Left 4 Dead 2 - the first few hours
After a sudden switch in decison from Dragon Age Online to Left 4 Dead 2 for my next game purchase, I am happy to say it was a good choice (though I plan on getting Dragon Age at some point still). My first play on the game involved playing through the first chapter/campaign on single player. This was an interesting affair as I found on normal I was running out of health packs quickly and also the AI seemed shocking. At times it will help you and other times it drags behind taking out every single enemie. Now thats pretty good but when you are having to rush due to low health and respawning enemies and your team mates do nothing it starts to get frustrating.
I managed to get to the rollercoaster with the AI for those who have played the game. Overall I was left with mixed feelings, whilst it felt an improvment on the first game, I felt the AI was not up to scratch and lack of checkpoints and health packs made the game more challenging but rewarding at the same time. The next day I finally got online (not due to lack of players, due to lack of internet connection where I was playing on the xbox). When putting this online the game felt alive all of a sudden, having other people who know what to do is great but having people who wont help you is a pain in the backside. I managed to get online with a friend though by pure chance as I was not aware he had the game until it came up friend playing game at loading. We had a blast doing achievments and even managed to rescue a certain gnome so I am happily sporting a pink t-shirt award (which the game gives for avatar awards, such as X ammount of zombies killed, story completion to more challenging things like carrying a gnome through 3 chapters). Versus also was an interesting experience, the game rotates which type of zombie you are each time you die to keep you on your toes. Again with this mode you need to have good planning and communication with your team.
So far this has been a great game with a few problems such as checkpoint issues and health packs being too spread out. However if you have friends with this and can play online, its a blast, but if you only want to do single player, you will have to really consider the AI issues before choosing. If you have any questions let me know, this is purely a first impressions blog and not a review.
Also for those interested, the "Hey Ash What are you playing- Left 4 Dead" video got me interested in Left 4 Dead 2, man the music was catchy on it.
Acitivity note:
I have decided to not post for a while at the unions and main boards. I am getting fed up of the silly arguments and random flame comments that are intended to make people upset and what not. I am not sure if I will return to any of the unions as really I just want to game more. However I am planning to do blogs more frequently on the games I have been playing and what I think of them. I may post from time to time but chances are its going to be much less frequent. I am sorry to those who are at the unions who did a good effort and were friendly but there is a trend of the anamosity of the internet turning peoples comments more and more extreme and silly which just stops me wanting to post due to just not caring anymore.
They're stupid
For years I've contemplated giving PC gaming a go. The one thing I didn't want to do was spend a fortune on a pre-built machine. In fact, one of my main interests in having a gaming PC was the satisfaction of actually researching, purchasing, assembling, wiring and setting-up the computer myself. Well, my friends, that's exactly what I did.
Over the long Labor Day weekend, I decided to forgo the usual drinking and eating (ok I did some of that too) and spend some serious time getting this project off the ground. Being a complete and total newbie to PC gaming, I knew extensive research would be required. That ended up being an understatement. Without getting too detailed, believe me, there's a ton to consider.
After lots of research, decisions and rethinking of those decisions, I finalized my parts list and placed an order:
Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E8600 Wolfdale CPU @ 3.33ghz
Motherboard - ASUS Rampage Formula X48 Mobo
Graphics Card - VisionTek Radeon HD 4870x2
RAM - 4gb Corsair Dominator 1066 DDR2 RAM (2x2gb)
Power Supply - Corsair HX 1000w Modular PSU
Hard Drive - Western Digital 500gb HDD
Optical Drive - LiteOn 20x DVD+/-RW
Case - Thermaltake Armor+ VH6000BWS case (black)
Operating System - Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
Fans - 3x Thermaltake fans
Monitor - Acer 24" 1920x1200 2ms display
Keyboard - Saitek Eclipse backlit keyboard (blue backlight)
Mouse - Microsoft Habu gaming mouse with blue LED accents (2000dpi)
Mouse Pad - Razer Destructor professional gaming mat
Games - Crysis Special Edition, The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Collector's Edition, Mass Effect, BioShock, Two Worlds Collector's Edition, Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl (free with Mobo)
Approximate total for all of that - Just shy of $3,000
After an agonizing week and a half of shipping time, I was finally ready to assemble this bad boy. I'll admit that I was a bit intimidated to assemble and wire all of this up. After calming my nerves and notoriously shaky hands (there goes my career as a surgeon) , I began. Flash forward roughly two days, and I finally had my new PC assembled and wired.
