New Vegas is the newest edition to the Fallout franchise. It brings a whole new story line beyond that of Fallout 3, but with some familiar faces: The Enclave, The Brotherhood of Steel, Rad-scorpions, Death Claws, etc... The game is based in the post nuclear war wasteland of the Mojave Dessert. You are a courier that has been given a delivery to make, but have your journey cut short by a greedy casino owner, who shoots you in the head and steals the package: the Platinum Casino Chip. You must remember who you are and find the platinum chip, and along your journey you will encounter both resistance and support in the form of new allies and enemies, or vice-versa depending on your actions. The desert wasteland plays home to many new creatures and characters:
The NCR - The major military presence (You want to be their friends, maybe?)
The Legion- The major resistance presence (Bad Guys)
The Fiends- Name says it all (Sex, drugs, violence; it's what they live for!)
The Great Khans- Fairly intelligent (Mainly misunderstood.)
The Powder Gangers- Group of idiots with explosives (No real threat.)
Many others.
Be careful when picking the path you want to follow: your actions affect everything in the game, whether you want them or not. You can quickly find yourself failing quest you didn't even know existed if you tick off the wrong people. A fun fact of the game: while there are probably 40 or so main quests, there are probably 100 to 150 side quests.
Along with the new characters, there are also many new creatures:
Ants- while introduced in Fallout 3, they are much more common in the Mojave.
Geckos- there are three kinds: regular, fire, and golden, each increasing in strength and damage.
Bloat Flies- yeah they're still here, but not a threat.
Cazadors (!!!)- the bloat flies' big brother, these things are a pain; they're hard to kill, very fast, and very poisonous (stock up on anti-venoms.)
Mantis- not a threat.
Bighorns- partially a domesticated animal, but there are some wild in the mountains and they will knock you around.
Death Claws (!!!!)- still the deadliest creature around, and now there are higher-level ones, such as a Mother, Alpha-Male, and others.
Don't worry, there are still Ghouls around and yes, they're still a pain.
All this doesn't even begin to scratch the surface.
In my book the best game of 2010, and yes, even better than COD: Black Ops.
But don't just take my word for it: get your own copy! They have already annouced plans for 5 DLC packs so definitely more to come...
Friday, January 21, 2011
The Walking Dead
In this graphic novel by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore, you follow a group of individuals who have been forced to survive in a post-zombie-apocalypse Georgia. It currently consists of 13 trade paperbacks, ranging in price from $9.99 to $19.99. Each trade has been more bone chilling than the last.
The main character Rick Grimes was left in a hospital, thought to be in a coma. He awakes to an unknown world and a missing family. You follow his story as he meets new people - some friendly and some NOT - and does what he must to protect his family and friends.
This is not for the faint hearted. The combination of gore and violence makes for a captivating read, but I feel the background stories are the true soul of the novel. You will bond with characters and cringe as they are forced to do terrible things for the sake of the group. I believe The Walking Dead should be added to any avid zombie survivalists' reading list, along with other works such as The Zombie Survival Guide.
The End is coming, don't be caught with your guard down.
The main character Rick Grimes was left in a hospital, thought to be in a coma. He awakes to an unknown world and a missing family. You follow his story as he meets new people - some friendly and some NOT - and does what he must to protect his family and friends.
This is not for the faint hearted. The combination of gore and violence makes for a captivating read, but I feel the background stories are the true soul of the novel. You will bond with characters and cringe as they are forced to do terrible things for the sake of the group. I believe The Walking Dead should be added to any avid zombie survivalists' reading list, along with other works such as The Zombie Survival Guide.
The End is coming, don't be caught with your guard down.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Spots in the Ink - 1/12/11
1) Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - This entire series is groundbreaking, and the new one is no different. I've only played a small fraction of both the campaign and multiplayer, but I've been impressed.
2) Cruz Reader - Got one of these for Christmas. It doesn't have the full range of the tablet version, but it does run an Android OS. I've been using it for comics, and it is perfect in that regard.
3) Nerf Weapons - These have always been cool, but they just keep coming. The N-Strike models have largely interchangeable parts, and the new melee weapons kick ass. Long swords, axes, maces, shields, throwing tomahawks.
4) Sellswords Trilogy Omnibus - R.A. Salvatore has always written good fantasy, but in these you get to see a perspective outside that of the ever-chivalrous Drizzt (or someone equally righteous). Good for remembering that some characters do bad things for good reasons, and some just do bad things.
Honorable Mentions:
2) Cruz Reader - Got one of these for Christmas. It doesn't have the full range of the tablet version, but it does run an Android OS. I've been using it for comics, and it is perfect in that regard.
