Showing posts with label pc gaming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pc gaming. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
My Love of Battlefield Knows No Bounds
I wish I had a PC so that I could and would be playing Battlefield Heroes but alas I do not - shed a tear for me. Really though, I just wanted to share this funny little trailer with you that you might not have happened on today.
The news that can be taken from the video and the post on the Battlefield Blog is that from today, March 16th, until April 19th Bad Company 2 content will be available for Battlefield Heroes. New content includes: 6 new weapons, new skin designs for your character, etc.
If you are a Bad Company 2 VIP (that code that came in your game box) you will automatically be given 700 Battlefunds (equivalent to 5 USD).
Sign up today, it's free.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: November 2, 2009
First and foremost, let it be known, there will be NO discussion of WoW in this blog update as I have not played WoW for the last week. Those who are tired of reading about WoW each and every week, REJOICE!
What did consume my gaming life this past week was Borderlands. I purchased the game on release day and have been slowly making my way through the game. I've done a bit of co-op play, but have decided my slow and steady pace doesn't necessarily keep me at the same pace as all my friends, so I've fallen a bit behind. But that's okay! I'm actually really enjoying the SP elements of the game. I'm the type of gamer that goes in and out of phases of gaming where I'm totally obsess to no care ever, so SP is nice because it allows me to move at my own pace without worry. I'm up to level 17 with my hunter and still thoroughly loving the game. You've probably heard a lot about Borderlands since it's release, so I'll move onto something else a bit more interesting.
I have found a new addiction and that addiction goes by the name of Torchlight. I first heard about the game on The Instance (A WoW podcast I listen to). I had seen some information on it a while ago in my gaming blogs, but wasn't that intrigued at that point. Once I heard Scott Johnson of The Instance rant and rave about it and inform me that it was created by two of the designers of Diablo and Diablo II and played very much like the games, I knew I had to check it out. On Sunday I downloaded the demo off Steam and got to playing...before I knew it I was done with the demo, but instantly felt the urge for more. I immediately purchased it. After that I played for at least 2 to 3 hours straight. I was in love.
The game itself plays very much like the Diablo franchise. It's your basic hack n slash dungeon based game with loads and loads of loot. I particularly enjoy the art style of the game. It goes for a more "cartoony" art style compared to Diablo's bit more realistic style. I like it and it just adds to the overall delightful feel of the game. One of my favorite features of the game is your pet. Every hero class gets a pet. My initial thoughts were "hmm, pets are cool, I guess" until I learned of the most essential role of the pet...it's ability to sell your loot. One of the biggest frustrations for any Diablo fan was that there was so much loot and only so much space in your bag. If you're like me and have issues leaving loot behind simply because free loot = money in your pocket you felt compelled to pick up every single item you ever came across and this lead to many, many trips back to town to sell the loot. In Torchlight, all you do is transfer your unwanted loot from your inventory to your pet's inventory and with the press of one simple button, the pet runs back to town, sells the loot and returns to you. You go a few moments without your helpful companion, but all in all it does not take that long for the pet to turn and just makes the game that much more enjoyable. If a feature like this is not available in Diablo III, well, I really don't know what I'm going to do.
It was quite the easy decision to purchase Torchlight because the game only costs $20 and is EASILY worth that low, low price. If you're a fan of the Diablo franchise, you will easily enjoy this game and for $20, it's almost criminal to pass it up.
What did consume my gaming life this past week was Borderlands. I purchased the game on release day and have been slowly making my way through the game. I've done a bit of co-op play, but have decided my slow and steady pace doesn't necessarily keep me at the same pace as all my friends, so I've fallen a bit behind. But that's okay! I'm actually really enjoying the SP elements of the game. I'm the type of gamer that goes in and out of phases of gaming where I'm totally obsess to no care ever, so SP is nice because it allows me to move at my own pace without worry. I'm up to level 17 with my hunter and still thoroughly loving the game. You've probably heard a lot about Borderlands since it's release, so I'll move onto something else a bit more interesting.
I have found a new addiction and that addiction goes by the name of Torchlight. I first heard about the game on The Instance (A WoW podcast I listen to). I had seen some information on it a while ago in my gaming blogs, but wasn't that intrigued at that point. Once I heard Scott Johnson of The Instance rant and rave about it and inform me that it was created by two of the designers of Diablo and Diablo II and played very much like the games, I knew I had to check it out. On Sunday I downloaded the demo off Steam and got to playing...before I knew it I was done with the demo, but instantly felt the urge for more. I immediately purchased it. After that I played for at least 2 to 3 hours straight. I was in love.
The game itself plays very much like the Diablo franchise. It's your basic hack n slash dungeon based game with loads and loads of loot. I particularly enjoy the art style of the game. It goes for a more "cartoony" art style compared to Diablo's bit more realistic style. I like it and it just adds to the overall delightful feel of the game. One of my favorite features of the game is your pet. Every hero class gets a pet. My initial thoughts were "hmm, pets are cool, I guess" until I learned of the most essential role of the pet...it's ability to sell your loot. One of the biggest frustrations for any Diablo fan was that there was so much loot and only so much space in your bag. If you're like me and have issues leaving loot behind simply because free loot = money in your pocket you felt compelled to pick up every single item you ever came across and this lead to many, many trips back to town to sell the loot. In Torchlight, all you do is transfer your unwanted loot from your inventory to your pet's inventory and with the press of one simple button, the pet runs back to town, sells the loot and returns to you. You go a few moments without your helpful companion, but all in all it does not take that long for the pet to turn and just makes the game that much more enjoyable. If a feature like this is not available in Diablo III, well, I really don't know what I'm going to do.
It was quite the easy decision to purchase Torchlight because the game only costs $20 and is EASILY worth that low, low price. If you're a fan of the Diablo franchise, you will easily enjoy this game and for $20, it's almost criminal to pass it up.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: October 26, 2009
There were two games that dominated my playing time this past week. The first is Borderlands. As I stated in a previous post, I picked this game up last Tuesday on release day. I had the opportunity to get in some SP time as well as some co-op time over the rest of the week. Thus far I am truly loving this game. I've played more SP than co-op, but I find the SP to be just as fun as the co-op. I finally unlocked a 3rd weapons slot and feel as though I have the appropriate weapons I need for the time being. I discovered that my purple sniper rifle (don't remember the gun's specific name) has the ability to completely blow the heads of skaggs in the lower level areas. This made me squee with joy.
My experience with co-op was fun, although I felt I was totally lacking and holding everyone I was playing with back. The ability to power level with friends is actually pretty awesome as you jump levels much quicker then you ever would in SP. It's a nice feature to have, especially since I didn't get the opportunity to play this weekend at all and feel like I've fallen behind others as far as leveling goes. The co-op plays much like if you were to group with someone in WoW. If you have the same quests, they show up and you get the same objectives. I don't have too much to report on the co-op front as the only time I played I was a bit confused and hadn't fully fallen into the ebb and flow of the game, so my personal experience wasn't all that great just due to my lack of knowledge. Definitely looking forward to getting in more hours on this game throughout the week.
Even though I was up visiting the girlfriend at college this week, I still had the opportunity to play some WoW. I finally got to level 70 (HOORAY!) which is quite the accomplishment for me. I've been enjoying the Northrend content, although I'm looking forward to getting out of the Borean Tundra zone and moving onto something new. Being a mere 10 levels away from "the end" is a nice feeling though. I think I might start leveling my old warrior main after I'm done with my current. Maybe I'll try out some different zones I didn't get to on my current to mix it up a bit.
My experience with co-op was fun, although I felt I was totally lacking and holding everyone I was playing with back. The ability to power level with friends is actually pretty awesome as you jump levels much quicker then you ever would in SP. It's a nice feature to have, especially since I didn't get the opportunity to play this weekend at all and feel like I've fallen behind others as far as leveling goes. The co-op plays much like if you were to group with someone in WoW. If you have the same quests, they show up and you get the same objectives. I don't have too much to report on the co-op front as the only time I played I was a bit confused and hadn't fully fallen into the ebb and flow of the game, so my personal experience wasn't all that great just due to my lack of knowledge. Definitely looking forward to getting in more hours on this game throughout the week.
Even though I was up visiting the girlfriend at college this week, I still had the opportunity to play some WoW. I finally got to level 70 (HOORAY!) which is quite the accomplishment for me. I've been enjoying the Northrend content, although I'm looking forward to getting out of the Borean Tundra zone and moving onto something new. Being a mere 10 levels away from "the end" is a nice feeling though. I think I might start leveling my old warrior main after I'm done with my current. Maybe I'll try out some different zones I didn't get to on my current to mix it up a bit.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: October 14, 2009
I've found most of my gaming time lately to be overwhelming. In the past month I have purchased 6 new games for my PC, thank you Direct 2 Drive sale! This influx in games and the ability to purchase them for cheap has been fantastic, but it has largely left me feeling overwhelmed. With my girlfriend up at college, I have a lot more time after work, but more often then not I find myself sitting at my PC or in front of my 360 trying to figure out what I feel like playing. You think this would be an easy decision, with so many choices, right? That's far from the truth. More often then not, I find myself unable to make an actual decisions so I end up watching TV or doing something else instead. It's an odd phenomenon considering I have more time then I've ever had to play, but I probably play less then I ever did. Oh life, why must you be so confusing?!
My most recent Direct2Drive purchases include Company of Heroes and World in Conflict. I've been itching from some RTS action lately and heard so many good things about Company of Heroes, that I had to pick it up. Thus far, I've completed the tutorial in COH and that's as far as I've gotten. The tutorial actual took a decent amount of time and also got me excited to play. I've always enjoyed RTSs, but I've also always never been that great at them. I tend to avoid any online gameplay as I will most likely get my ass handed to me, so I tend to just stick to the SP campaigns to avoid embarrassment. It's been a relatively effective strategy that has still given me hours upon hours of amusement.
