Greetings,
Today I turn the ripe old age of 25. How can I possibly celebrate such a tremendous feat? By getting achievements. In the three years I've been absent from this blog, a few details have changed in my life, but the core remains the same: I still effing love achievements.
I woke up at 6:30 today, on Easter, to start on those holiday achievements. That's totally not a real thing. Here we go.
7:20 - Finished up The World of Keflings space DLC. I've been waiting many moons to lock that one down. There's only two smaller DLCs and that game is completed. I might buy one today.
10:54 - I couldn't help myself. All DLC has been purchased and completed. That feels like a long time gaming goal that's now checked off the list. Bastion next.
12:30 - Vanessa and I went cliff jumping. I guess it was "frowned upon," but we did ok. I'll try to post a photo.
4:30 - More trials. Working on those full throttle achievements now.
9:30 - Vanessa helped me get some Just Dance points today. I don't care what anyone says, those games are the best. That's about it for the day. Titanfall with Joe and Zak til bedtime.
Today was exquisite and is hopefully a return to form. I'll keep y'all's posted. You stay classy, San Diego.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Thanksgiving Week
My, what a week it's been. Two Thanksgivings, Black Friday, more shopping, movies, etc. It was balls to the wall all week long. I feel like I was in constant 'entertain me' mode. Complaints? None. This is what I did this week, entertainment wise -
Dead Space 2 - This game is already becoming one of my favorites that I've played in the last year. The story isn't very fully fleshed out yet, but the pacing of the game keeps me coming back for more. Dead Space is everything that I've been looking for in a survival horror game. Example - My plasma cutter can cut spikes off the necromorphs, at which point I pick them up with telepathy, launch them at their owner, and pin them to the wall. There aren't very many games that can offer that kind of innovation.
Tower Heist - I went and saw it on Black Friday with my wife and mother. Eddie Murphy was back in classic mode. He was straight out of Beverly Hills Cop, as far as demeanor and fluency goes. The movie was too intense for mom. On separate occasions, I caught her pulling up her collar and hiding behind it. ROFLcopter. Heyo. Overall, the movie surprised me with its cheer and comedic performances.
Black Friday - We didn't get a TV like we did last year. That was about the only difference. Jasmine and I hopped from store to store and picked up some sweet things. Best Buy has music equipment cheaper than internet prices. I have no idea how they do it, but I approve. It was one of the best buys I've had ina while.
Dexter - Season 4 - I haven't started watching it yet. On Friday, I'm clearing my whole schedule, sitting down on my couch, getting some beers, and watching this beast start to finish. I'm more excited for that than anything else this entire week.
Dead Space 2 - This game is already becoming one of my favorites that I've played in the last year. The story isn't very fully fleshed out yet, but the pacing of the game keeps me coming back for more. Dead Space is everything that I've been looking for in a survival horror game. Example - My plasma cutter can cut spikes off the necromorphs, at which point I pick them up with telepathy, launch them at their owner, and pin them to the wall. There aren't very many games that can offer that kind of innovation.
Tower Heist - I went and saw it on Black Friday with my wife and mother. Eddie Murphy was back in classic mode. He was straight out of Beverly Hills Cop, as far as demeanor and fluency goes. The movie was too intense for mom. On separate occasions, I caught her pulling up her collar and hiding behind it. ROFLcopter. Heyo. Overall, the movie surprised me with its cheer and comedic performances.
Black Friday - We didn't get a TV like we did last year. That was about the only difference. Jasmine and I hopped from store to store and picked up some sweet things. Best Buy has music equipment cheaper than internet prices. I have no idea how they do it, but I approve. It was one of the best buys I've had ina while.
Dexter - Season 4 - I haven't started watching it yet. On Friday, I'm clearing my whole schedule, sitting down on my couch, getting some beers, and watching this beast start to finish. I'm more excited for that than anything else this entire week.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Final Fantasy XIII-2
As you all know, FF XIII-2 (FF) comes out in January in America. FF releases are always a big deal for people, and my life is no different. The franchise has been a mainstay in my house since I began gaming at the age of... 4? 5? Who knows? Square Enix releases a new game every 2 years or so, and to my happiness, I have very few complaints about each iteration.
So what's wrong with this next release?
Merchant pre-order bonuses.
Merchants are now paying companies additional money to give them a hand up on other retailers. In the past, publishers would have a blanket bonus for every gamer who bought the title new. That makes sense to me. Rewarding a customer for being an early adopter to your game is a win-win for everyone involved. Publishers get more money for the release and we get a 'trophy' addition to whatever game we chose to buy.
