tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51058927265262935872024-02-01T23:53:26.165-05:00FornigamerBreathing, then subsequently talking about, video games.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-12625430039550353742011-04-28T05:33:00.005-04:002011-04-28T09:54:49.267-04:00Look, an Educational Halo Video<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cfzSU2n8G6o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>The above video I created as my final project in Composition & Theory. To make it, I used Adobe Premier Pro, and many, many hours of time. The video is an exploration into the arguments between composition and literature. If many of the jokes are over your head, that's because you aren't in an English grad program. Or you like to go outside. Either way, this was terribly difficult to do, but ultimately very fun. Enjoy!Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-85790485933258086312010-04-08T16:15:00.005-04:002010-04-08T16:36:11.958-04:00On that whole iPad thing...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH14AEx-OWBzRDjfEMzCCqJFaXYbUG5JeXhLPKqGn_ijlgouQw7YC7Jejl2Dy-90eBaYTbFfDBg1ECEtIxvGsansD3zAipjnjZV9AIL-IxaBqeSXIc7pzpuf_gb0O3-Mnn-Xja2hVwUmA/s1600/ipad.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH14AEx-OWBzRDjfEMzCCqJFaXYbUG5JeXhLPKqGn_ijlgouQw7YC7Jejl2Dy-90eBaYTbFfDBg1ECEtIxvGsansD3zAipjnjZV9AIL-IxaBqeSXIc7pzpuf_gb0O3-Mnn-Xja2hVwUmA/s320/ipad.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457866818776991154" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;"><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans; font-size: 14px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; text-align: left; line-height: 22px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; "><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">I recently had someone ask me what I thought about the iPad, to which I replied something along the lines of what is to follow here. At first I thought it was a waste of time and money, but I think it's much worse than that now. It's a waste of conversation (yet here I am talking about it, oh well). The fact that it's the newest "thing that people want without knowing why they want it" makes matters much, much worse. When the iPod launched, and then subsequently became actually usable and not-too-bad, everyone wanted it, but at least there was a real purpose for it -- music on-the-go, and a lot of it in one place. The iPad is neither an iPod nor a computer, and so sits in a weird limbo beckoning to people who are too stupid to really put any research into the thing. It can do some computer stuff and some iPod stuff, but not everything (well, it can do everything an iPod can do, minus the portability). Anyways, let's stop and look into why a normal, let's say average computer user should never get an iPad...</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">1) </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Cost.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> It starts at $500. If you want 3g capabilities, it's $579, and then $30 a month for the unlimited subscription to that service (no contract, though, which is kinda cool?). What does that $500 get you? Not a lot of storage, for one thing--the $500 model has 16 gigabytes of storage. </span><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820326017&cm_re=16_gb_flash_drive-_-20-326-017-_-Product" mce_href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820326017&cm_re=16_gb_flash_drive-_-20-326-017-_-Product" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Here's a flash drive</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> that costs about $35 shipped that also has 16 gigs of storage. Want to double that to 32? Then be prepared to pay $100 more. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">One Hundred Dollars</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. To put that into perspective, </span><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139012&cm_re=32_gb_flash_drive-_-20-139-012-_-Product" mce_href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139012&cm_re=32_gb_flash_drive-_-20-139-012-_-Product" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Here's another drive</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> that costs $70 shipped and holds 32 gigs. Somehow thumb drives have managed to double the storage for 35 bucks, yet Apple will happily charge you 100. Interesting, isn't it? Now, if you want the best iPad money can buy, you're looking at over $800. For something that isn't a computer. It boggles the mind. Then again, Apple always charges tons of money for everything they make</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">2)</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> Usability (this is a big one).</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> Apple will have you believe that this thing is the most versatile thing in the world. Yeah..no... it isn't. It's a big iPod Touch. It has the same app store that the iPod Touch / iPhone has had for years, and it still can't run multiple applications at the same time. Want to check your email when you're in the middle of reading a book? First you have to close the book app, then go into the email, then when you're done, close that, then go back into the book app. Can't minimize, can't multitask. Here's a quote from Engadget's review of it:</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">"For starters, as we mentioned earlier the iPad doesn't support multitasking, save for Apple's own applications: Safari, iPod, and Mail. Everything else you use on the device is a jump-into and then jump-out experience, which means that for things like IM apps, you're either having a conversation or you're not. For those of us who are used to the iPhone way of doing things, that's at least familiar, but if you're looking to have a conversation while getting your email in order (as you would on a laptop), you're out of luck."<br /><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Apple came out and said that users "don't want that" kind of usability. On an iPhone, where it's something small and you're probably doing one thing at a time anyway, maybe, but if you're going to release a product claiming to be "magical" and "revolutionary" (their actual words, check the website), you'd think it could actually do more than one thing at a time.</span></p><p><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">EDIT: Apple just announced the new iPhone OS 4</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">, which </span><a href="http://gizmodo.com/5512656/how-multitasking-works-in-the-new-iphone-os" mce_href="http://gizmodo.com/5512656/how-multitasking-works-in-the-new-iphone-os"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">will support multitasking-ish capabilities</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. Not 100% multitasking like netbooks/laptops/real PCs, but kinda close. How nice of them to implement something that everyone else has been enjoying for years, but make it seem like some kind of amazing achievement. Bravo? Still, I'll say what everyone is saying: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">FINALLY</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">.<br /><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Moving on, the thing is a complete pain in the ass to hold in your hand. Think about it. You're going to be holding a 1.6 pound, rigid, metallic minicomputer when you want to use it. There are no grooves for your fingers or hands. There is no way it can bend or slip comfortably anywhere. Now think about trying to use the keyboard on it. How will you type? Prop it up on your leg? Use one hand to type? Let's say you figure you'll lay it flat on a table -- oh wait, Apple has made it sleek with a nice-looking, curved backing, meaning it'll wobble every time you try and type something on it while it's on its back. You know something's wrong when less than a week after it's been out, people are making stands for propping the thing up. I think actually physically using this would never be comfortable.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">The internet browser on this thing is great, though -- it's fast, it's smooth, it's fluid. Okay. But here's the thing: most websites use Flash. The thing needed for any internet game website, or in some cases, entire internet sites themselves. This device does not support Flash, at all. And it probably never will. Any website that uses Flash either won't work at all or will work with very limited browsing capabilities. Let me say that again: Any websites that have Flash as their main way of conveying data to you </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">will not work ever</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. That's insanely stupid, and honestly boggles the mind considering Apple claimed the internet browsing experience on the iPad to be the best you could ever have (their actual words).</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Apple's also really pushing the whole "Look! It can play games!" thing. If you've ever tried to play a game on an iPhone, you should know it isn't the easiest thing to do most of the time, and is heavily dependent on </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">what kind of game</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> you want to play. Something like Scrabble would probably be fine, but playing a platformer? Please. Touch-screen controls are not at the perfected state yet where they will flawlessly do what you want them to. Now, the iPad does have a better interface/responsiveness, but the aforementioned difficulties in holding it, combined with a very prominent home button (meaning if you hold the iPad in landscape mode, you'll more than likely accidentally hit the home button, exiting the game and pissing you the hell off) means that, combined again with the fact that the device isn't exactly pocket-friendly or "mobile" like a PDA/PSP/Nintendo DS means gaming on the iPad is virtually just a bullet-point. Why would you spend $500+ on something that isn't ergonomic towards playing games? You wouldn't, thus, it is something that you'd only do </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">because you have the device anyway</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">3) </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">E-Book Reader.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> As an e-book reader, it works pretty well. It has a lot of publishers on board, and a beautiful screen for displaying the e-books. Here's my advice of caution on this subject, though. For one thing, you must understand that the books you own are never really "yours". What does that mean? Well, look at it this way: When you purchase a book from Apple's iBook store, you purchase it to your account to be used on your iPad (or other iDevices), and that's it. You can't use it anywhere else, and if for some reason Apple doesn't think you should have it anymore, they can take it away from you. "No they can't!" you might think. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Yes, they can</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. There was a major issue with this about a year ago with Amazon's Kindle. Ironically, it was with the book </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">1984</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. Basically, Amazon found out that it shouldn't have listed a certain publication of the book as being available on its e-book store, so, they removed it from the store </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">and from anyone's Kindle who bought it without telling them and with no notification</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. Yes, those people got their money back, but the whole incident showed that when you buy something for your e-book reader, it isn't ever really </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">yours;</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> you're simply buying the right to look at it on that piece of technology. Apple is no different from Amazon, as it has been discussed in the past regarding the iPhone that if Apple wanted, they could disable any iPhone remotely via a "killswitch". This was all over the tech sites shortly after the iPhone launched. Has Apple ever had to use it? Probably not, but it's unsettling to know that they could and you'd be screwed.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Personally, I like to hold a book, knowing it's mine, and if I wanted to, I could lend it to someone else, or, better yet, 20 years from now I can pick it up again and enjoy it exactly the same way. You might throw a joke here right now like "well, I don't know if I'll be around in 20 years." Well, haha, but think about technology...in 6 years, or even 4, there will probably be a newer, better iPad that's faster and makes this one look like an 80's cell phone by comparison. Now you have to buy that (another $500?). Sure all the books you downloaded can be used on the new one, but there will be a transfer process of some kind, and you still had to buy a new piece of hardware just to keep up with reading books. Or you could just buy the book and keep it on a shelf forever.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">But all that aside, the only other "problem" with the iPad and reading books is the screen itself -- it's a backlit screen. Some people, after reading text on a computer screen for an hour+ tend to have eye strain issues. The reason why the Kindle is so spiffy is because it uses something called "e-ink" instead of a normal, backlit LCD screen. This "e-ink" pretty much mimics how text looks on paper, with no backlighting, and with no strain on the eyes. Now for some people they will never have an issue with the iPad's backlit screen for reading. Some people will...so, this is really a personal preference thing.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">4) </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Minimal Design.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> Apple is known for the sleekness of stuff. Okay. Well, that's fine and all for an iPhone or an iPod, but with this thing, which is pretty much claiming to be a computer...it kinda sucks. There are </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">NO</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> ports on this thing. No usb, no ethernet, nothing. Actually I take that back, there's a headphone jack. If you want to have any of those ports, you have to get an adapter. Maybe you'd never need any of that anyway (like an ethernet port), but there isn't even a card reader on it so you can quickly and easily load pictures to the thing. Even the cheapest, slowest netbooks have that stuff. Some people like the minimal design because it's less to worry about, but I think it hinders what this thing could really be capable of.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Now, all of this isn't to say that the iPad is a terrible, terrible device that can't do anything that anyone wants it to do. What it does, it does pretty damn well. It works fast, smoothly, and is basically designed with idiots in mind, meaning, anyone should be able to pick it up and use it. I just think that for the price, you could easily get a laptop that does everything the iPad does, with a bigger screen and 300 times more functionality. And if you throw in the thought of getting a netbook, then your device, I'd say, is straight up </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">better</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">. </span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">But my real suggestion would be to go and hold one somewhere if you can, and use it, and see if after the initial "ooOOo, look at the pretty screen and metal-ness of it" wears off, you could see yourself using it all the time, or for an hour straight, or for seriously typing on, or...etc.etc.