I also got some brief playing time in for Battlefield: Bad Company. For no particular reason, I abandoned playing that game a while ago, even though I was so very close to the end. I've decided that I need to make a point to actually beat the game, since I tend to play through games and abandon them before completion. Getting back into playing it was...different. I had forgotten most of the controls and had left myself in a situation where I needed to relearn them rather quickly. I hope to get through this game before Christmas, but we shall see.
Finally, there's always the oldie, but the goodie and my normal staple: World of Warcraft. I FINALLY got myself into Wrath of the Lich King content. I only purchased the expansion, oh, a year ago? It's kind of sad, but I've finally been able to venture to Northrend and check out all the new content. I leveled to 69, so I'm inching my way closer to 80. My goal is to reach 80 before the next expansion comes out, but I don't see that being too difficult considering we're probably a year away from it's release.
My final note for this update, is a question for fellow gamers. Do you ever find gaming to be "work?" I've noticed that lately it's felt that way to me. I have a hard time playing just to play. More often then not, my brain says "OMG YOU HAVE ALL THESE GAMES, YOU NEED TO BEAT ALL OF THEM!" I think that's what has been my major turn off towards playing lately or the feeling that has left me uncertain as to what I should be playing. I've invested so much money in the last 6 months or so into games and I have more games then I could ever imagine that I have yet to beat or have barely played at all. I feel the need to play and beat all of them as to somehow justify my spending money on them. If I'm not playing them, I'm wasting my money, right? I need to abandon this idea and these feelings and get my head back into the game and play because I want to play and play because it's fun, not because I need to beat or play something I paid money for. I'm not quite certain how to rid myself of this feeling, however, considering I full understand why I feel the way I do, yet those feelings remain. It's a strange predicament to be in, to have so many games and so much more time, but to have that desire to play somewhat missing. I need to get it back, I'm just not sure how.
My most recent Direct2Drive purchases include Company of Heroes and World in Conflict. I've been itching from some RTS action lately and heard so many good things about Company of Heroes, that I had to pick it up. Thus far, I've completed the tutorial in COH and that's as far as I've gotten. The tutorial actual took a decent amount of time and also got me excited to play. I've always enjoyed RTSs, but I've also always never been that great at them. I tend to avoid any online gameplay as I will most likely get my ass handed to me, so I tend to just stick to the SP campaigns to avoid embarrassment. It's been a relatively effective strategy that has still given me hours upon hours of amusement.
I also got some brief playing time in for Battlefield: Bad Company. For no particular reason, I abandoned playing that game a while ago, even though I was so very close to the end. I've decided that I need to make a point to actually beat the game, since I tend to play through games and abandon them before completion. Getting back into playing it was...different. I had forgotten most of the controls and had left myself in a situation where I needed to relearn them rather quickly. I hope to get through this game before Christmas, but we shall see.
Finally, there's always the oldie, but the goodie and my normal staple: World of Warcraft. I FINALLY got myself into Wrath of the Lich King content. I only purchased the expansion, oh, a year ago? It's kind of sad, but I've finally been able to venture to Northrend and check out all the new content. I leveled to 69, so I'm inching my way closer to 80. My goal is to reach 80 before the next expansion comes out, but I don't see that being too difficult considering we're probably a year away from it's release.
My final note for this update, is a question for fellow gamers. Do you ever find gaming to be "work?" I've noticed that lately it's felt that way to me. I have a hard time playing just to play. More often then not, my brain says "OMG YOU HAVE ALL THESE GAMES, YOU NEED TO BEAT ALL OF THEM!" I think that's what has been my major turn off towards playing lately or the feeling that has left me uncertain as to what I should be playing. I've invested so much money in the last 6 months or so into games and I have more games then I could ever imagine that I have yet to beat or have barely played at all. I feel the need to play and beat all of them as to somehow justify my spending money on them. If I'm not playing them, I'm wasting my money, right? I need to abandon this idea and these feelings and get my head back into the game and play because I want to play and play because it's fun, not because I need to beat or play something I paid money for. I'm not quite certain how to rid myself of this feeling, however, considering I full understand why I feel the way I do, yet those feelings remain. It's a strange predicament to be in, to have so many games and so much more time, but to have that desire to play somewhat missing. I need to get it back, I'm just not sure how.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
PC Gaming: From Physical to Digital
The last 5+ years or so have been difficult on PC gaming. Console gaming has been around for 30+ years, but it's safe to say that it started to reach it's true pinnacle of popularity with the creation and release of the Xbox 360. Since that point console gaming has become a staple in almost every American household whether you own a 360, Wii or PS3. Console gaming has a level of accessibility that PC gaming has never had. In order to be a console gamer all you need is a TV and that is it, the console does the rest. There's no need to make sure you have the most up to date hardware to run the most current games. There's no frustration involved in building your own rig every 5 years to update your system as technology grows. It's even significantly less expensive. Most high end gaming PCs will run anywhere from $1000 to $3000. Now, I'm of the belief you don't need a $3,000 rig to enjoy games, but that's just me. Regardless, a console will cost you less than $500 while a PC will cost much more. It's just not convenient for most Americans, so they go for the easier and quicker option that is the console.
PC gaming has yet to die during this console uprising, however, and I would say that it's still thriving. Yes, a lot of people have jumped the PC gaming boat for consoles, but PC gamers tend to be true to what they love and what they love is PCs. Not only has PC gaming had increased competition with consoles, but PC game creators have to battle an environment that is much more susceptible to piracy. It's not easy to pirate games for your console, but all anyone needs to pirate games for their PC is an internet connection and a half decent torrent website. This has caused problems for the PC gaming world and has encouraged many PC game manufacturers to abandon their PC past and go strictly console due to the fact that they do not want to lose money. So how exactly to you combat this? What do you do as a company to overcome this adversity? Digital distribution...
Digital distribution has been around since the content delivery program Steam was introduced in late 2003 (digital distribution may have been around prior to that, but that is my first early knowledge of such systems). Steam had the idea of distributing gaming content digitally instead of physically, or distribute digital copies along with standard physical copies in retailers. Now, a lot of content has gone digital over the past 5+ years; music, movies, TV, video games, etc. Personally, I have been against digital distribution this entire time. I like physical copies. I like knowing I can hold the thing I paid $50 for. I like knowing if something happens to my computer, I still have my physical copy to hold onto. I enjoy having and seeing box art and I figure if I'm going to pay $50 for a game I want something physical. In the past month or two, however, companies have been slowly winning me over with digital distribution. There's one factor that is causing my views to change and that is simply cost.
I have a very difficult time justifying spending $50 on a digital copy of a game when I can get the physical copy for the same price. If I'm receiving less in my purchase (meaning no physical version of the game itself, no manufacturing of boxes, DVDs, etc) I would expect the price to be lower. I'm not particular sure what the cost of producing physical aspects to a game release are, however, I would expect the price for a digital copy to be at least $10 cheaper then the physical copy. Is that really so much to ask? If you're going to win me over with digital distribution, lower the price because I feel like I'm getting ripped off to a certain extent. This is one issue that has caused me to hesitate in converting to digital only content. One factor in cost, however, that is winning me over are sales. Steam typically runs sales on their games on a weekly basis. Other digital distributors such as Impulse (Stardock) and Direct 2 Drive have had their marketing departments hard at work lately and have been getting more ads out there to showcase their sales. Most recently, I purchased World of Goo from Impulse for a mere $10, 50% off it's normal price of $20. I've also purchased, in the last couple of weeks, Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City from D2D (Direct 2 Drive) for $5 each. Both of those titles are a tid bit old, but honestly, who can pass up the $5 price tag? Even as I type this out I'm contemplating buying another $5 game from D2D, Defense Grid. This is a game that I barely know anything about, but have heard a few PC gaming podcasters talk about from time to time. Once again, $5? Who can't afford that?
I think digital distribution companies have something going here. They have been winning over PC gaming fans for a little while, but I feel like they haven't reached the tipping point yet. By providing content in this manner through various sales it not only wins PC gamers over for digital distribution, it also makes lesser known titles and companies more well known. The chances of me purchasing Assassin's Creed prior to the D2D sale were slim to none, same with Defense Grid. Not only am I buying games on sale, but in doing so I've started to contemplate switching to digital only content for my PC. It's quick, it's easy. It doesn't involve me having to search for a game at a retailer and it also does not force me to figure out what to do with all my empty boxes. These digital distributors as well as PC gaming companies really have something going here and I feel if they keep offering great titles for great prices they will reach their tipping point and we will reach and entirely new era in PC gaming.
PC gaming has yet to die during this console uprising, however, and I would say that it's still thriving. Yes, a lot of people have jumped the PC gaming boat for consoles, but PC gamers tend to be true to what they love and what they love is PCs. Not only has PC gaming had increased competition with consoles, but PC game creators have to battle an environment that is much more susceptible to piracy. It's not easy to pirate games for your console, but all anyone needs to pirate games for their PC is an internet connection and a half decent torrent website. This has caused problems for the PC gaming world and has encouraged many PC game manufacturers to abandon their PC past and go strictly console due to the fact that they do not want to lose money. So how exactly to you combat this? What do you do as a company to overcome this adversity? Digital distribution...
