Call me scrooge if you want but I'll tell you..I don't really care for the holidays.
As a child and a young man I thought they were great. The family, the friends and the gifts I loved all of it. It's in adulthood that I began to loose the taste for Christmas. I think allot of it is the commercialism. No wait that's most of it. X-mas is a business theses days. Companies do their best the last quarter of the year to get into your wallet. The crazy sales and 4 A.M. openings are crazy. I absolutely HATE black Friday. I think it's terrible. The only thing I look forward to is seeing how many Walmart trampling took place that day. Which just goes to show you how bad people are to one another to save a buck. Like this year there was a shooting in front of a Toys r us somewhere. The Only good thing was that both people killed each other...two less assholes on the street for next year, right? Okay that might be a bit harsh but damn, violence at a toys r us? What the hell.
There is a slight renewed interest however since the birth of my son. He's still too young to really know whats going on but i look forward to those good years where he gets excited and I see how much happiness I can bring him. I'm still cynical about the rest of what Christmas entails.
Well, I'll just keep my fingers crossed for the next 48 hours or so. I'm going to do my best to keep out of trouble. Until next time my friends....
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
We're in the fall
Hi everybody! So October has come and gone already and we're left with some great games in it's aftermath. I'd like you to know that out of the six games I bought in October I opened all but two.
I think my favorite so far would have to be Fallout 3. At least it's the one I'm into the most. The game is pretty good. It's the first RPG i've picked up in a long time. It's actually kind of overwhelming at first. The land is so vast and all of it is open to you right at the beginning. I think I've been playing for 10 hours or so and I don't think I'm even close to finishing it. The story is good and the game is nice and violent so I have no real complaints so far.
I started little big planet a few days ago and that's okay so far. I think I'm still waiting to have my "moment" with that game though. Everybody has been really high on the game even way before it's release. I get the feeling that I'm supposed to fall in love with the game right away but so far it hasn't happened yet. I like it don't get me wrong but it just hasn't happened yet. My wife and I even started playing it together and she likes it. In fact She enjoys really playing with me. She might like it more then I do but I don't know.
I just have the same complaint everybody else it having. All these games, not enough time. Like I've spent the last two or three nights up until like 2 AM playing Fallout. It takes something pretty special to make me stay up that late to play anything. I try my best to concentrate on one game at a time. Two tops. It's the best way for me to get through them. The year will end I still won't have them all complete. There still four more games for me to buy this year. Two of them I'm really looking forward to. I'm mostly hyped up for Left for dead. I'm also looking forward to MK vs. DC universe which I had my reservations about at first but after seeing some screen shots and reading some previews I'm looking forward to it. I've decided to pass on Prince of Persia. I'm just not feeling it right now. That and I've given the game industry enough of a donation this year.
You'd think with all these cool games that I wouldn't be so eager to get to next years games so quickly. But yeah I am. Street Fighter 4 comes out in February! Hell if it hits Japan before the US you better believe I'm importing it! I'm not being left out of this one. You can't forget Resident Evil 5 in march. What about the game that I was looking forward to this year more then any other game and got dropped by it's publisher. Thats right, Ghostbusters! Which I guess has been picked up by Atari games yet they have yet to make an official announcement about it.
I really hope they say something soon.
So that's it for now, I have to check back in with election coverage. Until next time...
I think my favorite so far would have to be Fallout 3. At least it's the one I'm into the most. The game is pretty good. It's the first RPG i've picked up in a long time. It's actually kind of overwhelming at first. The land is so vast and all of it is open to you right at the beginning. I think I've been playing for 10 hours or so and I don't think I'm even close to finishing it. The story is good and the game is nice and violent so I have no real complaints so far.
I started little big planet a few days ago and that's okay so far. I think I'm still waiting to have my "moment" with that game though. Everybody has been really high on the game even way before it's release. I get the feeling that I'm supposed to fall in love with the game right away but so far it hasn't happened yet. I like it don't get me wrong but it just hasn't happened yet. My wife and I even started playing it together and she likes it. In fact She enjoys really playing with me. She might like it more then I do but I don't know.
I just have the same complaint everybody else it having. All these games, not enough time. Like I've spent the last two or three nights up until like 2 AM playing Fallout. It takes something pretty special to make me stay up that late to play anything. I try my best to concentrate on one game at a time. Two tops. It's the best way for me to get through them. The year will end I still won't have them all complete. There still four more games for me to buy this year. Two of them I'm really looking forward to. I'm mostly hyped up for Left for dead. I'm also looking forward to MK vs. DC universe which I had my reservations about at first but after seeing some screen shots and reading some previews I'm looking forward to it. I've decided to pass on Prince of Persia. I'm just not feeling it right now. That and I've given the game industry enough of a donation this year.
You'd think with all these cool games that I wouldn't be so eager to get to next years games so quickly. But yeah I am. Street Fighter 4 comes out in February! Hell if it hits Japan before the US you better believe I'm importing it! I'm not being left out of this one. You can't forget Resident Evil 5 in march. What about the game that I was looking forward to this year more then any other game and got dropped by it's publisher. Thats right, Ghostbusters! Which I guess has been picked up by Atari games yet they have yet to make an official announcement about it.
I really hope they say something soon.
So that's it for now, I have to check back in with election coverage. Until next time...
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Fall is upon Us....
Hello again. Fall is here! You know what that means. More game releases then you can shake a stick at! I've already bought three, and one of them has pissed me off. Fortunately I will have plenty of selection in the weeks to come.
Fall is great after all. I love the weather the most. Tonight it's brisk outside. And when I was cruising around tonight is was about 55 degrees or so. Perfect weather my friends! It gets dark early which is nice too. The one thing I don't like is all these god damn games coming out within days of each other. I've already dropped almost two hundred bucks on new games in about a span of seven days. Uhhh. But as I always say no one ever said being first had to be cheap. Plus I just can't help myself. For years when I was a kid I had to make choices about games I got. Now that I'm an adult and have income, I want it all darn it! Okay, maybe not everything, but the games I want.
