Train of Thought

Here we go again folks. I enjoyed the last post, so I'm going at it again. It's been an interesting 3-day off stretch so far, that's for certain. Went to get my taxes done on Tuesday... which took forever. Problem was, I had to file a Wisconsin return for some of the grant work I did there. I came out as neutral. I get no money from them, they get nothing from me. Yet when the paperwork printed, it said I owed WI the obsurd sum of $650, which made absolutely no sense. They got that fixed, but I had to wander around for over an hour and a half before that was done.

The tax return is going to be good. Good enough that I purchased Metro 2033 without feeling guilty about it. I'll be reviewing the game once I finish it. At this point, I'm not far enough in to offer any reasonable opinion on how good or bad the game is.

I'm also shopping around for LED TVs and new sound systems. Let's just say I'm smelling some significant upgrades on the horizon.

Tuesday night, I had my friend Tim over, and we went and saw Green Zone. It's not as awesome as the commercials hype it to be, but it's still a pretty good movie. It's worth seeing in theaters or renting, though I probably wouldn't buy the DVD.

We've also been doing something my brother and I used to do in the pre-internet gaming days, and back when few games had worthwile coop. What we'd do is take a single player game and keep seapping back and forth who plays it. We decided to play some Black Site: Area 5q, since it'd be a surprise to both of us what happens. Since we're not paying attention to the collectables guide, I'll have to play through a second time, but I don't really mind that. The game is much better than Turning Point or Fracture, the last games HOTBA have worked. I'm kind of interested to see who will be the first in our rotation to pick a game to boost that ISN'T a shooter LOL.

The "games I'm working" list is starting to get insane. Here's the list of games I'm honestly consider myself currently working on:

-Fracture
-Black Site
-FFXIII
-Deadly Premonition
-Metro 2033
-Phantasy Star Universe
-Perfect Dark

On the backburner, but not forgotten:
-Bioshock 2
-Borderlands

That's right. Heaven help me, I'm trying to juggle NINE games at once. If I don't complete a couple of these soon, things are really going to get out of hand. PSU and Deadly Premonition are easy enough to do, I just need to put the time in. Black Site will work itself out. I'm not worried about that one. Metro and FFXIII are really new additions, so those will take some time, as will Fracture. I'm still on pace for Bronze this year, with three completions and we're in the 3rd month of 2010. However, if I want to do any better than a lowly bronze, I need to get my game on.

I might, MIGHT have a slight break in April, as there doesn't seem to be much coming that month that I can't wait to pluck from the bargain bin. May seems heavy though, if GameStop's release dates for Prince of Persia, Lost Planet 2, Alan Wake, and Red Dead Redemption are accurate...

Stream of Consciousness

SCAVENGER HUNT: You have found the original post I wrote with absolutely no prior plan. As per the clue, the third clue number is 3.

CLUE #4: You will find the next number in the post where I show that I'm not immune to the problem that has faced so many Xbox owners.

This is probably a bad idea. I sit here boosting with the usual crew after a long and frankly terrible day at work. Everyone has bad days from time to time... well this one was particularly crappy, so the usual stupid banter of the group (and making fun of Silva) was a welcome change of pace. I've been in the session for over two hours now, and we've logged less than 100 matches while I've been here. Seriously, 1500 games is going to take forever. I could probably read through Atlas Shrugged before we're done, if I started now (1000+ pages, small type, dense philosophy).

As we go, I thought I'd blog about something, but no topic came to mind, and I'm too tired to really research anything. Instead, I'm going Stream of Consciousness and writing as thoughts come to me. The text scrolling across the page reading as close to my spoken style of voice as you're likely to get without chilling with me in a party chat. Maybe something interesting will come from this, maybe people will read to this point and simply stop. Bonus points for whoever follows along to the end, I guess. Let's call it an experiment. What we're testing and what the point is I do now know, so the "journey" is a surprise to all of us.

