After experiencing the opening sequence for Mass Effect 2, I started thinking about other games that grabbed my attention from the get-go. This one came to mind immediately, and I still believe it's the finest example of hooking your 'audience' and compelling them to play on.
The audio that plays as you descend in the bathysphere is haunting, and the reveal of the underwater city at the crescendo of the monologue floored me the first time I saw it. The setting, the atmosphere, the lighting, everything combines to make a scene that many movie directors would envy. It's moments like this that make me happy to play video games.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Five Random Observations
Here's a patchwork collection of thoughts and observations I've had over the past few days:
1. It's far more difficult to be romantic and thoughtful when nearly every waking moment of your day is mapped out for you by the simple act of caring for children. My wife and I did our best to celebrate Valentine's Day today, even though neither of us had the time or opportunity over the past couple of weeks to get out and do anything for the other, to the point that we didn't even exchange cards. It sounds horrible, but it's really not. We've talked about it, and we're both alright with the situation. It's safe to say that the level of chaos that has enveloped our lives may preclude some simple rituals that were easier to accomplish in years past, and it seems observing this day properly is just one in a long list of casualties. Never fear though; I love my wife, she loves me, and we'll still be here for many years to come.
2. The passage of time can feel warped in many different ways, based on your personal perception. For example, there are days that feel as if they are never going to end, and just an hour can feel like an eternity. In the midst of a stretch of days like this, though, it's easy to look at the calendar and go, "Wow, 3 months have passed already?! Where did the time go?" It's a phenomenon that is hard to truly appreciate until you've experienced it.
3. While researching options to make our living room electronics more compact and kid-friendly, I made the startling discovery that the manufacturer of our 42" plasma display (Fujitsu) extricated itself from the HDTV market in late 2007. For some reason, I was incredibly chagrined to find this information, and I feel like I have a sad little orphan in our living room. It makes me want to give it a hug and say, "It's alright. You have a safe and happy home with us." It also means that I had absolutely no luck in finding manufacturer- standard side mount speakers for the unit. Bah.
4. My children can go from incredibly sweet, adorable and caring angels to evil, selfish and destructive little monsters in the span of a single breath. Which, by all accounts, makes them your typical two-year-olds. Go figure.
5. My plan to execute the gaming project I discussed a couple of weeks ago is alive and well, even if I haven't been writing about it. Since my last post on the subject, I've fired up at least one game that qualifies for the project, and possibly a second. When my schedule and sleep level is sufficient to produce text worth reading on the subject, they will appear here. Until then, know that I'm stealing some time here and there to play games, but it's not regular or long.
1. It's far more difficult to be romantic and thoughtful when nearly every waking moment of your day is mapped out for you by the simple act of caring for children. My wife and I did our best to celebrate Valentine's Day today, even though neither of us had the time or opportunity over the past couple of weeks to get out and do anything for the other, to the point that we didn't even exchange cards. It sounds horrible, but it's really not. We've talked about it, and we're both alright with the situation. It's safe to say that the level of chaos that has enveloped our lives may preclude some simple rituals that were easier to accomplish in years past, and it seems observing this day properly is just one in a long list of casualties. Never fear though; I love my wife, she loves me, and we'll still be here for many years to come.
2. The passage of time can feel warped in many different ways, based on your personal perception. For example, there are days that feel as if they are never going to end, and just an hour can feel like an eternity. In the midst of a stretch of days like this, though, it's easy to look at the calendar and go, "Wow, 3 months have passed already?! Where did the time go?" It's a phenomenon that is hard to truly appreciate until you've experienced it.
3. While researching options to make our living room electronics more compact and kid-friendly, I made the startling discovery that the manufacturer of our 42" plasma display (Fujitsu) extricated itself from the HDTV market in late 2007. For some reason, I was incredibly chagrined to find this information, and I feel like I have a sad little orphan in our living room. It makes me want to give it a hug and say, "It's alright. You have a safe and happy home with us." It also means that I had absolutely no luck in finding manufacturer- standard side mount speakers for the unit. Bah.
4. My children can go from incredibly sweet, adorable and caring angels to evil, selfish and destructive little monsters in the span of a single breath. Which, by all accounts, makes them your typical two-year-olds. Go figure.
