BAH.

I’m back again with what the hell is happening in my life of gaming. Or lack of. I don’t wanna talk about it, so let’s just stay stuff happened and I’m out a PS3 at the moment.

I still got my DS though (SCORE BITCHES), which brings me to my first little topic;


BLUE 42!!! BLUE 42!!!! TONY ROMO SUCKS!!!! SET, HUT!!!

The League – Tokyo Drift

You know about The League, right? That new comedy on FX about a group of guys who take Fantasy Football way to seriously and it ends up spilling into their daily lives, or what remains of them?

Yeah, I really like that show.

About 3 episodes in, a friend of mine showed up at school with a DSi, an R4, and a patched version of the Japanese version of Pokémon; Heart Gold. Pretty excellent stuff, I got to see a little bit of the beginning, and I’ll tell you, it looks really nice. Really fucking nice. You don’t know how close I am to getting a Mewtwo into a PokeCenter right now.

Anyways, another friend of mine has started making teams for HG/SS, and he wanted help from me, because face it; I’m the only Pokémon badass in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. Prove me wrong. Anyways, we got on to talking about nicknames and shit, and then, this weird idea popped into my head;

FANTASY POKEMON

I know, it sounds sort of like an oxymoron, right? Really though, this could be some cool stuff. We gather a list of about 50 or so Pokémon, just randomly choosing from the 493 that are out there. We do some crazy stunt to decide who gets draft pick priority, and we go to town. 6 Pokémon each, off and train for about a month or so, come back, battle it out. 6v6, No Rules, Anything Goes. Whoever wins is the “Pokémon Mastah” until the next draft starts.

I don’t know how we’re doing on the list of Pokémon (damn Klempky, you haven’t given me the list yet!), but once I get it, we are so on this shit. I’m also thinking I might make this Destructoid wide once HG/SS drops in everywhere-else-that-isn’t-Japan; it’d be crazy to go all 493 Pokes, and watch what someone can do with an EV trained Ditto.



Modern Warfare 2

It’s all about the guns now. Talk and gossip about IW’s latest masterpiece has taken some of my high school classmates by storm. Mostly, it’s all about the multiplayer, but I’m glad to hear that many liked the single player a lot, as well as some talk about the co-op mode, Spec Ops. This was totally different from when Halo 3 dropped; back then, it was all about ludicrous frags and crazy acrobatics, 12 year olds talking about how awesome the Spartan Laser is, and hammers. Now even a single mention of the amazing fun that is and forever shall be, Griffball.

Now, while I don’t see Modern Warfare 2 getting anything like Griffball (except on the PC scene, maybe), I like the varied talk that is being handed down. First, we had the whole “No Russian” talk, and while the guys I hang out around are pretty brutal, most agreed that the controversial level was kind of hard to swallow. Then we went to multiplayer, then we got on whether Gaz was Roach (which he can’t be, because Gaz got totally wasted, right?), then on to some Spec Ops, then onto the crazy perks, then onto how badass but somewhat unfulfilling the ending of the game was, and finally we settled on crazy multiplayer stories and how impossible it is to get a 32 killstreak.

Ok, maybe it was a little multiplayer based, but at least they played the Campaign this time around.

NOT Modern Warfare 2



When we’re not talking about MW2, or nukes, I try to highlight some of the other titles out right now. One that’s been gaining some talk is Assassin’s Creed 2, which a lot of people say it completely fixed the problems in AC1. While I’m subject to be biased in the other direction, I have not played the game yet, so I’ll be doubtful a little.

Another little wonder that comes up every now and then is L4D2. I really expected more talk outta this one, simply because you can be a fat black guy killing zombies with a “ninja sword”. Really guys, put down the FAMAS, grab 3 friends, and show people why pirates suck at killing zombies.

The PSPGo got a little love. A buddy showed me Assassin’s Creed PSP, and it looked really beautiful, and ran really nicely. I don’t know how many frames it was pushing, but whatever the count was, it was smooth and constant. Then there were the general “Oh, That’s Nice”, from the clock, to the fact that it slides, to OMG SACKBOY ON THE GO SO KAWAII (I swear those Band kids…), so yeah, people stopped fapping on the iPod Touch for awhile and gave Sony some sex. But only for a day.

And well, that’s it. That’s all I got for you, nothing much happening. A lot of people jumping back on to Starcraft, New Moon doesn’t suck (allegedly), 2012 does (fact), and Borderlands is totally Diablo with guns. A lot of guns; like 6.02 x 10^23 guns. Or so I hear.

And what the hell is Slenderman?

You now have a training map.

It's got bots, and the bots have options.

It's got ramps.

