The Marathon Update 1

Bonjour ladies and gents. I know I mentioned last week that I was going to rant about Piracy... at the same time, I feel like I already said a lot of what I felt in my rant about emulation, so the Piracy rant is put on hold for now unless I'm really feeling up to it later... or better yet, to add to a podcast, whenever we get around to actually doing that.

Instead, I'll just post an update on my marathons, IE Ubisoft and Alphabet marathons for that wonderful Backloggery Site. It's a shame that they aren't accepting new users, but considering how sometimes the site randomly crashes, it's not a huge surprise. Besides, the crashing isn't even close to being horribly often, so why risk making it worse?

Starting with the Ubithon, Drakengard 2 is holding my interest pretty well. While the first game had disturbing themes involving incest, cannibalism, insanity, and a touch of bestiality, this one instead features a whiny little brat who can't make up his mind and is totally oblivious to reality and intelligence. Gameplay wise everything is awesome, but still, the main character is a moron. If it weren't for that, I'd probably enjoy it a lot more.

Prince of Persia is on the shelf until I beat Drakengard... so probably in a day or two I'll tackle that one again. It started off awesomely, but I dunno... actually, I do know. I suck at it >_>.

And finally, Red Steel is something I probably should be playing right about now, since I've been in a shooter-ish mood, but... well, the controls could use a lot of work, and in a sword fight, precision is necessary.

Alphabethon has kinda got ignored slightly here, mostly because I want to beat the games I chose in alphabetical order (duh!), but unfortunately I'm stuck at the Temple of Flame in 3D Dot Game Heroes. It's an awesome Zelda style game, but I'm the kinda guy that hates getting stuck. I'm also the kinda guy that gets stuck WAY too often. Maybe gaming isn't for me...? Alone in the Dark isn't as bad as I originally thought... although still not great, and Bioshock was an instant classic. Sadly, I'm almost never in a shooter mood, but the story is good enough that I'm going to hit that pretty soon. Probably after Drakengard, or the PS3 Zelda.

Until next time, a pleasant Gammage to all.

World of Warcraft 4.0.1 - Azeroth Beckons

A cataclysm draws near. A world is about to change. Patch 4.0 marks the beginning of our transition towards World of Warcraft - Cataclysm. New races, new zones and the likes will be available on December 7. What was released this week is system changes.

Although the changes are numerous, I will focus on the aspect I was most excited about, the new talent system. World of Warcraft player know that once you hit level 10, you can allocate talent points in one of three trees. There were many filler talents and Blizzard felt the need to streamline the whole system which also allows them to renew the classes at the same time.

Talents were simplified in two ways: number and selection. There are now far fewer talents to choose from, but you also have fewer talent points. Basically, you now get one every two levels, in between new abilities. This makes the leveling experience far more enjoyable and also reduces the number of uninteresting talents.

I shall conclude with this note: the Baron mount is finally mine!

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There was a POST here, It's gone now...

I'd love to continue my rant on Piracy today, but unfortunately there are 631 unfinished games in my backlog calling to me, not to mention Highlander on Netflix, so my ranting is going to have to wait until next week Tuesday. See ya then.

On Roms and Emulation

Hello there, ladies and gents. This weekend, I decided to relive a bit of my past, so I found collections of every NES and SNES game in Rom form, as well as the emulators with which to run them. I already had a controller, and after configuring things properly, it's just like when I was a kid, playing 8-bit games that my brother owned.

Now, under normal circumstances, I am a pirate in name only: As in, I prefer pirates to ninja's. Pirating is something I am wholly against, and I'll be writing about that in my next post. Also, for roms and emulators, I have a tendency to feel the same way. However, old-school gaming, IE NES, SNES and the like, I feel falls under a sort of gray area when it comes to pirating.

To be quite honest, if a game comes out, and it's something that I'm going to play, I want to give the developers my money. If they make a quality game, they deserve my cash, and that's a fact, plain and simple. I'm also not going to hide behind the "I can't afford it" route that so many others hide behind. Gaming is not food, shelter, or clothing. Call me elitist if you want, but if you can't afford gaming, then you shouldn't BE gaming. Simple. Gaming is a form of luxury, and since it isn't necessary for.. you know, LIVING, then you shouldn't complain just because you can't afford it.

