Inverison (PS3)

So I bought this game of a whim. It’s been kind of a slow summer and when I saw it had dropped to around 20 dollars I figured it would give it a shot. I wasn't expecting too much. I have to say this game was not that great. It provides a minor degree of entertainment, but towards the end of it I was begging to be done so I man move on. I mean it’s a solid game but maybe even when I spend 20 dollars, I expect something. I guess I should have expected as much because Saber Interactive made Time Shift, another forgettable game with a gimmick of time manipulation. However while Time Shift had some memorable and original concepts (still all together forgettable), I think they got lost in making Inversion. 

In reality this game is a Gears of War clone with a gimmick of gravity manipulation, however not very well done. You first have to shoot something to in case it in a gravity field and then you can grab it with your power glove backpack gravity thing and that doesn’t make sense to me. Why not just let me manipulate gravity without the field? The gravity does have two different settings, low and heavy gravity. I found heavy gravity pretty useless, the shield did come in handy in some parts but it drains so damn fast. I just found myself using low gravity more, lifting enemies from cover and other stuff. High Gravity  is just pointless.

When I call this game a Gears of War clone, I mean this is a pretty much a copy and paste clone. The Lutadores (stupid name) look like COGs (big beefy no neck Neanderthals) and they burrow up from the ground like the Locust.  Chest high walls are everywhere.  I am not the biggest fan of Gears of War (well the first one was amazing, and then they jumped the shark with second and third one), but it was still a solid game. I think the biggest problem is fluidity. When before and after every fight you have a one to two minutes cut scene it really breaks up the game play to say “hey we are now going over here” or “Oh no it’s the same boss we encountered last level”. Nothing is fluid. And that’s what is missing from Inversion fluidity. Nothing feels smooth. Even the selling point of gravity manipulation isn’t very smooth.

Also if anyone can figure out the story line of this game, please let me know because I am still lost. *Spoiler* something about a giant ship and different worlds in bubbles and mechanical aliens and who knows. I will say the one twist at the end I didn’t see coming.

Maybe they tried too hard to make a big budget title, maybe they got sidetracked, but much of this game feels like moving from one cut scene to another. I knew I wasn’t going to “like” this game, but I at least wanted entertainment and that was not the case.

What is death?

With my grandmothers recent passing K realize that all death does is to bring people together. Not to celebrate that persons life, but reduce our conversations to conniving talking behind a persons back and squabbling over material possessions.

Death shouldn't be like this.

Doctor Professor Brandon.

We all have goals in life. Okay except for those  people that sit around all day and have no ambition, drive or intention to accomplish anything in their lives. In a way I am jealous of those people. They have a drive I suppose, a drive to not accomplish anything. Maybe its us who are the cursed people, always striving and never living up to outlandish goals. This is something I struggle with. I think I have set my goals to such an unobtainable goal that I may never be happy.

So, this entire thing stems from a conversation I had with the Dean today. She asked me very critical questions that I did not have the answer to. Answers I couldn't even bullshit my way out of. I can usually talk my way out of anything. But she probed and prodded into reaches of my choices that I had never thought about.  Asking, if I knew why I wanted to get a PhD and in what. I mean, I kind of knew, but they are not based on anything solid. My ideals were sitting on a foundation of dreams and hopes that really had no basis in reality. The idea of being an intellectual, sitting around thinking, formulating, trying to solve the worlds problems is a pipe dream of mine. But in reality, professors don't do that. Its meetings, research, writing, teaching, finding grants, more meetings, program and curriculum development, more writing, sleep. I guess all the professors I have been mentored by where either fairly new to the field or getting ready to exit it. My History professors at Humboldt were young guys who had just obtained their PhDs and probably hadn't experienced the cutthroat nature that is academia. My sociology and education professors were all old and jaded. While they encouraged me, they never really warned me about higher education.

