Adventures of a Female Gamer: Weekly Gaming Diary - January 21th, 2010

Yea, so obviously I wasn't a big fan of my previous weekly gaming diary blog post name! It was a little stupid, so I had to change it up a tid bit. I wouldn't necessarily classify myself as a "babe" so the name wasn't really all that fitting. Moving on!

Oh hi! Do you remember me? I'm that girl that used to update this blog on a relatively normal basis, but since the new year has done a pretty poor job of doing so. There are really no excuses other then my own laziness, so I won't try and make them up. Something happened in my life that has prompted me to attempt to update a bit more often and that something is this beautiful thing:


Ah yes, that is a 23" ASUS HD LCD monitor pair with my old NEC 19" LCD monitor. I got the 23" in the mail yesterday and immediately had to set it up. I didn't get much WoW playing time in, but I loaded it up just to see how it looks and it looks GLORIOUS! I hope to get some more gaming in this weekend to test it out, possibly some Fallout 3 or some Crysis. WoW is nice and all, but I really want to test it out on some more graphically intense games.

So what have I been playing lately? Over the past few weeks there has been some Rock Band 2, some Scene It: Box Office Smash, some Left 4 Dead 2 and the oldie, but the goodie...WoW. I haven't really been spending a lot of time on any type of "hardcore" game lately. By hardcore, I mean mostly more serious games like Fallout 3 or Crysis or something of that nature. Life just hasn't allowed me to play any type of more serious game for a while, but that's okay, I've been enjoying being a bit of a casual gamer lately. I've gotten my toon up to level 72 in WoW, which is nice. I think once I get to 80 I'm going to take a break and try and dedicate my gaming time to other games that I need to finish. I have another toon I'd like to level to 80, but I think she can wait.

I've been enjoying Left 4 Dead 2 quite a bit. I've only gotten the chance to play a couple times and have played through maybe 3 campaigns completely, but it's been fun. The only complaint I have with the game at this point is the HUGE difference between levels of difficulty. While I was home for Christmas with Nate, we played on normal and that felt like it should have been advanced...or at least somewhere between normal and advanced. A couple days ago I played again with a friend, but this time on easy because he doesn't have too much experience play L4D2. Honestly, easy felt TOO easy even for him. We got through the campaign without any major trouble. The biggest difference I noticed between the two levels of difficult is the number of special infected you experience. In easy it felt like it wasn't enough. In normal, it felt like it was just a little bit too much. I must admit, while playing on normal was frustrating and felt too difficult (for a normal setting), it was much more enjoyable to play. Yes, there were extreme moments of frustration and I wanted to throw my controller a few times, but sharing THAT experience with another person was much more enjoyable then sharing the experience of quickly and easily getting through a campaign with a friend. I definitely need to get some more L4D2 play time in. Maybe this weekend. We shall see!

Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: December 21, 2009

Hi, my name is Kara. You might know me from a month or so ago. I write for this blog and have suddenly disappeared! But do not fret! I have returned from a blogging vacation caused by laziness to update you on my video game playing habits! REJOICE!

You missed me, right, RIGHT?!

It appears my last update to the blog was over a month ago..sheesh. I can't even remember what I've been playing in the last month. I'm sure there were good amounts of WoW, probably some Torchlight and definitely some Borderlands. Of course, there's always a constant stream of Farmville to top it all off, but those are all boring and mostly have been discussed before and due to my epically slow progression in games updating the blog on those activities could get boring and repetitive. Instead, I'll update on a new game I got to playing this past week, Left 4 Dead 2.

