I'm curious about the place where you're most comfortable, at least gaming/entertainment wise, ya know. Why? Well, it's been on my mind for awhile, after my dad pointed out that it was a little odd that I don't spend much time in a common room or family room, whatever you prefer to call it. I love getting out with friends but since I graduated from college, I spend a lot of time at my desk. It's a big L shaped desk that really has everything important to me, and NO I'm not talking about my site womp womp.

Yeah, as many have pointed out I've been too focused on my site, and really haven't said much else to the community. Part of it's the fact that I started more than one blog at once, which was dumb to begin with. It's hard to focus on more than one at once. Still, it's no excuse. I have enjoyed reading blogs for OSGA21 and jbcrazy305, and commenting with Occam, the Phils, and others. Shortly after I started I forgot to include myself in this, which I meant to all along.


This is my old dog Woody, and our crazy bird Romeo...

My dog died recently, we had to put him down, and even though that may be of less impact to some, it's hit me more than I thought it would. The economy sucks, we all know that. So exiting school I wasn't going to fool myself and "try and make it on my own" that whole gig. I came home to my parents to find out if I could see this risky endeavor of mine through, and with no friends left living in my home town, I'm without distraction. I guess it hasn't been as good a thing as I thought it would be...I've had friends asking me if I'm ok, and I just tell them I'm busy. I'm not ok, I miss Woody, our collie, very much, and even though he was old, I guess I just expected him to last a little longer. He was my best friend where I'm living now, and he's gone. I still hear him sometimes too. I've been wanting to tell anyone this since we lost him, and I haven't...When I lost my sister I had a lot of people around me; but that's something for another time. This times been pretty different...

Anywho, the whole things had me thinking about what my dad said, that I'm never in front of a Tv really, not even for gaming. I'm most comfortable with a lot of what I do at my desk. It's been that way for a good 4-ish years. This spot isn't just work, but play as well. I run my ps3 and 360 through a splitter that is fed into my monitor. I've got a decently powerful custom pc that a friend helped me build (yeah, that's windows 8 in the pics, and I love it). I could fall asleep many night in my big comfy chair. It's likely this spot here, with all it's work, and gaming, and leisure has kept me from losing my mind these last couple of weeks; these weeks that have felt so long. It made me recollect how all of our "comfort zones", these places where we can be so secluded yet feel so safe, are so different from one another. Some are on couches or recliners in front of a massive Tv. Others have their own room. I used to game with someone I'd still like to call a good friend, on Armored Core V, I think he said he was on a 13" Tv haha. We've each got "our spot", where's yours? Mines my two monitors, in an unfinished basement, in my big comfy managers chair that I could pass out in.


Ps3 squeezed between the monitors, a powerful switch for wired connections, very old Boston speakers from like 92 or something...


Yup, that's SG-1, no idea why but I love and miss their adventures.

I think I'm going to make myself take a day off tomorrow. Play some Spartan Ops. Sorry I've seemed so stiff, it's because I have been haha. I think posting this, whether anyone reads it or not, likes it or not, cares or doesnt, this has been pretty relieving. I promise I'll be a more involved member of the community. Focus realigned.

In my first post that broke down issues with current review scoring systems, I wrapped up with the creation of a new scoring system that I've implemented in my reviews. In the blog that follows, I elaborate on it's purpose and workings a little further. As always, if you have questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to get in touch with me however you please.

Fullicide Exponential Curve Score (F.E.C.S.)

Scoring a review is no simple thing to just start doing. Before I started writing reviews I wanted to figure out which scoring method would be best to use, after sitting down and analyzing current scoring methods, I felt the need to create something new.

The New Scale:

0 -Untouchable
1 -The Worst
2 -Horrible
3 -Playable
4 -OK
5 -Good
6 -Great
7 - Excellent
8 - Fantastic
9 -Profound
10 -A Work of Art
11 -The Best
12 -A Masterpiece

Many users of sites that publish reviews have become dissatisfied with scoring systems. They don’t have a prayer of giving proper differentiation between games and the scores they deserve. Anything considered “good” only seems to land between 7 – 9 (70 to 100%), leaving 7 points for anything worse, anything people tend to not want. FECS reverses that. Giving the bottom 3 point section to poor entertainment, and the rest of the scale for items that are good, allowing them to spread out and show differences between one another through their score.

