Whatever.
Showing posts with label Video Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Video Games. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Free game
Just click it and see for yourself, it takes like 30 seconds.
http://probablyinteractive.com/url-hunter
http://probablyinteractive.com/url-hunter
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Plapljwsijvklsjdnfiouwhu! Iuytfvsdg!
It's the End of the World as We Know It:
Minor Thing:
Minor Thing:
I don't really have anything to say about these, which is why I'm bunching them together. They're both ideas I had a while ago: the first is about a year old, the second I probably came up with around the beginning of last summer (which is probably why it sounds a lot less finished, but I was trying not to over-think it). Here's some facts:
-"End of the World" has a really long coda that I cut for it-sounding-terrible reasons. I left the first line of it as the last line of the song, if that gives you some idea.
-Great Big Sea also covered "End of the World" at a faster tempo. Their version is actually the exact same length as mine--for some reason iMovie always makes my songs a few seconds longer.
-I recorded all the "Minor Thing" piano parts with a Rock Band 3 keyboard, which works pretty well except it doesn't have instructions, and also that I'm a really shitty piano player. In retrospect, I probably overused the pitch-shifty thing.*
-"Minor Thing" is the first song of mine to take more than one day to finish recording, due to interruptions.
-I forget.
*Here is my review of it:
"If Rock Band 3 was just 'Space Oddity' and 58 Nickelback songs, and I'd probably still give it an A minus. The fact that there are least five other songs I might have used instead in that sentence is proof that it's the best thing the music game genre has ever produced."
They should put that on the box.
DOWNLOADABLE VERSION:
Rerelease Notes: I took out the problematic ending, mainly because I couldn't figure out how to fix it.
-"End of the World" has a really long coda that I cut for it-sounding-terrible reasons. I left the first line of it as the last line of the song, if that gives you some idea.
-Great Big Sea also covered "End of the World" at a faster tempo. Their version is actually the exact same length as mine--for some reason iMovie always makes my songs a few seconds longer.
-I recorded all the "Minor Thing" piano parts with a Rock Band 3 keyboard, which works pretty well except it doesn't have instructions, and also that I'm a really shitty piano player. In retrospect, I probably overused the pitch-shifty thing.*
-"Minor Thing" is the first song of mine to take more than one day to finish recording, due to interruptions.
-I forget.
*Here is my review of it:
"If Rock Band 3 was just 'Space Oddity' and 58 Nickelback songs, and I'd probably still give it an A minus. The fact that there are least five other songs I might have used instead in that sentence is proof that it's the best thing the music game genre has ever produced."
They should put that on the box.
DOWNLOADABLE VERSION:
Rerelease Notes: I took out the problematic ending, mainly because I couldn't figure out how to fix it.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Just Linking to Stuff Mega-Post
I been sitting on some of this for a while, forgot/neglected to post for whatever reason:
Someone had too much fun making this:
SPECIAL MARIO SUBSECTION
Someone had too much fun making this:
Proof that New Zealand is kind of awesome:
Ze importance of context:
SPECIAL MARIO SUBSECTION
It's easy to forget how much a badass Mario is. Don't:
And this
SUBSECTION OVER...FOR NOW
SUBSECTION OVER...FOR NOW
I don't know, this is just funny:
This is like a parody of Batman Begins-style reboots, and then you realize that it's an actual fucking movie:
Turn your speakers down:
IPAD SUBSECTION
Some of these are worthless but the good ones make it worth clicking.
Also here's the reason I didn't get an iPad. Remember when Apple was the cool company with all the new ideas?
SUBSECTION COMPLETE
VIDEO GAME-RELATED ART SUBSECTION
Pokemon as sumi-e prints
Games covers as books covers. Again, a lot are worthless, but the good ones are better than the actual box art (which raises some interesting questions).
Maybe not art but I found it cool anyway. Title is accurate.
SUBSECTION TERMINATED.
Can't remember if this is good or not, video isn't working:
Turn your speakers down:
IPAD SUBSECTION
Some of these are worthless but the good ones make it worth clicking.
Also here's the reason I didn't get an iPad. Remember when Apple was the cool company with all the new ideas?
SUBSECTION COMPLETE
VIDEO GAME-RELATED ART SUBSECTION
Pokemon as sumi-e prints
Games covers as books covers. Again, a lot are worthless, but the good ones are better than the actual box art (which raises some interesting questions).
Maybe not art but I found it cool anyway. Title is accurate.
SUBSECTION TERMINATED.
Can't remember if this is good or not, video isn't working:
Sonar from Renaud Hallée on Vimeo.
Finally, the most insightful image I've ever seen....Except I'm guessing everyone looks at it and thinks they're the one guy. Which is stupid cause it's obviously me. I didn't even buy a iPad.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
untitled 196th post
You've probably already seen this, but...I don't know, I'm busy. I'll right a real post about something else later.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Things that are green (A Playlist)
Green screen:
Green Day:
Green Onions:
Green River (do what I did and play both at the same time):
Also a Green River:
Greenland (green in name only):
Green, Bein':
Green Hill Zone:
Green, Village:
Owls (not green, just funny):
UPDATE: Retroactively it's a pun on "Al Green" (say it out loud).
GREEN MAN!:
Green Day:
Green Onions:
Green River (do what I did and play both at the same time):
Also a Green River:
Greenland (green in name only):
Green, Bein':Green Hill Zone:
Green, Village:
Owls (not green, just funny):
UPDATE: Retroactively it's a pun on "Al Green" (say it out loud).
GREEN MAN!:
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Liveblogging The Beatles: Rock Band: Part 2
OK, I'm gonna be singing b/c I's too lazy to put the instruments together. Also my strumming arm hurts and I haven't got the cymbals yet.
Mic stand is pretty nice. probably should have a controller holder on it though. Or, you know, buttons.
And I thought that opening cinema looked good in a tiny window...It's a bit more impressive at 65 inches in HD. Also, I found a ghetto way to hang my controller with the cable clips. I am the genius, goog-goo-g'joob.
First thing after "Press Start" is something about cache and system profiles. I breeze through, but then I'm not one of the old people they want this game to bring in.
Liverpool, 1963
"Twist and Shout", Expert: Takes two tries (probably should stick to "Solo" vox), but it got me TWO achievements. Those ah-ah-ahs are hard, by the way. ***
"Boys", Hard: Couldn't do expert.Hard might be too easy, though. Too bad they don't let you go straight from practice mode back to story-- you'd think someone would have figured that out by now. ****
"Do You Want To Know A Secret", Expert: I think this game is going to make "Fab" cool to say again. Also, this song was a cool choice-- you'd never see it in Guitar Hero: Beatles. ****
"I Saw Her Standing There", Expert: Now we're talking. Also, how does Paul hit that high note? He must have used Auto-Tune. ***
Look, the band is meeting the queen!
