A Gamer in Exile

"Battlefield 3" Review

2011-12-09T15:50:00.001-07:00

“Battlefield 3” PCReview

“It’s all aboutdoing your J.O.B.”

by Matt Davenport

It seems like forever (in game world time) since EAintroduced the world to online multi-player shooters with “Battlefield 1942.”This award winning game released in 2002 took players to World War II locationsand allowed them to recreate battle strategies like “parachute out of the jeepas you drive it off the cliff.” Since that time, EA has released manyincarnations of the “Battlefield” franchise. The latest is “Battlefield 3.”

Time to make a Thunder Run

SinglePlayer: The game’s single player scenario is set in the near futureas tensions are at an all-time high on the Iraq-Iran border. The mission startsyou off as an unnamed, unarmed character wearing half a handcuff. Clearlyrunning from someone, your character hops a train (in dramatic fashion from anoverpass) and proceeds to take out armed terrorists who have commandeered thetrain for their nefarious purposes. Just as you make your way to the headterrorist, the game transports you into a series of flashbacks, letting youclose the gap towards real time by completing various missions that explain thestory. The main character in the story is Sgt. Henry Blackburn. The Marinestarts of the game being “debriefed” by American agents who are trying tounravel the events. Blackburn is up to his “Semper Fi” in trouble as he is atthe center of questionable events surrounding stolen nuclear devices. Theplayer doesn’t spend all of their time as Sgt. Blackburn, there are somemissions where the player spends time as a tank operator, a F/A-18 weapons opand one Parisian mission as a Russian agent.

The handful of single player missionsare very linear. You move your player from A to B to C to complete yourmissions. Some levels like the airstrike mission are just rail shooters, butvery beautiful rail shooters. In fact, much of the single player experiencecame across as a graphical treat for the eyes thanks to the Frostbyte 2graphics engine. As if the programmers wanted to show off what the latestgraphic cards can do. The four and a half hour tour of duty lets you do alittle bit of everything, but doesn’t focus too long on any one aspect ofwargaming. The player will get to run and gun, sneak around, fly, drive a tank,take down a plane, sniper and knife opponents. It’s a quick tour though abeautiful world. But even on Normal mode, the constraints put on the playerdon’t let you explore it.

SinglePlayer Rating: 6 out of 10.

Soldiers check outthe scene in “Operation Metro”

Multi-player:This is EA’s bread and butter. Multi-playeris what made “Battlefield 1942” and “Battlefield 2” such great games.“Battlefield 3” on the PC opens up the landscape with 64 player maps, multiplemaps and weapon progression unlocks. The player can choose from four soldierclasses assault, engineer, support and recon. Each class has a specialty andparticular weapons assigned to it. “Battlefield 3” multi-player works best whenthe player sticks to the job of the soldier class they have chosen. If you gointo the battlefield as recon, then your job is to hang bank, spot enemy troopsand amour and take sniper shots at the opposing troops. “Battlefield 3” rewardsyou the most when you help out your team and squad by performing the job foreach soldier class. Sure you can run and gun with your .50 cal, but you willprogress faster and unlock more items by helping out your team. “Battlefield 3”brings in multiple game modes including conquest, rush, squad deathmatch, squadrush and team deathmatch. Multi-player hosts have the ability to choose gamemode, number of players, maps and quite a few other customizable options.

The maps can get a little laggy with64 players on larger maps and with a game like “Battlefield 3,” having a lowping can make all the difference. Jeeps, tanks, APCs and jets are back forplayers to drive off a cliff (or fly) and parachute out. Ah, the good old days.

“Battlefield3” multi-player uses your web browser for its Battlelog to sort through theservers and it acts as a communications center for your friends playing the game.But to get to that, it needs to have the Origin service up and running on yourcomputer. An extra step that is a little frustrating. Another frustratingfeature is that weapon load-outs can only be accessed in-game. It would be niceto accomplish that using a web browser. After a few PC and Xbox 360 serverhiccups at launch, the multi-player experience has settled down and nowmillions of solders are out there getting the job done. The game also featuressix Co-Op scenarios where you can a friend can take on the bad guys.

Multi-playerRating: 8 out of 10

Surveying thebattlefield at Mach 1.8

FinalWord: EA keeps the franchise alive with“Battlefield 3.” Don’t think of it as a short single player campaign, think ofit as a large scale multi-player experience with a single player and Co-Opmodes for those times when you want to take a break.

FinalScore: 7 out of 10

“Battlefield 3” is available for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox360 and PC.

This review was played on the PC with a download codeprovided by EA. The Tech 2.0 Game Room Review scoring system is based on the 1through 10 model with 1 being the lowest score and 10 being the highest.

Review: “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2” - Aren't You a Little Short for a Sequel?

