Here is the first Untitled Podcast concerning E3 2009. We are doing another episode next weekend to wrap up and review E3, then we're disappearing again until Gotham needs us.
In this episode, we preview each of the platform-holders, as well as the most-hyped third-party games, and just generally talk shit for a little less than three hours.
We also discuss, at length, the possibility of turning my living room into Tony's personal storage area.
I'll be putting up a deeper post later, but I first need to go mow my grass before my shit-headed old-timer fuckfaced neighbor tries to set my house on fire.
-Blaine
On sale now!
20090531
20090528
The return of Untitled Podcast and E3!
First, please watch this.
I love that kinda shit. Now, to set the tone for E3, lemme continue an annual tradition. Please watch this next.
I love that even more.
Now, onto business.
UNTITLED PODCAST: E3 EDITION
Three or four of you were utterly heartbroken when we put Untitled Podcast on indefinite hiatus. I've already talked that point to death, so I won't waste your time with any more rambling on how weird my life is.
Anyway, it had occurred to me more than once over the last couple weeks that we should sit down for 2 episodes and do 'pre' and 'post' E3 shows. I approached Tony about it yesterday, and after a few long conversations, we agreed on some details and hashed out a rough schedule.
The 'PRE3' show is set to record tomorrow night, and the 'post-E3' show will record next weekend.
For the 'PRE3' episode, we'll do a quick 'what's new?' segment, then jump right into talking shit about various games and vaporware and hardware and whatever the hell we feel like talking about. And, yeah, it'll be around 2-3 hours.
Right now, I'm thinking we'll go Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and 'third party,' in that order, with each company being divided into games/hardware that we know will be there and rumored games/hardware that will be there. For the confirmed stuff, I think we'll just kinda throw out every game we or you care about, and then we'll sift through that, and comment on the stuff we wanna comment on.
For the second part, we'll each make some predictions, and then make fun of stupid annual rumors (M$'s mythical motion-controller.)
We'll bring our usual shit-talking cynicism, as well as genuine enthusiasm about the good games.
Of course, the most exciting stuff is always the surprise announcements (when they're both exciting and surprising, that is.) I'm kinda curious about this year, as I keep being told that Sony is gonna melt the brains of anyone that cares about games with some announcement that's even more staggering than the launch price of PlayStation 3. Right. We'll see.
I'd considered skipping Nintendo's press conference altogether this year, but my eyes need some exercise, and watching Iwata-san jerk himself off onto the faces of the screaming throng in the 'games press' corp is always interesting. And, against my advice, they're trotting out Cammie Dunaway again, so we get to hear about what middle-aged soccer moms like to do with vibrating phalluses for the second year in a row.
I, also, never miss a chance to watch Reggie Fils-Aime talk. I love that guy. He's the best thing about modern Nintendo, and M$/Sony need to have their talking heads watch how this guy does his thing, 'cause he's the best in terms of all the console execs that do E3 presentations. Once Peter Moore went to EA Sports, the mantle went to Reggie.
Oh no. I just realized I'm probably gonna have to sit through Jack Tretton (Sony) and Don Mattrick (M$) again. Boooring. Well, their presentations should, at least, be better than last year's. I have no idea why, but that's my belief. Sony should just have David Jaffe do theirs and M$ should just publicly execute all those douchebags with the 'cheater' mark on their gamercards. That would make for an exciting show.
I'm also looking forward to all of gametrailers.com's horrible off-screen shaky video of the games that, until I saw horrible off-screen shaky video of them, I was excited about. Oh, and I love the interviews with PR people having to scream so loud over the noise that they go hoarse in the course of the interview.
Actually, I'll be using a few sources to figure out where to focus my attention, aside from having some idea of what developers can be counted on to show a solid product. I'll be watching the aforementioned gametrailers.com, 1up.com, g4tv.com, and giantbomb.com to see what's what each day.
Anyway, so yeah, before we record tomorrow night, drop me a line here if you have anything in particular you wanna hear about, or anything you wanna comment on in advance about E3 in general or a particular game/company/whatever.
Infamous
I snagged Infamous yesterday, and it rocks. It's similar, mechanically, to Crackdown, but has Force powers and story, two big plusses.
I've played it quite a bit the last two days (Infamous and podcast prep are pretty much why I didn't post yesterday), and I really, really like it. It's sort of like a 'summer blockbuster' kinda game. It has a story, though it's not the deepest, it's VERY heavy on the action, it's got some amazingly thrilling moments, and big explosions. It's one of those games that, with its sandbox nature, you're able to make your own amazingly thrilling moments.
My only gripe so far is that while it's very forgiving in terms of death and allowing you to keep XP and all that, you die way too often. Maybe it's the way I play, but I've gotten very conservative in my approach to most shootouts (of course, I have lightning bolts instead of a gun), to minimize the the number of times that I make the jog that I know I'll have to make in order to get back to where I need to wipe out 20 dudes and three truck-mounted machine guns.
Also, there is nothing like kicking an annoying machine gunner in the crotch so hard that he goes flying off the top of the 20-story building you're fighting on top of.
Overall, though, this game kinda replaces Crackdown for me, at least until Crackdown 2 comes out (assuming it's better than the first.) I'll also be keeping an eye on APB (from the Crackdown devs) this E3, as well.
Lemme know what ya wanna hear about Friday night!
-Blaine
I love that kinda shit. Now, to set the tone for E3, lemme continue an annual tradition. Please watch this next.
I love that even more.
Now, onto business.
UNTITLED PODCAST: E3 EDITION
Three or four of you were utterly heartbroken when we put Untitled Podcast on indefinite hiatus. I've already talked that point to death, so I won't waste your time with any more rambling on how weird my life is.
Anyway, it had occurred to me more than once over the last couple weeks that we should sit down for 2 episodes and do 'pre' and 'post' E3 shows. I approached Tony about it yesterday, and after a few long conversations, we agreed on some details and hashed out a rough schedule.
The 'PRE3' show is set to record tomorrow night, and the 'post-E3' show will record next weekend.
For the 'PRE3' episode, we'll do a quick 'what's new?' segment, then jump right into talking shit about various games and vaporware and hardware and whatever the hell we feel like talking about. And, yeah, it'll be around 2-3 hours.
Right now, I'm thinking we'll go Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and 'third party,' in that order, with each company being divided into games/hardware that we know will be there and rumored games/hardware that will be there. For the confirmed stuff, I think we'll just kinda throw out every game we or you care about, and then we'll sift through that, and comment on the stuff we wanna comment on.
For the second part, we'll each make some predictions, and then make fun of stupid annual rumors (M$'s mythical motion-controller.)
We'll bring our usual shit-talking cynicism, as well as genuine enthusiasm about the good games.
Of course, the most exciting stuff is always the surprise announcements (when they're both exciting and surprising, that is.) I'm kinda curious about this year, as I keep being told that Sony is gonna melt the brains of anyone that cares about games with some announcement that's even more staggering than the launch price of PlayStation 3. Right. We'll see.
I'd considered skipping Nintendo's press conference altogether this year, but my eyes need some exercise, and watching Iwata-san jerk himself off onto the faces of the screaming throng in the 'games press' corp is always interesting. And, against my advice, they're trotting out Cammie Dunaway again, so we get to hear about what middle-aged soccer moms like to do with vibrating phalluses for the second year in a row.
I, also, never miss a chance to watch Reggie Fils-Aime talk. I love that guy. He's the best thing about modern Nintendo, and M$/Sony need to have their talking heads watch how this guy does his thing, 'cause he's the best in terms of all the console execs that do E3 presentations. Once Peter Moore went to EA Sports, the mantle went to Reggie.
Oh no. I just realized I'm probably gonna have to sit through Jack Tretton (Sony) and Don Mattrick (M$) again. Boooring. Well, their presentations should, at least, be better than last year's. I have no idea why, but that's my belief. Sony should just have David Jaffe do theirs and M$ should just publicly execute all those douchebags with the 'cheater' mark on their gamercards. That would make for an exciting show.
I'm also looking forward to all of gametrailers.com's horrible off-screen shaky video of the games that, until I saw horrible off-screen shaky video of them, I was excited about. Oh, and I love the interviews with PR people having to scream so loud over the noise that they go hoarse in the course of the interview.
Actually, I'll be using a few sources to figure out where to focus my attention, aside from having some idea of what developers can be counted on to show a solid product. I'll be watching the aforementioned gametrailers.com, 1up.com, g4tv.com, and giantbomb.com to see what's what each day.
Anyway, so yeah, before we record tomorrow night, drop me a line here if you have anything in particular you wanna hear about, or anything you wanna comment on in advance about E3 in general or a particular game/company/whatever.
Infamous
I snagged Infamous yesterday, and it rocks. It's similar, mechanically, to Crackdown, but has Force powers and story, two big plusses.
I've played it quite a bit the last two days (Infamous and podcast prep are pretty much why I didn't post yesterday), and I really, really like it. It's sort of like a 'summer blockbuster' kinda game. It has a story, though it's not the deepest, it's VERY heavy on the action, it's got some amazingly thrilling moments, and big explosions. It's one of those games that, with its sandbox nature, you're able to make your own amazingly thrilling moments.
My only gripe so far is that while it's very forgiving in terms of death and allowing you to keep XP and all that, you die way too often. Maybe it's the way I play, but I've gotten very conservative in my approach to most shootouts (of course, I have lightning bolts instead of a gun), to minimize the the number of times that I make the jog that I know I'll have to make in order to get back to where I need to wipe out 20 dudes and three truck-mounted machine guns.
Also, there is nothing like kicking an annoying machine gunner in the crotch so hard that he goes flying off the top of the 20-story building you're fighting on top of.
Overall, though, this game kinda replaces Crackdown for me, at least until Crackdown 2 comes out (assuming it's better than the first.) I'll also be keeping an eye on APB (from the Crackdown devs) this E3, as well.
Lemme know what ya wanna hear about Friday night!
-Blaine
20090526
Post-Memorial Day Reawakening
I really want Infamous.
Read the 1UP Review!
Read the 1UP Review!
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It looks really cool, in that Crackdown kinda way.
Memorial Day Weekend
They boy and I met the Lady at her parents' house in Kingston, IL last Friday night for Memorial Day weekend. She had flown up the Wednesday before to get some time to hang with her girlfriends and sister. As I discussed in the last post, they live in a rather remote area, but as usual, it was fun.
