Santa stops at three hoes.
HEY-OH!
Merry Christmas everybody, and a Happy New Year. I say that one now because I have another month of computer absence because of MCT, but after that I should be golden.
So I've been enjoying my leave, eating whatever the hell I like whenever, and playing lots of video games. I rented Super Mario Galaxy, and although its late I still haven't returned it. I've already got only 1 star to go until I can fight the final boss at the center of the universe, or whatever happens when you get there.
After MCT I should be able to get another 360, or a PS3, one of the two. What I really want to play is Valkyria Chronicles. Persona 4 was incredible, as was Devil Survivor, so I want more JRPGs, specifically those with some kind of anime-ish artstyle.
I also got a new cellphone, a BlackBerry. It doesn't have the touchscreen but I do have internet on the go now. I also just read they're releasing ANOTHER variant of the DSi, of course, two weeks after I buy mine. My luck never runs out.
Anyway, I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas, and that everyone else serving is with family if they can be. Thankfully I got PRASP for the holidays so I wasn't stuck at Camp Geiger.
I recently connected my Facebook account to Gamespot. I don't see any benefits in doing this. If I'm logged in to Facebook it automatically logs me in as Kristopher Kwak on Gamespot. Is this an account completely separate from MrDziekuje? I really don't know. I connected FB and GS while I was logged in on this account. At any rate, I see no reason to use it.
--------------------------------------
I also backed up my Wii's memory yesterday. Well, as much as I could at least. It seems that certain games won't allow you to copy or move save data. Pokemon Battle Revolution is one example. I wouldn't be too broken up over losing that data though. I can't copy my Brawl data and that makes me mad. Few other I couldn't copy were World of Goo and the FFCC:MLaaK add-ons. I think some of the older games that don't feature saving will only have data you can copy if you saved your progress via returning to the Wii Menu during gameplay (for those who don't know, it saves your exact location on any Virtual Console title.) I also found it interesting that some games notified me that not everything could be saved. For new retail Wii games, I noticed that the online-ready games like DBZ:BT3 fell into this catagory. I don't know why any VC titles give me this message though.
---------------------------------------
I'm thinking about sitting down one day and writing a bunch of reviews. So keep and eye out for that. I need to get some free time from school work.
My high school graduation was Friday, so I'm officially done with high school... What a relief!
This August I'll be going up to North Carolina for college, then from there, who knows what!
I know I'll be headed to the beach a lot this summer...
Not long reviews. Just something to give iPhone (and perspective iPhone owners) an idea of what's out there and whether it's worth bothering with at this early stage in iPhone game development. All opinions below are my own. all screenshots were taken off my phone. If you have a question, leave a comment.
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
It's a good looking game and pretty fun. It's on rails, meaning you don't control where the character goes. you only control combat decisions by drawing patterns with your finger on the screen. Good looking graphics, servicable sound. Game does save on return to home.
Dream's opinion: pick it up
=============================================
Big Bang Board Games
Big Bang is a compilation of games (Chess, Checkers, Reversi, Mancala, 4 in a row, Backgammon, Tic Tac Toe). Professionally done and beautifully executed, I'd recommend this suite of games to anyone who enjoys the above games. I can't speak to the difficulty level of the AI in the games, but there is a "Master Difficulty" and option to choose if the player or AI goes first. No 2 player options.
Dream's opinion: pick it up
============================================
Monkey Ball
Monkey ball is a true Monkey Ball game. Personally, I find it a bit difficult to control with tilting, but you may enjoy it more like that. great graphics and high production value.
Dream's opinion: pick it up, if you like Monkey Ball. others will find the controls a turn-off, I suspect.
============================================
Texas Hold'em
High quality Texas Hold'Em game with varying levels of challenge (indicated by "cost" to play in each venue). provides single player and online multiplayer gaming. If you like Texas Hold'Em, your choice here is clear. It's a must.
Dream's opinion: pick it up
=============================================
Blackjack 21
Decent blackjack game. Simple to play with clean graphics. Even has random achievements. lol.
Dream's opinion: pick it up if you need blackjack.
=============================================Tap Tap Revenge
Let's face it: this app was better when it was only available for jailbroken phones. There was a time when this app allowed you to take any song in your music library and add your own taps to the music. then you could go back and play them. Big fun. Now, you have to select from the handful of songs they have available that you probably won't like. In genres that you might not like.
if they go back to allowing users to use their own mp3's to play songs, this app will go back to being made of win. But as it is now, it feels like an empty shell of what made it great. too bad.
If I could still get the old version, I would.
Dream's opinion: pass for now.
=============================================
Tetris
Professionally made by EA, it's good old Tetris as you'd expect it to be. Nothing more, nothing less.
Dream's opinion: pick it up
=============================================
Critter Crunch
an unusual puzzle game in the vein of Tetris, where you feed smaller critters to bigger critters in order to get them to over-eat, explode and blow up adjacent critters of equal size. It makes more sense when you see it. Think Bejeweled and Tetris crossed.