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">This is my 2 cents. I'd never buy an iPad, and if I were given one, I don't know if I'd use it. I'd probably sell it to an Apple fanboy, get a netbook with a 1.66 Ghz, dual-core CPU, 2 gigs of RAM, a 160 gig HD, and use the 125 bucks I'd still have left over to get something else that's useful...like a few videogames, or a new hard drive for my desktop (the iPad has a 1000 Mhz CPU, 256 megs of RAM, comparatively). Sure I wouldn't look as cool as the Apple fanboys do, but fuck those people.</span></p></div></span></div>Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-4614405441894875742009-12-10T11:37:00.004-05:002009-12-12T14:30:26.883-05:00Somewhat Modern Warfare 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0EXZAdwaumccTFiKA8wcWRsvmsWSbTt78lPWAyz4dr4wAt6mmdaYOUswhWevdbq2a3cS0ghYE8pb3PO1ee_WgdAwFXeSIqap4Ty0qJjr92NZrNlazkfgB-kr4Iup2UGVBTSblrFrISE/s1600-h/modern-warfare-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY0EXZAdwaumccTFiKA8wcWRsvmsWSbTt78lPWAyz4dr4wAt6mmdaYOUswhWevdbq2a3cS0ghYE8pb3PO1ee_WgdAwFXeSIqap4Ty0qJjr92NZrNlazkfgB-kr4Iup2UGVBTSblrFrISE/s320/modern-warfare-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413675248988226818" border="0" /></a><br /><br />A lot has been said about <span style="font-style: italic;">Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. </span>I mean a <span style="font-style: italic;">lot</span>. And most of it comes from editors required to spit out an opinion, or from people whose game-playing experiences are (surprise!) pretty much only their experiences and no one else's. This (as is usually the case) means that a large demographic of people are listening to a very <span style="font-style: italic;">small</span> demographic of people in order to formulate an opinion on a playing experience they have yet to...well, experience. Allow me to thus add fuel to the fire in one way or another, and give my sweeping opinion on the <span style="font-style: italic;">MW2</span> scene.<br /><br />Is the game good? You bet. There, now that that's out of the way I can move on. Oh, you want me to elaborate? Fine...<br /><br />If you played <span style="font-style: italic;">Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare</span>, then you pretty much completely understand everything that there is to understand about <span style="font-style: italic;">MW2</span>. <span style="font-style: italic;">MW2</span> takes all of the ideas that were initially established in <span style="font-style: italic;">CoD4</span>, expands upon them, elaborates them, makes them prettier, and then gives them back to you for $60 more of your money. Is that worth it to you? I wouldn't say it was worth it to me, but my 48+ hours of playtime so far would beg to differ.<br /><br />The graphics are better, which is a given. The multiplayer has more game modes and options, which is a given. There are more guns, which is a given. And the single player is way more out there with oodles more "offensive" material, which, again, is a given. This game is the definition of a sequel. It stays within its predefined skeletal structure, but adds a lot more meat to those bones. So, now that we have managed to cover exactly what all other reviews have covered within two paragraphs (ha!), let's move on to where everyone's panties are in bunches. Bunches in people's crotches. Uncomfortable bunches.<br /><br />Bunches.<br /><br />Anyways, the multiplayer. If you've played the Xbox 360 version of this game, ignore everything I'm about to type, because your multiplayer experience is the same as <span style="font-style: italic;">Halo 3</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">CoD4</span>, and probably a zillion other 360 multiplayer shooters out there. You pay your $50/yr for decent multiplayer service, and that's what you get.<br /><br />But us PC players who like to play their shooters the real way (read: keyboard and mouse) kind of really have the shit end of the stick a little bit. But here's the thing...for about a week before buying this game I read...and read...and <span style="font-style: italic;">read</span> about all the problems this game has with multiplayer. Forum posts, reddit comments, editorials, you name it, all blasting the multiplayer for the PC. Saying that it's ruining PC gaming...that this is just the start. That after Activision sees the revenue from this game on the PC, they'll understand that PC gamers just don't give two shits about their online experiences anymore, and games will now be just as "broken." Yet I bought it anyway like everyone else.<br /><br />But is it really that broken? In a word: no.<br /><br />Now, now. Don't get me wrong, I think that the system they have implemented is full of problems, and those problems are fairly consistent. But no where near the nightmare that everyone was lead to believe (or at least the one that I was lead to believe). Here's where the problem started: no dedicated servers. Infinity Ward (the developers) decided that, for some reason, PCs should now become Xbox 360's and no longer give you a list of servers to choose from. Thus they implemented a system that chooses a host at the start of every game, and that host (a player IN that game) then becomes essentially a temporary server for that game (and maybe the next, and the next). That might sound okay in theory, but if for some reason the game chooses that one guy on the planet that still uses fucking dial up, or that other dude playing in the most north eastern tip of the US, or that little kid who's trying to play this game on his mom's 5-year-old Dell Inspiron desktop, everyone is pretty much screwed.<br /><br />Dedicated servers were/are a benefit because they have excellent internet connections. They are localized, too, to an extent. So if you're on the east coast, there's a good chance you can find a dedicated server that's on the east coast, too, and you've got yourself some smooth sailing ahead. Or, if you're playing with friends across the country, you can all find a server that's in-between everyone, and everyone can have decent connections. It was simple to navigate, and a system that's been around for a very long time. And if you all found a server you liked, you could just add it to a list of favorites, and sleep easy knowing that when you woke up at 2 in the afternoon to start your next 14-hour long gaming session you had a safe, happy place to go.<br /><br />Also, dedicated servers have admins. Admins can ban people...people who cheat, or, as I like to call them, people who like to fuck cacti for pleasure. These cacti fuckers are always a problem in games...but if you played on a decent dedicated server with a decent community, there was a good chance there'd always be an admin in the server to ban these people.<br /><br />But alas, all of this is gone in <span style="font-style: italic;">MW2</span>. So, in theory, you would expect games to be slower than the slowest shit on the roughest ground that's as flat a paraplegic's ass. You'd also expect everyone to be fucking cacti because on the internet, everyone is a total, total asshole. But you know what? That isn't true.<br /><br />The game's hit detection (when the game determines you hit someone with your bullet/knife and where) is local, meaning on your computer. So, unless the game connection is <span style="font-style: italic;">terrible</span>, things are pretty smooth. I've played a good deal of games with easily over 140 ping and been fine. How often are game connections really, <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> bad? Not often. In those 48+ hours I've spent with the game online, I'd probably say a <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> shitty connection has happened maybe 20-30 times. That's less than 2% of the time. I can live with that.<br /><br />If the game's host leaves, the game picks a new one. This means the game pauses for at most 20 seconds (though usually around 10), and then goes right back to where it was. I haven't seen a problem with this yet, though I'm positive that problems can easily come to fruition (someone leaves, the game picks a new host, that person leaves, game picks a new host that has a shitty computer, etc.).<br /><br />But the cactus fuckers are legitimately the most irritating and prevalent annoyance. There are hackers...lots of them. And because of this, everyone showing any amount of skill raises suspicion. You're almost guaranteed to come across either a wall-hacker (someone using a hack to allow them to see through walls, and thus enemy positions) or an aim botter (someone using a hack that automatically aims--and sometimes fires--their gun at enemies' heads) at least once per play session. And because there are no admins, these people often do not get banned. I say "often" because technically the game uses Steam's "VAC" system to weed out hackers...but how reliable VAC is and how soon after a detected hack it bans an account is unknown. I'd say it isn't too great a system.<br /><br />What does this all boil down to, then? Well, the <span style="font-style: italic;">game</span> is great...the multiplayer is fun <span style="font-style: italic;">to play</span>, but there are problems surrounding that experience. Is the game as broken as everyone has been complaining? No. It just isn't. Infinity Ward's match making system allows for quick-starting games that you can easily set up with friends, assuring full games every time paired with a good variety of gameplay modes (most of which were already there in <span style="font-style: italic;">CoD4</span>, but whatever). That really isn't a bad thing. Want to play Headquarters Pro? You'll be in a game in seconds...no server hunting required. Not that "server hunting" was any bit of a difficult process to begin with, but...a positive is still a positive.<br /><br />Besides, if you want to play the new <span style="font-style: italic;">CoD</span> on a PC, you don't have much of a choice, do you? I bought the game because I have friends to play with, and I like to have fun with cool people (you <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> want to be cool, too, don't you?). If you're all by yourself, then maybe this game isn't for you. Or maybe you should look into fucking a cactus.<br /><br />I do think that this is ultimately a step in the <span style="font-style: italic;">wrong</span> direction for PC games, though. If I wanted to play a console game, I'd buy a console game. This game feels the same (it even has the same price), but with a different control scheme. Infinity Ward, it seems, was lazy. They could have easily implemented the same server system in <span style="font-style: italic;">CoD4</span>, but also allowed the quickplay party system that's in the game now, if they wanted to. It wouldn't have been difficult, especially considering that it's fairly obvious that they just imported a dumbed-down version of Xbox Live's matchmaking system to the PC. This new system is geared to dickhead hackers and frustrating lag issues that honestly shouldn't be there--whether or not they're really prevalent isn't the issue...they <span style="font-style: italic;">should not be there in the first place</span>.<br /><br />So, that's what I think. And yeah, it's just another opinion to add to the heaping pile of them that already exists, but I think it's been long enough and I've played the game enough to have formulated what I've written...maybe moreso than some of those day-1 reviews. Oh, and even in games where there are multiple cacti-fuckers, I still usually win. So, either the people using the hacks suck (which is why they are using them), or it doesn't really matter <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> much. I'm going with both.<br /><br />Till next time.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-20366179319287008842009-09-24T19:32:00.003-04:002009-09-24T19:47:38.180-04:00BFG is amazing.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrd1c9YZPidhea_12OBsU17lgfIZJRDYhp1XQI2VkG8JWUUKZrHVYzcWxLa40PwqniqWoFDlECv5jMYnnEp5_xnvUL1TucblMk4dU9mpH2w462muefpCfJbuuEd5w8Ay9Hg_jyJU3ufI/s1600-h/bfg_logo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrd1c9YZPidhea_12OBsU17lgfIZJRDYhp1XQI2VkG8JWUUKZrHVYzcWxLa40PwqniqWoFDlECv5jMYnnEp5_xnvUL1TucblMk4dU9mpH2w462muefpCfJbuuEd5w8Ay9Hg_jyJU3ufI/s320/bfg_logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385184838365392146" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Fuck you, I know I haven't posted in a million years. I don't really care.<br /><br />Erm, I mean. Hey! Long time no see! How's it going? Good? Good! Glad to hear it. Still got that birthday card I sent you? No? Oh that's right, people usually throw those out after a week. No, no, I don't care. I understand. What's that? Oh, her. Yeah she's pretty great. I know, I know, one in a million. Uh huh. Well, look, I have a lot of stuff here, and this basket is getting kinda heavy, so... Oh yeah, yeah, just gimmie a call when you're in the area. We'll totally do something. Alright. Later.<br /><br />Man, that was <span style="font-style: italic;">awkward</span>.<br /><br />Anyways, let's get to the point. A year ago from this part March I ordered and received a Nvidia Geforce 9800 GX2 made by <a href="http://www.bfgtech.com/">BFG Tech</a>. Yeah, it had just come out and man did I shell out some money for it. But I figured it'd last me a good amount of time, so, whatever. It was a pretty good card, but it started to have some pretty lame issues a few months in. Things would stutter in certain games -- usually flame effects. And those are the <span style="font-style: italic;">best</span> kind of effects, amirite?!<br /><br />Then games would crash. And then my computer in general would crash. Finally, a month ago, the card made Windows cry, and it no longer would boot with it in there.<br /><br />So, I figured, "Shit." I figured that not just because the card was shot, but because it wasn't under warranty. See, BFG offers a lifetime warranty, but with this card, you had to register within 30 days of purchase to receive this lifelong treatment. I did not do this because I found the piece of paper telling me so about a week after said 30 day period. Me not being one to cause a fuss (and assuming my card would, ya know, <span style="font-style: italic;">work</span>) shrugged it off and that was that.<br /><br />Well, it died. I replaced the card thinking I was screwed. Man was I wrong.<br /><br />I contacted BFG via a friend's suggestion just for the hell of it last week. And they didn't ask any questions and instantly gave me an RMA for my card. I was very impressed. But then it got better. Within 24 hours of receiving my card they had a replacement in the mail for me. But replace it they did not simply do. Oh no. I got a Geforce GTX 285 as a replacement. That, ladies and gentlemen, is almost the best card that Nvidia currently makes. And, it's a pretty significant upgrade. All for free. Amazing.<br /><br />So, if you want to buy a graphics card, buy from BFG. Cause if it breaks, they'll give you a better card. And if it's out of warranty, they'll help you anyway. They're fast. They're just...just wonderful. I was floored. I only wish I were getting paid to type what I am right now. But whatever.<br /><br />At any rate, maybe I'll post here again, but I don't know. I don't think anyone reads this anymore. If you do, speak up! I'll give you hugs via words. Or something.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-24801595027694321902009-06-06T14:05:00.006-04:002009-06-06T15:14:50.254-04:00So, let's talk about L4D2.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSfRw4TbkXZW6k-CexWiNZB-TD04IYUbZmpJu1PagKKm6EQku2mppofN29dtTYydlJz5DJfaxiePUPmDuC8_aKVXIrNVFf89BALDtB4AafkIJAhWGAj08bx0evnEaHjY4i7SyY3-Le7w/s1600-h/l4d2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSfRw4TbkXZW6k-CexWiNZB-TD04IYUbZmpJu1PagKKm6EQku2mppofN29dtTYydlJz5DJfaxiePUPmDuC8_aKVXIrNVFf89BALDtB4AafkIJAhWGAj08bx0evnEaHjY4i7SyY3-Le7w/s320/l4d2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344292890842411234" border="0" /></a><br />E3 has come and gone. <a href="http://fornigamer.blogspot.com/2008/07/good-for-nothing.html">Last year</a>, I talked about how such a venue seemed mostly useless, especially because of the downfall of it's presentation. But alas, just when everyone thought it was over, the old <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">skool</span> E3 of yesteryear stormed back on the scene with its booth babes and "huge" announcements and expensive party atmosphere. Did it work? Well, in a word, yeah.