It's got launch pads so you can practice your air shots.

The map is a long hallway, so you can practice your headshots.

It's got Scouts, so you can practice your Batting.

Pretty much if you're new to TF2, or just need some extra practice without wanting to go online and get your ass severely kicked (you know who you are), just try this nifty little map out. Hell, Valve supports it.

Been gone for awhile. Likely to be gone for some more. So to let you people know what I'm still alive, I'm posting this up.

The reasons behind my (like you fucking care, really) absence are family issues. Big ones. So big, I don't know when I'll be back, really.

But, like I said, I'm still alive. Just, stuck in the dark ages.

Scribblenauts and Pokemon have kept me sane so far. Let's hope they can keep the steady dose of whatever the hell it is it's giving me.

Anyways, I'm here. Just, not here.

Later.

P.S.: Go read And Another Thing..., by Eion Colfer. It's Hitchhikers Guid To The Galaxy based, and it's simply brilliant.

God, this flu shit is the worst.

Anyways, I've gotten that urge to tell you guys about shit none of yall could care about. Don't worry, I'll try to keep it as concise and to the point as I can. I'm not that good at it though, If I GT English essay's say anything about it. I'm so glad I'm working to be a programmer.



Speaking of programming, I've recently been introduced to Alice. It's a basic, Java based programming....program, and it's actually pretty cool. Instead of typing in all of this complicated code to get a character to walk around in a circle, you just click and drag the actions you want, such as "Bunny move 3 meters as seen by Tree), to make the bunny walk around the tree. Of course, you can get much more complicated with it, with loops and number variable statements and object properties, but basically, it's drag and drop. I like it that my highschool it allowing us to use this, because hell, it's not BASIC. I hear BASIC is horrible.



I told you about my promise to start finishing games right? Well, it's coming along slowly. School/Scribblenauts really put a hamper in previous projects, but I've started a new file in Pokemon Emerald. I have finished the game before, but I cheated heavily because I needed Rayquaza. Like, a lot of Rayquaza.

Don't ask.

Pokemon Emerald is going to be a nice finish, because it's portable, and when the teachers let me loose, I can whip out the old Triforce DSLite and attempt to catch them all. By the way, I'm not actually going to attempt that, shit was crazy enough with Pokemon Diamond. I still haven't seen 180+ Pokemon, and that game is internet enabled.

At least it's not Digimon. 800+. FFFFFFFFFFFFU-



Speaking back on programming, I wanna start using Source in my spare time. At first, I just wanna use character models and stuff to make (crappy) Machinima and stuff. I don't wanna get into heavy Mods (lol, Heavy), but I'd like to at least use FacePoser. And the Hammer Editor. I'll step up into the heavy shit once I get Java into my belt of useful tools.

So yeah, any Ideas, words of advice, or encouragement would be nice. Or you could send my a copy of Garry's Mod. That be excellent.



So, I've got my potential Purchases schedule down to the wire. These are based on estimates on how much money I can scrounge up doing weird shit around the house, since that's pretty much the only way I'm going to make money at the moment. I definitely need a real job (that doesn't include being a secretary*) AND I WILL TAKE ANY I CAN FIND COUGHCOUGHNIEROCOUGHCOUGHWHEEZE.

Those last few coughs where real. I have to sanitize my keyboard as soon as I'm finished.

Any-who, here's the breakdown.

Borderlands (Hopefully October/November. It depends on cash flow)
Brutal Legend (Christmas, Definite/Maybe Thanksgiving. Depends on cash flow for latter)
Modern Warfare 2 (Christmas, Definite)
Windowsill (As soon as fucking possible)
Garry's Mod (When Opportunity Opens Up)
Uncharted 2: Honor Among Thieves (Christmas, Not Determined if Definite Yet)
King Of Fighters XII (As soon as Opportunity Opens Up)

And that's it for this year. I plan on dropping cash on 3 more games before next year. Hopefully, by next year, a job opportunity will open up and the Spring Rush will be a bit less RAGE.



Which brings me to my last topic for this sick day. Epic Mickey, if it's even real, looks to be something I'd definitely get my hands on, and it's totally because of the style of the game.

I don't like to sound like a sheep, but Post Apoc is the shit for me. I like the look of everything looking so useful yet broken, and yet, whether it was 3 months of 300 years ago, people wouldn't have thought twice about it's worth in their lives. I know, I know, Post Apoc is brown, and I'm a strong believer in using the color spectrum, even if it'll blind you (see: Mirror's Edge), but I can get past the color of the stuff if the stuff itself looks interesting.

