Read a page of Kotaku, almost any page, and I think you may feel like me, that all the good-looking games seem to be going 360 , and that nothing's hitting the ps3. From Software made the Armored Core games, and now they're making a ninja one? Awesome. Left 4 Dead is gonna be an exclusive? Or take a shitload of time to reprogram for the ps3? It depresses me. I feel like XBOX Live has more interesting stuff too. I hate microsoft. I hate the design of the 360, and how it'll be obsolete in a year, but if people see no incentive to spend the effort on the ps3, I may have to punch myself in the balls and buy one.
i'M depreSsed (g)oddamn xBoxxx...
it's like a conspiracy of money. maybe microsoft is paying everybody not to program for PS3 and the excuse is the programming difficulty. the wii's getting some interesting stuff too. i mean, shit...
Monday, September 1, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Who the fuck is Rene Zellweger?!?
You know those nights where you just make bad decision after bad decision and they all culminate with one horrible event? Yeah... that was last night. Bad decision #1: Pour myself a drink. Bad decision #2: pour myself a second, third, fourth, and so on. Bad decision #3: Decide to put other substances in my body that should not have been there and don't mix well with alcohol (I'll let you use your imagination). Bad decision #4: play Mario tennis. That's where everything went downhill fast and resulted in me getting reacquainted with the porcelain deities in my bathroom... for a good, I don't know, two hours. Luckily the greatest rapper of all time was there to look out for me and made sure I didn't go too overboard. You would have thought I learned my lesson already but it certainly doesn't look that way. So much for being productive today.
Anyways the point of telling all that was so I could tell you all this. Like Mr. Tippytoes mentioned, we are back at school. You would think that would cut down on posts since we are such diligent and hard working students... but no. You can now expect more regular posting from all of us to help you get through your tough year. We are a sincerely good group of people who care for your well being... what else can I say? So, here's hoping for another interesting school year in terms of the blog and all things MS(g)B. I'll get excited when the hangover wears off. Back to the bed for me.
On a side note: Who the fuck takes a dump ON a bush... especially a dump ON the bush right next to our apartment? Seriously?!?!?
Anyways the point of telling all that was so I could tell you all this. Like Mr. Tippytoes mentioned, we are back at school. You would think that would cut down on posts since we are such diligent and hard working students... but no. You can now expect more regular posting from all of us to help you get through your tough year. We are a sincerely good group of people who care for your well being... what else can I say? So, here's hoping for another interesting school year in terms of the blog and all things MS(g)B. I'll get excited when the hangover wears off. Back to the bed for me.
On a side note: Who the fuck takes a dump ON a bush... especially a dump ON the bush right next to our apartment? Seriously?!?!?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Back to school busy busy
Classes have started, exciting fourth year of college and all (and it should be the last) has kept me from updates. In the time since my last post I trudged through Bioshock but that was about it. Doing a review of the game would be a bit of a moot point since it's been so widely reviewed and scrutinized. To sum it up I thoroughly enjoyed the game, loved the atmosphere and art direction but there were some things that irked me. First and foremost the benefits of fully exploring areas did not seem to actually be worth it, I would find my way into some random-obscurely-placed-rooms and it would reward me with random ammo that I already had too much of. Next, I played through the game on the normal difficulty and the only reasons I died was from being intent on killing a big daddy using some crappy ammo instead of my good electric element or armor piercing (aka I conserved ammo for some future use that never occurred). I have to be honest, this game was definitely up there in amazing factor and a great play, it deserves a good amount of the praise it has received. I just think that the level of immersion the game reached in terms of atmosphere and interaction with the inhabitants of rapture was really hurt in the fact that you as a player were as detached from it as possible. Because I never actually felt in danger, lost, or worried then I was more compelled to play stupidly and without caution. I look forward to playing through it on hard difficulty so that I have to be extra cautious to progress through it hopefully (increased difficulty in a game tends to bring out the most creative sides of people in order to progress past obstacles).
So the game DJ Max Fever is coming to the US. While this is old news I was reminded of it from Kotaku's recent post of art and screen captures from the game and while I am not the heaviest into rhythm games I tend to like particularly challenging ones with spectacular song selections (Amplitude will always be superior to Guitar Hero/Rock Band in my mind, Harmonix please make a current gen iteration of Amplitude).
On another random related note Ladytron has released (for free) a great remix of Ghosts, Ghosts (Blestenation Mix). I think it sounds great, then again I am biased in that I have been obsessed with them for the past year...
So the game DJ Max Fever is coming to the US. While this is old news I was reminded of it from Kotaku's recent post of art and screen captures from the game and while I am not the heaviest into rhythm games I tend to like particularly challenging ones with spectacular song selections (Amplitude will always be superior to Guitar Hero/Rock Band in my mind, Harmonix please make a current gen iteration of Amplitude).
On another random related note Ladytron has released (for free) a great remix of Ghosts, Ghosts (Blestenation Mix). I think it sounds great, then again I am biased in that I have been obsessed with them for the past year...
Saturday, August 16, 2008
We are not fucking around - The Wire
To explain the gap in posts, I would say that I'm outta games to play.
BioCommando: Rearmed and Pixel Junk: Eden came out so I'm down for that and for buying a Wii,360, and PSP, but I'm low on cash, ladies and gentleman, and some of that cash has been spent enjoying the show, The Wire. Yeah, I know, like "Stuff White People Like" told me to.
What's so great about The Wire? Everyone on the show's an asshole. Everyone. What's bad about The Wire? It's long and sometimes plodding, and one time there was this ridiculous sex scene where two actors were moaning in cadence. Boring. Fake. The gay sex scene had more intensity. Did I mention that Omar's gay?
You're here for the good parts: Bunk and Omar
One Homocide detective fucks up the investigation, so Bunk and Mcnulty have to redo it:
Bunk's married, and has to hide the evidence from cheating. The audio sucks on this one...
Omar Part 1:
Omar Part 2:
Bonus: Bumpin' underground
I have dreams at night because of this video. DefJux makes 'em good.
A Lil Fu got this in my life
Get a Lil Fu in your life.
We should have one of those contests where you get to take the MS(g)B dude or VA.BBurg(if she agrees) of your choice out for whatever.
Donation drive! We need 360s!
BioCommando: Rearmed and Pixel Junk: Eden came out so I'm down for that and for buying a Wii,360, and PSP, but I'm low on cash, ladies and gentleman, and some of that cash has been spent enjoying the show, The Wire. Yeah, I know, like "Stuff White People Like" told me to.
What's so great about The Wire? Everyone on the show's an asshole. Everyone. What's bad about The Wire? It's long and sometimes plodding, and one time there was this ridiculous sex scene where two actors were moaning in cadence. Boring. Fake. The gay sex scene had more intensity. Did I mention that Omar's gay?
You're here for the good parts: Bunk and Omar
One Homocide detective fucks up the investigation, so Bunk and Mcnulty have to redo it:
Bunk's married, and has to hide the evidence from cheating. The audio sucks on this one...
Omar Part 1:
Omar Part 2:
Bonus: Bumpin' underground
I have dreams at night because of this video. DefJux makes 'em good.
A Lil Fu got this in my life
Get a Lil Fu in your life.
We should have one of those contests where you get to take the MS(g)B dude or VA.BBurg(if she agrees) of your choice out for whatever.
Donation drive! We need 360s!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Freebirth scum
It has been a while since an update happened I guess. Between the weekday trudge of work I've been cramming in a lot of movies/games/comics (damn you fukennedy). I'm going to do a couple things here which will make this post rather long. Starting with a couple quick reviews of games that I have recently beat or have poured a considerable amount of time into (aka about halfway). Following this there will be some pictures of most of my disc based games (cartridge games would be too troublesome since this was some rapid pictures) with the intention that upon request I can give a review of a given game if someone was curious (an unbiased opinion, and then my own totally-weird-skewed-one).