Unfortunately I was in for a bad surprise. Upon powering up my PC, everything came on for about 1 second before shutting off! Long story short, after lots of trial and error troubleshooting (keep in mind I'm a newb), I found out the problem - my HDD was DOA (this was a SeaGate HDD), causing the whole system to shut down.
After a huge sigh of relief and wiping of my sweaty brow, I hauled my ass down to Circuit City and purchased a new one. Relieved to have solved this issue, I carried the very heavy case into my computer room, hooked it up, and inserted my OS disc. Much to my shock and horror, I had one last hurdle to climb - Windows Vista failed to install!
"****!", I thought, and not to myself, but aloud. Very aloud.
Without getting too technical, I'll spare the details and say that I finally resolved the issue and got Vista running.
I'll tell you, hearing your first self-built PC power up and running makes you feel good. Seeing all of the pretty blue lights emitting out of the clear side panel, hearing the hum of the fans, knowing the power inside, filled me with excitement, and most importantly, the feeling of satisfaction that came from building it from scratch.
So, how is it, you ask? Freakin' A, it's awesome. I'll admit that being a console player for over 20 years did not prepare me for the task of gaming on a PC. Switching from a controller to a keyboard and mouse was a difficult task. Not so much the mouse, but the keyboard has proven difficult. After a few days, though, I've shown remarkable improvement. I still fumble a bit with my keyboard hand in situations that require quick movements, but I'm getting there. As for the mouse, I love the precision of it. I had no clue just how much analog sticks hold you back.
I just wanted to say a few words about Crysis. I hear a lot of bashing of this game, and now that I've had the chance to spend some quality time with it, I cannot for the life of me understand why. Crysis is, in my opinion, an amazing shooter. When one devotes the time to learning the way the game is meant to be played, it's an incredible experience. You can really play how you want to play, and damn is it satisfying.
I've personally adopted the predator styIe. I lie in wait in the lush foliage, watching each and every movement of my enemies. I scour the vast amount of land in all directions looking for the best origin of attack. I usually like to lure a few enemies to me by causing some noise. As they approach, I apply the cloaking power to my suit. It's quite a joy to be standing right in front of my enemies unseen, watching as they desperately try to locate me. When they get close enough, it's equally satisfying to apply the maximum strength power to my suit, grab them, and throw their soon-to-be lifeless bodies right back where they came from, causing quite a stir back at their camp.
Oh what a game.
In other words, aside from the absolutely mind-blowing graphics, which are so far and above anything you've ever seen in a game, Crysis is also one hell of a game.
As for my PS3, 360, and Wii, I'm in no way abandoning them. However, the addition of a very powerful gaming PC has changed things around a bit. Originally, Fall standouts Fallout 3 and Far Cry 2, were destined for my PS3, but have since turned into PC pre-orders. Not only will the PC iterations look and play better, but they'll be cheaper, too. Funny how that works out. The premier version is the cheapest.
I'm not complaining.
In addition to the changing status of upcoming games, so too does the status of some of my currently played console games. Oblivion, specifically, will no longer be touched on my consoles. Oblivion on the PC is so, so much better, and with the game-changing mods available on the PC version, there's no turning back.
Before closing, I wanted to thank GameSpot user Elann2008, who provided me with invaluable tips and information that really helped make this possible. Thanks buddy. Much respect. 
That about raps this blog up, my first one in nearly half a year. Yeah, I've neglected my blogging duties for some time, but hopefully that is a thing of the past. Perhaps I'll put up a proper BUI soon, detailing what I'm currently playing and the game purchases I've made in the last half year.