With FF XIII-2, there are 3 seperate pre-order bonuses. Amazon, Gamestop, and Best Buy each have something to offer whoever purchases from their store. Gamestop has an additional costume pack. Best Buy is offering a limited edition art booklet. Amazon will have an additional boss battle against Omega. Unless I buy the game three times, I won't get the whole experience. With a limited budget, this scheme is forcing me to sacrifice one bonus for another.
Well, a costume pack is stupid and the book I might pick up on eBay. I might not though, just in spite. That leaves me with Amazon. A bonus battle sounds perfect to me. There is concern that the battle won't be worth it, but I have to go for it. No one knows if it will pay off until we get there.
I hope this is as drastic as the pre-order bonuses are pushed, but knowing EA, they will do WHATEVER they can to capitalize and change this already frustrating formula into something I hate even more. I guess we'll have to see. So, there's a 2 month wait for FF. I'll be sure to let you know what I think about it when it gets here.
So what's wrong with this next release?
Merchant pre-order bonuses.
Merchants are now paying companies additional money to give them a hand up on other retailers. In the past, publishers would have a blanket bonus for every gamer who bought the title new. That makes sense to me. Rewarding a customer for being an early adopter to your game is a win-win for everyone involved. Publishers get more money for the release and we get a 'trophy' addition to whatever game we chose to buy.
With FF XIII-2, there are 3 seperate pre-order bonuses. Amazon, Gamestop, and Best Buy each have something to offer whoever purchases from their store. Gamestop has an additional costume pack. Best Buy is offering a limited edition art booklet. Amazon will have an additional boss battle against Omega. Unless I buy the game three times, I won't get the whole experience. With a limited budget, this scheme is forcing me to sacrifice one bonus for another.
Well, a costume pack is stupid and the book I might pick up on eBay. I might not though, just in spite. That leaves me with Amazon. A bonus battle sounds perfect to me. There is concern that the battle won't be worth it, but I have to go for it. No one knows if it will pay off until we get there.
I hope this is as drastic as the pre-order bonuses are pushed, but knowing EA, they will do WHATEVER they can to capitalize and change this already frustrating formula into something I hate even more. I guess we'll have to see. So, there's a 2 month wait for FF. I'll be sure to let you know what I think about it when it gets here.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Magic: The Gathering
Last week, I bought a few booster packs of the new expansion, Innistrad. The store I go to sells packs for $3.50, so I buy three. The first packs don't have a lot to offer, but the 3rd pack gives me my first ever mythic rare pull. Stoooookedalicious. Here's the eBay value and layout of the card
What does that mean for me? Time to build a vampire deck. Traditionally, the decks I lean towards are White and incredibly defensive. I've won most of my games with Felidor Soveriegn getting me over 40 life. This will be a whole new direction for me and how I plan my deck.
Jasmine had to go on a shopping trip today. Where did I suggest she go? Target. Why, you ask? Because I can get my cards there as well. Two birds. One stone. Infinite victory. Perusing through the decks, I found what I was looking for. Innistrad has a starter black/red deck, centered around vampires.
I'll start building the deck this week. There isn't a lot of competition for me around here. The higher ups in my life do not approve of Magic, so I have to go outside of my normal circle to find opponents. The shop I go to has Friday Night Magic. Hopefully I can make to a night or two in the next couple weeks.
Magic 2012 on PS3 also had expansion decks come out this week. PSN is down today (of-freaking-course.) Purchasing tomorrow. Owning shortly after. theMAYFLOWA is my PSNid. Add me if you would like to play.
What does that mean for me? Time to build a vampire deck. Traditionally, the decks I lean towards are White and incredibly defensive. I've won most of my games with Felidor Soveriegn getting me over 40 life. This will be a whole new direction for me and how I plan my deck.
Jasmine had to go on a shopping trip today. Where did I suggest she go? Target. Why, you ask? Because I can get my cards there as well. Two birds. One stone. Infinite victory. Perusing through the decks, I found what I was looking for. Innistrad has a starter black/red deck, centered around vampires.
I'll start building the deck this week. There isn't a lot of competition for me around here. The higher ups in my life do not approve of Magic, so I have to go outside of my normal circle to find opponents. The shop I go to has Friday Night Magic. Hopefully I can make to a night or two in the next couple weeks.
Magic 2012 on PS3 also had expansion decks come out this week. PSN is down today (of-freaking-course.) Purchasing tomorrow. Owning shortly after. theMAYFLOWA is my PSNid. Add me if you would like to play.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
PS3 Trilogies of Doom.
Black Friday is just around the corner. Retailers have already leaked their ads for the viewing pleasure of the internet, and there are some deals to be had. In PS3 land, it's an extremely cheap period to get my hands on the games I've wanted for a while. Industry wise, as a whole, people will not be paying $60 for ANY games this season. (Especially not me.)
Best Buy has Borderlands GOTY edition for $20. Must buy. Gamestop will have Metal Gear Solid 4 for $10. What does that make MGS4? You guessed it, a must buy. Compile that with Dead Space 2 ($25), and we're in for some gaming gold for the next few months. Buying those new, plus DLC prices, it would've cost me $220. No thank you. I would rather spend $55.
Due to my limited amount of time to play, I'll be making a pretty frugal schedule to get through the games I want before Diablo III and Borderlands 2 come out. Here's the order that I plan to play through over the next year.
-Diablo II
-Dead Space 2
-Borderlands GOTY
-Metal Gear Solid 4
-Skyrim
-Final Fantasy VII-X
-Diablo III and Borderlands 2
I'm pretty giddy just looking at that list. I owned MGS4, but got rid of it due to its lack of trophies. That's how bad I was hooked on them. A classic game was completely overlooked due to the non-inclusion of an absolutely unimportant achievement system. There's still time. I shall conquer it.
It's time to read Game Informer and listen to some tunes. I love you all. Talk to you soon.
(I will not be counting my words from here on out. On December 1st, I'll tally them all up. Here's to 10,000. )
Best Buy has Borderlands GOTY edition for $20. Must buy. Gamestop will have Metal Gear Solid 4 for $10. What does that make MGS4? You guessed it, a must buy. Compile that with Dead Space 2 ($25), and we're in for some gaming gold for the next few months. Buying those new, plus DLC prices, it would've cost me $220. No thank you. I would rather spend $55.
Due to my limited amount of time to play, I'll be making a pretty frugal schedule to get through the games I want before Diablo III and Borderlands 2 come out. Here's the order that I plan to play through over the next year.
-Diablo II
-Dead Space 2
-Borderlands GOTY
-Metal Gear Solid 4
-Skyrim
-Final Fantasy VII-X
-Diablo III and Borderlands 2
I'm pretty giddy just looking at that list. I owned MGS4, but got rid of it due to its lack of trophies. That's how bad I was hooked on them. A classic game was completely overlooked due to the non-inclusion of an absolutely unimportant achievement system. There's still time. I shall conquer it.
It's time to read Game Informer and listen to some tunes. I love you all. Talk to you soon.
(I will not be counting my words from here on out. On December 1st, I'll tally them all up. Here's to 10,000. )
Saturday, November 12, 2011
A Week In My Life
Finally, I can sit down and relax. This week has had some fun times stacked together. Reeecaaaap!
Monday - Diablo II came in the mail. There are some forces in my life that didn't allow me to play this game when it was released in 2001. You know who you are. Premise of the game? Kill Satan. Sounds pretty anti-Christian to me. The joy I hold in my heart for this game is nearly unrivaled. It has it all. RPG elements. Skill Trees. Funny death graphics. And replayability like a mofo. I've already put about 10 hours into it this week. Diablo II is a game that I will play right up to the release of Diablo III.
Tuesday - Inheritance came out. Inheritance came out. INHERITANCE CAME OUT!! I've waited for this book like nobody's business. Finally, the series ends. Unfortunately, Guy hasn't read the book yet, because he sucks. I'll wait to post my review until he comes out of Gaylandia and gets it finished. Also, my Sabian china arrived on Tuesday. Retail, the cymbal goes for about $230, but I picked up on eBay for $78. That was my steal of the week. Music has been an incredibly efficient stress relief for the past few weeks. Over the past year, I've slowly built my drum set up to a level that I'm really happy with. With a little purchase here and there, it has really turned into my baby.--- Guy, read he book ASAP---
Wednesday - Most of Wednesday was spent catching up on sleep. Jasmine and I went shopping, Diablo was played, then I slept. Not a whole lot going on here. Jasmine and I got our tickets for California for Christmas. Sweet.
Thursday - Thursday was the beginning of a master plan. More will be revealed on Friday's entry. Another package arrived in the mail on Thursday. More drum gear. Ben had a game on Thursday, as well. Even though his team got smoked, he still scored a season high of 8 points. That's huge, considering that his friends are about as tall as me.