5. My plan to execute the gaming project I discussed a couple of weeks ago is alive and well, even if I haven't been writing about it. Since my last post on the subject, I've fired up at least one game that qualifies for the project, and possibly a second. When my schedule and sleep level is sufficient to produce text worth reading on the subject, they will appear here. Until then, know that I'm stealing some time here and there to play games, but it's not regular or long.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Self Doubt
Ever since the events of last Friday, which to be completely honest most likely wouldn't amount to a hill of beans to anyone else but me, I've been suffering from a terrible case of self doubt. When I'm working, every time a call comes in, or the 'new e-mail' reminder pops up on my desktop, or someone stops by my cube, inevitably the first thought that races through my head is, "Oh no, what have I done wrong now?" As you can imagine, this is not the optimal way to be a happy and productive member of society. I'm constantly queasy, worrying what will happen next, and nervous about my perception among my peers. Confidence is the key to almost all aspects of life, and right now I'm going through a severe lack of confidence in my work.
It wasn't that long ago that I felt as if I produced a quality product, that my efforts and performance met a standard of quality acceptable for the company where I work. Unfortunately now, because of this doubt that eats away at me, I'm never sure if what I'm doing is good enough. It's pretty obvious, even to me as I try desperately not to wallow in self-pity, that something needs to be done to right the course of my career and confidence. But what? That's the million dollar question, and one that I wrestle with constantly these days, because I don't want to feel this way.
One of the biggest issues I deal with regarding my lack of confidence is insuring that it doesn't bleed over into the rest of my life. I have a wife and three amazing children who deserve a husband and father who is happy, upbeat and completely devoted to making sure their needs are met and that I'm supporting them in every possible way. That's a tall order when I feel essentially useless at work. Fortunately, I've had no problem coming home and helping out with the chores, chasing the twins around, and rocking my infant daughter to sleep every night. They are my solace, the oasis where I can be myself each evening. The unconditional love I feel and reciprocate every time I walk through the door is the motivation that allows me to get up each morning and face the prospect of 8+ hours of work.
Sorry for the 'pity party for one' and the general down nature of the blog these past few days, not to mention my absence. If you're still reading, thank you for your perseverance and know that the overall mood will lighten soon. Just being able to spend some time putting how I feel into words on the screen has been a cathartic experience, one that I hope will help me stay on the path to overcoming the start of mind that currently occupies my day. Soon I'll be back to the lighthearted discussion about video games and other silly topics that come to mind, but for now this blog can act as an amateur shrink. Until next time, thanks again and be safe...
It wasn't that long ago that I felt as if I produced a quality product, that my efforts and performance met a standard of quality acceptable for the company where I work. Unfortunately now, because of this doubt that eats away at me, I'm never sure if what I'm doing is good enough. It's pretty obvious, even to me as I try desperately not to wallow in self-pity, that something needs to be done to right the course of my career and confidence. But what? That's the million dollar question, and one that I wrestle with constantly these days, because I don't want to feel this way.
One of the biggest issues I deal with regarding my lack of confidence is insuring that it doesn't bleed over into the rest of my life. I have a wife and three amazing children who deserve a husband and father who is happy, upbeat and completely devoted to making sure their needs are met and that I'm supporting them in every possible way. That's a tall order when I feel essentially useless at work. Fortunately, I've had no problem coming home and helping out with the chores, chasing the twins around, and rocking my infant daughter to sleep every night. They are my solace, the oasis where I can be myself each evening. The unconditional love I feel and reciprocate every time I walk through the door is the motivation that allows me to get up each morning and face the prospect of 8+ hours of work.
Sorry for the 'pity party for one' and the general down nature of the blog these past few days, not to mention my absence. If you're still reading, thank you for your perseverance and know that the overall mood will lighten soon. Just being able to spend some time putting how I feel into words on the screen has been a cathartic experience, one that I hope will help me stay on the path to overcoming the start of mind that currently occupies my day. Soon I'll be back to the lighthearted discussion about video games and other silly topics that come to mind, but for now this blog can act as an amateur shrink. Until next time, thanks again and be safe...
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Here's to the Saints
Not much to pass on tonight, other than my hat's off to the Saints on winning their first Super Bowl, and beating the hated Colts in the process. I won't lie to you and say that the little kid in me wasn't going crazy when Tracy Porter took the 4th quarter interception to the house. From what little coverage I watched and heard over the past couple of weeks, it felt as if the Saints weren't being given a serious chance, so to have the upstarts come in and upset the favorites, after being down 10-0, makes it all the sweeter. Party on, Bourbon Street, you've earned it tonight.
