Fallout 3: Everything We Wanted…And More! Wednesday, Nov 5 2008

As I’ve said before, I’ve nevber played any of the previous Fallouts, but this game is absolutely great. Not perfect, but great. Like most of Bethesda’s masterpieces, Fallout 3 is addicting as hell. Since I got it on release date, I have played it every single day.

What’s all the fuss about, you ask? Well…it’s just like Oblivion, but in the future. A lot of people seem to have a problem with this, but I loved Oblivion so I love Fallout 3. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The game has myriad ways to be played. You can be good, bad, or you can mix it up a bit. How many other games give you the power to decide if a whole city lives or dies? Not too many I don’t think.

As usual, I have the typical gripes about this Bethesda game.
Glitches: Freezing is a problem again. Though infrequent, it happens just as it did in Morrowind & Oblivion; it’s a shame they can’t rectify this incessant error.
Too Easy?: The majority of the time, I have little problems with the enemies I encounter. I added the question mark because there are those rare occasions where I have trouble dispatching tougher enemies.

Pick it up children, or Three Dog will be pissed (awooooooooooooo!).

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Shorty: Sensibility > Tradition Tuesday, Oct 28 2008

We cannot simply do things over and over simply because we have always done them in the past. Things need to change as time passes; we need to do new things because they are sensical/logical. Repeating the actions of the past usually means that we will have the results of the past; this can be good at times, but usually repeating history occurs in a negative way.

Sensibility should always take precedence over doing things one way because they have always been done in such a way.

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Comic Catch-Up Monday, Oct 13 2008

I’ve never really bought many comics, nor have I read many. I did, however, know as much comic lore as the casual comic geek. Recently, I have downloaded some older works in order to catch up on what’s been going on lately in comics (and in the past comics). Here’s a sampling of what I’ve been reading up on:

Batman: The Killing Joke
Okay, this one is a bit old. I was prompted to read it when I heard that Heath Ledger’s Joker in the Dark Knight was based off of the one in the graphic novel. Overall, I really enjoyed this work. Seeing Batman’s true feelings for the Joker was interesting, as well as viewing how mad the Joker truly is.

Heath Ledger's Inspiration

Civil War
One of the biggest recent comic events; I heard it was a must read, so I bit. Perhaps I hyped it up a bit too much, but I wasn’t a huge fan. Not to say that it wasn’t a good series, because it was, but I just wasn’t feeling it I guess. Not enough action and too much talking about a lot of nothing.

Sinestro Corps.
Best thing I’ve read since I began reading comics seriously. An excellent work that I’d recommend to anyone interested in an action-packed story story. The ending was excellent, and I’m looking forward to The Blackest Night (Summer ‘09), where I’ll actually support my local comic shop by purchasing the works this time around. I’m antsy to see where the writers will take such a superb story.

One reason to look forward to Summer 2009

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Trivia of the Week: Oct. 7 Tuesday, Oct 7 2008

• Iran used to be Persia
• Rodin sculpted The Thinker
  

  Rodin's The Thinker

• Ayn Rand wrote The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged
• Handel composed many oratorios, the most notable being The Messiah
• Mozart died a pauper
• James Earl Jones is the voice of Darth Vader
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the oldest public university in the U.S.
  

  UNC Chapel Hill

• A man, a plan, a canal, Panama is a palindrome
• Grover Cleveland was the only U.S. President to serve to nonconsecutive terms
• The only U.S. president to obtain a PhD was Woodrow Wilson
  

  Woodrow Wilson

• Joseph Smith is the founder of the Mormons
• Alfred Camus wrote The Plague

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This Month in Gaming… Wednesday, Oct 1 2008

October has some pretty heavy hitters this year. Let’s see what’s coming out and when, and find out what looks fun to play and what doesn’t.

1st
Mega Man 9 – Now here’s a good idea. Instead of spitting out the same crappy Mega Man games over and over, they’ve brought the series back to its roots. I’d pick it up for old times sake.

Sweet, Sweet Nostalgia.

7th
NBA 2K9 – Sports fans rejoice! Not my thing, but I think this will sell pretty good before it’s price is cut in half within a month (I mean seriously…sports games depreciate faster than any other genre by far).

14th
Dead Space – From what I’ve seen and read, this looks to be pretty awesome. I love the whole idea; an engineer exploring a derelict spaceship loaded with monsters, trying to find out what exactly happened. It reminds me of Bioshock.

This photo should be incentive enough to pick up Dead Space. Photo courtesy of IGN.

Saints Row 2 – I liked the first one because it held me over until GTA IV, but this time around, I’m not too interested.