The Ed Sullivan Show, 1964
"I Want to Hold Your Hand", Expert: ***, but I think I'm getting better. Also, I forgot how short a lot of these songs are.
"Can't Buy Me Love", Expert: Are you supposed to shout? I shouted the whole thing. On an unrelated note, my throat hurts for some reason. ***
"A Hard Day's Night", Expert: Good thing it's short, too, I'm about to go hoarse. Still got ****, though.
"I Wanna Be Your Man", Hard: All right, I'm starting to notice a pattern where I do better on songs I've heard of. Also, The Beatles moved pretty fast from just wanting to hold your hand to "I wanna be your lover, baby".
OK, I'm gonna take a break.
...And we're back.
Honestly, this game is worth at least a rental just for the between-levels animations.
Shea Stadium, 1965:
"Ticket To Ride", Expert: According to the loading screen, they took out headset functionality. That kind of sucks, but no one used it anyway. ****, but I almost failed at the end there.
"I'm Looking Through You", Hard: I don't even know how I made it through this one. Just lucky I guess.
"Eigh Days A Week", Expert: First song where I had to drop an octave (or two). Voice hurts less now. ****
"If I Needed Someone", Expert: I like the message of this one: "you want me? Get in line, girl." Of course, there probabl really was a line at that point. ***
"I Feel Fine", Expert: Hey, why does this level have five songs? Whatever, it's cool. ****
Budokan, 1966:
"Day Tripper", Hard: Has anyone ever figured out what a day tripper is? Seriously? ****
"And Your Bird Can Sing", Expert: Y'know, if someone released this song today, nobody would realize it's over forty years old. It's somehow...I don't know. Maybe it took a while to be influential. ***
"Drive My Car", Hard: Another song that sounds ahead of its time-- this one would have fit in just as well in the 70s. ****
...And then my parents got home and i had to stop start move relogisticize...hang on.
"Taxman", Expert: Someone should make a show about a superhero called the Taxman, because I just found its theme song. Picture it: by day, Albert Taxmann (Eugene Levy*) is a mild-mannered tax auditor--but by night... ***
"Paperback Writer", Expert: This is one of my most favoritest Beatles songs because I think its a funny song I think this one would also make a good TV theme but maybe the idea is stuck in my head.
*If nothing else, maybe we could stop the endless flood of American Pies.
Abbey Road, 1966-67:
"Yellow Submarine", Expert: Wow, they just dive right in to the wierdness, don't they? Also, what's with Ringo and songs taking place under the ocean? ***** (This one's pretty easy)
"Sgt. Pepper's/With A Little Help From My Friends", Expert: It's kind of ironic to be off-key on this song, innit? Also, when you fail, it'll say "take two" on your second try. Not that I would fail, no sir. ****
"Lucy In The Sky With Drug Reference", Expert: Actually, I expected them to do a lot more with this one. It's relatively sane-looking. Well, "I Am The Walrus" is still to come. ***
"Getting Better", Expert: Like how it has the date they were recorded. "Me used to be angry young man" was totally stolen by you-know-who*. ****
"Within You Without You/ Tomorrow Never Knows", Expert: Huh, I figure this would be like a bonus or something. Still, "Within You Without You" is one of my most favoritestest Beatles songs, and I really like the mash-up, so I can't complain. The only real problem I have here is that it cuts down the length of the real song, but it's cool, yo. ****
"Good Morning Good Morning", Expert: Song so nice they titled it twice. I never realized just how wierd this song is--a guy dies in the first line and the song end with its title line in German. It's almost Bob Dylan-level weird here. ****
*Coulton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >=(
Some animator's been watching The Wall on a maddening loop, which is probably the best way to watch The Wall.
Abbey Road, '67-'68
"I Am the Walrus", Texpert: Every bit as advertised. Also, I just realized the talky parts don't seem to affect your score, positive or negative. And they took out the tambourine, but I figured that out like four chapters ago. ****
"Hello Goodbye", Hard: The Beatles covered that Target commercial song? Anyway, this one's kind of long but OK; it's a step down from "Walrus", but what wouldn't be? It was clever how they trick you into thinking the song is over (by they I mean the developers, but it also applies to The Beatles themselves). ****
"Hey Bulldog", Hard: The video for this part is pretty cool, despite never leaving the studio; it's a tribute to the original video or something, I forget the exact story. Note the cigarette smoke in the beginning--is that the "tobacco reference" from the ESRB label? *****
"Back In The USSR", Expert: Back in the what? Anyway, ***, but it would have been four if I'd done star power right. Also, they do weird thing where the vocal line will move before you start singing it--probably something to do with harmonies, but it's friggin confusing ("Hello Goodbye" does it too)
"Dear Prudence", Expert: Wow, I butchered that. Still got ***, though. Also, cool video, takes you in and out of the dreamthing multiple times.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps", Expert: So no Clapton cameo. He probably doesn't deserve it. Also, surprisingly dark choice to end the chapter on, especially in such an upbeat game.
Abbey Road '68-'69:
"Helter Skelter", Hard: When I checked the leaderboard, only 450 people had played this song. I am not one of them. I'll finish it later, this song is fucking hard.
"Revolution", Expert: After "Helter Skelter", anything looks, easy: *****. It's weird they put these two songn together because I always pair them in my mind--both are attempts at a heavier sound (I think the differences between them say a lot about the differences between John and Paul, too).
"Birthday", Hard: Actually it's John Bonham who has my birthday. Good guess though. *****
-Takes Dinner/ XBox-Is-Making-It-A-Million-Degrees-In-My-Room Break-
OK from here on I'm playing guitar--I want to see if I can finish the game tonight.
"Helter Skelter", Expert: The Höfner bass that comes with the game is pretty awesome-looking, but they made some odd design decisions. The strap is placed so it's always twisted; the strum bar is in a weird position; the start and XBos buttons are hard to trigger (making pausing really hard). Time will tell if I can get used to it. ***
"Octopus's Garden", Expert: Hey, this song is pretty hard. Still not sure if it's me or the guitar. ***
"Something", Expert: Maybe it's me. I was playing Guitar Hero most of the summer. Also, the longer scale of the bass controller actually makes using the higher-up frets worth it, since you're more likely to hit the right note. ***
"Come Together", Expert: I always liked this song-- it feels like it's getting away with something, but you can never be too sure what. Plus it's a great example of what people always say about the Beatles-- it's incredibly easy and simple and yet still really fun. **** (but just barely not five)
"Here Comes the Sun", Expert: ACoustic songs always translate to these games kind of off; chords turn into triplets, it's the right notes but they're not played the right way. Still fun though. ***
Apple Corps Rooftop, 1969:
"Dig A Pony", Expert: Man, we've been at Apple a while now, huh?...And I thought my lyrics were nonsensical. Seriously, why do some of the best songs have some of the worst lyrics (see: U2, One, "we hurt each other than we do it again"). ***
"I've Got A Feeling", Expert: I don't know. It's great. They should make more songs like this, and play this one more on the radio. What do you expect me to say? ***
"Don't Let Me Down", Expert: I've actually seen the real version of this, which is every bit as awesome. Here. ****
"I Me Mine", Expert: Why do I have a feeling this song is about the other Beatles? Also, it's pretty hard too. ***
"I Want You (She's So Heavy)", Expert: We're a long way from just wanting to hold your hand. I had a rant that carried on the theme of "we need more songs like this" but I forot most of it by the 6-minute mark. Maybe it'll come back later. **** (and an achievement for usingStar Power Beatlemania 5 times.)