Since this is a gaming blog, I guess I should at least try to focus my thoughts on gaming. So, allow me to start with the dudes I spend so much time gaming with. I must say that while I'll probably not do another Gamerscore League (seriously Bishop), I'm greatful for the ones I did. Without 6, I wouldn't have found Silva, Ducky, Buck, or Derek (Ducky and Buck have been very MIA of late). Without 7, I would not have been introduced to Sabre or Dark, or had the opportunity to game with Bishop (I already kind of knew who he was). It's fantastic to have found some people who not only had the right attitude and approach to a competition that can send people into unbelievable fits of nerd rage, but are also a blast to chill with both when hunting for points and when playing for fun. I hope most of us are in for some Perfect Dark XBLA action, probably on Thursday (I'm going to try to go out and be social on St. Patty's... a shocker I know).

I can't wait for the rerelease of PD. The original was a freaking classic, but it's practically unplayable in the modern age of dual sticks. I'm looking forward to modern shooting controls and a stable framerate. Oh, and fragging Silva's ass with the Laptop Gun. Repeatedly. I fondly remember group cooperative matches where we faced off against hordes of bots, either for the joy of slaughter or to see how long we could hold out against tough competition. I remember the campaign fondly, but this purchase will be strongly motivated by the desire for some old-school multiplayer action.

The other purchase I think I'll make (though I'm not sure) is Metro 2033 tomorrow. I need to get back in the review game, after not completing anything for General Knoxx (I just haven't been able to get together with my bro enough to complete it in a timely fashion), and I've been dragging ass on Deadly Premonition (minor game and it is quite bad), so I think I need to buckle down and push out a review that shows I've still got it. Not that anyone has actually doubted, but I'm feeling rusty and that doesn't jive with the high standards I set for myself in every writing endeavor (except this blog post). Metro 2033 is largely and unknown entity to me. The one review I read, from a website whose reputation I don't put too much stock in (and the review wasn't that well written... the cliche "story" introduction rubbed me worst of all) said it's awesomely moody, but the shooting isn't that great. Compairing the game in relation to know heavyweights like Bioshock and Halflife helped me imagine the gameplay, but that review spent a little too much time on comparison for my taste. For an engaging story and immersive setting, I'm more than willing to forgive some so-so shooting action, so we'll see. I'm getting my taxes done tomorrow, so my purchase decision may be influenced in part by the size of my return.

Of course, adding Metro 2033 means yet another incomplete game on my tag. I've given up completion percentage; that has not changed, but I want to do well in my medaling challenge for the year. There are several games I'm within striking distance of completing, and actually want to play, but they're falling unintentionally onto the backburner as new stuff comes out. I need to kill Dark Falz 2 (help needed) in PSU for that chore of a completion. I need to run through Bioshock 2 on easy to pick up a few missing achievements, and play the multiplayer some more. Deadly Premonition I need to speedrun on Normal and then again on Easy and that 1k is on ice. With Borderlands, I just need to find a day where my bro and I are both free and play the hell out of it. Of course, I'm also working on Fracture with the HOTBA, and FFXIII because I want to, and it falls under J-Quest. Plus, my bro, the cheeky bastard, doesn't think I can finish FFXIII before FFXIV comes out. =) I know my reputation with JRPGs isn't legendary, but COME ON. Given Square Enix's development time on the last few, you're basically wagering that it will take me at least 5 years to finish the game. I think not.

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: COmpleted 250 multiplayer games in Fracture

Still reading? Your one dedicated blog reader! I'd kind of like to have another contest of some sort for my blog readers, though I'm not sure what kind of contest it would be or what the prize should be. As Silva can attest, I deliver my prizes. He didn't think I was serious about that 1600 microsoft points for the Banner Contest a while back. Oh! I know! Perhaps a design your own achievement list contest? That could be fun. I need to think of rules and a prize though... we'll see.

If you haven't, go check out the blogs of Dark, Bishop, and Sabre (and Silva when he decides to update). They all need to post more often lol =P Each feels like a developing blog, where they haven't quite hit on the head what they want to do with it, but each is innovating and trying something new achieve a new and more solid identity. I look forward to seeing what they try and the results it brings them.

