Assassin's Creed is Done

I beat it yesterday. The game is beautiful....great graphics, charicter animations, textures, scope, etc....but the little flaws in the gameplay really add up after playing for more than a streight hour. Apparently I missed some of the fine (and important) details in the story, but after looking around online I get it now. The story is actually pretty cool. The ending is very cliffhangerish, but not in the Halo 2 "throw controller, smash tv, curse, yell, set off nuclear bombs" sort of way, but more like the "I am very intregued now" sort of way. Here's hoping that Ubisoft makes the rest of the triogy more human-friendly.

Guitar Hero Commentary

It's so freaking addictive. I was one of those jaded anti-G.H. people but its so rediculously addictive. Also difficult.

My del.icio.us

http://del.icio.us/SkylineJeeTeeAre

check it

Forza Motorsport 2 Review

If you've played Forza on the original Xbox, you're in for more of the same in the sequal, which isn't a bad thing. While getting rid of some old tracks (frown) and adding some new ones (meh), you get many, many, many new cars, more detailed upgrading, and way advanced tuning options. Graphics are more polished than the last gen, but not revolutionary. The new photo option is pretty cool and you can upload pictures of your custom cars with cooler paint options than before and share them with the world. It's the most realistic racing sim on the market.

9/10

Splinter Cell: Double Agent Review

I am a huge fan of Splinter Cell games, having played every game since the first. That said, DA is somewhat if a departure from the series. The AI is slightly improved and the graphics are much improved over the last generation. The point of Splinter Cell is to sneak around in the dark, slowly stalking your prey before slicing their throat and dragging their limp husk of a body to a concealled location. DA incorperates maybe two levels of sneaking, and the rest is a really bad third-person shooter. Quite lame. Chaos Theory is still the best.

6.5/10

The Darkness Review

I played and beat this game over the summer, but while I'm at it I might as well review it.

The story is truely a masterpiece. This game has one of the most emotionally-charged moments I have ever seen in game or movie. The ending is a bit dissapointing, but still satisfactory. The graphics are top-notch and the gameplay is unique. Though the game suffers from some rather weak gunplay, the Darkness powers totally make up for it. Loading times are an issue and, to quote Game Informer, "You see much more of New York's subway system than you'd ever like to". The AI is predictable and pretty weak.

8.5/10

Call of Duty 4 Review

If you've played Call of Duty Finest Hour, Call of Duty 2, or Call of Duty 3, then Call of Duty 4 is just for you. It's the exact same type of gameplay, except in a modern setting. With amazing graphics and some really cool moments, this game does not disapoint. The campaign is very fun, though short. The story is kind of weak, but the gameplay is where it counts. The weapons are fun, but do not fuction much differently from the other games' counterparts. AI is pretty crappy, though improved over 2. Some of the more cinimatic moments are really breathtaking. That said, the single player is good, but not the godsend it was thought to be.

8.5/10

Assassin's Creed Review

Yet another game that has fallen to the over-hype machine. While it starts off with an inadiquate into tutorial, once you get used to the strange controls and combat system, the game gets better. Like an album you dont like the first time you hear it, but the more you listen to it it grows on you...its like that. The graphics are amazing, the environments are huge and absolutally gorgeous. The AI isn't too bad and the combat is fun. The climbing and "free-running" is really awesome. Even though it is a really repetative game, it's definately worth checking out.

9/10

Skate Review

Skate is the first game to tackle the genre of skateboarding with any success since the Tony Hawk series faded into apathy. Rather than stringing huge crazy combos for massive points and secret tapes like the TH games, Skate aims for realism. You won't be doing double backflips over hellicopters in Skate. You roam around a city and skate on evryday objects like a real skater would. The control scheme is also revolutionary. Rather than having an "ollie, grind, flip, grab" button scheme, the right joystick controlls the movement of you feet to do tricks and the left stick controls your steering and body rotation. It really needs to be experienced to be understood.
However, like many games nowadays, the concept is better than the exicution. Skate is a good game, but suffers from some major flaws. The camera angle can be immensely frustrating at times. It is nearly impossible to do a speciffic trick on purpose, so challenges that require it are very tedious and inconsistant. Most of the sweet moments of the game, of which there are many, they are mostly completely by accident. Also, simple things like navigating the world is horrible. Tripping over curbs, getting hit by cars, the slightest uneven surface killing you...it gets old.

