Once again I am technically late, though even if I was on time with posting caps, would you be awake?

Well, I always work from Pacific standard time dammit. The world revolves around me dammit! WAH WAH WAH.



So surprise, surprise, I was being bad with my time again by playing Gotham City Impostors instead of working. The difference here is that it's the full release rather than the beta. Since figuring out how the game works in the beta, I've been able to experience the rare pleasure of playing a game with a decent KDR from the start. Now I begin intimidating new players with a 2.0 KDR that means nothing except I like using Ninja Smoke Bombs! Fear me!

I'm also celebrating Valentine's Day with my girlfriend on Saturday cause you know, V-Day is on Tuesday and who has time on a weekday? I mean, especially when you live 250 miles apart from your girlfriend.

We'll be spending the day at lovely Santa Monica, home of some of the cleanest looking beach water I've ever seen. There will be beach picnicking, boardwalk walking, and promenade promenading. I was planning on eating at Umami Burger, but since we're arbitrarily doing the gender image thing where males pay, we're gonna eat at a pizza place I remember passing by last time because Umami Burger has $12 burgers ala carte, which means $24 for two before sides and drinks.


Seriously!?

My sister also dropped me a message and asked me what I wanted for my birthday. Keep in mind my birthday is 5 days away from one of the biggest video game releases of March. Betcha can't guess what I asked for.

Also, my sent mailbox is steadily getting more substantial during my job hunt as I've discovered more and more interesting resources. US Government websites, Monster, Careerbuilder, craigslist, indeed, and the list goes on. It bugs me that I can't exactly find an entry-level position for something with my journalism degree though. Anything involving my degree asks for years experience a graduate would obviously have. Yay.

Also, Dtoid FNF w/The Simpsons is coming, don't worry. Most of my video work is usually only a half hour to an hour long, so I'm not used to doing longer editing work. But projects that take a long time are truly worth the effort as I see now, as I insert the subtitles to someone asking the question, "Which Simpsons character would you fuck?" where someone responds with, "Ralph," and I put a parentheses of REALLY? under it.

Here's a hint to tease you as to what we talked about.



Hopefully that'll be done tonight and uploaded tomorrow night.

* - truongasm suffers through a F2P gaming mobile platform in song!

* - A very masterful opening from Blitzy leads you into the way of the spy on TF2

* - Voltech is happy just to be competitive enough to his brother

* - Mega Man 2 is the villain and ManChild is the hero in this training montage

A - Mark Foster doesn't seem to like Skyrim but I don't understand his reasoning, though it's not structured badly

M - I liked how Karutomaru described how the computer cheats. OF COURSE IT DOES. IT ALWAYS DOES.

A - Glowbear is excited by this year's games, and by this year's games, I mean Mass Effect 3

A - lostleader is still trucking on with his New Year's resolution of beating a shit load of games. This time it's Mega Man and FF Tactics.

A - PK interviews Mike Parker, the man behind the Sonic For Hire flash series. I love that show!

A - Voltech loves living large in the mech genre. I mean, really loves it. Why aren't there more good, big, mech games?

A - Starbucks pitches us the idea of how to make Starcraft 2 work as a TV based spectator sport

A - Ok StealthMaster, DLC rant ready? Aaaaannnnddddd GO!

C - Unfair double post, because Mana's blog also has a contest about Castle Crashers in it!

C - A Mana life update post that starts off beautifully with a picture of a certain Madonna from the Super Bowl

H - Whoa, I'm actually using the 'House' tag to say yeismeload is moving

N - Twisted Metal has custom skin support. This means you can draw your kawaii animu girls on them!

R - Recession Proof Review - Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

R - Impressions on FFXIII-2 with lots of gifs. Because gifs are cool.





R - Sniper Bob hates Tritton. My headphones have been doing well enough

L - I'm not gonna fail it. Maybe this super-newbie guide really will help someone pick up a fighting game. I just find it kind of insultingly short to be helpful

V - DRAGON MOUNTS AND WATER SHADERS? IN MY SKYRIM? It's more likely than you think

F - Preggo my eggo! ~ Occam

F - What's up with people coming from Obscure Fish lately? That's also the name of my band.