2010-11-06T18:31:00.003-06:00

When I was a kid, I was saving up my proof of purchases from buying Star Wars action figures to send away for the ultra-cool Boba Fett figure with rocket-firing backpack. Six to eight weeks after sending of the proof of purchases and money for shipping and handling, my little white box arrived in the mail. With Christmas-like enthusiasm, I opened the box right there at the mailbox. Opening the plastic, I removed the bounty hunter and attempted to fire the backpack missile, nothing happened. I grew up a little that day. Since that day, my relationship with the Star Wars franchise has seen it's share of highs and lows.

“Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2” is the follow up to the 2008 video game hit from LucasArts. The new story follows a person who is told that he is the clone of Starkiller from the original game. Players take control of “Clonekiller” as he escapes from Darth Vader and the cloning facilities on Kamino. Clonekiller then sets out on a quest to find former Imperial Pilot Juno Eclipse who he believes will help him figure out the truth about his clone status.

The first “Force Unleashed” game brought lots of things to the table, wild light saber fights, devastating force powers and the birth of the Rebellion. “The Force Unleashed 2” adds more powers, more Rebellion and more sabers. Now, your character wields two light sabers and has a new force power called Jedi Mind Trick. This force power confuses the minds of your enemies, turning them against one another or tricking them to fling themselves to their doom. But more sabers and more powers means your enemies have more ways to take you out.

The scenery is gorgeous and some of the cut-scenes have a life-like quality to them. It's too bad there isn't more to see. Levels include the cloning facilities at Kamino, the Neimoidian homeworld and the Rebellion starship “Salvation.” That's it. There is visit to the planet Degobah, but it is more like a rest stop than a destination.

General Kota and Darth Vader are back as is Juno Eclipse in a cameo role. Also making cameos are Boba Fett (who doesn't fire a single missile out of his jet pack) and Jedi Master Yoda. While it was good to see these old friends again, their stay was too short, which parallels the game, too short. It took five hours to finish the game on “hard” difficulty. The game offers little in replayability save playing the game over again on a different difficulty level. There is a “Light Side/Dark Side” choice you will have to make at the end of the game. But unlike the first “Force Unleashed,” once you make your choice, the game ends with one of two cinematics. You can play the entire final boss battle over again and make the other choice to see the ending you didn't make the first time.

The Xbox 360 version, which this review is based on, does not have a multiplayer component but does offer combat missions which fall into the “time trial” or “defeat enemy waves” categories. But I would take multiplayer over combat missions any day.

One of the things I look forward to in any Star Wars game is the music. In “The Force Unleashed 2,” it relies too much on established John Williams music cues. I enjoyed the music from the first game and was hoping to have an expansion the music themes. The voice work in the game was top shelf. Yoda, Boba Fett and Darth Vader all gave me chills. But those chills went away every time “Clonekiller” screamed his lines.

The graphics are beautiful but that doesn't make up for the very short gameplay. This is one game that will only appeal to the Star Wars faithful.

“Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2” receives a 6 out of 10.

-Matt Davenport

Senior Tech Specialist, KPVI

http://www.entertechment.com

“Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2” is available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii and is rated “T” for violence.

"Castlevania: Lords of Shadow" Review for Xbox 360

2010-10-29T15:10:00.008-06:00

Some things transition well into new dimensions. “Super Mario 64” flourished in 3D, a soul group from Los Angeles got funky as The 5^th Dimension and Buckaroo Banzai traveled across the 8^th Dimension. Other things like “Jaws 3D,” not so much.

“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” from Konami makes a chasm-spanning leap from a 2D platformer to a 3D platformer, or is it a colossus-killer or could it be an RPG-epic, or perhaps a button-masher? The development team at Mercury Steam tossed in all the above in the latest saga of the Belmont Clan and their war against the forces of darkness.

The latest “Castlevania” game puts you in the buckle boots of Gabriel Belmont, a member of the Brotherhood of Light. He is on a quest to find out who murdered his wife and why. Along the way, her soul guides him from mission to mission.

At your disposal is a Combat Cross. This steel cross on a chain will allow you to swing, dangle, grapple, rappel along with vanquish the forces of evil. Throughout the game, the player will unlock combos and upgrade methods of attacking enemies. You can also use silver daggers, fairies and holy water to slay your foes. The game really throws a lot of ways to dispatch your enemies, almost too many ways.

As mentioned earlier, “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” tries to take the 2D platforming action of previous “Castlevania” titles and convert it into a 3D world. You'll travel inside, outside and underground. Most of the combat action works as long as the enemy stays in the background or to the side of you. Because you can't control the camera position, if enemies get into the foreground, they can disappear at the bottom of the screen and are still within striking distance. This can also be a little frustrating since some of the exits or entrances are hidden by the current environment's flora.

