Thursday, July 15, 2010
I Write Like....
So I plugged in one of my reviews from 360voice, Dog Reviews The Internet, into the site I Write Like/ and Chuck Palhniuk came out. Who's Chuck you ask?
He wrote the book Fight Club.
Not at all who I was expecting (I would have loved oh, say, Kurt Vonnegut or even Chuck Klosterman myself) but hey, writing in the spirit of one of the oddest authors of the last 30 years? I will take that.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Blizzard's RealID System Removed Before It Went In
In case you haven't heard, Blizzard was planning, with the launch of Starcraft 2
later this month, to have your actual, legal name show up in all of your postings on their official forum. All of the internetz lost their minds with this news. Showing your real name was supposed to lead to decreased trolling and generally bring down people acting like douchebags.
Tuesday night, I asked the Wife of Thunder about this, as she is a female gamer and has a very different outlook on things then I do. For example, when she first saw the Tzeentch Lord of Change model for Warhammer, she commented that it looked like he was wearing one of Elvis' jumpsuits:
Her first thought was that now women would stay away from World of Warcraft and Starcraft 2 out of fear of being targeted. Both online and offline, it's a major issue for female gamers. Exactly how much of an issue was unknown to me then, but after a few more days of uproar, oh boy do I see how much it means for a female gamer to be anonymous. Stalking, both on and offline, is a major issue that well how to put this nicely....ummm....hmmm...well the sort of World of Warcraft player that gets REALLY REALLY into it is exactly the sort of guy that would stalk a female. See Guild, The. Episode 1.
Penny Arcade today brought to light a connection, just hours before Blizzard pulled the plug on RealID, of a business deal with Blizzard and Facebook: Well, from May, but I never noticed it...which is what Blizzard wanted!
No wonder they wanted to use real names for their games.
Considering I do everything under the name "Dog of Thunder" I'm not exactly on board with the whole "real name" concept, though it's not a huge secret either (just "like" me on Facebook!). ARGH! See what I did there? Facebook has wormed its way into every aspect of the internet, but for now, its evil tentacles are leaving our internet forums alone.
Give it time. This issue will come up again, and again and again. In a few generations, the whole concept of anonymity will be a historical relic. Like the Wii or the 8 track.
later this month, to have your actual, legal name show up in all of your postings on their official forum. All of the internetz lost their minds with this news. Showing your real name was supposed to lead to decreased trolling and generally bring down people acting like douchebags.
Tuesday night, I asked the Wife of Thunder about this, as she is a female gamer and has a very different outlook on things then I do. For example, when she first saw the Tzeentch Lord of Change model for Warhammer, she commented that it looked like he was wearing one of Elvis' jumpsuits:
Her first thought was that now women would stay away from World of Warcraft and Starcraft 2 out of fear of being targeted. Both online and offline, it's a major issue for female gamers. Exactly how much of an issue was unknown to me then, but after a few more days of uproar, oh boy do I see how much it means for a female gamer to be anonymous. Stalking, both on and offline, is a major issue that well how to put this nicely....ummm....hmmm...well the sort of World of Warcraft player that gets REALLY REALLY into it is exactly the sort of guy that would stalk a female. See Guild, The. Episode 1.
Penny Arcade today brought to light a connection, just hours before Blizzard pulled the plug on RealID, of a business deal with Blizzard and Facebook: Well, from May, but I never noticed it...which is what Blizzard wanted!
No wonder they wanted to use real names for their games.
Considering I do everything under the name "Dog of Thunder" I'm not exactly on board with the whole "real name" concept, though it's not a huge secret either (just "like" me on Facebook!). ARGH! See what I did there? Facebook has wormed its way into every aspect of the internet, but for now, its evil tentacles are leaving our internet forums alone.
Give it time. This issue will come up again, and again and again. In a few generations, the whole concept of anonymity will be a historical relic. Like the Wii or the 8 track.
What's Next?
For the last 2 years and 2 months, I have been an active member and contributor to 360voice.com, an amazing 360 site. On my year anniversary of joining, I was raised to become a 360voice Community Expert (Mod basically). Even dealing with a death threat, well three, when reworking the way that Genre Badges worked on the site did not chase me away. So what finally did?
At first I thought it was my annoyance over dealing with people all the time through the veil of anonymity that is the non-Blizzard internet. Little support issues here and there, whining about updates not happening fast enough, all these minor things were adding up. Once I realized I could not handle one more posting that looked like it was written by a lemur, I knew I was at a breaking point. Thankfully there was a waiting idiot to push me over the edge where I needed to go in the first place.
It is not that I want to abandon 360voice, it is just that I want to take the time I devoted to others and use it for myself. I am removing all those time sinks that stopped me from updating my own little piece of the internet like I wanted. Instead of dealing with an existing community and helping it function on a daily basis, I want to build my own community. Carve out a little piece of the internet for myself and see what grows. Who knows, it could be nothing, it could be something.
