Dante's Inferno

No I’m not talking about the game, but that actual poem that the game is based off of. It follows Dante as he journeys through the 9 levels of hell guided by Virgil (which if you have played the game you know already). Well I like the poem more than the game but I was never able to remember to look it up online until a few days ago
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/0/0/1001/1001.txt
                For those of you that are interested in reading the poem there is the link to a online copy of it, though it is long so be warned. Also there are two more parts to the Devine Comedy, Purgatorio and Paradiso.

PSP Games

A few months ago I decided that I was going to get a new PSP (to replace the old one that I broke dropping down the stairs) and get a few games to occupy the small amount of free time I have during the week. The games are:
                1) Patapon 3
                2) Dissidia Duodecim
                3) Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep
                4) Ghost Recon Predator
                5) God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Let the ratings begin

1) Patapon 3 – 4/5
    This was the first game of the series that I tried out and I enjoyed what I managed to play (before I misplaced the case with games 1,2 and 3 in it). At the beginning you choose an Uberhero class to lead your group: the Spear Uberhero, the Bow Uberhero or the Shield Uberhero. Each Uberhero has their own strengths and weaknesses. The point of the game is to lead your little group to the end of the level while trying to march forward, attack and defend yourselves all at the same time. The square, triangle, circle and x button each represent a drumbeat; four drum beats is a command and if you keep in beat long enough you go into Fever mode where you deal more damage and move a bit faster. Simple enough but comically entertaining.

2) Dissidia Duodecim – 5/5
                I originally had Dissidia (before I traded it in so I could get New Vegas) so I was somewhat familiar with this game. For those of you that don’t know what Dissidia is, it’s a fighting style game with characters from all the different Final Fantasy games; in the campaign you work your way through dungeons RPG style which transition to one on one fights when you attack an enemy piece. The new features of Duodecim that were not in the original Dissidia are: a few new characters such as Lightning from FFXII and Tifa from FFVII, the addition of the assist gauge and a couple new maps.  Combat is smooth and flows together quite well plus if you need to practice you can always beat up a computer controlled enemy in Battle mode.


3) Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep – 4/5
                Honestly I have no real clue what to say about this game, its great but hard to describe in a single paragraph due to a large back story since this is the sixth game in the Kingdom Hearts series. It takes place (in game time) before all of the previous titles and it follows three characters: Terra, Aqua and Ventus. Each character has their own campaign story that eventually (after you have played all three) forms the entire story of the game. There is also a multiplayer area called the Mirage Arena where you can team up with a few others and fight waves of enemies or race them. A great game that plays well, is action packed and very immersive.


4) Ghost Recon Predator – 2/5
                This is the first Ghost Recon game that I really don’t like. It looks ok (this is the only third person shooter I have for the PSP so it is kinda hard to compare with another game for me) but where it really falls short is in the gameplay. The enemy AI, while stupid (stands out in the open and will ignore you unless you run into them or shoot at them) , has the distinct advantage of being able to shoot you when you can’t shoot back. Getting to cover in many places just means that your bullets will hit the magic invisible wall that surrounds many parts of the environment and will blocks your bullets but not theirs. The friendly AI…well anyone who plays any game will tell you that the enemy AI is always smarter then your ally AI. So if the enemies are dumb do the math and you can figure out that your teammates are the equivalent of toddlers. If you want them to do anything right you have to switch out of one and into another, it makes the whole game feel like an escort mission which I really don’t like. The only reason it is getting 2/5 is because of the customization options.


5) God of War: Ghost of Sparta – 5/5
                The first God of War game that I have played left a great impression on me. In Ghost of Sparta Kratos is on a quest to find his brother Deimos (who was thought to be deceased) who is being held captive by Thanatos , the God of Death. The game is the God of War standard hack’n slash gameplay wise but is incredibly fun and addicting. After the campaign is finished you can always go into the arena area and complete challenges that are difficult (such as fighting off four waves of enemies without being hit once) and fun to play.


                Now I know what some of you might be thinking, “Why are four out of your five games rated so high” or “But I don’t like Dissidia Duodecim, why did you give it a 5/5?” Well to answer the first question, the four games I rated highly were games that I bought myself…with Ghost Recon being a birthday gift. For people that don’t know me I will spend 30+ minutes in Gamestop looking at all the games there and trying to find something I think I will like, and as you can see when someone else picks a PSP game for me it can be disastrous (never had a problem with people getting me 360 games though). To answer that second question, just because I like a certain game doesn’t mean everyone else will. I like playing a certain kind of PSP games that maybe someone else doesn’t like, that’s why its MY review of them.

