The Unbelievable!

Today I wanted to post about personal triumphs. Goals achieved and weights lifted. Here is my struggle with finishing video games. There are lots of stumbling blocks along the way, but since finishing Brink, I thought it might be possible to finish another video game. Here is such a story.

Gears of War was released in 2006 and the only real reason I know that is I actually finished the game and saw the ending credits. I've had this game for 2 years maybe. It was an impulse "used game" purchase that I ended up costing me $20.00. I had played it a few times solo and with my com padre , Scott over at Pumping Irony. Still I was unable to fully get into the game and ended up putting it away in my gaming drawer, where it sat among other unfinished games until 3 weeks ago.

It had been suggested by Mr. Pumping Irony, that dust off Gears of War, get a co op game going on Insanity and get a few achievements. So, I removed the game from its hiding spot and placed it on the table so that when I time came I could just pop it in. Well, a week went by, mostly due to me being out of town for my anniversary, so we didn't game. The next week I was in Nashville, again my fault, soaking up all that nice hot weather. I arrived back in town this past Saturday, exhausted and just wanting to laze around the house for a few days.

Well, as I was relaxing from my week out of town, I kept staring at the Gears box. Finally I decided to pop it in and give it a few minutes of my time. Well a few minutes ended up being almost of Sunday that rolled into a bit of Monday afternoon. When I had finished I was starting up mission 5. I had gotten a few achievements and decided to see how many more there were to be had. It turns out upon further investigation that I had a far bit left to go, most of them are for harder difficulty levels and multiplaying. The most interesting thing I did discover was that I was only one mission away from completing the game. I couldn't believe it. Just a few more hours of play and I would have beaten my second console game in a month. A goal I never thought possible with my constant inability to stay focused. Until Brink, I hadn't completed a single game on the console. Sure, I've played board games and quick arcade type games, but never a game with a full fledged story before, well, before Brink, sad to say that was my first finished game, but such is life. Its like a girl losing her virginity to the fat kid with glasses in the back row with the z sounding name. Oh wait, that boy was me. lol Anyway.

Well, yesterday I got home early and decided that this was it. I was going to put another notch in my bed post by finally bedding down Gears of War and getting that sweet satisfaction of finishing her off, I mean it. Sorry got carried away with my analogy. Well, it was pretty straight forward, get to the end of the train, kill the boss. To tell the truth, in missions 3 and 4 I hit a few tough spots that kept me hanging longer in a section that I really needed to be because 1)it takes me a while to figure out how to get through a section if it has some trick to it 2) I didn't consult with the Internet on how to get past a boss or a section, I just figured it out on my own. So I figured that getting to the end of mission 5 was going to be difficult, but in fact it was pretty easy. I did die a few times due to my stupidity, but for the most part it wasn't too frustrating. Well, until I got to Raam, the final boss.

Raam was not easy. I died a lot. I did finally figure out that a straight on approach did not work. Finally, because I was just inches from finishing the game I decided to work the magic of the Internet for a strat. Well, after reading a few, I discovered that I was fucked. Most if not all of the strategies said keep shooting him in the head with the sniper rifle, check, got that gun, but only after you get the birds off him, which is done with a Torque bow, crap, don't have one of those, don't know where to get one, and I don't want to reload the whole mission just to pick up one weapon for the end, which I'm sure I won't be able to hold on to any ammo for. I could use grenades to get the birds off, but that requires standing up to do and every time I tried that I died. I kept trying different approaches with no better results. I did start getting better at shooting him in the head without getting the sniper rifle jammed on reload.

Now it wasn't completely hopeless. He isn't protected by the birds the whole time, they do fly out and try to attack me, which gives me a good opportunity to shoot him. However, that window is small and if he starts moving forward, it makes it harder. Well, I'm sure this is getting drawn out, so I'll wrap it up. I just kept running up against that wall hoping for some kind of break and finally I got it. He got stuck on some of the obstacles and couldn't move forward, the birds didn't go back to protect him so I was able to get a few good shots off and as he finally started moving forward and I thought I was done for, I got off a shot and finished that fucker off

The game takes over and you get a nice video how you save the day, and make it to safety. The game ends and the credits start to roll. I have to say as frustrated as I was and how close I was to yanking that game out of the disc tray, it was very satisfying to sit there and watch the credits roll. I watched all of them, because I deserved it. lol

My assessment of the game, it was good and I can't start to unwrap Gears of War 2 which I've had since release but never opened. I do want to finish a few other games that I'm currently playing. Mass Effect 2 has been occupying my time recently and once I play a bit more I'll give a nice review. Also still have Crysis 2 and LA Noire to finish, which I do plan on doing soon. I am a bit worried about LA Noire. I keep listening to podcasts that say after a while the game keeps boring and there is a weird twist after the Vice desk that upsets a few players. Not sure how I like knowing that going forward but, since I'm taking big breaks in between I don't think it will bother me as much as those running straight through the game.

