Saturday shenanigans (now with 10% more tomfoolery)

This whole "no news is good news" (which I've always been vaguely confused by - is it implying that any sort of news is bad news or that having nothing to report is a good thing a la the curse, "May your life be eventful"/"May you live in interesting times" - I've always gone for the latter) might make for peaceful Hobbit living but fuck me running it makes for boring blogging. 

I haven't been console gaming that much lately, in part because I haven't been inspired to play anything.  Dawnguard was diverting for a bit, I never finished Witcher 2, and haven't had the extra dough to check out the arcade games.  Frankly, my XBOX is turning into something I just watch movies on which I could do with my computer any way and the XBOX Arcade games I would play end up on Steam or in the Humble bundle for next to nothing.  If it weren't for my crappy video card (GTX 460) which works just fine for most games but not for new releases I would probably cancel XBOX Live and sell my XBOX.

Been spending most nights boppin around EVE highsec, fine tuning my Ishtar, and generally staying out of trouble.  Lately I've been reading more EVE blogs and socializing with Aliastra corpmates and noticed something Mabrick (of Mabrick's Mumblings) brought up on his blog today about the "more risk more ISK" saying I've seen bandied about in chat along with decreases in profitability in highsec industrialism/manufacturing (causing a ding in his profit margins).  I've never mucked about with manufacturing so I'm not particularly concerned.  What I am interested in is the "more risk more ISK" mentality and the avarice behind it.  I've heard some players crow about their billions and pissing contest each other at how much they can make per diem and yip yip yip about nullsec and pvp.  I've also met a number of people who, like me, are pefectly content making a decent in-game living as carebears (miners, traders, missioners).  I was joking around with someone that I didn't understand what the Scrooge McDucks were doing with all their ISK.  There's a finite amount of things to buy in game and isk can be traded for PLEX which can be traded to game time so one could never have to pay for game time, okay I get that.  You can only fly one ship at a time and in theory one should "never fly more than you're willing to lose" and if you're not getting blasted every time you undock so as an individual you don't need more than a dozen ships spread across your regular business routes (though I'm gonna start leaving a Noctis in each of the primary systems I work in, but that's out of laziness).  What it comes down to is simple - I don't play EVE with the same mentality as a lot of other players (and vice versa).  For all practical purposes I am a hell of a lot nicer, friendlier, and more altruistic in EVE than I am in real life (I'm also staggeringly paranoid).  Somehow I've ended up with a decent selection of boats and gear and a bucket of ISK (since I never buy anything anymore and I just stockpile trade goods and sell when the market is good).  It's bizarre but I think my EVE experience is that of a mildly successful boring middle class capsuleer (who shoots the fuck out of NPCs with ball smashing drones of fury). 

In other news:
I've set up a facebook for hooliganyouth on the facebookery (if you're into the whole social media thing).

I want a brisket sandwich - stat.

Spicy shredded pork and stuffing is good.  Especially if you add sauteed onions and serranos to the stuffing.

Here's a picture of The Punisher at the beach.  Because I love you.

Assorted news and reviewy tasting things

Right out of the gate I have to say this:

Fez is awesome and if you're into puzzler/platformers then check this game out right god damn now. It's a 2D game that gets shifted into a 3D game and I kind of can't describe it but it works. You switch camera perspective with the left and right bumpers and thus turn the environment in order to solve puzzles, open paths, discover doors, etc etc etc. Once you get the hang of the camera the game becomes more manageable. Then you have the puzzles - some of which are the kind that make me yell, "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!?" - a la Professor Layton thinks you're a fucking moron. There are minimal hints so sometimes you can futilely poke at a puzzle until miserable. I've completed the story and am working on the last few puzzles but they are pissing me off more than anything else. That being said, this is an entertaining game. A pleasant departure from the blowing shit up FPS genre or slogging through SWTOR.

