Dead Space DLC

i awoke today to find an ad on my XBOX360, promoting downloadable content for Dead Space. i'm all for DLC, but at least make it worth my while for foot's sake. different color costumes and guns? that's BS. give me a new mode or level, don't just re-texture some shit and think that's enough.

then again, this IS an EA game, and they're known for bullshit like this so i shouldn't be surprised. i'm more disappointed really. i had a lot of fun in this game, and would LOVE to find another reason to spend MORE time, but new outfits aren't gonna do that for me.

Mirror's Edge

i started mirror's edge the other day and i must say it is one beautiful game. taking place in a gleaming white city with sparse patches of bold primary colors. it's quite intense, and nice to see when most other games just end up looking brown. (heres looking at you gears)

the training level seems on par with the demo which is good, but i've noticed as i progress through the game the quality of gameplay starts to slip. faith (your character) does primarily what you want her to do but i'm noticing that when i try to do the same thing repeatedly (as i often am doing) the results are different. same button, same order, same timing, same location: different result.

it's become quite frustrating. not so much that i want to stop playing, but enough that i do need to take breaks due to said frustration. i still feel compelled to play though. i'm hoping the story will pan out and become fully realized. there seems to be a bit of stalling, no doubt to extend the gameplay. it's not a new tactic, and this IS EA we're talking about. granted they've put out some damn good games in the last year or so.

back to the game. while i'm sure getting through the game without firing a gun is possible, i'll leave that to my second run through. most enemies can be run past, which is good considering this is a parkour (free-running) game. it's mostly the times when you're FORCED to fight that i feel the game starts to fall apart. disarms are possible, but the timing is odd, and the window of opportunity you have is a bit small. needless to say this is when i decided shooting enemies was going to have to happen. which is too bad.

so on to some good, yes?
the camera has never been an issue for me in this game and that's HUGE. also as i stated earlier, the controls are spot on a good majority of the time. i really though running and jumping in first person (to this extent) might be a bit weird, but i've played Metroid enough to get used to it quickly. (thanks retro!)
you can generally tell where you should be heading which is a good thing when speed is the name of the game. there are a lot of rooftops to run around on but not as many possible paths as you'd hope. yet it's still possible to lose your way from time to time. and in those times, a simple tap of the 'b' (or 'O') button points you to your goal.

i'd say overall it's worth renting. i've finished the game today and can say with full confidence i will not pick it up again. i don't miss the experience which is a shame. the first half of the game was fantastic, but the later levels drove me up the wall.
i give this game a C, maybe a C+.

a special treat

i'm going to post this to the sideboard, so it can be forever viewable.

votation

if you are of age and a citizen, you damn well better register to vote.  and then be sure to vote come november.  that's pretty much all i've got for now.  there is some cool tech news i wanna talk about, but that has no place in this post. (except for that bit there, and this bit here)

viva!

nice.  nice.  i played a little viva last night, and i plan to do it again tonight.  yes.  i'm a 30 year old man who LOVES me some viva piñata.  i've already got whirlms galore, and i'm breeding bispotti as soon as i finish this blog.  i can't wait for the cocodiles to show up, and of course the pretztail.  i've got one that i keep penned up for now, but i'll need to add another to keep the first company.

when it comes down to it, viva's a really sick game.  all of the piñata are cannibalistic and incestuous.  ya, and this shit is rated E. it's all in good fun though, and who can be mad at cannibalism and incest when it's a candy filled snake with two heads?  i can't.  especially once you tell me that it's called a twingersnap, and i squeal like a little girl.

i don't know where Rare keep coming up with this madness, but i hope they keep it flowing for many more years.  this is a game that just makes you smile.  those are the best kind of games to me.  don't get me wrong, God of War is MY JUICE.  and there are plenty more like it that i love to death, but sometimes, it's nice to pick up a game and RELAX.

viva!

too human

i played the shit out of 'too human' for 360 yesterday, and it was awesome. i've had my eye on this one for a while, as i LOVED the last Silicon Knights game i played. This is a big departure from the last adventure they tossed my way. i was lucky enough not to pay too much attention to what the game 'should' have been, so i'm not disappointed by a 'lack of features'.

it reminds me a lot of fable really. not the gameplay, but the games reception. a lot of people STILL complain that fable wasn't 'what it was supposed to be' but it as a great game none the less. this is how i feel about 'too human'. sure, there are things to improve, and the game is nothing groundbreaking, but you know what? it HELLA fun. i can't wait to take it co-op online.

i'll be back to post more as i play more of the game, so keep an eye out for that.

also, i'm downloading 'ratchet & clank: quest for booty' soon, so i'll give my impressions on that too.

see you next time chums!

inspired?

a friend of mine was recently discussing the idea of making t-shirts. i was listening in as he and another talked about the general idea and look behind the shirts, and i was inspired. not how i would normally be inspired either. normally, i'd think of an idea or two and say 'that would be cool' and it ends there. no, i'm inspired enough to actually DO this time around. i've already made two graphics, and will be purchasing printable iron on paper to test the designs. if they turn out decent enough, i'm going to drop the money and have them printed proper.

i have many more ideas, and i'm sure the more i make, the more i'll think of. so i'd like to say thank you kelle, and jake for talking about making t-shirts. and for letting me in on that conversations. i hope to exchange and share ideas with you in the future.

in the end, maybe they didn't really inspire me so much as motivate me, which is what i needed. BADLY.

Dick Dale

so, i had the opportunity to speak with mr. dick dale today. i couldn't really believe i was sitting there talking to the guy that made 'misirlou' (at least here - the song was originally a greek rebetiko). he was really down to earth, and an absolute pleasure to converse with. i certainly hope to have the opportunity again. what a day.

2008

so, i found my blog site again.  HOORAY!  i'd forgotten about this little dear until someone uttered the word 'bushness' to me.  a lightbulb went off above my head, and then promptly smashed to my skull. thus it reminded me of the site, and chastised me for having forgotten it in the first place.

so here i am, writing here for the first time in over a year.  i don't have a terrible amount to say i'm afraid, but i thought i should throw something up for the occasion.