Hello everybody. I'm Nate, and you might recognize me from the forums on Giant Bomb. Today I reached a milestone. But rather than go on and on about how I spend too much time on this site and how I've reached 10,000 posts since I signed up on July 23, 2008, let's get to the games! (Since mods frown upon blogs/threads devoted solely to post counts, this is a cleverly disguised Gaming Update!)
What I've Been Playing
Wait a minute... I don't know if you know this, but Bad Company 2 is fantabulous. Ever since I played the Xbox 360 demo when it came out, I've been completely hooked on this game and I'm so happy I got it on launch day. (Fun Fact: when my mother picked it up at Gamestop, she was told that the copy we were getting was the last one in the store. They had only gotten 50). I finished the single player campaign a few days ago, and while I did enjoy it, I do however feel that DICE took the single player in the wrong direction. One of the great things about the first Bad Company was how it didn't take it self seriously and how laid back it was (not to mention the great humor). This game definitely has humor (although most of it is sadly hidden in random dialogue sequences that most players probably won't ever hear) but I didn't really enjoy the story in general. For me, it was all about the characters and surprisingly, the locations. You do a lot of globetrotting in the game, which I'm sure you've heard of. I found myself fighting to survive in the arctic one mission and in the next I was sweating to death in the jungles of South America.
Things are gettin' serious now The multiplayer in Bad Company 2 is the real draw though. Thankfully, this game has improved on almost every single aspect of the first game, which really shows that DICE knows how to fix issues that plagued their previous title. These issues include the crappy squad spawning system, the clunky vehicle controls and general movement, and enemies having ridiculous amounts of health. In this game, you can now choose to spawn on whichever squad member you want, the vehicles and movement are much easier to control, and enemies can no longer soak up health (which, unfortunately, leads to several situations where I've been killed almost instantly by someone I couldn't even see). There are also three game modes this time around. You have Rush, which is the mode that BC1 shipped with, Conquest, which is the staple Battlefield game mode, and a new twist on Team Deathmatch that puts 4 teams of 4 against each other. Some thing I noticed is that Rush and Conquest have their own unique maps. Most of them are fine, but I felt that the Rush maps required the Attacking team to run way to much. For example, on Arica Harbor, the attackers must drive down a long ass road to even get to the first set of crates. If you don't have a vehicle, you'll have to run all the way down there on foot, which usually leads to you getting sniped to death. The new unlock system is also very addicting, and the weapons feel great and powerful.
What I Want To Play
Vanille! It's kinda hard to believe that Final Fantasy XIII is coming out tomorrow. I'm really excited for this, but because I spent $60 last week on BC2 I have decided to wait for a price drop. Since the game is kinda getting poor-mediocre reviews here in the states, I expect it won't take too long. I also have a growing catalogue of games I need to get back to, which includes Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Bioshock 2, and Bioshock 1. It will take me months to do everything I want to do with these games.....blah
Things You Should Check Out
If you love editing wikis (or are looking for a way to get involved) check this out!
JohnAsscream has set up a Giant Bomb clan for Bad Company 2 on every platform! Check out the BC2 forums to sign up
You should still check out my Bioshock 2 Multiplayer Guide. I received some much needed assistance from fellow user Jon_Danger
Featured Song
Last week I became obsessed with The Black Keys, a blues-rock band consisting of a drummer and guitarist. They're really cool and have some really great songs, one of which I'm posting below. It's an awesome live performance and you should totally watch it.
BUT WAIT! We are not done yet! To commemorate my 10,000th post, let's take a look at my VERY FIRST post on Giant Bomb, shall we?