In other random news:

• Supernatural Season Four started strong though I think I'm just watching the show for Dean and Bobby.  Sam can go make his stupid faces with Ruby somewhere else on the CWB.
• Game of Thrones season one was good and got better.  Not goobing out about it the way I feel for the books but the series is strong and seems to be getting a lot of people who would never have picked up the books into the books.  I'm just gonna laugh in their faces if they think things were bad for the Starks in the first book.
• Koyaanisqatsi (1982) - dir Godfrey Reggio.  Watched this for a class.  Can't say I'm a huge fan of sound/image experiments like this (particularly when scored by Phillip Glass - though imdb says that Reggio recut the film to match Glass's work) but as a cinematic experience it was certainly worth seeing.  It's basically one long montage of our modern world "out of balance" but running parallel to nature - seeing the order in chaos, patterns, etc set to Glass's pulsing and at times over-powering (in a Clockwork Orange reprogramming sense not a good over-powering sense) score.  It's definitely an art house movie from the early 80s through and through.  
• the new blogger format for posting is clunky and the autosave feature is causing lag making writing and exercise in rage building.  

More crap soon to come - including news about Burn Jita. 

Crimson Alliance (2011) Certain Affinity, Inc

I downloaded Crimson Alliance last night and gave it a couple of run throughs.  It's a dungeon crawler that is pretty straight forward.  Three character classes to choose from: wizard, fighter, rogue.  I had the best luck with the wizard's combo of ranged attacks.  Combat is pretty straight forward.  I don't think the game has the skill tree depth of say Torchlight (or the lot hunting) but Crimson Alliance has what Torchlight is missing: co-op.  Frankly with my recent play-through of Kill Team and now Crimson Alliance I wish I had a regular gaming friend with which to play.  The downside to Crimson Alliance co-op play is that it seems some of the puzzles are unsolvable without help.  Kind of a drag since I haven't taught Moxie how to use a controller yet.

The game looks like a dungeon crawler, controls like a dungeon crawler, and is generally fun.  If you're the kind of person who often has a friend or friends over for gaming then definitely take a look.  If you're on your own then stick with Torchlight.

Space Marine Demo (2011) THQ & Games Workshop - and a word on "Warhammer 40K: Kill Team"

"FOR THE EMPEROR!" is one the phrases that makes me giggle with girlish glee.  Ever since 1988 I've been a fan of Warhammer 40,000.  As far as the digital incarnations, though I haven't played the Dawn of War series (I will once I get my new vid card) I have played Space Hulk, Warhammer 40K: Squad Command, Fire Warrior, and I could have sworn there was another one in there somewhere.  Most of them are only cool because it's a Warhammer 40K game other than that they aren't the world's greatest games nor have they really done 40K justice.  Last night I downloaded the demo for the latest foray into the grim darkness of the future, Space Marine.  Just from the demo I started making noises like the village idiot receiving a basket of glitter kittens that secreted mini-marshmallows.  You control Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, battling - in the demo - the greenskin tide.  I don't know what took so long but this third person shooter actually rocks.  From Bolter to Chainsword to crushing gretchin under a power armor shod foot Space Marine  actually feels right.  There is no cover system and no health packs - instead the game rewards you for whoopin and whompin every living thing in sight.  Switching from melee to ranged and back is absurdly fast so blasting the living shit out of the greenskins as you storm into the fray and then firing up the ol chainsword for a bit of the ultraviolence is smooth.  Narf narf narf.  The game also looks right, which is just proof that a proper Warhammer 40K game was just waiting for the technology to catch up.  There's supposedly an online multiplayer mode but I don't know jack about that.

Potential downsides:

• I noticed in several instances the camera was kind of useless until I still started tweaking the camera as I moved in combat.  There were several times all I could see was either a welter of gore or a wall.  Corners and under catwalks were the main problems.  In open areas, using ranged weapons, or when able to step back from the scrum camera issues were far less noticable.  However, for a game that leans towards melee, a sloppy camera can spell death.
• I get the impression that Space Marine will be a short linear game with minimal replay value/ exploration/etc.  In other words?  Not worth $60.
• Multiplayer with the same assholes who play Gears of War.  Yeah, the robble robble argy bargy tossers.  You know who I mean. 

