I'm usually not one for putting all of my personal bullshit out on the table. Mainly because once it's out there, it usually comes back to haunt me. That being said, I have a lot of things that I need to get off my chest.
Fair warning, this may sound like a pity party and no one will agree with me but I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!!!!
My life started to spiral downward last year when my stepfather lost his battle with brain cancer. This is the second father figure I've lost. Losing anyone is hard but it always worse when it happens suddenly.
I had an abusive father growing up. I unfortunately inherited his temper. Which for me is triggered by ANY kind of stress. This has cost me dearly. I've hurt a lot of people with my anger. Namely my now ex-wife, Lindsey Kramer.
Back in 2003, I met who I believed to be my soul mate. She was the most amazing, smart, caring person in the world. And back then I was more focused on sex than an actually relationship. So I cheated. But strangely, God kept giving me multiple chances to make amends. So we were off and on for awhile until we eloped in 2007. Things were great til her parents found out a year and a half later. I wanted to tell them sooner but she wanted to keep it a secret because I feel she was too afraid of her parents. Or maybe she was ashamed of me now that I think about it. So her parents shipped her of to Arkansas to get her away from me and my "evilness". When she came back I literally stole her from the airport. So we made it on our own for awhile. I was working full time, we had our own place. We even got a dog.
Then she got sick. Or should I say, she got worse.
She was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Which complicated the already present mild CP and water on the brain.
I wish to this day I could take all her pain away. I wanted to fix her and help feel better but all I did was make things worse.
Last September, She decided to tell me three days after the fact that she tried to kill herself by popping some pain killers. I did what I thought was best and asked her to go into a mental hospital. It turns out that she was bi polar. Great yet another thing to worry about.
A couple months pass and we are struggling to make ends meet. She's not working, I'm on overnights so I hardly ever see her and the roommate we let move in pretty much refused to get a real job. Instead he decides to work angles and volunteer for whatever sports team happened to be playing their season.
Then the fuse on the atomic bomb was lit when I had to take time off of work to have what could have been a cancerous tumor removed.
I had to take off time the week of inventory which didn't please my bosses any and have major surgery on my neck. Which could have killed me by the way.
So I make it through the surgery ok and am set to go home.
Now I only take 55% responsibility for what happens after this and maybe I was out of line but follow me on this.
The day of my surgery she is in the waiting room telling ANYONE who will listen about how sick SHE IS. I'm having my neck sliced open and she's downstairs making it all about herself. And the cherry on top is, I'm in recovery ready to go home. Her mom picked her up to take her to a counselor who says that she needs to go BACK into the mental hospital. And guess what? SHE GOES!!! Now upset is a mild term for how I was feeling but we'll go with it.
So I'm forced to take care of myself after recovering from major surgery. All the while stewing and feeling betrayed and abandoned.
When she finally calls me from the hospital, I have the mother of all blow ups. I'm name calling. Saying she's selfish. Telling her that there are times you have to put your own business aside and take care of the ones you love. Etc.
Afterwards, she brings her parents to our apartment and tells me that, SHOCKER, she wants a divorce because I am" an abusive person and she is afraid to come home."
After she leaves, I lose it and scream and cry to the point of actually LAUGHING. I think I may have had a nervous breakdown. What kills me is that before she left, is that she still loves me and wants to keep in touch. Cliche.
So we talk on Facebook and Words With Friends and things are civil. Until the cops show up one day and slap me with an order of protection stating that I can't have any contact with her period or else I go to jail. Another dagger to the heart.
I move out. Thanks to my grandfather and my mom. I noticed that I must have known it would have ended at some point because all of my belongings fit easily in the back of a Dodge pick-up.
I get settled in with my mom and I'm still not able to cope with what's going on.
Then I get some more bad news. My Grandpa was diagnosed with leukemia. He died a few months later. He was our Godfather. The head of our family. He held us together. But now, we hardly speak to each other. It's not the same. Never will be again.
Around the same time, I get diagnosed with Gout. Just call me Henry VIII. I have trouble walking around some times and it hurts to move but I make it work.
Speaking of which, I developed a kidney stone a few weeks ago which caused me to lose my job. So now I can't get my meds to keep my Gout in check.
So, to sum up, I am now jobless, friendless( except for my dog), and have little to no contact with the outside world except for Facebook Twitter and the news. If anyone actually still calls me thier friend, please let me know so I don't end up doing something stupid like putting a bullet in my head. Thank
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Thursday, April 26, 2012
A Month In Review.
Let's face facts. I need to write more. I'm never going to get this blog off the ground if I don't post AT LEAST once a day. To be honest though, There's nothing exciting going on in my life to warrant a daily blog. So, why do a blog at all you ask? Simple. Like everyone else nowadays, I want my fifteen minutes of fame. Sounds sad I know but I want big things in my life. I don't want to be on my death bed looking back and see a life of mediocrity. I've never wanted to just be an average Joe. I've wanted people know me for my opinion and love me for my Sahara Desert style of humor. The best comparison I can make of is Chad Dukes from The Big O and Dukes show. A bit wacky at times, passionate, and opinionated. VERY opinionated. If you get the chance, I recommend you check out the show at bigoanddukes.com and if you are like me and love professional wrestling check out The Chad Dukes Wrestling Show.
Okay. Enough shameless plugging, Let's get to the rat killing as they say.
