So...It's been like 3 months...not much has changed, either, sad to say.
Update in gaming- Last month, I finished yet another play-through of the Dragon Age series, this time as a female Dwarven Rogue in Dragon Age: Origins, and all DLC that is associated with it, and a male Mage in Dragon Age 2. It was not a terrible play-through, but I've done it a couple of times, so nothing really noteworthy happened. I had intended to romance Leliana in Dragon Age, but I ended up romancing Alistair, and then I intended and succeeded in romancing Anders in Dragon Age II. Woo...
Then I decided that it was past time to finally learn to like the Mass Effect series, especially since Mass Effect 3 had just come out. I own Mass Effect 1 and 2 already, so I decided to power through them and try my hardest to like them. Unfortunately, I am a dumbass, and I couldn't find Mass Effect 1. So I decided to suck it up and play Mass Effect 2. Which was the best decision of all time.
I am terrible at shooters, and prefer using Magic-based characters in RPGs, so I tried to stick to a character class that was like the Mage. The Adept. And it was AWESOME. Adepts use powers in addition to weapons, AND you can arc the powers so that they go over barriers and shiz. Which was especially awesome because the reason that I suck at shooters is because I have terrible aim and unsteady hands. So I played through Mass Effect 2 and some of the DLC, and got addicted. After beating it, I finally found Mass Effect 1 and was...let down. I liked the companions more (because they were more specialized and more similar to the classes that are available to Shepard), but HATED the gameplay. You can't arc the powers, and the Mako was an invention from Hell. It's just...the worst. And they put some Mako action in EVERY SINGLE LEVEL. It is just awful. But I powered through it, and was rewarded with transferring my character and decisions to Mass Effect 2, and having my own decisions transferred over to Mass Effect 2 GREATLY increased my love of the game. And then I bought Mass Effect 3, and transferred my Mass Effect 1 and 2 character into Mass Effect 3, and LOVED it! Except that I accidentally romanced the wrong character.
Funny story 'bout that. See, in Dragon Age: Origins and 2, and in Mass Effect 1 and 2, you can romance multiple characters at a time. At some point, if you've progressed enough with more than one character, the two characters that you've been romancing will confront you and make you choose one. Based on previous interactions, I assumed that the same thing would happen in Mass Effect 3, and I feel that it was a fair assumption. So I had my male Shepard romance the two male romance options, and got super excited to watch the two dudes fight over my dude. Unfortunately...they took out the love-triangle option, and I was unaware, so I romanced the dude that I didn't want to end up with (as the dude that I did want to end up with was unavailable, and I felt like flirting) and ...ended up with him. Which wasn't awful, but it was not the desired outcome. I was then presented with the option of starting the whole character over again (Mass Effect 1, 2, and then finally romancing the correct person in 3) or just playing 3 again and fixing my mistake. And...I chose the wrong option, restarting the character. I thought about playing a different class or going Renegade this time instead of Paragon, and...I just HATE THE MAKO too much to play it again so soon.
Not...that any of you really care.
In other news, I'm in the chorus of a production of Verdi's Othello. And...that's fine. And...oh yeah, Things I'm Reading!
I've finished the Song of Ice and Fire series (as has been published by now, at least), and really enjoyed it. Now I'm trrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg to get through the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but GOOD LORD I am having a hard time doing this. I'm used to Jordan's and Martin's style of super flowery prose, and over descriptiveness, but Tolkien's prose is just ...too much. I don't know why, but I am having the hardest time getting through it. It probably doesn't help that I think Gandalf is an asshole (a post for another time) and it took Tolkien took 337 pages to introduce his best character, Strider/Aragorn.
But...there's not a whole lot else going on right now, I guess. I'll go more in depth about my newly passionate love for Mass Effect later, and I'll probably post why I think Gandalf is an asshole and not worthy of everyone's praise eventually, too. So...stay tuned for those, if you want.
Showing posts with label Video Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Video Games. Show all posts
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Trip Through Time
So my first experience with an XBox comes from my little brother. My family has always been a Nintendo family, we got a Super Nintendo when I was ...6, I think, and then got a Nintendo 64 when that came out, and a Gamecube when that came out, and my mother even camped out at a Wal-Mart to get us a Wii (even though none of us asked for, or even wanted, one). Sometime during high school, we also got a Playstation 2, and a Sega Dreamcast, albeit a while after the Dreamcast stopped being popular. I went off to college, and when I came back for Christmas Break, my youngest brother had gotten himself an XBox, and a few games to go with it. One of those games was Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
I don't know if I've shared my love for Star Wars yet. In fact, I'm almost positive I have not, but that is a post for another time. I DO know that I've shared my love for RPGs, though, so the joining of an RPG and Star Wars was like crack for my little nerd heart. I devoured that game like a voracious old man who just discovered Viagra and hookers devours well...Viagra and hookers. However, Christmas Break came to an end and, since it was my brother's XBox, I had to bid adieu to it until summer break. But glory be! when that came around, he had obtained Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. And if I devoured the first game like Viagra and hookers, I devoured this one like a nursing home located in between a pharmacy and a strip club. It was an unhealthy obsession. I think I played through KOTOR2 about ...3 times over the summer, playing as different characters, using different romances, and making different choices every time. Much like I did with Dragon Age: Origins (see my old blog post: http://adayinthelifeofanerdygay.blogspot.com/2011/07/day-three.html ). Unfortunately, it was my brother's XBox, and he did not really appreciate me using it so often.
