Sharpless

Hey, guys. Just bought the game today and I'm looking for a decent, stable server/group of people to play with. If there's a regular Giant Bomb crew, can someone tell me where to go and who to talk to?

Here's my Steam profile.

It's great. Jeff Gerstmann single-handedly got me into j-pop. Now I hate Jeff Gerstmann.

Halo. Was really into the first three games, but once the trilogy was complete, I was done with it. (Yeah, I was one of those losers who cared about the story.) I haven't been able to drum up much interest in anything the franchise has done since. It's not that I think the series is bad; it's just no longer for me. I played Reach and ODST a bit, and they weren't bad games, but I just didn't care anymore.

If it's your first time, I imagine so. If it was your fifth time, probably not. I'm still on my first playthrough (picked it up for $7 around the Steam sale) and I modded the shit out of it, so I can't speak from experience, but it seems like the vanilla experience would be totally fine. It'd probably get tiring on later playthroughs, though.

Modding isn't that difficult, though, if you use the mod site Nexus and install their Nexus Mod Manager software. It does the installation work for you for most mods, and when mods require manual installation, it's usually easy enough if you follow the modder's instructions. Try out a simple mod or two. You'll probably be fine.

Yes. I've been with my girlfriend for a little over a year. Almost lost her recently because I spent the past year jerking off (figuratively speaking... and maybe somewhat literally) when I should've been pulling my life together and looking for a job, but we definitely love each other very much and want to settle down. Hopefully, my unemployable ass can find something soon.

I kind of want to click on the Anthony Burch lecture out of curiosity, but I have a feeling it would just bum me out. I've been exposed to him for a very long time, dating back to when he got his start on Destructoid, and have always had mixed (though generally positive) feelings about him. On the one hand, he can be very funny and clever from time to time, but he can also be highly pretentious just as often, if not more. (Imagine Patrick Klepek, minus Patrick's humility and gentle spirit. And now I feel weird for typing "gentle spirit.") His time hosting Destructoid's Podtoid was, arguably, the podcast's Golden Age, and Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'? has generally been pretty funny.

But, Borderlands 2.

I love Borderlands 2 The Game. I play it daily. I have six characters, one of each class, and have played through the game three times, and will continue to do so until the gameplay ceases to be fun for me. But, my goodness, Borderlands 2 The Story is not that great. At least, it's certainly not The Guy Who Wrote This Should Give A Lecture On Comedy And Writing great. The plot is often noticeably contrived, the villain is sloppy and on-the-nose, and player characters shout things like, "Cool story, bro!" and "Noob!" It tries really hard to be cool and funny, and just ends up making me cringe. (And don't even get me started on Tiny Tina, a character that takes Anthony's talented sister and reduces her to a Deadpool-esque Could Be Funny If Only They'd Shut Up For Five Seconds OH MY FUCK PLEASE STOP TALKING character.)

I expected a lot more from Anthony, is what I'm saying. Has anyone watched the whole two-hour lecture?

The only thing I miss is Thursday Night Throwdown. I understand why they haven't been doing it, but I never really thought of it as specifically Ryan's show (though, he was certainly the most perfect host for TNT, as well as for the Bombcast) so I can't help but still wish for its return. Maybe changing the name and/or the night of the event would make it more palatable? Either way, it's not an issue I would want to press; they have to do what they feel is best.

To those criticizing the write-up, I'd like to remind you that this person is part of a GTA fan site, not goddamn Gamasutra. Adjust your expectations.

I used to be a fairly angry gamer. A fairly angry person, really. I raged and bitched on the Internet frequently, argued over opinions that irked me, tried to correct every asshole I encountered. It was stressful and exhausting. Over time, I came to realize that my rage didn't help anyone, least of all myself. Even when I would calmly provide counter-arguments to things, it would still often get ugly. So, I gradually lessened these interactions until they, more or less, stopped altogether. I let people be, even if I didn't like what they were.

In short, I grew up. I fucking matured. So many gamers just don't seem to do that. Many people don't seem to do that. Everyone feels entitled and personally attacked all the time. Everything is so much easier when you stop, take a deep breath, and realize that not everything is about you. That's incredibly cliche, but I really think it all boils down to that. Pick your crusades. A GTA review, for example, is barely worth reading, let alone commenting on, let alone getting upset about. Perspective.