a bit impatient

So, yes, impatience. I have that. I just found out through a simple google search that it was the Windows Zero Configuration Utility that was causing the lag spikes in Left 4 Dead. The problem is that I was too stupid in trying to find the solution software wise and opted to buy a PCI wireless card thinking it was a USB bandwidth issue. I swear to God I'm retarded. Instead, I wasted a bit of money (again like all my purchases in the last month). This is probably the only reason why I hate computers. Sometimes, it gets very difficult to diagnose the problem if there is one.

Oh well. At least, I can start building a new PC I guess. Starting with a wireless PCI card, lol.

More stupidity. I forgot my $40 Bestbuy giftcard when I went to purchase World at War for PS3. I didn't want to go back so I just bought the game anyway. The game itself is alright, but damn, it looks painfully ugly online when compared to Modern Warfare.

you have to be kidding me

I think I have a hemorrhoid. Too much straining I guess.

one of the worst single player experiences

And that game is Resistance 2.

I simply don't know why the campaign became an afterthought to Insomniac Games. Resistance: Fall of Man had a decent, but well paced single player experience. Resistance 2 on the other hand features an unimpressive art style, an atrocious health system, and loads of technical bugs.

Don't get me wrong. Resistance 2 is a good looking game. It has a fantastic frame rate that doesn't drop at all, amazing enemy texture quality, some nice lighting effects at certain points, so on, and so on. But the art style of the alien ships and the cities you fight in are just so bland and the alien sections seem like they were ripped out of the Ratchet and Clank series. The dynamic water, while at subtle levels, looks absolutely gorgeous. But when huge objects interact with it or large spouts of gunfire hit the surface, the immersion breaks as what you get seems like a bowl of jello breaking shape. What was most disheartening about the graphics was that most of the textures did not "pop" at all and looked flat with no substance to them at all. In addition, most of the objects were static and didn't respond to gunfire or melee attacks which proved that they weren't part of the physics model, they were just put there.

Next on the chopping block is the health system. Resistance 2 borrows the health system of Halo where you get hurt a bit, retreat, then get the health back. Sounds great in theory as many games have implemented this system as well. Lo and behold, Resistance 2 messes it up. Throughout their entire testing phase, none of the QA testers even bothered to tell any of the developers that the health system was a bit too sensitive. NONE OF THEM QUESTIONED IT. I could get hit by ONE auger bullet and I was already on the point of dying from another shot. Cover doesn't help most of the time since there were many situations where I had to keep moving just so that I won't get hit by auger bullets. The only way to progress through the campaign was bunny hop around so that the enemies won't be able to predict where I'm going since most of the time they have fantastic aim and are able to lead shots with amazing ability. Resistance 2 could have benefited from a Rainbow Six Vegas cover system. It's hard to understand that Insomniac developed a cover system for your allies but not for the most important person: you. The health system added a lot of frustration to a game that I wanted to like.

Last of all, technical bugs. The main bug I wanted to touch upon was enemy A.I. With the smaller Chimera, they would attack other allies which gave you some great flanking opportunities. Those opportunities, however, do not apply at all to the bigger ones. They simply ignore and run past any ally and go straight for your character even though I'm doing nothing at all and the ally is trying desperately to attack them. I even had to use this to my advantage since I was running out of bullets and because of the idiotic health system, I couldn't be injured anymore. I simply stood by some crates while my invincible allies took the big chimera down.

Another bug I came across was the issues of texture clipping which shouldn't be visible since it would show sloppiness on the developers part. There was this one enemy that was comprised of many small bugs that sort of looked like the Langoliers from that Stephen King novel. It was a great moment to see something different like that, but I couldn't help notice that the lightning effects and the creatures would clip around the surroundings. It looked really shoddy and was very noticeable during the cutscene where you are first introduced to them.

The last bug I wanted to write about is the skipping of the musical track. On the second half of the game, I was distracted that the music would skip to different parts of the soundtrack. I think it was a caching issue but still very annoying.