"Get Back", Expert: John's made-up lyrics to this are the funniest thing ever, you can hear them before the song starts. Also this song is really hard (***). But who cares because...
Oh Jebus it's all over! Oh well, the ending animation (set, appropriately, to "The End") is even more awesome than the beginning one, albiet short. Watch it on Youtube tomorrow, it'll be up by then.
Interesting choice, setting the credits to studio noise instead of a song, which would have been the more obvious way to go.
I think that's it. I'll have more to say tomorrow (I haven't even tried drumming yet.)
Mic stand is pretty nice. probably should have a controller holder on it though. Or, you know, buttons.
And I thought that opening cinema looked good in a tiny window...It's a bit more impressive at 65 inches in HD. Also, I found a ghetto way to hang my controller with the cable clips. I am the genius, goog-goo-g'joob.
First thing after "Press Start" is something about cache and system profiles. I breeze through, but then I'm not one of the old people they want this game to bring in.
Liverpool, 1963
"Twist and Shout", Expert: Takes two tries (probably should stick to "Solo" vox), but it got me TWO achievements. Those ah-ah-ahs are hard, by the way. ***
"Boys", Hard: Couldn't do expert.Hard might be too easy, though. Too bad they don't let you go straight from practice mode back to story-- you'd think someone would have figured that out by now. ****
"Do You Want To Know A Secret", Expert: I think this game is going to make "Fab" cool to say again. Also, this song was a cool choice-- you'd never see it in Guitar Hero: Beatles. ****
"I Saw Her Standing There", Expert: Now we're talking. Also, how does Paul hit that high note? He must have used Auto-Tune. ***
Look, the band is meeting the queen!
The Ed Sullivan Show, 1964
"I Want to Hold Your Hand", Expert: ***, but I think I'm getting better. Also, I forgot how short a lot of these songs are.
"Can't Buy Me Love", Expert: Are you supposed to shout? I shouted the whole thing. On an unrelated note, my throat hurts for some reason. ***
"A Hard Day's Night", Expert: Good thing it's short, too, I'm about to go hoarse. Still got ****, though.
"I Wanna Be Your Man", Hard: All right, I'm starting to notice a pattern where I do better on songs I've heard of. Also, The Beatles moved pretty fast from just wanting to hold your hand to "I wanna be your lover, baby".
OK, I'm gonna take a break.
...And we're back.
Honestly, this game is worth at least a rental just for the between-levels animations.
Shea Stadium, 1965:
"Ticket To Ride", Expert: According to the loading screen, they took out headset functionality. That kind of sucks, but no one used it anyway. ****, but I almost failed at the end there.
"I'm Looking Through You", Hard: I don't even know how I made it through this one. Just lucky I guess.
"Eigh Days A Week", Expert: First song where I had to drop an octave (or two). Voice hurts less now. ****
"If I Needed Someone", Expert: I like the message of this one: "you want me? Get in line, girl." Of course, there probabl really was a line at that point. ***
"I Feel Fine", Expert: Hey, why does this level have five songs? Whatever, it's cool. ****
Budokan, 1966:
"Day Tripper", Hard: Has anyone ever figured out what a day tripper is? Seriously? ****
"And Your Bird Can Sing", Expert: Y'know, if someone released this song today, nobody would realize it's over forty years old. It's somehow...I don't know. Maybe it took a while to be influential. ***
"Drive My Car", Hard: Another song that sounds ahead of its time-- this one would have fit in just as well in the 70s. ****
...And then my parents got home and i had to stop start move relogisticize...hang on.
"Taxman", Expert: Someone should make a show about a superhero called the Taxman, because I just found its theme song. Picture it: by day, Albert Taxmann (Eugene Levy*) is a mild-mannered tax auditor--but by night... ***
"Paperback Writer", Expert: This is one of my most favoritest Beatles songs because I think its a funny song I think this one would also make a good TV theme but maybe the idea is stuck in my head.
*If nothing else, maybe we could stop the endless flood of American Pies.
Abbey Road, 1966-67:
"Yellow Submarine", Expert: Wow, they just dive right in to the wierdness, don't they? Also, what's with Ringo and songs taking place under the ocean? ***** (This one's pretty easy)
"Sgt. Pepper's/With A Little Help From My Friends", Expert: It's kind of ironic to be off-key on this song, innit? Also, when you fail, it'll say "take two" on your second try. Not that I would fail, no sir. ****
"Lucy In The Sky With Drug Reference", Expert: Actually, I expected them to do a lot more with this one. It's relatively sane-looking. Well, "I Am The Walrus" is still to come. ***
"Getting Better", Expert: Like how it has the date they were recorded. "Me used to be angry young man" was totally stolen by you-know-who*. ****
"Within You Without You/ Tomorrow Never Knows", Expert: Huh, I figure this would be like a bonus or something. Still, "Within You Without You" is one of my most favoritestest Beatles songs, and I really like the mash-up, so I can't complain. The only real problem I have here is that it cuts down the length of the real song, but it's cool, yo. ****
"Good Morning Good Morning", Expert: Song so nice they titled it twice. I never realized just how wierd this song is--a guy dies in the first line and the song end with its title line in German. It's almost Bob Dylan-level weird here. ****
*Coulton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >=(
Some animator's been watching The Wall on a maddening loop, which is probably the best way to watch The Wall.
Abbey Road, '67-'68
"I Am the Walrus", Texpert: Every bit as advertised. Also, I just realized the talky parts don't seem to affect your score, positive or negative. And they took out the tambourine, but I figured that out like four chapters ago. ****
"Hello Goodbye", Hard: The Beatles covered that Target commercial song? Anyway, this one's kind of long but OK; it's a step down from "Walrus", but what wouldn't be? It was clever how they trick you into thinking the song is over (by they I mean the developers, but it also applies to The Beatles themselves). ****
"Hey Bulldog", Hard: The video for this part is pretty cool, despite never leaving the studio; it's a tribute to the original video or something, I forget the exact story. Note the cigarette smoke in the beginning--is that the "tobacco reference" from the ESRB label? *****
"Back In The USSR", Expert: Back in the what? Anyway, ***, but it would have been four if I'd done star power right. Also, they do weird thing where the vocal line will move before you start singing it--probably something to do with harmonies, but it's friggin confusing ("Hello Goodbye" does it too)
"Dear Prudence", Expert: Wow, I butchered that. Still got ***, though. Also, cool video, takes you in and out of the dreamthing multiple times.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps", Expert: So no Clapton cameo. He probably doesn't deserve it. Also, surprisingly dark choice to end the chapter on, especially in such an upbeat game.
