Friday, November 27, 2009

Post Thanksgiving Weekend in Games

Since I work a crappy retail job, my Friday is blocked off by working
until at least 10:00 pm then getting home about an hour later. My time
to play tonight will be limited to a few matches in MW2. I am out
somewhat earlier on Saturday and attending a Thanksgiving function at a
friends house. At any point in time a Genesis may be fired up with NBA
Jam or Mortal Kombat and some laughs will ensue. I plan on spending some
time Sunday playing MW2, Smash Cars and maybe tossing Metal Gear Solid 2
back in and crush a few levels in that on my way to beating it a 400th
time in 5 years.
I'll catch up with everyone later

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Plants Vs. Zombie $5 Dollars on Steam


For those of you who have not played it yet Plants Vs. Zombies it is only five dollars on Steam. I played the game, and enjoyed the hell out of it. The game is fun, and is very comedic. If you enjoy tower defense games, this will be right up your alley. This game isn't your run-of-the-mill tower defense though. It consists of 6 straight tracks that zombies come down. You place plants within those tracks to kill the zombies before they break into your house. Some levels feature night, and water where you must change your strategy to make sure you don't get your brains eaten. Either way, this game is absolutely worth picking up. It's worth the ten dollar normal price, and then some. The five dollar deal is just amazing.

You can find the game on Steam.

Weekend Review

This past weekend, I got some gaming in. Between working, watching
crappy movies and general weekend stuff. I kept playing MW2, i already
mentioned playing Spec Ops in a previous post, which was fun.In standard
multilayer death matches I am starting to become crappier. As I am
levelling up, I get matched with better players. I want to be a n00b
again. I was doing well for a while and now I have hit the wall of being
out skilled. That and I also changed my primary weapon load out to a
better gun, but I don't have the thermal scope attachment which I had
been using for a long time. I hope by the time I unlock it for this new
gun, I will also have faced enough competition I can get my numbers back
up.
I also looked to play something far from a FPS, I found Smash Cars on
PSN. Its similar to RC Pro am. You control a RC Car and drive around a
few tracks at a beachside dock. You can also hit some jumps,do some
stunts and turbo boost. For $15, this game is a good game to just keep
on your hard drive. I can see myself playing this when I need a break
from other games, or if I am on the phone or something other situation
where I am not paying too much attention.
I will be playing tonight and Wednesday night. Hit throw me an invite
on PS3 : Rozzy50 , and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Spike's VGAs - Most Anticipated Game

Bioshock 2

I picked Bioshock 1 up when it was five dollars on Steam last year during their giant January sale. I still haven't played it. I know the game has quite possibly the highest metacritic score of all time, and everyone says the game is amazing. I will play it, maybe after Dragon Age is done, I do not know. Either way, Bioshock 2 should live up to the original. It should be an enjoyable game. I look forward to see what innovations they add to it, or if it is strictly like the original with just a new story. We will see though.

God of War III

I've always thought the God of War games looked pretty damn good. Full of action, based in Mythology, I am not sure what else I could ask for...oh yes, to not be a PS exclusive. I primarily game on the PC, I also own an Xbox 360, so I am more or less out of the loop on games that are Playstation exclusive. If I pick up a PS3, I will be sure to play through some of the God of War games, but until then, I will just admire them from afar and never play them. The new one should be exactly what you see in the old ones, battles with large mythological creatures and cool moves.

Mass Effect 2

I've played Mass Effect, in fact, you could say I am still playing Mass Effect. I have been playing for months. The opening 3rd of Mass Effect is amazing, great story, great action, challenging. It has everything you would ask for in a science fiction RPG. Then, you hit the second 3rd of the game. I find it very tough to get through. I went and took care of a pair of the mission I had to do, but I then just stopped playing. Running around to various planets only to ride around in the worse game vechile ever. Most of these planets have nothing more than a giant snake monster. Hopefully, Mass Effect 2 does a good job at keeping the interest after the first section of the story. I will most likely pick it up eventually, but I do not plan on picking it up at release. I will most likely wait for a sale on Steam.

Starcraft 2

I am pretty sure that Starcraft 2 was on this list last year, and I am pretty sure it will be on the list next year. My issue isn't that Blizzard makes sure that their games are complete, my issue is they announce the games 2+ years before they are actually ready. I am looking forward to Starcraft 2, I will be the first to admit, I am bad at multiplayer Starcraft, like horridly bad. With that said, I am still going to get Starcraft 2, and play the shit out of it. I am not surprised the game has taken two years since the announcement to come out, with the original Starcraft the national sport of Korea, they need to balance Starcraft 2 nearly as much as Starcraft 1. Since Starcraft was such a hit, they need to live up to the hype. It may be one of the biggest games of all time, what other game is a national sport? I will get Starcraft 2 when it finally comes out in 2011, but what I am really looking forward to is Diablo 3, which should be out by 2057.