Part of the fun was I finally broke down and bought an iPod, as I mentioned previously. I've had some time to really get to know it, and so far, I really like it, but I have some serious reservations about iTunes. Here's a quick love/hate breakdown for ya:
I LOVE:
- the sorting functions; it sorts music in all sorts of helpful and interesting ways
- the slickness; it looks purty while it's doing it's thing
- the way it handles podcasts; I used to waste a lotta time manually managing my podcasts; it's nice being able to just set rules for each podcast in iTunes and just let the thing function the way I told it to once
- I'm actually starting to come around on the way iTunes handles playlists; I hated it for a while since it's different from Winamp, but I've started to kinda dig it these last few days
- sound quality; the sound quality is stunning
I HATE:
- the interface; I know Apple is allergic to buttons, but add at least a couple; context-sensitivity is cool and all, but that one button is responsible for too much; the scroll wheel is cool, at times, for song selection and volume, but it's a little twitchy when it comes to setting ratings for songs
- the initial loading of the library; it should just look at my music directory and go 'okay, here's your songs;' it doesn't; I don't care what fucking encoding a song is in, just play it; I accidentally ripped 2200 songs in .wma (forgot that WMP rips in .wma format by default) when I re-ripped my CD collection; a music player should just play them; instead, it spent 7-8 hours converting them to .aac, in a furthering of the Apple/M$ pissing contest; it then duplicated half the songs, so I had to wipe out the whole library and try again; I didn't properly sync the fucking thing until I'd had it for a day and a half; this was the worst part of the experience
- too susceptible to fingerprints (very minor complaint)
- doesn't play HD Quicktime (small Quicktime looks like shit)
-it doesn't save my place in a podcast; since my podcasting device was separate from my music before this, I used to flip to music occasionally and come back to the podcast later in the day. Now, I can't do that. If I flip to music, it starts the podcast over. I'm starting to see why all you iPod-loving fucks would bitch when we recorded podcasts that were actually a good length. WE weren't the problem, that piece of shit device on which made yourself dependent was the problem! Yes, it does. Oops.
Overall, the iPod and I have formed a decent relationship. We're like those grudging cop buddies in an action flick.
The Lady and I took in a double feature yesterday of Terminator: Salvation and Star Trek. I'd already seen Star Trek, but she hadn't. Wii Apologist John also joined us for Terminator.
Terminator: Salvation was better than I was expecting. Given that it was directed the amazingly hyper-cutting McG who is responsible for such abominations as Charlie's Angels and Fastlane, and the giant dumps AICN had been taking on it, I was almost sad about the movie before even seeing it. Then, when it ended up being a really fun action flick, I was okay. It continues the story of the Terminator films, has great action, and that's what I needed outta this movie. If you see it, I'm curious about something. Did you think it was John Connor's movie, or Marcus Wright's?
Star Trek was actually a lot better for me the second time, since I wasn't wasted this time. This time around, I really felt like captured more of the spirit of what Star Trek is. I do have a hell of a bone to pick with the writers and producers, though. This is NOT an alternate time line. It is the new timeline, and they've obliterated everything that happened in Star Trek, Star Trek: the Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager. It's not an alternate timeline because Nero went back and changed events. He didn't create a second reality, he just changed the existing one. Therefore, according to this film, nothing after Star Trek: Enterprise counts. That's sorta fucked up. I don't know how I feel about that.
Anyway, it was a fun weekend, which we concluded with my sister's birthday.
Oh, perhaps you saw this?
It looks really cool, in that Crackdown kinda way.
Memorial Day Weekend
They boy and I met the Lady at her parents' house in Kingston, IL last Friday night for Memorial Day weekend. She had flown up the Wednesday before to get some time to hang with her girlfriends and sister. As I discussed in the last post, they live in a rather remote area, but as usual, it was fun.
Part of the fun was I finally broke down and bought an iPod, as I mentioned previously. I've had some time to really get to know it, and so far, I really like it, but I have some serious reservations about iTunes. Here's a quick love/hate breakdown for ya:
I LOVE:
- the sorting functions; it sorts music in all sorts of helpful and interesting ways
- the slickness; it looks purty while it's doing it's thing
- the way it handles podcasts; I used to waste a lotta time manually managing my podcasts; it's nice being able to just set rules for each podcast in iTunes and just let the thing function the way I told it to once
- I'm actually starting to come around on the way iTunes handles playlists; I hated it for a while since it's different from Winamp, but I've started to kinda dig it these last few days
- sound quality; the sound quality is stunning
I HATE:
- the interface; I know Apple is allergic to buttons, but add at least a couple; context-sensitivity is cool and all, but that one button is responsible for too much; the scroll wheel is cool, at times, for song selection and volume, but it's a little twitchy when it comes to setting ratings for songs
- the initial loading of the library; it should just look at my music directory and go 'okay, here's your songs;' it doesn't; I don't care what fucking encoding a song is in, just play it; I accidentally ripped 2200 songs in .wma (forgot that WMP rips in .wma format by default) when I re-ripped my CD collection; a music player should just play them; instead, it spent 7-8 hours converting them to .aac, in a furthering of the Apple/M$ pissing contest; it then duplicated half the songs, so I had to wipe out the whole library and try again; I didn't properly sync the fucking thing until I'd had it for a day and a half; this was the worst part of the experience
- too susceptible to fingerprints (very minor complaint)
- doesn't play HD Quicktime (small Quicktime looks like shit)
-
Overall, the iPod and I have formed a decent relationship. We're like those grudging cop buddies in an action flick.
The Lady and I took in a double feature yesterday of Terminator: Salvation and Star Trek. I'd already seen Star Trek, but she hadn't. Wii Apologist John also joined us for Terminator.
Terminator: Salvation was better than I was expecting. Given that it was directed the amazingly hyper-cutting McG who is responsible for such abominations as Charlie's Angels and Fastlane, and the giant dumps AICN had been taking on it, I was almost sad about the movie before even seeing it. Then, when it ended up being a really fun action flick, I was okay. It continues the story of the Terminator films, has great action, and that's what I needed outta this movie. If you see it, I'm curious about something. Did you think it was John Connor's movie, or Marcus Wright's?
Star Trek was actually a lot better for me the second time, since I wasn't wasted this time. This time around, I really felt like captured more of the spirit of what Star Trek is. I do have a hell of a bone to pick with the writers and producers, though. This is NOT an alternate time line. It is the new timeline, and they've obliterated everything that happened in Star Trek, Star Trek: the Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager. It's not an alternate timeline because Nero went back and changed events. He didn't create a second reality, he just changed the existing one. Therefore, according to this film, nothing after Star Trek: Enterprise counts. That's sorta fucked up. I don't know how I feel about that.
Anyway, it was a fun weekend, which we concluded with my sister's birthday.
Oh, perhaps you saw this?
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I am more excited about that game than you can imagine. How about you?
Before that, though, what are your big summer entertainment items? I'm stoked about Drag Me to Hell next week, NCAA Football 10, Madden NFL 10, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Watchmen on BD. What about you?
-Blaine
I am more excited about that game than you can imagine. How about you?
Before that, though, what are your big summer entertainment items? I'm stoked about Drag Me to Hell next week, NCAA Football 10, Madden NFL 10, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Watchmen on BD. What about you?
-Blaine
20090522
Technology is My Heroin
I bought an iPod today. I was gonna test-drive it this weekend first, but after realizing that w/ iTunes and an iPod, I could automate some things that I hate taking time to do, and that the iTunes Store is kinda cool, I kinda buckled.
I had been considering hacking it and installing a Linux OS, but, right now, it's kinda neat.
I'm one of them now. I share yet another trait with one of the generic people.
STALKER: Clear Sky
This is one of those games that I'm convinced I really do like, but just can't make myself sit down and play.
I don't know what it is. I mean, there are some very noticeable flaws in the game, namely that configuring the video settings is a metagame unto itself, but it is a good game. Inventory has been streamlined somewhat from the first game, the story is interesting, and the visuals are pretty solid. It plays well, too.
The video configuration game is wild, though. I'm rocking a 1GB video card, 4GB of RAM, with a 2.53Ghz proc, and the max settings run at 1fps. One. This is a year old game, folks.
Anyway, I love the setting for the STALKER series. It's a parallel reality in which there are warring Russian factions in the Chernobyl wasteland, which is populated with all kinds of horrific creatures and people with specific agendas. It feels like a living, breathing world in which time is moving forward, rather than maintaining a static environment. Characters move around, follow a routine, sometimes go on a mission, and their interactions with you will sometimes change depending on your prior actions. Very cool world.
But, yeah, I just haven't been able to make myself hold still long enough to really dive into this one. I did finally get the video settings at something that both looked good and ran well, and that helped a bit when I played for maybe a half hour last night.
WEEKEND
After work today, I'm loading the boy, the new iPod, the laptop, the netbook, the PSP, the DS, several books, and a bunch of other shit like clothes and toiletries, and heading to NORTHERN ILLINOIS. Yup.
My in-laws live about an hour outta Chicago, just far enough away that they don't have 'normal' water. They use well water, which is kinda like showering in mucusy goat piss, and like drinking from a diarrhetic volcano's ass. Their water has been so bad for so long that every time I even come near it, I wanna gesture to my wife like, 'See! See how much I love you and what a great husband I am!?'
Then, I remember that she and her family think that horrible water is normal, and it's actually offensive when I'm disgusted by their disgusting water.
Long time readers will know that I've been whining about this for about eight years now.
And, lemme tell ya fellas, nothing puts your wife in a great mood like her hearing the same criticism about visiting her parents for the 999999th time in eight years.
Luckily, I'm one of the few dudes I know with cool in-laws. They've been tremendously kind about the fact that they got stuck with a son-in-law like me, and have really helped us out at key moments, and for that, I can put up with being urinated on by any number of barnyard animals while I attempt to get clean.
OH! OH! Also, soap DOES NOT come off your body when you try to rinse it off, since it's hard fucking water. I really hate that.
Anyway, yeah, they're cool people and have helped us out in these early years of married life, so I am very thankful for that.
My wife flew up there Wednesday to get some time with just herself and her girlfriends in Chicago, while I hung out here with our boy and watched my Cardinals beat the fuck outta her Cubs, and we'll be joining her in her hometown tonight.
Tomorrow, we're going to a wedding, and then her little sister's graduation party. Sunday, we'll be driving back to hang out at my sister's birthday party, and then Monday, we recharge and lounge and do nothing.
With that, I'm out, but not before leaving you with a metric fuck-ton of Heavy Rain:
READ the 1UP Preview!
I had been considering hacking it and installing a Linux OS, but, right now, it's kinda neat.
I'm one of them now. I share yet another trait with one of the generic people.
STALKER: Clear Sky
This is one of those games that I'm convinced I really do like, but just can't make myself sit down and play.
I don't know what it is. I mean, there are some very noticeable flaws in the game, namely that configuring the video settings is a metagame unto itself, but it is a good game. Inventory has been streamlined somewhat from the first game, the story is interesting, and the visuals are pretty solid. It plays well, too.
The video configuration game is wild, though. I'm rocking a 1GB video card, 4GB of RAM, with a 2.53Ghz proc, and the max settings run at 1fps. One. This is a year old game, folks.
Anyway, I love the setting for the STALKER series. It's a parallel reality in which there are warring Russian factions in the Chernobyl wasteland, which is populated with all kinds of horrific creatures and people with specific agendas. It feels like a living, breathing world in which time is moving forward, rather than maintaining a static environment. Characters move around, follow a routine, sometimes go on a mission, and their interactions with you will sometimes change depending on your prior actions. Very cool world.
