Lost Planet -- The Exclusive Review, Courtesy of M80

Ah, it's just that time again. I've officially waded my way through and have come to spread n' share the knowledge I have gained. ... alright, well, perhaps not quite that noble, but it's all-the-same another review. Of course, I will be using the same rating system as last time on a scale much like this:


... followed by each one of these 1 through 10 rankings in each of the many splendid categories such as these:

Gameplay
Storyline
Graphics
Sound
Value
Multiplayer (if applicable)
Bonus (in case I feel it incorporates something not falling under the above categories)

For my readers I have braved the harsh terrain and battled the ruthless Akrid in Lost Planet: Extreme Condition to bring you this following review, courtesy of my hours of playtime and M80's donation.

Drumroll, please?

Gameplay

Capcom doesn't draw the short straw in this category, especially what you'd expect from them. They're known for incorporating some intriguing boss battles and levels and, much like Resident Evil 4, don't stray from the die-hard equation that has equaled success for them in the past. For anyone who's played (and enjoyed) God of War, much like myself, the complex control system, especially switching between running on foot, to VS's, to the many other things in the game, controlling your character in Lost Planet should be an utter cinch. To quite a few others, it may be a slight struggle at first but, as soon as you actually get into the game, you should be able to master these controls in no time.

You can easily knock this game out in only a few hours if you play as I did ... but it would take considerably longer if you try to hunt down the multiple targets embedded within different locations on the three difficulties throughout every mission of the game. I, obviously on my very first playthrough, didn't accomplish gathering them all yet came quite close. All-in-all, there's plenty of Akrid to shoot at and rarely any downtime in the single-player campaign. Though there are a couple of puzzles (I, stupidly enough, tried to sneak by all the probes Metal Gear-style later on when, really, just a couple of wellplaced shots could take them out and away forever.)

Then there are some bad aspects ... I, for one, had trouble reading the mini-map plus PDA that traveled with Wayne as he explored the planet and I found it saddening that I had to die a couple times in the process of finding exactly where the game wanted me to go next. Of course, then, there's the thought that raced through my head after I found it of 'why didn't you find that earlier yourself?!?'

Though, the gameplay's quite pleasing, a gentle-enough mix to put you in the mood of the game quite quickly, allowing you to shoot almost everything you come across and deactivate the puzzle-solving regions of your brain for quite some time. For some quality gameplay, I give Lost Planet an 9 out of 10 in the gameplay category.

Storyline

From the beginning, Wayne, his father (Gail), and some other [later dubbed-]"snow pirates" are heading through a facility to help in the colonization of this abnormally frozen planet known as E.D.N. III, creating mechanized machines known as "Vital Suits" that help aid in the process of traversing the planet ... and also help when mounted with weapons to fight the opposing insects who don't like your presence on their planet, also known as the Akrid. In short, Wayne's father, Gail, dies and Wayne himself barely escapes.

Fast-forward a bit and he's saved by a band of snow pirates that take him in, unthaw him, and greedily accept him as one of their own, sending him on missions and raids against the Akrid as well as the force attempting to colonize the planet ... a force that's hiding a deadly secret. I won't spoil the many twists for you, though, just because I'm that kind of guy. And then we come to the plot twists. Twists galore. 'Lucky this game has an insane amount of action and maneuverability because, if it hadn't, the hard-to-follow general storyline as well as the weak characters would've dragged it down ... but since the game is extremely awesome in the way it presents itself, Lost Planet doesn't lose any points there.

If you can keep up with the unique storyline and the not-so-fleshed-out characters, then this would come out to be a well-deserving 9 out of 10, yet again.

Graphics

Some people seem to be discrediting this games graphics, but I can't see why. At all. The graphics in this game are wicked and while they meay not rival the ones featured in Gears of War, that's an exception to the rule. I doubt I'll be seeing any games that looks as exceptional as GoW does in quite some time, so why hold it against all of the other games? The way the weather creates such an intense atmosphere to the battle scars down on the VS's throughout the entire game, Lost Planet features some unbelievable graphics. There are some graphic distortion and clipping errors if you look close enough, but not enough to discredit the game very much.

They'll simply leave you in awe, whether it be the outdoor or indoor environments. Period. And, for this, Lost Planet receives its 8 out of 10.

Sound

I personally felt deeply enthralled by the soundtrack Lost Planet uses ... it ranged from very dramatic, to very movie action-esque and never disappointed at all ... though I did have some beef with the voiceovers. I think they could've hired some better actors for some of the characters. I couldn't believe Rick's or Yuri's voices at first and really, really disappointed me. But, hey; what can you do, right? They served their purpose and, though they might not be up to par with my standards, don't bog down the gameplay quite so much either and, for that, Lost Planet earns its 9 out of 10.

Value

I see some insane replay value in Lost Planet, mainly because of the targets you can snipe through each of the 11 missions. The length of the game was rather short but you can't really blame that on Capcom; it appears that's becoming a trend throughout the entire video game genre. During my first time through the game, I didn't even BEGIN to see them until I really began looking for them ... and that's when the side-line fun began.

Each of the targets form words, and, since I never completed an entire word, I never got a reward, but it looks like it's supposed to be pretty damn entertaining. This, as well as the multiplayer, appears to grant some serious replay value for months and months to the owner.

Value-wise, I grant Lost Planet it's extremely worthy 10 out of 10.

Multiplayer

I've tested out the multiplayer and have, in fact, been pretty proud of it. It was much better than I expected it to be, with a numerous amount of options and fun to be had. XBOX Live (though, really, when does it ever?) doesn't pair you up with people nearby ... which means that you can actually end up playing against other Lost Planet fans in South America or Japan. While I see where this could affect team communication, there wasn't really much to communicate about at the time and never really hindered the gameplay. There isn't much that stands out, but nothing that hinders it.

Another thing that some people seem to gripe about in Lost Planet's multiplayer mode is its lag. For those people, I suggest getting a better connection because I never (or rarely ever) had dots of lag anywhere, nowhere near what I've heard other people complain about periodically over the Internet and such.

They, obviously, are just using it as a cover-up for their lack of multiplayer skill.

For Lost Planet's multiplayer, I give it an 8 out of 10.

Bonus

Correct me if anybody sees something wrong with this, but I see a serious relation between this and Resident Evil 4, character-wise and cinematic-wise. The way it carried itself made me feel this was Resident Evil 4 in the future ... in space. That connection never really slowed me down, so it didn't really bother me.