OH MY GOD, IT'S SO AMAZING. I JUST.......IT'S JUST THAT....I.....*tears up*
I probably could have done something a lot more epic for my 10,000th post, but frankly at this very moment I'm too hungry, thirsty, and lazy to bother thinking of something that would blow people's minds. But hey, I'm the third person on Giant Bomb to reach this milestone. Bronze medal! And now, I leave you all with this:
Okay, not really a near death experience, but on Friday I learned just how fragile laptops are. I was laying on the couch browsing Giant Bomb when I decided to take a sip from my water bottle. It was near empty, and as I casually brought it up to my lips it slipped from my hand and fell forward. Water came out onto the front of my laptop and some of the water got onto the space bar and some keys in front of it. I wiped it down with a paper towel, and a few seconds later it shut off. I tried turning it back on without success. Quickly, I whipped out my iPod Touch and Googled "water on laptops". I found that if I turned the laptop upside down and left it to dry for a day or so, it would have a slim chance of survival. So I did just that, and a few minutes ago I inserted the battery back into the laptop and pressed the power button. AND IT LIVES!!!!
Let this be a lesson to you all. A few drops of water on your keyboard can really mess up your laptop. Keep water away from it or go through a full day of panicking like I did, not knowing if your $500 computer was going to start again. Here are some handy dandy tips from your truly if you get water on your laptop
Unplug it immediately
Take the battery out
Wipe off any water on top of the laptop without pushing any water further in (the liquid seeps through the keyboard and messes things up internally)
Turn the laptop upside down and store it in a warm place so it dries quicker (you can also try using a fan)
If you spill anything other than liquid (like soda, wine, or juice) you're probably screwed since those will leave a residue behind when they dry
EDIT: I totally had the Giant Bomb banner thing here, but for some odd reason the image is now broken. WTF
Hello Bombers and welcome to another Gaming Update, fueled by Coke (since Mountain Dew is narsty). I'm gonna talk about games and..... other stuff!
What I've Been Playing
"You'll never hurt me, right Mr. B?"What I weekend I had. First of all, I finished Bioshock 2 at twelve in the morning Saturday night (or would that be Sunday morning?) Rather than tell you what I think about the game here, you should go read my review. TL;DR version: It's a good game. On Sunday, Toys 'R' Us was having a sale where you could get Assassin's Creed 2 for $39.99. Originally I was going to get that since my mom was being nice and was willing to spend $40 on my that day for no reason. However, since my brother owns the game and I figured he's probably send it to me once he's done, I went and got some Microsoft Point cards, 2 to be exact (both 1600). I spent some of those points on...... Bioshock! This really isn't surprising, since I knew I was going to end up buying the game again. I just missed it so much, and I've been playing that for a good portion of the past few days. I think I may actually like the first game better than the second. The controls feel tighter, and the shooting is much better than the sequel in my mind.
Don't know if any of you have seen this guy on GameFAQs, his username is gandob, but he's amazing. Just read some of his reviews. I think they're hilarious. Here's an excerpt from his Gears Of War 2 review, so you know what you're in for:
Graphic: 74/74
BLOOD WILL EVERYWHERE! I could almost defeated by drowning of blood! Limbs and face can ripped off. This game shouldn't allowed to children, women, or churches, as it will very offensive and frightened.
I didn't think I was going to do another one of these, but since I'm a bit burned out on Dragon Age at the moment, I thought I would bring back to life my Gaming Update series. Wanna know something cool? I haven't had school since last Friday. We've had snow days all week, and we won't be back in school until Tuesday. The bad thing is that my summer is now much shorter (provided we didn't use up all of our snow days in one week).
What I've Been Playing
If you've been keeping up with my Dragon Age diaries, you'd know that I'm on my second playthrough. I think I'm gonna take a break from that game for a while, since I spent several days playing only that. I decided to start my second playthrough in Mass Effect 2. In case you were wondering, I think that game is awesome. I was a little tired of it after beating it for the first time, which is the reason why I spent so much time with Dragon Age. But now, I'm switching it up and I shall be playing ME2 for the next few days, hopefully mopping up some achievements that I missed. I also got Bioshock 2 yesterday, and hey, that game is not bad. My first impression of the multiplayer was "This is absolutely terrible" but now after learning how to play it 'tis actually a blast. I'm currently in the process of working on a Multiplayer Guide (coonce inspired me), and so far it's looking really good. One of the things I got from single player was the very strong urge to play the first game. Since I traded it in for Left 4 Dead (a move I do not regret), I've always wanted to play through the game one more time. I wouldn't be surprised if I ended up buying it in the near future. I'll probably review the sequel in the near future, so I'll hold all my thoughts on the game till then.
