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Where the hell have I been? — Spring Break Update

March 24, 2012 in Weekly Update by with 0 Comments

Just wanted to write up a post real quick about what’s been happening with this blog – or rather, why nothing has been happening with this blog.

Spring Break 2012 is coming to a close, with only the weekend left before the inevitable return to school. Yeah, it’s a little saddening, but like I said, inevitable. I’m trying to make a point of enjoying all the time I have left in each day and not let it bother me. Seems to be working well so far.

Spring break and Winter break are both great, I think. I rather enjoy getting two weeks to do whatever. Summer is great too, but when you’ve got two whole months of free time, which is a much bigger time frame, you start thinking long-term. I like the two week breaks because they feel long enough but also short enough that can just relax for the whole duration and still enjoy every second of it. Pulling the same thing for two months wouldn’t work out so well.

Before the break started, I started thinking about what I should work on during those two weeks. Historically, I’ve always just relaxed and played video games or done stuff with friends, but if you couldn’t tell from my Twitter feed, I’ve been rather into My Little Pony lately. The show has accumulated a large and incredibly creative fanbase, and some of that rubbed off on me, I guess, because I wanted to make something pony-related over the two weeks. I won’t go into further details, because I’d rather just finish it and have you see it for yourself – but do know I’ve made a good amount of progress. It’s not done yet, but I’m a little more than halfway there.

So that project alone had me compelled a lot of days to just sit down and work on it. I like feeling compelled to work on something, because it usually means I’m enjoying myself – and that was definitely the case here. I was so compelled to work on it, actually, that I ended up not playing many video games over this Spring Break. Like… at all. At least, not anywhere close to what I could have played. I finished up Mass Effect 3 which was a lot of fun, but other than that I just haven’t been feeling it for video games lately, unless it is with friends. Bennett came over a few times and we had a total blast playing Street Fighter X (read as “cross,” not “x”) Tekken and Donkey Kong Country Returns. We actually also recorded another podcast episode, but since we were missing a few people, the energy levels were kind of ho-hum and I don’t think it was that great of an episode over all. This upcoming Friday I’m hoping we can get everyone together and create podcast magic again – or as Michael often says, “lightning in a bottle.”

Anyway, I just realized this whole post seems kinda low-key, but that’s far from how I actually feel. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m definitely not done blogging. I just haven’t been into video games much lately, and as you can probably imagine it’s hard to write about something you currently have low interest levels in. I have a few reviews I’m still working on, and I’m hoping to have those out reasonably soon.

So yes, video games. Keep it posted!

-rav4ge

Podcast Episode 20?

November 24, 2011 in Weekly Update by with 2 Comments

Maybe last week you didn’t notice that we didn’t upload episode 20.

No, we didn’t forget – we simply wanted to make sure that it was special so… we didn’t upload it. Sorry, if you feel like suing us for this. If you still want to however, please address your government and demand that pizza become a vegetable. Thank you for your understanding.

 

-Mike

The fate of the Weekly Update

May 31, 2011 in Weekly Update by with 0 Comments


Hi there! This post has little to do with games, and more with this actual site than anything. Just a heads up.

Now that Mike and I are doing a podcast every Friday, during which we talk about video games and news regarding video games, I have little reason to do any “Weekly Update” posts any longer. Doing the podcast is much more enjoyable, and we tend to also talk about things more in-depth than if I were to write everything out. Example:

“This week I played Tetris. It’s a very fun game. Putting the blocks together is fun. Great game.”

See? Compared to me actually talking about the game, a written post is like something you’d find in a second grade classroom. I’d much rather talk about stuff I’m playing with Mike than write a few sentences about it.

Don’t take this the wrong way, though! I’m not saying blogging isn’t fun anymore because I do podcasts now. I will still be posting written articles whenever, and likely they will be more focused on one subject rather than many. Getting sidetracked is what the podcast is for.

Okay? Okay. Thanks for your time. More stuff soon – I just got into Dragon Age and I need to write something about it. Not sure what just yet, but something!

-rav4ge

Huge Amounts Of Gaming Goodness

May 26, 2011 in Console gaming, Weekly Update by with 0 Comments

Hi everyone, Stefan and I over the past week have been updating stuff like crazy.
As of now, for example, we have uploaded a Fallout New Vegas Honest Hearts DLC play through, a segment called back to gaming in which me and Stefan go back and play some old games, and lastly I have uploaded many helpful videos on where to find unique and special items in the Honest Hearts DLC.

