Monday, June 1, 2009
I Will Be At Work During the Microsoft Press Breifing
Seeing as I will be at work during the Microsoft Press Breifing today expect a Megaton post with all my thoughts from the breifing late tonight around 12.30am.
Monday MUpdate: E3 Bound
Well, the big event is here. Video gamers all across the land huddle around their monitors, refreshing and refreshing their favorites to see more and more news come in from the conference; each site wanting to be the first to break whatever news is unveiled. And in the center of it all stands one man. One man unafraid of the lines. One man unafraid of the crowds. One man who has no credentials but is there anyway, kicking ass and taking names/notes. Who is our lone warrior, our traveler of the unknown? Me. Duh.
So while today I sit in my office anxiously twiddling my thumbs, tomorrow I will find myself on a plane flying non-stop to Los Angeles, California, in order to attend E3. I feel like part of me should say that I'm the official representative of Best GamePad Ever, and while the reality may be that I'll be wearing FOX Media badges all day, I'll still try and slip that in there into casual conversation. While originally Nate was going to attend with me, due to unforeseen circumstances this is no longer the case. This means that I will have to do the work of two men instead of one. So on that note, I would like to inform you, the gentle reader, of how I plan to keep this website updated: I have sold out and created for myself a Twitter account. I felt that this was the best way to get my word out there. I created the account last week and have been trying to get into the habit of using it, updating after I see a movie or when I see something funny out and about. While for some reason my TwitPic account decides to update Twitter on it's own, off and on as opposed to just on, and my profile won't update to say that I'm actually not following Penn Jilette (as amazing as he is), it's there and you can follow it here. I suppose I should apologize to my friends who follow my Twitter because they love me and not my E3 experience (they will be bombarded with random tweets of "just played mass effect 2 - super sweet," "just played brutal legend - super sweet," and "just played another game - super sweet," although I can only I hope I remember to capitalize). I, of course, will not be able to read any reply tweets or tweets reading "@mattisnotarobot One more tweet about video games and I'm de-following you," so this is my official warning to anyone uninterested. I won't be offended.
So some of you might be asking, what exactly is my schedule? What will I be doing at E3? What makes this trip unlike all other trips? And how many aisles must a game reviewer walk down before you can call him a game reviewer? Well, while the answer to that last question may be blowing in the wind, I can enlighten the rest of the world with my adventure outline. It'll basically be like any tweet or blog you could read about me, but you're reading it before it happens and thusly can infer all the things that could go wrong or right from that point, kind of like a make your own adventure story, except in this you could kill me out of jealousy and I would be powerless to stop you.
Tuesday - Matt goes to LA: On Tuesday, I have an 8:00 AM flight, so I'll be up at 4:00 AM in order to make sure I can wake up, get up, and get out of the house by 5:00 AM so I can be at the airport around 6:00 AM. From there I can only hope that all the information I just printed out of my work printer will somehow get me my ticket and passed security. I have a non-stop flight to LA due to arrive at 11:40 AM, at which point I will be luxuriously transported to my swanky Sheraton Hotel to check in. From that point I have the whole day to do whatever I want in LA which is why I took such an early flight. I can't imagine the next time I'll be in California, so if I'm going to stalk Arnold, now's my chance.