But, yeah, I just haven't been able to make myself hold still long enough to really dive into this one. I did finally get the video settings at something that both looked good and ran well, and that helped a bit when I played for maybe a half hour last night.
WEEKEND
After work today, I'm loading the boy, the new iPod, the laptop, the netbook, the PSP, the DS, several books, and a bunch of other shit like clothes and toiletries, and heading to NORTHERN ILLINOIS. Yup.
My in-laws live about an hour outta Chicago, just far enough away that they don't have 'normal' water. They use well water, which is kinda like showering in mucusy goat piss, and like drinking from a diarrhetic volcano's ass. Their water has been so bad for so long that every time I even come near it, I wanna gesture to my wife like, 'See! See how much I love you and what a great husband I am!?'
Then, I remember that she and her family think that horrible water is normal, and it's actually offensive when I'm disgusted by their disgusting water.
Long time readers will know that I've been whining about this for about eight years now.
And, lemme tell ya fellas, nothing puts your wife in a great mood like her hearing the same criticism about visiting her parents for the 999999th time in eight years.
Luckily, I'm one of the few dudes I know with cool in-laws. They've been tremendously kind about the fact that they got stuck with a son-in-law like me, and have really helped us out at key moments, and for that, I can put up with being urinated on by any number of barnyard animals while I attempt to get clean.
OH! OH! Also, soap DOES NOT come off your body when you try to rinse it off, since it's hard fucking water. I really hate that.
Anyway, yeah, they're cool people and have helped us out in these early years of married life, so I am very thankful for that.
My wife flew up there Wednesday to get some time with just herself and her girlfriends in Chicago, while I hung out here with our boy and watched my Cardinals beat the fuck outta her Cubs, and we'll be joining her in her hometown tonight.
Tomorrow, we're going to a wedding, and then her little sister's graduation party. Sunday, we'll be driving back to hang out at my sister's birthday party, and then Monday, we recharge and lounge and do nothing.
With that, I'm out, but not before leaving you with a metric fuck-ton of Heavy Rain:
READ the 1UP Preview!
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Have a great weekend! What do you have goin' on?
-Blaine
Have a great weekend! What do you have goin' on?
-Blaine
20090520
Randomness Organized
Late post, I know.
Drove my wife to the airport at 0'dark 30 and spent the day lounging with my son. We hung out, wrestled around, practiced counting, went to check out my buddy's new baby (though the baby wasn't there, conspicuously), then came back, made some of my homemade organic pizza, chilled and watched some Cards-Cubs (which the good guys, the Cardinals, naturally won), as well as some NBA playoff action. I looked over to him at one point to explain who Lebron was, and little dude was passed out and had burrowed into the couch cushions.
Three is a much better age than two.
So, yeah, a day with just the boy and me was one I didn't want to spend banging away at the keys (even if I did sneak a little Mass Effect here and there.)
So, he's asleep, today's sports action has subsided (how 'bout them Magic?), I've gotten Wrex and Garrus to tell me their innnermost secrets, so now I present to you a blog.
GFW Live and What Should Be
Every time I log onto one of my computers at home, I launch Steam and Xfire, as well as Gmail in a browser. I like to open myself up for a few moments for folks to contact for some action, if there's any to be had. [editors note - that's gaming action, not the type-fwap-type-fwap kind]
What's funny is that if I launch GFW Live, I get a marketplace in which I can spend space bucks on now-fixed Fallout 3 add-ons, and little else. No friends list, no profile editing (aside from an option to delete my profile from this machine), nothin'. I've used it to get exclusive Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 2 DLC, and that's it.
Now, if I want a slightly more robust GFW Live experience, I can launch Dawn of War 2, and actually access my friends list, but I am resistant to having that run in the background all of the time.
Why are these two seperate apps? One need only look at the excellent Steam service to see what's possible. I am ostensibly running Steam, and it is damn near the only thing for which I use Windows (as I sheepishly type this from my Windows partition.)
I mean, after Apple purchased Xerox's GUI all those years and turned it into the Macintosh OS, Microsoft turned around and shifted from DOS to Windows, which was based on Mac. Microsoft launched the Zune to compete with iPod. Microsoft has some skill when it comes to recognizing good ideas and aping them (and I'll take Windows 7 over Mac OSX any day, though I am an Ubuntu man most of the time.)
So, why not launch something that functions similarly to Steam, but ties into XBL? Something from which I can launch games, see who's online doing what, and coordinate with them? Where's that service that truly supports cross-play between 360 and PC?
I know the lack of actual 360 servers must be an issue, since a lotta PCs are utter shit, and couldn't handle doubling as a server, but tell me you haven't been in a 360 multiplayer game that was being hosted by some dude in Buttfuck, Montana with a connection resembling 56k. You find a way to change hosts and move on.
It just seems to me that one could attract a lot more PC players to the GFW flag if you promised that they would be supplied with plenty of console FPS players to devour mercilessly. And, yes, I happily play CoD4 and CoDWaW on 360.
What really burns my ass is that Microsoft announced that they wouldn't be announcing anything regarding GFW at E3 this year. I don't know who is in charge of GFW over there, but either they suck, or they're being told to suck.
Maybe this is being held back for the next XBox launch?
Glee
I am many things, but one of the things I am, first and foremost, is a man.
I'm not saying I'm one of those terrified-of-my-own-homosexuality mouth-breather fucktard screeching-on-XBL bigots that pretends to hate anything gay. I'm saying that I'm a comfortably married heterosexual that revels in certain masculine traits. I'm a problem solver, I loathe weakness, I yell at TVs when the Cardinals or Rams are on, I pester my wife for free sex, I eye laundry duty suspiciously, I maintain the yard, I'm obsessed with old wars, I scramble for cover when my wife and her friends get emotional, I think beer is awesome, and I idolize George S. Patton.
I'm also a mature adult. You might call me 'old.' I'll turn 31 this July (eesh, if I was an NFL running back, my career would be winding down.) Most bands I listen to are made up of members that are in their mid-40s now. I am shocked every time I think about the fact that Star Trek: the Next Generation is now 22 years old.
HA! You were just shocked by that, too! Fucked up, isn't it?
As you can see, I have excellent taste in television.
Almost everything I watch is science-fiction, aside from a smattering of 'about a writer' stuff, Law & Order, and anything fictional about a catering crew (I was restaurant manager/catering manager for a LOOONG time).
So, when my wife, who has 75% excellent taste in TV, suggested we watch Glee, I was curious. All I knew is that it had Jane Lynch, who is the funniest woman ever, so I was in.
Remember, I knew NOTHING about it. I am fucking GRITTY, man, GRITTY, and then I watched this:
I think I hated it. I'm not sure.
I mean, I LOVE music, in all its forms. I'm just as likely to listen to a Pearl Jam album as I am the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack as I am the latest Uematsu-san OSV as I am the latest Nelly (all he has is a .net? Really?) record as I am the soundtrack to Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog.
This shit, though...this shit was unlike anything I'd been exposed to. I really felt like high school glee club nerds had written it, which I suppose is to capitalize on that High School Musical series of films. I've not seen them, but I've gathered from my wife and sister-in-law that they are fairly popular with tweens.
What's interesting, though, is that there is a teacher who is married in the show, and the portrayal of his marriage is so...off. Any married man who's watched television can tell ya that no one quite gets it right, in terms of portrayal, kinda like the birthing process, but that there are some reasonably okay approximations.
The marriage shown here is a hypo-realistic horny tween girl's fantastical mental diarrhea. I don't think it's supposed to be realistic, but the problem that creates is that I don't give a flying fuck what really happens in that relationship.
Anyway, I am so clearly not the audience for this show, but I was shocked that my wife LOVED it. Well, no.
Now that I think about it, she eats this kinda shit up. I love her dearly, but she's still into the whole high school thing, and still hangs with a lotta her high school friends, whereas I picked a select few with which to maintain contact. Any high school story that doesn't involve hardcore realistic drug use or fucking induces an eyeroll from me.
STOP
I wanna talk more about my PC Mass Effect playthrough, but I'll save it for another day, as this has probably gone on a bit long-ish.
Sorry for the late post, but I was really enjoying some 'man' time with my son. I'll be back at my regular time later today.
-Blaine
Drove my wife to the airport at 0'dark 30 and spent the day lounging with my son. We hung out, wrestled around, practiced counting, went to check out my buddy's new baby (though the baby wasn't there, conspicuously), then came back, made some of my homemade organic pizza, chilled and watched some Cards-Cubs (which the good guys, the Cardinals, naturally won), as well as some NBA playoff action. I looked over to him at one point to explain who Lebron was, and little dude was passed out and had burrowed into the couch cushions.
Three is a much better age than two.
So, yeah, a day with just the boy and me was one I didn't want to spend banging away at the keys (even if I did sneak a little Mass Effect here and there.)
So, he's asleep, today's sports action has subsided (how 'bout them Magic?), I've gotten Wrex and Garrus to tell me their innnermost secrets, so now I present to you a blog.
GFW Live and What Should Be
Every time I log onto one of my computers at home, I launch Steam and Xfire, as well as Gmail in a browser. I like to open myself up for a few moments for folks to contact for some action, if there's any to be had. [editors note - that's gaming action, not the type-fwap-type-fwap kind]
What's funny is that if I launch GFW Live, I get a marketplace in which I can spend space bucks on now-fixed Fallout 3 add-ons, and little else. No friends list, no profile editing (aside from an option to delete my profile from this machine), nothin'. I've used it to get exclusive Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 2 DLC, and that's it.
Now, if I want a slightly more robust GFW Live experience, I can launch Dawn of War 2, and actually access my friends list, but I am resistant to having that run in the background all of the time.
Why are these two seperate apps? One need only look at the excellent Steam service to see what's possible. I am ostensibly running Steam, and it is damn near the only thing for which I use Windows (as I sheepishly type this from my Windows partition.)
I mean, after Apple purchased Xerox's GUI all those years and turned it into the Macintosh OS, Microsoft turned around and shifted from DOS to Windows, which was based on Mac. Microsoft launched the Zune to compete with iPod. Microsoft has some skill when it comes to recognizing good ideas and aping them (and I'll take Windows 7 over Mac OSX any day, though I am an Ubuntu man most of the time.)
So, why not launch something that functions similarly to Steam, but ties into XBL? Something from which I can launch games, see who's online doing what, and coordinate with them? Where's that service that truly supports cross-play between 360 and PC?
I know the lack of actual 360 servers must be an issue, since a lotta PCs are utter shit, and couldn't handle doubling as a server, but tell me you haven't been in a 360 multiplayer game that was being hosted by some dude in Buttfuck, Montana with a connection resembling 56k. You find a way to change hosts and move on.