One of the pleasures of the game's combat is being able to saddle up a warg, giant spider or troll to accomplish that creature's unique ability (and crush a few enemies while you're at it). The game will move from button-mashing combat to a climbing platformer to colossus fight to puzzle quest. It usually keeps the game modes separate. You will also utilize Light and Shadow magic and a Focus meter in your combat which can be a tad overwhelming in the heat of battle.

Since this is the first time that a “Castlevania” game has entered the third dimension, the designers want you to see all of their hard work. A few times during the game, gameplay would stop while the camera took a “beauty pan” around a new area of the world. The pan didn't really accomplish much other than to force you to stop and smell the roses. Certain areas like the Castle interiors or some of the forest areas show the graphic love. Some of the creature graphic like the wolves are a little plastic looking.

The game features the voice talents of Robert Carlyle as the protagonist, Patrick Stewart (looking like a pony-tailed Sean Connery) as fellow Brotherhood of Light warrior Zobek, Natasha McElhone and Jason Isaacs. You've heard people say, “I could listen to (actor/actress) read me the phone book.” Patrick Stewart is one of those people. And in “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow,” he does read to you. Before new missions, Stewart will move the story along with a few paragraphs of information. Carlyle, on the other hand, says little. A little underutilized, but such is the strong, silent type. The music by Oscar Araujo gives the game a “Lord of the Rings” feel. There was a twinge of geek joy at hearing the “Castlevania” theme.

The 2D incarnations of the “Castlevania” series are known for whipping and jumping. It's nice that the developers didn't let the game be just that, but in a 3D world. If you're not a button-masher by nature, don't worry, in a little bit you'll be solving a puzzle or fighting a titan. The game does have an epic vibe to it, and that may be due to some of the lengthy cut scenes.

“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” is a single player game and doesn't have a multiplayer component. It does offer a little re-playability as you'll have to go back to completed levels that have areas you couldn't enter due to a lack of strength or ability. The single player game will keep you questing for more than six hours, though.

This game tries to offer various types of gameplay but doesn't dominate any one kind. “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” rates a 7 out of 10. But because of the extensive amount of Patrick Stewart's voice work, the game gets a +1 for a final score of 8 out of 10.

-Matt Davenport

Senior Tech Specialist, KPVI

http://www.entertechment.com

“Castlevania: Lords of Shadow” is available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and is rated “M” for Mature for blood and gore, nudity and violence.

Rebooting Star Wars

2010-01-11T04:44:00.001-07:00

Episode #0002 of "Entertechment" is up. In this episode, Joe, Matt and Kerr talk about ways to reboot the Star Wars franchise.

Get the podcast here: http://entertechment.com/journal/2010/1/10/rebooting-star-wars.html

Review: "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2"

2009-11-13T15:01:00.001-07:00

This review was played on the Xbox 360 with a copy of CoDMW2 provided by Activision.

Take away the controversy about lack of dedicated servers for the PC.

Take away the tasteless “Grenade Spam” PSA.

Take away the leaked Internet footage of disturbing content.

Take away the announcement about limiting multi player to up to nine versus nine.

Take away the early sales of the game in the Northeast.

Take away the $10.00 price increase for the PC version.

Take away all of the pre-release hype.

What do you have?

A game you have to play and experience for yourself.

The latest in the “Call of Duty” series keeps the action in modern day as the storyline of the game picks up five years after the last “Modern Warfare.” In those five years, the foe you vanquished in the last game has been turned into a hero in Federated Russia and one of the characters you played in the last game is now a Captain in the super special soldier club called Task Force 141. These are the people that go after the real bad guys.

The opening credits to the game are very theatrical and that’s what the makers of “CoD:MW2,” Infinity Ward, are going for, a movie-like experience where you get to control the main characters. The scope of the game’s storyline is epic, think “Red Dawn” times 10.

The story revolves around an act of terror at a Russian airport. This is the controversial “leaked” footage that shows terrorists mowing down innocent civilians inside the terminal. You can play through this level as a C.I.A. agent who has infiltrated the terror group. The developers due allow you to skip over this section of the game. This act of terror triggers war between Russia and the U.S.A.

The game is split up into three sections; Campaign, Multiplayer and Special Ops. The average gamer will take about six to eight hours getting through the Campaign mode. The story was rushed and the developers could have tacked on a couple of more levels to flesh out the story. All levels, save one, are the linear “get from point A to point B” missions. But Infinity Ward does a great job by mixing up how you achieve that. The length of the Campaign mode is short. It is longer than a movie but shorter than a season of “24.” The Special Ops mode allows you (either solo or with a buddy) to tackle different missions and scenarios. The part of the game most people will be playing until “Modern Warfare 3” is the Multiplayer mode. Infinity Ward stacks this part of the game with all the ranks, unlocks and achievements that people expected. This is the main reason people were playing “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” up until the release of the latest incarnation.