Now, why are NES and SNES roms MY exception?

1) The developers don't get any money off the games anymore. The exception to THIS is through things like the Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade, and the Playstation Network, but if it's a game I have on an emulator, and I liked it enough to keep it, then I have no problem plopping down the money to own the game. Again, if they took the time to make something for my enjoyment, then I will give the developers of those games my money.

2) You can't find the games anywhere anymore. Most stores don't sell them, and the ones that do don't carry games that are good. Roms are pretty much the only way to find those games anymore.

My usage of roms always follows those two rules up there. If the developers don't make money off them anymore (which anything from PS1 backwards holds up to this, since the developers stopped production of those games), and if stores stop selling them. That being said, once a game becomes available again through alternative means, IE VC or PSN, then I buy them. Always.

Yesterday was the release of the demo for Force Unleashed 2, I tried it out and it's pretty fun. Still glitchy though (I fell through the floor of one of the area's), but it should be pretty fun. It seems like they sped up The Apprentice a bit, and I'm sure they gave him new moves, although you only get one in the demo. Although I'm not buying it at launch, I'm looking forward to seeing the full game in action when it gets released in a couple of weeks.

See ya'll on Saturday, yo!

Netflix and Bandwidth

Ah Netflix. Allowed me to catch up with Season 4 of Heroes (which was surprisingly fun to watch). The girlfriend and I are currently watching the BBC Sitcom Couplings. Not sure if I will pay for the service, but I can understand it's appeal. However, as I believe I mentioned before, the selection, movie wise, is far from up to date.

One thing to be careful with: Your bandwidth. Especially if you watch an HD series.

I'm playing Final Fantasy XIII again and I just finished chapter X this morning. Can't wait to start Chapter XI as it is where the game begins according to a lot of people. To be honest, I've enjoyed the experience a fair bit of up this point. The cinematics are absolutely stunning. Shame on Squeenix for omitting a Theater Mode once you finish the game.

Have you taken a look at the Move Section in your local stores? I've seen them empty in a few places (well, the Bundles and the Move Controller). The Controller appears to be selling really well.

If you own the Move Controller, grab Tumble off of PSN. It is a lot of fun (well, I do like to play with blocks with my daughter, so that might explain my liking the game).

New PSN+ Freeby this week, I wonder what it will be...

There's Always Something to Watch

Folks, normally I do my post about something to do with gaming, either because all week I play one game or several, or because something happens in the industry that drives a sincere need in me to grab my soapbox and rant for a few minutes.

Today is not the day for that kind of post. Today, I am too busy to post. Too busy having television or the first time in approximately three years. Granted, I don't actually have TV, I have Netflix.

Reader beware: Gushing will ensue in three.... two.... one....

GOD I miss TV. I miss being able to flip channels for an hour while still not watching one, solitary thing. I miss wasting hours on end just channel flipping! And now, thanks to the PS3, I pretty much get that same joy.

Netflix has allowed me that simple pleasure once more. Rather than post, I think I'm going to let my brain rot with movies and TV shows, unlimited, all for 8 bucks a month.... after the 1 month free trial. Huzzah for trials that are FREE!!!!

And in PSTP news, I have set up an account with Gamespot, allowing our posts to be seen all across the universe!!!! Or at least on another site. Until next time folks, Excelzior!

If you read this blog...

Post in the comment section!

Also, Cataclysm is a few weeks away. Getting Rock Band 3 with the keyboard will be a pain, though I hope not. Still on chapter 9 in FF XII.

Back to reading the Bag War Saga, thanks to the Knights of the Dinner Table.

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Being Sick Sucks

Bonjourno, Internet. I have sadly been sick all weekend, which left gaming to an absolute null and void. However, lying down with nothing to do gave me the perfect opportunity to re-watch season 4 of House, an absolutely awesome show, especially if you like smart, sarcastic types.