It just seems to me that one could attract a lot more PC players to the GFW flag if you promised that they would be supplied with plenty of console FPS players to devour mercilessly. And, yes, I happily play CoD4 and CoDWaW on 360.
What really burns my ass is that Microsoft announced that they wouldn't be announcing anything regarding GFW at E3 this year. I don't know who is in charge of GFW over there, but either they suck, or they're being told to suck.
Maybe this is being held back for the next XBox launch?
Glee
I am many things, but one of the things I am, first and foremost, is a man.
I'm not saying I'm one of those terrified-of-my-own-homosexuality mouth-breather fucktard screeching-on-XBL bigots that pretends to hate anything gay. I'm saying that I'm a comfortably married heterosexual that revels in certain masculine traits. I'm a problem solver, I loathe weakness, I yell at TVs when the Cardinals or Rams are on, I pester my wife for free sex, I eye laundry duty suspiciously, I maintain the yard, I'm obsessed with old wars, I scramble for cover when my wife and her friends get emotional, I think beer is awesome, and I idolize George S. Patton.
I'm also a mature adult. You might call me 'old.' I'll turn 31 this July (eesh, if I was an NFL running back, my career would be winding down.) Most bands I listen to are made up of members that are in their mid-40s now. I am shocked every time I think about the fact that Star Trek: the Next Generation is now 22 years old.
HA! You were just shocked by that, too! Fucked up, isn't it?
As you can see, I have excellent taste in television.
Almost everything I watch is science-fiction, aside from a smattering of 'about a writer' stuff, Law & Order, and anything fictional about a catering crew (I was restaurant manager/catering manager for a LOOONG time).
So, when my wife, who has 75% excellent taste in TV, suggested we watch Glee, I was curious. All I knew is that it had Jane Lynch, who is the funniest woman ever, so I was in.
Remember, I knew NOTHING about it. I am fucking GRITTY, man, GRITTY, and then I watched this:
I think I hated it. I'm not sure.
I mean, I LOVE music, in all its forms. I'm just as likely to listen to a Pearl Jam album as I am the Phantom of the Opera soundtrack as I am the latest Uematsu-san OSV as I am the latest Nelly (all he has is a .net? Really?) record as I am the soundtrack to Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog.
This shit, though...this shit was unlike anything I'd been exposed to. I really felt like high school glee club nerds had written it, which I suppose is to capitalize on that High School Musical series of films. I've not seen them, but I've gathered from my wife and sister-in-law that they are fairly popular with tweens.
What's interesting, though, is that there is a teacher who is married in the show, and the portrayal of his marriage is so...off. Any married man who's watched television can tell ya that no one quite gets it right, in terms of portrayal, kinda like the birthing process, but that there are some reasonably okay approximations.
The marriage shown here is a hypo-realistic horny tween girl's fantastical mental diarrhea. I don't think it's supposed to be realistic, but the problem that creates is that I don't give a flying fuck what really happens in that relationship.
Anyway, I am so clearly not the audience for this show, but I was shocked that my wife LOVED it. Well, no.
Now that I think about it, she eats this kinda shit up. I love her dearly, but she's still into the whole high school thing, and still hangs with a lotta her high school friends, whereas I picked a select few with which to maintain contact. Any high school story that doesn't involve hardcore realistic drug use or fucking induces an eyeroll from me.
STOP
I wanna talk more about my PC Mass Effect playthrough, but I'll save it for another day, as this has probably gone on a bit long-ish.
Sorry for the late post, but I was really enjoying some 'man' time with my son. I'll be back at my regular time later today.
-Blaine
20090519
Whoah.
I know I've been away longer than I said I would be, and for that, I apologize.
I've been charging my batteries, really. I hung here at work for a bit on Friday, then went home and mowed my lawn, to ensure that I would have nothing I needed to do this weekend, then just kicked back and chilled for three and a half days. It was great. I hardly ever wore pants, which is often a strong indicator of how easily I was able to relax (I often find clothing silly and uncomfortable most of the time, though I'm glad for it when I can't see my male friends' tiny penises, or when my wife has a fat friend over.)
I played some games, namely Fable II, Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 2, and Mass Effect. I blew through a bunch of episodes of Castle. I celebrated the renewal of Dollhouse and mourned the cancellation of Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles. I wanted to see Star Trek again, but arranging for a baby-sitter this past weekend was nigh impossible. I spent a lot of time reading and snoozing, and holy shit, I needed it. I drank with some friends, healed my soul, and finally felt like myself again for the first time in months.
And now, I'm back at work, but I have a good job, so that's fine. I've got some cool projects lined up, I'm getting back to focusing on what I do best (write and create), and I actually feel kind of okay, even if the headaches are still creeping back here and there.
Fable II
I played through nearly everything (both on disc and DLC) that I hadn't already for Fable II this past weekend, and had a hell of a good time. Even after finishing main quests, the game is incredibly fun to just screw around in. I love that I can keep playing past endgame, though I have some concerns over DLC pricing.
While I'm going to use Fable II as an example, it is by no means unique or unusual in its exorbitant price. It's not even horribly overpriced, I just think that Knothole Island + See the Future should've been $5 together, based on the price of the original game.
To be fair, I've had a good time with both of the DLC, even if they were a little light in terms of content. Knothole Island is the beefier of the two, if less diverse, whereas See the Future is more of a variety of things. Knothole Island features three missions that are tied together on Knothole Island, with a key decision at the end. It also has a fair number of new items. See the Future is 2 missions, a a preview of the future, and the Colosseum. It, like Knothole Island, has a fair number of new items, as well.
I really liked the art in See the Future, as well, which I rarely notice in most games.
Etcetera
I'm pretty low-energy today, so I don't have a whole lot more for ya, other than this:
How do you cats measure relaxation? Do you have any qualifiers like my no-pants standard for measuring a good, chilled-out weekend?
What'd you think of the Fable II DLC, if you've played any of it?
Also anyone caught any pre-release screenings of Terminator: Salvation? Curious what people think thus far.
-Blaine
PS - I'll be back tomorrow to talk about doing battle against M$ Vista whilst wielding M$ Windows 7 RC1. Linux FTW, as usual.
I've been charging my batteries, really. I hung here at work for a bit on Friday, then went home and mowed my lawn, to ensure that I would have nothing I needed to do this weekend, then just kicked back and chilled for three and a half days. It was great. I hardly ever wore pants, which is often a strong indicator of how easily I was able to relax (I often find clothing silly and uncomfortable most of the time, though I'm glad for it when I can't see my male friends' tiny penises, or when my wife has a fat friend over.)
I played some games, namely Fable II, Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 2, and Mass Effect. I blew through a bunch of episodes of Castle. I celebrated the renewal of Dollhouse and mourned the cancellation of Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles. I wanted to see Star Trek again, but arranging for a baby-sitter this past weekend was nigh impossible. I spent a lot of time reading and snoozing, and holy shit, I needed it. I drank with some friends, healed my soul, and finally felt like myself again for the first time in months.
And now, I'm back at work, but I have a good job, so that's fine. I've got some cool projects lined up, I'm getting back to focusing on what I do best (write and create), and I actually feel kind of okay, even if the headaches are still creeping back here and there.
Fable II
I played through nearly everything (both on disc and DLC) that I hadn't already for Fable II this past weekend, and had a hell of a good time. Even after finishing main quests, the game is incredibly fun to just screw around in. I love that I can keep playing past endgame, though I have some concerns over DLC pricing.
While I'm going to use Fable II as an example, it is by no means unique or unusual in its exorbitant price. It's not even horribly overpriced, I just think that Knothole Island + See the Future should've been $5 together, based on the price of the original game.
To be fair, I've had a good time with both of the DLC, even if they were a little light in terms of content. Knothole Island is the beefier of the two, if less diverse, whereas See the Future is more of a variety of things. Knothole Island features three missions that are tied together on Knothole Island, with a key decision at the end. It also has a fair number of new items. See the Future is 2 missions, a a preview of the future, and the Colosseum. It, like Knothole Island, has a fair number of new items, as well.
I really liked the art in See the Future, as well, which I rarely notice in most games.
Etcetera
I'm pretty low-energy today, so I don't have a whole lot more for ya, other than this:
How do you cats measure relaxation? Do you have any qualifiers like my no-pants standard for measuring a good, chilled-out weekend?
What'd you think of the Fable II DLC, if you've played any of it?
Also anyone caught any pre-release screenings of Terminator: Salvation? Curious what people think thus far.
-Blaine
PS - I'll be back tomorrow to talk about doing battle against M$ Vista whilst wielding M$ Windows 7 RC1. Linux FTW, as usual.
20090514
Still Standing
Yesterday concluded the toughest school year of my life. It's interesting being 30 and challenged academically, even if the challenge lies in my awful study habits.
As I've said ad nauseum here, I'm just relieved to finally have a few weeks in which to breathe, get my brain reorganized, and rejoin the fight in the middle of June.
It'd also be nice if it stopped fucking storming some time soon.
First, in order to understand, you must be brought low:
I don't really know what to say about that, so let us move on.
New Stuff
I picked up the new Star Trek 1-6 Blu-Ray set yesterday, to celebrate the conclusion of my finals. I am like a little kid when it comes to buying prettied-up Star Trek episodes and movies I already own, bouncing around joyously while Archer/Kirk/Picard/Sisko/Janeway yells 'FIRE!' as my wife shakes her head at the thousands of dollars I've spent over the last 15 years to make sure I own the 'definitive' version of each episode/movie.
I am a Star Trek junkie.
Both of the Blu-Ray sets that are out (Star Trek season 1 and Star Trek 1-6) are great in terms of visuals and sound, but a little perplexing when it comes to actual content. The season 1 set, like its DVD predecessor, is missing the Cage, the original pilot submitted to and rejected by NBC, which featured an entirely different cast, except for Spock. This ended up w/ season 3 on DVD, which made sense in terms of broadcast order, but was still annoying, since it clearly takes place before the events of season 1.
Additionally, the movie set doesn't feature any of the director's cuts from the DVD set, which means they'll be trotting out the final versions around the time of the sequel to this year's Star Trek.
Speaking of the movie...hmm...I'll talk about it more in depth next week, but here's the basic feelings I have now:
- I was really worried about how I was gonna react to the 'alternate universe' gimmick they used to give themselves carte blanche with the storytelling possibilities, and they handled it well
- this film has the best opening of any Star Trek film or episode up to this point
- the casting was brilliant
- the film was paced beautifully
- Nero is the lamest villain in Star Trek history; we know next to nothing about him, don't really care about whatever it is he's feeling, and never spend enough time with him to feel very strongly one way or the other about him
- I don't know how I feel about the film being absent of the core Star Trek values; I'm not saying I needed a preachy scene, but one of the things that defines Star Trek is a moment in which a character has the principles of the Federation challenged, and they make a choice, one way or the other; I enjoyed it, but it seemed to lack the intellect of all non-Voyager Star Trek stories; I could have sworn that Brannon Braga was a secret consultant
- as I said, I liked it, but I was left wondering if it was a Star Trek action film, or an action film dressed up as Star Trek
- you will perceive this as being 'nerdy,' but I assure you that I must do it in order to make sense of this strange universe: 'Star Trek' is the fourth best Star Trek film behind 'the Wrath of Khan,' 'the Undiscovered Country,' and 'First Contact.'
