Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

The shit has hit the fan

It was only a matter of time before Zevon made it into on of my posts.  Sorry for missing a Monday again, family stuff involving children and hospitals.

So, last week, this was published.  In it, Stephen King makes many valid, middle of the road points that, unfortunately, are going to end up being completely ignored by the extremes of both sides of the gun control argument.  I understand if you don't want to pay to read the essay (although all proceeds go to charity, and yes, I honestly believe they do.  One advantage for having grown up with King as a hometown hero, I know exactly what he's done for philanthropy.).  You'd be missing out on some well thought out opinions from an average guy though.  In lieu of that though, here are some probably not as well thought out opinions from another average guy.

I have no issue with people owning rifles.  Hunting is very much a way of life here, and the only reason I myself don't hunt is simply because I don't have the stomach for it.  On that note, you don't need a fucking semi-automatic killing machine with a 20 round magazine to hunt.  If it takes you more then a handful of bullets to bring down whatever it is you're hunting, you're either doing it wrong, or you should really not be hunting something that big.  Related note: Hunting for sport is bullshit.  If you have no intention of eating it, or at the very least donating the meat, don't hunt.

I have some issues with people owning handguns.  I find them to be fascinating, but I question their usefulness.  Protection is the only reason I can come up with for owning one, although I suppose if you were a professional marksman you would need one.  But, if you take the proper precautions to keep the handgun safely stored, it's going to be very difficult to get it in case of an emergency where you might need it.  Or at least very time consuming.  Even then, do you really need more then 10 bullets in the magazine?  Should only take one to kill someone, 2 if you're a bad shot, and if you need more then that, you really shouldn't have a gun anyways.  "But Dave," you say, "what if there are more then 5 assailants?"  Well, then you're already fucked then, aren't you?  More bullets are not going to help.  You are not John McClane.

As far as armed guards in schools, well, where's the harm?  Would give parents peace of mind.  Budgeting for them will be tricky though, especially in school's that are already struggling with maintaining a budget.  Schools in Maine are going to have a very difficult time with this one, especially since our governor is trying to push more and more of the budget onto towns, thereby raising taxes and causing all kinds of other issues.  Doesn't detract from it being a good idea, just means it's a little tricky to implement.

And yes, I'm aware there is far more to this debate then what I've presented here, but again, I'm just trying to point out a moderate point of view.  The middle is an awful place to be politically, but alas, some of us just don't fit into an easily defined place.


Friday, January 25, 2013

With a taste of a poison paradise

Today, I finally started playing Path of Exile.  This is the Diablo clone I've been waiting for, without even realizing I had been waiting for it.  I've been content with my Sacred, my Titan's Quest, and my Din's Curse.  I was even moderately pleased with Diablo 3, although I see no reason to play it anymore.  Torchlight just doesn't do it for me, something about it just isn't complex enough for my tastes.  But, I'm not here to discuss PoE, but instead something that my short time with the game today reminded me about.

Online game communities are cesspools.  PoE is an online game, much like Diablo 3, and like Diablo 3 the first thing I did was turn off the chat.  Over the course of half an hour, I saw things written that were just despicable, and I'm not talking about the kid that kept saying fag this or fag that.  (For the record, that is despicable, however easily reported.  They have a "Hate Speech" designation and everything.)  It was a constant barrage of "STFU retard", "l2p hur hur hur","go kill yourself" and "I thought there'd be more tits in this game."

This is why the "Real World" doesn't accept us.  Why should they?  Log into game like League Of Legends, World of Warcraft, or god forbid you wander into an FPS game lobby, and you're inundated with hate speech, sexism and immaturity.  You can't act like that in the outside world without consequences, but that makes it okay to act like that in games?

If I hear "Deal with it, it's the internet" one more fucking time, I'm going to scream.  Take some responsibility.  Take ownership.  Say something to the person who offended you.  Don't settle for the community being that way because "Dur, internet anonymity".  It's up to each and every one of us somewhat "mature" gamers to make a stand, otherwise this will never end.  Even some companies are doing this, although it feels like too little, too late on that end.

I will not walk away from my hobby because of the bad apples.  I will however continue to be ashamed of my hobby because of it.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

But your lovin' don't pay my bills

THQ is no more.  It has gone the way of Acclaim, SSI, and the Dodo.  Yesterday, their assets (primarily IP's and studios) were sold off to the highest bidders.  THQ has provided some of my favorite franchises over the years, and although I question some of their missteps (Games for Windows Live AND Steam required to play Dawn of War 2?), it's still too bad when a company that has been publishing games as long as they have shuts down.  As a fan of the industry, I just thought I'd offer my take on the new owners and my hopes and fears for various franchises.

SEGA:  I am an old school SEGA fanboy.  Their acquisition of Relic was a brilliant move, and will help cement their hold on RTS gaming outside of anything with Craft in the title.  SEGA's Total War series is huge, and with the buzz about them working on a Warhammer Fantasy game, it makes perfect sense for them to acquire the company that has put out some of the best Warhammer 40k titles in the last decade.  I'm indifferent to Company of Heroes.  I understand it's a solid game, I'm just not into WW2 games.