This past week I was on vacation for the holiday to my home state of Washington. Nate and his wife Cindy also came along and so did Nate's Xbox. We didn't get a whole lot of video game playing in while we were home just due to being extremely busy, but we did get to play some L4D2 a couple nights. I purchased L4D2 a few weeks ago when it was on sale on Amazon, but hadn't really gotten around to playing it. Nate and I sat down one night and started playing the Dark Carnival campaign. Nate really wanted to get the Guardin' Gnome achievement. We had attempted earlier to get the gnome, but failed miserably. This time around using an ample amount of assault rifles and moltovs we got it and were therefore determined to complete the campaign so he could get his oh so sweet pink Depeche Mode t-shirt. I have to say, completing this task was probably single handily the most frustrating, yet the most enjoyable moment I've ever had in video gaming. It wasn't carrying around the gnome that caused the issues, it was the fact that playing on Normal in L4D2 is HARD. I mean, I'm not talking die once, figure out a strategy kind of hard...I'm talking about dying multiple, multiple times and playing through the finale 5 times before completing it kind of hard. At the end of it, I was beyond frustrated, but looking back on it the next day it was so unbelievably fun. L4D2 is most definitely significantly more difficult then L4D. Normal in L4D2 feels like Advanced in L4D. When you suddenly have a spitter, a jockey, a tank and a boomer at one time, it becomes a bit overwhelming. Valve has most definitely achieved the goal of removing any and all strategy from the game that players might develop. While I look back on it now and relive the moment, the excitement and the frustration and feel a sudden rush of how much fun it is, I certainly hope that Valve releases a patch in the future to tone it down just a tad bit. I'm not asking for a cake walk, but trying to get rid of two tanks while a spitter is puking corrosive acid all over you sort of makes your blood boil. I could not even imagine playing that game on Expert.

WAIP: December 16, 2009 - On Vacation Edition

This post is not so much to chat about what I have been playing this past week but more to chat about what I have been playing for the past few days. There is always one game that is included in that category: Left 4 Dead 2.

I had previously been skeptical on whether I was going to pick up this game even though the original was my game of the year last year. What sold me on the game was actually playing through some of it with Kara and my wife these past few days and I have since ordered it on Amazon and it will be waiting for me when I get home.

I have only really dabbled but I am really a big fan of all the small additions to the game. These additions make the original appear very lackluster or almost as though Left 4 Dead 1 was just a test bed for the sequel.

I am enjoying working out ways to avoid kill the new special infected and combining that with strategies learned from the original infected. All of the old infected are fairly similar to how they behaved in the original with one exception - the witch. This time she wanders about making it both easier and harder to avoid her depending on the situation. It adds an interesting stealth-like element to the game whereas previously the object was to just reach the end as quickly - and with the least possible damage - as possible.

The addition of the Charger, Spitter and Jockey makes the game tense at all moments but I also felt that at times knowing which of the new special infected that was coming was predictable. An perfect example of this is when I was playing with Kara and I had not seen a Spitter in a while I said to her, "I think a Spitter might be coming up soon," and sure enough the next corner greeted us with a noxious green acid pool.

The Charger is not particularly hard to kill but is there to provide the unexpected annoyance of splitting up your party when you least want/expect it.

Lastly, the Jockey will always come around if you are falling behind your party or are getting ahead of your party. He will also come around regardless but if you have someone watching your back it is easy to make short work of him.

Something that I did not think that would make a difference to me one way or the other was the dismemberment. It is so gratifying and it makes killing zombies any other way just plain boring. The melee weapons really show this off when you are lopping off heads, arms, and legs with machetes, guitars, etc.

My favorite experience with the game so far was trying to get Gnome Chompski through the Dark Carnival level. At the end finale it provided such a level of frustration, excitement, and eleation. What sold me on the game was that I found myself talking to Kara the next morning about the crazy situations that we had gone through trying to get the Gnome out safely. The moments that you talk about sold me on the first game as well.

L4D DLC Announced; or, Hey Valve! 'Sup wit you these days?

The other possible title for this post was "God DAMMIT, PC Users!"

By now you've certainly heard the good news. Valve has announced some brand new DLC for Left 4 Dead! Remember when we all thought Left 4 Dead would be neglected now that they're working heavily on Left 4 Dead 2 with plans to release it within a years time of the original? We were clearly wrong! Hahaha, silly us! Check out the press release:

Entitled "Crash Course," the latest DLC delivers new single-player, multiplayer and co-operative gameplay to both platforms. Targeted for release in September, "Crash Course" bridges the gap between the end of the "No Mercy" campaign and the beginning of "Death Toll" in the original game, expanding the game universe with new locations, new dialogue from the original cast, and an explosive finale

While containing both Survival maps and a Co-operative Campaign, the primary goal of "Crash" is to deliver a complete Versus mode experience in just 30 minutes, resulting in a streamlined version of the game's existing Versus campaigns. A recharge timer for infected teammates has also been added, and item spawn behavior has changed for more balanced gameplay.

