*SPOILER ALERT* This review contains some spoilers from TFU and TFU2. If you wish to play the games, but haven’t already, do not read this.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 is gripping from the start. It’s beautiful scenery and character animations reel you in, but they only take the game so far. At first, these things took me, but the game as a whole is pretty weak compared to the first. A short, rushed story combined with repetitive combat and lack of character depth make the experience less than tolerable. Don’t get me wrong, I love Star Wars, but I can’t fully accept TFU2 into my collection of loved games without raising a few points.
At the center of the core mechanic, the game brings back the same concept; supercharged versions of Force powers we’ve all seen in the movies. The character causes such destruction and mayhem that it evolves beyond the typical hack ‘n slash. You’ll slice and dice your way through enemies wondering if that guys’ head really just flew off. And with the exaggerated Force powers, I wondered if there was any skill to playing the game at all.
You play as Starkiller, Darth Vader’s secret assassin/apprentice who died at the end of the first game. At the beginning of TFU2, you find out that he is alive, but that he is a clone according to Darth Vader. After failing a series of ‘submit to the Dark Side’ tests, Starkiller manages to escape captivity. This is exciting enough, but what’s his mission? He sets off to find his former pilot and love interest from the first game, Juno Eclipse.
Cloning isn’t unfamiliar in the Star Wars canon, and the premise is acceptable enough to make a game out of it, but it lacked the meaty goodness of the first game. Fan service ensues as characters from the first game are reintroduced, but the entire thing seems like filler. Comparably, TFU was keen on telling the story of the events that took place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, the birth of the rebel alliance, and how Starkiller played a pivotal role in all of it. Now, the story of Starkiller seems to have been conjured just to make another game instead of adding to the plot of the first game.
The levels and scenes are equally stunning and give the player a sense of scale that Star Wars always seems to provide. However, despite the beauty and grandeur, the levels feel awkward and quickly become repetitive. Graphically, I appreciated some realistic aspects that were missing from the first game. Water and steam sizzles as it hits Starkiller’s dual lightsabers, but that’s about it. The environments felt redundant and I found myself starring at the same buildings over and over again.
The combat was a lot of fun- at first. I enjoyed freefalling from a tower and using the Force to destroy obstacles on the way down, but as I said, the abilities are overpowered, and blasting Storm Troopers off ledges the entire game bored me by the end. Actually, there wasn’t much in the way of variety to pace the combat so it didn’t seem like I was doing the same things throughout the game. I basically hack ‘n slashed my way through the entire game, and not by choice. Starkiller mercilessly slams through everyone in his path, and Major League Butt-Kicking isn’t what I signed up for. Sure, I don’t mind opening a can here and there, but all smash and no break makes V-Dub a dull boy.
The variety of enemies was limited in TFU2, as well. Once you realize that some enemies can be killed by lightsabers and that others can be killed with the Force, the challenge evaporates. At times, they were combined to make it a bit more challenging, but it was too underdeveloped for me to feel accomplished after defeating a large wave of bad guys.
Character development was an issue as there was quite little. I couldn’t feel anything for any of the characters since there wasn’t time to get to know them. A lot seems to have happened since the last game ended, including General Kota being captured, but we don’t see that at all, and it bothers me that I went from an in-depth story to one that is reminiscent of the Clive Owen suck-fest know as Shoot Em Up. Starkiller is confused about where his destiny lies, and if he is, indeed, a clone as Darth Vader has led him to believe. But with the non-stop action that kept flinging me from level to level, I had no time to really care about it.
The events in The Force Unleashed 2 didn’t last that long anyway, but the game was surprisingly short. I rarely had time to grasp any kind of real meaning from the pint-sized plot, and I literally rolled my eyes when Yoda showed up for a brief conversation. If I had to estimate how long it took me to beat the game (minus all the deaths I accrued from fighting that damned Gorog and every other enemy since I played it on hard), my playing time would be just above eight hours. Now, I don’t mind a short game, as long as the story grips me enough throughout, but toward end of the game is where my interest was peaked… and then it ended.
Starkiller is basically able to rip anything to shreds based on the fact that he starts this game with the powers he had to work to achieve in the last game. The only thing is that they need to be leveled up before he’s truly unstoppable. But even so, my need to be empowered as a player doesn’t mean that I need to play a character that was already supercharged in the beginning, and becomes even more supercharged throughout. And I have to say that it takes away from the mysticism and discipline of the Jedi and makes Starkiller a whiny punk with raw, destructive potential.
Overall, The Force Unleashed 2 was disappointing and didn’t live up to and exceed it’s predecessor like most sequels do. I was looking for a continuation of Starkiller’s gripping story, but what I received was the bare minimum that upped the action ante, but dialed down the story. There are some points that are fun, but they’re toward the beginning when Starkiller escapes prison. If there is a third installment on the way (which there probably will be due to the ending), I hope they bring a healthy combination of well-paced action and a meaty, enjoyable story. For now, it seems as though the Force is not with this title. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 has earned a solid 6 out of 10 from me.
Still writing, still believing…
-V
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Young Guns: Perfect Day to Day 4
Angel sat across from Derrick, who suggested they sit away from the other sports kids. He sat looking at the older boy, and sharing his attention with the clock that hung above the double doors of the cafeteria. Fifty students exchanged banter amongst themselves, but Angel found it difficult to care about what Derrick spoke of; considering none of it had anything to do with shared interests.
“So?” Derrick asked
“So, what?”
Sighing, Derrick leaned back in his chair, “You weren’t listening.”
“Yeah, I was, but I had to take it all in.” Angel was a horrible liar, but had a habit of being in his own head when he lacked interest.
“Look, I know you don’t like me, but-“ Angel raised an eyebrow at that, an assumption that rang true to the boy who just wanted to be left alone, “I just want you to see that I’m not some idiot sports guy.”
“Okay.” Humoring the notion that it wasn’t something material that Derrick wanted from him, Angel nodded, “Why should I not think that?”
“I know it’s what you might have thought before, and still think now, but I don’t always party and stuff. I like having intelligent conversations, and I’m tired of talking with kids who don’t know anything. You just seem different.”
Angel didn’t say anything; he just starred as a way to let him continue his sob story.
“Have you ever had something happen that made you think… differently about your life? Like, if you almost died or something?” Derrick asked, he breathed slower so he could articulate as Angel continued to stare, “I just want to get to know you, that’s all.”
He’d heard enough. It was bad enough that they hadn’t know each other for seven years, but to want to be friends now was suspicious as hell. It bothered Angel, and it wasn’t in his nature just to trust anyone right off the bat. If Derrick wanted his friendship, he’d have to earn it. Standing, Angel began to walk away, rolling his eyes. He felt a hand grip his wrist, “Just think about it, okay?”
Not only did Angel feel Derrick holding his wrist, but a rising of sorts. It was small at first, but it struck his stomach hard before spreading to the rest of his body as an overwhelming sensation. He ripped his arm away and turned to the double doors. Angel made his way out, still feeling the sudden nausea. He pushed the door open and rounded the corned into the hallway, but was stopped. He’d made contact with someone since he hadn’t been paying attention.
It seemed to be an accident as she stepped back, lightly touching his forearm, “Oh. I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there.”
The words ‘Not a problem’ were natural for him, and he would have spoke those words, but a wave of disorientation gripped him. Other people in the hall went around him, but he hadn’t noticed. For a short moment, a rising clasped his stomach and made him stop completely. The hall spun faster with each step, which sparked his immense confusion, as he felt fine a moment ago. Dizzy, he managed to catch another glimpse of the girl he’d run into.
It was the same girl from before; the one who he’d seen in the hall, but wasn’t sure if she was real. She looked concerned, but not for him. Her concerned eyes seem to linger on what would come from his ailment. In the midst of his sudden illness, he stumbled away from her since she didn’t seem to want to help him.
The girl, a black-haired angel in her own right, stepped away from him. She stared at him, almost as if she knew what was happening; her blue eyes studying him as he moved. Angel slowed to a stop, the dizziness too intense to continue on. Other students seemed to think he was just fooling around, laughter turned to dull tones in his ears, and the girl he’d run into disappeared in a sea of teenagers watching his misery. He fell to one knee and felt a slew of vomit erupt from his throat. He heaved as more came up and splattered on the floor in front of him.
Angel shut his eyes hoping to quell his tipsy-turning hell, longing for it to stop. Bodies continued to pass by; just bodies in a sea of shifting colors that turned to a black abyss. Lights diminished and the churning of the environment began to slow, but the rising feeling increased as Angel let it take him.
“You-“ A gurgle of a voice bubbled up at him. The falling shifted to sinking as Angel was being held by something. But who or what? The only thing that was certain was that the boy only wanted to escape back to his bed where he would awake from an obvious dream.
“You-“ The gurgle was a bit louder now, an echo of the voice he wasn’t sure he heard the first time. Opening his eyes, the only thing he saw was more black, which was somehow darker than when his eyes were closed.
Then, an orange hue came into view. It was small at first, and seemed quite far away, but that quickly change as the hue grew into a tsunami of vibrant, orange flames that surrounded him, as he lay suspended above nothing. The vision was quite vivid; the heat was almost too much to bear.
The voice boomed, unfamiliar, but still authoritative and eerie as it croaked on, “I will swallow your soul when I find you.”
This was unlike any dream the boy could have imagined. A shiver coursed up his spine, then through his body. Why could he not break the grip of this dream? As Angel’s thoughts began to shift to fearful dreading, a light burned his eyes.
A repeating tone rang in his ear. It took Angel a minute; slowly opening his eyes, the boy caught the sight of a bright ceiling light above his bed. The sting forced him to shut his eyes and groan at the uncomfortable effect. A hospital? From the flat bed to the IV in his arm, he’d realized why it felt like he’s been asleep for a long time. Groggy, Angel sat up, "What's going on?"
“So?” Derrick asked
“So, what?”
Sighing, Derrick leaned back in his chair, “You weren’t listening.”
“Yeah, I was, but I had to take it all in.” Angel was a horrible liar, but had a habit of being in his own head when he lacked interest.
“Look, I know you don’t like me, but-“ Angel raised an eyebrow at that, an assumption that rang true to the boy who just wanted to be left alone, “I just want you to see that I’m not some idiot sports guy.”
“Okay.” Humoring the notion that it wasn’t something material that Derrick wanted from him, Angel nodded, “Why should I not think that?”
“I know it’s what you might have thought before, and still think now, but I don’t always party and stuff. I like having intelligent conversations, and I’m tired of talking with kids who don’t know anything. You just seem different.”
Angel didn’t say anything; he just starred as a way to let him continue his sob story.
“Have you ever had something happen that made you think… differently about your life? Like, if you almost died or something?” Derrick asked, he breathed slower so he could articulate as Angel continued to stare, “I just want to get to know you, that’s all.”
He’d heard enough. It was bad enough that they hadn’t know each other for seven years, but to want to be friends now was suspicious as hell. It bothered Angel, and it wasn’t in his nature just to trust anyone right off the bat. If Derrick wanted his friendship, he’d have to earn it. Standing, Angel began to walk away, rolling his eyes. He felt a hand grip his wrist, “Just think about it, okay?”
Not only did Angel feel Derrick holding his wrist, but a rising of sorts. It was small at first, but it struck his stomach hard before spreading to the rest of his body as an overwhelming sensation. He ripped his arm away and turned to the double doors. Angel made his way out, still feeling the sudden nausea. He pushed the door open and rounded the corned into the hallway, but was stopped. He’d made contact with someone since he hadn’t been paying attention.
It seemed to be an accident as she stepped back, lightly touching his forearm, “Oh. I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you there.”
The words ‘Not a problem’ were natural for him, and he would have spoke those words, but a wave of disorientation gripped him. Other people in the hall went around him, but he hadn’t noticed. For a short moment, a rising clasped his stomach and made him stop completely. The hall spun faster with each step, which sparked his immense confusion, as he felt fine a moment ago. Dizzy, he managed to catch another glimpse of the girl he’d run into.
It was the same girl from before; the one who he’d seen in the hall, but wasn’t sure if she was real. She looked concerned, but not for him. Her concerned eyes seem to linger on what would come from his ailment. In the midst of his sudden illness, he stumbled away from her since she didn’t seem to want to help him.
The girl, a black-haired angel in her own right, stepped away from him. She stared at him, almost as if she knew what was happening; her blue eyes studying him as he moved. Angel slowed to a stop, the dizziness too intense to continue on. Other students seemed to think he was just fooling around, laughter turned to dull tones in his ears, and the girl he’d run into disappeared in a sea of teenagers watching his misery. He fell to one knee and felt a slew of vomit erupt from his throat. He heaved as more came up and splattered on the floor in front of him.
