Minecraft. More like MineCRACK, amirite?

I have been playing a little game called Minecraft for about two months now. A lot of it. Chances are if you're reading this, you've heard of Minecraft and the digital crack that it can become. If not, then please direct yourself to this page, and get yourself acquainted with the Indy Game of the year.
It's truly an amazing game, and yet at the same time I keep talking about how it's hardly a game at all. It just barely qualifies for Game status in it's Alpha state, but it's fun seeing it evolve in real time every Friday when Notch, the creator, updates.
I was especially fond of his Halloween update in which he enabled the ability to create portals to a sort of hellish Underworld, and Jack-O-Lanterns.

There being no right or wrong way to play it, I do admit, I cheat like of a son of a bitch. I've been through enough worlds and terrains and caverns and wasted through enough stone pickaxes to despise the hunt for certain resources. I'd rather play with the system and toy around with what I can do, rather than the whole survival aspect of the game, and use an Inventory Editor to get a healthy dose of whatever I'm feeling I need.
And I doubt I am alone. If on Youtube you see anyone with really elaborate settups, you know they've cheated with resources. It's legit even still, but we're playing it with different goals than that of those who are playing it strictly for the day and night survival aspects.

So far, best $15 investment I've made in a long time.

Review: Fallout New Vegas

Well, this one has certainly been in the works for a while now, being more than a month since the games release, so here comes Scrappy Come Lately with his lot to throw into the quagmire of Gaming Journalism in it's deepest form, the review.

Fallout: New Vegas was a hand off title developed by Obsidian by people who once worked for the ill-fated Black Isles company, makers of the orignal Fallout games, as well as the Baldurs Gate series. Because of their connection to the franchise, many Fallout Fan-Bois took this as a sign of the coming of what was dubbed in message boards across the web as "The True Fallout 3", while the rest of us who started their interest in the series WITH Fallout 3 just stood their scratching their heads and wondering why everyone was suddenly foaming at the mouth.
I was more confused on what was considered a "True" Fallout game, and the response I got back baffled me even more. Apparently, the True Fallout Game is the game...I'm sorry...The Game...that will surpass all other games-- So First Person Shooter that it makes Call of Duty look like a launch Day Noob, so Epic in storytelling that you half expect the cast to consist of Conan the Barbarian, Chuck Norris, Neil Patrick Harris and Former President Van Buren, so Role Playing Game that it makes your old D&D books burst into flames, and so Survival and Simulationist that Sid Meier commits suicide by cutting his throat with a broken CD of The Sims.
Apparently, these morons and psychopaths have forgotten that Video Games are meant to be fun and entertaining, not the fucking meaning of life itself.

Around that point was when I made the logical and sensible decision to decree the Fallout Fandom, message boards, and communties, were a bucnh of delusional twits. Especially the likes of groups like No Mutants Allowed which will call you a retard and then permanently ban you for daring to think Fallout 3 by Bethesda Softworks was any good and denying the holy awesomeness that was Fallouts 1 and 2. Elitist much?

So onto the actual game then.
New Vegas opens with the usual "War Never Changes" monologue delivered by Ron Perlman in which we learn some basic factoids about where we're starting, with our role cast as a mail courier with zero backgrounds in an attempt to remove any dramatic potential for him or her as a character, with a run in of bad luck as you wake up after a knock on the head and find out your package has been stolen by a well dressed man and a band of goons, and the well dressed man puts two bullets in your head.
At first I was afraid I'd missed a prompt to avoid my appointed fate, but it turns out that we miraculously survive the double tap thanks to a backwater surgeon after being drug out of our shallow grave by a Cowboy Robot who is totally not suspicious in his vague reasons for saving you.
After the Doctor is done patching you up in the character settup, establishing stats and what have you, you are free to do as you will, for better or for worse. Granted, the game pelts you over the head that you're hunting the well dressed man and what he stole from you, but if you want, you can ignore that and be on your way...as long as that way is south.

New Vegas has what I like to refer to as The Rape Zone.
-To the north of where you begin, there is a territory infested with Cazadors, or as I call them, Rape Flies, which early on in the game will kill you, and kill you so hard you want to file a restraining order against Chris Avelone.
-In the middle from there, there be Deathclaws. As on NPC put it "they just get mad when you shoot them", and that's advice well taken to heart at the start.
-Farther on to the East you'll find a gathering of Super Mutants inhabiting the nearby Black Mountains
-Past that is more Deathclaws.
That said, any path that isn't south is certain suicide from the outstart, like the game is trying to guide you away from the most direct route away from the shiny city of New Vegas in the background, where it mocks you in all it's always-visible splendor. It knows you can't get there yet, but at light, look at all those lights. The fucking tease.

