Phoenix Ascension

Portal 2 Co-op and LA Noire

2011-05-23T15:15:00.001-07:00

Yes, I suck at making blog posts regularly.

Over the weekend, I finally played some Portal 2 co-op, and that shit
was pretty hot-- even if I only got to play for a couple hours. I even
bought and played a bit of LA Noire after reading all of the reviews
saying that it was the game to buy I you like games. Gotta admit, I
was going to pass it by until I heard that it was NOT GTA in the 40s.
And believe me, it's absolutely not that...and that's why I like it.
Also, it's easy to play with input from other people in the room.

My LA Noire review:

It's a good game, and you should buy it. 'Nuff said.

Comics and the 30something Geek

2011-05-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

About 2 months ago, I broke up with my local comic store. I just couldn't fucking take it anymore. I had a hold slot (in-store subscription, if you didn't know) with these bastards, and they just kept failing to hold the books that I specified. The worst part is that I only went to the damned place once every 40-50 days, so by the time I realized that they had missed a month (or two), I was already screwed. I don't have time to try to hunt down back-issues, and I shouldn't friggin have to because you told me you'd hold the damned things for me!

So, screw them. I broke up with them, but not before I heard about this awesome place called DCBS (Discount Comic Book Service...you're welcome for the plug). Now, this is a service that was made for people like me -- no time to troll the comic store, no time to bs with people missing my damned books, and best of all, each and every book is deeply discounted. Like, at least 40% off. Yeah, I know -- it's stupid.

Now, I get Marvel, Image, and DC delivered to my front door every 2 weeks, and I'm saving ridiculous money even when you factor in the shipping charge (it's cheaper to get one package per month, but you also run a greater risk of the friggin internet spoiling a story for you). Sure, I still visit a brick and mortar store (not the one I broke up with) to buy a few one-offs, but the vast majority of my comic dollar is spent at DCBS.

In closing, if you get comics, and you're not going through DCBS, you're wasting your money.

A Brand New Chapter, A Brand New Format

2011-05-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

So, I was just reading this thing, never mind what it was, and it got me thinking about something: I might actually have something to say in this blog that's not slavishly tied to news and reviews about games, comics, etc.

My own personal experiences with being an "Al Bundy" geek (get it? 'Married With Children'...remember that? No, well screw you). So, I'm married with children, I work a 9-5 which sometimes turns into a 9-midnight and beyond, and my free time is too important to waste on bullshit. Whatever I'm spending my entertainment dollar on has to go that extra mile, or I'll get really friggin pissed. To quote me, "I don't want to get 8 hours into a game only to find out that I just wasted 8 hours."

So, I'm going to type some of my opinions on shit in here, I'm going to curse needlessly, I may have a guest commentator or two...and most of all, maybe I'll end up helping someone avoid wasting their time on shitty entertainment.

It's Been Almost A Year

2011-02-04T20:51:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time, but I've been busy with other, extremely worthwhile endeavors. But my situation has changed, and I don't have the time I used to have, when I used to have it. So, I'll be back here for a less structured approach.

That means, I can completely blow this out my @$$, and no one will get pissed at me. Well, except for the three of you that keep coming back here, I guess.

I'll get you guys something to read in here real soon, so stay tuned.

Rising From The Flames

2011-02-01T13:52:00.001-08:00

There's a reason this blog is called Phoenix Ascension...

Stand by for the resurrection.

Se7en Rain

2010-03-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

In other news, this is awesome.

The Amazing Story of Luke Cage

2010-03-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

You know what's hard? Blogging every day when you're not getting paid in any way for doing it.

Hard.

Which may explain why I've been unable to blog every day successfully. Anyway...

Ok, this isn't really going to be some kind of Luke Cage biography or anything, just kind of an observation on my part. So, there's this Marvel Comics character called Luke Cage. Back in the day, he wore a puffy yellow disco shirt when he fought crime. He had super strength, bullet-proof skin, and a bad attitude. In short, he was the $#!t.

Then the early 80s came along and brought with it the end of his comic book. Then, the 90s came, and he got a new comic book. It wasn't so great, so it got canceled. Then, he had a couple less significant false starts, but no one was able to capture the character and give him the respect that I thought the character deserved.

Then, sometime around 2005, I had an idea for a short film in which Luke Cage and a few other black Marvel characters would talk about how they had been mistreated all these years. Well, the film didn't get made, but I did start up a little webcomic called The Adventures of Luke and Sam which featured Luke Cage and the Falcon (Sam Wilson). In my eyes, the world had been set right since Luke Cage was once again headlining a comic (of sorts).