In closing, a friend of mine pointed out how the category is somewhat bullshit. If you think about, tard is solely based on two things. The first is media hype, and the second is nostalgia from the original(s). I, more or less, agree with him. Giving out an award for how much you are looking forward to a game doesn't do much good at all. Think about it, Hellgate: London very well could have won this award a couple years ago. From the makers of Diablo 2, with a great media push. And look at the garbage that it turned out to be. Everyone knows that I bash Hellgate: London on a daily basis. I don't doubt that all four of these games are going to be good, but giving an award to a game before it comes out seems pretty bullshit to me.

My gaming this weekend:

I will be on PS3 playing Modern Warfare 2. I spent some time last night
(Friday) with our esteemed colleague Koz playing some Spec Ops co-op
missions, and then playing team death match passing the controller back
and forth each round. He was introduced to racial slur screaming
children and red necks with poor quality microphones. I'll be trying to
keep my K/D ratio above 1.00 for most of the weekend aside from a game
or two of MLB The Show 09 just for some variety. Send me an invite on
PSN : Rozzy50

Thursday, November 19, 2009

New Dragon Age: Origins DLC

Bioware has announced the first new DLC for Dragon Age: Orgins. It consists of a return to a battle from early in the game at Ostagar. Let's just say that the battle didn't go so well, and I am surprised there are survivors for you to return to and save. The best part about it, it's only $5! I assume it only adds 2-3 hours of game play, but $5 is pretty good for any DLC. Hopefully it isn't too short though. I will most likely be picking it up. I still have to finish the main story line, but then I will pick up the Return to Ostagar DLC and let you know how it is.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

I do not care about Brutal Legend.....



The recent NPD report covering video game sales for October shows that Brutal Legend, excuse me, Tim Schafer's BrĂ¼tal Legend, did not crack the top 10. NBA 2K10 was listed twice in the top 10, a game that I saw almost no marketing push for, no press coverage, no hour long specials on cable, no pod casts dedicated to the game, nothing. As a gamer I have 0 interest in either game. As a regular Joe, Brutal Legend irritates me for many reasons. I can't speak to the game play or actual game experience, I refuse to rent the game. I will share my opinions and thoughts, and explain why I do not want to even try a demo.

This game had an overwhelming media blitz. Magazines, TV, Blogs, Podcasts,Game stores asking you if you want to pre-order it, Commercials, Jack Black, MTV so on and so forth, all shoved this game in my face. The Media proclaimed "best game ever" "game of the year" "you like metal? Get this game. You like video games? Get this game. You like both? Get this game" This all did not work. Yes, the game placed 12th in sales for all of October, but other people probably got sick of this game being forced on them and decided to wait until its $17.99 used at Gamestop in 3 months right next to " Ninja Bread Man" and "M&M Adventures" and "Hell Boy 2". EA tried way too hard to get attention and potentially shut off customers from interest.



Another issue that disinterested me from this game is Tim Schafer. Check out this video...then continue reading.

Why is everyone putting this guy on a pedestal? He made critically acclaimed games and commercially underwhelmed people. I played Full Throttle, I played Grim Fandango. Both were fun, but I don't understand why this guy is being revered as the Prodigal Nerd Son who saved video games. He has shitty hair, did he take notes from "Penn and Teller Get Killed"? For being touted as a comedic genius, Schafer is not that funny. He's like the kid in high school who sat next to you in math class and cracked jokes all day about imaginary numbers. He probably hung out with fat chicks who thought it was funny to talk like Miss Piggy all the time, laugh about cheese, and wear princess tiaras all the time. I don't get it. Watch this.(To Mr. Schafer's credit, he is only half the reason why this clip is shitty.)
Tim Schafer is a bucket of LOLZ

X-Play | MySpace Video



One more reason I don't have any interest in this game is the over exposure of Rock, Metal and having a Bad Ass, Satan Lovin', Leather Jacket, Guitars, Whiskey and Motorcycles attitude. Since Guitar Hero 1 set the trend of bringing rock n' roll to video games, then Rock Band stepping it up, I just cant take it. If Metal is so bad ass explain this?



