Skyrim, and why you should buy it if you haven't already.

So first thing is first, once again sorry about last weeks late post, and to supplement that I also would like to say that The Console War is a two-fronted event, the early side was the actual systems themselves and the second and later side is on games that are released on multiple consoles.  Also I know that Movie Bob talk about it last week as well and I'm not copying him and his arguments, we just happen to have similar viewpoints and he just happened to beat me to the punch.  So all respect to Movie Bob, I don't mean to plagiarize or steal your thunder.

But back to the topic. So Skyrim, yea.  Needless to say this game is awesome.  Probably one of the best that I have played in a long time.  However, that does not mean its without its faults, like the non-sticky object movement function.  Or maybe the RPS (rock/paper/scissors) food chain of the world.  But all in all it is a great game.

Dovakiin.

So to any of you who have played any of the other Elder Scrolls games, Skyrim ones again takes place in the land of Tamriel, only this time in the Northern country of Skyrim.  Oh also if you don't want to learn things about the game I would stop reading here and go pick up a copy before reading the rest.  Back on topic now.  Only this time its 200 years after the events of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.  You see in the absence of the last great Dragonborn, Martin Septim (who turned into a Dragon, don't go flaming me for spoilers because everyone should know this already) the Human Empire has taken a turn for more or less the worst.  The Elven Dominion has decided that Men are inferior to them and since decide that they need to be calling the shots for once.

Now the Thalomor, the Elves in charge of the Dominion, have decided that Talos, the first Dovakiin, or Dragonbron, should no longer be considered a divine, and as such have destroyed all of his temples and decided that any who worship him are to be killed, merely because a Man cannot become a divine.  Theres also a civil war in Skyrim that conveniently happens to coincide with the reappearance of Dragons.  Not like they could have made it so one happens and then the next, like oh no there's Dragons again lets kill those and then kill each other later.  But it all falls on you, the last Dovakiin, to settle all of Skyrims problems.

Dragon from Skyrim.

Once again Skyrim is a sandbox RPG where you can go around and pretty much kill whatever and whoever you want with little fear of retaliation, because if they do you just yell at them.  Seriously, you get mad and give them a little Foss Ro Dah, and argument over.  So along with those sandbox reigns you have a go anywhere, do anything type of deal.  Though Skyrim is considerable smaller than Cyrodil, ES4:Oblivion, you feel like you have more range of movement due to the fact that your a mountain goat and can climb almost anything.  Also you never know when you'll run into a quest from a random stranger too.

Not only is this sandbox huge, there is a ton of customization.  Think of a WoW talent tree for each and every one of your characters skills.  This, if you can't tell, leads to some serious customization.  The same fighting style can differ immensely, for example my Warrior specializes in Axe's and Heavy Armor, a friend of mine does Light Armor and Sword.  Both are warrior and fundamentally the same just different executions.  However the one downside is a complete lack of a stat system, which means no longer stacking Strength for some serious damage bonus/carry weight.

Fus Ro Dah is a meme now.

But I'm pretty sure the question on everyone's minds is: What are the Major quest lines?  Well beside the story quest, aka stop the Dragons from taking over Tamriel again, and the subsequent end of the world, Skyrim offers more Major quest arc's than Oblivion did.  Most notably there are The Companions (Warriors Guild), College of Winterhold (Mages Guild), Thieves Guild, and yes, of course The Dark Brotherhood, only much much less cool.  We've also got a civil war that I mentioned before, oh, and the problems of every Jarl in Skyrim.

The main storyline though, is where the fun is at.  Not only do you fight more dragons than the number of times someone said "Dragonball" in Dragon Ball Z, but you also acquire some really cool shouts, like Clear Sky's, and Fire Breath.  You also get a chance at seeing a familiar organization from the rest of the Elder Scrolls series, a trip to the past, and an actual Elder Scroll.  Thats right, an Elder Scroll.  The first one to be an integral part of any of the games so far in the series.  Oh also, Summon Dragon.

So many dragons you even get to wear them.

The weapons and armor is really good looking, though if you choose Light Armor and make your own you're kinda screwed.  Also the enchanting system is really awesome, you essentially have to destroy an enchanted item to learn its secret, then after you do that you get to put it on any applicable items.  Some enchantments can only be put on certain items, this is to prevent people from tossing chameleon on everything for a 100% invisibility and kill everything, you know, what you did in Oblivion.  These new craft systems are very fun, and a great way to level up, so never look past them as a possibility.

