Post War Analysis

World at War analysis I should clarify.

So I've beat it and toyed around in multi-player. And well, I think was hitting the singleplayer a little hard for things that maybe didnt deserve it. Overall that is a moderately emotional game. So I think they should be commended for that. However the overall gameplay within that emotional game cannot be called as moderately good. It does what CoD 4 does but at best it matches it. Usually it isnt as good though. 
If we start talking about multi-player though. Then the game deserves some cookies. This game is a good game to play with others. First of all. Tanks. They are fun, or annoying when the other team has 4 of them all over the map. But if you build your class properly and are careful against them (like you should be when facing a tank) then you can be a thorn in their side. Of course if they complement their tanks with supporting infantry, well you're teams in trouble. 

Now i just wish i could find some servers with decent latency to me. But usually I looking at 100 for a low ping. In Source games i can usually find hundreds of games with pings that are 50 or lower. But The multi-player is still quite fun, and If you love Call of Duty 4, but want more. This is it.

Left 4 Dead will be my next topic to discuss. Whenever I get around to it.

Teaser: 

It's My Multiplayer Game of The Year.

More CoD 5 Rambling

Just to make it short. Fun game. Although Singleplayer has some very poor design choices. Not the gameplay. Gameplay typically is fine (albeit that sniper bullshit still pisses me off). Multi-player is CoD 4 with new skins. So it's still great. Few new modes even.

So it appears that While most of the time the Japanese simply up and Ran straight at the Americans in Bonzai charges, there was a few cases where they did not. Noticably on Peliliu. How on that island they actually never Bonzai charged. So when the game depicts them doing it there they really shouldnt be. They had all these secret hole that they could jump out of and then kill a few americans and retreat into them again. The game has them come out of the holes, but then just bonzai rush you.
Also the Makin campaign makes no sense to me. There is 2 traps set up for your squad. But the thing is the Makin raid was a surprise raid. Why the fuck would the Japanese have traps set up on and Island that they dont think is coming under attack yet? Exactly they didnt. The Makin raid surprised them and was a pretty decent surprise attack. But the Navy decided they would stick with ambibious landings.

Oh and the Russian campaign this time around is utter crap. When it isnt being a stupid ass sniper mission that is obviously trying to copy CoD 4's "All Ghillied Up", it is pounding your ass with a Miracle shot German sniper. This campaign alternates between stupidly easy and stupidly tough (I was playing on Hard, so i do expect a challenge). The thing is the main reason I suffered was that your guy calling shit out says stuff like "He's behind the car!" and there are three cars out there. Awesome. Fucking awesome.
Oh and then there is a intro-animations which seem like some ultra-bs-patriot garbage shit that could not have been used at the time. See the thing is the intro's are very much like CoD 4. But CoD 4 got away with those because we have that technology for briefing our troops going into the field. In World War II they did not. Look at how CoD 1 & 2 handled intro cut-scenes. They used military maps, on projectors and slides, and gave you diary entries to read. So that it actually felt authentic.

I mean the game itself is good. Mostly. And Multi-player doesnt suffer from these because it gets the benefit of being an arbitrary fight between two sides that ressurect every 5 seconds. It's just there are some strange choices. And I Swear if I hear that damn Reznof or whatever cry for German blood one more time, I'mma kill the racist bastard. He's one step away from screaming "RAPE THEIR WOMEN AND CHILDREN!" which is something that I'm sure many Soviet troops cried as they entered Germany, but that doesnt mean I want to play a game about it. There is a point where historical accuracy should take a backseat.  Honestly the push into Berlin the worst feeling I have ever had playing a game. Shooting troops in the back on their homeland has no good feelings to it. Especially when the CO is goading all the troops on like some racist prick. I mean somehow they had to differentiate this from the push on Berlin that happened in the other CoD games.But Taking it this direction... bad call. 

Guess I'll finish the rest of the game now. Thank god I think the Russian crap is over. I really want to play the first two (+the expansion) over again though. Play some well done russian campaigns.

My Apologies

For you know.

The lack of posts. Essays and studying does not promote good blog keeping.

Also the want to spend what little time I do have playing games futher inhibits my ability to write here. 

So this will just be a quick update.

Fallout 3

Awesome, Very good RPG. Best one since the Witcher & Mass Effect.

Valkyria Chronicles

Really amazing art, fun twist on turn based combat. Neat story, that draws some strange parallels to the real world. I'm really enjoying it.

Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm

It is a Naruto game for the Naruto fans. The presentation is good, but a little underwhelming if you dont know whats going on. Very little effort to cover everything about the story, so it is clearly made for those who already know it. The graphics are amazing however. This generation of video games have really figured out how to bring Anime into 3D engines. Oh and the specials in the fights. Wow. Just Wow.

Wrath of the Lich King

Oh I dont play WoW. So yea it's probably more of the same though.

Left 4 Dead (demo)

Its interesting very fun when it doesnt lag out, and everyone understands what they are doing. Should be good to get to fully play a campaign and also try out the VS. mode.