Our craptube youtube channel can be located here.

Weekly Update 07/05/2011: On the Brink of Brink

May 7, 2011 in Console gaming, PC gaming, Weekly Update by with 0 Comments

Weekly-update-07052011

…My apologies for the title. It’s pretty bad, I’m aware. I seriously couldn’t resist it or come up with anything better, though. Tell you what –  come up with a better title and I’ll change it along with giving you some props for besting my feeble titling abilities. Done and done.

Brink is almost here, with only two days until release! I’m beyond excited to finally play it, and I’m hoping it delivers in all the ways Splash Damage has promised. As long as the gunplay is enjoyable, the classes cohesive to the gameplay, and the customization near-limitless, I’ll consider my money well-spent. I’m predicting eights and nines for numerical review scores, though I have a feeling Brink may get hammered for the single-player being more like an offline mode than a campaign, but I could be wrong. Besides, most are buying Brink for it’s multiplayer above all else, including myself. This is Splash Damage, after all, and multiplayer shooters are their specialty.

NOW PLAYING:

Gears of War 3 Beta (360): I wrote about the Gears 3 beta in my last post, saying that I liked the game but missed the classic gametypes like Warzone that were present in Gears 1 & 2. I’m happy to say the newly-added “Capture the Leader” gametype is my favorite out of the three and has really re-sparked my interest in the beta. It’s freaking great!

Explanation wise, it’s exactly what it sounds. Each team has a random leader selected every round, and the enemy leader has to be captured and held “bullet-sponge” style for a total of 30 seconds to win the round. When a leader is held, the abductor can only use their pistol and is very slow moving. Occasionally, the leader can struggle and bite the abductor to hinder movement, which keeps the leader from feeling like a total piece of meat when captured. It’s an amazingly fun gametype, and is easily the most team-oriented out of the three offered. If both teams work together and provide a good balance of aggression and defense, matches can go on forever. It’s the intensity and urgency to win in this gametype that I crave, and what keeps me coming back.

This and Warzone will probably be my favorite gametypes in the full version of Gears 3. Love you, Epic Games! Please never change. Oh, and while you’re at it, don’t change the sawed-off shotgun either. You and I both know it’s fine the way it is.

Call of Duty 4 (PC): I installed this a week or so ago after getting one of those COD-itches. I guess you could say I’ve been playing it in preparation for Brink, but only for getting comfortable at PC shooters again. I doubt dropshotting and quickscoping will transition well to Brink, but hey, it all helps.

Leveling up again in this game has been fun. It’s almost a good thing to have so few weapons unlocked, gives me time to really spend time with each and discover what works best for me. The M4 and Mini-Uzi are my current lowbie favs. The M4 is just a balance of power and accuracy, while the Mini-Uzi tears apart anyone within short to medium range. I actually got a super-spray with the latter today, which was one of those “did you see that?” moments where you wish dearly that someone besides you had been there to see it.

World of Warcraft: I re-subbed to WoW a little under a month ago, and I had been leveling my Shaman, Spiffs. WoW is fun and all, especially because I found a good guild to talk to via Ventrilo, but I cancelled my sub today after some thought. Brink and exams are on the horizon, and I have other games to play that are more enjoyable than straight leveling.

While it was good to get a taste of Cataclysm again and visit my favorite MMO world, I don’t think I’ll be returning anytime soon. The more I consider my short relationships with MMOs, the less I want to play them. The genre is just getting stale, and things like shooters or a good single-player game like Dead Space 2 are much more enjoyable. The Old Republic remains as the last beacon of hope for my interest in MMOs.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK:

You may be wondering how I could possibly find a video that bests last update’s Admiral Ackbar “Penetrate it” classic. I’ll be frank –  I can’t. But I have been enjoying this series of Amnesia: The Dark Descent commentaries by GoldGlove, mostly due to his over-the-top reactions to every scream and whisper he hears. Good stuff.

Here’s the full playlist. Not only are the videos fun to watch, but it’s good to see a (mainly) Call of Duty commentator branch out to games like this.

-rav4ge

 

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