Abbey Road '68-'69:
"Helter Skelter", Hard: When I checked the leaderboard, only 450 people had played this song. I am not one of them. I'll finish it later, this song is fucking hard.
"Revolution", Expert: After "Helter Skelter", anything looks, easy: *****. It's weird they put these two songn together because I always pair them in my mind--both are attempts at a heavier sound (I think the differences between them say a lot about the differences between John and Paul, too).
"Birthday", Hard: Actually it's John Bonham who has my birthday. Good guess though. *****
-Takes Dinner/ XBox-Is-Making-It-A-Million-Degrees-In-My-Room Break-
OK from here on I'm playing guitar--I want to see if I can finish the game tonight.
"Helter Skelter", Expert: The Höfner bass that comes with the game is pretty awesome-looking, but they made some odd design decisions. The strap is placed so it's always twisted; the strum bar is in a weird position; the start and XBos buttons are hard to trigger (making pausing really hard). Time will tell if I can get used to it. ***
"Octopus's Garden", Expert: Hey, this song is pretty hard. Still not sure if it's me or the guitar. ***
"Something", Expert: Maybe it's me. I was playing Guitar Hero most of the summer. Also, the longer scale of the bass controller actually makes using the higher-up frets worth it, since you're more likely to hit the right note. ***
"Come Together", Expert: I always liked this song-- it feels like it's getting away with something, but you can never be too sure what. Plus it's a great example of what people always say about the Beatles-- it's incredibly easy and simple and yet still really fun. **** (but just barely not five)
"Here Comes the Sun", Expert: ACoustic songs always translate to these games kind of off; chords turn into triplets, it's the right notes but they're not played the right way. Still fun though. ***
Apple Corps Rooftop, 1969:
"Dig A Pony", Expert: Man, we've been at Apple a while now, huh?...And I thought my lyrics were nonsensical. Seriously, why do some of the best songs have some of the worst lyrics (see: U2, One, "we hurt each other than we do it again"). ***
"I've Got A Feeling", Expert: I don't know. It's great. They should make more songs like this, and play this one more on the radio. What do you expect me to say? ***
"Don't Let Me Down", Expert: I've actually seen the real version of this, which is every bit as awesome. Here. ****
"I Me Mine", Expert: Why do I have a feeling this song is about the other Beatles? Also, it's pretty hard too. ***
"I Want You (She's So Heavy)", Expert: We're a long way from just wanting to hold your hand. I had a rant that carried on the theme of "we need more songs like this" but I forot most of it by the 6-minute mark. Maybe it'll come back later. **** (and an achievement for using
"Get Back", Expert: John's made-up lyrics to this are the funniest thing ever, you can hear them before the song starts. Also this song is really hard (***). But who cares because...
Oh Jebus it's all over! Oh well, the ending animation (set, appropriately, to "The End") is even more awesome than the beginning one, albiet short. Watch it on Youtube tomorrow, it'll be up by then.
Interesting choice, setting the credits to studio noise instead of a song, which would have been the more obvious way to go.
I think that's it. I'll have more to say tomorrow (I haven't even tried drumming yet.)
Liveblogging The Beatles: Rock Band: You Knew This Was Coming (Part 1)
The Unboxing:
Box is friggin huge
Kitten Sold Separately.
I don't know how to rotate these.
Box, opened.
View with the drums removed.
The goods
The not so goods.
Box is friggin huge
Kitten Sold Separately.
I don't know how to rotate these.
Box, opened.
View with the drums removed.
The goods
The not so goods.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
I've almost finished Guitar Hero 4...
...and this about sums it up. I'll do a full review if I can finish it before Beatles Rock Band lands on my doorstep. If not it'll be whenever I actually finish it, probably around 2011.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Song of the Week Week 2 Update
So I think Monday highlighted the "denial" stage, Tuesday the "bargaining" stage, and yesterday the "anger" stage (wait, does anger come before or after bargaining? Whatever, let's just go with it); today I've finnaly accepted that SotWWII just can't happen right now. There's some kind of hard-to-describe mental business I have to do for these, and after stopping for so long I'm finding it hard to get back in the literal and figurative groove. I think while I spent all that time in that class my expectations got all wierd, and I was all, yeah I get back I'll be makings the best songs ever woot, and then this week actually comes around and nothing sounds good enough or I haven't gotten enough sleep or I've slept too late and don't have a lot of time, or my sister's borrowed my computer so I can't do anything anyway, or my parents are making too much noise or preventing me from making too much noise--stuff I can usually work around, but it's just been so long it's like I have to re-learn how. And I still have to write a paper and 5 one-to-two-page answers for a test, and read the second half of a book, and sign up for Fall classes and wow I should really have started all that already.
Hopefully I'll be able to do Song of the Week Week 2 Take 2 in earnest as soon as possible. In the meantime I'm downshifting back to the regular one-song-one-week schedule to fit in more Guitar Hero time*. Expect something tomorrow or Saturday (but not both).
*Short, haven't-yet-finished-the-game review: just get Rock Band 2. It has better songs and they're all in English, except for that one part of "Psycho Killer".
Hopefully I'll be able to do Song of the Week Week 2 Take 2 in earnest as soon as possible. In the meantime I'm downshifting back to the regular one-song-one-week schedule to fit in more Guitar Hero time*. Expect something tomorrow or Saturday (but not both).
*Short, haven't-yet-finished-the-game review: just get Rock Band 2. It has better songs and they're all in English, except for that one part of "Psycho Killer".
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Needs no explanation...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
I did it!
I finally beat Eversion! And now so can you. Hint: you can evert in the maze at the end of level six. For some reason that's not in the walkthroughs.
Ready?
Ready?
Friday, March 27, 2009
Post 98: Liveblogging Pokémon Platinum, Part 3
ok so so far today i've caught everyone's favorite useless pokemon, magikarp. they should just rename "the ugly duckling" to "the typical magikarp". also i got a fishing rod. that's how i caught it. should have said that part first.
also i taught all (well, two) my pokemons rock smash so i can use it on that douchehole roark. then i levelgrinded for a while.
...lots of looking at charts...
for no real reason, i listen to "save the population " three times in a row. i believe this is the first sign of insanity. but having passed the fifth or sixth sign long ago, this worries me not.
i catch budew. how do pronounce that? bud-YEW? ba-DOO? something completely nonsensical? looks like that's the one.