I went back to school, and came back home for Fall Break. I noticed that the XBox was free, found the KOTOR2 box, put the disc in, and booted it up. Only to find that the game wouldn't play. Baffled, I pulled the disc out and wiped it on my shirt, thinking that maybe the disc was just dusty. Still no luck. Confused and a little angry that my addiction was so close and yet so far, I pulled out the disc again, and glanced at the back. And was HORRIFIED. My brothers had scratched up the back of the disc so that I couldn't play it anymore. I couldn't be TOO mad, as it was not my disc, nor my XBox, but I was PISSED. And have been looking for the game ever since (it was not a new game when Dan got it). Now, I didn't look very hard until October 2010, when my friend Chad sold me his 360, but I did look. And this weekend, I FOUND TWO OF THEM! Now, I am a cheapskate, so I got the cheaper of the two ($23 vs. $35), and booted it up! Minus an occasional sound-glitch, it works just fine!
I started a game as a Jedi Consular (the mage), but I'm not really feeling it. In the Dragon Age series, I usually play the Rogue, so I'm thinking that I'm going to restart as a Jedi Sentinel, because I like skills, and they're somewhat useful. But playing this game after playing Dragon Age: Origins is ...unsettling. It's not just the graphical difference (with KOTOR being an XBox game, and Dragon Age being a 360 game), but I just see lots of improvements that KOTOR could make, if they were still making KOTOR games. Not that The Old Republic MMORPG bullshit. Just a few simple tweaks. Getting rid of used dialogue options would be a big help. Being better able to customize my character's looks would be nice, too. Among many other things. Things that, if Bioware were to make a new KOTOR game, they would fix on their own, based off of what Dragon Age and Mass Effect have done. IT WOULD BE AWESOME.
I'm...really tired...so...I feel like this post was a bit more ADD than my other posts (which, to be fair, are all pretty ADD). I apologize for that. Also, it occurred to me about halfway through this post that all of my posts have been more Nerd-based and less Gay-based, so...maybe I'll do a more gay-oriented post next time. I make no promises.
Also, what older games have you played lately? Or do you only play newer games?
I don't know if I've shared my love for Star Wars yet. In fact, I'm almost positive I have not, but that is a post for another time. I DO know that I've shared my love for RPGs, though, so the joining of an RPG and Star Wars was like crack for my little nerd heart. I devoured that game like a voracious old man who just discovered Viagra and hookers devours well...Viagra and hookers. However, Christmas Break came to an end and, since it was my brother's XBox, I had to bid adieu to it until summer break. But glory be! when that came around, he had obtained Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. And if I devoured the first game like Viagra and hookers, I devoured this one like a nursing home located in between a pharmacy and a strip club. It was an unhealthy obsession. I think I played through KOTOR2 about ...3 times over the summer, playing as different characters, using different romances, and making different choices every time. Much like I did with Dragon Age: Origins (see my old blog post: http://adayinthelifeofanerdygay.blogspot.com/2011/07/day-three.html ). Unfortunately, it was my brother's XBox, and he did not really appreciate me using it so often.
I went back to school, and came back home for Fall Break. I noticed that the XBox was free, found the KOTOR2 box, put the disc in, and booted it up. Only to find that the game wouldn't play. Baffled, I pulled the disc out and wiped it on my shirt, thinking that maybe the disc was just dusty. Still no luck. Confused and a little angry that my addiction was so close and yet so far, I pulled out the disc again, and glanced at the back. And was HORRIFIED. My brothers had scratched up the back of the disc so that I couldn't play it anymore. I couldn't be TOO mad, as it was not my disc, nor my XBox, but I was PISSED. And have been looking for the game ever since (it was not a new game when Dan got it). Now, I didn't look very hard until October 2010, when my friend Chad sold me his 360, but I did look. And this weekend, I FOUND TWO OF THEM! Now, I am a cheapskate, so I got the cheaper of the two ($23 vs. $35), and booted it up! Minus an occasional sound-glitch, it works just fine!
I started a game as a Jedi Consular (the mage), but I'm not really feeling it. In the Dragon Age series, I usually play the Rogue, so I'm thinking that I'm going to restart as a Jedi Sentinel, because I like skills, and they're somewhat useful. But playing this game after playing Dragon Age: Origins is ...unsettling. It's not just the graphical difference (with KOTOR being an XBox game, and Dragon Age being a 360 game), but I just see lots of improvements that KOTOR could make, if they were still making KOTOR games. Not that The Old Republic MMORPG bullshit. Just a few simple tweaks. Getting rid of used dialogue options would be a big help. Being better able to customize my character's looks would be nice, too. Among many other things. Things that, if Bioware were to make a new KOTOR game, they would fix on their own, based off of what Dragon Age and Mass Effect have done. IT WOULD BE AWESOME.
I'm...really tired...so...I feel like this post was a bit more ADD than my other posts (which, to be fair, are all pretty ADD). I apologize for that. Also, it occurred to me about halfway through this post that all of my posts have been more Nerd-based and less Gay-based, so...maybe I'll do a more gay-oriented post next time. I make no promises.
Also, what older games have you played lately? Or do you only play newer games?