Digital distribution has been around since the content delivery program Steam was introduced in late 2003 (digital distribution may have been around prior to that, but that is my first early knowledge of such systems). Steam had the idea of distributing gaming content digitally instead of physically, or distribute digital copies along with standard physical copies in retailers. Now, a lot of content has gone digital over the past 5+ years; music, movies, TV, video games, etc. Personally, I have been against digital distribution this entire time. I like physical copies. I like knowing I can hold the thing I paid $50 for. I like knowing if something happens to my computer, I still have my physical copy to hold onto. I enjoy having and seeing box art and I figure if I'm going to pay $50 for a game I want something physical. In the past month or two, however, companies have been slowly winning me over with digital distribution. There's one factor that is causing my views to change and that is simply cost.
I have a very difficult time justifying spending $50 on a digital copy of a game when I can get the physical copy for the same price. If I'm receiving less in my purchase (meaning no physical version of the game itself, no manufacturing of boxes, DVDs, etc) I would expect the price to be lower. I'm not particular sure what the cost of producing physical aspects to a game release are, however, I would expect the price for a digital copy to be at least $10 cheaper then the physical copy. Is that really so much to ask? If you're going to win me over with digital distribution, lower the price because I feel like I'm getting ripped off to a certain extent. This is one issue that has caused me to hesitate in converting to digital only content. One factor in cost, however, that is winning me over are sales. Steam typically runs sales on their games on a weekly basis. Other digital distributors such as Impulse (Stardock) and Direct 2 Drive have had their marketing departments hard at work lately and have been getting more ads out there to showcase their sales. Most recently, I purchased World of Goo from Impulse for a mere $10, 50% off it's normal price of $20. I've also purchased, in the last couple of weeks, Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City from D2D (Direct 2 Drive) for $5 each. Both of those titles are a tid bit old, but honestly, who can pass up the $5 price tag? Even as I type this out I'm contemplating buying another $5 game from D2D, Defense Grid. This is a game that I barely know anything about, but have heard a few PC gaming podcasters talk about from time to time. Once again, $5? Who can't afford that?
I think digital distribution companies have something going here. They have been winning over PC gaming fans for a little while, but I feel like they haven't reached the tipping point yet. By providing content in this manner through various sales it not only wins PC gamers over for digital distribution, it also makes lesser known titles and companies more well known. The chances of me purchasing Assassin's Creed prior to the D2D sale were slim to none, same with Defense Grid. Not only am I buying games on sale, but in doing so I've started to contemplate switching to digital only content for my PC. It's quick, it's easy. It doesn't involve me having to search for a game at a retailer and it also does not force me to figure out what to do with all my empty boxes. These digital distributors as well as PC gaming companies really have something going here and I feel if they keep offering great titles for great prices they will reach their tipping point and we will reach and entirely new era in PC gaming.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: September 23, 2009
Yea, yea, yea...I suck at this whole updating on a consistent basis, I'm well aware of that. I apologize for my delay of an update. As per usual, life is hectic and I just haven't had the time. With that, comes the fact that I've had very little time to do any actual gaming as well. I do have any update in regards to my casual gaming experiences since installing a bunch of games on my laptop!
One of the best decisions I could have made when setting my laptop up for casual gaming was purchasing Plants vs. Zombies. Now, I never understood the hype when the game first came out and even after playing a bit of the demo I wasn't 100% sold, but the game was $10 on Steam...so I figured, why not? I must say, holy crap! That game is ADDICTING! Once I got past the first few levels, I was 100% sold. I've mostly been playing the game when I've been away from home at State College or in those moments right before I go to bed. I'm not really sure how far into the game I am, but I assure you, it gets more and more fun as time goes on. I would seriously urge anyone who owns a computer (PC or Mac) to purchase this game. It's definitely worth it. The game is also slated to come out for the iPhone, as well as XBLA, so there's absolutely ZERO excuse for not purchasing this game.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've also put in a little bit of time playing Diablo II. I'd like to do a full play through of the game prior to Diablo III coming out and with Blizzard busy with finishing Starcraft II as well as WoW: Cataclysm, I would expect that I have a good amount of time to complete this task.
Other then those two, I really haven't played much over the past couple of weeks. I did, however, purchase Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for $5 each from Direct 2 Drive. I was never 100% sold on digital only game distribution, but these distribution companies are easily winning me over with these sales. I think that's the key, however. There's really no sense in charging $50 for a digital copy of a game when I can purchase it at a retailer for the same price AND get the box art and all that fun stuff. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I still love box art and physical copies. If digital distributors could start lowering their prices below what they sell for at retail, then I would most definitely be drawn to that much more. Not only have the digital sales been pulling me towards purchasing online, but they have also pulled me towards playing my PC more in general. I'm pretty sure I haven't touched my Xbox for a couple of weeks now. I realize that PC gaming isn't quite as popular as console gaming these days, but these digital distributors definitely have some good ideas going on to maybe shift those numbers somehow.
One of the best decisions I could have made when setting my laptop up for casual gaming was purchasing Plants vs. Zombies. Now, I never understood the hype when the game first came out and even after playing a bit of the demo I wasn't 100% sold, but the game was $10 on Steam...so I figured, why not? I must say, holy crap! That game is ADDICTING! Once I got past the first few levels, I was 100% sold. I've mostly been playing the game when I've been away from home at State College or in those moments right before I go to bed. I'm not really sure how far into the game I am, but I assure you, it gets more and more fun as time goes on. I would seriously urge anyone who owns a computer (PC or Mac) to purchase this game. It's definitely worth it. The game is also slated to come out for the iPhone, as well as XBLA, so there's absolutely ZERO excuse for not purchasing this game.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've also put in a little bit of time playing Diablo II. I'd like to do a full play through of the game prior to Diablo III coming out and with Blizzard busy with finishing Starcraft II as well as WoW: Cataclysm, I would expect that I have a good amount of time to complete this task.
Other then those two, I really haven't played much over the past couple of weeks. I did, however, purchase Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for $5 each from Direct 2 Drive. I was never 100% sold on digital only game distribution, but these distribution companies are easily winning me over with these sales. I think that's the key, however. There's really no sense in charging $50 for a digital copy of a game when I can purchase it at a retailer for the same price AND get the box art and all that fun stuff. Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I still love box art and physical copies. If digital distributors could start lowering their prices below what they sell for at retail, then I would most definitely be drawn to that much more. Not only have the digital sales been pulling me towards purchasing online, but they have also pulled me towards playing my PC more in general. I'm pretty sure I haven't touched my Xbox for a couple of weeks now. I realize that PC gaming isn't quite as popular as console gaming these days, but these digital distributors definitely have some good ideas going on to maybe shift those numbers somehow.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Adventures in Babeland - Weekly Gaming Girl Diary: August 24, 2009
Not sure how many have noticed, but I’ve been a bit absent in doing the whole weekly gaming thing for the past few weeks. My apologies, but life has taken hold of me a bit with my girlfriend moving away for college and I just haven’t had the time to get a lot of gaming in nor have the time to sit down and really write about it. This weekly gaming update will be a bit more then the past week or so and will cumulate a few weeks of gaming.
I’ve been putting in some time on quite a few games lately. I purchased Battlefield 1943 a while ago and have been sitting down and actually playing a bit over the past few weeks. There are two things I have learned during this time spent with the game; the first being that overall the game delivers and is a ton of a fun and the second being I am not very good at it. I probably average maybe 3 kills a game and when compared to the 10-15 or so that the top leaders average I’m doing a pretty piss poor job. Regardless, I’m enjoying the time I’ve spent with the game and it is definitely a load of fun. More often then not, I find myself left at the base initially without any sort of transport so I eventually get to the firefight a lot later then everyone else. Maybe my strategies suck? Maybe I’m just not that great at FPS games, but I’m still enjoying the time I’ve spent with it.
I also recently purchased three XLBA games; Castle Crashers, ‘Splosion Man and Shadow Complex. I’ve played a bit of the Castle Crasher’s demo and enjoyed it, but haven’t gotten around to playing the full version. I have spent a bit of time with ‘Splosion Man and I’m definitely enjoying it. First thing is first, that game is difficult. Haha, I typically start out any game I play on the “normal” difficulty as easy tends to be too easy and anything higher then normal tends to be too difficult for me. ‘Splosion Man may seem like a very simplistic game as there is really one only thing and one thing only you can do; explode. These explosions allow you to kill enemies and climb walls, but that is all you do. Run and explode, run and explode. Based on that simplistic premise I didn’t really know where they could go with the game, but damn they went places and they went places that are difficult. The game gets progressively more and more fast paced as you move on and had me sitting on the edge of my seat many times and induced the desire for me to throw my controller at the TV screen. I’m pretty sure the face paced action of the game also set my blood pressure into overdrive at some points. I’m not really sure how far into the game I am, I believe I’m at level 1-10 and I don’t know how far the game goes on, but I’m loving it. Definitely a game worth purchasing and definitely a game that has a lot more then it appears.
I’ve also spent a tiny bit of time playing Shadow Complex. I initially downloaded the trial because I heard so many people talking about it and I wanted to know what it was all about. I enjoyed the trial enough that I purchased the full game later that day. I haven’t had enough time to get very far into it, but so far I’m enjoying it. It’s interesting to see and play what is essentially an updated side scroller. Maybe I haven’t been playing console games long enough, but I haven’t seen a lot of updated side scrollers like this one, at least not in the sense of the art style. This game could easily be an FPS and has the generally same graphics as most FPS games, but you only have 4 options for movement; up, down, forward and backward and that’s it. I’ve gotten to, I suppose, what could be the first “boss” in the very beginning of the game. I haven’t gotten around to beating him yet, but I might take another shot at it tonight after work. Definitely enjoying my time spent with the game and would highly recommend.
