Holy crap I need a life. This is officially my 100th post on this blog. It's been nearly 3 months. Gosh, that's 1/4 of a year. Yesterday, I was checking my messages on deviantART, and I saw that I had posted a journal entry at the end of August, basically just directing people to this blog. I read that and then remembered I had been posting in that journal for a long time (not daily, mind you), so I decided to read it. Doing so made me realize why I have been blogging every day. It's not for anyone else. It's for me. I was reading a years worth of posts, and I saw how much I had changed. I mean, I was reading posts that really made me sound like a dickhead. I hadn't realized just how different I was back then. I was 13, sheltered, a homophobe, I didn't cuss, and worst of all, I was a Weird Al megafan.
Anyway, that's why I wanted to blog every day. I may not have known it, but I think that's why I started it, and why I don't intend to stop any time soon.
I don't try to make it a secret that I don't like having my picture taken (it was hell just getting my avatar picture), but I feel that blogging produces almost a 3D images of my current self. Will I really care how many zits I have in 20 years? Man, I sure hope not. That would mean that my life really sucks.
Anyway, I'm just saying that I'm glad I've been blogging, and I'm glad I don't want to stop. I just think that words are a much better way to convey the person that I am as opposed to pictures. Thank you and good day.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Review: Ricochet (PC)
As a reviewer, I feel I should be somewhat balanced in my scores, to not seem so biased. Last night I got to thinking, "Most of the games I reviewed have all gotten fairly high scores. Maybe I should try to find a bad game to review." I was thinking about all that again today, and then I remembered I had gotten Ricochet as part of the Counter-Strike 1 Anthology from Steam (which also included Deathmatch Classic, Day of Defeat, Counter-Strike, and Counter-Strike: Condition Zero), and thought "That game is PERFECT for a bad review!"
Ricochet. The Half-Life mod that nobody knows about (or has tried to erase from their memory). It makes me sad to think that this game has disgraced the likes of Half-Life for eight years now. I was sitting here, thinking about what I was going to say in this review, when I realized that this game is so bad, I'm not sure I can put it into legible words, but I'll give it a try.
Now, I've never seen the movie Tron, but I'm pretty sure that Ricochet was inspired by it. The neon graphics look similar, and I think that there were some throwing discs in the movie.
I'll admit, I haven't played very much of Ricochet, but there isn't really much to do. It's kind of a one-trick-pony. You go into a game (if you can find one. The most servers I've ever seen open at one time was 11, and at 10:30 P.M. CST, there was only 10 servers, and only one of them had any players, and even THEN, there were only two players and they were both assholes.), and you go from platform to platform throwing discs, trying to knock people off the platforms and down into the abyss, where they die and you get a point. There are a few problems with this. First, you can't jump. You just have to run onto little arrows on the platforms which flings you across to another platform. Second, your discs are your only weapon, and you can't aim them up or down. That's right, you can only throw your discs parallel to the ground (more on that in a minute). Third, you can only have 3 discs at a time, and even though they replenish, they don't do so nearly fast enough. When you have 3 discs saved, you can right-click to throw out a Decapitator disc, which is just what it sounds like, but even that is boring.
Now, back to the aiming. There are several levels of platforms which you can get to by going to the right jumps. Separating those platforms are bars that you cannot shoot through. They just bounce off (hence, the title of the game). Since you can't aim up or down, you can only shoot someone when you're on the same platform as them, or when you're in the air. The problem with that is, when you get shot by a normal disc, it doesn't kill you, it just pushes you a little, meaning if you get shot in the air, you'll probably end up missing your jump completely, and then fall to your death. Another problem is that this is one of those games where you can't walk through other players, so if two people are jumping at one another, they bump into each other and fall, killing both. It's also hard to hit people unless they're right in front of you, because your discs move extremely slow.
There are a few power-ups, although they're all things you've seen in plenty of other games, like Multi-Shot, Power Shot, and one that just freezes you, leaving you defenseless.
The graphics are really, really bad, even for the year 2000. They're boring, lifeless, and I think that Half-Life looked better, despite being two years older. Actually, I took a screenshot (click to enlarge (that's what she said)).