It's design decisions and technical bugs like these that shouldn't appear at all because of the reputation of Insomniac Games. They put too many things on their plate and the single player campaign suffered tremendously for it. I'm sure the multiplayer components are a blast to play and offer a different contrast to the campaign. It would be nice to see all of the components of a game match each other quality-wise. Too bad this isn't the case with Resistance 2.

hello

I'm now older

NOTE: I'm doing a blog post because I can't sleep. I drank too many Barq's root beer and the caffeine jolted my body a bit. Stupid idea to drink soda past 8pm.

So yeah, I'm now 24 years old. This post is a week late, but eh, I got lazy. I'll probably post more often just so that I can put my thoughts somewhere. I won't talk about my usual "my god, why did I slack off" or "damn, I'm lazy" life. It'll be strictly just for gaming and movie related posting. But, to summarize: No girlfriend yet, haven't started my career yet (still searching), balding which is irritating since I don't care that I am (but my mom and brother nag me on the issue), and am still a fucking idiot.

So yeah, I'm trying to finish off Folklore which is bit of a bore gameplay-wise. I do the same thing over and over again. There doesn't seem to be any mission variety at all. Just go through a level, pick up some folklore, and beat the last boss. I'm also liking a bit of Battlefield: Bad Company's online madness. It's just chaos trying to attack/defend two crates filled with gold. Like I've said before, the sound design is exceptional. Nothing comes close.

I've also decided that I won't be buying any new games until I've finished the ones I have. This explains why I'm playing through Folklore. It's been in my backlog for quite some time, and why should I be buying a new game when I have that game unfinished. It is most likely I won't be buying a new PS3 game in a long while. I will, however, buy a new game for 360 since I beat everything that I have for that system. Too Human will be my next game. It's been getting a lot of slack, but hey, it's the closest thing to a beat-em-up I'll ever see.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for more updates in the future.

diary of the dead

What a ridiculous movie. It features stupid people in such easy odds. Lets bring our suicidal friend into a hospital where dead people are likely to exist. Wait, lets still go in after seeing that the hospital is in disarray. I hated the camera guy, I hated his girlfriend....the whole goddamn movie was annoying. It wasn't satrical like John Romero's other films. It sticks the "technology is a waste of time" right up your face.

Don't watch this bullshit. Watch REC instead. You'll have a greater time because in that film, the people aren't slow moving zombies where the characters can react fast. The pepole in REC have to think fast and they have no time to do so. It's tension packed unlike Diary of the Dead, a turd of a film.

Meet Mymos

My Spore creation done with the trial version. I could do more, but I don't want to spend the money at the moment.

can you get here any faster snake?

condemned 2: bloodshot finished

Yup, Condemned 2 is now beaten. I really enjoyed every minute of this game. The graphics, the sound design (though it was not tuned optically for the PS3 version), the viceral combat; it's all extremely well done. I find it sad that this game seemed like it didn't sell well. The first game was a remarkable feat in the FPS genre because it was one of the first melee oriented FPS games besides Chronicles of Riddick. The Condemned series has gunplay but melee combat was the priority.

You have to play the first game though to understand what is going on. If you don't, you'll be lost while trying to play this game.

I highly recommend this game to anyone that likes the FPS genre and wants to play a unique experience.

******

On stupid watch, I got completely retarded and bought the Alone in the Dark Soundtrack on iTunes without knowing that it wasn't on iTunes Plus (DRM free). So now I can only listen to the soundtrack on iTunes. I said to myself, "Fuck that", and just bought the soundtrack from Amazon.com. I wasted $9.99 today. Stupid. That's a 1/6 of a game.

******

I cancelled my old order for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots because I really want it day one. I'm extremely lazy so I don't want to drive out to a Best Buy to get one. And it's cool since EBGames.com has a coupon for free overnight shipping. But it sucks since they charged me $15 for the DVD which I didn't want in the first place. I don't even want the fucking artbook too, but ONLY because of that, I have to pay an extra $5 for the limited edition version.

*****

After all this shit, I'm serious. Metal Gear Solid 4 is going to be my last game for a while.

my new baby

It's wireless. It's sexy. It's the Logitech dinovo Edge. I got it for a steal but still highly priced at $120 (and it's gone up since). I thought at first that the keyboard was manufactured poorly, but it was just the plastic covering which I will never take off. It'll be sexier, but I like to keep it's panties on. Of course, there is no number pad and no media keys which is a bummer. That would have made it the best. I just love the LED backlighting though and how it fades out after you use it. Fucking sexy I tell you.

