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IesuNoel

What if Detective Pikachu was a Bladerunner, and he was hunting all them pokeeemans?

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Of Beauty and Rage: The Journey is the Purpose (Outward)

The beauty in Outward is in the sojourn. The long trek from where you are to where you want to be, or perhaps to some aimless direction that you may want to go to. This gives the journey its own meaning, that in walking through what may seem to be a vast protracted land, we find the few moments of truth and tumult make it all worth it.

In Outward, you are a nobody with the burden of a debt cast upon you for the sole reason that you were born in, perhaps, an unlucky family. You have no grand destiny in place, no world saving to aspire to, not great fortune to have. You simply exist in this world, and become what you most work hard for to be. Others surround you who are stronger, smarter, and wiser than you are or ever hope to be but are kind enough to share their wisdom to you, for a price of course.

Nothing in this world is free, whether you pay for it with silver, gold, precious jewels, or the sweat, blood, and tears of your first few days, thrown out into the world with nothing but a few things most would call garbage. You find out quickly that this is not an easy world, not the kind that would coddle and coo you to the next level.

You get a sense that this world was not built similar to other worlds. This world does not care about you, and would sooner have you knocked out than to hand you a free pass. Even in death it is not as simple for you, as dying here does not necessarily mean you would pass on to the realm of the reload save.

Knocked unconscious, a kindly stranger may find you and carry you off to the nearest town, forgetting that you had a pack of your most needed things, leaving it in the middle of the very thing that caused you trouble. Or the old guard from your hometown may be passing by and takes care of you until you are well enough to walk and without much removed from you. Or the bandits that had caused your unfortunate circumstance would just take you back to their camp and force you to work for them.

And you get a hang of how things work in this world, that setting off into the wide open requires just as much planning as if you were going out on your own camping trip. You find out that carrying a pack and evading a HUGE mantis's claw is not a very good idea, and like the rest of the world, you are just human and need to eat, drink, sleep, and maybe rest off that infection that you got from eating raw meat, or drinking river water, or sleeping somewhere you should not have slept.

Then you understand how it all works, and it becomes second nature to you. That kindly stranger is actually a magic assassin, who teaches you a thing or two about infusing your weapons with fire and ice. That wild looking man teaches you how to tap into your rage and use it to decimate anything in two (or four or ten) legs with impunity. That shady character shows you how to build and use pressure plates filled with concoctions that burn through skin and sear flesh.

You build your own weapons from the remains of your enemies, survive in the wilderness, maybe even get yourself a nice home and a new mother, a new family. You learn to cook, fiddle with strange concoctions, keep yourself fit and well. Somewhere in between, you unlock the potential in you to make remarkable tricks happen, a flash of fire here, a sword from nothing there.

But everything else in between is dead silent space. Moving through the world is like moving through a highway to get to the next city. A world with a few surprises and a whole lot of nothing in between. And this makes the world all the more beautiful.

Walking through a whole lot of space, taking the time to think about all the things you have done, and realizing that you haven't done a lot. But that doesn't matter, because what you have done felt like it actually mattered. Even things that seem mundane, a friend that needs cold stone for an annoying client every week or sending missives between towns, has meaning.

And forget about the map telling you where you are. You better just suck it up, check you compass, look around for your landmarks, and find your way. But it just makes the fields of sun kissed sand, the glimmer of blue on the open fields at night, and the purple glass growing beside a mountain begging to be hiked all the more lovely. Without the constant need to keep an eye out on the trail of sparkling breadcrumbs, or the arrow pointing whichever way, or a map that demands your attention, you can freely take in the scenery.

As with all things, however, you get used to it. Good that you already know your way through, above, and beyond the Conflux Mountain, maybe pass through the secret passage way that you have passed through so many times it's a wonder why it's still a secret, but everything then becomes mundane.

The sunset may lose its charm, becoming something that you see every day. The sunrise turns into just another indication that you can turn off your lamp that has been warding away all the ghosts of midnight; the fields of green just another familiar scene on your journey to the next request your step mother asks of you.