Rock Revolution – Hahahahaha…really…who cares? If you wanna try your hand at great music/rhythm games, Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2 would be the obvious choice(s).

Golden Axe: Beast Rider – When I heard they were bringing this series back, I was amazed. The game has been keeping on the down low, so it’s a tossup on whether or not it’ll be worth my money.

21st
Fable II – I wasn’t a huge fan of the first one, but this game has massive hype. In all honesty, I don’t think it’ll be too great, but then again, I could be wrong.

Fable II is picking up steam in the hype department, but will it live up to expectations?

26th
Guitar Hero World Tour – Wait…another one!? At this point, I really don’t care about these games anymore.

28th
Fallout 3 – My pick of the month. I have it preordered because I have that much faith in Bethesda. I never played the other two, so I won’t be disappointed if it’s not like those.

Pick of the Month. If you don't buy this game, you're a Commie.

Scene It? Box Office Smash – If this is like the first iteration that came out last year, I think it’ll be another fun party game.

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Fluctuation of Interests Thursday, Sep 25 2008

As school has been boggling me down of late, I haven’t really had time to get much done up here on the blog nor on my video games. Chaucer, derivatives, and Formosan Termites have been the focus of my mind lately, but after today, I’m hoping to get back in the game, so to speak. With all “A’s” secured, I’m going to take a rest from so much studying and attempt to have fun with my senior year.

I did pick up Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise and it’s…exactly like the other one. I’m kinda disappointed because, once you arrive at a certain point, so much micromanagement is involved to get from one level to the next. It’s all quite overwhelming and can even become dull. I’d give it a 7/10 overall.

A screenshot of Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise. Photo courtesy of IGN.

I preordered Fallout 3 regular edition for the Xbox 360 also. After reviewing the collector’s edition, I think I’m going to upgrade my preorder; the bobble head looks pretty sweet. This game is going to be AWESOME. My most anticipated title of right now definitely goes to Fallout 3. I just know that Bethesda of all developers won’t let me down.

Fallout 3 Collector's Edition Goodies

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Shorty: Adventures in Standardized Testing Sunday, Sep 14 2008

I took the ACT today and that was not fun. I’ve taken the SAT before and, lemme say this, the ACT is not the SAT by any means.

First off, the time constraints placed on the ACT are heinous. I finished the English, Reading, and Writing sections right at the stopping point, but the Math and Science portions are timed ridiculously. I was forced to guess on about 25/100 Science and Math questions, which is completely uncalled for. I’m not a dumb guy, in fact, I’m pretty damn shrewd if you ask me, but the time limit on that test was utterly moronic.

According to the conversion chart, I am expected to get a 29.5 on the test, as I got a 1950 on the SAT. I have my doubts that I’ll be getting such a scores after the events that occurred today, largely due to the freakin’ clock. I’ll throw my scores up here when I get it.

UPDATE: Wow. My scores were actual quite good!

English – 33 (Allows me to exempt English 101 & 102…nice)
Math – 28
Reading – 30
Science – 29
Composite – 30

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Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Sunday, Aug 31 2008

When I first heard of this, one word popped into my mind: random. Of all the things to bring together, Mortal Kombat and DC? While I am excited, as I was for all of the other MK games, I should likely brace myself for disappointment.

Not yet have I been satisfied with the 3-D Mortal Kombat games. The implementation of 3-D combat doesn’t feel right. In my opinion, the Sonic series also suffered due to the transition from 2-D to 3-D, but that’s a story for another time. The combat just feels very cumbersome and lethargic, yet every time a new MK is announced, I get pumped.

The roster is looking good so far. On the MK side of things, we have: Jax, Kano, Kitana, Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Lui Kang, Raiden, Shang Tsung, Sonya. On the other hand, the DC side consists of: Batman, Catwoman, Deathstroke, The Joker, Green Lantern, The Flash, Shazam!, Wonder Woman, and Superman. Catwoman? Really guys? I understand that there aren’t too many prominent DC ladies, but Catwoman??

Catwoman??

Interestingly enough, all of the MK characters and the DC villains are the only characters that will have fatalities. The heroes, however, will be equipped with only brutalities. This alteration is appropriate, being that heroes only kill when absolutely, positively necessary. I like how the developers thought that out. Naturally, other character attributes had to be edited for gameplay purposes, such as downgrading Superman and Shazam!’s invulnerability.

Some of the revealed members of the DC roster.

Overall, though I am excited about MK vs. DC, I am prepared to be let down. Instead of running out and buying the game as I have with the other MK installments, I’ll probably rent the game before dishing out too much cash. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll fix the unwiedly combat this time around, finally doing our MK and DC icons justice.

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