Friday, January 6, 2012
Christmas Surprises
Yeah, yeah, Christmas was like two weeks ago. I'm lazy, get off my back. I'm going to talk about the games that I got for Christmas, and I needed a decent chance to play them all before I wrote about them.
Everyone have a good Christmas? I sure hope so, because I did! Some dress shirts, a few sweater vests, 8 Disney movies (Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, Up, Wall-E, The Incredibles, Toy Story 3, Sister Act, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe!), and 3 video games.
Game 1: A present from my youngest brother- Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection for PSP. Final Fantasy IV is probably my favorite RPG of all time. I first played it on an SNES emulator that we had on our computer, but it was called Final Fantasy II at the time. I later figured out that it was actually IV, and then it came out with Chrono Trigger as a bundle game for the Playstation. Then they released it on the Game Boy Advance as Final Fantasy IV Advance. Then again on the DS, but with 3D graphics this time! And finally on the PSP as Complete Collection. FF4: TCC is actually 3 games in one, the Advance version of IV with updated graphics, the sequel to IV that was released in different chapters, called The After Years, AND a short little interlude between the two.
Now...the problem with the fact that this is one of my favorite games is that I've played it a lot. So...I know how to beat it, strategy-wise. Also...occasionally, when I know a side quest is available from a certain point on, I will undertake that side quest ASAP. Unfortunately, the side quests typically require me to be a few levels stronger than I typically would be in a normal RPG. But since I know this game so well, I tend to speed through the main storyline, so I tend to be a few levels (just one or two, nothing major) weaker than I should be. So...I'm stuck at a part where I can continue the main storyline and lose a character for a good bit, and then only have 4 characters when I go on these side quests, or I can struggle through the arduous process of leveling, which isn't usually a problem...when I have no other games to play. However, I have the two after-game adventures that I've never played before, PLUS a few other games that I got for, or around, Christmas. So I'm having a hard time staying focused on beating this game.
Game 2: A present given to me by my younger brother, but really from my parents- Batman: Arkham City for the XBox 360. Now...I love me some Batman. I love comic books, and superheroes, and video games, so this seems like a game right up my alley, right? WRONG. Now...I do enjoy this game, I'm just bad at it. I like superhero games with teams that are more RPG-like. For instance, the X-Men Legends games, the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance games, and Justice League Heroes. Games where I control one hero, and the computer controls 1-3 other heroes and we join forces to kick ass. Those are superhero games that I like and am good at. Action games where I have open world maps and open-end quests, and combos to learn are games that I do not excel at. But...I own this game, and Arkham Asylum, and I asked for both of them. Even if I never get good at them, they are games that I am proud to own. Plus, I downloaded Catwoman, Nightwing, and Robin for Arkham City, so eventually...I need to be able to play as them. Even if I die a lot. But eventually (I keep telling myself that) I will play them, and be good at them, and will fall in love with them. For now, they are that person across the food court that is wearing awesome clothes and talking to awesome looking people that I am totally in love with, but will never have the courage to talk to.
Game 3 (and 4): A present ACTUALLY from my younger brother- Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of a New World for Wii. This is a game that I am actually really enjoying. I'd never heard of the Tales series of games, or if I had, I had never paid attention to them, but I'm really enjoyed myself while playing this. And then it dawned on me that this is a sequel to a Gamecube game, and (like many Wii sequels to Gamecube games, slash- The Fire Emblem games) there is a transfer option, so that the Wii game is ...made better/easier/whatever by things you did in the Gamecube game. So I returned X-Men: Destiny (which is a TERRIBLE game that I will review in a moment) and one of my dad's birthday presents (that he already had!) to McKay's and FOUND THE GAMECUBE GAME! So I've been playing through that, and am really enjoying it. I keep feeling like I'm at the end of the game, but thanks to my occasional glances at strategy guides and the fact that there is a second disc, I know I'm not. But if you like Final Fantasy games, Super Smash Bros, and/or the Fire Emblem series (for some reason, Tales of Symphonia just feels like a non-strategy Fire Emblem game to me, I don't know why) then you will really enjoy these games!
Game 5: Something I got for myself a few weeks ago, it just happened to be in December- X-Men: Destiny for the XBox 360. THIS IS SUCH A TERRIBLE GAME. I'm sorry. I love the X-Men. They were my REAL introduction to nerdy things. The 90's cartoon changed my life. If I ever get a tattoo, it will be the logo from one of the X-Men movies, with the X in a circle looking all metallic-y, on my shoulder blade. I. LOVE. X-MEN. But this game SUCKS. First- in all the press stuff I'd ever read about the game, everyone talked about the freedom of choice, and how you can choose to be an X-Man or a member of the Brotherhood. Maybe I didn't play far enough in the game to get to that choice, but the only chances I got to choose were side missions, nothing affecting the reality of the game. No matter what side I picked, I did this mini-game, and then I was back on the main quest. You get to choose one of three brand-new characters, and once you pick your character, you pick their powers, and all of their upgrades. Which, I initially thought would be cool. If only the powers didn't suck.