Apparently I caused a small stink on twitter for my comments about Mass Effect 3. For the record, I'm not apologizing. I don't apologize for my opinions unless my facts are one hundred percent inaccurate.(Shut up. It makes sense to me.) Let me reiterate for those who may haven't read the previous blog. Mass Effect 3 was a long anticipated end to a stellar trilogy of video games created by Bio Ware. In the game, there were three endings; Good, Evil, and Neutral. Before the game was set to released, These endings were leaked online. The community was outraged because it turned out that all three endings were practically the same minus a few tweaks depending on which path you chose and who you had a relationship with. Not the best way to end the series in my opinion but, It's not up to little ole me. The rest of the face on the other hand defer. They petitioned Bio Ware to change the ending. Which Bio Ware caved and said the through downloadable content. Here's where the controversy is.
I don't think Bio Ware should be forced to change the ending of Mass Effect 3 and people are going way overboard by forcing the changes to be made. Sure people have the right to be in an uproar if they don't like something. They can whine, moan and petition. The problem I'm having is that the game doesn't need to be changed. It was great start to finish. If you love something, You're willing to overlook the minor stuff. I was pissed when Dominic Santiago died in Gears of War 3. I'm sure many others were as well. Was the creator Epic Games petitioned to let Dom live? Not that I'm aware. So why was the lynch mob rallied against Bio Ware? I stated as much in a somewhat colorful way on twitter and a few people were saying I was out of line and I should apologize. Scroll back a little bit to see my response to that one. So, There. I hope that clear things up. Bare bones: I think it's wrong for the world to immediately start petitioning and grabbing pitchforks and torches when you disagree with something.
I'm a huge professional wrestling fan. Have been for years. Lately though I've been having a difficult time enjoying it as of late.
First. For the past year, two of the biggest names in the industry have been verbally battling it out for supremacy. John Cena and The Rock. Since before Wrestlemania, which is the biggest show of the year, last year. They finally had a match at Wrestlemania XXVIII. It was fifty/fifty odds. Lo and behold The Rock wins. John Cena's confidence was shattered. Wouldn't yours be as well?
Before the pay-per-view, Rumors surfaced that former WWE superstar turned mixed martial artist Brock Lesnar returning to the company. Fast forward twenty-four hours on Monday Night Raw, The Rock comes out and says that he will be back to one day become the WWE champion. I'd give that another year before he's back. He's doing too many movies to be back that often.
At the end of the program, John Cena comes to the ring to thank The Rock for a great match. The crowd starts chanting for Brock so the whole surprise was ruined. He comes out puts John in a finishing move and leaves. Let me give a little back story.
For the past few years, John Cena's act was getting old with the fans. People started hating him and chanting Cena sucks every chance they got. That's how the feud with The Rock started. Rock came back and said that the fans were sick of John Cena and that he was going to put him in his place.
A year later. Brock Lesnar come back and starts saying the same damn thing. I'm sorry. I don't want to see the same damn storyline two years in a row. Plus I feel that John Cena is being punished for absolutely nothing. He's getting no real retaliation for what Brock is doing.
Another angle that is pissing me and being taken WAY too far is the rivalry between CM Punk and Chris Jericho. CM Punk is a very charismatic anti-hero in WWE. He's straight edged. No booze, no drugs, no nada. Chris Jericho is known for getting under a guy's skin. He's a tremendous bad guy or heel.
The current angle is that Jericho has revealed Punk's dark family history of drugs and alcohol. Now Jericho is pushing as many buttons as he can. Punk has been doused with booze twice. Had a Jack Daniels bottle busted over his head. Etc.
I feel the line has been crossed when CM Punk was asked to take a field sobriety test. Punk pretended to be drunk so he could get to Jericho. They fought in the ring for a few minutes and Jericho high tailed it out of there. It was over the top.
Do you see my frustration? I love it but I hate it at the same time. I guess it can be said for many television shows.
Okay. Enough shameless plugging, Let's get to the rat killing as they say.
Apparently I caused a small stink on twitter for my comments about Mass Effect 3. For the record, I'm not apologizing. I don't apologize for my opinions unless my facts are one hundred percent inaccurate.(Shut up. It makes sense to me.) Let me reiterate for those who may haven't read the previous blog. Mass Effect 3 was a long anticipated end to a stellar trilogy of video games created by Bio Ware. In the game, there were three endings; Good, Evil, and Neutral. Before the game was set to released, These endings were leaked online. The community was outraged because it turned out that all three endings were practically the same minus a few tweaks depending on which path you chose and who you had a relationship with. Not the best way to end the series in my opinion but, It's not up to little ole me. The rest of the face on the other hand defer. They petitioned Bio Ware to change the ending. Which Bio Ware caved and said the through downloadable content. Here's where the controversy is.
I don't think Bio Ware should be forced to change the ending of Mass Effect 3 and people are going way overboard by forcing the changes to be made. Sure people have the right to be in an uproar if they don't like something. They can whine, moan and petition. The problem I'm having is that the game doesn't need to be changed. It was great start to finish. If you love something, You're willing to overlook the minor stuff. I was pissed when Dominic Santiago died in Gears of War 3. I'm sure many others were as well. Was the creator Epic Games petitioned to let Dom live? Not that I'm aware. So why was the lynch mob rallied against Bio Ware? I stated as much in a somewhat colorful way on twitter and a few people were saying I was out of line and I should apologize. Scroll back a little bit to see my response to that one. So, There. I hope that clear things up. Bare bones: I think it's wrong for the world to immediately start petitioning and grabbing pitchforks and torches when you disagree with something.
I'm a huge professional wrestling fan. Have been for years. Lately though I've been having a difficult time enjoying it as of late.