I did play a little bit of Drakengard 2 as part of my Ubisoft Marathon. Made by Square-Enix, Drakengard 2, (a sequel to drak... you don't need me to spell it out for ya) takes place 18 years after the first one. It combines Dynasty Warriors style gameplay, whereby you control one character as hundreds of random, nameless enemies are out to kill you, and aerial combat, where you use a dragon to slaughter wings and cubes, and the occasional biplane.

In the first one, there were many themes that would be deemed as controversial, but it was that type of storyline that attracted me to it in the first place. It dared to tell a story not often told in any form, let alone a video game. Drakengard 2, while still fun, lacks a certain something in the storyline. For example, the main character is a whiny little brat. Still, the game itself is fun.

I also managed to play a little Animal Crossing City Folk. I should be about 2/3 of the way through, and of course that means my debt. There's no way I'm going to finish collecting everything in that game, not for a long while anyways.

Castlevania was released today, much to the dismay of all people who hate 3d adaptations of classic, 2d games. This is Chris Taylor, off to take my daily drugs!!! ... of the not staying sick variety.

A quick entry about Netflix

Do you live in Canada? If you do, try out Netflix.ca. Can't say no to a free month, can you? It is a neat little service. My girlfriend and I are currently catching up on the last season of Heroes. I am not sure if I'll suscribe though.

Regional agreements be damned. It would seem that the Rock Band 3/Keyboard bundle will not be available for the PS3 in North America. This sounds like some fishy money deal... Not sure what I'll end up doing about the game.

List of games before Xmas went from: LBP2 (next year), Castlevania (no classic tunes, no purchase for me), RB3 (humm)...

I guess there is still Force Unleashed 2... Otherwise, I guess this means more time for FFXIII and RDR.

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Red Steel

It doesn't take too long to figure out that I'm not the biggest supporter of the Wii, or the motion sensing control gimmick that's been the focal point of gaming in the last couple of years. I pretty much need buttons and a standard controller to be able to have fun with a game.

Such is the case with Red Steel, a launch title for the Wii. The game is broken down into two sections: First Person Shooting, which serves as the main, where you travel down corridors, collecting guns and ammo, and shooting at random Asians... or really, random Asian character models with French-Canadian voice actors portraying a terrible Asian accent.

The second part revolves around your ability to block, parry, and strike with a samurai blade. This is the part that gets lost in translation. It is the typical "Wii doesn't sense proper movements" complaint that most Wii games get. In this particular case, it's not so much that it doesn't get sensed at all, so much as there is a delay between your movement and what happens on the screen. It takes a while to get used to it, and even then, the lack of precision brings this game down.

Sadly, one could still say it's decent as a launch title. The aiming, while not perfect, isn't terrible, and the Wii is tailor made for shooters. If it weren't for the fact that it is in fact a launch title, I wouldn't even be able to give it that much credit though.

Sorry folks, this post would probably be longer, but I'm getting sick, and bed rest is the requisite at this point. Until next time, folks.

Zen Pinball

Do you like Pinball machine? Do you own a PS3? Then you owe it to yourself to get Zen Pinball. It is the most fun I've had with a game in a good while. The extra Street Fighter 2 Homage table is quite neat, with surprisingly clever ways of making the Pinball game feel like a Street Fighter game.

I wish I had more to say at this time, alas, my last few posts were rather lengthy and I haven't had the chance to really playanything else since then. I was planning on picking up Lord of Shadows, but seeing as it has little to do with Castlevania, I'll probably skip it. In the meantime, I've also gotten back into FFXIII. More on that as I progress further (I was at chapter 8 when I stopped playing and I'm close to wrapping up chapter 9).

If you live in Canada, Netflix is now available and you can get a free month. The content isn't that great, but there are some fun things.

Read you soon?!?

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MOVEing up in the world...

... Yeah, not a very clever play on words, but you get the idea. I have recently gotten the Playstation Move, and with it a copy of Resident Evil 5: Gold edition.

I like the Move. It picks up movements decently well, and rather than it just being a flick of the wrist like it is with the Wii motion controls: You control every nuance of whatever it is you're controlling on the screen. I've played some of the Sports Champions games. I'll put a more full fledged post about it next week. I will say this though: It's more than just a glorified demo disc, which if you've ever played Wii Sports, well... that's what that game felt like.