Condemned: Criminal Origins
To preface I'd like to say I generally don't play horror/scary games (then again until about 3 years ago I didn't play much anything aside from RPGs) but I've been branching out and this gave me a great taste of some more gritty and visceral game presentation which I found to really enjoy. By the time I got to halfway or so through the game I couldn't put it down and spent almost my whole day finishing it.
Graphically the game is pretty impressive, it was a launch title for the 360 even! The lighting is fantastic since it's honestly all about the light and dark, mostly dark and then your tiny pew-pew flashlight. Everything ran smoothly for me but then again I've never been an afficionado when considering graphic performance or textures etc. Gameplay in Condemned is pretty straightforward, I have seen some say the combat is rather simple because of the emphasis on melee but I found that a great reason to force the player to get up close and personal with so much of the environment. Also the addition of the taser and variety of melee weapons (each is wielded with a subtle difference) can really add variety to the occasional scuffle. Enemy AI also really factors into making each encounter it's own unique experience. The storyline was pretty damn compelling, the primary suspect being very well thought out. The hints at direction towards the paranormal towards the end dispelled the eerie ties realism but still made it interesting. The main protagonist and his friend in the FBI lab were voiced very well and made very likeable and relatable. Overall I found it a great play, there is definitely room for the more collective minded to go through and find all the optional birds and metal or just perform better with the kill/accuracy stats at the end of each chapter. The length of the game even makes it doable for multiple playthroughs but not too short. Definitely a solid starting point for a series that leaves great mechanics to be tinkered with and made even better, it's a great game that stays with you after playing it. There were a lot of memorable moments.
Devil May Cry 4
I played the first DMC when it first came out on PS2 (back in the day when I actually rented games) and I was stunned at how much I actually enjoyed the game (my primary diet was still RPGs...and MGS since playstation was my main console). After that though the series dropped off my radar until over a year ago while I was playing through SMT: Nocturne I realized how much of a badass Dante was and how much fun he was to have in my party. Thus begun my re-immergence into the DMC franchise. Last summer I picked up the collection of all 3 previous games (I wanted DMC3 SE without the red "greatest hits" logo hah) and powered through them with a renewed appreciation for the over-the-top franchise...then I got to DMC2. Ok that game blew, I got through it for the sake of knowing what happens when a game goes wrong. While it isn't actually a horrible game...well yes it is. When it comes down to it you have to compare a sequel to the original and this was just such a huge step back. After that though DMC3 was like "whoa buddy strap in", but that was after the ride already started and you're hangin on for dear life. A true return to form that was a great evolution of the game in a good direction. Now pumped for a possible sequel the coming of DMC4 made the fact I did not have a 360 or PS3 a heart-rending fact. I waited and bid my time, and finally I tasted the goods.
First off, it looks amazing and I don't recall ever having any slowdown in the hectic fight scenes. One thing I have to say though is that it feels slower than the previous titles. The controls have a bit more weight to them in the execution, granted this makes it easier to react to things but still the action seemed slower than before. This is slightly countered by the fact that Nero (new guy) has a grab move that allows you to immediately grab the next dude you wanna fondle from afar after you're done with your current toy. The fact you are able to so quickly move onto the next enemy even if he is a distance away was a great feeling, also combat can be truly taken to the air due to this mechanic. Returning to control Dante in his given part of the game is fantastic, the loss devil trigger forms from DMC left me a little sad, but keeping DMC3's system still works in it's own way. The difficulty overall seemed easier than previous titles (DMC2 doesn't count as being a part of the family) and that was on the harder of the two difficulty levels available out the gate. It doesn't disappoint though with many many more options available to be unlocked, I personally look forward to heaven or hell (one shot kill for everything including you).
One criticism I see all the time for DMC games is the "horrible voice acting", This always leaves me confused. The whole point of the game is to be absolutely ridiculous, the action is absolutely unbelievable in cutscenes and they say horribly cheesy and corny lines for a reason. It's fucking hilarious, the same kind of hilarious a well done B-movie has in that it isn't taking itself seriously. If you're looking for epic storyline with passion and heartache look elsewhere cause the story is cheese and the gameplay is fucking on point. While some fans of the more hardcore direction DMC3 took may be disappointed, I found DMC4 to still be an enjoyable new addition to the franchise. The extras and optional Bloody Palace mode as well as unlockable difficulty levels (there are like 6 or 7 difficulty options total) make it have great replay value and the skill customization give nice options based on your playstyle. Easier to get into than the third installment due to the easier curve on the standard difficulty but retains the franchise's trademark quirks and addictive combat for a fantastic experience.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
I'll be short with this since multiplatform games that span every platform just kinda exist and you either dig it or you don't. I found it rather enjoyable, think Gauntlet Legends with comic book flair and a fair bit of character customization. Hero skills which you can choose based on how you wanna play, distribute points to powerup skills and spend money to adjust costume stats. As a good evolution of that mindless beat-em-up game with friends, I feel the game brought a bit more of the "mindless" part out of the genre since you get to plan how you want your character to grow. The story is the same old corny badguy threatens the world that most marvel super heroes contained in the game experience quite often. You do get a good shot of nostalgia from possibly watching any of the cartoons as a kid, overall a decent length game which surpassed my expectations (I thought it would be slightly better than rubbish). I think it'd be doubly as fun with a great set of friends to muck around with. Good fun, streamlined for easy pick up for those friends that haven't touched the title and despite derivative "super hero-bad guy" storyline still compelled me to play.
Ninja Gaiden 2
I am about halfway through the game, it just went from being '"hard but bearable" to that well known reputation of "utter destruction of my ass". I don't see why people say it visually looks dated, I mean it looks fine to me (pretty damn good actually) but maybe I just have no graphic quality standards (hah). I have to agree the camera is horrendous, especially since half the time you're in narrow corridors and going around corners in narrow corridors...but I kinda get used to it and suck it up. The combat takes place at such breakneck speeds you either are managing to get by or are slaughtered mercilessly. Until I get any good at the game there is no other way to describe the various encounters I partake in. Overall I am absolutely enjoying the game in the same way pain from erging can be a delight. I am a glutton for games that punish you and this is one of them. Story? who comes to a ninja gaiden game asking for deep story? the purpose is to prove how much you can master the combat system and try to perceive what you are doing at the speeds the game moves at. In a day and age where games are attempting to simplify things more and more to reach a broader and broader audience I always approve of a game that slaps the user in line until the adjust to the control scheme/difficulty level/interface within reason. This game presents a challenge to those that are so inclined and anyone that appreciates the challenging part of DMC, or GoW, or Godhand will appreciate the unyielding gameplay of Ninja Gaiden 2. I don't claim to be any good at this game or those mentioned games at all, I just enjoy having a game make me feel like shit and absolutely useless.
Also Itagaki is hilarious and I really don't care or necessarily agree with all the stuff he spouts, but he's entertaining and the games he made were definitely above decent. Also he said Okami was lame, I think Okami did something very noble and cool and was a great game but I would also agree that game is hella long bordering on too long/boring and some gameplay parts of it definitely came off as second thoughts. All great games have minor flaws, I'm just saying his criticism of that particular game I saw as warranted.
Back on track from that random tangent, great game for fans of the series or people who are down with tough as nails action games. It's not going to be ushering in a new wave of fans that are unfamiliar with the title and aren't ready to be smacked around and really have their hands dirtied.
Ok here we go, some shots of my collection of games for PS2, Gamecube, Wii, Playstation, Xbox, 360, DS, PSP, and a DC game (no I do not own a DC hah).
I have a good assortment of GBA/SNES/64 titles as well but basically if you guys want a review or opinion of any games here then I'd be glad to give one. I don't know why I did the soundtracks as well at the end, I figured why not.
As a final random note I generally don't pay much attention to news about upcoming games since I am generally busy playing stuff I still have but I can't help but get excited about a new SMT game or this revival of schmups. XBLA already has Geometry wars 1 and 2, Ikaruga HD, and it has a new Galaga title coming as well as Raiden IV among others. Also a new entry into the Devil Summoner mini-series in the SMT franchise has me wetting my pants since they're re-introducing the demon conversation system (sorely lacking in Persona 3 *GLARE*) and refining the action elements of Raidou Kuzunoha ps2 entry in 2006.