-Source

That sounds good to me. You can be sure that I'll be downloading this for free, just like the Survival Mode and 2 new Versus modes they gave us a while ago.

Wait. Hold on. I didn't finish reading the press release:

Left 4 Dead: Crash Course is targeted for release in September and will be available free of charge on the PC and for 560 Gamer points on Xbox Live.

...what?

Alright, let's cut to the chase: I'm the resident cynic and I realize this. I'm the one that points out the flaws over everything else. But let's be real here for a minute. The reason people love Valve is because they are constantly giving back to the fans that support all their crazy schemes. Since the release of the Orange Box, they've improved Team Fortress 2 ten-fold with new weapons, additions to characters, map updates, new achievements, and all of it has been free. All of it has only been on the PC as well. The 360 gamer sees nothing of this, and it looks like we never will (despite my reporting on it a while ago). Then, Valve decides to rush out Left 4 Dead 2 because it's "too big for DLC." That may be so, but it's still a slap in the face to those of us who can't pay $59.99 every time you decide to put out a new game a year (I'm looking at you, every sports game ever). And now, after giving us the Survival pack (which, all things considered, was a BIG update) for free, us folk with a 360 have to now pay for this new campaign, and the PC kids don't? How is this fair?

The answer is probably pretty simple: a while ago, Valve stated that the reason the XBOX 360 users weren't getting any TF2 updates is because Microsoft wouldn't allow them to give out such a large amount of additional content for free. Valve said, "Ok, fine, then we'll wait until we have something big to unload on the console so, if they have to pay, at least they're getting bang for their buck!" Thanks guys. It's appreciated, really. If I have to be aggressive towards someone, I at least like to know who I'm being aggressive to: Microsoft! Those cheeky devils. I would call Microsoft out on this if this weren't a system they had been doing consistently for years. Microsoft almost ALWAYS charges for it's new DLC. It doesn't matter if it's TF2, Halo Wars, Gears of War 2, you name it. You want it, you buy it. I see this as perfectly fair. And since Valve is an independent company now, they can do whatever they like when it comes to the internet. If they want to give away a Sandvich for free, they'll give that Sandvich away for less than free! So that's the logistics of it: Microsoft has rules and Valve has to comply (and I knew that without having to ask Valve for an explanation).

But is it fair? No. Not in the slightest. Look, I will still be cross at Valve for Left 4 Dead 2 because I don't see it as worth $59.99 and nothing I've read has changed my opinion on that (and I've stated my opinion as such on multiple occassions). I'll pay the $7 for a new level and other tweaked updates because I see it as worth that price, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. It is entirely unfair that one medium will get free updates and the rest of us either don't get the updates or pay for the few we do get. We don't get anything, really. As far as a community goes, the 360 is screwed. Do we get to play L4D in the Winchester? No. How about the Mall from Dawn of the Dead? If you want that, go buy Dead Rising and have someone sit next to you in order to fake a multiplayer experience. Let's face it - we're getting the raw end of the stick, and it sucks. As good as L4D is, and as fun as it is to run around and shoot zombies, the fact is we have 5 maps (soon to be 6) and all we can do is play them over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and you see where I'm going with this, right? While you can't really fault Valve here (who swear they love us but can't do anything about it) or Microsoft (because it's not like this is a weird change for them and we all knew what we were getting into when we bought a 360), we still get less than half the experience that a PC user gets.

And that, my friends, is what Penn and Teller would decree as bullshit.

Whose Side Are You On? A Left 4 Dead 2 Preview

Left 4 Dead 2 could have possibily been one of the biggest announcements at E3 this year. With the original still a few months away from being a year old, no one was really expecting it, especially given Valve's long history of making us constantly wait. It was quite a surprise. Whether or not it was a pleasant surprise, is left up to the gamer.

It seems as though the gaming world is a bit torn on the issue of Left 4 Dead 2. Players are upset at the prospect of having to dish out an additional $60 ($50 for PC gamers) for what they perceive could easily be achieved in DLC. Players are also upset at the prospect of Left 4 Dead being well, left for dead due to the addition of the sequel. On the other hand, it’s a sequel to Left 4 Dead and it’s unheard of for Valve to release new content this soon. Plus, Valve has a long standing history of releasing excellent games, so can anyone truly be let down? The real question is, will the sequel pack a big enough punch to get players excited and justify the hefty price? Personally, I say yes.

