I Hate NBA 2K11
This is what I go for everytime I start Association.
I also love NBA 2K11. There's a level you can achieve in 2K where playing the regular games against a computer is probably the worst way to spend your time. I hit that level about two years ago. I now live for NBA 2K's Assossication mode. Creating a team is where real simulation happens for me. Finding players that work well together while maintainin a budget. Creating a dynasty is what drives me.
Dark Age of Eorzea
Ah so peaceful, this is what Eorzea will look like this time next year.
"You have broken me, all the way down..." (Glen Hansard, All the Way Down)
That's where we are now.
Gamasutra listed the launch of Final Fantasy XIV as the #4 biggest disappointment of 2010. With less than three weeks to go in the year. I'd say, personally, it was probably #3 (more about 2010 disappoints in a later post). I've been REALLY looking forward to the next Final Fantasy MMO. In my opinion, FFXI did nothing short of amazing in its initial approach to the MMO genre. Yeah it was lackluster in many facets but to be honest there's still nothing like it in the PvE MMO scene. It's right up there as my #2 best MMO ever (with #1 going to Dark Age of Camelot for a solid PvE experience as the foreshadowing of a great PvP environment for its time).
FFXIV: The Fear and the Reality
No one is wearing gear this good yet, much less doing anything this epic.
I purchased FFXIV knowing I was going in to a game with a host of issues. The problem is with a game this big and you really can't half-ass it. I'd hate to be Blizzard trying to make a World of Warcraft 2. Sony Online Entertainment crashed and burned trying to follow up Everquest with a solid offering. It's a really hard thing to do. That said, Square Enix has not only had plenty of time but an abundance of feedback. They also pulled a huge budget for the title.
Part of me thinks all the money and energy went in to making the most visually impressive game possible. There's no MMO that can compete visually with FFXIV and few gaming titles can period. Sadly, I don't subscribe for pretty pictures so lets get to the problems:
FFXI Lesson #3: The Game Is Dead
The Hyur watches as his Hume brothers will die a painful death in the next few months
To quote a true veteran player on the FFXIAH.com forums, the new expansion/DLC is "the same old shit with this update, just more waste of time." So why are you still playing? I know why I am back to playing. I've bought the game twice and originally played at release and I don't have one level 75 character to show for it. Should I just quit while I'm behind and wait to crush it when FFXIV comes out? The money doesn't concern me. Assuming I end up going to Korea, I really do have it to burn.
There's no bonus for importing FFXI characters so why are you still trying? Maybe because your discount laptop can't begin to dream of running the FFXIV benchmark? I know my computer scored "Low." Which is exactly what I scored when the original FFXI benchmark came out. This time around, I don't feel bad because I know the Japanese still can't make optimized code to save their lives in the gaming industry.
I don't even know why I want a 75 anymore. It'll take me at least a month to hit 75. Probably another two weeks to hit the new cap of 80. I'll be taking a month break to get adjusted to life in Korea. That leaves me with about two weeks to enjoy my capped RDM. Two weeks to try my hand at a Dynamis, or Sky, or Sea (whatever those are) and you know go after all my merit points. You would be mistaken to think for a second that I'll be playing FFXI once FFXIV comes out. I'm not 14 anymore, I don't have that kind of time to waste. So should I quit already? I feel like I'm at that point. Maybe my friend Scot is just rubbing off on me.
Alpha Protocol: When Role-Playing Games Should Just Be A Role-Playing Game
They never did finish this one...
I picked up Alpha Protocol on Steam (a week before the massive summer sale, which makes me furious) much to the dismay of my friends and against the multitude of reviews bashing the game. I've been waiting for this game since Obsidian announced it forever ago. I was ready to see what they could do on their own without Bioware's legacy backing them up. In conclusion, Alpha Protocol was a pretty awesome ride.