Jack Black is a huge perpetrator of making it cool to say "Rock" all the time, Tenacious D , School of Rock, him being the quintessential Gen X slacker, the fast talking, witty, defy authority on your own terms type of dude that makes Guy Fieri look like a choir boy compared to him, a fucking choir boy. Jack Black has the safe appeal to moms but the cool factor to appeal to 12 year olds and people that appreciate high comedy (not Redman and Method-Man high comedy, more like Arrested Development) The role of Eddie Riggs seems like it was a composite of Jack Black characters, made just for Jack Black. If any one can tell me if there are some shades of Black's Augie character from the hit film Airborne let me know! Why am I going to play a game where my lead character is Jack Black...not Eddie Riggs or another made up character. I can't get over that fact and it turned me off. Having actual metal musicians and singers in the game does not appeal to me either. Having grown up in front of MTV, and now VH1 classic Metal Mania, I get more than my fill of Judas Priest, Motorhead, Van Halen, Poison, The Crue and all of the other iconic metal bands. All their music and music videos are the appeal of those persona to me. Not hearing Ozzy Osbourne who is far over exposed in the media because being a Rocker and Metal head is cool.



Better luck next time Mr. Schafer at trying to get my money.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Mohawk Grenade?!



If you enjoyed the last Mr. T World of Warcraft commercials, this one is even better. Apparently, each of the starting areas will have a vendor where you can purchase the grenade. Each grenade has 5 charges, and once it is used, you can go and get a new one. These vendors appeared yesterday, and will hang around 'until their work is done. I forsee about a million people looking like Mr. T rolling around.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Borderlands gets DLC

While I haven't played Borderlands, there is a fair amount of buzz around it. People are even going as far as saying it is this generation's Diablo II. I don't buy that, but I won't deny the game looks very fun. It might be a game that I will pick up in a couple months once I have more funds and I am done with my current games.

Gearbox recently announced the first DLC for Borderlands, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned. Now, with the success of Left 4 Dead and Zombie mode in Call of Duty: World at War, why wouldn't games want to cash in on the Zombie craze. I like zombie personally. It could be worse, it could be Vampires, fuck Vampires. Zombie Island promises an additional 6 to 10 hours of game play, which is excellent for DLC, if Gearbox continues to put out DLC of that caliber, it will make a lot of fans.

I most likely will give Borderlands a shot, eventually. We will see, I know Kyle isn't because they used 'No Rest for the Wicked' in the trailer, and that made him want to punch something. Either way, here is the ign.com preview of The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Valve Holiday Cards

Valve has released a group of Holiday Cards from Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2 and Team Fortress. The look pretty sweet, and who wouldn't want to get them in the mail.

Check the out at The Valve Store.

Why does love always feel like a Battlefield : Bad Company 2?

November 19,2009 Battlefield Bad Company 2 is coming online for beta
multilayer. What does that mean? A ghost town considering the big game
that just hit the scene. PS3 and PC users are exclusive to this beta
trial. Why? Both are free to players. Will I try to snag a beta code and
get on? Yes, taking a break from MW2 to see what BF:BC2 has to offer
can't hurt. If it stinks, I can delete the file and go back to MW2 where
I can get keep my stats and level up. I really think the timing to beta
test this game right now was a poor decision. What is Bad Company 2
going to offer gamers right now that last three Call Of Duty games,
Killzone 2, Gears of War, and Team Fortress 2 don't? Keep checking out
the blog to find out if I get a beta code and can tell you what
Battlefield : Bad Company 2 has going on this early in the game's development
development.

Friday, November 13, 2009

The MW2 hangover

I have been playing a ton of MW2 since I purchased it. I've been trying
to improve upon my decent .81 K/D ratio and play through the single
player on hardened. One of the issues I have had is Wednesdays server
crash which left me and just about any other PS3 owner in the main menu
all day. I took time then to clean the house, clean my office, watch
some peoples court and hammer out some single player levels. When the
servers were restored I tried to party up (DMX style) with numerous
friends but we all were getting the same error messages. Tuesday morning
I was able to join sessions and invite people with no problem. I was
able to join one of my friends last night for a while, but that was
after numerous attempts. I doubt the multilayer is "broken" seeing how I
have already been prompted to download updated software patches.
Hopefully this small and frustrating snag will be taken care of soon.