So far I've gotten my feet wet in two games, Silent Hill :Homecoming and Dead Space. I got Silent hill last week. My initial impression is that the game is good so far. I don't find it as creepy as Silent Hill 3, which is my favorite even though everyone else swears by number 2, but it's good non the less. Only thing is, I've probably been playing for about 5 hours or so and I've already found a puzzle pissing me off. It's one of those puzzles where you have to slide the pieces around to make the picture but I can't seem to do it. Even though the last time I tried was several days ago. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.
See, I have this bad habit of not going back to games. What I mean is that I'll play a game, get to a point where I can't go any further and stop playing it for a long period of time. More then likely shelving it and never touching it again. Sometimes I go back later, but then I have to start over again because It's been so long and that can be discouraging. I own quite a few games, and out of my entire collection, I would have to guess that I've finished about two thirds of what I own. Or sometimes game just keep coming out and rather then finishing one before starting another I open a new one and the old one gets shoved to the bottom of the pile. It's terrible I know. It's not like these things are cheap after all. What other hobby do you spend sixty bucks a hit on something and never finish it? Even worse, I own games that aren't opened at all. What would you say if I told you that I owned a Call of Duty 4 SEALED that I bought on release day and I have the receipt to prove it? Yeah it's that bad my friends...
Anyhow, I tried Dead Space tonight. AWESOME!!!! This game is great. Only played about an hour but let me tell you this game is the shit, plain and simple here. EA has a winner and it's not the Sims or Madden. It's violent, controls well and looks awesome. I can only imagine how sweet it looks in HD. (Sadly I only have a regular TV but it works.) Not too far into that too make a complete judgement but I'll keep you posted. I don't think it will disappoint though.
In some great news, it broke today that Ghostbusters got picked up by Atari for and 09' release!!! (http://www.destructoid.com/aykroyd-confirms-ghostbusters-picked-up-by-atari-2009-release-107736.phtml) All I have to say is fuck yeah man! I was so pissed that this game got cut by Activision/Blizzard in favor of Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. I was looking forward to this game more then any other game coming out this season. Really. More then Fallout 3, more then Gears 2 and more then Resistance 2. To hear that we'll see it eventually is great. I got really worried when I heard that THQ picked up the new 50 Cent game. (Really now)
After all the first one was embarrassing. So I'll sleep better tonight.
Well that's all I got for now. Next week I got like three games coming out next week. Don't know how I'm going to manage. I guess I'll figure it out. Anyhow, everybody enjoy your games.
Fall is great after all. I love the weather the most. Tonight it's brisk outside. And when I was cruising around tonight is was about 55 degrees or so. Perfect weather my friends! It gets dark early which is nice too. The one thing I don't like is all these god damn games coming out within days of each other. I've already dropped almost two hundred bucks on new games in about a span of seven days. Uhhh. But as I always say no one ever said being first had to be cheap. Plus I just can't help myself. For years when I was a kid I had to make choices about games I got. Now that I'm an adult and have income, I want it all darn it! Okay, maybe not everything, but the games I want.
So far I've gotten my feet wet in two games, Silent Hill :Homecoming and Dead Space. I got Silent hill last week. My initial impression is that the game is good so far. I don't find it as creepy as Silent Hill 3, which is my favorite even though everyone else swears by number 2, but it's good non the less. Only thing is, I've probably been playing for about 5 hours or so and I've already found a puzzle pissing me off. It's one of those puzzles where you have to slide the pieces around to make the picture but I can't seem to do it. Even though the last time I tried was several days ago. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.
See, I have this bad habit of not going back to games. What I mean is that I'll play a game, get to a point where I can't go any further and stop playing it for a long period of time. More then likely shelving it and never touching it again. Sometimes I go back later, but then I have to start over again because It's been so long and that can be discouraging. I own quite a few games, and out of my entire collection, I would have to guess that I've finished about two thirds of what I own. Or sometimes game just keep coming out and rather then finishing one before starting another I open a new one and the old one gets shoved to the bottom of the pile. It's terrible I know. It's not like these things are cheap after all. What other hobby do you spend sixty bucks a hit on something and never finish it? Even worse, I own games that aren't opened at all. What would you say if I told you that I owned a Call of Duty 4 SEALED that I bought on release day and I have the receipt to prove it? Yeah it's that bad my friends...
Anyhow, I tried Dead Space tonight. AWESOME!!!! This game is great. Only played about an hour but let me tell you this game is the shit, plain and simple here. EA has a winner and it's not the Sims or Madden. It's violent, controls well and looks awesome. I can only imagine how sweet it looks in HD. (Sadly I only have a regular TV but it works.) Not too far into that too make a complete judgement but I'll keep you posted. I don't think it will disappoint though.
In some great news, it broke today that Ghostbusters got picked up by Atari for and 09' release!!! (http://www.destructoid.com/aykroyd-confirms-ghostbusters-picked-up-by-atari-2009-release-107736.phtml) All I have to say is fuck yeah man! I was so pissed that this game got cut by Activision/Blizzard in favor of Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. I was looking forward to this game more then any other game coming out this season. Really. More then Fallout 3, more then Gears 2 and more then Resistance 2. To hear that we'll see it eventually is great. I got really worried when I heard that THQ picked up the new 50 Cent game. (Really now)
After all the first one was embarrassing. So I'll sleep better tonight.
Well that's all I got for now. Next week I got like three games coming out next week. Don't know how I'm going to manage. I guess I'll figure it out. Anyhow, everybody enjoy your games.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Post E3 post
Okay, okay so here I am once again. It's been awhile and so much has happened. We're here after the E3. I wasn't that blown away by E3 this year. You have allot of people speculating that after the less then stellar performance of the show this year it might not return next year. Which who knows, could be a good thing.
First off, G4 showed us the press conferences from the big three. And they were commercial free this year, after promising us they would be last year and then having commercials happen. Anyhow, I'd least the least impressive to me at least was Nintendo's showing. They through some facts at us about how Wii is outselling everyone else, showed us a demo of Wii ski which utilized the balance board, mentioned a new Pokemon game for the DS and concluded the show with Wii Music. They demoed that with a bunch of executives playing not hat great. With the exception of Miyamoto which I'm convinced was the ONLY one on stage who knew what he was doing but was drowned out by everyone Else's badness. They also showed Animal crossing for the Wii.