At first I thought it was my annoyance over dealing with people all the time through the veil of anonymity that is the non-Blizzard internet. Little support issues here and there, whining about updates not happening fast enough, all these minor things were adding up. Once I realized I could not handle one more posting that looked like it was written by a lemur, I knew I was at a breaking point. Thankfully there was a waiting idiot to push me over the edge where I needed to go in the first place.
It is not that I want to abandon 360voice, it is just that I want to take the time I devoted to others and use it for myself. I am removing all those time sinks that stopped me from updating my own little piece of the internet like I wanted. Instead of dealing with an existing community and helping it function on a daily basis, I want to build my own community. Carve out a little piece of the internet for myself and see what grows. Who knows, it could be nothing, it could be something.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
WANTED: Weapons of Fate - The Perfect Movie-Tie In
I just finished up Wanted: Weapons of Fate earlier today and it was incredibly satisfying. Wanted had spent a long time on my "wish list" of games that I really wanted to play for one reason or another. The list includes such luminaries as 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, WET and The Wheelman. Not exactly the top of the metacritic or anything. Wanted, with very low expectations, managed to meet each and every one of them. Sadly, this makes it one of the best movie games I've ever played.
While Wanted may actually be based off of the comic series by Mark Millar, it's well, very loosely based. VERY. The comic series, released in 2003, answers the question "What would have happened if the Legion of Doom had defeated the Justice League?" The universe of Wanted is a dark parody of the DC Universe with no heroes and only villains. Wesley in the comics goes through training, but it's to become a straight up EVIL~! super villain that can "rape an A list celebrity and get away with it." The Wanted comic book series is not for the faint of heart, but at least the movie made an attempt to capture the spirit of the series.
The movie introduced curving bullets, which did not exist in the comics, and thank Jabootu that they did because that one mechanic is done so well in the video game, I did not mind playing it twice and then another 3 runs of the last level. I LOVE picking off fools that think their safe hiding behind cover with a gorgeous slo-mo curving shot to the head. The cover system sucks, aiming is rough sometimes, but the mere existence of the easy to use curving bullets raise this game to a higher level.
Why is that? One thing, just one gameplay mechanic makes me overlook the monotonous enemies, drab locales, horrendous color choices and hysterically poor plot with some of the worst voice acting since Transformers 2. Curving bullets is just pure fun. The slo mo sequences? Also just fun. Once you get a rhythm, you can actually move like The Killer, flowing from cover to cover, popping off curving headshots and just generally being an unhittable avatar of death.
It's short, the last achievement is really annoying, but for just balls out action, Wanted: Weapons of Fate is a great game.
While Wanted may actually be based off of the comic series by Mark Millar, it's well, very loosely based. VERY. The comic series, released in 2003, answers the question "What would have happened if the Legion of Doom had defeated the Justice League?" The universe of Wanted is a dark parody of the DC Universe with no heroes and only villains. Wesley in the comics goes through training, but it's to become a straight up EVIL~! super villain that can "rape an A list celebrity and get away with it." The Wanted comic book series is not for the faint of heart, but at least the movie made an attempt to capture the spirit of the series.
The movie introduced curving bullets, which did not exist in the comics, and thank Jabootu that they did because that one mechanic is done so well in the video game, I did not mind playing it twice and then another 3 runs of the last level. I LOVE picking off fools that think their safe hiding behind cover with a gorgeous slo-mo curving shot to the head. The cover system sucks, aiming is rough sometimes, but the mere existence of the easy to use curving bullets raise this game to a higher level.
Why is that? One thing, just one gameplay mechanic makes me overlook the monotonous enemies, drab locales, horrendous color choices and hysterically poor plot with some of the worst voice acting since Transformers 2. Curving bullets is just pure fun. The slo mo sequences? Also just fun. Once you get a rhythm, you can actually move like The Killer, flowing from cover to cover, popping off curving headshots and just generally being an unhittable avatar of death.
It's short, the last achievement is really annoying, but for just balls out action, Wanted: Weapons of Fate is a great game.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Record of Agarest War Unboxing
Unboxing video guest starring the Wife of Thunder. I would've bet money on her response being that it was a Hentai game.
I'll hopefully start playing and recording on Monday, but due to the sheer amount of other games coming in the mail, that'll be pushed back to Wednesday. I've got to run through CSI: Hard Evidence, provided by the 360voice Free Rental program, first and then LEGO Batman....and then WANTED....and THEN I can really get going on my own games.
It's going to be a busy summer of gaming, but with my new Dazzle HD Pro, everyone will get to enjoy it with me!
I'll hopefully start playing and recording on Monday, but due to the sheer amount of other games coming in the mail, that'll be pushed back to Wednesday. I've got to run through CSI: Hard Evidence, provided by the 360voice Free Rental program, first and then LEGO Batman....and then WANTED....and THEN I can really get going on my own games.