Condemned: Criminal Origins
To preface I'd like to say I generally don't play horror/scary games (then again until about 3 years ago I didn't play much anything aside from RPGs) but I've been branching out and this gave me a great taste of some more gritty and visceral game presentation which I found to really enjoy. By the time I got to halfway or so through the game I couldn't put it down and spent almost my whole day finishing it.
Graphically the game is pretty impressive, it was a launch title for the 360 even! The lighting is fantastic since it's honestly all about the light and dark, mostly dark and then your tiny pew-pew flashlight. Everything ran smoothly for me but then again I've never been an afficionado when considering graphic performance or textures etc. Gameplay in Condemned is pretty straightforward, I have seen some say the combat is rather simple because of the emphasis on melee but I found that a great reason to force the player to get up close and personal with so much of the environment. Also the addition of the taser and variety of melee weapons (each is wielded with a subtle difference) can really add variety to the occasional scuffle. Enemy AI also really factors into making each encounter it's own unique experience. The storyline was pretty damn compelling, the primary suspect being very well thought out. The hints at direction towards the paranormal towards the end dispelled the eerie ties realism but still made it interesting. The main protagonist and his friend in the FBI lab were voiced very well and made very likeable and relatable. Overall I found it a great play, there is definitely room for the more collective minded to go through and find all the optional birds and metal or just perform better with the kill/accuracy stats at the end of each chapter. The length of the game even makes it doable for multiple playthroughs but not too short. Definitely a solid starting point for a series that leaves great mechanics to be tinkered with and made even better, it's a great game that stays with you after playing it. There were a lot of memorable moments.
Devil May Cry 4
I played the first DMC when it first came out on PS2 (back in the day when I actually rented games) and I was stunned at how much I actually enjoyed the game (my primary diet was still RPGs...and MGS since playstation was my main console). After that though the series dropped off my radar until over a year ago while I was playing through SMT: Nocturne I realized how much of a badass Dante was and how much fun he was to have in my party. Thus begun my re-immergence into the DMC franchise. Last summer I picked up the collection of all 3 previous games (I wanted DMC3 SE without the red "greatest hits" logo hah) and powered through them with a renewed appreciation for the over-the-top franchise...then I got to DMC2. Ok that game blew, I got through it for the sake of knowing what happens when a game goes wrong. While it isn't actually a horrible game...well yes it is. When it comes down to it you have to compare a sequel to the original and this was just such a huge step back. After that though DMC3 was like "whoa buddy strap in", but that was after the ride already started and you're hangin on for dear life. A true return to form that was a great evolution of the game in a good direction. Now pumped for a possible sequel the coming of DMC4 made the fact I did not have a 360 or PS3 a heart-rending fact. I waited and bid my time, and finally I tasted the goods.
First off, it looks amazing and I don't recall ever having any slowdown in the hectic fight scenes. One thing I have to say though is that it feels slower than the previous titles. The controls have a bit more weight to them in the execution, granted this makes it easier to react to things but still the action seemed slower than before. This is slightly countered by the fact that Nero (new guy) has a grab move that allows you to immediately grab the next dude you wanna fondle from afar after you're done with your current toy. The fact you are able to so quickly move onto the next enemy even if he is a distance away was a great feeling, also combat can be truly taken to the air due to this mechanic. Returning to control Dante in his given part of the game is fantastic, the loss devil trigger forms from DMC left me a little sad, but keeping DMC3's system still works in it's own way. The difficulty overall seemed easier than previous titles (DMC2 doesn't count as being a part of the family) and that was on the harder of the two difficulty levels available out the gate. It doesn't disappoint though with many many more options available to be unlocked, I personally look forward to heaven or hell (one shot kill for everything including you).
One criticism I see all the time for DMC games is the "horrible voice acting", This always leaves me confused. The whole point of the game is to be absolutely ridiculous, the action is absolutely unbelievable in cutscenes and they say horribly cheesy and corny lines for a reason. It's fucking hilarious, the same kind of hilarious a well done B-movie has in that it isn't taking itself seriously. If you're looking for epic storyline with passion and heartache look elsewhere cause the story is cheese and the gameplay is fucking on point. While some fans of the more hardcore direction DMC3 took may be disappointed, I found DMC4 to still be an enjoyable new addition to the franchise. The extras and optional Bloody Palace mode as well as unlockable difficulty levels (there are like 6 or 7 difficulty options total) make it have great replay value and the skill customization give nice options based on your playstyle. Easier to get into than the third installment due to the easier curve on the standard difficulty but retains the franchise's trademark quirks and addictive combat for a fantastic experience.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance
I'll be short with this since multiplatform games that span every platform just kinda exist and you either dig it or you don't. I found it rather enjoyable, think Gauntlet Legends with comic book flair and a fair bit of character customization. Hero skills which you can choose based on how you wanna play, distribute points to powerup skills and spend money to adjust costume stats. As a good evolution of that mindless beat-em-up game with friends, I feel the game brought a bit more of the "mindless" part out of the genre since you get to plan how you want your character to grow. The story is the same old corny badguy threatens the world that most marvel super heroes contained in the game experience quite often. You do get a good shot of nostalgia from possibly watching any of the cartoons as a kid, overall a decent length game which surpassed my expectations (I thought it would be slightly better than rubbish). I think it'd be doubly as fun with a great set of friends to muck around with. Good fun, streamlined for easy pick up for those friends that haven't touched the title and despite derivative "super hero-bad guy" storyline still compelled me to play.
Ninja Gaiden 2
I am about halfway through the game, it just went from being '"hard but bearable" to that well known reputation of "utter destruction of my ass". I don't see why people say it visually looks dated, I mean it looks fine to me (pretty damn good actually) but maybe I just have no graphic quality standards (hah). I have to agree the camera is horrendous, especially since half the time you're in narrow corridors and going around corners in narrow corridors...but I kinda get used to it and suck it up. The combat takes place at such breakneck speeds you either are managing to get by or are slaughtered mercilessly. Until I get any good at the game there is no other way to describe the various encounters I partake in. Overall I am absolutely enjoying the game in the same way pain from erging can be a delight. I am a glutton for games that punish you and this is one of them. Story? who comes to a ninja gaiden game asking for deep story? the purpose is to prove how much you can master the combat system and try to perceive what you are doing at the speeds the game moves at. In a day and age where games are attempting to simplify things more and more to reach a broader and broader audience I always approve of a game that slaps the user in line until the adjust to the control scheme/difficulty level/interface within reason. This game presents a challenge to those that are so inclined and anyone that appreciates the challenging part of DMC, or GoW, or Godhand will appreciate the unyielding gameplay of Ninja Gaiden 2. I don't claim to be any good at this game or those mentioned games at all, I just enjoy having a game make me feel like shit and absolutely useless.
Also Itagaki is hilarious and I really don't care or necessarily agree with all the stuff he spouts, but he's entertaining and the games he made were definitely above decent. Also he said Okami was lame, I think Okami did something very noble and cool and was a great game but I would also agree that game is hella long bordering on too long/boring and some gameplay parts of it definitely came off as second thoughts. All great games have minor flaws, I'm just saying his criticism of that particular game I saw as warranted.
Back on track from that random tangent, great game for fans of the series or people who are down with tough as nails action games. It's not going to be ushering in a new wave of fans that are unfamiliar with the title and aren't ready to be smacked around and really have their hands dirtied.
Ok here we go, some shots of my collection of games for PS2, Gamecube, Wii, Playstation, Xbox, 360, DS, PSP, and a DC game (no I do not own a DC hah).
I have a good assortment of GBA/SNES/64 titles as well but basically if you guys want a review or opinion of any games here then I'd be glad to give one. I don't know why I did the soundtracks as well at the end, I figured why not.
