OMG Chess Is For Nerds

The nostalgia of a game can leave any gamer wanting more story long after the final credits have passed. Luckily the gaming community has devoted fans that are willing to create fan fiction beyond the developer’s original intentions. Lately, I have stumbled upon several sights that have given a new twist to the meaning of games.

One video in particular, “A day in the life of a turret” from www.theleetworld.com, made me laugh beyond belief last evening. The video displays the normal work day of a couple of turrets who work for Aperture Science Labs. The witty banter that ensues between the two is priceless. Anyone who has completed Portal and enjoyed the infamous ”ending credits song” will be amused.



After watching the video, I have grown fond of other video series that give me video game characters in everyday life situations. I strongly recommend Street Fighter the Later Years from www.collegehumor.com. I will post more videos as I discover them. Enjoy!

http://www.collegehumor.com/tag:street-fighter-the-later-years

Wanting What You Can't Have

I will be the first to admit that I am addicted to achievement points. I don’t mind picking up a twenty dollar title at Wal-Mart if I know I will get some replay value out of it or add a couple hundred points to my achievement score. However, sometimes achievements can drive me absolutely insane. Case and point, I purchased Major League Baseball 2K7 for the Xbox 360. I figured it would be a good buy because of the longevity of season modes in sports games and the competitiveness in online play. So far the game has turned out to be a stellar purchase for overall game play.

However, one thing is driving me bat crazy(no pun intended). Because I like achievement points so much and have been known to go to silly extents to get them, I am attempting to do the same for MLB 2K7. Completing a 162 game season does not bother me. Waiting for the one special game where I get a player to hit for the cycle for a secret achievement is fine. Nevertheless, there is one achievement that seems impossible if at the very least improbable for me to get. For 10 lousy stinking achievement points, there is a secret achievement titled “Rail Lean Catch”.

To complete this feat, you are supposed to make “an acrobatic catch leaning over the foul territory railing”. It seems simple enough. Just wait for the ball to go foul at just the right angle and eventually you will get the opportunity to rack up 10 points! Complete hogwash! The game’s camera angle system projects a top down view of the field at such an angle that it is impossible to see your players when a foul ball is going off to the stands down the third base or first base line. The line of site is so bad that it destroys any chance for you to send a player over near the rail to make a catch. You literally cannot see any of your players in this instance. Terrible!

I know this is just one example of a poor design of the achievements in relation to the developer’s design of the game. I have scoured the internet thinking maybe I am just doing something wrong, but I have yet to find a source of solace for my dilemma. None the less, the point of achievements is for players to be able to achieve them. Xbox knows that players take their player scores seriously. If people are willing to cheat to raise their score and Xbox support is willing to ban them for it, then I do not feel as silly for this post as I normally would. People just tell me to walk away. Forget about it. It’s just 10 points. But sometimes it is those things that you can’t have that truly make you want them the most.

Tonight Theres Going To Be A Jail Break!

What? I didn't help him. I don't know what your talking about.

Miguel Tejada ESPN Interview and One Expensive Red Sox Jersey

I just wanted to throw the video up on the blog so everyone could have a bearing to gauge how they felt about my previous thoughts yesterday. The ESPN guy was pretty much a dweeb in my opinion. I completely agree Sir Charles!



On a happier note, the mysterious jersey that was built into the New York Yankee's new stadium by a rogue construction worker has reached a bid of $72,200 with one day and two hours to go. The money raised from the auction will go to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund. The jersey was dug out of solid concrete after a construction worker admitted to the prank. The Yankee's management made the decision to dig up the jersey despite destroying part of the completed area and wasting five hours for the whole process.Its a lot of money for a jersey but its for a great cause.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120248650648&tr=y&auid=3582588#ebayphotohosting

Sir Charles Voices His Oppinion On Tejada

By and large, Miguel Tejada probably walked into the interview with ESPN at Citizen's Bank Park thinking the hardest question he would have to answer was something about steroids (of which he has been accused of taking). However, Tejada was instead greeted with a birth certificate obtained by ESPN through the Dominican Republic's government showing the baseball player had been lying about his age. One of my favorite analysts from TNT, Charles Barkley (or Sir Charles which I prefer) voiced his opinion about the subject on Dan Patrick's radio show. Just a few of his comments included:

"I thought what they did to Miguel Tejada was one of the most Bush League things I've ever seen."

"I would have slapped the hell out of that guy."

I absolutely love the blunt and honest response we have come to expect from Charles Barkley about any issue that comes up. In baseball and any other sport, age is a pretty important detail in regards to contract negotiation. I am just glad several people are already standing up for Tejada (even though I hate the Astros) in a world where media automatically puts a negative light on everything to get popularity. Is two years that big of a deal? I don't think so.

Here is a Youtube video of the actual conversation.

Revis . . . Discover The Already Forgotten

I just wanted to throw out a recommendation for a CD I have come to love over the past five years. While attending an Evanescence concert, I had the opportunity to be exposed to the opening act "Revis". Not having a clue who they were and assuming the worst, I decided to ignore them since most bands who open are usually no namers for all the right reasons. However, the minute they started playing I was overtaken by their tunes and the very night picked up their debut album. Unfortunately, the band parted ways after their first album and have subsequently no longer released any new tracks. However, I have to say that this album is by far my favorite one to date so I could not pass up sharing the greatness. I would label Revis straight alternative rock. If you can find this CD still at your local store I highly recommend you pick it up.

Enjoy!

R.I.P. GFW (CGW) 1981-2008

The truism “all good things come to an end” came full circle on April 8, 2008 when GFW (Games for Windows), formerly CGW (Computer Gaming World), officially ended its twenty seven year run. CGW printed their first issue in 1981 and since then has become a forerunner in information for all things computer gaming related. Last year in 2007, GFW’s editor Jeff Green announced that the magazine would be making the shift from CGW to GFW in a deal with Microsoft to garner more newsstand presence and increase sales. After eight issues, the deal failed to be anything but a final gasp of air.Ziff Davis Media, owner of the magazine as well as other publications that focus on hobbies and games such as EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly), filed bankruptcy in recent months because of a substantial lingering debt. The decision to file bankruptcy gave Ziff Davis a chance to reorganize their looming financial woes.

All four editors, Jeff Green, Sean Molloy, Shawn Elliott, and Ryan Scott, will fortunately retain positions within the 1UP network. The new job of the former editors of GFW will be to integrate all things PC (personal computer) gaming related to 1UP.com. It is very good news to see that Ziff Davis has decided to keep these four great writers on staff. In the past three years, GFW has gained a popular cult like following due to their weekly podcast they produce. Since their introduction, “the Brodeo” as it is often playfully referred to, has grown from a thirty minute podcast of unorganized awkwardness to a full length two hour production of hilarious banter, gaming advice, and real world cynicism.I am very disappointed to see the print side of GFW go.

I plan on going out to pick up their final issue, which features Sims 3 on the cover, in an attempt to pay homage to an outstanding group of guys whose podcast I have anxiously downloaded every Wednesday for the past two years. The question still remains, in such a fast paced world where computer interaction is now essential to existence, not just pleasure, is the print side of media on its way out the door? I tend to think not. However, PC gaming has had its ups and downs in the past couple of years with piracy and the ever changing difficulty of maintaining up to date hardware has definitely decreased the popularity of the genre so one could assume its consumer base has fallen. Either way, GFW will live on, hopefully in a stronger and more interesting medium. RIP (rest in peace) GFW (CGW); catch you on the flip side.