In all honestly some of the stuff they showed was cool, but I wouldn't buy any of it with the exception of Animal crossing and if I had to pick and choose I could go without that for the time being. They just didn't wow me. Most of the stuff was for that casual audience. Oh yes and how can I forget Wii resort. A game along the same line was Wii sports. They're next colossal money maker. Did you know that Wii play is still like one of their best selling games? And it's not that good. Uhh. Everyone was expecting that big break out title. Kid Icarus? Nope. Punch Out!!! nope. Perhaps a mario or Zelda title? In development from what Reggie says. They have allot of people disappointed this year. In my opionion rightfully so. I don't clock in may hours on my Wii anyway. It's a great machine don't get me wrong. However I could go the rest of the year without buying anything Nintendo at retail for the rest of the year. It's sad really.
Microsoft was pretty good. The best of the show. They demoed allot of games, Gears 2, and Fallout 3 stand out the most. Which buy the way the demo of Fallout convinced me to get it.
They also had a fair showing of their casual games. The one demo of "In the movies" sticks out in my mind. Another situation of executives demoing games on stage which they just shouldn't do. It utilizes the 360 vision camera and you like act out certain things with some Friends and then at the end they piece them together and you make like a "B" movie you play back and watch. That was okay I guess. It's nice that the technology has come this far but it's not my bag.
Then the big thing was a new interface coming this fall. That was cool too I guess. I was just bitching about how the current 360 interface like hides the custom themes you can get and almost makes it pointless to have a picture or something in the background because the blades and the ads get in the way too much. Now it's simpler to navigate. Supposedly however I read somewhere that it's ripped off from some other device that uses a similar method.
Sony was the second place holder. They did an impressive presentation with Little big planet which convinced me to pick that game up. They showed a trailer of God of War 3 which didn't tell people anything other than it's coming. They reminded us about the PS2 saying they're still some great games coming out for it. Which honestly I'm picking up one more title for the PS2 before the year is over. Overall I thought it was a good presentation. It gives me faith that Sony still has some tricks up it's sleeve.
I really didn't take much from E3. It only convinced me to pick up one more game this fall which I hadn't thought about. Everything else I knew about. G4 showcased some demos but I really didn't watch them. I'm just happy the whole thing is over. Now I'm just ready form all these great games to come out. Well, my brain is ready, my wallet isn't.
First off, G4 showed us the press conferences from the big three. And they were commercial free this year, after promising us they would be last year and then having commercials happen. Anyhow, I'd least the least impressive to me at least was Nintendo's showing. They through some facts at us about how Wii is outselling everyone else, showed us a demo of Wii ski which utilized the balance board, mentioned a new Pokemon game for the DS and concluded the show with Wii Music. They demoed that with a bunch of executives playing not hat great. With the exception of Miyamoto which I'm convinced was the ONLY one on stage who knew what he was doing but was drowned out by everyone Else's badness. They also showed Animal crossing for the Wii.
In all honestly some of the stuff they showed was cool, but I wouldn't buy any of it with the exception of Animal crossing and if I had to pick and choose I could go without that for the time being. They just didn't wow me. Most of the stuff was for that casual audience. Oh yes and how can I forget Wii resort. A game along the same line was Wii sports. They're next colossal money maker. Did you know that Wii play is still like one of their best selling games? And it's not that good. Uhh. Everyone was expecting that big break out title. Kid Icarus? Nope. Punch Out!!! nope. Perhaps a mario or Zelda title? In development from what Reggie says. They have allot of people disappointed this year. In my opionion rightfully so. I don't clock in may hours on my Wii anyway. It's a great machine don't get me wrong. However I could go the rest of the year without buying anything Nintendo at retail for the rest of the year. It's sad really.
Microsoft was pretty good. The best of the show. They demoed allot of games, Gears 2, and Fallout 3 stand out the most. Which buy the way the demo of Fallout convinced me to get it.
They also had a fair showing of their casual games. The one demo of "In the movies" sticks out in my mind. Another situation of executives demoing games on stage which they just shouldn't do. It utilizes the 360 vision camera and you like act out certain things with some Friends and then at the end they piece them together and you make like a "B" movie you play back and watch. That was okay I guess. It's nice that the technology has come this far but it's not my bag.
Then the big thing was a new interface coming this fall. That was cool too I guess. I was just bitching about how the current 360 interface like hides the custom themes you can get and almost makes it pointless to have a picture or something in the background because the blades and the ads get in the way too much. Now it's simpler to navigate. Supposedly however I read somewhere that it's ripped off from some other device that uses a similar method.
Sony was the second place holder. They did an impressive presentation with Little big planet which convinced me to pick that game up. They showed a trailer of God of War 3 which didn't tell people anything other than it's coming. They reminded us about the PS2 saying they're still some great games coming out for it. Which honestly I'm picking up one more title for the PS2 before the year is over. Overall I thought it was a good presentation. It gives me faith that Sony still has some tricks up it's sleeve.
I really didn't take much from E3. It only convinced me to pick up one more game this fall which I hadn't thought about. Everything else I knew about. G4 showcased some demos but I really didn't watch them. I'm just happy the whole thing is over. Now I'm just ready form all these great games to come out. Well, my brain is ready, my wallet isn't.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The Red Ring of irritation
Me again. I'll begin by saying that my 360 which I've owned for a year and a half has fallen victim to the dreaded red ring of death or rrod as it's called in allot of circles. At first I was in denial. In my mind i was like, I take care of my consoles. I treat them like children. Hell you could argue they get better treatment then my car. So I would never have that problem with my 360. That kind of thing happened to other people, right? Oh so wrong.
I wasn't that upset by it a t first. I mean, MS has a decent approach to the problem, you call them up, tell them the problem and they send you a box and hopefully two weeks to a month later you get your console back repaired, or a refurb or something. Hell I didn't even have to call them up, if you register the serial number with your windows live account you can request a repair over the Internet so you never have to talk to anybody.