You know, no one ever questioned my goals or intentions years ago. I wish someone who had done so. I would probably have a clearer idea of what to do with my life. What to be when I grow up. I don't know why I didn't create a contingency plan for this nonsense. I am getting the "trapped" feeling again. I mean I have options, but I feel narrowed. Maybe I should feel that way, it will make me think what I should be doing with me life. I want to make a difference, that's my goal. I don't know if I can do that in public school. Shit is so locked down that I don't even think I could bring my own curriculum into the school. Everything is taught from the book for the kids to pass the tests. Hell I found a cartoon from Disney about Nazi propaganda and the first thing that came to my mind is how could I design a lesson plan around this. I don't know what to do. I can't teach in Oregon without a license, which I suppose I could go back and get one. I could get another Masters in something else, like Sociology or Business. But the Dean did say go and talk to other people at different schools. Maybe that's what I need to do. I will do that I think. First off however, I need to finish my thesis and find a job to pay the bills. That is the most important.

"I am so smart! S-M-R-T... I mean S-M-A-R-T!"

I received an odd little plush turtle from my very sick grandmother yesterday. You see yesterday marked the end of my masters program at my university. Well...end is a relative term, I still need to finish my thesis, which is well, not close to be done yet. That is whole other story. Anyway, the point of this post is about this little turtle plush.

Turtles have always had a weird place in my heart. Not to the place of birds...because hell we know, I am pretty crazy about birds. But turtles, I don't know what it is about them. Maybe its an connection with my childhood, maybe its something else. In any case I find this little turtle interesting.

I think the basic connection to turtle are they slow and patience creatures. I mean looking at Aesop's Fables, the tortoise outsmarts the hare. I wonder if that's the relation to this little creature. The turtle could also mean and exit from your shell. You have finally come to the other side, closer to adulthood. While the state may consider me an adult, I am far from it. I don't know...will I ever consider myself an adult? Probably not. Its not in my mentality, my personality. I may always be a big kid. Maybe its a way to escape from the reality of life. The harsh unforgiving nature that often accompanies it. Maybe the turtle is a comparison to my academic career, which in itself has been a test of patience and willpower. I mean, I now sit at the end, nearly 10 years later. Granted I got a little lost a long the way (couple extra years in my undergrad and a extra year in my masters). But I am done (kind of).

Whatever the case, I now stand on a precipice, either looking to jump into the unknown or stand on the edge spitting off the side figuring out what to do next. I mean, much like the turtle, do I stay in my shell, or do I leave it? I suppose in real life a turtle can't leave its shell...but whatever this is a metaphor. Just something to think about.

With that however, I leave you with the theme of my college career.

Moving Right Along

Its odd thinking that your entire house can be packed into 10-15 boxes. Granted this doesn't include the big stuff: couch, bed, tv, book shelves. But moving sucks. There's no other way to put it. It sucks even more when you've been established in a place for a number of years. I don't think of myself as a hoarder. I know I've said this before but I just have tons of little collections. Okay granted some collections are bigger than others but whatever. Like here's an example: I've saved almost every movie ticket from since 1996. Kind of crazy but its neat to loom back. Anyway...so moving is terrible. I am amazed how much crap I have fit into each corner of my apartment. I think this move is good because its making my readjust what I keep and get rid. I don't have enough time to do it now. But the moment I get to my new place shit will be thrown away. Like probably half of my clothes (well those will be donated). I need to sell all my old PC games. With steam it has rendered many useless in their old obsolete format. I wish I could just do a bulk sale. Maybe on Craig's List. Like something Box O' PC games (years '95 -'05). I don't even know what I have in there let alone what something like it would be worth. Probably not much. I still have all my old baseball cards to sell as well. But they are from an era that has zero to no value right now. I don't know if sitting on them will make them worth more. They've just become a pain to move as well. Sorry this is so damn rambly maybe its because I'm posting via my phone cause I'm top lazy to go to the computer now. But I'll end this in the same way I began it. Moving sucks.