~ StriderHoang


FPotD

Today I was talking about Dark Souls while watching Dark Souls while playing Dark Souls.

WE HAVE TO GO DEEPER.

I need a fourth layer of Dark Souls. So how bout this – we mix our Souls series with a few character creation cameos. I need to get an Oswald the Pardoner stand in for Raphael in my own game!

I wish I had more to talk about today, but I really haven't been playing much else. I've been messing around with Soulcalibur 5 in a pretty light hearted fashion and hitting Dark Souls like a mo-fo.

The other day I had an inkling that I wanted to get into some PvP action in Dark Souls and started working on a Dex/Int hybrid character with optimized (read: flavor of the month) armour. But I lost interest in it half way. Now she's just hanging out in Anor Londo helping people get past Fatboy Slims with enough souls in the bank to go from lv 49 to lv 70 at once.

It's a fun game to play ambiently. I tend to put my summon sign down then surf the web while I wait. Perfect for those times I'm feeling lazy but still want to play something. Plus I get to beat up on Penn and Teller which is always fun.

* - Does MisterDonut love or hate NMH? C'mon, the bugs might be annoying, but how can anyone hate a game that features a laser cod-piece?

A - Nabokovfan87 plays games to release stress. I don't know, Counter-Strike and Demon Souls sound like great ways to add stress rather than reduce it.

A - VoltySquirrel recounts a very special night involving a couple of spies, some trigger happy mercs, and a building terror that haunts him to this day. Fun times!

A - Geez, I hope the other pirates don't hunt this guy down and hang him from the Crow's Nest for being a turncoat.

A - Crackedbat would certainly see every pirates neck stretched.



D - Swishiee got to play the with the Vita, hang with Max and Tara, and get crazy drunk with a bunch of the Revision3 peeps. Jelly yet? I am.

F - Oh snap! Strider's got some FNF replays for us!

R - A DLC pack that adds a stealth mission level in a game not particularly set-up for one strikes me as worrying. But GlowBear seemed to really enjoyed DA2's Mark of the Assassin DLC.

R - Pros: This Facebook game has a cameo from Mr. Destructoid! Cons: Its still a Facebook game.

R - Timtoid likes the cut of Shank 2's gib! OK, that was lame. You know what wouldn't be lame though? A bonus skin that made Shank look like Brock Sampson. I would play the hell out of that.



L - Quick, Godzilla is attacking the games! Randombullseye gifts us with this lovely slice of eccentric pie.




-Wrenchfarm

FPotD

Did you guys know that the Destructoid Community Album Volume 2 is currently available?!? Well it is! Go get it right now. And donate what you can. Alphadeus has done something wonderful for this community and certainly deserves some generous donations. Oh yeah; the music. MY GOD, the music. It's so good you'll foam at the mouth while bobbing your head up and down, turning your head into a cocktail shaker of musical spirits.

Mmmm. Recaps.



* - GundamJehutyKai shows us his stick. And boy, is it fucking sexy!

* - In this week's episode, someone loses Trivial Pursuit 90s Edition. Also, Occams gives us a fantastic Avoid it recommendation.

* - TheManchild brings up some more problems the digital age is creating. I fear we must count on pirates to preserve history. Whatever works.

* - Masochist Monday returns.

* - I've no objection to the ideas in this blog.

* - StriderHoang could probably make an epic training montage, complete with 80s music.

P - CodpieceCast. Some delicious Podcast candy from our community. (not the real name)

M - This is Keith's first blog here. It's bad. Tell him ways he can improve this musing.

M - One Gamers Opinion thinks Skyrim is nice, but ultimately lacking.

M - Retrofraction makes me angry and confused becuase I do not understand the type of thing I am reading. LOL.

M - Play Captain of the Zanarkand any day and he'll be the best kart racist.

P - Pocketoid be recording shish. Got questions to ask?

A - Snap! the7k tells us what's good for us.

M - markcoc reminds us that it is, in fact, possible for your brother to forcefully sex your mother over a game of DOTA 2. In theory.