"What? Kricketot is evolving!" it seems to have turned into a cricket violin. i remember what carl sagan said about artificial selection. did kricketune grow to look like a violin because humans bred for that trait? because we slaughtered the others? you think about it that way it stops being so cute.
almost accidentally, i catch a psyduck. i didn't even know they had those here.
ok i'm ready. my kickass pokemon are ready to kick this ass in the ass. bring it, roark. also i'm saving first so i can cheat and not lose.
i win. as it turned out, i could have just used piplup instead of teaching four of my pokemon rock smash. actually, i want to see if that'll work. [resets system]
maybe. piplup died and i wasn't taking chances with the others, though i probably could do it. also i had to use all my potions. going to try again...
i did it! without changing my strategy at all. which makes me wonder how much of this game is just luck. last time, my opponent weakened my defense too much, completely at random. this time, a critical hit almost made me lose everything sort of. luckily i'm so awesome and technically undefeated that it still didn't matter.
"What Piplup is evolving!"-- sure picked an appropriate time to do it.
i think Prinplup, nee Piplup, needs a break now. and i just finished my Cosmos (episode 8! only five remain! exclamation points make even boring things exciting!). i'm going to go watch tv.
also i taught all (well, two) my pokemons rock smash so i can use it on that douchehole roark. then i levelgrinded for a while.
...lots of looking at charts...
for no real reason, i listen to "save the population " three times in a row. i believe this is the first sign of insanity. but having passed the fifth or sixth sign long ago, this worries me not.
i catch budew. how do pronounce that? bud-YEW? ba-DOO? something completely nonsensical? looks like that's the one.
"What? Kricketot is evolving!" it seems to have turned into a cricket violin. i remember what carl sagan said about artificial selection. did kricketune grow to look like a violin because humans bred for that trait? because we slaughtered the others? you think about it that way it stops being so cute.
almost accidentally, i catch a psyduck. i didn't even know they had those here.
ok i'm ready. my kickass pokemon are ready to kick this ass in the ass. bring it, roark. also i'm saving first so i can cheat and not lose.
i win. as it turned out, i could have just used piplup instead of teaching four of my pokemon rock smash. actually, i want to see if that'll work. [resets system]
maybe. piplup died and i wasn't taking chances with the others, though i probably could do it. also i had to use all my potions. going to try again...
i did it! without changing my strategy at all. which makes me wonder how much of this game is just luck. last time, my opponent weakened my defense too much, completely at random. this time, a critical hit almost made me lose everything sort of. luckily i'm so awesome and technically undefeated that it still didn't matter.
"What Piplup is evolving!"-- sure picked an appropriate time to do it.
i think Prinplup, nee Piplup, needs a break now. and i just finished my Cosmos (episode 8! only five remain! exclamation points make even boring things exciting!). i'm going to go watch tv.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Post 97: Liveblogging Pokémon Platinum, Part 2
Sorry about the abrupt way that part one ended. My Internet crapped out all of a sudden. All you missed was I caught a Starly and my mom gave me a journal and JOHNDOEs mom gaved me a parcel. So let's go.
9:41: "Gotcha! BIDOOF was caught!". I'm gonna call him Bidoof.
"DREW found an antidote!" I should probably return it to whoever lost it, poor guy.
"Sandgem town: the town of sand." Oh, like how Seattle is the city of sea. Wait, that's not right.
Dawn's going to show me how to catch a pokemon. i feel guilty telling her i already know how. also, there's no option for that.
hooray, five free pokeballs! everyone wants to hook the DREW up with free stuff. except i already bought five. and used two. boy am i dumb.
"you're a pokemon trainer, and our eyes met, so we must battle!"-- talk about lampshade hanging.
the new animation for quick attack: pokemon runs in a circle, and then runs in my general direction. cool. also i win pokebattle! i is undefeated!
i don't know what Shinx is, but i'm really mad i couldn't catch one.
ok i got one. i think it's supposed to be a lion, but inexplicably blue. maybe it got too cold?
on the other hand, the animation for pound is a little red smudge appearing on my enemies forehead. from now on i'm calling it "smudge".
10:12: i catch kricketot, which appears to be a cricket in a suit. it's my new favorite.
WTF is a Burmy? it's like a unicorn and an acorn got caught in an atom smasher. except any product of that should rightly have "corn" in its name.
I find a potion, and reflect on its implications. are there any other forms of magic in Sinnoh. my brain says no; my gut dissents.
Dawn wants to show me around the big city. by pure accident we run into some crazy man who thinks he's an "international police". i get a "vs. recorder", but coming from a creep like that, who knows what it actually did. oh well, i'm sure i've seen the last of him.
there's two guys outside, "trading pokemon" right on the street. what has the world come to?
i get a town map. i try to think of something funny, and draw a blank.
i proceed to show those douchebag schoolkids who's boss. serves em right for trying to learn things.
i talk to some clowns and get something called a poketch. yep, that's normal.
JOHNDOE wants to fight. again. sigh. i win, but that stupid Turtwig needs to stop using withdraw. jerk.
man Zubat is a big fat cheater. i should probably get one.
"Piplup learned water sport!"-- Piplup learned to Jet Ski? It's bad enough I can teach it to surf.
"Zubat was caught". now i can be a big fat cheater. also i can get my ass out of stupid route 203. ps why do they even bother having wild abras if you can't catch them? just as a tease?
why is Budew smiling at me?! does it know something i don't?!
what water sport does: makes fire attacks work less. that don't do much when you're fighting whatever a Budew is. so i just keep using pound.
"Zubat learned Supersonic" -- hey, now it's actually useful
one sided fight: abra (knows one move, teleport, and can't use it) vs. zubat (knows two moves, one that confuses abra and the other, leech life, is super effective and healy-doing). them's my skillz.
ha, "Lass Madeline", if that is your real name, you take your fancy gym badge and your Psyduck and you go home and tell everyone who's boss! (hint: me).
i got an hm06(rocksmash)! and i can't use it yet. that's kind of dickish.
random dude wants to show me where something is! isn't that Dawn's job?
JOHNDOE just used the phrase "like seriously serious". also who's his dad? and why is he so oblique about talking about it? i bet it's amnesia. plus stupid gym leader can't stay in the gym. (frowny emoticon)
"Oreburg City: City of Energy"-- at least they didn't call it "city of ore". also wondering what's up with the weird slopey-roofs in this town.
Random townsperson named his Psyduck "Yellow"...but its evolution is blue... but its name is Goldduck. my head spins.
The Oreburgh mining museum is as authentically boring as a real mining museum. I liked that their "how coal is made" segment is completely accurate and has no plot significance whatsoever. although i feel there should be more of an acknowledgment of coal's environmental effects.
update on the sinnoh housing crisis: every building in Oreburgh is commercial. they must all commute.
I got a yellow shard!
...What's a yellow shard?
I catch an Onix. which is surprisingly hard. for some reason all my pokemon know are normal type attacks, which are "not very effective". also i had to use something called a dusk ball. at least i only needed one.
you know what's a weird word? "mine". it means three things, none of which have any relation to each other. oh well, back to fighting Zubats.
i catch a geodude. is there no pokemon i can't catch? it would appear not. or maybe it would appear so. that's one of those things where you can put a positive or negative, i don't think it matters.