First. For the past year, two of the biggest names in the industry have been verbally battling it out for supremacy. John Cena and The Rock. Since before Wrestlemania, which is the biggest show of the year, last year. They finally had a match at Wrestlemania XXVIII. It was fifty/fifty odds. Lo and behold The Rock wins. John Cena's confidence was shattered. Wouldn't yours be as well?
Before the pay-per-view, Rumors surfaced that former WWE superstar turned mixed martial artist Brock Lesnar returning to the company. Fast forward twenty-four hours on Monday Night Raw, The Rock comes out and says that he will be back to one day become the WWE champion. I'd give that another year before he's back. He's doing too many movies to be back that often.
At the end of the program, John Cena comes to the ring to thank The Rock for a great match. The crowd starts chanting for Brock so the whole surprise was ruined. He comes out puts John in a finishing move and leaves. Let me give a little back story.
For the past few years, John Cena's act was getting old with the fans. People started hating him and chanting Cena sucks every chance they got. That's how the feud with The Rock started. Rock came back and said that the fans were sick of John Cena and that he was going to put him in his place.
A year later. Brock Lesnar come back and starts saying the same damn thing. I'm sorry. I don't want to see the same damn storyline two years in a row. Plus I feel that John Cena is being punished for absolutely nothing. He's getting no real retaliation for what Brock is doing.
Another angle that is pissing me and being taken WAY too far is the rivalry between CM Punk and Chris Jericho. CM Punk is a very charismatic anti-hero in WWE. He's straight edged. No booze, no drugs, no nada. Chris Jericho is known for getting under a guy's skin. He's a tremendous bad guy or heel.
The current angle is that Jericho has revealed Punk's dark family history of drugs and alcohol. Now Jericho is pushing as many buttons as he can. Punk has been doused with booze twice. Had a Jack Daniels bottle busted over his head. Etc.
I feel the line has been crossed when CM Punk was asked to take a field sobriety test. Punk pretended to be drunk so he could get to Jericho. They fought in the ring for a few minutes and Jericho high tailed it out of there. It was over the top.
Do you see my frustration? I love it but I hate it at the same time. I guess it can be said for many television shows.
Friday, April 6, 2012
There Is No God Code.
In the world of gaming, predominantly in video games, there is something known as “The God Code.” Normally, it’s a sequence of button presses that will make the character you play godlike. One of the most famous is the God password in the Unreal Tournament series. Another is The Konami Code for the game Contra. Which any gamer can recite. Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start will start you off with thirty lives. Codes like these gave you the ability to cheat death in one form or another.
A long time ago, I began to wonder what would happen if the real world had that. If we could type a word or press some buttons in order to become immortal. To laugh in Death’s face and then flip him off. What would the world be like?
The Good News: How cool would it be to have all of the historical figures that you’ve read about around to talk to and learn from? Imagine if Ben Franklin or, Gandhi were alive today. Would they be impressed with the times? Disgusted? Would John F. Kennedy still be president? I had heard tales that an amendment to the Constitution was being contemplated to allow J.F.K. to run for multiple terms.
Best Part. None of the people we love would die. They would be around forever. We’d never have to go through all of the pain, heartache and depression that come with loss. I know a few pets I wouldn’t mind having back but in all seriousness…
I lost my stepfather, Randy, when I was fifteen years old. The man was everything to me. After my biological father left, he took on the responsibility of three boys. A responsibility that he could have easily turned down. At twenty, He had his whole life ahead of him. Out of love, for my mother and for us, he gave his all for a prepackaged family. He taught me how to treat a woman, to respect my elders. All of those things a father is supposed to teach his son.
One day, in ninety-seven, I came home from bowling when I got a call from my mom who was at the hospital. My father. My true father. The only man I will ever call Dad; had had from what I understand was an aneurysm and I can’t remember what else. Though the doctors “tried everything”, He passed away on that, and I swear this is true, dark, stormy, September night.
If there was a god code, I swear, I would have used it for him. I got cheated out of a great life. And I mean that I was denied out of having this great man there for all the big moments in my life thus far. I’m still very angry about it. I’m hurt to this very day. Do you want to hear what’s worse? He passed on a Friday. The following Monday, He was supposed to sign the papers to have my brothers and I legally adopted. That hurts the most I think. I would have been his son for real and it was taken away from me.
And now the Bad News: I know what you’re thinking. “ Dude, That wasn’t the bad news?” Nope. Here’s the rub as they say. The world would be GREATLY overpopulated. Natural resources would be depleted. Food would be scarce. And I know that we all have that one family member that we wish would… well… you know.
Not too mention all of the villains in the world’s history still alive and kicking. Hitler? Hussein? Bundy? Bin Laden? We’d be screwed. Seriously. The world would be in ashes. We’d all be back in the Stone Age. It’d be like Mad Max or something. Here’s a question for you. How would a suicide bomber work? Ponder that one for a bit.
To put a nice little bow on all this. As much as we would love to be immortal. As much as I would love to have my father in my life still. As much as it would be great to live forever with the person we love the most. In reality, we have to face the fact that death is inevitably unavoidable. I know that there are thousands of people that believe in an afterlife. For me, what is beyond this life scares the shit out of me. I wish I knew. Because in the end, as I said in the beginning, There is no God Code.
Friday, March 30, 2012
The Short and Sweet Of It
It's been almost two months since I've posted and two major games that I have been looking forward to have been out for almost a month and I couldn't be happier. Street Fighter X Tekken and Mass Effect 3. Let's begin the run down.
