This is a test post to try out a feature I’ve never used before.
TES5 Skyrim
Wow! I was very excited about this new installment and it does not disappoint. The new visuals and the general environment are very well executed. I’m playing the PC version and the DX11 visuals in the high country actually do a good job of replicating whiteout in snowstorms, I feel cold just watching it. I’ve only scratched the surface discovering things about the game, and I have been amazed at the detail and the depth of the game world. I really like the NPC behavior for discovering new quests, it does feel a lot more natural.
The map is great and terrible at the same time. I’ve actually had to get out the paper map that came with the game because there are no roads shown on the world map. I may be in the minority on this one, but I prefer to follow roads for most travel in game. I do like the fact that the included map is useful, it does add to immersion, but I’m going to have to hang it on the wall next to my computer because I have to reference it so much.
There are also some quest bugs. Certain boss creatures are not accessible for looting if you stealth kill them. This was experienced in the amulet quests. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but if you kill the bosses with bow and arrow, you can’t pick up their inventory to continue the quest. I had to take them mostly down with the bow and then unsneak and finish them with magic before I was able to do the inventory pickup to continue the quest. I’m sure it will get fixed with a patch, but if you have it happen to you, give this method a shot.
Fallout: New Vegas
I thought Fallout: New Vegas was essentially an expansion pack to Fallout 3. I was wrong about that, and that’s a good thing. I think FNV was much better than F3. Yes, the engine is essentially the same, but many things are much easier to do and your character has less limitations.
Good stuff: item repair to 100%, more weapons, more armor, more perks, more quests, more creatures, crafting, reloading, hardcore mode, implants, etc…
Bad stuff: awkward when played as a FPS, limited character progression, dull colors, few character appearance options, poor 3rd person views, many quests are mutually exclusive, etc…
Overall I thought FNV was great and fixed many of the problems I felt F3 had. I really enjoyed this and it has much more replay value than F3 because of the greatly expanded items, perks and quests. I thought it was almost as good as TES4 Oblivion, but I’m biased heavily towards that game. Recommended.
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Bioshock 2
I played this one right after the first Bioshock. I really like the dual wield plasmids and weapons. The drill is way overpowered and can be a lot of fun to use. Machine hacking was updated in a really nice way, much faster and less of an interruption. Overall I thought it played better than the original.
That said, some of the graphics are reused and seem a little tired. The story was interesting until I got to near the end and it wouldn’t end. Oh! You have to do just one more thing! and then Oh! You have to do just one more thing! and so I just started running through the game at that point. Still, it was fun, and it might not have been as bad if I hadn’t played it right after part 1.
Bioshock
I’d always wanted to play this title and finally picked up a copy. It’s pretty good, really creative, and an interesting take on how Ayn Rand’s world is subject to interference by typical criminal activity and greed. Somehow people always miss the ethical subtext in her work – all they see is greed and selfishness. That’s a whole different topic though.
The game is interesting in that it takes place undersea. Aside from some really old sub simulators from back in the day, Aquanox 2 was the only other undersea action game I have ever played. Still, this is a shooter and not a sim, so they don’t really compare. Creative visuals and interiors. Some of the NPCs were really good. Machine hacking = slow and frustrating. Overall fun and unique.
Metro 2033
Great game. The quality and depth of the atmosphere are astonishing. I’ve been really impressed with THQ’s attention to detail. Yes, the Stalker series was initially buggy, but wow they turned out a great product.
The story is short, very linear, not much replay value for me. Starting at the library, I just ran through the game. Too many things were too hard to deal with, so I loaded up on medkits and just ran. Didnt’ seem to affect the outcome any.
Recommended if you can find it for $10 (like I did).
Thumbs, April 2000 – March 2011
A sad farewell to my friend Thumbs. He came to me a few days before I moved away from Kingsville. Rumor had it that I was leaving and he wanted out too. He fit inside a coffee mug when I found him. At least he shared 11 years with me. Rest in peace, my friend.
Dragon Age: Ultimate Edition
I picked this game up after the Ultimate Edition came out. To me, this is the easiest way to make sure you get all the DLC that is worth having with a major title. Also, the Nexus online communities make it easy to get mods for. I was trying not to expect much from the game as I am generally a fan of FPS titles and not RTS titles. This is a good blend between the two, but the combat in it just doesn’t get my heart pumping like FPS games.
That being said, where this game really shines is in the depth of the world and with the amount of RP you get to do. Compared to Tes4 Oblivion (where you can be anything and everything all at once and your choices don’t really affect how things turn out) who you choose as your character and how you choose to play them have a real effect on the dialog and how you progress through the game. There are almost always 3 ways to solve a situation.
On the whole, I like the game. I’ve played through the main storyline once to get a feel for the different character types, and there really are a lot of possibilities. I think it would take at least four play-throughs to experiment with everything that is available. Also, with the various character origin story lines, you might want to play through the game 6 or more times.
Front Sight Training
Wow this was good! Nothing I’ve ever done has taught me so much so fast about shooting. My skills started improving on Day 1 and by the end of the course, I was a much more confident shooter. I recommend the 4 day defensive handgun course at Front Sight to everyone.
The 4 day course covers a lot of material and it moves fairly fast. Come ready to learn because every day is packed from start to finish. Don’t worry about being a beginner, and don’t worry about not having your own handgun or with transporting your handgun. You can rent everything you need for an excellent price, and Front Sight can give you all the information you need to know about transporting your handgun through the airlines.
But I wore the juice!?!
Every now and again something happens that makes me remember the Dunning-Kruger effect. Don’t ask what caused it, I’ve gone back to the ‘if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all’ maxim.This keeps me from having to explain how I can’t communicate effectively with 8 out of 10 people I meet. 30 point spread.
For those of you that are not familiar with this, you might get a kick out of reading this article that demonstrates the effect clearly.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/the-anosognosics-dilemma-1/
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