8/10

Wallpapers

Direct Link:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/spartan732/l_2d63b2433b20e055bf686c5114f01422.jpg



Direct Link:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/spartan732/l_e378f7f3b1f787deb55dc08b777977f2.jpg

If you like one, or want me to make you one custom, just let me know. Or if you like one of these and want the full-size, I'll be happy to e-mail you one.

Orange Box

Half-Life 2:
It's the same game I played 2 years ago on the original Xbox. Still good.

Half-Life 2 Episode 1:
Better graphics, too many zombies, not enough cool scenery, too short.

Half-Life 2 Episode 2:
Amazing graphics, good balance of enemies, great environments, great story, cliffanger (and sad) ending.

Portal:
Maybe the most amuzing game I've ever played. Too easy at first, challenges are WAY too hard. If it was twice as long (like more than a 3 hour game) then it would be the best game ever.

Team Fortress 2:
Havent really messed with it. I cannot use server-based online gaming. I'm too party-based spoiled with Halo 2 and 3. I like the art style though and the classes are pretty cool.

Basically, if you own a Xbox 360, you HAVE to buy Orange Box. It's like Halo 3 and Gears of War. You just HAVE to play it.

Tattoo

So I'm thinking about getting a tattoo in the form of a black treble clef on my back. Right shoulderblade ish area. I just need to know where is a good place, how much its gonna cost, how much tip should be, and how much aftercare products cost.

Halo 3 (spoiler free)

Me and C-dog waited in line from 8:30 to midnight at gamestop. we played the campaign on heroic co-op from 12:06 to 5:40 when we beat it. Then we played an hour and a half of xbox live.

Campaign:
-too short
-story too confusing
-ending is kind of anticlimactic
-better than halo 2 but nowhere near as good as halo:combat evolved

Multiplayer:
-faster matchmaking
-good weapon balance
-better than ever

Graphics:
-unlike Gears of War, there are actual colors in this game and it looks amazing

Sound:
-simply fantastic

Overall:
-didnt live up to hype
-legendary not worth $130 but the helmet is freakin sweet
-Better than 2, not as good as 1
-As far as games go this is among the best. as far as halo games go, its middle of the road. (1 being amazing, 2 being the suck, and 3 being "ok")

House-Sitting

I get to house/dog sit for my neighbors tonight-monday. Given that I'm working today and tomorrow, I hope that dog knows how to hold it. Shouldn't be too bad, I just have to feed/water and let the dog out, sleep over there, and not drink the beer (beer is nasty so no biggie). Also no girls. Didn't see that one coming. I can have 2 friends over though so I might see if C-dog wants to come play crackdown or something.
Also, I hope to God I don't work Mon or Tues due to Halo 3. Tuesday is a definate no-go, but if I have to work Monday, I suppose C-dog could stand in line for me till I get off (probly at 9). Then playing "Teh Haloz" all night and whoring achievements all the next day. It will be a "Grand Occasion" indeed, my friend.

Posts from the Mac

It's here! I am actually making this post from my MacBook. It's so pretty. I like.

Now to just get all my music on here.....

Lots of Things

1. My MacBook shipped from Shanghai at 11:31 today

2. One week till Halo 3

2.5. Some heartless mofo leaked the ending to Halo 3 onto the interwebs. I swear if anyone tells me they shall recieve a sound beating in the testicle-area

3. My mom's iPod nano came in today. She's very excited.

4. I don't want to work tomorow if the weather was anything like today. Twas so nice. Makes me want to go to Maymont and just sit for a while and listen to the waterfall.

5. Crackdown is a very addicting game.

6. Nightwish's new song Amaranth is amazing. Anette adds a whole new flavor to the sound of the band.

7. I like ducks. They are cool.

Job

Tis chill. I dig it.

also, this is funny
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kvanJYOGlus

Macbook and Job

It has been ordered. As of last night it is being processed. The iPod nano and Microsoft Office has shipped and will be here within the week. The MacBook itself has yet to be shipped but soon....very soon.

ALSO

I start my new job at A&N in.....an hour and 10 min. I shall relay my experience later.

Lamborghini Reventón

OK, if you know me at all you know that I love Lamborghinis. In fact, the LP640 is my favorite supercar (well, it's tied with the Koeniggseg CCX). The idea behind this new Lambo is to create an uber exclusive car to rival or at least be reminiscent of the Bugatti Veyron. Basically all they did was take a .jpg of a Murcielago, photoshoped it so it looks like an 8-bit videogame, and slapped on a 1,000,000 Euro price tag. Thats roughly $1,350,000, almost the same price as the Veyron. Now, it still has the LP640 engine, so we already know the performance. The question now remains....would you rather have a hot-wheels inspired Lambo with the performance of a car that costs 1/4 as much, or a Bugatti Veyron which is the fastest car in the world? DUH. Sorry Lambo, can't support you on this one.

