tl;dr version: XCOM giveth and XCOM taketh away. Had an epic moment in XCOM that I couldn't not write about. I wish I'd filmed it, but instead I'll have to create a word picture for you guys. You know those side chambers in UFOs? The really small ones with a power core and an L-shape in front of an alien door? Six guys positioned (thankfully not clustered in grenade range) in that room to burst...
Man, I am loving XCOM! I played the original for a few missions back in the day, but it was nigh impenetrable without serious FAQ usage and it felt like such a "solved problem" that I wasn't really able to get into it. Cue the new XCOM with its new mechanics, no Time Units (thank god!), and strategic tone. I've never had so much fun nearly losing every mission before. Things I love: The palpabl...
Finally got around to filming some Let's Plays, so here's my first episode. Pardon the slight clipping on the mic. I'll try and get it fixed for subsequent vids.
Everyone's favorite treasure hunter, Nathan Drake, is back once again for his third journey! What's it like? I'll tell you. I'm about eight chapters in, but you can expect some degree of story spoiler if you read this post. I don't think anything huge has happened yet, but if you don't want to know about which characters are in the game or what happens at all, DON'T READ THIS ! - Transitioning...
He hasn't covered wars (you know), but he can do mean things with duct tape. Dead Rising, how I’ve missed you. You first charmed my heart in Willamette, Colorado along with Frank West’s camera, your punishing save system, immense difficulty, and utter insanity. Within the first two minutes of actual gameplay, you can bet that I died. I fell in love right there. Oh, Dead Rising. Now you’ve retur...
Originally posted on my blog . I have no idea why I've been sitting on this completed installment. Just remembered it was done and decided to post it this week. At the top of Talon Tower Dan, Dave, Beca, and Sancho meet up with a very familiar face. Slon the Rook, the second third of the duo that murdered Pankraz. Dan already killed Kon the Knight right before being turned into a statue, so I w...
After embarrassing the team, acting like a primadonna, insulting the manager, and making everyone involved look bad, Hanley Ramirez either apologized to his teammates or the team has decided not to make a fuss about it, because he was back in the lineup last night doing fairly well. Thank god that's over. The Marlins are rarely in the news, but I don't want them in there because of this. 19 May...
I'd embed it if I could, but it's still great to see acoustic, stripped down versions of Phoenix's latest tracks on one of NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts. What are you waiting for, you can see the 12 minute concert here .
Josh Johnson tosses a shutout and the Rays win, but the red teams I love (Eagles, Carp, to a certain extent, the Nats) lose. 18 May NPB Hiroshima Carp (2) at Orix Buffaloes (11). Somehow I don't think Hiroshima is going to win the Interleague title. The Carp drop to 16-26-0 in fifth. Their only saving grace is that the Swallows have been absolutely sucking recently, keeping them out of last. Yo...
...you lose some. It happens. 17 May NPB Off Day MLB Kansas City Royals (4) at Baltimore Orioles (3). Baltimore's third series against more fair teams starts off on the wrong foot. Their record falls to 12-27 in last. Arizona Diamondbacks (5) at Florida Marlins (1). Chris Volstad has a rough start and Edwin Jackson manages to perplex Marlins hitters in a real momentum killer off of the sweep. F...
Went to the Orioles game last night to see King Felix and Ichiro play the Orioles. It was a great game (I'll get into that later), but we were super amused by the fact that Ichiro's name was listed on the All-Star ballot for the Home Run Derby. Ichiro? The Great Singles Hitter (TM)? At one at bat I motivated him by screaming "Ganbare!" and "Kettobase!". He promptly responded by hitting a home r...
The Marlins can't quite lock down the sweep against the Cubs, but a series win is still more than they've done in recent history. 12 May NPB Off Day MLB Washington Nationals (6) at New York Mets (4). Tyler Clippard wins yet another as the Nats pull ahead into sole possession of second (again) with their 19-15 record, 1.5 back behind the Phils. Florida Marlins (3) at Chicago Cubs (4). Carlos Zam...
I listened to about half of the Marlins at Cubs game in Spanish to get some practice. It's surprising how much I was able to understand easily despite not really knowing much about baseball in Spanish. My favorite part: the center fielder is translated as central gardener. 11 May NPB Off Day MLB Seattle Mariners (5) at Baltimore Orioles (1). I almost went to this game, but I'm glad I didn't. Th...
Yesterday's scores are brought to you by the warm beach weather that I crave and the letter 'M'. NPB Off MLB Atlanta Braves (2) at Washington Nationals (3). Scott Olsen throws a near no-hitter as the Nats win yet another series pushing them to a tie for second with their 15-13 record. San Francisco Giants (6) at Florida Marlins (3). The Giants continue to make me cry in both professional league...
The Lions went and slaughtered my precious Golden Eagles, leaving them with something to think about over the next two off days. It was not a great day for my favorite baseball teams. 05 May NPB Rakuten Eagles (3) at Seibu Lions (19)! The Lions really dished out some punishment. Rakuten is still miraculously in fourth place with its 16-21-0 record, but that's no real consolation since there's a...
Who would have expected Liván Hernández to have a sub 1.00 ERA and one of the best records in baseball at this point in the season? Why do the Marlins seem to drop the first game of every series? Will either of these trends end? I hope one definitely does! 04 May NPB Rakuten Eagles (5) at Seibu Lions (6). Not a good habit to get into (losing to the Lions). Rakuten falls to 16-20-0 with the next...
Even if the Orioles maintain their 0.259 win percentage for the year and manage to lose over 110 games, they will have something that the Nationals cannot have this year: passionate, devoted fans. It's not their fault, they've only been a team for five years, after all, but I notice this distinct lack of energy when I go to the games. Sure, the crowds have been relatively thin thanks to the wea...
Originally posted on my blog . Rainout makeups, but an otherwise uneventful day for baseball. 3 May NPB Rakuten Eagles (5) at Seibu Lions (4). It brings me great joy to see my least favorite Pacific League team, the Lions, lose. Keep up the good work, Rakuten (16-19-0, 4th) Hiroshima Carp (3) at Yokohama BayStars (1). Another solid win for Hiroshima, who has had some problems with the BayStars...
Originally posted on my blog Super Street Fighter IV landed on shelves this week and made its way into my apartment. I haven't given it quite as much time as I've given PYS 2010 this week, but I've thrown down a few times this week and realized, "Yeah, it's Street Fighter IV, but Super." The most obvious addition to vanilla SFIV are the ten new fighters. My time with them has mostly been limite...
Originally posted on my blog It's been a while since I properly did one of these, but yesterday heralded the arrival of both Pro Yakyu Spirits 2010 and the latest campaign for L4D2, The Passing. Both are super fun. Impressions below: Pro Yakyu Spirits 2010 The comforting thing about sports franchises is that you always know what you're getting year after year. PYS 2010 doesn't try to reinvent t...
Ooooh, just got half of Charles in Charge. That was clever
The new quest system is great, but I can't figure out the last famous person yet!
Originally posted on my blog A little known series called Mass Effect just released its second iteration on the series this Tuesday. Since none of the major outlets seem to be covering it, I figured I'd give some impressions. Note that the screenshots were taken in windowed mode because my stupid computer didn't want to actually capture images in fullscreen. Thanks computer! So far the game is...
It's just way easier, way more convenient, and all-around a better experience than wasting time, money, gas, and potentially not even finding the game wherever you go. No pre-order nonsense this way either. It's the way superior choice.
Pretty cool. Nice work guys.