Vanberge hurling himself into the abyss.

I might remake these to be smaller size but part of me finds it hysterical how large they are.

Undecim: -5

Enter the 28th Street Toys R Us

Much to my surprise the guy working there knew exactly what I was looking for when I asked for the card. He went straight to the back room explained to me how the deal works and what they have been experiencing regarding the free games (it’s nerfed sadly) and that the card still works for games $14.xx and up and was helpful and pleasant. Ended up getting Halo Wars for $10.xx after taxes and when I rang out they let me keep the discount card as apparently it’s a collectable.

The guy working told me it’s a deal sponsored by Microsoft as they are biting the bullet on the discounts so I have absolutely no problem abusing this card to get a few more $10 dollar games. Toys R Us was cool and they FINALLY working on fixed their gaming section not be a plastic prison. I’ll need to start going there more often and I would suggest others to as well after today….well minus during checkout getting being asked to buy batteries I didn’t need, a protection plan I didn’t ask for, and a rewards card I wouldn’t use. The first guy was nice though.

At first I was going to completely avoid Red Dead Redemption. After not entirely enjoying Grand Theft Auto 4 and completely avoiding it’s $DLC, Red Dead was poised to be forgotten. Then I read this (at the time I read up to the spoiler warning…beware). He summed up exactly what turned me off to Niko’s plight and his write up made it seem Red Dead attempts to correct the wrongs of the past. After continuously reading and hearing good things about the game it ended being a must play…

…that I ultimately completed to 100%

Name a video game where the main character is a married man with high school aged child. I can think of one (Kaim f/ Lost Odyssey) but honestly most antagonists are blank slates in gaming. Vagabonding men driven to get the girl, save the world and assault anybody in the way. Rockstar must understand who their target audience is more then I think. For John Marston’s his past we cannot change, his present we are lightly able to mold towards his unavoidable future. His family is in danger and he’s forced to confront his past. Change is hard and the times are changing.  In Marston, for any adult, there are bits of his struggles in all of us. At the core this is the best aspect of Red Dead Redemption.

This all doesn’t come without faults. The first few hours of the game are extraordinarily drab. Everything starts really slow and the setup with your first target comes to an anticlimactic resolution that’s downright laughable. The beginning tutorials felt laborious at the time  and your initial drop in the first town I found to be boring. After playing the first two hours I had to stop and take a nap.

When the game allows you to start getting sidetracked is when things start to get interesting. Stranger missions, animal hunting, treasure collecting, sightseeing, “Red Dead X-Files”, Social Club Challenges, mini-games, hideouts. That is just scratching the surface as there’s a lot to do in New Austin and most of it memorable and slightly ridiculous.  Everything “optional” in Red Dead eclipses Grand Theft Auto in almost every way. I finished GTA4 at at 65% completion percentage primarily focusing on the main missions and events that resulted in achievements. In Red Dead the 100% requirement is much less grindish and more about exploring the world but a good way. I would say it’s impossible without a guide to hit 100% in GTA4 where as in RDR using the packaged map, Social Club tools and in-game map it’s entirely possible minus a guide. Attempting to reach the 100% goal is about more then just earning the achievement I promise.

Moving from the first territory of the game New Austin (America) to Nuevo Paraiso (Mexico) for some players is the breaking point for many. The terrain is rougher, larger and vertical. Personally it was a mixed bag. Traveling to the highest and demanding areas I found to be fun. The vista’s in the game can be breathtaking much like in GTA where voyaging to highest building in an area has the feeling they must be conquered.  The Mexico areas  have their own flair with different music, random events, and gangs but many of the missions were more of the same combat wise and felt mostly detached from the main storyline. One mission takes place right near a large bridge and starts with the promise of using dynamite to take out a convoy. Sadly this mission didn’t result in ripping off the bridge scene from The Wild Bunch. Of all the nods to movie Westerns I was hoping for more from that movie then any.