Oh Boy...

Well it has been...almost six months since my last post. The reason for this is I have exceptionally busy and actually do not have my Xbox at the moment. This is a long story that I don't feel like typing. Also between work and working out so I can enlist in the Air Force I haven't had as much time ANYWAYS. Does this mean I am closing this blog down...no. I am however not going to be able to talk about gaming as much as I want to so I am going to have to talk about other stuff. Other things I do that don’t involve video games (shocker trust me) like airsoft, my other interests and/or what I am up to.
                I feel the need to explain the Air Force part, yes I was a college student but due to circumstances I cannot afford to attend college anymore at the moment. My area of interest in the Air Force is I want to be a tactical aircraft controller…sounds pretty cool right? It definitely caught my eye when I was looking through enlisted career options. For those that don’t know, the Air Force is VERY strict about weight. I am not fat…but I am over the weight that I need to be according to my height. At 69 inches tall I am suppose to be 186 pounds. I am pretty sure that for my body type that would be an unhealthy weight for me so I am going to be “taped” which means that they measure my neck, arms and other parts and use that to determine what my weight should ideally be. When I went in to the recruiter at about mid December I was about 228 pounds, currently I am close to 189 and it is mid May. I hope to get enlisted by next month.
                Next my job, I am not going to say what it is…but suffice to say it’s not enough. Next week I am only on the schedule for one day and at that it’s only for three hours. I said on my application that I could work any day, every day and they only have me on one day for three hours? I enjoy working there so I don’t plan on quitting but I need to find a second job. I will still be around for the summer and am hoping to save up to go visit a close friend in July. Add to that they rising gas prices and the fact that I am going to have to start paying for things on my own…and it’s not too bright. Hopefully I will be able to do more for my blog soon…

You Quit=You Suck

Getting matched with players that suck or worse…small children in online games is aggravating in my life. Sucky players suck and small children suck and/or think they are the best and that everyone else is cheating…oh and most of the time they have the most vulgar dictionary I have ever seen.

That said, I would rather have a team full of little kids and/or crappy players then have them all QUIT at the beginning of the game. While some games allow join in progress, Halo Reach does not…damn.

Invasion, Boneyard, defensive side first…15 seconds into the game THREE of them quit. Now I don’t care if you suck, its Invasion not Slayer…just distract the enemy or weaken them so I can finish them off or capture an objective. So go figure things start going bad. Two Spartans against one Elite can be iffy for the Elite, two Elites against one Spartan is NOT GOOD! So we get pushed back to the final phase within like…5 minutes and I figure

“Ok ok…I’ll get my sniper rifle and pick off the guy with the core and keep them pinned…”
            Against my better judgment I let my teammate take the Spartan Laser because he told me he was pretty good with it. So I get to my spot and I see the enemy Banshee coming in…so I point it out to the guy…HE RUSHES THE BANSHEE (WHO IS GOING STRAIGHT FOR HIM BY THE WAY) AND GETS BLOWN UP BY THE BANSHEE BOMB!!! The entire time this is happening I’m sitting there staring at my television in UTTER shock at what was happening. So now the Laser is too far away for me to reach alive and there is a banshee flying around…then the Wraith comes around the corner. Oh and look here comes the guy with the core and another player for escort…so I make a snap (and somewhat rash) decision. I pivot and put two rounds into the back of the banshee, pivot again and snipe the core carrier and the escort and take off in a dead run for the laser…I don’t make it. The guy in the wraith (who by the way commended me for the shots after the game) sees me and bombs me to hell…and during my spawn they cap the core.

 I’m fuming because I KNOW that attacking will be useless because it is going to be a spawn-campfest and sure enough…it is. The moral of this tale is DON’T QUIT A GAME BECAUSE IT MAKES EVERYONE THINK YOU ARE A DICK... thank you.

Noble Map Pack Review

Well today is the day, that’s right the Noble map pack DLC has been released onto Xbox Live Marketplace for the public to download.  So today I’m strapping on my MJOLNIR armor, raising my DMR and charging into the masses to bring you this review.