Then I hear about a guy by the name of Brian Michael Bendis who features Luke Cage in Alias, Daredevil, and the New Avengers. Ok, ok...truthfully, I already knew about Bendis since I was a big reader of his Powers title, but I didn't know he was such a Cage fan. In a way, Bendis inspired me to finally complete the short film that I had planned. Only, I didn't film it, I used the script as a blueprint for a special episode of Luke and Sam, and I included an additional couple of panels at the end giving a nod to Bendis.

Alas, I didn't think the Luke-love would last, but Bendis has really done right by the character. He's added depth and emotion to the character that had been missing in past incarnations, and it's just been revealed that Luke will not only lead the new Thunderbolts, but he'll also remain as an Avenger as well.

Now, if Marvel would only allow Luke to wear his yellow shirt again, it would be perfect... :)

Heavy Rain -- Unpunished

2010-02-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

In other news, I just beat Heavy Rain two nights ago, and it was one of the most unique gameplay experiences I've ever had. I'm not prepared to declare it the GOTY just yet, but I am ready to call it the best game of the year so far.

The story was rich, the characters were interesting, and the controls worked extremely well. Now all I have to do is complete the damned thing with all of the main characters intact (and not full of holes, or burnt to a crisp), and I'll be all set. Platinum trophy, here I come.

Borderlands and the Older Gamer

2010-02-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

Time flies when you're not blogging, right? I mean, crap -- has it really been 13 days since my last post? Oh well...

Anyway, I just beat Borderlands, and everything you've read about it is true. There are 28 zillion-gajillion guns up for grabs, and it's 100x better to play it with friends. As a single player game, Borderlands fails, sadly. Hopefully, the inevitable sequel will feature a more entertaining single-player experience.

As a funny side note, I had played through just about the entire game (not including the expansion packs) without knowing about the phenomenon of the hacked gun. So, I host a public game, and this level 50 joins the game with a gun that shoots pure death at 16 rounds per second. I mean, this gun friggin laid waste to everything in it's path. When I asked the guy where he got such a beautiful engine of destruction, he said nothing -- he just proceeded to throw down a handful of death-dealers, the likes of which I never imagined. Then, he left the game.

I used the guns for about an hour before I became just a little bit suspicious. So, I consulted Google. I entered "Borderlands guns", and the auto correct feature immediately added on "hacking guide". Yeah. Apparently everyone on the planet knew about hacked Borderlands guns except me and the guys I usually played with. I must be getting old...

While I was out...Quick-Hit Review Wrap-Up

2010-02-18T14:17:00.001-08:00

Ok, so here are the rest of the games I played during the time when I wasn't updating:

Fallout 3: Great game; 60+ hours of goodness.
Street Fighter IV: a nice return to 2D fighters, but I really suck at it (still).
Prototype: Fun overall, but not as good as InFamous.
Prince of Persia (the new one): Bad. Not bad meaning good, but bad meaning BAD.
Wolverine: I've had more fun with food poisoning. A lot of people say it was a lot better than the movie, and that's accurate, but the bar was not set very high to begin with.

This concludes my effort to get caught up with my game reviews. The next post will be about something current. Promise.

While I was out...Killzone 2

2010-02-15T11:43:00.001-08:00

Let's continue with a few quick-hit reviews of the some games that came out while I was on "vacation". Next up is Killzone 2.

Killzone 2 is a PS3 exclusive game. I played it to completion on normal, and played in a few multiplayer matches.

Graphically, this game is the most impressive game I've ever seen. Being a fan (probably the only one of my kind) of the first game, I was also very interested to get back into the story of the KZ universe. The gameplay was rock-solid, and I can honestly say that I have no complaints about Killzone whatsoever.

Geez, these quick-hit reviews are getting a little light...I'd better wrap it up on the next post so I can start talking about current stuff.

While I was out...Fat Princess

2010-02-15T11:25:00.001-08:00

Let's continue with a few quick-hit reviews of the some games that came out while I was on "vacation". Next up is Fat Princess.

This is a PS3 / PSN exclusive game, and I've spent many hours "chasing cake". I think it launched at $15, and it's had 2 free expansions since then. If you haven't heard by now, this is basically a 'capture the flag' game. The twist is that everyone is a little big-headed cartoon character in a medieval setting. Oh, and the flag is a princess that you can make fatter by feeding her cake that sprouts out of the ground.