When I decided I wanted to review a bad game, I think I did good in choosing Ricochet. This is a game that should never have seen the light of day, much less the $5 that Steam wants you to pay. There is not an ounce of fun in this game, and I really tried hard to like it, but I just couldn't. As a reviewer, and as a person who doesn't generally wish the worst on people, this is a form of torture that I couldn't wish upon my worst enemy, much less recommend it to anyone I care about. If you already have this game, you have my condolences. 1 out of 5.
EDIT: I forgot I took this video earlier today, when there were about 10 people on.
Ricochet. The Half-Life mod that nobody knows about (or has tried to erase from their memory). It makes me sad to think that this game has disgraced the likes of Half-Life for eight years now. I was sitting here, thinking about what I was going to say in this review, when I realized that this game is so bad, I'm not sure I can put it into legible words, but I'll give it a try.
Now, I've never seen the movie Tron, but I'm pretty sure that Ricochet was inspired by it. The neon graphics look similar, and I think that there were some throwing discs in the movie.
I'll admit, I haven't played very much of Ricochet, but there isn't really much to do. It's kind of a one-trick-pony. You go into a game (if you can find one. The most servers I've ever seen open at one time was 11, and at 10:30 P.M. CST, there was only 10 servers, and only one of them had any players, and even THEN, there were only two players and they were both assholes.), and you go from platform to platform throwing discs, trying to knock people off the platforms and down into the abyss, where they die and you get a point. There are a few problems with this. First, you can't jump. You just have to run onto little arrows on the platforms which flings you across to another platform. Second, your discs are your only weapon, and you can't aim them up or down. That's right, you can only throw your discs parallel to the ground (more on that in a minute). Third, you can only have 3 discs at a time, and even though they replenish, they don't do so nearly fast enough. When you have 3 discs saved, you can right-click to throw out a Decapitator disc, which is just what it sounds like, but even that is boring.
Now, back to the aiming. There are several levels of platforms which you can get to by going to the right jumps. Separating those platforms are bars that you cannot shoot through. They just bounce off (hence, the title of the game). Since you can't aim up or down, you can only shoot someone when you're on the same platform as them, or when you're in the air. The problem with that is, when you get shot by a normal disc, it doesn't kill you, it just pushes you a little, meaning if you get shot in the air, you'll probably end up missing your jump completely, and then fall to your death. Another problem is that this is one of those games where you can't walk through other players, so if two people are jumping at one another, they bump into each other and fall, killing both. It's also hard to hit people unless they're right in front of you, because your discs move extremely slow.
There are a few power-ups, although they're all things you've seen in plenty of other games, like Multi-Shot, Power Shot, and one that just freezes you, leaving you defenseless.
The graphics are really, really bad, even for the year 2000. They're boring, lifeless, and I think that Half-Life looked better, despite being two years older. Actually, I took a screenshot (click to enlarge (that's what she said)).When I decided I wanted to review a bad game, I think I did good in choosing Ricochet. This is a game that should never have seen the light of day, much less the $5 that Steam wants you to pay. There is not an ounce of fun in this game, and I really tried hard to like it, but I just couldn't. As a reviewer, and as a person who doesn't generally wish the worst on people, this is a form of torture that I couldn't wish upon my worst enemy, much less recommend it to anyone I care about. If you already have this game, you have my condolences. 1 out of 5.
EDIT: I forgot I took this video earlier today, when there were about 10 people on.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Review: MotoChaser (iPhone/iPod Touch)
There are a ton of racing games on the iPhone. It just seems like the perfect platform for them, and some of them work rather well. MotoChaser seems to fall right in the middle.
There are 3 characters and 10 tracks. Aside from looking different, there is no difference in the characters that I can tell. The maps, however, are totally varied. Like I said, there are 10 maps, (almost) all in completely different locales, ranging from the desert to an icy place that I'm guessing is Russia, because I saw a hammer and sickle sign somewhere.