The game’s graphics are top notch but most of the time you are running for your life and unable to stop and appreciate them. The music is very theatrical with composer Hanz Zimmer lending a hand there. The voice acting by Lance Hendrickson, Keith David, Kevin McKidd, Billy Murray and Glenn Morshower are exactly the voices you want to hear if you were in the military.

Final Words:

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” is at times bombastic, at times satisfying but it is no doubt the best game of the year for the Xbox 360. It will be a big challenge for the developers to top this one.

Pluses:

Compelling story

Great multiplayer

Four out-loud “No way!” moments during the campaign

Minuses:

Story length is short

Not being able to lean around corners

Final Score: 9 out of 10

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” is rated “M” for Mature by the ESRB for blood, drug reference, intense violence and language.

Yard Sale Find of the Year

2009-09-11T13:16:00.006-06:00

My wife is an avid yard sale shopper. Most times, she comes back with cake pans or other kitchen goodies. This week, she made the find of the year. She found "X-wing Vs. Tie Fighter" on CD-ROM for the PC. Sticker price, $2.00. W00t! This is the follow up to the fabulous Lucas Arts game "Tie Fighter" which followed "X-Wing."

I own the first two games (on floppy disk) but somewhere along our seven moves, this game disappeared. This 12-year-old game installed with just a few tweeks on my Vista machine. Now, my afternoons will be filled with flying missions for both the Alliance and the Empire. Oh wait, I DON'T HAVE A JOYSTICK! Yea, joystick required. It looks like I'm off to WalMart for a new hardware purchase.

Retail Stores are Pushing Me to Digital Downloads

2009-03-04T11:27:00.002-07:00

On Thursday, February 19, THQ’s “Dawn of War II” was released to the masses. I was a big fan of the first installment of the game but I was on the fence as to if I would purchase the sequel. After reading a few positive reviews of the game, my mind was set, this was a game I needed to have on my computer.

I noticed that the game was available on Valve’s Steam store, but I have always been a “need to have it in my hands” person. I love having boxes of classic games displayed on my shelves like animal heads mounted on the wall. Those boxes display my past conquests, a history of my gaming life if you will.

It was off to G*m*st*p to pick up a copy of the new “Dawn of War II” game. After going through their PC shelf, I was unable to find a copy of the game. I asked the clerk if they had any copies and was told that unless I had reserved the game, I was out of luck. Now, this was at 1:00 PM on the day of the retail release of the game so it is plausible that they could be out of copies. No bother, it was off to W*l-M*rt, no copies available there. I then drove to Fr*d M*y*r, no luck there. Three national retail chains… no “Dawn of War II.” Had every copy of the game in my town been snatched up?

Driving home empty-handed, I began to think about the whole digital download option. I already get my music through iTunes, can’t even remember the last time I bought a CD. Why is gaming any different. Yes, I would miss amassing those boxes, but my wife would appreciate not having any more bulky boxes taking up space. I wouldn’t have the thrill of taking all that security tape of the box either.

After a few mouse clicks, the game began downloading into my computer. I don’t know if I’ll ever buy a PC game at a retail outlet again.

Classic Gaming Week - PostScript

2008-07-08T09:20:00.006-06:00

So, after spending my vacation week playing classic video games, there was one more game that I wanted to go back to the well with, and that was "Far Cry". I had just read the latest issue of "PC Gamer" which had a preview article on "Far Cry 2". That was the push over the ledge I needed to take this title for another spin.
Can just four years a classic make? I think that given a few more years, we'll look back on the adventures of Jack Carver and see that along with a nice story with a good plot twist, Ubisoft upped the ante with a beautiful tropical setting.
I'm pretty sure that my first time through the game, I didn't take time to stop and smell the roses. This time, I'm using more stealth and exploring the islands and what lurks under the water as well. One thing that I have this time as opposed to the last time I played it (aside from a faster machine) is a nice sound system. From gunshots to explosions, the sounds are so much beefier this time.
So if you'll excuse me, I have more Trigens to fight.

Classic Gaming Week, Day 5: Battlefield 1942

2008-06-14T14:36:00.003-06:00

GiE's classic gaming week wraps up with a game that I'll be playing throughout the weekend and beyond, "Battlefield 1942". This 2002 release still packs the replayability with multiple maps and great Allies/Axis action. This one was a breakthrough in online/LAN playing with different maps and different jobs for your soldiers. Play assault, scout, medic, anti-tank or engineer as you battle back and forth to take the flags.
The best thing that this game brings to the table, vehicles! Jump in a tank, half-track or P-51 Mustang on the single player maps or get your sea legs under you on an aircraft carrier or submarine on the larger multi-player maps.
Installation of the game and the two add-ons (Secret Weapons & Road to Rome) was flawless. In no time, I grabbed by Thompson and was fighting Jerry in the Battle of the Buldge.
Happy gaming!