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/11/frankfurt-2007-the-2008-lamborghini-reventon

Movie6

Movie6.net plus South Park equals no life for me!

Papers

I just finished two papers this weekend. Procrastination sucks balls. One would think that after 12 years of school I would finally realize this, but apparently not. Whatever...time to go play Oblivion.

Apocalyptica + Rammstein = Change of Underwear

From Apocalyptica's Wikipedia Page:

"Apocalyptica are currently working on their sixth studio album, Worlds Collide, which is due for worldwide release on September 17, 2007. Till Lindemann of Rammstein will be among the guest singers. He will be taking on David Bowie's song "Heroes", which was also released in German as "Helden". Till will be singing the German version, making his song the only German-language song on Worlds Colide and the secound in the bands history."

Till singing with Apocalyptica. OMGWTFSPLOSION

While I'm At It....

Since I'm in a mucic-oriented mood, I thought I'd share my favorite albums. These are based on overall quality, not just any one song. By and large, almost all the songs on these albums are sweet.

Hybrid Theory, Reanimation, Meteora
Linkin Park

ANThology
Alien Ant Farm

Ten-Thousand Fists
Disturbed

Shine-The Hits
Newsboys

Halo: Original Soundtrack
Marty O'Donnel

Halo 2: Volume 1
Marty O'Donnel and Michael Salvatori

Halo 2: Volume 2
Marty O'Donnel and Michael Salvatori

Fallen
Evanescence

Here's to the Mourning
Unwritten Law

Live Aus Berlin
Rammstein

Mute Math
Mute Math

Once
Nightwish

Sonic Firestorm
DragonForce

Poodle Hat, Alapalooza, Food Album, Off the Deep End, Bad Hair Day, Streight Outa Lynwood, Running With Scissors
Weird Al Yankovic

Holst: The Planets
London Symphony Orchestra

In Search of Sunrise 1-3, Magik 1-7
Tiesto

Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies
Arturo Toscanini, NBC Symphony Orchestra

The End.

Brother

...by Dark New Day is a freakin amazing song. That is all.

Bundle 'o Games

Jack just let me borrow like all of his 360 games since his died. Now I can get quality time with Bioshock, Test Drive Unlimited, Gears of War, Oblivion, Gun, Prey, and Rainbow Six Vegas. W00t.

Job Interview (Part 3)

I'm in. I am employed.

Job Interview (Part 2)

I had the interview today. Eric (the manager) is really laid-back. I think I got the job. 99% sure. I really look foreward to working there, friends are there, money coming in, chill job...life shall be good.

Job Interview (part 1)

I have an interview on Tuesday at A&N. Hooray jobs=money

Halo 3 Paid Off

It's official: I now have paid for Halo 3 in full. $136.49. Hooray!

Halo 3 is Gold

Discs of magical goodness are being pressed and packaged starting today. 27 days......

Car Accident

I was turning right from Eastridge Rd onto Three Chopt. There is a turning lane thing with a yield sign. I slowed to yield (did NOT slam on my brakes) and got rear-ended by a blue Ford Focus. Her little plastic bumper was fine, but the steel back of my car was mashed pretty bad. It's a really big dent and a scratched bumper. Woo hoo. I'll try and have pics up tomorrow.

What Happened to Linkin Park?

I was just listening to some Reanimation and Hybrid Theory. Those are REALLY really good albums. So was Meteora, but I can't find it. Ever since the J-Z load of crap it's been downhill. Minutes to Midnight is an embarresment to old school LP fans like me. Where did all the politicality come from? Since when do they curse? I thought it was nice that they could sound good and be one of few bands that don't curse...not so much anymore. "Bleed it Out" is ok, but just for the first 30 seconds. "What I've Done" is also ok, but could they please knock it off with the tree-hugging meat-is-murder bullcrap? What happened?