One of my most recent “boxed” game purchases is Wolfenstein. I never played the original Wolfenstein games…well, I suppose that is incorrect…I played one of the very, very first versions of Wolfenstein on my parent’s old Apple IIe. I’m talking about a game with stick figures played on a black and green screen. I never played Wolfenstein 3D, but towards the end of high school I did start playing Return to Castle Wolfenstein and it quickly became my favorite FPS and most of my evenings after school and soccer practice were spent on an empty hill on a beach, with a sniper rifle clutched in my grasp, picking of Nazi’s. I continued to play the game through college and eventually stopped at some point to start devoting my free time to World of Warcraft. To this day, RtCW is my favorite FPS MP game ever. Forget Halo, forget Counter Strike…for me it’s RtCW. So needless to say, I was elated to hear iD and Raven was releasing a new title to the franchise. I picked it up on release day and have put about 30 minutes to an hour into it. Now, that’s not enough time to write a decent review of the game (which I intend on doing by the end of this week *crosses fingers*), but it was enough time to explore the world a little bit and get used to the game. So far so good, but I haven’t played enough to make a solid opinion of it. As soon as I installed it (I bought it for my PC since it was $10 cheaper, I knew none of my 360 friends would be purchasing it, it came with a $10 gift card…which I lost …and I’m much better at PC based FPS then console) I fired up the MP since the reviews for it have been relatively “meh” and that was the one thing I was most looking forward to. Unfortunately, there was barely anyone online and I didn’t get the chance to jump into a game. Hopefully since the game has been out for about a week, I’ll have better luck in the near future.
Aside from all these new games, there is my good old standby, World of Warcraft. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten too much time to play recently due to the girlfriend moving and life being hectic. I’ve gotten my blood elf pally up to level 67 and with the release of patch 3.2, was able to purchase a new flying mount. Holy cow, having a flying mount is damn near the best thing ever. No more having to find the appropriate path to avoid mobs or having to find the appropriate path through a valley…I can just jump on my flying mount and get the f*** out of there. It’s glorious, truly glorious. If you pay any attention to the WoW universe, you’ll know that Blizzcon happened this past weekend. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the next WoW expansion and I think I might write a feature on it later this week or next. I realize this isn’t a WoW blog and there are a lot of other places out there to get a lot more information on these things, but I’ll probably put together a quick write up of what I’m most excited for. I consider myself to not be an a-typical WoW player (maybe I am?) in the sense that I don’t raid and haven’t really reached any end game content so I think I get more excited about things that people are less excited about. The main thing that makes me squee with joy is the fact that they are REDOING ALL THE OLD WORLD CONTENT, OMG! But I’ll get more into that in my feature.
I think that’s about it for my gaming activities as of late. I really need to sit down and finish Battlefield: Bad Company considering how close I am to beating it. I think I have this disease that prevents me from ever completing games. I always buy them, start them and at some point abandon them. I’m pretty sure Portal, Half Life and Bioshock are the few games that I’ve actually beaten and completed. I didn’t even beat Diablo II or the SP campaign of RtCW. That’s definitely something that needs to change.
I’ve been putting in some time on quite a few games lately. I purchased Battlefield 1943 a while ago and have been sitting down and actually playing a bit over the past few weeks. There are two things I have learned during this time spent with the game; the first being that overall the game delivers and is a ton of a fun and the second being I am not very good at it. I probably average maybe 3 kills a game and when compared to the 10-15 or so that the top leaders average I’m doing a pretty piss poor job. Regardless, I’m enjoying the time I’ve spent with the game and it is definitely a load of fun. More often then not, I find myself left at the base initially without any sort of transport so I eventually get to the firefight a lot later then everyone else. Maybe my strategies suck? Maybe I’m just not that great at FPS games, but I’m still enjoying the time I’ve spent with it.
I also recently purchased three XLBA games; Castle Crashers, ‘Splosion Man and Shadow Complex. I’ve played a bit of the Castle Crasher’s demo and enjoyed it, but haven’t gotten around to playing the full version. I have spent a bit of time with ‘Splosion Man and I’m definitely enjoying it. First thing is first, that game is difficult. Haha, I typically start out any game I play on the “normal” difficulty as easy tends to be too easy and anything higher then normal tends to be too difficult for me. ‘Splosion Man may seem like a very simplistic game as there is really one only thing and one thing only you can do; explode. These explosions allow you to kill enemies and climb walls, but that is all you do. Run and explode, run and explode. Based on that simplistic premise I didn’t really know where they could go with the game, but damn they went places and they went places that are difficult. The game gets progressively more and more fast paced as you move on and had me sitting on the edge of my seat many times and induced the desire for me to throw my controller at the TV screen. I’m pretty sure the face paced action of the game also set my blood pressure into overdrive at some points. I’m not really sure how far into the game I am, I believe I’m at level 1-10 and I don’t know how far the game goes on, but I’m loving it. Definitely a game worth purchasing and definitely a game that has a lot more then it appears.
I’ve also spent a tiny bit of time playing Shadow Complex. I initially downloaded the trial because I heard so many people talking about it and I wanted to know what it was all about. I enjoyed the trial enough that I purchased the full game later that day. I haven’t had enough time to get very far into it, but so far I’m enjoying it. It’s interesting to see and play what is essentially an updated side scroller. Maybe I haven’t been playing console games long enough, but I haven’t seen a lot of updated side scrollers like this one, at least not in the sense of the art style. This game could easily be an FPS and has the generally same graphics as most FPS games, but you only have 4 options for movement; up, down, forward and backward and that’s it. I’ve gotten to, I suppose, what could be the first “boss” in the very beginning of the game. I haven’t gotten around to beating him yet, but I might take another shot at it tonight after work. Definitely enjoying my time spent with the game and would highly recommend.
One of my most recent “boxed” game purchases is Wolfenstein. I never played the original Wolfenstein games…well, I suppose that is incorrect…I played one of the very, very first versions of Wolfenstein on my parent’s old Apple IIe. I’m talking about a game with stick figures played on a black and green screen. I never played Wolfenstein 3D, but towards the end of high school I did start playing Return to Castle Wolfenstein and it quickly became my favorite FPS and most of my evenings after school and soccer practice were spent on an empty hill on a beach, with a sniper rifle clutched in my grasp, picking of Nazi’s. I continued to play the game through college and eventually stopped at some point to start devoting my free time to World of Warcraft. To this day, RtCW is my favorite FPS MP game ever. Forget Halo, forget Counter Strike…for me it’s RtCW. So needless to say, I was elated to hear iD and Raven was releasing a new title to the franchise. I picked it up on release day and have put about 30 minutes to an hour into it. Now, that’s not enough time to write a decent review of the game (which I intend on doing by the end of this week *crosses fingers*), but it was enough time to explore the world a little bit and get used to the game. So far so good, but I haven’t played enough to make a solid opinion of it. As soon as I installed it (I bought it for my PC since it was $10 cheaper, I knew none of my 360 friends would be purchasing it, it came with a $10 gift card…which I lost …and I’m much better at PC based FPS then console) I fired up the MP since the reviews for it have been relatively “meh” and that was the one thing I was most looking forward to. Unfortunately, there was barely anyone online and I didn’t get the chance to jump into a game. Hopefully since the game has been out for about a week, I’ll have better luck in the near future.
Aside from all these new games, there is my good old standby, World of Warcraft. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten too much time to play recently due to the girlfriend moving and life being hectic. I’ve gotten my blood elf pally up to level 67 and with the release of patch 3.2, was able to purchase a new flying mount. Holy cow, having a flying mount is damn near the best thing ever. No more having to find the appropriate path to avoid mobs or having to find the appropriate path through a valley…I can just jump on my flying mount and get the f*** out of there. It’s glorious, truly glorious. If you pay any attention to the WoW universe, you’ll know that Blizzcon happened this past weekend. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the next WoW expansion and I think I might write a feature on it later this week or next. I realize this isn’t a WoW blog and there are a lot of other places out there to get a lot more information on these things, but I’ll probably put together a quick write up of what I’m most excited for. I consider myself to not be an a-typical WoW player (maybe I am?) in the sense that I don’t raid and haven’t really reached any end game content so I think I get more excited about things that people are less excited about. The main thing that makes me squee with joy is the fact that they are REDOING ALL THE OLD WORLD CONTENT, OMG! But I’ll get more into that in my feature.
I think that’s about it for my gaming activities as of late. I really need to sit down and finish Battlefield: Bad Company considering how close I am to beating it. I think I have this disease that prevents me from ever completing games. I always buy them, start them and at some point abandon them. I’m pretty sure Portal, Half Life and Bioshock are the few games that I’ve actually beaten and completed. I didn’t even beat Diablo II or the SP campaign of RtCW. That’s definitely something that needs to change.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Star Wars: The Old Republic has caught my interest
A few months ago at the reveal of the Star Wars: The Old Republic announcement I thought to myself, "Oh cool - finally - but I am probably not going to get to play this because I will need a PC first. After watching the video below any notion that says that I cannot play this game was thrown out of the window. I need to be playing this game on day one and this is why:
I had watched one of the many aforementioned reveal trailers and thought that it looked amazing but until this video (above) I was not sold.
As it tends to go with the MMO environments the game does not look amazing (there is a lot to render of course, I get it) but the stylized artistic aspect makes up for any lack of graphical fidelity. The voice acting - the real big thing here - also puts this game on an entirely different scale.
I want to be part of this universe as I wanted to be part of it when I played the original KOTOR. The only thing that still irks me about MMO's [as a generality] is that if I kill that captain of the ship (in the video) someone else will be able to have him alive through their own storyline. Am I right?
Still I think that the game is going to be a lot of fun and I think that I am going to have to hit up Kara on her offer to help me build a gaming PC. You can count on hearing more from me about this game as soon as I find something else out.