Angel shut his eyes hoping to quell his tipsy-turning hell, longing for it to stop. Bodies continued to pass by; just bodies in a sea of shifting colors that turned to a black abyss. Lights diminished and the churning of the environment began to slow, but the rising feeling increased as Angel let it take him.
“You-“ A gurgle of a voice bubbled up at him. The falling shifted to sinking as Angel was being held by something. But who or what? The only thing that was certain was that the boy only wanted to escape back to his bed where he would awake from an obvious dream.
“You-“ The gurgle was a bit louder now, an echo of the voice he wasn’t sure he heard the first time. Opening his eyes, the only thing he saw was more black, which was somehow darker than when his eyes were closed.
Then, an orange hue came into view. It was small at first, and seemed quite far away, but that quickly change as the hue grew into a tsunami of vibrant, orange flames that surrounded him, as he lay suspended above nothing. The vision was quite vivid; the heat was almost too much to bear.
The voice boomed, unfamiliar, but still authoritative and eerie as it croaked on, “I will swallow your soul when I find you.”
This was unlike any dream the boy could have imagined. A shiver coursed up his spine, then through his body. Why could he not break the grip of this dream? As Angel’s thoughts began to shift to fearful dreading, a light burned his eyes.
A repeating tone rang in his ear. It took Angel a minute; slowly opening his eyes, the boy caught the sight of a bright ceiling light above his bed. The sting forced him to shut his eyes and groan at the uncomfortable effect. A hospital? From the flat bed to the IV in his arm, he’d realized why it felt like he’s been asleep for a long time. Groggy, Angel sat up, "What's going on?"
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Young Guns: Perfect Day to Day 3
He walked into the class, and there she was. Hazel eyes, brown hair, and she was already settled in the front row chatting it up with her girlfriends. Lindsey Mettler was the prettiest girl that didn’t have a date to the prom... yet. Angel hoped to win her answer with his gift; he only needed a few more things to complete the project he’d been planning for weeks.
Now that he only had one step to go, he would make sure that nothing went wrong. As he moved to the desk next to hers, he caught a glimpse of another student moving toward it. He sped up, almost tripping over his feet, and claimed the seat.
Catching a glimpse of her in his peripheral, he pulled out his take-home test along with his notebook. Angel looked to pull a trick he’d been using for a few weeks now for attention. He leaned slightly and tapped her shoulder, about to ask her for a pen.
She looked to him, pulling one out of her pocket, seemingly prepared for him. Lindsey shot him a smirk, “Right here.”
Angel’s eyebrows rose, nodding, but still surprised, “How’s it going?”
“Eh-“ She shrugged as she turned to him, “Weekend kinda sucked.”
Angel leaned in, letting out a concerned sigh. He didn’t want to seem too eager, but who wouldn’t want to listen to the person they had feelings for? Nodding, he listened to her go on about how she fought with her father… something to do with privacy. He actually hadn’t heard a word she said as he looked into her eyes. His daydream involved candles, strawberries, and a sickening amount of whip cream; the cornerstone of any healthy, teenage boy’s subconscious.
“It just bothers me. You know?” Angel snapped back to reality, nodding to make it seem like he heard her story.
Nodding, he made eye contact and hoped she wouldn’t notice the spacey look he sported. Feeling as though he should say something, Angel furrowed his brow and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Instead of a long sentence, he spat out the first thing that came to mind, “Yeah.”
He knew he’d messed up. It was amazing to him how he seemed to know a decent amount about other things, but when it came to girls, he knew nothing. Lindsey raised an eyebrow, turning to face the front as the teacher entered the room. Angel sighed to himself; a long, irritated sigh. Another day, another ‘crash and burn’ with the ladies.
The morning sun shone on his desk, making the surface hot by the time the period ended. He had know this would happen before he sat there, but felt he had no choice as the seat on the opposite side of Lindsey was occupied. He starred at the chalkboard for forty-seven minutes; thinking of something to whisper to her, but nothing clever or witty came to mind.
The bell rang, and he sank as the butterflies in his stomach fluttered away. How could he talk to her without feeling like he had to say something cool or slick? When he didn’t want to be seen, it wasn’t hard to remain invisible to everyone else. But when it came to Lindsey He thought about it for the next few periods, but those thoughts faded away as he sat at a two-person table in the back of the cafeteria.
Lunchtime was a contemplation period. It was the best time to sit outside and write in his journal, but as he left Trigonometry, he caught sight of something… someone he’d seen before. It was one thing to see her from across the way or down the hall, but a curiosity came over him. Angel noticed her blue eyes first, then her jet-black hair; a zombie to their electric harmony.
He began to walk, but he felt his shoe get stuck on something. Lifting his foot, he saw the white strand of gum leading from the floor. Shifting his gaze back to the girl, she was gone. He searched, turning around to make sure she didn’t pass him, but there were too many other students to be sure.
Did he just imagine a stunning girl coming his way? And why did she look strangely familiar? Those questions would have to wait as Angel felt a hand clasped down on his shoulder, “Hey!”
Derrick; the last person he wanted to talk to at the moment. He turned and gave a half-smile, “What’s up?”
“You wanna get some food?”
Lies were always simpler in his head, but what was he supposed to do? Derrick had come too comfortable around him in too short a time. It had been fine at first, but something wasn’t right about all this, yet it was hard to say ‘no’. To Angel’s surprise, the jock seemed interesting. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but the feeling penetrated his heart deeply, as if he and Derrick shared the same thought. He ignored his initial instinct and said, “Uh- yeah.”
Whatever it was, he’d just have to find out, and as the crowd shifted, Angel followed Derrick to the cafeteria where the older boy paid for lunch. Fish sticks and tartar sauce… definitely a Monday.
Now that he only had one step to go, he would make sure that nothing went wrong. As he moved to the desk next to hers, he caught a glimpse of another student moving toward it. He sped up, almost tripping over his feet, and claimed the seat.
Catching a glimpse of her in his peripheral, he pulled out his take-home test along with his notebook. Angel looked to pull a trick he’d been using for a few weeks now for attention. He leaned slightly and tapped her shoulder, about to ask her for a pen.
She looked to him, pulling one out of her pocket, seemingly prepared for him. Lindsey shot him a smirk, “Right here.”
Angel’s eyebrows rose, nodding, but still surprised, “How’s it going?”
“Eh-“ She shrugged as she turned to him, “Weekend kinda sucked.”
Angel leaned in, letting out a concerned sigh. He didn’t want to seem too eager, but who wouldn’t want to listen to the person they had feelings for? Nodding, he listened to her go on about how she fought with her father… something to do with privacy. He actually hadn’t heard a word she said as he looked into her eyes. His daydream involved candles, strawberries, and a sickening amount of whip cream; the cornerstone of any healthy, teenage boy’s subconscious.
“It just bothers me. You know?” Angel snapped back to reality, nodding to make it seem like he heard her story.
Nodding, he made eye contact and hoped she wouldn’t notice the spacey look he sported. Feeling as though he should say something, Angel furrowed his brow and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Instead of a long sentence, he spat out the first thing that came to mind, “Yeah.”
He knew he’d messed up. It was amazing to him how he seemed to know a decent amount about other things, but when it came to girls, he knew nothing. Lindsey raised an eyebrow, turning to face the front as the teacher entered the room. Angel sighed to himself; a long, irritated sigh. Another day, another ‘crash and burn’ with the ladies.
The morning sun shone on his desk, making the surface hot by the time the period ended. He had know this would happen before he sat there, but felt he had no choice as the seat on the opposite side of Lindsey was occupied. He starred at the chalkboard for forty-seven minutes; thinking of something to whisper to her, but nothing clever or witty came to mind.
The bell rang, and he sank as the butterflies in his stomach fluttered away. How could he talk to her without feeling like he had to say something cool or slick? When he didn’t want to be seen, it wasn’t hard to remain invisible to everyone else. But when it came to Lindsey He thought about it for the next few periods, but those thoughts faded away as he sat at a two-person table in the back of the cafeteria.
Lunchtime was a contemplation period. It was the best time to sit outside and write in his journal, but as he left Trigonometry, he caught sight of something… someone he’d seen before. It was one thing to see her from across the way or down the hall, but a curiosity came over him. Angel noticed her blue eyes first, then her jet-black hair; a zombie to their electric harmony.
He began to walk, but he felt his shoe get stuck on something. Lifting his foot, he saw the white strand of gum leading from the floor. Shifting his gaze back to the girl, she was gone. He searched, turning around to make sure she didn’t pass him, but there were too many other students to be sure.
Did he just imagine a stunning girl coming his way? And why did she look strangely familiar? Those questions would have to wait as Angel felt a hand clasped down on his shoulder, “Hey!”
Derrick; the last person he wanted to talk to at the moment. He turned and gave a half-smile, “What’s up?”
“You wanna get some food?”
Lies were always simpler in his head, but what was he supposed to do? Derrick had come too comfortable around him in too short a time. It had been fine at first, but something wasn’t right about all this, yet it was hard to say ‘no’. To Angel’s surprise, the jock seemed interesting. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but the feeling penetrated his heart deeply, as if he and Derrick shared the same thought. He ignored his initial instinct and said, “Uh- yeah.”
Whatever it was, he’d just have to find out, and as the crowd shifted, Angel followed Derrick to the cafeteria where the older boy paid for lunch. Fish sticks and tartar sauce… definitely a Monday.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Young Guns: Perfect Day to Day 2
Angel threw back his comforter, letting the cold morning air bite into his skin. The alarm continued to ring, but he lay on his side. Another fifteen minutes tempted him to no end. He could just reset the alarm, thus enjoying a morning of sleep, but he couldn’t afford another absence. One more absence, and he’d be suspended; he felt the need to remind himself.
Yawning, the boy pulled himself up and onto his feet, away from the comfort of the mattress. He plopped down in the chair and picked up his pen, untying the leather-covered journal. Taking a moment, Angel let out of furious yawn that could be mistaken for a painful cry to anyone else, and then began to write.
5/1/10
I just want to sleep in for the day. Had another bad dream… she died again. I couldn’t save her. I dunno why I keep having the same nightmare, but it happens at least once a week now. Do I even know her? I don’t even feel like myself in the dreams. It’s like I’m looking through someone else’s eyes.
There’s an attic (what I think is an attic) on fire and the girl is being burned alive. That’s not normal, right? Well, at least for me. I guess it’s just me going crazy. Mom didn’t call last night. I’m kinda mad, but what’s the point? She works all the time… she never calls…
Anyway, I’m going to get ready. Maybe I can get a seat next to Lindsey in Health. Her birthday is this Friday, so I have to top off the gift I’ve been saving for her. Maybe she’ll actually say ‘yes’. It’s going to be slow today… another Monday.
He shuffled down the hall to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Then it was time to shower and stuff his face with a blueberry muffin. The house was silent, which meant that his father left for work early in order to beat the morning rush. This also meant that Angel would have to walk to school, which sent a ping of irritation through his mind.
It only meant that he would have to walk to school, but it was quite inconvenient. Looking at the digital clock on the stove, he realized that he would have to leave earlier now. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he was out the door and to the garage where he found his black bike. He pedaled down the driveway and out to the end of the block.
Thirty minutes would be a long ride, but he was accustomed to riding his bike. Even though his dad sometimes offered transportation, he knew it wasn’t always guaranteed since the old man worked almost an hour away; school was in the opposite direction.
Angel squeezed the brakes when he came to the stop sign across the street from his school. He scanned through the crowds of teens to find his friends, but all he could see was the separation between the cliques. The popular kids hung out in the parking lot; each of them had their own car, luxury or sport. Some of them came in pairs, so not all of them had their cars in the lot, but it didn’t matter. They were the face of the school; the mascots that led behind the actual mascot. Derrick Aster, the perpetual leader of the group, seemed to take an interest in Angel since the year began. The tech-savvy pitcher for the baseball team separated from his group to hang out with Angel, giving the boy more attention from the student body than he needed… more than he wanted.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like Derrick, but he found it odd that he would show an interest now. They attended the same schools and classes since third grade, and they couldn’t have been more opposite. Angel enjoyed flying under the radar, at least since he didn’t feel connected to anyone at the school. There was no one he could identify with, and he made peace with that. Derrick seemed to live on the attention he got for his achievements and activities.
They locked eyes, and Derrick made his way over, smiling and waving to his friends. He jogged across the street, and there was no way Angel could neglect to notice, “You taking in the sights?”
Angel gave a small smile and shrugged, “I guess.”
A silence settled between them as Angel dismounted his bike. He knew Derrick struggled to come up with something to say each time they did this, so he decided to take the initiative, “So, how was your weekend?”