A week or so ago I received the August issue of PC Gamer Magazine. Right smack dab on the cover was Left 4 Dead 2. I got very little new information about the game from small blogs across the web post E3, but the PC Gamer review gave me the entire spectrum and I must say that I am very much excited. I’m honestly a little bit late to the game in regards to L4D. I bought the game on release day for my PC, but never really played due to my lack of friends who are fellow PC gamers. It was until I recently purchase an Xbox 360, that I discovered the true glory of the game.

After reading the PC Gamer article, it seems that the developers of the Left 4 Dead series sat down and actually listened to the complaints about the game given by the players. One of these complaints is predictability. While L4D’s AI eliminates predictability and strategy better then any game made previous, there are still some predictable aspects. Strategies such as crouching in the corners are common among L4D players. The Tank in L4D2 will eliminate this strategy by being able to hit multiple survivors if they are hiding in a corner. One of the best features of L4D is the AI and the fact that every single time you play, you get a different experience. That isn’t common among a lot of games today and that definitely drew players in. They are also updated the types of infected in the game. They are adding a new Charger that seems almost like a combination of all the infected in L4D. There will be variations of infected from the previous game; however, this time they will have mutations that work to your disadvantage. No longer will the witch be easily avoidable as she huddles on the floor sobbing. This time she’s going to wander and it’s most likely that she will wander directly into you. So have fun getting that achievement for not disturbing the witch in L4D2.

One of the bigger changes that has been known about since E3 is the additional of melee weapons. There will be an addition of a frying pan, an axe, a chainsaw and some others. This was added in an effort to prevent friendly fire in closer quarters. I’m quite confident in saying the chainsaw will most likely become everyone’s new best friends. The only downside to the addition of these melee weapons is that you will not be able to hold a melee weapon as well as a gun at the same time. That means, you can use the chainsaw for a bit, but you’re going to have to drop it if you want to use that shotgun. There will also be additions to the types of throwables you get and the types of guns available. Special ammo clips such as incendiary rounds will be provided. You’ll be capable of dual welding different types of handguns instead of the set standard that was provided in L4D.

Another large addition to L4D2 will be a storyline. With L4D you were dropped into the game without much knowledge of the characters or what is really going on, minus the cinematic in the very beginning of the game. L4D2 will begin with the characters meeting outside a mall (hello Mr. Romano!). There will be more interaction with the characters and more storyline. You’ll learn more about what is going on, the help that is being provided (or not provided) and you’ll also get more interaction with the world around you such as FEMA, the military, etc. Not only is the storyline new, but the setting will be different. This time the carnage takes places in the south with most of the maps taking place during the day. It’s expected for zombies to be wandering the streets and woods at night, but it gives a completely different feel when you’re encountering zombies while the sun breaches the horizon. The campaigns will also be larger then what we saw in Left 4 Dead. Valve has stated that these will be the biggest maps they have ever made distance-wise.

One of the things I am most looking forward to is what has been termed “enhanced dismemberment.” This time around when you riddle a zombie with bullets, it will actually show. You’ll be able to shoot off limbs and tear bodies apart. Instead of trying to guess how much HP the Tank has left, it will come quite obvious as his body is slowly torn apart by your bullets (or your chainsaw!). I’m imagining the fun that will be had when I can shoot off the legs of a zombie and watch it try and slowly drag itself to me. I mean, they’re zombies right? They’re best served with pieces of their body hanging from their side.

So all in all, where do I stand on the L4D2 debate? I’m excited and I will definitely be picking it up on release day. I trust Valve as a gaming company to create a magnificent product. They have never let me down before and I don’t expect them to ever do so in the future. However, Valve, I do have one request. Before you spring a L4D3 on us, could you please oh please release Half Life 2: Episode 3?

Pro- or Anti-Left 4 Dead 2: Where do you stand?

Aside from my Monday MUpdates, I've clearly been lacking in the posting department. Considering the articles I've been reading on the subject lately, I've decided to throw in my own two cents into what is essentially a long winded soliloquy-esque rant, so enjoy:

When Valve announced Left 4 Dead 2 at E3 this year, you can go ahead and bet that they assumed everyone would be psyched considering the popularity of the game and the various awards that it won. This was, however, not the case at all. What ended up happening was a group of hardcore fans have instead decided to absolutely boycott the game in a group called NO-L4D2. 22,520 people have all pledged to not purchase the game upon it's released and are growing everyday, whereas the Pro L4D2 crew is made up of 11 people. So where do you stand on this debate?

