Thanks Brad for getting me riled. :)

I think I might be only half-way to my destination of a moment of clarity; as, right this second, my thoughts are more muddled and confused than John Bobbit’s were when he woke up to a bleeding crotch.

Now that Rock Band 2 (less than a year from the original release) has been announced, I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that makes me spout off trite analogies.

It makes me wonder what videogames are as a whole? What have they become? Did they, only recently, lose the fun and gain the greed? Have they always been this way and am I just too entranced by my passion for them to see past their bullshit?

It’s frustrating, not because I’m compulsive and want every game coming down the pipe, but because Devs these days make me feel so…used. So dirty and cheap. So…Jessica Alba. I’m no longer a fan, or a gamer, but an economic number.

EA really knows how to milk a franchise; just look at the 93 new sports games we have coming out this year…and next year…and the year after that. But alas, with every new year, the same people stand in line to pick up their newest addition to their Madden library. For what? New rosters that can just as easily be downloaded? A nice, neat, new cover?

EA, however, is not the only offender. Even my beloved Konami and Capcom series’ are being given away to repetition. Castlevania is becoming more of the same, with little to no innovation or expansion from the last game and MegaMan now has more randomly strewn about words in the title than a dictionary can hold (see: Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker X Saurian)(yes…that’s a real fucking game).

It seems that innovative and unique games aren’t finding the appreciation they deserve, or even once had. Recent games like; Brutal Legend (where the fuck are you?) or Boom Blox (a low seller??) are being overshadowed by recycled, casual fluff like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (yes, another one)- which is being set-up to rival the second coming of the Messiah. For some reason, I find myself looking forward to Too Human (as bad and as cookie cutter as it may be) just for the fact that they're trying to make something worth our time.



Back in the day, before the idea-well was dry, adventure games were adventurous, shooters hadn’t been done to death and overall (and dare I say it), videogames were fun.
Gaming becomes more and more accessible with every third party piece of trash released. Geek is chic now, and even Grandma is getting in on some of the action.

But as a gamer, I just feel out of place in my own world…like we are being overlooked for the new hip crowd and thought of as nothing more than moronic sheep who will BUY anything. My faith for the reclamation of what we once enjoyed so much is lost with each passing swing of Grandma’s Wii bowling arm.

I was looking through Butmac's old posts to come across this little gem. It got me misty for the old days of wonderful DOS gaming.

For me, "Shareware" (or "Abandonware") games are some of the most inventive and exciting games around. Though dated in every aspect now, these games used to be just as enthralling as games are today.

Back in school, we had all sorts of DOS games loaded on the oversized floppy disks.



Treasure Mountain, by The Learning Company, just happened to be my favorite.



Following the bloody events of the great leprechaun war, The Master of Mischief has usurped the power of Treasure Mountain from the once-triumphant Leprechaun King. Forced to the bottom of the ragged cliffs of wailing torment, the leprechauns hired a nameless mercenary to take back what was once rightfully theirs.



Armed only with a magical net and your sharp as a tack wit, you must find hidden objects and answer riddles to ascend to the peak of the mystical, Treasure Mountain to ultimately decide the fate of the Master of Mischief himself in an epic, violent showdown...



As cool as that sounds, it’s "Mildly" embellished...

Unfortunately, upon playing this game again as a 20 year old, I found it to be somewhat...less epic.

Throwing coins mindlessly at random objects such as Ice Cubes, Flags and Trees to reveal hidden mysteries of the mountain was a tedious chore (considering Nameless Joe slogs around like he is stuck in tar), and brain teasers like this:



not only tested my knowledge, but my patience, which just so happened to be growing incredibly thin.

What was it about this game that I missed? Anything? It seems as though the 6 colors and 3-bit sound kept me entertained back in the days of my youth, but now It's become nothing more than a fleeting, nostalgic memory as I once again trudge through the Leprechaun infested, Treasure Mountain!

The Learning Company went on to produce other titles in the Super Solver/Seeker series, but none seemed to be as memorable (but just as crappy) as Treasure Mountain.

Maybe it wasn't such a great experience after all...

-Jd

To put this out in the open, there are just a few things that Terrify me. Terrify meaning, leave lasting impressions of fear, with an almost crippling result.