And that is where you find the beauty in Outward. The calm of knowing where you are, from being a runt that has never left their home, to a seasoned longbow sniper who can knockout a large giant with a single arrow (provided the giant is very far away and you've set up traps along the path towards your elevated ground). The peace of being in some place familiar, somewhere you have walked on so many times you've probably lost count. The familiar solitude of a world you return to time and time again.

We mark our journeys not by the steps we took to get there, but of the destination and events. Though this may be the case, the truth of our lives is that we live in a world where we breeze through a whole lot of nothing to find the gold at the end. But we reminisce more on our way there than on what we got itself.

Most of our stories revolve around those humdrum travails and endless motions, and the goal just becomes the punchline to this surprisingly pleasant joke. That as much as the end is beyond words, getting there is the joy of it.

Just as we work for a Life of truth, where in truth the only thing that allows us to keep going is the discipline that holds firm when all motivation has gone, so do we hold on to It though we may stumble but never fall, knowing that the joy in journey and hardship simply shows the worth of the Life that is given to us.

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Of Beauty and Rage: All Man's Life (No Man's Sky)

I played No Man's sky about six months after it was first released, before any major updates were added. Though frustrating, I found quite the gem in a game that had me fly around nearly aimlessly at worlds that are different but somehow seem the same. This may be a way out of date, but I found something of wonder in that old build.

The beauty of No Man's Sky is in its drudgery. Every planet, no matter how diverse, how hostile, or how placid, there is one thing common; you are dying, and it is just a matter of how long before you run out of life support.

Every trudge into a planet then becomes a repetition, the same old strokes.

  • Gather resources
  • Top up your life support
  • Upgrade Equipment
  • Top up your life support
  • Catalogue life forms
  • Top up your life support
  • Set your alarm
  • Brush your teeth
  • Take a shower
  • Eat breakfast so on...

It tells you something of this world and of all other worlds;

You do not belong here.

You are a stranger, a traveller, off to find your own Home, and yet never to find it.

Then maybe, just maybe, you were never meant for this existence. Maybe, just maybe, you were meant for Something more.

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Man, that Half-life 2... Still a great game.

So I finally manned up and started playing Half-Life 2 again.

I finished the game the first time it came out, way before there were Steam achievements, then I never touched it again. Didn't really find any use for the achievements.

I'm not sure why I booted it up, I think Zach suggested I play it again and I agreed with him, and I think I caught the achievement bug. After an hour or so, I started thinking, "Holy cowpies! Half-life 2 actually holds up even after all these years! That's crazy!" The shooting still feels good, and it actually looks good after all these years... Well, admittedly, it looks a little dated, and it has some age jank in it, but all in all, it's still a really good game.

Gotta get that grav gun again and throw cans of paint at stuff!

Only it makes me a little sad... I want me some Half-life 3! or at least Half-life 2: Episode 3.

Hope Gabe Newell and the Valve people are doing well with that.

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Late on Board: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

I always liked stealth games.

I’m a big fan of the Thief series, especially Thief III.   I always play stealthy characters first in the Elder Scrolls games.   I’m a huge fan of 47.

This kind of turned me off to the Assassin’s Creed series.   Jumping around the town, running up walls and hiding in stacks of hay, it just felt too much of an action game than stealth.   Granted, I also love free running action games like Infamous and Prototype.   It was at the moment that I saw Assassin’s Creed as a mix of stealth and free running game that I came to realize that I might like this game.

But then, I only had my laptop in tow, and unlucky for me, I only got on board the Assassin’s Creed train when Assassin’s Creed II came out.   I looked over the reviews, listened to the podcast discussions, and one thing ended up clouding my judgment; permanent connection to the internet required.   I got frustrated that I decided then not to go on and give Assassin’s Creed a chance.   The internet in my place, and generally in my country, sucked.   Disconnections here and there, erratic and very frustrating spikes and troughs in the transfer of data; I just knew that I wouldn’t enjoy playing it with this crappy connection.

Yep, I will be the first to admit it; Big Mistake.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood came by, and like a stranger that passed me by, I didn’t even give it notice.   I thought that the same security protocol that Assassin’s Creed II had would plague this one, so I passed on it.

Only recently, after listening again to the Giantbomb 2010 six day extravaganza of game awards deliberations did I start thinking about Assassin’s Creed.   I started looking up the reviews, which by now are about less than a year already out, and what joy, the security protocol was changed.   No more the need for a permanent internet connection.