As a final random note I generally don't pay much attention to news about upcoming games since I am generally busy playing stuff I still have but I can't help but get excited about a new SMT game or this revival of schmups. XBLA already has Geometry wars 1 and 2, Ikaruga HD, and it has a new Galaga title coming as well as Raiden IV among others. Also a new entry into the Devil Summoner mini-series in the SMT franchise has me wetting my pants since they're re-introducing the demon conversation system (sorely lacking in Persona 3 *GLARE*) and refining the action elements of Raidou Kuzunoha ps2 entry in 2006.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Slap that bitch!
Kotaku had a really cool post on Free games that they got from some other blog, and now we're linking to their blog, and so the internet is a really insular bubble if you think about it.
Buttttttttttttttttttttt....
Slap that bitch!
Yea, slap her hard like she's the peasant!
5 Minutes to Kill (Yourself) is also an instant classic.
My brother just came out...
To me...
As a fellow blogger, well, Livejournaler, but yeah, he's also now part of the MS(g)B community with an old-school Quake 2 handle, Lt. Slothrop. Yep, back in the days when substitute teacher day was the only way we we're gonna see sweet ass, my brother gibbed men's asses in his Journalism class or extracurricular activity or whatever! He's hardcore! Back in the days when we pooped in our pants, he started to make guitars slowly weep, but weep torrents, and no, this was before torrents got you free movies, porn, and music. It's just so Raw ! Shit!
Buttttttttttttttttttttt....
Slap that bitch!
Yea, slap her hard like she's the peasant!
5 Minutes to Kill (Yourself) is also an instant classic.
My brother just came out...
To me...
As a fellow blogger, well, Livejournaler, but yeah, he's also now part of the MS(g)B community with an old-school Quake 2 handle, Lt. Slothrop. Yep, back in the days when substitute teacher day was the only way we we're gonna see sweet ass, my brother gibbed men's asses in his Journalism class or extracurricular activity or whatever! He's hardcore! Back in the days when we pooped in our pants, he started to make guitars slowly weep
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Max Payne the Movie- More fanboyism!
Loved this fucking game. Love it like I love FF7 'cause I replay both often if I think about either hard enough. Every once and a while I just wanna dive behind a corner and shoot some motherfuckers in a dark, gangster world. Then I want to run down dark alleys of guilt jumping from blood trail to blood trail, never really quieting my twisted soul, not to mention enjoy the fucking great level design! Max Payne took the wide environments of Halo or other shooters and shrunk it bite size: long hallways, enemies behind tables and chairs or up on the second floor, office buildings, docks, nightclubs, etc. It was a great game. The sequel was even more psychologically rattling. The fact that it's a movie now after the second game reminds me of Bloodrayne the movie, which 'cause I played the second game (when you leveled up your health in that game, she would coo, and say, "Ooh, I could go all night!" Ahem....It was also very challenging), I kind of wanted to see the movie, but never have...
Anyway, this should be different! I hope! Max Payne is so cool I can even ignore the fact that Michael Madsen would have been a supremely better casting choice.
THE FLESH OF FALLEN ANGELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, this should be different! I hope! Max Payne is so cool I can even ignore the fact that Michael Madsen would have been a supremely better casting choice.
THE FLESH OF FALLEN ANGELS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
MS(g)B Played Games!- Haze, Bad Company, GTA4
Yeah, so it could be easily argued that the gaming industry has gone on an FPS kick and kept putting out ho-hum titles to appeal to an audience that thinks the FPS is the grown up platform game. Remember the days when platform games were hot? Like PSX days: Pandemonium, Skull Monkeys, One (that was a great game though), Armageddon, Crash Bandicoot. I guess it was Crash and Mario that really made gaming companies go, "That makes money. That's what we're making!"
And then that trend died out and there wasn't really only one main genre because people got tired of it, I guess, or just the fact that we got into a war and suddenly the military became more interesting and relevant made "kid's" games like Donkey Kong or Banjo Kazooie less appealing. Or FPSs just fucking look and feel much better nowadays and actually started putting in plots! I dunno. Millions of reasons could be drawn for the shift, but I think I can make the argument that the market is oriented towards First Person Shooters, and since I quit in the middle of No One Lives Forever and F.E.A.R., and, especially kill.switch (oh, by the way, there's a VR concept like Assassin's' Creed's within kill.switch) I've really been tired of them.
An FPS is kind of inherently limited. You find cover. You aim for the head. You shoot, hoping to isolate the amount of enemies that can hit you while you hit them. Kill.switch and what I saw of Gears of War ground this formula into every level. You could call it Shoot-Grinding.
Granted, all video games could kind of be reduced to three or so elements. Ex: In GTA you drive to a location and shoot a target or chase a target and then shoot them then evade the cops what have grown an interest in you due to your sociopathy (love that the love interest in GTA4 constantly makes fun of you for being a sociopath). What's really fucking fun about GTA is the atmosphere, your character's dialog, the strategic choice of weapons, the fact that there's usually much more than chasing and shooting, or whatever. GTA is a blockbuster action movie. GTA is Die Hard, Reservoir Dogs, all the really choice bits of cinema fall into your hands.
So, what is Haze? From the other reviews I've read, Haze, in terms of its plot and character development, is Last Action Hero. Just like Last Action Hero parodied all the top detective action movies but was panned for being a bad action film, Haze is a game so satirical of other FPSs that it ends up reinforcing their cliches.
It starts off really well. You, a directionless college student, have joined up with a Private military corporation that essentially acts as world police, and you juice up with your fellow comrades, who would fist-pound after they raped and shot your mother, to take down the rebel troops in the area. Gameplay relies on you juicing up because you're fighting in a jungle and working for a corporation that doesn't favor camouflage like the rebels you're fighting. The magical Nectar somehow makes you shoot better while fading out all the nasty bits like the blood on your hands.
Arguably, the best sequence in the game is when this system breaks down and you are forced to deal with Nectar withdrawal (similar to GTA4: DUI or the many alcoholic withdrawal sequences in Condemned 2) while rebels still try to kill your brainwashed ass, and in a moment of clarity, you realize that you are committing unjustified murder, and your superior officer has reduced all native human life to "animals" or "empty hands" (what is an empty hand? A hand that could hold a gun, but isn't at the moment) and deemed them all worthy of execution.
I mean, most of that was in the silly, live-action trailer . I should mention that small touches were made to the trailer's exposition and that the voice-actor completely changed, but it's all mostly there, so...what's left?
Well...like ten hours of pretty uninteresting gameplay. As a rebel, your accuracy is better, you're faster, and you no longer rely on Haze to extend your life a little longer so you can recover, your health just comes back at a quick and steady rate. You are an unstoppable killing machine. How boring.
Even if somehow you die, it's probably just 'cause you were fucking around for a little entertainment. As a Mantel trooper, there was plenty of entertainment shooting your squadmate's Nectar regulator and watching the dude flip out, shooting, sometimes blowing themselves up, and screaming things like, "I'm gonna kill them all! I'm gonna kill the world!" or "I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!" As a rebel, your teammates are morons and say the same four things over and over, "Remember your promise to Merino!" or "Mantel dies today!" or "As Merino says, today is the day Mantel dies!" As a rebel, you never talk with any of the rebels besides the leader, so you don't get the same sort of awkward bonding experience you got working for Mantel. Your only social contact is with Merino, and he mostly just preaches at you or yells at you for fucking up. At some point you realize that working for the rebels is just as morally questionable as working for the Mantel troops (see the Zero Punctuation review ), but your character is too much of a pussy (which I like, actually, because it makes sense and it's different from the usual FPS trooper) to tell Merino off, so the storyline just kind of stops until the end where it's abruptly halted by Merino using the same line your commander back at Mantel did: "[Mantel] were just animals!"