The End of an Era

And then it was. No big explosion, no large crash, no fireworks, no bright flashing lights, no bang, whistle or pop. No sounds except for a simple click. The end of my Facebook persona. It was quick and without much fuss. Granted they love to guilt you into staying, like a grieving widow sitting next to her dying husband showing pictures of their past together, Facebook shows you friends and loved ones (that you may have never even talked to) saying they will miss you.

I've been on Facebook for nearly 7 years now. The longest time I have ever been apart of anything virtual. Hell, in my WoW days it was only 3-4 years. I joined back when you needed a college email address (and I wish they would have kept that). If they would have kept it like that, I think I would have liked it more. It would have been a virtual place in which intelligent people can come together to socialize and discuss. Instead, I think in its current form it has become somewhat of expression of reality TV. Maybe not the extent of the bottom feeding ooze that was MySpace.com (I mean at least one Facebook, there wasn't glittery HTML text or flaming skull .gifs). But MySpace at least allowed for customization. Facebook leaves things the same dull blue and white color scheme with only the ability to change pictures. But this is probably why people flock to Facebook, it keeps everything uniform, even and rigid. It does all the creative elements for you. People cling to this sort of notion. Since the expression of creativity is something very personal to the person who is creating and the person who is viewing it it garners different feelings. If everyone's page was the same, it would be up the individual person I suppose. Regardless...its done.

Time to let the creative juices flow...after a much needed break of course. I need to recuperate so I can be able to attack this paper. Much like the great Teddy Roosevelt wrestled a buffalo by the horns and taught it to read, I need to get shit done.

Habits are often hard to break.

The above picture shows many things. To some it make show me as a hoarder, this is because I have a large number of collections. To others this could be seen as wasted money and space. But to me, it represents a odd sense of joy and accomplishment.


My collection is small, by no means the largest. I try my best to maintain everything in pristine condition, with the only exception of removing things from their boxes and playing the games inside.  But I have garnered a collection that I am proud of. Its an odd notion to be proud of your material possessions, but no matter. Just to give an idea of what I have spent, here is a list and the prices.

Top Left to Right Bottom:

Diablo III (PC): $99.99
Duke Nukem Forever: Balls of Steel Edition (XBOX 360): $99.99
BioShock Collectors Edition (PC): $69.99
Fallout New Vegas Collectors Edition (XBOX 360): $99.99
Alan Wake Collectors Edition (XBOX 360): $79.99
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Collectors Edition (XBOX 360): $99.99
World in Conflict Collectors Edition (PC): $59.99
Dead Space 2 Collectors Edition (XBOX 360): $79.99
Fallout 3 Collectors Edition (XBOX 360): 99.99
Resistance 2 Collectors Edition (PS3): 79.99
Uncharted 3 Collectors Edition (PS3):  99.99
Halo Reach Legendary Edition (XBOX 360): 149.99
Assassin's Creed Collectors Edition (XBOX 360): 59.99
Hellgate London Collectors Edition (PC): 59.99
Infamous 2 Hero Edition (PS3): 99.99
Batman Arkam City Collectors Edition (PS3): 99.99
Dead Rising 2 Zombrex Edition (XBOX 360): 79.99
Assassin's Creed II Collectors Edition (XBOX 360): 69.99
God of War III Ultimate Edition (PS3): 99.99
Max Payne 3 Collectors Edition (PS3): 99.99
Gears of War Epic Edition (XBOX 360): 149.99
Halo 3 Legendary Edition (XBOX 360): 149.99
Fable III Limited Collectors Edition (XBOX 360): 59.99
Star Craft II Collectors Edition (PC): 79.99
Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Collectors Edition (PS3): 149.99
Grand Theft Auto IV Collectors Edition (XBOX 360): 99.99
Warhammer Online Collectors Edition (PC): 99.99
BioShock 2 Collectors Edition (PC): 79.99
Half-Life 2 Collectors Edition (PC): 99.99
Age of Conan Collectors Edition (PC): 99.99
Tron: Evolution Collectors Edition (XBOX 360) :99.99
Star Wars: The Old Republic Collectors Edition (PC): 149.99
Killzone 3 Helghast Edition (PS3): 129.99
The Witcher 2 Collectors Edition (PC): 129.99
Resident Evil 5 Collectors Edition (XBOX 360): 99.99
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Collectors Edition (PC) 99.99
World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Collectors Edition (PC): 99.99
World of Warcraft Collectors Edition(PC): 99.99