Street Fighter X Tekken is, in my opinion, the next step in the crossover subgenre in fighting games. You originally had the Vs. series made by Capcom where they took the Marvel universe and pit it against, at first, their Street Fighter universe. Then it grew when the ENTIRE Capcom universe was added. Capcom decided to take it to the next level and partnered with Namco who is famous for both the Soul Caliber and Tekken fighting games franchises. The two companies took the best of the best from their beloved series and put them together in one package.
I'm not going to get into all the details because everyone is in love with it and I'm not about to be yet another talking head. If you want an in depth review, check any of these other, more popular sites. If you want a raw, bare bones take on it, then here it is: The game is a solid 9 out of 10. It has some problems with the online that knocked it down a bit but overall I had fun. Best mode BY FAR is Scramble Mode. You and a friend team up to take on another team of of two SIMULTANEOUSLY. The action is frantic and overwhelming at times but it's alot of fun. I play it solely for that. So, If anyone wants to partner up with a decent Ryu, you know where to find me.
On to Mass Effect 3. Where the hell to begin? The game is awesome to say the least. I want to get the multiplayer out of the way because even though it's new to the Mass Effect franchise; the main campaign is a bigger story.
The multiplayer is like any "Horde Mode" we've come across in the past few years. You can play as one of the six classes that you see in the main story and you face eleven waves on one of five maps. In waves three, six and ten, you have objectives that need to be completed in order to advance. It could be either eliminating targets, hacking a computer, or activating key points. It's something new that I hadn't come across in any of the games that I've played. Alot of fun, great way to kill a few hours with your friends fighting the Reapers.
OK. Now on to the story itself. The Reapers finally come to Earth. Now Shepard is tasked with rallying every alien race against a common enemy. I'm not going to give it all away but APPARENTLY that was already taken care of. Here's where I start to get pissed. Fair warning.
First, The three different endings for the game were leaked at least two weeks before the game was released. Once everyone saw it (I didn't because unlike everyone else; I actually wanted to experience the whole story and didn't want to have it ruined for me by all those jerks out there wanting to scoop everyone.), people started flipping out and not in a good way. What I had come to find out, was that each ending (good, evil, and neutral) are almost identical.
After that, all of social media started blowing up. People were creating online petitions to get Bioware to change the ending. Thousands, if not millions, of people up in arms about it. Ok? (Swearing alert!!!!) Who the fuck do you retards think you are? Would you ask George Lucas to change the ending to Empire Strikes Back? Are you going to resurrect William Shakespeare are make him re-do Romeo and Juliet? NO!!!! What right do you have to assault a company with petitions? Yes, yes, it's America. You actually have that right but the question is: Should you? NO!!!!! Sure, you can complain, whine and bitch. You're allowed, but get off your fucking high horses, enjoy the game for what it is and PIPE DOWN!!!
But you want to know what's tragic? About a week or so after the game released, Bioware announces that through downloadable content, the ending of the game will be changed. So guess what you ungrateful assholes? You got your fucking wish. Celebrate this victory. Savor it. Because you just ruined what was, in my opinion, an all around good game.
Street Fighter X Tekken is, in my opinion, the next step in the crossover subgenre in fighting games. You originally had the Vs. series made by Capcom where they took the Marvel universe and pit it against, at first, their Street Fighter universe. Then it grew when the ENTIRE Capcom universe was added. Capcom decided to take it to the next level and partnered with Namco who is famous for both the Soul Caliber and Tekken fighting games franchises. The two companies took the best of the best from their beloved series and put them together in one package.
I'm not going to get into all the details because everyone is in love with it and I'm not about to be yet another talking head. If you want an in depth review, check any of these other, more popular sites. If you want a raw, bare bones take on it, then here it is: The game is a solid 9 out of 10. It has some problems with the online that knocked it down a bit but overall I had fun. Best mode BY FAR is Scramble Mode. You and a friend team up to take on another team of of two SIMULTANEOUSLY. The action is frantic and overwhelming at times but it's alot of fun. I play it solely for that. So, If anyone wants to partner up with a decent Ryu, you know where to find me.
On to Mass Effect 3. Where the hell to begin? The game is awesome to say the least. I want to get the multiplayer out of the way because even though it's new to the Mass Effect franchise; the main campaign is a bigger story.
The multiplayer is like any "Horde Mode" we've come across in the past few years. You can play as one of the six classes that you see in the main story and you face eleven waves on one of five maps. In waves three, six and ten, you have objectives that need to be completed in order to advance. It could be either eliminating targets, hacking a computer, or activating key points. It's something new that I hadn't come across in any of the games that I've played. Alot of fun, great way to kill a few hours with your friends fighting the Reapers.
OK. Now on to the story itself. The Reapers finally come to Earth. Now Shepard is tasked with rallying every alien race against a common enemy. I'm not going to give it all away but APPARENTLY that was already taken care of. Here's where I start to get pissed. Fair warning.
First, The three different endings for the game were leaked at least two weeks before the game was released. Once everyone saw it (I didn't because unlike everyone else; I actually wanted to experience the whole story and didn't want to have it ruined for me by all those jerks out there wanting to scoop everyone.), people started flipping out and not in a good way. What I had come to find out, was that each ending (good, evil, and neutral) are almost identical.