The gym leader is named Roark. did his parents name him that as a joke? an guess what type he uses? at least "Brock" is a real name.
also he's all "hi this is what rock smash looks like you have to beat the gym leader to use it p.s. i'm the gym leader bye." get some manners to go with your dumb girly hair, dude.
hey, it's the guy who stands by the entrance of the gym and tells you how to win! i remember him! don't the gym members get tired of him?
hey, this gym has a shortcut! oh well, i can one-hit kill these guys with bubble. i shall fight.
...which is what i almost do. it went so small you couldn't even see it, but i digress. still undefeated after two fights, using four moves total (all of them bubble). time to fight Roark.
I lost. twice almost, but i reset before i lose any more money/ battles. my undefeated record remains intact through cheating.
i beat the easy two guys and decide to check out the underground...
...nevmind, can't go there yet. just some wi-fi fighting stuff.
I catch a Machop. I'm working an angle here.
I catch another one so I can trade it for Abra. this is all hilarious I know. but then i put them both in the computer and spend five minutes trying to sort out which was the original.
OK, that was funny in my head. It's 2:35 AM, give me a break.
woman named Hilary trades for my Machop. get to see trade animation for first time. it's truly an astounding experience which can't be described.
I catch Ponyta. No real reason, just wanted one. Also my Cosmos is over so I should probably quitslashsleep now before this stop sense make purple monkey dishwasher.
9:41: "Gotcha! BIDOOF was caught!". I'm gonna call him Bidoof.
"DREW found an antidote!" I should probably return it to whoever lost it, poor guy.
"Sandgem town: the town of sand." Oh, like how Seattle is the city of sea. Wait, that's not right.
Dawn's going to show me how to catch a pokemon. i feel guilty telling her i already know how. also, there's no option for that.
hooray, five free pokeballs! everyone wants to hook the DREW up with free stuff. except i already bought five. and used two. boy am i dumb.
"you're a pokemon trainer, and our eyes met, so we must battle!"-- talk about lampshade hanging.
the new animation for quick attack: pokemon runs in a circle, and then runs in my general direction. cool. also i win pokebattle! i is undefeated!
i don't know what Shinx is, but i'm really mad i couldn't catch one.
ok i got one. i think it's supposed to be a lion, but inexplicably blue. maybe it got too cold?
on the other hand, the animation for pound is a little red smudge appearing on my enemies forehead. from now on i'm calling it "smudge".
10:12: i catch kricketot, which appears to be a cricket in a suit. it's my new favorite.
WTF is a Burmy? it's like a unicorn and an acorn got caught in an atom smasher. except any product of that should rightly have "corn" in its name.
I find a potion, and reflect on its implications. are there any other forms of magic in Sinnoh. my brain says no; my gut dissents.
Dawn wants to show me around the big city. by pure accident we run into some crazy man who thinks he's an "international police". i get a "vs. recorder", but coming from a creep like that, who knows what it actually did. oh well, i'm sure i've seen the last of him.
there's two guys outside, "trading pokemon" right on the street. what has the world come to?
i get a town map. i try to think of something funny, and draw a blank.
i proceed to show those douchebag schoolkids who's boss. serves em right for trying to learn things.
i talk to some clowns and get something called a poketch. yep, that's normal.
JOHNDOE wants to fight. again. sigh. i win, but that stupid Turtwig needs to stop using withdraw. jerk.
man Zubat is a big fat cheater. i should probably get one.
"Piplup learned water sport!"-- Piplup learned to Jet Ski? It's bad enough I can teach it to surf.
"Zubat was caught". now i can be a big fat cheater. also i can get my ass out of stupid route 203. ps why do they even bother having wild abras if you can't catch them? just as a tease?
why is Budew smiling at me?! does it know something i don't?!
what water sport does: makes fire attacks work less. that don't do much when you're fighting whatever a Budew is. so i just keep using pound.
"Zubat learned Supersonic" -- hey, now it's actually useful
one sided fight: abra (knows one move, teleport, and can't use it) vs. zubat (knows two moves, one that confuses abra and the other, leech life, is super effective and healy-doing). them's my skillz.
ha, "Lass Madeline", if that is your real name, you take your fancy gym badge and your Psyduck and you go home and tell everyone who's boss! (hint: me).
i got an hm06(rocksmash)! and i can't use it yet. that's kind of dickish.
random dude wants to show me where something is! isn't that Dawn's job?
JOHNDOE just used the phrase "like seriously serious". also who's his dad? and why is he so oblique about talking about it? i bet it's amnesia. plus stupid gym leader can't stay in the gym. (frowny emoticon)
"Oreburg City: City of Energy"-- at least they didn't call it "city of ore". also wondering what's up with the weird slopey-roofs in this town.
Random townsperson named his Psyduck "Yellow"...but its evolution is blue... but its name is Goldduck. my head spins.
The Oreburgh mining museum is as authentically boring as a real mining museum. I liked that their "how coal is made" segment is completely accurate and has no plot significance whatsoever. although i feel there should be more of an acknowledgment of coal's environmental effects.
update on the sinnoh housing crisis: every building in Oreburgh is commercial. they must all commute.
I got a yellow shard!
...What's a yellow shard?
I catch an Onix. which is surprisingly hard. for some reason all my pokemon know are normal type attacks, which are "not very effective". also i had to use something called a dusk ball. at least i only needed one.
you know what's a weird word? "mine". it means three things, none of which have any relation to each other. oh well, back to fighting Zubats.
i catch a geodude. is there no pokemon i can't catch? it would appear not. or maybe it would appear so. that's one of those things where you can put a positive or negative, i don't think it matters.
The gym leader is named Roark. did his parents name him that as a joke? an guess what type he uses? at least "Brock" is a real name.
also he's all "hi this is what rock smash looks like you have to beat the gym leader to use it p.s. i'm the gym leader bye." get some manners to go with your dumb girly hair, dude.
hey, it's the guy who stands by the entrance of the gym and tells you how to win! i remember him! don't the gym members get tired of him?
hey, this gym has a shortcut! oh well, i can one-hit kill these guys with bubble. i shall fight.
...which is what i almost do. it went so small you couldn't even see it, but i digress. still undefeated after two fights, using four moves total (all of them bubble). time to fight Roark.
I lost. twice almost, but i reset before i lose any more money/ battles. my undefeated record remains intact through cheating.
i beat the easy two guys and decide to check out the underground...
...nevmind, can't go there yet. just some wi-fi fighting stuff.
I catch a Machop. I'm working an angle here.
I catch another one so I can trade it for Abra. this is all hilarious I know. but then i put them both in the computer and spend five minutes trying to sort out which was the original.
OK, that was funny in my head. It's 2:35 AM, give me a break.
woman named Hilary trades for my Machop. get to see trade animation for first time. it's truly an astounding experience which can't be described.