So it's a fairly simple process to begin with. I'm still waiting on the box they're supposed to send but it's cool, I just started the process on Monday. We'll see how long it takes them do something with it once they receive it. From what I've read there are three things they can do, fix the console you've sent them, give you a refurb meaning someone Else's box they fixed or send you a brand new console. I like option one and three, but I don't like the idea of getting someone Else's console. Why exactly? I don't know. Call me weird but getting the box back that I sent would be cool because it's mine. I bought THAT console. (Trust me, I've recorded my serial so I know)
Getting a new box would be cool because well that means it's a new one just for me. I'd still miss my old one anyway. But If I got a refurb that means it's been "fingered" by god knows who. I know they clean it off and all but still. Don't get alarmed, my not a germ-a-phobe or anything I just like my new stuff BRAND NEW. Hell with as much as it cost me, that's the way I want it. If I get my box back then great, it was mine to begin with.
My point about all this is that at first I wasn't upset about it. Truthfully, I don't put many miles on my 360. I had bought Ninja Gaiden 2 recently and was playing that off and on but I had metal gear and was engrossed in that. Before that however, I BARLEY played. Seriously, like I was lucky if I turned it on maybe once a week? And Xbox live arcade was stale and I can't tell you the last game I downloaded there. My good buddy has a 360 and we were playing Battlefield 2 but my disk got scratched a while ago and I hadn't played since. Anyway, I got to thinking about it, and I started to get upset about it. Microsoft sacrificed quality just to be first in the next gen race. That's terrible. I've had allot of consoles and I've never had issues with any of them, until MS started making them. My Original Xbox sometimes had issues with the disk drive but not always. So then here comes the 360 and a year and a half later it craps out on me...what the fuck?
I've even read stories about people having two three and even four different 360s. That my friend is where I draw the line. I decided that when I get my console back if it craps out on me again. I will not but another one right away. I have standards and why the hell should I compromise them? It's not my fault that they built a shoddy machine. I really don't have high hopes that after I get it back it's going to last long but I'll at least let them try.
I'll admit it, I prefer Playstation. Now before you go blasting me, I am not a FANBOY. Far from it. Both MS and Nintendo have some great games on their respective platforms and I think that's great. But I just like my PS more. I but multi platform games for my PS3. I recently have only been buying the exclusives on the 360. Come to think of it I think all my games on 360 are console exclusives. Hmmm...
I just think what they did wasn't right. I applaud them for trying to fix it but hell it took them quite awhile to even admit there was an issue. Keep checking back as I will keep everyone posted on it's progress. until then....peace.
I wasn't that upset by it a t first. I mean, MS has a decent approach to the problem, you call them up, tell them the problem and they send you a box and hopefully two weeks to a month later you get your console back repaired, or a refurb or something. Hell I didn't even have to call them up, if you register the serial number with your windows live account you can request a repair over the Internet so you never have to talk to anybody.
So it's a fairly simple process to begin with. I'm still waiting on the box they're supposed to send but it's cool, I just started the process on Monday. We'll see how long it takes them do something with it once they receive it. From what I've read there are three things they can do, fix the console you've sent them, give you a refurb meaning someone Else's box they fixed or send you a brand new console. I like option one and three, but I don't like the idea of getting someone Else's console. Why exactly? I don't know. Call me weird but getting the box back that I sent would be cool because it's mine. I bought THAT console. (Trust me, I've recorded my serial so I know)
Getting a new box would be cool because well that means it's a new one just for me. I'd still miss my old one anyway. But If I got a refurb that means it's been "fingered" by god knows who. I know they clean it off and all but still. Don't get alarmed, my not a germ-a-phobe or anything I just like my new stuff BRAND NEW. Hell with as much as it cost me, that's the way I want it. If I get my box back then great, it was mine to begin with.
My point about all this is that at first I wasn't upset about it. Truthfully, I don't put many miles on my 360. I had bought Ninja Gaiden 2 recently and was playing that off and on but I had metal gear and was engrossed in that. Before that however, I BARLEY played. Seriously, like I was lucky if I turned it on maybe once a week? And Xbox live arcade was stale and I can't tell you the last game I downloaded there. My good buddy has a 360 and we were playing Battlefield 2 but my disk got scratched a while ago and I hadn't played since. Anyway, I got to thinking about it, and I started to get upset about it. Microsoft sacrificed quality just to be first in the next gen race. That's terrible. I've had allot of consoles and I've never had issues with any of them, until MS started making them. My Original Xbox sometimes had issues with the disk drive but not always. So then here comes the 360 and a year and a half later it craps out on me...what the fuck?
I've even read stories about people having two three and even four different 360s. That my friend is where I draw the line. I decided that when I get my console back if it craps out on me again. I will not but another one right away. I have standards and why the hell should I compromise them? It's not my fault that they built a shoddy machine. I really don't have high hopes that after I get it back it's going to last long but I'll at least let them try.
I'll admit it, I prefer Playstation. Now before you go blasting me, I am not a FANBOY. Far from it. Both MS and Nintendo have some great games on their respective platforms and I think that's great. But I just like my PS more. I but multi platform games for my PS3. I recently have only been buying the exclusives on the 360. Come to think of it I think all my games on 360 are console exclusives. Hmmm...
I just think what they did wasn't right. I applaud them for trying to fix it but hell it took them quite awhile to even admit there was an issue. Keep checking back as I will keep everyone posted on it's progress. until then....peace.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
The best game yet....
Alright, so here I am, back from another long hiatus in your face with more thoughts about life and gaming. Allot has happened to me since my last post but the first things I want to touch on, is Metal Gear Solid 4.
What can I say? The game is a masterpiece. I love practically everything about this game. It made me oh so glad I have a PS3. I was a great conclusion to a great game franchise. It wraps up everything story wise and explains it all. I've only gone through it once, but I plan on going back through it again very soon. I decided to go through the first three games and then go back and play it again. Which now I'm at MGS3: Snake Eater which in my opinion is good but I find it frustrating.