LIQUID!!!

It's all mine!

Metal Gear Solid 4 OST

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

why video game journalists should stick with what they know

I really hated 1UP editor Shawn Elliot and his "analysis" of Indiana Jones: The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. You can hear him in the recent episode of 1UP Yours. They hate it when movie critics talk about how video games are not art. So why should a video game journalist make a critical analysis of a movie? Crystal Skull isn't intended to be a serious movie. You know that none of the protaginists are going to die. What kind of movie would it be if Indiana Jones dies? Shawn was expecting to be some sort of danger.......what? If Indiana Jones was made to be a tragedy, then maybe you could factor some danger. But the movies are never made with those intentions. You just want to know how and what leads them to specific points in the movie.

It's all George Lucas's fault. I bet Spielberg wanted to do the movie without CG, but because George Lucas is one of the EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, he didn't what to spend the money to do so.

Shawn Elliot said that people should know their job in an earlier podcast. Stick to what you said Shawn.

I'm losing interest in games it seems

I've only beaten GTAIV in the past month. Years ago, I can blaze through about four games in a month, but now, it's either one or none at all. I should really stop buying games, but goddamn, it's really tempting. Of course, I only bought GTAIV........for both systems. I buy games, but I don't have the time to finish them. You should look at my unfinished PSP stack and my *cough* PS2 stack. It's quite enormous.

Just read my recent purchases. Wii Fit ($90). I laughed a bit when it told me I was obese. I used it for about 10 minutes and I shit you not, I started to sweat and ache. The aching occured during the push up and side arm segment. Oh my goodness. When I started to do the first rep, I shouted, "Holy shit!". It was fucking painful. Wii Fit tells me one thing: I need to start getting into shape. A bunch of downloadable content. Rockband songs (I have no idea how much I've spent), that Penny Arcade game ($20), and echochrome for PS3 & PSP ($20).

This hobby of mine is starting to add up. And here is me thinking of buying my own PS3 because I'm rarely on it ever since my dad realized that he could watch TV downstairs. Think about it. My own PS3. That's pure sex thinking there. I'm thinking of buying one at the end of May to prepare for the awesomeness that is MGS4. But Amazon.com keeps on teasing me with this $380 40GB PS3. It's very, VERY tempting to buy at this point. At the same time, I want to pay off my credit card since it already added the Wii Fit purchase. So for now, paying off my credit is my top priority.

I should save money for the future, but this might be the only time I get to spend any money. Shit, that makes no sense. I have enough gaming content to last me months, yet I still have to buy the recent releases. It literally makes no sense. Why can't I get a game months down the road? Why am I wasting my time with this hobby? Eh, I really don't know.

******

As for movies, yeah, I've been watching a bit here and there. Latest theatre movie was Speed Racer. I have no idea why so many critics hated that movie. It was a harmless film that is very enjoyable from beginning to end. Sure, it has it's dragging moments (especially when they reminisce about a race or why the exist, shit like that), but the movie always keeps pushing forward. The art style wasn't distracting at all. Maybe if you are one of those people who can't read fucking subtitles during foreign films, then yeah, you'll have a hard time following what is going on. If you like the cartoon, then you'll enjoy the hell out of this movie.

Iron Man was awesome. What more can you ask for. I even mentally jizzed at the end.

Funny Games sucks. Who gives a shit if the movie is trying to say something about reality and fiction. It's garbage.

I can't wait for the new Indiana Jones film. I've enjoyed each one so far. I hope this one doesn't disappoint.

fuck you guitar hero 3

They just released a Muse pack. FUCK YOU. Put that on Rock Band. Yeah, I'm posting. Nothing new really. I watch movies and porn, eat a lot of M&Ms (56oz bag ftw), watch House (awesome), Arrested Development (awesome), and Lost (it's just disgusting to watch), and of course, play a lot of video games. I recently just beat Grand Theft Auto IV. It took me 32 hours, but it was well worth it. I still can't believe I bought the game for both systems. Special edition version for PS3 and standard for 360. I'm stupid for sure.

winding down

I just found out that I aced my computer class at Depaul University. Scored a 95 on my final. lol. And I thought I did badly.

