by Matt | Mar 19, 2008 | Aggravation
What good is a street date if I can’t walk into a store and buy a game ON that date? What good is it if the stores themselves don’t physically get the game until days later? Why the fuck would every major retailer state that the “release date” for R6V2 is 3/18/08 when they know damn well that that’s the “shippping date” TO them. Stores won’t have the game until tomorrow, or at the very earilest, some advance copies tonight.
Sure, you can “order” or even “preorder” the game online. I could do that right now. I still won’t have it until tomorrow. The Walmart, Target, Circuit City, EB and Gamestop websites ALL say that the game was released yesterday. When you click to see their inventory however, it’s a completely different story. Walmart and Circuit City say “not available in store”. Target says it’ll be in the stores tomorrow and EB and Gamestop simply list the local stores stock as zero. The kicker is that in some places there are in-store only promotions. Circuit City for example, says litteraly the following:
Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – Preorder Now – Available 3/18/08
Not Available for In Store Pick-up
Limited Edition : Free gamer’s energy kit and fuzzy dice only available in-store.
Well, isn’t that nice. I can go get a copy, travel back in time and get a RedBull and fuzzy MF’ing dice.
Seriously. The street date for DVDs is the day that it’s printed. I Am Legend’s street date was 3/18. Was it in the stores last night? Yup.
Why can’t game publishers play by the same rules? A date is a date is a date. A game comes out on the 18th, then it needs to be in the backroom of stores by the 17th, ready to be put out the next morning.
I called Target this morning and talked to my guy and he told me they didn’t get the UPS shipment last night and that they usually get it by 4pm. To make matters worse, if you buy the limited edition at Target, you get a free $10 giftcard (probably since you won’t get any fuzzy dice), but they only have 20 to give out and they’re not supposed to give them out after 6pm. I know my guy will save me one, but still, that’s complete crap too. Retailers using the gayness of game publishing schedules as a lure is pretty shitty too. “Here, come get free shit if you get it early, which you can’t”. WTF?
… on the upside. I had a chance to finish Army of Two last night. Now it’s all R6 goodness from here on in…. once I track down a copy of course.
by Matt | Mar 18, 2008 | Games
I’ve been trying to finish Army of Two for damn near a week now and just haven’t been able to do it simply for lack of time. Yesterday, my day off, I tried at least a dozen times to play, each on being interrupted by power outages (storms yesterday). I’m trying to finish it because I’ll be picking up Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 tonight and I didn’t want anything getting in my way of playing it exclusively. I’ve been bad about my own rule and I wanted to try and avoid breaking it again.
Matt’s Law # 17 – New video games should only be embarked upon after finishing the previously purchased game.
This winter I broke that rule all over the place. Once CoD4 came out, the gloves were off. There were way too many games and too little time. I still haven’t finished Assasins Creed or Guitar Hero 3 on Hard. I usually don’t have a problem putting down a game if it’s lost my interest, I call that the extended version of rule 16.
Matt’s Law # 16 – Video game that are playable after 15 minutes have passed the “15 minute test” and are typically safe to continue being played with a high probability of enjoyment. Games failing the “15 minute test” are subject to mockery and ridicule.
Both the afor mentioned unfinished games have passed my personal 15 minute test with ease. They’re fun games. I just never went back and finished them.
Army of Two has been fun, more fun in co-op mode than single player, but fun none-the-less. Since I doubt I’ll be going back to it outside of a co-op oppertunity, it seemed a shame to never finish it once R6 drops. Sadly, that might not happen. What various reviewers have called “the perfect shooter” is waiting at a friendly neighborhood retail establishment for me. No, I didn’t pre-order it. I don’t do that anymore. I’m talking about Target. Or, if Target is getting theirs tomorrow (as GS and EB have already told me they are… aka: what good are you people?) I’ll begrudgingly go across the street to Wally World because I know they probably have an entire pallet of it sitting, in a shambles, somewhere in their electronics section.
So, if you’re looking for me for the next couple weeks, I’ll be busy whacking terrorist scum.
Matt out.
by Matt | Mar 18, 2008 | Personal
I know it’s not necessarily news worthy, but it’s not something I do every day so I felt the need to mention it. I actually bought new shoes on Sunday. This is astonishing because A) I don’t spend money on myself for anything other than video games and B) I hadn’t gotten a new pair of shoes in 4 years. The last time I was at the New Balance factory in Boston was the last time I got any. So, with parts falling off, leather falling apart, holes in the sides, I decided to retire my shoes in the shoe grave yard known as the “back of the closet”. I went over to Kohls since they were having one of their “we’re having a special sale, but really it’s the sale we have every weekend to trick your wives into coming in every weekend” sale. I ended up with two pairs of Sketchers. Actually, they’re those kinda in-between shoes/sneakers/loafers shoes.