They took away the soliton radar! Yeah, that great radar from MGS2 and the original MGS that helped you out immensely when it came to enemy placement and layout of where you were was taken away. Now I realize that it's supposed to be the 1960's and story wise (and I guess technologically) the radar wasn't invented yet, but couldn't you amuse me then? The whole deal is this, you spend allot of time in the Russian jungle, so you rely heavily on camouflage to fool your enemy's and slither by undetected. That's fine, but the radar still would have been a GREAT help.
I mean you get other things to help you out, like a directional microphone to listen for things at distances, and they do give you a motion detector and sonar, but with the exception of the microphone, the other two are battery powered and they just don't work as well. You really have to rely on your senses in the game, which looks great and sounds great too so you really are immersed in the atmosphere. Now combine all these tools well, and you can survive. I don't know if it's me, but even with all these tools, I just can't play this game well. You want proof? I bought the game when it first came out in 04'. I went through it once, and that's it until now. So it's been what, almost four years since I went through the whole game again? I realized though the story in this one is really good it's just a matter of having the patience to play it through that's all. I spend most of the game in alert mode I promise you. And half the time I get so frustrated with trying to hide and creep that I just try to run and gun through certain parts which doesn't really work all that well most of the time. I'll get through it again though unless is pisses me off anymore.
I also took a hiatus from buying retro games. Haven't been into Vintage Stock (a local shop that buys and sells allot of old games, music and movies) in over a month now. I was obsessed at one point. There are three stores close to me and I was making rounds once a week. It was getting expensive too. The store is great though but it's a crap shoot every time you go in there. You might find something really great but allot of times you don't find much at all. You have to go in there often to see what they have. I made a few great finds in the last month or so though but they were on Ebay. (I still hate ebay) I found a top loading NES deck and a copy of Viewpoint for the Neo-Geo. Two things I've been chasing for years with no luck.
So I put classic gaming on hold for a bit because there were allot of current gen games coming out. Last month I picked up three, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, MGS4 and Ninja Gaiden 2. It was a pricey two weeks for me. Still haven't opened DBZ So I'll let you know how it is at some point.
Next week is E3. The gaming industry's big who-ha of the year. I can't wait for it to be here, so it can be over just as fast. Oh, don't get me wrong I think the whole show is great and all, but that's all anyone can talk about the week before and the week after. Lets just get the games out there, you know?
That's all I got for the time being. I'll do my best to post more often next time. Until then....
What can I say? The game is a masterpiece. I love practically everything about this game. It made me oh so glad I have a PS3. I was a great conclusion to a great game franchise. It wraps up everything story wise and explains it all. I've only gone through it once, but I plan on going back through it again very soon. I decided to go through the first three games and then go back and play it again. Which now I'm at MGS3: Snake Eater which in my opinion is good but I find it frustrating.
They took away the soliton radar! Yeah, that great radar from MGS2 and the original MGS that helped you out immensely when it came to enemy placement and layout of where you were was taken away. Now I realize that it's supposed to be the 1960's and story wise (and I guess technologically) the radar wasn't invented yet, but couldn't you amuse me then? The whole deal is this, you spend allot of time in the Russian jungle, so you rely heavily on camouflage to fool your enemy's and slither by undetected. That's fine, but the radar still would have been a GREAT help.
I mean you get other things to help you out, like a directional microphone to listen for things at distances, and they do give you a motion detector and sonar, but with the exception of the microphone, the other two are battery powered and they just don't work as well. You really have to rely on your senses in the game, which looks great and sounds great too so you really are immersed in the atmosphere. Now combine all these tools well, and you can survive. I don't know if it's me, but even with all these tools, I just can't play this game well. You want proof? I bought the game when it first came out in 04'. I went through it once, and that's it until now. So it's been what, almost four years since I went through the whole game again? I realized though the story in this one is really good it's just a matter of having the patience to play it through that's all. I spend most of the game in alert mode I promise you. And half the time I get so frustrated with trying to hide and creep that I just try to run and gun through certain parts which doesn't really work all that well most of the time. I'll get through it again though unless is pisses me off anymore.
I also took a hiatus from buying retro games. Haven't been into Vintage Stock (a local shop that buys and sells allot of old games, music and movies) in over a month now. I was obsessed at one point. There are three stores close to me and I was making rounds once a week. It was getting expensive too. The store is great though but it's a crap shoot every time you go in there. You might find something really great but allot of times you don't find much at all. You have to go in there often to see what they have. I made a few great finds in the last month or so though but they were on Ebay. (I still hate ebay) I found a top loading NES deck and a copy of Viewpoint for the Neo-Geo. Two things I've been chasing for years with no luck.
So I put classic gaming on hold for a bit because there were allot of current gen games coming out. Last month I picked up three, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, MGS4 and Ninja Gaiden 2. It was a pricey two weeks for me. Still haven't opened DBZ So I'll let you know how it is at some point.
Next week is E3. The gaming industry's big who-ha of the year. I can't wait for it to be here, so it can be over just as fast. Oh, don't get me wrong I think the whole show is great and all, but that's all anyone can talk about the week before and the week after. Lets just get the games out there, you know?
That's all I got for the time being. I'll do my best to post more often next time. Until then....
Saturday, May 03, 2008
I'm through talking about it
Okay so as you can see I'm posting on May 3rd and GTA4 has been unleashed on the world. The reviews are in and it's getting perfect scores left and right. It's the best release in a long time and already sparking talks of game of the year. (Yes in May) So why am I blogging and not playing? Because I need to say something. I'm tired of people talking about this game. Ever since it's release allot of my gaming news sites have had stories relating to this game one way or another.
Hell the day of it's release that's all anyone could talk about. But what I'm tired of reading about is all the negativity about the title. There are parents groups and all kinds of groups pissed off about this game and I think it needs to stop.
What can be said that hasn't already been said? Yes, so you can drive drunk, pick up prostitutes and kill drug dealers. Got that part. And I understand some points. but honestly must we keep on about this?