To call this a racing game would be a stretch. There is no real racing involved. There is a time limit, but I still don't consider that a race. There is no real story, just a couple of pictures in between races. I think that's supposed to explain the story, but it's just a bunch of pictures of guys with masks on holding a cat with a bandana.
The controls can be quite...not really awkward, they're just touchy and unresponsive a small percentage of the time. Sometimes while I'm driving, for some reason, the game will think I let go of the gas button, and if that goes on long enough without you noticing, your iPhone can actually go into sleep mode when you're in the middle of a race. Oftentimes while you're "racing", you will drive up by the guys with masks every once in a while (it happens far more frequently on the later tracks), and you have to hit a button to punch them. This turns out to be more of a hindrance than a fun gameplay mechanic.
One of the biggest complaints I hear about this game is that the steering is too touchy, and it really is. Most games have an options menu where you can change the sensitivity of the accelerometer, but you wont find that in the current version of MotoChaser. Having a far too touchy accelerometer not only makes the game more frustrating, it also makes is nearly impossible to play in places like a car. On the bright side, there is a difficulty slider in the options menu, but that doesn't change the sensitivity, it just adds more time on the clock, which can certainly be helpful, although I would have preferred a sensitivity slider.
Some of the graphics look pretty good. The character models are all look really nice, but the environments ...not so much. The character models remind me of something like Valkyria Chronicles or maybe even No More Heroes, while the environments look like a close-up of Mario Kart 64.
The sound isn't very good, simply put. The only voice acting in the game is some girl who says "Ready...Go!" at the beginning of each "race". Other than that, it's all just generic rock songs that get really old after a while. They're not as bad as some generic rock tracks I've heard, but they're pretty bad.
Don't get me wrong, I like Motochaser, at least in short bursts. This is not a game I'd want to play for hours at a time. However, it is a fun game (and only $1), if you can get past the sensitivity and the awful sound. 3 out of 5.
Version 1.2 of MotoChaser was reviewed.
There are 3 characters and 10 tracks. Aside from looking different, there is no difference in the characters that I can tell. The maps, however, are totally varied. Like I said, there are 10 maps, (almost) all in completely different locales, ranging from the desert to an icy place that I'm guessing is Russia, because I saw a hammer and sickle sign somewhere.
To call this a racing game would be a stretch. There is no real racing involved. There is a time limit, but I still don't consider that a race. There is no real story, just a couple of pictures in between races. I think that's supposed to explain the story, but it's just a bunch of pictures of guys with masks on holding a cat with a bandana.
The controls can be quite...not really awkward, they're just touchy and unresponsive a small percentage of the time. Sometimes while I'm driving, for some reason, the game will think I let go of the gas button, and if that goes on long enough without you noticing, your iPhone can actually go into sleep mode when you're in the middle of a race. Oftentimes while you're "racing", you will drive up by the guys with masks every once in a while (it happens far more frequently on the later tracks), and you have to hit a button to punch them. This turns out to be more of a hindrance than a fun gameplay mechanic.
One of the biggest complaints I hear about this game is that the steering is too touchy, and it really is. Most games have an options menu where you can change the sensitivity of the accelerometer, but you wont find that in the current version of MotoChaser. Having a far too touchy accelerometer not only makes the game more frustrating, it also makes is nearly impossible to play in places like a car. On the bright side, there is a difficulty slider in the options menu, but that doesn't change the sensitivity, it just adds more time on the clock, which can certainly be helpful, although I would have preferred a sensitivity slider.
Some of the graphics look pretty good. The character models are all look really nice, but the environments ...not so much. The character models remind me of something like Valkyria Chronicles or maybe even No More Heroes, while the environments look like a close-up of Mario Kart 64.The sound isn't very good, simply put. The only voice acting in the game is some girl who says "Ready...Go!" at the beginning of each "race". Other than that, it's all just generic rock songs that get really old after a while. They're not as bad as some generic rock tracks I've heard, but they're pretty bad.
Don't get me wrong, I like Motochaser, at least in short bursts. This is not a game I'd want to play for hours at a time. However, it is a fun game (and only $1), if you can get past the sensitivity and the awful sound. 3 out of 5.