This blog innovated for a while, but I have to admit I've stalled lately. Content is still fairly consistent, and I take great pride in that (over 200 posts and counting), but I haven't delivered much for what I consider "heavy hitting" posts of late. It's been a while since I did any special topics, longer still since I wrote a serious editorial piece. Segments like "ThrawnOmega Predicts the Future" are sure to continue, and I absolutely love the video blogs. So far, the reception on those seems to be good, but I haven't heard that much about them one way or the other. They take about 10x as long to do as a simply types post, but they are quite fun to do. Over the coming months, I definitely want to look into some more serious posts to sprinkle in amongst the common "here's what I'm doing in the world of achievements posts." While the common posts are good, and the meat of this blog, I think the other stuff is what helps this blog stand out and keep it unique. Any suggestions on what you think of the blog or what you'd like to see more of would be appreciated, if you have any thoughts.

Oh, and while my 300th post is still 77 posts away, I'll go ahead and say this now: It's going to be EPIC. It will also likely be rather lengthy (like the post you still seem to be reading), so go into it fully prepared to spend a fair amount of time on the blog on that particular day.

Bishop, if you've read this far, I like the wierd news/story idea. The more bizarre, outlandish, or obsure, the better =P I'm amazed Webb responded back about the interview... he never returns my PMs LOL! (Well, he does return the review related ones ^-^)

Sabre, if you're reading this, your blog is called "Sabre x360a Military Gamer." If you're cool with it, I'd love to hear more about your military experiences, current or past experiences. Combat or day to day routines. It's one thing you could use to help your blog stand out and be unique if you decide to expand your audience. You know things most of the gaming community does not. The military aspect seemed important enough for you to make it part of the title of your blog, so why not use it more?

Dark, I have a crazy notion for you. Fancy catching a Twins game at Target Field sometime this season? We actually live in the same state, so meeting in person isn't out of the question. I've love to share a beer or two with Sabre, Silva, and Bishop (we'll make him a 'McLovin' ID), but I don't think I'll be stopping by Texas, New York, of Louisiana any time soon. Us catching a Twins game is totally withing the realm of plausability, if we plan for it. Let me know if you'd be interested.

All right, I'm calling this quits for tonight. I feel like I've been typing FOREVER.

Things I Learned Boosting Fracture

Boosting can be great times. Random conversations to pass the boredom are the best. You learn interesting things with the people you boost with. Here's some of the things I learned while boosting Fracture:

(note: I'll take this post down if the parties mentioned object to it)

Sabre wakes up at 5am almost every morning for drills/execrises. I won't copy all the details, but Sabre is a real life badass lol. Don't think otherwise. =P

Sabre makes his wife mow the lawn.

Wisconsin has more bars than grocery stores. They probably drink more than anyone else too.

Silva has no idea what people do on a daily basis in states that aren't New York or California. Seriously, it's sorta hilarious =P Apparently, New Yorkers live in their own little world.

We debated what is more pathetic, making the world's longest gum wrapper chain, or grown men boosting achievements. Considering the wrapper chain is 12 miles long and was started over 30 years ago, we feel Mr. Gum Wrapper wins.

A prom in Mississippi was cancelled because a lesbain girl wanted to go with her partner. (My brother relayed this bit of news)

Russian hackers jam traffic with porn video: reports
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Drivers in the Russian capital, Moscow, were given an unexpected show courtesy of a 30-by-20 foot electronic highway billboard when an explicit pornographic video was played for nearly twenty minutes in place of the paid advertisement clips that are usually shown. The incident happened near the entrance into Serpukovskiy tunnel on Sadovoe Ring Road, about 2 kilometers south of the Kremlin.

"Within three minutes we found it out, and within fifteen minutes the screen was shut off," the deputy head of the Moscow city advertising committee, Alexander Menchuk, said in a statement to Interfax. A passerby told the Associated Press that she was "so shocked that I couldn't even shoot video or take a picture of it."

