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School's Back in the swing, so it's hard to get extra time to type stuff out but here I go.

Force Unleashed:

Fun game, The story of it is very, very nice. Must play if you are a Star Wars fan. The gameplay is decent but really lacks depth. Sometimes you feel totally badass, other times you just feel like ass. Often during the same fight. I am specifically referring to enemies who sometimes recoil upon being hit with lightning and other times do not. Very annoying. 

Overall it is a solid rental for all. Especially since it only is around 10 hours long. -ish.

Braid:

Very fun game. Pretty short, but the puzzles make you think. I had to cheat a bit to get through them, but I dont especially enjoy thinking over a static puzzle for hours on end. Didnt really get the story so maybe thats just me. And the game seems to make you draw connections to Mario games for no apparent reason. I seriously do not believe that it is a fair comparison to draw principally because they are fundamentally different games. (Mario games very rarely test brain power beyond simple implementation of simple ideas the compound to produce somewhat more complex gameplay/puzzles; While Braid focuses exclusively on interesting highly unique puzzles that often involve the manipulation of time and a freaking goomba look-a-like.

Buy if you have $15 burning a hole in your pocket.

Castle Crashers:

If you have friends with a 360 and you often play games online together with it, then you owe it to yourself to get this. It is a classic beat'em-up with an awesome sense of humor with fun combat, cool levels, and even cooler enemies. Awesome game to play with friends.

Other than that. Well, I suppose I'll talk about the games I'm playing right now:

Call of Duty 4; Yep got suckered into the multiplayer again. It's fun as ever. Especially since I'm focusing on LMGs now. Nothing like unloading round after round into a house and killing people via deep penetration. 

Team Fortress 2; It's always there, it most likely always will be. It is simply an awesome game and probably the most balanced team game I've ever played.

Defense of the Ancients; Man if you told me a custom map of Warcraft 3 would have me playing Warcraft 3 for 3 years straight I probably would never have believed but DotA is just that good.

Mass Effect; I'm trying out being Evil this time around. Not quite as fun as being a Sith in KotOR but still pretty satisfying, and not as blood curdling; It's not evil purely for evil sake.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn; The one on Wii. I never beat it so I'm about 50 hours into it now. It's classic Fire Emblem gameplay all over again. The Team I've got is pretty badass now so it is all coming together. Still fucking tough as hell though.

Witcher: Enhanced Edition; Oh my dear fucking gawd, they actually fixed the load times? Wow. Also the inventory is quite a bit nicer. Other than that I havent played enough to notice the new dialogue, but the game still rocks like it did last time I played it.

Halo 3; Sometimes it is the most fun you can have playing an Online shooter, other times it is so fucking stupid you just want break shit. That is what I did recently. Oh well. Live and learn. Also I need a new headset. So like would anyone like to buy me a new one?

That is pretty much it about the gaming I'm up to right now. Warhammer Online seems really fun, but I do not have the time for an MMO until April. (When I can roam the streets with my Bachelor's Degree in hand and ask politely for a high paying job in the Oil Industry)

Oh yea and I was at PAX at the end of August. It was very fun and really cool to see there actually are other hardcore gamers out there. Also getting to meet and talk to Felicia Day, and getting her to autograph my dvd of The Guild was very awesome. It was a great time, and Seattle, man that city fucking rocks. I really wish I had a city with that much culture in it. I'd settle for like 1/10 of it's culture. All our street performers are lame, all our gimmicks shops are lame. But then again I hate Calgary's cowboy love affair. (nothing against the Cowboy stuff, just have problems with this city's over indulgence in it)

Oh and If you arent watching The Office or 30 Rock, what the shit is wrong with you?

Ciao. I've got some busy weeks coming up. My reward however shall be great.

Fallout 3 awaits me after 2 papers and a midterm. Mmmmm bloody mess trait.

It's All In The Name

So names mean alot, usually. But they do not actually mean anything really. I mean honestly names are just tags we use to identify ourselves from the others who more or less look pretty much the same as us.

So obviously gaming frequently gives us the option to choose a name for ourselves. Most usually in the multi-player gaming scene. Single-player RPGs sometimes let you give yourself a name as well. But in that context it is utterly pointless as most games will simply take your name to be "x" variable at insert whenever "x" is called for in the game's script. 