This game is an absolute blast to play, and the strategies can get surprisingly deep when you have two evenly matched teams going at it. The most surprising thing about this game is the way it seems to get even PSN gamers (usually a very quiet bunch) to actually talk and strategize together.

While I was out...Resident Evil 5

2010-02-10T14:32:00.001-08:00

Ok, last quick-hit game review for today. Maybe I'll be caught up next week...

Anyway, next up is Resident Evil 5. I played RE5 to completion with a friend in co-op mode on PS3. Then we kept playing until we both could get the unlimited RPG. Then we killed everything in sight in fiery explosions on hard-mode.

The co-op in Resident Evil 5 is a ridiculous amount of fun. The fast-"zombies" are tough enough, and the bosses were challenging. The only problem I had with the game was the antiquated "human tank" control scheme that the RE franchise is still clinging to.

While I was out...Resistance 2

2010-02-10T13:58:00.001-08:00

Let's continue with a few quick-hit reviews of the some games that came out while I was on "vacation". Next up is Resistance 2.

Resistance 2 is a PS3 exclusive, and I played it to completion, and I spend many, many hours on the co-op multiplayer modes.

I played Resistance: Fall of Man way back when the PS3 launched, and I really liked the storyline and gameplay. My wife and I even played much of the game in split-screen and a good time was had by all. When Resistance 2, I naturally assumed that I'd have a similar experience. I played through the single-player mode, and really liked it. So far, so good. When the wife and I tried split-screen, however, the same good time was NOT had by all. Just like Ghostbusters before it, Resistance 2 got me with the co-op uppercut -- there is no proper co-op story-mode. It's just a bunch of little one-off missions that you play over and over and over.

The only reason I played the co-op on-line was because the gameplay mechanics were interesting enough for me to enjoy it. I would've preferred a proper story-mode co-op, and I have no idea why the developer decided to drop that feature, but whatever.

While I was out...Tom Clancy's EndWar

2010-02-10T13:46:00.001-08:00

Let's continue with a few quick-hit reviews of the some games that came out while I was on "vacation". Next up is End War.

Ok, ok...I didn't actually play EndWar, I played the demo. Long story short, the voice controls failed, and there went my dream of a game doing what I want it to do just by yelling at it.

While I was out...Mirror's Edge

2010-02-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

Let's continue with a few quick-hit reviews of the some games that came out while I was on "vacation". Next up is Mirror's Edge.

I played Mirror's Edge on a PS3 for about 2 hours. Then I threw up, and gave the game to an enemy.

While I was out...LittleBigPlanet

2010-02-07T18:50:00.001-08:00

Let's start off with a few quick-hit reviews of the best games that came out while I was on "vacation". Next up in LittleBigPlanet.

I played LittleBigPlanet to completion, and I also played the Metal Gear Solid and Pirates expansions.

What can I say about LBP that hasn't already been said about Chappelle's Show? It was incredibly fun while it lasted, but it seemed like it was over all too soon. At least LittleBigPlanet has a bunch of user created content going for it. Dave kind of left us cold.

The only thing missing from LBP is more officially created levels...which I think they should be coming out with at least quarterly.

While I was out...Uncharted 2

2010-02-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

Crap...I did a lot while I was on vacation...

Let's start off with a few quick-hit reviews of the best games that came out while I was on "vacation". Next up is Uncharted 2.

I played Uncharted 2 to completion, and I played the multiplayer offerings extensively. It is a PS3 exclusive.

The guys who made Uncharted 2 held a few special events across the country, one of which was in the Seattle area, and I attended with a friend of mine. There were contests throughout the 4 hour event where they were giving away, like, 25 copies of the game 2 weeks before it would be available to the general public. I brought the existence of this event to the attention of my friend, we bought tickets, and we went.

That a$$#0le friend of mine won a copy, and I didn't. Then he had the nerve to gloat about it. Rat-bastard.

Anyway, I bought the game 2 weeks later, and it was perfect in every way. PERFECT IN EVERY WAY. 'Nuff said

While I was out...Call of Juarez

2010-02-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

Let's start off with a few quick-hit reviews of the best games that came out while I was on "vacation". Next up is Call of Juarez.

I played this game to completion mostly with Thomas on the PS3. Then I traded it.

Call of Juarez is a western game -- like the Old West; cowboys and stuff. At the beginning of each chapter, you get the choice on playing as either Thomas or Ray (I think his name was Ray, anyway...). Thomas is the long-range shooter, and Ray is more of a brawler. At least, as much a brawler as there can be in a game that doesn't have melee combat...for whatever reason. And it's not as if Call of Juarez didn't need melee, either. I came face-to-face with baddies many times only to have nothing left in my six-shooter, and have to reload before I could put the hurt on them. This was a really dumb choice on the part of the developer, but it was only one of the two big dumb choices they made.