I am a person who would (in real life) prefer a power that allows me to stay at range and beat the crap out of people from a distance, like telekinesis or energy manipulation. Something along those lines. However, I have found that in games, especially those action games that I am no good at, choosing long-range powers/weapons tends to put you at a disadvantage, as you have no teammates to distract the enemies while you pick them off one by one from afar. No, all of the enemies come straight towards you, and if you have a long-distance power, you are forced to flee from them and hide behind things and generally fight very cowardly, and it is annoying. However, I also usually hate playing as "bruiser"-type characters. So the power choices were Energy Projection (long-range), Density Shifting ("bruiser"), and Shadow Manipulation (something in between, OR SO I THOUGHT). Figuring (correctly) that EP and DS were what they were, I initially chose Shadow Manipulation. After you choose your power, there's a very brief cut-scene showing your character rescue some civilians using their powers. My guy initially teleported, like Nightcrawler, and I thought "FUCK YEAH, I GET TO BE NIGHTCRAWLER!" FALSE. It was more like Wolverine. But without the healing factor. And you can't teleport, like the game TOLD YOU YOU COULD. So I played for a while, and got annoyed. They kept introducing these mutants, letting them fight with you, but not in any sort of controllable way. There's one level where you free Surge, Colossus, and Quicksilver, and the four of you are on your way to escape. But your three comrades are all doing their own thing in battles. PLUS THERE ARE NO HEALING PACKS AND LOTS OF SHIT TO BE KICKED OUT OF YOU. Enemies occasionally drop health orbs, but that does me little to no good if I wasted 50 enemies and didn't get hurt, and then a super enemy comes out, kicks my ass, and then drops an orb that heals 5 health of the 230 that he just took away from me.
Sorry...I get pissed. This game makes me pissed. But it had lots of things going for it! It has an impressive cast list, and the potential to introduce lots of casual fans to more obscure/modern X-Men characters, like Northstar, Surge, Pixie, and Caliban. And the way they kept talking about putting an emphasis on choices, I thought it would be more like an X-Men-themed Dragon Age or Mass Effect (which would be HELLA FUCKING AWESOME, Marvel and Bioware- TEAM UP!) Alas, it was not, I was sorely disappointed, and SUPER PISSED. So I gave it back to McKay's and got a good game instead. And...am seriously thinking about writing a nasty letter to Marvel, because that shit was unacceptable.
Everyone have a good Christmas? I sure hope so, because I did! Some dress shirts, a few sweater vests, 8 Disney movies (Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, Up, Wall-E, The Incredibles, Toy Story 3, Sister Act, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe!), and 3 video games.
Game 1: A present from my youngest brother- Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection for PSP. Final Fantasy IV is probably my favorite RPG of all time. I first played it on an SNES emulator that we had on our computer, but it was called Final Fantasy II at the time. I later figured out that it was actually IV, and then it came out with Chrono Trigger as a bundle game for the Playstation. Then they released it on the Game Boy Advance as Final Fantasy IV Advance. Then again on the DS, but with 3D graphics this time! And finally on the PSP as Complete Collection. FF4: TCC is actually 3 games in one, the Advance version of IV with updated graphics, the sequel to IV that was released in different chapters, called The After Years, AND a short little interlude between the two.
Now...the problem with the fact that this is one of my favorite games is that I've played it a lot. So...I know how to beat it, strategy-wise. Also...occasionally, when I know a side quest is available from a certain point on, I will undertake that side quest ASAP. Unfortunately, the side quests typically require me to be a few levels stronger than I typically would be in a normal RPG. But since I know this game so well, I tend to speed through the main storyline, so I tend to be a few levels (just one or two, nothing major) weaker than I should be. So...I'm stuck at a part where I can continue the main storyline and lose a character for a good bit, and then only have 4 characters when I go on these side quests, or I can struggle through the arduous process of leveling, which isn't usually a problem...when I have no other games to play. However, I have the two after-game adventures that I've never played before, PLUS a few other games that I got for, or around, Christmas. So I'm having a hard time staying focused on beating this game.
Game 2: A present given to me by my younger brother, but really from my parents- Batman: Arkham City for the XBox 360. Now...I love me some Batman. I love comic books, and superheroes, and video games, so this seems like a game right up my alley, right? WRONG. Now...I do enjoy this game, I'm just bad at it. I like superhero games with teams that are more RPG-like. For instance, the X-Men Legends games, the Marvel: Ultimate Alliance games, and Justice League Heroes. Games where I control one hero, and the computer controls 1-3 other heroes and we join forces to kick ass. Those are superhero games that I like and am good at. Action games where I have open world maps and open-end quests, and combos to learn are games that I do not excel at. But...I own this game, and Arkham Asylum, and I asked for both of them. Even if I never get good at them, they are games that I am proud to own. Plus, I downloaded Catwoman, Nightwing, and Robin for Arkham City, so eventually...I need to be able to play as them. Even if I die a lot. But eventually (I keep telling myself that) I will play them, and be good at them, and will fall in love with them. For now, they are that person across the food court that is wearing awesome clothes and talking to awesome looking people that I am totally in love with, but will never have the courage to talk to.
Game 3 (and 4): A present ACTUALLY from my younger brother- Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of a New World for Wii. This is a game that I am actually really enjoying. I'd never heard of the Tales series of games, or if I had, I had never paid attention to them, but I'm really enjoyed myself while playing this. And then it dawned on me that this is a sequel to a Gamecube game, and (like many Wii sequels to Gamecube games, slash- The Fire Emblem games) there is a transfer option, so that the Wii game is ...made better/easier/whatever by things you did in the Gamecube game. So I returned X-Men: Destiny (which is a TERRIBLE game that I will review in a moment) and one of my dad's birthday presents (that he already had!) to McKay's and FOUND THE GAMECUBE GAME! So I've been playing through that, and am really enjoying it. I keep feeling like I'm at the end of the game, but thanks to my occasional glances at strategy guides and the fact that there is a second disc, I know I'm not. But if you like Final Fantasy games, Super Smash Bros, and/or the Fire Emblem series (for some reason, Tales of Symphonia just feels like a non-strategy Fire Emblem game to me, I don't know why) then you will really enjoy these games!