The display screen's owner, the Three Stars Advertising Agency of Panno.ru, said that computer hackers attempting to execute a practical joke were likely to blame. Viktor Laptev, commercial director for the firm said, "They were either acting out of hooliganism or were from a rival company."

Although a city official has been quoted as telling local media that Moscow would increase security of data transmission in light of what happened, local police say they have yet to receive a single complaint about the incident, and thereby have not opened an investigation. Nudity on television is officially banned in Russia.

Information from: Wikinews, http://www.wikinews.org

Silva lost his socks. He didn't want to go find another pair. His level of frustration was hilarious.

Another bizarre story for you:

Woman charged in breast milk assault on jailer
Sun Mar 7, 1:04 pm ET
OWENSBORO, Ky. – A woman in jail for public intoxication was accused of assaulting a jailer by squirting breast milk at her. WYMT-TV reported that a 31-year-old woman was arrested Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication. But as she was changing into an inmate uniform, she squirted breast milk into the face of a female deputy who was with her.

The woman now faces a felony charge of third degree assault on a police officer. Her bond was set at $10,000.

Olympic organizers have been providing free condoms to athletes since the Barcelona Olympics of 1992.

Apparently a hybrid mixture of Bud Lite Lime and Red Bull is amazing.

Thrawn ran out of Bacardi Razz.

Bishop doesn't care about Tim Tebow after he's left Florida.

Minnesota has hockey. WIN. (duh)

Like Thrawn, Silva works on salary. Unfortunately for Silva, he seems to be getting abused for that more often.

A man set himself on fire because he was smoking while using gasoline as a cleaning agent. He was from WISCONSIN lol.

bizarrenews.org is a great site to read from to everyone during a boosting session. Great way generate group lolz.

Thrawn really doesn't like staying up past his bed time to boost when he has a 12 hour shift the next morning...

Operation Hell Grind a Success!

Oh. My. God. I feel like a could roll over and die right now, but it's all (almost) over. I spent the vast majority of my day turbogrinding in PSU, in my bid to hit level 90 before the end of the MAG+ event. After all the hours of grinding away while watching TV to make it tolerable, I've finally hit the magic number, and just in time, as MAG+ will go bye bye in just a few short hours.

The insanity of this grindathon is second only to Warriors Orochi 2, but at least that game was worth 1000 total points. I'm at 49 hours of playtime to get to 90, and I still need to find a helper to take out Dark Falz 2 to actually get my achievement. That's a LOT of time to invest in hunting down 250 points...

I now have my copy of Fracture in hand, so I'll be getting down to that nonsense tomorrow with the HOTBA. How far will we get on those achievements? Given our track record, I'll probably have to finish it off by boosting myself at some future date, but we'll see. I think we need to find some word games or topics of conversation to pass the time... Turning Point was a little too quiet, and Fracture will take much longer.

Grinding Hell

I must suffer for my procrastination, it seems. The MAG+ event for Phantasy Star Universe ends tomorrow, with me still 20 levels (when the day started) from the promised land of level 90, the minimum level needed for access to the last achievement boss. Despite FFXIII in my possession, I spent the bulk of my morning and early afternoon grinding levels in PSU on one screen while watching TV on the other. At least I got to watch The Price is Right (it's the one advantage of those weekday days off). At about level 76, I couldn't take it anymore, so I popped in FFXIII for a spin. I'm now on an afternoon food and Netflix break, then it'll be some more FFXIII before returning to another long evening session of PSU when more interesting prime time shows are on. I'm going to plan my grinding tonight around TV schedules... sigh. The things I do for another JRPG completion.

RE5: Desperate Escape

The review can be found here. Just wanted to let you all know since I'm thinking it got buried in the recent rush of news.

That's all... I'm off to enjoy some FFXIII before I have to start what I'll be blogging about tomorrow.

Video Episode 3

Best episode yet for random banter, crazy shenanigans, and grown men making asses of themselves.