So I was all set to play Shadow Complex tonight. I've never actually bought anything through Live before so I had to put all my CC info in for the first time.... However after five minutes of awkwardly entering info with the controller it 'couldn't authorize' me. Hmm... I just used this same card to get pizza on the way home. I tried a previous address or three, same message. I've bought games off PSN and WiiWare with this same card with absolutely no issues... And they don't fuck around with selling mismatched points so that you wind up with extra, either.
 
I'm pretty fed up at this point but I really wanna play this game, so I decide to try buying through Microsoft's website. Maybe I just made a dumb mistake entering it in without a keyboard and somehow didn't see it the two times I verified all the info was correct. So I go to the live site, grumble again about how I have to buy fifteen hot dog buns for twelve hot dogs, and enter the info again. Of course, it failed to authorize me again, or I'd be playing the game right now instead of bitching about Microsoft.
 
I guess at this point my only option is to go to Target or something and buy one of those prepaid points cards they sell, which probably only come in even more wasteful denominations. Thanks, Microsoft. You rock.

So I've played a few hours into Infamous now. In short, I like this game but I hate every character in it.

What asshole had the idea to put Zeke in the game? He's more annoying than a thousand Navis. At least Navi gave you useful advice once in a while. All you get from Zeke is "HEY MAN! CRIME IS DOWN IN THIS AREA! KEEP IT UP! YOU WANNA GET TOGETHER LATER AND THINK OF SOME COOL NAMES FOR YOUR MOVES? WHY ARE WE FRIENDS, ANYWAY? I KNOW I WOULDN'T WANT A FORMER ELVIS IMPOSTOR CALLING ME DURING SHOOTOUTS! YOU KNOW WHAT I MISS? PIZZA!" (That's right, everything Zeke says is in some form of verbal capslock; by now my mind naturally rejects it.)

He's the first person I would kill in an every-man-for-himself quarantine zone. I'm an evil character, why can't I just zap him? Or at least have a way to hang up the phone when he calls me after a mission with his stupid bullshit. I could hang up on people in Far Cry 2. It feels good.

And then there's creepy nymphomaniac bitch. I'm actually embarrassed to play this game when she's around. She's great; a really generic Succubus type villain with an overdone script and hammy voice acting. Just what I wanted. Considering Cole's attitude in the game, the whole thing ends up reminding me of this: