Hey guys, it's been a millenia, I know.
Lots of stuff going on.
Microsoft alienating their fanbases, first PC administrators (sorry, Windows 8 is a pain in the ass to administer with all of the extra steps to get to a command line), then gamers with their vague descriptions of what it actually does.
Sony talking about the PS4, and how it really does most of the same stuff as the XBox 360, but they're a bit nicer about it (well, the game lending and no sign-in restrictions is a nice touch, at least).
And me, playing Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires because I don't give a damn. Yes, I said it, I really don't care about the next system generation.
Actually, I just don't adopt early, and given all of the SKU's of the current generation, I'm waiting until near the end of the next one. Or at least year 5.
Anyway, on to games, because frankly, the business side is just ridiculous.
I've been playing quite a bit of titles lately, both on PC and console.
So, yes, I've been playing a log of Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires on my PS3. Fantastic game despite the lack of English VO (and let's be honest, these sucked anyway).
What makes 7 Empires great is the addition of the "Strategems", which are single-use special abilities that can change the ebb and flow of the battle, sometimes drastically. Some of the achievements are pretty epic, too, like finishing a battle without using your weapon.
That said, it's still too easy on any level of difficulty lower than Hard. Also, Koei's being really douchy on whether or not they're going to release the final patch in the West that they did in the east. This patch, called the 1.03 Patch, not only fixes several bugs, but adds more gameplay features.
I asked Koei about this on their Facebook page, and instead of responding with an IM, they deleted my post. I'm starting to really dislike them, actually.
I've also been playing Doom 3: BFG Edition, also a really damned good game. Whether or not it has aged well, it certainly has a better atmosphere than most survival-horror games. It's also interesting playing what is the PC version, and seeing how different it is from the original XBox version.
It's definitely a little longer, but some highlights are missing, such as the first encounter with the Cherubs. That was pretty disturbing the first time around, but that seems to be missing in the BFG Edition.
I also decided to give the Syndicate (the FPS that many feel was an abortion) single-player game a go on Hard, and I have to admit, I'm enjoying the game quite a bit more despite its cheap boss battles. Understanding the weapons as well as your abilities really helps there.
And finally, I'm slowly slogging away at Demon's Souls. I have to admit, I think the game is a bit overrated, actually. Granted, I'm finding most of the PS3 (and XBox) exclusives are.
Oh, wait, no, it's not. Right, for those of you with XBox Live Gold (which I figure after E3, you're considering canceling, and I can't rightly blame you as I'm considering the same), you need to get a gander at this: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/games-with-gold. If you don't have Fable III already, it's free. I'm also playing that. It's a good game, but the previous titles were better. But hey, it's free until June 30th, so why not!
Anyway, MS is running this from July 1st until December 31st of this year (PSN's offering is looking better and better, but next gen, my accounts will be going dark as I refuse to pay to play online through a VPN that I could have set up on my own router)
So that's the console front. And my gripings on that.
On to the PC:
Since replacing my laptop's hard drive, I was able to get DOS emulation running properly. Many of you don't know that I actually have a lot of DOS games, as I grew up in that era.
Anyway, between my own collection and Good Old Games, or http://gog.com, I've been doing a lot of catching up.
I recently finished Redneck Rampage and the Suckin' Grits on Route 66 expansion, and I just played The Terminator 2029 for the first time in 15 years.
Redneck Rampage is hardly innovative, but it's pretty amusing, and the level design is generally very good and well thought-out. It has more in common with Dark Forces, actually, than Duke Nukem 3D in that department.
The Terminator 2029 is a mission-based game that takes place in the future between the first two Terminator movies, and goes up to the point where you destroy Skynet from outer space, if I remember right.
It's an objective based first-person action game that seems to have more in common with Eye of the Beholder than, say, Doom.
I also finished System Shock for the first time. And I still believe that Bioshock is an utter joke in comparison. Better controls, but not half as smart.
I've also recently been playing Command and Conquer Renegade, which
is actually a pretty neat shooter. Mediocre level design, but very
ambitious and easy to appreciate.
GOG, by the way, is having a huge sale, and the first Torchlight game is available for free until June 20th. I'd grab it, I hear it's what Diablo 3 should have been. Plus, it's free. You can't go wrong with that.
Now, before I finish up, I recently heard that MySpace kiboshed all content except for music. And gave users 7-days notice by the site only.
According to some of the complaints, people have not only lost memory, but important items such as saved trial testimony. Why am I bringing this up on my gaming blog and not my personal politics blog? Because this one probably gets more viewers, and this is pretty serious.
This is a reminder to back up everything you can, when you can. You never know when someone pulls the rug out from you on a whim until the last moment, so take control while you have the opportunity.
Keep your thumbs on the sticks, and your fingers on the triggers, and if you have to throw something, make sure it's soft. If something launches anyway, your Wii wrist strap clearly wasn't tight enough.