Hope you all are doing well, and I look forward to your comments and blogs.
- Daniel
Thats not a typo. I LOVE the PS3.
I dont want this to turn into some sort of flame post where I talk smack about the other consoles. So I wont even mention them.
My PS3. I bought her on release day here in the UK. Everyone told me I was stupid, crazy or had more money than sense. Looking back perhaps I did. I bought it with Resistance and Motorstorm. Both of which I played and played and played some more. I soon got bored of these 2 games and looked for others - there werent any.
I couldnt find a single game I wanted. It wasnt until the release of The Darkness that I started using her again. But..yet again, as soon as I had finished this game there was nothing..for a loooong time.
I'm gonna skip up until today. I've now got 15 games for my PS3 and play on it every day. I also use it as a blu-ray player, a media centre to play movies and songs off my PC. I even use it to browse the internet from time to time. Its the ultimate peice of kit.
And looking to the future..the immediate future looks amazing with Haze and GTA4 on the horizon. I got the MGO Beta yesterday and im hyped for monday when I can actually play it! And looking past the end of May...and into June we will see the arrival of MGS4. Oh baby...I wont talk about that since im at work and a change of trousers isnt really an option.
I can see the PS3 doing really really well in the coming year and beyond.
I dont know why I felt the need to share all this crap. Perhaps its because all my friends (except a couple) have other consoles and always "flame" me about the PS3. Perhap I feel insecure? haha Maybe Im just bored at work? Who knows.
All I know is - I love my PS3 
Hey guys, I thought I'd keep you posted as I'm going to be compiling a list of my favourite women in games. To clarify, favourite means characters that have amused, inspired, or impressed me, rather than write about a DOA Voleyball jug-a-thon.
To tell you the truth, its hard to make such a list since women are not very prominent in video games, but there are certain characters that have stood out from the scantily clad, bouncing sterotypes, and in the next few days I'll post it in the next blog.
You may not agree with my choices, but lets be fair, its MY choice, and so I expect you to respect my opinions, but primarily I hope to entertain you, since I believe the women I describe are original and fun to read about (and look at, if you really are into that).
Anyways, talk to you all soon, and be sure to check back in the next few days.
Peace
magic_dragon
Hello there! For reasons that are probably obvious to most of you, I'm not going to continue posting to this blog. If you'd like to keep up with me, I can be found at the following address:
http://blog.jeffgerstmann.net/
If you are after things like "what Jeff thinks about games or music or movies or gas prices" or "points-related video," it will appear on this new personal site for now.
I remember not even 10 years ago, the term "third world country" would trigger a rather sad image in my mind. Shacks and mud huts, with children running around in rags, playing with old tires and the like. Women carrying water from miles away, so that their families would have something to drink in the scorching weather. Men gathering at the gates of struggling factories, pleading for work, so that they don't see their children starve yet another night. Images similar to those seen in the Christian Children's Fund donation videos or scenes from Hollywood movies about our own economic depression, such as the Cinderella Man.
However today, it's as if the tables have turned. It feels as if we can only hate or laugh at these third world countries. Nitpicking their every behavior, scrutinizing the clothes they wear, laughing at the culture they hold so dear, blaming these people for the governments that rule them - and in essence trying to compare them to the luxurious standards we hold. Have we as a people become this bastardized? It just makes me sick sometimes.
Now, I know that not everyone thinks this way. In fact, it could very well be that the general perceptions of our nation have not changed much at all. Maybe it is just the voices of the vile that have gotten louder; strengthened by the fear of those around them. Maybe the voices of those who's hearts aces for their fellow man, have been muted. Silenced in fear of being ridiculed, being called unpatriotic, a traitor, a sinner, a spy, a terrorist.
Let us pray to try to love, before damning others to Hell. For one day we shall all return to Him, and all will be accounted for. Ameen.
Vote Rocker
Voted Twice
