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What I'm Playing Right Now: Batman: Arkham Asylum

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:11:00 -0600

I finished Killzone 2 finally… That last boss area was a real bitch. I did enjoy the game, but the cont I also sent off a few games via Goozex, I decided it was time to give Batman: Arkham Asylum a try. I really have just barely begun. The following is my initial reaction.

I was surprised how visually appealing this game is. Video games based off movies or comic books have notoriously been bad. This one is really based on a specific batman movie, although perhaps they used some elements from the earlier Michael Keaton Batman movies. And perhaps I see a little of Heath Ledger’s Joker, but not nearly as creepy. I’m thinking it’s based more off the comic books, but I really haven’t read those so that is mostly a guess.

In summary I think it’s a surprisingly well made game. It seems to be long enough to suit me, unless I suddenly shoot through 50% of the game overnight somehow. One odd thing, the batarang in some ways reminds me of the glaive in Dark Sector. That game was underrated I think, but it certainly wasn’t up to the quality level of this game. I doubt they stole the idea from that, but just the only way to really enhance a thrown device really.

What I'm Playing Right Now: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:28:00 -0600

This is my most recent acquisition from Goozex. I finished Resistance 2 and inFamous so I sent them back off for others to enjoy. I just received Uncharted tonight. This is my initial first reactions of this game.

Uncharted is an action/adventure/shooter. That’s right. I’m not sure many other games have combined those elements very well, but Uncharted seems to. In many points, it’s very much a platformer, I find myself jumping around, from ledge to ledge, climb up on a wall here, shoot at a bunch of guys, find treasure, etc. It kind of reminds me of a modern Pitfall but with guns instead of a bullwhip. It even has a pretty decent story, relatively speaking. It’s not going to win an Oscar anytime soon, but I would say it’s better than most. So far after maybe 2 hours of gamplay I am thoroughly enjoying it.

I still haven’t finished Killzone 2. I won’t say it’s a bad game, quite the opposite, it is very well made. The graphics are some of the best I have seen on the PS3. The gameplay is intense and difficult in many parts. This is probably why I haven’t finished it yet. It’s so difficult I end up getting stuck in parts and the controls are just too difficult for me to stay at it. I just get too frustrated. That is a common theme in gaming, frustration, but sometimes the payoff just isn’t worth the effort. I think I’ll get around to finishing it eventually.

Update
So I finished this game already on the normal difficulty. It took 10 hours and 30 minutes. I only started it earlier this week (3 days ago to be exact) so I have to say it wasn’t very long. Sure I could play it again on hard or super hard, try to get all the trophies or I could have started it on hard to begin with. But that’s not the point, that just means more bullets to kill enemies, more enemies, less ammo laying around, more small blinky things to find. It would make it more difficult but it might take it longer to finish but it wouldn’t make the game any *longer* really, same chapters, same scenes, etc. I liked it I just guess you could say it left me wanting more, a lot more.

Got a decision to make? Get some sugar in your system: study

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:10:43 -0600

Got a decision to make? Get some sugar in your system: study:

I think I mostly find this interesting because I have never been able drink diet sodas when given the option of regular. But honestly, I don’t drink many sodas at all right now, maybe one a week. I don’t feel too bad about that.

Stargate Studios Virtual Backlot Reel 2009 (via...

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:31:23 -0600

Stargate Studios Virtual Backlot Reel 2009 (via stargatefilms)

Surprised how much green screen is in use just on TV…

What I'm Playing Right Now: inFamous

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:50:37 -0600

So I finished Resistance 2 on normal difficulty. I have to say, that game is pretty tough on that level. I considered playing through again on Hard, but I had already received inFamous from Goozex so instead I started playing that.

inFamous is a 3rd person shooter. It’s not really traditional in that all your weapons are electricity powers you gained from an “incident”. I’ve played through a good bit of it already. I wouldn’t say I’m close to finishing it yet, because I’m not sure how much is left, but I have put in a good amount of time on it already. Even though the main power of your character is his electricity weapons, he can climb walls and fall from great heights as much as spider man could. There are main missions that advance you through the game, and in between those you can do side missions that get you experience points, karma and clear out parts of the city of enemies.

After playing Killzone 2 and Resistance 2 lately, this one is a refreshing change of pace. Even though it is essentially still a shooter, it’s a different overall concept. You basically have unlimited ammo, you can refill your electricity all over. Instead of having a large variety of weapons, you have one main ‘weapon’ and a few variations on it. Some other games make different parts of missions more about using a new or special weapon, in this game it’s more about the strategy of going about something. And the karma factors in too. I don’t see that many advantages of going for bad karma, you just miss a couple of side missions. But I don’t think you can easily do both similar to the way you can in fallout 3. So I’ve been doing the good path.

I don’t have any new games after this one. I still haven’t finished Killzone 2 so I guess I’d go back to that one. Resistance 2 has robust online play, but I’ve always been pretty let down by how much I suck and how annoying the other online players are. Usually kids cussing and each other names. Who needs that? I’m thinking of sending it back to someone in Goozex while it’s still worth a little. 600pts is nothing to sneeze at.