Game 5: Something I got for myself a few weeks ago, it just happened to be in December- X-Men: Destiny for the XBox 360. THIS IS SUCH A TERRIBLE GAME. I'm sorry. I love the X-Men. They were my REAL introduction to nerdy things. The 90's cartoon changed my life. If I ever get a tattoo, it will be the logo from one of the X-Men movies, with the X in a circle looking all metallic-y, on my shoulder blade. I. LOVE. X-MEN. But this game SUCKS. First- in all the press stuff I'd ever read about the game, everyone talked about the freedom of choice, and how you can choose to be an X-Man or a member of the Brotherhood. Maybe I didn't play far enough in the game to get to that choice, but the only chances I got to choose were side missions, nothing affecting the reality of the game. No matter what side I picked, I did this mini-game, and then I was back on the main quest. You get to choose one of three brand-new characters, and once you pick your character, you pick their powers, and all of their upgrades. Which, I initially thought would be cool. If only the powers didn't suck.
I am a person who would (in real life) prefer a power that allows me to stay at range and beat the crap out of people from a distance, like telekinesis or energy manipulation. Something along those lines. However, I have found that in games, especially those action games that I am no good at, choosing long-range powers/weapons tends to put you at a disadvantage, as you have no teammates to distract the enemies while you pick them off one by one from afar. No, all of the enemies come straight towards you, and if you have a long-distance power, you are forced to flee from them and hide behind things and generally fight very cowardly, and it is annoying. However, I also usually hate playing as "bruiser"-type characters. So the power choices were Energy Projection (long-range), Density Shifting ("bruiser"), and Shadow Manipulation (something in between, OR SO I THOUGHT). Figuring (correctly) that EP and DS were what they were, I initially chose Shadow Manipulation. After you choose your power, there's a very brief cut-scene showing your character rescue some civilians using their powers. My guy initially teleported, like Nightcrawler, and I thought "FUCK YEAH, I GET TO BE NIGHTCRAWLER!" FALSE. It was more like Wolverine. But without the healing factor. And you can't teleport, like the game TOLD YOU YOU COULD. So I played for a while, and got annoyed. They kept introducing these mutants, letting them fight with you, but not in any sort of controllable way. There's one level where you free Surge, Colossus, and Quicksilver, and the four of you are on your way to escape. But your three comrades are all doing their own thing in battles. PLUS THERE ARE NO HEALING PACKS AND LOTS OF SHIT TO BE KICKED OUT OF YOU. Enemies occasionally drop health orbs, but that does me little to no good if I wasted 50 enemies and didn't get hurt, and then a super enemy comes out, kicks my ass, and then drops an orb that heals 5 health of the 230 that he just took away from me.
Sorry...I get pissed. This game makes me pissed. But it had lots of things going for it! It has an impressive cast list, and the potential to introduce lots of casual fans to more obscure/modern X-Men characters, like Northstar, Surge, Pixie, and Caliban. And the way they kept talking about putting an emphasis on choices, I thought it would be more like an X-Men-themed Dragon Age or Mass Effect (which would be HELLA FUCKING AWESOME, Marvel and Bioware- TEAM UP!) Alas, it was not, I was sorely disappointed, and SUPER PISSED. So I gave it back to McKay's and got a good game instead. And...am seriously thinking about writing a nasty letter to Marvel, because that shit was unacceptable.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Day 5
I love video games. Anyone that knows me can tell you that. And one of my favorite series has always been the Final Fantasy series of games.
It all started when my brothers and I downloaded an SNES emulator on our home computer. It came with some 150+ games, including a couple of Final Fantasy games (II-the English version of IV, Mystic Quest, and 5-which was in Japanese because it had never been released in the States). I discovered II/IV and DEVOURED IT. It was such a great game, with compelling characters, lots of choices weapon- and magic-wise, and an elaborate plot. I played Mystic Quest, and it was alright. Nothing to write home about, though. And I tried to play 5, but...it was in Japanese, so...it was quite difficult to play.
Years later, VII came out, and my family bought that. It had similarly compelling characters, and lots of great everything. Unfortunately, I quickly became attached to a character that dies at the end of the first (of three) discs, so ...I had a really hard time playing beyond her death, and to this day, I still haven't finished the game.
Then VIII. I didn't really like the magic Draw system, although I did really enjoy the GFs. I didn't really like the fact that there was no armor or accessories to equip, just the weapon, but I made do. The playable characters weren't quite as compelling, and there was this big whole side story that I wish had had more impact on the main story, but it was still a better-than-average game.
IX was my favorite, after IV. It was a "return to simpler times" the developers tried to tell everyone. 7 and 8 had been more sci-fi, and 9 was a return to magic/fantasy. The characters could have used a bit more development, but they all had storylines. I really liked the return of the class systems, and it was a very dramatic plot with a lot of locations to visit, and an interesting (albeit tedious) delivery subplot.