Now, normally when I play through a series of games, I need to play them in order, with Silent Hill being a notable exception (I actually played the first one third, since I couldn't find it anywhere). All of the Crash Bandicoots, the Spyro's, any gaming series I have I need to play them from when they began, that way I can see how the story goes from one game to the next, I can see all the little references and improvements made. With Resident Evil, I figured I would do the same thing... but then when the Gold Edition of 5 came out, with Move compatibility, I figured why not? Originally I was getting the GE for Jeff, and he was going to trade me his copy of the original version, but since he ended up getting it for himself, I wasn't going to just give my copy away...

To be honest, I've always maintained that the Wii was tailor made for shooters: All you really need to do is aim the Wii-mote at the screen, fire, and voila: Instant killing gratification. Which makes me wonder why playing RE5G on PS3 feels better than any Wii shooter I've played. The controls just work very naturally for it.

I tried the game very briefly at Jeff's place using the Dualshock setup, and I gotta admit, I much prefer just pointing at the screen. There's just something about it that makes it feel more fluid. Again, RE5 on the PS3 is what I wish Wii shooters would feel like.

On a final note, even almost two years after the games release, RE5 is probably the best looking game I have ever seen, and I've seen way too many games than could ever be considered healhty. From Press Start Two Play, I'm Chris Taylor, wishing all a pleasant Gammage.

Pointer controlled Resident Evil

Like a fair number of people, I thoroughly enjoyed Resident Evil 5. It is one of those games that really takes advantage of the New Game + concept. In fact, I am fairly certain that the game is nigh impossible on a Professional playthrough with just the basic equipment.

When I first played it, however, I strongly believed that it would benefit immensely from pointer controls, à la RE4:Wii. My first impression was disappointment... Fairly strong disappointment at that. Although I did not play the game much (waiting on a friend to start playing again), I tried to understand where my disappointment originated. The answer is not overly complex, but it involves more than the controls.

The first thing to keep in mind is that I lost my save file (old PS3 died). Not only do I not have access to some of the DLC costumes from the get go, but rebuilding my arsenal is not something I am looking forward to.

The other thing of note is, it does control very similarly to RE4:Wii, with a few notable differences. The cursor does not stay on the screen. I do not know if this is a design decision or a technological "limitation", but the end result is that aiming is different and more difficult. Design wise, the Wii way of aiming makes the game a lot easier. The Move controls work fine, but aiming takes more time to get used to simply because you have to reset your aim everytime.

Last but not list in this brief analysis is the fact that in RE5, unlike RE4, you HAVE a lot of control on the camera, and that is something that is completely lost in the Move version, you can only control it when aiming. In RE4, you could only tilt the camera a bit, and even that was mapped onto the Wii mote. At the end of the day, I think that this is what causes RE5 afficionado to cringe a bit when they start playing RE5 with the Move. However, put the Move down, try the Dualshock again...and chances are you'll realise that your memories and the actual control scheme are not the same. Move definitely allows for a superior experience.

That being said, I am looking forward to playing through the game again and I can't wait to have some decent weaponry. I did play some RE4 to see how the games differed... And well, that's why I wrote this entry. Plus RE5 is still one of the prettiest games out there, one year later.

If you want to play some RE5 with me, just send me a message and if I can, I will be more than happy to join you.

Until next time, remember to aim for their head.

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The Marathon...s

Ladies and gents of the world, I have six hundred and twenty-six games that I haven't beaten. That's a lot. Too much. Problem is, I almost never have time to play games, and when I do... well, I usually change my mind on what I want to play. I'll go through times where I want to play certain games, and then half an hour later I'll play something completely different. I needed something to inspire me to play my games, and usually, a list of some sort helps.

Enter Backloggery. When I first joined the site, it inspired me to play things I've had in my collection for years and never beat. Adversely, it also inspired me to buy even more cheapo games to add to said collection.