“Eh, okay.” The taller, dark-haired boy couldn’t tan his pallid skin to save his life, but he still made it look good. It was something Angel wanted to learn; not the skin color part considering Angel was at least ten shades darker, but the confidence to pull it off, “Went to my cousin’s wedding. It was nice, but I don’t like dancing with aunt’s and uncles. What about you?”
“Nothing, really. I did homework and watched some movies, but that’s about it.” Just then, the bell rang. Without hesitating, Angel began to cross the street with his bike.
“So, I know we’ve got different schedule’s and all that, but we should chill sometime.” Derrick said
“Uh-“ Angel stopped, the tires on his bike squeaked against the pavement, and whipped his head back toward Derrick. This ‘relationship’ was strange enough, but in that moment, he didn’t know how approach it, “Yeah.”
Wide-eyed, as he realized what he let slip through his lips, he couldn’t possibly take it back now, and he had a feeling it would come back to haunt. Derrick obviously wanted something; he wanted something, and he was desperate. Why else would he want to hang out now after ignoring Angel’s existence for so long?
“Great!” Derrick exclaimed, hi-fiving Angel as he walked away, “I’ll buy you a soda after school. See ya!”
“But-“ But Derrick was already in the parking lot, walking to the building with his other friends. Angel was left with his quiet words, as he had no time to protest, “-I don’t drink soda.”
It would have to take the backseat for now. He needed to lock his bike and get to homeroom, and hopefully get through the day without too much irritation. Sighing, he walked his bike to the rack, locking it up and tucking the key into his pocket. It was time to begin the day, “Another Monday…”
Yawning, the boy pulled himself up and onto his feet, away from the comfort of the mattress. He plopped down in the chair and picked up his pen, untying the leather-covered journal. Taking a moment, Angel let out of furious yawn that could be mistaken for a painful cry to anyone else, and then began to write.
5/1/10
I just want to sleep in for the day. Had another bad dream… she died again. I couldn’t save her. I dunno why I keep having the same nightmare, but it happens at least once a week now. Do I even know her? I don’t even feel like myself in the dreams. It’s like I’m looking through someone else’s eyes.
There’s an attic (what I think is an attic) on fire and the girl is being burned alive. That’s not normal, right? Well, at least for me. I guess it’s just me going crazy. Mom didn’t call last night. I’m kinda mad, but what’s the point? She works all the time… she never calls…
Anyway, I’m going to get ready. Maybe I can get a seat next to Lindsey in Health. Her birthday is this Friday, so I have to top off the gift I’ve been saving for her. Maybe she’ll actually say ‘yes’. It’s going to be slow today… another Monday.
He shuffled down the hall to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Then it was time to shower and stuff his face with a blueberry muffin. The house was silent, which meant that his father left for work early in order to beat the morning rush. This also meant that Angel would have to walk to school, which sent a ping of irritation through his mind.
It only meant that he would have to walk to school, but it was quite inconvenient. Looking at the digital clock on the stove, he realized that he would have to leave earlier now. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he was out the door and to the garage where he found his black bike. He pedaled down the driveway and out to the end of the block.
Thirty minutes would be a long ride, but he was accustomed to riding his bike. Even though his dad sometimes offered transportation, he knew it wasn’t always guaranteed since the old man worked almost an hour away; school was in the opposite direction.
Angel squeezed the brakes when he came to the stop sign across the street from his school. He scanned through the crowds of teens to find his friends, but all he could see was the separation between the cliques. The popular kids hung out in the parking lot; each of them had their own car, luxury or sport. Some of them came in pairs, so not all of them had their cars in the lot, but it didn’t matter. They were the face of the school; the mascots that led behind the actual mascot. Derrick Aster, the perpetual leader of the group, seemed to take an interest in Angel since the year began. The tech-savvy pitcher for the baseball team separated from his group to hang out with Angel, giving the boy more attention from the student body than he needed… more than he wanted.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like Derrick, but he found it odd that he would show an interest now. They attended the same schools and classes since third grade, and they couldn’t have been more opposite. Angel enjoyed flying under the radar, at least since he didn’t feel connected to anyone at the school. There was no one he could identify with, and he made peace with that. Derrick seemed to live on the attention he got for his achievements and activities.
They locked eyes, and Derrick made his way over, smiling and waving to his friends. He jogged across the street, and there was no way Angel could neglect to notice, “You taking in the sights?”
Angel gave a small smile and shrugged, “I guess.”
A silence settled between them as Angel dismounted his bike. He knew Derrick struggled to come up with something to say each time they did this, so he decided to take the initiative, “So, how was your weekend?”
“Eh, okay.” The taller, dark-haired boy couldn’t tan his pallid skin to save his life, but he still made it look good. It was something Angel wanted to learn; not the skin color part considering Angel was at least ten shades darker, but the confidence to pull it off, “Went to my cousin’s wedding. It was nice, but I don’t like dancing with aunt’s and uncles. What about you?”
“Nothing, really. I did homework and watched some movies, but that’s about it.” Just then, the bell rang. Without hesitating, Angel began to cross the street with his bike.
“So, I know we’ve got different schedule’s and all that, but we should chill sometime.” Derrick said
“Uh-“ Angel stopped, the tires on his bike squeaked against the pavement, and whipped his head back toward Derrick. This ‘relationship’ was strange enough, but in that moment, he didn’t know how approach it, “Yeah.”
Wide-eyed, as he realized what he let slip through his lips, he couldn’t possibly take it back now, and he had a feeling it would come back to haunt. Derrick obviously wanted something; he wanted something, and he was desperate. Why else would he want to hang out now after ignoring Angel’s existence for so long?
“Great!” Derrick exclaimed, hi-fiving Angel as he walked away, “I’ll buy you a soda after school. See ya!”
“But-“ But Derrick was already in the parking lot, walking to the building with his other friends. Angel was left with his quiet words, as he had no time to protest, “-I don’t drink soda.”
It would have to take the backseat for now. He needed to lock his bike and get to homeroom, and hopefully get through the day without too much irritation. Sighing, he walked his bike to the rack, locking it up and tucking the key into his pocket. It was time to begin the day, “Another Monday…”
Monday, November 15, 2010
Young Guns: Perfect Day to Die 1
(Sorry for the delay, folks! It's been a long time... I shouldn't have left you... If you don't laugh, you're lame ;-) Anyway, this is my new story, and I'll be posting periodically with new parts. Thanks for reading! I'M BACK!)
“Do you see him?” Crosshair heard, but her attention was focused on the image through the scope. The butt of the rifle rested comfortably in the crevice between her underarm and breast. She gripped the trigger lightly as she focused on the target, ready to take the shot if need be. She had her shoulder-length, black hair in a tight ponytail to eliminate rouge strands from falling in front of her aquamarine eyes.
In the dark of night, her black leotard seemed to make her ‘invisible’ to unsuspecting travelers. And in the woods of the suburban, and homey Rightdale, invisibility was exactly what Crosshair needed. The belt hung loose enough that she wasn’t troubled by the weight of the equipment, but tight enough that if unlatched, she would immediately know.
“I’ve got him.” She responded with a pinch of irritation in her voice. It might have been because she enjoyed performing her missions solo, or because her concentration was interrupted. She had the muzzle pointed toward the second story window of the russet house.
“I know what you’re thinking.” The voice behind her was warm, but distant all the while. He seemed to be playing toward her sentimental side.
“That he’s not worth our time?” She continued to frown through the scope, a figure in her sights; a boy, in fact. From what she saw, he was her age, and quite innocent at that, “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
“The change will begin very soon. You know as well as I do that we need to be ready.” The voice drifted into her ears, calm and soothing, but it didn’t matter.
“We don’t need another one getting in the way.” Crosshair put a bit of pressure on the trigger, the boy would never know what hit him. Then, as she almost let her wants become a reality; a gloved hand lightly gripped her arm, pulling it and the rifle down. The seventeen year-old let her frown deepen into a scowl as she turned her gaze to her hooded accomplice. Well, ‘accomplice’ was completely inaccurate. The six-foot shadow was more of a father to her than she could ever say about her own father… that is if she knew her real father.
“Don’t let uncertainty cloud your mind. He will have a role to play just like you and I.” His auburn eyes reached into hers, looking to see her thoughts; her dreams. A relaxing wave of calm washed over her, and she knew exactly what he was doing. The girl immediately turned away, kneeling toward her small duffle bag amongst the crunchy leaves.
“Don’t.” She began to disassemble the rifle, securing the pieces in the bag. Crosshair blushed as her thoughts went to what he might have seen.
“Your nightmares-“ The concern in his voice rose. She felt him right behind her now, his piercing eyes on her back.
“They’re fine, Midnight.” Zipping the bag, she slung it over her shoulder. Looking back toward the house, the distance became relevant without the scope, but the boy’s silhouette remained in the window, “Besides, you wanted to show him to me. I saw him. Can we go?”
The hood of Midnight’s tattered trench coat came down just above his eyes, untied to show his white dress shirt and black, leather pants. His pallid skin sagged just a little over his cheekbones, and deep creases led away from his diffident eyes. He slowly waved his arm toward the house, “You will see. He will blossom from the change, and you will see.”
Crosshair turned, gripped the strap of the duffle bag. She scoffed as she ventured deeper into the woods, her feet crushing the dead foliage, “Whatever, but if gets out of control, I’ll kill him myself.”
Given her past, Midnight couldn’t blame her for being so jaded, but he also couldn’t help but cringe at her disconnected nature. Watching her disappear into the black; he would catch up with her later. At the moment, he shifted his gaze back to the house. The light of the bedroom was off, joining the rest of the house in a quiet slumber. The man let a tiny smirk grace his mug, then drifted into the night along with his hopes for what was to come.
“Do you see him?” Crosshair heard, but her attention was focused on the image through the scope. The butt of the rifle rested comfortably in the crevice between her underarm and breast. She gripped the trigger lightly as she focused on the target, ready to take the shot if need be. She had her shoulder-length, black hair in a tight ponytail to eliminate rouge strands from falling in front of her aquamarine eyes.
In the dark of night, her black leotard seemed to make her ‘invisible’ to unsuspecting travelers. And in the woods of the suburban, and homey Rightdale, invisibility was exactly what Crosshair needed. The belt hung loose enough that she wasn’t troubled by the weight of the equipment, but tight enough that if unlatched, she would immediately know.
“I’ve got him.” She responded with a pinch of irritation in her voice. It might have been because she enjoyed performing her missions solo, or because her concentration was interrupted. She had the muzzle pointed toward the second story window of the russet house.
“I know what you’re thinking.” The voice behind her was warm, but distant all the while. He seemed to be playing toward her sentimental side.
“That he’s not worth our time?” She continued to frown through the scope, a figure in her sights; a boy, in fact. From what she saw, he was her age, and quite innocent at that, “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
“The change will begin very soon. You know as well as I do that we need to be ready.” The voice drifted into her ears, calm and soothing, but it didn’t matter.
“We don’t need another one getting in the way.” Crosshair put a bit of pressure on the trigger, the boy would never know what hit him. Then, as she almost let her wants become a reality; a gloved hand lightly gripped her arm, pulling it and the rifle down. The seventeen year-old let her frown deepen into a scowl as she turned her gaze to her hooded accomplice. Well, ‘accomplice’ was completely inaccurate. The six-foot shadow was more of a father to her than she could ever say about her own father… that is if she knew her real father.
“Don’t let uncertainty cloud your mind. He will have a role to play just like you and I.” His auburn eyes reached into hers, looking to see her thoughts; her dreams. A relaxing wave of calm washed over her, and she knew exactly what he was doing. The girl immediately turned away, kneeling toward her small duffle bag amongst the crunchy leaves.
“Don’t.” She began to disassemble the rifle, securing the pieces in the bag. Crosshair blushed as her thoughts went to what he might have seen.
“Your nightmares-“ The concern in his voice rose. She felt him right behind her now, his piercing eyes on her back.
“They’re fine, Midnight.” Zipping the bag, she slung it over her shoulder. Looking back toward the house, the distance became relevant without the scope, but the boy’s silhouette remained in the window, “Besides, you wanted to show him to me. I saw him. Can we go?”
The hood of Midnight’s tattered trench coat came down just above his eyes, untied to show his white dress shirt and black, leather pants. His pallid skin sagged just a little over his cheekbones, and deep creases led away from his diffident eyes. He slowly waved his arm toward the house, “You will see. He will blossom from the change, and you will see.”
Crosshair turned, gripped the strap of the duffle bag. She scoffed as she ventured deeper into the woods, her feet crushing the dead foliage, “Whatever, but if gets out of control, I’ll kill him myself.”