The final location West Elizabeth (a accumulation of anything Northern America) is the games smallest and most focused area. The best missions and emotional moments come in the final act. The result of the last combat mission is to be expected but still entirely haunting. By the time of the game’s primary climax I’ve spent over a day and a half with John Marston playing the devil to the worlds advocate. I’ve saved countless women from certain death but also hogtied them and dropped them on train tracks to be turned into red mist. I’ve taken down corrupt governments but possibly promoted even more corrupt men into power. I’ve attempted to absolve my past but in the process mowed down countless human lives in attempts to earn mine back. As with almost any video game rooted in violence and choice who knows if I wore the halo or the horns.

When it’s all said and done I honestly can’t think of one thing Red Dead Redemption does that isn’t an improvement over GTA4. Marston as a character is an improvement over Niko again in every way possible. He’s not perfect and most of the time hardly sympathetic but Rockstar is getting there. My hopes for GTA5 is a co-op game staring a pair of brothers that are 100% justified in their actions. RDR hits that maybe 50% of the time and that consistency  I believe will always be a problem with open world games.  I’m hoping this game doesn’t get glossed over as “Grand Theft Auto Horse’ed” or viewed as a step down form that series because it’s better.

See, luckily (pathetically?) all those series I’m familiar with and a few are some of my favorite properties of all time.  For somebody like me Darksiders doesn’t offer much new. The ‘homages’ are so obvious. Darksiders has it’s own ‘Water Temple“. Darksiders has it’s own evil doppelganger fight. Seriously I could do this forever almost everything in Darksiders is something I’ve done before. Even the story is the typical anti-hero out for REVENGE while also saving the world. War is so badass he’s good.

And Darksiders is good. I finished the game quickly and maybe aside from not giving a rats ass about the story nothing is necessarily wrong with it. I cannot imagine not recommending the game to anybody for a reason as simple as it rips everything else off. Underworld practically has the same coup de grâce ending as Equilibrium but really it’s worth watching both movies. For the person who can only play one game from 2010 and missed the last five years in gaming Darksiders is a good way to catch up.

Statistics:

22 of 27 Artifacts
6 of 8 Enhancements
2 of 4 Legendary Enhancements
Total Game Time 20:27:56
Time in Combat 4:30:23
Total Kills 2199
Number of Deaths 100
Distance Traveled 269.38 Miles
Total Souls Collected 50849
Highest Combo 48
Demon Blood Spilled 4675.48 gallons

I did find all the pieces for the “Abyssal Armor Set” and used the code “The Hollow Lord” to unlock “The Harvester” Scythe.

After finishing the game I rode my horse in circles with a rubber band around my controller to earn the Dark Rider Achievement while cleaning cat barf and doing dishes.

35 of 43 Achievements 830g. Finished the game on Apocalyptic (Hard) difficulty with no major problems. Most bosses took me a few attempts and I think the only difference between  difficulties is the amount of damage you take. As a God of War vet knowing how to dodge is the only required ability to complete the game. One fight requires you to know the timed block. The game is also very player friendly in regards to death. If you die in combat you get returned to the last checkpoint but always given a boost of health. Death during platforming sections almost always returns you to the last safe point you were at. There are also purchasable consumables to grant any type of boost needed to get past a troublesome combat area.

Note: Thanks to Enfeugo for letting me borrow the game. He’s a true Van.

Note 2: As much as I love linking to better content then my own toase.net has a more comprehensive review then what is written here that I enjoyed.

Every gamer has similar stories, of games that weren’t worth their money and games worth hugely more. We are just as thrilled with surprises as we are disappointed by games we had high expectations for.

Q1 2010 had maybe the largest gluttony of A+ releases of all time. Sadly my wallet is ever thinning and I wasn’t able to purchase all the games I wanted time of release so decisions had to made. Mass Effect 2 was one of the games that got pushed back in favor of Bioshock 2 and God of War 3. Final Fantasy 13 waits for the $20 price point.