3) Nerf Weapons - These have always been cool, but they just keep coming. The N-Strike models have largely interchangeable parts, and the new melee weapons kick ass. Long swords, axes, maces, shields, throwing tomahawks.
4) Sellswords Trilogy Omnibus - R.A. Salvatore has always written good fantasy, but in these you get to see a perspective outside that of the ever-chivalrous Drizzt (or someone equally righteous). Good for remembering that some characters do bad things for good reasons, and some just do bad things.
Honorable Mentions:
- Borderlands + DLC Packs
- Super Meat Boy
- RiffTrax
- Befudiom
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Loaded Couch Potatoes
As is sometimes the case with such things, it has come to my attention that my one-against-the-world efforts, while being of great value and enjoyment to me, have not really reached the big bold world. So, it is with pride that I join a team committed to a common cause; much like the Avengers before us, we have joined our forces and put aside petty individualism for the sake of the common good. Posts will continue to appear here, fear not. But if you enjoy my particular brand of spit, you might give this a go as well: www.loadedcouchpotatoes.com
Magneto: Testament
Origin stories are a tricky business. On one hand, you have the uber-fans, raving about “continuity” and ready to rip apart the slightest deviation from the “established cannon.” On the other hand, you have people who know frak-all about these characters, who are just going to be confused, angered, and annoyed if they’re expected to know what happened in “Superhero Comic #153.” And then, squarely in the middle, and least likely to be appeased, you have me and most of the rest of the population: people who are generally aware of what powers this or that character should have, but couldn’t care less what so-and-so looks like in their “Alternate Multiverse XXG” costume.
Magneto: Testament manages something incredible, given these circumstances: It tells a story that can be fully appreciated on its own, and still encourages its audience to maybe do some more reading. Say you don’t know anything about the Marvel universe? Testament is a masterfully executed tale of life and survival in Nazi-occupied Europe. For those who know a little more - like that Magneto can control metal and Gandalf played him in the movies. And if you happen to be able to name every issue where his helmet was red instead of purple, there is enough here to acknowledge that history and elevate your appreciation of the character.*
*For anyone who would really rather argue over what town Magneto was born in than appreciate the story being told, feel free to flame the comments from your parents’ basement as soon as you finish the dinner mom made. Roast beef. Eat up. Try not to get any gravy on your “Han Shot First” t-shirt.
The story told here is not one of mutants and super-villains, but rather of a different kind of genetic ”abnormality” and the evil some men used it to justify. Instead, all but the most carefully crafted instances of “powers” are swept away, clearing the way for a genuinely human story; a story where the most devastating moments come from the fact that this evil was perpetrated by men, and that those men and their actions were real. The creators convey this message through meticulously researched events and artwork ; the covers for the single issues do so with a remarkable reflection of the Schindler’s List color scheme.
Fear. Hate. Suspicion. In comic books, these are the principles and methods of the super-villains; in the world today, they are the weapons of tyrants and terrorists. Magneto: Testament answers a question that humanity has faced before, and will face again: In the face of such evil, what do you do to survive? What do you sacrifice, what do you save?
… And if you and yours were ever threatened by such again, how far would you go to stop it?
Magneto: Testament / Writer: Greg Pak / Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Magneto: Testament manages something incredible, given these circumstances: It tells a story that can be fully appreciated on its own, and still encourages its audience to maybe do some more reading. Say you don’t know anything about the Marvel universe? Testament is a masterfully executed tale of life and survival in Nazi-occupied Europe. For those who know a little more - like that Magneto can control metal and Gandalf played him in the movies. And if you happen to be able to name every issue where his helmet was red instead of purple, there is enough here to acknowledge that history and elevate your appreciation of the character.*
*For anyone who would really rather argue over what town Magneto was born in than appreciate the story being told, feel free to flame the comments from your parents’ basement as soon as you finish the dinner mom made. Roast beef. Eat up. Try not to get any gravy on your “Han Shot First” t-shirt.
The story told here is not one of mutants and super-villains, but rather of a different kind of genetic ”abnormality” and the evil some men used it to justify. Instead, all but the most carefully crafted instances of “powers” are swept away, clearing the way for a genuinely human story; a story where the most devastating moments come from the fact that this evil was perpetrated by men, and that those men and their actions were real. The creators convey this message through meticulously researched events and artwork ; the covers for the single issues do so with a remarkable reflection of the Schindler’s List color scheme.
Fear. Hate. Suspicion. In comic books, these are the principles and methods of the super-villains; in the world today, they are the weapons of tyrants and terrorists. Magneto: Testament answers a question that humanity has faced before, and will face again: In the face of such evil, what do you do to survive? What do you sacrifice, what do you save?
… And if you and yours were ever threatened by such again, how far would you go to stop it?
Magneto: Testament / Writer: Greg Pak / Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico
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