Simply the Test

Another day, another 2.0 site. This one has the fun benefit of spamming every single 2.0 site that came before it. Honestly, I don't know what this is going to look like across my various accounts... hence the test. However, one thing is certain: I'm apparently enough of a sucker to jump on yet another 2.0 bandwagon.

Posted via email from mars' posterous

On Correlation, Inverse and Otherwise

I'm pretty sure I spent more effort on the title than anything else in this post. Figured you deserved fair warning...

When things get busier at work I end up having less time to get my thoughts down on paper. In a cruel twist, those times are when I usually have the most thoughts rattling around my head that might come close to being blog worthy. I have no idea why this internal standard exists... other than to save me from deleting this blog later once it's full of sandwich related posts. And I don't mean the cool kind of sandwich related posts.

I think my new rule is to put something on twitter every time I'm playing a game (especially if it's a new to me game). At least then I'll be microblogging.... ugh, just typing that word made me die a little inside. Stupid 2.0.

Games of 08 : The Neglected

Nope, not "The Ugly". These are the big games I never got around to last year. They're top of the list for the next couple of months. Hopefully the industry can cooperate by not releasing a ton of games worth playing for a while. I've presented them in roughly the order I plan to attack them.

Prince of Persia - I've watched it being played, and I've run through some bits for myself, but it deserves to be played as a complete experience. I'm a little wary since it seems that someone on the PoP team hasn't learned that quick-time events still suck as much as they did when they were first spawned from the depths of hell. We shall see.

Tomb Raider Underworld - It's really odd that this is still sitting on my shelf mostly unplayed. I'm such a fanboy for this series, but it came at an odd time with other game releases. It's also not a "pick up and play for 30 minutes" game... more of a "let it consume your entire weekend" game. Once I have a good clear weekend, it shall be consumed.

Metal Gear Solid 4 - I played some of 2 & 3. Never understood what the big deal was, but it came with my PS3 so I might as well give it a play or two.

Dead Space - I've played this for about 30 minutes and found the gameplay really interesting. It's also damned creepy, so I'll get back to it eventually.

Gears of War 2 - This one was easy to put off, because I know exactly what to expect... more of the same. That's not necessarily bad, but that doesn't make it a release day play for me.

Games of 08 : The Bad

Now that I've covered the good, it's time to deal with the bad. These aren't the worst games I played last year, rather they represent the most disappointing experiences of the year.

LittleBigPlanet

Swing and a miss for the PS3. After playing with a friend's beta copy, I was excited to get the game on release. Slushy controls combined with hit or miss level design really left a lot to be desired from this charming little game. The online side didn't really give it legs beyond the story mode. It's only good for getting youtube videos of cool levels. Such wasted potential.

Left 4 Dead

This one made plenty of the "Best of" lists. I will never understand why. Okay, I can shoot hordes of zombies. Been there, done that. Okay, so I can do it with three friends with some interesting co-op mechanics. Better, but still not the mind blowing experience I keep reading about in the gaming press. Maybe I'm just a snob, spoiled by the likes of TF2, but I'm not impressed by a mindless shooter mod.

The Force Unleashed

Why do I keep getting my hopes up for Star Wars? It's a game about being a bad ass dark jedi, what could go wrong? Apparently everything. Okay, so the story beat out a few of the movies, but the gameplay to get there is just boring. Oh, but an overly complex RPG-esqe point/skill/combo system should liven it up, right? Wrong. Fail.

Dishonorable Mentions:

Need for Speed Undercover - I was hoping for a comeback. At least I have Burnout.

Grand Theft Auto IV - More of the same. Sure it's bigger and prettier. Doesn't make it great or even that engaging.