But then I noticed something else about the cutscenes (especially about the faceoff Wayne has with [insert 2nd-to-last boss's name here] where they're speaking before they hop into their VS's) were extremely reminescent of Metal Gear Solid. Because of that, I think I played differently than if I hadn't seen the connection.

These aren't bad things, however, for I am a personal fan of the Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid series. I actually though these nice little cameos actually helped enhance the game severely and, because of that, I'll be granting Lost Planet an 8 out of 10 in the bonus department.

Overall, Lost Planet has scored an average of 8.7, an extremely unique game definitely worth your time and money, especially if you're a fan of such a genre.

And that's that! Another review stored in my records. I had an extremely fun time and, of course, it wouldn't be a review without the usual thanks to Nico from M80 Teams fame. Without him, I wouldn't've had such a great game to review.

Three cheers!

I'd definitely recommend this game to any fan of action or sci-fi, just because this game is so hardcore that a fan of such can't miss out on it. I guarantee you'll have a good time, if not better, than I did when I first played it. Enjoy.

Yet again, wish me luck -- I'm off to finish off those other Achievements and get my head into some multiplayer! This is Reaper, signing off!!

--Reaper

Lost Planet -- First Impressions

Yes, the copy I am to review of Lost Planet has arrived in the mail today. And, yet again, this has arrived from none other than my best friend in the world right now, Nico of M80 fame. Unfortunate to say, I haven't been able to test out the game and it is, in fact, still in its original plastic coating.

But don't let that affect your view of my diagnosis.

I am, of course, an avid WoW fan if you haven't caught on and, since Burning Crusade has just released, I've-- ... well, let me cut it short; I finally hit level 61. That was my weekend goal. Whihc means I have two complete days to dive into Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions and see how much goodness Capcom could pack onto their XBOX 360 disc and, of course, tell all of you about it as well.

I have played the single-player demo and, I must say, am quite amazed. I am knowledgable about Capcom's earlier works as well as their newer (Resident Evil 4, per se), but this game seemed ... seemed different. It had that hook-value that just drew you in and, once you completed both branches of the SP demo's campaign mode made you cry out in agony that it was over so soon.

Will this be the Resident Evil 4 killer? Will it potentially rival my Gears of War review?

You'll have to wait and find all this out and more ... within the coming 48 hours. Let the clock begin.

--Reaper

JFK - The Death of a Dream ...

I was watching a documentary just last night on the different theories and conspiracies behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy ... and then it got me thinking ...

... think about all of the presidents we've had since JFK and Eisenhower ... those two actually had values for the country and wanted to enhance the idea of a unified nation. Every president we've gotten after that, sad to say, has done an extremely appalling job ... just look back on it.

• Nixon = Watergate Scandal, where he had to resign from office. "I am not a crook ..."
• Bush (Sr.) = "Read my lips ..."
• Clintion = the whole Monica Lewinsky scandal. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman ..."

I could list so many more, but it is sincerely appalling to see such a good man (JFK) die such a tragic death only to have his spot constantly replaced by these embeciles. If you listen to JFK talk in any of his speeches, he has such charisma about him. And then you look at George W., president of our country today ... and he could barely string together two intelligent sentences for the life of him.

Honest-to-God, what in the hell is our country coming to nowadays?

Why is it that all the people who have dreams die and all of the idiots are kept alive and safe?

Martin Luther King. He was assassinated. By a southern redneck with a rifle. John Kennedy's son? Killed in some mysterious plane crash. JFK's brother? Shot at point-blank range by some Palestinian radical by the name of Sirhan Sirhan. If we want to go even further back, how about Abraham Lincoln? He was in the process of freeing the slaves ... and what happens to him? Shot in a movie theatre by an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth.

Anyhow, why is it that all of the good guys, trying to spread these messages of love and peace get assassinated? I'll tell you why.

People are ignorant and resistant to change.

You can disagree with me all you want, but you know that I'm at least right on the fact that since Eisenhower and JFK there has not been one president that hasn't gotten in trouble for something (scandal) or has attempted to turn the country around like they (JFK + Eisenhower) did.

--Reaper

Gears of War -- The Exclusive Review, Courtesy of M80

Welcome, one-and-all to my first-ever review of a game here. I like to value my opinion, so for all of you who stop by and read my humble little dialogue, you'll get a taste of what I like and what I think. Since I've never committed to writing a review before, let me set out the blueprint for what my reviewing scale for the various subjects shall look like. Vanna, could we raise the picture?



Thank you, Vanna. Alright, now I will review the game over various different categories and give you the grand total average by the end. The categories I will be reviewing under shall include:

Gameplay
Storyline
Graphics
Sound
Value
Multiplayer (if applicable)
Bonus (in case I feel it incorporates something not falling under the above categories)

Alright. Now you know my scale as well as my categories. All we need is my opinion, what I give them, and some screenshots to boot ... and off we go!

Gameplay

Gears of War is very entertaining, even from the start. From its cat-and-mouse, duck-and-cover control scheme all the way up to its various weapon choices, it'll provide hours of fun in campaign mode alone. Straight from the beginning, you'll notice that while all is well and good, the "A" button is clearly used for more than one function: running, ducking for cover, rolling, interacting with the environment, et cetera. This can cause some rather distinct problems. Per se, there is a heated firefight between the Locust and your soldiers (as well as yourself) interacting in front of you. Your teammates are already firing upon the threat and you, or should I say Marcus Fenix (your character), has just entered the fray. Naturally, you're gonna duck for some cover to save yourself from being fried by the Troika Gun across the way. So, you hold down A to run forward for cover. This cover is also small enough to climb over. You run directly into the slab of concrete to use as a shield and, unknowingly, tap "A" once again ... Marcus climbs over your cover and is exposed to the flying metal-and-other-material flying all around. Could that be avoided by mapping it to another button? Maybe. But this small fact doesn't hinder the ability to play Gears of War much (if any) at all. Just something worth noting. While I understand Epic Games tried to make the controls as simplistic as possible, I believe the buttons could've been mapped slightly more comfortably ... but this doesn't take away from the value much at all, and after some getting used to feels almost natural in your hands as you blind-fire and Action Reload your gun over the armoire you've ducked behind whilst fighting the Locust. For gameplay, I grant Gears of War an 10 out of 10.