But in the multiplayer games the choice of name is very important and I for one feel that people need to spend either a great deal of time thinking up their name, or none at all. Because either you want your name to be meaningful or you dont. 

If you dont want it to be meaningful then great. Just use your own name with some numbers after it. I would recommend "Bob11Forty". Or in my case: "Ryan17Forty". Just make sure to put Forty in it for me.

If you want it to be meaningful however then take a great deal of time to analyze what you want your name to reveal about yourself. Maybe you would like reveal your profound love of DBZ, and therefore call yourself -xXx-Goku-xXx-. I wouldnt recommend naming yourself after the main character of an incredibly popular show however. A lesser minor character might be acceptable, but the main character, it lacks originality. Unless it is the main character from a long defunct show that lends credit your "geek credentials" 

However this leads into another point. The use of prefixes and suffixes and what we assume they will apply to our "gaming cred", if you will allow. For example, someone might add a simple l33t in front of their name in imply that they are in fact "Elite". This should be avoided, at all costs. If you are in fact an elite player of the game, your opponents will find this out very soon. Your name need not tell this to them. Conversely you might think that putting noob in your name should be commended. This too should be avoided, for you never want to give people on the internet any advantage to lob insults at you. They will find something regardless and there is no point to give them easy shots. This point was proven when someone named themselves "gay boy" and proceeded to record the litany of insults that the Xbox Live community unleashed upon him. Being truthful is not to be pursued.

So what should you put in your name? I would personally recommend your nickname that friends call you. They typically are in short hand so people can quickly say it if they need you to turn around and kill the spy about backstab you. However you might want to add something that defines who you are. 
Myself for example have used RyePunk for over 6 years now.

Rye is shortened Ryan, and Punk is because I am something a fan of Punk ideals. However I like to point out that I am a punk against the punks because they are practically the norm nowadays. 

If i was to recreate a new name I would probably use something that reflected my love of history. So maybe something like "PyrrhicRye". Actually that's not half bad. Might use it in a future game.

So there you have it. Well almost. If you are choosing a name for an online RPG then basically you want to choose a name that fits the setting. So for World of Warcraft think Tolkien-esque names. For something set in Star Trek or Star Wars, I'd recommend a combination of name from various characters that you liked. But not Kirk Spock. Or Luke Skyclimber. I usually use Galcyon. Why? Because the random name generator in KotOR tossed it up and I liked how it sounded. 

So that is pretty much all I have to say about names at this point in time. just remember a few more bits and bobs. Names that are essentially bragging rights should be avoided at all costs. Randomness gets extra brownie points, having a name that says you are elite, pro, extreme or and such positive reinforcements to your already overinflated ego should be avoided.

Okay? Well do try to apply those. Thanks. And buh bye for now.

SC 4 & BC:RA

very light reviews today. Sorry for lack of updates. either too tired from work and just want to game, or just dont care enough. My bad. I've got some rough drafts of stuff that I'm slowly working on so stay tuned for those.

Soul Calibur 4,

it's Soul Calibur on the Next Gen systems. If you liked the previous ones you'll like this. Pretty much nothing has changed, barring slight moveset adjustments, and the inclusion of the armor break/soul crush moves. The soul crush moves almost never come into play though so it's kind of a moot point. If you like Soul Calibur you probably already have it. 

If you've never played Soul Calibur but would like to try a new fighting game for when friends come over then I would highly recommend this title. Its fighting system is simple enough that new players can pretty much jump in and mash buttons to a degree of success, while veterans can show off their skill utilizing slightly more advanced moves like counters, impacts, and parries. 

Oh they also increased the boobs. So i guess that is a plus.

Bionic Commando: Rearmed.

Its the classic old school game brought back. With shiny graphics and mind fuckingly stupid secrets. Honestly I never once played the original so i'm in no place to review this title as someone who played it. What I will say is pretty bashing, but oh well.

No jump. No movement in air. (none, zilch, squat, zippo) Horrible collision detection. And retarded decisions on how the bionic arm shoots out. 

If i was simply talking about the single player game's default stuff. Then the game is quite good and most of the above negatives dont really apply, however it is nothing amazing. If however I take the fucked up challenges and the plethora of stupidly secret shit in the game, then I would be forced to knock it for not including such basic features... Like a jump button. I mean for fucks sake. they only use 3 face buttons. 

Is it because adding a jump button would make the game too fucking easy? 

