Where To Begin?

So despite everything, the world did not end and we are all still alive and kicking. I guess this means someone needs to get out there and find another date for the end of the world? Maybe a couple of years from now? You know, just to keep it fresh on everyone's minds?

Joking aside, at least this does give me a bit more time to try and finish off the games I've been putting aside this past year. That lists now includes Halo 4 (pictured above), Far Cry 3, Assassin's Creed III and Borderlands 2. That is a sequel heavy list for sure, but none of which are bad games in any respect. I've just kind of fallen off the wagon so to speak. I think what it is is that I just have not found a game that has really captured my interest. Far Cry 3 and Borderlands 2 are the top of the 4, which Assassin's Creed III and Halo 4 round out the bottom end of that. 

Far Cry 3 tops the list, barely, just for the fact that it is something different than what I would usually play. Surely it is a shooter game with light hints of RPG elements, but still. I think I enjoy it for the same reasons I enjoyed Skyrim: Exploration. It is fun to wander about and just head into places you are unsure of and to see what secrets lie in the deep.

Borderlands 2 is an awesome game, no doubt about that at all. But maybe it is just a little too much of the same deal from the original game. Yes it has it's humor, yes the characters and the situations are as over the top as ever. But I'd like to see something more, more then just crap guns and dozens of grenade mods. How about pushing a little more RPG elements here? Maybe add in some actual armor options? By now, I was hoping to have a bit more freedom in customization at least for your toon. While that has opened up a little, it is still limited at best.

I think I made a mistake with Assassin's Creed III. While I loved Assassin's Creed II, I've not really cared much for Brotherhood or even Revelations. AC III doesn't really do anything that wows me. The story seems okay, but after nearly 10 hours of play I just don't feel any sort of attachment towards the main character Connor or even Desmond (why does he change in appearance so much between games? He looks like a different person).

And then there is Halo 4.

This one I thought would have been a no brainer, a game I could finish as was the case with the original Halo trilogy, along with ODST and Reach. But this game, like AC III, failed the catch my interest. But this one did not even hold my attention past an hour. Sad really, maybe I'll come back around to this in a few months.

Overall, I think what I am lacking is a really good RPG, something I've not played in a number of years now. It is really what got me to sink my teeth into gaming in the first place, but as the story goes, the depth of quality RPGs as a whole is pretty lacking. Which brings me to Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch.

It brings me a little hope that maybe this game, beyond it's hype, is the RPG that could bring that magic back. No need for overly fancy graphics or big guns or super realistic stories. Just bring back that wonder, that sense of adventure that games are quickly losing as this console generation is seemingly coming to a close.

Okay, I suppose that isn't quite a fair statement to make as there was actually one RPG I did enjoy this year. That would be Xenoblade Chronicles. I actually did get into playing that one for quite a bit, but stopped mostly because the batteries in my Wii remote died and I never got around to buying any new ones. Poor excuse, yes? But beyond that, the game did leave an impression and it is something that is always in the back of my mind. 

Always so many games and never enough time to enjoy them all. I need to sort out my priorities...

Wreck-It Ralph

I had been seeing quite a bit of promotional stuff about this movie for a while now and for the most part I didn't think much of it. I thought it'd be a movie with a couple of game references and that'd be the extent of it. But I'd be remiss to have just ignored this movie as just another Disney cartoon.

And for the record, I've enjoyed my fair share of Disney animation in my time.

What I didn't expect to find here was something that had as much heart as it did. I liked the theme of changing your fate and not always having to stick to what seems to be a predetermined destiny. Why should you stay the course? Why must you be a "bad guy"? Why can't there be more to life then that? Surely the flow of events has been seen before, with the "bad guy" (Ralph) looking to change his fortunes by any means.  He meets up with someone that changes his life (Vanellope) and that brings a whole different perspective for Ralph. He screws up, girl gets mad, Ralph sees the error of his ways and saves the day.

Well that is generally the story of the movie in a nutshell, but there is so much more to it than that.