The first ones are all black and I figure might be dressy enough to wear while I’m working a wedding or at the very least a corporate shoot. The tred on the bottom is a little funky, almost like cleats, but it’s soft rubber so it has some good support.
The second ones are a bit more casual. They’re actually the ones I’m wearing at the moment. Medium brown with maroon stripes down the sides. I figured I could wear them with jeans or slacks or even shorts. They were the most comfortable, so I figure they’ll be my every day wear.
Like I said, it’s not like you guys care what I have on my feet, but for me, picking these dumb things out took over an hour. I hate spending money on myself, but shoes are one of those rare things that no one else can pick out for you. Shirts, sure, whatever. Pants, yeah, that’s fine. Shoes… umm, no, I’m going to need to try those on. It doesn’t help that my feet at super crazy wide (4E) so finding shoes that are comfortable is a friggin chore.
I like’em.
by Matt | Mar 13, 2008 | Music
Tuesday night I had the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite bands on the planet. Flogging Molly stopped in Houston as part of their Green 17 Tour. I first saw Flogging Molly shortly after their first album release back in college. They were in Savannah and played this tiny little crappy club called The Velvet Elvis for a crowd of what couldn’t have been more than 50 people. They were fantastic then, getting the Guinness soaked crowd of art students to put arms around each other and sway to old Irish drinking songs. That was 7 or 8 years ago, I’m not entirely sure, it all kinda blurs together. They were fantastic that night and they were equally fantastic Tuesday night. Bigger crowd this time. Actually it was a sold out show of a couple hundred, downtown in a converted warehouse at a place called simply enough Warehouse Live.
I met up with my buddy Dane downtown at a bar called The Homeplate which is right next to the ballpark and directly between the park and the club. We were able to grab a quick bite to eat before hand and park for free instead of playing $20 to park a block closer. I was a little disappointed we didn’t get right to the club at 7:00, which was when the doors opened, but it didn’t end up making any difference since the opening act came on late anyway. I always like to be early for shows like that so I can be up closer to the front railing. I don’t care one way or another about “the pit”, if I’m in the middle of it so be it, but being “in front” of it seems to work out better than being behind it. It’s also to avoid what ended up happening last night and getting squeezed in behind so huge guy who I can’t see around. I know I’m just average height so I like to find some place with a good line of sight and being behind some 7’2″ guy without a shirt on doesn’t really do it for me. So we moved up to a small landing to the left of the stage, directly in front of the bar. We were to the side a bit, but the extra 4 or 5 feet off the ground provided a fine vantage point.
The opening bands included The Cherry Cokes, a Japanese Irish band (yes you read that correctly) who sung completely in Japanese but the crowd didn’t really seem to mind. The melodies were familiar and that was enough for most people. They were actually rather good, even despite the language barrier. The second band was, ummm, interesting. It was the Reverend Payton’s Big Damn Band. A 3 piece consisting of drums, washboard and steel guitar. I liked it, but I think it wasn’t what the crowd was expecting. It was more of a punk/hillbilly thing than music you could sing along with. Some good guitar picking from the Reverend though.
Then it was time for the main event. Everyone (including myself) got refills on their Guinness and prepared for what was going to be an awesome show. They came on about 10:00 and the place lit up. There were a couple slower, more somber songs mixed in here or there, but for the most part it was a rocking show. I was glad the people around me were into it, it’s always a shame when you get stuck next to people and they stand there with their arms crossed looking pissed all night. I’ve been to shows like that before and it’s not fun. Those type of people come out to shows simply for something to do. Tuesday we were thrown in the mix with a good bunch of folks who were there for a good time. Multiple times throughout the night everyone put their arms around their neighbor and sang at the top of their drunk ass lungs. I completely enjoyed myself.
It had been such a long time since I had seen a show that it was just what I needed. I love going to concerts and this was a good one. I’m glad my buddy Dane was able to come. He’s a (new) big Flogging Molly fan and I’m glad he got to see them live.
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by Matt | Feb 25, 2008 | Games
Let’s talk achievement points for a second because there’s something I need to get off my chest. This is aimed directly at game developers and whoever is the liason for said developers and the XBL team. What the hell is up with achievement point being 100% fucking impossible to get. Although there’s a site that offers tips and tutorials on how to get all 1000 points out of your game you either have to be a 14 year old shut in with 4 thumbs, unlimited bandwidth, a friends list 500 people strong and a constant IV supply of Red Bull, or some sort of fucking zombie gamer.
I like the concept of achievement points, I really do. I have a few myself as you can plainly see. It adds an extra little icing onto the cake you were already going to eat to begin with. I play video games for two reasons: A) for entertainment and/or some sort of “leisure sport” and B) to finish them to my satisfaction. Achievement points are like a 50% “street cred” and 50% “thank you for playing” in my eyes. I was already going to finish Mass Effect. It was on my to-do list. Getting 100pts for doing what I was already planning on was just a nice bonus.