No more Ninja in a living room in Skyrim.

Followers make their way back into Skyrim, only this time they don't die like a match in a hurricane.  They actually do damage, and they will heal out of combat, rather rapidly in fact.  You can get them fairly easily, all you really need to do is join a guild and get to the top, do a favor for a Jarl, or just hire to local drunk at the tavern, or in one case beat a guy within an inch of his life.  It is very beneficial to think before you get into a situation when choosing your followers however.  For example don't take an archer inside a cave, or don't take a Warrior if you're a Warrior too, they would just get in the way.

So all in all Skyrim is awesome.  Bethesda said that they were gonna do a few new and fun things for Skyrim and they delivered on all accounts.  It really makes me happy to know that there is a game company that still takes all of their games seriously and doesn't rush them.  However the game isn't perfect, *cough* stat system *cough*.  Though I am very excited to see what kind of DLC gets introduced in the near future.  But for now Skyrim gets 9 Dragons, and one Fuss Ro Dah, out of 10.  (Thats a 9.5/10 for those who don't speak Dragon.)

The Console War

Okay so yea I'm a little late to the fight here on this one, but that doesn't mean that I'm behind.  So you probably know that by "The Console War" I mean the debate about why to buy what on which console, or even which console to buy if you're just now getting into it.  Yea, this issue has kinda been beaten to a pulp before so it feels like beating a dead horse but sadly enough its something that me and my friends still argue about.  But I will do my best to also modernize the argument a little bit to keep it fresh.

Also sorry about the delay between posts but the semester is coming to a close so that means that homework is getting a bit tougher and more involved, oh and Skyrim.

Okay so as well all know in November of 2005 the current generation of video game consoles launched starting with the XBox 360, then following next November with the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3.  Now even with the years head start on them the 360 was having some trouble dealing with all the hype that the PS3 and Wii were generating.  Yea it offered the newest and easiest form of online play; yea it boasted a graphics core on par with an Alienware; yea it offered a great backwards comparability with launch (although not extensive, and it still isn't extensive), but even with all of these things the PS3 and its Blu-Ray player, and the Wii with its motion controls still sold out for months.

Now I don't know about you, but I remember people camping outside of Best Buy for a week trying to get their hands on a PS3 or a Wii when they launched, and then turning around and selling them on eBay for almost double the price (my brother did this, gotta love free game consoles).  I also remember Game Stop not being able to fill their Wii pre-orders almost 6 months after the system had released.  With all this going on it was almost certain that the 360 was going to loose the console war.  But the truth was far from it.

 

People camping outside of Circut City get interviewed.

Yes, the 360's launch was much less hyped and there was a lot less drama that went along with it.  That doesn't mean that it failed, you see when the PS3 and Wii were launching the 360 unleashed its first exclusive, Gears of War, which I covered earlier, and that, coupled with Achievements, was what saved and secured the 360's position in this generation of consoles.

The PS3 however, boasting not only a Blu-Ray player, but a comprehensive home entertainment setup, and free online play in one system was quite a magnificent piece of hardware.  For those of you who don't know/remember the original 60GB had a full array of camera card inserts on the front of the system, along with an HDMI output on the back, to guarantee that their customers got the greatest experience they could possibly have, for the low low price of $799.  Yes the PS3 was by far the most expensive, but it was also the most versatile.

A vintage image for ya.

Lets not forget the Nintendo Wii either.  Motion controls, avatars that can transfer from game to game,a wholesome family experience.  The Wii was definitely able to compete with the best of them.  Built around not only bringing the family together but also encouraging kids that exercise is fun and healthy.  The other thing that the Wii boasted was the fact that it was the cheapest of the three starting at  $299.  So with Nintendo's name behind it and other great things like promises of a new Mario Kart and new Mario Parties, plus Zelda games, it's no surprise that the Wii was able to keep up with the 360 and PS3.

However for some people they were already biased on their decisions and what they were going to buy because of the last generation.  However for other people, like me, a careful decision had to be made because $300 was a rather large investment for a gaming console.  Things that had to be considered was how was each system built?  How would they accommodate your needs?  How much would you use its features?