1. Heights
2. Tall Buildings (not on top of them, just the buildings themselves...)
3. Nuclear Blasts
4. Water Tanks (big ones, not fish tanks)...
5. Enclosed Spaces
6. Being Buried Alive
7. Scientific Experiments.

2 and 4 may make no sense to anyone, but they don't have to. Water tanks, pools, oceans, etc. etc. are huge, dark, deep abyssal places that freak me out to no end. I don't know if it's because I cant swim, or because I don't know what lurks in the water.

So in pondering the few genuine fears I have, I got to thinking about any games I played, moments in them, characters etc, that have shaken me and truly terrified me. They are as follows:

Pyramid Head


Sure there's a creature that "stalks you" in almost every survival horror game; Mr. X (RE-2), Nemesis (RE-3), T-rex (DinoCrisis), Jason (Friday the 13th)...That list can go on and on. But none of them are as menacing or frightening as Pyramid Head. Imposing in height, and appearance, he is everything a nightmare is made of. Unknown origin (much like the whole town itself), giant blade (not for slicing deli-meat) and not to mention a fucking giant pyramid for a head!!! If that's not enough to give you a shocking "WTF" moment, you simply have no soul.

Personally, I enjoyed the film version of Silent Hill. It had a few of the same characters (without just throwing them in randomly), great music (some of which from the game) and a really scary atmosphere. Not to mention Pyramid Head, who is just a scary as he is in the game.



The Neptune Encounter...
As soon as I saw the flood of water from behind the sealed metal doors, in the long dank corridor...I immediately thought to myself "...fucking SHIT!"

I knew what waited behind them. And I didn’t want any part of it. But alas, I pulled them open and treaded lightly through the pool of black water, in the center of which was, OF COURSE, a fucking busted water tank.

Then you get the LOVELY FMV of whatever it is lurking in the room, honing in on you, ready for the kill.



TA-DA! I just shit my pants.

This was still very creepy in the original RE game on PSX, but in the GC version coupled with lighting effects and ambiance, I can't think of anything else to say other than, read my sentence after "TA-DA!"

Fatal Frame

I honestly don't even want to talk about this game...

I'll stay up all night again.



I haven’t played a single one since I tried my hand at this, and it's doubtful I ever will...As I am an incredibly pussy.

FUCK...THIS...GAME.


Bioshock

This game was made specifically to scare me. I swear to god, 2k got together and said, "Hey, what all can we throw into one game to petrify Josh Dunford" Thus, this fucking game was born.



Closed spaces, HUGE buildings, under water and scientific genetic experiments gone horribly wrong? Bingo.

Everything in the Medical Pavilion was horribly unnerving, but the icing on the cake was this little doozy:

Watching in horror as Dr. Steinman rips, tears and slashes his victim to make her Beautiful...and the other three attempts crucified to his ceiling. W...T...F?!?!

To me, this was the most frightening part. Just because it was so goddamn...real. Visceral. This whole game really grabbed you in and kept you there, and witnessing your first true moment of what Rapture has become...will haunt me forever.

So what do you think chaps? Anything that I missed? Feel free to comment with your own terrifying moments or characters in games and continue this chilling discussion.

Happy Hallowe-...Wait. Fuck.

-JD

Also, anybody who knows me, knows I just about creamed when I saw this...

While I was in class yesterday, I had Diz head to BestBuy to pick me up a copy of the newly released The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quaters, before they closed. Needless to say, I was excited, I've wanted to see this flick since it made its rounds in the theaters; on the other side, she wasn't. Life with a casual gamer can be difficult at times, but more on that later.

So after class, (late...like 10pm) We grabbed a 'Za from the Ceaser's down the street (Hot N' Ready, 5.00! FANTASTIC!) and popped in the disc. That's when she fell asleep. TRAVESTY...because this movie was so good.

It gets off to a slow start, going into backstory on the situation. After delving into the life of the reluctant challenger, Steve Wiebe, the real fun begins. And that fun, is the gritty and seedy underworld of professional competitive gaming. Yeah, you heard me. Seedy.

Steve is practically placed on a pedestal the whole flick. He is the only"normal" person in this movie, complete with feelings and an undeceptive demeanor. He simply just wanted to play Donkey Kong. The challenge fell into his lap and when he was finally able to receive his cape and sceptor as the new King of Kong, it was ripped away from him by Billy Mitchell yet again. COMPLETELY unfairly, I might add, which is what throws the final showdown into motion.



