• 8Jul 11

  Summer fun and games!

  Hello everyone that is ever so nice to even bother checking my blogs and following me throughout the forums. You know who you are. How's everybody's summer going?

  Steamworks Summer Sale is spectacular as usual. Even though I have just about every game I ever wanted from these sales since Winter Solice Sale, it's always fun to watch people grab up new games and post their screenshots on the stickie. Be sure to check out other digital game download services out there (e.g. Amazon, GamersGate, GOG, Greenmangaming, and others).

  I've hardly been gaming lately, but I have been plugging into F3AR here and there; playing in random spurts. A solid game.

  Well, I'm off to do a little shopping (in this recession economy), no not really, just some shoes. Red Converse (chucks), low's. haha I've been meaning to buy them for the longest time.

  Anyways, I gotta' head off to work and then my cousin's 23rd bday right after. I hope I don't get too drunk! Talk to you guys soon. Cheers!

  • Posted Jul 8, 2011 12:19 pm GMT
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• 10Apr 11

  Apartment hunting, awaiting a few shipments, and sports.

  Well, this weekend was gone in a flash. I spent most of my Sunday afternoon apartment hunting. See, the apartment I live in currently is too noisy. Caused mainly by three houses with dogs barking all day and night. I finally made the big decision to move. I.hate.city.life. Sucks.

  
  During all this chaos, I managed to sell a couple of GTX 460's on Ebay. I got about $300 for both, which isn't all bad considering they're retailing for $160 a piece. I'll take my losses. On the bright side, I purchased a GTX 580 by Galaxy from Tigerdirect.com which is still on the way. According to UPS, it will arrive tomorrow.

  

  I never purchased a Galaxy-branded product before, let alone a whopping $500 graphics card. Yay me for taking risks! Urgh.... I'm a bit nervous about DOA and all that jazz. Hopefully all goes well and it's fully functional. I haven't read any reviews with complaints about dead on arrival galaxy GPU's, well, at least to my knowledge. Let's hope it's not a dud.

  In other news, since my gaming PC is GPU-less, I've been using my laptop hooked up to my PC monitor. I had to get my gaming fix somehow so I started playing Secret of Mana. One of my favorite games of all-time on the SNES. Good times my friend, good times.

  

  Now..THAT is a video game.

  And last but not least, in sports. One of the most exciting professional basketball player today, Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls defeated the Boston Celtics. It was an exciting game. Very entertaining. I always enjoy watching D. Rose take it to the hoop at 6'3" over big men who usually eat players at that size for breakfast. MVP all the way.

  

  How was your weekend? Any exciting activities?

  • Posted Apr 10, 2011 6:18 pm GMT
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• 4Dec 10

  Hidden Gems of 2010 - Play these before games of 2011 arrive!

  I'd like to note that if it weren't for the awesome holiday sales by Steam, Gamestop, Amazon.com, GoGamer.com, as well as other download sites, I would have easily missed some of 2010's hidden gems. Here's a short list of games you should check out if you haven't already:

  1. Just Cause 2 - Although when it first came out, JC2 was received with impressive scores throughout metacritic and well-known published websites. Our very own Gamespot gave it an 8.5 rating which in this industry is deemed as great or impressive.

  From what I've played so far (quite a lot, I might add), Just Cause 2 is THE open-world/sandbox game that you should not miss out on. Before I step into the details, please ignore comments by reviews saying that this game has cheesy dialogue. It's not any worse than your average B-movie.

  I won't review the game because Gamespot's review is pretty spot on with mine.. except I like it 10 times more. If you want a fun sandbox game that doesn't take itself too seriously. This is your kind of game. Missions are fun, varied, and you get to destroy a bunch of "stuff." Using the grappling hook as you parachute continuously never gets old. JC2 really gives you that freedom in a physics-galore sandbox world.

  My #1 Hidden Gem of 2010.

  2. Alpha Protocol - This one I admit will be a "hit or miss." For me, it's a big hit. Sure, the game has some flaws, but if you treat Alpha Protocol more as a Role-Playing game, you will not be disappointed. I'd also like to note that some of the flaws mentioned in critic reviews are easily overlooked and that they're not as bad as they pointed them out to be. For examle, Michael Thorton's "Sneak/stealth" animation isn't all that bad as it looks in videos. It actually makes sense and it's pretty subtle. Take it from someone who is OCD. I am really OCD, and I'm not just saying it. Anyways...

  Gunplay is like most third-person shooters and it should not be compared to the fluid FPS controls of games we play today. It's not perfect though as the hit-box/hit-detection is questionable.. and not as good as Just Cause 2's, but it's not game-breaking or broken.

  Customizations. You can customize weapons you buy from the black market dealers. Customizations to weapons include scope, muzzle, clip, and inner calibrations that fine-tweak your guns. You also have armors that you can purchase, specifically armor parts as well. Armor can help you take more damage or help with better recoil management, or improve your stealth.

  Characters/Story. This is the Role-Playing game part that I mentioned earlier. This is Alpha Protocols strong-point. The character design looks great, as each character has their own unique look and they don't feel like cheap character models you see designed by amateur developers. Obsidian put effort into these designs and they all look great. Voice-acting is really well-done. Mina has to be my favorite, as the relationship between her and Thorton can be comical yet romantic and flirty at times. It's an interesting relationship. In fact, throughout the game, you will get a feel of every relationship Michael Thorton has with an important character. And the way you answer each dialogue with a character will determine your overall relationship with them. Whether they will be more proned to help you, or not give a care about you at all. So choose your responses carefully. Oh, dialogue is time-sensitive so you can't just sit there for 5 minutes deciding what you want to say. And the selection of responses are simplified and more mainstream and unlike Mass Effect's dialogue system.

  3. Amnesia: The Dark Descent - I don't think I have to explain why I chose this one. Atmospheric, intense, and scary. It's the atmosphere that shines and it has a great story to match. You'll be left wanting to play non-stop because you're dying to find out what will happen next or what is lurking around that corner. Monsters? Apparitions? Demons? Find out for yourself..

  Other honorable mentions: Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

  I know many will disagree with me but I actually like K&L2 quite a lot. It was the visual art-style that intrigued me at first glance. The shaky camera with full-screen effects, like as if it were an action-movie with lots of shooting and running. It is exactly just that. If you do not like the idea of watching a movie you control, then I would steer away from it and buy something else. But at $5 on Steam sale, this was a steal. I couldn't ask for a better way to spend $5 on a video game for several hours of entertainment. And that's what it is, just fun. Don't expect too much from it.

  I'll be adding more to this list as I buy and play more games during the Christmas/Holiday sales.

  ***UPDATE*** More games added.

  4. Saboteur

  5. Hitman: Blood Money - although an older game, it still looks great! And the varied missions and realistic settings combine for original missions. Being an assassin couldn't be more fun.

  6. Bioshock 2 - others have said that the original Bioshock couldn't be topped. Well, I feel that Bioshock 2 has improved the gameplay greatly. There are definitely more memorable moments and sequences that gives the game better pacing than the first. For example, the sequence where you must escape the flood was incredibly well done. (Trying not to spoil anything).

  I definitely enjoyed a lot more than the first by a good stretch. I highly recommend it to everyone.

  7. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - If you haven't played this one yet, don't wait as long as I did.

  8. Max Payne 2: Fall of Max Payne - Another remarkable game.

  • Posted Dec 4, 2010 2:01 pm GMT
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