Storyline

Well, I must say that creating a solid, memorable, and not to mention valuable storyline for such a game as Gears of War isn't an easy task, especially after its gained so much hype from the media. Needless to say, though, I do believe that GoW pulled it off. In a nutshell, you are Marcus Fenix, an ex-COG (or Coalition of Organized Governments) operative turned-convict for some undisclosed reason. Somehow, the prison has been infested and overrun by the planet's native enemy, the Locust. Somebody from Delta Squad belonging to the COG breaks in and breaks you out, throwing you your armor and sending you into battle. Yet again, needless to say, Fenix is somewhat happy by the proposition of kicking some alien ass after being locked up for so long. After a brief introductory sequence, you break out of the Locust-infested prison and meet up with a chopper along with the rest of Delta Squad to whisk you away to another locale of the planet in order for you to be sent on your first mission and, as well, your first firefight -- locating Alpha Squad, who also seems to've been holding a bomb-of-sorts that, if positioned in the right place, could exterminate the Locust threat for quite a long time, if not inevitably, called the "resonator". Of course, though, everything goes to hell in a handbasket for reasons which I will refuse to spoil. Even though the background story (being a sci-fi fan myself, I had to enjoy it) caught my attention fairly quickly (even having not read the accompanied manual first), I believe the characters'-depth could've been brought together much more nicely. You relate to the characters somewhat, but it's brought together in such a way that you feel something's missing, and while everything is set in place to explain that missing data, nothing's ever said about it. Again, while the character development is lacking in some areas, the storyline is nothing to groan over. And am I the only one who isn't getting what the whole deal behind heading back to the "Fenix Estate" is all about nearing the end of the game? For its confusing-yet-entertaining storyline, I grant Gears of War a 9 out of 10.

Graphics

Ah, yes. The wonderful, wonderful graphics. I, case-in-point, haven't actually been able to test out the graphics of the XBOX 360 on an HDTV as of yet, but still Gears' graphics still look amazing. How the environment gets destroyed so easily, the atmosphere around it, (especially on a train-ride of sorts near the end of the game) the characters, and the models still gets to me, regardless of whether I have hi-def or not. The textures look expertly crafted and modeled and, for this, I believe Epic Games may've just proven to us how far the 360 can actually go, pushing the boundaries of technology to this day. Maybe, eventually, Cliff [Blezinski] as well as his staff at Epic Games will show us even more of the 360's technology in days to come? For the graphics element how Gears of War is rendered on the XBOX 360, it receives a 10 out of 10.

Sound

For a game with such wonderful visuals and storyline as this one, it doesn't slack off when it comes to sound, either. The futuristic weaponry sounds intense and realistic, the voices of Marcus Fenix as well as your squadmates sound extremely realistic, the alien grunts and grunts almost sound well-done enough to make you look over your shoulder scared, and the environmental detail is awesome in itself. Awesome enough that, although of course not having surround-sound, either, makes me almost feel like I'm in the world of Gears of War itself. And that's saying something ... not many games feature such ambience, yet GoW pulls it off so flawless. For that, I applaud Epic Games once again.

Oh, and let's not forget the music.

The musical score behind the game is astounding, as well as the song used for the trailer (Mad World by Gary Jules, the cover of the Tears for Fears version) left me ... well, astounded. I absolutely loved it ... although the song at the very end of the credits left me scratching my head at first with an expressionless "WTF"-expression on my face, (impossible? Dunno.) I ended up loving that just as much as the songs throughout the rest of the game. For the composition of an astounding musical score through the entire game, I give Gears of War its well-deserved 10 out of 10.

Value

Saying GoW lacks value is like saying Halo sucked. Closer to the point, some would go as far as saying Gears of War is very well the Halo-killer. With that ... shockingly enough, I must agree. Gears of War sucked me in so much that during my first (turned out to be--) 7 hours-straight of playing it, I hadn't even noticed how much time had gone by ... like I've said previously, it's been an incredible while since any game has done that ... *wink wink* *nudge nudge* Resident Evil 4. Don't get me wrong, I still have an undying-faith and soft-spot for the Halo franchise, so take pride in my word when I say that while GoW appears to be the Halo-killer thus far, maybe Halo 3 will make me eat my words, no? Despite the looming fact of Halo 3 drifting closer and closer, I give the value of Gears of War a 10 out of 10.

Multiplayer

I must say, I've played around with Gears' Co-op and XBOX Live functions. Co-op's been a blast, especially with yelling at your friend to cover you instead of hiding behind a pipe like a pansy, as well as versing many others over XBOX Live. The only obstacle I can see that would prevent this from getting a much higher score would have to be the chainsaw-bayonet melee attack attached to the end of your weapon for the majority of the game (if you hold onto it) called the Lancer. Why would this be a problem? Because, for most of the time, using the chainsaw is a grab-bag of chance while facing an online opponent over XBOX Live. You may think you've revved up your chainsaw before the opponent but he may let one rip on you, (no pun intended) making for an instant kill and a gear-and-skull icon hazing the bloody screen appear. Let me tell you -- that's no fun. If you can get your chainsaw up first, you can laugh in the victory of seeing the creature's blood across from you scatter across the screen. While this may be entertaining for awhile, it provides no challenge, so unless you're constantly on your feet and making sure you're nowhere close to the enemy (hence, a useless shotgun) when their hands are on the Lancer or your opponents over Live agree to avoid using the chainsaw-bayonet, the multiplayer matches are more of a spin-of-the-wheel in luck rather than skill. Due to this, I must grant this game its 9 out of 10.

Bonus

I guess bad things come back to haunt you, yes? I believe this game is in need for some special mention here. We've already established most of its features are outstanding, yet its multiplayer could need some work, but its downfall must possibly be its best feature ... the chainsaw-bayonet. While I just previously mentioned its a lucky-item for multiplayer, single-player is a completely different story. Watching in glory as you carve your victim up, the Lancer's an amazing tool when it comes to single-player (mainly on the lower difficulties). I, myself, have stayed on Hardcore and resulted to Casual for a couple parts later on, but Insane looks to be like some true fun. Its three modes, though challenging on different levels, clearly leaves something to be desired, but in the end its extremely fun anyway. The torque bow, as well, (think: a bow that fires dynamite-arrows covered in sticky adhesive) is an extremely awesome weapon, especially against the Locust's Theron Guards later on. The dialogue made me laugh out loud a couple of times between the entire of Delta Squad, and bringing military-branded humor into dialogue and making it funny isn't an easy task. How many other games do you get to curb-stomp an enemy while their knelt down crying? Not many, I can tell you. For its bonuses, I grant Gears of War another 9 out of 10.