Ubisoft:  I do not like Ubisoft.  Between their draconian DRM setups, their half-assed console ports to the PC, and their desire to over monetize games with excessive amounts of DLC, their acquisition of the South Park game has moved it from my "OMG MUST HAVE!" list to my "Meh, if I find it cheap for the console." list.

Deep Silver:  I know less about this company then I care to admit, but I am aware that they are a major Euro distributor, and overall they seem to nurture smaller studios whenever they can.  Their acquisition of Volition has me hopeful for the future of both the Saint's Row and Red Faction franchises, and I'm sure Metro will be treated with all the due respect it deserves coming from them.  But then, I could be misinformed.  It does happen.

The only bit of news that hasn't been confirmed as of this writing is the future of the WWE license.  THQ has been putting out WWE titles for the better part of 20 years.  Although no longer a fan of WWE, I would be remiss as a gamer to ignore that it is still a reasonable successful brand, and the annual game is usually a good seller.  I am disappointed that Vigil wasn't acquired by anyone, as Darksiders is a genuinely fun game, and my understanding was that it was a reasonably successful franchise.

Bet you thought all I did was rant.


Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Can't talk to a psycho like a normal human being

I wonder if my passion for 90's alternative is obvious yet?

I don't actually have much to say today.  No complaints.  At least, none for the public.  I've been doing this thing lately where I'm trying to cut down on the negativity involved in my life.  Removing people from friend's lists, limiting the amount of time I spend with negative people, that sort of thing.  I think it's working.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm normally a cantankerous, sardonic bastard.  It's pretty much my default setting.  But I'm not stressed about anything.

See, that's actually the major downside to this information age we're in.  Too much info.  Remember when people kept shit to themselves?  Now, with Facebook especially, other people's drama is pushed right into your face, and you can't escape it.  All I want to do is reach out and slap people sometimes. 

It's your own fault your boyfriend is an ex-con and a tool, and I won't be sympathetic.  Oh?  Some people called you a bad mom, so now you're going to blow up the interwebs with huge amounts of profanity to prove you're a good mom, all the while proving just how right they are?  Not that anyone can understand what you're saying.  Spelling and punctuation, it helps make you sound less stupid.  Wait, your life sucks and didn't turn out the way you planned, so you're going to blame everyone but yourself, meanwhile spend all your time escaping to fantasy worlds, and then have the nerve to get pissed when I don't want to join you in your misery?  Oh, and to those who keep posting misinformation: DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU SEE ON THE FUCKING INTERNET!!!!

Put the pitchforks down.  I've been guilty of some of this myself.  I'm not proud of it, and I try to keep it from happening, but ultimately, I'm an illogical, passion driven guy.  I rarely think before speaking, but at least I admit to it, and I like to think I admit it when I've made a mistake.  Oh, and if you recognized yourself in that little tirade, well, tough shit.  Maybe this is the hint that you needed to start keeping your drama to yourself.  Or, go start your own blog, so I can have the freedom to ignore it.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Someone has to kill the babysitter

Went with a movie quote today, from a movie that just isn't given enough credit for some of the darker things it has to say about our celebrity driven culture.  And yes, I know, I'm a day late, but yesterday was a holiday, and I just wasn't feeling it.  Besides, I write these from work, ironically the only place I have time to focus on this.  As it was a holiday, no work, ergo no motivation, and thus, no post.

Geek culture has been buzzing about a topic for about a week now, and I was hesitant to throw my $.02 in, but hey, why not?  After all, if I can't spout off like an expert about something on my own blog, where else am I going to do it?  Well, probably on Facebook, but the outcomes there are:

1)I piss people off.
2)My mother posts a comment completely unrelated and embarassing that then prevents anyone else from commenting in a meaningful way.
3)No one has any idea what I'm saying anyways.

Ultimately, if they come here to read it, it's already an expectation of dealing with my opinion, and if anyone gets offended, they're more then welcome to not come back.  Or comment in a meaningful way to start a dialogue.  I'm good with either.

So, King of the Nerds.  I wanted to hate this.  I despise reality television.  Although I find Big Bang Theory amusing, I can't quite shake the feeling that most of the jokes involve us laughing at them, rather then with them.  "Geek Chique" (among other equally ridiculous terms) is a hot commodity that the media enjoys catering to, even if most of the mainstream just doesn't get it.  If I'm being completely honest, I take pride in being a bit of an outcast, and mainstreaming my hobbies and interests makes me feel less special, and worse, makes it harder to tell myself apart from, well, less intelligent people.  It is a complete ego thing, but there are worse motivators I suppose.  Perception really is everything in society, and being perceived a certain way is far more important to most people then they are willing to admit.

The show started off iffy.  Oh look, they're establishing dominance. (Why are people surprised that there's a nerd/geek pecking order?)  Let's make fun of the douche bag hacker for being caught.  Let's gang up on the lesser nerd and not let her play any of our reindeer games. 

Then Booger got emotional.  I really wasn't expecting that.  Then the girl who was being ostracized won.  For being ostracized.  Well damn.  Then they played chess to decide who got kicked off.  Actual chess.  Yes, the pieces were ridiculously over-sized, yes there was eye-candy props moving and destroying pieces, but it was still a legitimate game of chess.  I was annoyed that we, the viewers weren't given a better view of the game itself so we could analyze the game (Don't look at me like that, you sports nuts do the same damn thing with your football and baseball.) , but that's kind of a minor quibble.