M - The c-bloggers are trying to help you guys out. Go listen!

A - Wrenchfarm is insulted by Soul Calibur 5.





C - KingSigy is...going away? NO. This will not stand. NO, I SAY.

T - The problems of modern gaming rear their ugly head yet again.

T - See what Dave has played this week. Besides Catherine.

T - The Astros' miffed at the lack of content in Soul Calibur 5. (6?) Maybe when he buys the DLC he'll feel better /trollfaaaaaace

T - Moblin88 would like to see mental health affect more characters in games. And put Jonathan Holmes in there to help out.

R - A pretty good review of RE: Revelations, posted, uh... elsewhere.

T - Some thoughts from Gaidenrider on portable collections that are likely to happen. (Shortblog)

T - Online Passes suck. There is no getting around this fact.

T - Downloading stuff illegally is just that. But do you think it's ok for any reason? Pay or nay?

R - StealthMaster reviews the first Sly Cooper HD game. HE'S SO SLY.

S - One of our fine Dtoid Artisans (spaztazm) is up in the blogs today with some wonderful things to stick into your earlobes.





F - This blog sucks and the thoughts behind it are from stupid people.



FPotD

I just got done watching the Super Bowl and if I'm being honest I would have to say it was a pretty boring game. With the exception of the last 5 minutes, there wasn't really am lot of excitement. That would typically be ok if the commercials were good, but I was really disappointed with a lot of the commercials as well. The only good thing about the Super Bowl this year was the halftime show featuring Madonna. Now that was probably the best halftime concert I've ever seen. It was just fantastic. Everyone at the party I was at were singing and dancing around during it. It was awesome!

Not that football season is officially over I can get back to talking about games, though I don't really have much to talk about. I beat Rayman Origins this week and have moved on to playing Gears of War 3. I'm only past the first act so far, but that was a pretty damn good 2 hours of gaming. I'm assuming it only gets better and better as the game goes on.

By the way, I have been in the process of building my new man cave / gaming room the last 2 months and it's almost complete. I should have it done in the next week or two and I plan on posting a big picture blog when it's all complete, so be on the lookout for that on the Cblogs.






*-Find out how Garnagroo game up with his new game Enclosure which won 1st place and the People's Choice Award at Global Game Jam 2012

*-VenusInFurs gives us a quick and simple understanding of El Shaddai

*-Check out Dao2-SKP's new kick ass Gaming PC ... Terror From The Deep!

*-Gunsage shares his thoughts on stealth in video games.

*-Improvement: Making a better Metroid.



A-Nintendo Nerdist tells us how he would redesign the 3DS.

A-Karutomaru lists the 10 reasons why he really thinks Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes is awesome!

A-FrizzleFry responds to Sophie Prell's article about the whole FemShep issue.

A-PK493 shares his thoughts on video game piracy after he got caught shoplifting this week.

M-Location: Take me somewhere creepy

M-Improvement: Fixing cracks in the stage of history.

P-Zero Cool Episode 46: Lawnmower Man.


E-Watch the Puppy Bowl with the entire Dtoid community.


S-Go vote for MyDandyMan's T-shirt designs at the Wendy's T-shirt Design Contest website.

I-Scott Davis sort of introduces himself to the Dtoid community ... sort of ...



$-Simon lists off this week's UK releases and bargains

R-Littlemissgamer reviews Tomb Raider: Underworld.

R-Lenigod reviews Vanquish, with a video. Don't forget to click the link.

T-Zombie Wheelchair Racing hopes that with the economy improving in 2012, publishers will take more risks with new IPs.

T-Nathsies tells us why Half Life 2 means so much to him.

T-Nabokovfan87 has played the PC demo of Darkness 2 and shares his thoughts on it.

T-ZombieNinja talks about the games and systems coming out in 2012 that he's excited about.

T-StealthMaster tells us all about Resident Evil 3.

T-Anomalous Underdog likes it when bosses roam levels, instead of being at the very end of one.



The Cblogs have no culture this weekend



R-Check out this cool virtual DJ site.



There were NO failblogs this weekend. It's a Super Bowl MIRACLE!!!