I've also been playing so much that I have already started to have
dreams about the game. For some reason I had a BB gun and was sniping
fat kids with glasses that looked similar to Thurmon Murmon from Bad
Santa. I was picking them off from across a desert setting and any time
I would hit one of the kids in their glasses I would get a yellow +50
Headshot graphic and the sweet bad ass guitar riff that you hear for
accomplishments/levelling up. For now I'm stuck at my sucky job waiting
for 8pm to hit so I can rush home and try up my K/D Ratio. Find me on
PSN!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Torchlight Demo Vs. Titan Quest Demo

Before Dragon Age: Origins came out, I was looking for something to play to tide me over. It was about two weeks until the release, and I didn't want to spend a ton of money. I noticed that Torchlight was being released on Steam very soon. Torchlight, from Runic Games, the makers of Mythos. I was in one of the early/middle betas of Mythos, and I enjoyed the game very much. For those who do not know, Mythos was originally created as a scaled down test engine for Hellgate: London. The developers were having so much fun playing Mythos, that Flagship decided to dedicate one developer to the game, and actually release it. To continue the history lesson Flagship Studios was founded by Bill Roper, and contained much of the former Blizzard North team that left when Vivendi took over Blizzard. Blizzard North is best known for Diablo and Diablo II. So, as you can expect Mythos was a Diablo clone, also, Torchlight is also a Diablo clone. Torchlight feels very similar to Mythos, I can only assume much of the code has been reused, since Runic contains some of the former members of Flagship. Is it me, or does it feel like I am writing a soap opera here?

So, I head over to my old WoW guild forums to see what was going on with Torchlight, and if people were going to play it or not. I started a thread seeing how much interest there was, and to find out what people have heard about the game. Most people were interested, but with Dragon Age and Modern Warfare 2 so close, they didn't want to spend the twenty dollars only to stop playing a week later. One person recommended looking at Titan Quest, another Diablo Clone. He seemed to like it and it had some interesting dynamics. I decided that since I had a week to kill, and didn't want to spend money, that I would download the demo of each and see how they are.

Torchlight absolutely feels a lot like Mythos, the classes are Vanquisher(Rogue/Archer), Destroyer(Warrior) and Alchemist(Mage), which granted is the generic "We need 3 classes" line up, but they play very similar to the classes of the like in Mythos. Now, I might be going out on a limb here, but I highly doubt there is a large number of people out there who played Mythos. So my basic rundown of Mythos is as follows. The game was very fun, they did a good job, but it felt incomplete. The game was incomplete though, it never made it out of early betas before Flagship died, so it was exactly what you would expect. Torchlight, on the other hand does feel complete. A decent story begins to unfold in the demo, and the game play is very smooth and very easy to get caught up in, much like Diablo. They did some very interesting things with the game. The first of all is that every player gets a pet. You can choose between a Cat or a Dog. I am a cat man myself, but something about bringing a cat into dungeons to kill undead doesn't seem very bad ass, so I chose a Dog. The pet fights with you, and since all classes have the pet the game balanced for that, the pet isn't exceptionally game breaking but helps out from time to time. The absolutely best part of the pet is that he has a pack that can hold items, on top of your inventory. There is a small button up at the top of your screen that sends the pet back to town, and any items in his pack, he will sell and bring the money back. One of the slightly annoying things about the Diablo Series was that every 20-30 minutes, if not sooner, you had to run back to town and sell off the items that are filling up your inventory. It is one of the most innovative features that the game offers. It may not sound like much, but it allows for less breaking in actual play time.

Titan Quest is almost three years old, and some how, I didn't pick it up on my radar until recently. Titan Quest is another Diablo clone, but it is set in a world of Greek Mythology and History. Since the game is a little older, the graphics are a little dated, but the game it self isn't. Titan Quest takes the basic Diablo play style and add some improvements. One of the more useful ones is that you have three keys to see what items have dropped from monsters. The first will display all items, the second will display all items that are not gray(low quality), and the first will show all items that are better than white(non-magical) items. This becomes very useful as your inventory fills up, and you no longer want to pick up items that will only serve as vendor fodder. Titan Quest also does away with scrolls of town portal and identification of items. When an item drops, you can see all the stats on it, without spending money to identify it, or using a scroll. On top of that, you can create an unlimited amount of town portals while out in the world, this frees much inventory slots that are used to hold these portals. The class system of the game is very interesting. They have nine unique classes which you can play, and you are allowed to choose a second class later in the game, the combinations are endless on the number of classes. Of course, some of the class combinations are going to be weaker than the others, there is no way they could balance 9^2-1 classes, and actually release the game. If you are just looking for some fun without min/maxing the game, choose a class combination that seems fun for you. If you are looking to min/max, then by all means, you can.