Browsing other peoples collections, I noticed someone doing a marathon of Ubisoft games. It's exactly what is sounds like: They are playing all of the games that they own that were made by Ubisoft. It inspired me to do the same, and at first, I thought that it worked.

Then I tracked down the Prince of Persia games that I didn't own yet. The addiction continues.

So I'm three games into my Ubithon, and I'm still buying more games than I'm beating. An idea hits me: Why not go in alphabetical order? But I didn't think I'd ever actually do it.

Then, while browsing other peoples profiles... again, I saw someone else with the exact same idea as me. He's got a list of games from # - Z, and he's actually beating them in alphabetical order. And that's pretty much what I'm doing... with a little leeway. I'm going three games at a time. That way, if I get stuck in 3D Dot Game Heroes, I can take a break and play Bioshock. There are also two replacements: Since I don't have a Q or a Y, I just replaced those letters with games that are close in lettering to what I didn't have.

Just picked up the Move AND RE 5 Gold. Resident Evil was supposed to be for Jeff (he was going to give me his copy of the original game, and I was going to trade the Gold for his regular), but he ended up picking it up for himself, so Hey, more bonus stuff for me XD. Haven't tried the move yet, but I'm planning on hooking it up tonight, and trying out those sports games. Also, it gives me an excuse to pick up Eye of Judgment at some point, and with my love affair of CCG's, I'm totally going to get it... eventually.

I've also been playing a lot of Magic. A LOT of Magic, so much that even my Room Mate has started playing... a little. She's into the XBLA version, and she even has a couple of pre-constructed decks, now we just need to get her into it full on.

Until next time, I'm Chris Taylor wishing all a pleasant Gammage.

In a memory far far away...

Those who know me are aware that my iPod contains practically only soundtracks. It is basically the only thing I listen to. To a large extent, my recent interest in The Beatles is because of the Rock Band game of the same name. Although my music library is mostly filled with film soundtracks, videogames are the reason I like what I like today. One game in particular, can be held responsible for most of my tastes. We must go back to 1992, in a dark basement, on an old TV that did not have a remote...

A long time ago
In a galaxy far, far away...

Believe it or not, Super Star Wars was my first exposure to the Star Wars universe. It bloomed a strong passion that endures to this day. And most importantly, this game introduced me to John Williams. Where the game X-Wing defined what I would ultimately prefer about Star Wars, the Super NES title is the reason why my music collection is what it is and why I love
Star Wars unconditionally.

I mentioned John Williams because his was the first music I really got into on my own. It wasn't because my parents owned the CD or because a friend recommended it; it was what I wanted to listen to. From then on, music would define what I liked and didn't like, be they films, videogames, etc.

An ordinary movie with an excellent theme may become a surprise hit. A good
TV show with a bland theme song may not hold my interest. A strong soundtrack in a game makes a huge different on my enjoyment of said game.

So it is with chagrin that I find today's game music less memorable than back in the day. Granted, part of the emotional impact that music had to have is now carried through with the music, we hear tunes less frequently due to how games are now made, but this same observation could be extended to films too. Maybe it is because directors do not want a theme so strong that it detracts from the visual experience, or maybe moody and atmospheric tracks sell... No matter the answer, I am always looking for those few notes that make me smile, no matter what.

Here are some of my favourite game themes.

Uncharted: When I first booted the game, and watched that coin turn, I was amazed at what was playing. It conveyed so many things: Grandeur, adventure... Was this going to be the Indiana Jones game we never got? Nathan's Theme is a very classic kind of theme that embodies, in my humble opinion, the series very weel.

Mega Man 2: A Classic. Every single track in that game "sings" awesome. I could mention the classic Mecha Dragon stage... Oh wait, I just did. Flash Man and Wood Man are also some of my favourites.

Shatter: Not themes per say as they are not associated to anything specific, but that soundtrack is worth every penny. It helps that the game is fantastic too.

The Metroid Prime Trilogy: Look at some of my older blogs and at pressstarttwoplay.blogspot.com. On the other hand, Metroid: Other M was tremendously disappointing music wise.

