Saturday, October 2, 2010
Two Life Messages And A Lot Of Gaming
*
Life: While I don't usually spend a lot of time talking about things like politics or social issues, every once in a while I do feel the need to speak up about something. That time is right now.
If you read this blog with any regularity, you probably know that I'm a father of two. Having kids is an incredibly enriching and wonderful experience, and being the best father I can possibly be is something that I think about a daily basis. I don't just roll out of bed and have a random “Day + Kids” everyday, I actively, consciously think about my role and the import it has on my young ones. My actions, their effects, and whether whatever I'm doing at that moment is the best thing for my children.
Last night my wife passed along a link, which I read and then promptly retweeted. If you don't follow me on Twitter, then I definitely suggest that you CLICK HERE and read it now. Essentially, the author has encapsulated my stance on parenting, almost perfectly. If you are a father or have ever entertained the notion of being one, even for a moment, I would say that this is required reading.
Please take it to heart.
*
Life: No, I'm not done with the soapbox quite yet. If you've been plugged into the news lately, you've likely heard at least a little bit about the student at Rutgers University who killed himself after being videotaped in a homosexual encounter. It's an incredibly tragic story, and even more tragic is that it's not the first time someone has done something incredibly drastic like this.
Dan Savage |
Essentially, it's a collection of videos from Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer people telling their life stories and how incredibly hard they were. However, it's not a pity-party. The message they're trying to get across is that life does get better and there can certainly be light at the end of the tunnel for people who are struggling to find a happy place for themselves in the world. It's about hope.
If this is something that can help you, please take the time to check it out. If you know someone who might benefit from these positive messages, please pass it along.
*
Games: I've been in a bit of a holding pattern lately. I keep waiting for specific titles for review to show up, and… none of them do. Since I hate putting something on hold when a must-review game arrives, I've been burning through a bunch of random stuff in the hopes that the UPS truck will drop something off sooner rather than later. No such luck yet. In the meantime, here's what I've been doing… RAPID-FIRE STYLE!!!
Deadly Premonition |
Sin & Punishment |
Samus... WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO YOU?!?!? |
The voice acting was atrocious, and the cutscenes are ridiculously absurd. It's no secret that (dev house)Team Ninja has never been a model of gender equality in their designs, but I was quite shocked that Nintendo didn't iron out some of these ‘colorful’ tendencies.
My distaste for the writing aside, the game design just makes no sense. I'm utterly baffled as to why the game uses only the Wiimote when the Nunchuk attachment is so readily available to most players. Using a 2D control scheme to navigate in 3D space? Not exactly the most brilliant idea. Pass.
Toy Soldiers |
Playing Hydrophobia was torture |
Alice in Wonderland (DS) |
Sums it up pretty nicely... |
The mission we played (the mall) had fairly boring level design until we got to the main area of the shopping center, which went from boring to annoying. The task of collecting thirteen cans of gas for a racecar was a bit insipid to start with, but then our baby woke up before we finished.
Like I said, we were in the online co-op mode. We prefer to look at a full screen -- splitscreen is great to have, but if the option for full-screen is there, we're taking it. Despite the fact that only two people were playing and both of us wanted to pause, we could not pause the game. That was bad enough, but as I was putting the baby back to sleep, the game registered us as ‘inactive’ even though I was only away for a very short time. The server booted us, and we lost all our progress… needless to say, neither one of us was very happy with the game at that moment.
Tonight's events don't really inspire me with confidence, to be honest. Our baby doesn't usually sleep through the night, and if the game is going to boot us off the server every time we have to put him back to sleep, this is going to be an extremely difficult playthrough.
EXPLOSIONADE!!! |
Hehe, Alice in Wonderland (DS) was a really enjoyable little game. I am glad you are digging it.
(sigh of relief tbh :))
The only major issue i had with it was the repetitive/fiddly combat. But overall i was surprised they did such good work on a licensed game.
I mean they probably could have made a cheaper/lazy game and sold as many copies.