Overall, Gears of War has scored an average of 9.5, a game near, but not quite, perfection.

And there you have it! Reaper's exclusive first-ever review, happening to feature Gears of War. Of course, though, none of this would be possible if it weren't for Nico from M80 Teams.

I'd recommend this to and because of that I extend an extremely open-armed thank you to him as well. I hope the review has met your specifications, and it was a blast playing it. I'll probably keep playing it for months, maybe even years to come.

I'd recommend this to any fan of shooters or stealth. While this game may not focus too much on stealth, you most certainly will need it to finish off Berserkers as well as duck from cover to cover.

Wish me luck, I'm off to play some multiplayer and unlock some more of those 49 unlockable achievements! This is Reaper, signing off!

--Reaper

Gears of War -- First Impressions

Wow. What else can I say besides “wow”? The game looks absolutely friggin’ amazing, the storyline is well thought-out, and the controls feel right at home. I’ve been playing Gears of War now for about 5 or 6 hours straight, now. Lord only knows what it’s doing to my eyesight … ‘like I care. =P I actually lost track of time playing it! I haven’t had something do that to me in quite some time.

I’m currently approaching the end of Act III with 9 out of the 49 achievements unlocked.

I’ve been so exhilarated by the game that I, yet again, hadn’t even kept track of the achievements until I got off the console to play this.

Ah, man -- I think I feel an ulcer comin’ on … a Gears of War ulcer … and I’m happy to say I don’t regret it.

Look forward to my entire review once I finish the game (probably by the end of tomorrow / the weekend) … trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

And, yet again, a big thank you goes out to Nico from M80! Without you none of this so far would’ve been possible -- trust me, you won’t be disappointed by the review, either! But, honestly … who would ever be disappointed in my writing? XD

Ah, I’m a modest one, aren’t I? *drenched in sarcasm*

--Reaper

Blog-Exclusive Impression -- BK's "Sneak King"

Yes. I got it. And have played it on the 360 for the past 15 minutes.

The graphics are actually superb. The gameplay's pretty kickass, too. Hide, jump out of a haystack, deliver BK Joe's(copyrighted), rinse & repeat. It's been pretty cool so far -- I've even unlocked 2 of the 12 achievements.

For a game that's really just a walking/talking ad, it actually has some depth.

And value.

And playability.

Hell, who am I kidding? So far, "Sneak King" is definitely worth it's 3.99+tax at your local BK with the purchase of a Value Meal.

Oh, yeah.

It's happenin'.

--Reaper

Gears of War Beats Halo 2?

Wow. Not that I was hoping it wouldn't, but it's rather shocking. Well, not as much shocking as -- look, just listen to me, will ya?

According to GameSpot's article on it, the big man behind the stats of XBOX Live's most played games has released a new statement -- Halo 2 is no longer the most played game over XBL ... as they say, "the sounds of 'running riot' have been drowned out by the sound of chainsaws."

Then there goes off the people with the narrow mindset that nothing can beat Halo 2 no matter what ... look, give Gears of War a fighting chance. The staff there worked hard, most-of-all-so probably Cliff himself. It takes a lot to try to beat Halo 2 on the top of the charts over XBL, and I bet that wasn't GoW's intention at all during its creation. It just ... happened.

Regardless, the people who say that nothing will ever beat Halo 2 or Halo and that they will always be the best?

Open your eyes people-- it won't stay like that forever. Gears of War may've proved that already.

But, hey -- only time'll tell, right?

And, hate to cut in on the subject, but this just came across from my friend Charlie -- are they serious? As well as this?!? And this! xDD If they are ... oh, shoot! There's even unlockable achievements! And the game actually runs!

I'm pickin' this up tomorrow. No matter what. I'll come back with a report tomorrow. Or soon. I promise. Reaper promises. And you can't beat that, yo. xDD

--Reaper

Movies & Games (Updated Edition!)

Luckily, I've had the opportunity to run in with a guy by the name of Nico, courtesy of M80 Teams fame, to grant me a chance at reviewing Gears of War for them in return for a free copy of the game. Thanks, man! You rock! xD

Also, a few hours ago I got back from a showing at my local movie theatre for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorius Nations of Kazakhstan (quite a mouthful, eh?). It was actually a really funny movie and I highly recommend it. It's done excellent at the box offices so far and I hope it maintains its current rate.

Just finished some work, was checkin' up on Gaia / role-playing and such ... synced some more songs from my computer onto my cellphone. Y'know. The usual stuff.

Though today wasn't nearly as exciting as last night, *cough-cough* Jade knocking on my door at 10 o'clock in the freakin' night *cough-cough*, today was really a very good day. And for that? A new list of some games I'm lookin' forward to, so far all for the 360. 'Ere we go:

• Wardevil - XB360 (fighting robots across various terrains [from what I can gather]? Awesome!)
  

• Dark Sector - XB360 (the name rocks and so far does the footage.)

• Bullet Witch - XB360 (there's not much released on this one. It looks cool, but pretty quirky to this point.)

• Haze - XB360 (yet again, not much released on this, but the trailer looks pretty kickass.)

• Medal of Honor - Airborne - XB360 - (yet again, not much I've seen on this one except the trailer. Although it probably is, if the trailer wasn't pre-rendered and run real-time thus far, this game looks really kickass, too, so far.)

Of course, Splinter Cell: Double Agent for the 360, Call of Duty 3 for the 360, and Dead Rising for the 360 should be up there, as well but they've sorta already been released. Gotta keep the lists separated, y'know? Hey, Nico -- can ya help me with any of these above games when the time comes as well? ;-) Haha, no, really, I'm grateful for GoW -- take my past line as a crooked thanks, yet again, for this opportunity. You rock, dude. xD

Aye, and to end things off with the trailer for Reno 911! Miami [the movie] and a couple of clips from the TV series, such as this, this, this, and, of course, this.

Don't forget to check out the Cowboy Bebop rendition of Dog the Bounty Hunter, either.

Well, 1:42 AM and I'm signin' off, mates. Peace out. 8)

--"Reaper"

Friends Are Like Germs ...

