 Malik
(1/31/11)I had to take a week to get some real priorities in order. While I find a good deal of enjoyment from posting my random ramblings here, I also need to occasionally get my stuff in order and allow my mind some time to get back to full strength. Here are some thoughts from the last week that I would've normally posted... LittleBigPlanet 2 is pretty damned sweet. The main game (story mode) is a bit lacking versus the story mode from LBP. It's not bad, but it feels short and too focused on a boss fight each world. I wouldn't have minded more of a standard LBP approach that ended with a single big boss fight instead of numerous little ones. However, the variety of game styles in the story mode are pretty cool with some platforming being broken up with old school shooter style (think Raiden or Gradius), a level of rail shooting, and some neat little bonuses for exploring levels to their fullest. There is definitely more hidden on this game than LBP had, but LBP2 still feels a bit too short. I haven't tried many community levels on LBP2, but I do like the potential that I'm seeing. One level that really blew me away was a recreation of the first dungeon from Zelda 1, using an overhead view with the same Zelda style controls of the d-pad, a sword button, an item button (you get the boomerang, bow, and bombs), and a menu button. It all looks so authentic to the original Zelda. The only thing lacking was that the level moved a bit slowly. Other than the speed issue, this level truly shows that LBP2 has serious potential beyond what I ever expected. To find this level, use the Mm Picks sort option and look for Zelda Dungeon. The next generation portable wars are not exactly wowing me. I will probably get a 3DS since I like the RPG selection that the DS family has given. I also like the built-in features, however I'm not wanting to spend extra for them. Mainly I just want the games that I know will come in the lines of classic RPG remakes, puzzle games (Professor Layton), and the Nintendo made first party titles. Still, if the system ends up like the DS did, the games will come in time and soon there will be too many to pick from. As for the NGP (PSP2) from Sony...I'm happy and I don't want it. I'm happy because with the second analogue stick, real analogue style sticks (not the PSP disk of lameness), and the back touch screen (to replicate the previously missing L2 and R2 buttons), I see good potential. I mean the system supposedly can run PS3 games ported directly from the PS3 without any modifications to the software coding. That sounds amazing. So, why would I not want the NGP? Well, I had a PSP for a year and a half before two things happened. One was that I realized the system was fragile and poorly designed (especially the square button being unresponsive at times). The other is that I realized all I used the thing for was homebrew. I couldn't find enough games to make it worth the time and money to own the PSP. More so, the few enjoyable games were usually limited by sloppy coding. If I really wanted a homebrew system with no games, I could have been far better off with a GP32 or any of it's family. So, once again, unless the games really start to put on the awe-factor, I just can't waste money on something that would turn into little more than a novelty in my hands. On a final note, I just don't feel the NFL now. The Super Bowl is lined up to be the Packers and Steelers, which is just not interesting for me. I want to see the Steelers go down, but I have a bad feeling I'll be seeing, once again, the black and gold taking apart all challengers. In the big game, the Steelers are just too damned good, and they have the definite Super Bowl experience versus the current roster of the Packers. I'm also not feeling the NFL since I think a stupid thing is on the horizon. I'm talking the labor issues facing the league in the next couple of months. I don't want a lock-out, but I sure feel like one is almost guaranteed at this point. Too many stupid things are happening, and too few people want to step up and act like the responsible adults they are all supposed to be. If I wanted to see a bunch of childish decisions, I have better ways than to keep reading about NFL name calling and some rather lame demands (like the NFL wanting 18 games without addressing the injury issues currently in the league...I'd love more NFL games a year, but not if it meant more injuries making more lame games). Malik |
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Malik
(2/3/11) I have been following Rock Band pretty regularly, but haven't touched the game for quite some time. I mean some of the recent DLC is pretty sweet (David Bowie 5-pack, for example) but it's just not enough to get me back into the game. So, I stopped paying attention last week. One week without paying attention, and look what happens; I've been wanting one album for a long time on Rock Band. I'm talking about one of the best known punk albums of all time. An album that is constantly voted in the top of any type of "Top Rock Albums of All Time" type lists. One album that redefined the sounds of music in a good number of ways. One album that is amazing in it's ability to sound so unique with each song, but still sound true to the artist in every way. One album that is even bringing about a biographical style movie in the near future on its creation. One album to bring about so much variety and fun. One truly amazing album. So, the one week I stop checking Rock Band DLC announcements it when London Calling comes along! The one week I stop looking is when the album I crave so damned much has to try to sneak past me. If it wasn't for getting the weekly DLC update email from the Playstation Network, and for once reading over it and not just deleting it, I wouldn't have even known that it came along. Anyway, I think tonight is the night I get off my butt for once and get back to playing games again. It's been too comfortable just watching DVR of Doctor Who. It's time to pick up my fake guitar and enjoy the simple wondrous pleasures of geeking out again. Malik |
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Malik
(2/4/11) I am back from my time off from posting, but I still am realizing I have little to actually say. I've been far too mellow lately. This equates to me mainly sitting on my couch and watching some DVR recordings of random History channel and BBC America stuff. Not exactly something worthy of posting about. The only thing on my mind right now that is in any way tied in to regular geek material is the weather that is going crazy around the world. Most of it is just pure scientific style curiosity, but a little does fit in to the grander scheme of things. For example, Dallas Texas is supposed to be a nice place for the Super Bowl. It's a warmer state with mild winters. Tell that to Mother Nature. When you have Dallas in extreme weird weather followed by Indy and then New York, you can see some wacky conditions on the horizon for the Super Bowl in the next three years. Yes, Dallas will be enclosed with the roof for this year, but it doesn't stop the airports from canceling flights. This isn't even looking at New York in a couple years, with New York style winter weather. All of this together, however, makes me think of one fact I've felt for a long time; why not have the Super Bowl in any NFL city with a regular rotation like the MLS does with their championship game? I mean Detroit had the Super Bowl five years ago, and New York in two years, and they sure as hell have some of the more potent winter forecasts at this time of year. I understand that weather is not desired as a factor in the big game when you want just the two best teams facing off with an equal footing. However, would you rather see, potentially, a blizzard or sever wind storms in New York or mild rain and temperatures in the 40's and 50's in Seattle? I know that I'd love to see Seattle added to the mix, because I'm a Seattle native. However, I'd also love to see most of the major NFL cities get involved since the weather is no longer being a factor with the 2012 New York decision. As it stands, there is a decent chance that a southern team, like Dallas, the Cards, the Fins, or almost any other with a quality stadium or a stadium with history to it could have a home field advantage Super Bowl (assuming these teams can get their acts together in the future), but northern teams are usually left without a single bit of that possibility. Anyway, I'm still not too interested in the match up of the Steelers and Packers this year. Does it mean I'll skip the Super Bowl and do something else? No. It just means I am not nearly as interested as I'd be with nearly any other match up (particularly one without the Steelers, who just seem to be too constant of a factor in the Super Bowl). Malik |
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