I catch Ponyta. No real reason, just wanted one. Also my Cosmos is over so I should probably quitslashsleep now before this stop sense make purple monkey dishwasher.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Post 96: Liveblogging Pokémon Platinum, Part 1
Why? Because:
a) I think my Rock Band 2 liveblog is one of the better things I've done here, and
a1) The same reasons here as there. Video games are too long to be looked at holistically; with a few exceptions, most can't just be finished in a day or two, and some never ever end. so I prefer to write about them as I play them.
b) Pokémon isn't something that demands your full attention; you can multitask with it. I thought this would be a funny other task.
c) I haven't played a Pokégame since Gold (though I think I last played it like two weeks ago). I want to see what's changed, and take you, gentle reader, along for the ride.
d) I found out about Bulbapedia and plan to use articles like this one to game the system (this is also how I got tricked into replaying Gold).
e) I've always thought it would be hilarious to overanalyze something something that, at its core, is made for children. My original idea was Harry Potter, but books are for dweebs and gaywads.
f) Nostalgia, I guess? Also, it is a pretty good game.
Refresh for updates. I'll be watching Cosmos on my laptop, to balance out my lowbrow with some highbrow.
11:23 PM: Turned on DS. DS Lite is too ritzy for me.
11:25: Man, this game is loud.
11:26: "Press Start"
:27: I mute it. Also, some old dude named Rowan wants to show me how to use my DS. I decide to humor him, and afterward wish I paid more attentioon to what X and Y do.
:30: Rowan tells me what Pokemon are. If I lived in Pokeworld, wouldn't I already know this? Disbelief suspended.
:31: I am a boy. But what's my name?
:32: Oh, right. My name isFucktard Drew. Well, actually, DREW.
33: And wh can forget my friend, JOHNDOE? P.S., what's up with his hair?
dude, JOHNDOE has like ADHD or something.
"the x button opens the menu" (too lazy for caps or timestamps from here on out).
hey, it's mom. she wants me to stay out of tall grass, which makes me wonder how people leave this town. maybe it's like in that twilight zone where the kid sent people to "the field".
11:42, Route 201: Eat it, Twinleaf Town. We're out of here, man!
11:43: Guess they were serious about that tall grass thing. Also, Carl Sagan just called Pluto a planet. Oh, how things have changed.
Question sort of answered. Nobody has Pokemon in Twinleaf Town.
Some Dawn chick brings Rowan his suitcase. She doesn't wont me to have no pokesmons. me and JD show her, we're all like, hells yeah we's getting pokemons. I can already tell she's gots the hots for me.
I choose Piplup, going by the famous "always bet on penguin" rule.
First thing JD wants to do is fight. I can already tell he'll be trouble.
"Piplup used Pound!"
"Turtwig used withdraw!"
I win, thus proving that the best offense is a good offense.
"Piplup grew to level 6!"
Carl Sagan explains how we know the Earth is round. It involves shadows.
Hooray, running shoes! Those would have been nice three generations ago, Game Freak.
JD and me are gonna catch a legendary pokemon. this should end well.
...or it would, if that cyrus douchebag wasn't in our way.
JD just called them P-O-K-accent-E-Balls. He's my new favorite character.
i fight a wild bidoof, which looks something like a superdeformed beaver. not that kind of beaver.
then i ko me a starly in some bird-on-bird action. i'm 3 for 3.
"piplup grew to level 7!"
all these f'in bidoofs are getting on my nerves.
oh, hey dawn. what, you want to give me a tour? listen, i think for now we should keep this a purely business arrangement, k? k?
rowan gives me a pokedex, but he's kind of passive-aggressive about it. yeah, i'll take good care of it. i'm not tarded.
"...i get a thrill when i'm with a pokemon"-- no comment
Dawn would "be happy to teach [me] things". told you guys.
uh-oh. that guy over is dawn's father. he seems kind of passive-aggressive too. listen, man, i can't help being so cool and sexy. it's the hat. the stupid, stupid, hat. also, i got a tm 27.
How do pokefolk live in such small houses? dawn's house has three generations and two beds, and it's the biggest one so far. no wonder she wants to hit the road so bad. and don't even get me started on these one-room shacks. you'd think the serious housing crisis in Sinnoh would be a bigger deal.
you ever notice with the pokecenters, you get on the escalator going to the left, but get off going right? that don't make no sense, from a practical standpoint.
i spend ten minutes drawing my signature on my trainer license. doing so, i become one of three people who didn't draw a penis.
a) I think my Rock Band 2 liveblog is one of the better things I've done here, and
a1) The same reasons here as there. Video games are too long to be looked at holistically; with a few exceptions, most can't just be finished in a day or two, and some never ever end. so I prefer to write about them as I play them.
b) Pokémon isn't something that demands your full attention; you can multitask with it. I thought this would be a funny other task.
c) I haven't played a Pokégame since Gold (though I think I last played it like two weeks ago). I want to see what's changed, and take you, gentle reader, along for the ride.
d) I found out about Bulbapedia and plan to use articles like this one to game the system (this is also how I got tricked into replaying Gold).
e) I've always thought it would be hilarious to overanalyze something something that, at its core, is made for children. My original idea was Harry Potter, but books are for dweebs and gaywads.
f) Nostalgia, I guess? Also, it is a pretty good game.
Refresh for updates. I'll be watching Cosmos on my laptop, to balance out my lowbrow with some highbrow.
11:23 PM: Turned on DS. DS Lite is too ritzy for me.
11:25: Man, this game is loud.
11:26: "Press Start"
:27: I mute it. Also, some old dude named Rowan wants to show me how to use my DS. I decide to humor him, and afterward wish I paid more attentioon to what X and Y do.
:30: Rowan tells me what Pokemon are. If I lived in Pokeworld, wouldn't I already know this? Disbelief suspended.
:31: I am a boy. But what's my name?
:32: Oh, right. My name is
33: And wh can forget my friend, JOHNDOE? P.S., what's up with his hair?
dude, JOHNDOE has like ADHD or something.
"the x button opens the menu" (too lazy for caps or timestamps from here on out).
hey, it's mom. she wants me to stay out of tall grass, which makes me wonder how people leave this town. maybe it's like in that twilight zone where the kid sent people to "the field".
11:42, Route 201: Eat it, Twinleaf Town. We're out of here, man!
11:43: Guess they were serious about that tall grass thing. Also, Carl Sagan just called Pluto a planet. Oh, how things have changed.
Question sort of answered. Nobody has Pokemon in Twinleaf Town.
Some Dawn chick brings Rowan his suitcase. She doesn't wont me to have no pokesmons. me and JD show her, we're all like, hells yeah we's getting pokemons. I can already tell she's gots the hots for me.
I choose Piplup, going by the famous "always bet on penguin" rule.
First thing JD wants to do is fight. I can already tell he'll be trouble.
"Piplup used Pound!"