... sometimes they show up at the most inopportune times. Tonight being one of those times.

I'm sick, so I go upstairs and decide to lay down a little earlier. I didn't feel anything bad coming down on me yesterday or so far today until later in the afternoon -- I suspect some strain of food poisoning. Anyhow, I'm sleeping and what happens? A series of rapid knocks on my door followed by booming voices, taps on my front window, and the voices being escorted around the perimeter of my entire humble home.

I think 'hmh, whoever it was must've gone away'. So I start to go back to sleep ... 11 minutes later, who's back again? The knocking-people. Sighing and rolling my eyes I realize I'm gonna have to confront the problem one way or another. I take the band out of my hair, put on shoes and a jacket and open the door to find-- ...

... --Jaeden and James. Standing there. Apparently they were fairly shocked by my groggy appearance. After a long introduction, they reveal they had been tapping all the nooks and crannies of my house as well as peering through my windows for the past almost half-an-hour-now and what did they want?

XBOX controllers. Some f**king XBOX controllers.

Well, I gave them to them. Jaeden wished me a goodbye (haha, you suck, man) and the duo left after borrowing what they came to receive ... of course, Jade was sporting my slick top hat he borrowed *cough* stole *cough* from me. I'm just sorta sad I think I scared James by the way everything went down ... but, hey -- he gave me a hug and left with Jaeden.

Well, the hug was kinda scary, but what have I come to expect from them? Exactly that.

Don't worry, though, guys -- I may've seemed angry, but it's cool. Hell, how would life be exciting if things didn't get jumbled up every now and then? Y'all are awesome -- that reminds me, we need to get recording again, too, don't we James/Jade/David/Trey/who else?

Mm, too tired now. Must level my undead mage its last few points and then fade back into the sleep.

'Night, all.

--Glenn

Gaming Discussion

Yes.

Just hell yes.

I've been waiting so long for some new games to finally catch my eye ... and it's finally happened.

I bought Dungeon Siege II, which I mentioned awhile back, and I said it was pretty good ... well, I haven't finished it yet and haven't picked it back up since that review. Needless to say, I guess it just wasn't that good ... after all?

Anyhow, 'some new games at the top o' the list. First off, we've got Gears of War for the XB360. Simply 'hell yes' will suffice, coming out this very upcoming Tuesday. Secondly, we've got Neverwinter Nights 2 for the PC. I'm really lookin' forward to buying that one, as well. Thirdly, we've got F.E.A.R. - Extraction Point for the PC (why not? I liked the previous title. =/) followed by Splinter Cell: Double Agent for the XB360, as well.

FYI, I'm currently downloading the FEAR-EP demo and it's at 43%, an estimated 8 minutes remaining. I find 15 minutes for 550 MB of raw data to be pretty fast compared to other people's around me.

Anyhum.

Have problems with my list?

Too bad.

Go **** a ****.

edit: The FEAR-EP demo was f*cking awesome. Way to end a demo, guys! xD Cliffhangers, FTW. But I can't tell or not ... is Alma ... /nude/?

--"Reaper"

Or So She Says ...

And now for the quote of the day.

Christian: So, dude, when're we going to see SAW III?
Me: It was just an idea. We'd have to find somebody who could take us.
Christian: Ohhh ...
-momentary silence-
Me: Hey, Charlie! Wanna take about 15 big boys to the movies this weekend?
Charlie: Sure! -laughing; sarcastic-

xD Oh, yes. I kick ass. I know, know.

--Reaper

Conversations Add +2 To My Agility!

Fox of Blood: Glenn!
Reaper: Aye? -just got done with a Scholo-raid in WoW-
Fox of Blood: >< ><
Reaper: What do you want from meh?
Fox of Blood: I am tried, and need someone to talk to, Chris of off playing wow, again, ;_;
Reaper: He's also over at Luke's house right now, last I heard from him.
Reaper: If you're tired, go to sleep.
Reaper: If you need someone to talk to, make a friend.
Reaper: If you want to be with Chris, get World of Warcraft.
Reaper: Case closed.
Fox of Blood: You mean, cant get wow because I am dirt poor and also becasue if I did the net would be shot over the whole house. ><
Reaper: If I'm mean, get over it.
Reaper: If you can't get WoW, run a fundraiser.
Reaper: If the 'net would be shot, get a better Internet.
Reaper: Case closed.
Fox of Blood: I cant get a better internet, I use wireless on my computer, not the main connection, and I cant get the main connection, me dad is that much of a prick
Reaper: If you can't get a better Internet, live with it.
Reaper: If you're on wireless, stop.
Reaper: If you think your dad's a prick-- ... well, I can't really solve that one.
Fox of Blood: ><
Reaper: ... any more questions? I'll still take them.
Fox of Blood: Why is God only a myth to some people?
Reaper: ... I'd like to save that discussion for another time.
Fox of Blood: Rofl, sorry had to put that one.
Reaper: Aye, 'betcha did.
Fox of Blood: XD

... followed by (from yesterday, but posting it today) a phone conversation I had with Christian ...

Me: Try F10.
Christian: It brought up a utility thing ...
Me: That's the BIOS Setup.
Christian: -sighs- -restarts computer- Alright. This time it brought up a utility thing, too.
Me: What button did you push?
Christian: F8.
Me: Alright, well try F10 this time.
Christian: -sighs- -restarts computer- Same thing.
Me: -laughs- Oh my God. How many buttons is BIOS mapped to on your computer?