My biggest reason for this complaint is that I played Ninja Five-O. A game that uses a grappling hook AND has a jump button. There are no stupid puzzles that make no sense because the military forgot to teach it's troops something as basic as JUMPING OFF THE GROUND! I wouldnt think you'd need to be a damn ninja to figure this shit out. 

So if the game was a straight remake I wouldnt hold the exclusion of the jump against it. But because they went to elaborate lengths to add numerous extras, and even through in a "new" side swing option, and failed to add something as basic as JUMP, I cannot in good wisdom recommend this title to anyone but those who played the original. It is simply too archaic and stuck up its own ass to see current modern innovations. Like a jump button. 

But the game is quite fun. As long as you avoid the challenges. My god avoid the challenges. Avoid them. Avoid them. Avoid them. They will bleed any enjoyment you might get from the game into dust. And then kick you in the nuts.

my idea of a challenge is something that makes me think "what do they want me to do here"
These challenges ask no such question. The path is almost always obvious. The only problem is pixel perfect timing is required when you launch your stupid fucking arm, and slight deviations result in failure. At least the game lets you restart instantly. I have no desire to acquire "eagle" times on the challenges. They sapped any fun I might have procurred from the game. And I very much doubt I shall return to it again.  

So yea avoid the challenges, stick the main game. Because the normal levels are awesome fun, and the boss fight are also very fun. Just ignore the extras, or you will loathe the game like I now do. For the record I  have currently completed roughly 75% of the challenges. With only the most irritatingly difficult ones left. Most that remain are quite simple in goal, but the actual execution on such a flawed control scheme makes it a trial of your patience more than of actual skill. I do not want to be punished for missing a grapple by .2 seconds. If I grapple the fucking platform that should suffice. 

It is simply poor design on the challenge. Now you might say it is suppose to be "CHALLENGING". True but challenging and ass-rape are two very different things. One makes me think about what I am doing wrong and makes me correct it. The other has me doing the correct thing, but still has me failing for missing by mere pixels, and results in me throwing my controller into the wall.

So yea. Fuck you "challenges". 

E3 Ala Penny Arcade.

Kudo's to Gabe and Tycho for simplifying 6 hours of presentations into 3 panels. Bravo.

E3 Blergy Blarg continued

Sony Press Conference

Having seen Microsoft getting down on their knees for the anticipatory money shot that is the casual market's giant collective wallets. Nintendo and their further groping for yet more Casual hook-ups. What could one expect from Sony. Apparently a history lesson. I myself am a student of History, so seeing the teleological view of Sony's past as recounted by one Mr. Sony Head Dude, left me a slight bit skeptical. However what they did show seemed fine. Some nice looking games, most genres represented, apparently they do still care about the PS2 and PSP, which I suppose is nice. Even if it is just like me saying I'm looking for a lady with a nice personality, when really all I want is someone who's good looking. (Hey I can find personality after I've had a trophy gal for a day or two...) 

So overall I'd have to say that the big winner this year of the conferences was (as stupid as such a premise may seem): 

Uhhh you actually want an answer. Um, I'm going to say Fallout 3 wins. That game looks awesome. Then I'll say Sony. I guess it is true they have the most exclusives. Although that 360 sure has a lot of RPGs coming up soon. So it can have second place for that. Nintendo doesnt really deserve a mention until they put out a game that uses swords to have a bloody bloodfest of a game that takes advantage of the new peripheral they have made.

Although that Madworld game looks fucking tight. Ramming a sign pole through a guy's face... Yes Please! someone give that dev team a cookie.  

So that's the main events of E3. Nothing Earth Shattering this year. But still lots of high quality games to look forward to. I look forward to not being able to afford them while I attend school. Awesome. 

Ciao.

E3 This and That. Egads.

First some ground rules, before I talk about conferences. Any talk of sales figures or more or less partisan-esque fanboyish bragging rights is not going to impress me, especially if you appear to be twisting the figures. Also multi-platform games. Dont act like them coming out means anything.

Microsoft Conference Thingy

Or I suppose I should say the Xbox 360 Conference. Games For What-dows? As a PC Gamer this is insulting. But I move on and live, I dont rely on Microsoft for my PC Gaming, they honestly continue to half ass it and as such I dont look to them for PC Gaming, I look to Valve and Blizzard. But enough of that.