Final Fantasy VI/III: The Returner's Theme. Locke's, Terra's, Cyan's, Setzer's (just thinking about the moment in the dark world where we ask why are we going to his wife's tomb... To get another airship of course... Gives me goosebumps :) ) Need I say more?

What are some of your favourite themes/tracks and why?

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I Am Error

Sorry folks, no time for posting, work has been.... less than fun, and me being on a computer hasn't been entirely feasible. I'll put up a proper post on the weekend, if I'm not working more >_>.

That being said, with what little time I've had to game, I've been playing 3D Dot Game Heroes. It's really fun, especially if you're into old-school, 8-bit Zelda style gameplay. A little annoying though, since I never really grew up with those games, I never learned how to be patient with the difficulty curve of those kinda games.

Saturday, an actual post will be here... hopefully.

PlayStation Move

PlayStation Move came out last Friday. I figured, why not get it... after all, I am dying to get the RE4 Wii experience with Resident Evil 5 (which Chris and I should start playing pretty soon).

I got the Sports Champions Bundle with an extra Move Controller and a navigation controller (there was a promo at Toys'R'Us). I must admit that I am intrigued in Motion tech in general. When it was first announced for the Wii, I thought it would be revolutionary. The Wii was, but not necessarily because of motion.

Although there has been a few games that use it well, developpers either don't bother to spend the time to put out refined game on the system or the tech simply isn't there. Even the Motion + has yet to see an actual game make good use of it (hopefully Skyward Sword will rectify that).

Enter the PlayStation Move. A derivative accesory at best, it may hold the key to hardcore gaming and motion controls (I have yet to try Kinect, simply because it is not out yet, but I do not think it's potential lies in the same area). In many ways, it is Wii Motion + PlayStation Eye Toy. Once you are properly set up, it works like a charm. It feels good in your hand and it is surprisingly light. The ball itself is made of a soft foamy plastic, meaning you don't need to fear hitting your friends.

The bundle comes packaged with: 1 Move controller, 1 PlayStation Eye, 1 Sports Champions and 1 demo disc. There is also an EyePet bundle, where the included game is EyePet instead of Sports Champions. I already had the Eye, but the demo disc is a nice thing to have.

Here are my impressions on the games so far:

Sports Champions: To me, HUGE SURPRISE. I was expectingly something in line with Wii Sports Resort (which I thought was a huge disappointment). It is true that I did not have any expections towards Sports Champions, but boy is that game fun. Sure it looks generatic and could use some personality, but man, I just can't get enough of it. Volleyball I thought was surprisingly addictive. Table Tennis is superior enough to the Wii one that I'll most likely never touch the game again (although I do have a soft spot for Wakeboarding). I had never heard of Bocce before, but I think it is going to satiate my "curling need" until an actual Move Curling game comes out. I haven't played Frisbee Gold yet, but if the controls are like in the other games, should be great. Archery...I need to find the sweet spot because it is the only thing I'm having some problems controlling right now. And Gladiator Combat (or whatever the actual name is) is so much fun. Imagine a Soul Calibur type game with GOOD motion controls. It's that much fun... although you do need 2 move controllers.

Tumble: Fun block placement game. Imagine a videogame version of Jenga if you will (or other block games like Villa Paletti or Hamsterrolle...although these titles are definitely more niche). It takes a few minutes to get used to the controls, but once you do it is very solid. Maybe not as entertaining as Boom Blox, but solid enough for a $10 downloadable title.

The Shoot: I only tried the demo, but it is an old school arcadey shooter. The artstyle is okay (with cardboard characters to ensure that it is not too violent) and the gameplay has some fun twist. I am not sure if it is worth $40 however.

I tried some of the other demos, but they weren't my type of game. EyePet is surprisingly cute, but I'm not into pets or virtual pets so... (unless they are of the WoW Collectible variety).

Overall, the launch titles are nothing stellar, but the tech is very impressive and I think it's potential for more hardcore games is nothing to be scoffed at. However, with 2 very different techs, I'm very curious to see how titles for them will pan out. I cannot wait to try the multiplayer aspects of these titles, should be fun.