Furthermore my scores will have a range, from one number to another.


FECS scores have ranges because scores are supposed to represent how a user base will receive that game, movie, or Tv show. One score simply isn’t enough. Video games I review will have at most a 2 point range. Movies and Tv shows will have, at most, a 3 point deviation. However, these are subject to change because systems like these will always need some fine tuning.



Sound off in the comments with what you think about the system, check out how it fairs in my DmC review that was posted yesterday (two blogs ago), and lemme know if the explanation needs some fine tuning.

-SD

For those of you who may be knew to this blog or a Fullicide review, welcome! This review uses a unique score system that can be read about here. I will also be posting another article tomorrow that will elaborate further on the purpose of the scoring method. As always, if you have comments, questions, or concerns feel free to say anything!



The Brothers Demon has returned. After almost five years of being away, one of Capcom’s most loved series gets a reboot, but was it for the better or worse? When the reboot was announced and Dante’s new look was revealed, all of it having the air of a prequel about it, it was much to the dismay of the series’ fans. The Devil May Cry universe is one steeped in detailed lore after all, so if one wanted to know the origin of the hero, Dante, they could easily read about it.

It was clear that this younger, black haired, Dante was not the kid from the chronicles of the series. If his looks weren’t enough to convince you otherwise, even his signature weapons had a makeover as well. So the question became if Ninja Theory’s DmC was going to be a fresh reboot of the series, a change in the universe that is Devil May Cry? Or would it be an attempt to make a prequel that rested outside the lore? Much like 343, the team who has taken the reigns of the Halo franchise, Ninja Theory has a very heavy task set in front of them; by their hands the series could be driven into the ground.


[Dante returns, maybe not in looks but definitely in character.]

Fortunately for fans of the universe, and for any new comers who pick up the game, they will be pleased to find that this franchise was placed in the right hands. DmC is, in fact, a variation of Devil May Cry’s lore that uses recognizable faces and fiction to set the stage for a new series. Many of the changes that some were highly concerned about were actually not maintained, and Ninja Theory demonstrates that they understood what made the games so loved to begin with.

The opening of the game is a literal head nod to the Dante of old. With references to the names of his weapons, a mishap with a wig, women, drinking, pizza, and an unmistakable attitude, our old protagonist has been reborn again. He is quickly introduced to another member of the leading cast, Kat, and the game has no hesitation throwing the player right into the fray.


[Welcome to Limbo...that, or you just took acid...]

You’re immediately stalked by a beast known as a Hunter on what was a busy, bustling, entertainment pier; that all changes when you’re dragged into Limbo though. Limbo is Ninja Theory’s interpretation of the spaces that used to become the battlefield in the older games. For those who don’t know, in the older games, you would enter a space and the exits would be sealed off via red demonic walls. Instead of this, the devs created a world in between that of the humans and demons, where those that can see demons, like Dante and Kat, can interact and even combat the entities of darkness. Limbo tears into the human world, making it look very chaotic and similar to that of a world in which demons inhabit. It’s beautifully done, with all of the shifting and manipulation of what’s left of the human side of things meshing with the ghoulish elements. Unfortunately all battles are fought in Limbo though, and while the battle grounds are fantastic, the player does get to control Dante in the realm of the humans, and it would have been nice to have seen how he handled things there. Either way, Limbo is the center piece to the ensemble DmC brings together.

Kat, an unfamiliar name to the franchise, is a sort of wicken of the future. She’s a very welcome addition no matter how you break her down. She’s attractive, but clearly jaded, possessing power and knowledge that will likely cause the player to gain respect for her as opposed to ogling over her. Much like Dante’s attitude shift in the game, it’s easy to change your perspective of the female protagonist. The player might feel an initial sense of unease with Kat that will fluidly shift to wanting to protect her; it all flows pretty well with an unexpected strength in the story.


The mysterious Kat is here to help guide you through Limbo.

Most of the cues for the story of DmC are taken from Devil May Cry 3, arguably the best game of the former series; that the reader may take as they see it. Mundus, the God of the Demonic Realm is the primary antagonist, and does a fashionable and even admirable role of being the corrupt business man possessed by a demon. It’s clichéd, old, and going into the game I did not like the central idea of the antagonist. Shockingly, I enjoyed his role and the ideas that come together to make him a threat.