Also being a non reformed game enthusiast, I purchased World of Kefling and Trenched. Trench is a nice tower of defense game but with a very different spin to it that I find fun and refreshing if not hard and complicated. World of Kefling is an Xbox 360 avatar game that is very similar to an RTS game. I played the demo of it yesterday and just had to buy it. lol

That is about it for gaming. I know my posts haven't been as frequent as I know you the reader and I would like. Its very hard finding things to post about since I'm not really playing an MMO right now. I hope to remedy that soon once SWTOR comes out. In the mean time I do plan to give Eve a shot. I have a 21 day friend pass thanks to Stargrace. Once I have more bitterness in my life from an MMO game, I'll be able to do more posting I hope. Just stick with me, I'm not going anywhere and if you get bored waiting, go Here and Here for all your MMO rage and bitterness.

What I'm Playing?

Well, seems I've been spending a lot of my free time lately snuggling up to my Xbox 360 with one recent exception. So here's the list and my impressions:


LA. Noire (Xbox 360)

I'm to a true fan of GTA. I usually buy it, then run around doing tons of shit only to find out that I've done absolutely nothing and quit. I even tried Red Dead Redemption with the same results. If the world is an open sandbox with tons of stuff to do, I find that I never get any of the main story done, therefore, never actually finishing the game. Well, this time is going to be different.

L.A Noire is a crime solving game set in the post WW2 atmosphere of Los Angeles. Your character is a vet, who has decided the best way to server his country now is to be a be a crime stopper. You start out as a beat cop but as you solve cases, you get promoted. Currently I'm a Homicide Detective who's partner would rather be bellying up to a bar than solving a case, but you just have to cope. The game looks gorgeous and the mechanics are pretty great as well. You get to locate and shift through clues left at each crime scene. You eventually get to question possible eye witnesses as well as suspects, using the clues discovered to ferret out their correct answers.

I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys crime shows, its worth it.. And not to be over optimistic, I think I may actually finish this game, which is saying a lot since I don't think I've ever finished a game to date.

Crysis 2 (Xbox 360)

Hearing all kinds of good reviews from friends I decided to give this one a try. Usually I go straight for the multi-playing aspect of any First Person Shooter, but this time, I decided to dive into the single player since I'd heard great things. I have to say I'm really impressed. The story is a little weak and hard to follow at first, but it does start to fill in the holes as you start making your way through the game. I'm still not 100% sure what the suit is I'm wearing that gives me all this incredible power and stealth ability, but as long as keep getting to kill people, I really don't care. The game is very beautiful and the mobility of the character, which includes being able to power slide under low obstacles as well as being able to grab ledges and pull myself up, is a lot of fun.

I've dabbled with the multi player part a bit but nothing to really give an honest review about. Its similar to most other FPS online aspects already on the market. You start off with a limited number of load outs and as you level up, you get to unlock different guns, attachments and perks to your power suit. My first attempt at online play was very unsatisfactory, due to the learning curve. There apparently is a trick to using your armor boost and your stealth abilities at the right times, otherwise you get pwned like an ant under a magnifying glass. However, as you learn the strategies for each map, the online play becomes a lot more fun, unlike my first 2 hours. The real secret is getting over those first 2 hours of failure and forcing yourself to continue.

I ended up purchasing this game at Best Buy for $40.00, which is well worth the price. I can actually see myself finishing this game and from what I understand, I'm almost to the half way point after 6 hours.

Terraria (PC/Steam)

I picked this little game up for two reasons, the price, $10.00 and its a 2d version of Minecraft. Actually there is a third reason, a lot of people I follow on Twitter are also playing it. Curse you friend's lists. To say this game is addictive is an understatement. I found myself over the weekend, playing this game well into the wee hours of the A.M.