<br /><br />The coverage of E3 has been enormous, and with good reason. Hell, Nintendo actually managed to announce things people care about! But I digress from this post's title.<br /><br />Valve, arguably one of the best developers in video games (up there with Blizzard, I'd say), announced <span style="font-style: italic;">Left 4 Dead 2</span> at this year's E3, and it pissed some people off. Did it piss me off? No, not really. I was surprised, though. Valve, like Blizzard, doesn't do fast sequels. Even the <span style="font-style: italic;">Half Life<span style="font-style: italic;"> 2</span></span> episodes took longer than a year between each release, and those certainly aren't to be considered "sequels". At least not in a full-form, anyway.<br /><br />Valve's forums <a href="http://steamcommunity.com/groups/L4D2boycott">erupted with anger</a> from gamers claiming that Valve has betrayed them, with players accusing Valve of undercutting them by undercutting the original <span style="font-style: italic;">L4D</span>. Valve told the gaming community that they would be supporting and updating <span style="font-style: italic;">L4D </span>for a long, long time, much like <span style="font-style: italic;">Team Fortress 2</span>, which, through constant free content-adding updates, has proven that such a strategy would pay off quite nicely. So, why change it? The answer is probably something like "because they can." <span style="font-style: italic;">L4D</span> generated a good deal of money for Valve, so why wouldn't they want to produce a sequel, which in turn would generate <span style="font-style: italic;">more</span> money?<br /><br />Oh, right, that whole "promise" thing.<br /><br />Let's look at how <span style="font-style: italic;">L4D</span> has done with it's content-adding-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ness</span>:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1 Major update.</span><br /><br />...And that's it. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Hrm</span>. Well, surely that update contained a variable shitload of content, yes?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Added 2 Versus maps and Survival Mode.</span><br /><br />..oh. Well, gosh, that kind of does suck, doesn't it? Unless those Versus maps were new experiences...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Versus Maps are "Dead Air" and "Death Toll".</span><br /><br />...Wait, the maps that should have been in Versus when the game was released? God <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">damnit</span>! Survival Mode better be awesome..<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Survival Mode puts players in the various "crescendo" moments that the normal maps contain, only the zombies do not stop coming until everyone dies. Difficulty increases the longer you are able to stay alive, with games rarely lasting longer than 10 minutes. Also, there is a new map for this mode, the "Lighthouse."</span><br /><br />...But the Lighthouse map isn't a full, new map?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">No.</span><br /><br />And isn't that kind of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">gameplay</span> already in <span style="font-style: italic;">Gears of War 2</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Call of Duty: World at War</span> (with Nazi zombies for some reason)?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Yes.</span><br /><br />So, let me get this straight...we got two maps we <span style="font-style: italic;">technically</span> already had (and arguably should have had from the start), and then a new mode that's technically in other games and is just an extension of moments in the game already. That, and there's the fact that the new mode will always end in failure, no matter how great a team of players you have with you. So, if one were to be an over-the-top critic/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">douchebag</span>, one could say that the only "new" content that was given is everlasting failure, and Valve calls this an update?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Yes.</span><br /><br />Cool, I'm going to stop conversing with myself now.<br /><br />Granted, I don't completely stand behind everything I just wrote there, but I can (obviously) see where people would get upset. Valve has always been considered a beacon of hope when it comes to post-release <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">DLC</span>, showing that if you do something well and make it free, people will continue to buy your game well after it's release <span style="font-style: italic;">because</span> of the free goodies. And so we come back to the question "why are they changing this?"<br /><br />I think that <span style="font-style: italic;">L4D</span> might have been a sort of experiment. Valve had this great idea for a game, but it had never been done before. And though they could bank on selling the game based <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">sheerly</span> on the Valve brand, I don't think they wanted to (and it probably would have been stupid to do so). So, they made this game, and put pretty much what they wanted to put into it, and what they did <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">release</span> was an extremely polished <span style="font-style: italic;">starter</span> for what they ultimately would have liked to do in the first place, which is <span style="font-style: italic;">L4D2</span>. Would people be able to deal with a <span style="font-style: italic;">purely</span> co-op experience on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">internet</span>, land of overwhelming <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">asshats</span>? Would players enjoy doing essentially the same things over and over again, only with a few minor differences in enemy and item placement? Would the AI Director actually be decent, or a pile of crap? Well, they now have their answers.<br /><br />But does this mean that they couldn't simply update <span style="font-style: italic;">L4D</span> with improvements that would reflect their newly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">acquired</span> knowledge? Surely they could add new maps, characters, content, etc. without a full-on sequel. After all, they <span style="font-style: italic;">did</span> say that's pretty much what they'd be doing.<br /><br />Honestly, I don't know, because I'm not Valve. But they're walking on thin ice. They have, however, <a href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/06/04/valve-on-l4d2-trust-us-a-little-bit/">asked us to trust them</a>, and I think they might have earned a little trust from us. They have from me, anyway. Besides, there are many ways that they can approach this whole <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">sudo</span>-fiasco with intelligence. There's no reason why they couldn't combine the games a-la-<span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band 2</span>, yes? Why not allow all <span style="font-style: italic;">L4D</span> content to be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">accessible</span> from within <span style="font-style: italic;">L4D2</span>? That way, if they still are going to be releasing additional content for <span style="font-style: italic;">L4D</span>, those who have the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">sequel</span> can enjoy everything at the same time, seamlessly. Just something to think about.<br /><br />But, taking a look at what's promised within <span style="font-style: italic;">L4D2</span> (entirely new location, new survivors, new weapons, new zombies, new special zombies, new crescendo moments...) I'd say yeah, there's enough there for a sequel. Maybe not a $50 sequel, but at least a $30 kind of thing that merges with the original content. But hey, you know people will buy it anyway, regardless of what it really is or how it's really done. So maybe all this hub-bub is pointless.<br /><br />But maybe it isn't.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-35776644273325721152009-05-19T17:13:00.001-04:002009-05-19T17:14:36.024-04:00Many things coming soon.I have entered the realm of motivation via a bet yet again, and thus must complete 4 games by July 11th, 2009. Therefore, I will actually be writing things here again! Horray!<br /><br />Stay tuned...Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-88034192076895735562009-04-19T14:18:00.003-04:002009-04-19T14:22:50.235-04:00Okay, I need some motivation.Games I have started, but not finished:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Killzone 2<br />Resistance 2<br />Valkyria Chronicles<br />Final Fantasy X<br />Call of Duty: World at War<br />Ratchet and Clank Future: The Quest for Booty<br />Bionic Commando: Rearmed </span>(stuck on the last level)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Megaman 9 </span>(stuck on the last boss)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dead Space</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">GTA IV</span><br /><br />So, anyone have any ideas on how to tackle this problem?Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-2352079000708456622009-02-23T12:57:00.007-05:002009-03-06T02:24:46.581-05:00Oh, hi there.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGK2osJFEgK12DWooaSpSCdIOjZ-oyB2n0r1b3pMVL1rf0FCoyRoWZZlmKwEtmsnSqGuGqkYtlKOUJmk9UHutxfbXSxJ3MDThW8H8321xWd9YHxog04P6sQyaBgHb9YLzjZq7a4awjNI/s1600-h/gemma.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZGK2osJFEgK12DWooaSpSCdIOjZ-oyB2n0r1b3pMVL1rf0FCoyRoWZZlmKwEtmsnSqGuGqkYtlKOUJmk9UHutxfbXSxJ3MDThW8H8321xWd9YHxog04P6sQyaBgHb9YLzjZq7a4awjNI/s320/gemma.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306070405543357602" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Yesterday I finished up <span style="font-style: italic;">Red Alert 3</span>. Oh, what's that? I haven't posted in a while and how could I just start right back up as if nothing had happened? Well, nothing <span style="font-style: italic;">had</span> happened. Actually, I got a bunch of games for Xmas, and simply have been playing those. One of which was <span style="font-style: italic;">RA3</span>.<br /><br />So, how does it stack up to other RTS games out there? It's fun as hell, that's for damn sure. But in its over-the-top zaniness comes the price of gaming longevity. The game is <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> fast paced, and, much like <span style="font-style: italic;">C&C3</span>, online matches are more than capable of ending in under 5 minutes. For some people, that might be just fine. But I like to think about my RTS games a little bit more. And for me, RTS games are really all about the multiplayer. That's where they shine; seeing people utilize the game in newer and more interesting ways, implementing strategies you would never see outside of such an environment.<br /><br />And it's a shame, too, because a lot of good thought was placed in this game. Pretty much every unit has a useful secondary attack function, for example. Take the Devastator Tank that the Soviets have: it can either fire its double barrels (ho-hum), or engage a tractor beam that pulls enemy tanks into giant metal-shredding gears, destroying them shortly thereafter (!). Each of the three factions has its own unique building process, too--though not as diverse as, say, <span style="font-style: italic;">Starcraft </span>or<span style="font-style: italic;"> Warcraft 3<span style="font-style: italic;">. </span></span>The Allies have to wait until their structure is fully built before placing it, the Russians can start building on the ground immediately, but their building is vulnerable until completed, and the Japanese can build anywhere, but must unpack their building via mini-MCV-like things.<br /><br />Like I said before, things happen very quickly, though. And like most things in life, when stuff happens too fast, it leaves those involved disappointed. Many times during the single-player campaign I would attempt to strategically construct an army, only to have it wiped out by sheer brute force not more than 10 seconds into my invasion. This meant that several times during play I was forced to simply build a massive unstoppable force of <span style="font-style: italic;">quantity</span>, rather than quality. That kind of crap, to me, is an RTS no-no. There are the basic unit counters, though--artillery is powerful but vulnerable, tanks have no anti-air, blah, blah. Outside of that, though, the unit countering isn't anything compared to the intensity of <span style="font-style: italic;">Warcraft 3</span>. Units have a minimal Bar O' Health above them, but no hit points by which to compare to other units. Damage functions the same way, where you just have to figure "big laser beam must make stuff go boom better than missile."<br /><br />All of this is geared for the game to be, essentially, a run-and-gun RTS, if such a thing can exist. <span style="font-style: italic;">C&C3</span> did this, too, and I hated it for it. It was a great game, but I can't remember the last time I played it. When you're forcing players to race to end-game units because that's where the key to victory is...I don't know. It seems kind of easy. But it's weird, because the thought and unit variety put into this game begs the player <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> to do such a baseless strategy. I'll just have to play a few more games online and see what happens, I guess.<br /><br />Oh, and let me just say that graphically, it's beautiful. Everything in the game is <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> pretty, especially the water effects--not only are the physics nifty as hell, but the water reflects <span style="font-style: italic;">everything</span> in a spectacular fashion that, during a heated sea battle, lights up the whole experience. Even ships, when they kick the bucket, sink beneath the surface and stay there for the rest of the battle (and of course they are distorted accordingly depending on the waves, etc.).<br /><br />Simply put: <span style="font-style: italic;">RA3</span> is a good RTS. It isn't great, but it's fun enough to be more than worth the purchase. I sunk well over 20 hours into the single player campaign on the Hard difficulty. The missions are varied nicely, and really make the game shine strategically. If multiplayer could only be like the campaigns, it'd probably launch the game into greatness. But no one wants that kind of constraint in multiplayer. So, whatever. Also, there are plenty of boobs in this game. <span style="font-style: italic;">Plenty</span> (see above picture).<br /><br /><br /><br />Moving on, I also finished up <span style="font-style: italic;">Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction</span> for the PS3. Wonderfully fun game. It played just like the <span style="font-style: italic;">R&C</span> games on the PS2, but with much prettier graphics. The game is pretty easy, but it's supposed to just be stupid fun, with lots of shooting crap with wacky guns. It is this to a T. Also: you can throw disco balls at enemies which force them to dance like John Travolta before you annihilate them. Pure genius.<br /><br />I'm working on <span style="font-style: italic;">Valkyria Chronicles</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Resistance: Fall of Man</span>, too. I have a lot more to play through beyond those, too. I love videogames. Till next time!Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-46212457077465232032008-12-31T04:13:00.002-05:002008-12-31T04:18:02.624-05:00And a year ends...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6RxkvsLPNR5ct2n8PnoMfVPQpn0vZ_eWTmzLvgwoDnQYUwkIO2Wz_YpnYiA8qsZHzeaCyPk825uymzgncSLyXkV5sMHIXJ7TKylNPKjVowmt-hYqikLpvZSy0CWaBTBSyf8G8eUdv3Q/s1600-h/b-day-cake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6RxkvsLPNR5ct2n8PnoMfVPQpn0vZ_eWTmzLvgwoDnQYUwkIO2Wz_YpnYiA8qsZHzeaCyPk825uymzgncSLyXkV5sMHIXJ7TKylNPKjVowmt-hYqikLpvZSy0CWaBTBSyf8G8eUdv3Q/s320/b-day-cake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285880883142248994" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>...and I'm a bit older. My wonderfully beautiful girlfriend is here with me, and I am now 23 years old. It's been a good year, I'd say. Hopefully this keeps on, and I keep posting here to the (I assume) very small volume of people that may or may not actually read this "blog" (I hate that term).