I had watched one of the many aforementioned reveal trailers and thought that it looked amazing but until this video (above) I was not sold.
As it tends to go with the MMO environments the game does not look amazing (there is a lot to render of course, I get it) but the stylized artistic aspect makes up for any lack of graphical fidelity. The voice acting - the real big thing here - also puts this game on an entirely different scale.
I want to be part of this universe as I wanted to be part of it when I played the original KOTOR. The only thing that still irks me about MMO's [as a generality] is that if I kill that captain of the ship (in the video) someone else will be able to have him alive through their own storyline. Am I right?
Still I think that the game is going to be a lot of fun and I think that I am going to have to hit up Kara on her offer to help me build a gaming PC. You can count on hearing more from me about this game as soon as I find something else out.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Game Diary: July 15. 2009 - World of WarCRACK
After going back through all the old posts on this blog, I didn't realize it had been so long since my last gaming diary. My apologies as my summer has been relatively busy. I was on vacation for the weekend of the 4th in my home state of Washington and didn't get any gaming in. Now I'm back and as far as I know I am done with vacations for the summer, which leaves my weekends open for gaming, gaming, gaming!
After my hiatus of the 4th of July weekend, I spent most of this past weekend immersed in World or Warcraft. I can't deny that I love this game so much. It has been the sole game I've played on at least a monthly basis since I first started playing in late 2004. Granted, there were a few points during that span of time where I was unemployed and poor. This prevented me from paying the $15 a month to sustain my addiction, but other then those few breaks I've been playing this game pretty consistently.
Everything you've ever heard about WoW is absolutely true. I encourage anyone with a PC/Mac and an extra $15 a month to try this game out. It may seem tedious to some and honestly, from time to time it is, but it's oh so addicting. I'm not even sure why as most of your time is spend running around the world, doing quests and killing mobs, but it still maintains it's addictability (I think I just invented a word).
This past weekend I ventured through Outland. For those who know little about WoW, Outland is the area that was added with the Burning Crusade expansion. You have to take a portal from Azeroth to get to Outland. Honestly, it's quite possibly one of the most annoying things to do ever since there are no auction houses in Outland (places where you can sell items to other players and probably the best way to make money in the game) nor are there any trainers (as you level up, certain abilities become available for your specific class, but you must go to a trainer to learn them). This means you have to take a flight path from where ever you are in Outland to the portal. Then you must go through the portal which drops you off in the Blasted Lands with no flight path to a major city in sight. You have to get on your mount and ride from the portal to the Swamp of Sorrows to take ANOTHER flight path to get to a major city. It has quite possibly been the most obnoxious task since moving onto BC content. The good news is, they are adding a portal directly to the Dark Portal in the next patch, 3.2. Kind of crazy that it's taken them this long to do that.
I've been enjoying my time in Outland. I leveled up to 64 (oh so close to 65!) this weekend and moved from Hellfire Peninsula to Zangarmarsh. Hellfire Peninsula was as far as I had gotten with my first main, so Zangarmarsh is a completely new place with new mobs, new quests, new landscape, etc. This is the first time I've experienced "new" content since I started playing in November of 2004. I've never really hated going through old world content when leveling alts before. Yes, it gets sort of boring and old after a while, but the addiction holds strong so I've always enjoyed it for the most part. It's been refreshing to be somewhere completely new and I think has completely revived my love for the game. I won't lie when I say that I slightly yearn to play WoW every day I'm at work. I wish I could take a week off and completely immerse myself in the game. I'm even more excited to move through Outland and onto Northrend (Wrath of the Lich King content). I feel as though I'm one of the few WoW players that enjoys leveling more then anything. After I finish leveling Christilena (my level 64 blood elf paladin) to 80, I plan on then moving onto Walker (my original main, a level 60 tauren warrior) and getting here to 80. End game content doesn't really seem for me as I don't quite have the time to invest in it. I'm probably one of the few solo WoW players. WoW tends to be a relatively social game, but I somehow tend to avoid all that. I think it's mostly due to my lack of time to spend playing the game. I typically only get the chance on the weekends while my girlfriend is at work. This might change a bit come this fall as she's moving to a college that's 2 hours away, but we shall see.
In summary, most of my gaming weekend was spent playing WoW. I've sort of abandoned The Sims 3 for the time being (although I'd like to get back into it) and I also didn't play much Battlefield: Bad Company either. I did find out that I'm only a mission away from beating the game, so I think that's inspired me to play a bit more. With my girlfriend leaving this fall, that probably means I'll have more time during the week to get gaming in so maybe my weekly updates won't be solely WoW related from now on.
After my hiatus of the 4th of July weekend, I spent most of this past weekend immersed in World or Warcraft. I can't deny that I love this game so much. It has been the sole game I've played on at least a monthly basis since I first started playing in late 2004. Granted, there were a few points during that span of time where I was unemployed and poor. This prevented me from paying the $15 a month to sustain my addiction, but other then those few breaks I've been playing this game pretty consistently.
Everything you've ever heard about WoW is absolutely true. I encourage anyone with a PC/Mac and an extra $15 a month to try this game out. It may seem tedious to some and honestly, from time to time it is, but it's oh so addicting. I'm not even sure why as most of your time is spend running around the world, doing quests and killing mobs, but it still maintains it's addictability (I think I just invented a word).
This past weekend I ventured through Outland. For those who know little about WoW, Outland is the area that was added with the Burning Crusade expansion. You have to take a portal from Azeroth to get to Outland. Honestly, it's quite possibly one of the most annoying things to do ever since there are no auction houses in Outland (places where you can sell items to other players and probably the best way to make money in the game) nor are there any trainers (as you level up, certain abilities become available for your specific class, but you must go to a trainer to learn them). This means you have to take a flight path from where ever you are in Outland to the portal. Then you must go through the portal which drops you off in the Blasted Lands with no flight path to a major city in sight. You have to get on your mount and ride from the portal to the Swamp of Sorrows to take ANOTHER flight path to get to a major city. It has quite possibly been the most obnoxious task since moving onto BC content. The good news is, they are adding a portal directly to the Dark Portal in the next patch, 3.2. Kind of crazy that it's taken them this long to do that.
I've been enjoying my time in Outland. I leveled up to 64 (oh so close to 65!) this weekend and moved from Hellfire Peninsula to Zangarmarsh. Hellfire Peninsula was as far as I had gotten with my first main, so Zangarmarsh is a completely new place with new mobs, new quests, new landscape, etc. This is the first time I've experienced "new" content since I started playing in November of 2004. I've never really hated going through old world content when leveling alts before. Yes, it gets sort of boring and old after a while, but the addiction holds strong so I've always enjoyed it for the most part. It's been refreshing to be somewhere completely new and I think has completely revived my love for the game. I won't lie when I say that I slightly yearn to play WoW every day I'm at work. I wish I could take a week off and completely immerse myself in the game. I'm even more excited to move through Outland and onto Northrend (Wrath of the Lich King content). I feel as though I'm one of the few WoW players that enjoys leveling more then anything. After I finish leveling Christilena (my level 64 blood elf paladin) to 80, I plan on then moving onto Walker (my original main, a level 60 tauren warrior) and getting here to 80. End game content doesn't really seem for me as I don't quite have the time to invest in it. I'm probably one of the few solo WoW players. WoW tends to be a relatively social game, but I somehow tend to avoid all that. I think it's mostly due to my lack of time to spend playing the game. I typically only get the chance on the weekends while my girlfriend is at work. This might change a bit come this fall as she's moving to a college that's 2 hours away, but we shall see.
In summary, most of my gaming weekend was spent playing WoW. I've sort of abandoned The Sims 3 for the time being (although I'd like to get back into it) and I also didn't play much Battlefield: Bad Company either. I did find out that I'm only a mission away from beating the game, so I think that's inspired me to play a bit more. With my girlfriend leaving this fall, that probably means I'll have more time during the week to get gaming in so maybe my weekly updates won't be solely WoW related from now on.
Friday, June 26, 2009
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?
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?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Gaming Diary: June 22, 2009 - It's Been a Little While!
Apologies for my lack of updates as of late. I was on a fantastic vacation last week and didn't play any games while I was there, so there was no update last week. This past week, however, I got in lots and lots of gaming!
There have been four games that I have been rotating lately: The Sims 3, Peggle, Battlefield: Bad Company and World of Warcraft. During the week I spent most of my time on The Sims 3, Peggle and Battlefield: Bad Company. The Sims 3 has been pretty enjoyable. There's a significant amount of customization available in creating a character compared to The Sims 2. It goes so far as to even customize the voice of your sim. Thus far I've recreated myself, my girlfriend, Nate's wife Cindy and Nate as Sims. Nate and Cindy are my neighbors and Michael (my gf) lives across the street and as of this last Friday, her and I are officially a dating couple on The Sims! Ahhh, to live life vicariously through animated computer game people! My sim is on the professional athlete career path. The game has some new personality trait features that allows you to pick 5 traits for your sim that influence their behavior. It makes things nice because when I don't want to tell my sim what to do, it just sort of does it on it's own. Thus far my overall opinion of the game is that it has a lot of great improvements on the previous game. I'm enjoying it thus far and it hasn't really lost its appeal yet. It probably helps that I only play for an hour or two, then go play something else so I haven't gotten burnt out from it yet.
I've finally beaten the master's section of Peggle! It took me long enough, right? I've since started working on all the challenge levels. I've made it past all the 35, 45 and 55 orange peg challenges. The 300k and 350k ones are giving me a bit of trouble, but I'm getting through it. I'm honestly quite surprise at the playability this game has. I was honestly completely unaware of all the challenge levels past the adventure mode. For $10-$12 this game is honestly a steal and it's a ton of fun. I'm definitely a Peggle fan now.
