Quest to Nowhere

With so much talk about FarmVille, I felt like it was something that I needed to play to understand why it was popular. I had my own theories for why people played FarmVille, especially after reading A. J. Partick Liszkiewicz article a few months back, but figured that I probably wouldn’t understand it without actually trying it out. So about two months ago I started playing, and recently I started playing Zynga’s new Facebook game FrontierVille, and I think I’ve got an understanding now of what gets people to play these games.

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I never finished Mass Effect 1, at least until the day Mass Effect 2 was released. I picked up ME1 on PC during Steam’s holiday sale intending to finish it so I would have a save to import into ME2. I played ME1 on 360 originally but never finished it, so the Steam sale provided a nice way to play the game over again, and get the save to import.

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I’ll keep this quick. I kind of don’t care about the Apple iPad. It looks neat, but I’m not about to pay $500 for one. Maybe if it were $250 I’d be more interested in the thing, but I guess I don’t really need a screen for my living room to use while watching TV. Granted I have an iPhone and a computer technically in my living room, but even if it wasn’t I still don’t think I’d want it.

I could see maybe getting on in the future as a laptop replacement, or something like that where I don’t need … Continue Reading

Valve, this is an intervention.

Valve, first off I love your work. Half-Life, Counter-Strike, Left 4 Dead, and Team Fortress 2 (at launch,) all amazing games which I have spent more time then I want to think about playing, but every moment was great and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Which is what brings me here today, having this intervention for you, you need to realize Valve that you are hurting Team Fortress 2. I know you guys love it as much as I do, and you think you are doing the right thing, that’s it’s, “for its own good,” and that you “are just making it better.” But you guys need to take a step back an really think about what you are doing.

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I was listening to one of my normal podcasts recently, called In-Game Chat, the show’s hosts ended up talking about the differences between console multiplayer and PC multiplayer in games. Specifically talking about their problems with matchmaking systems in console multiplayer games where the game tries to find people of similar skill for you to play against. As compared to what you find in PC multiplayer, which are dedicated servers run by players that act as sort of hubs or places for people to gather.

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It was really sad to hear about what is happening over at 1up.com tonight. Not because UGO bought them, which had been rumored about for a while since 1up’s parent company, Ziff-Davis Media, has been trying to sell them since although they are profitable they are an expensive opperation. What’s sad is all the people losing their jobs (just who is not there anymore is being kept track of on nicely on Joystiq.)

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Figured since I did these last year I should do them again this year, although this year I’ve decided to not make it completely about videogames since the site isn’t completely about videogames anymore. Also I had a hard time coming up with nominees for all the categories I came up with last year. Also I decided to be lazy and not do any write ups for the awards like I did last year, so anyway on with the awards.

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I just played a little of the Madden 09 demo. The main part of the demo is the Madden Test, which is basically a way for the game to assess your skill as a player, and in doing so it then tailors the games AI to match up with your skill. Which is a great idea on a ton of levels, the problem is that the test doesn’t really test you. Well it test you, but how it doesn’t isn’t neceassirly the best way to be doing it.

For example the rush offense test is basically a test of can you … Continue Reading

Got back from Connecticon a few hours ago. It was a lot of fun, as usual. Mostly spent my time at the Staccato/Halolz booth helping Shawn, and occasionally watching the VG Cats’ booth so that Scott could get away from the table for a break. I did pick up a lot of stuff: volumes 2-5 of Hayate the Combat Butler, the Atomic Robo vol 1 trade (post on this soon,) two of the original art pages of Atomic Robo comic (issue 1 page 21, and issue 2 page 10,) Buffy season 8 trades 1 & 2, … Continue Reading

I’ve been looking to get a new laptop, and after much research I finlly ended up getting a Apple Macbook which arrived yesterday. I had been set on getting one of those new Dell Studio laptops, but then I remembered that Apple sells refurbished units. So I ended up with a more powerful laptop then what I was going to get in the Studio, for less then the Dell would have cost me.

So far I’m finding it to be pretty neat, I’m certianly happy with the choice so far. Although … Continue Reading