Both Torchlight and Titan Quest were fun games. The Demo for Torchlight felt longer, and I felt like I got much more of an impression of the game. Titan Quest left me satisfied, but it didn't really open the game up to me. Torchlight did, the demo did a good job conveying the entirety of the game. I will more than likely purchase both games, Torchlight is single player only, which accounts for a lot of the reason it was released at twenty dollars, which is a very good price for the game. Titan Quest is also twenty dollars on steam, plus it's expansion. Once I am done with Dragon Age: Origins, I can see myself picking up Torchlight first. I will most likely pick up Titan Quest if I have friends to play with. Overall, I would recommend both games, both very fun. I am sure we will see more Diablo clones in the coming years until Diablo III comes out in 2097. Until then, the genre is still alive, and very fun. If I had to choose one or the other, based on the demo, it would be Torchlight.

I can't believe I made an entire blog post where Hellgate: London was mentioned and I didn't bash it. Well, Hellgate: London sucked asshole. It was horribly buggy, and it felt insanely tedious. What really kills me is the amount of hype and expectations around the game. It may have been the biggest disappointment ever. When the game wasn't crashing, it was repetitive. By nature, Diablo clones are the exact same thing over and over, but Hellgate: London didn't have the magic of all the other Diablo clones, maybe they were trying to hard, maybe they tried to do too much, or maybe it was just shitty. At the end of the day, I was sorely disappointed by this game. I'd tell you not to buy it, but Flagship is dead, and the game is owned by some Korean company now, Hanbisoft, I believe. Either way, I am not sure you could even get it in the US, if you were a glutton for punishment.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Dragon Age: Origins


Over the last week, I have been playing Dragon Age: Origins, from Bioware. After the success of Mass Effect, Bioware returned to where they started and released a fantasy RPG. BioWare co-CEO Ray Muzyka described Dragon Age: Origins as a "spiritual successor" to the Baldur's Gate series. The game has been released to rave reviews, and I don't plan on saying anything different.

The game consists of 3 classes, Mage, Rogue and Warrior. Each of the three classes have 4 specializations, which must be unlocked while playing the game. I began as a mage. I enjoyed the opening story line for the mages, from the start of the game, you feel that your choices have a large effect on the world. The entire story feels epic, in many games when you are saving the world, but it doesn't feel like you actually are. In Dragon Age, every choice you make has major effects on the world, also, it effects how the rest of your party feels about you.

The game play is excellent, you are allowed 4 people in your party, yourself and 3 others that you have met along your journey. You can control one at a time while the actions of the other party members are controlled by pre-designed tactics. You can also pause the game mid-fight and queue up one action for each member of your party. This allows for some great ability chaining. You can also change the tactics so that the other members of your party do specific actions under specific conditions, very powerful.

The battles are challenging. They are not hard to the point where you want to give up, but they are hard where you want to continue playing until you win. The boss fights are excellent, all have very unique dynamics that makes the challenging and fun at the same time. I have faced a few bosses already and I have had to come up with specific strategies and utilize specific party members to win each.

As I noted before, the story feels epic. Like most Bioware games, they put a ton of time into perfecting the story, there are piles upon piles of lore, if you wish to see it. If you enjoy listening to dialog, this is a good game for you. From each quest, to just shooting the shit with your party, there is a large amount of dialog, all done with superb voice acting. You can even ask merchants for gossip, and rarely is anything repeated. It gives you a sense that Bioware put a lot of time into the world, and it's story, on top of the game play.

One of the interesting things added to the game is reputation with party member. All of your major actions either please or upset someone else in your party. If you are in good enough standing with them, they can teach your their specialization, or in some cases, you can begin a romance with them. There are also gifts that will allow you to increase your reputation with them. It ads a realistic feel to the game. As opposed to having a group of blind followers, these people have real personalities, and have no issue leaving you if you don't fit in with their own goals and feelings.

If you ask me, the golden standard of Fantasy RPGs is Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, from Bethesda. It is impossible to create a game of this nature without the comparisons. Dragon Age: Origins stands up to Oblivion. I loved Oblivion, and go back and play it as a new class every few months, but I can also see this happening with Dragon Age. There are some things in Dragon Age that make me enjoy it more than Oblivion. The extra party members that you control and the tactics are great additions. Also, the unlocking of specializations is a great touch that wants me to run around the world and discover them, and the boss fights are much more involved. On the other hand, Oblivion has elements that I like, that Dragon Age is lacking. The first and foremost is an open world. In Dragon Age, you can do whatever quests you wish, but you can't travel from one location to another on foot. When you choose your location, it goes to a loading screen where it shows your journey on a map. I enjoyed walking through the world looking for random dungeons to explore. The other thing that I feel is missing is epic side quests, at least, I have not gotten any yet. Oblivion had some amazing side quests, the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood were both amazingly fun.