Classic Gaming Week, Day 4: Return to Castle Wolfenstein

2008-06-13T11:39:00.004-06:00

It was my eighth grade year when I was introduced to the Apple IIe. There was one machine for the whole class and we would all take turns entering our basic code for our class projects. After class, we would throw in the "Escape from Castle Wolfenstein" floppy disk in the drive and revel in its green screen glory. Every footlocker we opened brought us that much closer to freedom. Just don't let the guards see you or they would chase you from room to room yelling "halt" in their German machine language.
Many remember "Wolfenstein 3D" and it's sequel "Spear of Destiny" on the PC. This was a precursor to the classic "Doom" by ID Software. In 2001, ID gave the Wolfenstein franchise a makeover with "Return to Castle Wolfenstein". This first person shooter puts you in the combat boots of BJ Blazkowicz as he escapes the dungeon of the castle and makes his way through the Nazi infested countryside to eventually confront the main bad guy Heinrich.
This game was the perfect combination of a single player story and multiplayer action. Once I made it through the single player storyline, it was off to the online action. I cannot event count how many hours I logged in the multipayer mode. Most of the maps were well balanced that you had to have soldiers and engineers on your team and had to work together to win the day.
The install on my Vista machine was flawless and was able to jump right in and start playing. Launching the multiplayer found a few people still playing, but I'm sure if I install the patches, I'll find more.
Friday's classic game: "Battlefield 1942".

Classic Gaming Week, Day 3: Hollywood Mogul

2008-06-12T09:42:00.003-06:00

Having worked in the broadcast industry for over 20 years, I have gravitated to strategy games that based themselves in the biz. One game that places you smack-dab in the over sized Hollywood studio executive chair is "Hollywood Mogul".
This is a text based business simulator. You start out with a generous bank account and set out green-lighting feature films. You choose everything from picking the scripts, the scriptwriters, actors, producers down to how much and where you spend your advertising dollars. The gameplay can be a little tedious at times, but the payoff is when your project takes off and generates lots of green, which lets you churn out more films.
This reminds me of one of my favorite games for the Amiga. It was a business sim set in the world of television. I have yet to find its PC equivalent.
The website for "Hollywood Mogul" is still up and they are currently selling "Hollywood Mogul 3". I'll have to check it out one of these days.
Thursday's game: "Return to Castle Wolfenstein".

Classic Gaming Week, Day 2: Diablo 2

2008-06-11T14:49:00.003-06:00

Day two of my classic gaming week was spent installing and playing an old favorite of mine, "Diablo 2". Now I remember why I was so thankful when I finished playing this 2000 game from Blizzard... it killed my right mouse-clicking finger!
Just going back through the first few levels had me switching between my pointer and middle finger. This was a very basic hack and slash dungeon game with a little customization thrown in. But because it was Blizzard who created the game, it had solid gameplay.
Getting D2 up on my Vista machine took a little bit of disk swaping (3 cd's) and just a tad of tweeking, but the thing that surprised me was that from the time I double clicked the icon to the time the game started the opening cinematics was four and a half minutes. I had almost forgotten that I had clicked the icon in the first place and so the opening Blizzard logo took me by surprise. So, I spent Tuesday dungeon crawling and leveling up.
Wednesday's game: Hollywood Mogul.

It's Classic Gaming Week on GiE

2008-06-10T08:55:00.002-06:00

It's vacation time at Gamer in Exile and instead of traveling across the state, this year, the GiE family will be taking a "stay"-cation. So, I thought that for the week I'll be at home, I would go back into the game stash and pick out one classic game to install and play each of the weekdays during the vacation. On Monday, I revisited 1999's "Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri".
I remember playing "Civ 3" for what seemed like days at a time and so "Alpha Centauri" seemed like a logical progression of that franchise. To me, this game was what happed after you sent your civilization into space.
The game originally was issued for Windows 95/98. It was a smooth instillation, but there was a yes/no screen right when I launched the game that had invisible text. The only thing on the screen were two rectangles. Clicking the right box exited me out of the game, the left box allowed the game to continue.
I played most of Monday with "Alpha Centauri" and spent most of the day relearning how the tech trees progressed. After three games, I finally got back into the swing of things. By the fourth game, I had been elected as head of the council and brought peace to the new planet.
Tuesday's game, "Diablo 2".

Rock On!

2008-04-28T09:37:00.006-06:00

Over the weekend, I broke down and bought Guitar Hero 3. Three things pushed me over the edge. The first was that GameStop had the controller/game package discounted $20.00. The second was the Def Deppard music pack that came out a couple of weeks ago. The third is that you can use the GH3 controller on the Rock Band game. The kids and I had fun playing Tug of War on Rock Band.
I'm about halfway through the easy level and have found that it is a little more 'cartoony' than Rock Band. There is a little crossover between GH3 and Rock Band, as they share a few songs. My initial feeling is that there isn't the 'ommmph' in the song selection of GH3 like there was in GH2. Hopefully that will change with the GH3: Aerosmith expansion coming out in June.