--Reaper

Damn, You're Slow!

maKa vEli siNz: -Slams head on keyboard- F*cking.Bored.As.Sh*t.
Reaper: xD Let's play a game!
Reaper: Why don't we play WoW together?
-moment of silence-
Reaper: xD That pissed you off, didn't it?
maKa vEli siNz: I'm gonna f*ck you up next time I see you..
Reaper: xD
Reaper: 'Knew it.
maKa vEli siNz: Where the f*ck is everyone?! >.<;;;;;;;;;;
Reaper: Away.
Reaper: Duh.
maKa vEli siNz: .. They can go screw themselves. =/
Reaper: Jah.
Reaper: Chris is running ZG. I wonder how many times he's caused his group to wipe so far?
maKa vEli siNz: About 4, I'm guessing.
Reaper: 4 or 5, yeah.
maKa vEli siNz: Argh, I need Fairy here.. or Kayla. D<
Reaper: Aye?
maKa vEli siNz: Yus. Because they're fun. =/
Reaper: xD
maKa vEli siNz: F*ck it, I'm actually going into Barton Town to look for an RP.
Reaper: xD
Reaper: You're /really/ bored.
maKa vEli siNz: This is bull.
Reaper: Well, now would be a perfect time to sit there in a trance and brainstorm a way Kaze could get out of his deathly-state. xD
Reaper: Wait ... Fairy?
maKa vEli siNz: Wow, you're slow.
Reaper: xD
maKa vEli siNz: She is my Canadian friend. >>;
Reaper: Right.
maKa vEli siNz: A /cool/ Canadian.
Reaper: ... dude, I had this dream where Alex grew this mustace and berad and looked like /Jesus/. But, after further analyzation, he didn't have the hair for it an rather looked like an Amish dude. xD
maKa vEli siNz: Told me. >>;
Reaper: xD /Totally/ knew that.
Reaper: Larry's on!
Reaper: Talk to him!
Reaper: xD
maKa vEli siNz: Nu. >_>
Reaper: xDD If you're a beggar, you can't be a chooser.
Bounc3yBlob: lol wtf
Bounc3yBlob: at 12 in the morning
Bounc3yBlob: more people ar on than anybody else for AIM
maKa vEli siNz: xD
Reaper: xD
maKa vEli siNz: O.M.G.. bored.. as f*ck..

------------------------------------------

xD That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Oh, and, while you're at it, Nickelback? Watch out for Portugal. And never go back. Promise me.

xDD Peace out, guys.

--"Reaper"

Mac Vs. PC? My Opinion --

-- ... that's right, all. I'm gonna be takin' the 14 main reasons on their site to switch from a PC to a Mac and will / try to counterprove every single reason for those of you less informed. Ready? Let's do this.

#1: It Just Works -- They ask how long it's taken you to troubleshoot your PC ... well, if you don't f*ck up it won't require any. Furthermore, most of the troubleshooting that a general PC user encounters isn't as high on the list as one that a classier performer, such as a gamer or business type, would encounter -- therefore, they have more knowledge with the situation, still making the troubleshooting easy. If it is pretty hard? Just look it up online. There are plenty of people there to help you. Besides, I guess I have to hand it to them -- there's not much to troubleshoot because their programs are such utter crap that they can't get any worse.

#2: You Can Make Amazing Stuff -- Varying on your system, you can get the same amount of software that comes from the Mac that is just as accessible (if not moreso). It's called Windows Movie Maker and all of the other software you can buy / try for it. Hell, it even comes with Windows Media Encoder!

#3: Design That Turns Heads -- Right. I dunno how ancient most people's PC's are today, but mine looks pretty kickass and can be easily modded. They suggest that us PC-users hoards ours in corners because they're too unattractive -- in my view, (to the majority of us) Macintosh has just committed one dirty deed against us ... extreme lying.

#4: 114,00 Viruses? Not On A Mac. -- Right. They suggest that Mac's are better because of the lack of viruses and I have two responses to that. (1) If you have the proper security software it won't even matter! And, (2) doesn't that mean that the PC is more popular? I mean, hell, who would want to create a virus for a Mac and f*ck it up more than it already is, eh?

#5: Next Year's OS Today -- Oh, really? And just how do they know what next years's software is actually going to be, mm?

#6: The Latest Intel Chips -- They claim to have Macintoshes that utilize Intel software better than the systems they were originally designed for? I'd really like to see the results to that first-hand; otherwise that's beyond my belief.

#7: Instant Video Chats -- And? Is that supposed to mean that the Macintosh "users" are two lazy to download one client for the PC and set it up to initiate such?

#8: More Fun With Photos -- They talk about their programs for photo viewing as if they're godly! Obviously, the people who've created Mac's have never even viewed a PC, namely Windows, before. What a bunch of losers. They disgrace me.

#9: One-Click Websites -- This just makes me feel that Mac-users are very uneducated and that because Macintosh even offers this as an option makes me think that I'm gonna be seein' a lot more crappy websites out there on the Internet.

#10: Amazing Podcasts -- This seriously is just a money-making ploy.

#11: Rockstar Tunemaking -- If you don't have the actual materials for it, you shouldn't be doing it! On the other hand, if you want to make virtual beats (like they're suggesting), just take Rockstar's Beaterator for a spin!

#12: Hollywood-style Movies -- Windows Movie Maker. Free. Period. Just get some damn skill.

#13: No Hunting For Drivers -- 2nd-most retarded statement on this site.

#14: Awesome Out Of The Box -- 1st-most retarded statement uttered. Ever.

And there you have it -- Macintosh's lies-and-slander against the PC's. Don't take me into consideration ... we're really good people. Just lying bastards like these really grind my gears (haha, Family Guy reference FTW).

--"Reaper"

Emissions & Remissions

Aye, so I see the first (well, second in my books, but first released teaser xD) of the SoA went over well, so far. I'll type up the first page, sometime, that details the shocking invasion of the bazaar district sometime ... along with Sylaris's and Komali's poor gray dwarf friend, Orill. xDD

Oh, and I solo'ed my attunement to Molten Core in World of Warcraft yesterday. And, let me tell you, it was-- ... who am I kidding? It was easy as /hell/! I didn't even die /once/!! xD It just required a few potions (that weren't too expensive, either) ... and I'm so close to completing the Onyxia Key chain it's not even funny! D:

Anywho, there are a couple of other games I used to absolutely /love/ that I forgot to point out, as well. Theme Hospital and Pizza Tycoon. They were kickass-er games that, somehow, I failed to mention two-posts ago. Stupid, stupid, me ... ... ...

And then, I read through my /entire/ Fated Souls role-play on Gaia ... from the beginning ... all 53 pages, 15-posts-per-pages of it. It took a few hours, but I got some info out of it I would've totally forgotten otherwise if I hadn't've recapped. And, now, for a few really cool 'ooc's from back then I intercepted and will post here for your viewing pleasure.

------------------------------------------------------------------

"I try my best to serve the people. -salutes- xD" - Raftacon (Reaper)
“Oh, but now I've found a way to get around it, Jade. *points to last post before this one*
Serve the people, eh? Hmm.... *plots evil plot*” - Animagenic (Maricia)
“0.0; Evil plots are NOT my forte, to plan OR execute. xD Jade pretty much hit the nail right on the head. Or, as Jade corrected me: "I didn't the nail on the head, I got a sledgehammer and pummeled it. XD”” - Raftacon (me, again)

... followed by ...