FRIDAY!!! - So. There was a concert in Canada that I had given up hope on. BUT. Our tickets to California cost less than we thought they would. So, Joshua Benjamin Kaplan and I loaded up and drove to Calgary. Snowstorms. Flipped over cars. Desolate landscape. Canada sucks. then we made it to the show. SO. MUCH. METAL. I know I've I've used a lot of capitals. Excitement of this level can't be hidden though. Just go YouTube one video of the Devil Wears Prada. I had 70 minutes of that to sit/stand/throat chop/karate kick/hair pull/give knees-to-the-face to.
On a side note - We drove up for a band called Enter Shikari, as well. Unfortunately, we arrived as the were pulling their gear off of the stage. My heart was shattered. The band after them wasn't really my jam, so I stood in the back. Luck was upon me in Canada. Chris and Rob, the drummer and bass player from Enter Shikari, were walking around, and they talked to us. Coolest British dudes I've ever met. After hearing our story of our drive and missing them play, they hugged us and told us to keep our chins up. They'll be back in April, and they're now my best friends.
Ten hours in a car with Josh Kaplan + concert = One of the best days I've had this year.
Saturday - All R and R. I slept a lot today. Then we did some shopping. Jasmine needed yarn. I needed Magic cards. Mythic rares. Heyo. That leads up to me sitting at my house with my wife, getting ready for bed, as I have to be up at 5 am. So. Signing off for today. You all rule.
Monday - Diablo II came in the mail. There are some forces in my life that didn't allow me to play this game when it was released in 2001. You know who you are. Premise of the game? Kill Satan. Sounds pretty anti-Christian to me. The joy I hold in my heart for this game is nearly unrivaled. It has it all. RPG elements. Skill Trees. Funny death graphics. And replayability like a mofo. I've already put about 10 hours into it this week. Diablo II is a game that I will play right up to the release of Diablo III.
Tuesday - Inheritance came out. Inheritance came out. INHERITANCE CAME OUT!! I've waited for this book like nobody's business. Finally, the series ends. Unfortunately, Guy hasn't read the book yet, because he sucks. I'll wait to post my review until he comes out of Gaylandia and gets it finished. Also, my Sabian china arrived on Tuesday. Retail, the cymbal goes for about $230, but I picked up on eBay for $78. That was my steal of the week. Music has been an incredibly efficient stress relief for the past few weeks. Over the past year, I've slowly built my drum set up to a level that I'm really happy with. With a little purchase here and there, it has really turned into my baby.--- Guy, read he book ASAP---
Wednesday - Most of Wednesday was spent catching up on sleep. Jasmine and I went shopping, Diablo was played, then I slept. Not a whole lot going on here. Jasmine and I got our tickets for California for Christmas. Sweet.
Thursday - Thursday was the beginning of a master plan. More will be revealed on Friday's entry. Another package arrived in the mail on Thursday. More drum gear. Ben had a game on Thursday, as well. Even though his team got smoked, he still scored a season high of 8 points. That's huge, considering that his friends are about as tall as me.
FRIDAY!!! - So. There was a concert in Canada that I had given up hope on. BUT. Our tickets to California cost less than we thought they would. So, Joshua Benjamin Kaplan and I loaded up and drove to Calgary. Snowstorms. Flipped over cars. Desolate landscape. Canada sucks. then we made it to the show. SO. MUCH. METAL. I know I've I've used a lot of capitals. Excitement of this level can't be hidden though. Just go YouTube one video of the Devil Wears Prada. I had 70 minutes of that to sit/stand/throat chop/karate kick/hair pull/give knees-to-the-face to.
On a side note - We drove up for a band called Enter Shikari, as well. Unfortunately, we arrived as the were pulling their gear off of the stage. My heart was shattered. The band after them wasn't really my jam, so I stood in the back. Luck was upon me in Canada. Chris and Rob, the drummer and bass player from Enter Shikari, were walking around, and they talked to us. Coolest British dudes I've ever met. After hearing our story of our drive and missing them play, they hugged us and told us to keep our chins up. They'll be back in April, and they're now my best friends.
Ten hours in a car with Josh Kaplan + concert = One of the best days I've had this year.
Saturday - All R and R. I slept a lot today. Then we did some shopping. Jasmine needed yarn. I needed Magic cards. Mythic rares. Heyo. That leads up to me sitting at my house with my wife, getting ready for bed, as I have to be up at 5 am. So. Signing off for today. You all rule.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Uhhh.. What do I write about now?
Well. My Xbox is gone. It has been 2 weeks since I popped an achievement. That may not seem like a long time. Well, considering that I was averaging 3 a day (3 a DAY!!!) it's taking some getting used to.