Today felt like a good day all around. I spent a few hours in my basement, working on a project that's due at the end of this week. After that, I spent the afternoon with the twins, while Mommy and baby took a nap. Then, after the twins were settled in bed, the wife and I watched a movie. I know, blasphemy, watching a movie while the Super Bowl was on! All I can say is that my wife and I needed the time together, and the best way to spend it was watching a silly movie curled up on the couch together. Besides, I saw the best part of the game (last 12 minutes of the 4th quarter).
The movie, by the way? Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I highly recommend it, as the art style and animation are great and the story is silly enough to enjoy at any age.
Today felt like a good day all around. I spent a few hours in my basement, working on a project that's due at the end of this week. After that, I spent the afternoon with the twins, while Mommy and baby took a nap. Then, after the twins were settled in bed, the wife and I watched a movie. I know, blasphemy, watching a movie while the Super Bowl was on! All I can say is that my wife and I needed the time together, and the best way to spend it was watching a silly movie curled up on the couch together. Besides, I saw the best part of the game (last 12 minutes of the 4th quarter).
The movie, by the way? Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I highly recommend it, as the art style and animation are great and the story is silly enough to enjoy at any age.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Family Day
Last night I found it difficult to sleep as my mind started to process the events of the day. Once I was finally able to doze at around 12:30am, I was awakened at 4:30am by my son having a nightmare. After settling him back down, my mind started racing again, and I lay awake until 7am when I took the baby from my wife to let her get some rest. Holding my daughter on the couch downstairs before everyone was awake, I did my best to determine what I was going to do about the situation. There's more to come with this, and it all rests on my shoulders. In my mind, this is a 'put up or shut up' moment, and I intend to 'put up.'
The rest of the day was a lot of fun. Vowing to put everything else out of my mind, I concentrated on spending time with the family, to reaffirm why I go to work every day in the first place. There's nothing quite as amazing as the unconditional love of a young child, and anyone who's experienced it should agree with me. It doesn't matter what's going on outside the walls of this house, when I come home I'm Daddy. From the endless races in a circle around the first floor, to sharing breakfast together at the table, to getting a special hug just for being me, I feel like the greatest man on earth with my kids. They are the greatest things that could have ever happened to me and I can't thank them enough for their love and support.
On a much lighter note, I stole some time to finish up the main game component of Swords & Poker. Some of the spells available to you later in the game are completely crazy, such as the Chaos spell, which turns the 4 corner cards on the grid into wildcards. Using this spell I was able to generate a Royal Flush hand, and take off a full quarter of my opponent's health in one move. The downside is it opens up the same opportunity to your opponent. Regardless, as I mentioned before, this is a game that is well worth the cost if you own an iPhone.
The rest of the day was a lot of fun. Vowing to put everything else out of my mind, I concentrated on spending time with the family, to reaffirm why I go to work every day in the first place. There's nothing quite as amazing as the unconditional love of a young child, and anyone who's experienced it should agree with me. It doesn't matter what's going on outside the walls of this house, when I come home I'm Daddy. From the endless races in a circle around the first floor, to sharing breakfast together at the table, to getting a special hug just for being me, I feel like the greatest man on earth with my kids. They are the greatest things that could have ever happened to me and I can't thank them enough for their love and support.
On a much lighter note, I stole some time to finish up the main game component of Swords & Poker. Some of the spells available to you later in the game are completely crazy, such as the Chaos spell, which turns the 4 corner cards on the grid into wildcards. Using this spell I was able to generate a Royal Flush hand, and take off a full quarter of my opponent's health in one move. The downside is it opens up the same opportunity to your opponent. Regardless, as I mentioned before, this is a game that is well worth the cost if you own an iPhone.
Friday, February 5, 2010
One of THOSE Days
Overall, today was not a bad day. The vast majority of what transpired was good to great. The kids were happy to see me when I came home, and I spent a fair amount of time chasing them around the house. The littlest daughter had some cozy time in my arms, as we chatted and wandered the first floor, trying to get her tired little eyes to close. For the most part, work was bearable and, considering this was my group's monthly meeting day, I even managed to be productive for most of the afternoon.