After that, all of social media started blowing up. People were creating online petitions to get Bioware to change the ending. Thousands, if not millions, of people up in arms about it. Ok? (Swearing alert!!!!) Who the fuck do you retards think you are? Would you ask George Lucas to change the ending to Empire Strikes Back? Are you going to resurrect William Shakespeare are make him re-do Romeo and Juliet? NO!!!! What right do you have to assault a company with petitions? Yes, yes, it's America. You actually have that right but the question is: Should you? NO!!!!! Sure, you can complain, whine and bitch. You're allowed, but get off your fucking high horses, enjoy the game for what it is and PIPE DOWN!!!
But you want to know what's tragic? About a week or so after the game released, Bioware announces that through downloadable content, the ending of the game will be changed. So guess what you ungrateful assholes? You got your fucking wish. Celebrate this victory. Savor it. Because you just ruined what was, in my opinion, an all around good game.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Fighting Game Woes
Let me start this one off by saying that I am not a hardcore fighting gamer. I've dabbled mostly. As a teen, I played Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat. I've played the VS. series (X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom, etc.) For awhile I was "out of the scene" until Super Street Fighter IV was released. That drew me back in. My wife (Yes I'm a rare creature. I'm a gamer and I'm married.) and I started playing together and were like "Ok. This is fun but.... It's not really for us."
Then the most awesome thing happened. Capcom, the company that made the game, announced that they were releasing the third installment in their Marvel vs. Capcom series. Which for those unfamiliar: It's the best of the best from both companies in a fighting game. You have a team of three characters facing another team of three. You fight, tag team style, until all the members of an opposing team are eliminated.
As most of you may know, the majority of video games have off and online modes respectively. Where I want to focus this article is the online aspect of most fighting games nowadays.
My biggest complaint with online fighters is the ranking system. Most players that are more into the genre than I am, play for at least four to six hours a day. I play at the most three on my days off. Grand total nine hours a week. (I know that I need to play more in order to get better but that's a-whole-nother enchilada.) If you do the math, hardcore players play three times more than I do. I'm not even going to get into how much professional players spend a week. All that being said, Let's get into the system itself.
In online mode you have three main types of play; Ranked Matches, Player Matches and Lobbies. In Ranked Matches, You fight other players in a single fight in order to raise your rank to become the elitist of the elite. Player Matches are just single fights with with others with nothing gained or lost except pride. Lobbies are done "King of the Hill" style where up to eight players fight for the top spot.
My problem is that there is only one way to track rankings in the other two play modes. Example. A player that has a lower rank like Beginner or Fighter but be of a higher level. I played with a person the other night who had a low rank but had pro-like skills.
In the lobbies, you can set the room for only advance player or only beginners. If you are a low rank but a great player, you can be in a room just for beginners and get win after win. It may be cool for some but, I am NOT cool with it. If you're a good player, stay the hell away from me. I'm just trying to learn and have fun. If you want to imitate Combofiend (look him up), Go into the Ranked Matches and do it there. Rank up and play people just as good as you. Leave the noobs like me alone so we can practice against actual people and not the computer in training mode. I want to get better so I can hold my own against people like you.
The ranking system needs to be consistent throughout the online mode. Eliminate the player matches and just have ranked matches. Or better yet, Rankings should be simply based on ones win/loss record. I'm sure there are some first person shooters that have a win/loss record system. It NEEDS to improve. I'm not going to want to play online if things stay the same.
Anyway, If you have the new Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Hit me up on XBOX Live. Gamertag Bug Charmer. Hope to see you soon.
Then the most awesome thing happened. Capcom, the company that made the game, announced that they were releasing the third installment in their Marvel vs. Capcom series. Which for those unfamiliar: It's the best of the best from both companies in a fighting game. You have a team of three characters facing another team of three. You fight, tag team style, until all the members of an opposing team are eliminated.
As most of you may know, the majority of video games have off and online modes respectively. Where I want to focus this article is the online aspect of most fighting games nowadays.
My biggest complaint with online fighters is the ranking system. Most players that are more into the genre than I am, play for at least four to six hours a day. I play at the most three on my days off. Grand total nine hours a week. (I know that I need to play more in order to get better but that's a-whole-nother enchilada.) If you do the math, hardcore players play three times more than I do. I'm not even going to get into how much professional players spend a week. All that being said, Let's get into the system itself.
In online mode you have three main types of play; Ranked Matches, Player Matches and Lobbies. In Ranked Matches, You fight other players in a single fight in order to raise your rank to become the elitist of the elite. Player Matches are just single fights with with others with nothing gained or lost except pride. Lobbies are done "King of the Hill" style where up to eight players fight for the top spot.
My problem is that there is only one way to track rankings in the other two play modes. Example. A player that has a lower rank like Beginner or Fighter but be of a higher level. I played with a person the other night who had a low rank but had pro-like skills.
In the lobbies, you can set the room for only advance player or only beginners. If you are a low rank but a great player, you can be in a room just for beginners and get win after win. It may be cool for some but, I am NOT cool with it. If you're a good player, stay the hell away from me. I'm just trying to learn and have fun. If you want to imitate Combofiend (look him up), Go into the Ranked Matches and do it there. Rank up and play people just as good as you. Leave the noobs like me alone so we can practice against actual people and not the computer in training mode. I want to get better so I can hold my own against people like you.
The ranking system needs to be consistent throughout the online mode. Eliminate the player matches and just have ranked matches. Or better yet, Rankings should be simply based on ones win/loss record. I'm sure there are some first person shooters that have a win/loss record system. It NEEDS to improve. I'm not going to want to play online if things stay the same.