<br /><br />I've been playing <span style="font-style: italic;">Left 4 Dead</span> on a massive scale thus far (over 35 hours since I got it on Xmas). And will be discussing it at length in the future. So, for now, Happy New Year, and may gaming keep flowing through your veins and hearts for years to come.<br /><br />ggkthxbye.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-40907277482732804632008-12-22T11:39:00.005-05:002008-12-22T20:45:31.128-05:00THREE!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3BuUCKf_8b9luTMQ-DiAtZYo_4Yidl7PpCJVHrJBUhAijTkYpH62c8xYlOrtOyVZ2I7lQPg7QByMDjSGTg7w_BcslU_iBm9T28lnYI4LzIjawXO3s46PcY_aBZJ6SXVmBURFd2Pk0iU/s1600-h/legend_of_zelda_twilight_princess.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3BuUCKf_8b9luTMQ-DiAtZYo_4Yidl7PpCJVHrJBUhAijTkYpH62c8xYlOrtOyVZ2I7lQPg7QByMDjSGTg7w_BcslU_iBm9T28lnYI4LzIjawXO3s46PcY_aBZJ6SXVmBURFd2Pk0iU/s320/legend_of_zelda_twilight_princess.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282655399480126498" border="0" /></a><br />Last night, at around 2 AM, the ending cutscene of <span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight Princess</span> concluded, and the words "The End" boldly, yet still somehow subtly, displayed on the left side of my screen. I dropped the Wiimote and nunchuck, satisfied.<br /><br />It took me, as I've said several times, about 2 years to finish that game, and I finally did it. Total play time (which <span style="font-weight: bold;">does</span> count game pauses, sadly, so this is somewhat inflated) was over 41 hours. God damn. I mean, you have to figure about 2 hours for every dungeon, and there are, what, 12? 14? of them. Plus all the shit in between them -- all the running around, talking to people, cutscenes, minigames, and general <span style="font-style: italic;">being fucking lost</span>, which comes with most games. I <span style="font-style: italic;">didn't</span> get all the pieces of heart. Nor did I get the third armor type, which, from what I understand, allows Rupees to be subtracted instead of hearts when Link takes damage. So there's easily another 5 hours to be played if one were going for perfection, but, ya know, fuck that. I think I died less than 10 times the whole game, though I'm not sure. Maybe less than 5.<br /><br />Is the game hard? Well, that depends on what you would consider "hard." The game challenges you to think differently, but none of the puzzles are painfully over your head (cough<span style="font-style: italic;">Ocarana</span>'sWaterTemplecough). The game does a great job of consistently allowing the player to feel like they're accomplishing something. Progress is always made. It's really an excellent feeling, and one that doesn't occur all that often in gaming experiences. Though Nintendo is, I'd say, one of the best developers that can pull it off. But if you're one of those gamers that can't really grasp lateral thinking or any form thereof, <span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight Princess</span> might make your brain cry a little. Just a little, though.<br /><br />Comparing it to <span style="font-style: italic;">Ocarina of Time</span> is...well...it's something I wouldn't really feel comfortable doing. But what the hell, I'll do it anyway. This game does some things better, and some things worse. The places this story goes are definitely more interesting. The items are more diverse. And the <span style="font-style: italic;">size</span> of everything is monumental compared to <span style="font-style: italic;">Ocarina</span>. But <span style="font-style: italic;">Ocarina</span> has all the elements of classic <span style="font-style: italic;">Zelda</span> games perfectly in place, whereas <span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight Princess</span> simply does not. Towns and people from the earlier games are here, but it's all so very <span style="font-style: italic;">new</span> that the nostalgia that <span style="font-style: italic;">Ocarina</span>'s same towns and people had is either lost or overlooked.<br /><br />Also, you don't have to turn into a fucking dog in <span style="font-style: italic;">Ocarina</span>. I don't think there's a single person that really <span style="font-style: italic;">liked</span> those parts. Sure, they were fascinating and had some nifty puzzle elements in them (dominated primarily with the "sense" ability), but I never really looked forward to the next part of the game where I might have to be a dog. Or wolf. Wait, no, "Sacred Beast" is the term the game uses. Whatever.<br /><br />It's a great game though, and if you own a Wii and actually <span style="font-style: italic;">use it to play games</span> (something I'm not sure people know it's designed to do -- there are better dust-gathering paperweights out there) you should have this game. It's easily one of the best games on the system, which, considering it was a launch title, is pretty fucking awesome.<br /><br />Now where's my beer; I earned it. Also, I need to do more of these bets because they force me to finish games.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-63879540506235184372008-12-12T10:13:00.004-05:002008-12-12T11:06:33.810-05:00This takes me back.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIC0u5-MFmh1CfBDJnq7XCNhlJNkqq4Z2pyazJ9eu2UTEOO4k36rylq61q2v4f9Hxsx3P6AAZKC_LfDwQzSmI0Q0DEK-qUgPxuJaCphhJXr7ZmK30J31RE5lLluXG0VXl3sBflt-IKy8/s1600-h/MegaMan9.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIC0u5-MFmh1CfBDJnq7XCNhlJNkqq4Z2pyazJ9eu2UTEOO4k36rylq61q2v4f9Hxsx3P6AAZKC_LfDwQzSmI0Q0DEK-qUgPxuJaCphhJXr7ZmK30J31RE5lLluXG0VXl3sBflt-IKy8/s320/MegaMan9.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278930257979119842" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Last week a strange but beautiful coincidence took place in my life. I found myself, late Saturday night, sifting through various "Let's Play" videos, which for the uninformed are full videos (some with audio commentary) of members from the Something Awful forums playing through entire games. One game that I actually watched all videos of, back-to-back, was a play-through of <span style="font-style: italic;">I Wanna Be The Guy</span>, an impossibly, hair-tearingly, controller-smashingly, screaming curse words...ily...difficult PC game that pays homage to all the old NES games that were just as hard. You can download it <a href="http://kayin.pyoko.org/iwbtg/downloads.php">here</a>, if you dare (I think I played it for about 25 minutes before deciding there were better things to do).<br /><br />Anywho, watching such a stupidly hard game got me thinking about those games I used to play a long time ago. See, I never had an NES...or an SNES, Genesis, etc. My parents' logic was "You have a computer, so, just play games on that. Computer > than NES, et al. anyways." So, though my Commodore 64 did kick ass, I missed out on a good chunk of super-hard games. But, I when I was 5 years old, I was given a Game-Boy. And eventually, I got <span style="font-style: italic;">Megaman</span> for it.<br /><br />The hours I poured into that small, small game cannot be measured. I mean, the game was hard enough for a full-grown teenager at the time, and I was maybe 6 or 7 when I played through it. I remember writing down the password grids after each finished boss. I remember dread washing over me every time I lightly brushed into the evil, evil spikes and Megaman burst into a bunch of pulsing circles.<br /><br />So, the next morning, I said told my girlfriend about the <span style="font-style: italic;">I Wanna Be The Guy</span> game, and then my recollection of ye olde <span style="font-style: italic;">Megaman</span> on the Game-Boy. I even fired up an NES emulator to show her what I was talking about. Her first response was "Wow, that's really hard to see," even with full-screen on my 19-inch LCD monitor. Oh Game-Boy, the youth today do not know how easy they have it.<br /><br />I never did beat <span style="font-style: italic;">Megaman</span>. I got all the way to the final level -- the Wily level -- and died at the final boss battle. I gave up after that, knowing I'd never be able to get that far again.<br /><br />The day after I talked to my girlfriend, she presented me with a hoodie with Megaman's extra life sprite blown up on the front and words "The Man" below it. All I could do was laugh and say, about a dozen times, "this is awesome." I then declared, "I need to finish <span style="font-style: italic;">Megaman</span>, goddamnit!"<br /><br />But I wanted more of a challenge. I wanted such a blisteringly hard game that an hour's time would only amount to one level completed. I wanted to feel, every time a boss was beaten, that I accomplished something inhuman. Long ago, this is the feeling that older games were able to bestow into the hearts of every gamer. Games today really don't have this same feeling, and if they do, people complain of the difficulty. Seriously, grow some balls -- we had it a <span style="font-style: italic;">lot</span> worse off 20 years ago.<br /><br />So, I got <span style="font-style: italic;">Megaman 9</span> from the PSN. And holy shit, this game is hard. But in a very, very good way. Every mistake you make (usually resulting in death) forces you to learn and adapt yourself to perfection. After 20 or so run-throughs of Magma-Man's level, you'll know what I mean. After I beat the first boss, my yells of jubilation were clearly those of decades past. And yeah, it took me an over an hour just to finish one level. My thumbs kinda hurt, and my hands were clammy with concentration. It felt wonderful.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bionic Commando: Rearmed</span> projects a similar feeling, too. But <span style="font-style: italic;">Megaman 9</span>'s NES-look and completely old-skool atmosphere completes the experience. <span style="font-style: italic;">I Wanna Be The Guy</span> pushes the feeling so far above both of these games that even finishing a <span style="font-style: italic;">part</span> of <span style="font-style: italic;">one</span> level brings great joy, but <span style="font-style: italic;">IWBTG</span> isn't <span style="font-style: italic;">Megaman</span>, so, pfft.<br /><br />I have less than two weeks to finish another game. I'll do it, no problem. I've decided to finish <span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight Princess</span>. My fancy-shmancy new Wii HD cables will allow this to happen smoothly (yay 480p! ::sigh::). But if I finish <span style="font-style: italic;">Megaman 9</span> somehow, that'll count, too.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-18751733442904110882008-12-04T21:45:00.006-05:002008-12-07T17:59:48.794-05:00Two.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKLYcnUD1a1q75E0ArIxH5tHZ4TYRZf7X5cNt1KIhAURLmXcGjWFADkehP35RMlaiNS-vEb3K9KfvHqo7gxKolmHiilMI3LQr7qQ4hAjAS3nIBtfkC53A0W8AP2zTcwFjwNEQ2bHlbLA/s1600-h/crysis-1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKLYcnUD1a1q75E0ArIxH5tHZ4TYRZf7X5cNt1KIhAURLmXcGjWFADkehP35RMlaiNS-vEb3K9KfvHqo7gxKolmHiilMI3LQr7qQ4hAjAS3nIBtfkC53A0W8AP2zTcwFjwNEQ2bHlbLA/s320/crysis-1.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276132013515913586" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Well</span> this makes two games finished towards beer. That's right, I got <span style="font-style: italic;">Crysis</span> back last xmas and I just finished it now. You got a problem with that?<br /><br />I didn't think so.<br /><br />Why did it take so damned long? Well, there's several reasons. For one, I formatted my computer shortly after I started playing it and, for some reason, wasn't able to transfer my saved games over. So! I had to start it all over again. That took effort, considering I was several <span style="font-style: italic;">hours</span> into the game.<br /><br />For two, the story is pretty lame/generic. Very generic. Super war-hungry general that wants to use nukes despite overwhelming scientific reasoning as to why that would be him an asswipe failure? Check. Hot scientist chick? Check. Guy that "dies" early on but "magically" comes back later, complete with line, "You think I'd be killed that easy" (or something like that)? Check. Crazy aliens that look like the Sentinels from <span style="font-style: italic;">The Matrix</span>? You betcha! If only there were Nazis instead of North Koreans (today's "modern Nazi"), it'd be the focal point of awesome. But what can ya do.<br /><br />For three, the graphics are irritatingly pretty. I <span style="font-style: italic;">wanted</span> to play this game at high settings -- I really did -- but despite 4 gigs of RAM and a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_9_Series#GeForce_9800_GX2">Geforce 9800GX2</a>, it would choke at points, and I demand smoothness, goddamnit. So every time I'd think about playing, I'd know that it just wouldn't look as good as it could, and I'd feel gypped (and somewhat lonely).<br /><br />But I overcame these hurdles, and finished it. Man, that ending boss fight is fucking stupidly difficult. Though, for what its worth, ending boss battles <span style="font-style: italic;">should</span> be difficult, and some games have really lost their way with that concept (I'm looking at you, <span style="font-style: italic;">Doom 3</span>). Of course, the game was set up with a sequel in mind<span style="font-style: italic;">, </span>a la <span style="font-style: italic;">Assassin's Creed</span>, but that didn't bother me, because the sequel is already out. Or the expansion pack. Or whatever it is. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crysis_Warhead"><span style="font-style: italic;">Warhead</span></a>. I might get that someday, but not anytime soon.<br /><br />I probably had about 6 hours or so left from when I last touched this game, back...in...the summer? Something? I'd say total play time was something around the 10-14 hour mark. Considering I played it mostly on hard (and died a fucking <span style="font-style: italic;">lot</span>...so much so that it stopped being fun and I switched to normal near the end. Seriously, it took more bullets to kill the Korean assholes <span style="font-style: italic;">without</span> super-fantastic armor -- see above picture -- than for them to kill me) I'd say that isn't too shabby.<br /><br />So what's next? Dunno. Something totally awesome, I'm sure. Maybe I'll finish <span style="font-style: italic;">Zelda</span>. Wouldn't that be cool...only two years overdue, right? That's not <span style="font-style: italic;">too<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> bad, </span></span></span>is it? Guys? ..guys?<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-44099016228997177862008-11-30T13:37:00.003-05:002008-11-30T14:50:30.638-05:00The Comparison Game<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8x4ylA6HbkJMLuD_qF7wWrWxb4fYkxEVbqUvAdENOJlp4mVyfmlUDLRZuDDgTv_QPTiPkinpK6zc7mREpSf_vmDsKAx8H1j6B5WvaFpoyF7QoioVa64jvV7wrRFy4mOsdYIVWcMheXqI/s1600-h/rb2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8x4ylA6HbkJMLuD_qF7wWrWxb4fYkxEVbqUvAdENOJlp4mVyfmlUDLRZuDDgTv_QPTiPkinpK6zc7mREpSf_vmDsKAx8H1j6B5WvaFpoyF7QoioVa64jvV7wrRFy4mOsdYIVWcMheXqI/s320/rb2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274540316161991202" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>MTV sent me a <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band 2</span> bundle (!!!), but not before I had already purchased <span style="font-style: italic;">Guitar Hero World Tour</span> -- don't worry, I only grabbed the game with guitars to replace a broken one, not the full package (I have enough plastic instruments, thank you very much). And now that I've spent way too much time playing <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span>, I think it's time to compare them in my own words.