I'm not going to rehash it here, but I had a conversation with a person in another office that was incredibly disappointing. Even now, just thinking about it sends a fresh wave of depressing feelings over me. At some point I may talk about it in more depth, but as there's still a lot of personal sorting out of the actual meaning and ramifications of the conversation that needs to occur, I'll leave it at this brief mention.
One other upside from the day is that my wife and I watched Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog together tonight. I'll be the first to sheepishly admit that this was the first time I've seen it completely. For some reason, I watched the first act and part of the second, had to stop and just never went back. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining experience, and it's not hard to see why the Internet went crazy over it when it first hit the scene back in 2008. Neil Patrick Harris is incredible and truly steals the show, Felicia Day is perfect for her role, and Nathan Fillion plays the 'I'm a hero and a douchebag' to a T. The music and lyrics are fantastic, and even my wife (not immersed in the Internet culture) laughed all the way through. If you, like me, somehow missed this when it first made the rounds, you owe it to yourself to catch up now. You won't be disappointed.
As I'm working on this post, I have Beyond Good and Evil downloading and installing in the background. I've decided this will be the second game in the Game Project. This is a game I've heard nothing but great things about, but for some reason just haven't sat down to give it a try. I'll post my initial impressions after giving it a shot later tonight or over the weekend.
I should also mention that I finally worked my way through Mass Effect Galaxy on the iPhone. While the story was mildly interesting, the control and combat were a bit difficult to really get a feel for, and I never truly felt in control. The narrative was incredibly linear, but it did serve to introduce some characters and backstory for Mass Effect 2. All in all, I'm not disappointed that I spent the money for it ($1.99), and as an added bonus, I will log in with my EA.com account to get whatever special DLC is available for finishing the game.
That's all for tonight. The events of the day have left me a bit uninspired, so I'm off to find some good feelings and get my mind off everything. Take care and have a great Friday!
I'm not going to rehash it here, but I had a conversation with a person in another office that was incredibly disappointing. Even now, just thinking about it sends a fresh wave of depressing feelings over me. At some point I may talk about it in more depth, but as there's still a lot of personal sorting out of the actual meaning and ramifications of the conversation that needs to occur, I'll leave it at this brief mention.
One other upside from the day is that my wife and I watched Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog together tonight. I'll be the first to sheepishly admit that this was the first time I've seen it completely. For some reason, I watched the first act and part of the second, had to stop and just never went back. It was a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining experience, and it's not hard to see why the Internet went crazy over it when it first hit the scene back in 2008. Neil Patrick Harris is incredible and truly steals the show, Felicia Day is perfect for her role, and Nathan Fillion plays the 'I'm a hero and a douchebag' to a T. The music and lyrics are fantastic, and even my wife (not immersed in the Internet culture) laughed all the way through. If you, like me, somehow missed this when it first made the rounds, you owe it to yourself to catch up now. You won't be disappointed.
As I'm working on this post, I have Beyond Good and Evil downloading and installing in the background. I've decided this will be the second game in the Game Project. This is a game I've heard nothing but great things about, but for some reason just haven't sat down to give it a try. I'll post my initial impressions after giving it a shot later tonight or over the weekend.
I should also mention that I finally worked my way through Mass Effect Galaxy on the iPhone. While the story was mildly interesting, the control and combat were a bit difficult to really get a feel for, and I never truly felt in control. The narrative was incredibly linear, but it did serve to introduce some characters and backstory for Mass Effect 2. All in all, I'm not disappointed that I spent the money for it ($1.99), and as an added bonus, I will log in with my EA.com account to get whatever special DLC is available for finishing the game.
That's all for tonight. The events of the day have left me a bit uninspired, so I'm off to find some good feelings and get my mind off everything. Take care and have a great Friday!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Game Project #1 - Red Faction: Guerrilla
This post didn't start out as what it ended up being, the first entry of 'The Project,' but I'm glad it did. Hopefully it spurs me on to other games, and topics...
Revisited Red Faction this evening for a bit, and discovered that I can get it to play at a reasonable framerate by dialing down most of the settings and playing in windowed mode. Most of the time, I wouldn't be happy about playing in such a 'neutered' state, but with this game high quality graphics take a backseat to the destruction. Fortunately the havoc you can wreak comes through loud and clear, regardless of what video card resides in your computer.