So, yes, my game purchases is now winding down. I caved and purchased Grand Theft Auto 4 for the 360 and the limited edition of Metal Gear Solid 4 which will cost me around $100. Damn EBGames for jacking up the goddamn shipping prices. Unusual size my ass.

It'll only be those two games and The World Ends With You and that's it until the Fall which will be bombarded with Resistance 2, Killzone 2 (maybe), and Little Big Planet.

I just got Crisis Core for the PSP. What an amazing game. I just spent the last hour just doing the side-quests. It's very addictive.

Yeah, I'm boring.

oh yeah baby

trying to get back on track

So, where to begin? I've been a working bum ever since last August. Yes, I work with my mommy at R&R Textiles still, but hey, it pays for my Depaul tuition and spending habits. My spending habits never change though. I tried to limit my video game spending, but I can't really control it. Like I have said before, it's more like an addiction. I mean, shit, look at what I recently bought:

- God of War: Chains of Olympus
- Super Smash Bros Brawl
- Gamecube controller
- Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes (eBay)
- Hotel Dusk (eBay)
- A crapload of Rockband songs
- N+
- Mass Effect DLC

And don't forget about Metal Gear Solid Essentials, a Gamecube memory card, and Crisis Core, Grand Theft Auto 4, and Metal Gear Solid 4 coming up. This is where I decided that this is where the line has to be drawn. I just have to stop buying games after MGS4 gets released. I already have enough games to play through several years. It became clear that I lost track of why I enjoy playing video games. I play video games because I love playing them. It should not matter if it is a newly released game. Any game in my backlog should suffice. That is why after the release of MGS4, I'm just going to work on my backlog and achievements. After scouring eBay and Half.com, you can find anything from the old days at a cheaper price even though it is slightly used. I bought so much from eBay that I should know that.

Video games aside, I finally finished my classes at Depaul. It was a fairly easy class. I felt a bit ashamed that my classmates were having such a hard time with the concept. At ISU, everyone knew the terms. For example, a very simple coding algorithm: "balance += deposit;". There was a SENIOR at Depaul University with an Information Systems background that did not understand what that meant. I then realized, again for the hundredth time, that I did such a shitty job at ISU. I could have done so much more. I should have put my social life on hold (like I had any, lol) and just focused on my work. I tried to balance the two. I should have never sacrificed my career to have fun just because I never had fun at my previous schools. It was such a stupid decision.

I just recently received the deficency letter from ISU. I was waiting for that since it was a confirmation that I was enrolled for graduation. Can you fucking believe that? I'm finally graduating even if it is on terms that shouldn't have occurred in the first place. I can't wait to transfer my credits to ISU and finally get this over with. This weekend I plan to brush up my resume and send it off to the internets. Of course, I have to do some research on other jobs as well. I'm hoping for some assisstant/intern job at the beginning just to shadow under someone for several months before finally moving into a choice job. All I need right now is experience because school experience doesn't count.

I also hope (hope should be fucking 200px big) to save enough money for either A) a used car B) a cheap ass apartment for later this year. My trip to the Philippines is still a bit iffy at this moment. It's 10/90 at this point where I have a 10 percent chance of going. I would definitely love to go just as a last hurrah before I start living my life. Because, you know I'm not living since I'm a goddamn bum, lol. If I ever go to the Philippines, it'll probably be the last time I'll ever see my cousins.

Well, this is ranting too much. I should have spread this out on several posts. It's already 1:47AM and I have work in the morning. Later everybody.

I'm disappointed

Patriots lost. I just wanted them to win because they would go against all the backlash they have received up to the Superbowl. Oh well. My dad was going ape shit when they lost, lol. It was a hilarious sight. I even think he lost his voice throughout all his shouting, lol.