You've got allot of people talking about how this game shouldn't be played by anyone, adults or other wise, but then you have a larger segment that's just concerned about the kids. And what about them? Alright, Yes, I have no problem with the fact that children shouldn't play the game, those who can't handle it, but the game isn't marketed or designed for kids. The fact that kids get their hands on it anyway doesn't surprise me. Kids are always getting there hands on things for adults. I for one did, and I turned out okay. When I was growing up as a young teen kids around me were getting booze, pornography and drugs. Same goes for today. I got my hands on Smut when I was young and were exposed to a liquor a few times but these things happen.
I came from a good home. First off I had 2 parents in the home which today seems like an achievement in itself, they both worked to pay the bills and overall did a good job of raising three kids. We never had to worry about a roof over our heads and no food in the refrigerator. Yes my home life was good. On the flip side, I got ahold of smut and like I said was even offered a beer or two. I never touched the beer (I don't even drink now) but I still got stuff I wasn't supposed to have and that's not to say I had bad parents.
It all comes down to the parents. Just raise them right. Now when my son turns 15 or so , and if he wants the latest game that violent (probably GTA 8 or something like that) and I think he can handle it then yes I;d let him have it. If he was going to turn into an arsonist or something or other, I think the problem would come from myself as a parent and not a game. If he had issues he wouldn't play it at all.
I know I hit on allot of topics here but I just wanted to get a few points off my chest. So, for those of you who own the game great, stop reading this and go play...sakes...
Hell the day of it's release that's all anyone could talk about. But what I'm tired of reading about is all the negativity about the title. There are parents groups and all kinds of groups pissed off about this game and I think it needs to stop.
What can be said that hasn't already been said? Yes, so you can drive drunk, pick up prostitutes and kill drug dealers. Got that part. And I understand some points. but honestly must we keep on about this?
You've got allot of people talking about how this game shouldn't be played by anyone, adults or other wise, but then you have a larger segment that's just concerned about the kids. And what about them? Alright, Yes, I have no problem with the fact that children shouldn't play the game, those who can't handle it, but the game isn't marketed or designed for kids. The fact that kids get their hands on it anyway doesn't surprise me. Kids are always getting there hands on things for adults. I for one did, and I turned out okay. When I was growing up as a young teen kids around me were getting booze, pornography and drugs. Same goes for today. I got my hands on Smut when I was young and were exposed to a liquor a few times but these things happen.
I came from a good home. First off I had 2 parents in the home which today seems like an achievement in itself, they both worked to pay the bills and overall did a good job of raising three kids. We never had to worry about a roof over our heads and no food in the refrigerator. Yes my home life was good. On the flip side, I got ahold of smut and like I said was even offered a beer or two. I never touched the beer (I don't even drink now) but I still got stuff I wasn't supposed to have and that's not to say I had bad parents.
It all comes down to the parents. Just raise them right. Now when my son turns 15 or so , and if he wants the latest game that violent (probably GTA 8 or something like that) and I think he can handle it then yes I;d let him have it. If he was going to turn into an arsonist or something or other, I think the problem would come from myself as a parent and not a game. If he had issues he wouldn't play it at all.
I know I hit on allot of topics here but I just wanted to get a few points off my chest. So, for those of you who own the game great, stop reading this and go play...sakes...
Saturday, April 26, 2008
A Fever Pitch
Here we are, just a few mere days from the release of Grand Theft Auto. Incredible, isn't it?
It's very hard for me to believe. I like many others thought we'd never get this far. I look very forward to this. I think this is one of those times I'm glad to be around for in the game industry.
Forever will I remember what I was doing or wasn't doing when GTA4 came out. You know whats going to be surreal though is holding my copy in my hand. You can't help but feel bad for games like MArio Kart that come out tomorrow and anything else that comes out in the next like month because it will be overshadowed by GTA. I almost decided not to get Mario KArt cuz' I know I won't spend enough time with it even though when has not having enough time to dedicate to a game stop me from buying it. Hell I still have a brand new SEALED copy of Call of Duty 4 from launch day that hasn't seen the light of day. Shit, they just released a Game of the Year edition of that game! Everybody is saying it's the best shooter period.
Everybody is doing like a midnight opening to celebrate. I however am not attending. Why? I hate crowds. I figure If I go later on Tuesday, probably Tuesday evening, almost everybody who's going to pick their copy will have done so at like midnight. So maybe I can avoid a bit of a crowd and confusion, I hope.
It's funny, I was reading on gametrailers a forum post form this 14 year old kid who didn't have a job and had like five bucks left and needed advice on how to get money to buy GTA. I felt so bad for him! Now see this is the type of sh*t i was talking about awhile ago, you know about how it sucks to be a kid. I remember what it was like. Parents who don't just buy you stuff for the hell of it so you have no choice but to trade in your old stuff to get new stuff. Thankfully I had the best grandparents you could ask for who spoiled us rotten but here is a kid who probably is a good guy, gets good grades and just needs a little help getting new games to do what he enjoys.
Ahh well. So, a bid thee farewell for now. Hopefully I'll check in soon. Hell who am I kidding, no one will be reading, everyone will be playing GTA from now until the next one comes out...
It's very hard for me to believe. I like many others thought we'd never get this far. I look very forward to this. I think this is one of those times I'm glad to be around for in the game industry.
Forever will I remember what I was doing or wasn't doing when GTA4 came out. You know whats going to be surreal though is holding my copy in my hand. You can't help but feel bad for games like MArio Kart that come out tomorrow and anything else that comes out in the next like month because it will be overshadowed by GTA. I almost decided not to get Mario KArt cuz' I know I won't spend enough time with it even though when has not having enough time to dedicate to a game stop me from buying it. Hell I still have a brand new SEALED copy of Call of Duty 4 from launch day that hasn't seen the light of day. Shit, they just released a Game of the Year edition of that game! Everybody is saying it's the best shooter period.
Everybody is doing like a midnight opening to celebrate. I however am not attending. Why? I hate crowds. I figure If I go later on Tuesday, probably Tuesday evening, almost everybody who's going to pick their copy will have done so at like midnight. So maybe I can avoid a bit of a crowd and confusion, I hope.
