BS Angel has posted some really cool Halo 3 screenshots. Halo 3 may not be the perfect game, but the additional things like the theater are so much fun. I need to be using them more often.
xbox 360
Halo 3 Stats on the Go
Because I feel a need to link anything concerning Halo 3, statistics, and the getting of those statistics in divers ways, I must point to iHaloStats, an iPhone app to retrieve your Halo 3 stats at any moment.
Never have I wanted an iPhone as badly as I do right now. (via Aeropause)
Using a Laptop as a WiFi adapter for your 360
Connecting wirelessly to the internet is one of the greatest conveniences ever (up there with Micro Magic microwaveable French fries) and is usually pretty cheap. A wireless router now can be had for very little money and setup is a breeze. Connecting your Xbox 360 wirelessly, however, is still expensive due to an overpriced adapter. The adapter costs entirely too much to justify its convenience.
But, if you happen to already have a WiFi-enabled laptop, you may be in luck. Through a little trickeration, you can turn your laptop into a WiFi adapter. Instructables shows you how to do it.
Fun Games of the Year
We don’t get to play every game that comes out every year. Heck, combined we probably hit 10% of the titles that came out this year. So we feel a little unqualified to declare a particular game the “Game of the Year.” It would be presumptuous and rude. So we’re going a little different route this year, naming the “Fun Games.” Games we had the most fun playing this year. They may not be the prettiest games or the deepest story lines, but they were the games we keep going back to, the games we can’t put down.
So without further ado, Nat and my picks for the Fun Games of the Year:
[Read more…] about Fun Games of the Year
Mass Effect [360] – First Impressions
As I usually do, I’ll keep this short and simple, in bullet form. Since the missus wanted to watch The Biggest Loser, I get to blog. So here are a few impressions I’ve had. For context (generalized to avoid spoilars) I recently got my ship and started exploring planets. I think I’m about five hours in and have already explored three planets.
What I like:
- I’m not usually distracted by shining objects, but Holy Moses eating a Twinkie, this game is beautiful. It feels like space.
- The music. It fits perfectly. I hear a little Terminator and other sci-fi influences.
- The character customizations, the RPG elements, the ability to control what your squad has equipped and the skills they use.
- Exploring space. I’ve been ignoring the main missions, I’m just flying around and checking out new planets.
- The story and all the lore (especially the narrated information). It is really engaging and almost overwhelming. I’ve been listening to everything, reading everything and really enjoying it. It’s worth the time to read and it’s really well fleshed out.
- The combat. I actually didn’t like the shooter elements at first (along with the cover system) but it’s growing on me. It works well and being able to pause whenever I want is perfect.
What I don’t care for:
- The conversation wheel. While it is really cool and fun to control a conversation, it’s actually a source of consternation. I am always conflicted with which way to go with the conversation. I am guiding my character to be a “renegade” (there are two “alignment” paths: paragon (goodie two shoes) or renegade (ne’er do weller)) but I struggle constantly with choices. The “renegade” choice doesn’t jive with my personal moral compass. I want my guy to be the renegade but I feel guilty doing the “mean” thing. It doesn’t feel right.
The conversation wheel also stresses me out because I feel like I’m going to miss something if I don’t make the “right” choice to move the story along. Sometimes options disappear after you’ve got done a particular path. The obsessive in me wants to see it all!.
- The acting. It can be absolutely wooden at times. It doesn’t always work. We have not entered the Uncanny Valley quite yet in Mass Effect.
- While I do like the control they give you over the squad customizations, I don’t actually care for having a squad most of the time. The path-finding is horrible, too. Can you please step aside, dude? You’re getting in the way and you’re about to get lasered.
So yeah, the good outweighs the bad by a huge margin. Mass Effect has been very food thus far.
Weekend Update
We had a crazy weekend of winter weather here in central Ohio (if you caught a glimpse of the Browns/Bills game on Sunday, that’s a little glimpse we had here on Saturday) but there were lots going on at the Casa Buttonmashing.