As for gaming this weekend, I haven't played much. I finally finished F.E.A.R. Files and brought back Umbrella Chronicles. I just played a bit of Rock Band and Mass Effect (trying to get those damn achievements). I also won a bid for Crush, a PSP game. I even bid on Valkyrie Profile: Lennenth, but I didn't win.

As of the current date, my purchases/pre-orders for February are as follows:

PS3
- Devil May Cry 4

360
- Lost Odyssey

Wii
- No More Heroes

PSP
- Crush
- Patapon

Total cost for everything: around $230-240

I've decided only to buy one game a month, if there are any good titles, for each respective system. It's still a bit much, but much better than buying everything off the shelf like I did towards the end of 2007. I still want to get Burnout Paradise, but that'll have to wait until next month. And that's good because nothing for the PS3 looks good for March, only Super Smash Bros Brawl for the Wii and God of War: Chains of Olympus and FFVII: Crisis Core for the PSP. GTA4 will occupy the month of April.

Other than those games, my summer should be good and plenty satisfied for gaming.

rambo & whatever

My brother and I just watched Rambo the other day. What a fantastic movie. It's boring as hell during the first half with dialogue that is repeated over and over again with no meaning, but goddamn, when the action picks up during the second half, the movie just redeems itself. The violence is just so spectacular. Beheadings, limbs flying, torsos being ripped in half, heads being blown off, a throat being ripped out......it's just beautiful violence.

Watch it if you love action movies. The movie will not disappoint.

As for gaming, I'm still working on my reviews for my friend for her website. I'm still pushing through F.E.A.R Files and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. I think I've had it with the Resident Evil game and am going to return it tomorrow. I love the RE series, but that game is just pure garbage. The idea was handled with care since most of the RE light gun games were crap, but the Wii remote as a light gun is just awful. There is slight lag and you can't be precise at all. This is no Time Crisis. Hopefully I'll get No More Heroes or Burnout Paradise even if the status at Gamefly is "low".

I recently just purchased PixelJunk Monsters which is a bit unique. Most people have said that the game is quite like Desktop Tower Defense which I've never heard of, but I do know the idea. I haven't played it much, but it seems like a solid title.

As for purchases, I recently pre-ordered a bunch of PSP games. Patapon, God of War: Chains of Olympus, and FFVII: Crisis Core. Pretty sweet lineup of games for the PSP. Hopefully, I'll finish Metal Gear Acid 2 and Silent Hill Origins before the first of those games come out.

the orphanage

I recently just watched The Orphanage which was brought over by Del Toro (just like Tarantino with Iron Monkey). Wow. What a great film. It reminded me a bit of Poltergist and a bit of Japanese horror films. I even jumped a couple of times. I was even shocked during the ending (hell, my hand was over my mouth......I was that shocked).

What I love about Japanese horror films (and what this film does also) is the tension and suspense it creates throughout the film without resorting to jump scenes every five minutes, erratic camera movement, or loud noises after a period of silence. Every second of this movie has a point to make and it arrives to a beautifully captured climax.

Sidenote: There was this part in the movie that made one woman in the audience scream and everybody laughed in the theatre. It was hilarious.

I highly recommend seeing this film. I watched this over Cloverfield due to me being a big fat ass pussy going to Stratford. I know how to get there, but I'm always scared of being lost. I'll probably go later this week with Daniel if he hasn't watched it yet.

Daniel's coming back on Tuesday. It has been a long time in paradise for him. One month and a week of pleasure beyond his wildest dreams. I wonder if he got laid.

guitar is failing

I was trying to get Expert Guitar/Bass on I'm a Paranoid (Garbage) when my guitar started freaking out. I couldn't strum correctly as it seems like it was strumming indefinitely. Goddammit. Now, I ordered a replacement which is free provided you ship the other one back.

Dammit. All because I want those achievement points.

Nothing else to report. I'm thinking of doing another episode of The Drunken Gamer today because I finally figured out what was the problem. It was the updated version of ffdshow. It didn't like Windows Movie Maker. I had to use another XVID codec. This is the reason why there wasn't a show last week or the week before.

so yeah I think I like group gaming

Yesterday was Rock Band. Today was Buzz. I was actually thinking of purchasing this game when I heard about it on 1up, but never got to until Melanie said it was a blast. I said to myself, "Why the hell not. It's better than buying two Blu-Ray movies no one else is going to watch." And boy, that was the right decision. My mom, Ate Irene, and I had such a blast playing this trivia game where you have buzzers to answer questions. It's simple, cheap, and best of all: fun.