It's funny, I was reading on gametrailers a forum post form this 14 year old kid who didn't have a job and had like five bucks left and needed advice on how to get money to buy GTA. I felt so bad for him! Now see this is the type of sh*t i was talking about awhile ago, you know about how it sucks to be a kid. I remember what it was like. Parents who don't just buy you stuff for the hell of it so you have no choice but to trade in your old stuff to get new stuff. Thankfully I had the best grandparents you could ask for who spoiled us rotten but here is a kid who probably is a good guy, gets good grades and just needs a little help getting new games to do what he enjoys.
Ahh well. So, a bid thee farewell for now. Hopefully I'll check in soon. Hell who am I kidding, no one will be reading, everyone will be playing GTA from now until the next one comes out...
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Collecting is an Artform
Okay so I know I was supposed to bring you my thoughts on the biggest games of 08' but I'm going to take time out to talk about the "bug" that's bitten my lately.
As some of you know, I collect games. It's just what I like to do. Lately Its consumed me. I have a bit of a vendetta against Ebay. I don't like it. First off, I don't like the idea of "competing" with people to buy stuff. I like the comfort of being able to walk up to somebody who's got something to sell, plunk down my cash and walk away with it. It's that simple. Yes, there are some great deals to be had there, and things can get more expensive there too. There are also some great "one-of-a-kinds" on there too. I'm sad to say that I broke my own promise to myself and in the past weeks I've been a bit obsessed with hunting down game relics on Ebay. I'm happy to say that I've since calmed down and now I only check occasionally and hopefully I can phase it out all together.
It doesn't help that I'm a little bitter that I got beat out of an auction that I thought I had wrapped up a few weeks ago. Yeah, I had it won until like the last two minutes what I was outbid by like 2 bucks. Yeah I'm REAL bitter about it. But then my ego was soothed later when I got a great deal on a Neo-Geo cart. But it just pisses me off and it's too damn competitive. It really get bad when you start winning and now you're hooked, looking for your next win to get that "fix". I'll be the first to admit the high that's to be had after you win, especially when you get something on the cheap like I did. I've come to my senses though and I still hate the site.
I'm actually trying to chill out on collecting for a little while. I've got enough current releases to worry about. I can't be concerned with the past for now. Even though I love nostalgia. I think a part of my collecting is the memories each game brings back. I can remember things that were going on around me when I was playing some of those games. Like the first super Mario Bros. I remember staying in my room for hours playing that game when I first got it. And like playing my Saturn brings back memories of my first job. I bought my Sega Saturn with my first two checks what I was 15. Lets see that was 13 years ago?
Some acquisitions are to satisfy the inner child in me. Like the Neo-Geo I got like 4 years ago or so. I never had one as a kid. and hell neither did anyone else in my neighborhood growing up. They just cost too damn much. Like $600-$700 bucks! Which I would say in unheard of except for something called the PS3 but we won't go there. So yeah I finally got one cuz' I never had one as a kid. Got it for like $150 bucks. I'm still chasing a few carts but damn there sill expensive even after all these years.
Alright well I'm done rambling for now. Everybody enjoy your night.
As some of you know, I collect games. It's just what I like to do. Lately Its consumed me. I have a bit of a vendetta against Ebay. I don't like it. First off, I don't like the idea of "competing" with people to buy stuff. I like the comfort of being able to walk up to somebody who's got something to sell, plunk down my cash and walk away with it. It's that simple. Yes, there are some great deals to be had there, and things can get more expensive there too. There are also some great "one-of-a-kinds" on there too. I'm sad to say that I broke my own promise to myself and in the past weeks I've been a bit obsessed with hunting down game relics on Ebay. I'm happy to say that I've since calmed down and now I only check occasionally and hopefully I can phase it out all together.
It doesn't help that I'm a little bitter that I got beat out of an auction that I thought I had wrapped up a few weeks ago. Yeah, I had it won until like the last two minutes what I was outbid by like 2 bucks. Yeah I'm REAL bitter about it. But then my ego was soothed later when I got a great deal on a Neo-Geo cart. But it just pisses me off and it's too damn competitive. It really get bad when you start winning and now you're hooked, looking for your next win to get that "fix". I'll be the first to admit the high that's to be had after you win, especially when you get something on the cheap like I did. I've come to my senses though and I still hate the site.
I'm actually trying to chill out on collecting for a little while. I've got enough current releases to worry about. I can't be concerned with the past for now. Even though I love nostalgia. I think a part of my collecting is the memories each game brings back. I can remember things that were going on around me when I was playing some of those games. Like the first super Mario Bros. I remember staying in my room for hours playing that game when I first got it. And like playing my Saturn brings back memories of my first job. I bought my Sega Saturn with my first two checks what I was 15. Lets see that was 13 years ago?
Some acquisitions are to satisfy the inner child in me. Like the Neo-Geo I got like 4 years ago or so. I never had one as a kid. and hell neither did anyone else in my neighborhood growing up. They just cost too damn much. Like $600-$700 bucks! Which I would say in unheard of except for something called the PS3 but we won't go there. So yeah I finally got one cuz' I never had one as a kid. Got it for like $150 bucks. I'm still chasing a few carts but damn there sill expensive even after all these years.
Alright well I'm done rambling for now. Everybody enjoy your night.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Jacking Cars Never Felt or Looked this Good!
Hey all. With epic releases being given to us through out the year I thought I would start by talking about them one at a time. The first big one, GTA 4.
We're exactly 4 weeks away from it's release as of Tuesday, April first 2008. Rockstar has been working the gaming public into a frenzy with trailers and screenshots. And let me tell you from what I've seen this game looks off the chain. They're even talking about 16 player multiplayer and there are quite a few game modes. Details are scarce about it though. Lots of sources are guessing about it, but no one knows allot for sure.
This is just as epic a jump as when the series went from the last one on PC to GTA3 for the Playstation 2. I think we need to take a step back and think about this for a second though. I've said it from the beginning, this game I think will be epic in every sense of the word. I believe we're headed into GTA overload with this installment. That same feeling we got when we played GTA3 we're about to have again. You know what I'm talking about. I think Rockstar probably hasn't messed with the formula too much, tried to fix what players were griping about and just improved a great deal on what was already good. We're about to experience Liberty City the way it's meant to be experienced.