And, no, they weren't. Yeah, some of the boys who signed up for Mantel were jocks or whatever, but others, like your character, were just confused and looking to do some good for the world. It's Iraq. It's Vietnam. It's Korea. It's Bay of Pigs. It's Salavador Allende and Chile.
And so, Haze just kind of reiterates the lessons learned in those conflicts, and applies them in a way meant to satirize first person shooters, but the game is still just like them. You still kill people for questionable reasons, enemies still kind of disappear, and it isn't even fun to play after a while. John Fu and I kept trying to fall asleep.
I had a similar problem with Bioshock because the enemies in Bioshock are just people. Your average, everyday Joe who just wanted to make a buck but got dragged into a violent world of harvest adam or be harvested. They say depressing things. You can tell they're morally conflicted by their calls to you, ex: "Jesus loves me, this is so. For the bible tells me so." or "Why don't you think I'm pretty anymore?" It's haunting to kill people this emotionally damaged for your own survival and revenge. I was really upset.
_________End of review, this post is really long___________
In contrast, there's Bad Company, which is also kind of a satire in plot, but much tighter in terms of gameplay and kind of throws all morality out the window...in a fun way. Yes, you point and shoot, but fire too much and your aim goes to shit. Leave cover and get shot too much and you will fucking die. Get hurt, and stab yourself in the heart with adrenaline (or something) to regain health, but use it wisely because it takes a while to recharge, and get ready to fucking die because you deal with a lot of fucking tanks, and run your fucking ass whenever you see a helicopter. Oh, and also, navigate the huge terrain of Russia and surrounding lands, exploring to get collectibles and gold packages, but be on guard because enemies spawn randomly. All this reminds me of Assassin's Creed.
Bad Company also reminds me of .hack in the fact that it's structured like an MMO, but plays like an FPS. Add the fact that you have several choices of vehicles to navigate the whole of Russia, and Bad Company even looks like GTA. Whoa! Great! A military game that looks like you're actually part of a big war campaign like Market Garden or D-Day instead of being mission-based and all over the place like Call of Duty 4.
Now, on top of that, add the plot of Three Kings. Bad Company is the misfit outfit, the soldiers that no one else wants, and as the most expendable company, they get the shittiest, most dangerous orders, so...why put up with that shit? Why not steal the gold of an asshole, badguy mercenary whose sending troops against the US?
Why the fuck not, indeed?
Bad Company is fun in its gameplay, its story, and its characters' intermittently cavalier and incredulous attitude towards destruction and treason, and because it they seem like actual rational human beings instead of mouths for Uncle Sam's dick. These aren't the assholes in other military games who does his job for his country or to stop terrorism, no, these guys are Catch 22, they want to do good for their country sure, but their country better do good by them too.
The pacing's great. The scenarios are also great. The weapons are diverse and fun. In-game cinemas meld practically seamlessly with the gameplay. There are no continues, you just get moved back to the checkpoint like you got med-evac'd at the last moment, so everything you did just before you died stays, which is good or bad based on the situation (Ex: You killed a tank, but died while doing it or you tried to kill a tank and got your vehicle blown up in the process so now you have no vehicle to fight the tank with).
I really liked it. It was short, I guess. There's multiplayer, but I'm really picky about that shit , so I didn't try it. There was no co-op, but it was fucking fun, and, sorry, whoops, sorry. I forgot to mention that most everything is destructible...wait for it...EVEN TREES! Oh my god! Trees go down like a fat bitch on roller skates! You want to get at an enemy behind cover? Shoot that motherfucker's cover and it'll explode like diarrhea! Now you've got a shot, and your enemy's left holding his dick in the rubble that used to protect him.
What's bad about this? Well, apparently it's a trade-off. Cover blows up, but you can't shoot through it like you can in Call of Duty 4, and explosions look pretty ugly and you have to be pretty fucking precise to kill an enemy with explosives.
Finally, Bad Company also provides you with tools to use, which vary from power tools to repair your vehicles to C4 or an RPG to devices that call in air strikes! This adds another interesting element to the game as not only do the air striker caller thingies require you to take the time away from cover to target w/e thing you want to explode, but also, sometimes the air strike machines require you to guide the missile in to whatever you were trying to explode, which can be challenging as shit sometimes, so don't fuck up or that tank's got you dead.
________________3rd Review________________
JFU & LBJ also played GTA4, and I've mentioned it several times throughout, but I couldn't really do it justice to review it. The aiming system is much improved. The explosions are beautiful. The environments are beautiful. The character models are pretty ugly. The story has taken a Haze-esque approach in casting Niko as a sort-of reluctant anti-hero (WOW! What a cool concept!) in that he is a war-shocked human being, who would feel much better if people stopped asking him to kill others, but still wants to make it in the big city for himself and his family. Reviewers complained about the hanging-out system, but it's easy enough to turn it off, or enjoyable because the people are very likable, especially Little Jacob, or they're bitches like the Irish girl you date, and when they drink they break down into severely telling moments ("Just a stupid, self-indulgent, cunt!" or "I hate myself!"). Reviewers also complained about how easy it is to run from the cops, and fuck them 'cause it's not and I like the system better. Like Assassin's Creed, getting the cops' attention spans a perimeter search displayed on your radar. If you manage to escape that perimeter without being re-discovered by the cops or committing new crimes to get more attention, your warning level goes down, but the cops are everywhere. It is hard as shit to steal a car or fire a gun without them seeing you. Random crime really doesn't pay unless you're out for the cop rampage. Everything else is everything that the GTA series always delivers: hilarious radio, hilarious advertisements, billions of hair-raising scenarios (favorites were shooting cops or gangsters up in a public housing building or robbing banks), great characters, great dialog, great voice-acting, and a new take on the crime world.
And, finally, something new to GTA4: a conscience. Several missions let you choose whether to kill or leave a person alive, and anyone you've shot so they fall down to the ground can get back up begging for their lives, so even though you've just slaughtered a warehouse full of people, presumably they could still get medical attention and be OK. Your character has a conscience if you don't, and will often times express how numb he feels from his experiences in war and in Liberty City, and know that his actions are morally-reprehensible, but continue on despite...
It's a great game. One of the most moving games I've ever played, and, I would say, next to GTA3 is the best game in the series so far.
i'M Soon out of video(g)ames i wanted to Buy or play,
Lynny Boj
P.S.
"Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeee"
And then that trend died out and there wasn't really only one main genre because people got tired of it, I guess, or just the fact that we got into a war and suddenly the military became more interesting and relevant made "kid's" games like Donkey Kong or Banjo Kazooie less appealing. Or FPSs just fucking look and feel much better nowadays and actually started putting in plots! I dunno. Millions of reasons could be drawn for the shift, but I think I can make the argument that the market is oriented towards First Person Shooters, and since I quit in the middle of No One Lives Forever and F.E.A.R., and, especially kill.switch (oh, by the way, there's a VR concept like Assassin's' Creed's within kill.switch) I've really been tired of them.
An FPS is kind of inherently limited. You find cover. You aim for the head. You shoot, hoping to isolate the amount of enemies that can hit you while you hit them. Kill.switch and what I saw of Gears of War ground this formula into every level. You could call it Shoot-Grinding.
Granted, all video games could kind of be reduced to three or so elements. Ex: In GTA you drive to a location and shoot a target or chase a target and then shoot them then evade the cops what have grown an interest in you due to your sociopathy (love that the love interest in GTA4 constantly makes fun of you for being a sociopath). What's really fucking fun about GTA is the atmosphere, your character's dialog, the strategic choice of weapons, the fact that there's usually much more than chasing and shooting, or whatever. GTA is a blockbuster action movie. GTA is Die Hard, Reservoir Dogs, all the really choice bits of cinema fall into your hands.
So, what is Haze? From the other reviews I've read, Haze, in terms of its plot and character development, is Last Action Hero. Just like Last Action Hero parodied all the top detective action movies but was panned for being a bad action film, Haze is a game so satirical of other FPSs that it ends up reinforcing their cliches.