Call of Duty 5 (World at War)

It is Call of Duty 4 in WWII. The multiplayer is literally exactly what you saw in CoD4 but with more. If you really like the setting I suppose it could be worth it. However seeing the Japanese portrayed as tactical geniuses in those Island battles is just nuts. Honestly they used Bonzai attacks over and over and over. And typically suffered 7 men dead to kill one American and wound a few others. Guess gameplay trumps historical accuracy. Meh long as its fun I guess.

Edit: too many edits. Made a new post.

If I'm Here I Do Not Have To Write Essays!

So lets get onto some stuff.

Resistance 2 Beta:

I think i can talk about this. And if I cant well then whoops. Send a crack legal team over steal my hundreds of dollars of assets. 

It is pretty fun. the Co-Op is all i've tried out so far, but it is good. Mainly play the medic. Which is fine for me because they get like double the exp of everyone else when they are played correctly, because healing instantly tosses up like 20-100 exp where as most kills are only around 20-50 exp. The leveling up system makes you feel like progress is being made with actions, and it seems like a long progression system. 

Overall the game seems good. Good aiming system and hit detection, nice graphics, all good production values. Giant monsters to kill in a team. I'll definitely get it at some point in the future, prolly not at launch though. Too much to do.

World of Goo:

Jeezus christ this is how we need to push games. The aesthetics are brilliant, the sound effects are perfect (how did they know that goo should sound the way it does, how do you figure out what noise it makes when it sways in the wind?!) and the music ohhhh boy. yes if you like finding those gem of an indie game. This one you should look at. There is even a fairly lengthy demo. 

The game is best described as an architectural puzzler. Because you have to build buildings to bring the goo where it needs to go. Sounds crazy, But believe the first time you figure out how to get across the pit (no spoilers here but i really enjoy just figuring out the solutions because it is totally not a fixed path, there are probably at least a couple of valid ways to get through every stage. 

Spectromancer:

Turn based card battler! Well I adore turn based strategy games so this was pretty much a no-brainer. Especially once Tycho of Penny Arcade fame pushed it on his little website. It is very fun. And upon completion of the demo, i was compelled, NAY obligated as a lover of turn based strategems to give them their $20, so that I might continue to play it.

Oh also apparently there is like 6,200 games coming out in the next 6 weeks. Woohoo. Well I do have multiple research intensive (or is it extensive?) to pump out. So I had best mosie on to those. 

Ciao. Oh and if you've read this far. I love you. 

So I Lied.

See there was this other game that I got that I totally forgot to talk about. And the funny thing is, it is a rather high profile title. Also I quite enjoy it. I simply had been avoiding it for the prior 3 weeks because of its ability to pull me into it far too effectively.

I am of course speaking of the one and only:

Spore

It certainly gets credit for being unique. Also for being fun. If not for difficulty. Although the final stage helps with that. But lets go a little more in depth to its lack of depth.

Cell Stage: You are pretty much Pac-man. You eat the color of food that matches what your mouth can eat; jaws eat the red meat bits, which you can get by killing things also, filter feeding mouth eats green bits you find on plants. It is fun enough, and it is pretty short. The evolution mechanic here is simple and doesnt give you a whole lotta flexibility, but it isnt suppose to yet.

Creature Stage: You are in an action RPG that has little to no purpose. You either befriend neighbouring creatures, or you slaughter them all into oblivion. It's alright and seeing your first Epic creature is quite a sight. I actually got to see two of them fight, although the winner then turned around and killed me... so yea. Fun Fun. Creature creator here is the real fun, the potential you have is basically unlimited. If you can think it you can probably make it. And it is fun just making things. Sometimes you make quick easy things just to make it. Other times you want the windows to look just right, or you fiddle getting the eyes in right spot, then you move the tail around just right. Positioning the arms and legs though is the real challenge. Get that done well, and your creature can be pretty badass. 

Tribal Stage: RTS so fucking light. You basically mass produce your guys and rush the other tribes. The clothing editor Is very fun to fiddle with though. 

Civ Stage: RTS slightly heavier than before. Basically you get to build buildings and vehicles now. I made a tank, which was awesome for me. The quest for spice is interesting, although also quite easy. I really like making buildings. Especially homes.

Space Stage: The WTF where did this massive game come from. Okay you know how there are 100 Billion stars in the Galaxy? Go visit all of them. Also there are going to be crap load of other Aliens out there also exploring and doing stuff. Many of whom will be dangerous to you. I swear if I get anymore simultaneous attacks on three colonies at once again. But once you actually get the feel for the flow of space stage you can easily lose hours on end playing it. The game's entire depth is in this part of the game. There is no quick way to finish it, there is barely even a truly finish the game proper. But you certainly can have fun, and if you like having fun, in unconventional games, well then you cant go wrong with Spore.

Whats that you say? You're not sure if Spore is for you? Well answer this. Did you enjoy the Sims. If you said yes, then yes you should get Spore. Different game, but the experience overall is similiar.

So yea, I'm done with Spore for tonight, but every now and then it is one hell of the game to blow an evening playing.

Ciao.

Stuff = No Posts

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.