It's going to be a busy summer of gaming, but with my new Dazzle HD Pro, everyone will get to enjoy it with me!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Never Judge A Game By Its Cover
Again, trying this out for submission to TA, I'm taking another stab at the RPG's influence across other genres next week, especially after a lively debate about Borderlands on 360voice.
By day I may be an avid gamer, but by night I work as a college librarian. Part of my job is suggesting books for the students which is a lot harder then going for "Grand Pearl Poo-bah" in Hexic HD. A major problem I have is getting students to even look at a book without the book jacket. It is disturbing how many college students will read a book if it "looks good." It's a book! It looks like someone was writing on paper!
This got me thinking about Onechanabra: Bikini Samurai Squad. Not only is this game cursed with an obnoxious title (or a great one depending on your point of view), but it also has some of the worst cover art. All that is depicted is Aya, one of the main characters, standing there in her cowboy hat and bikini. Normally a cover would not dissuade people from picking up a game but this particular cover of a scantily clad Japanese woman can, and most likely has, turned people away from what is actually a really good game.
Here's a linkie to the cover art so you can see this for yourself: http://www.forevergeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/onechanbara.jpg
Now, how many people would lump that in with other scantily clad covers such as X-Blades and even Dead or Alive Extreme 2? I will hazard a guess and say most of you did just that. Well don't, because what this cover is concealing, beside a pair of legs that go for miles, is some of the best hack and slash gameplay on the 360. No really, do not be fooled by the bikini or the school girl outfit, the timing based combo system of Onechanabra takes serious skill to reach the full potential.
Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad is the perfect storm of a bad title and a bad cover masking great gameplay. Even if the cover was changed to show Aya fighting off a horde of zombies, it would be a more accurate representation of the game. I mean come on, zombies! Every gamer's favorite mindless cannon fodder! I know people that buy games specifically because it has zombies! The back of the Onechanbara box does mention the zombies, but to reach that, you have to pick up the bikini clad cover and turn it over.
The dilemma Onechanbara faces is akin to a Playboy with a really good article inside. Do not be embarrassed to pick it up. Just like I tell male students, there is nothing wrong with picking up a "girly" looking book such as Pride and Prejudice....the version without the zombies....or even Emma, another great work by Jane Austen. Along those lines, I also enjoyed Vanity Fair. You already have an image in your mind about those books based off of society but those books are also some of the greatest of all time.
Do not play a game simply because it might be embarrassing to walk up to the cash register with it, you might be missing out on a great experience.
By day I may be an avid gamer, but by night I work as a college librarian. Part of my job is suggesting books for the students which is a lot harder then going for "Grand Pearl Poo-bah" in Hexic HD. A major problem I have is getting students to even look at a book without the book jacket. It is disturbing how many college students will read a book if it "looks good." It's a book! It looks like someone was writing on paper!
This got me thinking about Onechanabra: Bikini Samurai Squad. Not only is this game cursed with an obnoxious title (or a great one depending on your point of view), but it also has some of the worst cover art. All that is depicted is Aya, one of the main characters, standing there in her cowboy hat and bikini. Normally a cover would not dissuade people from picking up a game but this particular cover of a scantily clad Japanese woman can, and most likely has, turned people away from what is actually a really good game.
Here's a linkie to the cover art so you can see this for yourself: http://www.forevergeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/onechanbara.jpg
Now, how many people would lump that in with other scantily clad covers such as X-Blades and even Dead or Alive Extreme 2? I will hazard a guess and say most of you did just that. Well don't, because what this cover is concealing, beside a pair of legs that go for miles, is some of the best hack and slash gameplay on the 360. No really, do not be fooled by the bikini or the school girl outfit, the timing based combo system of Onechanabra takes serious skill to reach the full potential.
Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad is the perfect storm of a bad title and a bad cover masking great gameplay. Even if the cover was changed to show Aya fighting off a horde of zombies, it would be a more accurate representation of the game. I mean come on, zombies! Every gamer's favorite mindless cannon fodder! I know people that buy games specifically because it has zombies! The back of the Onechanbara box does mention the zombies, but to reach that, you have to pick up the bikini clad cover and turn it over.
The dilemma Onechanbara faces is akin to a Playboy with a really good article inside. Do not be embarrassed to pick it up. Just like I tell male students, there is nothing wrong with picking up a "girly" looking book such as Pride and Prejudice....the version without the zombies....or even Emma, another great work by Jane Austen. Along those lines, I also enjoyed Vanity Fair. You already have an image in your mind about those books based off of society but those books are also some of the greatest of all time.
Do not play a game simply because it might be embarrassing to walk up to the cash register with it, you might be missing out on a great experience.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Preview Image
So I've been really busy wrapping up course work for the semester, grad school applications and the such. Here to tide you over is the title screen of...well...see for yourself...Jabootu knows it's large enough to get your attention...
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