X is where it started to go downhill for me. It was the first final Fantasy game with voice acting, and ...it was shoddy. They had some talent (Tara Strong and Billy ...West, I think is his name), but OH MY GOD some of the voices were AWFUL. The class system was back, kind of, but it was flawed somewhat. You had 7 characters. In the early part of the game, you had to constantly rotate between 5 of these characters in order to defeat even the most basic of enemies. A 6th character to heal, and a superfluous 7th character. I didn't really like the plot, or the mini-games. The characters were pretty annoying (I thought), and I just didn't really enjoy a whole lot of the game. However, it did have a well-defined history, and a few bright spots randomly interspersed throughout the game.
Then it spawned this God-awful sequel. Charlie's Angels, Final Fantasy style. It was...not good. And 10 was not a good enough game to deserve a sequel, when every other game before was SO MUCH BETTER.
I never played XI because it was an MMORPG, and if I'm going to play on a team, I'd like to have some semblance of control over them.
XII was...also not good. The battle system was ...just awful, and there was no real distinction between the characters, aside from what they looked like. They could all use the same abilities and weapons. The player character is not the main character, and the whole plot is just a small chunk of a larger story, but...you don't really see that story. You hear about it, but your party's quest is not the world-saving, bad-guy-conquering quest that it should be. And you have to walk EVERYWHERE. Yeah, it doesn't sound that bad, until you do a quest in one remote corner of the world map, and find out that your next quest in the the opposite side. You don't have access to your airship right then, and you're all out of Teleport Stones. You have to WALK THE WHOLE WAY. It takes like a half hour to walk from one map to the next, which means it takes you THREE HOURS to get to the next place. Sure, you could go find another Teleport Stone, but that'll take you so far out of the way that you might not think it's worth it.
XIII has been the most recent (I think. XIV might have come out, but that was another MMORPG so I'm not going to play it). I haven't finished it yet, and truth be told am in no hurry. It's another not that great game, I think. You have 6 characters, who each excel in 3 job classes. The upgrade system is costly and annoying, both abilities and weapons. The game is very linear for the first two-thirds, and then suddenly BAM! Wide open space. Complete with every third monster being too hard for you to kill, so you get your ass kicked. Quite frequently. Which wouldn't be that bad, if you could change your lead character in battle. Which you can't do, so if your lead character dies, GAME OVER. Doesn't matter if your teammates are still alive and can revive you. Nope. YOU DIE. I'm not a big fan of this game. Which brings me to the point of this blog post...
Why the FUCK does Square-Enix do shitty things with their awful games, and NOT A GOD DAMN THING with their good games. 10 got a sequel. 13 is getting a sequel. and 10 is being fucking REMADE for the PS3. 12 got a pseudo-sequel. Granted, 4 got a sequel (15 years later...), but 5 (which wasn't that great, but wasn't terrible), 6 (which was actually pretty good and epic), 7, 8, and 9 were all much better than 12 and 13. And 6, 7, 8, and 9 were all better than 10. And...nothing. 7's mythology has been expanded with a sequel movie, and spin-off FPS game, and a prequel, but a remake would be excellent.
So here is my open letter to Square-Enix...
Dear Square-Enix,
I used to really enjoy your games. But ever since you added voice acting, I feel like your games' quality has been falling. Immensely. And throwing shitty sequels onto already shitty games doesn't make either of them better. Even remaking shitty games might make them better, but why not just remake an already good game that every single one of your fans wants. It'd be so much easier. You don't even really have to do anything to the remake. Just update the graphics. That's ALL YOU HAVE TO DO. Add voice acting if you want to. But that's really it. Please stop doing dumb things, because pretty soon, you will lose me as a fan. Sure, one less person buying your shitty games is nothing, but soon there will be two. Then three. Then ten. Then fifty. Step up the quality now, or you guys will be wishing you had.
Sincerely,
A Nerdy Gay who really used to believe in you guys
It all started when my brothers and I downloaded an SNES emulator on our home computer. It came with some 150+ games, including a couple of Final Fantasy games (II-the English version of IV, Mystic Quest, and 5-which was in Japanese because it had never been released in the States). I discovered II/IV and DEVOURED IT. It was such a great game, with compelling characters, lots of choices weapon- and magic-wise, and an elaborate plot. I played Mystic Quest, and it was alright. Nothing to write home about, though. And I tried to play 5, but...it was in Japanese, so...it was quite difficult to play.
Years later, VII came out, and my family bought that. It had similarly compelling characters, and lots of great everything. Unfortunately, I quickly became attached to a character that dies at the end of the first (of three) discs, so ...I had a really hard time playing beyond her death, and to this day, I still haven't finished the game.
Then VIII. I didn't really like the magic Draw system, although I did really enjoy the GFs. I didn't really like the fact that there was no armor or accessories to equip, just the weapon, but I made do. The playable characters weren't quite as compelling, and there was this big whole side story that I wish had had more impact on the main story, but it was still a better-than-average game.
IX was my favorite, after IV. It was a "return to simpler times" the developers tried to tell everyone. 7 and 8 had been more sci-fi, and 9 was a return to magic/fantasy. The characters could have used a bit more development, but they all had storylines. I really liked the return of the class systems, and it was a very dramatic plot with a lot of locations to visit, and an interesting (albeit tedious) delivery subplot.