Dream's opinion: pass
=============================================
Line Rider
It's Line Rider. lol. iPhone edition allows you to share your tracks or download tracks from others via your linerider.com account. Extra options include Draw & Pan, Night Ride, and Gravity Tilt.
Dream's opinion: pick it up
=============================================
Funky Punch
The first fighting game for the iPhone. It's pretty cute and pretty functional. Dream's opinion: pass unless youre desperate for a fighting game.
=============================================
Brain Challenge
Another game with very high production value. If you're into DS games like Brain Age or Brain Training, this is a game to have. Just as good as if not better than those. All the same kinds of features as those games.
Dream's opinion: pick it up
=============================================
Stone of Destiny
Ultimately, it's something of a Where's waldo game with a timer where you find objects in a picture. Some objects are genuinely hard to find. Cool "passing the time" game. Pretty high quality production in this game. game does save on return to home.
Dream's opinion: pass
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All in all, there are some good games and some misses. Brain Challenge stands out as the biggest winner. Star Wars, Texas Hold 'Em, Big Bang and Monkey Ball are also excellent options.
Considering devs only began bringing games to the platform 3 months ago, I expect the future of iPhone gaming to be bright indeed.
Hello all, it's me, HardcoreKiller2. It's been awhile, I think the last time I wrote a blog was in... May. Wow, it's been a hell of a long time. Oh well, I'll give you a little update on how I've been doing in the past 3-4 months. Well, I've been focusing more on school than playing video games. The reason why is because I'm now a Junior now in High School and I need to get better grades so that I can get into the college that I want. If you read my first blog post, you would know that I want to become a game designer, it's been a dream job of mine ever since I played Super Mario Bros. on the NES.
Anywho, so in short: I've been focusing more on school than video games. Okay, what else... uh... oh... I also don't plan on making anymore updates to my blog, so this might be the last time I'll post a blog, unless something really important happens. I've just been so busy with school and my social life, I just don't have the time to be makin' blog posts and all. I'll still be on GameSpot from time to time, just not all the time like I used to. I hope you all understand. 
So yeah, you can still contact me here, MySpace (Send me a message if you want to know it), Xfire (hardcore3) and on Xbox Live (SoldierIce64).
Well. This is it. The last thing I want to say before I go is that I hope all of you had a good time reading my blogs. 
Till next time - Jake (HardcoreKiller2)
... I will return. Whether its a day from now, a week, month, year, or even a decade... I will return.
So I was able to finally get my hands on a Wii. My mom really wanted one after the neighbor kids got one last christmas. I've always been really iffy about the wii. I guess I'm being a graphics whore when that is the first thing I dislike about the wii.
but after getting one, and playing the heck out of the Wii Sports that comes with the system, my mind is changing. Its quite enjoyable, minus the 'Wii Arm' I'm getting a bit of.
Its really cool to be playing with my mom. I guess its a "bonding experience" Its really cool to see her enjoy something that I enjoy a lot.
Later this saturday, we are going to go shopping for peripherals. Which is somewhat frustrating. I spend 250 on a console but I still have to spend 100-200 on peripherals 
I mean, I did the same thing with my 360, but I guess with the Wii being touted as a "party/family game system" one would think it would come with 2 controllers.
Yeah that's exactly what I was saying a few hours ago! I was having an "episode" with Gears of War for the PC, because I couldn't seem to get the friggen thing update, not only that but it wouldn't let me even sign in because of the update. I had to manually download the thing, and even then - get this, you wont believe what I'm about to say - when I started up the patch, it automatically triggered my Asus Bios update!
I myself have trouble believing it. A patch that automatically triggers my bios update, of which I have the latest... dude that's just f***ed no matter how you put it! Not only that but the serious nervous brakedown that I was about to have was honestly making me crazy; switching my taskbar to the plain old Windows one, screwing with my wireless adapter. Eventually I got everything to work and was able to get an hour and half or so of gameplay, great game, I'm thinking maybe I'll put up a gameplay video of it? I'm not too sure myself, as I just picked up Unreal Tournament 3 - great bargain price of 29.99 - and Opposing Fronts, so I'll see what happens.
GTAIV this week!
Yeah I know it's been a while since I posted anything up here, but University is a b**ch.
Part of the reason that I'm primarily a PC gamer is because of mods, the sense of reward you get from playing mods like Minerva whilst telling yourself "wait, hang on, this is free?" is great. It's part of the appeal of PC gaming to me.