Anyway, If you have the new Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Hit me up on XBOX Live. Gamertag Bug Charmer. Hope to see you soon.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
From 12-11-11: A Taste of Things to Come
I don't really like re-hasing old material but I figure to give you a taste of what to expect from this blog; I took an old column I did about the Spike tv Video Game Awards and am putting it here. Enjoy.
It's officially seven o'clock in the damn morning and I'm watching the Spike tv Video Game Awards that were on last night and I must say FUCKING UBER ROD!!!!! I could care less about who won or lost because all the nominees are the elitest of the elite when it comes to their genres. What I did care about was all the world premieres that were shown.
Side note: Tony Hawk.... You don't need another game. You look like you could use a six day long nap. But I digress.
The games that were truly note worthy are as follows:
1: The Last of Us- Which to me looks like a cross between I Am Legend and Left For Dead. This looks cool because the trailer features a father and daughter trying to survive in a zombie apocalypse. Plus, and I'm sure alot of people would agree with me. Killing zombies equals of good clean wholesome fun.
2: Mass Effect 3- I have been waitng too damn long to finish the epic story surrounding Commander Shepard. It's the only true series that I have been really into in a LONG time. Even if you aren't really a RPG fan. The third person shooter aspect of game more than makes it worth playing.
3: Command & Conquer: Generals 2- It's been sometime since we've seen anything for C&C (that I know of.) I haven't played a Real Time Strategy game since the original Command & Conquer on the Nintendo 64. I'm sure it's going to sell. In fact, I know that it will. And it will be awesome.
4: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Patriots- I read the cover story in Game Informer. So, I was looking forward to it even before I saw the trailer. I've been playing Vegas and Vegas 2 for awhile. It's nice to finally see Ubisoft make something other than Assassin's Creed.
5: Alan Wake's American Nightmare- Never played the original Alan Wake.... Come to think of it, I hadn't heard anything about the original other than it's for 360.
6: The Amazing Spider-Man- Oh My God!!!!! If this is based on the movie reboot than I won't touch it. As we all know, Movie into video game adaptations all blow. Name one good game based on a movie.
7: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron- This one actually took me by surprise. Pleasantly so. I was a little pissed off at seeing Optimus Prime carrying a dying Bumblebee. I also looked at this story in a Game Informer issue. I had that "It's not for me." mentality. The other Transformer games looked to me like they were just for the fans. I'm sorry to say that I loved Transformers as a kid and I liked the movies but I have better games to blow my sixty bucks on.
8: Fort Nite- Epic Games my have done it again. This game looks and has the feel of Zombies Ate My Neighbors. A must have game on the old Super Nintendo. According to Cliffy B who introduced the trailer, You can destroy build and survive. I can't wait.
9: Bioshock Infinite- I played the original Bioshock and alittle bit of Bioshock 2. I loved the feel of Rapture( which was under the sea) and if Infinite (which is set in the sky city of Columbia) is anything like the first two, I and the rest of the world will be greatly pleased.
10: Metal Gear Solid Rising- Hideo Kojima. You and I need to have a talk. First of all. You are one of the most influential creators in the industry. You practically created the stealth game genre. If it wasn't for you, Sam Fisher would not exist. That being said, When did you decide to make Metal Gear Gaiden? Or should I call it Devil May Solid? Did you run out of ideas for your baby? A series that you have held onto for two fucking decades. I saw the Icons episode on G4. I know what you had to go through to make the Metal Gear series what it is. Sacrifice and heartache. So, why change what was working? You have a VERY loyal fan base. I'm sure some of them are feeling very betrayed right now. But Of course I may be totally wrong on this. I'll have to wait for E3 to see more of it.
Side note: Blizzard apparently can do no wrong. Do me and the rest of the world a favor. Release Diablo 3. You have been putting it off for too damn long.
The one game that I was really hoping to see was the World of Darkness MMO that is in the works. The trailer for it has been on Youtube for, I want to say, months now and I am looking forward to getting my hands on it. I admit that I used to play Vampire: The Masquerade. I still play Dungeons & Dragons. But as we all know, D&D online sucks. It's campaign is not set in the Forgotten Realms which is the setting for games like the Baldur's Gate series, Icewind Dale, and the latest Daggerdale. Which were ten times better. It's free to play which means you can't get the really good gear without having to shell out real money for it. Which you kind of have to do in WoW but not at the nickel and dime rates that DDO does. I hope that when World of Darkness is released that not only is it your standard subscription service but that it can compete with World of Warcraft. I hate seeing what could be good Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games become free to play or end up cancelled because apparently fifteen million subscribers can't be wrong.
The Legend of Zelda was the first game to be inducted into the "Video Game Hall of Fame." I couldn't agree more. When they told me that it was the first inductee, I was proud to be a gamer. It's a series I grew up with. I can still whistle the triple OG music. I bought a cd of The Best Video Game Music by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It has The Legend of Zelda theme. I am man enough to say that it brings me to tears of pure joy. Call it gay if you want. I call it passion.
It's officially seven o'clock in the damn morning and I'm watching the Spike tv Video Game Awards that were on last night and I must say FUCKING UBER ROD!!!!! I could care less about who won or lost because all the nominees are the elitest of the elite when it comes to their genres. What I did care about was all the world premieres that were shown.
Side note: Tony Hawk.... You don't need another game. You look like you could use a six day long nap. But I digress.
The games that were truly note worthy are as follows:
1: The Last of Us- Which to me looks like a cross between I Am Legend and Left For Dead. This looks cool because the trailer features a father and daughter trying to survive in a zombie apocalypse. Plus, and I'm sure alot of people would agree with me. Killing zombies equals of good clean wholesome fun.