Basically, its a 2d version of minecraft. You start off with a pick and an ax. You fight slimes during the day, which provide you with ooze that is needed to create torches. At night, you fight zombies and flying eyeballs. The game play is that simple.

Its just like minecraft. I actually think in a few respects its easier and more accessible than minecraft. The game automatically gives you recipes for items once you've acquired the necessary materials, unlike minecraft where you have to do it by trial and error. As you build certain work stations, i.e work table, kiln, and anvil, it opens up more recipes. The trick is to have the right materials in your inventory. There is a lot more combat in this game, since your having to defend yourself night and day, but armor and weaponry are very easy to come by. Eventually, after you build up your shelter a bit by adding few torches, a table and a couple of chairs, you might be surprised when a merchant moves in.

The game is a lot of fun and I would recommend it to anyone who's been wanting to try minecraft or to even those who own it. Beware, the game is very addictive.

As a side note:

I did purchase Brink (Xbox 360). I didn't add it to the above games because well, I'm not really playing it. Upon release the game was pretty buggy and laggy. The learning curve was very steep even for average fps players, that of course is my opinion. The game doesn't seem to be able to deliver on its much anticipated hype. Yes, it has some pretty interesting game play mechanics, but Crysis 2 does a better implementation of a similar movement style.

To start with, there really is no single player game to speak of. The single player "story" is broken up into separate maps that are objective based. You can do the maps either as Security or Rebels with the same objectives. The maps or "matches" are team based and they don't really propel the story forward well at all. Single player is multi-player with bots. If the bots were decent that would be one thing, but your team mate bots are stupid and the opposing teams bots are hard as hell to crack, unless you set them on stupid. The game isn't what was promised, at least not in my eyes. Section 8: Prejudice a XBLA $15.00 game is a much better purchase and way cheaper and has objective based multi player.

The developers of Brink are trying to make things right with the community by continuing to update and patch the game to alleviate some of the issues with lag and graphic card compatibility on the PC side. My issue with all this is, why wasn't this tested before release? How can you release a game without testing the online lag or graphic card compatibility? That's just a huge misstep in my book. Its like walking out side without realizing your naked, who does that? Oh yea, crazy people.

When a person puts down $60.00 of hard earned cash, it completely destroys their confidence in developers when they can't deliver the goods. The only reason I've not traded the game in, is because I have three friends who want to at least try the multi player to see how destroyed it really is. I'm convinced that once this happens the game will be traded in a matter of hours.

And that's what I have and have not been playing.

Giddy as a School Girl

Let your mind go blank!

Why do people buy games?

What motivates certain purchase over others, especially in the same genre?

Why buy one FPS, MMO or RTS game over another? Is it devotion? The fanboy issue where one franchise or developer is better than another?

What drives the consumer to spend hard earned cash on a $60 game?

My theory? It's mass hypnosis.

Developers want your money, whether they put out a good product or not. But how do they get players to part with cash?

First, they put a good bit of money in the commercials. Make the game look like it's going to visually rock their world. If players ask for actual game footage, well, just video a few scenes produced under controlled situations with very low lag on super computers. I mean how is a player to know differently, especially with disclaimers on the box that say "your online play may vary", meaning "we don't really know how this game will play once thousands of users log into our tiny servers, but that's not our fault that, you bought a beta, sucker."

They use post hypnotic suggestions like "stunning graphics" or "new control schemes". Maybe they say "WoW killer" and poof people are spending money and clearing shelf space.

Demos do nothing more than make us cluck like a chicken with delight. We can't possibly know what a game will be like from a 10 minute tease or a 20 level beta.

Developers have their hands in our pockets and we are so blind we can't see it. If we aren't hypnotized explain to me why 90% of the games released get a patch on the first week and we are happy about it?

"Man lag was bad till they patched it, but now I'm having a blast. I still can't access my bags or bank but I hear they are working on another patch, hope that fixes it", he says with great enthusiasm

If we bought a defective car would we be so happy about them giving us a new part 7 days after purchase? Would we return it if we found out it had 2 hamsters on a wheel instead of an engine?

I ask this, if it's not hypnosis what is it? Mass stupidity?


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What sucks?

Everything!


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Blank

What to blog about? That's a huge question? Do I talk about the current MMO landscape and it's future? What, if any, impact has Rift had on WoW's sub numbers? Will WoW wither away or become Free to Play? Should more companies take chances to break out of the WoW mold or should they continue to clone it?