I've played probably 45 minutes to an hour of the game, long enough to complete one mission, one guerrilla action, as well as demolish 5-6 EDF controlled targets not associated with any mission. During this time, I messed around with the remote charges and the sledge hammer as my primary weapons, and briefly toyed with the rifle and the pistol. It's pretty clear that the shooting mechanic plays second fiddle to the destructible environments, as I far prefer to go into a fire fight swinging my hammer wildly. Killing an EDF soldier with the sledge hammer feels incredibly satisfying, as if there's actual weight to the weapon. Not only that, but there's the added bonus of damaging nearby buildings and structures with a missed hammer swing, which should help contribute to the overall goal of demolishing the target.
Speaking of demolishing, I have never played a game where the destruction felt so good. During the tutorial mission, I spent probably 5 minutes or more destroying the starter building from the inside out. Even though the walls, ceilings and other structural elements break away in 'gamey' chunks, it's the sum of the parts that really shines here. I watched a building teeter back and forth like a wobbly top before folding under the weight of the second floor (I had nearly wiped out the first floor). As it crashed to the ground with a groan and flurry of dust and debris, I couldn't help but smile and think, "I did that." At that moment, I think I discovered what caused so many people to enjoy it when it first was released last May. Giving the player total control of the mayhem is a genius move on the developer's part. There's just enough story to provide a framework to the demolition, but it's not complex or in your face to have to think too hard about it. Just go and trash stuff, and you're most likely going to succeed at this game.
Long story short, as what can be considered the inaugural entry in my Game Project, I would recommend this game to anyone, whether it be on the PC or console. It also seems that I could jump in and out of this game while playing other games, and not feel lost or need to 'catch up' on the plot, which could add to its longevity in my gaming rotation.
Now, at some point I'm going to have to define the parameters of this Game Project in more depth than my original speculative post, and that should happen over the weekend. In the meantime, I'm going to dig through the archive and choose the next target to install and experience. Hopefully it will be as fun as this one.
Revisited Red Faction this evening for a bit, and discovered that I can get it to play at a reasonable framerate by dialing down most of the settings and playing in windowed mode. Most of the time, I wouldn't be happy about playing in such a 'neutered' state, but with this game high quality graphics take a backseat to the destruction. Fortunately the havoc you can wreak comes through loud and clear, regardless of what video card resides in your computer.
I've played probably 45 minutes to an hour of the game, long enough to complete one mission, one guerrilla action, as well as demolish 5-6 EDF controlled targets not associated with any mission. During this time, I messed around with the remote charges and the sledge hammer as my primary weapons, and briefly toyed with the rifle and the pistol. It's pretty clear that the shooting mechanic plays second fiddle to the destructible environments, as I far prefer to go into a fire fight swinging my hammer wildly. Killing an EDF soldier with the sledge hammer feels incredibly satisfying, as if there's actual weight to the weapon. Not only that, but there's the added bonus of damaging nearby buildings and structures with a missed hammer swing, which should help contribute to the overall goal of demolishing the target.
Speaking of demolishing, I have never played a game where the destruction felt so good. During the tutorial mission, I spent probably 5 minutes or more destroying the starter building from the inside out. Even though the walls, ceilings and other structural elements break away in 'gamey' chunks, it's the sum of the parts that really shines here. I watched a building teeter back and forth like a wobbly top before folding under the weight of the second floor (I had nearly wiped out the first floor). As it crashed to the ground with a groan and flurry of dust and debris, I couldn't help but smile and think, "I did that." At that moment, I think I discovered what caused so many people to enjoy it when it first was released last May. Giving the player total control of the mayhem is a genius move on the developer's part. There's just enough story to provide a framework to the demolition, but it's not complex or in your face to have to think too hard about it. Just go and trash stuff, and you're most likely going to succeed at this game.
Long story short, as what can be considered the inaugural entry in my Game Project, I would recommend this game to anyone, whether it be on the PC or console. It also seems that I could jump in and out of this game while playing other games, and not feel lost or need to 'catch up' on the plot, which could add to its longevity in my gaming rotation.
Now, at some point I'm going to have to define the parameters of this Game Project in more depth than my original speculative post, and that should happen over the weekend. In the meantime, I'm going to dig through the archive and choose the next target to install and experience. Hopefully it will be as fun as this one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