But I Really Can't Wait for Fallout 3!

2008-04-22T16:25:00.004-06:00

If you have played Fallout 1 or 2 then you're most likely drooling over all of the Fallout 3 screenshots that have been coming out (of the Vault) from the official site. Having played the first two games in the series, I too am just blown away by the shots that have been released. But before there was a Fallout 1 or Fallout 2, there was Wasteland. This was one of my favorite games of my Commodore era. It was a post-apocalyptic RPG staring you and your merry band of misfits. A few years ago, I happened across an Interplay collection called, "The Ultimate RPG Archives". I bought the collection just so I could have Wasteland for my PC. Now, I'm thinking about unboxing Fallout 1 & 2 for a trip down memory lane before number three comes out this fall.

*this post is Vault-Tec approved.

Can't Wait for StarCraft 2!

2008-03-15T05:59:00.003-06:00

StarCraft has to be one of the top five games ever created. Even though it came out in 1995, I still find myself going back to it. What other game that is almost ten years old are you still playing?
Blizzard is working on a sequel to the game for release later in 2008 (cross your fingers). Check out the latest Zerg-centric trailer for the game at GameSpot. Fear the Zergling rush!

How Not to Be Seen - WOW Style

2008-03-03T08:18:00.001-07:00

This is a nice World of Warcraft take on a classic Monty Python sketch.

WeGame.com - Gaming Videos

"Still Alive" gets the Rock Band Treatment

2008-02-25T08:06:00.009-07:00

If you have puzzled your way to the end of the brilliant Valve Game "Portal", then you got to hear the catchy little ditty "Still Alive" by composer Johnathan Coulton. If you have not made it to the end, then you can catch the song on YouTube.
During this year's Game Developer's Conference, Johnathan Coulton took the stage with his band of misfits to demonstrate "Still Alive" on Rock Band. Notice how TWiT leader Leo LaPorte rescues the rest of the band.
UPDATE: My mistake, after watching the video a second time, it was Veronica who was on lead guitar and rescued Leo who was playing bass. Darn mirror image.

Jonathan Coulton performs "Still Alive" in Rock Band from Joy Stiq on Vimeo.

Fwastration!

2008-02-18T09:33:00.005-07:00

If you remember in our last post, I was singing the praises of Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat. The day after I posted that, "it" hit the fan. As near as I can tell, the issues began with PunkBuster. If you are not familiar with that program, PB is an anti-cheating program that runs with many online multi-player computer games. The problems began when I would fire up CofD4 multi-player, I would get into a game and within 30 to 45 seconds, PB would kick me out. Frustrating.
I went to the PB website and installed the latest update to PB. Now, when I go to the multi-player server screen... nothing! Not one single game would show up. Firmly believing that not everyone in the world gave up on CofD4 at the same moment, I went to my router's manufacturer's website to download a firmware update. That killed my entire home network.
It took a week and lots of trial and error to get the home network back up and running. The network is up, but still no multi-player games for CofD4. That means I get to take back all of the cool things I said about CofD4. With no multi-player, the game is a very quick First Person Shooter.
As for playing games online, very few multi-player games are showing up for Team Fortress 2 and Counter Strike. My head is telling me that I'm having a firewall issue, but I disabled the firewall for a few minutes and had the same minuscule results. It looks like it's back to Peggle for me.

New Social Gaming Site

2008-01-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I came across a new social gamers' website today. The name of the site is GameStrata. It is in beta right now, so it's invitation only. But, all it takes is an email address to get an invite. This could turn into a nice online gathering place for gamers. Right now, they have four games that will keep up with your stats. They need to get on the horse and add more games to the list if they want to succeed as a social gamers' site.
As an aside, I have been really enjoying Call of Duty 4. The single player missions were a little short, but the multi-player part of the game makes up for it. I've finally become an officer (2nd Lt.) and so the promotions will start to slow down as it gets more challenging.
See you on the frag field.

Look What I Found!

2008-01-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

Here is what I found while surfing the net today, the game KDice. If you are a fan of the game Risk and have ever played the dice game 10,000, KDice is right up your alley. Surf over and take a minute to read the rules. It's an online multiplayer game. Who knows, maybe you'll see Fenn101 sitting across the table from you.

My New Year's Resolution is...

2007-12-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

...to play more!

Season's Greetings!