One thing that I am looking forward to is the toolset. I dabbled a little bit with the Fallout 3 toolset, and it was very fun, but I never got around to making any mods. With Dragon Age, you are able to create everything from campaigns, to quests, to cinematics. Some amazing modding should come out for PC. I can't wait to play with it myself. On top of that, Bioware has said that they have a full 2 years worth of DLC planned for it. I am pleased that this game will continue to grow over the next two years, and I will be able to continue to play new content.

Dragon Age is an amazing game, there is no doubt about that. If you enjoyed Oblivion, you should enjoy this game, just keep in mind they are not the exact same beast. I would absolutely recommend anyone who enjoys RPGs to pick this game up.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The Force Unleashed for iPod Touch/iPhone.

I just played The Force Unleashed Demo for my iPod Touch. I thought to myself, 'Wow, I get to use force powers to fight my enemies', should be interesting to say the least. First, the game asks me if I want to enable sound or not. I go and grab my headphones, put them on and hit yes. I don't hear anything. I guess there is no music on the opening screen, oh well. I can't wait to hear the intense fight music! The game begins with talking to Darth Vader, no voice acting, still no sound, no music. After five minutes of pointless dialog, he sends me on a mission. I have to kill a Jedi and everyone on the Jedi's ship, awesome. I get onto my ship and I meet my captain. Our dialog consists of asking him 'Do you know why you are here?', the caption responds, 'To fly your ship wherever you want.' I am very impressed with the script witting on this one, it must have taken months to come up with a plot line that thick! So I go down a hallway after talking to the captain and, I enable a training mode. Cool, I get to learn my force powers now, this is gonna be "hot". After a couple minutes of learning how to throw boxes, throw people, heal and use Jedi(Sith?) Mind Tricks, I am done with training. Still no music, only a very quite sound when I do a force power. After the training ends, it turns out I am at my destination. I guess it is time to take out the Jedi, and his ship's crew. I can't wait to get my Lightsaber out.

Once I get off my ship, I am automatically moved to my location where I am do first use my force powers. The game moved me automatically , apparently, in this game, the only control you have over your character is using force powers, no ability to move freely. My first task is to deal with a stack of boxes. After moving the boxes, the game takes over again and moves me to the next location. Where, I run into some guys I need to fight, I kill them all by throwing them, and move into the next room. More of the same guys, more throwing...rinse and repeat for 10 minutes. At this point, I am thinking, when do I get to use my lightsaber? I am moved into a giant room with stairs, after fighting through six or so enemies, my character runs up the stairs, so he is so small he is about the size of a letter on your standard book page, I still have to kill off two guys. Though, I can't even see myself, or them. After finishing them off, I run into the last room. Standing there I see the Jedi I must kill. Okay, now it's time for lightsaber duels. He pulls his lightsaber out, I have mine out and, and the battle begins! We throw boxes at each other for the next 10 minutes. Eventually, I throw enough boxes at him, and it triggers a cut scene where I walk up to him and kill him. Wow, an epic duel...with boxes. This is where the demo ends, asking if you would like to buy the full game. Though, I love the idea of throwing people and boxes for 10 dollars for the next hour or so, I passed.

Overall, the game was bad. There was no music what-so-ever. Maybe it was because I have an iPod Touch, and not an iPhone, though, there was some faint sound coming out of my headphones, so I know the sound wasn't off. The game consists of making them same gesture on the screen until everything is dead, then moving to the next room and doing it over and over. The battle at the end was stupid, I know when I think of a Sith/Jedi battle it consists only of throwing boxes at each other, isn't that what the majority of the fight scenes in the movie consisted of? Right?. I understand there is limited capability on the iPhone/iPod Touch, but seriously, I have played free games much better than this. I would not recommend this game by any means. If the whole game is like the demo, it isn't worth the download space, let alone the money it costs. The demo it self is boring. I am sure you can find something better to do with your time than play this.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Modern Warfare 2 Tomfoolery