My favorite game (aside from Peggle and L4D) on my Xbox 360 is currently Battlefield: Bad Company. I love a good war/military shooter and this one is providing tons of fun. The unlimited amount of health you receive as well as the ability to blow buildings to smithereens are definitely the highlights of the game and that set it apart from other FPS games. It's the first game on my 360 that I've honestly been a bit addicted to and wanted to get in as much playing time as possible. I'm working through it right now on normal and most definitely getting my ass kicked constantly. Like I've said before, I've never said that I'm necessarily "good" at video games, I just love to play them. I die and I die a lot, but the fact that it "resurrects" you and saves all the kills you have made is fantastic. It makes life a bit easier for people like me. I think this will definitely be my first 360 game that I play all the way through. Now the question is, what to work on next after I finish this? Hmmmm...
I got a bit of WoW gaming in this weekend. I dinged 63 yesterday (w00t!) getting my closer and closer to 80. This is the furthest I've ever gotten in the game. I have another level 60 on a different realm that is just waiting in Outland patiently for me, but I've neglected her for the most part. I'm really enjoying the content in Outland. I played a tiny bit of it on Walker (my level 60 Tauren warrior), but not enough to get a good feel for it. It's nice to be playing new content. When I leveled Christilena (my level 63 blood elf pally), I played in places and did quests I had already done on Walker. Nothing was all that new. Now in Outland, I have all kinds of quests I've never completed before and that's fun and exciting. I'm enjoying all the new beasts and demons in Outland and I'm really anxious to get to 70 and head up to Northrend for more new content. In fact, all this talk about it makes me want to play right now! Hmmm, if there was only way to discretely install WoW on my computer at work at play....hmmmmmmmmm...
There have been four games that I have been rotating lately: The Sims 3, Peggle, Battlefield: Bad Company and World of Warcraft. During the week I spent most of my time on The Sims 3, Peggle and Battlefield: Bad Company. The Sims 3 has been pretty enjoyable. There's a significant amount of customization available in creating a character compared to The Sims 2. It goes so far as to even customize the voice of your sim. Thus far I've recreated myself, my girlfriend, Nate's wife Cindy and Nate as Sims. Nate and Cindy are my neighbors and Michael (my gf) lives across the street and as of this last Friday, her and I are officially a dating couple on The Sims! Ahhh, to live life vicariously through animated computer game people! My sim is on the professional athlete career path. The game has some new personality trait features that allows you to pick 5 traits for your sim that influence their behavior. It makes things nice because when I don't want to tell my sim what to do, it just sort of does it on it's own. Thus far my overall opinion of the game is that it has a lot of great improvements on the previous game. I'm enjoying it thus far and it hasn't really lost its appeal yet. It probably helps that I only play for an hour or two, then go play something else so I haven't gotten burnt out from it yet.
I've finally beaten the master's section of Peggle! It took me long enough, right? I've since started working on all the challenge levels. I've made it past all the 35, 45 and 55 orange peg challenges. The 300k and 350k ones are giving me a bit of trouble, but I'm getting through it. I'm honestly quite surprise at the playability this game has. I was honestly completely unaware of all the challenge levels past the adventure mode. For $10-$12 this game is honestly a steal and it's a ton of fun. I'm definitely a Peggle fan now.
My favorite game (aside from Peggle and L4D) on my Xbox 360 is currently Battlefield: Bad Company. I love a good war/military shooter and this one is providing tons of fun. The unlimited amount of health you receive as well as the ability to blow buildings to smithereens are definitely the highlights of the game and that set it apart from other FPS games. It's the first game on my 360 that I've honestly been a bit addicted to and wanted to get in as much playing time as possible. I'm working through it right now on normal and most definitely getting my ass kicked constantly. Like I've said before, I've never said that I'm necessarily "good" at video games, I just love to play them. I die and I die a lot, but the fact that it "resurrects" you and saves all the kills you have made is fantastic. It makes life a bit easier for people like me. I think this will definitely be my first 360 game that I play all the way through. Now the question is, what to work on next after I finish this? Hmmmm...
I got a bit of WoW gaming in this weekend. I dinged 63 yesterday (w00t!) getting my closer and closer to 80. This is the furthest I've ever gotten in the game. I have another level 60 on a different realm that is just waiting in Outland patiently for me, but I've neglected her for the most part. I'm really enjoying the content in Outland. I played a tiny bit of it on Walker (my level 60 Tauren warrior), but not enough to get a good feel for it. It's nice to be playing new content. When I leveled Christilena (my level 63 blood elf pally), I played in places and did quests I had already done on Walker. Nothing was all that new. Now in Outland, I have all kinds of quests I've never completed before and that's fun and exciting. I'm enjoying all the new beasts and demons in Outland and I'm really anxious to get to 70 and head up to Northrend for more new content. In fact, all this talk about it makes me want to play right now! Hmmm, if there was only way to discretely install WoW on my computer at work at play....hmmmmmmmmm...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Gaming Diary May 30, 2009 - No Longer PC Exclusive
Since my "big" purchase of a brand new (well, not BRAND new, but new to me) Xbox 360 I have been completely immersed in the 360 gaming world. I've downloaded tons of game demos trying to get my hands, eyes and ears on as many games as possible. Some of the first games I picked up were Mass Effect, Madden '08 (for the girlfriend, not a big fan of sports games), Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Braid, Peggle and Left 4 Dead. I've played at least a little bit of all of them, with the exception of Madden.
Upon the urging of Nate, I tried out Mass Effect for a little bit. I didn't get all that far before I died. I'm still trying to adjust to the world of buttons and joysticks. The PC mouse and WASD combo is so easy compared to a console controller, but I'm getting used to it. I actually am starting to prefer it for some games. Anyway, I started up Mass Effect, but didn't get all that far. Same situation with Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. I like both games, but I'll definitely need to invest more time before I make a final decision on them. I have been investing a lot of time in Peggle, which I actually initially wasn't a big fan of. I checked out the Peggle demo on my PC and played it a few times on flight paths to WoW and it never did really grabbed me, but now playing it on the 360 is different. I'm totally drawn into it and have made it relatively far (well, at least for me) in a short period of time.
One game I haven't played much, but am loving is Braid. It's not even the gameplay yet that I love (as I really haven't gotten that far), it's the visuals and the music. The music reminds me a lot of Firefly. I would honestly just open up the game just to listen to the music. I'm not really sure what it is about it, but I just think it's beautiful. The game so far has been enjoyable, although it's probably going to wreck my brain a good amount. I tend to fail pretty hard at puzzle-type games and often resort to the good ol' internet to help me along. I'm going to try as best as I can to figure things out on my own, but we'll see how it goes.
The highlight of my 360 gaming experience thus far has to be Left 4 Dead. I got some campaign and survival gaming in last night with friends and absolutely loved it. The best part was, I even got my girlfriend (who tends to avoid gaming in general other then sports games) into the action. So much so that she said she wanted to play again today!
It was definitely worth the money to get the 360. It's providing a significantly more enjoyable multiplayer gaming then my PC ever did. It's difficult to find friends that PC game these days. I suppose we are sort of a dying breed of sorts, with the exception of PC exclusive games like World of Warcraft. Most gamers have become more involved in the console gaming community then the PC. It was awesome to be able to sit down and play with my friends, friends I don't typically get a chance to see all but a few times a year. Honestly, I think if Left 4 Dead was the only game I owned on the 360 it would still be worth the investment for the enjoyment I got out of it.
Now, I praise and praise and praise my new 360 gaming experience, HOWEVER, I still am at heart a PC gamer. I feel like the 360 will hold most of my casual gaming. Stuff that I'm not sitting down for hours for. Stuff I can just jump in and jump out of. I don't see my 360 ever being my "hardcore" gaming device. I still love my PC and still intend to use that as my main gaming "console." World of Warcraft will always have my heart and with Blizzard coming out with Starcraft II and Diablo III in the future I will definitely be investing a lot of time into my PC. I think the 360 will be my casual gaming and multiplayer gaming console while my PC will remain as my intense gaming and single player system. I currently own COD4 and COD5 for my PC with no intention of buying it for the 360. I'm not big into multiplayer on either of the games, but do love the single player aspects.
Other then 360 gaming throughout the last week I have been investing a bit of time into WoW. I got a few hours of WoW action in this morning. I'm currently level 61 working my way up to 62. Leveling is somewhat of a slow process for me since I really only play on the weekends. Today I ventured into Outland (a level 60-70 zone for the non-WoWing individuals) for the second time. My first time traveling to Outland was with the first character I ever made; Walker, a Tauren warrior. I didn't spend too much time in Outland then and honestly, it bored me a little, but I'm finding this time around to be more enjoyable. Blizzard has definitely made leveling significantly easier then the first time around. I anticipate at this pace I'll be making level 80 by sometime at the end of the summer. That's slow, I realize, but I just can't invest hours upon hours into the game like I could in college when I had significantly more free time. I'll probably just end up leveling a new character once I reach 80 anyway and then I'll just start the whole process all over again.
Oh, and I wrote all of this entry outside enjoying the beautiful weather with my laptop and headphones on. Oh to be a geek!
Upon the urging of Nate, I tried out Mass Effect for a little bit. I didn't get all that far before I died. I'm still trying to adjust to the world of buttons and joysticks. The PC mouse and WASD combo is so easy compared to a console controller, but I'm getting used to it. I actually am starting to prefer it for some games. Anyway, I started up Mass Effect, but didn't get all that far. Same situation with Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. I like both games, but I'll definitely need to invest more time before I make a final decision on them. I have been investing a lot of time in Peggle, which I actually initially wasn't a big fan of. I checked out the Peggle demo on my PC and played it a few times on flight paths to WoW and it never did really grabbed me, but now playing it on the 360 is different. I'm totally drawn into it and have made it relatively far (well, at least for me) in a short period of time.