The other dumb choice was not to make this game co-op. This game was made for co-op, and there was no reason to have it only have a single-player option in this day and age. Ah. That said, the game was still decent, but I really didn't feel the need to play the game through again as Ray.

While I was out...InFamous

2010-02-07T17:49:00.000-08:00

Let's start off with a few quick-hit reviews of the best games that came out while I was on "vacation". Next up is InFamous.

This game is a PS3 exclusive, and I played it through to completion on hard mode (after I was "promoted" from normal mode -- more on that later) following the "good" path. I haven't done it yet, but I do play to go back and beat the game following the "evil" path.

This is a great superhero game wherein the hero was created for the sole purpose of the game itself. Since the character was not established it was easy for the developer to come up with really nice game mechanics that worked perfectly and didn't seem out of place or ill-conceived.

You start off as a bicycle messenger, but all that changes when a package you're delivering blows up in your hands and gives you super-powers. You start playing the game, and if you're performing well enough or normal mode, the game decides that you chose poorly, and tells you that you should have picked hard mode. At that time, it even gives you the option of switching on the fly. As you play through, you learn that you can be good or evil, and the powers that you can later manifest change based on which path you follow. Also, the way that the NPCs react to you is dependent on which path you're following.

The game was very polished, the powers were interesting and easy to use, and the story was great...even though it ended on a bit of a cliff-hanger. I usually hate that in a game, but InFamous really couldn't have ended in any other was. Oh yeah, and the twist at the end was friggin sweet.

Play this game. That is all.

While I was out...Ghostbusters

2010-02-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

Let's start off with a few quick-hit reviews of the best games that came out while I was on "vacation". Next up is Ghostbusters.

I played the PS3 version of this game for about 3 hours, and I hated every second of it.

Maybe it wasn't that the game was necessarily bad, but it was completely not what I wanted out of the game. I wanted to play the main storyline through with 3 of my closest friends, but the multiplayer only supported these mini-missions that had nothing to do with anything.

Completely pissed is what I was, and I returned the game the very next day for full store credit after I explained my dilemma (thanks Gamecrazy manager). I don't know if the single player game was any good, and I don't care. I didn't buy the game to play by myself.

While I was out...Batman: Arkham Asylum

2010-02-07T17:31:00.000-08:00

Let's start off with a few quick-hit reviews of the best games that came out while I was on "vacation". First up is Batman: Arkham Asylum.

I played this game to completion on the PS3, and I also played several of the challenges (including the exclusive Joker challenges). Quite simply, this is the best established superhero game ever. I say "established superhero" to signify that this character (in this case, the Batman) was not created simply for the sake of the game, as is the case with InFamous and Prototype.

This game came on to my radar from out of nowhere. At first I thought nothing of this game, then that fateful Thursday came when I played the demo. As soon as the demo ended, this game had become a must-have.

The pacing of the game was perfect, and the Scarecrow sections really opened up the game in a totally unexpected (but incredibly awesome) way. If not for Uncharted 2, this game would've gotten my vote for GOTY.

It's been out for a while now, so you really have no excuse not to have this game.

wow

2010-02-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

it's been...uh...a really long damned time since I've posted here.

Ok, new plan.

I'm going to start putting stuff here again.

Hancock

2008-07-08T08:21:00.001-07:00

Hancock

So, it got lousy reviews...it still had an incredible showing at the box office. Personally, I just saw it last night, and I really liked it. I think the critics just expected something different from the movie, and they let their own expectations get in the way of what the movie really was.

They wanted a superhero spoof flick, not a bona fide superhero movie. My only hope now it that this doesn't become a franchise, because this movie stands so well on it's own. Not that Will Smith is known for doing sequels. I think he learned his lesson from MiB 2 and Bad Boys 2...

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

2008-06-28T00:51:00.000-07:00
So, I finally beat the game a couple nights ago, and I must say that it was a completely satisfying experience. A friend of mine also fell in love with the game, and he hadn't played any of the previous games. Probably needless to say, he had a few questions about some of the flashbacks Snake had (especially the Psycho Mantis one).

I definitely recommend playing through MGS1, MGS2, and MGS3 in order to have the full experience, but as my friend can attest, they're not absolutely necessary to completely enjoy the game.