<br /><br />Both games do a lot of things right, and I will say right now that if the world were perfect, the two development studios would combine themselves into a mass of dense, pure awesome and all music games would be absolutely perfect. So, let's start with <span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span> is still a <span style="font-style: italic;">Guitar Hero</span> game, hands down. Yes, they have drums and singing and the obligatory bass, but really the only instrument that holds <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> the fun and fame is the guitar. The songs clearly focus on this because, let's be real here, Hendrix was <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> known for his drummer. Nor is Ozzy. Nor is...Sting? So, with that said, the guitar is done well, as usual, but that was to be expected, right? So let me explain why the drums suck ass in this game. Bear with me.<br /><br />Apparently the people at Neversoft just aren't on the same (read: logical) page as the guys at Harmonix. It was nice of them to make the game rearrange the drum track and condense it down to 4 lanes instead of the game's standard 5, but even still, the drums are just mapped poorly. For one thing, you will hardly hit the green pad. I don't really know why, but that pad isn't a crash cymbal, ever. The condensing method they seem to have implemented goes as such: all yellow, raised cymbals of the <span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span> kit are pushed into the yellow pad of the <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span> kit, and all the raised, orange cymbals are pushed into the blue pad. Okay, that's fine. But it makes certain songs unplayable on <span style="font-style: italic;">any</span> kit (on expert).<br /><br />"Everlong," by the Foo Fighters, has a very fast, constant high hat beat with an off-note hitting the snare every so often. The song is in both games. On <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span>, the beat's mapped with the red pad (the left) getting the high hat, and the yellow (on the right) getting the snare -- this makes logical sense, because on a normal, right-handed kit the high hat is to the left of the snare. But in <span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span> they have stuck to their guns with those raised cymbal things and reversed logic itself, making, for a right-handed drummer, the song impossible to play because the mappings are reversed. I understand their urge to be "different" with those raised cymbals, but when you're so gung-ho to your own design that you lose fun-ness... that's just, well, stupid. Case in point: I was able to finish the song in <span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span> with lefty flip turned on, but not on the standard mapping. Hm.<br /><br />The song list in <span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span> isn't quite as good, either. Sure, they have the Doors and Hendrix and Tool (one of my favorite bands ever, and essentially the reason I grabbed this game), but aside from those few bright spots, I really have no desire to play the other songs. <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span> has me constantly wanting to play almost every song on there, with only a few falling (very) short of awesome (The Go-Go's? Ew.). And the virtually recreated <span style="font-style: italic;">GH</span> artists and kind of cool and all, I guess, but I kind of question why they are there outside of being some kind of marketing stunt. Or, maybe to make up for <span style="font-style: italic;">GH3</span>'s kinda "meh" offering.<br /><br />They have Billy Corgan for...one song, which is also in <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span>. Ozzy is there as a singer (naturally), but any song outside of an Ozzy song puts him in a very, very weird place (he sings Dream Theater at the end...huh?). Travis Barker is there, again for...one song (which is downloadable in <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span>). The chick from Paramore is there for some reason (again, one song). Sting plays bass for his single song offering (fun fact: I didn't know he played bass before playing this game), and no one cares. And Hendrix is awkwardly brought back from the dead for this game.<br /><br />There are things <span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span> does improve on, though. The sustained notes are a blast to come across, allowing you to hold one note down but still play other, single notes at the same time. And the open bass notes (where you only hit the strum bar, sans buttons) is really quite cool. <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span> has its new things, too -- drum solos and hammer-on chords. Both are welcome, but if all of these features were in both games, it'd be the best.<br /><br />Now, the little, little things:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-GHWT</span> loads between songs faster than <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span>, but you can only make a 6 song setlist.<br />-The singer in <span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span>'s stage performance does a lot more than <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span>'s, but their drummer looks like a lost and scared child at a kit for the first time (still!)... ..or some kind of mentally challenged robot, if such a thing could exist (something that makes Travis Barker appear <span style="font-style: italic;">hilarious</span> when he's on the kit). <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />-RB2</span>'s drummer animations are fucking amazing (still), and I will never understand how they got them to be so fluid (and I'm guessing Neversoft won't, either). <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />-GHWT</span> offers much more song-breakdown stats between songs than <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span> -- WHY...WHY can't I at least know my note streak between songs, <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2?</span> WHY!? You do it for individual songs, but not setlists? The hell? Ugh.<br />-The tour mode in <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span> still shits all over <span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span>'s, which is essentially a bunch of quick setlists. <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span> offers challange tours and "battle of the bands," too, which are pretty great, though I question their longevity.<br />- <span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span>'s "new" guitar has a slider bar thing, that (supposedly) lets you slide up and down notes to play them in certain parts of songs. This mechanic is broken and stupid. Not only is it awkward as shit to try and quickly use, it doesn't work nearly as well as you would think, with lag and inaccuracies making super-hard solos impossible to use it with. <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span>'s mini-button thing is still kinda weird, too, but at least it's usable.<br />- <span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span>'s menus aren't nearly as pleasant as <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span>'s. Song selection is bulky to say the least, and just doesn't feel...clean. <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span> has album art, a clean interface, and plenty of breathing room.<br />-And then, finally, there's <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span>'s content...all songs from <span style="font-style: italic;">RB1</span> can be transferred, and there's something like 350-400 songs available to download online. <span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span> can. Not. Touch that. They never will, either. Oh, you have that shitty new Metallica album? Go fuck yourselves, I have <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">motherfucking RUSH</span></span>. And Foo Fighters. And The Red Hot Chili Peppers. They have <span style="font-style: italic;">nothing</span> on the <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band</span> guys. Their weekly song additions are the best, most awesome thing to ever happen to videogames. There, I said it.<br /><br />What it breaks down to is this: <span style="font-style: italic;">GHWT</span> is, like I said before, a <span style="font-style: italic;">Guitar Hero</span> game, where you pretty much only want to play the guitar. It does some cool things, but really those things only make you wish <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span> had them, because that's the game you're going to be playing more. Everything about <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span> is better than what was offered in <span style="font-style: italic;">RB1</span>, too. <span style="font-style: italic;">Everything</span>. If something bothered you about <span style="font-style: italic;">RB1</span>, it was probably fixed in <span style="font-style: italic;">2</span>. So, just go buy <span style="font-style: italic;">RB2</span>, it will make you happier. It will make you enjoy life. It will make you smile. I promise.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-9188922204260542972008-11-08T12:01:00.005-05:002008-11-10T19:06:07.462-05:00One Down.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBME4rQcgg5lpYaPFefP1yV75_ifLpdjwZV5bBPCA21irlUPtYlJ4LCNWol4YHGyBTQC7EVevGuyxPDZV8EPoFhkMb8ceFqA71-5LIaweTouTHZoDIU_6gquPqLTI9Pv3MVw7BqxOX50/s1600-h/fallout3__poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBME4rQcgg5lpYaPFefP1yV75_ifLpdjwZV5bBPCA21irlUPtYlJ4LCNWol4YHGyBTQC7EVevGuyxPDZV8EPoFhkMb8ceFqA71-5LIaweTouTHZoDIU_6gquPqLTI9Pv3MVw7BqxOX50/s320/fallout3__poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266342631642365778" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>A few weeks ago a good friend of mine and I placed a bet that I couldn't finish 3 games by X-mas. The victor would receive a 6-pack of excellent beer (though what that beer will be remains a mystery). So, I have started this journey by completing <span style="font-style: italic;">Fallout 3</span>.<br /><br />Let me start talking about this game at the same place that a lot of people seem to start: is it <span style="font-style: italic;">Oblivion</span> with guns? Well, if you strip the story away, the atmosphere, the physical environment, and the characters, pretty much yes, it is. You have the same kind of enemies, who act essentially the same way, the same "I'M GOING TO TALK TO YOU SO ZOOM INTO YOUR FACE" speech system, and the same <span style="font-style: italic;">feeling</span> when walking around in the D.C. wasteland as you did in <span style="font-style: italic;">Oblivion</span>'s Cyrodiil. Of course, whether or not this is a bad thing depends on whether or not such things annoyed you about <span style="font-style: italic;">Oblivion</span>. They didn't annoy me, so, I was fine.<br /><br />But adding back on all of the attributes I previously mentioned places this game in an entirely different realm that is not only brilliantly crafted, but a blast to sift through. I simply love the 1950's-future future that's in the game. Now, I didn't play the other installments of <span style="font-style: italic;">Fallout</span>, but I did read on them extensively so to completely understand the universe I was getting myself into. Everything about this game is fascinating. You will find yourself saying "that's <span style="font-style: italic;">cool</span>" pretty much constantly, which, aside from being a great way to pull you into the game's offered experience, really shows how much thought was put into this installment.<br /><br />And even though I beat the game, I still know that there were probably several hours of other side quests I could have gone through. And if I wanted to explore <span style="font-style: italic;">everything</span>, whew, that'd take me forever. This is, after all, a life-sucking RPG at its core.<br /><br />The notable addition to the game's FPS nature is the inclusion of the "V.A.T.S." (Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System). This was something I thought would get annoying very fast. Essentially, you hit a button and time stops. Then, your view will zoom in on an enemy in front of you, and you will be presented with the option of firing at any of its various body parts (torso, arms, legs, head). Your decision will most likely be based on which part you have the best chance of hitting, which the game aids you with by telling you what percent chance you have to hit each area. Each attack launched on that area uses up "action points" which then need to be recharged before you can use the V.A.T.S. again. Oh, and the attacks are done in super slo-mo for maximum awesome. See how that can get annoying if you use it over and over and over?<br /><br />Well, it didn't. Not for me, at least. There's something extremely satisfying about blasting a creature's face off in slow-motion that never seems to get old.<br /><br />The real prize of this game are the options given to the player. You can be pretty much whoever you want to -- from Jesus to Satan. Want to kill everyone and wreak havoc everywhere? Go for it! Want to help everyone out? You can! Want to help most people but every once in a while shoot a shop owner? Kinda weird, but, sure! The options are yours and the story you can create has a ton of possibilities. This play through I found myself being nice to everyone and by the end of the game I was a "Wasteland Savior" -- like I said, Jesus. Maybe next time, if I go through it again, I'll be a total asshole.<br /><br />Simply put, this game is great. Though I wouldn't recommend getting it if you don't like the color gray. There's a shitload of that here. Like, it's everywhere. I understand that the post-apocalyptic world is supposed to be dreary, but damn. Any other shortcomings can be overlooked. There were several times that the game sucked me in and I didn't want to stop playing not because the gun play was excellent, but because the particular story I was following at the time was so damn intriguing.<br /><br />So, what's next? It's 12:40 on a Saturday...hm. I don't know. Someone leave a comment with what to play next: <span style="font-style: italic;">Metroid Prime 3</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Wipeout HD</span>, or <span style="font-style: italic;">Crysis</span>. Eh, I'll probably just end up coming to a decision on my own.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-72889920371476269232008-11-05T01:08:00.006-05:002008-11-05T01:13:38.648-05:00To quote a reddit comment<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtz-ynoYgPKIT3kkzzj3mGZ2GNCbt1wQUAqir5R8mN5rvUI-JeeoipyUyrj4vpdq4ZnBsCPRvtE5vsWCBaMFXXq3kIy0am5h_kK8xrq1novtb4h3FxVB5x124Mam6ZJC31oIJLGqKbcg/s1600-h/obama+hope.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtz-ynoYgPKIT3kkzzj3mGZ2GNCbt1wQUAqir5R8mN5rvUI-JeeoipyUyrj4vpdq4ZnBsCPRvtE5vsWCBaMFXXq3kIy0am5h_kK8xrq1novtb4h3FxVB5x124Mam6ZJC31oIJLGqKbcg/s320/obama+hope.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265051938469926754" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Dear Rest of the World,<br /><br />We didn't fuck it up.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/7beo2/obama_wins_the_presidency/">Signed,</a><br /><br />AmericaClark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-74388201039748878592008-10-30T10:22:00.008-04:002008-11-07T13:41:46.361-05:00On The Rain-Slick Precipice of AWESOME.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-QNKjDVDbzwFlhMJKK6XiVre5VA3DIAbsIAozKbNsmXGScmfmRfRrOK9wVdjo0dD_nwPoZf4bONmmlGCWH4xabx4kl7FjMVBVWfrl_3ILmDEMQuWUnlT6NcnA5z65HKG68oiaMePSjUQ/s1600-h/fruit_fucker_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-QNKjDVDbzwFlhMJKK6XiVre5VA3DIAbsIAozKbNsmXGScmfmRfRrOK9wVdjo0dD_nwPoZf4bONmmlGCWH4xabx4kl7FjMVBVWfrl_3ILmDEMQuWUnlT6NcnA5z65HKG68oiaMePSjUQ/s320/fruit_fucker_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262973561695099266" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>When the announcement that Penny Arcade's RPG was going to be released for the PSN I knew my patience had paid off. And last Thursday, that saved time was rewarded. Not only did I buy the monumental first episode, but I finished it in two sittings. <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">How's that for <a href="http://fornigamer.