I'll have to wait for the reviews to come out.

Kill Team for the XBOX Arcade was a fun taster for Space Marine - though Kill Team is in no way shape or form as intricate as Space Marine.  Basically a top down shooter with player Marine v Orks I spent about a day playing through several times with various Marine classes (Librarian, Devastator, Assault, Techmarine) mainly because I had nothing else to do but I also wanted to test out weapons.  I am looking forward to the opportunity to play Kill Team co-op as I think the game will really shine when  there's more mayhem to be had.  For 800pts it's worth the value plus you can unlock some kind of whompin stick for Space Marine.

Game reviews: Snoopy Flying Ace, Dungeon Overlord, Torchlight tips and tricks

These are three games that kept me busy over Spring Break:

1. Snoopy Flying Ace - An XBOX Arcade title that comes in at 800 MS points (about ten bucks) that, despite the cutesy Peanuts motif is an exceptionally fun, challenging, and genuinely satisfying dogfighting game.  No, not Michael Vic dog fighting but air-to-air combat Snoopy vs the Red Baron and his minions.  There has been a serious drought as far as solid (fun) air combat games but Snoopy is a welcome release.  It's easy to pick up and play, challenging without being Gauntlet for the NES (although some of the later levels made me say bad words), a varied style of gameplay (one of my favorite levels has you bouncing back and forth from a turret and a bombadier's postition), and one of the most chaotic multiplayers around.  I have not tried local gameplay yet so I'm not sure how well those work.  The multiplayer is complete mayhem though with team deathmatch being my favorite so far.  There's a definite combination of skill and luck involved against other players that is lacking in some other games (especially FPS) that levels the playing field against other players.  Additionally, the demographic online seems to be older folks (one evening I played and it was primarily jovial parents who were secretly having fun playing against other grownups a game they normally co-op with their kids).  The large team deathmatches also shift players from map to map so on one level your nemesis could on the next map be your wingman (I like this because it takes out part of the acerbic hatred you might feel for some of your opponents and when you're on the same team gives you something to joke about - and also learn tips and tricks).
2. Sony Online Entertainment's Facebook game Dungeon Overlord.  Yes, I know a Facebook game but this game, backed by SOE is actually a really good game and if it were a regular title I think it would garnish excellent reviews.  DO is at its core an evil Overlord SIM.  You take on the role of a deposed Overlord and it is up to you to claw your way back to the top.  You start off with one dungeon in a mountain, build it up, collect and manage resources/troops/minions/etc, and slowly expand your area of influence.  What is still the most surprising aspect of the game is the sheer scope of the world.  Example, your starting dungeon is in a mountain with up to four other players with twenty available areas to expand to.  Once you enter the Overworld map you find yourself in a region of a continent with at least three dozen other mountains and surface dweller villages, towns and cities to raid.  On the continent there are about two dozen regions, expand from that there are over a half dozen continents (each contain untold numbers of regions and mountains).  I don't think I've encountered many games that have the scope and breadth of DO (and for free!).  It's a slow game (I've been playing for over a week and I'm still only level two) and at times the classic SIMs frustration of building levels and gaining the appropriate resources for expansion can tax even the Dalai Lama's patience.  That being said, it's an excellent game (with a warped sense of humor) that allows you to be an evil micromanager.