It starts off really well. You, a directionless college student, have joined up with a Private military corporation that essentially acts as world police, and you juice up with your fellow comrades, who would fist-pound after they raped and shot your mother, to take down the rebel troops in the area. Gameplay relies on you juicing up because you're fighting in a jungle and working for a corporation that doesn't favor camouflage like the rebels you're fighting. The magical Nectar somehow makes you shoot better while fading out all the nasty bits like the blood on your hands.
Arguably, the best sequence in the game is when this system breaks down and you are forced to deal with Nectar withdrawal (similar to GTA4: DUI or the many alcoholic withdrawal sequences in Condemned 2) while rebels still try to kill your brainwashed ass, and in a moment of clarity, you realize that you are committing unjustified murder, and your superior officer has reduced all native human life to "animals" or "empty hands" (what is an empty hand? A hand that could hold a gun, but isn't at the moment) and deemed them all worthy of execution.
I mean, most of that was in the silly, live-action trailer . I should mention that small touches were made to the trailer's exposition and that the voice-actor completely changed, but it's all mostly there, so...what's left?
Well...like ten hours of pretty uninteresting gameplay. As a rebel, your accuracy is better, you're faster, and you no longer rely on Haze to extend your life a little longer so you can recover, your health just comes back at a quick and steady rate. You are an unstoppable killing machine. How boring.
Even if somehow you die, it's probably just 'cause you were fucking around for a little entertainment. As a Mantel trooper, there was plenty of entertainment shooting your squadmate's Nectar regulator and watching the dude flip out, shooting, sometimes blowing themselves up, and screaming things like, "I'm gonna kill them all! I'm gonna kill the world!" or "I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU!" As a rebel, your teammates are morons and say the same four things over and over, "Remember your promise to Merino!" or "Mantel dies today!" or "As Merino says, today is the day Mantel dies!" As a rebel, you never talk with any of the rebels besides the leader, so you don't get the same sort of awkward bonding experience you got working for Mantel. Your only social contact is with Merino, and he mostly just preaches at you or yells at you for fucking up. At some point you realize that working for the rebels is just as morally questionable as working for the Mantel troops (see the Zero Punctuation review ), but your character is too much of a pussy (which I like, actually, because it makes sense and it's different from the usual FPS trooper) to tell Merino off, so the storyline just kind of stops until the end where it's abruptly halted by Merino using the same line your commander back at Mantel did: "[Mantel] were just animals!"
And, no, they weren't. Yeah, some of the boys who signed up for Mantel were jocks or whatever, but others, like your character, were just confused and looking to do some good for the world. It's Iraq. It's Vietnam. It's Korea. It's Bay of Pigs. It's Salavador Allende and Chile.
And so, Haze just kind of reiterates the lessons learned in those conflicts, and applies them in a way meant to satirize first person shooters, but the game is still just like them. You still kill people for questionable reasons, enemies still kind of disappear, and it isn't even fun to play after a while. John Fu and I kept trying to fall asleep.
I had a similar problem with Bioshock because the enemies in Bioshock are just people. Your average, everyday Joe who just wanted to make a buck but got dragged into a violent world of harvest adam or be harvested. They say depressing things. You can tell they're morally conflicted by their calls to you, ex: "Jesus loves me, this is so. For the bible tells me so." or "Why don't you think I'm pretty anymore?" It's haunting to kill people this emotionally damaged for your own survival and revenge. I was really upset.
_________End of review, this post is really long___________
In contrast, there's Bad Company, which is also kind of a satire in plot, but much tighter in terms of gameplay and kind of throws all morality out the window...in a fun way. Yes, you point and shoot, but fire too much and your aim goes to shit. Leave cover and get shot too much and you will fucking die. Get hurt, and stab yourself in the heart with adrenaline (or something) to regain health, but use it wisely because it takes a while to recharge, and get ready to fucking die because you deal with a lot of fucking tanks, and run your fucking ass whenever you see a helicopter. Oh, and also, navigate the huge terrain of Russia and surrounding lands, exploring to get collectibles and gold packages, but be on guard because enemies spawn randomly. All this reminds me of Assassin's Creed.
Bad Company also reminds me of .hack in the fact that it's structured like an MMO, but plays like an FPS. Add the fact that you have several choices of vehicles to navigate the whole of Russia, and Bad Company even looks like GTA. Whoa! Great! A military game that looks like you're actually part of a big war campaign like Market Garden or D-Day instead of being mission-based and all over the place like Call of Duty 4.
Now, on top of that, add the plot of Three Kings. Bad Company is the misfit outfit, the soldiers that no one else wants, and as the most expendable company, they get the shittiest, most dangerous orders, so...why put up with that shit? Why not steal the gold of an asshole, badguy mercenary whose sending troops against the US?
Why the fuck not, indeed?
Bad Company is fun in its gameplay, its story, and its characters' intermittently cavalier and incredulous attitude towards destruction and treason, and because it they seem like actual rational human beings instead of mouths for Uncle Sam's dick. These aren't the assholes in other military games who does his job for his country or to stop terrorism, no, these guys are Catch 22, they want to do good for their country sure, but their country better do good by them too.
The pacing's great. The scenarios are also great. The weapons are diverse and fun. In-game cinemas meld practically seamlessly with the gameplay. There are no continues, you just get moved back to the checkpoint like you got med-evac'd at the last moment, so everything you did just before you died stays, which is good or bad based on the situation (Ex: You killed a tank, but died while doing it or you tried to kill a tank and got your vehicle blown up in the process so now you have no vehicle to fight the tank with).
I really liked it. It was short, I guess. There's multiplayer, but I'm really picky about that shit , so I didn't try it. There was no co-op, but it was fucking fun, and, sorry, whoops, sorry. I forgot to mention that most everything is destructible...wait for it...EVEN TREES! Oh my god! Trees go down like a fat bitch on roller skates! You want to get at an enemy behind cover? Shoot that motherfucker's cover and it'll explode like diarrhea! Now you've got a shot, and your enemy's left holding his dick in the rubble that used to protect him.
What's bad about this? Well, apparently it's a trade-off. Cover blows up, but you can't shoot through it like you can in Call of Duty 4, and explosions look pretty ugly and you have to be pretty fucking precise to kill an enemy with explosives.
Finally, Bad Company also provides you with tools to use, which vary from power tools to repair your vehicles to C4 or an RPG to devices that call in air strikes! This adds another interesting element to the game as not only do the air striker caller thingies require you to take the time away from cover to target w/e thing you want to explode, but also, sometimes the air strike machines require you to guide the missile in to whatever you were trying to explode, which can be challenging as shit sometimes, so don't fuck up or that tank's got you dead.
________________3rd Review________________
JFU & LBJ also played GTA4, and I've mentioned it several times throughout, but I couldn't really do it justice to review it. The aiming system is much improved. The explosions are beautiful. The environments are beautiful. The character models are pretty ugly. The story has taken a Haze-esque approach in casting Niko as a sort-of reluctant anti-hero (WOW! What a cool concept!) in that he is a war-shocked human being, who would feel much better if people stopped asking him to kill others, but still wants to make it in the big city for himself and his family. Reviewers complained about the hanging-out system, but it's easy enough to turn it off, or enjoyable because the people are very likable, especially Little Jacob, or they're bitches like the Irish girl you date, and when they drink they break down into severely telling moments ("Just a stupid, self-indulgent, cunt!" or "I hate myself!"). Reviewers also complained about how easy it is to run from the cops, and fuck them 'cause it's not and I like the system better. Like Assassin's Creed, getting the cops' attention spans a perimeter search displayed on your radar. If you manage to escape that perimeter without being re-discovered by the cops or committing new crimes to get more attention, your warning level goes down, but the cops are everywhere. It is hard as shit to steal a car or fire a gun without them seeing you. Random crime really doesn't pay unless you're out for the cop rampage. Everything else is everything that the GTA series always delivers: hilarious radio, hilarious advertisements, billions of hair-raising scenarios (favorites were shooting cops or gangsters up in a public housing building or robbing banks), great characters, great dialog, great voice-acting, and a new take on the crime world.