For me, and from what I saw, I made my decision on the 360 for a couple of reasons.  The 360 was more designed toward having a great gaming experience, and nothing else.  With the Achievement system you could compare your progress with that of your friends and XBL had a great system for match making and voice communication going on.  It's absolutely NOT because I didn't like the PS3 or the Wii, its just because the 360 fit me, my personality, and my play-style best.  

Another reason I got a 360.  Damn I miss this UI.

The sad thing is all of the hate that had existed between them at the start of it still exists today between some people, even though some of these people own at least two of the consoles.  Yea I get that you have some video game franchise allegiances, but that doesn't mean that others are inferior.  It all boils down to one thing, personal preference.

How we treat people who have a different opinion from ours.

You cannot advance video games in society if we as a community of video game enthusiasts don't band together and get over our petty arguments.  We have to realize that something like this is stupid because it boils down to arguing about your favorite color and why its better than all the rest.  Just remember this the next time you go out to your local video game store to pick up Skyrim (which if you don't have it buy it) and see someone standing next to you buying it for a different console.  Or when you and your friends are arguing over why you bought what game for what system, remember that it just comes down to personal preference.

See ya next time kids.

Anime NebrasKon

Okay so I was going to do a Harold and Kumar in 3D review, but I just wasn't feeling it.  Long story short its good, better than the 2nd, not as good as the first and the 3D is worth it, mainly because they go over the top and it defines the movie but not in a preachy Avatar sort of way.  If you want to hear more feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email at moldbreakerz@gmail.com and we can talk.

But at any rate, this past weekend was a big weekend for me, well kinda.  This past weekend was my first anime convention.  And let me tell you it was a blast.  I've never had so much fun or felt so relaxed at the same time, despite standing in combat boots for almost 18 hours a day.  I really did enjoy it, and I got some great pictures too.

He's Dr. Roxxo and he does cocaine.

So I know what some people might think: "Oh, an Anime convention, what a nerd.  That's not cool, I'm never gonna do that".  That is completely 1000% not the case.  I have never meet a more accepting group of people than I did at the convention.  Everyone was very nice, courteous, and the best part is we all had something in common from the moment we stepped foot inside the door.

Not to mention the fact that some of the panels were absolutely hilarious.  Friday night we went to one called The Organ Trail, yes I do mean Organ and not Oregon, which was a zombie version of The Oregon Trail.  The panel was originally supposed to be a live action game but due to complications it turned into an audience wide team playing the computer game.  Great times were had from killing off Snookie, to seeing Derp the zombie be the only other survivor on our great cross country trip.  There was also Cosplay Chess, a Dating Auction, a Zelda panel, and even a panel devoted to flaming peoples favorite Anime.  And panels weren't the only thing that was going on there either.

That's a big hammer.

Saturday night  there was the cosplay competition.  This was where con-goers, who choose to, could enter in their costumes to compete with other con-goers for fabulous prizes.  There were a lot of fantastic costumes in a lot of interesting categories from just costume, swimsuit, skit, stage performance, and even the judges choice.  Then on Sunday morning came the AMV contest, which I regretfully did not go to, even though I heard it was hilarious.

Nebraskon hosted a plethora of great guests as well, everyone from Keith Silverstein, Starrk in Bleach and Shen in League of Legends (also got his autograph), to Chris Sabat, Vegeta in Dragon Ball Z, and even Stephanie Young, Nico Robin in One Piece.  An all star cast that was truly unique and hosted a great number of interesting panels, which I regret that I could not go to, oh well, next year.  Its a great way for both them to meet their fans and their fans to meet their favorite voices.

The Champ!

Other random events took place, along with random shouts and random acts of random.  Like the people dressed as the duo from Adventure Time running through the hallways yelling "What time is it?"  That and even the giant duct tape amoeba shouting "One of us", "I choose Cthulhu", and "Joooiiinnnn ussss".

In addition to this I got a ton of amazing photos which I've posted on both facebook and on imgur.  I'll throw some links down below.  All in all it was a great time from all the people dressed as ponies, to the cosplay chess, the old spice man, and even the Nerdtron raves on both Friday and Saturday nights.  Speaking of Nerdtron they're having their own convention and they do what the do for a great cause, check em out at: http://nerdtron.net/

Ponies.