I just plunked down the remaining $30 for my pre-order. It took longer
than expected because a clueless mom was struggling to comprehend how to
pick up the pre order for her kid. "So I just paid in full...can I have
it now?" "No, we can not give the game to anyone before 12" "But its
paid for, when can I get it?" "12 midnight, just present this receipt
and we will hand you the game, easy as that" "I can't stay here for
another 6 hours" "Well, we anticipate a long line so the earlier you can
show up the quicker you can get your copy" "Im the first one here right
now, can I have it its paid for"
Repeat this exchange with variant questions and points including "this
is for the ps3 right?" "yes, that is what you asked for. When you
present your receipt at midnight we will hang you a copy for PS3,its all
set" and "So when you open at 12,I can walk in? Should I show up at
12:45 after lines have died?" "We aren't closing, we do anticipate long
lines and people getting in line at 9 or 10.." "But you said no one
would get a copy before 12!" "Those people will be waiting until then"
for 3 minutes. The second Gamestop employee finally showed up, logged
on to his register, took my $30 and told me about what's going on. I
saved him the trouble of explaining by saying "I'll be back in a couple
hours" Kudos to the 2 game stop guys that kept their cool. In a way, not
freaking out or becoming irritated by customers in a retail environment
just makes the situation much more funny. When I left the lady was still
talking. Hopefully she doesn't hold the line up.

FPS Players Ruining my Reputation


(The First, Best and Definitive First Person Shooter)

I'm a big video game fan and player. I'm modest in my abilities because I realize I am awful. I play casually and often am harassed and teased by others for being a "gamer". I am going to try to set the record straight and clear my name. Yes, I enjoy video games, but I am not one of the people worth mocking.

I enjoy First Person Shooter games, which by nature are looked down upon as the most pathetic, over indulgent, violent, and simple game that any neanderthal could pick up besides anything in the Madden series, Ya Dood. I have plenty of experience in PC and console multiplayer online FPS games: Halo 1 and 2, Rainbow Six games, Quake, Team Fortress Classic, The Orange Box, Call of Duty, Unreal Tournament, and the list could go on, I think I can say that I have the knowledge and authority to speak about games and other gamers. If you disagree, tough nuggets. Sign into your account, challenge me to a game, join my party, sit next to me on my couch and witness who I end up getting matched against in various games and then dispute my statement. N00b


The Redneck FPS'er is some one we all have played against. Usually its a male with a Southern Accent who takes great offense to people from other countries. Plenty of mid afternoon games involve people in Europe that are 6 or more hours ahead of U.S. time are usually flooded with people speaking a foreign language and angry Rednecks screaming at them to speak English. Rednecks also get very very upset when some one takes their weapon or vehicle of choice. They assume every player in the world knows that they are the best with a Sniper rifle, or Tank and will make it clear to not disrespect them by picking up a weapon at a spawn point. The Redneck also is an internet tough guy and calls everyone a bitch or a faggot or uses the ever relevant and funny "Your mother..." jokes to verbally beat down any one who challenges them. One of the most obnoxious ways you realize you have a shitty Redneck FPS'er is the constant background noise on their mic's. Barking dogs, nagging wives, neglected children crying the whole match. I can only imagine a big fat wife with a mumu on and rollers in her hair, one child hanging off each tit, standing in the corner of the trailer while Mr. Cool FPS'er is kicking the dog for walking in front of the TV ruining a perfect no scope head shot and blowing the match. These people are the scum that give Gamers and FPS players a bad image.



The Trench Coat Mobster is too much of a time bomb with mental issues to join the military. The Trench Coat Mobster is notorious for long gaming sessions. During these long gaming sessions with his "clan" he often will use military lingo and try to employ military strategies for a FUCKING VIDEO GAME. If you stray from his plan, or fail to cover this head case, or lose the match he will explode, get out of control because he takes the game personally. Life or death. Over the top does not describe this guys attitude. He's preparing for war. Against the football players, the science teacher and even the cops. Watch your back after you play, he will be holding the Alpha team in position ready to , plant a C4 device, breach your door, and fire on command. Take no prisoners, give no mercy.



The Juggalo Homie 420 Hip Hop crew are obnoxious, often similar to the Redneck FPS'er. Most of these players have 420 in their player names ex: Juggalo420 , xXBurnin420Xx , 420BongRippa and so on. They also call everyone bitch. Even if they loose the Juggalo Homies will talk shit after the match like they won, often citing your mother as an insult. They also announce from time to time what they are smoking or drinking and if their girlfriend is in the next room topless. They believe player playing, except for them, is a virgin and cant get laid. Audio channels are also drowned out by today's blazin' new hip hop. Kotton Mouth Kings, ICP, Lil Wayne, or any other stuff that is suppose to be intimidating to crank for 30 minutes at a time. These skinny brats wearing basket ball jerseys, side ways hats and big gold pendants on chains purchased at the silver pagoda in the middle of the mall have no idea how much they embarrass themselves when they open their mouth, and cause so much negative attention to other video game players.