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-got-nothing.html">never finishing</a> my games?!</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span> BOOYAH!<br /><br />I rather like this particular iteration of episodic content. Getting an extension of an excellent game every couple of months provides a somewhat consistent, warm feeling to the recipient. This is how you do episodic games. <span style="font-style: italic;">Half Life 2</span> has it all ass backwards, which has been addressed several times (the best, I'd say, by <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/10-The-Orange-Box">Yahtzee</a>) -- releasing a game that only extends the story by a few hours every <span style="font-style: italic;">year</span> or so doesn't make any sense at all. It's like a long-distance relationship with a whore -- you hardly see her, and sure, there's sex when you <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span>, but it just doesn't make you feel good when you pay for it.<br /><br />I like analogies.<br /><br />Episodic gaming is something that's desperately trying to find its place in the gaming community, and I think there's a right and a wrong way to do it. The wrong way would be Valve's way of doing it. They release an episode without having the next completed. That's just lazy. If a TV show recorded and released and episode each week, the show would feel rushed and production would be crappy. Shit, I think I just described soap operas. Hm, well, the point remains. So, to combat the high probability of crappiness, Valve "takes its time" between episodes in order to release <span style="font-style: italic;">quality</span> instead of, well, <span style="font-style: italic;">quantity</span>. But isn't the point of episodic games the quantity (coupled with established quality)? Instead of releasing just one long, solid game, you release several short, solid games in the same universe? I understand that Valve may really, really like its <span style="font-style: italic;">HL2</span> plot and so want to keep it rolling for as long as possible, but releasing episodes of games in the same time that <span style="font-style: italic;">whole other games could be made</span> is more of a gimmick. They might as well just call their episodes what they should be called -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">expansion packs</span>.<br /><br />Then again, expansion packs tend to have additional weapons, characters, and environments, and while <span style="font-style: italic;">HL2</span>'s episodes have new characters, it's mostly lacking with the other two. Whatever.<br /><br />Penny Arcade has done more than just properly release content, though. Their genre is much more adaptive to episodic releases. RPG's generally take large amounts of time to finish, so with an episode of an RPG, you're probably going to get something like 6-8 hours of solid gameplay out of it. FPS's are quick and action packed. A run-through of <span style="font-style: italic;">full</span> FPS games can take only 6 hours if you know what you're doing.<br /><br />The game itself is brilliantly funny, which is it's biggest strength. As an RPG, it has that real-time-combat style that I've actually never played before (but I think was in <span style="font-style: italic;">Final Fantasy X</span> or something -- I don't know, I hate the <span style="font-style: italic;">FF</span> games), so the combat is surprisingly not-boring (like other RPG's can be). The game just made me <span style="font-style: italic;">want</span> to finish it. The humor alone was a major factor there. I mean c'mon, one of the enemy types -- <span style="font-weight: bold;">clowns</span> -- <span style="font-style: italic;">bleed rainbow-colored blood</span> when you hurt them. That's fucking great.<br /><br />When episodic gaming is done correctly, it really is a great idea. You get the feeling of a new game with each addition, you don't have to devote a week of your life just to finishing a game, and the injection of pleasure arrives at fair and consistent intervals. Good shit.<br /><br /><br /><br />I also got a new TV. A <span style="font-weight: bold;">42" LCD TV</span>. It has 4 HDMI ports. 1080p. It's a Philips. I love my Playstation 3 right now. I also got <span style="font-style: italic;">Dead Space</span>. And <span style="font-style: italic;">Fallout 3</span>. And <span style="font-style: italic;">Wipeout HD</span>. I think it's time to make a video gaming schedule, because I have quite a catalog to finish before X-mas. And goddamnit, I'm gonna finish them all.<br /><br />Impressions/discussion of <span style="font-style: italic;">Dead Space </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;">Fallout 3</span> next time (maybe tomorrow? probably not).Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-27858709001774708432008-10-07T13:46:00.004-04:002008-10-07T16:11:53.692-04:00Someone Cares...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuJuSIo_4RP05AEdapUj1SIusXfZcdMQBXE8r2RuAhanFG216eduVMUDvWE1iHrq55XYT03w7Md2S8yajRP2hKL4-y7rVjDlI13ErUjVkKCUzk75KUbHxV7hq6yAhKD_zhKmAv_lG0DY/s1600-h/megamonalisa_unfinished.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuJuSIo_4RP05AEdapUj1SIusXfZcdMQBXE8r2RuAhanFG216eduVMUDvWE1iHrq55XYT03w7Md2S8yajRP2hKL4-y7rVjDlI13ErUjVkKCUzk75KUbHxV7hq6yAhKD_zhKmAv_lG0DY/s400/megamonalisa_unfinished.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254501603856445954" border="0" /></a>A long time ago -- and I mean <span style="font-style: italic;">long</span> time ago -- I would often, while spending time with a friend of mine who has long moved on to I-don't-know-what, dream of creating a video game. We had ideas, or what would appear to be the illusion of ideas, and with these we would paint on the canvas of imagination. At the time our obsession was a game called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_annihilation"><span style="font-style: italic;">Total Annihilation</span></a>. Some of you might know it as that game the guy that did <span style="font-style: italic;">Supreme Commander</span> made first (<span style="font-style: italic;">Total Annihilation </span>is still better than <span style="font-style: italic;">Supreme Commander</span>, eye-em-aach-oh). But we were, in our 12-year-old selves, sold on the idea of somehow utilizing that game to create our own story, world, and <span style="font-style: italic;">universe</span>. We even wrote down some unit stats.<br /><br />Of course, nothing happened. We liked the <span style="font-style: italic;">idea</span> of making the game much more than the work required to <span style="font-style: italic;">actually</span> create it.<br /><br />Last weekend I played through a good chunk of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TimeShift_%28video_game%29"><span style="font-style: italic;">Timeshift</span></a>, a game that I believe emulates my youthful ambitions rather nicely. The game is, at times, broken. And at one point in play, it <span style="font-style: italic;">froze</span> -- sound loop and all. I have heard of console games freezing, but honestly, I never experienced it myself without a 5+ hour play session being a major factor. At another point in my time with the game, I got stuck in some corner that, physically speaking, no living thing could <span style="font-style: italic;">possibly</span> have managed in to within the confines of reality.<br /><br />And the story...the story <span style="font-style: italic;">yearns</span> to be taken seriously. You can feel it. But its holes are so wide, and its delivery so muddled that, while playing, you wonder if the game might just be better without it. At one point a <span style="font-style: italic;">loading screen</span> was used to explain to me who I was and what my character's role in the story was. I'm sorry, but complete characterization for an interactive experience such as a video game cannot be achieved with two sentences.<br /><br />But the game itself is relatively fun. This is why I look at it the same way as I did that imaginary game concept I had so many years ago. <span style="font-style: italic;">Someone</span> inside <span style="font-style: italic;">Timeshift</span>'s development team wanted this game to be something. <span style="font-style: italic;">Someone</span> had an idea <span style="font-style: italic;">for</span> something. But the effort clearly could not soar across the chasm of production. Put bluntly, this game fell short, massively.<br /><br />There is a consistent feeling of satisfaction when you stop time, run through a landscape of suspended raindrops, blast three enemies in the face with a shotgun, and resume normal time to watch them all fall down together. Or, after an enemy throws a grenade your way, reversing time to dodge its destruction altogether.<br /><br />A game like this makes me wonder if my assumptions are correct -- if there is honest passion buried someone in the development team, but it just isn't enough to make a full artistic construction. What does such a person feel after their dream is released and sold <span style="font-style: italic;">unfinished</span>? Like publishing a book with chapters 4-8 lacking vowels? I know I would feel an overwhelming sense of disappointment in myself. Yes, maybe my bills will still be paid at the end of the month, but the money used to do so would feel <span style="font-style: italic;">dirty</span>. Or, in a way, counterfeit.<br /><br />I understand that companies have deadlines, and the longer a project is development, the more money that company loses until said project is released. I get that. But where is that line drawn for the passionate within the company? I think Blizzard is the best at handling said line's metaphorical existence -- remember their games are <span style="font-style: italic;">always</span> done when they are done. And you know what? They make the best games (or, at the least consistently kick-ass games). I guess that at least seeing your dream realized in even a partial form is better than nothing, but that shouldn't be the accepted way of thinking. If <span style="font-style: italic;">Timeshift</span> were done, and done <span style="font-style: italic;">right</span> -- the way whatever mystery development person <span style="font-style: italic;">really wanted</span> it to be -- I'm sure it would have been awesome.<br /><br />Artistic ability is always better when given liberal amount of space to work in. The more confined the creator feels, the more rushed, unfinished, and unpolished the end product is going to appear. So I will use my little corner of the internet here to implore video game developers to cater to that guy that wants it done <span style="font-style: italic;">right</span> instead of done <span style="font-style: italic;">fast</span>. It's a fairly well-known demand, but still. Crappy games are still made despite such a phrase's understanding (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haze_%28video_game%29"><span style="font-style: italic;">Haze</span></a>?). At least <span style="font-style: italic;">Timeshift</span> is good enough to make me want to finish it.<br /><br /><br />Oh! All this talk just made me think of a game that should be made....okay, hear me out........Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-22185417404930021062008-09-19T11:35:00.005-04:002008-09-19T12:09:12.540-04:00I got nothing.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5k5iUhOw9VjBG39a7FfNmmCBCYOoIbodZ88tGli6YfJkviOH1_QEwDQso4vdWHIhcKuUp5sD6KDEo3PEY8ekwy3b4IZoddYfZDgMu5fx7dwk9NYRgf6KDO4w3ZnTxkWmJQvs-DH13ohY/s1600-h/MathasGalacticaTales.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5k5iUhOw9VjBG39a7FfNmmCBCYOoIbodZ88tGli6YfJkviOH1_QEwDQso4vdWHIhcKuUp5sD6KDEo3PEY8ekwy3b4IZoddYfZDgMu5fx7dwk9NYRgf6KDO4w3ZnTxkWmJQvs-DH13ohY/s400/MathasGalacticaTales.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5247764722247476370" border="0" /></a><br />I've finally taught myself photoshop. My first actual effort is above...it's a fictional box art for a fictional game that was for an <a href="http://kotaku.com/5049772/make-your-own-tales-win-tales-of-vesperia">actual contest</a> on Kotaku. I know I won't win because mine is "serious" or whatever. And Kotaku's elite editors will surely go for the totally retarded for the sake of getting attention. That and I have <span style="font-style: italic;">no</span> confidence in my noobishness. Whatever.<br /><br />Not much to talk about this week, as I haven't really been playing many games. <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band 2</span> is out and happily being enjoyed by what I hope is millions of faux rockers across the nation. Do I have it? Nah, still waiting on MTV to ship me one pro-bono. Money is extremely tight for me, so I'm planning on finishing the games I still have sitting untouched in my game-rack (<span style="font-style: italic;">Mass Effect</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Metroid Prime</span>). And I <span style="font-style: italic;">still</span> haven't finished <span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight Princess</span>, and it's been, what, almost two years? Three? I should be ashamed.<br /><br />Actually, if I really think about it, there's a good chunk of games I haven't finished. And I probably never will. Which is a shame because most of them I've invested many, many hours into already. This is a problem for me, I guess. Others have talked about this-- I'll call it "<span style="font-style: italic;">syndrome</span>"-- before. Maybe it's because of the <span style="font-style: italic;">amount</span> of games I have. Maybe I just lose interest in trying to complete a 20+ hour game (Usually the unfinished ones are RPGs). Who knows.<br /><br />I seem to go through gaming phases. For bursts of time I'm zeroed in on one particular game, or, in some cases, genre. Two months ago I played <span style="font-style: italic;">Warcraft III</span> constantly. Now I can't remember the last time I touched it. Nine months ago it was <span style="font-style: italic;">Diablo II</span>. Seven months ago, <span style="font-style: italic;">CoD4</span>. These are games I hardly even think about now. But then, after much time has passed, I find myself back in these games' doorways, broken umbrella in my hand and soaked with rain, begging for another chance. Of course, they always accept me, and hold be tight for another stint.<br /><br />I still to this day wish I had beaten <span style="font-style: italic;">Dragon Quest VIII</span>. That would have been the first real, solid RPG I have ever <span style="font-style: italic;">beaten</span>. I've blasted through countless shooters...but RPGs require real <span style="font-style: italic;">attention</span>. You dedicate a section of your life to those games. Just once, I want to know what it's like to lose that section for something so monumentally...digital. Hrm.<br /><br />I don't know. I'll try to play something new this weekend, so that, ya know, I can actually talk about something here next week.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-73303011423727793162008-09-13T17:42:00.007-04:002008-09-14T00:10:32.843-04:00On MMO Fun.