So yeah, I think I'll DVR this.  Who knows, it could be the piece of crap reality show I thought it was going to be.  But if it sticks to the somewhat reverential tone that it's giving geek culture, I might be able to continue overlooking it's flaws.


Friday, January 18, 2013

Johnny wants to think of a joke

All praise to Bowie, lord of all things musical.  No, I'm actually not joking.  Deal with it.

So, this happened yesterday, and it's only a matter of time before groups like the ESA start condemning it as censorship.  Here's the thing though, as a parent, and a gamer, I don't understand why the software companies and retailers have an issue with it.  It's not like they're trying to prevent them from publishing mature content.  This isn't the Hays Code.  They just want every game to have an ESRB rating for parents to reference.

There's the legal aspect that some game pundits refer to.  "You shouldn't make it illegal for a minor to buy an M rated game."  Bullshit.  If my 11 year old son isn't allowed to buy Playboy, but can buy God of War, that's bullshit.  And God of War is worse, because not only is there nudity and sex, there's also extreme violence.  "But most companies already do this on a voluntary basis."  So fucking what?  Most is not all.  If you force a parent to provide ID to buy a game for their kid, maybe, just maybe, they'll stop and think "why are they asking?".  Is it going to stop kids from getting inappropriate games?  Fuck no!  Do you have any idea how many ignorant parents are out there?  Ones who don't care what their kids play, or can't be bothered to say no once in a while? 

I actually got a couple of kids in trouble with their dad while I was browsing games in a Wal-mart.  I was looking at games, and he asked me the difference between God of War 3 and the God of War collection, because his boys wanted a new God of War game and he wasn't sure which one to get.  I asked how old his kids were.  "9 and 11."  Completely confused, I asked "You DO know there's nudity and sex in those games, right?"  Completely shocked, he's like "No."  "Yeah, that's why they're rated M."  "Well, I know two boys who are in trouble then."  Thing is, I don't blame the boys, I blame him.  Just like television and movies, parents need to be aware of what their kids play.  But be honest with them about why you're saying no.  My son is completely OK with the restriction I have in place on what he can and cannot play, primarily because he knows why I say no or yes. 

So I say, bring on the restrictions.  Penalize retailers who sell M rated games to juveniles.  It's the first necessary step to educating parents on what their children are doing, because frankly, far too many have no fucking clue what their kids are up to.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

They got caught in a celluloid jam

My wife and I are cinema lovers.  Might sound a bit pretentious I suppose, but it's a term I prefer.  I use cinema, as opposed to movie, simply because we enjoy movies as art.  By that, I mean we tend to go on in great length about all aspects of a movie that we enjoy.  It's almost never as simple as "Wow, that was a great movie.  So funny."  Usually it's something more akin to "I really like the way the story progression worked, although the editing was off at times."  Yeah, we're THOSE people. 

I follow directors, as opposed to actors, although I do have actors that I'm fond of.  But I'm not a blind fanboi when it comes to the directors I follow either.  Kevin Smith for example.  I love his body of work, and, for the most part anyways, his writing and directing really speak to me.  However Vulgar is a godawful movie that should never have been released, and he does have a tendency to be a bit too juvenile with his humor.  But then he released Red State, which just proved me wrong and is seriously one of the best indie movies I've seen in the last few years.  Wouldn't know it was one of his though, unless you paid attention.

Now, I'm hard pressed to list favorite movies.  I have many, and you'd have to specify a genre in order for me to start naming movies, and do be prepared for an earful on why I consider it my favorite.  There are some genres I prefer, and honestly, some I avoid.  Dramas, especially historical ones, just don't do it for me.  Take Lincoln.  I'm probably not going to see it, nor do I have any real desire to see it.  Yes, I've heard that it is great.  No surprise really, considering who was involved, although Spielberg is very much hit or miss with me.  But I know the story.  I've read the history books.  I've actually read biographies.  I see no reason to go see someone's visual interpretation of history.  I've got nothing against factual stories mind you, and if it's a historical film based on something that I may not know much about, like say, The King's Speech, I will probably get around to watching it.  Full disclosure though, I'm an Anglophile, so I probably would have seen The King's Speech even if it wasn't based on history.

The Fifth Element, in case you were wondering, would probably be my number one movie, if forced into deciding.  Luc Besson is a highly under-appreciated director here in the US, and this movie should have been so much more then the cult movie it has become.  The special effects still hold up, without any Lucas-style "re-workings", the story is classic cinema, the characters are all easily recognized archetypes, and there's just a brilliant balance between poignancy, action, and comedy, and I could literally gush for hours about this movie.

Theoretically, I might actually stop blogging about myself and who I am, but I doubt it.  There's a certain freedom that this little endeavour is giving me that I'm quite enjoying, and since it's an opt-in sort of thing, I don't feel like I'm cluttering peoples views with shit they don't care about, like Facebook.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

When will I know that I really can't go

I'm finding it something of a fun game to find a song or movie that relates to my post, then grab a quote from it that may, or may not, be related to the topic at hand.  But, I am easily amused, and nothing sustains my ego quite like playing mind games with people.

