First off, I just want to express my excitement for recently earning an achievement that I've been wanting to get for quite some time.  I'm talking about the 5-Day Survivor achievement for Dead Rising!  Although afterward, I had to justify to myself that playing the game for 10+ hours was a worthy way to spend my time just for that damn laser sword.  I also was unable to obtain the 7-Day Survivor achievement even though I had food equipped and I was waiting in a zombie-free zone.  Fighting off sleep, boredom, and general malaise with the lack of a save feature for ∞ mode got the best of me.

I don't think I'll try to get the 7-Day achievement again, or at least not any time soon.  The laser sword is a much better reward than a useless pair of gloves anyways.  Despite the frustrating design decisions of the game, I can't emphasis my love for Dead Rising enough.  It really is zombie slaying fun at its best.

More Zombies?  Maybe Not...

There has been half a shit ton of hype building up for Left 4 Dead in forums (or so it seems to me).  However, I continue to be more skeptical of the game over time.  I love some zombie genocide action and Valve has a shining representation in my eyes, but I think the game will be repetitive and the gameplay will feel like a partial game stretched out longer than it should exist.  I know it promises to deliver an "evolving" experience, but that sounds like it may be PR babble.  I am not prejudging the game though, and I'm easy to please so there is a good chance I'll like it.  I am going to wait for a general consensus after release before determining whether or not I will purchase it.  Worst case scenario: I have to wait a few days after release before jumping into the fun.  I think I can live with that.

Doesn't fit?  What the hell are you talking about?

There's something that has irked me for quite some time now.  Recent complaints about the zombie mode included in CoD: World at War reminded me of this yet again.  I'm referring to people making complaints about specific content included in a game just because they don't think it "fits" the universe, formula, mood, theme, or whatever else of the game.

Let me put a few thing into perspective for anyone that makes complaints like this.  One, it is a video game.  Its purpose is entertainment; fun.  If something is fun, then it deserves to be in a game.  I'm much more concerned about content that is included because it fits the universe of the game but it is NOT fun.  Two, it's not your call.  A game is created by many people trying to produce a shared vision of what they want.  How can you consider a game art if it is not the vision of the artists, but rather your own?  If you want the game your way, then get a job in the industry with some ambition backing you.  Three, you have choice.  I 100% support any content a developer wants to put on their disc if you have the choice to use it or not.  Even if that statement does not apply to a certain game, you still have the choice to buy something else instead.

People should not complain about a game just because it does not fit what they think it should be.


I will not be buying anymore games until after Christmas (Why buy something you might get for free?), so I should have plenty of time to frequent my blog more.  That about does it for my current thoughts...  I hope everyone had a great Halloween.  Happy gaming!

For the past few days, I've been playing some of my older games.  One benefit of playing older games is that you can see how far (and sometimes not so far) games have come.  Anyways, it's nice to keep quality in proper perspective.

Within the past couple of hours, I finished Trespasser, a game that game me nightmares years ago.  The game isn't necessarily scary, although it does seem like that was the intention before the game was rushed out the door, but rather nightmarishly bad to me before (enough so to give one nightmares of it).  After playing through the game now, it isn't as bad as I remember.  Make no mistake it is still bad, but I can see some light in its darkness.

Trespasser was definitely ahead of its time.  There is no HUD at all in the game.  Your character announces the amount of ammo in weapons when you wield them and your health is cleverly disguised as a tattoo on your left breast that becomes colored in with red as you are injured.  You also heal over time, much like recharging health in modern games.  There are several physics-based puzzles in the game as well.  However, these puzzles don't vary much and are more difficult than they should be because of the poor control system.

Seeing all of the good ideas and really bad executions of Trespasser makes me appreciate other games I own.  It allows me to look past their flaws to find what I really enjoy about them.  If this game wasn't so rushed and had a decent control scheme, I believe it would have been much more enjoyable to the masses and the players that are now stuck with the game.  Look for a full review soon.

Lately, I've been drinking copious amounts of zero calorie soda.  They don't taste bad at all and they don't kill you nearly as fast as regular soda.  However, I give you this dire warning:

Zero calorie soda tastes horrible within minutes of opening!  If you don't drink it quickly, then you will surely end up with a very nasty beverage!




That is all.

LG Shine

I got a brand new phone for my birthday, the LG Shine.  The Shine is a slider phone with a 2 megapixel camera and music playing abilities.  A slot for an optional micro SD card is also built into the phone.  All around the phone is very aesthetically pleasing.  The front display of the phone does act as a functional mirror when the display is dimmed.  However, the commercial is very misleading as to how much is looks like an actual mirror.

The reflective display also causes my main complaint of the phone, which is the visibility of the content on screen.  It is impossible to see the display in sunlight and very difficult in even a well-lit room.  Other complaints include poor menu navigation, small and oversensitive controls, and design choices.  Menus are difficult to find at first because there are so many to browse through.  There’s also more than one way to get to the same menu, so it can be confusing and seemingly overcomplicated.  Also, when the phone is closed, you are very limited with your navigation options since the back button is inside.  The keys are flat, which looks nice but isn’t the best choice for function, and the main navigation stick is undersized and much too sensitive.  Having the back button inside the phone was a poor design choice, as was making the micro SD card so hard to remove and replace.  I also feel that the phone gets dirty quickly and the port covers on the side feel fragile.

Not all is bad though.  As mentioned, the phone is sleek looking and will gain you style points from your friends and acquaintances.  The music functionality works well and has decent navigation options.  Information on the micro SD card is also easily accessed with one button, located on the side of the phone next to the camera button.  The favorite menus button, called “Options,” is on the outside of the phone and allows you to place custom navigation paths (up to 12 slots worth) so you can make it much easier to find the functions you use most on your phone.  The camera has excellent quality and the phone can hold a lot of information with a micro SD card.  The signal is great and voice quality is excellent.  The mirror is also kind of cool.

I recommend this phone for music lovers that want a stylish phone and a good camera without carrying a separate music device and camera wherever they go.

+ Style

+ Music

+ Camera

+ Call Quality

+ Storage

- Navigation

- Controls

- Visibility

- Design Complications