Given her past, Midnight couldn’t blame her for being so jaded, but he also couldn’t help but cringe at her disconnected nature. Watching her disappear into the black; he would catch up with her later. At the moment, he shifted his gaze back to the house. The light of the bedroom was off, joining the rest of the house in a quiet slumber. The man let a tiny smirk grace his mug, then drifted into the night along with his hopes for what was to come.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Mass Effect for the PS3?
Commander Sheppard and his band of misfits, new and old, are on a continuing quest to save the galaxy from an inevitable threat known the Reapers, and that quest has solely been on the Xbox 360.
I can say that I’ve successfully gone through Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 a few times, and each time was better than the last. Each play through was on the Xbox 360, and I’m happy that it has been an Xbox Exclusive… until now, of course. I was just reading on IGN.com that Mass Effect 2 will be converted to the Playstation 3 early next year. This means that the series will be a multiplatform release when Mass Effect 3 finally hits stores.
That’s right! Mass Effect 2 will be made for those gamers who hate Xbox 360 with a passion, but heard that this game was fantastic and got their way. Not only that, but the game was such a fiery, glorious success and a well-oiled money train that BioWare and Electronic Arts had to cut a deal with Sony just to increase sales.
This reminds me of something comedian Lewis Black mentioned in his latest album, Stark Raving Black, when he spoke about the United States and her economic status.
“One of the things my country seems to have done is perfect greed.”
I think that rings true for any human being who can’t seem to get enough. Companies strive to make more money, and that’s how our little world works. So, when BW and EA sat down with Sony, I can only imagine how the conversation went;
“Okay, Sony. We’ve got a piece of gold here. Mass Effect 2 has been named the most ambitious science fiction game out there, but it’s not enough to just make the third game and continue to make downloadable content for the series. We want to put our already popular game on the Playstation 3 so it will be the most ambitious science fiction epic in the world. Oh, and the money would be awesome, too.”
It’s not enough that they are coming out with extra DLC that’s supposed to be released in a week, but now they want more and more money from the people that will buy it for the PS3. And people WILL buy it for the PS3 because it’s a freaking awesome game! Why wouldn’t they? This just shows that companies have no problem milking a successful series until it runs dry (Stargate, Friends, Law and Order, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Doctor Who immediately come to mind).
This reminds me of how loyalty is important in the gaming industry. You wouldn’t believe how hard-up people can get over one piece of technology versus another. Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii are all battling against each other for supremacy, so there is bound to be tension between loyalists who have a certain playing preference. I’ve been in situations where I suggest Halo as a decent shooter, and the customer says, and I quote, “Fuck the Xbox and fuck Halo.”
I understand that some people aren’t fond of the series, but is it really that serious? In those moments, I found myself wanting to defend my beloved system and game, but I know better. I can’t afford to stoop to that level because I can’t afford to have a heavy bias between gaming consoles working at Gamestop. But when that happens, I find that it’s not the game itself… it’s the person. As I said, there is a certain loyalty factor that gets in the way of having a mature conversation between two adults that quickly turns into a who’s who of what’s better.
There are certain games on each console that are expected to remain on that console because of fans, loyalty, and licensing agreements. We all know that each gaming console has strengths and weaknesses, with respective games to go with them. For example, you will never see a Mario title on the Playstation 3, and you will never see God of War traipse over to the Xbox 360, etc.
Like Halo, I assumed that Mass Effect would strictly be an Xbox exclusive, but because Electronic Arts has a license with both Microsoft and Sony, they can do whatever they want. And because humans are greedy little squirrels trying to get all the nuts in the universe, I can’t blame them. The series is deep, expansive, easy to get into, and profitable, so it only makes sense for it to crossover. It doesn’t mean that I agree with it, but that’s the way life goes.
Writing, believing…
-V
I can say that I’ve successfully gone through Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 a few times, and each time was better than the last. Each play through was on the Xbox 360, and I’m happy that it has been an Xbox Exclusive… until now, of course. I was just reading on IGN.com that Mass Effect 2 will be converted to the Playstation 3 early next year. This means that the series will be a multiplatform release when Mass Effect 3 finally hits stores.
That’s right! Mass Effect 2 will be made for those gamers who hate Xbox 360 with a passion, but heard that this game was fantastic and got their way. Not only that, but the game was such a fiery, glorious success and a well-oiled money train that BioWare and Electronic Arts had to cut a deal with Sony just to increase sales.
This reminds me of something comedian Lewis Black mentioned in his latest album, Stark Raving Black, when he spoke about the United States and her economic status.
“One of the things my country seems to have done is perfect greed.”
I think that rings true for any human being who can’t seem to get enough. Companies strive to make more money, and that’s how our little world works. So, when BW and EA sat down with Sony, I can only imagine how the conversation went;
“Okay, Sony. We’ve got a piece of gold here. Mass Effect 2 has been named the most ambitious science fiction game out there, but it’s not enough to just make the third game and continue to make downloadable content for the series. We want to put our already popular game on the Playstation 3 so it will be the most ambitious science fiction epic in the world. Oh, and the money would be awesome, too.”
It’s not enough that they are coming out with extra DLC that’s supposed to be released in a week, but now they want more and more money from the people that will buy it for the PS3. And people WILL buy it for the PS3 because it’s a freaking awesome game! Why wouldn’t they? This just shows that companies have no problem milking a successful series until it runs dry (Stargate, Friends, Law and Order, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Doctor Who immediately come to mind).
This reminds me of how loyalty is important in the gaming industry. You wouldn’t believe how hard-up people can get over one piece of technology versus another. Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii are all battling against each other for supremacy, so there is bound to be tension between loyalists who have a certain playing preference. I’ve been in situations where I suggest Halo as a decent shooter, and the customer says, and I quote, “Fuck the Xbox and fuck Halo.”
I understand that some people aren’t fond of the series, but is it really that serious? In those moments, I found myself wanting to defend my beloved system and game, but I know better. I can’t afford to stoop to that level because I can’t afford to have a heavy bias between gaming consoles working at Gamestop. But when that happens, I find that it’s not the game itself… it’s the person. As I said, there is a certain loyalty factor that gets in the way of having a mature conversation between two adults that quickly turns into a who’s who of what’s better.
There are certain games on each console that are expected to remain on that console because of fans, loyalty, and licensing agreements. We all know that each gaming console has strengths and weaknesses, with respective games to go with them. For example, you will never see a Mario title on the Playstation 3, and you will never see God of War traipse over to the Xbox 360, etc.
Like Halo, I assumed that Mass Effect would strictly be an Xbox exclusive, but because Electronic Arts has a license with both Microsoft and Sony, they can do whatever they want. And because humans are greedy little squirrels trying to get all the nuts in the universe, I can’t blame them. The series is deep, expansive, easy to get into, and profitable, so it only makes sense for it to crossover. It doesn’t mean that I agree with it, but that’s the way life goes.
Writing, believing…
-V
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Name Change Banaza!!!
It was brought to my attention that Bestselling Patience might not be the best title for my blog as no one knows what that means; even I can't come up with an explanation. lol So, as of 11:28pm on August 3, 2010, Bestselling Patience has been changed to Get Tuitt... that is all!
Let's Get Tuitt!!!
Let's Get Tuitt!!!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Street Fighter X Tekken
I just got wind of the new crossover game that features the worlds of Street Fighter and Tekken together. According to IGN.com, it is being developed by Capcom and Namco and with be on both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. There is no release date, or information on a system bundle pack, but I wouldn't expect that info to be available if the game was just announced at Comic Con on Saturday.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/110/1108350p1.html?_cmpid=ign18
There is the link for the teaser trailer, so take a look! It's pretty appetizing, but that's why they call it a teaser trailer, right?
Now, I always had a little love for both series; more for Street Fighter than Tekken, with Ryu and King as my favorite characters from each. The Marvel vs Capcom series was a goody-bag of fun times, so I'm really excited for that release, but I'm curious to see if this will just be another mashup or if there will actually be a story to it. Not that there's anything wrong with a slugfest between your favored characters from different universes (just look at Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe). I only commented on the story aspect because it's becoming increasingly important nowadays for games to have in-depth narrative.
That said, I'm pretty sure Street Fighter X Tekken will be more than its predecessors. Keep an eye out for it!
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/110/1108350p1.html?_cmpid=ign18
There is the link for the teaser trailer, so take a look! It's pretty appetizing, but that's why they call it a teaser trailer, right?
Now, I always had a little love for both series; more for Street Fighter than Tekken, with Ryu and King as my favorite characters from each. The Marvel vs Capcom series was a goody-bag of fun times, so I'm really excited for that release, but I'm curious to see if this will just be another mashup or if there will actually be a story to it. Not that there's anything wrong with a slugfest between your favored characters from different universes (just look at Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe). I only commented on the story aspect because it's becoming increasingly important nowadays for games to have in-depth narrative.
That said, I'm pretty sure Street Fighter X Tekken will be more than its predecessors. Keep an eye out for it!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Mass Effect Movie
A damaged hero battling suicidal odds with the brightest, toughest, and deadliest allies the universe has to offer; that sounds like a bestselling idea, right? Fortunately, it is. When it comes down to it, my taste for the larger-than-life story is as big as they come. So, when I read that BioWare sold the rights to Legendary Pictures for a Mass Effect movie, I was excited and nervous all at once.
The reason being is that Mass Effect is an expansive game that takes you from one corner of the galaxy to the other. There are so many characters to interact with and so many instances where the main character gets to make his presence known for better or for worse. He establishes himself by helping people with their problems or creating new one, but it all culminates in him saving the galaxy; if only for a short time.
Legendary Pictures has a track record for being awesome with such titles as both of Christian Nolan's Batman movies, 300, Beerfest, Watchmen, The Hangover, Clash of the Titans, and Inception. Inception, being the last movie to be released, is a big hit from what I hear, and I hope that Mass Effect will be among those hits, but I'm still skeptical.
I have to assume that the movie adaptation will have to cut a lot of the fat away from the game in order to focus on the main story. I can only assume that it will have a lot of holes because there is a bit of a mystery that needs solving before Sheppard saves the day. And I most definitely assume that, after seeing The Last Airbender, it will be a mosh pit of plot points that need exposition via one character talking to another.
Another reason why I’m skeptical about a Mass Effect movie is that there is a handful of alien history and culture. I enjoyed listening to members of my team talk about their races, but the movie can’t have that. I guess I can live with that if the movie comes out to be three hours. At least then, there will be a chance to fit the main story of a 50+ hour game.
Mass Effect 2, however, is a different story entirely. I know that they’re probably going to try and incorporate elements of the second game into the first movie, but as a fan, I can’t see how it would work. I haven’t gotten a chance to see Prince of Persia, but I was a fan of the games. I saw a multitude of elements from each game stuffed into trailer.
Keep in mind that I realize that it’s just a interpretation, and that some people go nuts over interpretations because it’s not what they pictured. For example, I heard a lot of fan opinions about Heath Ledger’s take on the Joker, and many people were offended because that Joker didn’t properly represent the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series. So, yes, the Mass Effect movie will be an interpretation, but I can’t help but think about it in-depth.
Hollywood has a way of taking my favorite video games and television shows and turning them into rushed pieces of crap to make an extra buck. The Mass Effect movie is no exception, but I’m looking forward to it. Why? I’m excited to see how they will pull it off. I haven't found anything on when it will be released, but I'll keep you guys updated as I find information.
Still writing, still believing…
V
The reason being is that Mass Effect is an expansive game that takes you from one corner of the galaxy to the other. There are so many characters to interact with and so many instances where the main character gets to make his presence known for better or for worse. He establishes himself by helping people with their problems or creating new one, but it all culminates in him saving the galaxy; if only for a short time.
Legendary Pictures has a track record for being awesome with such titles as both of Christian Nolan's Batman movies, 300, Beerfest, Watchmen, The Hangover, Clash of the Titans, and Inception. Inception, being the last movie to be released, is a big hit from what I hear, and I hope that Mass Effect will be among those hits, but I'm still skeptical.
I have to assume that the movie adaptation will have to cut a lot of the fat away from the game in order to focus on the main story. I can only assume that it will have a lot of holes because there is a bit of a mystery that needs solving before Sheppard saves the day. And I most definitely assume that, after seeing The Last Airbender, it will be a mosh pit of plot points that need exposition via one character talking to another.
Another reason why I’m skeptical about a Mass Effect movie is that there is a handful of alien history and culture. I enjoyed listening to members of my team talk about their races, but the movie can’t have that. I guess I can live with that if the movie comes out to be three hours. At least then, there will be a chance to fit the main story of a 50+ hour game.