This one might come off a bit ranty, but that is more or less my usual state of being.  I'm an optimist at heart, but I do love to bitch for the sake of bitching sometimes.  But, considering this blog is mostly for my own personal entertainment, I suppose that gives me license to do this from time to time.  Maybe if I develop a loyal readership I'll make things less personal, but I doubt it.  I'm not trying to sustain ad revenue or make people happy.

Some background should help I think.  I'm from Maine.  Right near the Bangor area actually, which means most people have actually heard of the area, because of our most famous resident, Stephen King.  This actually has a bit of an effect on my world view as a whole.  Minorities, for instance, are truly a minority here.  The most culture clash we have here is from the predominately liberal southern part of the state (dominated by transplants, or people who aren't originally from Maine) and the fairly conservative northern part of the state.  Go far enough north, and it's like you're in a whole different, French speaking part of the world.  And all of those TV shows and movies that take place in Maine?  Yeah, they're filmed in the Pacific Northwest, looks quite a bit different then the real thing.

I bring up the location for one reason.  It's snowing here today.  And that means the roads are awful.  Add in that the local company that's supposed to take care of roads in my town is completely incompetent, and I really don't like to go driving in it. And yet, I did, because the university that I worked for decided that it didn't want to cancel evening classes.  So, here I am.  The worst part of driving in this weather is not the roads actually.  I consider myself a very capable driver, and can manage quite fine on bad roads.  It's the other fucking morons who have no clue how to drive in this weather.  Tractor trailer truck flying by on one side on the interstate, while the minivan in front of you slams on its brakes BEFORE pulling off to the exit, so you have to hit your brakes and pray you don't go into a spin.

So, here I sit, at work, fuming about the fact that I had to drive in on bad roads, and have to drive home, in the dark, on bad roads.  So, you'll forgive me if I couldn't come up with a better topic today.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Bite my lip and close my eyes

So, today, I "beat" a game for the first time in a long while.  Saints Row the Third.  By beat, I mean finished the main plot all the way to it's conclusion.  I don't feel the need to go through and obsessively dominate the game by beating every little side challenge, nor do I feel the need to pick up any of the DLC.  That probably has a lot to do with the fact that I have no real desire to play the game co-op, which is apparently where they expect the true longevity of the title to exist.  Took me little less then 20 hours, start to finish, with a couple of mini-game stops.  The game is useful, for the purposes of blogging, as an example of things in the gaming industry that I both enjoy, and dislike.

I'm glad I didn't pay full price for the game.  $60 for less then 20 hours of enjoyment is not what I would consider to be a value.  It's one of the reasons I almost never pay full price for a game.  I dislike DLC as a whole.  I view it as a cash-grab on top of an already over-priced game, and if you have the balls to release "day one" DLC, then you better have a damn good reason why it wasn't included in the game at launch for free.  But, looking over the list of DLC, I'm seeing nothing that I "need" to complete my experience.  Fluff, basically.  Some new costumes and game modes for multiplayer, and as I don't do multiplayer, no need for me to spend the money.  I might be tempted to pick it up, to support the developer, but as THQ is in bankruptcy proceedings and probably won't exist as an entity within the next year, there really doesn't seem to be a point.

Now, I've given some thought as to why this game managed to catch my attention the way it did.  I honestly think it's because it's basically a cartoonish parody of GTA.  I detest the GTA series, this is not news to most.  The last one I played was San Andreas, and I just couldn't get into a game that glorified the gang life to that degree, and that tried to give some lame-ass "he's just trying to do the right thing" story while the game mechanics supported doing the wrong thing the whole time.  Turning hardened criminals into a romantic ideal is not something I think children should be exposed to, and let's face it, there are a lot of idiot parents who pay no attention to what their kids are playing.  But SR3 unashamedly mocks the "gang life" by molding a brilliant caricature that both explains why the player is doing what they do, and making it clear that it should never be taken seriously.  Still not kid friendly though.  I got a genuine kick out of discovering that Terry Hogan voiced one character, and there's a cameo by a celebrity that was so awesome and ridiculous, and yet so perfectly done that it blew my mind.  I won't ruin it for anyone though.

I tend to lose interest in games before I finish them.  The reasons vary, but, for one reason or another, I get bored.  FFXIII?  Gorgeous game.  Stale story, uninteresting characters, bland mechanics.  Mass Effect?  Hard to quantify that one.  Combination of only trying the PC version, which is badly ported, and having something come up and distract me every time I get about 4 hours into it, which then means that I then dread redoing that 4 hours when I finally find time to retry it.  The list goes on.  Randomly generated content and MMOs are pretty much the only thing that can hold my attention for more then 5-10 hours, so I consider it quite the accomplishment that I finished this game, although I may step into it again from time to time to snag achievements.

Monday, January 14, 2013

We can't rewind we've gone too far

So, not too sure about taking the weekend off from blogging.  But, this is a malleable beast, so we'll see. 