What I Want To Play
Final Fantasy 13 still holds my interest. That's really all that's on my wish list at the moment.
I picked up Bioshock 2 today for the Xbox 360, and I've spent around 2 hours playing the multiplayer. I'm sure some of you are curious about the multiplayer and whether or not it's worth playing, so I've decided to explain what the online play is all about and how it works.
The multiplayer works similar to Call Of Duty. It comes complete with a leveling system, XP that you get from kills and assists (and a lot more), and custom loadouts (also known as classes). Here's a quick breakdown of how the XP system works (I'm not sure how many points you get from capturing objectives, since I have yet to do so):
Killing an enemy = 10 XP
Hacking something = 10 XP
Assists = 5 XP (I believe)
Putting on a Big Daddy suit = 50 XP
Killing a Big Daddy = 100 XP (I believe)
Researching a dead enemy = 10 XP
These points allow you to level up, which unlocks new guns, Plasmids, and weapon mods (for example, you'll get Automatic Fire for your pistol after reaching a certain level). You'll also unlock what are basically perks. These give your character special abilities like increased health regeneration and one that makes turrets lose accuracy when they shoot at you. You get 3 loadouts that you can customize, and at the beginning of a match you choose which one you want to use (still not sure if you can change during the game). Another feature is the ability to pick from a set of characters to play as, and from there you have some very limited customization options (what they're wearing on their head and what they use for a melee weapon). Next up is a list of need-to-know features:
Your health regenerates, but EVE does not.
Scattered throughout each map are Vending Machines that contain EVE and Ammo. To get the EVE and Ammo, all you need to do is approach the machine and you automatically pick it up. There's no need to fumble with any menus.
There are turrets on every map that can be hacked to fight for your team
The Vending Machines can be hacked to explode in an opponent's face if they try to use it (this does not destroy the machine)
Big Daddy suits will periodically spawn on the map that anyone can take (should they find it). Doing so turns them into one of the hulking beasts with lots of health. While playing as a Big Daddy, you'll use a rifle-like weapon
Some of your Plasmid powers can be charged, such as Incinerate and Shock
There are no weapons to pick up on the maps
When carrying a Little Sister, you cannot use weapons but can use Plasmids
You can research dead enemy players by standing over their body and holding a button, which grants you a damage bonus against that player until they kill you
The game modes are as followed:
Survival of the Fittest - Free For All
Civil War - Team Deathmatch
Last Splicer Standing - Free For All with NO Respawns
Capture the Sister - Capture the Flag
ADAM Grab - There is one Little Sister on the map and you get points by holding onto her
Team ADAM Grab - Same as ADAM Grab but with teams
Turf War - Teams capture points around the map to gain points
I think I mentioned everything that needs to be mentioned. If you have questions, feel free to ask.
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It's been far too long since I wrote one of these, and a lot has happened since my last entry. Most notably, I beat the game, but let's start with where I left off on my last entry. That being the Fade.
I've seen enough of this place to last a lifetime Actually, let's not, because the Fade is easily the worst part of the game. After making it through that bore fest, I set off for the mountains to get the Dwarves on our side. I was excited about this mission because my brother Bhelen set me up during my origin story. I was eager to see if I could run into Orzammar and kill him, but was sad to see my former home in a politcal mess. Both Bhelen and another dude named Harrowmont wanted the throne, but I knew as soon as I learned this that I would fight for Harrowmont to be the new King. Let me tell you, the quest in Orzammar is probably the longest of the entire game. I was literally exhausted when I was finished. Sad thing is that I really don't remember any of it. I recall participating in the Proving for the second time in Harrowmont's name, easily defeating the cretins that were dumb enough to challenge me. Next thing I knew I was running through an incredibly large dungeon with my man Oghren fighting all kinds of badness. It was decision time when I reached the Anvil of the Void, and I decided to destroy it so it couldn't be used for evil anymore. I was relieved to be back outside, and it was time to put a new king on the throne. Thankfully, I managed to get Harrowmont the crown, but Bhelen was not happy and decided to attack. This pleased me, because I wasn't going to leave without finding some way to kill him. I struck him and his goons down and spat on his corpse before leaving Orzammar.