Version 1.2 of MotoChaser was reviewed.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
WARNING: THIS POST HAS SHARP EDGES
DO NOT TOUCH THE EDGES OF THIS POST
I have been doing NOTHING in the past few days. Sure, I've been playing Gmod with ACD a lot, but I've been doing nothing of real importance.
I haven't played much L4D online today, but the L4D public demo came out today, so there's sure to be a steady flood of dickheads and asswipes. I CAN'T FREAKING WAIT UNTIL THE FULL GAME!! It's going to be so freaking awesome playing as a hunter or a smoker or something in Versus mode. Arrg, I don't think I can wait a week. I guess I can just keep playing the demo over and over.
I've been filming quite a lot of stuff lately (several gigs, in fact), so hopefully I can get some videos up in a few days.
Okay, I can't think of anything else to write about, so I'm just gonna go to bed now. Fare thee well.
I have been doing NOTHING in the past few days. Sure, I've been playing Gmod with ACD a lot, but I've been doing nothing of real importance.
I haven't played much L4D online today, but the L4D public demo came out today, so there's sure to be a steady flood of dickheads and asswipes. I CAN'T FREAKING WAIT UNTIL THE FULL GAME!! It's going to be so freaking awesome playing as a hunter or a smoker or something in Versus mode. Arrg, I don't think I can wait a week. I guess I can just keep playing the demo over and over.
I've been filming quite a lot of stuff lately (several gigs, in fact), so hopefully I can get some videos up in a few days.
Okay, I can't think of anything else to write about, so I'm just gonna go to bed now. Fare thee well.
Monday, November 10, 2008
L4D Demo
Well, I've been playing the L4D Demo for several days now, and I've had Fraps for a while, so I figured the next logical step was to film myself playing through the demo to make people who haven't played it extremely jealous (no offense, ACD). The result:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 1
Part 2
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Current Music Tastes
I used to think I had diverse music tastes, when in reality, I don't. Sure, there are a few songs that are different from the rest (Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette, and Time After Time by Sparklemotion are all a little different. Don't judge me.), but other than that, it's all pretty much the same. I wish they had more PUSA, YFF, and TMBG, but alas.
Side note: I think Lump is my all-time favorite song. It never seems to get old.
Other side note: I'm also listening to Man, It's So loud In Here by They Might Be Giants, but imeem doesn't have it (they do have a remix, but I like the original better), so otherwise it would be on the list.
Side note: I think Lump is my all-time favorite song. It never seems to get old.
Other side note: I'm also listening to Man, It's So loud In Here by They Might Be Giants, but imeem doesn't have it (they do have a remix, but I like the original better), so otherwise it would be on the list.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Fallout 3 Videos, A Heartfelt Poem, and a NaNo Update
I wrote an intentionally shitty poem last night.
I never understood why it's still considered a poem if it doesn't rhyme. Sure, it's literature in some form or another, but I don't think it should be considered a poem. Whatever.
I finally put Fraps to a good use today. I filmed a couple of really cool parts of Fallout 3 and uploaded them to YT. The first video is a demonstration of sorts of the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S.), one of Fallout 3's best combat options.
In this second video, I found an overturned truck, and found out the hard way that it explodes. I decided to save and blow it up intentionally, with a variety of weapons.
I have decided to go a different way with my NaNo. I can't say anything about it on account that He will find me.
I was sitting there, on my computer.
Not doing anything, nor harming anyone.
Just posting RickRolls, but not intentionally.
“I swear I didn't mean to, officer!”
But it was too late.
I never understood why it's still considered a poem if it doesn't rhyme. Sure, it's literature in some form or another, but I don't think it should be considered a poem. Whatever.
I finally put Fraps to a good use today. I filmed a couple of really cool parts of Fallout 3 and uploaded them to YT. The first video is a demonstration of sorts of the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S.), one of Fallout 3's best combat options.
In this second video, I found an overturned truck, and found out the hard way that it explodes. I decided to save and blow it up intentionally, with a variety of weapons.
I have decided to go a different way with my NaNo. I can't say anything about it on account that He will find me.
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