One game I haven't played much, but am loving is Braid. It's not even the gameplay yet that I love (as I really haven't gotten that far), it's the visuals and the music. The music reminds me a lot of Firefly. I would honestly just open up the game just to listen to the music. I'm not really sure what it is about it, but I just think it's beautiful. The game so far has been enjoyable, although it's probably going to wreck my brain a good amount. I tend to fail pretty hard at puzzle-type games and often resort to the good ol' internet to help me along. I'm going to try as best as I can to figure things out on my own, but we'll see how it goes.
The highlight of my 360 gaming experience thus far has to be Left 4 Dead. I got some campaign and survival gaming in last night with friends and absolutely loved it. The best part was, I even got my girlfriend (who tends to avoid gaming in general other then sports games) into the action. So much so that she said she wanted to play again today!
It was definitely worth the money to get the 360. It's providing a significantly more enjoyable multiplayer gaming then my PC ever did. It's difficult to find friends that PC game these days. I suppose we are sort of a dying breed of sorts, with the exception of PC exclusive games like World of Warcraft. Most gamers have become more involved in the console gaming community then the PC. It was awesome to be able to sit down and play with my friends, friends I don't typically get a chance to see all but a few times a year. Honestly, I think if Left 4 Dead was the only game I owned on the 360 it would still be worth the investment for the enjoyment I got out of it.
Now, I praise and praise and praise my new 360 gaming experience, HOWEVER, I still am at heart a PC gamer. I feel like the 360 will hold most of my casual gaming. Stuff that I'm not sitting down for hours for. Stuff I can just jump in and jump out of. I don't see my 360 ever being my "hardcore" gaming device. I still love my PC and still intend to use that as my main gaming "console." World of Warcraft will always have my heart and with Blizzard coming out with Starcraft II and Diablo III in the future I will definitely be investing a lot of time into my PC. I think the 360 will be my casual gaming and multiplayer gaming console while my PC will remain as my intense gaming and single player system. I currently own COD4 and COD5 for my PC with no intention of buying it for the 360. I'm not big into multiplayer on either of the games, but do love the single player aspects.
Other then 360 gaming throughout the last week I have been investing a bit of time into WoW. I got a few hours of WoW action in this morning. I'm currently level 61 working my way up to 62. Leveling is somewhat of a slow process for me since I really only play on the weekends. Today I ventured into Outland (a level 60-70 zone for the non-WoWing individuals) for the second time. My first time traveling to Outland was with the first character I ever made; Walker, a Tauren warrior. I didn't spend too much time in Outland then and honestly, it bored me a little, but I'm finding this time around to be more enjoyable. Blizzard has definitely made leveling significantly easier then the first time around. I anticipate at this pace I'll be making level 80 by sometime at the end of the summer. That's slow, I realize, but I just can't invest hours upon hours into the game like I could in college when I had significantly more free time. I'll probably just end up leveling a new character once I reach 80 anyway and then I'll just start the whole process all over again.
Oh, and I wrote all of this entry outside enjoying the beautiful weather with my laptop and headphones on. Oh to be a geek!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
PC Gaming Diary #4 - No PC Gaming This Weekend!
Ahhhh, three day weekends are so glorious. This weekend I took a bit of a break from the PC gaming world since I had friends in town (one of which was Nate). Instead, lots of time was spent playing Mario Kart on the Wii and Left 4 Dead on the 360. My roommate owns a Wii (which she never plays) and my friend Whitney was nice enough to bring her copy of Mario Kart as well as two extra controllers for the weekend and Nate was nice enough to bring his Xbox and Left 4 Dead with him. Lots and lots and lots of time was put into Mario Kart, mostly Nate and Martin playing solo and unlocking various levels we could play in multiplayer. After the weekend, I concluded that it might be fun to buy Mario Kart for my roommate's Wii even though if she moves, I won't have the console anymore. But it was really enjoyable and definitely a game worth having for any Wii owners if they have people over. I really do enjoy the Wii and the games that come with it. The only downside is that most of the time they are really only enjoyable games if you have a decent number of people over, which I don't typically have. I think if I ever came across $250+ and wanted to waste it on something, it would be a Wii, but I don't really know if it's worth saving up for or spending money I could spend on something else knowing I wouldn't be playing it all that often.
We also got in a few rounds of Left 4 Dead. I actually own the game for PC, but have never ventured into multiplayer on the PC because I have this inherent fear of playing against/with people I don't know. I recognize (and witnessed this weekend) that a lot of online gamers are epic douchebags, so I try and avoid that at all costs. It's hard being a PC gamer these days because we are somewhat of an endangered species...well, maybe not quite that extent, but most mainstream gamers prefer consoles and you're hard pressed to find too many people to multiplayer game with on the PC and unfortunately I know none (except for people that play WoW) so the biggest draw to a console for me is the multiplayer aspect and being able to play games with friends (especially since so many of mine do not live very close). So, with that being said...I am making the jump to becoming a console gamer. Okay, maybe I'm not entirely making the jump considering my PC will always be my gaming "console" of choice, but I will be purchasing a Xbox 360 today at lunch. I was lucky enough to find a month old pro system on Craig's List for $160 and I swooped that deal up. Hopefully the deal doesn't go sour and I get scammed in the process as it will most likely sway from making a 360 purchase on CL ever again. So hopefully in the future you will see more then just "PC Gaming" entries from me.
One last note, I have been planning a couple entries for the Bioshock 2 multiplayer as well as Borderlands, but I haven't gotten around to it. I'm going to make it a priority this week to post those entries as I feel as both of them are not getting enough attention as they deserve.
We also got in a few rounds of Left 4 Dead. I actually own the game for PC, but have never ventured into multiplayer on the PC because I have this inherent fear of playing against/with people I don't know. I recognize (and witnessed this weekend) that a lot of online gamers are epic douchebags, so I try and avoid that at all costs. It's hard being a PC gamer these days because we are somewhat of an endangered species...well, maybe not quite that extent, but most mainstream gamers prefer consoles and you're hard pressed to find too many people to multiplayer game with on the PC and unfortunately I know none (except for people that play WoW) so the biggest draw to a console for me is the multiplayer aspect and being able to play games with friends (especially since so many of mine do not live very close). So, with that being said...I am making the jump to becoming a console gamer. Okay, maybe I'm not entirely making the jump considering my PC will always be my gaming "console" of choice, but I will be purchasing a Xbox 360 today at lunch. I was lucky enough to find a month old pro system on Craig's List for $160 and I swooped that deal up. Hopefully the deal doesn't go sour and I get scammed in the process as it will most likely sway from making a 360 purchase on CL ever again. So hopefully in the future you will see more then just "PC Gaming" entries from me.
One last note, I have been planning a couple entries for the Bioshock 2 multiplayer as well as Borderlands, but I haven't gotten around to it. I'm going to make it a priority this week to post those entries as I feel as both of them are not getting enough attention as they deserve.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
PC Gaming Diary #3 - I Returned to the Sea...
In a amazing turn of events, this weekend I played very little WoW compared to my normal gaming tendencies. Most of Saturday I spend organizing a few things and trying to find my birth certificate. I'm not really sure why, but I just felt bored with WoW this weekend, so I sort of took a break. I did, however, get a little bit of gaming in.
This weekend I decided to start a new run through of..................BIOSHOCK! It's probably been over a year since I did my initial play through of the game and with the new one coming out in the next year or so and seeing articles in PC gamer, I decided it was time to play through it again. This time I decided to play through it on Hard (I started on Easy or Medium, I can't remember honestly) and I think I might decide to kill the Little Sisters (as much as it pains me) this time instead of save them just to see the different outcome. I didn't get all that far into the game, but I think I might continue this play through this week while my gf is at work. Unfortunately, I won't be getting much gaming time in this weekend BUT it's for a very, very good reason!
I'm excited for this second play through. I started to appreciate certain aspects of the game more then I did in my initial play. The game really, truly plays like a movie. It's quite fascinating as no other game before has really captured me like that. I tend to be the type of gamer that cares little for storylines and cut screens with video. I tend to escape, space, return, click or do whatever I can to get out of it. I'm not really sure why, but my priority when gaming is playing the game and I often sacrifice storyline with that attitude. I hope to get more out of the game in regards to story then I did before and I'm not really sure what to expect playing on hard, so we shall see how it turns out in the end!
This weekend I decided to start a new run through of..................BIOSHOCK! It's probably been over a year since I did my initial play through of the game and with the new one coming out in the next year or so and seeing articles in PC gamer, I decided it was time to play through it again. This time I decided to play through it on Hard (I started on Easy or Medium, I can't remember honestly) and I think I might decide to kill the Little Sisters (as much as it pains me) this time instead of save them just to see the different outcome. I didn't get all that far into the game, but I think I might continue this play through this week while my gf is at work. Unfortunately, I won't be getting much gaming time in this weekend BUT it's for a very, very good reason!
I'm excited for this second play through. I started to appreciate certain aspects of the game more then I did in my initial play. The game really, truly plays like a movie. It's quite fascinating as no other game before has really captured me like that. I tend to be the type of gamer that cares little for storylines and cut screens with video. I tend to escape, space, return, click or do whatever I can to get out of it. I'm not really sure why, but my priority when gaming is playing the game and I often sacrifice storyline with that attitude. I hope to get more out of the game in regards to story then I did before and I'm not really sure what to expect playing on hard, so we shall see how it turns out in the end!