First off is Tempest, a mid-sized asymmetrical map set at a Forerunner weather control station that feels somewhat like Valhalla in Halo 3. While at first the map feels small and confined due to the amount of cover, it only takes a few minutes to find that the map is much larger then it appears. Each base has a generous amount of large rocks in front for cover and a large open area that cuts between the two sides, perfect for warthog vs warthog fights.  With shotguns, snipers and rocket launchers tucked away on both sides of the map making team based games an even playing field. All in all this map is very fun to play on in Slayer, CTF, Assault and Territories.

Next is Breakpoint, the largest map included in the map pack. Set in a snowy ONI research station that is overshadowed by a massive Forerunner artifact this map is made primarily for Invasion, Invasion Slayer and BTB. While at the moment it isn’t possible to play the map on the Invasion playlist Big Team Slayer is in the DLC playlist so I jumped in there. While at first the map seems somewhat balanced for both teams it doesn’t take long to discover that whoever is spawning on the base-side has a significant advantage over those spawning on the ice-side. For one if one team manages to secure both banshees then it leads to massive amounts of spawn killing for the team on ice-side. However this is somewhat offset by the slew of anti-vehicle weapons on the map. Secondly if a skilled marksman manages to make it up the dividing ridge then they have easy one shot kills on whoever is spawning on the ice-side due to the lack of cover. Fortunately the ridge itself is pretty bare so it is relatively easy to pick off a sniper who is up there. As of right now the map is only available for the DLC grab bag playlist so it’s true calling in Invasion is not yet realized though I am definitely hoping it soon is.

Finally is the last and smallest map, Anchor 9. Set in space above Reach this map is small, symmetrical and mostly indoors. I say mostly indoors because a small portion of the map is out in space itself. Accessible through either two large shield doors or four smaller ones, it is a low gravity environment out there were ever jump can pose a risk due to the fact that its space and if you miss the landing then you  are in for a nice long spawn time to think about how you messed up. Both sides have needle rifles, DMRs, machine gun turrets and a bunch of other weapons. Shotgun and rocket launcher spawns in the middle area of the map making it easy for either side to reach them. Game play is definitely clustered in the center of the map but can break off into either base making it transition from a somewhat open fight to a CQB area so pairing a mid/close range weapon with a mid/long range weapon is advised.

As a whole the Noble map pack is definitely worth the money, it breaks out of the serious mapathy that plagued Reach from day one. It also gives players seven new achievements which can also give a clue to players on what they might be able to expect in the future. If looked at closely you will notice that before the description of each achievement it reads “Noble 1: (Description of achievement here)”. My best guess is that we MIGHT be able to see up to five other map packs to complete the Noble team of Noble 1- Noble 6. That’s MY guess so don’t take it as fact, stay tuned to http://www.bungie.net for new on the possibility.

(Yes I know this is a day late)

Random Post 1

While browsing on the Internet I came across an interesting picture.

My first thought was "Ok...this isn't completely true..." followed by "OH SHIT! DOES MY GIRLFRIEND THINK THIS IS TRUE?!?!" Fortunately for me she doesn't believe that it is absolutely true...but sometime it is kinda truthful. Ask anyone of my friends on XBL and they will say that yes...I do get off of the xbox a lot to talk to her...that means that this picture isn't entirely true for ME. I would also like to point out that there are quite a few female gamers out in the world so there should also be one of these for guys...just a suggestion.

All about ME

"Your are going to be a 40 year old man living in your mother's basement"
A phrase I have heard quite a few times from my family all because I play video games! Normally this is followed with an indignant remark from myself stating that I WILL NOT be the said 40 year old living with my parents. I will admit that SOMETIMES I get really into a good game, look at the clock and say "Holy shit its 10 o'clock", that doesn't automatically mean that I plan on living with my parents...but I digress. This Blog will mostly be reviews of games, DLC, game news and etc. Also any random video game related information that might pop into my head. Please note that my news will mostly be centered around the Xbox 360 and PC...possible a DS game or two thrown in with it.

This week I will be reviewing the Halo Reach Noble map pack that comes out on November 30th so people on the fence about buying it should defiantely check back on the 30th. For more information about Halo Reach  definately check out http://www.bungie.net/ for more information and/or statistics if you play the game

Anyone who wants to play a round or two in either Halo Reach or Call of Duty: Black Ops on Xbox Live my gamertag is Sp3aker4theD3ad so just send me a messege saying who you are and how you got my gamertag, not just a random friend request please...much appreciated.