I've recently downloaded two mods, one of them is the newest version of Pirates, Vikings and Knights. It's a HL2 mod, that runs on the source engine. The game is insane, the premise is great too, get 3 things that never co-existed in the same time period and put them in a game. It's primiarily a melee combat game, which is deeper in the latest release. You can swing your weapon in four different directions, your opponent can anticipate what direction you swing in from your animation and block in the same position (it's a lot harder than it sounds, co-ordinating an attack whilst defending and moving is difficult). There's also some ranged combat, from bows to parrots and some special abilities (The heavy knight can drag his claymore around in a 360 turn, the archer can fire 3 fire arrows for a one hit kill) special abilities can only be performed with a full red bar, which goes up when you inflict damage on your opponents). There are three factions (no second guesses on who they are) and two classes within the factions, all have thier own weapons and special abilities. The game modes seem to encourage all three to duke it out in locations throughout the map, for instance, one is about who controls the most "booties". There are three bases and all have to defend thier treasure chests whilst obtaining the others from the eneimes, the most consistent team who usually has the most chests at thier base win. It leads to funny moments where a pirate will use a flaming barrel and take out around 3-4 guys in one explosion.
The visuals are amazing for a mod on the source engine too, it's easily the best looking source mod out there. The sound is great aswell, all factions have their own war cries, which leads to funny instances where you exchange calls with a teamate whilst slashing them with a cutlass. The spirit of the game encourages this sort of behaviour and it leads to a very fun mod, it's worth a download.
The other one is Insurgency: Modern Infantry Combat (another source mod). I played this from 11:30 pm to 2:00 am straight away, it's intense, immersive and deep. It's very realistic, the original lead designer was in the Canadian army (it shows). It's set in Iraq, you can play as the Iraqi Insurgents or the US troops. Both have different ****s lead by a commander, within the team there are two squads with squad leaders. The realistic nature of the game enhances the experience, it draws you in keeps you alert. You're always aware of the fact that one or two well aimed shots will drop you, so you find yourself peering around the corner with your scope, scanning the landscape before you move, you can't go Rambo here, you have Call of Duty 4 for that.
It's not as good looking as PVK, but it still looks brilliant relative to other mods, because it's currently in the beta phase, there is no AA, but there is HDR and many other affects that still make the game easy on the eye. The gun sounds are amongst the most realistic I've ever heard, they're bloody loud, it's honestly like the gunfire from a news report in Iraq. Don't be tentative about this one, get it now.
I've also downloaded Warsow, but that's for another blog (it's a cross between Quakeworld and Jet Set Radio Future), for those who like twitch based shooters, get it before I make a long winded blog about it.
Seriously now. I keep getting this hilariously-bad magazine called Ignite Your Faith. And by magazine, I mean Christian fundie magazine that looks almost exactly like American Fundie Magazine, only it's completely serious. On the front cover of the current issue, it has a blurb saying "The Bible: God's Awesome Rescue Plan". It's like something Ned Flanders would write. And it gets even worse inside.
How much worse? There's a section that's like "6 Reasons People Followed Jesus". I originally read it as "6 Reasons Jesus was awesome", but considering what the magazine is like, I wouldn't be suprised if that were actually in there.
Anyways, I find this magazine incredibly amusing, if only in the way that I find getting watching movies featured on MST3K amusing. I don't even know who the devil keeps sending it to me.
This is total BS, JEFF gerstmann WAS AN IDLE of gamespot, when u think about gamespot U IMMEDIATELY Picture jeff gerstmann big loveable teddy bear game reviewer gettin into the tidbits about a game an lettin us know what its all about
CNET U R GOING TO PAY FOR HTIS U WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS WE ARE U WITHOUT US UR ADVERISEMENT DONT MEAN ANYTHING
U DO NOT FIRE SOMEONE WHO IS LOVED BY UR COMMUNITY AN NOT FACE REPRCSSIONS
HOW CAN WE AS GAMERS trust ur review for assassin creed after jeff got fired for giving a 6 to a medicore game an he got fired?
IF I WAS a gamespot reviewer I WOULD be scared as hell to give assassin creed a 7 like IGN becuase cnet is sellin assassin creed ads all over the gamespot an jeff just got fired for giving his real thoguhts on another game that had 2 HUGE ad's on main gamespot page so NOW WE know cnet is selling high ratings to games
I AM SCARED FOR THE INTEGRITY OF THE GAMING REVIEWS here the other reviewers seem realy scared to give out 7's to games like assassin creed nemore, i might have to go to ign who is seling creed ads all over the site gave the game a 7 said it was overrated anad NOBODY GOT FIRED LIKE JEFF DID
DO THE MATH PPL DO THE MATH
first is Klaus nomi. He's some freakish looking german dude who made a bunch of weird music video's in the 80's. His singing makes my ears bleed. It sounds terrible. Horrible. it makes me wanna barf. And I kinda like it ...I don't know.
lets see what else...Oh, speaking of weird music videos: Beep me 911. I've been listening to a lot of missy elliot latley. I'm surrprised at how fresh and current her music sounds years latley.
I'm really liking Shawty is a ten by "the dream" too. This one is less weird than the others. The dudes voice in this song sounds like he's 12 or something, but I think it sounds cool. I like the simplicity of it all.
hmmm....Oh yea. I've also been listening to homemade music on newgrounds.com. They have a section where peole can upload their music for all the world to hear. Most of it is techno and stuff. I like this one.
Thats about it...