SEGA’s new Sonic: I really want to have faith…
Sega is trying to make another come back. This time, they're annoucing a 2D HD reintroduction of Sonic. This of course, sends a spetacular tingle up my spine but then I quickly yank myself down to reality. When was the last time they actually pulled off a good Sonic title? Haven't they done enough damage? I feel that they came so close with Sonic Unleashed but they proved that they can't resist the urge to throw in a nice pile of crap with everything good they make. If you play the Sonic Unleashed demo it doesn't feel too bad. It's fast and fun like Sonic Adventure -- play the game and you get smacked with the awful Were-hedgehog garbage. Who came up with that? Have they been properly shot? Hopefully, you buried their body next to the person who gave Shadow guns.
What about the other Sega franchises, why don't we give those another go before we start ripping Sonic to shreds again? I think we're due for another Shinobi game. What happened to finishing up Shemue? A proper Phantasy Star Online title? I want to say lets bring on another Panzer Dragoon but no, lets not. Panzer Dragoon Orta was brilliant -- please don't go screwing that up.
Forget suggesting that Sega actually sit down and bring to the table quality new IP. I doubt they could really at this point. When it seems like they're kept afloat by a bevy of collection releases on every system possible and hitting whatever popular platform they can -- I don't think they have more than two ounces of creativity left. Or if they do, they're keeping everyone locked away in a closet. It's a shame quality fighting games aren't popular. Virtua Fighter is always a solid bet -- it's just when you suck at that game, you know you suck and it takes actual skill to get anywhere decent. The tried and true button mashing tactics that save you in Street Fighter and Guilty Gear don't help much in Virtua Fighter.
Why am I filling the air with such negativity. Let us let 2010 speak for itself and see if Sega still employs a few designers and not just a bunch of marketing executives and representatives.
For the record, I only care to write so much because I actually care if they get it right. I really like Sega and the IPs they created. Even growing up with a Super Nintendo, I was a huge fan of my first Genesis titles: Sonic 2 and Columns. A lot of my better gaming experiences happened on a SEGA system: NBA Jam, Madden 94, Sonic (duh), Comix Zone, X-Men, Virtua Fighter, Street Figher Alpha, Shenmue, and many more. I just really want to see Sega make something right other than Virtua Tennis.
Source: Sega making 'all new' 2D, hi-def Sonic game for 2010
SNK drops the ball on KOFXII, no one suprised…
First up, I haven't actually played KOFXII yet. I've been itching to but I'm sorry, I'm too poor. I've just got through reading the Engadget review and I must say, I'm throughly disappointed. I'd say check it out but here are the highlights:
- Missing Characters: King, Yuri, Geese Howard...
- Online Play Lag
- Nothing really new
Okay, lets address this one-by-one shall we? No King?! It's the only character I can actually play well and they get nix her. There's also no Vanessa, one of the newer characters I wanted to learn. I love that they cut down the roster, I just don't approve of the final selection so much.
I was worried about online play not using GGPO, seems that my worries were well founded.
The fact that nothing has really changed in KOFXII is a blessing and a curse. I feel that KOFXI brought a little too much and I didn't really like it. KOFXII was supposed to drop back to '94 roots IIRC but the idea that they reeled back too hard and it's not really fun bothers me.
Hopefully, I'll get a hands on sometime soon and I can give my real impressions but there's no way I'm dropping cash without some serious time with the game.
UPDATE: Looking at the review on ArsTechnica isn't too promising either but it restores some faith that the actual offline gameplay is solid despite missing some favorites. A solid sit-down still to come.
FFXI Journal #3
I was going to wait to do another journal entry until after I posted some content for all of those people who could care less about FFXI. However, an update was requested and who am I to deny those who request of me? I promise more non-FFXI updates, really...believe....'hon...
On to the update:
FFXI Journal #3
Man, I got a lot done in Vana'diel last night. Expect this post to be long. Brief overview: 10THF and 7RDM, new friends and linkshell, lots of pics.
This is why we can’t have nice things
When I read that EA sent out a press kit for Godfather II that included real brass knuckles, I thought to myself: that is ridiculously cool. Apparently, now they're recalling all of them due to questionable legality of the contents. I understand, from one perspective that you can't publically agree with sending out potentially illegal weapons but the other side of me hates the fact that the legal structure constantly prohibits overwhelming acts of coolness. I say you send a nice thank you letter in the return shipping box and keep the knuckles.
EA would like its brass knuckles back, please - Ars Technica
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