Thought I'd touch on another one of my obsessions today.  Music.  I consider myself a bit of a music fanatic.  At one point, I was convinced I wanted to be a radio DJ, to the point where I had actually been accepted to school for it.  Then the corporation takeover of radio happened, shutting down hundreds of smaller radio stations and turning them into corporate shills that save money by not having live DJs on the air anymore, computerizing almost every aspect of the station.  In my area, there is only one FM station that didn't feel the effect of this, and that was because one philanthropist stepped in to save his favorite radio station before it came to that.  You may have heard of him, he's kind of a big deal.

My obsession with music has waned quite a bit these last few years.  Some might write it off to nostalgia, that I'm reaching an age where I crave the music of my youth.  They wouldn't be wrong, but it's not the whole picture.  You see, my biggest issue is, currently, popular music is shit.  Interchangeable auto-tuned tarts re-iterating the same music over and over while wearing as little as possible to seem risque.  Niki Minaj, Ke$ha, and I'm sure there are more, I just can't be bothered to remember their names.  There are some exceptions, but not as many as you might think. 

Modern alternative is suffering from a similar issue.  Take Green Day for instance.  They had a couple of decent albums in the early to mid 90's, then they put out a few crappy ones and just kinda dropped off the radar.  Then they came up with a concept album.  A return to the glory days of punk music, questioning The Man and telling him off.  American Idiot was an amazing punk album, the best since London Calling by the Clash.  Sadly, it was completely wasted on the masses.  Now it seems like they're just dialing it in, putting out pseudo-folk punk music that is absolute shit, but sells, so whatever. 

Don't get me started on the fall of metal music to so-called "hardcore" bands.  I'm sorry kids, it's noise.  It's cacophony that lacks rhythm or beat, it's just chaos, and frankly I don't want to HAVE to be stoned out of my gourd to "get it".  I don't think it's because I'm "too old" either.  Among my favorite singers are David Draiman and Jonathan Davis.  You want to growl into a mic?  Take a note from these guys, and do it with some kind of rhythm, melody, make it part of the music, not just noise.  And yes, I'm aware that Korn hasn't put out a decent album since Issues, and that most of Disturbd's songs all sound exactly the same.

I gotta laugh at the so-called cool kids as well though.  Friends of mine crap on things like dubstep, and it amuses me greatly.  I have no issue with dubstep.  It is what it is.  It's a rhythmic dance genre, and in my mind, that makes it no different then the electronica/trip-hop that I used to listen to, or those same friends used to be into.  It's the newest version of disco, and as long as there are clubs, that type of music is needed.

So yeah.  I do love music though, and catch me in the right mood and I can fill your head with all kinds of random trivia about various artists or bands, especially from the golden era of alternative.  Just don't expect me to know anything about what the kids are listening to these days.  Except Psy.  Dude's funny.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Why you gotta drag me down just to make me see

Ah, Tonic, a very under appreciated southern rock band.  And yeah, I've decided to make it a "thing" to use a quote as the title to each of my posts.  Kudos to those who know where it comes from, and bonus if you get why I use the quote that I do.  However, I use a "Who's Line is it Anyways" scoring method, so do keep that in mind.

Game difficulty is one of those grey areas in gaming that almost always comes up at some point, and everyone has a different take on it.  I find gamers of my generation are completely OK with insane difficulty in games.  I believe it comes from the lack of game options in our youth, which forced you to play Super Mario Bros. constantly as it was the only title you had for your new NES for at least a few months, before game rentals became a thing.  Also, home gaming was directly descended from arcade gaming, where an enforced difficulty kept the kids popping in quarters.  My kids got a lesson on this about a week ago when I let them tool around in a local arcade.  "But I only got to play for a minute!" is the clarion call that all mothers from the 80's through the early 90's is all too familiar with.

This doesn't just apply to console games either.  Computer games from the early 90's taught me to always have a notebook nearby the computer, well before the advent of the internet and sites like GameFaqs.  You wanted to beat a Might and Magic game without getting lost?  Graph paper was your best friend.  Nowadays games have automapping features and variable difficulty settings.  Is that a bad thing?  No, I don't think so, as long as you leave me a way to make the game as difficult as I want.Dungeons of Dredmore is easily one of my favorite games of the last year and a half.  I don't find it particularly difficult mind you, but I purposely make it difficult for myself by playing with permadeath options and only using random builds.  Give me a game with a valid hardcore or permadeath option, and I will play it that way.  Except Diablo 3.  I just can't forgive the game forcing me to be online constantly to play it, and between their notoriously iffy servers and my bad connection, I just can't bring myself to play the game much anymore, let alone as hardcore.  I'm good with dying because I fucked up, I'm not good with dying because of draconian DRM.  Maybe I'll get into Torchlight 2 a little more when I start a hardcore character, but I doubt it.  The Torchlight series, as a whole, is just too easy for me, and the mechanics aren't compelling enough to keep me going.  Din's Curse is still the pinnacle game in this genre for me.  "But the game looks like shit," is the complaint I hear the most, and I get that, but I remember when games looked worse and we still played them because they were fun. 