What was cool to me was the story, while focused on Ralph and Vanellope, also focuses on other characters and how they change over the course of the story. I guess what I am trying to say is the characters show progression, it isn't just "this is the way we are and this is the way we stay." There is more to them and it shows on screen and I love this movie for that.

Forgive me if that is all a little vague, but I am very rusty at this stuff at the present. But if you've gathered nothing else from this writing, please understand this much: I really enjoyed this movie! And while I may be easy to entertain, I am not easy to leave a lasting impression on. This movie accomplished that, perhaps more so then the last Disney movie I watched in theaters (Brave).

One More Time

Despite what I had previously posted, here I am yet again with a few thoughts to share to probably no one in particular. Still, I've not written (typed) all that much in ages and I feel that 'itch' to write, share and just clear my mind a little bit.

It really has been far too long...

In the time away, I've gotten back into comics quite a bit and maybe even more so now then ever before. With that said, I've been loosely following the Avengers vs X-Men storyline, just staying with it kind of enough to know what was going on (I am tempted to pick up the collected edition). But the stuff that has been coming up since that story ended has really caught my interest.

Above all, is the pending story of the original 5 X-Men (Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast and Angel) coming to the present day storyline and facing the world after the events of AvX. More shocking I think is the idea that Cyclops has changed so much since their younger years and since the events of AvX, that change has really taken a new twist for the worst (depending on how you look at it). On top of this, Jean in the present time is still dead. I'm sure that will be a shock to the system...

Aside from that, I've been picking up into the new stuff in the Marvel NOW series. Deadpool seems to have a decent story, fitting and absurd as ever. I mean fighting and killing former dead presidents? That is pretty outlandish, but fitting for a babbling maniac such as Deadpool. I'm also liking Iron Man and Thor also, which is all new to me because I've never really ventured away from the X-Universe. Beyond those, I am looking forward to reading the new stuff for the Fantastic Four, Captain America and the Indestructible Hulk. All of those seem to have interest stories to tell.

Blogger Dead?

It would seem that I am not the only one who doesn't really make much use of Blogger anymore. Once upon a time, most of the blogs I followed were updated fairly often. Nowadays, it would seem everyone has moved on to other endeavors. But that is the way of life, nothing ever really lasts forever does it?

I came to see this for myself recently as I took a trip back home to visit my folks. What little that was left of the place I once called home has all but vanished now. The town I grew up in looks somewhat the same as I can remember it, but the stores and people I don't recognize anymore.

I'll admit that that was a little heartbreaking for the first day or so, just knowing that so many of the staples that were there growing up were long gone now. It was almost unnerving in some ways. I guess because these were things I used to identify home with and now with it being gone, man...

Again, I understand that change will always be a part of life. One cannot escape it and it is impossible to deny it. Me personally, since moving away from Blogger I've been making much more use of other social media outlets (to about as much success as this blog was), such as Twitter and Tumblr. Actually I guess my blog on Tumblr does at least get seen, so that is a plus...

Nice to know efforts aren't always for naught.

But change... man it's a crazy thing isn't it? It just hops up out of nowhere and just like that! Everything is not as it was before. I'm rambling a bit, I know, but I guess the thing I miss most is just being able to write out whatever comes to mind and just have that freedom to free my mind just a little bit.

I'm still debating to return here and pick back up on writing, since both Twitter and Tumblr aren't exactly places for traditional blogging.

So I'll just leave this as...

To be continued.

The Long Lost Returns

Its been quite a while, hasn't it?

So the story goes; I've been off and wandering the world, in search for knowledge and wisdom in the furthest reaches of this world. Alas, that is a load of bullshit. But I shared that bit to say this much at long last:  I've been gaming.

Yes, I know... quite a revelation, all things considered and what not.

Looking ahead is one thing for sure, but the present has surely kept me busy as far as being a gamer is concerned. Hell, the game that has stolen my attention for the better part of the past several weeks has been Diablo 3. Whodathunk that one? I surely did not. My computer is by no means a gaming machine, aside from a power supply and graphics card update some time back.