Granted, your journey is peppered with a variety of missions in which people require your assistance, and we learn that much more about the world and the factions we'll be contending with later on. Missions are often simple and plentiful, and with the right skills, some missions are about as easy as finding someone and passing a simple Speech check.
Speaking of Speech, if you have a high enough speech, almost any mission can be passed without a single punch or bullet fired, granted that your objective requires you to deal with people that can be reasoned with or intimidated. You can even make the end of the game that much easier by convinvcing the final adversary to walk away.

Following the trail of our failed hitman in the checkered suit finally takes us all the way to New Vegas. At this point on arrival, you are ready for whores, gambling, and Rat Pack mayhem. Unfortuantely, you learn that you require a Pass or a 2000 Cap credit check to make it past the Dalek Guard Squad out front of The Strip, forcing you to become an errand boy (seeing a pattern in this?) for the surrounding ghetto's and beyond.
Once you actually get into The Strip, the main story can actually begin and alliances can finally be made and broken.
-Do you fight for the independence of the people of the Mojave Wasteland from foreign powers?
-Do you strive to bring order, democracy, and bureacracy to New Vegas with the New California Republic?
-Do you march under the banner of Ceasar and his Legion to usher in a new Rome?
-Or do you work for a shady, secretive ruler who only cares about the maintaining of New Vegas as a power?

Unfortuantely, as far as I know, there is no "Fuck it all, burn it to the ground" path.
Along with the usual Karma system, it is unfortunately outweighed by the Faction Reputation system, which you will find vastly more interesting than whether or not you are good or evil.

Everrything aside you might be thinking to yourself, "This feels a lot like Fallout 3", and you would be right. Most of the graphics and the engine itself have been lifted straight from Bethesda's Fallout 3 or Obsidians use. Whether this is a good or a bad thing depends where on the Fan-Boi stratum you fall into. If you're like me and could give less of a spit about the graphics, you'll do fine. However, if you're not, you'll likely be raging to the heavens.
The game engine though is not perfect, and a legion of bugs and glitches still abound, with everyone clogging message boards for news of the long-awaited patch-up rather than biding their time with other business that their lives demand.
There are also some glitches with the companions, some of which require you to take them to a certain place and talk to a certain NPC to unlock their special quests. For instance, I had to take Veronica, a BOS Scribe, to The Silver Rush weapon shop in Freeside to unlock a part of her dialogue. She just stood there with me nudging her trying to coax a response out of her. And then there's Raul, the Danny Trejo character, whom requires you to speak to a couple of old farts, many of which are bugged and won't even speak to you.

Bugs and frustrations aside...I had fun with this game and maintain a firm belief that naysayers can blow it out their ass. That probably places me in a different category of Fan-Boi than previously mentioned, but I'm comfortable in my niche in the fandom where I can still enjoy the game and not feel insulted by it like the game is oweing me money and it spent the last of it's paycheck on beer.

Final verdict--
OOOO- (4/5)

Getting on up there.

Ever have a moment where you suddenly realize that with age, that there's things that you'd rather do than watch anime or play video games? It usually happens as you approach the age of 30, as I am only a few short years shy of. The maturity comes in like a ghost and sometimes you don't even realize that you'd rather get laundry done or do the dishes when you get home from work rather than good off.

Granted, I am not one who believes in abandoning your pastimes just because you might be too old. Some would tease you that nerds don't get to enjoy the finer points of adulthood, I would say we tend to avoid the more mundane and self destructive points of adulthood.
Insert comment about getting laid here.

But I do worry about my age sometimes, that I'm not where I should be. I reflect and recall that Eddie Murphey was only around 21 when he got his start. That I could have worked a little harder in highschool or even dedicated a little time to where I was going with my life.

But what's the use worrying and regretting when there's no way of reversing it? You know? I prefer to live my life Bohemian. I live it the way I live it, and I enjoy being the weird little nutjob I am. If it's a lifestyle you can be happy with, don't change for anything, baby.

iMomo

There is something undisputably therapeutic about harassing Catgirls, and that seems to be exactly the idea when it comes to the Amamiya Momo app for the iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad, etc.

The execution is simple. You are presented with a chibi Cat Girl named Momo. Touch her, shake her, try and flip up her skirt (a touch screen action I've only able to pull off twice, and both times it crashed the app)...But regardless of what you do, and the app's website says this perfectly, "Basically, she doesn't like to be touched."
And this is true. She really doesn't. Anything you do to interact with her will illicit a variety of swearing, threats, and general nastiness. It's like the Anti-Dating Sim.



One of her lines even has her threatening sexual harassment.
And yet for a $0.99 App, there's something endearing about giving her hell.

Saboten Con 2010

Three times over the course of out two day adventure, we tried to record something to contribute to the Podcast and even had some ideas for some unofficial "panel" thingamadoo's...
But...
We got tired...And did an Irish Goodbye and just up and left before the bad weather really set in Saturday night.
Project 14 was a failure at this Saboten Con, but you know what? I don't care.
For some, Conventions are about self-indorsement...commingling...Showing off...But this time around, for me, it was to relax and unwind, and the resort the con was hosted at had that in spades. The staff were very chill with the whole scene and were very accomodating, unlike some we've had to deal with in the past.