Wednesday - Matt goes to E3: At 9:30 AM I will be at the convention center, getting my badges and passes with my travel companion so that by 10:00 AM I can be out on the show floor. At some point, I have to play Halo: ODST, and by "have to" I don't mean that I want to as a gamer but that I am contractually obligated by IGN and FOX Media to play this game. I then will be writing a review/preview around 1:00 PM (after lunch basically) to be posted on IGN.com at their E3 subsite (http://e3.ign.com/). When I finish doing that, I get to go back to the show floor to play games and do whatever until 5:00 PM. I will do my best not to spend my entire time at the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 booth and to be a good "reporter," but most likely the child in me will take over and my Halo: ODST review will not read "The graphical accomplishments in this five minute preview by the Bungie crew is really rather outstanding, improving upon the previous Halo graphics engine to create a much sharper and fresh gaming experience," but instead will read "OMG IT LOOKS WICKED SWEET." At 5:00 PM, my travel companion and I will be escorted to the IGN War Room to be on the IGN podcast, GameScoop. After that I am treated to VIP passes at an IGN Party at a much nicer hotel then the one I was put up in, and then I am left to my own devices from there. Also, at some point a website called Crispy Gamer would like to interview me, for reasons unknown. I will do my best to comply however, mostly due to the fact that I am vain. Thursday - Matt goes home: Lastly, on Thursday I will be in LA until 3:30 PM-ish, at which point I will fly into the future to arrive back in my home town at midnight. On the plane, I need to write a one page article recap of E3 in which I tell about all the lessons in life I've learned, as well as providing an easy to understand anecdote as to moral of the day. Because you see, I've learned something today...
So there you have it. This is what my week will entail as I miss work and don't get paid due to a complete lack of any vacation hours. I'm rather excited to do this, and I've got my copy of The Flash: Emergency Stop and Nintendo DS all ready to go for a 6 hour flight. I can only hope that this trip is as entertaining as it promises to be, and I hope to be a good provider of information upon next week's Monday MUpdate on the true world behind the veil of E3. I'll get right down to the gritty stuff and talk about how many dead booth babes I come across in gutters, as well as a full list of all the secret codes people use to transport black market copies of games under the table. I also wish that I could get my own little Sack Boy, but I understand that unlike all my other wants, that one is probably just wishful thinking.If there's anything you'd like me to do/find/prove at E3, feel free to let me know in the comments. I'm more than happy to oblige. And again, feel free to follow my escapades at twitter.com/mattisnotarobot for any quirky commentary I may have.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Although this is not news I wanted to share this with all of you.
Today, while at work, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting both Andrew Yoon and Ludwig Kietzmann of Joystiq fame.
I feel like I froze up but managed to give Andrew the link to this blog so if you guys are reading this, "Hi guys, it was a pleasure meeting you."
I hope it was not just coincidence and that I have the pleasure of working with, or in the field of, these fine gentleman in the future.
Today, while at work, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting both Andrew Yoon and Ludwig Kietzmann of Joystiq fame.
I feel like I froze up but managed to give Andrew the link to this blog so if you guys are reading this, "Hi guys, it was a pleasure meeting you."
I hope it was not just coincidence and that I have the pleasure of working with, or in the field of, these fine gentleman in the future.
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!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Game Diary - May 28, 2009: Mass Effect... again.
For the past couple of days I have been on a strict regimen of Citadel space flights. You got it, I have been playing Mass Effect once again.
I started this playthrough about a month or so ago but in the past two days alone I have made significantly more progress than when I initially started playing the game for what I believe to be my fourth time.
It is as spectacular as I can remember and even on the fourth playthrough I am finding new dialogue tree options. I loaded the game onto my hard drive for less pop in and no loads while walking (not that these things really bothered me to begin with) and the difference is quite noticeable.
Kara purchased the game... finally, and I am eager to hear her thoughts. You should be as well.
I started this playthrough about a month or so ago but in the past two days alone I have made significantly more progress than when I initially started playing the game for what I believe to be my fourth time.
It is as spectacular as I can remember and even on the fourth playthrough I am finding new dialogue tree options. I loaded the game onto my hard drive for less pop in and no loads while walking (not that these things really bothered me to begin with) and the difference is quite noticeable.
Kara purchased the game... finally, and I am eager to hear her thoughts. You should be as well.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Zune HD Revealed
While my iPhone serves its purpose as a general all-purpose device I have been on the lookout for a new media-only device. Naturaly since it [the Zune] is a Microsoft product I have a soft spot in my heart for it.