Mass Effect 2, however, is a different story entirely. I know that they’re probably going to try and incorporate elements of the second game into the first movie, but as a fan, I can’t see how it would work. I haven’t gotten a chance to see Prince of Persia, but I was a fan of the games. I saw a multitude of elements from each game stuffed into trailer.
Keep in mind that I realize that it’s just a interpretation, and that some people go nuts over interpretations because it’s not what they pictured. For example, I heard a lot of fan opinions about Heath Ledger’s take on the Joker, and many people were offended because that Joker didn’t properly represent the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series. So, yes, the Mass Effect movie will be an interpretation, but I can’t help but think about it in-depth.
Hollywood has a way of taking my favorite video games and television shows and turning them into rushed pieces of crap to make an extra buck. The Mass Effect movie is no exception, but I’m looking forward to it. Why? I’m excited to see how they will pull it off. I haven't found anything on when it will be released, but I'll keep you guys updated as I find information.
Still writing, still believing…
V
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Rant 7/7/10
George Lucas made his own dreams come true, putting his own marriage and health aside to make his movies. He kept the rights to the Star Wars scripts and merchandising, and put his own money into making the sequels. No one believed the story was worth it because no one had seen anything like it before. But how many people are kicking themselves in the ass right now because Star Wars made such a success, and those people doubted his creative vision. Even 20th Century Fox wanted to change elements of the story after the first movie was a big hit. They still wanted to change his vision to meet their standards, and it set Lucas on the path that he's on.
This man designed something years ahead of his time, and no one appreciated it until it started to make money. Now, for me it's hard to write something that's original because everything I've tried something has been done already. It is, in part, because of George Lucas. I am, in no way, blaming the man. I've got nothing but undying respect for him, but I am speaking a truth. Lucas started a phenomenon and a slew of others had a vision and went with it.
It just makes me wonder about my work. There's always some story element that hasn't been exploited (and it's safe to say that the vampire versus werewolf element is being covered in the Twilight series), but it's difficult to pinpoint it when so much of the things that I enjoy are things that have been written, directed, and sold a million times over. It's difficult sometimes when I know that I'm of a decent intelligence, and of a somewhat creative caliber, but I can't come up with a story that makes sense and has believable characters. Maybe if I believed in myself, things would be better. Maybe I'm just ranting for no reason.
This man designed something years ahead of his time, and no one appreciated it until it started to make money. Now, for me it's hard to write something that's original because everything I've tried something has been done already. It is, in part, because of George Lucas. I am, in no way, blaming the man. I've got nothing but undying respect for him, but I am speaking a truth. Lucas started a phenomenon and a slew of others had a vision and went with it.
It just makes me wonder about my work. There's always some story element that hasn't been exploited (and it's safe to say that the vampire versus werewolf element is being covered in the Twilight series), but it's difficult to pinpoint it when so much of the things that I enjoy are things that have been written, directed, and sold a million times over. It's difficult sometimes when I know that I'm of a decent intelligence, and of a somewhat creative caliber, but I can't come up with a story that makes sense and has believable characters. Maybe if I believed in myself, things would be better. Maybe I'm just ranting for no reason.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Rant 6/28/10
Obviously, if the game has the letter M on it, I cannot sell it to you. By law, I need to see a valid drivers license or have a parent/guardian approve the purchase for you. This does not mean run out to the car to get your mother’s drivers license to show to me. This also does not mean that you should ask the next customer in line to buy the inappropriate game for you. If you are not old enough to buy the game, you shouldn’t be asking for it.
I don’t care if you’re parent is right outside; they need to be standing right there with you to approve the game you chose. Now, when I rant about this, I have thoughts of society in general. When did we become a people that want what they want right now, if not any other time? Why is it so difficult to understand that if you are not old enough, you cannot acquire certain things like cigarettes, alcohol, insurance, and mature-rated games!
When I say that you’re not old enough to buy this game, don’t look at me as if you didn’t know. And if you really didn’t know, maybe you should look up some information about the ESRB and why the rating system is there in the first place. Bottom line; it is illegal to sell a mature-rated game to someone who is not seventeen or over.
Writing, believing…
-V
I don’t care if you’re parent is right outside; they need to be standing right there with you to approve the game you chose. Now, when I rant about this, I have thoughts of society in general. When did we become a people that want what they want right now, if not any other time? Why is it so difficult to understand that if you are not old enough, you cannot acquire certain things like cigarettes, alcohol, insurance, and mature-rated games!
When I say that you’re not old enough to buy this game, don’t look at me as if you didn’t know. And if you really didn’t know, maybe you should look up some information about the ESRB and why the rating system is there in the first place. Bottom line; it is illegal to sell a mature-rated game to someone who is not seventeen or over.
Writing, believing…
-V
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Why don't I believe in God?
"Belief is a beautiful armor; it makes for the heaviest sword. Like punching underwater, you never can hit who you're trying for."
John Mayer- Belief
Lately, the subject of God has come up in a few different conversations. I recently created an account with Associated Content, and there was a subject about why individuals don’t believe in God. Since the subject was taken before I could bag it, I wanted to post my thoughts here.
I grew up in a house with three women, and none of them took me to church on a regular basis. When I became a teenager, my mother encouraged me to go with her to services, and most of the time, I didn’t have a choice. She said there were lessons to be learned from the sermons, and I didn’t doubt her. I don’t even blame her for making me go. She wanted to teach me some things, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, I wasn’t ready, or open-minded about the topic at hand, and I believe I would have been if I were more of an open young man
However, at thirteen years old, I could care less about life lessons when I was awoken from my slumber at seven in the morning to listen to someone talk. This, by no means, is meant to make fun or criticize how individuals follow their faith, but it wasn’t for me. It brings me to why I don’t believe in God.
For starters, none of the adults in my life raised me to believe in the existence of a higher power. When I became old enough to understand the concept of a God, I was simply not interested. And I was criticized because I didn’t have a faith and I sometimes lashed out when I felt it was being forced upon me.
In the past, I’ve had friends that believed they could speak to God and that they had a special connection with Him. That doesn’t register with me as something that is possible since everyone that I’m able to speak with is either in front of me, or can be reached via telephone or by other means. It has always puzzled me why God, if there is such a being, doesn’t talk to everyone. He certainly didn’t talk to me, and if He did, I might not have heard Him. If that’s the case, I wish He would speak up so we could have a back and forth about why the world is the way it is. Or why He would allow something like Alpha Protocol to be unleashed on the almost seven billion people that inhabit the Earth.
Part of why I don’t have a faith is out of rebellion. When I sat in those church services, I couldn’t engage myself with the culture, and because I didn’t understand it, I had a prejudice against it. It’s hard to believe in something when there’s no physical evidence provided for anything the Bible says to be true.
And it’s not that I want physical proof for everything that I don’t believe in. There are things I don’t follow simply because I don’t agree with them. In the case of God, I won’t follow Him even when I see some type of proof that He exists.
After all this explanation, the main reason I don’t believe in God is because I don’t feel the need or urge to. It’s just who I am, and it’s nice to exercise my freedom of choice. I’m perfectly content believing that I control my destiny. If I want something, I know that I can go out and get it, which is a big reason I’m working so hard on my writing.
I appreciate and respect that others may follow a faith or religion, but it’s not for me. And on a side note, it’s quite difficult to say ‘God bless you’ when someone sneezes. I only say ‘bless you’, but it has no meaning coming from me. It’s been programmed in me to say the term, but I can’t seem to stop without seeming rude for not saying anything when someone sneezes. I welcome any suggestions of what I could say instead. ☺
Writing, believing…
-V
John Mayer- Belief
Lately, the subject of God has come up in a few different conversations. I recently created an account with Associated Content, and there was a subject about why individuals don’t believe in God. Since the subject was taken before I could bag it, I wanted to post my thoughts here.
I grew up in a house with three women, and none of them took me to church on a regular basis. When I became a teenager, my mother encouraged me to go with her to services, and most of the time, I didn’t have a choice. She said there were lessons to be learned from the sermons, and I didn’t doubt her. I don’t even blame her for making me go. She wanted to teach me some things, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, I wasn’t ready, or open-minded about the topic at hand, and I believe I would have been if I were more of an open young man
However, at thirteen years old, I could care less about life lessons when I was awoken from my slumber at seven in the morning to listen to someone talk. This, by no means, is meant to make fun or criticize how individuals follow their faith, but it wasn’t for me. It brings me to why I don’t believe in God.
For starters, none of the adults in my life raised me to believe in the existence of a higher power. When I became old enough to understand the concept of a God, I was simply not interested. And I was criticized because I didn’t have a faith and I sometimes lashed out when I felt it was being forced upon me.
In the past, I’ve had friends that believed they could speak to God and that they had a special connection with Him. That doesn’t register with me as something that is possible since everyone that I’m able to speak with is either in front of me, or can be reached via telephone or by other means. It has always puzzled me why God, if there is such a being, doesn’t talk to everyone. He certainly didn’t talk to me, and if He did, I might not have heard Him. If that’s the case, I wish He would speak up so we could have a back and forth about why the world is the way it is. Or why He would allow something like Alpha Protocol to be unleashed on the almost seven billion people that inhabit the Earth.
Part of why I don’t have a faith is out of rebellion. When I sat in those church services, I couldn’t engage myself with the culture, and because I didn’t understand it, I had a prejudice against it. It’s hard to believe in something when there’s no physical evidence provided for anything the Bible says to be true.
And it’s not that I want physical proof for everything that I don’t believe in. There are things I don’t follow simply because I don’t agree with them. In the case of God, I won’t follow Him even when I see some type of proof that He exists.
After all this explanation, the main reason I don’t believe in God is because I don’t feel the need or urge to. It’s just who I am, and it’s nice to exercise my freedom of choice. I’m perfectly content believing that I control my destiny. If I want something, I know that I can go out and get it, which is a big reason I’m working so hard on my writing.
I appreciate and respect that others may follow a faith or religion, but it’s not for me. And on a side note, it’s quite difficult to say ‘God bless you’ when someone sneezes. I only say ‘bless you’, but it has no meaning coming from me. It’s been programmed in me to say the term, but I can’t seem to stop without seeming rude for not saying anything when someone sneezes. I welcome any suggestions of what I could say instead. ☺
Writing, believing…
-V
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
New Xbox Revealed and Released!
When it comes to new innovations in gaming from movement sensors to 3-D visualization, the E3 convention is where the latest and greatest is unveiled. And thanks to my detective work, and a little birdie at Gamestop, I came across a new version of the Xbox 360 that is being released today (June 15th). After looking up the specs for this remodeled system, I’m impressed, to say the least.
First, the memory is built right into the system for a whopping 250 gigabytes of sheer downloading, game-saving pleasure. It is also swappable, so players can switch when or if a larger hard drive is released. Luckily, the sleeker Xbox is still backwards compatible, so don’t throw away your old games just yet. The new and improved system will have two fans to keep the system cool, and the console will run more quietly than before.
Along with the slimmer, glossy look, the technicians at Microsoft have supposedly solved the red-ring issue and all the other glitches so the system will last longer than the previous models. And last, but not least, MS decided to install 802.11n Wi-Fi instead of selling a separate adapter. This will make it much simpler for gamers to connect to Xbox Live and play with others.
For all the features the slim Xbox comes with, it’s seems to be worth the price of $299, but let’s wait until the consumer reviews come out.
Writing, believing…
-V
First, the memory is built right into the system for a whopping 250 gigabytes of sheer downloading, game-saving pleasure. It is also swappable, so players can switch when or if a larger hard drive is released. Luckily, the sleeker Xbox is still backwards compatible, so don’t throw away your old games just yet. The new and improved system will have two fans to keep the system cool, and the console will run more quietly than before.
Along with the slimmer, glossy look, the technicians at Microsoft have supposedly solved the red-ring issue and all the other glitches so the system will last longer than the previous models. And last, but not least, MS decided to install 802.11n Wi-Fi instead of selling a separate adapter. This will make it much simpler for gamers to connect to Xbox Live and play with others.
For all the features the slim Xbox comes with, it’s seems to be worth the price of $299, but let’s wait until the consumer reviews come out.
Writing, believing…
-V
Friday, June 4, 2010
Alpha Protocol review
I’ve played games like Mass Effect and Red Dead Redemption, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed playing those games simply for the ability to roam vast environments and take on missions that have nothing to do with the actual story.
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Alpha Protocol for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Obsidian Games promoted the crap out of the Espionage RPG and bolstered it with specialized guns players can obtain if they reserve a copy of the game. It was exciting to see the trailers because the cut scenes were interesting, but like all trailers or previews, it’s a 50/50 shot that whatever is being advertised will be a slam-dunk or a failure when released. Alpha Protocol was one of those failures.