“Ooc;; -looks up, chewing on a straw- Oh hell, it's Luke.” - D.B.A (Jade)

... as well as ...

“Awesome. My poll has 8 votes and there are 7 cast members. Score.” - Raftacon (guess who? xD)

---------------------------------

And now for some additional WoW funniness ... (red is Jade, blue is Reaper)

"'Allo friendly friend friend."
" ... alright, Jade, how much money do you need to borrow this time?"
"xD I'm just saying hi, mate!"
"xD I know, I know."
"But you know, like 200 gold would be nice."
":D"
"xD Welllll ..."
"Haha, kidding."
"Sent."
"o_O"
"Dude, you're .. Omg! ><;"
"Well, 25 instead of 200, but still helpful, right?"
"Yeah. xD"
"xDD"
"Runecloth FTW!"
"Aye."

----------------------------------------

Anddd ... end of the FS&WoW-ooc-recap. xD Instead, it's time for me to wrap this all up with a friendly goodbye.

Now get the f*ck out of my blog, pansy!

--"Reaper"

Excerpt From "Shards of Avalon"

This is a short excerpt from the currently revamped fantasy-fiction story I'm working on. Read it over and offer your comments. Hope you like. Enjoy.

"The animated undead's polearm let loose a metallic 'clang' that reverberated down the stairwell, its body collapsing to the floor, a small bullet lodged into its forehead. Komali backstepped, closing the door behind him and fastening the deadbolt. "Damn, these things are persistent," Komali almost said jokingly, taking care to reload a shot into his dwarven rifle.

Sylaris gazed out of the window, seemingly lost in his own world. "You do know what this means, don't you?" he inquired, his normal tone seemingly disappearing.

"No, ... what?" Komali replied to the question, the sound of pounding against the wooden door raising his arlam and causing him to aim down the sight of his rifle by reflex.

"It means that he must've already finished the ritual ... we obviously don't have as much time as we thought we did."

"And exactly how much time do we have left?" Komali asked nervously, inching his way back across and towards the door.

"None." Sylaris replied grimly, glancing over at the door and removing the greatsword holstered across his back. Merely seconds after Sylaris had prepared for an assault of sorts, and undead hand slowly crept its fingers over the windowsill behind him.

"Behind you!" Komali yelled, yet Sylaris had already sensed the movement to his back. Swirling around, he struck at the hand, severing its fingers. Peering out the window, he watched with satisfaction as the remainder of the undead went soaring down and into the district below.

Turning his attention towards the door, he rose his sword above his head with deathly force, motioning for Komali to slide the latch and pull the door open. Simply nodding,h e complied. As the door swung open upon its hinges, Sylaris lunged for the unarmed animation and swung, severing it diagonally from its torso towards the floor. Not pausing to wait for the body to fall, he continued his way down the stairwell.

Komali lowered his firearm and kept it to his side, maneuvering himself down behind Sylaris until he reached the end of the stairwell. Darting his eyes towards his left and right, he sighted down his firearm, yet read the room as all-clear. Giving the sign to Stlaris, he moved out and to his left to meet up with the bar counter.

Komali did the same, leaping the barrier and landing between the bar counter and the shelves of ale. Reaching to his left for a bottle of ale, he grabbed a mug fro under the counter and poured a shot of alcohol, handing it to Sylaris. "Why not?" Sylaris grinned, grabbing the mug and setting it on the counter. About to raise the mug to his lips, he heard the sound of creaking wood to his west.

Drawing his sword and ducking just in time that the dwarven mug soared over his head, crashing into the planks of the wooden wall behind him, shards of marble and glass showering the floor. "My, aren't you a strong one?" Sylaris asked, taking in his opponent.

"A dwarven animation?" Komali asked, quirking an eyebrow and raising his weapon, taking in his undead opponent much the same as Sylaris was currently in the process of. The short and stocky dwarf (like most of the race was, of course) was beginning to ramble his way towards them from across the bar-section of the inn, a wicked smile crossing his pale, gray face. His teeth rotted and his flesh rotting, one of his dark brown eyes slowly worked its way around and into the back of his head. "I've never seen one of them before." Komali muttered, temporarily lowering his weapon.

"Neither have I," replied Sylaris, matter-of-factly.

"Well, one option, then," Komali suggested, raising the firearm to eye-level, pulling back the hammer, closing his left eye, and aiming down the sights of the rifle. Zooming in towards the undead dwarf's head, Komali held his finger to the trigger.

'Hope you enjoy the Demonweb, scourge ..."

--"Reaper"

A Little Mismatch of Various Odds-'n-Ends

Yes, yes. My, hasn't my first day of our school's two-week break been a pretty interesting one? I thought I was getting sick late Sunday night, but I drank some tea, popped some pills (joking, of course), and went to sleep and was better this morning (huzzah!). And then what did I do? I finished a beat for Jade (you're welcome, man) ... I went onto XBOX Live ('cause, for some odd reason, I had the craving to) and played, like, 4 Skirmishes on Halo 2.

I checked Gaia off-and-on to see if anybody had posted. Sadly enough, there were none. But, alas, I have not given up hope. I just pray the pacing goes faster soon enough. Or ... *trails off* ... =/

Mm, but I have tried my crack at getting an old Windows 95 / MS-DOS 3.1 game running on my computer (again). It's name is Fragile Allegiance and it used to be one of my favorite games as a child. I didn't understand half the stuff that was going on besides exploding asteroids, horrible micromanagment on my part, and blowing sh*t up with missiles that exterminated planets at a time. Y'know? Fun.

Well, I got it working. I had to delete logo.exe and then set fragile.exe for the Windows 95 compatibility mode. The game works, generally. Aside from a couple of non-important glitches that could probably be ironed out sometime ... the sound skips and is /very/ choppy, but I can always just disable. If the game starts to feel like it's bogging down, you just hit the Windows key or Alt-Tab out and then Alt-Tab back in. And, bam! Back as new. The only other downfall is that everytime you try to rename a fleet or colony the game ... well, freezes. And you can't rename savegames (so get it right the first time, damn it! xD), but that's not too bad, is it?