2007-12-24T23:08:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

"Crysis" Whimpers Off the Shelves

2007-12-21T04:08:00.000-07:00

"Crysis" is on the old Amazon.com wish list. Being a big fan of the game "Far Cry", I was ready for the development team's next project. I followed the development of "Crysis" with every beautiful screen shot that was released on the web, drooling over the lush environments that made great wallpaper. But when I slapped down $50 on the counter to buy a game, it was "Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat" that went home with me.
Why? System requirements, pure and simple.
My gaming rig is one year old... ONE YEAR OLD... and doesn't even meet the minimum requirements to play "Crysis". I've listened to the game reviewers who say that even they couldn't max out the graphics when they reviewed the game, and these people have gaming rigs to die for. The reviewers also said that this is a game that you buy now and in a couple of years, you will have the technology to play the game as it was meant to be played. Excuse me, but I'm playing the stock market. If I buy a game, I want to play it as soon as I get home. I am not going to put that shrink wrapped PC-DVD on my shelf and wait two years to uncork it.
And now, Joystiq.com posted this story about the sales numbers for "Crysis". It's really a shame too because I know that a lot of love was put into that game by the developers. So, if you need me, I'll be busy installing "Call of Duty 4". Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Y'all.

Sold Out!

2007-11-27T10:04:00.000-07:00

If you were on the fence about buying Guitar Hero 3 or Rock Band this holiday season, guess what? The fence has been pulled out from under you. Both rhythm games for the Xbox 360 are on the back order list. A quick check of Amazon.com finds that Rock Band for the Xbox 360 is sold out until at least January of 2008. Guitar Hero 3 is also sold out for the Microsoft box.
Talking with our local game stores, they only received two Rock Bands for the 360 and on a recent stroll through Wal-Mart, I found four Rock Bands for the Playstation 3. It almost makes me want to buy a PS3 just because games are available for it... nah.
So much for a rockin' Christmas.

Tis' the Season

2007-11-27T09:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend, our family got out the Christmas decorations including our fake tree. Not five seconds had passed when our neurotic cat made herself at home in the Christmas tree box. Our dog let the cat know that she wasn't supposed to be in there. The cat didn't care.

Halo 3 Line Experience

2007-09-28T04:46:00.000-06:00

It was a cold, crisp September night. The appointed hour was almost here. The anticipation was building. Within minutes, Halo 3 would be ours.
It was Monday, and I and my family had just returned from a nice weekend getaway. My son and I had plans to head over to the local GameStop to stand in line for Halo 3. Rather than get a few hours of sleep in to be fully rested for the midnight release, we ended up playing Halo 2 until it was time to leave. With about two hours left to go, my daughter asked if she could go with us. This took me by surprise as she is more of a driving gamer rather than a FPS gamer. We climbed into the car a little after 11:00 PM and headed to Wal-Mart to pick up our Halo 3 food supplies. We got our Halo Rings (Funions) but couldn't find any Mountain Dew Game Fuel. Time was running out, so we got back in the car and headed to GameStop.
As we pulled up to the store, we could see that the line was pretty long, but not too long. The line looked like it was comprised of college aged males. The three of us got in line behind a group of four guys. Soon after we arrived, another group of four or five guys got in line behind us. For the purposes of this story, we'll call the group ahead of us Group A and those behind us, Group B.
Group A was chatting about Halo, gaming and music. Group B was hurling insults at each other. Then it happened, the first of many F-bombs came out. Let me state for the record that I am by far a prude and do, on occasion, let a profane word fly. But with Group B, it was F-this and S-that and B-the other. Group A did let a few choice words fly, but once they saw that I had kids with me, they toned it down. It was just a very sad representation of gamers by Group B.
Once 12:01 AM hit, a little excitement rippled through the crowd and the line began to move. But, it was more a bunching up of bodies rather than people moving through the checkout line. It took a little over an hour for us to finally ready the front of the line, and then about two minutes to get the game.
We stopped by a local convince store to grab our game fuel and then headed home. We stayed up until 4:30 AM playing Halo 3.
Wednesday came and it was back to the old grind and so I guess I'll get to play it again sometime this weekend.

To Halo, or Not to Halo, That is the Question

2007-09-19T04:09:00.000-06:00

So the countdown to the release to Halo 3 is on. I have been working so much overtime at work that the fact that Halo 3 is a week away almost took me by surprise. My son looked across the table at me during dinner yesterday and held up one finger. I look at him and said "One what?" He said, "One week until Halo 3, dad." That took me by surprise. The days have been blurring by with the 68 hour work weeks. But a little pre-planning goes a long way.
In January, I requested September 24 and 25 off not even realizing that Halo 3 would be released at midnight on the 25th. And I reserved a copy of the game at my local gaming store. All of the chess pieces are in place... now let's get gaming!