I’d like to point out that if you can kill someone with a tranquilizer gun, the game isn’t worth it. It was hard enough to aim and shoot, but there were times where I had an enemy in the crosshairs, and the shot went right through him. I found myself being confused by where I was and I often got dizzy because the camera moved way too fast to catch what was happening.
The character’s movements looked completely unnatural and engineered rather than lifelike. You can perform a crouched walk that looks like a cross between a charging gorilla and an old woman with a cane. One thing that totally bothered me was the dialogue and voice acting. During one cut scene, he is talking to a mysterious woman who helps him out of a facility, but they looked like Muppets when they spoke. Even the voice acting reminded me of those one liners you hear in movies like Shoot Em Up; where the character cuts off a bad guy’s hand and says, “Nothing like a good hand job.”
In the game, there are mini-challenges where you pick locks and disable computer/alarm systems, but they are so out of place since the characters wakes up in an unknown facility with armed guards after him. By the way, I’m not sure what’s in those tranquilizer darts, but I killed fifteen guys with them. Is it possible to play the game using those darts? If so, I’m even more let down by this game.
Since I hadn’t played the game in-depth, I can’t tell you the story, but maybe that’s a good thing. You don’t need to know the plot to realize that the graphics are reminiscent of anything before Tekken 3. The voice acting is as good as Rogue Warrior, except the voice acting in that game was a lot more entertaining.
Overall, if you reserved a copy of Alpha Protocol, move that money to another reservation. And if you’ve gotten a copy already, I hope the gun pack codes overshadow all the genius stupidity of the game play, sound, and graphics, but I doubt it. Alpha Protocol gets a 1.5 out of 10 from me.
Writing, believing
-V
Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Alpha Protocol for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Obsidian Games promoted the crap out of the Espionage RPG and bolstered it with specialized guns players can obtain if they reserve a copy of the game. It was exciting to see the trailers because the cut scenes were interesting, but like all trailers or previews, it’s a 50/50 shot that whatever is being advertised will be a slam-dunk or a failure when released. Alpha Protocol was one of those failures.
I’d like to point out that if you can kill someone with a tranquilizer gun, the game isn’t worth it. It was hard enough to aim and shoot, but there were times where I had an enemy in the crosshairs, and the shot went right through him. I found myself being confused by where I was and I often got dizzy because the camera moved way too fast to catch what was happening.
The character’s movements looked completely unnatural and engineered rather than lifelike. You can perform a crouched walk that looks like a cross between a charging gorilla and an old woman with a cane. One thing that totally bothered me was the dialogue and voice acting. During one cut scene, he is talking to a mysterious woman who helps him out of a facility, but they looked like Muppets when they spoke. Even the voice acting reminded me of those one liners you hear in movies like Shoot Em Up; where the character cuts off a bad guy’s hand and says, “Nothing like a good hand job.”
In the game, there are mini-challenges where you pick locks and disable computer/alarm systems, but they are so out of place since the characters wakes up in an unknown facility with armed guards after him. By the way, I’m not sure what’s in those tranquilizer darts, but I killed fifteen guys with them. Is it possible to play the game using those darts? If so, I’m even more let down by this game.
Since I hadn’t played the game in-depth, I can’t tell you the story, but maybe that’s a good thing. You don’t need to know the plot to realize that the graphics are reminiscent of anything before Tekken 3. The voice acting is as good as Rogue Warrior, except the voice acting in that game was a lot more entertaining.
Overall, if you reserved a copy of Alpha Protocol, move that money to another reservation. And if you’ve gotten a copy already, I hope the gun pack codes overshadow all the genius stupidity of the game play, sound, and graphics, but I doubt it. Alpha Protocol gets a 1.5 out of 10 from me.
Writing, believing
-V
Monday, May 31, 2010
Respects
I want to wish my buddy, Jay, a very, very Happy Birthday! Enjoy it, man!
On a separate note, I want to recognize the men and women that have given their lives for the freedoms that I enjoy. But today isn't just to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on. It's a day to thank those who are still fighting for our freedom, and are part of the reason we are still safe.
One of those people, even those he isn't in the service anymore, is my dad. He was and still is a Marine, and he fought on this country's behalf. Actually, I'd like to think that he fought on my behalf, and that he is the reason that I am still alive, as well as why I enjoy those freedoms I mentioned earlier.
I called my dad earlier and wished him the best day possible, and he thanked me for remembering what today is really about. I have to agree with him that we have to realize why we celebrate days like these; not that barbecuing isn't awesome, but why do you do it?
Anyway, I wanted to take some time to write this out. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day!
P.S.
I'd also like to give a shout-out to my girlfriend's brother who joined the National Guard late last year. If you pray, say a little something for him so he stays in good health! Thanks, Joe!
On a separate note, I want to recognize the men and women that have given their lives for the freedoms that I enjoy. But today isn't just to celebrate the lives of those who have passed on. It's a day to thank those who are still fighting for our freedom, and are part of the reason we are still safe.
One of those people, even those he isn't in the service anymore, is my dad. He was and still is a Marine, and he fought on this country's behalf. Actually, I'd like to think that he fought on my behalf, and that he is the reason that I am still alive, as well as why I enjoy those freedoms I mentioned earlier.
I called my dad earlier and wished him the best day possible, and he thanked me for remembering what today is really about. I have to agree with him that we have to realize why we celebrate days like these; not that barbecuing isn't awesome, but why do you do it?
Anyway, I wanted to take some time to write this out. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day!
P.S.
I'd also like to give a shout-out to my girlfriend's brother who joined the National Guard late last year. If you pray, say a little something for him so he stays in good health! Thanks, Joe!
Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Growing up, I loved going to arcades and playing the games. Every time I saw one, I’d rush to it and ask my parents for some quarters. I remember being so elated to play games like Time Crisis, Area 51, and House of the Dead. Those days of asking my parents for quarters are over, but arcades are still around like Dick Clark (I know! I was shocked, too!). There was one game I remember playing that kept my attention and always made my arcade experiences.
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was a combination powerhouse of my favorite characters into one game. From MegaMan to Iron Man and Ryu to Wolverine, I enjoyed every minute of it. Using combos with the backup characters, I was able to amp up my game play.
So you can imagine my excitement when I saw the teaser trailer for Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds. I never knew the game to have a specific storyline, and I always assumed that it was just a marketing scheme to give more attention to the more popular characters of both universes. I can’t really go into depth about the story because professional reviewers haven’t explored the game in-depth yet. I only read snippets, but I put a few dollars toward reserving my copy. ;-)
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 drops Spring 2011 (date is uncertain), and it should bring back some fan favorites; along with new faces. I’ll keep you all updated as more information on it becomes available. One thing is for sure; I’ll be at the midnight release if there is one!
Gaming, believing
-V
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was a combination powerhouse of my favorite characters into one game. From MegaMan to Iron Man and Ryu to Wolverine, I enjoyed every minute of it. Using combos with the backup characters, I was able to amp up my game play.
So you can imagine my excitement when I saw the teaser trailer for Marvel vs. Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds. I never knew the game to have a specific storyline, and I always assumed that it was just a marketing scheme to give more attention to the more popular characters of both universes. I can’t really go into depth about the story because professional reviewers haven’t explored the game in-depth yet. I only read snippets, but I put a few dollars toward reserving my copy. ;-)
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 drops Spring 2011 (date is uncertain), and it should bring back some fan favorites; along with new faces. I’ll keep you all updated as more information on it becomes available. One thing is for sure; I’ll be at the midnight release if there is one!
Gaming, believing
-V
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Mass Effect review
When someone mentions RPG, my mind automatically goes to the long and arduous Final Fantasy series. I have no problem with the series; I just have no patience when it comes to running around an open world and talking to strangers, especially when I have no idea what I’m looking for.
With that in mind, I recently discovered Mass Effect for the Xbox 360. It was released in 2007 under BioWare Corp., EA Games, and Microsoft Game Studios. I originally thought it was boring after spending a summer watching my roommate play it. All I saw were the conversations that the main character had with others, but I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Now that I’ve been playing the game for a few weeks, I see what my roommate was talking about.
Mass Effect is set one hundred and twenty eight years into the future. Humanity has discovered ancient artifacts on Mars that advance their technology and allow faster-than-light travel (FTL). Humans make contact with alien races and ally with them in a massive, ancient space station known as the Citadel. It serves as a United Nations of sorts, as well as the center for galactic civilization.
The main character, Sheppard (you can choose skin color, gender, and overall appearance at the beginning of the game), is the primary candidate to prove humanity deserves a spot on the Citadel council. Tensions rise when one of the most trusted agents of the Council goes rogue and is bent on universal domination. It’s up to Sheppard to build a team of experiences soldiers and mercenaries to hunt him down and stop him by any means necessary.
The game is completely interactive, and the outcome to certain situations is solely based on your decisions. With each good or bad choice you make, you get points toward that end result, and depending on how many of each choice you make will determine how other characters treat you during game play.
Along with the main plot, there are side quests that you can embark on in the most advanced ship in the galaxy. I have to say that the upgradeable characters and weapons throughout the game intrigued me. I have yet to finish playing the game, but I’m close, and the folks at BioWare Corp. have done a fantastical job in integrating graphics and sound with story and dialogue to make an absolutely stunning game.
For an involved storyline and open-choice game play, I give this game a 8 out of 10!
Gaming, believing…
V
With that in mind, I recently discovered Mass Effect for the Xbox 360. It was released in 2007 under BioWare Corp., EA Games, and Microsoft Game Studios. I originally thought it was boring after spending a summer watching my roommate play it. All I saw were the conversations that the main character had with others, but I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Now that I’ve been playing the game for a few weeks, I see what my roommate was talking about.
Mass Effect is set one hundred and twenty eight years into the future. Humanity has discovered ancient artifacts on Mars that advance their technology and allow faster-than-light travel (FTL). Humans make contact with alien races and ally with them in a massive, ancient space station known as the Citadel. It serves as a United Nations of sorts, as well as the center for galactic civilization.
The main character, Sheppard (you can choose skin color, gender, and overall appearance at the beginning of the game), is the primary candidate to prove humanity deserves a spot on the Citadel council. Tensions rise when one of the most trusted agents of the Council goes rogue and is bent on universal domination. It’s up to Sheppard to build a team of experiences soldiers and mercenaries to hunt him down and stop him by any means necessary.
The game is completely interactive, and the outcome to certain situations is solely based on your decisions. With each good or bad choice you make, you get points toward that end result, and depending on how many of each choice you make will determine how other characters treat you during game play.
Along with the main plot, there are side quests that you can embark on in the most advanced ship in the galaxy. I have to say that the upgradeable characters and weapons throughout the game intrigued me. I have yet to finish playing the game, but I’m close, and the folks at BioWare Corp. have done a fantastical job in integrating graphics and sound with story and dialogue to make an absolutely stunning game.
For an involved storyline and open-choice game play, I give this game a 8 out of 10!
Gaming, believing…
V
Friday, May 28, 2010
Titan Strain
(I've decided to turn this into a short story. It's not finished, but leave comments and junk!)
In the modest Vegas hotel room, Liam showered while Juliana ordered room service. They would have shared the shower, but they hadn’t talked much since the ceremony. Liam wasn’t sure if it was the fact that he couldn’t concentrate on his sister’s wedding, or all the news about New Manhattan.
Wrapped in a towel, and seated on the bed, Liam ate from the tray. Juliana sat beside him as they watched television. The segments kept looping, showing the same pictures and video over again. They drank the liquor from the mini-bar, and watched the footage.
“I can’t believe it,” Juliana whispered.
“Neither can I,” Liam replied. He made himself eat; his eyes were glued to the television. A perimeter was set up around a smoking crater created no less than thirteen hours ago. The area was roped off by yellow caution tape, and was being invaded by people in white HAZMAT suits, some of which carried guns.
“They’re probably handling it.” Juliana ran her fingers through Liam’s short, black hair, smiling a hopeful smile, “Maybe they don’t need the special ops guys.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” Liam made himself say that, put her mind at ease for the moment. She didn’t see it like he did, but that wasn’t her fault. This was the fourth crash in the last week behind India, Japan, Australia, and now the United States. All the reports said that the objects came from above the atmosphere.
Then, he felt her head on his shoulder. Her tequila breath drifted out and into his nose as she spoke, “I hope no one was hurt.”
And there it was. People could be openly murdering each other in the streets with bombs going off everywhere, and she would wish the best possible outcome. That’s why he loved her; she believed that there was good in everyone and that everything happened for a reason. Looking at the screen, Liam had to agree that this was definitely happening for a reason.