I say I didn't expect it because whenever I try those online spec checks, I am usually met with failure on my set up's part. Heck I even see people throwing out lists of graphics cards that are ideal for modern games and my card falls damn near to the bottom of those lists. But then to my surprise, taking the risk in buying a game I cannot know will run or not, it loads up and runs perfectly.

That is the exact case with Diablo 3.

Now I'd love to get in depth about the game and how it stacks up to the others in this series. But truth be told? Aside from a limited amount of  play of the original Diablo, I really have no experience here. As far as number 3 goes for me, it is generally fun though the normal setting does seem a bit easy. I imagine the upper difficulties must be hell.

Moving right along, E3... yeah, how about it huh? To my surprise, the one game that is standing out to me right at this moment is The Amazing Spider-Man. Here is that lovely little E3 trailer that damn near has me sold on the game alone.



Can it really be possible that a movie related game could actually end up being good? If this trailer means anything, maybe this could very well be the one to break the crap filled mold that generally turns out craptacular movie games. Maybe more then anything, I'm really diggin' the freedom of movement this game seems to allow. Dare I say, it looks fun to me...

Anyway, more to share but lacking in the drive to drag this little writing out further then I might have already. Besides it is humid and that never really serves as ideal writing/thinking conditions. Maybe I'll be back soon? Or maybe not. Once upon a time, I think the answer would easily have been sooner rather then later. Nowadays? I think eventually sounds about right...

So I'll be back...

Eventually.

Kara

This video (which I've only recently watched) is from Quantic Dream (the makers of Heavy Rain) and this is a tech demo showing off how they've advanced their tech since making Heavy Rain. While I admit the tech is interesting to say the least, I am actually curious to know what happens to Kara. It is said that this is only a tech demo and not the makings of an actual game. That is too bad. 

To The End & Back Again

It hadn't felt like a lot of time, but a rare event happened for me whist playing BioWare's controversial, yet so goddamn awesome, Mass Effect 3. It is the first game in quite a while where I actually put 40+ hours into a game. In this day and age (for me), that just does not happen as much as it used to.

But given the gravity of the story and the state of the galaxy, how could this epic be tackled with any less time? I mean after being ignored by the Citadel Council (for basically the past 2 games) as well as your own kind, you are immediately tasked as Humanity's last beacon of hope. But what can be done when the enemy has descended upon all of Earth and is destroying and killing every single man, woman and child they can. Shepard said it best: They are more intelligent, they are more advanced, they do not fears humans and they will never show mercy. But no, you must leave the fight behind on Earth and gather all the forces of the galaxy to bring the fucking hurt down upon those called the Reapers.

Yes, that was the 40 hour mark back there in that cloud of dust.

Massive Effect

I don't blog on here quite as much as before, but nevertheless I am still alive and kicking and swearing and all that good stuff. Of course gaming is still a part of my daily life and today is absolutely no different. I'm actually here because the funniest things have been going on lately and a lot of that has to do with the finale of the Mass Effect trilogy, Mass Effect 3.

So much hate is what I keep seeing and people are hating this game for a variety of reasons. I'm a little surprised with the hate on the day one DLC, mostly because this was done before and to act surprised that it is done here is just stupid and foolish and really just a waste of time. Didn't pre-order Mass Effect 3's Collector's Edition? Couldn't afford it? Didn't have time to do it? Or were you stickin' it to the "man"? Whatever the reason might be, sorry friend but you are just plain shit out of luck. Don't want to pay for the extra mission and the bonus character?

Solution: Shut the fuck up and do NOT buy it! Don't buy the game either if that offends you so. Why buy the game and bitch and complain about how evil EA and BioWare are with their twisted ideas of making money! I mean the nerve of those sons of bitches! What are they? A goddamn business? And in this day and age, who wants to make money anyway? Better pay is so overrated.

The other funny issue is people absolutely hating on how this game comes to an end. Oh. My. Fucking. God. What is this? Grade school? Waaa! Waaa! I don't like the story! Waa! Waaaaa! I didn't get what I want!