- this film is definitely geared more toward generic humans rather than Star Trek fans, though both will enjoy it
As I said, I'll write more about it later, after I've seen it again, and had some time to actually think about it and discuss it (I've been up to my eyeballs in fucking academics since I saw it.)
Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'
The Future
I downloaded the new Fable II DLC, 'See the Future,' though I've not had a chance to even touch it yet, due to the aforementioned Finals, and a family emergency that came up last night. I should be giving it a shot tonight.
I've estimated that I've spent, roughly, the GDP of a small European country on Disgaea 3 DLC, and I've hardly touched any of it. It's a situation akin to addiction, wherein my brain says, 'that right there is something branded with "Disgaea," which means you must have it.' One day...one day...
I'm really looking forward to Terminator: Salvation and Drag Me to Hell, as well as True Blood on Blu-Ray.
Well, I was gonna embed trailers but embedding is disabled by Warner, so I guess they don't want fans to help them promote, so I won't link to the films, either.
The Past
I was driving to the hospital last night, to see my mother (don't wanna get into the details, but she's going to be fine), when I saw that one of my old restaurants had been closed.
It was the restaurant in which I'd been hired as a dishwasher at 18 years old, and then I was running when I was 26. I knew they were struggling, and I suspected, for a number of reasons, that they were gonna shut down, but to actually see that a place that had housed so many memories, spread out over so many years, shuttered and ripped up like that was a little disturbing. I was sad, to tell ya the truth.
It was a place where I had memories acting like a dumb, jack-ass kid, throwing knives around, making out with female coworkers, napping in the walk-in cooler, and all kindsa idiotic, fun stuff.
On the other end, I remember being the leader that cracked down on shit like that, and matter of fact, my history was one of the reasons they installed me there when I came back to the region, since I knew most of the crap that the kids would try to pull.
In many ways, that store helped define me in ways that are almost silly. I mean, come on, a crappy job teaching a boy what it means to be a man? Pfft!
Really, though, I did learn a tremendous amount from some great people while I was there, and was rewarded with some great leadership positions, and it's sad to see the place go.
Wrapping Up
So, I'll be back tomorrow, and I'm resuming my M-F blogging schedule, so you can count on regular spewings from me each afternoon. I'm still working out my summer schedule w/ my day-job employer, but it's looking like I'm gonna have a nice, chill schedule, and I'm gonna have time to work on some personal projects.
First up, I'll be doing some editing of some very old writing of mine and I'll be making my first Team Fortress 2 map as an excercise. From there...well, we'll see. I'd still really like to do a NWN/NWN2 mod.
So, anyone seen Star Trek? What'd you think? Have you tried the new Fable II DLC? Have you tried any of the Disgaea 3 DLC? What'd you think of either?
Lemme know!
-Blaine
As I've said ad nauseum here, I'm just relieved to finally have a few weeks in which to breathe, get my brain reorganized, and rejoin the fight in the middle of June.
It'd also be nice if it stopped fucking storming some time soon.
First, in order to understand, you must be brought low:
I don't really know what to say about that, so let us move on.
New Stuff
I picked up the new Star Trek 1-6 Blu-Ray set yesterday, to celebrate the conclusion of my finals. I am like a little kid when it comes to buying prettied-up Star Trek episodes and movies I already own, bouncing around joyously while Archer/Kirk/Picard/Sisko/Janeway yells 'FIRE!' as my wife shakes her head at the thousands of dollars I've spent over the last 15 years to make sure I own the 'definitive' version of each episode/movie.
I am a Star Trek junkie.
Both of the Blu-Ray sets that are out (Star Trek season 1 and Star Trek 1-6) are great in terms of visuals and sound, but a little perplexing when it comes to actual content. The season 1 set, like its DVD predecessor, is missing the Cage, the original pilot submitted to and rejected by NBC, which featured an entirely different cast, except for Spock. This ended up w/ season 3 on DVD, which made sense in terms of broadcast order, but was still annoying, since it clearly takes place before the events of season 1.
Additionally, the movie set doesn't feature any of the director's cuts from the DVD set, which means they'll be trotting out the final versions around the time of the sequel to this year's Star Trek.
Speaking of the movie...hmm...I'll talk about it more in depth next week, but here's the basic feelings I have now:
- I was really worried about how I was gonna react to the 'alternate universe' gimmick they used to give themselves carte blanche with the storytelling possibilities, and they handled it well
- this film has the best opening of any Star Trek film or episode up to this point
- the casting was brilliant
- the film was paced beautifully
- Nero is the lamest villain in Star Trek history; we know next to nothing about him, don't really care about whatever it is he's feeling, and never spend enough time with him to feel very strongly one way or the other about him
- I don't know how I feel about the film being absent of the core Star Trek values; I'm not saying I needed a preachy scene, but one of the things that defines Star Trek is a moment in which a character has the principles of the Federation challenged, and they make a choice, one way or the other; I enjoyed it, but it seemed to lack the intellect of all non-Voyager Star Trek stories; I could have sworn that Brannon Braga was a secret consultant
- as I said, I liked it, but I was left wondering if it was a Star Trek action film, or an action film dressed up as Star Trek
- you will perceive this as being 'nerdy,' but I assure you that I must do it in order to make sense of this strange universe: 'Star Trek' is the fourth best Star Trek film behind 'the Wrath of Khan,' 'the Undiscovered Country,' and 'First Contact.'
- this film is definitely geared more toward generic humans rather than Star Trek fans, though both will enjoy it
As I said, I'll write more about it later, after I've seen it again, and had some time to actually think about it and discuss it (I've been up to my eyeballs in fucking academics since I saw it.)
Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'
The Future
I downloaded the new Fable II DLC, 'See the Future,' though I've not had a chance to even touch it yet, due to the aforementioned Finals, and a family emergency that came up last night. I should be giving it a shot tonight.
I've estimated that I've spent, roughly, the GDP of a small European country on Disgaea 3 DLC, and I've hardly touched any of it. It's a situation akin to addiction, wherein my brain says, 'that right there is something branded with "Disgaea," which means you must have it.' One day...one day...
I'm really looking forward to Terminator: Salvation and Drag Me to Hell, as well as True Blood on Blu-Ray.
Well, I was gonna embed trailers but embedding is disabled by Warner, so I guess they don't want fans to help them promote, so I won't link to the films, either.
The Past
I was driving to the hospital last night, to see my mother (don't wanna get into the details, but she's going to be fine), when I saw that one of my old restaurants had been closed.
It was the restaurant in which I'd been hired as a dishwasher at 18 years old, and then I was running when I was 26. I knew they were struggling, and I suspected, for a number of reasons, that they were gonna shut down, but to actually see that a place that had housed so many memories, spread out over so many years, shuttered and ripped up like that was a little disturbing. I was sad, to tell ya the truth.
It was a place where I had memories acting like a dumb, jack-ass kid, throwing knives around, making out with female coworkers, napping in the walk-in cooler, and all kindsa idiotic, fun stuff.
On the other end, I remember being the leader that cracked down on shit like that, and matter of fact, my history was one of the reasons they installed me there when I came back to the region, since I knew most of the crap that the kids would try to pull.
In many ways, that store helped define me in ways that are almost silly. I mean, come on, a crappy job teaching a boy what it means to be a man? Pfft!
Really, though, I did learn a tremendous amount from some great people while I was there, and was rewarded with some great leadership positions, and it's sad to see the place go.
Wrapping Up
So, I'll be back tomorrow, and I'm resuming my M-F blogging schedule, so you can count on regular spewings from me each afternoon. I'm still working out my summer schedule w/ my day-job employer, but it's looking like I'm gonna have a nice, chill schedule, and I'm gonna have time to work on some personal projects.
First up, I'll be doing some editing of some very old writing of mine and I'll be making my first Team Fortress 2 map as an excercise. From there...well, we'll see. I'd still really like to do a NWN/NWN2 mod.
So, anyone seen Star Trek? What'd you think? Have you tried the new Fable II DLC? Have you tried any of the Disgaea 3 DLC? What'd you think of either?
Lemme know!
-Blaine
20090510
Stopping to breathe.
We're a little poor at the moment, since that phat podcast money isn't coming in anymore (pfft), so I had to get creative today in the kitchen. I took pepperoni, folded it a couple times, inserting provolone in each of the folds, then smothered hot dog buns in pizza sauce, then slid the pepperoni/provolone into the buns. I then microwaved them for one minute, and BAM! The best lunch I've had in weeks.
Adversity forces creative thinking, which is something I like to be reminded of every so often.
Education
Finals start tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to getting them over with. It's been a bitch of a school year, and I'm looking forward to sinking my dagger into its breast, then getting my mind fixed for a few weeks.
I got Microeconomics tomorrow, a class I've thoroughly enjoyed, and I feel okay about that one. Then, Tuesday...wait, no one gives a shit. I hate reading these types of posts, what the fuck am I doing?
Anyway, I'm all done Wednesday, which I'm very much looking forward to. The See the Future DLC comes out for Fable II on Tuesday, so resuming my endless Fable II playthrough Wednesday night will be a nice reward.
Of course, I put myself back on my 8-4 work schedule the very next day, so no real partying 'til the following weekend. Then, we get to start being social again.
This and That
I'm not sure if everyone is wise to this fact, but bitmob.com has gone alpha and is up for your viewing pleasure. Even the alpha version of their site has me excited, as does their philosophy. If you were ever a fan of EGM or 1UP, go check out this site. For me, it fits very neatly with the other gaming sites I frequent (1UP & giantbomb & gamasutra & the escapist)
I really wanna now call out all you irresponsible fucks that give sites like IGN and Gamespot traffic, and thus clicks, and thus dollars, and ask you why you support paid-for reviews and shit like that, but I won't. I don't have the energy to lock horns with those that frequent the 'Wal-Mart' of gaming sites. Of course, without those people, who would I laugh at when I read comment sections for game reviews?
I'll post my thoughts on Star Trek at the end of the week. I'm the biggest Trekkie I know, and I want to see it again before I solidify these opinions. I know it's a fun 'popcorn movie' (all you motherfuckers who use that term should be set on fire while you're sent back and time and aborted with a shotgun blast) for most of you...non-Trekkies, but seeing my most beloved franchise 'rebooted,' so to speak, was exciting and traumatic, at the same time. I know I'm a huge nerd for being passionate about Star Trek, but it's a series that's always spoken to me, and I consider myself lucky to have something that means so much to me be so large and deep (ooh, that's what she said). I feel sorry for any of you people that ever feel ashamed for being passionate about something.
Phew. Moving on...