He put his arm around her and turned to kiss her forehead, but caught her lips instead. Juliana leaned into him, stroking his cheek and pulling him closer. They’re lips separated for a moment and her gentle voice comforted him, “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I’m just tired.” He couldn’t hide his concern from her; she was always able to sense his distress and comforted him through it, “This stuff on the news-”
He hesitated, but she was there to pick up the words. A strand of her blonde hair fell between her aqua eyes, “It bothers you, I know. But it’ll be okay. It’s probably just some meteors.”
She got up and jumped on his lap, the sudden addition of her weight made him lean forward, but he caught himself and held her close. Juliana took the remote from the bed, turning off the television. She kissed him hard and pressed her chest against his, pushing him to lie back on the bed.
-----
The faceplate felt cool against Liam Macintosh’s face. He had to get up, but he was lightheaded. His world spun, focused, and spun some more.
Nauseous, he felt the vomit slither its way up his throat, but he fought it back. The helmet was connected to the battle suit and it wouldn’t be pleasant sloshing around in vomit. Besides, the recycled air in his suit was a constant, musty reminder that he would need a long, hot shower when he got it off. Pushing up, he remained on one knee, groaning weakly against the rhythmic pounding of his skull.
It was hard for Liam to grasp being alone in a big place like this. 55.69 square miles of wide streets in a rectangular grid made up Manhattan, New Jersey. Buildings reached to the sky with hundreds of rooms and no one in them. Some were broken, shattered, or even burning.
Liam checked his armor. The plating was still intact, but scathed from the impact. The last thing he remembered was that horrible rising in his stomach. How long had he been out? He could see the craft in flames not too far from where he was, and his breath came in short, shallow gasps when he saw it.
A thick, red gloss marked a trail against the black concrete toward the other side of the ship. Blood. Lots of blood. He looked behind, along the street, but he didn’t see anything or anyone. Looking back to the trail, he slowly followed around, stopping when he reached the source. Jones; the pilot.
Liam wasn’t big on words when it came to sights like this, but Jones was fucked. The man was face up and caked in dry blood except for the smiling hole in his chest. And it wasn’t cut open. There were no straight lines or signs or torture; it looked like something punched clean through. Some of the ribs stuck out while others were broken inward where his heart should be.
He didn’t know Jones that well, quiet kid that he was. Liam remembered hearing something about the guy’s family. He pictured how they would react knowing that Jones… Arthur was dead. Lying on the ground, alone, with his heart literally ripped out.
He thought of his own fiancé, Juliana. How would she take the news? Then he pushed those thoughts away; he needed to focus. He could think about that no more than he could think of the sick fucking things that did this; or just the thumping in his skull. And still, he needed to move.
Communication was the first step. The ship was up in flames, and so was the radio inside, but the city had to have something he could use to contact the cruiser in orbit.
Jones had put up a fight before he died; his empty assault rifle lay beside him. Liam reloaded the weapon before heading into the shadow of the buildings.
A scream; a high-pitched shrill tore through the air. Liam immediately darted to cover; an overturned vehicle seemed like the best spot to hide. Peaking his head out, he saw the creature sniffing around.
The scientists that studied them had some weird, long name for it, but the military dubbed them as Hellhounds. But this wasn’t the type of creature that had killed Jones. It was more of a scout, and it had his scent.
Liam knelt in the shadow of the car. He kept close to it as he looked around to see the creature again. The computer augmented systems (CAS) inside his helmet made the adjustments to bring his opponent into full clarity.
“Lock on.” Liam commanded.
Instantly the CAS tagged the hound. Even as the creature hunted through the street, the helm’s veiwplate kept it marked, tagged it with a blinking orange triangle that indicated direction.
“Locked.” The computer responded in a calm female voice. When he’d first learned that the suit’s on-board computer could be programmed to respond in any voice, he’d known exactly whose voice he wanted to hear. Juliana, his fiancé, spoke into his ear for years on the battlefield and it was what kept him fighting.
He readied his weapon, sliding out into the open, and aimed. The Hellhound lifted its head in reaction to the movement, but it did not have the chance to act. Liam fired a short burst that hit the dog in the head. The computer showed no other contacts in the area. Now was a good time to move before more came.
Liam darted ahead, pushing off to begin his momentous charge through the cluttered intersection ahead. Lines of cars, memorabilia of the once busy city, lay dormant and silent. It had been years since humanity touched these vehicles; SUV’s, convertibles, and sport cars were corpses that laid in a graveyard
Originally, the mission was quite simple. They were to gain access to a facility and retrieve a high priority package. It was quite clear that the object was to be undamaged upon contact and it should be handled with the utmost care. During the evacuation of the city, a lot was left behind, and the military lost a valuable component.
The Lieutenant was a survivor; one who was sent to lead the front line and bring the platoon home in two or three pieces instead of many. Returning lost property just didn’t fit his profile, but he took the mission anyway. His superiors handpicked the team Liam would have behind him, which meant that whatever the item was, the military wanted it back badly.
-------
“What do you think it is?” Miles leaned forward. The soldiers all communicated via the CAS connection to other computers with a wireless uplink. Miles, especially, prefer using it when they donned their suits over yelling across a room.
“It’s classified, and it’s locked down pretty tightly.” Liam held onto the rail of the hovercraft. The cargo door was open since they were close to the landing zone.
“We’re up to our eyeballs in ‘classified’ bullshit. I just wanna get this thing and get a beer.” Andrews gripped his weapon, checking it for the fifth time since they left the bay of the ship, “Check’em!”
“Already did, man!” Miles petted his P-90 on the side like it was his girl or something.
“Well, do it again, kid! A jammed weapon is as useless as a dead team!” The youngest of all of us, Miles knew he was right, and that remembering what we learned in the field was important to any mission.
“Why do you have to call me ‘kid’?” Miles absolutely despised being referred to as a child. Maybe it was because he was the youngest of five, but no one could truly be sure.
“Because you haven’t stepped out of your Pampers and killed something worth killing yet.” Andrews said, and the others laughed.
They all gave their weapons a once over, and Liam smirked behind his faceplate as he did the same. Andrews had a way of looking out for them, and it was that quality that made the rest happy to have him.
Buildings flowed by as the craft took the six-man team to the LZ, but it wasn’t fast enough. It was bad enough they didn’t know what they were after, but Liam had a bad feeling that the package was worth more trouble than reward.
“We’ve got company!” The voice of the pilot, Jones, rang in their helmets, “Bogey approaching on our six!”
“What is it?” Liam gripped his rifle as he spoke. The cockpit was separated by steel plating, making it hard to see what Jones saw. However, the tracking systems of their battle suits detected movement. It appeared as a dot, but no other information was displayed about it.
Then, the craft shifted and rocked as smoke filled the cabin. Liam reached out to grab hold of something as he felt the ship turn and lose stability. Sirens sounded to alert the passengers in case they needed to prepare for emergency eject. The pilot’s voice raised, he gave the order, “We’ve been hit! Bail out! BAIL OUT!”
In the modest Vegas hotel room, Liam showered while Juliana ordered room service. They would have shared the shower, but they hadn’t talked much since the ceremony. Liam wasn’t sure if it was the fact that he couldn’t concentrate on his sister’s wedding, or all the news about New Manhattan.
Wrapped in a towel, and seated on the bed, Liam ate from the tray. Juliana sat beside him as they watched television. The segments kept looping, showing the same pictures and video over again. They drank the liquor from the mini-bar, and watched the footage.
“I can’t believe it,” Juliana whispered.
“Neither can I,” Liam replied. He made himself eat; his eyes were glued to the television. A perimeter was set up around a smoking crater created no less than thirteen hours ago. The area was roped off by yellow caution tape, and was being invaded by people in white HAZMAT suits, some of which carried guns.
“They’re probably handling it.” Juliana ran her fingers through Liam’s short, black hair, smiling a hopeful smile, “Maybe they don’t need the special ops guys.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” Liam made himself say that, put her mind at ease for the moment. She didn’t see it like he did, but that wasn’t her fault. This was the fourth crash in the last week behind India, Japan, Australia, and now the United States. All the reports said that the objects came from above the atmosphere.
Then, he felt her head on his shoulder. Her tequila breath drifted out and into his nose as she spoke, “I hope no one was hurt.”
And there it was. People could be openly murdering each other in the streets with bombs going off everywhere, and she would wish the best possible outcome. That’s why he loved her; she believed that there was good in everyone and that everything happened for a reason. Looking at the screen, Liam had to agree that this was definitely happening for a reason.
He put his arm around her and turned to kiss her forehead, but caught her lips instead. Juliana leaned into him, stroking his cheek and pulling him closer. They’re lips separated for a moment and her gentle voice comforted him, “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I’m just tired.” He couldn’t hide his concern from her; she was always able to sense his distress and comforted him through it, “This stuff on the news-”
He hesitated, but she was there to pick up the words. A strand of her blonde hair fell between her aqua eyes, “It bothers you, I know. But it’ll be okay. It’s probably just some meteors.”
She got up and jumped on his lap, the sudden addition of her weight made him lean forward, but he caught himself and held her close. Juliana took the remote from the bed, turning off the television. She kissed him hard and pressed her chest against his, pushing him to lie back on the bed.
-----
The faceplate felt cool against Liam Macintosh’s face. He had to get up, but he was lightheaded. His world spun, focused, and spun some more.
Nauseous, he felt the vomit slither its way up his throat, but he fought it back. The helmet was connected to the battle suit and it wouldn’t be pleasant sloshing around in vomit. Besides, the recycled air in his suit was a constant, musty reminder that he would need a long, hot shower when he got it off. Pushing up, he remained on one knee, groaning weakly against the rhythmic pounding of his skull.
It was hard for Liam to grasp being alone in a big place like this. 55.69 square miles of wide streets in a rectangular grid made up Manhattan, New Jersey. Buildings reached to the sky with hundreds of rooms and no one in them. Some were broken, shattered, or even burning.
Liam checked his armor. The plating was still intact, but scathed from the impact. The last thing he remembered was that horrible rising in his stomach. How long had he been out? He could see the craft in flames not too far from where he was, and his breath came in short, shallow gasps when he saw it.
A thick, red gloss marked a trail against the black concrete toward the other side of the ship. Blood. Lots of blood. He looked behind, along the street, but he didn’t see anything or anyone. Looking back to the trail, he slowly followed around, stopping when he reached the source. Jones; the pilot.
Liam wasn’t big on words when it came to sights like this, but Jones was fucked. The man was face up and caked in dry blood except for the smiling hole in his chest. And it wasn’t cut open. There were no straight lines or signs or torture; it looked like something punched clean through. Some of the ribs stuck out while others were broken inward where his heart should be.
He didn’t know Jones that well, quiet kid that he was. Liam remembered hearing something about the guy’s family. He pictured how they would react knowing that Jones… Arthur was dead. Lying on the ground, alone, with his heart literally ripped out.
He thought of his own fiancé, Juliana. How would she take the news? Then he pushed those thoughts away; he needed to focus. He could think about that no more than he could think of the sick fucking things that did this; or just the thumping in his skull. And still, he needed to move.
Communication was the first step. The ship was up in flames, and so was the radio inside, but the city had to have something he could use to contact the cruiser in orbit.
Jones had put up a fight before he died; his empty assault rifle lay beside him. Liam reloaded the weapon before heading into the shadow of the buildings.
A scream; a high-pitched shrill tore through the air. Liam immediately darted to cover; an overturned vehicle seemed like the best spot to hide. Peaking his head out, he saw the creature sniffing around.
The scientists that studied them had some weird, long name for it, but the military dubbed them as Hellhounds. But this wasn’t the type of creature that had killed Jones. It was more of a scout, and it had his scent.
Liam knelt in the shadow of the car. He kept close to it as he looked around to see the creature again. The computer augmented systems (CAS) inside his helmet made the adjustments to bring his opponent into full clarity.
“Lock on.” Liam commanded.
Instantly the CAS tagged the hound. Even as the creature hunted through the street, the helm’s veiwplate kept it marked, tagged it with a blinking orange triangle that indicated direction.
“Locked.” The computer responded in a calm female voice. When he’d first learned that the suit’s on-board computer could be programmed to respond in any voice, he’d known exactly whose voice he wanted to hear. Juliana, his fiancé, spoke into his ear for years on the battlefield and it was what kept him fighting.
He readied his weapon, sliding out into the open, and aimed. The Hellhound lifted its head in reaction to the movement, but it did not have the chance to act. Liam fired a short burst that hit the dog in the head. The computer showed no other contacts in the area. Now was a good time to move before more came.