The best view, in my opinion, is simple this: The way the story flows and the way that it ends is the vision of the team(s) that made this game. To demand that they "fix" the ending to cater to a bunch of whining, spoiled brats is just never going to happen. It shouldn't happen. Things are the way that they were intended and that is what people should learn to respect. If you hate it that much, go ahead and trade your copy in and be done with it. Hell, don't even buy their future games.

Personally I am enjoying the ride myself and I am getting ever closer to getting the chance to see how my Shepard deals with the might of the Reaper invasion head on. I've been building up a mighty alliance and I've brought together an impossible force to fight a seemingly unbeatable enemy. Whatever might be waiting at the end of all of this, I can say I simply know this about this whole experience: This trilogy of games has been one hell of a ride. From Saren's betrayal on Eden Prime, to seeing Shepard becoming the first human Spectre, to watching Shepard die, only to return and overcome the impossible, to this point where the final confrontation that has the entire galaxy hanging in the balance.

Despite it all, I'm about ready to see Shepard off into the sunset, where ever or however that might come to pass.

The Story So Far...

So I've managed to stay away from my blog for just over a month (month and a day) and through my brief time away, I suppose I've kept a little busy. This isn't to say that this is a return, maybe more just dropping a line for no apparent reason.

• Played Star Wars: The Old Republic and generally liked it for the most part (tried races and jobs on both the Republic and Empire factions). The most fun I had was as a Sith Inquisitor, mostly for the conversations that involve the ability to use Force Lightning on hapless NPCs that think they want to oppose me.
  
  But me being me, I got bored just about a month later and have now quit out. There is a bit more to this little story then this, but that will have to wait for another day. This joins other failed attempts on my part to get into MMOs (World of Warcraft, DC Universe Online and even Lord of the Rings Online being the others).
  
• I am now absolutely convinced that the glory days of the Final Fantasy series have come and gone now. Even while despising Final Fantasy XIII, I decided to try out Final Fantasy XIII-2 under the impression that there has been a lot of positive things said about it. It's has towns! People! More paths! Freedom!
  
  My own personal impression? Sure it does have some towns and people and all that jazz that XIII didn't. But as far as story telling is concerned? It is still shit and I don't really give a fuck about the characters. Serah and Noel just don't cut it for me. I mean even after hearing a bit of their back stories, I just don't care. I don't care that Noel is the last man alive in his time or that Serah is the only one that feels like maybe her older sister could very well not be dead.
  
  So overall, I am just sickened by how far this series truly has fallen. When did the fantasy portion die and crap was used to fill the holes in? You know what? I saw this picture and I think it explains my point perfectly...
  
  
  
• Speaking of Final Fantasy (the real stuff), I did pick up Final Fantasy VI (again) and was actually looking forward to playing it possibly at work on my PSP. But then my PSP has seemingly died. And no, I won't be getting a Vita any year soon. So I'll be finally making some decent use of my PS3 again...
  
• Amid all of this chaos, I started up Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning just the other day and have been generally having my fun there as of late. Like a lot of games these days, this one sure knows how to bury a player under a mountain of missions, quests, jobs, side jobs and everything in between.
  
• On top of all this madness, we are barely a month away from the conclusion of Commander Shepard's story in Mass Effect 3. I've got that little time to try and polish off a few of these games before that time.

So that's that, meaning that is what life has had for me as far as gaming is concerned. Full plate, considering I haven't quite cleared out those that I picked up over this past holiday season. Much to play and not really as much time to play 'em. I guess it is just a nasty habit I've developed, picking up more and more games before I can finish them off.

So Far Away, Yet So Close At Hand

This has to be the longest period away I've spent where I just did not blog anything here. Not that this little hiatus comes as a surprise to me, I have been a little burnt out on more or less blogging to myself for these past many years. I don't know if it is because I am an extremely boring writer or maybe Blogger just doesn't have that active of an audience. Whatever the case might be, that isn't really important. I started to write this blog back in August of 2006 and have kept to it on a fairly regular basis since then.

I suppose what I'm really trying to say is this: This hiatus looks to be pretty indefinite at this point. I just don't have the drive to write as much as I once did.

So adios for now, see you imaginary folks in the near or distant future...