X is where it started to go downhill for me. It was the first final Fantasy game with voice acting, and ...it was shoddy. They had some talent (Tara Strong and Billy ...West, I think is his name), but OH MY GOD some of the voices were AWFUL. The class system was back, kind of, but it was flawed somewhat. You had 7 characters. In the early part of the game, you had to constantly rotate between 5 of these characters in order to defeat even the most basic of enemies. A 6th character to heal, and a superfluous 7th character. I didn't really like the plot, or the mini-games. The characters were pretty annoying (I thought), and I just didn't really enjoy a whole lot of the game. However, it did have a well-defined history, and a few bright spots randomly interspersed throughout the game.
Then it spawned this God-awful sequel. Charlie's Angels, Final Fantasy style. It was...not good. And 10 was not a good enough game to deserve a sequel, when every other game before was SO MUCH BETTER.
I never played XI because it was an MMORPG, and if I'm going to play on a team, I'd like to have some semblance of control over them.
XII was...also not good. The battle system was ...just awful, and there was no real distinction between the characters, aside from what they looked like. They could all use the same abilities and weapons. The player character is not the main character, and the whole plot is just a small chunk of a larger story, but...you don't really see that story. You hear about it, but your party's quest is not the world-saving, bad-guy-conquering quest that it should be. And you have to walk EVERYWHERE. Yeah, it doesn't sound that bad, until you do a quest in one remote corner of the world map, and find out that your next quest in the the opposite side. You don't have access to your airship right then, and you're all out of Teleport Stones. You have to WALK THE WHOLE WAY. It takes like a half hour to walk from one map to the next, which means it takes you THREE HOURS to get to the next place. Sure, you could go find another Teleport Stone, but that'll take you so far out of the way that you might not think it's worth it.
XIII has been the most recent (I think. XIV might have come out, but that was another MMORPG so I'm not going to play it). I haven't finished it yet, and truth be told am in no hurry. It's another not that great game, I think. You have 6 characters, who each excel in 3 job classes. The upgrade system is costly and annoying, both abilities and weapons. The game is very linear for the first two-thirds, and then suddenly BAM! Wide open space. Complete with every third monster being too hard for you to kill, so you get your ass kicked. Quite frequently. Which wouldn't be that bad, if you could change your lead character in battle. Which you can't do, so if your lead character dies, GAME OVER. Doesn't matter if your teammates are still alive and can revive you. Nope. YOU DIE. I'm not a big fan of this game. Which brings me to the point of this blog post...
Why the FUCK does Square-Enix do shitty things with their awful games, and NOT A GOD DAMN THING with their good games. 10 got a sequel. 13 is getting a sequel. and 10 is being fucking REMADE for the PS3. 12 got a pseudo-sequel. Granted, 4 got a sequel (15 years later...), but 5 (which wasn't that great, but wasn't terrible), 6 (which was actually pretty good and epic), 7, 8, and 9 were all much better than 12 and 13. And 6, 7, 8, and 9 were all better than 10. And...nothing. 7's mythology has been expanded with a sequel movie, and spin-off FPS game, and a prequel, but a remake would be excellent.
So here is my open letter to Square-Enix...
Dear Square-Enix,
I used to really enjoy your games. But ever since you added voice acting, I feel like your games' quality has been falling. Immensely. And throwing shitty sequels onto already shitty games doesn't make either of them better. Even remaking shitty games might make them better, but why not just remake an already good game that every single one of your fans wants. It'd be so much easier. You don't even really have to do anything to the remake. Just update the graphics. That's ALL YOU HAVE TO DO. Add voice acting if you want to. But that's really it. Please stop doing dumb things, because pretty soon, you will lose me as a fan. Sure, one less person buying your shitty games is nothing, but soon there will be two. Then three. Then ten. Then fifty. Step up the quality now, or you guys will be wishing you had.
Sincerely,
A Nerdy Gay who really used to believe in you guys
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Day 4
So...it's been awhile. Oh well. You've lived, and will continue to. I moved, and it's been stressful.
So yeah, I moved. From home sweet home Nashville to home sweet home Knoxville. Why? Several reasons. I'm a certified teacher, and have been looking for a teaching gig lately. I had applied in Nashville and surrounding areas, Knoxville, Memphis, and Chattanooga. School starts in August, and my lease was up in July, but I had to give a 30 day notice to my apartment manager if I was going to move out at the end of my lease. I wasn't sure if I'd have a teaching job, and where it would be, so to be safe, I thought it was best to not get a new place in Nashville, because I'd had friends find out the day/week before school started that they got a job. So...I planned to moved home, in the hopes that I would find out about a job in July, and wouldn't actually HAVE to move home. But alas. No go. So I'm home, and still looking for a full-time job. BUT I'm subbing for now, in the hopes that I'll save up some money and be able to move out soon.
But I've been gaming a whole lot! I played through Dragon Age: Origins and all of it's DLC, and Dragon Age II and it's DLC. Then I started a new game, playing a different race and class. Then...I got bored and watched all of Eureka that was available on Netflix. And then Parks & Recreation. And then I started Dollhouse (which I got addicted to real fast!) And then I saw that Final Fantasy XIII is getting a sequel and decided that I need to power through it at least once, so that's what I'm working on right now.