Now, don't mistake me for only playing difficult games.  I do enjoy the easier games, as long as the story is compelling, but I'm less likely to replay it, and depending on the game, even finish it.  And depending on why a game is difficult, I might just avoid it as well.  Legend of Grimrock is a delightful old school dungeon crawl along the lines of Wizardry and Might and Magic, but I just couldn't keep playing it after I got to puzzles that were based on reflexes.  I'm not going to spend hours trying to hit the buttons in a certain order at a certain speed just to progress.  I'm getting old, I have tendonitis, it's painful as well as frustrating.  So I haven't gone back to it.  The tendonitis has also affected my love of fighting games as well, but eventually I will be able to justify buying a decent joystick, which will alleviate some of that pain and allow me to dive into one of my favorite genre's again.

Now, you'll notice that yet again, I have no real conclusion.  I noticed it in yesterday's blog as well, but as part of my "don't edit a million times" therapy, I've decided I'm good with that.  You see, these blogs are just me, sharing my thoughts.  I'm not trying to write a thesis, or even really start a dialogue (although I'm not adverse to one).  I'm trying to sit and write something every day.  Follow through has always been something I lacked, and this blog is a way for me to work on that.  I'm not trying to get lots of readers, but if I do, great.  I can't guarantee I'll find time on the weekend though, so for now, just expect this to be a weekday only blog.  I mean, I do have a life outside of the computer.  Sometimes.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Hey now, we won't be scarred like that

Couple of things.  First, go read this.  No High Scores is one of my favorite blogs, and it's articles like this that keep me coming back.  Second, you know that little "adult content" warning that pops up when you try to come here?  Yeah, I'm going to earn it today.  Just a warning for the easily offended.

There is a very vocal group of gamers that has managed to stain an entire hobby.  I should be proud of being a gamer, but I'm really not, because when I mention gaming to your average joes, they tend to lump me in with this subset.  Some call them "dudebro's", but I don't think there's any one label that accurately describes them.  They are male, and primarily fall between the ages of 15-25, and, until recently, were the key demographic that a lot of companies catered to.  When pundits discuss violent video games and their effect on children, these are the examples they use.  They think rape jokes are OK, and have no problem taking trash talking to the lowest form it can go, especially if it means it'll get the female gamer out of their clubhouse, but not before they try to get her to show them her tits.  And they are not the majority they think they are.

You see, companies are paying attention.  The dudebro (for lack of a better catchall term) crowd isn't buying games.  Why should they?  Entitlement teaches them it's better to pirate or steal if their parents can't afford the game.  The Duke Nukem fiasco this past year was a very visible lesson to the companies.  They made the perfect game for the dudebro crowd.  First Person Shooter, lots of lewdness and violence, and rape jokes.  This should have been a huge success.  Here's the thing though, the gaming press raked it over the coals for going too far with it's jokes.  We know people listened, because the game flopped.  Hard.  After all, the dudebro crowd that the game was designed for were just going to pirate it, and the rest of the market wasn't really willing to pay for it.  The companies didn't make any money.  Then the company sees things like Farmville, and mobile gaming.  Games with no killing, violence, or lewdness, and they're making money hand over fist.  They've managed to tap into the female and mature gaming crowd in a way they've only dreamed about, and considering the mature gaming crowd tend to be employed and therefore willing to buy games, and, well, the current trend of game development should surprise no one.  The dudebro's are railing against it hard though, screaming about the "death of hardcore gaming" as if anyone other then themselves cares.

Now, I'll be the first to admit it, I do play some violent games.  But I'm picky about it.  Give me a well-written story and a decent reason for being violent, and I'm good with it.  Have violence for violence sake, and well, I might try your game, but I won't play it for long.  Uncharted for instance.  One of the most respected Playstation brands.  I have no interest because what could have been an interesting adventure series along the lines of Indiana Jones is just a shooting gallery with story pasted in.  I find, especially as I get older, that overly violent video games just don't do it for me.  Will I still log time in Saints Row and Borderlands?  Yeah.  But on the same note, GTA games are not allowed in my home (there are a number of reasons for this though, primarily my children), and God of War style games just don't hold my attention.  "Oh look, boobs.  Well, lets kill these 50 guys so we can see more boobs."  I'm not a teenage boy anymore, and the thing is, I'm still in the majority of gamers.

Do me a favor, if you choose to respond to this, please give your answer some thought.  I will respond to any argument that is well-written and doesn't resort to personal attacks and insults to get it's point across.  Feel free to call me out on my generalizations, or point out how I am in the minority, just do it with some thought.  Bonus points for attempting proper grammar and spelling.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

It is known

I am an avid MMO player.  But sometimes, I need something a little less internet needy.  You see, my provider is awful.  I mean, really, really bad.  Once evening hits, forget doing much of anything with net, as the latency and lag renders gaming useless, as well as making the streaming of Netflix or Hulu a nightmare.  Normally doesn't phase me too much though, as I generally work during the worst hours of it.  Does put a bit of a crimp in trying to do dungeons/raids with a group on weekends, but what can I do?  There are no other high speed providers in my area outside of satellite, and the cost of satellite, combined with my needs, are very prohibitive.  But, that's what I get for insisting on living in a rural environment with a good school system.  That's enough bitching I suppose, on to my list of non-MMOs that currently hold my attention.

