This is not my beautiful CBlog! :O

Oh right, I have a cblog.

It's weird how hard it can be to actually write stuff out. Especially if you're someone like me, who as anybody that knows me can attest doesn't really know when to shut up. I don't know... seems like when I actually write something down and look at it, it just looks dumb so I don't post it. Ah well, let's see if I post this.



So it's my birthday today - now yesterday I suppose - and I'm now 31. Woo! Didn't do much aside from work, reply to Facebook messages, and of course getting a Dairy Queen ice cream cake for myself. The one last year had Pikachu on it... only because the one with Ariel on it was way too big for me. This year though... Dr. Mario. :D



I did check what my XBox Rewards birthday gift would be: 20 MS Points, literally $0.25 worth. Typically when you see something like "approximate retail value" you think of something that they don't otherwise sell, so they just give it a low value. I assumed it would be a silly avatar reward or something, so I guess I'm a little disappointed, but it's a free thing for doing nothing more than signing up for the rewards program so I really can't complain. Well, I can complain, but that's like finding a quarter on the ground and complaining it wasn't a $5 bill. To be honest, and this might be indicative of a bigger problem I have, the worst thing about the MyAchievements discount is now I'll always have a few extra points left over. Even if it's points that would have otherwise been spent, with that 2% discount I'll always have those few extra points on my balance. And that may just drive me insane.

Speaking of complaining, I'm really bummed over the kerfuffle surrounding Bayonetta 2. Sure I'm bummed that it's a Wii U exclusive, as I don't plan on buying a Wii U (or any new console for that matter) for awhile, but worst case is I have to either wait, or rent/borrow a system to play the the game. That certainly isn't worth the rage some people seem to have, but I guess that's the way people are with everything these days. Not just video games, but everything has to be either the best thing ever, or an atrocity. Seems like there's no inbetween anymore, people can't be genuinely "meh" about stuff. I loved Bayonetta, and hope this game does well, but I won't be picking it up anytime soon.

It's not that I'm not interested in the Wii U. It looks pretty intriguing and I've been paying attention to it in the news, but... I don't know. I'm not convinced yet. Didn't help that I feel burned by the Wii, and am trying to keep any similar excitement in check. I'm actually not that excited about any new or upcoming hardware. I'm entrenched enough in my 360 and XBox Live. It's where most of my friends are and it's really the only way I ever get to play games with any friends. Unless they all switch over, or Durango turns out to be a steaming pile of crap, it'll be tough to pull away from that. At least Steam isn't going anywhere. Hopefully Durango will be at least backwards compatible with XBLA/XBIG stuff.



Plus there's the issue I have with just having too much stuff. I like having things and definitely have some prized posessions, but I for the most part don't like having much actual... stuff. Shelves full of trinkets, bins full of movies, books and games, those things for the most part don't interest me anymore. Well... they do when I see them, but I know they'll just sit there collecting dust and that bothers me. There was plenty of cool stuff to be had at PAX, and even then what little stuff I got... I don't care for and will likely try to give to friends. I used to collect a lot of things, but it just wound up stressing me out and I got rid of almost all of it.



I was going to talk about Dragon Age 2, but I already expressed my disappointment in my recaps last weekend so instead I'll talk about Alpha Protocol which I beat a few months ago. Rather proud of that, as fuck anybody who dismissed that game based on... actually, why did that game get such a bad wrap? I mean, whenever I'd mention I was playing it people would say "I'm so sorry", like I had a terminal disease. Maybe it's my shotty memory, but I remember the game being described as kind of busted but still intriguing, which is more than can be said for some AAA titles. Not sure where I heard it, but I knew going into it that I needed to focus primarily on stealth and pistols (chain shot kind of breaks the game) and I had very little frustrations. The story was actually pretty cool with lots of twists, but what did it for me was the dialogue. The fact that it happened real time, giving you very little time to decide how to respond rather than letting you sit at the choices forever, and how what you said could have a large impact of what people thought of you (in a game where that seemed to really matter) made for a very thrilling experience. I tried to go through without spoilers and always living with my decisions, for better or for worse, and I have to say it was nice to just enjoy a game without trying to min/max it.