Liam darted ahead, pushing off to begin his momentous charge through the cluttered intersection ahead. Lines of cars, memorabilia of the once busy city, lay dormant and silent. It had been years since humanity touched these vehicles; SUV’s, convertibles, and sport cars were corpses that laid in a graveyard
Originally, the mission was quite simple. They were to gain access to a facility and retrieve a high priority package. It was quite clear that the object was to be undamaged upon contact and it should be handled with the utmost care. During the evacuation of the city, a lot was left behind, and the military lost a valuable component.
The Lieutenant was a survivor; one who was sent to lead the front line and bring the platoon home in two or three pieces instead of many. Returning lost property just didn’t fit his profile, but he took the mission anyway. His superiors handpicked the team Liam would have behind him, which meant that whatever the item was, the military wanted it back badly.
-------
“What do you think it is?” Miles leaned forward. The soldiers all communicated via the CAS connection to other computers with a wireless uplink. Miles, especially, prefer using it when they donned their suits over yelling across a room.
“It’s classified, and it’s locked down pretty tightly.” Liam held onto the rail of the hovercraft. The cargo door was open since they were close to the landing zone.
“We’re up to our eyeballs in ‘classified’ bullshit. I just wanna get this thing and get a beer.” Andrews gripped his weapon, checking it for the fifth time since they left the bay of the ship, “Check’em!”
“Already did, man!” Miles petted his P-90 on the side like it was his girl or something.
“Well, do it again, kid! A jammed weapon is as useless as a dead team!” The youngest of all of us, Miles knew he was right, and that remembering what we learned in the field was important to any mission.
“Why do you have to call me ‘kid’?” Miles absolutely despised being referred to as a child. Maybe it was because he was the youngest of five, but no one could truly be sure.
“Because you haven’t stepped out of your Pampers and killed something worth killing yet.” Andrews said, and the others laughed.
They all gave their weapons a once over, and Liam smirked behind his faceplate as he did the same. Andrews had a way of looking out for them, and it was that quality that made the rest happy to have him.
Buildings flowed by as the craft took the six-man team to the LZ, but it wasn’t fast enough. It was bad enough they didn’t know what they were after, but Liam had a bad feeling that the package was worth more trouble than reward.
“We’ve got company!” The voice of the pilot, Jones, rang in their helmets, “Bogey approaching on our six!”
“What is it?” Liam gripped his rifle as he spoke. The cockpit was separated by steel plating, making it hard to see what Jones saw. However, the tracking systems of their battle suits detected movement. It appeared as a dot, but no other information was displayed about it.
Then, the craft shifted and rocked as smoke filled the cabin. Liam reached out to grab hold of something as he felt the ship turn and lose stability. Sirens sounded to alert the passengers in case they needed to prepare for emergency eject. The pilot’s voice raised, he gave the order, “We’ve been hit! Bail out! BAIL OUT!”
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Racist Gaming
When I was in undergrad (which seems like a decade ago), I discovered online gaming. I had been planning to buy an Xbox 360 for a long time, but I could never muster up the funds to purchase one. I won a few mall gift cards in a raffle, and a few weeks later I went to purchase it. I signed up for an Xbox Live account and began to share a slew of Social Slayer Matches on Halo 3 with my suitemate. Sometimes, we would play until the wee hours of the morning against each other and then against others around the world.
I was deeply into the trash talking, and almost fully submersed in the online world of Halo 3, but I began to pull back after an ‘incident’. I was playing a match with a group of guys who sounded like they were younger than fifteen. Of course, I didn’t care because I was giving directions for where my team should set up a distraction since I saw an opening for a sneak attack.
Anyway, I was working with five other players. I had not been listening to the conversation my teammates were having, but I can say that it was something that I wouldn’t have cared about. The next thing I knew, I was in complete shock as I played the game. A word was floated into the conversation… no… it wasn’t floated. It was flung into the conversation as if it was the new thing to say to keep the talk going. The dreaded N-word was dropped in reference to what race of people the kid hated. He said, and I quote, “I hate n*****s. Are you a n*****? Well, if you’re not, then I don’t hate you.”
Again, I was shocked. In my day-to-day life, I am aware of racism, but it’s always in the back of my mind. These instances are so far and between for me that when they happen, I nearly shut down because my brain overloads when I try to think of how I should react. Should I say something? Stand up for myself? How do you handle racism like the issue it is?
Needless to say, I kept my distance from Xbox Live for a bit, but not before I committed a few betrayals on the kid who was dropping the N-word like Fox drops enjoyable television shows. For the next few days after that, I went into my head and thought of ways to react to this. Initially, I was going to leave the kid a message telling him how offended I was and how he is so ignorant to how hurtful and degrading the word is.
My ancestors and predecessors; activists, freedom fighters, and all of the above pushed forward and fought inequality so that I could work in the same place as a person with a lighter complexion than mine. I have to say that it’s an honor to be able to walk down the street and not be mauled by a police dog for being black. And as those images of the open racism of the past ran through my head, an interesting thought came to mind. The world has changed a lot in the passed sixty years, but will prejudice (racial, sexual, etc) ever go away?
A lot of gamers online are overly obnoxious, immature, and overall offensive to their fellow human beings because that’s just it; online. A gamer can say whatever they want without any real ramifications, and it’s comforting to be able to air their prejudices on the air, so to speak. In a group of eight to sixteen players, I constantly find myself in a cesspool of offensive language and derogatory comments.
And because players can say or do anything they want, it encourages others to do the same. It also poses a dilemma to others that may not be offended, but want to defend someone else’s honor. Should they say something? At some point during a conversation mid-game, someone will say that they hate African Americans or some other ethnicity. It’s gotten to the point where I put my entire team on mute just so I can enjoy the game.
I understand that it’s a free world out there, and that when you’re online, you feel free to say or do whatever. Who can stop you? The video game alone is a fantasy world in itself. While some may be based on Earth, it goes without saying that they are alternate realities where things exist because certain situations occurred in the past that led to the future. In terms of Halo, it’s a science fiction game set over five hundred years into the future… come on people! We’ve got plenty of time to develop warp drive tech!
Right now, I’m ranting, but I feel as though I deserve to. I come online to play a nice game and enjoy some soldierly camaraderie, and there is that one player present that is over-the-top obnoxious. Can I have a decent online gaming experience without having to mute my team? I think only time will tell. Play on!
~V
I was deeply into the trash talking, and almost fully submersed in the online world of Halo 3, but I began to pull back after an ‘incident’. I was playing a match with a group of guys who sounded like they were younger than fifteen. Of course, I didn’t care because I was giving directions for where my team should set up a distraction since I saw an opening for a sneak attack.
Anyway, I was working with five other players. I had not been listening to the conversation my teammates were having, but I can say that it was something that I wouldn’t have cared about. The next thing I knew, I was in complete shock as I played the game. A word was floated into the conversation… no… it wasn’t floated. It was flung into the conversation as if it was the new thing to say to keep the talk going. The dreaded N-word was dropped in reference to what race of people the kid hated. He said, and I quote, “I hate n*****s. Are you a n*****? Well, if you’re not, then I don’t hate you.”
Again, I was shocked. In my day-to-day life, I am aware of racism, but it’s always in the back of my mind. These instances are so far and between for me that when they happen, I nearly shut down because my brain overloads when I try to think of how I should react. Should I say something? Stand up for myself? How do you handle racism like the issue it is?
Needless to say, I kept my distance from Xbox Live for a bit, but not before I committed a few betrayals on the kid who was dropping the N-word like Fox drops enjoyable television shows. For the next few days after that, I went into my head and thought of ways to react to this. Initially, I was going to leave the kid a message telling him how offended I was and how he is so ignorant to how hurtful and degrading the word is.
My ancestors and predecessors; activists, freedom fighters, and all of the above pushed forward and fought inequality so that I could work in the same place as a person with a lighter complexion than mine. I have to say that it’s an honor to be able to walk down the street and not be mauled by a police dog for being black. And as those images of the open racism of the past ran through my head, an interesting thought came to mind. The world has changed a lot in the passed sixty years, but will prejudice (racial, sexual, etc) ever go away?
A lot of gamers online are overly obnoxious, immature, and overall offensive to their fellow human beings because that’s just it; online. A gamer can say whatever they want without any real ramifications, and it’s comforting to be able to air their prejudices on the air, so to speak. In a group of eight to sixteen players, I constantly find myself in a cesspool of offensive language and derogatory comments.
And because players can say or do anything they want, it encourages others to do the same. It also poses a dilemma to others that may not be offended, but want to defend someone else’s honor. Should they say something? At some point during a conversation mid-game, someone will say that they hate African Americans or some other ethnicity. It’s gotten to the point where I put my entire team on mute just so I can enjoy the game.
I understand that it’s a free world out there, and that when you’re online, you feel free to say or do whatever. Who can stop you? The video game alone is a fantasy world in itself. While some may be based on Earth, it goes without saying that they are alternate realities where things exist because certain situations occurred in the past that led to the future. In terms of Halo, it’s a science fiction game set over five hundred years into the future… come on people! We’ve got plenty of time to develop warp drive tech!
Right now, I’m ranting, but I feel as though I deserve to. I come online to play a nice game and enjoy some soldierly camaraderie, and there is that one player present that is over-the-top obnoxious. Can I have a decent online gaming experience without having to mute my team? I think only time will tell. Play on!
~V
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Where has privacy gone?
I just read an article in the New York Times that talks about how graduate researchers are finding new ways to identify people on the internet. It says that students from universities all over can use data from sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace to figure things out about you. Basically, what they do is collect information you've entered all over the internet such as hobbies and your favorite television shows and use it to determine who you are in correlation to what your doing on the internet. And it doesn't matter if you use your real name, either.
Netflix has their researchers amplify their recommendation system by 'statistically analyzing an individual's distinctive pattern of movie ratings and recommendations'. How freaky is that? And have you ever noticed that your Facebook page has advertisements on the right side of the page. I can only assume that Facebook does the same based on the information you put on your profile. They put advertisements on there based on my age and the fact that I have certain television shows listed on my Favorite Television Show list.
Grad students from Carnegie Mellon University also say that they can figure out your Social Security number by searching for your birth date and/or state of birth. Apparently, those are used in forging a social security number, which I had no idea of until I read the article.
May I just say that I am officially freaked out now? If graduate students are figuring it out, how long do you think it will be before the identity thieves catch on? Technology is growing every day, and the internet connects more and more people to each other, which makes information on certain people readily available for the taking. Yes, the graduate students might move on to work on ways to make our information better protected. Encryptions aren't easy, but it doesn't mean that it can't be done.
I'm just skeptical about making purchases online and applying for jobs online, as well. I don't put my Social Security out there unless I need to because a company really doesn't need it unless they're giving me a job, and if I'm making a purchase, they REALLY don't need it! I'm not panicking because the best way I can protect myself is to not put so much information out there about myself. It builds up over time, and I usually don't use my real name, but it's hard not to on Facebook where everyone you know is there.
Netflix has their researchers amplify their recommendation system by 'statistically analyzing an individual's distinctive pattern of movie ratings and recommendations'. How freaky is that? And have you ever noticed that your Facebook page has advertisements on the right side of the page. I can only assume that Facebook does the same based on the information you put on your profile. They put advertisements on there based on my age and the fact that I have certain television shows listed on my Favorite Television Show list.
Grad students from Carnegie Mellon University also say that they can figure out your Social Security number by searching for your birth date and/or state of birth. Apparently, those are used in forging a social security number, which I had no idea of until I read the article.
May I just say that I am officially freaked out now? If graduate students are figuring it out, how long do you think it will be before the identity thieves catch on? Technology is growing every day, and the internet connects more and more people to each other, which makes information on certain people readily available for the taking. Yes, the graduate students might move on to work on ways to make our information better protected. Encryptions aren't easy, but it doesn't mean that it can't be done.
I'm just skeptical about making purchases online and applying for jobs online, as well. I don't put my Social Security out there unless I need to because a company really doesn't need it unless they're giving me a job, and if I'm making a purchase, they REALLY don't need it! I'm not panicking because the best way I can protect myself is to not put so much information out there about myself. It builds up over time, and I usually don't use my real name, but it's hard not to on Facebook where everyone you know is there.
Then again, do I really need to fall into the hype of a social networking site that full of time-wasting games and people from way back when that I'm Facebook friends with, but have never talked to (even when we were in school together)? Ideas, thoughts, queries?
Go to NYTimes.com to read the article:
How Privacy Can Vanish Online, a Bit at a Time by Steve Lohr
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/technology/17privacy.html?ref=todayspaper
Go to NYTimes.com to read the article:
How Privacy Can Vanish Online, a Bit at a Time by Steve Lohr
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/technology/17privacy.html?ref=todayspaper
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