The most exciting part of Microsoft's Press Release that isn't the Zune HD is the change of branding from the 'Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace' to the 'Zune Marketplace'. This excitement comes with the hope that you will be able to use your Zune Pass to download songs directly to one's Xbox (it might give me a reason to buy a Zune Pass). I also do not doubt that the videos that you download will work across the bridge between the Zune and the Xbox.
Now for the Zune HD itself. It will be the first media player with an HD video-out output, it will have HD Radio, built in Wi-Fi (naturally), and a pretty exciting OLED touch screen technology. I think Microsoft just sold me a media player and now the only thing that I can hope for is decent storage capacity.
Update: The songs portion of the Zune Marketplace is not coming to Xbox LIVE is will only be called Zune Video. Boo Hisss...
[Via Joystiq]
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Game Diary - May 26, 2009: Memorial Day Weekend Edition
Seeing as I have been away all weekend the only thing that I have been updating frequently is my Twitter page. Despite not being near a computer that I could update this blog on I still managed to get in a lot of gaming this weekend nonetheless.
Most of the gaming this past weekend was nonconventional, at least it was for myself. I did bring my 360 (and Left 4 Dead) with me to Kara's house this weekend but I was primarily playing Mario Kart Wii. Since I had five other people to play this game (not at one time) with it ended up being really entertaining (so much so that I have been reinvigorated on the idea of purchasing a Wii in the future). Still though, if I end up owning a Wii and Mario Kart, I do not think that I would take it so far as to go online to play the game. With the Wii it just feels better playing in the same room as everybody else. This is probably why most folk's Wiis end up collecting dust: people just cannot have people over often enough.
I played very little of Guitar Hero 3, also on the Wii, but in doing so I got to play a few of the unlockable tracks that I had wanted to play when the game originally came out.
I did also play some Left 4 Dead with Kara and Martin. I got to finally touch upon Survival Mode but sadly it was not a good experience because all of the people we got stuck playing with were "epic douchebags" and ending up shooting us/each other and the longest we survived was one time for about two minutes.
Other than that not much else has been played but I am looking forward to finally playing Beyond Good and Evil.
Most of the gaming this past weekend was nonconventional, at least it was for myself. I did bring my 360 (and Left 4 Dead) with me to Kara's house this weekend but I was primarily playing Mario Kart Wii. Since I had five other people to play this game (not at one time) with it ended up being really entertaining (so much so that I have been reinvigorated on the idea of purchasing a Wii in the future). Still though, if I end up owning a Wii and Mario Kart, I do not think that I would take it so far as to go online to play the game. With the Wii it just feels better playing in the same room as everybody else. This is probably why most folk's Wiis end up collecting dust: people just cannot have people over often enough.
I played very little of Guitar Hero 3, also on the Wii, but in doing so I got to play a few of the unlockable tracks that I had wanted to play when the game originally came out.
I did also play some Left 4 Dead with Kara and Martin. I got to finally touch upon Survival Mode but sadly it was not a good experience because all of the people we got stuck playing with were "epic douchebags" and ending up shooting us/each other and the longest we survived was one time for about two minutes.
Other than that not much else has been played but I am looking forward to finally playing Beyond Good and Evil.
Monday MUpdate: On a Tuesday
Due to Memorial Day, I took off all of my duties yesterday and slept in. I rolled around for hours doing nothing but watching movie and getting some personal work done. And since last updating, have I once played a video game? Not really, no. I saw Nate on Friday and we played Rock Band and Guitar Hero II for all of five minutes, and I once again tried to tackle "Jordan" but lost at the 50% mark like I always do. So I don't have much to say.
...or do I?
While most of my friends know this, I figure this is something 100% worthwhile to write about for an entry as the general gaming public who make up our readers don't know this: on Thursday, as I drove between Massachusetts and New Jersey, I got a phone call from a number I didn't recognize. Even though I was "watching" Two Guys and A Girl off my laptop, I decided I was in a good mood so I would pick up the phone.
