still playing Resident Evil 5

Nearly five months after the release of Resident Evil 5 I still find myself spending time with it. I've unlocked every in-game goody, received the Platinum Trophy, and achieved all the "S" ranks you can get, so what's left? The answer is Versus mode.


Capcom originally received a bit of fire for charging for this DLC ($4.99 or 400 Microsoft points, depending on your platform). Released only weeks after the actual game, the mode makes use of assets that are already on the disc, using the same maps and characters from Mercenaries mode. Charging an extra $5 for something that looks like it could easily fit on the disc that you already paid for does feel like a bit of a rip off. Video games are not cheap these days, so I like to think that I'm always getting the most out of those Blu-Ray discs.

But I'm going to put it into perspective for myself. Including Versus mode, let's say I paid approximately $80 for this game. According to the game itself, I've clocked over 80 hours of play on it. That's $1 per hour of enjoyment. Not a bad deal, right?

Without a doubt, the majority of that time has been spent playing Versus mode. It was well worth the buy for me, and if you're looking to get some extra play out of RE5, I recommend that you get it too.

My very first blog post

Let's start with a little introduction, shall we?

First, I will go over the basics. A completely generic profile on myself so that you can immediately deduce if we have anything in common.

My name is Krystal and I'm from Calgary, Alberta. Like most Calgarians, my family is actually from Saskatchewan. I'm in my early twenties and have been a graphic designer for five years. I consider myself to be a "cool geek" because I love video games, comic books and Apple products, but I'm in a relationship, work full time, and do not live in my parents basement.

If you can relate to at least one thing in the above statement, read on!

The reason I have called this blog "A Non-Hardcore Look At Things" is because I do not consider myself to be a hardcore anything. I love video games, but I am not a hardcore gamer. I own a Mac, but I do not own an iPod.

This blog is just a casual place for me to talk about my interests. That may include a personal review on the newest gadget I've bought, or a useful tip for the latest video game I'm playing.

Now before we get to the fun stuff, one thing I must point out is that I am not a writer. I make spelling mistakes, use commas where I may not need to, and mix up then and than. If you ever feel the need to point out a mistake I have made, please do! I don't like looking like a dummy any more than you do.

So that is that! Welcome to my blog.