We started watching episodes of Party Down this weekend, when I was taking breaks from studying, and it's great! It follows a group of caterers who are stuck with their shit jobs, while each has a different dream they're chasing. It is hilarious, it is touching, it'll make ya squirm, but it'll also make you laugh your ass off! Watch it now!
Anyone out there got any good finals-related stories? I love hearing that kinda shit.
Also, I don't know if I'll be posting again before Thursday. If I have time, I would love to, but no promises. As I said, I'll be studying and testing my ass off Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Okay, just wanted to drop you all a line to let you know that I hadn't, in fact, abandoned this blog. I've just been busy as hell. Back to studying.
-Blaine
Adversity forces creative thinking, which is something I like to be reminded of every so often.
Education
Finals start tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to getting them over with. It's been a bitch of a school year, and I'm looking forward to sinking my dagger into its breast, then getting my mind fixed for a few weeks.
I got Microeconomics tomorrow, a class I've thoroughly enjoyed, and I feel okay about that one. Then, Tuesday...wait, no one gives a shit. I hate reading these types of posts, what the fuck am I doing?
Anyway, I'm all done Wednesday, which I'm very much looking forward to. The See the Future DLC comes out for Fable II on Tuesday, so resuming my endless Fable II playthrough Wednesday night will be a nice reward.
Of course, I put myself back on my 8-4 work schedule the very next day, so no real partying 'til the following weekend. Then, we get to start being social again.
This and That
I'm not sure if everyone is wise to this fact, but bitmob.com has gone alpha and is up for your viewing pleasure. Even the alpha version of their site has me excited, as does their philosophy. If you were ever a fan of EGM or 1UP, go check out this site. For me, it fits very neatly with the other gaming sites I frequent (1UP & giantbomb & gamasutra & the escapist)
I really wanna now call out all you irresponsible fucks that give sites like IGN and Gamespot traffic, and thus clicks, and thus dollars, and ask you why you support paid-for reviews and shit like that, but I won't. I don't have the energy to lock horns with those that frequent the 'Wal-Mart' of gaming sites. Of course, without those people, who would I laugh at when I read comment sections for game reviews?
I'll post my thoughts on Star Trek at the end of the week. I'm the biggest Trekkie I know, and I want to see it again before I solidify these opinions. I know it's a fun 'popcorn movie' (all you motherfuckers who use that term should be set on fire while you're sent back and time and aborted with a shotgun blast) for most of you...non-Trekkies, but seeing my most beloved franchise 'rebooted,' so to speak, was exciting and traumatic, at the same time. I know I'm a huge nerd for being passionate about Star Trek, but it's a series that's always spoken to me, and I consider myself lucky to have something that means so much to me be so large and deep (ooh, that's what she said). I feel sorry for any of you people that ever feel ashamed for being passionate about something.
Phew. Moving on...
We started watching episodes of Party Down this weekend, when I was taking breaks from studying, and it's great! It follows a group of caterers who are stuck with their shit jobs, while each has a different dream they're chasing. It is hilarious, it is touching, it'll make ya squirm, but it'll also make you laugh your ass off! Watch it now!
Anyone out there got any good finals-related stories? I love hearing that kinda shit.
Also, I don't know if I'll be posting again before Thursday. If I have time, I would love to, but no promises. As I said, I'll be studying and testing my ass off Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Okay, just wanted to drop you all a line to let you know that I hadn't, in fact, abandoned this blog. I've just been busy as hell. Back to studying.
-Blaine
20090507
Manny Ramirez is a bad person and the sky is blue.
NEWSFLASH!
(FWOOSH!)
Adolf Hitler was mentally ill and a murderer!
(FWOOSH!)
Rush Limbaugh's mind is ruled by hate!
(FWOOSH!)
Water is wet!
(FWOOSH!)
The sky is blue!
(FWOOSH!)
Manny Ramirez is a really fucking terrible person!
Duh, guys. I know that this is heartbreaking to those that love their Dodgers, but come the fuck on, guys. You HAD to know that you were hiring a cold-blooded bat-toting merc who cares only about his numbers. He can't be bothered to play defense, he is incapable of being a team player, and fakes injuries to avoid honoring his contract. Oh, and we're adding "steroid-fueled cheater" to that list? No problem. It certainly fits with the rest of his career.
You handed this creature millions upon millions, none of the 29 other teams wanted anything to do with him, you knew all of the above, and now you're surprised?
That kinda idiocy reminds me of the fucking morons who voted for Bush in the 2004 election, then had the audacity to jump on the bandwagon of outrage at his administration in subsequent years.
In both cases, you had utterly reprehensible behavior expertly detailed for YEARS before throwing your support behind someone who was not, in even the slightest way, repentant for their nearly inhuman behavior. What the fuck were you thinking then, and why are you surprised now?
Dubya's an evil puppet, devoid of ethics, with a monster's hand shoved up his ass, almost like an American Hirohito, but Manny...it takes a special kinda asshole to quit on your team, as he did in Boston. I actually think that's worse than using steroids to cheat. At least with the steroids, you're gonna pay at some point, and it's gonna hurt, but quitting on your team is the clearest way to telegraph to everyone around you that you are a really bad person who just needs to go be alone and ignored for the rest of time. Fuck 'em.
Surviving
I'm almost through with that week before finals. Almost. I am so tired, I sometimes wanna weep.
It's cool, though. I've got an exam tomorrow, then the weekend to study and rest up, and then 3 days of intense academic combat. I'll be glad just to make it out alive, and then relax for a few weeks, getting to focus purely on work and personal projects.
I'm really pumped about being able to play some games, get caught up on some reading, hang out with some friends, and all the things that make summer the best season each year.
Consuming
I listened to the first episode of the Out of the Game podcast, and it is the best podcast on the entire intertron. It stars five dudes, including the four coolest and funniest people that ever worked at 1UP (Jeff Green, Shawn Elliot, Robert Ashley [all 3 from GFW Radio, the previous 'best podcast ever'], and Luke Smith, one of the original 1UP Yours dudes, one of the funniest people ever to appear on the 1UP Show.) Also on the podcast is N'Gai Croal, that super-respected games journalist dude that's no longer a games journalist.
It's not a games-focused podcast, though there is game talk in there. Really, it's the 5 of them picking a topic, talking about it, then ripping off my old podcast (just kidding, tee-hee) and talkin' 'whatcha been consuming?' It's a fantastic podcast, and if you don't listen to it, you are out of excuses, and I hereby pronounce you to be straight-up fucking retarded.
I'm also looking forward to wrapping the seasons on Dollhouse, Fringe, and Lost, as all three are building to kinda crazy points (in a good way). If ya don't watch these, Dollhouse and Fringe are only a season in thus far, so it'd be really easy to get caught up on 'em. Both have the typical 'shakedown cruise' syndrome of a first season, but get everything figured out pretty quickly, after 4-5 episodes. I don't watch bad shows, so you should watch what I watch.
After that, True Blood and Entourage both return in June, which I am SOOO hyped about.
So, with the TV season wrapping up, what shows do you wanna sell other people on? What were your favorites from this past TV season? Any shows you miss that aren't on anymore? Since it's a beautiful day outside, let's talk TV!
-Blaine
(FWOOSH!)
Adolf Hitler was mentally ill and a murderer!
(FWOOSH!)
Rush Limbaugh's mind is ruled by hate!
(FWOOSH!)
Water is wet!
(FWOOSH!)
The sky is blue!
(FWOOSH!)
Manny Ramirez is a really fucking terrible person!
Duh, guys. I know that this is heartbreaking to those that love their Dodgers, but come the fuck on, guys. You HAD to know that you were hiring a cold-blooded bat-toting merc who cares only about his numbers. He can't be bothered to play defense, he is incapable of being a team player, and fakes injuries to avoid honoring his contract. Oh, and we're adding "steroid-fueled cheater" to that list? No problem. It certainly fits with the rest of his career.
You handed this creature millions upon millions, none of the 29 other teams wanted anything to do with him, you knew all of the above, and now you're surprised?
That kinda idiocy reminds me of the fucking morons who voted for Bush in the 2004 election, then had the audacity to jump on the bandwagon of outrage at his administration in subsequent years.
In both cases, you had utterly reprehensible behavior expertly detailed for YEARS before throwing your support behind someone who was not, in even the slightest way, repentant for their nearly inhuman behavior. What the fuck were you thinking then, and why are you surprised now?
Dubya's an evil puppet, devoid of ethics, with a monster's hand shoved up his ass, almost like an American Hirohito, but Manny...it takes a special kinda asshole to quit on your team, as he did in Boston. I actually think that's worse than using steroids to cheat. At least with the steroids, you're gonna pay at some point, and it's gonna hurt, but quitting on your team is the clearest way to telegraph to everyone around you that you are a really bad person who just needs to go be alone and ignored for the rest of time. Fuck 'em.
Surviving
I'm almost through with that week before finals. Almost. I am so tired, I sometimes wanna weep.
It's cool, though. I've got an exam tomorrow, then the weekend to study and rest up, and then 3 days of intense academic combat. I'll be glad just to make it out alive, and then relax for a few weeks, getting to focus purely on work and personal projects.
I'm really pumped about being able to play some games, get caught up on some reading, hang out with some friends, and all the things that make summer the best season each year.
Consuming
I listened to the first episode of the Out of the Game podcast, and it is the best podcast on the entire intertron. It stars five dudes, including the four coolest and funniest people that ever worked at 1UP (Jeff Green, Shawn Elliot, Robert Ashley [all 3 from GFW Radio, the previous 'best podcast ever'], and Luke Smith, one of the original 1UP Yours dudes, one of the funniest people ever to appear on the 1UP Show.) Also on the podcast is N'Gai Croal, that super-respected games journalist dude that's no longer a games journalist.
It's not a games-focused podcast, though there is game talk in there. Really, it's the 5 of them picking a topic, talking about it, then ripping off my old podcast (just kidding, tee-hee) and talkin' 'whatcha been consuming?' It's a fantastic podcast, and if you don't listen to it, you are out of excuses, and I hereby pronounce you to be straight-up fucking retarded.
I'm also looking forward to wrapping the seasons on Dollhouse, Fringe, and Lost, as all three are building to kinda crazy points (in a good way). If ya don't watch these, Dollhouse and Fringe are only a season in thus far, so it'd be really easy to get caught up on 'em. Both have the typical 'shakedown cruise' syndrome of a first season, but get everything figured out pretty quickly, after 4-5 episodes. I don't watch bad shows, so you should watch what I watch.
After that, True Blood and Entourage both return in June, which I am SOOO hyped about.
So, with the TV season wrapping up, what shows do you wanna sell other people on? What were your favorites from this past TV season? Any shows you miss that aren't on anymore? Since it's a beautiful day outside, let's talk TV!
-Blaine
20090505
Bah.