Resident Evil: AKA Sequel - itis

To be fair, the RE movies aren't completely terrible... if you forget that they are loosely (and I'm talking Red Light District "loose" here) related to a video game with the same name. Of the original three movies, only the first one comes close to capturing the feeling of the game, and even then.... just barely. If you view these flicks as a stand-alone, separate universe from that of the games, they are relatively enjoyable. Think of it a bit like comic books: They've been around forever, usually having slightly different takes on the character with each subsequent set, so... yeah.

As far as Afterlife... it's kinda like a big commercial for 3D movies. Lots of plot devices and special effects used as an excuse to bring 3D into the limelight. There's nothing wrong with it, although it did seem a little tacky. Also, they didn't bring back Wesker from the third movie, they brought in a new dude who... he's alright I guess, but it could have been a lot better.

Now to the gaming part of this post. There are two games I've been spending all my time with: 3D Dot Game Heroes, and the Magic the Gathering Xbox Live Arcade game.

3D Dot Heroes has its moments of sheer frustration, but since it's designed to be kind of like an 8-bit game, that actually works more to its favor than I originally thought. The game seems to have enough content to make any Zelda fan proud, and enough tongue-in-cheek humor so that you don't really take anything overly seriously. Granted, I'm sure I'm missing half of what I'm supposed to do, since I rarely talk to the villagers, so me constantly dying in the dungeons is 100% my fault. It's still a fun game though.

That being said, each boss has an achievement attached to it that I sincerely doubt I'll ever get; To get the achievement, you have to beat the boss without getting hit. Talk about a pain in the ass. Maybe if I ever get enough patience I'll get around to it, but right now, I'm going for a Beat on the Backlog and that's about it. For now, anyways.

I've written quite a bit about Magic already, (most of it being barely coherent ramblings posted while in the middle of a game, or too asleep to get thoughts out properly...), so I'll at least keep this short. The XBL game is fun. It's not overly deep, so a newbie can easily get into it and not feel overwhelmed. It's spelled out a lot better than... say, actually playing a game with someone who has played the game for a long time.

That being said, it's deep enough that even vets of Magic can get a kick out of it. You unlock several 60 Card decks as you go along, and as you win using those decks you unlock cards to add. The only deck editing you get to do is with those extra cards. You can add them to the deck, or remove them as you see fit. A serious lack of real deck building holds the game back for guys like me who have been playing for years, but again, for newbies it's an excellent intro to the game proper.

Besides, when you go to tournaments, most people are using the same deck builds as each other anyways.

Tuesday I'll be talking about my marathons of gaming goodness that I've been taking part of. Until then, pleasant Gammage to everybody!

Today's post is missing

As was the time to write it.

Oh, I enjoyed Resident Evil: Afterlife, even it sucked in many ways (acting, some of the effects, the plot). But I knew what I was getting into and I wanted to enjoy myself, and I did. Got anything to add Chris?


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Magic is Fun II

Xbox Live is an overpriced, almost useless (for me anyways) add-on to a console with a short life expectancy. That being said, every once in a while I find something to pass the time with. Now, that is Magic.

Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalker is an Xbox Live Arcade game, and as someone who is addicted to collecting things, this is feeding my addiction very well. Multiple decks, the ability to play online against other people, and expansions that add more decks and cards.

Every victory with each deck adds a card to the deck, up to a maximum of 17. The problem is, you can only edit those 17 cards, so if you want to mess with the original 60 card deck, you can't. Bummer. Also, land gets tapped automatically, rather than you choosing what gets tapped while you cast things. Granted, I've only unlocked mono-color decks, so maybe it'll be different when I get some more cards, but still, it'll be interesting to see how things turn out as I keep playing.

Tonight, Jeff and I are going to torture ourselves by watching the Resident Evil movie. It makes me think: Has Milla Jovovich been in a movie in the last decade that did NOT involve her being some super powered uber being? Ultraviolet, The Fifth Element, Resident Evil, is there ever a time when she's just normal? These are the questions that kept me out of the good schools as a child.

Don't be surprised if this post gets edited when I figure out how bad that movie really is. Until then, pleasant Gammage to everyone.