"Turtwig used withdraw!"
I win, thus proving that the best offense is a good offense.
"Piplup grew to level 6!"
Carl Sagan explains how we know the Earth is round. It involves shadows.
Hooray, running shoes! Those would have been nice three generations ago, Game Freak.
JD and me are gonna catch a legendary pokemon. this should end well.
...or it would, if that cyrus douchebag wasn't in our way.
JD just called them P-O-K-accent-E-Balls. He's my new favorite character.
i fight a wild bidoof, which looks something like a superdeformed beaver. not that kind of beaver.
then i ko me a starly in some bird-on-bird action. i'm 3 for 3.
"piplup grew to level 7!"
all these f'in bidoofs are getting on my nerves.
oh, hey dawn. what, you want to give me a tour? listen, i think for now we should keep this a purely business arrangement, k? k?
rowan gives me a pokedex, but he's kind of passive-aggressive about it. yeah, i'll take good care of it. i'm not tarded.
"...i get a thrill when i'm with a pokemon"-- no comment
Dawn would "be happy to teach [me] things". told you guys.
uh-oh. that guy over is dawn's father. he seems kind of passive-aggressive too. listen, man, i can't help being so cool and sexy. it's the hat. the stupid, stupid, hat. also, i got a tm 27.
How do pokefolk live in such small houses? dawn's house has three generations and two beds, and it's the biggest one so far. no wonder she wants to hit the road so bad. and don't even get me started on these one-room shacks. you'd think the serious housing crisis in Sinnoh would be a bigger deal.
you ever notice with the pokecenters, you get on the escalator going to the left, but get off going right? that don't make no sense, from a practical standpoint.
i spend ten minutes drawing my signature on my trainer license. doing so, i become one of three people who didn't draw a penis.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Today I played Portal today... (Post 93 Plus Rock Band 2 Update
...well, actually, it was yesterday Tuesday December Friggin' 30th Last Friggin' Year*, but I got kind of stuck on that title. By the time I'd finished it was late, and I wanted to watch Old School before Wednesday so I could return it and then I was busy yesterday...
Anyway, we need more games like Portal. And by that I mean "short". It's the first game in a long time that I had enough free time to finish. Twice. With director's commentary the second time. The world needs more of that.
It's a different kind of game, where'n you need to use your brains (delicious brrraaaiiinnns...) to beat it. Which in theory is really cool in how it makes you smarterer, and how games should be less focused more on action and more thoughfultudeness, but inpractice kills a lot of the replay value, as puzzles that took 20 or so minutes the first time get solved in one the second (that's one minute. It's confusing because "one" and "second" are both in there, but it's not one second and is only vaguely related to ordinal numbering. It's like if MC Escher wrote a sentence. Speaking of MC Escher, how sweet would it be if he'd designed this game?).
What was I saying? The other problem I had was with the game's overreliance on timing-based puzzles, which just seemed kind of out-of-place and arbitrarily hard. If it was just the first (braaaiiinnnsss) kind of puzzle, I wouldn't mind, and the second (ooootthhheerrr kiiiiinnnddd) are mostly well-designed and keep the game from being too slow-paced but I'm confusing myself. The real problem with the more action-based puzzles (which more or less make up the second half of the game), is the camera. Look, I get it, Valve makes 1st Person Shooters. There were good reasons this game had to be in first person. But platforming in FPSeses can be well handled and has been done before in non-nauseating ways. At the very least I should be able to look down and see my feet.
Other than that no worries. The story's good, though it has some tone problems, trying to be both a black comedy and legitimately scary. The puzzles themselves are mostly well-designed. The cake isn't actually a lie (Spoiler!). The genre-mixing works better than most games that trying it do (in addition to the platformating, puzzleifying, first-personing, and horrortation, there are some cool stealth combat parts and exploration segments, and none feel shoehorned in).
Also, you can download "Still Alive" free for Rock Band, which nets it a bonus point, knocking it up to Seventeen Companion Cubes (out of a total A=XY+B cubed cubes).
*Sometimes I'm a very slow writer.
PS Rock Band 2 Update: I finally imported my Rock Band One song list into "The Duece" (as the cool kids most assuredly don't call it)... right in time for my Drums to break. So I've been brushing up on my singing, and occasionally using the RB1 Drum Kit, and getting a perfect score on "Float On" Bass, Expert (suck it). Also, finally (literally last week) I saw the credits roll (not sure how I did that, though), and then (literally three days ago) I unlocked (but have yet to play) the endless setlist.
Anyway, we need more games like Portal. And by that I mean "short". It's the first game in a long time that I had enough free time to finish. Twice. With director's commentary the second time. The world needs more of that.
It's a different kind of game, where'n you need to use your brains (delicious brrraaaiiinnns...) to beat it. Which in theory is really cool in how it makes you smarterer, and how games should be less focused more on action and more thoughfultudeness, but inpractice kills a lot of the replay value, as puzzles that took 20 or so minutes the first time get solved in one the second (that's one minute. It's confusing because "one" and "second" are both in there, but it's not one second and is only vaguely related to ordinal numbering. It's like if MC Escher wrote a sentence. Speaking of MC Escher, how sweet would it be if he'd designed this game?).
What was I saying? The other problem I had was with the game's overreliance on timing-based puzzles, which just seemed kind of out-of-place and arbitrarily hard. If it was just the first (braaaiiinnnsss) kind of puzzle, I wouldn't mind, and the second (ooootthhheerrr kiiiiinnnddd) are mostly well-designed and keep the game from being too slow-paced but I'm confusing myself. The real problem with the more action-based puzzles (which more or less make up the second half of the game), is the camera. Look, I get it, Valve makes 1st Person Shooters. There were good reasons this game had to be in first person. But platforming in FPSeses can be well handled and has been done before in non-nauseating ways. At the very least I should be able to look down and see my feet.
Other than that no worries. The story's good, though it has some tone problems, trying to be both a black comedy and legitimately scary. The puzzles themselves are mostly well-designed. The cake isn't actually a lie (Spoiler!). The genre-mixing works better than most games that trying it do (in addition to the platformating, puzzleifying, first-personing, and horrortation, there are some cool stealth combat parts and exploration segments, and none feel shoehorned in).
Also, you can download "Still Alive" free for Rock Band, which nets it a bonus point, knocking it up to Seventeen Companion Cubes (out of a total A=XY+B cubed cubes).
*Sometimes I'm a very slow writer.
PS Rock Band 2 Update: I finally imported my Rock Band One song list into "The Duece" (as the cool kids most assuredly don't call it)... right in time for my Drums to break. So I've been brushing up on my singing, and occasionally using the RB1 Drum Kit, and getting a perfect score on "Float On" Bass, Expert (suck it). Also, finally (literally last week) I saw the credits roll (not sure how I did that, though), and then (literally three days ago) I unlocked (but have yet to play) the endless setlist.
Friday, February 13, 2009
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