-(SilverDragon1979)

FPoTD

Things that I miss:

Cblog Interviews
MassDebate
Comments of the Week (it's been absent the last few weeks...)
Constructoid
falsenipple (and his wonderful banners)
ManWithNoName (even though I still read his Blogspot blog)

I'm sure a few of these things will make a return someday, but I still miss them nonetheless.

* - Sir Tobbii fills us in on Resident Evil for the Game Boy Color and Resident Evil 2 for the Game Boy Advance, two games that unfortunately never saw the light of day. Interesting stuff!

M - ShadeOfLight is not fond of fuzzy pickles or being SMAAAASHed all the time

A - Mega Man Fans, or Mega Fans, are apparently crazy. Actually, I happen to be a pretty big fan of Mega Man myself... not that I'm crazy or anything. Also, black Mega Man? Yes please!

A - Some thoughts on dealing with piracy





F - Friday Night Fights on the PS3

F - Friday Night Fights on the 360

E - EVA016 and some friends will be hosting a live stream for charity. You can donate to support the Child's Play Foundation!

R - Timtoid reviews a vvvvvvery great game!

R - World of Harvis reviews Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

T - If you like shooters, Brian Fitzgerald suggests you play Blacklight Retribution, a free-to-play PC game

T - EnKi Marduk's impressions of the Gotham City Imposters beta

F - Film review of Gamer. I almost saw this when I worked at a movie theater, but never got around to it. I guess I didn't miss much.







- bbain

FPotD

Hello my lovely Dtoiders! I hope you all had a good Groundhod day and didn't drive angry.

I'm sad to say that I'm going to be hanging up my recapping chaps for awhile. Like most things in life can, it reached a point where it felt like work that I wasn't looking forward to doing. Which is a real bummer and something I didn't want to admit for awhile, but I need a break. I asked to stay on as a reservist though, so your ScottyGasms will come less often, but more sporadically. It's always fun when you get an unexpected ScottyGasm.

Also maybe this'll mean I'll be more motivated to write in my own cblog, which I keep saying I will do. And how fitting that on my last regular day there's far more fails than topsauces. That sounds about right for one of my recaps. :P

I was going to use this space to vent about the hassle of doing anything through Craigslist, but instead I'm going to use my audience of fews to get more attention to a game. It's called SCHAR: Blue Shield Aliance, and it's a action/strategy twin stick shooter being developed for XBox Indie Games and PC which just got its announcement trailer. For older Dtoiders out there, our very own Shadokatregn is doing story and level work. She's an awesome lady who does good work, and the game looks pretty cool so far! I look forward to seeing more of it! :)

Now as usual, this ScottyGasm was building up to be something grand but will be cut short as I'm hella tired. Kind of reached that stage of tired where you almost feel drunk, and I'm having to check myself incase I say something I wouldn't want to otherwise.

I would like to say that I have greatly enjoyed this opportunity to be a voyeur into your written lives. I've seen some very bad blogs, a LOT of very passable but nothing more blogs, and more than enough good blogs to remind myself why the cblogs are my subsection of choice within the Destructoid community. Keep on rocking in the free world duders. <3



*- Embracing user generated content

A- Generally unhappy with industry practices
M- Pad Jim pun, and wanting some PlanetSide in your Call of Duty
M- Very angry about console games

I- Meet Firaveas, who is also in MATC!
I- Meet Absolutehell, who has a plethora of top 10 lists for your perusal!
S- Latest updates from Game Development class
S- Even 50? Don't think I could do that if I even tried

D- Learning the risks of entrepreneurship
R- NeverDead is so bad Occam's shows us a picture of a horse
T- As long as Walmart or Amazon exists pre-orders are mostly pointless
T- Games can be hard without being bad
T- Hard versus cheap discussion again, this time about single enemies
[V- First episode of PSV Injection

A- A lot of hard work and tears went into these New Vegas snowglobes

L- I laughed because it's true

F- Teatime provided everyday? Heck yes!
F- I think I'm missing something the commenters aren't
F- What? Ryu Hyabusa under Chris Redfield? Is this a slashfic?

ScottyG <3


FPotD