Monday, May 11, 2009
PC Gaming Diary #2 - I Remember When 60 Was Something Special
My girlfriend works weekends, so that's when I get most of my gaming in. This weekend I spent a good time on...you guessed it! World of Warcraft! I think my appeal towards WoW on the weekends is also due to the fact that I don't have to give the game 100% of my attention to play (lets be honest, it's just a lot of right click target, 4, 6, 4, 6, 4, 6, 7 then walk to the next target and repeat) which means I also get to devote some time to watching some of my favorite TV shows. This weekend it was finishing up Firefly. Other games such as COD4, COD5, Crysis, GTA4, FO3 need a bit more of my attention. But enough about TV!
This weekend I made a relatively large achievement. I leveled to 60! Now, if this were a few years ago that might actually mean something, but with the Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King expansions it really means nothing other then I was final able to purchase my epic mount giving me a 100% speed increase on the ground. Amazingly (and I honestly don't know how) I had the 700ish gold it cost to purchase the training and the actual mount. This is a new achievement for myself as I have only leveled one character to 60 thus far (and that's honestly as far as I have gotten in the game) and I never had enough gold on that toon to purchase my epic mount. So hooray on all accounts! Even though 60 doesn't really mean anything anymore, I'm pretty excited to have finally reached it and reached it significantly faster then my last toon. Seriously, Blizzard has made the grind from 1 to 60 WAY easier then it was a few years ago. Only 20 more levels to go and I have achieved my final goal!
Aside from all that WoWery this weekend, I got to playing a bit of Halo 2. See, I owe our friend Nate a replacement Halo Edition original Xbox so I found one on Craig's List and traveled down to Baltimore this weekend to pick it up. Nate won't be able to get it from me until Memorial Day weekend so I hooked it up and sat down to play a bit of Halo. Being the PC gamer I am, it's a bit awkward switching from the standard WASD and mouse one two combo of the PC gaming world to the console controller. I typically find the two joysticks confusing. I think I'm getting the hang of it, but I still have a difficult time being quick and accurate with the right hand joystick when aiming. I suppose it just takes some practice. I didn't spend too much time on it though and really didn't get very far, but I found it relatively enjoyable. There's one aspect of the console gaming world that I want in the PC gaming world and that is sitting down on a comfy couch to enjoy a game. There's something significantly more relaxed about console gaming to me then PC gaming. When I sit at my computer and play, I have to sit in my cheap computer chair and lean over my desk a bit. It's not as enjoyable or comfortable as a nice, plush couch. I have been toying with the idea of buying a 360 in the semi-near future, but it's the cost that's really keeping me from it. We shall see, maybe Halo 2 will make my urge to make that purchase even stronger.
This weekend I made a relatively large achievement. I leveled to 60! Now, if this were a few years ago that might actually mean something, but with the Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King expansions it really means nothing other then I was final able to purchase my epic mount giving me a 100% speed increase on the ground. Amazingly (and I honestly don't know how) I had the 700ish gold it cost to purchase the training and the actual mount. This is a new achievement for myself as I have only leveled one character to 60 thus far (and that's honestly as far as I have gotten in the game) and I never had enough gold on that toon to purchase my epic mount. So hooray on all accounts! Even though 60 doesn't really mean anything anymore, I'm pretty excited to have finally reached it and reached it significantly faster then my last toon. Seriously, Blizzard has made the grind from 1 to 60 WAY easier then it was a few years ago. Only 20 more levels to go and I have achieved my final goal!
Aside from all that WoWery this weekend, I got to playing a bit of Halo 2. See, I owe our friend Nate a replacement Halo Edition original Xbox so I found one on Craig's List and traveled down to Baltimore this weekend to pick it up. Nate won't be able to get it from me until Memorial Day weekend so I hooked it up and sat down to play a bit of Halo. Being the PC gamer I am, it's a bit awkward switching from the standard WASD and mouse one two combo of the PC gaming world to the console controller. I typically find the two joysticks confusing. I think I'm getting the hang of it, but I still have a difficult time being quick and accurate with the right hand joystick when aiming. I suppose it just takes some practice. I didn't spend too much time on it though and really didn't get very far, but I found it relatively enjoyable. There's one aspect of the console gaming world that I want in the PC gaming world and that is sitting down on a comfy couch to enjoy a game. There's something significantly more relaxed about console gaming to me then PC gaming. When I sit at my computer and play, I have to sit in my cheap computer chair and lean over my desk a bit. It's not as enjoyable or comfortable as a nice, plush couch. I have been toying with the idea of buying a 360 in the semi-near future, but it's the cost that's really keeping me from it. We shall see, maybe Halo 2 will make my urge to make that purchase even stronger.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
PC Gaming Diary #1: It's a Game Within a Game!
My roommate walked by my desk last night and simply stated "You are multitasking like crazy, are you playing two games at the same time?!" Well, in fact I was.
I've spent most of my recent days playing World of Warcraft. I own a good amount of games, but the one that usually consumes the most of my time is WoW. I have been playing for going on 4 years now and I have yet to level a character to 80. There was one point in time prior to the Burning Crusade expansion that I did in fact reach the maximum level at the time (60), but since then I have been a bit behind the pack.
Yesterday I leveled my latest toon (a female, retribution speced, blood elf paladin on the Skullcrusher realm) to 59. WoW involves a lot of non action at times. When you fly from city to city you have no control over your transport and are sort of left in limbo. Usually I'll alt-tab out of the game and do some web browsing or some chatting, but in the past month Pop Caps games has released two add-ons for World of Warcraft; Bejeweled and Peggle. You can customize the add ons to automatically open up when you get on a flight path and automatically close when you are done. You can also customize it to automatically open and close in other occurrences such as death, but I just chose the FP option. Bejeweled plays as it would normally play, although as points increase you also gain levels in regards to your Bejeweled skills. Peggle offers extra WoW specialties such as leveling and earning talent points that can be used to your liking (very similar to TPs in WoW itself). I tend to spend most of my FP time (which can sometimes take up to 15 minutes depending on where you're traveling) playing Bejeweled, mostly because I find it more simplistic then Peggle. I haven't quite caught on to the Peggle buzz yet as I find the game to be mostly luck. Maybe I just haven't realized the strategy behind it yet. It's fun though and props to Pop Cap for the add ons. It adds an entirely different level to playing World of Warcraft as well as casual gaming.
I've spent most of my recent days playing World of Warcraft. I own a good amount of games, but the one that usually consumes the most of my time is WoW. I have been playing for going on 4 years now and I have yet to level a character to 80. There was one point in time prior to the Burning Crusade expansion that I did in fact reach the maximum level at the time (60), but since then I have been a bit behind the pack.
Yesterday I leveled my latest toon (a female, retribution speced, blood elf paladin on the Skullcrusher realm) to 59. WoW involves a lot of non action at times. When you fly from city to city you have no control over your transport and are sort of left in limbo. Usually I'll alt-tab out of the game and do some web browsing or some chatting, but in the past month Pop Caps games has released two add-ons for World of Warcraft; Bejeweled and Peggle. You can customize the add ons to automatically open up when you get on a flight path and automatically close when you are done. You can also customize it to automatically open and close in other occurrences such as death, but I just chose the FP option. Bejeweled plays as it would normally play, although as points increase you also gain levels in regards to your Bejeweled skills. Peggle offers extra WoW specialties such as leveling and earning talent points that can be used to your liking (very similar to TPs in WoW itself). I tend to spend most of my FP time (which can sometimes take up to 15 minutes depending on where you're traveling) playing Bejeweled, mostly because I find it more simplistic then Peggle. I haven't quite caught on to the Peggle buzz yet as I find the game to be mostly luck. Maybe I just haven't realized the strategy behind it yet. It's fun though and props to Pop Cap for the add ons. It adds an entirely different level to playing World of Warcraft as well as casual gaming.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
An Introduction to a PC Gamer
Hello blogging world! With the recent post by Nate regarding my addition to the blog, I figured I'd give a quick introduction.
My name is Kara and I love PC gaming. I have never been a console gamer and have been PC gaming since the days of the Apple IIe when I played Castle Wolfenstein. These days I spend most of my gaming time (which is pretty limited with a full time job) playing World of Warcraft, but I also attempt to branch out now and then with some COD4, COD5, or Fallout 3. Some of my favorite PC games ever are Diablo II, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Bioshock, Age of Empires II and Morrowind. Hopefully that gives you readers a taste of my general gaming interests. I tend to stay in the RPG/FPS realm, but every so often enjoy a good RTS. And I am not claiming to be all that great at any of these things! I just enjoy PC gaming, even if it means I get my ass handed to me at times.
I'm looking forward to contributing and look forward to some possible cross platform talk (delayed new releases for PCs, small differences in games between consoles and PC, etc) in the future!
My name is Kara and I love PC gaming. I have never been a console gamer and have been PC gaming since the days of the Apple IIe when I played Castle Wolfenstein. These days I spend most of my gaming time (which is pretty limited with a full time job) playing World of Warcraft, but I also attempt to branch out now and then with some COD4, COD5, or Fallout 3. Some of my favorite PC games ever are Diablo II, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Bioshock, Age of Empires II and Morrowind. Hopefully that gives you readers a taste of my general gaming interests. I tend to stay in the RPG/FPS realm, but every so often enjoy a good RTS. And I am not claiming to be all that great at any of these things! I just enjoy PC gaming, even if it means I get my ass handed to me at times.
I'm looking forward to contributing and look forward to some possible cross platform talk (delayed new releases for PCs, small differences in games between consoles and PC, etc) in the future!
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