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXbUnipAFZcDfYXDcAJCYuBgzWSlEC5Yfg7sHJT-0tYsiqo6KZiz84xvHmsrD1FKeDIziNryUtvcv5HTnRMx-fIUkN77ZUrzv737Ff488FQSb0w5k1jHrP7pXXidco5kW04yNSsO78kc/s1600-h/WOW_Sexy_movie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXbUnipAFZcDfYXDcAJCYuBgzWSlEC5Yfg7sHJT-0tYsiqo6KZiz84xvHmsrD1FKeDIziNryUtvcv5HTnRMx-fIUkN77ZUrzv737Ff488FQSb0w5k1jHrP7pXXidco5kW04yNSsO78kc/s320/WOW_Sexy_movie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245640828973418034" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">I've been playing around in the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">beta and I must say...bit disappointed. Is it like </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >WoW</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">? Well, sure, pretty much any MMORPG from now on will be in some way. And it is interesting...the new skills, the new game mechanics, the new classes...it all goes to proclaim that though it </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >is</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> like </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >WoW</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">, it's still its own beast. I personally love the atmosphere. There are no gay-looking elves dancing around giant cow-creatures here. Things are always on fire, screams can constantly be heard bellowing across the seared landscape, and the bad guys really like to watch blood flow like ravenous rivers. One thing this game </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >doesn't</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> lack is </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >tone</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">. </span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />But is it fun? Well, it's still an MMORPG, so, whether you think those are fun will heavily bias your opinion. The quests are all still massive grind fests, albeit with a little more flare. But one thing I noticed in my 5+ hours with the game so far is the extreme lack of human interaction. Now, later in the game I'm sure this will be more rampant, but even at the lower levels I expected to see </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >some</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> kind of otherly human presence. The chat airwaves are virtually vacant, and even in towns no one is asking for groups, help, directions -- nothing. No one is selling low-level gear. No one sees that you're doing the same quest as they are and offers help. Once, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >one time</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">, during a public quest someone decided to make an open group for it. And it was cool and all, but everyone was still stark silent -- like an 8th grade dance where everybody is too awkward to talk to each other. </span> <span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />Will this change with the game's official release? Hopefully, yes. I found it a little disheartening that the public quests -- the new MMORPG additions meant to </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >bring people together</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> -- had little to no effect on doing such a thing outside of slaughtering monsters and waiting for loot. Yes, instances in <span style="font-style: italic;">WoW</span> in can be the same way, but people will at least </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >talk</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> to each other throughout the endeavor.</span> <span style="font-family:georgia;">I view MMO's as a different tier of human interaction -- after all, that's essentially what you're paying for with that monthly fee. Sure, the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >game </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">is kinda fun and all</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">, but really there are other ones out there that offer you more, better, faster, and better-looking rewards for less money. The human interaction is what makes the MMO. </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">Now, this</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> may be somewhat of an "O RLY?!" kind of thing, so just bear with me for a second. Take that same tier, and apply it to other, non-MMO games, and think about which ones are more fun. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" ><br /><br />Team Fortress 2</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">, with it's team-based gameplay and diverse array of characters (each with a fantastically developed personality) offers one of the best social-rich planes to interact in. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Counterstrike</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> is the same way because death is more than a stat penalty -- it (though temporarily) ends the game. Games that offer the slightest bit of originality to the player will often receive the benefit of being the most fun. Which is almost a shame, because games that, mechanic-wise, </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >are</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> really fun can spiral into nothingness because of this lack of diversity and interaction.</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" > Warhawk</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">, for the PS3, suffers with this. I think the game is extremely fun. But, again, you're playing with a whole mess of people with no </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >actual</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> interaction there, and, aside from the paint-job of your Warhawk or clothes, everyone really seems the same. Unless everyone has microphones, of course, but that is rarely the case. </span><br /><br />I guess, then, if you're going to make a game based around thousands of people being in the same gamespace at the same time, only to have the people not talk to each other, it's going to be somewhat of a problem. But going a step beyond that bit of obviousness, something that makes this interaction even more important is the MMO's <span style="font-style: italic;">lack</span> of player-importance. Let me clarify what that means. In <span style="font-style: italic;">WAR</span> (or <span style="font-style: italic;">WoW</span>, or any number of games like those), you accept a quest to destroy an enemy camp, and rid a friendly city/town of constant murders, rapes, and desecration. You do this, get some XP (maybe an item) and move along. But, if you were to stick around for 4 more minutes, you would watch all of the enemies you just slain respawn and gear up for the next "hero" to come, save the day, and gain the same rewards. Kinda stupid (and exasperating), isn't it?<br /><br />Now, many would argue that there is no way to overcome this stupidity because <span style="font-style: italic;">so many people</span> play that same game, and, well, how else are they supposed to level up? How else is the story of the game world supposed to unfurl? Okay, those are valid points. But! If you, the player, are forced to accomplish the same extraordinary tasks that thousands before you have just completed, despite the (misleading) veil of worth being placed on such tasks, what, exactly, makes any of this <span style="font-style: italic;">worth the time</span>? <span style="font-weight: bold;">Other people.</span> Doing such monotonous crap over and over by yourself borders the realm self-defamation, because ultimately you're unimportant. But <span style="font-style: italic;">with people</span>, it's having a good time. It's socializing. It's accomplishing something as a <span style="font-style: italic;">team</span>. And again, it's this interaction that you pay that monthly fee for.<br /><br />I think <span style="font-style: italic;">WAR</span> is trying some new ways to push this sense of worth further. The constant sense of war and forever good/evil changing battlefields certainly makes things <span style="font-style: italic;">feel</span> important. And the public quests, in theory, are a great way to bring people together in order to achieve a common goal. But until people step away from that 8th grade awkwardness, help each other, and talk to strangers, these mechanics aren't going to do much. I remember back when I first played <span style="font-style: italic;">WoW</span> (I don't play it anymore), even at a low level people were offering to help me, extending group invites and pointing me it the right directions. These feelings of interaction, although virtual, speak worlds for these games. It's no surprise that games like <span style="font-style: italic;">TF2</span> manage to tap into this sense of personal teamwork and succeed so well.<br /><br />People in these respective gamespaces know each other even if they don't, and that's the kind of stuff that games <span style="font-style: italic;">should</span> be known for. Years from now, most people will remember <span style="font-style: italic;">Warhawk</span> for it being a good time, but not so much as being a social bridge. <span style="font-style: italic;">WoW</span>, despite its soul-capturing abilities, will be mostly known as a social continent. I think so, anyway. Hopefully <span style="font-style: italic;">WAR</span> is fun enough to do the same. We'll see.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-7628678671556026412008-09-08T11:31:00.005-04:002008-09-08T12:34:05.307-04:00Resurrected<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepEQCGEIEvOCsLlmKe-20i_4gi6uFRBpnTbijFm29r553gVYM2T2yflm-suetHAt-i6R-miSAmAXoJGcMS9g29wKCemptbqxHTFNAJL90YRRJqHAGRVFQla5OYMDjcUzqkrj3BEfl_Oc/s1600-h/white_cloud-light.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepEQCGEIEvOCsLlmKe-20i_4gi6uFRBpnTbijFm29r553gVYM2T2yflm-suetHAt-i6R-miSAmAXoJGcMS9g29wKCemptbqxHTFNAJL90YRRJqHAGRVFQla5OYMDjcUzqkrj3BEfl_Oc/s320/white_cloud-light.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243689511765172194" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Sorry about that. I was distracted by a very, <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span>, shiny object. Considering I don't have ADD, ADHD, or any hallucinogenics to speak of, I hope this helps you understand the substantial <span style="font-style: italic;">glare</span> of this famed object that would cause me to neglect what I can only assume now is next to zero readers. What was this object? I cannot say. For this, I apologize.<br /><br />Did a lot happen in the past almost-two-months? Sure! Will I be re-capping it all here? Nah, other places did that just fine.<br /><br />I did go up to New York City back in August to MTV Game's, we'll call it, "headquarters" (one of them, anyway) and got a chance to play <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band 2</span> as well as check out all of its very, <span style="font-style: italic;">very</span> spiffy features. A lot of it has already, of course, been talked about in <a href="http://kotaku.com/5039299/rb2-drum-trainer-battle-of-the-bands-detailed">other</a> <a href="http://kotaku.com/5045854/a-close-look-at-the-rock-band-2-drums">places</a>. With their official <a href="http://www.rockbandstore.com/detail.php?p=62947&v=rbs_rock_the_game_rock_band_2&SESSID=a027ab4248541db2dc940288b0e62a62">website</a> proclaiming a ship date of September 14th, this is a soon-to-be-here-no-brainer. I can safely say that this game improves upon the original in <span style="font-style: italic;">every possible way</span>. Suck at drums? Well you can practice now without embarrassing yourself in even the easiest of songs. Want that impeccable re-creation of Trent Reznor you made to play drums instead of guitar? You can do that, too. Online "World Tour Mode"? Yup!<br /><br />One of the best additions I found was the "no fail" option. While going into practice mode offers the same essential ability, this option extends that same graciousness to a party setting. Let's face it, the chances of getting 4 people that are halfway decent at <span style="font-style: italic;">every</span> component in the game is almost impossible (I'm looking at you Vocals). This ensures, nay, demands, that fun can be had in any party setting, regardless of any amount of delicious, barley-infused beverage that may be consumed.<br /><br />But enough about <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band 2</span>. You know it'll be great, I know it'll be great, now we must simply wait.<br /><br />I also snagged and and am building my resolve to finish the last level of <span style="font-style: italic;">Bionic Commando: Rearmed</span>. Much has been said on the subject already, but more praise cannot hurt such an achievement as this game, no? The visual style is fucking <span style="font-style: italic;">wondrous</span> compared to other "remakes" that have <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ps/puzzle/pong/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review">spiraled</a> <a href="http://www.gamerankings.com/itemrankings/launchreview.asp?reviewid=166769">out</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Land">various</a> <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/centipede/index.html?tag=result;title;0">woodworkings</a>. This is a game that actually makes you feel <span style="font-style: italic;">cool</span> while playing it -- something many games strive for, but few achieve. Some have complained about the difficulty, and to them I say "grow up." Guess what? Games used to be <span style="font-style: italic;">really fucking <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Man_%28video_game%29">hard</a></span>. Considering this is a remake of a <span style="font-style: italic;">hard </span>game, one would also expect <span style="font-style: italic;">this </span>to be hard, yes? That said, it's still fun as hell. There is an unmistakable moment of sheer clarity towards <span style="font-style: italic;">life</span> that is experienced after beating some of the levels held within this game. Brilliant.<br /><br />The sountrack is fantastic, too. Find and download it by any means if you can. Hell it's worth it even if you don't <span style="font-style: italic;">own</span> the game -- again, something most other games can't claim.<br /><br />Because I have returned to my happy place here, expect new postings more frequently. As in, I'll have another one up later this week, and then more in weeks to follow. Rejoice Next-to-Zeroers!Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-41775220664393422722008-07-19T23:13:00.005-04:002008-07-20T14:31:56.766-04:00Good For Nothing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDb9lNm2f_BIVLulTIZxAjLBzXh2plysg1pf-nMTLTMe1dIXs75TdCbM8pBK1LWOJ4hu-g8RaW64IURMVlS6Z7Tgv9jueRofD-2Z5hexQ01ERGAbme8fe5-BnipCbWIKZ-QFV0YBbxVfw/s1600-h/e3main.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDb9lNm2f_BIVLulTIZxAjLBzXh2plysg1pf-nMTLTMe1dIXs75TdCbM8pBK1LWOJ4hu-g8RaW64IURMVlS6Z7Tgv9jueRofD-2Z5hexQ01ERGAbme8fe5-BnipCbWIKZ-QFV0YBbxVfw/s320/e3main.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224941659962606210" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So, apparently E3 blows. Not that I had any doubt of such a revelation upon reading the (too many) articles revving up to this year's not-so-neon-lighted event. There's something magical about unveiling a new game, or a new concept, that somehow was whisked away to some other, alternate fairyland instead of being at this year's, as it is so painfully called, "conference." Remember when it used to be an "expo?" Remember when people wanted to <span style="font-style: italic;">be there</span>?<br /><br />Not that I was ever a huge fan of the thing in the first place. I thought it was interesting, and would passively read through the numerous previews, screenshots, and announcements each year, thinking to myself, "My, how nice that someday I will see these games made. Isn't that kind of cool." The affair would always offer, even at the printed level, a sense of an exclusive, somewhat-high-brow party atmosphere that I had always wanted to experience <span style="font-style: italic;">just once</span>. To stand at the kiosks and play games no where near completion. To bask in crowds of PR people being nice to me because they <span style="font-style: italic;">have</span> to. And the always fleeting chance I might meet someone who helped make one of my favorite games. Stuff like that would make my heart flutter. But still, I'd only want to try it once.<br /><br />This year had some, as the youngsters out there would call them, "hip" moments. As each company vied to be more "rad" than the next. And no reporter/blogger/opinionated douchebag there could walk away without claiming to have whitnessed at least one "tubular" moment (alright it's out of hand now, sorry). But their audience was <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/01/activision-not-attending-e3-2008/">lacking</a>. Like I said, this wasn't so much an "expo" as it was a "conference." And the latter term stinks of the musk of cubicles and humming fluorescent lights. There were obviously less attendees there, as most were well aware of. And Nintendo seemed to have <a href="http://the-minusworld.com/2008/07/16/the-5-most-embarrasing-moments-of-nintendos-e3-conference/">no fucking clue</a> what, exactly, they should <span style="font-style: italic;">do</span> there. Pretty much everything can be summed up by this extensive, and well-written article <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/18/the-political-game-e3-is-dead/">here</a>. I find it a shame to have an announcement party only to then announce that which is already known.