What becomes bothersome is that points and accomplishments aren’t relative. For example, Guitar Hero 3. I’ve beaten Guitar Hero 3. How many points do I have out of the 1000? 70. I’m sorry, but beating a game should give you 700-900 points out of that 1000. Another example, Rainbow Six, I beat R6 in both modes, solo and co-op on HARD, played online quite a bit and I have a whopping 355 out of 1000 points. And the most ridiculous example as of late, Mass Effect. I finished Mass Effect, playing through what I felt was a healthy percentage of the side missions, and I’ve got 435/1000. Chip, who I know is a consummate and dedicated gamer, who probably did way more side quests than I did, only has 515.
The problem is realistic re-playability and, for a large percentage, online play. I know for a fact that I’m never going to go back and play Halo 3, Skate, Gears of War, and the like, online to the extent that I get all the unlocks. It’s impossible. I can see maybe being dedicated to a game, maybe two, but playing Halo 3 enough to earn the rank of “supreme douchlord” or whatever it is, and getting the measly 20 points for it requires the player to have absolutely no life at all. Same thing goes for offline games like Mass Effect. To get the other HALF of the points for playing the game would require not one, not two, but at least 3 complete game play throughs (40+ hours X 3) on Legendary. That’s retarded.
Average players will play a game once, strait through. Games with Co-Op might get 2 or 3 turns. Games with a large percentage of its action in multiplayer mode will get played until the next multiplayer game comes out if you don’t hang it up sooner.
If we are rewarding the playing of the game itself, shouldn’t the completion of the game warrant the majority of the points? Don’t make me go back through the game to collect flags/coins/items over and over again for a disproportionate amount of points. Some points sure, but not HALF.
Let me say that I have no problem with the existence of these achievements. I think it’s a handy tool developers can use to add a little replayability to a game but they should be worth something like 5 points and all but the most hard core of gamers should be insane enough to get them. I finish a game, I should have 950 points. If I really want to keep playing, and collect bullcrap items, then I can finish off those last few points.
Having a total completed game, beaten in multiple ways, yeild 200 points or less is an insult to the gamer. That’s like saying that really hard game you just beat was nothing. Nothing. Yup, you saved the universe, captured the castle, stopped the alien horde, here’s $0.25, nice job. It’s demeaning. “No, I saved the fucking planet, rescued the girl, killed the ultimate bad ass, it’s time for a friggin reward!”
I couldn’t tell you how pissed I was when I finished Gears of War, beat General Raas, saved the day… and got a pathetic 10 points for it. I’ve counted, and Gears has 57 possible achievements, 27 of those are online only. That’s insulting to the people who don’t want to pay for XBL.
What really really chaps my ass, and was the main reason for todays rant, is the existence of hardware specific achievements. Yup, I’m talking about the XBL Camera. It’s sad that game makers are forced by the Microsoft marketing department to put in achievements for this piece of crap. It’s 640×480 and it’s $40! All so you can get the last achievement in Burnout. What’s worse is that some of Burnout achievements are tied to OTHER people having this crappy camera. You get achievement points for collecting “mug shots” of other players when they lose. That’s bullcrap. Now, not only do you have to have one, now your friends do too? Come on.
I’m going to finish Burnout, it’s a great game and I’m playing it because I enjoy it (which is the point). But when I beat it, by rough estimate, I’ll have 600 points. There’s simply no way for me to get the rest. Getting the rest would require things like 8 player co-op racing (friends not internet strangers), a XBL camera, and 50 other people to have the same camera. That is never going to happen. Not ever.
That’s sad.
Achievement points are nice, but they’ve completely warped the sense of accomplishment you get for “beating” a game. I can see what they’re doing. They know the demographic they’re targeting and they’re egging them on. They’re saying “you think you’re good, you’re not that good, try harder”, and for a gamer, that’s like messing around with their sister. Something needs to be proven, someone needs to be beaten, contests need to be won. Gamers are competitors at their core. Saying “you’re not good enough to finish” is a slap in the face.
I’m glad that I’m (mostly) able to resist it. I’m glad I’m not concerned about going back and finishing games that I played months/years ago just for a few stupid points that literally mean nothing. There’s nothing in achievement points. They exist to give the gamer a sense of accomplishment. But if your sense of accomplishment is satisfied with merely playing the game to the best of your ability, then you have nothing to fear. Points are meaningless to you.
What worries me are the kids online right now, playing Halo 3 until 4am, trying to get those last points in, thinking that that’s what they need to do to “achieve”. Somewhere between Mario level 8-4 and today we’ve lost what it means to game in the first place. Stupid points have replaced good old fashion feelings of accomplishment when Bowser final dies. I would love to see a game in the future, for the 360, come out with 1 achievement, worth all 1000 points, just for finishing the game.
That would be perfect.
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