"Hello?" I said.
"Hi, is this Matthew?" said a voice on the other end.
"Why, yes it is! How can I help you?"
"Do you remember entering a contest on IGN a while back to go to E3?"
"...yes?"
"Well, I'm calling to congratulate you on being the winner!"
"..........Get outta town!!"
You see, right when I got my new fancy desk job, I started surfing several websites on a regular basis: fmylife.com, failblog.org, kotaku.com, and ign.com. One day, IGN had a contest to be a guest editor at E3. I entered it casually as I often do most prizes, figuring that I probably wouldn't win but if I did, Nate and I could go. And then I promptly forgot about it. And then I got a call telling me that I won! I'm not going to lie - I feel like the cat's pajamas. After finishing my conversation with the woman on the phone (who reminded me of GLaDOS in that she wouldn't say I could bring a friend but that I could bring a "travel companion," and I wanted to ask if it was ok if I brought a box with hearts on it but didn't want to be rude), I immediately called Nate over and over until he picked up at work so I could scream the good news into his ear.
And now, Nate and I will be going to E3. We fly out June 2nd and spend all day June 3rd on the Expo floor, me working for IGN and Nate having the time of his life running around and meeting videogame people. Expect long articles from Nate about how much he loves me followed by all the things we will see at E3. I'm excited to play games like Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, Bioshock 2, Brutal Legend, Beatles Rock Band, Mass Effect 2, and DJ Hero. "DJ Hero?" you ask, confused. Yes, DJ Hero, because honestly, it looks kinda fun, and I want to play it without buying it. I'm also hoping to see something exciting from Valve. Oh, the week is going so slow!
So that's it for me. I'm currently making lists of things to bring, and by that I'm deciding what graphic novels I should go out and buy to read on the plane. I probably won't be bringing my laptop to LA because I don't want to risk losing it, but I may get a Twitter account so I can update it as I go about playing games and doing things. At the very least, Nate will be doing that, so expect next week to be fun and exciting for everyone.
See you at E3!
...or do I?
While most of my friends know this, I figure this is something 100% worthwhile to write about for an entry as the general gaming public who make up our readers don't know this: on Thursday, as I drove between Massachusetts and New Jersey, I got a phone call from a number I didn't recognize. Even though I was "watching" Two Guys and A Girl off my laptop, I decided I was in a good mood so I would pick up the phone.
"Hello?" I said.
"Hi, is this Matthew?" said a voice on the other end.
"Why, yes it is! How can I help you?"
"Do you remember entering a contest on IGN a while back to go to E3?"
"...yes?"
"Well, I'm calling to congratulate you on being the winner!"
"..........Get outta town!!"
You see, right when I got my new fancy desk job, I started surfing several websites on a regular basis: fmylife.com, failblog.org, kotaku.com, and ign.com. One day, IGN had a contest to be a guest editor at E3. I entered it casually as I often do most prizes, figuring that I probably wouldn't win but if I did, Nate and I could go. And then I promptly forgot about it. And then I got a call telling me that I won! I'm not going to lie - I feel like the cat's pajamas. After finishing my conversation with the woman on the phone (who reminded me of GLaDOS in that she wouldn't say I could bring a friend but that I could bring a "travel companion," and I wanted to ask if it was ok if I brought a box with hearts on it but didn't want to be rude), I immediately called Nate over and over until he picked up at work so I could scream the good news into his ear.
And now, Nate and I will be going to E3. We fly out June 2nd and spend all day June 3rd on the Expo floor, me working for IGN and Nate having the time of his life running around and meeting videogame people. Expect long articles from Nate about how much he loves me followed by all the things we will see at E3. I'm excited to play games like Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, Bioshock 2, Brutal Legend, Beatles Rock Band, Mass Effect 2, and DJ Hero. "DJ Hero?" you ask, confused. Yes, DJ Hero, because honestly, it looks kinda fun, and I want to play it without buying it. I'm also hoping to see something exciting from Valve. Oh, the week is going so slow!