For both Bioshock 2 and God of War 3 I got deals I was happy with at the time  but nowhere as good as the $10 dollars I got a new copy of Mass Effect 2.

Mass Effect 2 is the best Role Playing Experience I’ve ever been apart of. Note not “Role Playing Game”. Bioware has taken the pleasure of streamlining the entire experience of a ‘RPG’  but ultimately not really sacrificing anything. JJA does a better job of writing about the differences between the first and the second game and really I agree with most of what he says. I only want to talk about two most important aspects of the game and that’s the morality systems and the loyalty systems.

If given the choice in a game I will always play as the bad/evil/rancid human being. In trying to understand this phenomenon I believe it stems from in 95% of media you have no choice in being or following ‘The Saviour’. Mass Effect allows you to play either ‘Renegade’ where points are gained for apathetic and ruthless actions and ‘Paragon’ where points are gained for compassionate and heroic actions. Most of the time the outcome will be the same just approached a different way but in Mass Effect 2 the added layers make the choices much harder to make.

For the first 80% of the game I was taking the path of the Renegade but in turn shitting all over everybody including teammates. Really all this means is I was an asshole to everybody like I was in ME1. Compassion was thrown out the window and I didn’t give a crap about how anybody felt about me. I went as far as to have a very brief implied sexual encounter with an emotional teammate I hardly knew and sabotaged any growth in that relationship.

Late in the game I was becoming aware the end was near. I would have to take this team to the heart of ‘The Collectors‘ and I knew it was going to be a team effort. I started to become aware this team might not be as “Loyal” as I need them to be. I found Shepard becoming more compassionate and when asked to ask “Are You OK?” to a teammate I found myself asking that more then I ever did before. I also started making choices that didn’t go along with my run and gun fuck everybody Shepard I carried over from the first game. Mass Effect 2 without even knowing changed Shepard to a more complex character then I ever  thought possible.

The Loyalty system in Mass Effect 2 is maybe the largest stroke of genius in RP games of all time. In most RPG’s you either use characters becuase you have to or you use them because you like them. Mass Effect 1 I used Garrus the entire game becuase he was my favorite character. In turn I missed out using many characters becuase there was no reason to. The game even promoted that reasoning with the achievements for playing the game primarily using one teammate for a length of time.

For Mass Effect 2 for the best outcome you HAVE to use every character, at least for awhile, and work to earn their loyalty to the cause. In turn that makes you WANT to use every character for them to be ready for the final battle. Seriously I cannot believe nobody hasn’t come up with this before. Your team works for you but you have to work for them to work better for you. Every boss should be as involved in their employee’s lives as Shepard is.

The Loyalty missions vary in quality (as do all the missions it’s a long story and I’m not going to talk about it) but every character in the game I was able to spend enough time with and suffer no consequences for leveling mostly is a community task in Mass Effect 2. By the end I had a high awareness of what teammate would serve the tasks at hand and by the final battle you can choose what people you want to tackle the final boss with.

Despite every fault:

• Not enough mini games
• Long loads after death
• Cerberus Network/$DLC model
• Over simplified leveling, equipment choices, armor choices
• Not a single elevator (seriously the easiest inside joke they could have made of all time including one mandatory elevator ride)
• Thermo Clips (I liked the idea  of heat weapons of ME1. I think Bioware wanted to include the strategy of reloading and stronger cover mechanics in the sequel for some reason)

Mass Effect 2 really is one of the best gaming experiences I’ve ever had. The final mission is seriously genius and even if one is having a hard time getting though the first game the second is a must play in my book. It’s fantastic. There is so much to discuss….

Statistics: Vanlandw Shepard Level 27 Vanguard. Traveled to 100% of the non $DLC planets. No active Missions or Assignments. 875g 45 of 54 achievements. Played on ‘Hardcore’ difficulty throughout the entire game. My final romance was with Tali. Implied sex with two female teammates.