Crusader Kings II:  I developed a fondness for Paradox Interactive titles during the last few years.  Primarily their simulation games, which have a reputation for being incredibly obtuse and definitely aimed at a niche market.  CKII is their latest offering in this regard.  It's a medieval dynasty simulator, wherein you choose from any number of historical figures and try to cement your dynasty and spread your influence throughout Europe, Middle East and Northern Africa.  You do this through diplomacy, marriage, influencing vassals, and if all else fails, war.  This game consistently kicks sand in my face and makes me enjoy every minute of it.  I have yet to master it, nor do I think I will for some time, but every loss teaches me something new that I carry into the next game.  They've added support for playing Muslim dynasties, as well as factions, both of which add some depth.  There's also a ridiculous Mayan invasion DLC which I just have zero interest in personally.  Coming soon will be the addition of merchant princes, which means it won't be long before I can take control of the Borgia's, although I may just pick up the customization DLC and make my own ruler at that point.

Just a quick aside about the game, for Game of Thrones fans.  There is a total conversion mod out there that basically turns the game from a medieval sim into a Westeros simulation, where you take control of any of the noble houses and can choose which era you play in.  I haven't dived into it myself as of yet (I really want to master the core game first), but I have heard wonderful things about the conversion.

Endless Space:  You're going to notice a trend.  Endless Space is a 4X space simulation game.  It's fairly new on the block, and they are constantly tweaking and adding new things to it, but it has managed to replace GalCiv2 in my heart.  It's taken me a few tries, but I finally think I'm getting how the systems all work, which has just made the title even more enjoyable.  Now, there are flaws.  Frankly, the whole tech tree needs to be dumped and redone, and the space combat could be a little clearer less random.  But I'm willing to overlook these flaws, primarily because games of this genre are few and far between, and I've been playing GalCiv2 for years now.

Civilization V:  I've recently gotten back into CivV after picking up the Gods and Kings expansion during the Steam sale.  Unfortunately, I think all my time devoting myself to titles like Europa Universalis 3 has spoiled me a bit.  I'm finding CivV to be, well, too easy.  I'm going to tweak the difficulty some, see if I can find a way to make it challenging, but with the depth offered by CKII and Europa Universalis 4 on the horizon, I'm just not sure how much longer this title is going to keep me occupied.

Saints Row the Third: I adore this game.  Which is unusual, as I have a healthy disdain for the Grand Theft Auto series.  But this game is just so over the top and outrageous that I find myself just enjoying it.  Unfortunately, the graphic nature of the game means I don't play it around the children, so I haven't had as much time to play it as I would like recently, but with any luck I'll be diving into it again when my work hours return to normal.

There are a few others I dabble in from time to time, but these are the ones I've been focusing on the most.  Torchlight 2 I'm playing simply to say I've beaten it.  Din's Curse is, to me, a better game in almost every way.  Drox Operative is just suffering from a lack of time honestly.  I enjoy it, and if I can get it working on the work computer I'll probably get back into it.

I think at this point if you're still reading the blog, you've got a pretty good idea of my interests, at least as far as gaming goes.  But, don't think that all of my entries are going to be about games.  I'm a fan of cinema, and although I don't have as much time for reading as I'd like, books are always a favorite topic of mine.  Feel free to chime in with comments, although you'll forgive me if I approve them before they're posted.  It is my space after all.  Maybe if I get popular I might loosen the hold a little, but for now, it helps ensure civility.




Tuesday, January 8, 2013

I could show you my favourite obsession

Yes, I did spell it the British way.  Deal with it.  I'm an Anglophile.  Besides, it's how the word is spelled in the lyric I quoted, so it's an accuracy thing.

Games.  I love them.  Primarily PC games, although I've been known to favor a console occasionally.  I've been an avid hand held gamer since 1989.  I dabble in board games, but a lack of friends to play them with, as well as the initial investment keeps me from getting too heavily into them.  Tabletop role-playing games are still an obsession of mine, but I keep it in check primarily because I have no group to play with currently.  I did make an attempt to get back into it a couple of years ago, but trying to find time to fit it in while also having time for my family made it difficult.  Add in that I just didn't enjoy the same kind of role-playing as the others in my group, and it just wasn't a good fit.  Maybe someday, but I'm honestly not too concerned with it.

PC gaming is where I do most of my gaming for one very simple reason.  Family.  My wife likes to watch TV.  My children like to watch TV.  My older children like to play games on the TV.  Fastest route to pissing off the majority of the household?  Take over the TV for a game.  Gabe from Penny Arcade touched on this today as well.  Add in the fact that I like to play games that probably aren't suitable for my kids to watch, and PC is the way to go for me.  Actually, laptop is the best way to go, but alas, I cannot afford a decent gaming one at the moment.  My son has a nasty habit of sneaking up on me while I'm playing on the computer, and when you're playing something like Saint's Row 3 or The Witcher, that could lead to an awkward conversation.

Now, as for what I play on the PC, well, that is not a simple answer currently.  Between the extra hours I worked the last couple of months and the Steam holiday sale, I currently find myself with a glut of games and a dearth of time to play them.  I suppose the easiest way would be to list off my current favorites, and why they interest me.  Today I'm just going to focus on MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online games), mostly for brevity's sake, since I'm aware that I have a very short attention span, and therefore assume everyone else does.  Makes life simpler.