Steve plays his part of "Heart String Tugger" very well. The guy has been practically shit on his entire life, but he's incredibly talented at everything he wants to accomplish. That's where Donkey Kong comes into play. Everytime HE cries, you want to, because you feel such compassion for him. You REALLY want this accomplishment to happen for him, but EVERYTHING gets in his way.

And that everything, is Douchebaggery. The douchebaggery of super dick, Billy Mitchell: Hotsauce and flowing locks extraordinaire.



Let's set the record straight, I've hated this guy since I found out who he was. HOWEVER, I'm still a little leary about believing everything K.O.K. (Yeah, thats the acronym) portrayed him as. He's obviously the villain of the piece, being shown in such an arrogant and negative light, but I have a hard time believing that neither he, nor any of his other equally shifty cronies, can be that pretentious. But nontheless, there are scenes of Billy moving other products out of the way at the grocery store to make room for his, comparing himself to God and the abortion issue and ultimately, acting like a cock every chance he gets to. He has his fingers in everybody in the Competitive Gaming Circuit (gross) and that does nothing but negatively affect our Hero throughout.



Not to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but K.O.K. is seriously funny, seriously dramatic and seriously heart-felt.

99% percent from Rotten Tomatoes? Maybe not THAT high, but definately worth seeing as a hardcore and casual gamer alike. You know...if the casual gamer decides she doesn't want to f-in fall asleep in the first five minutes.

-JD

Oh and a quick little P.S. This is how that fantastic Pizza made me feel this morning.

I wrote this in a comment on Collete's Blog, but felt the need to put it in my own...

Everybody is going to have their own opinion, as cliche as that sounds. Some people really like Gamestop, Some people really hate them.

As my friend SaraAB87 said It really all depends on the manager and the store itself, what kind of experience you have.

I guess it really boils down to just simply getting over it. Dont let all of this hatred and anger for something boil up so much that you feel the need to condescend; just go somewhere else.

Personally, I think alot of casual gaming is hurting the industry, NOT Retaillers. We wouldnt have all of this hooplah about "Mass Effect" if the Casual Crowd wasn't trying to muscle their way in to our world. However, without Retailers (brick and mortar AND online) we wouldnt have the catalysts for our gaming.



But Gamestop is a business, you have to try and understand that they're in it for themselves as well as everyone else (if not more-so). Wal-mart, Best Buy, Gamestop, Blockbuster, Circuit City; they didnt get where they are today by giving away free merchandise and hugs. They sell things people want, so THEY can make money. Do you hate Kroger for selling groceries and wanting to turn a profit? Maybe you can dislike their high prices, sure, but you cant hate the foundation to which every buisness is formed around. Capitalism makes the world go round.

Sure, policies aren't fun sometimes either. Especially when they aren't pertaining to (or hindering) your specific problem. Urban Chaos is only trading in for $4 (give or take...)? Then dont trade it back. But don't trade it in then complain about it.



Embrace the fact that these are some of the only places to go for something you love. If you feel like one place rips you off, go somewhere else and get over it.

Check out this (eww...I know) Kotaku...article.

Since I received my 360 all those, two, years ago, I've found that playing the games for the sake of game-play has slowly begun to decline in popularity.

The culprits in question are the nit-picky little things on everyone’s mind as they peruse through a dungeon to find a certain magic rock (that grants no actual magic powers) or shoot 27,345 people in the face from (specifically) 83 yards away using only a handgun.

Achievements; what the hell makes them so addictive?



Personally I’ve found that gaining achievements is a self-gratifying quest. I’m the kind of person who can’t play a game (if you read last post) without getting 100% before completion. I’ve found myself playing other games on other systems, hoping I can hear the satisfying “BLOOP” when I’ve collected 50 gems or killed another Colossus. I’ve succumb to the disease, or as I like to call it; the Achiease.

So ask yourself this: are these tid-bits really necessary? What do they do exactly?

I perused the Xbox Live threads to find an answer, or pose another question. Why NOT make them do more than please ourselves and taunt our friends?



Instead of just gaining pointless points, why not be able to use the unlocked image as a gamer icon? Maybe some day, the accumulated gamer-points could be used to purchase small in game items/content. Chances are slim that these obnoxiously addictive trophies, which I just have to collect, will never do anything else but remind us of what we may never be able to accomplish in life…See: Gears of War: "Seriously…"

-JD