Suicide Mission requires important player choices these were mine. Vents: Tali Squad Leader One: Garrus Shields: Samara Squad Leader Two: Garrus Escort: None (stupid mistake I was caught up in the moment oh well) Final Team Miranda/Grunt (thinking balance Miranda Maxed out Warp skill Grunt powerful weapons really I don’t think it mattered who I choose you don’t need a single skill other then incinerate).

Time Played 48h.57m. I blew all my credits on upgrades before going though Omega-4 relay so I only had 19811 left over.

I went though a phase where I was going to mine and deplete every planet in the solar system out of spite for the Milky Way but abandoned that idea. Ended up with 861940 Palladium, 1003447 Irdium, 827969 Platinum, 147037 Element Zero left over at end game. Suggestion: Don’t  play the mining game too much I would suggest to just mine the planets with “Rich” content but make sure to travel to all planets to get bonus missions  and experience.

Update: In a move I don’t understand at all after the great usage of licensed music for the end of Mass Effect 1 the credits roll over a nondescript instrumental. Guess they ran out of budget money this time around.

One of these days I’m planning a Paragon female bi-sexual run.

Nobody seemed very happy about my final choice so before Mass Effect 3 comes out I  might replay the final 10% of the game and change a few decisions I disliked and screwed up on.

I also forgot to mention why this post is titled what is is. Shepard is seriously hysterical. There were multiple times I was laughing hysterically at him. There is a part where he can dance with a woman on a loyalty mission that is so funny. Also don’t forget Shepard slugging the reporter.

“I’ve had enough of your disingenuous assertions” BLAM!´Seriously that is so funny.

Considering the recent drought of content at my sister site they.misled.us I’ve decided on “calling it”.

Time of death: July 13, 2010

After over a month of complete and utter inactivity they.misled.us has officially passed to the world of the dead. Today I felt the need to bring the world “up to speed” on the unsudden demise.

After years of flourishing content and fever a once live community has dwindled to the activity of a young boys Lemonade Stand. A non-prospering  largely ignored corner of the road/internet left for bitter tasting memories.

Regardless, I implore everyone to please browse the ever standing ARCHIVES of past successes to remove the sadness brought by recent sadness. A once loved and nurtured section of the World Wide Web has been brought to it’s bitter end. You will be missed they.misled.us, only time will tell if you will return from the grave and surprise us all.

R.I.P.

As has been apparent to us from studying hoarding, we may own the things in our homes, but they own us as well. Objects carry the burden of responsibilities that include acquisition, use, care, storage, and disposal. The magnitude of these responsibilities for each of us has exploded the expanding number of items in our homes during the past fifty years. Having all these possessions has caused a shift in our behavior away from human interaction to interaction with inanimate objects. Kids now spend more time online, playing video games, or watching TV alone in their rooms than interacting with family or friends. Possessions originally sold on the promise that they would make life  easier and increase leisure time have done just the opposite. Often both parents  work longer hours to support an ever-increasing array of new conveniences that lead to spending less and less time together.

For as long as I can remember things have always interested me. People’s living quarters and their belongings have the ability to distract. After watching a few episodes of the show “Hoarders” it was facinating the see the way people can live their lives having so much crap.

Never was I the extent to the cases in the book but I think most have some of the traits of even extreme hoarders. Only up till recently I was able to part with many things I’ve held and moved with me since college that I haven’t used in years. It wasn’t difficult to part with  the items but part of me still wonders if it was the right thing to do. Though rougher parts of my life I’m sure still today at times find comfort being surrounded with things and things I truly value.

Regardless I wanted to write something to bring  attention to a book and topic I found extraordinarily interesting. Rather then even attempt to summarize something better the review from the New York Times does the job perfectly.

To those who need to understand hoarders, perhaps in their own family, “Stuff” offers perspective. For general readers, it is likely to provide useful stimulus for examining how we form and justify our own attachments to objects.