Even with the horrible weather conditions, my brother-in-law (here on referred to as the BIL) and I still braved the nasty roads and made our way to the theater to check out I am Legend. I recently finished the book last month (in preparation for the movie, of course) and was very excited about the movie. I enjoyed it. Will Smith does a great job of playing Robert Neville, a man all alone. People are giving the movie bad marks, saying it isn’t like the book. This isn’t fair. The movie, in my mind, is a reimagination of the book. There are a lot of similarities, but things happen in the movie that don’t happen in the book. That is not an indictment of the movie, though. It still explores many of the same concepts the book does: solitude, companionship, despair, horror. They’re all there and they’re done very well. Maybe a little heavy on some of the CGI and some of Will Smith being Will Smith, but it all works in the end. I wasn’t a huge fan of the way the movie ends, but it was still somewhat true to the overall theme of the book.
I give I am Legend a thumbs up
I got an early christmas present from the Sis and BIL, hooking me up with Age of Empires DS. I had played it previously but never made much headway in the actual campaigns. It’s great turn-based strategy goodness and I’m looking forward to some more time with the game.
I’m still playing Mass Effect – Impressions will be up soon. I am loving this game.
Finally, a hand update: I am able to play games now, (obviously) but I haven’t braved anything fast-paced (read: Halo 3 on Live). I’ve been training my hand with Geometry Wars but I really want to get back to some Halo 3 multiplayer. I was really enjoying it before the “incident” and was having a pretty good go at 2v2 matches with n0wak. Now that the BIL will be back on Live, I should be back and fully operational rather soon.
On a side (and perhaps gross) note, I was instructed by my doctor to begin doing some therapy on my fingers, so scar tissue doesn’t build up or my tendons tighten up. Well today I was working my pinkie finger, which wasn’t bending very far before it got tight and painful. The therapy consisted of bending the individual fingers until it got uncomfortable and then holding it at that point for a ten count. Well today, while doing said exercise, I felt and faintly heard something tear. Actually, it felt more like something gave out. The sound it made is hard to replicate, but it didn’t sound normal and I got a pit in my stomach, thinking I had done something bad. I can still move the finger just fine, but now I’m nervous to do my stretching again.
So, how was your weekend? Any torn tendons? 🙂
To Burnout or not to
I haven’t downloaded the Burnout Paradise demo yet (Mass Effect is too good, must not neglect it for some little demo), but two separate posts showed up today in my feeds that are conflicting, to say the least. I’m a huge Burnout fan (have been since I played the heck out of Burnout 2 on the Gamecube and haven’t missed one since). I have been looking forward to the newest iteration of the series. The newest addition is an “open world” type of racing game. The 1UP Yours guys love it. So does N’Gai
Matt Brett, not so much.
Have you given the demo a try yet? What do you think? Me, I’m going to play some Mass Effect. I’ll give the demo a try in a couple weeks!
In my hands
(One broken hand, one whole one):
Huge Success
VG Cats has a most excellent little video of the ending credits song from Portal, Still Alive. It’s the best one around.
(Mild spoilers for the twenty of you who haven’t finished Portal yet. But seriously, I think the Spoiler Statute of Limitations for that game is over.)
More Halo 3 Stats
Since I can’t actually, you know, play Halo 3 at the moment, I thought I’d dig back into my Halo 3 stats, revisiting sites I’ve already mentioned (StatsReloaded.com) and check out what other services have popped up recently. I’ve got to get my fix somehow.
Earlier this month, BS Angel asks how many betrayals you average and then points to halo3.junk.ws (You can see my meager stats here).
While both present fairly the same info, I’d have to say Halo 3 Junk presents it in a much cleaner and pleasing manner. I love that all of the “Best of” results for the various categories are clickable and they take you to the game where your exploits occurred. Very cool. I think Halo 3 Junk will be my site of choice for all my statistical analysis needs for the time being. And I promise I’ll lay off the Halo 3 stat posts until Query Spree make its return.
So back to the question at hand — how many betrayals do you average? I average 0.03. How about you?