Got some difficult things outta the way, as far as ending the semester goes, and it's only Tuesday, so I'm pretty pleased. I don't have a lotta time today, so here's some rapid fire stuff for ya:
- went to the Cardinals game last night, and Rick Ankiel had an incredibly scary moment. He was running for a flyball in left-center and then crashed head-first into the wall. At that moment, his entire body went "rag-doll" and he collapsed to the ground, motionless. As they were carrying him off in a stretcher, he did manage to give a thumbs-up. He's going to be fine, but it scared the shit outta me. He and I are about the same age, and watching him overcome the things he's overcome has always been inspirational to me. I really want to see him come out okay and kick some serious ass the rest of his career. Also, that last link is to Bryan Burwell's column about the incident, and I suggest reading it. He's been my favorite sportswriter for a while, and this is another great example of why.
- played some Quake Live at work today. I had been meaning to do this for a while, but I'm fairly conditioned to work while I'm at work, and play while I'm not. I rarely cross the two, but I really needed to blow off some steam, so I went ahead and fired that bad boy up. After I finished all my initial work, I played for about a half hour, and had a great time. My work machine is a piece of shit, and while it ran a little choppy, it still ran. The other browser-based shooter game that's in beta that I'm on (and cannot discuss) did not run, but I also haven't really looked at why yet. Anyway, Quake Live is great fun, it's in open beta, so hop in and have fun!
- it's my wife's birthday today! She's only 27, and I'm now hearing her bitch about her age for the first time. Kinda interesting. I've been doing it since I was 16 or so, and I'm 30 now, so I actually have an excuse to bitch. She was remarking to me that she's "not jailbait anymore, and that sucks." I'm sure I said something crude in reply, but I don't remember. Either way, it's her birthday, and we'll be celebrating it tonight, which I'm looking forward to. I got her the new Sookie book and True Blood on Blu-Ray.
- I have kind of a quiet day tomorrow, but we'll be going out with my folks tomorrow night for dinner (for the Lady's b-day.) I have a mega-giant Statistics exam on Thursday, followed by some mid-day beta testing, followed by a little day-job work, then I'm hanging out with my son while my wife works, then John and I are going out for his birthday, and seeing the new Star Trek @ 11PM on DLP. RAWK. Friday, I work a bit, then this weekend is devoted to studying for finals, and blowing off steam through either sex or gaming.
- After 5/13, I'm done with finals, and then it's time to focus on day-job work and personal project work. I think I'm going to first turn my attention to pushing the 10-year old first novel out the door, so that I can focus on something new this summer. There's also the question of what kind of relationship E3 and I are going to have at the beginning of June. We'll see. I'm doing some coursework over the summer, though that only lasts 8 weeks or so. I'd really like to do a mod for Quake Wars this summer, or maybe Neverwinter Nights, but we'll see. I keep saying I'm gonna teach myself Python, and this summer is a great chance to do exactly that. Again, we'll see.
So, I'm getting ready to head out for the day. How's everyone else's week going? Any crazy plans for the summer?
Also, thanks for the linkage, Laurance! Go check out his blog, everyone! Much more quality shit than you'll find here!
-Blaine
- went to the Cardinals game last night, and Rick Ankiel had an incredibly scary moment. He was running for a flyball in left-center and then crashed head-first into the wall. At that moment, his entire body went "rag-doll" and he collapsed to the ground, motionless. As they were carrying him off in a stretcher, he did manage to give a thumbs-up. He's going to be fine, but it scared the shit outta me. He and I are about the same age, and watching him overcome the things he's overcome has always been inspirational to me. I really want to see him come out okay and kick some serious ass the rest of his career. Also, that last link is to Bryan Burwell's column about the incident, and I suggest reading it. He's been my favorite sportswriter for a while, and this is another great example of why.
- played some Quake Live at work today. I had been meaning to do this for a while, but I'm fairly conditioned to work while I'm at work, and play while I'm not. I rarely cross the two, but I really needed to blow off some steam, so I went ahead and fired that bad boy up. After I finished all my initial work, I played for about a half hour, and had a great time. My work machine is a piece of shit, and while it ran a little choppy, it still ran. The other browser-based shooter game that's in beta that I'm on (and cannot discuss) did not run, but I also haven't really looked at why yet. Anyway, Quake Live is great fun, it's in open beta, so hop in and have fun!
- it's my wife's birthday today! She's only 27, and I'm now hearing her bitch about her age for the first time. Kinda interesting. I've been doing it since I was 16 or so, and I'm 30 now, so I actually have an excuse to bitch. She was remarking to me that she's "not jailbait anymore, and that sucks." I'm sure I said something crude in reply, but I don't remember. Either way, it's her birthday, and we'll be celebrating it tonight, which I'm looking forward to. I got her the new Sookie book and True Blood on Blu-Ray.
- I have kind of a quiet day tomorrow, but we'll be going out with my folks tomorrow night for dinner (for the Lady's b-day.) I have a mega-giant Statistics exam on Thursday, followed by some mid-day beta testing, followed by a little day-job work, then I'm hanging out with my son while my wife works, then John and I are going out for his birthday, and seeing the new Star Trek @ 11PM on DLP. RAWK. Friday, I work a bit, then this weekend is devoted to studying for finals, and blowing off steam through either sex or gaming.
- After 5/13, I'm done with finals, and then it's time to focus on day-job work and personal project work. I think I'm going to first turn my attention to pushing the 10-year old first novel out the door, so that I can focus on something new this summer. There's also the question of what kind of relationship E3 and I are going to have at the beginning of June. We'll see. I'm doing some coursework over the summer, though that only lasts 8 weeks or so. I'd really like to do a mod for Quake Wars this summer, or maybe Neverwinter Nights, but we'll see. I keep saying I'm gonna teach myself Python, and this summer is a great chance to do exactly that. Again, we'll see.
So, I'm getting ready to head out for the day. How's everyone else's week going? Any crazy plans for the summer?
Also, thanks for the linkage, Laurance! Go check out his blog, everyone! Much more quality shit than you'll find here!
-Blaine
20090504
Docta Jones! No time for love!
So, this is the week before finals, so pardon me if I'm a bit brief for the next 10-11 days. In addition, I have my wife's and hetero life mate's birthdays this week, as they were rude enough to be born in the same week.
Thank the maker that my wife and I got married, though, so we could quit celebrating our fucking dating anniversary, which fell exactly a week after my wife's birthday. May is an incredibly expensive month for me.
I keep getting interrupted by panicked phone calls @ work. Like right now. FUCK!
Anyway, I'm gonna make this brief, since everyone else's sky is crashing down around me.
The Weekend
We watched Havoc last night and it was almost as heavy-handed and "the audience is stupid so we must put them in a headlock and beat them over the head with totally un-subtle plot devices)" insulting as Crash, but it had lots of nudity, so it was a better movie. Both are still bad movies, and steer wide of them if you haven't already.
I wish there were more films made for people that aren't afraid to be challenged and provoked, more films that made people think, and they're getting fewer and far between each year. It seems like for every the Reader and Watchmen, you have a million fucking Spidermans and Crashes and...argh. I don't need every film I see to be a monumental mind-fuck exploration of what it means to be human, but don't treat me like a "Dancing With the Stars"-watching, mouth-breathing retard, either.
The weekend was okay, if a bit rainy. Tony acquired several new Wii games, which we tried out. I should add that this is a totally alien experience for him and me, since, while we both know he has a Wii, we tend to snicker at it as we walk by. However, I can safely say that House of the Dead: Overkill, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, and Madworld were all fun little games.
We closed out the evening with some Guitar Hero: World Tour, which Tony purchased after we canceled the podcast. Former listeners will remember him dragging Guitar Hero's battered and broken corpse behind his verbal pickup truck, but then...he flip-flopped. Yup.
It is not even close when it comes to how much better Rock Band 2 plays. I'm decent, at least, on guitar, in these games, and the note-detection is utter shit in Guitar Hero, when compared to Rock Band 2. I guess they're basically the same game, but I was a little annoyed at how ridiculously precise I had to be in GH. I've played actual guitar for over 20 years now, and I can tell you my timing would've been good enough to actually play these songs, but...ah, forget it. It's an okay game, but Rock Band 2 just seems like a more laid-back, fun time.
Crunch Time
This is the last week before finals. Anyone who's ever opted for higher education knows that, in some ways, this week is actually a bit more stressful than finals week.
I've got things to wrap up for Microeconomics, Statistics, Java Programming, and my computer hardware class. I'm also thinking about formally joining the grad school this summer, but we'll see.
After 5/13, the class side goes away, and I'm left with just the work side. I work for my school, as well, and lemme tell ya, if it weren't for the fact that my coworkers are awesome, I might lose my mind at work during this point in the semester.
That last sentence was, until recently, followed by a description of exactly why my job becomes difficult at times, but I thought better of it. Just know that people all come together to shit on the IT guys when times get tough.
So, yeah, the next week and a half, I'll be kinda underground. I won't be going out (save for the Lady's and John's birthdays), I may or may not be on Steam/Live/PSN, and I'm gonna try and post at least a little each weekday, but we'll see.
I dunno why, but the last 2 semesters have each been a total bitch-kitty, and I'm looking forward to recharging this summer. I'm still taking classes this semester, but it'll be tremendously streamlined, relative to what I usually put up with.
To any and all faculty and students ready to pull their hair out from finals right now: PLEASE be kind to your IT folks. They want you to have a smooth, painless experience, as that makes their lives smooth and painless. Some are more competent than others, I agree, but being nice to them just makes it easier for everybody.
Man, it's weird being 30 and back in school.
Does anyone out there have a crazy finals story? Or a good story from this past weekend? Any cool TV/movies/gaming stuff they wanna share? Hit me up with a comment! Ya don't even have to register!
-Blaine
PS - Dollhouse was awesome this past Friday. Check it out.
Thank the maker that my wife and I got married, though, so we could quit celebrating our fucking dating anniversary, which fell exactly a week after my wife's birthday. May is an incredibly expensive month for me.
I keep getting interrupted by panicked phone calls @ work. Like right now. FUCK!
Anyway, I'm gonna make this brief, since everyone else's sky is crashing down around me.
The Weekend
We watched Havoc last night and it was almost as heavy-handed and "the audience is stupid so we must put them in a headlock and beat them over the head with totally un-subtle plot devices)" insulting as Crash, but it had lots of nudity, so it was a better movie. Both are still bad movies, and steer wide of them if you haven't already.
I wish there were more films made for people that aren't afraid to be challenged and provoked, more films that made people think, and they're getting fewer and far between each year. It seems like for every the Reader and Watchmen, you have a million fucking Spidermans and Crashes and...argh. I don't need every film I see to be a monumental mind-fuck exploration of what it means to be human, but don't treat me like a "Dancing With the Stars"-watching, mouth-breathing retard, either.
The weekend was okay, if a bit rainy. Tony acquired several new Wii games, which we tried out. I should add that this is a totally alien experience for him and me, since, while we both know he has a Wii, we tend to snicker at it as we walk by. However, I can safely say that House of the Dead: Overkill, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, and Madworld were all fun little games.