Well I could talk about all those things but then I would be like thousands of other bloggers out there, speculating on the future of a business that 10 years ago was dominated by Everquest and why was that? Because they were the only game in town, basically.

In the future it seems that anyone with a programmer and investor's cash will be getting into the MMO business, sorry Curt Schilling. All this does is clutter the field, making it harder for the gems to stand out. Forcing bloggers to pick a favorite and trounce everything that isn't what they are playing. Giving birth to a flock of Fanboys that will circle looking for prey, starting a plethora of flame wars and...

Well to be honest that isn't the future it's the present. People spend way too much energy deciding who has the bigger penis, I mean MMO, and why? Who really cares? I change MMO's like underwear, once a year and to be honest I'm only loyal till you bore me to death or fail to provide value for my dollar. Trying to explain why my choice is better that your choice is like trying to explain what a song bird sounds like to a deaf person and pretty silly if you ask me.

If people were the same, liked the same thing and made the same choices the world would be boring. Excepting that your opinion matters but only to you is the first step to recovery, from the dreaded fanboy disease.

And I thought I wouldn't have anything insightful to say.


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Back to the Middle again!

Middle Earth that is.

Succumbing to the powerful Jedi mind tricks of several friends (a nice SWTOR plug),I decided to give the Free to Play (F2P) version of LOTRO a try.

Now as some if my readers may know I did sub to LOTRO back when it first came out but only briefly. At the time I was still hooked on the WoW crack so playing another MMO along side it was always fatal to the other MMO. So I ended up dropping LOTRO.

I won't do a true first impressions of the game since what I posted back a few years ago still hasn't changed much in my opinion. Instead I'll discuss my current likes and dislikes.

Lets talk about the dislikes first. This way I can end the post on a positive note.

Turbines new Free 2 Play business model is based on Micro Transactions. Basically Turbine let's you play for free and gives you access to almost all of the content. However some items, perks and content will cost you money to unlock. Real money is exchanged for Turbine Points which is used as currency in the LOTRO store.

Want a second revive and disregard timers, then spend a few points. Want more bag and bank space, how about resetting your daily tasks or increasing the number of tasks you can do per day well just spend a few Turbine Points. Would you like to ride your own horse? Well the horse will cost you a few game silver but the skill will cost you points. I'm not a fan of micro transactions because the player can end up spending more to unlock items than it would cost for a monthly sub where a majority of things are free.

On the plus side, as you adventure and unlock Deeds you do earn some Points to spend in the store. It just takes a while to build them up, but it is possible to play the game without paying for a sub or buying Points. But like me, most people who play an MMO want instant gratification, which makes it hard to wait. I want what I want and I want it now has always been my motto when playing any game.

Subscribing to the game will unlock a lot of items and areas, but developers have added a few additional quests and storyline content to LOTRO since launch that even subscribers have to pay for with points to access it. I'm not a fan of charging subscribers for additional content when they spend $15.00 every month, but Turbine makes up for this by giving an allotment of points free to subscribers every month which can be used to unlock additional content as well as other perks available in the store.

The point with all this is that before playing Free 2 Play LOTRO I hated the idea of an MMO using micro transactions. Now I don't think it's so bad. It let's me play a triple A game for free and I like that.

That should cover all my dislikes. I do have some nit picky stuff I could mention but all games have some animation, sound or graphical glitch that effects the experience and although LOTRO has there fair share, still, it's not enough this time to detour me from playing.

So why am I back in Middle-Earth, besides the fact it's free? Mainly because a bunch of close friends have decided to start playing. Before no one I knew in real life played and the game quickly became more like a single player game in a world of strangers. I got bored and left. Now we have a little community that hangs out once or twice a week. We are all learning the game together and having a fantastic time. It's very casual and I like that. The game is still gorgeous. The sounds and music help get you into the game.

I'm usually not big on game lore but I am really digging the whole Tolkien setting this time around, trying to finish parts of the main story line and really enjoying the journey.

The game just seems more fun this time around. Maybe because it's not competing with WoW or maybe playing with friends does make a huge difference or could it be that it's free? Who knows. Either way I'm having fun and that is the important thing, right?

Location:Piedmont Pkwy,Greensboro,United States