So that's it for me. I'm currently making lists of things to bring, and by that I'm deciding what graphic novels I should go out and buy to read on the plane. I probably won't be bringing my laptop to LA because I don't want to risk losing it, but I may get a Twitter account so I can update it as I go about playing games and doing things. At the very least, Nate will be doing that, so expect next week to be fun and exciting for everyone.
See you at E3!
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.
Modern Warfare 2 Reveal Trailer
Since I was away from the computer all weekend this is all I have to show you for the time being. I am sure that you have already seen it but you should just watch it again and take it in.
I am happy to see that this story looks like it is going to pick up right after the last one and looks to be just as epic and just as groundbreaking. If you weren't looking forward to it with the teaser trailer are you looking forward to it now?
P.S. - Kara has some excellent news for all of you let us hope that she tells you later today.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Further Indication of Crackdown 2 @ E309
On this past Sunday's Major Nelson showgram, as outro music and Name The Game music, Larry (Major Nelson) played Crackdown theme music. They might as well announce it right now. The proverbial cat is already almost out of the bag. I am sure he is quite thrilled with himself for the theme announcement and now this.
But seriously folks this is some good subtle marketing for us who follow this sort of thing.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
A Slow Run to E309
The one true thing I dislike about trade shows is the fact that news grinds to halt less than two weeks before the show. Even the rumors that have been hanging in the air aren't numerous, meaning that I have already mentioned them in passing.
I do keep getting more and more excited for The Beatles: Rock Band because of little things like this. I feel like the game is going to make me feel like Guitar Hero 2 made me feel when I originally snagged that when it hit 360. It felt new and fresh and I really feel like The Beatles: RB is going to bring that new luster to a genre that is quickly getting stale (what with Activision's, GH5, Band Hero, DJ Hero, etc.).
I do keep getting more and more excited for The Beatles: Rock Band because of little things like this. I feel like the game is going to make me feel like Guitar Hero 2 made me feel when I originally snagged that when it hit 360. It felt new and fresh and I really feel like The Beatles: RB is going to bring that new luster to a genre that is quickly getting stale (what with Activision's, GH5, Band Hero, DJ Hero, etc.).
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 18, 2009
Game Diary - May 18, 2009: It's Monday and Cloudy
On the subject of the weekend past there was a severe lack of gaming to be had. It was not that I didn't fancy playing, I just never got to the point where I felt the need to wrap my hands around the controller.
I think that this is partially because I know what is in store for me in the coming level in COD4 (I have to disarm the nukes and I am timed and it is close quarters vicious combat) and I am really fighting not to move onto replays of other games until I finish this feat of impossibility.
I also haven't touched my DS, and in turn The World Ends With You, in just over a week so there is nothing to report on that front.
The only thing remotely game like that I have been playing is Peggle for iPhone and I just finished the Adventure mode on the train/bus ride home last night.
Hopefully there will be more gaming in the coming week and more game news at that.
I think that this is partially because I know what is in store for me in the coming level in COD4 (I have to disarm the nukes and I am timed and it is close quarters vicious combat) and I am really fighting not to move onto replays of other games until I finish this feat of impossibility.
I also haven't touched my DS, and in turn The World Ends With You, in just over a week so there is nothing to report on that front.
The only thing remotely game like that I have been playing is Peggle for iPhone and I just finished the Adventure mode on the train/bus ride home last night.
Hopefully there will be more gaming in the coming week and more game news at that.
Monday MUpdate: Entry and snide, sly enough to argue for a complete statement of the weekend reading anything really
I believe that the beginning of a _____ post starts with a _____ title, and there is no ______ title than an Engrish title. So from now, all Monday MUpdates will have Engrished titles in order for me to convey coy commentary to my own writing.