Holy week weekend came, and just before Jesus, in all due respect, celebrated his Last Supper with his disciples, did I buy Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood.   Boy, I gotta tell ya, I spent my Holy week weekend playing it.

This game is absolute awesome.   From the first climb up out of the pit to the first climb up the tower and looking over the expanse of Roma, every view took my breath away.   The graphics were great and Ezio, as well as the rest of the world, moved so smoothly.   Sure there were some glitches where Ezio would trip a bit on a misstep and it would look awkward, sometimes the hidden blade wouldn’t hit the target at the right place, but to sum it all up into one giant ball of fluff, that’s one good looking fluff.   Sometimes, I just stood mesmerized at the scenery above a Borgia tower, looking over the people before I leapt, leaving my fate and life in the hands of heaven, and a patch of hay.

The gameplay, combat and stealth, runs fast with a small level of strategy, which is all my number addled and business world encumbered brain could deal with.   It was perfect for me, not too mashy but not too overly strategic, it hit the right balance.   Though I know some would say it was too easy, for me it was just right.

And look at all the things you can do in the world.   I spent literally hours buying different shops, chasing thieves, rebuilding the city, buying landmarks, and beating up guards only to realize that after twenty hours, I only had a synchronization percentage of 30%, I think that’s just a third of the game.   Bang for my buck, especially at the discounted PhP1,400 (about $30) I got it for.

The story, and please know I know very little of the story of the first two games, is told exceptionally well.   Ezio is a bad ass with a heart, an old world Robin Hood.   I like his approach with the people he talks with, with the ladies, and with his family.   He really is looking out for others, though he also has his flaws and faults, making him human and very much relatable.

In the end, what can I say; I was a dunce not to give a chance to Assassin’s Creed before.   Let me repay now by playing this game Vinny “The Italian Stallion” Caravela style and find every feather, every Borgia flag, and every treasure within Roma.

Grazie Ubisoft!

And to you guys who are not in yet on this ride, come on board!   It’s a fun ride!

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Late on Board: Darksiders

 I get games really late, sometimes drooling over when the guys at the Bombcast talk about these newly released games and I know I won't be able to play them until a couple of months have passed.  So, to practice my writing skills, and to pass around the good word in case there are people like me who arrive late on the Game train, I decided to do this in my little corner of the world and hope to help some duders and piss of a lot of others.  This isn't a review though, just my thoughts on the game.  Here we go!

I just got the PC version of Darksiders last week; one word, SuperWar!
 
I love this game bringing together all the things I love from Zelda, God of War, Portal, Shadow of the Colossus, Sands of Time, Gears of War, Warcraft III, the kitchen sink, my old little kid dreams to become a mythical being that could really kick ass and The Bible and every part doesn't feel half-hearted in its approach.  From the sword combos to the other melee and ranged weapons, to the horse, boss battles, puzzles, everything comes together and plays so well.  Even with this extended plethora of "stuff" mashed into the game, you never feel overwhelmed.
 
It also looks amazing.  Bloody and visceral killing moves, flashing light spells and combos, smooth movement (except for that one demon riding the horse) with scenery that changes so beautifully that I never got tired of looking at the environment, much less for pulling of combos.

I really like the characters as well, especially War and how he delivers his insults and threats makes him sound really threatening and not like a screaming asshole (sorry Kratos, but you're kind of a dick...).  Even the Watcher is legitimately funny, punchlines and dark humor in all.  

The sound is great; I don't know much about music but the battle music got me pumped, the tense music got me real tense, especially in the sandworm part, and the exploration music just blended in.

I did have a couple of problems with the puzzles and controls; War sometimes wouldn't jump and he'd fall stupidly to his demise, some ledges look too high only to find out that he could reach it easily, some ledges didn't grab at all, but they were rare and far in between and nothing warranted me to want to throw my new controller to the laptop screen.
 
Yes, I even bought an Xbox 360 controller for my PC just to play this game right; the game was that good to warrant a purchase of a controller I will be using rarely.

I played this game really late as with most games that come out, budget constraints really, but if you're not on board yet in the Darksiders train, then come on, it's a great ride!

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