<br /><br />I don't know. E3, something that was kinda cool every year is now, well, lame. Companies will have to show off their stuff privately now, I'd imagine. But is that such a bad thing? Blizzard seems to be able to get along with that just fine. Publishers like EA, Activisition, et al have enough under each of their belts to display a smorgasbord of content. Maybe not for a week straight, but who cares?<br /><br />The bottom line is that E3 existed for the sake of previews, really. Announcements and previews. It'd essentially be the same as going to the movies and, instead of seeing the next best thing starring Ed Norton, you watch two and a half hours of previews. Upon exiting, you're left feeling both anxious and incomplete. I think this system is somewhat flawed. Previews will always be displayed. That's fine, I guess. I just find it pathetic that, in some cases, their existence is so....<span style="font-style: italic;">expected</span>...that they can manifest into sheer <a href="http://www.gametrailers.com/player/36746.html">pointlessness</a>. And then, too, companies will present them eons before <a href="http://www.starcraft2.com/">said game</a> will ever be completed. I'm all for being on the edge of my seat, but for eight months? Two years? My legs start to burn and I lose all feeling in my midsection.<br /><br />But gaming is a business, and hype is a key part of its structure. I wish it weren't so irritating. And I'm sure that after this year's E3, lots of people wish it could be executed correctly. But that rarely, if ever, happens. I remember the days when games were announced <span style="font-style: italic;">with a demo<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">. </span></span></span>A <span style="font-style: italic;">playable</span> demo. Not screenshots and months of subtle changes to an official website. Companies, in my mind, should say, "Look at what we're working on, and here, see where we are," to the <span style="font-style: italic;">world</span>, not a few "lucky" journalists. Hmph. In a perfect world... in a perfect world.<br /><br /><br />In other news, <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band 2</span> has all but been released, with the <a href="http://www.rockband2.com/song-list">song list</a>, <a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/19/mad-catz-shows-off-line-of-rock-band-2-peripherals-at-e3/">peripherals</a>, and even a <a href="http://kotaku.com/5026308/join-us-for-a-look-at-the-whos-private-rock-band-concert">concert</a> pushing the hype meter into the stratosphere. It all looks great. Can't wait. That rhymed.<br /><br />Till next time (rhymed again, sorta).<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-10443522334848836912008-06-21T22:28:00.002-04:002008-06-21T22:48:19.250-04:00Well it Un-Happened<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkC70lTP_Y_vjqW466NarfTDgIDyTi-JHpVPEV5wLa7vqhHHUWYQ4GUzaxknSfXDa6mNJKlJLg4JKydhp4PTy6IMtDGJeu8nqzcVH27I-0bEdPLNy6z9Nvxm6smoFBbUZpCDEvIKD5HA/s1600-h/yay.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEkC70lTP_Y_vjqW466NarfTDgIDyTi-JHpVPEV5wLa7vqhHHUWYQ4GUzaxknSfXDa6mNJKlJLg4JKydhp4PTy6IMtDGJeu8nqzcVH27I-0bEdPLNy6z9Nvxm6smoFBbUZpCDEvIKD5HA/s320/yay.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214532159491993170" border="0" /></a><br />Fixed it!<br /><br />Xbox 360 works fine now, thanks to that handy-dandy repair kit I got from that <a href="http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/">website</a>. Good stuff. Still not a fan of Microsoft anymore (is anyone these days?), but at least I can continue to enjoy <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band</span>.<br /><br />I did get myself a Playstation 3, though. Yes, the <span style="font-style: italic;">MGS4</span> Bundle. Yes, that game is far surpassing my expectations. Yes, the Ps3 is a better system compared to both the Xbox 360 and the Wii.<br /><br />People have been complaining here and there that the cutscenes in the game are too long. And while a conventional, or perhaps new IP game would warrant such a criticism, <span style="font-style: italic;">MGS4</span> is neither of those things. It's legacy is categorized primarily by its epic storytelling and immensive world. I played all the previous installments, so going into <span style="font-style: italic;">4</span> I knew exactly to expect. Are the cutscenes long? Yup! But weren't they always long? And if they're well done, does it matter?<br /><br />The game's presentation is phenominal. The level of polish that went into this game is astronomical. I would even go so far as to say this game is <span style="font-style: italic;">worth buying a Ps3 for</span>. Hell, people said the original <span style="font-style: italic;">Halo</span> was worth buying an Xbox over. And this game is leagues better than the <span style="font-style: italic;">Halo</span> franchise. So, wrap your brain around that one for a few minutes if you're on the edge.<br /><br />At any rate, I also purchased <span style="font-style: italic;">GTA IV</span> (for the Ps3), and I'm planning on having oodles of fun with that. Oh the hookers I will kill. And the drugs...the <span style="font-style: italic;">drugs</span>! I can even practice driving drunk now! I can't <span style="font-style: italic;">wait</span>. And maybe, just maybe, if I play the game enough, I'll come to the international conclusion that killing people at random is <a href="http://fornigamer.blogspot.com/2008/02/video-games-taught-me-to-kill-narrative.html">perfectly okay</a>. Fingers crossed!Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-32127242547259589552008-06-09T18:50:00.005-04:002008-06-09T19:25:01.904-04:00Well, it happened.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsat69ZsC61U45Avxg1eGFh6xf9a-hAAdrtIfmAIOGxD33cTyWj3wNj_-mCSUSlRxeuVhWiM1cKvfv081EDItYtQsPKVZHHQi9B5Qk13SkPkOcaFKDBOCukHE0oBb5Jx8WOfO3ZRzdyV4/s1600-h/red-ring-of-death-rrod.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsat69ZsC61U45Avxg1eGFh6xf9a-hAAdrtIfmAIOGxD33cTyWj3wNj_-mCSUSlRxeuVhWiM1cKvfv081EDItYtQsPKVZHHQi9B5Qk13SkPkOcaFKDBOCukHE0oBb5Jx8WOfO3ZRzdyV4/s320/red-ring-of-death-rrod.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210026121702293570" border="0" /></a><br />It was a Sunday night. The dense summer humidity outside streaked the windows with an eerie dew, and the setting sun drifted into the living room of my apartment with an unnatural sparkle. My roommate and I, fresh beers in our mitts, sat on the cool, black leather couch. We were prepared to watch <span style="font-style: italic;">Hous</span>e -- a TV show we'd been slowly making our way through since the beginning of summer. Being oh-so-tech-savvy, my Xbox 360 game console was setup to stream from my computer, located upstairs, so our only effort in completing our endeavor was pushing the well-known Xbox logo on the wireless controller to get the relaxation party started. And push we did.<br /><br />But our efforts were immediately squandered. Three lights, all blinking an evil red -- a red darker than the most vile of blood -- emanated from the power button of the console. And thus, my Xbox became victim to a Red Ring of Death. We gaped in horror.<br /><br />I sprang from my spot on the couch, leaping over the footrests and nearly dropping my precious, precious beer. Maybe it was the A/V cable, I thought. Maybe I just need to reset it. But no. Nothing would ressurect my dead console. I stood there, staring at my collection of Xbox games, my heavily modified <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band</span> equipment, my <span style="font-style: italic;">investments</span>. Was all to be lost?<br /><br />"Maybe it's under warranty!" I exclamed, and ran -- just as vigorous as before -- to my computer and found the infamous Xbox warranty <a href="http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemsetup/xbox360/resources/warranty.htm">page</a>. They demand a recipt, and this is an item I did not have. My only option would be to face hours upon hours on the phone with Microsoft Technical Support -- also known as "Satan's Earthly Playground." I was doomed.<br /><br />But I did find a nice <a href="http://www.llamma.com/xbox360/repair/ring_of_light_x-clamp_fix.htm">website</a>, in between my overwhelming bouts of misery, that offered Red Ring of Death Repair Kits.<br /><br />And so, I now wait for an Xbox repair kit to arrive at my house, thus making a last-ditch, $29.99 effort to repair my console. Will it work? Only the Gods know.<br /><br />--<br /><br />Well, maybe it wasn't that dramatic. But close. Very close.<br /><br />Damnit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">*WARNING* Small, angry rant:</span><br />Fuck you Microsoft. Fuck you and your inability to create a simple piece of functioning hardware. Fuck you for not being able to create a simple piece of functioning hardware after 3 years. You just lost a fan.<br /><br /><br />Anyway, fuck it. I'll be heading to my local Best Buy this Thursday to snag a <span style="font-style: italic;">MGS4</span> PS3 bundle. Then I won't have to worry about RRoD's for a while. And from now on, any games that come out on both consoles, I'll be getting for the PS3. Gamerscores are <a href="http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=258">meaningless</a> anyway.<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br />Oh, and my roommate and I did get to watch <span style="font-style: italic;">House</span>, after all. I simply burned a DVD and put it in my PS2. My 9 year-old PS2. That still works. After 9 years. Yup.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-64636457579076871562008-06-03T21:33:00.002-04:002008-06-03T21:40:32.745-04:00Calm down, calm downI'm still here. Been taking a break, kinda sorta. I'll be posting something somewhat substantial sometime soon (tongue-twister!). In the meantime, I got a new set of <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band</span> drum pads annnnd...they work! Wowzers! Now I can get the 900+ note streaks and constant 99% completions I so much knew I could get before but without <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> knowing because the god damned pads missed for no reason what so ever. *cough* In the meantime, enjoy this <a href="http://penny-arcade.com/">Penny-Arcade</a> comic (click to enlarge):<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://penny-arcade.com/images/2008/20080526.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://penny-arcade.com/images/2008/20080526.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Haha. Fantastic.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5105892726526293587.post-42903105600988863302008-05-15T21:28:00.009-04:002008-05-15T22:13:28.817-04:00Another Thing Crossed Off<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/clark_gable.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/clark_gable.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well, I'm done college. Did the whole graduation thing and all that. So! Anyone need someone with a BA in Literature? Anyone? Hello?<br /><br />FINE! I'll go to graduate school...<br /><br />Anyway, now that it's summer and I have virtually nothing to do except make money and drink beer (awesome!), I have free time up the wahzoo. I'm currently blasting my way through <span style="font-style: italic;">House</span>, the TV show. Good, good shit. Procured all of the seasons in a magical, complicated process involving stuff that rhymes with "florrents." I don't really know how it all works. Something about tubes.<br /><br />I also grew a beard because of my inability-to-shave inspired hospitalization. Looks kinda cool. I figured it's <a href="http://nhl.com/">playoff</a> season, so, why not roll with it for a while.<br /><br />In other "interesting to mainly me" news, Nine Inch Nails did something wonderful and released their newest album for free via their <a href="http://nin.com/">website</a>. My overwhelming support for such a valiant presentation of artful work drove me to buy tickets to their August 29th concert at the Wachovia Center in Philly. I'll be going with my dad (jealous? should be.). I can't wait.<br /><br /><br /><br />In the world of videogames it seems there's been a nice trend going on in the musical world of stuff: <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band </span>Fever, it should be called. <span style="font-style: italic;">Guitar Hero IV </span>is supposed to have a <a href="http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/power-glove/the-first-shot-of-the-drum-kit-that-will-be-used-in-gh-4-85746.phtml">drum kit</a>, and Konami has announced its <a href="http://kotaku.com/390879/konami-announces-rock-revolution">own</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band</span> knock-off entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Revolution</span>, thus titling their game something the entire country of Japan will be unable to pronounce. Will it succeed? Time will tell, but I doubt it.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band</span> has managed to net a <span style="font-style: italic;">huuuuuge</span> fan base already, and its weekly release of usually decent content is more than enough to keep people loyal. Yeah, <span style="font-style: italic;">Guitar Hero</span> was first, but they've been trumped. They have. Face it. As of now I can play <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band </span>for over six hours and not repeat a single song. Can <span style="font-style: italic;">Guitar Hero</span> claim that? Well, with combined games, sure...but who counts that?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band 2</span> will be nifty. I know details because I <a href="http://www.mtv.com/search/?searchterm=videos+by+andrew&searchtype=1">work with</a> some little company called "MTV," but I sure as shit can't spill any of my beans. Which is fine because I get to know stuff you don't (this is where I stick my tounge out).<br /><br />The point is, <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band</span> did something cool, and so now <span style="font-style: italic;">everyone</span> wants to be cool. So, copycat games are going to start flooding the gamespace. Does this surprise anyone? It shouldn't. The problem here, though, is that these companies aren't copying some simple game mechanic (like, say, timed button-pressing boss fights a la <span style="font-style: italic;">God of War</span>), but an entire game <span style="font-style: italic;">experience</span>. If you have <span style="font-style: italic;">Rock Band</span>, 60 downloaded tracks, and the whole instrument setup, are you going to re-buy that for a <span style="font-style: italic;">Guitar Hero</span> game? For a Konami game (which has a chunk of the same songs, by the way)? Unless you're rich as hell, I'd imagine not. These new iterations can try to appeal to gamers by offering additional "cymbals" or "drum pads," but beyond super-duper hardcore music fans, this stuff will easily fly over everyone's heads. Shame, too, because if all this had come out <span style="font-style: italic;">at the same time</span>, it would have been quite a showdown. Oh well.<br /><br />I applaud the attempt at competition, though. Maybe, maybe if these new games are amazing in their own new and exciting ways, I'll grab them, but the addition of two more drum pads (Konami) isn't going to be enough to force over my cash.<br /><br />In the meantime, I'll just keep enjoying what I already have...even if I know I'll have to exchange my drum kit for a forth time. Damnit.Clark Gablehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14499752766028190325noreply@blogger.com0