It's only $40. If you have a group of friends or a big family, be sure to get this. It's loads of fun. Just don't exhaust yousrself of the game. Only bring it out when there are a huge group of people like during a party or during the holidays.

quick update

Well, nothing has been happening much. I just finished Crysis for the PC. It's quite an impressive game. The only disappointing part is how generic it became towards the end. All of the open-endedness just disappeared. Of course, the first 3/4 of the game is so satisfying that it's a minor point in the course of my playtime with the game.

I finally got Sunshine on Blu-Ray. Goddamn, I fucking love that movie. It looks absolutely gorgeous, the story is top-notch (until the stupid horror aspect towards the end), and I just can't stop watching it. This is a Blu-Ray profile 1.1 disc, and it works like it should. HD-DVD has had picture-in-picture for a while, so it's nice for Blu-Ray to catch up.

I was about to buy Paprika and Robocop on Blu-Ray because Amazon.com has this insane Blu-Ray sale, but then I backed down because I think it would be a waste of money. And it is. Maybe when I pay off my tuition, it would be possible, but not at this time.

I can't believe I spent five hours at Jorge's place just playing Rock Band. That game is just amazing and proof that why group gaming is what sells. I can't believe Rock Band sold what it sold. I don't know the numbers on the top of my head, but it was quite impressive for a $170 product.

sunshine music

Now I'm pissed. I was watching The Amazing Race and all of a sudden I hear Sunshine music. I was like, "WHAT THE FUCK?" It was in the background during a Cloverfield TV spot.

IF THEY CAN PUT THAT IN A FUCKING TV SPOT, THEY SHOULD PUT IT ON A FUCKING CD AND SELL IT. PEOPLE WANT IT. GIVE IT TO THEM.

might as well keep you updated

I forgot to talk about Balls of Fury. It was a good movie. But it should be hilarious. The problem with this movie is that you don't know what kind of movie it is until halfway through. I would say that if you like Mel Brooks' films, then you'll definitely enjoy this movie. Other movies are Airplane, Spaceballs, and so on. From the trailer, you won't get that vibe. Another thing that I didn't like is how fast forward the film is. In the span of five to ten minutes, we see the training montage/Susie Q falls in love with him. Yep. Ten minutes or so. Yeah, I know. We have the three days in House of Flying Daggers, but goddamn, ten minutes, it's laughable. The only part in the film where I actually laughed out loud was in relation to the panda.

By the way, what the fuck happened to Jason Scott Lee?

I also watched Atonement. I didn't like this film at all. It's one of those movies were everything is recreated from the memories of one person like Titanic. The woman who is recollecting even says that she wasn't there to see what happened. Shit I say. Then she puts this entire facade that "I wanted to give them closure." Yeah, biography my ass. But goddamn is Keira Knightly fucking hot gorgeous.

Seriously, lately I'm finding women with normal shaped bodies very attractive. I mean, I used to be a big boob guy, but now, I don't like that. I like looking at women with a great body with breats that compliment it. Keira is thin (a bit of meat wouldn't hurt though) so big breasts is out of the question.

Melanie got me hooked on Paramore. Daniel commented on an avatar, "You know that is Paramore. You think she's cute?" Fuck yeah, she is cute as hell. To be honest, I find the singer of Paramore very attractive. She has a great voice (maybe I'm just horny, I don't know) and she has just, I don't know, a very cute *goddammit I wish I had a bigger vocabulary* look to her. Almost innocent. I'm not saying I like little girls that look like angels, but goddamn is looking innocent a huge turn on. It could be a reason why Jerry was confounded when he was going out with the nicest person in the world because there had to be something wrong. And he was right, the woman was a sex fanatic.

Eh, makes me more depressed that I haven't got into the whole relationship deal. But I shouldn't. Video games are my love, lol.