Aside from that, I do not have much to report in the world of gaming belonging to the video format. As this is the first weekend in a while in which I had no plans, I took it upon myself to put my nose inside of a book and leave it there for a prolonged period of time, reading a colossal 950something pages. Needless to say, my brain feels a tiny bit fried.
I did, at one point, pick up my DS and Chrono Trigger for a short time, and I found that the longer the gap in between gameplay, the more I forget what I'm supposed to do in the game. It is through this that I feel I'm not really getting my money's worth for the purchase, and that is my own fault. While I do absolutely ____ the game, I need to make more time for it. Then I could perhaps beat it more quickly and move on to newer endeavors, like The World Ends With You and Final Fantasy IV.
I also played Fallout 3: The Pitt during the week. I must say, despite how troublesome it is at time, I really found the expansion to be ____. I've been spending most of my time trying to find 100 Steel Ingots for the achievement, and while it's somewhat ______, I find that I have a ____ time regardless. This is something I also need to devote more time to, because I do want to try out Broken Steel, and of course I want to go back to re-playing certain old games.
Other than that, the only thing I want to comment on is the lack of Team Fortress 2 updates to the XBOX 360. While I recently posted an article about it, the more I read about updates (a Spy update was just announced), the more _______ I get about it. I think that it is _____ for Valve to promise one thing and not deliver, even if I have to pay for it. Not all of us have access to a PC (Kara is the only writer for this blog with one) so Nate and I get left in the dust, and that is just ____. So Valve, if you ever come across this, consider it an open letter: It would make me very _____ if you would share the wealth sometime soon, because I ____ to play the game too.
That's it for today.
Aside from that, I do not have much to report in the world of gaming belonging to the video format. As this is the first weekend in a while in which I had no plans, I took it upon myself to put my nose inside of a book and leave it there for a prolonged period of time, reading a colossal 950something pages. Needless to say, my brain feels a tiny bit fried.
I did, at one point, pick up my DS and Chrono Trigger for a short time, and I found that the longer the gap in between gameplay, the more I forget what I'm supposed to do in the game. It is through this that I feel I'm not really getting my money's worth for the purchase, and that is my own fault. While I do absolutely ____ the game, I need to make more time for it. Then I could perhaps beat it more quickly and move on to newer endeavors, like The World Ends With You and Final Fantasy IV.
I also played Fallout 3: The Pitt during the week. I must say, despite how troublesome it is at time, I really found the expansion to be ____. I've been spending most of my time trying to find 100 Steel Ingots for the achievement, and while it's somewhat ______, I find that I have a ____ time regardless. This is something I also need to devote more time to, because I do want to try out Broken Steel, and of course I want to go back to re-playing certain old games.
Other than that, the only thing I want to comment on is the lack of Team Fortress 2 updates to the XBOX 360. While I recently posted an article about it, the more I read about updates (a Spy update was just announced), the more _______ I get about it. I think that it is _____ for Valve to promise one thing and not deliver, even if I have to pay for it. Not all of us have access to a PC (Kara is the only writer for this blog with one) so Nate and I get left in the dust, and that is just ____. So Valve, if you ever come across this, consider it an open letter: It would make me very _____ if you would share the wealth sometime soon, because I ____ to play the game too.
That's it for today.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Prelude to E3 (Another Mass Effect 2 Video)
"I'm so excited...
...and I just can't hide it...
...I'm about to lose control and I think I like it."
This is why I just broke out into song, I mean serious WTF, is Bioware trying to give me a heart attack?
[Via Joystiq]
...and I just can't hide it...
...I'm about to lose control and I think I like it."
This is why I just broke out into song, I mean serious WTF, is Bioware trying to give me a heart attack?
[Via Joystiq]
Crackdown 2 Announcement @ E3 2009?
You would think that with all the speculating that I was doing yesterday, that I might have picked up on what I am about to say sooner.
