mason20

People have rough times for numerous different reasons and there is no shame finding salvation in Giant bomb or other mediums. I've done it in the past and you are absolutely correct. With all the spite and vitriol that the internet contains, this site is a fairly supportive. Ridiculous car company charges and Vet bills can be seemingly overwhelming but can be overcome if you strive for it.

Not, too sure what to say but keep fighting the good fight and enjoy what makes you happy. Regardless of what others may think or how small some pleasures may seem.

Wow! The Speed run community continues to impress. Albeit kinda saddening how I played this little over 2(?) years ago and came no where near even the 8-10 hour mark. Congrats, on the community and thanks for bringing this to my attention. Regardless of my ineptitude of beating this game in a timely fashion lol... -sigh-..

@themanwithnoplan: I've read your blog on Outlast and while I can see your point and view and respect it. I still have to disagree. I was able to pick up when and where jumps scare were going to happen and I noticed nearly immediately that when you solve a puzzle that there is always a bed, locker, or something to hide behind/under. To me Outlast is a fine game but, scary it is not. You're opinion is absolutely valid and your write up seems justified for this game. It's just not for me. I'll still hold steadfast about the jump scare issue I have with it but, that's because I adore atmosphere. That's why Condemned, Silent Hill 3, & 1, and what I've found in the Stalker series in terms of atmosphere more compelling. Hell, even just recently playing Neverending Nightmare had me more on edge then Outlast.

Interesting and well put together write up. Keep up the good work.

@el_contrarian: Well maybe not a book about Super Mario 3 but what about a Movie?

But, more seriously, this question seems more about personal taste then anything. Games can bring you into a story better if done right but just like with absolutely every medium, there are great examples of stories and absolutely wretched examples of stories. Does it really matter if a story point is in a cut-scene? No. Should every story point allow you to move during the scene especially when you may miss the story beat? No.

It's a relatively new medium when put into comparison of books, plays, movies, comics, or what have you. They've all had ups and downs, triumphs and failures. It may not be fair to compare and contrast when each and every medium has its own merit.

Well I'll say that this is an admirable game. Sadly the more I play it, it becomes more and more arduous the more I come back to it. The way enemies seem to completely spin on their axis to hit and some rather bullshit grabs when you are clearly out of range. Some enemies seemingly free of stamina limits. A bonfire where enemies can attack you or the immense amount of superfluous bonfires in some rather small areas...

Well, I could go on more about my issues about DS2 but it seems generally accepted that DS1 is better than DS2.

I Wear the Black Hat by Chuck Clostermen(?). It's a great series of essays delving into the possible why and how of histories greatest killers. A very fascinating book and has some intriguing insight. I'd highly recommended the book.

@banshee: MakeMKV is Brilliant! I can not thank you enough for the suggestion! I've also checked out Handbrake and it seems complicated at first but I'll hopefully figure it out. Again, thank you!

@alexw00d: I've been curious about the Stalker series for a while. I just picked up Call of Pripyat. So is it better to play it like orginally intended or should I check out some Mods? If so, what are some to look for?

I was nearly in favour with the new choices, that is, until the real dumb names for all ready good pizza. Really Skinny pizza? Premium Piggy? It's as lame to me as the dumb Coke Marketing with Love, Bro, Family, or whatever.

Though, sadly with saying that.. I'll Probably grab a pizza on Wednesday.

Day One Patches.

That's what I attribute a lot of this on. Before day one patches and you released a game with the issues we see so prevalent today, they would be considered just plainly as bad and likely forgotten about as quick as those games in the past were. I'll be more lenient on games like Assassin Creed Unity because that's a new game from the ground up but games like the Halo collection. There is absolutely no excuse. We have companies like Blue Point who have a proven and excellent track record of doing this same thing. This collection just stinks of issues like Climax and their botched Silent Hill Collection(Sadly this collection of 2 games took longer than Team Silent took to make all of Silent Hill 2...).