With the outright inclusion of Virgil in this game the whole story has an unmistakable tension about it. How Ninja Theory interprets his role and whether or not he plays a more devious or sinister role was a question that persisted with me as I played through the whole game, wondering if he would be a true brother, or would yet again be my enemy. For every scene in which Dante and Virgil shared the screen together, there was a suspense that could only be described as stabbing. The real thrill that Virgil represented for me was having another opportunity to jointly be in combat with him, or even just witness him in combat. Unfortunately, similar to the let down of the combat system, I can’t really say that you ever really watch Virgil in combat, he’s just kind of there.


[Seriously, you don’t want to be standing there.]

The combat for DmC is fairly similar to any former game in the franchise’s name, which is to be expected. It’s fairly fast paced, with uses multiple guns outside of just Ebony and Ivory. Players will also obtain angel and demon weapons which can be immediately swapped to by pressing the left or right triggers. Each allows for a different set of combos, and varied forms of damage. Demonic weapons deal very heavy single target damage, and angel weapons working best in crowd control, both allow a flow of combos between all weapons in your arsenal. Each style also offers Dante other significant abilities that help him to manipulate the environment or even his enemies. The one detriment that I noted was the lack of variety that the combat system offered in upgrades.

Dante’s got his old arsenal of moves back, and it’s likely that some will really enjoy this. If you’re like me though, you’ll find yourself scratching your head at what to spend your upgrade points on half way through the game. Sure, all of the moves are cool but not all of them have real, in game purposes. Some are just kind of there, hard to execute, and generally won’t make a difference against harder opponents. It’s nice to see that many of the son of Sparda’s moves were maintained, but I really wish Ninja Theory would have branched out a bit more, giving him some new flavor in battle.


[Be the white haired hero once more.]

This reboot for DmC by Ninja Theory was done very well, but it is also very safe. The team was clearly very familiar with the strongest points of the series past, and stuck with a similar formula. They made concepts like limbo, and the story of DmC their own, but it would have been nice to see some of that same flavor in combat upgrades and letting Virgil out of his cage. The story is very gripping, and the characters that move through it will seize your attention, but, it’s a short story. If you don’t intend to pickup every collectible in your path the game is roughly ten hours long. The soundtrack, as always, is very true to the style of Devil May Cry, and even though it does not give me issue, I know it causes some players displeasure. Still, even with some varied dislikes wearing on this game and the franchise overall, the game was clearly left in the right hands, and Ninja Theory sets the stage for something much larger to continue.

I give DmC:

On a softer side of things, here's an intro to the webcomic side of things at Fullicide. I'll also be posting my DmC review on Friday, with it's FECS score, and another version of explanation on how the system works. Next week, the revised version of the previous article will be posted. Hope you guys enjoy...

So, as I mentioned in An Introduction to Fullicide (the introductory article to my website), the site was initially about webcomics. The comics center around gaming, movies, Tv shows, the community surrounding them, and social satire. While the site and the idea of Fullicide have evolved into something much more, with the ideas of critical reviews, articles, and a different method of scoring, the comic will still play a central role.


This is the cast of Fullicide's comics.

The cast is consistent of five main characters that each brings their own unique personality to the group’s ventures, all in order to entertain the reader. There will not be an overarching plot for the comic so anyone can feel like they can easily access it at any time. The characters will share intrinsic connections to one another that will be flushed out in short story arcs that will be featured every now and again.


The first comic that I ever made.

The characters can act as a cast of varying roles for other pieces that will have considerable length to them (more than a few pages at a time), that will be posted all at once. These special features will cover odd and interesting plot themes, like an alien invasion or a visit to a western theme. In these special features, some of the cast could even die, but once the piece is finished the comic will return to its normal routine with no alterations to its standard way of operating.


The second comic I created. Not as widely enjoyed as the first but still a good laugh to some...

Haha, all of that may have sounded a little complicated but once the site launches I’ll hope to make it clear with an example of a “Special Feature” comic. There will be 18 comics, including the special feature at launch. In the extras section there will also be Bio sections for each character that will tell a little bit about them...



