Gaming Update 12/17/12

Greetings all, it’s been a good while since I have written a blog as I have been dealing with some family issues and still plugging away trying to find work. I wanted to write one before the end of the year though.
Around Thanksgiving, a family member of mine (who was been heavy into drugs) became suicidal and tried a couple of times to kill himself. It was very hard on me and my family. We were forced to put him into a facility and he is out now and living with us. It has been a struggle…I don't really want to go into it too much though.
On the job front, I had a couple interviews and am waiting to hear back. I have also had two more companies call me, so I am hopeful that I will land a job soon. I have an interview on Wednesday, so doing my research and getting ready to put myself in the best position walking into that.
I have been able to do some gaming through all that though and here is what I have up to:
CURRENTLY PLAYING

Completed: Mass Effect 3 (PS3)

I seemed to blaze through this game very quickly and I believe it is because I enjoyed it so much. There have been very few games in the past couple of years that I sit and next thing I know, 3 hours have passed. I loved every second I put into Mass Effect 3 and yes I even thought the ending was good. I did download the extended cut so I guess I never saw the “real” ending, but I found it fitting. I feel like starting the trilogy all over again now that I have beat it, but figured I better cut into my backlog though. This is easily the game I have enjoyed the most in 2012 and is also up there with my favorite games of all time. Mass Effect 3 will always be my personal GAME OF THE YEAR because it was the most fun with a video game I have had in a while.



The multiplayer in this game is phenominal as well. I will admit that when I first heard that multiplayer was being added to a Mass Effect game, I really skeptical and pretty much just wrote it off. Once I got playing it though, I became addicted. The real draw to the multiplayer is earning cash and buying the booster packs because they will yield random "loot" such as weapons, ammo mods and other abilites to use in later rounds. There are constantly events on the weekends and it just has been handled very well in my opinion.

I will most likely NOT buy any of the DLC for this game because so far from what I have seen, none of it seems worthwhile. Lair of the Shadowbroker for Mass Effect 2 was probably the best DLC of all time in my opinion and ME3 just has slopped out pretty bad DLC. I am not really a regular purchaser of DLC anyways (except Call of Duty map packs, yes I am one of those guys, lol).




Batman: Arkham City (PS3)

I have been wanting to play this since I watched the awesome trailer and finally have begun. I am like an hour into it at this point, so not far at all. It is very similar to Arkham Asylum and that’s not a knock against it at all. In Arkham Asylum I managed to solve all the Riddler puzzles and I hope that I will be able to in this one; I have heard there is like 400 though, which sounds overwhelming.

So far I am enjoying my time with this game. I have found recently that open world games tend to lose my interest pretty quickly. So that is one negative I am experiencing while playing this game. While playing Assassin's Creed II, I had a similar experience. I have been gaming for a while, most of my life (over 20 years) and I guess I like to be told what to do and where to go, lol. So open world games tend to not interest me as much.



The combat in Arkham City is what keeps me interested though. I love the combo and time based battle system. Every battle I walk into I try for the Freeflow Perfection trophy (use all special moves in a single combo), it's really fun.


Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (PS3)

I knew before this game was even released that I would be playing it as much as I do at this point. I love the multiplayer in this game (I have not yet touched the single player). The original Black Ops is my favorite Call of Duty game and this game reminds me why.



I have only played the zombies mode like 2 times which is surprising to me, but I am sure that will change soon. This game is perfect for jumping in and playing a few matches and done. Enjoying this a lot more than Modern Warfare 3…


RECENT PURCHASES

Mass Effect (PS3, digital)


First of all, I already own this game for Xbox 360, but I had to buy this as a huge fan of the Mass Effect trilogy. With this purchase I hope to start the trilogy over again and completely change every decision I made in the series and carry it all the way through to the end on PS3. I remember this game being really tough for some reason. One part I remember not liking this about this game was driving the vehicle, not sure why, I just never enjoyed it.



I never completed this game on Xbox 360, I am pretty sure I was close to the end though. I bought Mass Effect 2 for PS3 and watched the digital comic, so I know how it ends and what happened, but I am still interested in finding out first hand.




Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (PS3)

I had to buy this because it was on sale for $10 and it also includes the original Assassin’s Creed which I was never able to complete (see above about open world games). I popped in Assassin's Creed: Revelations and it has a pretty awesome intro movie:
Vidoes will not work at this moment so please click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV-7kk0Mwrc

I recently completed Assassin’s Creed II (and got the platnium trophy), so I am confident that I will enjoy both these games even though I have heard that AC1 and AC2 are different. I have AC: Brotherhood, so I am conflicted whether to play through Brotherhood or the original Assassin's Creed. I will get to Revelations after both of those, I have a while until that point, I just picked this up while it was on sale.

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition (Xbox 360)


I have been hearing alot about this game and I was thinking about it for a while whether to buy this for Xbox 360 or PC. My PC is more than capable of running the game maxed out, I just prefer consoles though and also a controller. I hardly ever buy Xbox 360 games anymore so I just picked it up on sale (of course) for $15.



Above I mentioned that Assassin's Creed: Revelations had an awesome intro. Well the optional intro video for The Witcher 2 is even better (watch below). That is on a whole another level! I have quite the backlog and cannot wait to play this awesome looking game. It seems to fit my taste likely from what I have read about the decision making and how it will affect the story later on. Nonetheless, I am very excited to play it!

Vidoes will not work at this moment so please click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwCXw8m0PHI

2012 Spike Video Game Awards (VGAs)


I just wanted to comment very quickly on the recent Spike VGAs. I think them handing their Game of the Year Award to The Walking Dead was a huge surprise. I mean the games were good, but I cannot believe something like Dishonored or Borderlands 2 were not given the award. It’s their (or the fans?) choice, so I don’t take it personally, it was just surprising.



Speaking of surprising, how about the Phantom Pain trailer and also the announcement of Dark Souls II? Phantom Pain looks like Metal Gear to me and I say that with no hesitation, and I totally believe that it is a marketing tactic for the next Metal Gear game which excites me because it looks like a new direction in the MGS series. I know there are those out there who are sick of the Metal Gear Franchise, but I cannot get enough of it. The announcement of Dark Souls II is cool, I haven’t played the first one yet, but I want to, so I am not as excited about the sequel yet.

Vidoes will not work at this moment so please click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSfajBs2nyQ
Phantom Pain (above, World premier video, Metal Gear Solid 5?)

Vidoes will not work at this moment so please click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPJaJ5ys_G0
Dark Souls II (World premier trailer)

The new trailer for the Last of Us looked pretty awesome too. I love the look of the game and atmosphere. Definitely looking forward to that game!

Vidoes will not work at this moment so please click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYBDH44SXoE
The Last of Us (VGA 2012 trailer)

CONCLUSION
So now that 2012 is ending, I have been thinking about what is next for me. I hope that my job situation will change here in the near future, which means I will most likely be moving. A lot of change is ahead for me and I hope that it is all for the better.



On the gaming end, I really feel the need to go back and play series which made me the gamer I am today. Metal Gears, Megamans, Devil May Crys, Splinter Cells, Onimushas, Final Fantasys, Xenogears and even NES, SNES and Sega Genesis games. I may be periodically playing them and will include those experiences in my future blogs.



This will most likely be my last blog of the year so I hope everyone the best during the holidays and happy new year!