World of Warcraft: Ooh, there's a shock I bet.  Actually, this one probably is, for anyone who knows me and my absolute disdain for doing the popular thing, even if I like it. (It's a character flaw that I'm just not certain how to purge.)  When the stars align, this game is amazing.  Let me clarify.  When I'm in an active, friendly guild, I love this game.  When whatever guild I'm in falls apart or just gets way too melodramatic for me, I hate this game.  I've put a lot of time into my main, but having had him in 3 different guilds that have fallen apart for one reason or another, I just can't bring myself to log in with him much anymore.  To be fair, the last guild didn't fall apart, I just refuse to be in a guild where a character named Poondaren is acceptable to the guild as a whole.  Also, part of the issue is that warlocks have become much more popular since Mists came out, which has led to some annoying issues in Heroics where players think I'm a FOTM character who doesn't know his class, and then try to "coach" me.  I would go back to him if I found a guild I liked Alliance side though, so if anyone knows of one, preferably located on a server out of the New York datacenter (my internet is not ideal, and any other datacenter I have horrid latency issues), by all means let me know.  Til then I'll be playing Horde side with It Came From the Blog.  Still getting to know them, but they seem a decent sort.

The Secret World: One word: ambience.  It doesn't run the best on my rig (replacing the video card is on my to do list in the next couple of months) but the feel of this game is amazing, and the modern horror setting is very unique in the world of MMOs.  I'm looking for a guild to join once I have more time to devote to the game, but the lack of a subscription fee means that it will be installed on my computer for the foreseeable future.

Planetside 2: I'm actually a big fan of most of SOE's games, be it EQ2, Vanguard, or DCUO, but PS2 is unique in that it's an FPS game that I actually enjoy.  I'm not a fan of FPS games.  They are the cesspools of gaming to me, especially if you're foolish enough to have voice chat on.  But, there's something about the large armies battling across the planet that I just love.  It's the chaos I think.  I die, a lot, but damn if it isn't fun.

Star Trek Online: Another game that's all about the ambience for me.  I honestly can't play this game as a primary MMO, it's just too grindy, but I feel they did a spot on job of capturing the feel of Star Trek, and the space battles are just amazingly done.  When I want something different to zone out to, this is my choice.  Although, if I could find a decent fleet, I might be persuaded to spend more time in game.

As I'm sure you could tell, it's really the social aspects of MMOs that keep me playing them.  Fact is, I don't get out much.  I've got a job, 4 kids, a wife, a house and I work evenings.  Makes socializing in person a bit tricky, especially when I don't indulge in the binge drinking that is so prevalent in our society, nor do I follow any mainstream sports.  A good guild will keep me playing a mediocre game for a while.  Not having a guild will inevitably lead to a grass is greener move where I jump into a different MMO.

Next time: My non-MMOs.



Monday, January 7, 2013

Greetings and Salutations!

My resolution for this year is to just be more creative in general.  Whether it be writing (I will finish a story this year), building things for the house (the wife has a long honey-do list that involves a lot of manual labor), or publishing a blog.  Although, I suppose the latter does tie into the first, but still.

I'm also planning on trying to pull away from Facebook more.  + seems to be developing nicely, and I like having everything all in one spot, whether it be mail, YouTube, news, and their Drive has made my life much easier, both at home and at work.

But, to the point.  Here it is, my first blog post.  Let's hope it is not the last, but let's face it, I have the attention span of a fruit fly.  Now, initially, those of you who find yourself here will do so based on a link through Facebook and Google+, so you'll already know who I am, and may even know a little about me.  This post is not for you.

My name is Dave, and I am very much a geek.  I know far more then I should about Star Wars,  I'm a tad obsessed with Star Trek, I have forgotten more about Doctor Who then most of the so-called "nu-Who" fans will ever learn.  Yes, I'm bitter.  Nothing is more annoying then meeting a "die-hard" Doctor Who fan who has no knowledge of Tom Baker, Peter Davison, or the other 6 Doctors.  And then when you mention the non-canon Dalek movies with Peter Cushing as the Doctor, their eyes start to glaze over. 

Oh, and if the above paragraph hadn't clued you in, I'm a bit of an intelligence snob.  I try not to be, but I have very little patience with anyone who has no desire to learn something, and I have a bit of difficulty with the concept that others may not have the same fanatical desire to consume all the information available about a chosen topic.  Add in that the goth in me makes it difficult for me to enjoy whatever the "cool" thing is, and, well, suffice it to say that my wife has the patience of a saint.  I'm a bit of a cantankerous bastard, but I've been told that, much like a fungus, I grow on you eventually. 

Oh, and the title?  A to Zeo?  Well, I go by Zeo online.  Zeolas, Zeowyrm, or some other variation of Zeo-.  I thought it was a cool name to use, and it tends to not be used much, although I have bumped into one or two others.  Little did I realize that I took the name from a Power Rangers series.  Thanks Netflix, for reminding me of just how much of a geek I am.

Anyways, that's enough of an intro for now.  I think tomorrow's post will be dedicated to one of my current gaming obsessions.