Bios for the characters are meant to be pretty humorous and not exactly grounded. They'll each feature highlights from comics the character has been in. There will also be "A Lil' About this Comic" included below each comic update, in case some readers want a little extra info on the comic, or some readers might want some clarification on a topic they might not understand. There is a lot more to all of this to be honest but this seems like a good introduction. Comics will update on Tuesdays and Thursdays. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns don't be afraid to ask!

-SD

There are points of contention in this article that are in fact being revised to make the content more salient to readers. These changes will be posted soon. Please note that my intent to contact activision via customer support is not some form of adolescent rage. As many entertainment journalists reach out to the industry seeking answers this is one of many avenues being attempted. If you feel this is an error on my part then it will be removed from the article. Thank you for all of your insightful opinions. It is good to have such great feed back. I posted this article knowing it would likely create a heated debate, but my error was not further reviewing the article to explain these thoughts further before posting. My appologies.

So, there is some concern from my former blog that I’m not a real person, but I would like to assure you that that is not true. I do have multiple blogs because I would like to interact with as much of the community as much as possible. If I am to earn any of your attention then I would prefer it be through a respectable means though and not just some viral plugging. As some of you may have seen I am interacting on your blogs and intend to join in on discussions on the forums. I am here for real and here to stay! To prove so, here is an exclusive article, to you, the Destructoid community. It was just typed fresh the other day and has been shared with no one else except my sister. The article will only be featured on my website (when it launches), and here:

Black Ops 2 Probation

For some this may still come as a shock, or maybe more know about the issue than I can imagine. All the same, one night past, I was playing with a group of friends when a particular message appeared on my screen after leaving a CoD: Black Ops 2 match. The team we were facing were simply grabbing us by our limbs and waving our bodies around like rag dolls. This isn’t an uncommon occurrence though. As anyone who has played the Call of Duty series online knows, the match making system has degraded pretty far, with matches seeming to be thrown together simply because a match needs players. While it’s a little more complicated than that, the match making system of Black Ops 2 that most players seem to tolerate is atrocious by today’s standards.

The system throws players onto teams that are likely already losing the match or even into a game where the team members appear to not be trying. I, like many, consider this a valid reason to leave, quit, or tactically retreat from the game. Whatever you want to call it, it’s one of a plethora of reasons to back out on matches. Other reasons for backing out of a GAME include, but are not limited to, a friend invites you to play with them, your pet or children need your attention, you have to go to work, you’ve burst into flames and may die. No matter how you look at it, there are a number of reasonable explanations for backing out of a match, even if the match making system wasn’t a hot mess. Apparently the team at Treyarch feels otherwise about leaving.



That night in January, two of us were playing on split screen with the other two connecting from across the state. By most accounts, the match we had entered into was terrible, with bombs dropping on our spawn locations and the team’s deaths more than doubling the number of kills. There was no purpose to staying in that arena, and leaving could allow the lobby to merge with one that would have given the opposing team a challenge. Upon leaving however, I was signed out, and on signing back in I received the message featured on the right taken with my phone.

The message told me I was in probation. While In probation I could not participate in public matches. The time was very short but from what I understand the duration can increase and last for some time. Whether the period of the probation is short or long, it does not matter. As a gamer, for a game that is far from perfect, there is no reason to apply such a penalty. Moreover, it’s a GAME. It’s supposed to be fun and relaxing, and applying such penalties is certainly the wrong direction to be going.

As I do not have the ties and connections in the industry as sites like Destructoid, IGN, and Kotaku have, it will be far more difficult to seek answers on this issue. While I prep the site for launch I will continue to reach out to Activision customer support and update this article accordingly. Are we, as gamers going to be comfortable with our games, which we play for leisure, placing such rules on how we play? Let me know your thoughts about the issue in the comments or via PM!

-SD

"It’s time for something different from our entertainment journalism. It all deserves so much more."

A bold statement, but it’s one I’ve felt for a very long time. I love this community of entertainment connoisseurs and the network of information it has to offer us through its opinions, analytics, videos, images, and much more. Whether you prefer Microsoft, Nintendo, or Sony, or if your preferences are the action genre of the psychological thrillers, we are all connected through what entertains us. Whether you’re a member of IGN, Gamespot, 1UP, The Escapist, Blip, Youtube, IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Penny Arcade, Meta Critic and the thousands and likely millions of other sites that cover our beloved hobbies, deep down we should all be happy to share such enjoyment. Sadly for all of the happiness the industry brings us, something seems to have been lost along the way.