Getting Final Fantasy Games is nice. But I have all the systems, and the PS3 version will rape the 360 version simply because of Japanese release, but Multiplatform releases are not the end of anything. Multi-platform releases should be encouraged.

All the games shown all look very nice is press trailers, but then thats what a trailer does so I wont say much about the games. Well I will say that Co-Op in Resident Evil 5 is gonna fucking awesome.

Apparently the 360 will be getting Wii'd. Avatars, and a stupid number of attempts to grab that precious casual market. Thing is, the casual market already has their Wii's. They arent going to run out and get a 360 for these features because they like their Wii's enough already. Even if the new stuff does appear very compelling. My only question with all of those new and very compelling features (like the party system, and game shows thingies) is how much is all this shit gonna cost? I dont exactly want to drop more money on all these things even if they are just 6 bucks each. All I'm going to say, is: Damn they really want to get blown by the casual market. 

The one answer I didnt get that I really wanted was Castle Crashers release date. The game is gold, it's just waiting to come out. Oh well.

Overall though, good job Microsoft, things look nice for the 360's future. If you only you gave a shit about the PC.

Nintendo Conference

This one's really easy for me. Lots of bragging, and boasting. Lots of "I told you so!" The message to "hardcore gamers" was pretty short though.

The mario and zelda in house dev teams are working on the next versions of those games and we'll have more on them at an undisclosed later date. So yea.

New Wii Sports, A snowboarding game, Animal Crossing, Wii Music. And Activision milking Guitar Hero even more. It's a good expansion of Nintendo's current strategy, but leaves most old school nintendo fans out in the cold for now. 

Although GTA on DS might be really cool. We'll see I suppose. 

The new 1:1 Wiimote attachment could be very cool. But Only if someone makes a good game for it. The Wii Sports Resort is interesting but unless it's $30, i cant see myself getting it.

Gonna watch the Sony Conference and then I'll post on it.

The Problem With The Halo 3 Experience

For the most part Halo 3 is a very, very good game. Although my recent experiences have brought forward some revealing truths behind it. Most of my complaints do not deal with the gameplay itself, but rather the matchmaking system. So I'll hit the gameplay problems first.

- Headshots happen, but only if you use certain guns. What the shit is that? If I shoot a guy in the face with a battlerifle or sniper rifle, then it deals more damage than normal . But using the assault rifle or anyother close range gun apparently has lost the ability to do critical damage by aiming for the noggin. This is most likely for balance because otherwise assault rifles would drop fools so fast at close range that melee would be pretty much pointless. 

-Next up we have a problem with lore conflicting with gameplay. The fact that your shield apparently is weaker around the face. Why? Who the fuck knows? It makes no sense that an energy shield would be weakest around the most vital section of the body, but apparently it is. Basically the shield system should utterly negate the ability to make headshots until the shield drops, but given that you are effectively at no life once the shield fails it would make headshots stupid. However removing headshots would eliminate the need for precision when utilizing sniper rifles, you simply would need to hit the target twice.

-Matchmaking is fucking broken is the next problem. This only really impacts the casual Halo 3 players. Simply put the system relies entirely on TruSkill for ranked matches. This seems nice except each "playlist" maintains it's own unique TruSkill that is independent of the others. Basically you can rank up Truskill of 20+ (over 20 seeming to be very high to me) in one mode, then jump to a different playlist and start at the bottom again. The game sees you in the new playlist as a noob for all intents and purposes despite the fact that you may have played hundreds of games in another ranked playlist. This pretty much results in teams being stacked when one player ends up gutting the entire enemy team. The game should compare experience and Truskill together when matchmaking. True this would be longer but, if I have to fight anymore people who have 1000+ matches under their belt I'm gonna fucking puke, I play it casually for a little fun, but being owned into oblivion is fun for no one but idiots who run around screaming "I PWN NUBS!!!"... More on those idiots in a later post.

Basically that's my problems with Halo 3. When the game actually does get you matched up with opponents of similiar skill the game is a blast and easily one of the best shooters available for consoles. (Although to compare it to PC shooters then it is mediocre at best).

Also I guess my time buying video games is at a close for the summer. I have some credit at EBGames, enough for one new game, so i'll wait for reviews of some good games before I decide what to get. Now I begin the saving up for school. Whoop-dee freak'n doo.

Ciao.

Oh And Go Play More DotA

RyEpUnK on the USWest server if you wanna play with me.