Sibelius 6 - Update

First, I'll get the Sibelius 6 upgrade for free (Thank you Sibelius Software!), 'cause I've purchase the version 5 upgrade just 2 days short of the free upgrade period. Fortunately, I found this info in the Sibelius 6 upgrade FAQ on www.sibelius.com 'cause when I ordered my upgrade on the phone they told me there was no way for me to obtain one for free.

Second, having played around with Sibelius 6 Demo I've began to really like the new stuff (magnetic layout and such). Also, I already found myself in a situation where I could have really used this new "versions" feature!

Can't wait till I hold my copy of Sibelius 6 in my hands.

Sibelius 6

I've been a Sibelius fan from the very start (having purchased the education version of Sibelius 1.4 many years ago). Being a composer and arranger I've been using this application on a daily basis ever since.

Now, there's Sibelius 6 available and yet again Sibelius Software manages to introduce new amazing features and even more helps musicians with their compositional creativity.

Reading the „What Finale users say about Sibelius” section on www.sibelius.com I came to a realization: the difference between Finale and Sibelius is just like the difference between Windows and Mac OS - just like clumsiness and elegance - time consuming manual driven learning curve and intuitive ease of use - no wonder I prefer Sibelius.

Sims III Review (Update)

Well, I haven't played Sims III since my last blog entry - that says it all, doesn't it - go figure!

Sims III: It finally arrived

Well, my first impression being spoiled by the leaked "pre-release" of the retail game, I was eager to give the real thing a try - hoping for the best.

First and foremost: no crashes whatsoever with the retail version (apparently, as I had hoped, those annoying CTDs (crash to desktop) I experienced with the leaked version occured due to a corrupted data file - what a relief!).

Second: Anything else, most unfortunately, still stands.

The Sims are ugly as hell, so is most of the in-game furniture. Sims still "collide" an awful lot, leaving them just standing there for seconds before moving on, etc.

Also, many tiny little things from the Sims II are missing like animations nobody actually cared about until realizing they're now missing: getting in a car, getting the toothbrush from the medical cabinet, getting a pan from the counter cabinet...stuff like that...all gone.

Well, I've been able to create two not-so-ugly Sims and've been playing them since I got the game (though I was away for the weekend and couldn't go on "testing").

After all, for me as someone who LOVES the Sims II and has been playing that game from the beginning through ALL the expansions and stuff packs, Sims III leaves many things to be desired. There's missing content (BIG issue there!), missing (cute) animations and overall not-so-pleasing graphics even with all option sliders at max.

If one's new to the Sims, get the game, see if it's fun - but wait till the price drops a bit.

If you're a Sims II fanatic, stay away from it and wait for the Sims IV, 'cause the Sims III is definitively NOT worth its money.

At the moment, I'm thinking about selling my game on ebay if I can't get my self to really like it within the next three weeks...