2: Mass Effect 3- I have been waitng too damn long to finish the epic story surrounding Commander Shepard. It's the only true series that I have been really into in a LONG time. Even if you aren't really a RPG fan. The third person shooter aspect of game more than makes it worth playing.
3: Command & Conquer: Generals 2- It's been sometime since we've seen anything for C&C (that I know of.) I haven't played a Real Time Strategy game since the original Command & Conquer on the Nintendo 64. I'm sure it's going to sell. In fact, I know that it will. And it will be awesome.
4: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Patriots- I read the cover story in Game Informer. So, I was looking forward to it even before I saw the trailer. I've been playing Vegas and Vegas 2 for awhile. It's nice to finally see Ubisoft make something other than Assassin's Creed.
5: Alan Wake's American Nightmare- Never played the original Alan Wake.... Come to think of it, I hadn't heard anything about the original other than it's for 360.
6: The Amazing Spider-Man- Oh My God!!!!! If this is based on the movie reboot than I won't touch it. As we all know, Movie into video game adaptations all blow. Name one good game based on a movie.
7: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron- This one actually took me by surprise. Pleasantly so. I was a little pissed off at seeing Optimus Prime carrying a dying Bumblebee. I also looked at this story in a Game Informer issue. I had that "It's not for me." mentality. The other Transformer games looked to me like they were just for the fans. I'm sorry to say that I loved Transformers as a kid and I liked the movies but I have better games to blow my sixty bucks on.
8: Fort Nite- Epic Games my have done it again. This game looks and has the feel of Zombies Ate My Neighbors. A must have game on the old Super Nintendo. According to Cliffy B who introduced the trailer, You can destroy build and survive. I can't wait.
9: Bioshock Infinite- I played the original Bioshock and alittle bit of Bioshock 2. I loved the feel of Rapture( which was under the sea) and if Infinite (which is set in the sky city of Columbia) is anything like the first two, I and the rest of the world will be greatly pleased.
10: Metal Gear Solid Rising- Hideo Kojima. You and I need to have a talk. First of all. You are one of the most influential creators in the industry. You practically created the stealth game genre. If it wasn't for you, Sam Fisher would not exist. That being said, When did you decide to make Metal Gear Gaiden? Or should I call it Devil May Solid? Did you run out of ideas for your baby? A series that you have held onto for two fucking decades. I saw the Icons episode on G4. I know what you had to go through to make the Metal Gear series what it is. Sacrifice and heartache. So, why change what was working? You have a VERY loyal fan base. I'm sure some of them are feeling very betrayed right now. But Of course I may be totally wrong on this. I'll have to wait for E3 to see more of it.
Side note: Blizzard apparently can do no wrong. Do me and the rest of the world a favor. Release Diablo 3. You have been putting it off for too damn long.
The one game that I was really hoping to see was the World of Darkness MMO that is in the works. The trailer for it has been on Youtube for, I want to say, months now and I am looking forward to getting my hands on it. I admit that I used to play Vampire: The Masquerade. I still play Dungeons & Dragons. But as we all know, D&D online sucks. It's campaign is not set in the Forgotten Realms which is the setting for games like the Baldur's Gate series, Icewind Dale, and the latest Daggerdale. Which were ten times better. It's free to play which means you can't get the really good gear without having to shell out real money for it. Which you kind of have to do in WoW but not at the nickel and dime rates that DDO does. I hope that when World of Darkness is released that not only is it your standard subscription service but that it can compete with World of Warcraft. I hate seeing what could be good Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games become free to play or end up cancelled because apparently fifteen million subscribers can't be wrong.
The Legend of Zelda was the first game to be inducted into the "Video Game Hall of Fame." I couldn't agree more. When they told me that it was the first inductee, I was proud to be a gamer. It's a series I grew up with. I can still whistle the triple OG music. I bought a cd of The Best Video Game Music by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It has The Legend of Zelda theme. I am man enough to say that it brings me to tears of pure joy. Call it gay if you want. I call it passion.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Welcome to the End and More.
My name is Brandon McLeish aka The Random Gamer and I want to welcome you to my blog, aptly named, The World Needs a Reset Button. This is where I give you a look at life through the eyes of a man who has had a controller in his hands for twenty-seven of thirty years on the planet. You name it, I've played it and that's not a boast. I've played everything for the Matel Intellivision to the Atari Jaguar. I play Dungeons & Dragons, Mass Effect, Marvel vs. Capcom, Call of Duty, and Need For Speed. I've played Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Bleach and Vampire: The Masquerade. Get the point yet? I'm not lying when I make these statements. I've played it all.
With that said, Let's get to today's tale.
The third and possibly final installment in the Mass Effect series will be released on March sixth of this year. Mass Effect takes place in the VERY distant future. You play as Commander Shepard. An Alliance Soldier who becomes the first human SPECTRE. An elite unit that serves as the right hand of the galactic council. Think of it like the Jedi from Star Wars. Except the Spectres don't really have the burden of morality.
While playing through the first in the series as a way to gear myself up, I came to a realization, Games are better at invoking emotions than movies and books........ What? Admit it. You think I'm biased. Let me explain.
Video games are the most interactive form of entertainment out there now. We can become engrossed in the story for hours on end. Most games average around eight to ten straight hours of single player campaign. While some, can top one hundred plus. That is not including the online aspect. The hours one can spend playing with friends or total strangers around the world is infinite.