So, FA got me thinking -- what other games did I used to like from my childhood. I didn't understand half of it, again, but it seemed pretty f**king cool -- Space: 1889. It was cool. It was an RPG. Hell, I guess I got hooked early, didn't I? It was just about as cool as the other 2 I used to play without really totally understanding: MegaTraveler 1 (with better info here), as well as Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday. I also wanted Neverhood from an early age, but I fulfilled that prophecy a few years ago and, clearly, wasn't disappointed.

So then I began to recall some of the sh*ttiest game choices I've ever made. First off, looking down my CD rack, I see Harbinger. Hell, it seemed like Diablo 2 in space. Could I've been more wrong? I don't think so. It seemed really unoriginal, boring, and uncreative. Not to be confused with Zax: The Alien Hunter. Z:TAH seemed to be a pretty good game, but it didn't really keep my interest for long. But was it better than Harbinger? Yes. Definitely.

Oh, and, now that I recall it, I've tried getting Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Alien Crossfire up-and-running again. Now, those games used to be kickass. Too bad I'm having trouble getting them running on XP, nowadays. I guess that's my next project over the next 11+ days besides ironing out the bugs in Fragile.

"So, Reaper," you might ask, "What have you playing recently?" Well, young readers, I've been playing the various GunGame multiplayer mods on CS:Source ("Shaedy" written all fancy, for you nonbelievers) and I picked up a copy of Dungeon Siege II from my local Best Buy (two towns away. =P) I believe that DSII is much better than its predecessor, despite what the reviewers might say.

What games might you be picking up now? you might ask, as well. Well, I think I'll wait for the new sh*t to come out ... The Witcher looks pretty cool. I've (obviously) been keeping my eye on those Halo 3 rumors, MGS4 info, and Gears of War release date. It's been pretty cool. A new dawn of gaming, so to speak.

Yeah, and I also picked up some new songs while listening to the radio. I'm not responsible for how you get them, but as long as you download them (*cough* LIMEWIRE *cough*) or buy the albums (loser! xD Kidding, kidding,) just pick these up, will ya?

• "Attitude" - by Alien Ant Farm
• "Another Perfect Day" - by American Hi-Fi
• "Do It Alone" - by Sugarcult
• "Alive and Kicking" - by Nonpoint
• "Paralyzed" - Rock Kills Kid
• "Burning Bright" - Shinedown
  

Have fun, kiddos.

--"Reaper"

P.S. -- Oh, right-- ... and, Luke? You wanted me to level you to 30? Yeah, I did that for you ... and parked your character in a special place, afterwards, ... without a hearthstone. xD Have fun navigating your way out, little man. You'll get no help from me. Peace.

P.S.S. -- And, a couple of funny quotes I heard over the past few days. Keep them to heart and enjoy.

• Guild leader's comment -- "There once was a monkey in Nantucket. He talked, but all he would say was 'f... it'." xD
• Bumper sticker (sarcasm) -- "Work harder! Millions on welfare depend on you!"
  

Walking Woes

While walking home with Luke about an hour ago, the following conversations occurred --

-crossing the street-
Me: Alright, stay to my left as we cross the first half and then switch to my right for the second half.
Luke: Why?
Me: So you get run over by speeding vehicles before I do.
Luke: Oh, come on!

And, secondly, ...

Luke: ... so what was that song you used for your very first Green Vs. Yellow trailer?
Me: Born With Nothing, Die With Everything by Papa Roach.
Luke: Oh, right, right ... good song, good song ....
Me: -singing- Born with nothing, ... die with Luke's p3n!s ...
-pause-
Luke: Well, that must be one helluva large casket.
-laughing-

Yeahhh ... let these moments not rot from your mind. Tuck them away. Oh-so-very-deep-away ...

Amen, brotha.

--"Reaper"

Funeral Processions Are /Not/ My Kinda Thing

Yeah, just last night (well, two nights ago-since-midnight) I went to my dad's friend's funeral. His wife and two kids were there, not much older than I am. It was very saddening to see their father just left behind. But he fought the cancer well and lived his life out to the fullest extent and he helped others obscenely.

Not much to say, I guess. I'm just sorta still in mourning.

R.I.P. - Gary Casper

--"Reaper"

Day to Celebrate - Fantasy and Reality

F*ckin' awesome. That's all I've gotta say.

F*ckin' awesome.

Papa Roach finally released their new album, Paramour Sessions, 4 days ago. I'm totally going out tomorrow and picking that one up. I'm so unbelievably happy it's not even funny.

Well, [on another note] a few funny things happened today via guildchat on WoW today between Jade and me. Let's have a look, shall we?

Jade: Luke says hello.. for some reason or another.
Reaper: Mm, he can go f*ck himself. >>;
Jade: Now that's the attitude I like. :D
-pause-
Jade: He wants you.
Jade: To talk to you, that is.
Jade: In the ass.
Reaper: Talk to me in the ass? Wow.
Jade: It's Luke, he's fat, he can pull it off.
Jade: The tumor gives him magical power.
Reaper: xDD
Jade: Fo'shizzle.
Reaper: Fo'shizzle.

After that short conversation we encountered the following "War of the Faces", so-to-speak. Let's watch, shall we?

Jade: TO WINTERSPRING, AWAAAY! O:
Reaper: ... quite intriguing.
Jade: <--- Severely mentally retarded.
Reaper: =O
Jade: O:
Reaper: o.o!
Jade: o.O;
Reaper: :D
Jade: O:
Reaper: o.o!
Jade: O:
Reaper: :D
Jade: O:
Reaper: o.o!
Jade: O:
Reaper: :D
Jade: O:
Reaper: o.o!
Jade: O:
Reaper: o.o?
Jade: O:
Reaper: -.-
Jade: O:
Reaper: -_-'
Jade: O:
Reaper: -_-;
Jade: O:
Reaper: I should totally shoot you now.
Jade: xD
Jade: O:
Reaper: xD
Jade: I need a gun, I hate the sounds bows make..
Reaper: xD
Jade: Time to kill.. and kill.. and kill.. >>;'
Reaper: Fo'shizzle?
-pause-
Jade: Fo'shizzle.
Reaper: xD

And then the ever-classic two lines of the day ...

Jade: F*ck! Another elite!
Jade: Stop attacking meeeeeee! D:

xD And with that note I will prepare by previewing a few of the Papa Roach songs from their new album. The anticipation is killing me.

'Night, all -- godspeed.

--"Reaper"