Old School Lan Party

Have you ever done a LAN party? It is not as common as it used to be, for a few reasons: computer games are not as popular as they once were, most multiplayer games are played online and well, as we get older and move further away it is harder to get together with our computers.

To celebrate the release of StarCraft 2, myself and seven other people got together in a well organized basement to play StarCraft 2. Of course, we had to log onto Battle.Net and we were, in fact, playing over the Internet. But speaking over a microphone or typing a few lines of text are definitely not the same as a shared experience. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who were present. That was one of the most fun weekends I've had in a very long time. I have also learnt a lot about the game, knowledge that will come in handy as we continue playing together on a regular basis.

Most importantly, an immense thank you to Corsaire for organizing everything (the lodging, the basement, the tech support, the food, etc.).

I hope we get to do this again sooner rather than later because it was, EPIC!

Jeff, signing out and logging on Battle.net!

So Silent Hill 2...

So yesterday, Chris showed me Silent Hill 2, from start to finish. It was an interesting experience, watching a game be played, a classic at that. Aside from the small glitches due to the 360 emulation, I found the game interesting.

Now, gameplay and design wise, the game is definitely showing its age. Fetch quests in gorgeous environments are one thing, in bland buildings with glitchy textures, not so much. However, I do not believe this is what this game is about. If there was a game to which we can apply the onion analogy, this is it. Silent Hill 2 is meticulously crafted. The characters are there for a reason, the enemies look the way they do because of who the main character is, the places you explore are significant and the atmosphere still oozes out of your screen.

I am fairly certain that the game would stand on its own, even if it wasn't part of a famous series. On the other hand, I'm glad I was not playing but simply watching. I do not think I would have finished the game, it's pace is too slow for what I like to play now. Although... I think I would get a blast trying to go after the UFO ending.

This experience was very interesting, seeing someone's favourite game being played from start to finish with running commentary to boot. I'm hoping we can turn this look at the other's favourite games into a monthly feature or something.

On to another 2, StarCraft. I'm loving it so far. We are having a "LAN" party this Saturday and I get that feeling that it will be, wait for it, legendary (I'm also watching How I Met your Mother again). Sunday's post will most likely be about
SC2.

If you are wondering what is happening with Episode 2, our podcast will return near the end of August / beginning of September.

Until next post, this is Jeff, saying good game.




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