So to all of those who went I'll see you there again next year, if not at another convention I go to, which I'll post here.  So kids, till next time.

Imgur:  Imgur Album (note the last 5 photos of the album I DO NOT own)
Facebook: Facebook Album

$60 Roster Updates

So I was at Best Buy the other day, yea I know sellout whatever, but I was picking up my copy of Captain America on Blu-Ray, which is awesome by the way if you haven't gotten it finish reading this post and go get it, when I noticed a display advertising last years Madden on sale for 1/2 off (don't know if it was a local deal or what).  But this really got me thinking about how ridiculous sports games really are.  I mean we pay $60 for a brand new game every year that pretty much consists of a roster update.  There has to be something that can be done about this problem.  Thankfully you have me here and together were going to fix it.

Now, as far as I'm concerned, the whole sports in video games has been around for along time, Excitebike, Duck Hunt, and Tecmo Bowl ( I had to) are all very good examples of very early sports games.  Now times have changed a little bit since they have came out but they are still sports games.  The big difference now is when those games came out people played them because they were new and interesting, now people buy them for only the reason of having to have the latest and greatest.  Fortunately for my own sanity I have not gotten into the whole sports games fad and do not plan on it.

I'm sure we all have fond memories of this.

Still why are they so popular, well look back at my post on Call of Duty and what its caused.  With the dawn of the new generation of games, i.e. better graphics, online play, and tournaments, this type of game has become more popular.  People are willing to go out and spend their money buying them because their friends are going to get them and they want to play with their friends.  Game Studios found something that works, and they're exploiting it.

Now I know that last week I said that games like Call of Duty should be applauded because they found a good marketing strategy and a good core experience that will keep people coming back to play their games for years.  But why is it so different with sports games?  Its like I said earlier: you pay $60 for a roster update, something that should be a yearly patch, or a monthly patch.  These games will rarely add new features but once every 3 years and quite honestly the multiplayer experience almost never changes.  The biggest things that change are the following: 1) The roster gets updated, 2) The graphics get slightly better (oh yay now i can see my players sweat stains), 3) The rookies get added in with new stats.  That's it, three things, don't look for much else.

For the love of all that is good don't buy it.

However there is a solution that can we as consumers can do to help fight this problem.  Actually I have more than one solution, but some are just better than others.

First, we can proceed to hunt down every last person who buys a sports game every year.  Once we find them we herd them into a giant walled city for them to live in and not spread their affliction of uselessly buying sports games.  While they're living in there we select a few people at a time and start them on a intense rehab program that involved watching hours upon hours of Hannah Montana and being shocked every time they think of next years Madden, or NCAA title.  And once the rest see that their friends are leaving they will start to act in a similar manner and not buy a yearly sports title, thus curing them of their psychosis.  Slightly cruel, but it should be pretty effective.

Second, we can form a massive lynch mob head for EA Sports' studios.  When we get their its time to light your Molotov's ladies and gentlemen because this building is going to burn.  Its like Queen Myrrah said: "Cut of the head of the snake and the body dies".  The head is the game studios, burn it and they will no longer spew their yearly excuse for a $60 Frisbee.  Less cruel, more fun, still effective.

You know you want to.

Lastly, and the most plausible one of them all, we limit ourselves on how often we buy these games.  For instance instead of buying them every year, we only buy them every other, or every three years.  This is honestly the best way for a couple of reasons.  The game studio still gets to make their yearly abomination but they don't get the pleasure of giving it to every american gaming console.  Also, if you only buy a copy every 2-3 years you still get the new content and graphics, but it will be all the better because you've had to wait for it.  And the biggest reason that this is the best option is because no one will be blaming me for the tragedies that will ensue if either of the former should occur.  Everybody wins.

If this was an actual achievement I might try playing it.

So I guess long and short is just don't buy into the sports games every year.  The games don't evolve very fast, there's really not much new that is brought to the table, and honestly, it's kind of a waste of money.  So not only help yourself from this terrible decision, but also help your friends with it, remind them next time that they decide they want a new sports game, ask them is it really worth it?  Till next time.