What I'm Playing Right Now: Resistance 2

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:26:00 -0600

I recieved and stated playing Resistance 2. I loved the original and was happy to finally acquiring the game via Goozex. I would say the genre of the Resistance games is exactly like that of Killzone 2. They are basic shooters with lots of diverse weapons and pretty smart enemy AI. Both of these franchises are PlayStation exclusives. I think I like Resistance 2 better. It’s a little smoother and just has more “fun value” to me. That’s not to say Killzone 2 isn’t still a superb game.

I’ll be honest, I can see where Resistance kind of cheats using textures for objects that would be 3D objects in other game, but due to the speed and superb gameplay, I can excuse it. The only other thing that might be considered a negative of these games is that you can finish the campaigns fairly quickly. Other people can probably finish them faster than me, but in the first play through in both I think I’ll probably finish them within a couple of months each. I only play a few hours a week so that’s not a whole lot of gameplay really. I spent nearly 200 hours playing Fallout 3. But honestly, I’m happy to play a game, thoroughly enjoy it, and trade it off via goozex rather than have to be obsessed with a game like FO3. I should receive inFamous soon as well. It’s pretty different from these last two. I have played the demo and enjoyed it, so I look forward to that one as well.

Café Tacuba - Volver a Comenzar This has become one of my...

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:22:00 -0600

Café Tacuba - Volver a Comenzar

This has become one of my favorite songs. It’s from the LittleBigPlanet sound track. I can’t even understand most of the lyrics but it’s a damn good song.

By the way, LittleBigPlanet is probably one of the best games I’ve ever played as well. It’s not an ultraviolent shooter, but still quite engaging… I don’t even have kids, but I love this family friendly game.

Hitler Weighs in on the OBrien/Leno Controversy

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:28:00 -0600

Hitler Weighs in on the OBrien/Leno Controversy

I’m with CoCo

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:05:00 -0600

I’m with CoCo

Gee CNN, what is a tablet? Are you sure you know what one is?

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 07:54:59 -0600

Gee CNN, what is a tablet? Are you sure you know what one is?

What I'm Playing Right Now: Killzone 2

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:41:00 -0600

I know this game has been reviewed a number of times, but my opinion may still have value, right? Well perhaps not, but here it is anyway.

I got the Killzone 2 demo pretty soon after they offered it. I liked it, but I was not able to aim and get kills as easily as other shooters. I figured it probably just had a learning curve. I liked the graphics and style and it seemed an all around well polished game, just the controls seemed to make it difficult for me. Because of this, I decided to delay purchase of said game until the price dropped. Perhaps at the lower price point, it would be easier to swallow if I never got adjusted to the game.

I finally received the full game from Goozex a couple of days ago. I’m enjoying it, but it’s really fast paced and I feel like it’s driving my blood pressure up! I think I have gotten over the awkward controls a bit. I’m still not a great shot, but I think I’ve gotten better. The game reminds me a lot of Resistance. Not the story so much, just the game type. There are a lot of weapons lying around, and not a whole lot of details how to use them. I assume it could be in the manual, but who reads those? :) I’m on Salamun Bridge, I would guess I’m 1/3 - 1/2 way through the game. I’m playing it on medium. This is not one of those epic games you spend months playing, if you are really good you could probably play through in a few hours… perhaps a day. Of course I’m sure it should get harder towards the end, but I’m pretty sure my guess is right. Do I play it on hard? I did this with resistance, but I didn’t find myself enjoying it as much and never really finished it again. I’ll probably finish it and then send it off on goozex (send it back from whence it came) and start playing Resistance 2 or hopefully I’ll have inFamous by then.

Windows 7 BSOD.. This can’t be good. Is it really a ...

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:25:05 -0600

Windows 7 BSOD.. This can’t be good. Is it really a hardware failure? I don’t know, safe mode works ok. - Powered by Pikchur.com

Testing pikchur - Powered by Pikchur.com

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:23:00 -0600

Testing pikchur - Powered by Pikchur.com

Personalization Gallery - Windows 7 themes, wallpapers, and gadgets - Microsoft Windows

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:23:00 -0600

Personalization Gallery - Windows 7 themes, wallpapers, and gadgets - Microsoft Windows:

Free Windows 7 Themes… Most are corporate sponsored so YMMV.. but most are very nice.

Import Drupal Comments into Disqus | danielmclaren.net

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:06:00 -0600

Import Drupal Comments into Disqus | danielmclaren.net:

I was using the info gained by Daniel here to try to import my old comments, but I get the same error message. I think the XML is formatted correctly, so I really do think it’s a Disqus import problem.

Why I Am Now On Tumblr

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:15:00 -0600

The colo server I have been using has been down for a little over a week. it’s a long story, but there isn’t much I can do about it. I am trying out google sites (since I already use it for my domain) and tumblr. Both support free hosting for a domain, so we’ll see what happens.