7 year olds are my personal top perpetrators of giving the idea of playing games a negative connotation. They camp out, use the same cheap tactics and strategies, "own noobs", have obnoxious prepubescent high voices, are on late at night when any logical parents would tell little Ryder,Tucker, Hunter, or Shiloh to be in bed early on a school night. If there are a few of them in a game or party they probably are friends in real life and party up to play, and often talk nonsense shit about school to each other. Sorry Ryder, no one has any desire to hear about how you had a Pee fight with Jacob after 4th period. These players make everyone feel like a shithead when they lose to children. And makes you feel like a shithead for beating children. Its a children's game if they play. The world thinks you enjoy childish games and playing with children. I enjoy playing video games.



The last problematic player of FPS games that is most detrimental to reputation is the Super Fan Uber Gamer. This guy has 10000 hrs logged in, has every video game and is an expert at all of them. His user name is usually some Japanese Anime character or Final Fantasy character's name "SepirothSushimi" The Uber Gamer enjoys using glitches to show off skills. He is everywhere at one time killing you and your teammates with out giving you a fucking second to get your bearings of here you are on the map. This asshole also keeps his mic on the whole match and just breathes in a labored fashion because the weight of his chest is crushing his lungs. Between swigs of mountain dew and mixed handfuls of skittles and cheetos, this guy will keep his Kill/Death ratio above 2.0. This guy is the the ruler of his clan. He ruins gaming for every one else because he is the supreme winner, chancellor of excellence, and knows every trick in the book to maintain his virtual superiority. His dedication and fear of day light keep him gaming long hours and give the misconception that all gamers are extreme oddities and antisocial unclean condescending savants.




To put things in perspective, I like to consider myself a casual gamer. I enjoy gaming, I like FPS games, I keep my mouth shut during matches, I don't have strategies. I play to play, win or lose. Of course I enjoy winning, but if I don't so be it. Its just a game, and I don't need to call people a bitch because of it. I how ever get more annoyed and worked up being lumped in with the assholes that play games and give regular Joe everyday working members of society a bad wrap.




Waiting on Modern Monday?


My copy of MW2 is probably in the stock room of my local Gamestop. I am extremely excited and have an iron clad game plan for the midnight release festivities. A majority of my "PSN Friends" are picking the game up sometime this week. One of my co-workers will be joining me at the midnight launch. I will be in full geek mode, bringing a controller with me so I can play in the store. Ill get comfortable with my own controller so when I get home I can buckle down and get my first prestige by dawn already broken into the unique feeling my controller provides. I'll be chatting with the "200" close friends of the Gamestop, partying up, talking shop with gamers , winning give aways , wearing freebie shirts and being excited for the 10 second count down at 11:59:50.


Actually, I will be working until 9:30 across the plaza from said Gamestop. As will my co-worker. We also will be with in walking distance of a hand full of chain restaurants. Our plan is to hang at the bar, get some kicking appetizers Guy Fieri style. Maybe purchasing some dessert for some hot and single ladies, just like the commercials would want us to do. They would invite us over to sit, have a drink, and chat us up. We would be so close to going home with them, until they ask us what we are doing in the area. Something tells me spilling the beans we are waiting for a midnight video game release, and killing time drinking at T.G.I. Fridays would not appeal to a couple of women looking for a good time. At least I could get some use out of my So-Cal, free wheelin', rock 'n rollin', club shirt with flames, my sweat bands, my Vans off the Walls,my wallet chain, my Oakley shades and 1990s era ska band frosted tips!
At 11:45 we plan on strolling leisurely over to the game store to pick up our copies. I might be 6 or 7 deep and full of deep fried green beans by the time I arrive to Gamestop. In all honesty, I expect the store to be fairly empty. People may trickle in and out to make their purchase. With any luck I'll be standing around long enough to get a free T-shirt. I will take photo evidence of anyone that sports the NVG's. I can see my co-worker popping his on and driving home with no headlights. Ill be finding my way home to play for about an hour. I have to work Tuesday so I won't be able to get any quality time in shooting terrorists. Wednesday and Thursday will be a different story. The fridge is stocked with Monster energy drinks and Coors Light. I also stocked up on Celeste pizza, ramen and pop tarts.


To mentally prepare gamingwise, I have been playing Pain (out of necessity) to cleanse my pallete of war time shooting games. I do not want to keep any subconscious habits from games like the previous Call of Duty games, Socom, Metal Gear, Red Faction and the Orange Box. I have high expectations for MW2's single player and multiplayer games. I also am looking forward to having a game most of my PS3 buddies have that we can all play together. Stay tuned for more MW2 hype and excitement as I get closer to acquiring the biggest game of the year.