The Problem

Our world wide web is growing and expanding at an incredible pace, especially the social side. Unfortunately for all we may know about each other because of sites like Twitter and Facebook, we still lack knowledge about those that critique our movies, games, and Tv shows that we love. Sure, you know some of the names like Greg, Colin, and a couple of the other faces on IGN (or the site of your preference); you may even have a personal connection with a writer on another site. Outside of those few names, however, the majority of readers do not know who is writing the pieces that analyze their favorite works. While there are those who have grown to know a number of writers on sites they frequent, they are a slim minority that took time to find their roots with their preferred critics.

A More Transparent Writer, Editor, and Reviewer

I suggest that it should be much simpler to know the individual that is giving scores on our preferred entertainment journalism websites. We have no idea of their average standard of scoring, and their preferences in the kinds of entertainment they consume. With such information, though some readers may not agree with the score or some of the criticisms made, such transparency could make given scores more widely accepted.

Fullicide is another website that will attempt to put its name in with the ranks of other entertainment journalism websites, but, it’s far from anything ordinary. The first significant difference I’d like to present is the FE Profile, which is displayed below in an image, just as it will look on my website.



An FE profile (FE standing for Fullicide based on the site’s logo), is for any who will professionally work for the website. The profile presents some brief background information on the member of the Fullicide team, what kinds of entertainment they prefer and write about, pictures of the individual, and a bell curve graph that represents their scoring tendencies. The profile will also contain links to articles that help to flush out more details about the FE team member and their works; sometimes even an interview between a senior team lead and the newbie. While I am the only person working on the site at the moment, I hope to expand almost immediately and bring a couple more members on to exponentially increase content generation.

The New Scoring Method

The other big difference that I would like to offer the industry and its many consumers is a new scoring system, which I believe is considerably more advanced than the average system. I've done a piece that reviews the majority of current scoring systems, which can be read in my blog that comes before this one. To sum up what the review of scoring systems concludes: review scores are necessary, the base ten method is a problem, and there should not be a single score for a reviewed item.

The Fullicide Exponential Curve Score (FECS) is my answer to the relevant issues I have identified about current rating methods. Here are some examples of how the system is implemented:



FECS implements an exponential curve to eliminate narrow scoring. If you feel like I do then on a ten point scale, anything good only falls within the 7 to 10 point margin. That leaves 0 to 6 for everything that is bad or worse, which seems more than a little backwards. We should spread out the scores of items that are good or better, mitigating the few scores to items that are of poor quality.

Writing a review that covers what a number of users may or may not like and then arriving at a single score never really made sense to me as well. So, instead of a single numeral score, there is a deviation of one to two points for games and one to three points for Tv shows and movies. Again, you can read more about the Fullicide scoring method in my blog, Fullicide Scoring System "A Review of Scoring Systems".

Entertainment with Entertainment Journalism

Fullicide was initially supposed to be a webcomic and a webcomic only. Even though the web comic will remain a central idea of the website, it has obviously leaned in a different direction. The comic will have a cast of unique characters and will follow no central premise, that way it can remain enjoyable for anyone to pick up at anytime. You’ll be able to read more about the comic at launch.

Upgrades That Work

Once the website launches you’ll notice in the right hand column a box that indicates Site 2.0 plans. These are upgrades that have priority in being implemented, yet they will not be rushed into the sites mechanics. Changes, like the “Wrap Up” upgrade to the closing score (featured below), will be added when they fit just right.



That is why there are no comment boxes, videos, or forums on Fullicide as of yet. The site has a simplistic structure for anyone to access without confusion, and it should remain that way. Upgrades will constantly be applied to the website, but if you visit frequently there will be none that are hard to follow and adapt with.

Much More

I know this was a lot of information all at once. If you have any questions, thoughts, or comments I will happily respond, but do bear in mind that these are only the opening details. There is much more to Fullicide, in fact there’s a whole websites worth of material, ha.

When the site launches its backlog of content will contain 18 comics that satire movies, games, Tv shows, the community, and social situations. There will also be 7 articles and 34 reviews all written on content from the last year and a half. I hope you will come to enjoy the site and I will share much more as I lead up to the launch.