What do I do now to fill my time? Seriously. After spending a whole year, 40 plus hours a week, day in and day out, I didn't know what to do. Well - Here are my new found hobbies -
A) Uhhhh... talking to people. Arguably, 80% of my communication was coming from headsets or texting. Is that ok? Really? C'mon America, that isn't ok. My participation in conversations with living, breathing humans had hit an all time low. Nowadays, I can at least say that I'm working on it. Gamers naturally are socially awkward. We all hate stereotypes, but it's freaking true. SO. I'm relearning how to talk to adults-that-actually-talk-to-people.
B) Wife time. Now that I'm not holed up in the spare room for 4 hours a day, I see my wife more. Does that mean I suck? No. Does that mean I sucked pretty hard in the past year? You bet your ass it does. Technology (in any form) is not more important than my wife. The amount of Xbox that I was playing clouded that, though. Not ok. Not ok at all. Just so we have this clear, technology < wife.
C) Gym membership / eating healthier. During Xbox, these were non- existent. Since purchasing an xbox, my weight has increased by 15 pounds. Once again, not ok. That's 52,000 calories that my body has to burn now. Fifty. Two. Thousand. Average male bodies burn 130 calories per mile. 52,000 / 130 = 400 miles. 1 year of Xbox added up to 400 miles (roughly) that I have to make up now. Here we go.
D) Survival. This past week, the Northeast got hit pretty hard with a storm. The storm still has power out for some people. That's a whole week without heat/running water/showers/hot meals, etc. Sucky. Are you ready if an emergency happens? I'm not talking the end of the world here, but I live in Montana. Realistically, we can get hit with a similar storm that shuts the city off for a few days. So, I'm getting a minor survival setup at my house going. It's a fun hobby. I want to be prepared.
E) And I still play video games. PS3. Not a lot. Not even a little. Less than an hour a day. I have to limit myself. It's too easy for me to get sucked in to big days of gaming. I put a halt to it. I've cut from 40 hours a week to about 4-5 hours. I can deal with that.
Now that I'm being more active and participating in society, I'm hoping to have a better, more fulfilling 2012. The path I was on was pretty sketchy, and I'm glad to be rid of it. So. Cheers.
Healthy time. (2,224 words for November. I'll be stoked if I hit 10,000)
What do I do now to fill my time? Seriously. After spending a whole year, 40 plus hours a week, day in and day out, I didn't know what to do. Well - Here are my new found hobbies -
A) Uhhhh... talking to people. Arguably, 80% of my communication was coming from headsets or texting. Is that ok? Really? C'mon America, that isn't ok. My participation in conversations with living, breathing humans had hit an all time low. Nowadays, I can at least say that I'm working on it. Gamers naturally are socially awkward. We all hate stereotypes, but it's freaking true. SO. I'm relearning how to talk to adults-that-actually-talk-to-people.
B) Wife time. Now that I'm not holed up in the spare room for 4 hours a day, I see my wife more. Does that mean I suck? No. Does that mean I sucked pretty hard in the past year? You bet your ass it does. Technology (in any form) is not more important than my wife. The amount of Xbox that I was playing clouded that, though. Not ok. Not ok at all. Just so we have this clear, technology < wife.
C) Gym membership / eating healthier. During Xbox, these were non- existent. Since purchasing an xbox, my weight has increased by 15 pounds. Once again, not ok. That's 52,000 calories that my body has to burn now. Fifty. Two. Thousand. Average male bodies burn 130 calories per mile. 52,000 / 130 = 400 miles. 1 year of Xbox added up to 400 miles (roughly) that I have to make up now. Here we go.
D) Survival. This past week, the Northeast got hit pretty hard with a storm. The storm still has power out for some people. That's a whole week without heat/running water/showers/hot meals, etc. Sucky. Are you ready if an emergency happens? I'm not talking the end of the world here, but I live in Montana. Realistically, we can get hit with a similar storm that shuts the city off for a few days. So, I'm getting a minor survival setup at my house going. It's a fun hobby. I want to be prepared.
E) And I still play video games. PS3. Not a lot. Not even a little. Less than an hour a day. I have to limit myself. It's too easy for me to get sucked in to big days of gaming. I put a halt to it. I've cut from 40 hours a week to about 4-5 hours. I can deal with that.
Now that I'm being more active and participating in society, I'm hoping to have a better, more fulfilling 2012. The path I was on was pretty sketchy, and I'm glad to be rid of it. So. Cheers.
Healthy time. (2,224 words for November. I'll be stoked if I hit 10,000)
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