Bad Dreams, What The Hell Is Skyrim, and New Year Wishes To All

I've been having this weird dream for the past two months. My dream begins rather serene, as I've no recognition of time or everyday demands to hinder the journey in which I'm about to partake in. In my dream large snowflakes fall around me as I make my way to a new destination. I know it's a destination that will likely be similar to the past 15 I've already visited, yet I could care less about the familiarity for they've all been enjoyable. My subconscious mind breaks in briefly at this point to remind me we've had no snow in this part of Ohio, but the information is quickly pushed aside as large words pop up overhead to inform me that I've found the location in which I seek. I enter a lighted doorway while wondering where the heck a light would be coming from.

My mind focuses on the whistling of the wind making its way through a cold and desolate cavern, although as I travel farther along this cavern I become aware of other sounds which tell me the emptiness was only a facade hiding what lies ahead. A clicking sound draws closer, or perhaps I draw closer to it. Whatever it is varies in my dream. Sometimes it's large. Other times it's small. Sometimes I get my ass handed to me on a big platter, yet my dream will always bend so that I am the victor.

I always find something shiny by the remains of whatever it is. I like shiny. In fact, I'm usually the partner in game that goes running off to collect the gems or a new gun, often returning at the end of the battle to angry outcries from teammates of how I promised I wouldn't do it again. Perhaps it's the reason my dream begins to unravel at an alarming rate after picking up the shiny reward. It's like my subconscious mind is playing the guilt card.




Turning around to walk away from it which I've just killed, my dream twists so that I'm holding a lancer and Marcus Fenix is standing beside me. He's yelling, "Grow some balls and get back in the fight!" At this point in my dream my subconscious mind is questioning what the hell, and I'm desperately trying to rev up the chainsaw while a Lambent Berserker heads our way. There's a brief second in the dream where I'm trying to taunt the Berserker before I feel a tap on my shoulder. Suddenly I'm in full camouflage and Marcus has magically transformed into Captain Price.

"Where the hell have you been?" he inquires. I inform him I've been busy while I load up an AK 47. "Bullshit!" He yells, and I'm vaguely aware he's missing an accent. Actually, I'm pretty sure in my dream the voice is still that of Marcus Fenix, but whatever. He goes off on a rant of how others have been taking up the fight for months. I'm behind he tells me. I explain to him that I haven't figured out the numbers yet. "If you haven't figured out the damn numbers yet, son, you're never going to figure them out," he replies while fading into the same lighted doorway I originally entered, and I wonder why I'm being called son, when I'm a full grown women.

I continue arguing over numbers while Captain Price fades from my dream, when I suddenly realize I'm sitting on the floor surrounded by a pile of Calvin Klein underwear packages that need to fit on a display already filled to it's limit. There's a buzzing noise as I franticly cram the packages into the display case, while I bitch silently about how the majority of men who visit our store could care less about wearing Calvin Klein briefs, which is a shame. Or maybe not, considering some of our customers. It's at this point in which the buzzing of the alarm clock jerks me from my slumber, and I hesitantly roll out of bed to prepare for another early morning of going into work. Ahh the holidays. How I love them.


Fantasy vs. Reality

So Christmas came and went. I trust everyone had a wonderful holiday and received everything you asked for, and then some. I can honestly say that working retail during the holidays is one of the hardest jobs you'll find. It kicked my ass. Everyone should work retail during Christmas once in their lifetime. Perhaps then they'd be more understanding and look at the intended meaning of the holiday, instead of getting angry over mundane issues that are bound to happen during the season.

Games - I've barely played them. Modern Warfare 3 has been out for almost 2 months now, and if I've put the disc in for more than 20 minutes, well I can't recall. I'm told it's a good game. Now I'm at a disadvantage because I'm unfamiliar with the maps in which the majority of players know well at this point. I hope whichever group I get teamed up with knows what they're doing, as I promise to be their weakest link for a while. I was heavy into Gears of War 3 before the holiday hit. Not sure if I finished the campaign before being dragged away, but I'm one DLC late with another about to drop. It's all kind of fuzzy around that time period.

I have been enjoying a tad bit of Skyrim here an there. What can I say about the game? Amazing. I don't care if you don't like it. Go away. Although, I have developed a terrible little habit of clicking down on the analog and throwing myself into sneak mode while in the middle of a battle. It makes it difficult when facing an opponent, especially when it's a dragon. I'd like to say I'm a pro at playing the game, but often my means of victory while semiconscious from exhaustion aren't as heroic as I'd like to pretend.

My experience with Skyrim has been on an offline account, as my severe lack of free time hasn't left much room for socializing and still being able to make any progress in the game. Usually I have 30 to 45 minutes at most. Top that with my router giving me grief. There's nothing like leading your team in points and to victory, only to be thrown offline, disconnected from live, and then to return and sit while watching the game ending and your score at 0. However, I'm happy to say that for Christmas I received a new router (actually I bought it for myself) and I should be set for all the new multiplayer experiences heading our way this year. By the way, screw Cisco. After 3 routers from them I'll never buy another. My new router is a Netgear - easy to set up and open NAT from the get go.



SO many games I've yet to play, and so many coming out this year that I want. I need to finish Batman: Arkham Asylum so I can start Arkham City, which everyone seems to be raving about. Haven't finished Black Ops yet, so it seems wrong to start MW3. (Of course that's because I get caught up in multiplayer, and I can say without a doubt I'll be on MW3 within the week.) Think I started another play through of Mass Effect 2 that I need to finish off before ME3 hits in March. I'm halfway through Uncharted 2 so I'll be ready for Uncharted 3 by the time it arrives from Gamefly. Of course there's the 3DS games my son received for Christmas that I'd like to play. Guess I'll be adding more to my backlog. Damn. Almost forgot about the Vita. And then there's Skyrim. What was the question?

Speaking of new (and to wrap up this long rant) - I want to wish everyone here at Destructoid a Happy New Year! To those I've spoken with, and to those I may never, here's to another 12 months of gaming expectations, disappointments, arguments, but most important a wonderful community that allows everyone to have a voice. Oh, and perhaps we'd all better get to work on our backlog of games. If the Mayan's are correct, we're running out of time! :P