• 22Mar 13

  That lucky giraffe...

  As I said before, I wasn't impressed with the RE6 demo, so I waited for one of the sales and finally picked up the game for a mere $19.99. I enjoyed reading GeekyDad's take on the game, and hoped I'd find something to enjoy about it at that price. Sadly, no such luck. I've posted my review, not that anyone ever reads it, or will care six months later, but there it is... The short version: a disappointment. I'm pretending it doesn't exist. The updates Capcom has made to the game make it pretty clear they recognize it's a broken mess. I mean, an option to have the game push buttons for you!? And completely change the camera to make it halfway serviceable... and unlock Ada's campaign and Mercenaries right from the menu? Apparently they recognize the game isn't worth playing through to get to the supposedly "good" stuff. I thought Mercenaries might benefit from the increased focus on melee action, but the maps are so uninspired I end up running in circles looking for enemies to keep a combo going and just watching the clock run down. No high scores for me...

  Here's hoping Revelations is more fun and more like past entries in the series when it becomes available for PS3. I have high hopes from reading the 3DS reviews and HD previews...

  Anyway, I hope everyone is well out there in gaming land, and oh yeah, try Runner 2!!! I'm off to draw dinosaurs with my 3 year old, who thinks "Pachycephalosaurus" is the funniest word ever...

  • Posted Mar 22, 2013 8:14 am GMT
  • Category: Rant
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• 3Sep 12

  Dork Band Blitz!

  So there's my most recent blog, about the PSN outage of last April... so, yeah, maybe I should put something new in there... How about a review of the game I've been drooling over that's finally been released? Sure... so I have my review of Rock Band Blitz up now. I'm pretty happy with it, but a little disappointed that it relies so heavily on being connected to a network of social media for most of its admittedly gimmicky features. Makes me hesitant to use most of those features for fear that when they are no longer supported I may miss them. Also, I mostly just want to chill and tap to some music...

  I've been having a hard time enjoying video games lately. Tried to play MGS4, and while I'm impressed with the visuals and really want to see the story, I have zero patience for the actual gameplay. The screen is littered with so much information about items and controls that I get a headache before I can clear the second objective. I can't even get excited about Resident Evil 6. Who isn't excited about RE6!? I get overwhelmed just watching the early footage of button prompts and QTE's and... it's looking like Youtube playthrough marathons are in my gaming future. And chilling and tapping to some music...

  Peace out...

  • Posted Sep 3, 2012 11:59 pm GMT
  • Category: General
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• 30Apr 11

  Headline Reads: Hapless Dork Embroiled in Current Events

  This Dork's timing is impeccable, as always. I managed to get myself involved in the week's biggest international news story. (That's me, on the left behind the guy in the big red hat with the gigantic eyebrows ) No, unfortunately not the Royal Wedding...

  Since I've been looking at the PS3 back catalog and drooling, I decided to get myself an original model used PSP just to try out some of the Sony exclusives like Little Big Planet... also, I can't resist a portable version of Xenophobe (on Midway Arcade Treasures Extended Play - $9.99 on PSN) It seemed like a logical and inexpensive first step, especially since I learned that PSOne Classics can be downloaded to more than one portable device (NGP!?) AND are playable on PS3... RE2, R Type Delta, while standing in line at the post office? Yes, please!

  I've been really impressed with the Playstation Store, at least as it appears on the PSP. Purchases are registered to an overall user account, and "activated" on new pieces of hardware as necessary. Prices are in US dollars, not Distracto$oft Points. It's always bothered me that 100 Microsoft Points cost $1.25, so an 800 point game is actually $10.00. It's a blatant strategy to make games appear less expensive than they actually are, and to keep us disconnected from how much we are spending. On PSN, when I made a $5.99 purchase with .03 cents left in my virtual wallet, I was charged exactly $5.96. It was awesome! And then...

  At first I thought something was wrong with my PSP; it is an older machine, after all. But when I went online to check the error code, I stumbled upon a much larger story aboutthe external intrusion that prompted Sony to temporarily shut down the whole PSN, a shutdown now in its 10th day. It's been interesting following the updates here on Gamespot, even when they amount to little more than "boo! haha gotcha" and especially the fanboy wars that ensue. 500 comments after each update! Anyways, I've been through the stages of grieving as outlined in the Dork handbook, and thought now might be a good time to share...

  1) Denial: It'll be back up soon. It'll be back up soon. Sony's just overreacting to a minor thing, and it'll be back up soon.

  2) Anger: Serves 'em right, those greedy corporate bastages. Teach you to mess with the H4X0R5 (it'll be back up soon, right?)

  3) Pleading: Please please please bring it back soon...

  4) Panic: What? My credit card info!?

  5) Acceptance (more in a moment)

  Okay, that was kind of fun, putting the PSN outage into Psychology 101, but take a look at the comments after any of the updates on this story and tell me a little grief counseling for the gaming community isn't a good idea...

  I'm holding steady at Step 5 for now. As excited as I am by the forward compatibility of my PSN purchases, and by the flexibility of the store as compared to the Live Marketplace, I know it's not a perfect system. Nobody in the world has been able to play Bionic Commando ReArmed 2 on PS3, since you have to be logged in even to play a single-player game at home. As the outage continues, I'm hopeful that Sony is actually making significant repairs to the system. Also, I'm happy to see the FBI and Homeland Security getting involved, even though I think it's part of a "Shock and Awe" show to discourage hackers from future attacks on other, more vital networks. Having once lost a laptop to viruses, I like any news that suggests malicious hackers will have less room to hide in anonymity. I write this even as I admit that hacking is also a major driving force for advancing online security, technology in general, and gaming technology in particular. A few years ago, I was positively giddy watching video of Super Mario World running on a hacked PSP... Ultimately, though, I think it's good that Sony is taking steps to protect its customers and keep its products from being used in ways that were not intended. It (hopefully, at least) lets them fully support all the services that are officially offered for those products, instead of trying to keep up with all kinds of patchwork-messy additions. It's why, even at $599, a PS3 is still cheaper than a full-featured PC.

  Now, what I really want to know is... is it back up yet?

  • Posted Apr 30, 2011 8:41 am GMT
  • Category: Games
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