And the stories themselves are what keep us play. A prime example of this is Epic Game's Gears of War. The last human resistance facing certain extinction from the Locust horde. You follow the tale of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago. Soldiers desperately fighting to save their planet. The second and third games are the focus of my argument. Dominic spent the first game trying in vain to his wife Maria while Marcus is having to deal with the cost of abandoning his post to rescue his father who supposedly dies before the start of the first game. In the sequel, Marcus and Dominic are tasked with discovering new ways to fight the Locust. They have to go in to the very heart of Locust territory. Dominic finds that his wife is being held captive inside the city. Once you find her, You realize too late that she is a mere shell of her former self. She is now a brainless zombie. Dominic has no choice but to spare his long lost soulmate any further pain. He ends her life. If that is not bad enough. In the third and, yes it was comfirmed, final Gears., Dominic, in order to save his friend and the rest of their squad, drives a tanker truck into a gas station, sacrificing himself.
It's these movie quality stories that enthrall us and keep us wanting more. Hollywood hasn't come up with anything this good in the past ten years. And stop. Don't any of start screaming Lord of the Rings or Avatar. I never saw Avatar. Let me repeat that. I NEVER SAW AVATAR. But you say: Dude, Avatar is the most awesome movie ever. It got nominated for best picture. James Cameron was nominated for best director. It doesn't matter. All Avatar was was a CG jerk fest and another reason to push 3D. I hate that. I hate movies that are made just for the sake of it being in 3D. Top ones that come to mind. Immortals, that last Resident Evil movie, Underworld: Awakening and Drive Angry. Seriously, None of those movies should have been made. I either didn't or won't see any of them. There was no point. None. The only reason was that these actors needed a frickin' paycheck. Lord knows Nick Cage needed one if he's doing another Ghost Rider movie. Why is there another Ghost Rider, which sucked the first go around, but there's not another Daredevil? Which by the way was based on the Frank Miller story arc that introduced Daredevil to Elektra and Bullseye and had her die towards the end. Which actually happened in the book. That movie was more true to the damn Marvel cannon than either Fantastic Four, any of those god awful Spidermans or that god forsaken Punisher Warzone.
Do me and the rest of the world a favor Hollywood: Come up with some original ideas. I'm tired of dumb movie adaptations. The bad comic and video game movies. Their sequels. Their spin-offs. The bad 3D for the sake of 3D. STOP. Please. No more. I'm begging.
With that said, Let's get to today's tale.
The third and possibly final installment in the Mass Effect series will be released on March sixth of this year. Mass Effect takes place in the VERY distant future. You play as Commander Shepard. An Alliance Soldier who becomes the first human SPECTRE. An elite unit that serves as the right hand of the galactic council. Think of it like the Jedi from Star Wars. Except the Spectres don't really have the burden of morality.
While playing through the first in the series as a way to gear myself up, I came to a realization, Games are better at invoking emotions than movies and books........ What? Admit it. You think I'm biased. Let me explain.
Video games are the most interactive form of entertainment out there now. We can become engrossed in the story for hours on end. Most games average around eight to ten straight hours of single player campaign. While some, can top one hundred plus. That is not including the online aspect. The hours one can spend playing with friends or total strangers around the world is infinite.
And the stories themselves are what keep us play. A prime example of this is Epic Game's Gears of War. The last human resistance facing certain extinction from the Locust horde. You follow the tale of Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago. Soldiers desperately fighting to save their planet. The second and third games are the focus of my argument. Dominic spent the first game trying in vain to his wife Maria while Marcus is having to deal with the cost of abandoning his post to rescue his father who supposedly dies before the start of the first game. In the sequel, Marcus and Dominic are tasked with discovering new ways to fight the Locust. They have to go in to the very heart of Locust territory. Dominic finds that his wife is being held captive inside the city. Once you find her, You realize too late that she is a mere shell of her former self. She is now a brainless zombie. Dominic has no choice but to spare his long lost soulmate any further pain. He ends her life. If that is not bad enough. In the third and, yes it was comfirmed, final Gears., Dominic, in order to save his friend and the rest of their squad, drives a tanker truck into a gas station, sacrificing himself.
It's these movie quality stories that enthrall us and keep us wanting more. Hollywood hasn't come up with anything this good in the past ten years. And stop. Don't any of start screaming Lord of the Rings or Avatar. I never saw Avatar. Let me repeat that. I NEVER SAW AVATAR. But you say: Dude, Avatar is the most awesome movie ever. It got nominated for best picture. James Cameron was nominated for best director. It doesn't matter. All Avatar was was a CG jerk fest and another reason to push 3D. I hate that. I hate movies that are made just for the sake of it being in 3D. Top ones that come to mind. Immortals, that last Resident Evil movie, Underworld: Awakening and Drive Angry. Seriously, None of those movies should have been made. I either didn't or won't see any of them. There was no point. None. The only reason was that these actors needed a frickin' paycheck. Lord knows Nick Cage needed one if he's doing another Ghost Rider movie. Why is there another Ghost Rider, which sucked the first go around, but there's not another Daredevil? Which by the way was based on the Frank Miller story arc that introduced Daredevil to Elektra and Bullseye and had her die towards the end. Which actually happened in the book. That movie was more true to the damn Marvel cannon than either Fantastic Four, any of those god awful Spidermans or that god forsaken Punisher Warzone.
Do me and the rest of the world a favor Hollywood: Come up with some original ideas. I'm tired of dumb movie adaptations. The bad comic and video game movies. Their sequels. Their spin-offs. The bad 3D for the sake of 3D. STOP. Please. No more. I'm begging.
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