Currently in exile elsewhere at Giant Bomb. Not really updating this blog anymore.

• 5Sep 08

  Of Warhawks, Jeopardy and starting silly careers

  So I realized something that I thought would've been abundantly clear when I played Warhawk last Saturday. That playing games with friends... 5 bazillion times better than soloing it with utter jackasses.
  
  Case in point, I missed tonight's (technically last night as it's 1:30AM as I write this) ranked Warhawk match that my friends were doing. It was 9:30, I thought they were still playing, and I found out that everybody bolted. Had to check the clan page (and finally got my "join a clan" trophy) found out I was the only one online. Alright, whatever.
  
  So I get into a Fallen Star server playing one of the c-lassic maps with Collection mode. My team full of Chernovians were utter dumbasses! Half of them were camping the base, and still don't get that multiple cores by one person equals multiple points for the team. Although I did what I thought was tough and nailed all four cores in one go (which netted me another trophy). We still lost, 100 to 30-something.
  
  Then we go to a CTF match. Once again, team full of idiot Chernovians. Enemy team kept stealing our flag, we'd sit around like dummies as the opposing teams kept going all MGS on us and stealing the flag while we weren't looking.
  
  The worst part is that I'd hop into a jeep, honk the horn as a cue to get any teammates to jump in and assist. Only for none of them to do so! There'd be dummies grabbing jeeps nearby me, grabbing Warhawks, standing around like utter idiots... Ugh.
  
  This is what bothers me about console players. At least in games like TF2 you see some semblance of teamwork, in games like Warhawk, it's sometimes hard to see that aspect when almost everybody on your team is going lone wolf. I enjoy the game... with friends. With random players it's really hit or miss.
  
  

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  So in the PlayStation Store, there's a trailer for one of the most surprising releases coming out of the PSN.
  
  Jeopardy!. They're making Jeopardy! for the PS3. I used to be a big game show nut (well, until everybody thought it'd be nice to spoil game elements as well as make flashy "Who wants to be a millionaire?" knockoff sets), so this was a surprise. Although I'm disappointed that there's no digital Alex Trebek. WTF, SOE? How hard is it to get him in a recording studio and speak several amounts of questions and responses?
  
  Although personally I'm waiting for a Wheel of Fortune one. Although I expect not to see Pat Sajak. Again.
  
  Speaking of Pat Sajak, why hasn't he peddled his game show casual games on other platforms? While PC is the king of quick flashy games, I bet Lucky Letters could work on PSN, XBLA or Wii. Wouldn't hurt them!
  
  

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  I have reached a stopping point. I have nearly 20 games to start and/or finish. I haven't touched any of them outside of Hitman: Blood Money. Plus with the upcoming 360 Price drop, and there being a good chunk of 360 games I want to play there... arghhh!
  
  Hitman: Blood Money is undeniably the best Hitman game I've played yet. There's no major issues with spotty A.I. now! No occurrences of having enemies shooting at you for even taking a quick run or just sneezing on them! Plus it looks damn good on PC. Seriously, screw looking into the trilogy, you'll do just fine with Blood Money! You may not understand some things in the plot, but hey, like it matters!
  
  Instead of a list, here's a convenient Giant Bomb list. I might need to crack open one of the games that I was gonna save for later due to its possible length (Tales, Fable, GTA:SA).
  
  

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  I think I need to start speeding up my process of getting myself into this games journalism business. There are people dropping out like flies (like 1UP Editor and former EIC for GFW Magazine Jeff Green going to EA), and there's gonna be people looking for new talent and fresh faces to keep it relevant.
  
  But if that job ever flops for me and doesn't work out, I always got 2-3 backup plans. But none of them are "developing a game." Hell, half the people that leave game sites to go work at companies just work as community managers (Luke Smith, Bryan Intihar). The closest I've seen in terms of "breaking into the industry by journalism" is Greg Kasavin and Ryan Payton.
  
  And if I ever was given an offer to join a game company, it better be more than going to their official forums to level complaints about lag and stupid things like "omgwtf juggernoob and martyrnoob ruin COD WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU INFINITY WARD".
  
  Man, I feel sorry for fourzerotwo sometimes.
  
  

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  That's all I got. I need to go buy some more PS2 games! Because I feel the urge for more Ratchet and Jak. (But not the two together. Daxter and Clank? Now we're talking!)
  • Posted Sep 5, 2008 2:04 am PT
  • Category: Games
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• 2Sep 08

  Um, GameSpot?

  Why the hell is it that every time I add something to my games, you automatically start tracking it? I had to delete ones for three SNES games a while back, and when adding BC:R and Super Stardust HD to the wishlist, you tacked them on there.

  I checked my settings and I have them not adding to ANYTHING unless I said so. So, wtf GameSpot?

  • Posted Sep 2, 2008 6:15 am PT
  • Category: Rant
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• 20Aug 08

  A strange observation.

  I was, at one point, a member of Community Contributors. I just looked and realized I am no longer a member, despite I never left it. Or maybe I did, my memory is terrible these days.

  I can understand, though. I did write a review about a week or two back, but didn't post it here. They must've thought I wasn't gonna contribute to GS anymore, and nixed me. Well, fine! I'll make my own community contribution union! With BLACKJACK! AND HOOKERS!

  ...actually, just give me the blackjack and hookers. I'm still on the "Not really wanting to support a corporate shill of a site that unjustly fired one of its long-time employees" side of the fence, but it's also because all the cool people that made GS interesting are gone. Just gone. All you have left are people that seem to be very unenthused at their job, and seem confused on what to do.

  That's just me, though. I expect to see a little entertainment on this site, and it's the equivalent of coming back to your office after a long weekend only to find out everybody's been replaced. It's a cold, dark place. That's why I left for Giant Bomb, to see if I could rekindle some vague semblence of the GameSpot of old. But that's a bit far away.

  It would also help if I had more than four people on my friends list there. And finding out who the fish is "Packfan104L4" and why he wants to be my friend.

  • Posted Aug 20, 2008 10:17 am PT
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