Valve, which in the past have always been good their fans and consumers, have in fact addressed this whole situation. "It was just like, OK, this is big enough that this isn’t DLC, we’re not going to be able to leak it out. It’s a cohesive, single thing. It’s Left 4 Dead 2," claims Valve's Chet Faliszek. "In fact Left 4 Dead one, we still aren’t done with it. We still have updates coming. Our focus is always on what we’re putting in the box, put as much as we can in the box. Let’s not worry about: let’s save that and not put that in the game. No, let’s put that in. And with the five campaigns, all of them out of the box, playable Versus, co-op, Survival and the new mode, there’s just a ton of content in there."

Hmm. Well, let's weigh in with all the facts. With Left 4 Dead, we have 4 campaigns, 4 characters, 8 weapons, 5 variations of zombies, and 3 multiplayer modes. With Left 4 Dead 2, we have 4 new characters, 11 weapons, 5 new campaigns with a "cohesive" storyline, and a rumored 3-4 multiplayer options, as well as at least 3 new special zombie classes. All that for $59.99 retail. Keep that in mind and remember that you can buy a whole game expansion for Grand Theft Auto IV called The Lost And Damned for $19.99 with about 10 hours of additional gameplay, and soon you'll be able to buy a disc for Fallout 3 costing $19.99 with two expansions that will allow you at least 20 hours of gameplay.

Having tried L4D2 hands-on, I can say that in all honest I'd side with the anti-L4D2 people, but I clearly don't speak for everyone. The thing is, while it's fun to have new weapons and locales, it is undeniably the exact same game right now. Valve is boasting how much bigger it will be, but I can't imagine that it's worth $59.99. Take for example what Valve is doing with Team Fortress 2 - on the PC, the game is receiving a huge update. This update isn't coming to the 360 though due to what Valve claims to be Microsoft's policy for DLC. It could stand to reason that, with a large scale update of a game like L4D2, it could easily work as an expansion pack or large scale update. And I know, I know, Valve is toting how "big" it is, but when we look at it from an outside point of view not as a fan but as a working stiff/consumer, is all the aforementioned verified content worth another $59.99? Even if you can't use the anti-aircraft shotgun in L4D1, you are essentially playing the same game, and if all your friends have L4D1 then you'll still be able to play it with them, and that's what makes the L4D experience so great.

When I reviewed L4D way back in the day I praised the multiplayer experience and wrote about how much fun I had with all my friends in playing this. Lately, I don't play Left 4 Dead that much, but all my friends still have it. And more of them get it as the year passes. I've even tricked my girlfriend into playing it. There just is no point to me in purchasing a brand new game with just a few new options. While I am sure that Valve will make a good product out of Left 4 Dead 2, I'm fully endorsing the anti-L4D2 campaign. Granted, this entire article is mixed with speculation and personal opinion and I fully endorse forming your own opinion on the matter, I can only hope that this may help clear up some confusion as to the subject of what to expect.

E309: Left 4 Dead 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction

Gaming companies have no regard for the butterflies that will be left in my wallet.
I imagine that all L4D fans are split down the middle on this announcement of Left 4 Dead 2. I imagine that one half is cheering at the prospect of killing more zombies, especially with the chainsaw, and the other half are grabbing their torches and pitchforks chainsaws and shotguns because they feel like there was no DLC for the original and this "sequel" is only coming out a year later.

I know that I am excited, as the original L4D was my game of the year last year, but I also feel that the only things that make this a "sequel" are the fact that it has a new cast and some new weapons/special infected types. The question is, "Will it be enough to justify another sixty dollars," and I think the majority of people will say yes to that question. I know I will because I know how much enjoyment I got/will still get from the first one.

You can also call me racist if you like but I think the fat black guy is going to be the comedic relief even if it is not intentional.

The next game I am excited for that was previously bathing in skeptical sauce is Splinter Cell Conviction or SCC. This game looks great and I think I know I will be playing it. It might not be first on my list of games to play but I am sure it is to be number one on Jarvis' list.

Opinions on these games? As per the usual, please leave it in the comments.