2 Weeks Without Internet

2007-09-07T08:21:00.000-06:00

"Welcome back, your dreams are your ticket out". As the title of this entry notes, my internet connection at my home died two weeks ago. We had a big thunderstorm roll through town, two days after that, no wireless internet. It seems the storm, with its many lightning strikes, knocked out my wireless internet provider.
After multiple calls to my i.s.p., I came to the realization that they had no idea what was going on with my connection. It was a week and a half after the service went out that I received a phone call letting me know that their tower was down.
So, I switched to a different wireless internet provider and had to wait over the Labor Day weekend to finally get service up and going. Let's just say that it's been a very long two weeks!

Up For Sale

2007-08-04T18:34:00.000-06:00

I've listed my old Xbox on Ebay. You can bid on it by clicking here. The auction closes on August 10. Remember, bid early, bid often.

We Interrupt Your 360 Gaming to Bring You... Guitar Hero 2: Encore!

2007-08-03T12:14:00.000-06:00

I finally got one game of NCAA 2007 on the Xbox 360 under my belt when I forgot, I had reserved Guitar Hero 2: Encore, Rocks the 80's! I had been so focused on this whole 360 thing that I forgot to pick up the latest expansion of the Guitar Hero 2 franchise. So, now it's back to rocking out the Rat Cellar and the Van's Warped Tour with rockin' tunes from the 80's. There was a big learning curve for me when I first picked up Guitar Hero 2. But now with the Encore pack, I've breezed by Easy mode and am half-way through Medium in less than 24 hours. As great as rockin' out to the Romantics, Poison and Asia is, I'm just not feeling it like I did when I first picked up the wired axe and wailed to Van Halen, the Police, and the Pretenders. We'll see how long I'll stick with this one before I move on to Rock Band.

No Time... No Time...

2007-08-01T08:33:00.000-06:00

The 360 arrived on Friday (July 27). I had plans to be out of town over the weekend. It wasn't until Sunday night that I was able to plug it in. Monday, it was taking out our old dishwasher and fixing our family's DVD player. Tuesday, it was installing our new dishwasher. In the few minutes in between I've been able to log on to Xbox Live and set up my gamer tag ("Fenn101" by the way) and try out a few courses on PGR3. Friday, I'm taking the day off from work just so I can get to know my new toy.

Passing Through the Mile High City

2007-07-25T08:18:00.000-06:00

With respect to the late singer John Denver, my new Xbox 360 is experiencing a Rocky Mountain High. The console left New Jersey on the 20th of July. Yesterday (the 24th), it checked in at the Denver facility.
Gone are the days of sending away for 100 plastic Army men for $1.99 and waiting six to eight weeks for them to arrive in the mail. After the fifth week of checking the mailbox everyday, you forget that you even ordered them and then, viola! there they are.
Of course, I think I would have driven my parents just as crazy if I had a tracking number back then.

Fears Dissuaded

2007-07-20T15:08:00.000-06:00

I emailed the seller of the Xbox 360 and within a couple of hours, they emailed back and said that they had a problem with printing out a shipping tag from Paypal. They got the package out the next day and now it's in the hands of the USPS. I've disassembled my Xbox and have cleaned and prepped it for shipping. Once the 360 arrives, I'll put the system up on Ebay. I'll be lucky to get $70.00 for it.
I've noticed that the prices on a lot of the 360 games are getting slashed, good news for me. I'll be able to play catch-up with some of the back titles.

Waiting for the Xbox 360 Goodness

2007-07-17T07:18:00.000-06:00

Here it is, Tuesday, and I have not had any response from the Ebayer who is selling the Xbox 360 that I was the high bidder on. That little voice in the back of my brain is now planting the seeds of doubt. I'll give it one more day before I start blanketing this seller with e-mails.
In the meantime, I went online to see the various 360 games (new & used) that are for sale. What is the one game that I need to start out my 360 library with? NCAA 2008 comes out this week, soon followed by Madden '08 or should I rummage through the bargain bins for a discounted title?

Xbox 360 is on its Way

2007-07-16T03:33:00.000-06:00

The deal is done. Over the weekend, I was the highest bidder of an Xbox 360 on Ebay. The downside now is that I have to wait the five to ten days to have it shipped. Oh well, I've waited this long, I can wait a few days longer.
I dismantled and cleaned my old Xbox. The hardest part was deleting all of my saved games. We had some good times together.

Getting Back in the Game

2007-07-12T11:07:00.000-06:00

So, I'm making the plunge. I've decided to get an Xbox 360. Now, I know, it's been out for almost two years now, but I think it's time to jump into the pool.
My question now is new or used? The budget screams "USED!" but can I trust those who are selling on Ebay that I'm not getting one with the "Red Rings of Death".
I'm scouring Ebay and making my bids but no success so far. I felt guilty that I'm looking for a 360 that I went back and played NCAA '06 and PGR2 on my Xbox just so it doesn't feel left out.