I for one am beyond psyched for it. It's surreal to think we're only a little more then 4 weeks away from release. We've been reading about it and watching trailers for so long I thought we would never get to this point. This release might eclipse that of the Halo 3 release. Now will I go to my local Gamestop at midnight to get it if they do it? I would consider it. (Probably not, it's going to be a zoo and I'd rather just wait until the next day so i can get in and get out) This will be a defining moment in gaming, just like when GTA3 came out.
Next time I think I'm going to talk about the release of one of my favorite franchises. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Later....
We're exactly 4 weeks away from it's release as of Tuesday, April first 2008. Rockstar has been working the gaming public into a frenzy with trailers and screenshots. And let me tell you from what I've seen this game looks off the chain. They're even talking about 16 player multiplayer and there are quite a few game modes. Details are scarce about it though. Lots of sources are guessing about it, but no one knows allot for sure.
This is just as epic a jump as when the series went from the last one on PC to GTA3 for the Playstation 2. I think we need to take a step back and think about this for a second though. I've said it from the beginning, this game I think will be epic in every sense of the word. I believe we're headed into GTA overload with this installment. That same feeling we got when we played GTA3 we're about to have again. You know what I'm talking about. I think Rockstar probably hasn't messed with the formula too much, tried to fix what players were griping about and just improved a great deal on what was already good. We're about to experience Liberty City the way it's meant to be experienced.
I for one am beyond psyched for it. It's surreal to think we're only a little more then 4 weeks away from release. We've been reading about it and watching trailers for so long I thought we would never get to this point. This release might eclipse that of the Halo 3 release. Now will I go to my local Gamestop at midnight to get it if they do it? I would consider it. (Probably not, it's going to be a zoo and I'd rather just wait until the next day so i can get in and get out) This will be a defining moment in gaming, just like when GTA3 came out.
Next time I think I'm going to talk about the release of one of my favorite franchises. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Later....
Sunday, March 23, 2008
The Best year ever?
Okay so like I haven't added anything in awhile, sue me. Christmas has come and gone. Hope everyones holiday was good. Now that the formalities are out of the way let's talk about what was an exciting first quarter in the video game world. I'll begin by saying that I'll just touch on a few things and in future posts I'll elaborate.
One of the most exciting things to happen and the first things was the announcement of a Ghostbusters game! When I found this out my inner child hit the roof! This is a dream come true.
From the coverage I've seen so far this game looks like it will be good. Nothing like the horrible game for the NES that we all remember, or would like to forget. They even have the original cast from the movies coming back to do voices and even write the script! They are dubbing this the "third installment" of the series. Basically what they're saying is that since a third movie will never be done, this is what it would be like if we did it. I have a feeling a third one will be done, but like when all the actors are too old so like they'll introduce it to a new audience and everyone will think it's great my my generation and the ones before it will think it sucks because they'll get new actors and stuff. (that was a mouth full)
We've also got release dates for some of the biggest hits landing this year, like Metal Gear Solid 4. They also announced Gears 2 for the 360 which should be cool. Lets not forget Grand theft auto 4. The good part about all this? It looks like we're getting a steady stream of releases peppered thought the year. Fall is already looking good, even this early. I mentioned Gears of War 2 confirmed from November but also in November is Resistance 2! Two big shooters going head to head that month. Namely two console exclusive shooters going head to head. This should be very interesting. The message boards are only going to get worse by that time. The fan boys are already drooling.
Lastly, but surely not least is the announcement of STREET FIGHTER 4! Yeah you heard me right, I almost fell out when this news broke. I believe we've known about this since January. There was allot of talk whether it would be 2-D or 3-D. The verdict? It's kind of both. The developers have assured us that it will play like the street fighter we've known and loved. I've seen the screen shots and while some don't care for the new for the art style they've chosen, I think it's cool, and as close to 2-D as we're going to get for the time being.
So yeah, there's been allot of big things happening so far and the year has just started. I can't really tell you what I'm more excited for in the coming months. Also, I've decided to post release dates of some of the more popular games, or games that I look forward to. I must warn you, some the the dates will probably come form the Gamestop website. I'll try my best to get dates from reliable sources. Until next time...
One of the most exciting things to happen and the first things was the announcement of a Ghostbusters game! When I found this out my inner child hit the roof! This is a dream come true.
From the coverage I've seen so far this game looks like it will be good. Nothing like the horrible game for the NES that we all remember, or would like to forget. They even have the original cast from the movies coming back to do voices and even write the script! They are dubbing this the "third installment" of the series. Basically what they're saying is that since a third movie will never be done, this is what it would be like if we did it. I have a feeling a third one will be done, but like when all the actors are too old so like they'll introduce it to a new audience and everyone will think it's great my my generation and the ones before it will think it sucks because they'll get new actors and stuff. (that was a mouth full)
We've also got release dates for some of the biggest hits landing this year, like Metal Gear Solid 4. They also announced Gears 2 for the 360 which should be cool. Lets not forget Grand theft auto 4. The good part about all this? It looks like we're getting a steady stream of releases peppered thought the year. Fall is already looking good, even this early. I mentioned Gears of War 2 confirmed from November but also in November is Resistance 2! Two big shooters going head to head that month. Namely two console exclusive shooters going head to head. This should be very interesting. The message boards are only going to get worse by that time. The fan boys are already drooling.
Lastly, but surely not least is the announcement of STREET FIGHTER 4! Yeah you heard me right, I almost fell out when this news broke. I believe we've known about this since January. There was allot of talk whether it would be 2-D or 3-D. The verdict? It's kind of both. The developers have assured us that it will play like the street fighter we've known and loved. I've seen the screen shots and while some don't care for the new for the art style they've chosen, I think it's cool, and as close to 2-D as we're going to get for the time being.
So yeah, there's been allot of big things happening so far and the year has just started. I can't really tell you what I'm more excited for in the coming months. Also, I've decided to post release dates of some of the more popular games, or games that I look forward to. I must warn you, some the the dates will probably come form the Gamestop website. I'll try my best to get dates from reliable sources. Until next time...
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