For the con itself, it was good times if not a little bit of a tight fit despite the large venue. Not to mention I was dressed up as the Tom Baker 4th Doctor, I just want to take a minute to tell you that wearing a longcoat, scarf and a fedora in 100+ degree temperature really really sucks. Every so often, I would find myself in moments where the heat wasn't bothering me and I was wondering if I was just adjusting or if this was an early stage of dehydration.

The 4th Doctor outfit went over very well, even to the point where a Master Chief walked up to me, handed me his plasma rifle, put his arm around me and posed for a photo op- I didn't request a photo, so I'm wondering if he was just doing that, or if he wanted a photo with Doctor Who.
Also, Jelly Babies were had by all.
Jelly Babies were very instrumental in the 4th Doctors run.

Jo and Jade did a joint cosplay as Mocha from Rosario+Vampire, a series I am only vaguely familiar with, but am making a conscious effort to get to know, since I've been without an anime to obsess over since K-On! ended it's second season.

The Dealers room was more geared towards independant artists and booths than I've seen yet at a Con. In fact I think only one booth was associated with a major manga distributor. I liked the smaller time feel, artists and the like selling their wares.

I had to duck out of the rave for obvious reasons...That damn overcoat.

Also, a note on that overcoat, I bought it as a Savers here in Casa Grande. I should have checked the pockets...because when I was digging around for my camera, I found it covered in a mysterious brown substance.
"Chocolate or poop, Scraps?" Jo chimed in.
A sniff revealed chocolate.
An investigation turned up the scrunched and melted remains of an ancient Hersheys Kiss.
I'm glad it wasn't poop. Some may feel that simply goes without saying, but I feel I must be clear.

The panels attended were few. We do not do a lot of the more professionally geared panels, aimed at the aspiring, as Jo and Jade are not as fond of more dry affairs as I am. Friday night, however, because I wanted to, I attended the "let's play an Ero" panel at midnight.
What it was, essentially, was an LP of a Japanese Ero game, in which the audience decided to decisions made. There were very few instances of this. In fact, most of the panel was a group of men (go figure) making fun of the writing you find in your average Ero game. And the writing was paritcularly bad. I began to think about how much people who write those things make.

On Saturday, jointly, we attended the Whose Line is it Anime, however we were unable to perform because the lampoons who were running it never looked in our direction when calling for hands. Funny show regardless. Even more so the How to Gamerscore panel, which devolved from dating tips for Gamers to dialogues about pwning noobs and screwing around with friends. Good fun.

Well, let's wrap up this 48 hour flashback...A fine con, perhaps the finest I'd been to in a long while. Now then...Where'd I leave that scarf...?

Red Dead Redemption-- Alright!

Red Dead Redemption is everything that it's predecessor Red Dead Revolver and fellow Cowboy Free-Roam GUN always strove to be- Grand Theft Auto with cowboys. And it works. By God it works.
It's amazing what happens when you take the Grand Theft Auto formula and you apply it to an out-of-city location. It's something a lot of games have tried in the past, and very few have ever come close to getting it right.

The story is simple and straight Wild West film fodder. You play as John Marston, who barely has a passing resemblance to Red from the previous game. John's a crony for the Bureau, an early incarnation of the FBI, and is on a mission to hunt down people from his own bloody past in order to see the safe return of his wife and son.
And like Niko Bellic before him, everyone has a problem, and John seems to be the only one capable getting the job down, distracting him from his quest in classic GTA Clone form.

And for the record, I suck at Horseshoes just as bad in this game as I do in real life. I have also finally learned the nuances of Texas Hold'em. I still do not know what constitutes a Full House, but by God I got one somehow.

It really helps the game that John Marston isn't too terribly down on himself that his family is being held hostage by the government. He's actually quite a peppy guy, coming off more like a Doc Holiday than a Wyatt Earp. He definately doesn't lend himself well to the kind of murderous rampaging that's normally associated with this kind of game, but it's a wonderful deterrent to unnecessary violence.
It's much in the same vein as Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series coming off as a total military badass in most interactions, but sounding like a complete and utter tool when he's hitting on the female members of his crew. Unless pissed off, Marstons a pretty cool cat.

This game doesn't render a rental, it definately is well worth the money to own. There is far too much game here to complete in five days.

Country music has a very specific demographic. Recently when I've been forced to dwell in a room or vehicle in which those particular melodies are playing, I take notice how they are usually about love, breakups, rowdy but apparently whole country living, and waxing poetic on the relationships one has with their parents.

The demographic country music targets is more often than not Married People with kids. It's safe to listen to around your kids and you can relate to it probably.
Despite my country upbringings, me and the musical genre to not agree on a lot of things philosophically. Also I am a 25 year old single male who only enters drinking establishments two times a month at most. On top of that, cowboy boots are incredibly goofy looking. Country Western, needless to say, does not put a wiggle in my step.