Upcoming Games

If you know me at all, Halo 3 is (and has been) the #1 thing on my mind since Halo 2 turned out to be the suckfest that it is. September 25 CANNOT come fast enough. Also, Halo Wars, though an interesting concept (what the original concept for the 1st Halo was) I find that I'm not as excited about it as I should be, as anything with Halo branding usually gets me really pumped. Maybe it's just because I cannot play and RTS on anything but a PC. Anyways, Half-Life 2: Orange Box comes out soon. HL2, Ep 1, Ep 2, Team Fortress 2, and PORTAL all in one box for $60. THAT my friends, is value. Especially since my computer cannot run those games, and HL 2 on xbox loaded every 15 seconds, I am fairly excited about this, especially Portal.
P.S. Dog is amazing.
Assassin's Creed: looks freaking amazing. By the same people that spawned Splinter Cell (1-3 are some of the best games ever) now with an assassin in the old Middle-East, who's main meathod of transportation is Parkour...sweet.
And last but not least
Mass Effect. Same people that did KOTOR (freakin sweet game) now with more customizing, more places to go, and is almost maybe a little bit part shooter....a shooter rpg sci-fi....rawk.

Now the only thing is: where the F*** am I supposed to get money for all these...especially after spending $130 on Halo 3 AND I need a laptop....oh well.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

I just read/watched a review on IGN on Prime 3. See NOW there is actually a good game on that little toy (a.k.a. Wii) for people who....like...actually play videogames. Prime 3 and Super Smash Bros. I might just have to borrow Corey's Wii.....

Trucking Mishap

Saturday nights are the college guy's meeting/hang out night. We were supposed to meet at one guy's house, who is out of town but is being house-sat by another friend. We were just gonna grill some burgers and chill out, all good right? Well one guy and I were there waiting for the two leaders when we got a call saying that they had borrowed (out-of-town-friend's) Dodge Ram 1500 to help someone move, and decided to go mudding. Well they had gotten stuck and we had to go pull them out. The only thing we had to pull them with was (out-of-town-friend's) brand new $45,000+ Ram 2500 Cummins. And, since it's a manual transmition, I had to drive (because people are dumb and can't drive a manual). Now, you might be thinking "oh, big deal". Well considering I'm used to driving a little Chevy Lumina and the only manual I've driven is a Subaru Forrester, AND it's not my truck....yeah....hyperventillation. So we manage to get the giant truck to the place where they were stuck. Very narrow dirt road bordered by trees. So after getting them free, I had to back the truck out of the woods. BACKWARDS. In my friend's brand new (very expensive) baby. So today we took the truck to Wawa and power-washed the mud off it and had to tell (getting-back-in-town-owner-of-the-trucks) what happened.

In short...never the f*ck again. EVER.

Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem

With the ending in the first AvP I would certainly hope for a sequal. It looks like it's returning the franchise(s) back to their sweet horror roots. If you look closely in the trailer (link below) you can see the "Hybrid" in several shots. I'm so excited about this, and you should be too.

http://media.movies.ign.com/media/746/746237/vids_1.html

Letter from Ju

I got a letter from Mitchell today. He said he was doing ok at training, just that there's alot of yelling (duh). Apparently he failed his physical requirements again so he is going to be in PT until he can pass. He better get on it or else he won't be back till December.

Job(s)?

I'm going in to Sam Ash tomorrow for a "formal" interview. If they pay well I will probably end up selling band instruments there. If that falls through I will probably end up working at A&N with my friend, which would be kind of cool. Yay for money.
MacBook- $1000
Microsoft Office for Mac - $125
Case for MacBook - $30
Tattoo - $80
Rest of Halo 3 owed - $40

Ugh >_<

Lucky to Be Alive

Last Friday, I got a call from a friend in Norfolk who told me his boss was giving away a 1984 Mazda RX-7 for free, and he wanted to know if I was interested. Obviously I was thrilled and we immediately set about making plans to get the car from Norfolk to Richmond. That night, he called back and told me that his dad had already promised the car to another person. Needless to say I was not in the best of moods. The next day, on their way back to Richmond, three of the car's tires blew simultaniously at 70mph on the highway. My friend was driving and he hit a guard rail, tipped the car up vertically, slammed back down, and rolled backwards for 50 yards. The car is totalled, all windows broken. He crawled out through the sunroof and he is perfectly fine. Had I gotten the car, I would have been driving rather than him. I doubt I could have controled the accident as well as he and I would have most likely been severely injured if not killed. Everything happens for a reason.

1st Day at J. Sarge

I just had my first day at J Sargeant Reynolds Community College. I'm psyched. It's pretty chill, which I think might get me into trouble later on once things get close to due dates. The whole "chillax" vibe is not conductive to working. Not so much. I haven't had to take notes by hand for six years, as my high school provided laptops, and now I feel naked without one. Hopefully I'll get a job this week and I can be able to make payments on a MacBook. Yum....Apple.