Let me start off by saying that Crackdown, a first party game from Microsoft, was an awesome game. It really got me into playing sandbox games whereas previously, before the 360, I pretty much avoided them (Grand Theft Auto IV was the first GTA game that I played to completion). So now that I prefaced what I am about to say you can probably already deduce what all the speculation is going to be about.
I feel that at E3 Microsoft will announce Crackdown 2 and I can only hope that the original developer, Realtime Worlds, will be taking the reins. Before I talk about that I wanted to say why I think that this announcement is coming: Microsoft just released a Premium Xbox 360 Dashboard Theme for Crackdown. Now I know that is not a fool proof announcement but it could surely be an indication. Think about it, the game came out two full years ago but sure they could just be trying to eek out some money from consumers who dug Crackdown.
The theme could also be a promotion for All Points Bulletin which is Realtime Worlds next game and could also be the reason that, if it is announced, there would be a different developer attached to Crackdown 2. If you did not get that Realtime Worlds, the developer of Crackdown, is currently working on an MMO called All Points Bulletin so if Microsoft does announce Crackdown 2 at E3 it is likely that Realtime Worlds did not develop it.
Now all of this is speculation beyond speculation but it would be nice to see and moreover it would be nice to play another Crackdown game regardless of the developer (provided that they do not f' it up). How about you dear reader, what did you think of Crackdown and do you want a sequel?
Let me start off by saying that Crackdown, a first party game from Microsoft, was an awesome game. It really got me into playing sandbox games whereas previously, before the 360, I pretty much avoided them (Grand Theft Auto IV was the first GTA game that I played to completion). So now that I prefaced what I am about to say you can probably already deduce what all the speculation is going to be about.
I feel that at E3 Microsoft will announce Crackdown 2 and I can only hope that the original developer, Realtime Worlds, will be taking the reins. Before I talk about that I wanted to say why I think that this announcement is coming: Microsoft just released a Premium Xbox 360 Dashboard Theme for Crackdown. Now I know that is not a fool proof announcement but it could surely be an indication. Think about it, the game came out two full years ago but sure they could just be trying to eek out some money from consumers who dug Crackdown.
The theme could also be a promotion for All Points Bulletin which is Realtime Worlds next game and could also be the reason that, if it is announced, there would be a different developer attached to Crackdown 2. If you did not get that Realtime Worlds, the developer of Crackdown, is currently working on an MMO called All Points Bulletin so if Microsoft does announce Crackdown 2 at E3 it is likely that Realtime Worlds did not develop it.
Now all of this is speculation beyond speculation but it would be nice to see and moreover it would be nice to play another Crackdown game regardless of the developer (provided that they do not f' it up). How about you dear reader, what did you think of Crackdown and do you want a sequel?
Thursday, May 14, 2009
My E3 Rumor & Speculation
When it comes to games expos I honestly am only ever really looking forward to the Xbox news. It is in my nature (it just gets me giddy inside); I have attached all of my caring to that console. I know that there will probably be decent enough iPhone and Ninendo DS announcements but I will not care about them until I hear them.
So having you understand that the only expectations that you are going to see here are 360 in nature I'll just get this show on the road. Naturally I assume that we are all going to see some things from Mass Effect 2, Halo 3: ODST, Modern Warfare 2, Brutal Legend, Dead Rising 2, Bad Company 2, maybe that Mass Effect iPhone game, etc.
What I really want to talk about is what we are not expecting. Could we see a bigger hard drive for the 360? It seems the most likely of any announcement. We have the ability to copy games to our hard drive and my and I am sure most other's Rock Band song collection is growing and that requires a lot of space. Let's not forget the video marketplace. With all of these things together it seems more than likely that we will see a bigger hard drive unveiled at E3.
Rumors have also been swirling again (like in a circle, get it?) on a motion controller so that could be something (albeit something I do not care about).
And last of my speculations: Could we see a slimmer 360 since we may see a slimmer PS3 this year? Who knows?
What kind of announcments are you anticipating?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)