Not Pictured (because I forgot to put them in the picture):
Little Big Planet 2 Collectors Edition (PS3): 79.99
Two Worlds 2 Royal Edition (XBOX 360): 79.99


So this adds up for a grand total of:  $3599.99

That is pretty depressing actually. Given the fact that many of these items automatically lose 20-50% their value as soon as you open them. And then given that the majority of these games decrease in value as they are produced.

Estimated Value: 750-1200 (Maybe).

Maybe one day they will be worth it, but honestly, I don't care. I enjoy them.

Starhawk (PS3)

Starhawk is an interesting game in that its hard to classify it into one genre. One could try, but instead you would end up with a mis-classifications. Probably the best description is a third person action flight sim RTS. Yeah, that sounds about right.

Following of the heals of Warhawk (well maybe not heels since it came out in 2007, how about foot prints that where later covered up by the crashing ocean, somewhat romantic right?) Starhawk aims to be a lot of things and does a pretty good job at it. I played both the original Warhawk (1995) and the remake (2007) a good deal. Granted they are both two different games, but they where still fun. The first game was very much a "flight" sim and I use that distinction loosely. The remake was a multi-player only game.

Starhawk seems to try to right the wrongs of the last game. While it added a single player portion, its really just a tutorial. It only takes about 6 hours to complete. You can go back through and try and get better times and medals, but these really don't serve any purpose. Instead the bulk of this game is meant to be played online. While there isn't a great deal of variety, the multi-player games are a blast. It never gets old calling down new structures to help defend your base. But your base seems to be the biggest problem, if the opposing team is well coordinated and they can essentially spawn camp the balls out of your base. This kind of diminishes the fun and doesn't allow for the greatest challenge at over coming overwhelming odds. The vehicles, while there aren't a lot of variety are enjoyable, flying the Starhawks is great fun. I loved taking off, flying to the enemy base and bombarding the hell out of it. Only to transform in their base and kill everything...so I guess I am kind of a dick in those matters. Also I don't know what it is, but the structures seems incredibly weak to me. When some guy can walk up and take down a sentry gun with a few swipes of his knife...there is something wrong. I haven't played the prospector mode yet, which looks fun, but I can't get together any co-op people to enjoy it with. My girlfriend has an adherence to playing video games with me in which she can "look right at them" (i.e. third person perspective). I suppose she mainly serves as enemy distraction in any case.

I have enjoyed Starhawk. Its a very good multi player distraction especially for someone like me who hates playing with out people. I'll probably continue playing it while farming for trophies.

Paint ball and the RUSH of the kill

I am by no means a nimble person. I have always used the excuse I'm built for endurance more so then speed. Going paint balling for the first time yesterday showed that even a beast of burden such as myself can get low and hide when shit hits the fan.

Going off my history with first person shooters I thought I would be dominating the field. Running around, jumping off ledges, doing flips and shit. In reality however I spent much of time hiding like a little girl screaming for my mommie. The few times I rushed the side I was met with utter defeat. Maybe I am not as young as I use to be and I am a fairly large target, but sometimes I swear shit just got crazy. For one instance I thought about running up the right side of the field dodging my way through a corridor to try and flank the opposing team. However not being the "speediest" I was shot three times before I made it to the other side. The one time I met with triumph was basically sneaking my way up the the other side to find my brother laying in wait. I don't know how accurate I am, but I nailed him right in the hand, rendering him defenseless. It might have been my only kill the whole day, but what a kill.