And, finally, something new to GTA4: a conscience. Several missions let you choose whether to kill or leave a person alive, and anyone you've shot so they fall down to the ground can get back up begging for their lives, so even though you've just slaughtered a warehouse full of people, presumably they could still get medical attention and be OK. Your character has a conscience if you don't, and will often times express how numb he feels from his experiences in war and in Liberty City, and know that his actions are morally-reprehensible, but continue on despite...
It's a great game. One of the most moving games I've ever played, and, I would say, next to GTA3 is the best game in the series so far.
i'M Soon out of video(g)ames i wanted to Buy or play,
Lynny Boj
P.S.
"Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa boiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeee"
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Fuk LBJ: ROUGH DRAFT Triumphant
So now, all scenes of Fuk LBJ (Yeah, if you followed the trailer, we're way behind schedule) have been completely edited (sort of)!
Check out our Soundtrack!
It was hard. The final stretch was harder, but we have completed a work to rival all other amateur Youtube films. Yes, this might be a video that everyone looks at once, enjoys, and then moves on with their lives, but I've been watching it like once a day. It's important to me. It's something we created from nothing.
Notes about editing:
1. Communication has to be kept up between cast members and director even during improv elements
2. It's bad to be stubborn
3. More footage is good footage, but it makes setting the sequence much harder
4. The human ear and eye can catch really really small movements and sounds
5. Premiere Pro 2 is much smarter than us.
6. Nothing has turned out the way we expected.
7. It's a good thing this took us so long.
8. Editing is ruining our ability to enjoy other forms of entertainment. Like we hear a song or video and think, "That could have been shorter" or "That didn't even establish the scene!"
9. Every song sounds like a different one slowed down, sped up, or cut into pieces.
10. Editing is a soul-sucking process. Good things happen but you still got so much shit to do, why are you even celebrating? Did that scene even look right? Will the audience see it the same way you do?
11. Tracy Morgan and Katt Williams is the shit right here.
today's wiMner will reSeive the (g)ift oB KOREAN Turkwise!
NOW Subscribe!
Check out our Soundtrack!
It was hard. The final stretch was harder, but we have completed a work to rival all other amateur Youtube films. Yes, this might be a video that everyone looks at once, enjoys, and then moves on with their lives, but I've been watching it like once a day. It's important to me. It's something we created from nothing.
Notes about editing:
1. Communication has to be kept up between cast members and director even during improv elements
2. It's bad to be stubborn
3. More footage is good footage, but it makes setting the sequence much harder
4. The human ear and eye can catch really really small movements and sounds
5. Premiere Pro 2 is much smarter than us.
6. Nothing has turned out the way we expected.
7. It's a good thing this took us so long.
8. Editing is ruining our ability to enjoy other forms of entertainment. Like we hear a song or video and think, "That could have been shorter" or "That didn't even establish the scene!"
9. Every song sounds like a different one slowed down, sped up, or cut into pieces.
10. Editing is a soul-sucking process. Good things happen but you still got so much shit to do, why are you even celebrating? Did that scene even look right? Will the audience see it the same way you do?
11. Tracy Morgan and Katt Williams is the shit right here.
today's wiMner will reSeive the (g)ift oB KOREAN Turkwise!
NOW Subscribe!
Another for the sake of friendly exchange
It's easier to do this since it would be a lengthy comment.
FF7 was the reason that I bought a console after having a SNES and took a long break after having played the Super Metroid, Super Mario RPG, Zelda, Donkey Kong goodness.
FF7 was one of the reasons why I got into gaming the way I have, and I will say that despite the allure it had, despite playing through the game multiple times (my last time I played through I got 3 master magic materias from literally mastering every single green magic shit through all 5 levels three times over) I can say that I have clocked in over 400 hours easily on that game. Despite everything of that sort I can easily say that it is an overrated game that whose rating is fueled by nostalgia and the timing of it's release. Aside from being a definite above average and solid game it is definitely eclipsed by many other games that deserve a lot more attention. Atlus does churn out a hell of a lot of stereotypical anime/japanese games, at the same time it brings over things that have mechanics or twists that are wholly unique to the given game.
Reasons why Atlus is by far higher in my eyes than Square (not Enix):
Rule of Rose: despite the rough around the edges combat the story and atmosphere of this game is like Silent Hill but with a more human spin.
Odin Sphere: greatly hyped but shows that high-res sprites definitely have a place in the next gen.
Sky Gunner: Think Star Fox all range mode but extremely hard and you have to manage funds.
Trauma Center: I think this game series speaks for itself in terms of what it's done for innovation in game-play interaction.
Ogre Battle: FFTactics, one of my favorite games of all time I will admit ripped off horribly from this franchise.
Persona 2: Up there with one of my favorite RPGs with ridiculous depth in gameplay mechanics.
R-Type Command: Re-envisioned R-type as a strategy RPG that is highly addictive and has the amount of options of weapons, 100s of ships, etc. as the normal R-type game.
Touch Detective: If Tim Burton were to make a Myst-esque game then this would be it, the offbeat humor and interesting art angle make it a diamond in the rough of point and click adventure on the DS.
Ontamarama: a Rhythm game totally unique that incorporates pressing buttons on the DS, drawing circles around objects while avoiding others and tapping things while in rhythm. Not only is it ridiculously difficult/fun but blows my mind in terms of what it took to come up with it.
Etrian Odyssey: Bust out that pen and paper cause you'll be spending as much time with this oldschool dungeon crawler as you did with D&D sans the huddle of friends in the basement late at night.
SMT III: Nocturne: My favorite game of all time. Challenge gods, decide your philosophy, the melting of religious mythos into a post apocalyptic world. My god I wish this was made into a movie (take away the exp grinding and it'd be a helluva ride).
SMT: Digital Devil Saga: Made me realize that voice acting can actually be good in a game, that an RPG can be legitly hard and not based on level or exp grinding.
Square on the otherhand has put the Mana series to shit, last good one being Legend of Mana on the Playstation (love it, stayed up all night training the damned pets in the game). Final Fantasy series lost my interest once 10 hit. 12 looks like it has some solid aspects and the fact it's penned by the guy who did the story for Tactics gives me hope, not to mention I own the 4 disc soundtrack etc. but the MMO interface that resonates so much with watching my friend play FF XI for hours makes me sick. That is a fusion that I can't get past. Dirge was a shoddy attempt, I abhor the Kingdom Hearts series. I played the first one all the way through and was never able to buy into it, I respect it for what it did but that was just not for me. Square has squandered the street cred it used to have. They have stopped being experimental with new apps and stuck to milking the hell out of existing franchises, at least KH had the Disney face to sell it. They even announced on Kotaku a month or two ago that Squareenix was going to cut back on original apps *cough* World Ends With You (unfortunate since it sounded like an interesting venture). They have become a large corporation who sadly merged with a company who makes very solid games that have not yet fallen prey to the lack of effort that Square has exhibited.
Enix, yeah Dragonquest (Dragon Warrior) has been the same for god knows how long, but would you really complain if Square popped one FF7 quality game after the other out? Enix does Star Ocean, that series is SERIOUS business. Star Ocean 2nd Story is one of the best RPGs on Playstation, Valkyrie Profile as well. Tri-Ace even released Radiata stories which was a totally new app in the age of the PS2 which was amazing as hell and totally overshadowed since it didn't have Final Fantasy in the name. Enix even released Robot Alchemic Drive, that game is so ridiculously awesome I'm not sure how else to put it aside from it's a surprise it exists.
I wish Square would realize they are capable of putting out new games that are edgy and experimental or just not Final Fantasy remakes(Threads of Fate? Vagrant Story? Ehrgeiz?) and not feel the cautious need to maintain some ridiculous profit margin by churning out remakes upon remakes of proven amazing games. I am not complaining about their remakes, hell the FF Tactics one is excellent since it's portable ( I could do without the slowdown and broken dark knight class though). Chrono Trigger, why not? Every single Final Fantasy title up to the PS2 era would be cool and all, but what about those of us that want something a little different? Plenty of people are still waiting to cream themselves over a FF7 remake, if it comes I'd probably even buy it to re-live the goodness in a new presentation.