Which is why the Steam-Post Apoc-Punk style of Epic Mickey (if it's called that, and if it exists) has me greatly excited. The once happy world of the Disney Universe manages to take a turn for the worst, yet still maintain the happy look of the Disney Universe. It's like one of those homicidal clowns you see in movies or Twisted Metal, only make a whole universe out of it, and make it steampunk.

Yeah, that's awesome. To me, at least.

Well, that's everything I think I have to say. I think.

Super Street Fighter 4 better be 30 bucks or less, BlazBlue: Continumm Shift should be DLC or 20 bucks or less (what am I saying? I'll pay a full $60 if V13/V11 is nerf'd), Lucidity looks awesome, but I hope there's a demo for the PC version, and I need to get in the APB beta, because APB looks boss.

Yeah, now I'm finished.

*= I'll work as a secretary for Destructoid...or if Tim Schafer is somehow reading this, Double Fine, or any company you can refer me to. I make awesome phone calls.

On the European PSN Now, you can get a free Dynamic theme for Wipeout HD.

It's pretty sweet, but no sound makes it kinda weird.

Also, the english version of the Katamari Forever demo is up on the North American PSN. It's badass.

I'll hide this tonight, so until then, enjoy these completely unrelated music videos. If you want, tell me which one is better. I'll take a vote or something.

I have a small confession to make.

This will come as a shock to most, if not all, of the hardcore gamers out there, and I have shamed myself accordingly. In fact, I’m still waiting for the eternal wrath of Cthulhu to be brought down upon myself. Actually, you have to send in some paperwork, including a resume. Really, the process is complicated, so I’ll just skip it and get to the confession;

I have only truly completed less than 10 games in my 10 years of gaming.



Yes, I know, blasphemy and what not, “how can I call myself a gamer”, “have Neiro ban this sick individual,” (please don’t, I love Destructoid), but first, allow me to clarify what I have just said with some background information.

I have played a whole two ton truck load of games, and, as I mentioned in my previous blog, while I might not still have the 70+ game collection for my ex-Gamecube and on-his-deathbed Playstation 2, I did spend time with each and every one of them.

I just never completed them.



Honestly, I can’t tell you why I have the inability to complete most of the games I buy. I know it’s not time constraints, even with an advanced class, I still find time to burn/snipe/bonk people in Team Fortress 2, or get my ass kicked in BlazBlue. Hell, I’m starting to get over the fact that I lost all my game saves from when I had to get my PS3 exchanged, and I’m planning to go through Burnout Paradise to get my Burnout License again.

I’m also sure it’s not having an abnormal amount of games to play either. Like I mentioned earlier, I have a very small game collection, if you can even call it that. I’ve given all the games in my possession, as of right now, at least 4-8 hours of my time, the prize champion being Pokémon Diamond, earning a whopping 400+ hours. I haven’t touched Diamond in 5 months.

Go figure.

I know it’s not the enjoyment factor. I greatly enjoyed the time I had with Fallout 3, but I haven’t even picked up the box since May, and I bought the game in January. I remember having a blast killing all the people in Megaton with the Fatman, but lately, I have no urge to do that, or anything like it, even though I know I’ll have fun doing it.

And damnit, I still enjoy gaming. I (80% of the time, at least) enjoy the games I buy. I still buy games old and new. I just never complete them.



What seems to be the “problem” is that I’ll reach a point in playing a game where I’ll just stop and forget said game existed in my meager collection. Hell, I have to remind myself I bought a copy of Psychonauts from Steam. It’s as if something subliminal in my subconscious makes my mind reset itself, and once it’s finished rebooting, it already has a new game it wants to play, with no plan to go back and finish the old game what so ever, for no certain reason.

To speak truthfully, I’m fucking tired of that happening.



So yeah, I know I’m making a lot of changes in my gaming lifestyle (a lot being 2). I understand I’m 9 months late to New Year’s Resolutions and what not, and more importantly, I have only a few months till the Spring ’10 Game Rush, but damnit, I want to be a better gamer. I want to be able to, one day, post my collection of games, my collection at that moment being over 80 games. I want to be able to sit down and talk about gaming more fluently. Hell, I want to make games for a career, and I believe that it’s these subtle changes that are going to help me accomplish those goals.

So I’m going to complete the games I buy, starting now. I’ve got a list, and I think I can finish it by the time Modern Warfare 2 drops, so I’ll be ready for that. I’ll keep my priorities straight, promising to give the unfinished games more time than the new ones (I can always play Scribblenauts at school). I’m going to complete all the games that come into my possession , unless said game is like Resistance 2, in which case I’ll try to get all the Achievements/Trophy’s I can before my eyes bleed.

Play me off, Hall & Oats.