Oh yeah, also, I'm in the Knoxville Opera Chorus for La Traviata, so...if you're in Knoxville you should come see me at the end of October!
So yeah, I moved. From home sweet home Nashville to home sweet home Knoxville. Why? Several reasons. I'm a certified teacher, and have been looking for a teaching gig lately. I had applied in Nashville and surrounding areas, Knoxville, Memphis, and Chattanooga. School starts in August, and my lease was up in July, but I had to give a 30 day notice to my apartment manager if I was going to move out at the end of my lease. I wasn't sure if I'd have a teaching job, and where it would be, so to be safe, I thought it was best to not get a new place in Nashville, because I'd had friends find out the day/week before school started that they got a job. So...I planned to moved home, in the hopes that I would find out about a job in July, and wouldn't actually HAVE to move home. But alas. No go. So I'm home, and still looking for a full-time job. BUT I'm subbing for now, in the hopes that I'll save up some money and be able to move out soon.
But I've been gaming a whole lot! I played through Dragon Age: Origins and all of it's DLC, and Dragon Age II and it's DLC. Then I started a new game, playing a different race and class. Then...I got bored and watched all of Eureka that was available on Netflix. And then Parks & Recreation. And then I started Dollhouse (which I got addicted to real fast!) And then I saw that Final Fantasy XIII is getting a sequel and decided that I need to power through it at least once, so that's what I'm working on right now.
Oh yeah, also, I'm in the Knoxville Opera Chorus for La Traviata, so...if you're in Knoxville you should come see me at the end of October!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Day Three
Ugh. Moving sucks.
In the vein of recommending things to people, allow me to take a minute to recommend the video game series Dragon Age. It's actually fairly well known, so it's not like I should need to push TOO hard to get people to play it.
Do you remember/have you heard of Knights of the Old Republic from BioWare? Dragon Age is essentially that, but more Lord of the Rings-y than Star Wars. I mean...Knights of the Old Republic IS Star Wars, while Dragon Age is just kind of similar to LOTR.
In Dragon Age: Origins (which is the very first game), you create your own character, choosing sex (Male/Female), race (Human, Elf, or Dwarf), class (Warrior, Rogue, or Mage, although Dwarves can't be Mages), and then origin story (Human Noble, City Elf, Mage, Dalish Elf, Noble Dwarf, and Commoner Dwarf). And then you create your character and play! It's really fun, I promise!
You play through your origin story, and then all six origins come together and the game starts. Your character becomes a member of a league of warriors called Gray Wardens, who are sworn to defend the world from darkspawn and the Blight. Throughout the game, you can recruit various characters into your little army, and they can be fairly awesome. You can customize your teammates ALMOST as much as you customize your own character. You and all but two (possibly three) of your teammates can have two specializations within their class, and after you get them, you can change their stats, armor, skills, talents/spells, and everything. It's a bit to take on, but still fun.
You get:
Alistair- Human Warrior, Templar
Morrigan- Human Mage, Shapeshifter
Leliana- Human Rogue, Bard
Sten- Qunari Warrior, no specialization
Wynne- Human Mage, Spirit Healer
Oghren- Dwarf Warrior, Berserker
Zevran- Elf Rogue, Assassin
Dog- Mabari Warrior, no specialization
Shale (Downloadable Extra Character)- Golem Warrior, no specialization
But...it is lots of fun, and I am a bit too distracted to go into too much more detail, but it is a really epic game, and it's really fun, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Sword and Sorcery kinds of RPGs, like I do.
In the vein of recommending things to people, allow me to take a minute to recommend the video game series Dragon Age. It's actually fairly well known, so it's not like I should need to push TOO hard to get people to play it.
Do you remember/have you heard of Knights of the Old Republic from BioWare? Dragon Age is essentially that, but more Lord of the Rings-y than Star Wars. I mean...Knights of the Old Republic IS Star Wars, while Dragon Age is just kind of similar to LOTR.
In Dragon Age: Origins (which is the very first game), you create your own character, choosing sex (Male/Female), race (Human, Elf, or Dwarf), class (Warrior, Rogue, or Mage, although Dwarves can't be Mages), and then origin story (Human Noble, City Elf, Mage, Dalish Elf, Noble Dwarf, and Commoner Dwarf). And then you create your character and play! It's really fun, I promise!
You play through your origin story, and then all six origins come together and the game starts. Your character becomes a member of a league of warriors called Gray Wardens, who are sworn to defend the world from darkspawn and the Blight. Throughout the game, you can recruit various characters into your little army, and they can be fairly awesome. You can customize your teammates ALMOST as much as you customize your own character. You and all but two (possibly three) of your teammates can have two specializations within their class, and after you get them, you can change their stats, armor, skills, talents/spells, and everything. It's a bit to take on, but still fun.
You get:
Alistair- Human Warrior, Templar
Morrigan- Human Mage, Shapeshifter
Leliana- Human Rogue, Bard
Sten- Qunari Warrior, no specialization
Wynne- Human Mage, Spirit Healer
Oghren- Dwarf Warrior, Berserker
Zevran- Elf Rogue, Assassin
Dog- Mabari Warrior, no specialization
Shale (Downloadable Extra Character)- Golem Warrior, no specialization
But...it is lots of fun, and I am a bit too distracted to go into too much more detail, but it is a really epic game, and it's really fun, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Sword and Sorcery kinds of RPGs, like I do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)