So yes, Atlus does churn out a lot of generic JRPGs (Atelier Iris, Ar Tonelico, Growlanser, Stella Deus, Baroque, Magna Carta, SMT: Devil Summoner) and they are good taken as they are and nothing more. Formulaic distractions that can be entertaining and not always the most epic of stories to blow your load over waxing nostalgic. Between those releases though (not to say those can't be special to a random given person) they bring over some very amazing titles that most other publishers wouldn't risk bringing to the US. This is why I give them mad respect. Enix takes their time in putting out their titles, occasional throwaways but in my eyes they have kept up the integrity of the main franchises (DQ, Star Ocean, among others). What pains me is Square has obviously dropped the ball trying to throw out continuations of franchises that would most likely sell and I feel they counted too much on the name factor and didn't put as much effort into them as they may have used to. I just don't appreciate the copious remakes without a considerable enough catalogue of newer original titles.
This is just my opinion, it isn't set in stone as I am very eager to see Square turn things around a bit. The only reason why I still see Square and Enix as still separate is because of this particular opinion. My love for Atlus is more likely than not due to my cheering for the underdog that publishes the weird titles for the US that most other companies would not bring over otherwise(although more than 50% are only weird because it's standard japanese game fodder). That's ok with me.
I'd always preferred Baldur's Gate II to Kotor, but both were definitely amazing. Black Isle is an absolute dream in terms of game quality.
FF7 was the reason that I bought a console after having a SNES and took a long break after having played the Super Metroid, Super Mario RPG, Zelda, Donkey Kong goodness.
FF7 was one of the reasons why I got into gaming the way I have, and I will say that despite the allure it had, despite playing through the game multiple times (my last time I played through I got 3 master magic materias from literally mastering every single green magic shit through all 5 levels three times over) I can say that I have clocked in over 400 hours easily on that game. Despite everything of that sort I can easily say that it is an overrated game that whose rating is fueled by nostalgia and the timing of it's release. Aside from being a definite above average and solid game it is definitely eclipsed by many other games that deserve a lot more attention. Atlus does churn out a hell of a lot of stereotypical anime/japanese games, at the same time it brings over things that have mechanics or twists that are wholly unique to the given game.
Reasons why Atlus is by far higher in my eyes than Square (not Enix):
Rule of Rose: despite the rough around the edges combat the story and atmosphere of this game is like Silent Hill but with a more human spin.
Odin Sphere: greatly hyped but shows that high-res sprites definitely have a place in the next gen.
Sky Gunner: Think Star Fox all range mode but extremely hard and you have to manage funds.
Trauma Center: I think this game series speaks for itself in terms of what it's done for innovation in game-play interaction.
Ogre Battle: FFTactics, one of my favorite games of all time I will admit ripped off horribly from this franchise.
Persona 2: Up there with one of my favorite RPGs with ridiculous depth in gameplay mechanics.
R-Type Command: Re-envisioned R-type as a strategy RPG that is highly addictive and has the amount of options of weapons, 100s of ships, etc. as the normal R-type game.
Touch Detective: If Tim Burton were to make a Myst-esque game then this would be it, the offbeat humor and interesting art angle make it a diamond in the rough of point and click adventure on the DS.
Ontamarama: a Rhythm game totally unique that incorporates pressing buttons on the DS, drawing circles around objects while avoiding others and tapping things while in rhythm. Not only is it ridiculously difficult/fun but blows my mind in terms of what it took to come up with it.
Etrian Odyssey: Bust out that pen and paper cause you'll be spending as much time with this oldschool dungeon crawler as you did with D&D sans the huddle of friends in the basement late at night.
SMT III: Nocturne: My favorite game of all time. Challenge gods, decide your philosophy, the melting of religious mythos into a post apocalyptic world. My god I wish this was made into a movie (take away the exp grinding and it'd be a helluva ride).
SMT: Digital Devil Saga: Made me realize that voice acting can actually be good in a game, that an RPG can be legitly hard and not based on level or exp grinding.
Square on the otherhand has put the Mana series to shit, last good one being Legend of Mana on the Playstation (love it, stayed up all night training the damned pets in the game). Final Fantasy series lost my interest once 10 hit. 12 looks like it has some solid aspects and the fact it's penned by the guy who did the story for Tactics gives me hope, not to mention I own the 4 disc soundtrack etc. but the MMO interface that resonates so much with watching my friend play FF XI for hours makes me sick. That is a fusion that I can't get past. Dirge was a shoddy attempt, I abhor the Kingdom Hearts series. I played the first one all the way through and was never able to buy into it, I respect it for what it did but that was just not for me. Square has squandered the street cred it used to have. They have stopped being experimental with new apps and stuck to milking the hell out of existing franchises, at least KH had the Disney face to sell it. They even announced on Kotaku a month or two ago that Squareenix was going to cut back on original apps *cough* World Ends With You (unfortunate since it sounded like an interesting venture). They have become a large corporation who sadly merged with a company who makes very solid games that have not yet fallen prey to the lack of effort that Square has exhibited.
Enix, yeah Dragonquest (Dragon Warrior) has been the same for god knows how long, but would you really complain if Square popped one FF7 quality game after the other out? Enix does Star Ocean, that series is SERIOUS business. Star Ocean 2nd Story is one of the best RPGs on Playstation, Valkyrie Profile as well. Tri-Ace even released Radiata stories which was a totally new app in the age of the PS2 which was amazing as hell and totally overshadowed since it didn't have Final Fantasy in the name. Enix even released Robot Alchemic Drive, that game is so ridiculously awesome I'm not sure how else to put it aside from it's a surprise it exists.
I wish Square would realize they are capable of putting out new games that are edgy and experimental or just not Final Fantasy remakes(Threads of Fate? Vagrant Story? Ehrgeiz?) and not feel the cautious need to maintain some ridiculous profit margin by churning out remakes upon remakes of proven amazing games. I am not complaining about their remakes, hell the FF Tactics one is excellent since it's portable ( I could do without the slowdown and broken dark knight class though). Chrono Trigger, why not? Every single Final Fantasy title up to the PS2 era would be cool and all, but what about those of us that want something a little different? Plenty of people are still waiting to cream themselves over a FF7 remake, if it comes I'd probably even buy it to re-live the goodness in a new presentation.
So yes, Atlus does churn out a lot of generic JRPGs (Atelier Iris, Ar Tonelico, Growlanser, Stella Deus, Baroque, Magna Carta, SMT: Devil Summoner) and they are good taken as they are and nothing more. Formulaic distractions that can be entertaining and not always the most epic of stories to blow your load over waxing nostalgic. Between those releases though (not to say those can't be special to a random given person) they bring over some very amazing titles that most other publishers wouldn't risk bringing to the US. This is why I give them mad respect. Enix takes their time in putting out their titles, occasional throwaways but in my eyes they have kept up the integrity of the main franchises (DQ, Star Ocean, among others). What pains me is Square has obviously dropped the ball trying to throw out continuations of franchises that would most likely sell and I feel they counted too much on the name factor and didn't put as much effort into them as they may have used to. I just don't appreciate the copious remakes without a considerable enough catalogue of newer original titles.
This is just my opinion, it isn't set in stone as I am very eager to see Square turn things around a bit. The only reason why I still see Square and Enix as still separate is because of this particular opinion. My love for Atlus is more likely than not due to my cheering for the underdog that publishes the weird titles for the US that most other companies would not bring over otherwise(although more than 50% are only weird because it's standard japanese game fodder). That's ok with me.
I'd always preferred Baldur's Gate II to Kotor, but both were definitely amazing. Black Isle is an absolute dream in terms of game quality.
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