Is Loghain beaten on a regular basis, or does he put on purple makeup around his eyes?Next stop was Denerim for the Landsmeet. This part of the story was interesting, since I got myself thrown into jail rather than fighting the guards that captured me inside the castle. I had Wynne and my drinking buddy Oghren rescue me, and then it was time to officially call the Landsmeet. This was pretty crazy and a bit emotional. I literally went "WTF?" when Anora came out supporting Loghain, revealing that was in fact a spy. I was pretty shocked, but then again I should have seen it coming. I was felt utterly defeated when Loghain gave a long speech and sentenced my crew and I to death, but rejoiced when Arl Eamon yelled "We're not going down without a fight!" It felt good to take a few swings at Loghain, but Anora had to interrupt the battle and Loghain himself surrendered. I decided that I wanted to put him through the Joining, which didn't really feel right because I hated him. Alistair then screamed in my face louder than ever, saying that under no circumstances would he stand together with Loghain as Grey Wardens. I let Alistair kill him, and then declared Alistair the new King of Ferelden. Later that day, he confronted me and yelled at me again for making him King. Oh Alistair, you never seem to be pleased.
Next up is the assault on Denerim. This took my by surprise, since I spent a considerable amount of time there doing quests. I still had a lot finished, but I guess I failed all of those because the town got massacred. I recall my brother telling me it took him 50 hours to complete the game, skipping over a lot of side quests. I knew that I had only played for about 28 hours, so throughout the whole battle I thought to myself: I guess I still have 30 hours left. This battle must end with a plot twist that keeps everything going. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I got to the Archdemon battle and defeated the dragon by standing next to the balista and pressing A over and over again to fire it, which eventually killed the beast. Because I took Morrigan's offer the night before, I was able to save myself when I killed it. It was totally awesome too. You have no idea how cool it is to see a Dwarf charge the dragon and slide under it while cutting it's underside open. So awesome.
So thus concluded my adventures as Farquad the friendly Dwarf. I'll miss the little guy, because he was a good warrior. I started up a new character not too long ago, and I've already put five hours into that one. Her name is Alexis and she's a human mage. On this playthrough, I plan on getting the rest of the "Side with [insert person or race here] during [insert quest here]" achievements, and hopefully doing the nasty with Alistair since I still don't have any of the romance achievements. I also plan on completing every side quest, since I wasn't anywhere close to doing that with Farquad. To get everyone back up to speed, yesterday I did the battle of Ostagar and now I'm at camp, wondering if I should go to the Elves, the Circle Of Magi, or Orzammar first. Hmm.
I keep forgetting to do another one of these entries because Mass Effect 2 has been taking up a lot of my time. Honestly, when I'm not playing ME2, I'm playing Dragon Age, and when I'm not playing Dragon Age, I'm playing ME2. Let's just say that Bioware is my favorite developer.
"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!?!?!"Thinking way back to the time after my last entry, I remember fighting in Redcliffe. This is where I gave up on the PC version, so I was excited to continue the fight. The decision regarding the boy Connor was a difficult one. I had to decide whether to kill him because he was possessed by a demon, or to use blood magic and allow his mother to sacrifice herself, thus saving the boy. I decided to sacrifice the mom because Jowan wanted to redeem himself for putting Connor in that state. A short while later, Alistair quite literally yelled in my face after returning to the Party Camp because he disagreed with my decision. It was intense, but I managed to calm him down. Unfortunately, I got a -23 disapproval rating, which caused the spectrum to lean more towards the dislike side than the like side. I think it's back to the right side now, though.
I also went to Denerim for the first time but was reluctant to do so because Loghain is there (right?), and I thought traveling to the city would advance the main quest when I wasn't ready. Thankfully, I was greeted by TONS of side quests and not Loghain. I spent an enormous amount of time in Denerim just doing side quests and talking to people. It's a pretty good place. I also got it on in the brothel because I was bored.