Torchlight is the third game and I have to admit that every time I think the bloom is off the rose I get a new piece of equipment or a new skill or encounter a new boss that kicks me in the jimmy.  As I said in the comments I'm on my third character (actually come to think of it my fourth) - the female rogue.  So far Frankie is my favorite character, a two gun action girl with abilities to drop some rather ass kicking traps (even on Very Difficult).  The ability to share gear between characters is awesome though it requires some inventory management and ping-ponging between characters when you're starting out.  Right now I have Frankie decked out with some excellent gear culled from other characters (none of the gear is class specific though in many cases you need to fulfill skill and level requirements before you can equip items).  Additionally, I've learned that each character (warrior, alchemist, and rogue) can be tailored to various sorts of gameplay.  Even better, if you have the GP, you can purchase a Respec potion which allows you to reshift all of your skills.  The wealth of spells adds to the level of complexity and I often find myself purchasing or trying out new spells just for fun.  Effectiveness of spells can further be boosted by spending skill points on one of three kinds of magic (Defensive, Offensive, and Charm).  Right now, I've spec'd combat boosts in dual wielding and ranged combat weapons (significantly boosting my combat effectiveness even with >20 lvl weapons) and traps (my current personal fav is the Flechette trap which lays down wicked suppressing fire with physical damage).  I could, in theory, respec and play more of a backstabbing nasty rogue character but I'm more of a play a bunch of traps, run into a room full of enemies, cast Haste, and kite the bastards to their doom.

Here are a few of my tips and tricks for Torchlight -  

• DO NOT waste gear, potions, spells, gems, or anything of actual use on your first character.  All of that stuff will be much more useful to your second or third alts.
• DO NOT after finishing the main quest retire your first/main character.  You might be tempted but don't.  I lost a lot of useful gear and supplies retiring my first character at lvl 40.
• DO NOT waste your gems by plugging them into weapons and armor willy nilly.  You can combine them and slowly upgrade them to much more awesome gems a lot faster than you can find them.
• Remember that starting your first character at easy or normal will reap you similar benefits to starting on Very Hard so take your time.  Start on easy, tear through the foe, loot, learn the controls and what set-up you prefer then when you are bored or things get too easy start a new toon, slap on some good gear, and keep going.

Torchlight (2010) - Relic Games

Lately I've been totally impressed by XBOX Arcade titles.  For a price point that ranges from $5-$15 and gameplay that is satifying I can't be upset (especially when big name titles debut at $60 and DLC basically means BOHICA - I'm looking at you Bioware).

Relic's Torchlight came out to decent reviews on the PC but since I'm not a hardcore PC gamer I didn't pay much attention.  The XBOX Arcade port came out this week and I have to say I am glad I plunked down the 1200 MS Points for the whole game.

Torchlight is at its core a dungeon crawler, smash the enemy, loot hoarding, Diablo clone and it does it well.  It's single player (which is kind of a shame because this game would lend itself well to some Gauntlet-esque action), the graphics are solid, the gameplay is solid, the gear is awesome, the controls are really simple once you figure out the mapping, and the game is fun.  Yes fun and actually has some interesting features I haven't seen in an RPG before, like a competent pet - that not only acts like a pack mule but you can send to town to sell loot, equip with spells and items, and you can trust to "Smitty" you (Smitty is my term for when the AI does retarded shit, get stuck on walls, disappears randomly, runs into friendly fire, pretends it's Leroy Jenkins, or generally acts like a Teapartier).

So far so good, I am looking forward to playing some more and getting more of that precious looty.

Look! Stuff about games that aren't Red Dead or Fallout!

Video Games | Demon's Souls | Review

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games

I recently heard about the PS3 game Demon's Soul and I have to say that I really want to play it.  It sounds like an excellent game that brings back good old fashioned the RPG hates you gameplay.  For me that's part of the appeal because, as I've written before, most games are pretty easy these days - unless they are plagued by crappy mechanics, gameplay, or camera control.  This game apparently dishes out the punishment.  Too bad I don't have a PS3 or the desire to buy one.

On good old XBOX Arcade puzzler ilomilo just was released and I'm excited to play it.  Arcade has some really good little puzzle games that really warrant downloading the demo at least, example: The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom. I'm gonna give it a play ASAP.

A real surprise was Snoopy Flying Ace. It's a dog-fighting game (aerial combat not Michael Vick though I bet Snoopy could beat the shit out of Clifford or Marmaduke) that is surprisingly fun and has some really hectic combat.  I'm looking forward to downloading a full version.

Microbot could be fun or it could be crappy.  I'll let you folks know when I play it.