We closed out the evening with some Guitar Hero: World Tour, which Tony purchased after we canceled the podcast. Former listeners will remember him dragging Guitar Hero's battered and broken corpse behind his verbal pickup truck, but then...he flip-flopped. Yup.
It is not even close when it comes to how much better Rock Band 2 plays. I'm decent, at least, on guitar, in these games, and the note-detection is utter shit in Guitar Hero, when compared to Rock Band 2. I guess they're basically the same game, but I was a little annoyed at how ridiculously precise I had to be in GH. I've played actual guitar for over 20 years now, and I can tell you my timing would've been good enough to actually play these songs, but...ah, forget it. It's an okay game, but Rock Band 2 just seems like a more laid-back, fun time.
Crunch Time
This is the last week before finals. Anyone who's ever opted for higher education knows that, in some ways, this week is actually a bit more stressful than finals week.
I've got things to wrap up for Microeconomics, Statistics, Java Programming, and my computer hardware class. I'm also thinking about formally joining the grad school this summer, but we'll see.
After 5/13, the class side goes away, and I'm left with just the work side. I work for my school, as well, and lemme tell ya, if it weren't for the fact that my coworkers are awesome, I might lose my mind at work during this point in the semester.
That last sentence was, until recently, followed by a description of exactly why my job becomes difficult at times, but I thought better of it. Just know that people all come together to shit on the IT guys when times get tough.
So, yeah, the next week and a half, I'll be kinda underground. I won't be going out (save for the Lady's and John's birthdays), I may or may not be on Steam/Live/PSN, and I'm gonna try and post at least a little each weekday, but we'll see.
I dunno why, but the last 2 semesters have each been a total bitch-kitty, and I'm looking forward to recharging this summer. I'm still taking classes this semester, but it'll be tremendously streamlined, relative to what I usually put up with.
To any and all faculty and students ready to pull their hair out from finals right now: PLEASE be kind to your IT folks. They want you to have a smooth, painless experience, as that makes their lives smooth and painless. Some are more competent than others, I agree, but being nice to them just makes it easier for everybody.
Man, it's weird being 30 and back in school.
Does anyone out there have a crazy finals story? Or a good story from this past weekend? Any cool TV/movies/gaming stuff they wanna share? Hit me up with a comment! Ya don't even have to register!
-Blaine
PS - Dollhouse was awesome this past Friday. Check it out.
20090501
A Tale of Two RPGs
Fable II
The pending See the Future DLC for Fable II got me thinking back to my Fable II save.
See, I finished the main game, but purposely left some quests and the Knothole Island DLC unplayed/unfinished because I wanted to be able to have a pretty beefy experience (like Pam Anderson w/ Tommy Lee) with Fable II this spring/summer.
I played through Fable II so fast, I almost cheated myself out of a better experience. I rarely do that, as longtime readers know. I usually drag out my play experience like a narcoleptic fuck-buddy, and thus have either nice, lengthy experiences, or somewhat disjointed experiences. Depends on the type of game, I guess.
Anyway, I finally broke down and bought Fairfax Castle. My family (in-game) has been bugging me endlessly to move outta the home we've had for ages (we've been living in the house next to the Cow and Corset in Bowerstone), and I figured, "fuck it, let's move into the castle." So, I bought the castle for 1,000,000 space bucks, and then was kinda pissed when I couldn't move my family in right away. Turns out there's actually a quest ya gotta complete.
I won't give away any spoilers, but the quest is pretty cool, and I'm hoping I can finally move my family in soon. Can't wait 'til the new DLC's out, so I can really jump back into this game. It's actually better than I remember.
Baldur's Gate
I started a new game in Baldur's Gate last night. Yes, I am still determined to play and enjoy the old-school Bioware/Black Isle stuff, and Baldur's Gate seems like a great entry point. I really enjoyed my prior attempt at playing it, until I was eaten by a bear. Then, my new hot, sexy laptop showed up, and I decided I hadn't made it that far anyway, and...yeah.
So, there I was last night, starting a new game, and really enjoying it. I played the intro sequences, then stopped right before the end of the intro area. It was 2AM, and I had class/work the next morning, as well as a 3-year old who was sure to be up by 8AM.
It's interesting that one who has really enjoyed recent Bioware games can look back at this game and see that what's good about Bioware's games has been persistent since their first RPG.
I'm really looking forward to losing myself, utterly, in this world, and then spring-boarding into the sequel, as well as the related games, like Planescape: Torment, the Icewind Dale series, and the Neverwinter Nights series.
Speaking of which, Neverwinter Nights 2 got some new content recently. I had no idea that they finally released the LOOONG-finished Mysteries of Westgate, but I saw the favorable 1UP review, and jumped all over it. It's only $10, so that's a plus, and is downloadable @ Atari's site (and is SecuROM-free, as far as I can tell.)
I haven't done much in NWN2, since it runs like shit on almost any machine, and last night, was finally victorious in my battle against the fucking SecuROM that's attached to Storm of Zehir, a game that I legitimately own. Twice.
Weekend
This weekend is shaping up nicely. Tonight, the Lady and I will be watching Doubt, which I'm looking forward to, then kinda chillin'. I'll probably be doing some late-night gaming after she goes to bed, probably something RPG-ish.
Tomorrow, it's just the boy and me, and I'm thinking it might be high-time for him and me to get back to our online FPS griefing. He's 3, and says some of the craziest stuff I've ever heard, and has a great sense of humor.
What I do is put the headset on him while I play, and then tell him what to say. It tends to yield fairly hilarious results.
I would like to get back to playing Quake Wars more competitively again, since I can finally play without being chained to a desktop computer. That game is THE best online shooter I've ever played. If you can get a couple friends with ya who have at least a rough understanding of the classes in the game, you can have the best time you've ever had in an online shooter. I love class-based online shooters, and this is the best implementation I've ever seen of the concept.
I don't imagine I'll be letting the boy wear the headset while playing that one. There's a need for communication and all.
Saturday night, after the Lady is back from work, she, the boy, and I will be heading to Tony's for some Rock Band 2 and whatever else. I don't imagine it'll be a super-late night, but we'll see.
Sunday will be nothin' but yard work and school work. Next week is the last week of regular class, and the following week is finals. It'll be tough, since I'm both an employee and a student @ UMSL, but after 5/13, it's smooth sailing for me for about a month.
Awesome.
What do you all got going on this weekend? Any wild summer plans? Anyone care to join me in my Bioware/Black Isle exporation (most of those games support online co-op)?
I'll be back with a post Monday, though I might sneak something in this weekend. We'll see.
-Blaine
Here's your end-of-week video dump:
this is where the Lost embedded video would go, but I can't embed it
The pending See the Future DLC for Fable II got me thinking back to my Fable II save.
See, I finished the main game, but purposely left some quests and the Knothole Island DLC unplayed/unfinished because I wanted to be able to have a pretty beefy experience (like Pam Anderson w/ Tommy Lee) with Fable II this spring/summer.
I played through Fable II so fast, I almost cheated myself out of a better experience. I rarely do that, as longtime readers know. I usually drag out my play experience like a narcoleptic fuck-buddy, and thus have either nice, lengthy experiences, or somewhat disjointed experiences. Depends on the type of game, I guess.
Anyway, I finally broke down and bought Fairfax Castle. My family (in-game) has been bugging me endlessly to move outta the home we've had for ages (we've been living in the house next to the Cow and Corset in Bowerstone), and I figured, "fuck it, let's move into the castle." So, I bought the castle for 1,000,000 space bucks, and then was kinda pissed when I couldn't move my family in right away. Turns out there's actually a quest ya gotta complete.
I won't give away any spoilers, but the quest is pretty cool, and I'm hoping I can finally move my family in soon. Can't wait 'til the new DLC's out, so I can really jump back into this game. It's actually better than I remember.
Baldur's Gate
I started a new game in Baldur's Gate last night. Yes, I am still determined to play and enjoy the old-school Bioware/Black Isle stuff, and Baldur's Gate seems like a great entry point. I really enjoyed my prior attempt at playing it, until I was eaten by a bear. Then, my new hot, sexy laptop showed up, and I decided I hadn't made it that far anyway, and...yeah.
So, there I was last night, starting a new game, and really enjoying it. I played the intro sequences, then stopped right before the end of the intro area. It was 2AM, and I had class/work the next morning, as well as a 3-year old who was sure to be up by 8AM.
It's interesting that one who has really enjoyed recent Bioware games can look back at this game and see that what's good about Bioware's games has been persistent since their first RPG.
I'm really looking forward to losing myself, utterly, in this world, and then spring-boarding into the sequel, as well as the related games, like Planescape: Torment, the Icewind Dale series, and the Neverwinter Nights series.
Speaking of which, Neverwinter Nights 2 got some new content recently. I had no idea that they finally released the LOOONG-finished Mysteries of Westgate, but I saw the favorable 1UP review, and jumped all over it. It's only $10, so that's a plus, and is downloadable @ Atari's site (and is SecuROM-free, as far as I can tell.)
I haven't done much in NWN2, since it runs like shit on almost any machine, and last night, was finally victorious in my battle against the fucking SecuROM that's attached to Storm of Zehir, a game that I legitimately own. Twice.
Weekend
This weekend is shaping up nicely. Tonight, the Lady and I will be watching Doubt, which I'm looking forward to, then kinda chillin'. I'll probably be doing some late-night gaming after she goes to bed, probably something RPG-ish.
Tomorrow, it's just the boy and me, and I'm thinking it might be high-time for him and me to get back to our online FPS griefing. He's 3, and says some of the craziest stuff I've ever heard, and has a great sense of humor.
What I do is put the headset on him while I play, and then tell him what to say. It tends to yield fairly hilarious results.
I would like to get back to playing Quake Wars more competitively again, since I can finally play without being chained to a desktop computer. That game is THE best online shooter I've ever played. If you can get a couple friends with ya who have at least a rough understanding of the classes in the game, you can have the best time you've ever had in an online shooter. I love class-based online shooters, and this is the best implementation I've ever seen of the concept.
I don't imagine I'll be letting the boy wear the headset while playing that one. There's a need for communication and all.
Saturday night, after the Lady is back from work, she, the boy, and I will be heading to Tony's for some Rock Band 2 and whatever else. I don't imagine it'll be a super-late night, but we'll see.
Sunday will be nothin' but yard work and school work. Next week is the last week of regular class, and the following week is finals. It'll be tough, since I'm both an employee and a student @ UMSL, but after 5/13, it's smooth sailing for me for about a month.
Awesome.
What do you all got going on this weekend? Any wild summer plans? Anyone care to join me in my Bioware/Black Isle exporation (most of those games support online co-op)?
I'll be back with a post Monday, though I might sneak something in this weekend. We'll see.
-Blaine
Here's your end-of-week video dump:
this is where the Lost embedded video would go, but I can't embed it
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