Yesterday I FINALLY got the Urn of Sacred Ashes. I didn't think that quest would be as long and slightly tedious as it was. I had to go to Lake Calenhad, back to Denerim, and then to this town called Haven where I ended up in a cave which led to a one - two hour trek through a dungeon. It wasn't all bad, because I was able to fight a lot of little and big dragons. I also hit the gong as soon as I saw it, which (as you may or may not know) caused the High Dragon to wake up and destroy all of us. This was also the first time in the game where I had to go to the internet for help. It was at the part where you must pass through a wall of flames in front of the Urn. I took all of my stuff off at the altar and then put all of it back on, which I guess screwed up the quest a little. I had to manually remove everyone's equipment (because I guess going through without anything on prevents the Guardian from attacking) but it wouldn't work. I still had to fight the Guardian and his Shade minions, but I managed to defeat them after an intense battle. In case you're wondering, I decided not to defile the Ashes because that would be mean and I'm playing as a good little Dwarf.
After successfully reviving the Arl Eamon, I sent out to the Circle of Magi to seek their help. I won't go into detail here because I already did (link). I'll just say that, unlike last time, I did not slaughter the innocent Mage's because Morrigan told me to do so. So I got Wynne, and she's pretty awesome because Wynne + Morrigan = Alistair and I never dying! Which is a great thing, of course. Right now I'm in the Fade, which is the most annoying part of the game so far. I'm about halfway finished; hopefully I'll get out of it tomorrow. Until next time.
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Today I decided it was time to download the 360 demo of Bad Company 2. So I created an account and signed it up for Xbox LIVE so I could download it (my Luchadeer account is underaged) and was literally blown away by how great the game is compared to the first one. The first thing I did after parachuting down to the game (which is a pretty cool way to respawn) was grab a four wheeler. The next thing I remember was flying down the hill at crazy speeds while bullets rained down on my from the base across the bridge. I jumped off, hid behind some boxes, and waited for teammates to arrive. The whole screen was shaking and dirt was being kicked up into the air as the machine gunners continued firing on my position. I then remembered that I had an RPG, so I took it out, aimed at the building, fired, and watched as my attackers were blown out. A few matches later, I found myself hiding with several teammates inside an almost completely destroyed building while two enemies in a helicopter rained lead down on us. A few minutes later I looked up and saw the same helicopter being chased off by an RC chopper. A few matches later, I was in a helicopter with two other guys and we were badly damaged by an RC chopper. I jumped out, and as soon as I did the entire thing exploded in a fireball of fury. As I slowly floated down in the parachute, I watched as the helicopter fell to the ground in three pieces. I mourned for my teammates, since there was no way they could have made it out. However, upon reaching the ground I saw two blue dots ahead and discovered that my partners had in fact made it out. We were deep behind enemy lines, and we linked up together and proceeded to slowly head through their base. We managed to eliminate several soldiers at their own base before one of them was smart enough to get into a tank and blow us to pieces. It's moments like these that get me very excited about this game. When it works, it's an absolute blast. Nothing is more fun than assaulting a base with your squad with snipers backing you up and choppers flying above. When the game is like this, it's the best thing ever.
GO! GO! GO! I'm also impressed by the technical aspects of the game. BC1 was a mess, with lots of little bugs, sluggish and clunky movement, and ridiculously underpowered weapons. I'm happy to say that almost all of the issues with the first game are resolved. The weapons feel powerful, the movement isn't slow and tedious (thankfully, it doesn't take a full second to bring your weapon up after sprinting), and the menus are also a lot easier to use (they look a lot better to). Unfortunately, the only vehicle that seems easy to use is the four wheeler, because the tanks and APCs are still difficult to control. A short while ago I tried flying a helicopter and promptly sent my teammate and I into a cliff. Maybe it's because I never bothered to fly them in the last game, or it's because the controls are god awful. The interface also looks a bit better, although I do wish they had kept the ticket/crate health bars at the top of the screen. Maybe they are located somewhere else, but I sure haven't found them yet. Oh, and the graphics are great.
To sum it all up, Bad Company 2 is looking to be a very good game. Play the demo and see for yourself. Got any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
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