One game I really want to play (and can pick up new for $20...well whenever I get $20) is Darkstar One: Broken Alliance.  The game hearkens back to good old fashioned spaceship combat/rpg.  This is one of my favorite genres of all times, one that I feel is sadly under-represented in today's gaming industry.  Apparently the graphics aren't top-notch and the story stumbles at times but to paraphrase Vasquez, I just need to know one thing about my enemies, where they are.  Space combat woo!  Plus I like dusting off chesnuts like, "This ain't like shootin wumprats kid!"

More reviews pending, including news about Homefront and Elder Scrolls V: Return of the Load Screen.

Observations and comments (and a few gripes) about upcoming games:

It's been a while since I've posted anything about games.  Perhaps that's because nothing has really caught my attention outside of a few XBOX Arcade titles (i.e. DeathSpank, The Misadventures Of P.B. Winterbottom - see video below).  I've had a good time playing Star Wars: Force Unleashed but then again it's always fun to light sabre things to death.  DarkStar One: Broken Alliance sounds like it could be a good time but I don't know if it's worth forty bucks.

Dragon Age Origins: Ultimate Collection comes out next week and it has a shit-ton of stuff, Awakenings, DLC, etc and all for $60.  Don't ask me how much I spent on individual DLCs.  This has left a bad taste in my mouth.

Why?  Because now I'm not that thrilled about Fallout: New Vegas coming out on the 19th.  I'm still excited but...I suddenly don't feel the need to run out and buy it right away.  In fact I feel like I would be a patsy if I ran out and spent the money on it on launch day.  If I wait until all the DLC and GOTY edition come out then I conceivably save a good amount of money.  It's not just the saving the money it's the factor of I want the whole game experience at once, not handed out piece-meal like a miserly grandmother.  "Epic" games are barely 40 hour experiences with a little bit added here and there a few months later.  Nostalgia moment: Dragon Warrior VII -PSOne (2001) I played for 300+ hours on one play-through, not the same game played six times through.  That being said I have played through Fallout 3 more than once and Dragon Age several times with different character builds but there's nothing fresh to it.  Then when DLC comes out, the additional content -especially equipment - are a potential game breaker.  What I mean by "game breaker" is the new equipment is so powerful that it makes any challenge in the game null and void. 

Grumble grumble...maybe I'll just pick up a copy of Civilization V.    

Video Games | Misadventures of P.B.W. | Exclusive Launch Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix (XBOX Live Arcade) available tomorrow!

AWESOME! Finally after much dilly-dallying Puzzle Quest: Galactrix is going to be available for download tomorrow (04-08-09). This makes me very happy. I am tired of going snowblind while squinting at my DSLite. Of course I'm probably not supposed to marathon game on the DS.

Puzzle Quest: Galactrix demo

Woo! Puzzle Quest: Galactrix demo! This game is going to be more addictive than...uh...something really addictive.

Braid (2008) Number None Inc.

Once upon a time there was a game for the NES called Castle Quest. It was one of those NES Classics that hated you as much as you hated it. This was an unmerciful bastard of a game that I think I once got half way close to winning.

Braid is cut from the same cloth - a puzzle/platformer that at times makes you want to punch yourself, your television, the dog, the cat, and spike your controller though the floor. Unlike Castle Quest the designers of Braid actually made the game some what forgiving, fun, and fascinating. The puzzles start easy enough but eventually reach a point where you want to pull out your eyes. The puzzles are based on time manipulation but each world has a different style of time manipulation that doesn't carry over to other worlds - which would have made life easier. The ability to rewind time makes life a little easier and less frustrating. If Braid had lives - a la Castle Quest, Super Mario Brothers - then I probably would have spontaneously combusted.

It's a gorgeous game with great music and puzzles that made me pretty happy. Some of the puzzles actually surprised me with their cleverness. Number None Inc isn't going to make a bajillion dollars off this game. I imagine that most people aren't willing to put forth the brain power, patience, and masocism required to complete Braid. At the very least download the demo. If Braid is an example of things to come from Number None Inc then they are going to put forward so great games.