They often say video games and real life don't translate well. That is an understatement. I don't know if it was my gun or maybe my lack accuracy, but I felt like I couldn't hit anything. I am unsure if it was just because the gun was a rental and doesn't represent the highest quality, but it felt like I couldn't hit anything from a distance. I tried picking off people, but I felt like my balls where all over the place ::12 year old laugh::. I don't know if paint ball barrels are bored or not. I mean its 2012, shouldn't all guns be bored by now? Didn't the civil war teach us anything? But I felt as if when I was shooting the ball would hit somewhere, but usually not where I intended.

This leads me to the realization, that with superior fire power, us peons don't stand a chance. One guy had some kind of rapid fire paint ball gun. It was a beast. Must of cost nearly 1500, which I think is a lot for a gun. But the few times he got me, it was at least 3-4 times in a row. It was a far cry from our little semi-automatic "US Army" replicas.

Whatever the case, I enjoyed it immensely. I don't know if it was the rush, or the thrill or even tagging my brother, but it was really enjoyable. I joked at the end, they will see me back next week all decked out ready for combat. If I had a full time job and maybe a constant set to go with, I would enjoy it. It would certainly give me an excuses to get back down to my scrappin' weight.

Prototype 2 (PS3)

I have to say I enjoyed the first Prototype game. It came out during a very dry period in gaming in 2009 and I enjoyed it. However, maybe its due to the amount of games I play, but it wasn't very memorable. While I remember running around New York City waving my giant tentacle arms and gobbling up innocents, I don't remember a damn thing from the story line.

Flash forward to 2012 and now we have a sequel. While I enjoyed Prototype 2, it suffers from the same problem as the first game, its not memorable. Missions are tied together loosely with black and white cut scene that only have blue and red. I realize this is Radical's attempt at being artistic, but come on guys, I think we can move on past that. They also inter cut weird full motion video into the consuming portions. I remember this from the first game and while it may be neat the first couple times, whats the point?

Another problem I have is graphics. I don't usually care too much about this, I mean hell I played MorphX just fine and didn't care about them. But I wish they could make the shape changing and tentacle stuff look better. I looks at times like a last generation with an HD shine put on it. And honestly the game looks it best when you're far away from everything...that's kind of sad when you think about it.


Besides having a fairly predictable story with a twist that you could see from a mile a way, Prototype 2 is fun. Its fun to play. Plain and simple. Running up the side of a building only to jump kick off, glide a few meters and land on some poor solider never gets old. I also liked the powers, while it doesn't seem like there are as many in the first game, it added an element where you can yield two powers at once. Its pretty cool to be slicing someone with a giant sword arm to go to pummeling them with hammer fists.


While there is a greater amount of customized ability (kind of), Prototype does make you feel like a genetic bad ass. I will say however, compared to the first game, I hate the main character in the second game. Jame Heller is not a like able protagonist. His gruff angry voice and his all around lack of humanity makes him an unlikeable hero. Even if he is an anti-hero, I don't see a redeeming quality about him. With Alex Mercer in the first game, I felt more of a connection. His story made sense to while he is mad. With Heller...it doesn't make sense and his revenge story doesn't redeem him.

But like I said I enjoyed Prototype 2, its certainly worth a discounted price for admission, but its a fun mindless romp. 

Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)

I should probably start off by saying I am not the biggest fan of Bioware (shocking). A once great and imaginative company that created some of the best RPGs of all time has really become a shell of its former self. Its latest incarnations really show the lack of creativity and all around dedication to making big money games with little filler. This saying while being purchased and controlled by EA, they have only produced two games that I really count as original and enjoyable titles. Mass Effect 1 and Dragon Age: Origins. The other games in that series are just terrible creations that show the current trend that Bioware and video games as a whole have taken.

Well with that rant out of the way, on to Star Wars: The Old Republic. Unlike most people, I remember a time before WoW and the current trend of MMORPGS. I remember playing long hours of Meridian 59 (look it up) and Ultima Online. But probably the most fondest of my MMO memories was my time spent in Star Wars: Galaxies. Now this was a game that was huge and filled with depth. Everything was amazing about this game, until the combat upgrade that destroyed everything that anyone had worked for and sent Galaxies into a sort of dark ages.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is not like Galaxies in the slightest. It is essentially fresh coat of paint slapped onto the aging WoW genre of MMOs. With that being said, it lacks any sort of depth and imagination that all the previous MMOs had before it. Granted you can basically play the game soloing the whole time (which I did like because I detest humanity, especially people who play video games), but even that was disappointing. Where is the community? Where is the connection? You never feel like you are building towards something big, you feel like a piece in the puzzle and you are living someone else's story.

My other problem with the game is that its too damn linear. Where is the sense of exploration? The world are far too small and confined to actually feel a living and breathing world. You are essentially confined canyons with some open room between them to travel. Yes there is space travel, but that simply serves as a ship to travel to from one canyon to another.

While I don't play on PvP servers anymore (Thanks WoW for teaching me that people are truly dicks when given enough power) because of ganking. But even the PvP elements in SWTOR is essentially capture the flag? Who even enjoys this drivel type of entertainment? While WoW employed a sense of strategy with its battleground, Hutt Ball is a poor excuse for anything PvP related.

Lastly my final gripe is the crafting. While its fine to send your comrades off to go gather materials (don't get me started on your NPC partners, glorified pets), crafting is basic and lackluster.

All in all SWTOR is simply another game added to the WoW demographic of MMORPGs. While its the most costly game ever created it doesn't show that in a positive way. Just add lasers, a crap ton of voice actors and a space element to WoW and you have Star Wars: The Old Republic.

The Walking Dead (PS3)

I have always been a fan of adventure games, hell Grim Fandango is one of my top favorite games of all time. And I really like TellTale Games for keeping the genre alive and reinvigorating it. While I didn't know they where making a Walking Dead game, I had played all of there other games. I have to say though, Jurassic Park was probably not the best game. It just lacked something that Back to the Future, Sam and Max and Monkey Island series had. Plus the girl in that game was absolutely terrible and many time I would purposely fail just to have her be eaten by a velociraptor. I secretly hoped her father would move on with his life, while mourning a little bit, but in the end be realized that he was happy didn't have to carry her around anymore.

The Walking Dead takes all the mistakes from Jurassic Park and throws them away. Its a quick (granted only the first episode has been released) exciting game, that never fails to impress. While it touts how your decisions actually will effect the game later on (not like some Mass Effect bullshit), the game makes you invested in your choices. I questioned myself a great deal after I chose to save the boy over the farmers son. I still don't think I made the right choice, but I have to live with it.

The graphics are amazing and really capture the graphic novel qualities. The cell shading is minuscule, but makes you feel like you are playing a comic book. This is a far greater telling of the original source material then the hit AMC television show. The controls are tight and they need to be for the quick responses you have to give. On little slip and you are zombie chow. Of it you make a wrong move and let some else be eaten, the rest of the people will remember that. For example when Glenn witnesses you allowing a bitten women take her own life, its something that will haunt you and your relationship with him. The dialog is the highlight of the game, granted when its an adventure game, what else do you have to go on? I could sit there and little to voice actors talk about the world and everything, it was just wonderfully written.

I really enjoyed the Walking Dead, it was a shame the first episode only clocked in around 3 hours, I didn't want it to end. But with three more episodes on the way, I am excited to see how the series continues. I would recommend this game to anyone who wants something different then the traditional zombie shooter and wants to become enveloped in the story.

Format Change and Revision

While this blog has sat and become rather dusty for the past year I have decided to clean it off and start new. I can't guarantee the frequency of posting, all I can say is it will be more action then it has been. Like attaching a lightning rod to the clown in a thunderstorm, the new format of this blog will be changed to short shocks of detailed information with interspersed jokes. With the average person becoming more and more accustomed to having information given to them in a fast manner with as little words as possible I think it will be better. Not so much limiting myself to a 140 character twitter post, because we all know twitter is the down fall of civilization, but more like a paragraph or two. I think this far better approach then drawling on and on for pages on end. Give the people what they want, short detailed information that answers their questions (hell might even pose a few different ones)