*Yaaaawn* There Have Been Better Video Game Holidays

I'm kinda irritated about the limited amount of quality triple A video games this holiday season. I realize that a lot of games got pushed to early next year for good reason, but I'm still irritated. I played and finished Fallout: New Vegas. It was good. It wasn't nearly as good as Fallout 3 though. I wouldn't call it a triple A title. I had a bunch of issues with it actually. I'm not going to get into those issues though. On a 1-10 scale I'd rate it an 8.

I just recently started playing Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit. Supposedly a triple A title. Don't get me wrong...it is good, but not great. That's just my opinion though. It's getting good/great reviews. I honestly think I had a better time with Split Second and Blur earlier this year though. The first few hours were really fun. Then all of a sudden the difficulty ramps up out of nowhere and I just find myself getting frustrated. On a 1-10 scale I'd rate it a 7.5.

Today I just started playing Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. After playing Assassin's Creed 2 I was kinda burned out on the Assassin's Creed gameplay formula, but I had to get this because I played and finished the first two. On top of that I'm hearing nothing but really good things about Brotherhood. I don't have an opinion yet. I'm only about 40 minutes in. I'm just hoping that this game feels like a worthy triple A title.

On the back burner I have Fable 3 still in shrink wrap. I thought about playing that, but I'm hearing a lot of negative things about it. One thing that I keep hearing is that it's a step down from Fable 2. Not a good sign, but I'll play it after I finish Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood...maybe. I have been getting some great deals online for other games. Just ordered Splinter Cell: Conviction for 10 bucks as well as Just Cause 2 for 15 bucks.

I really hope that the games I'm looking forward to early next year deliver because so far the only games that I've been impressed with are Call Of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer and Halo: Reach multiplayer. There is still hope though. Maybe Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood will get it's hooks into me.

Yet More Fallout New Vegas Thoughts...Also Games On Standby

At this point I am about 55 hours into Fallout: New Vegas. In the beginning I really wasn't entirely into it. Certain gameplay aspects as well as bugs/glitches were pissing me off. Now that I'm a level 26 things are going well, and I'm having fun with side quests. Below is a list of my pros and cons.

Cons:

Glitches galore. I've had at least 12 hard freezes. I've also gotten stuck on certain objects in the environment several times. I definitely didn't have these issues with Fallout 3.

Enemies all over the map that kick your ass early on. In this world there are just places that you cannot go when you are a low level character. There are MANY places you can't go early on. It's really frustrating!

Lack of stimpacks. In Fallout 3 stimpacks were everywhere. Now you have to rely heavily on food that heals you over a period of time.

Many locations are pointless. I've come across many locations that serve no real purpose. I've even picked locks to get into certain places to find absolutely nothing but empty shelves with no loot to speak of.

Pros:

It's a lot like Fallout 3. It's the same engine. It's basically a huge expansion pack for Fallout 3 in a new location with a few tweaks that were added.

New enemies along with old enemies. Some of the new enemies did piss me off early on, but at least they added some new ones.

Weapon mods. Adding scopes and silencers to guns is definitely cool.


With all of the problems this game has it's still a really good game. Hopefully future patches fix all of the problems.

While my addiction for Fallout New Vegas continues FABLE 3, Rock Band 3, and Call Of Duty: Black Ops sit on my shelf. On top of that I just pre-ordered Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, and I'm also ordering Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. I did play Rock Band 3 for a few hours, and the tracklist is the best yet for any Rock Band game. After that I think I'm done for the year. Of course it all starts again early next year with a few more games I'm looking forward to...

Proof That Video Games Don't Need To Cost 60 Bucks

I'd like to send praise and thanks to Amazon.com for all of their video game deals. There simply isn't a better place to buy new games. In this shitty economy I need to save as much money as I can. Yes, I realize that buying video games isn't saving me money, but hey a guy has to live a little. Amazon helps me do that. Their discounts are kind of insane. It's unheard of to buy a game and get a twenty dollar discount on your next game purchase. It's unheard of unless we're talking about Amazon.com. The past two years I've saved a lot of money by taking advantage of all of the 10, 15 and 20 dollar discounts on games. Thanks to "tough times" gamers win if they are smart enough to know where to shop. These days every retailer needs to fight hard to get you to spend your money with them. Some retailers are fighting harder than others. Best Buy also has some really good deals from time to time. In my opinion Amazon is still the smartest about it. The consumer gets a great deal on their next game purchase and Amazon gets you to come back and spend more money. If you are really smart about it you can continue to buy every game for 40 bucks plus same day shipping for just a buck now. For example I bought Halo:Reach for 61 bucks total and got a 20 dollar credit for my next game. I used that credit for Fallout New Vegas at a total cost of 41 dollars. With Fallout New Vegas came another 20 dollar credit. I then picked up Fable 3 for 41 dollars with that credit. Of course Fable 3 also has a 20 dollar credit, so I put that on Call Of Duty Black Ops. Of course COD Black Ops has a 20 dollar credit as well. I'll probably put that credit towards the new Assassins Creed. Bottom Line = Amazon rules.

There is also a backlog of games I still want to play that I haven't bought yet. For those games that I want, but didn't feel like I had to have right away I wait a few months and pick them up on Half.com for 20 bucks or less. I also keep an eye on http://cheapassgamer.com

As long as people keep paying 60 bucks for games we will keep getting charged 60 bucks for games.

Fallout New Vegas Thoughts & A Channel Called Hub

It took a while, but I'm finally digging Fallout New Vegas. I was getting my ass handed to me by just about every enemy you can imagine. I was obviously in over my head and going in the most deadly places on the map. I figured I explore and look for some side missions. After getting my ass kicked by just about every enemy you can imagine I ran into a Deathclaw and finally said fuck this. I decided to try and just follow the main quest until I level up a bit. I'm glad I wised up and decided to do that because I'm having a good time with the game now. Some of the new creatures are no joke. The Cazadors were really pissing me off. It's pretty clear that some of the creatures in New Vegas just weren't meant to be messed with until you've reached a higher level. I don't remember it being this way in Fallout 3, but of course this isn't Fallout 3 no matter how much it feels like it is. My other issue with New Vegas is the lack of stimpacks. It seems like it's all about other health items that raise your health over an amount of time depending on what you ingest. I've mostly been using Sunset Sarsaparilla. That seems to be the most effective way to replenish health.

There have also been some bugs here and there. The game only froze on me once. That was 37 minutes in. Probably the most annoying thing for me is how sluggish things can get while you are walking through the wasteland. It stutters here and there while the game is loading new environments. I've also witnessed creatures clipping through walls. Once when I was fighting two Fire Gecko's I shot one and it flew straight up in the air about 100 feet and just hovered there. Honestly though I expect glitches and bugs in a video game world that is this vast. Things have gotten better with the latest patch though. I'm having fun in New Vegas. That's all that really matters.

Now a heads up to anyone who likes old tv shows from the 70's and 80's. I just discovered a channel on Directv that I didn't know existed called HUB. At the moment I'm watching a GI JOE cartoon from 1984. Before that I caught the end of an episode of Transformers. Other notable shows are Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Doogie Howser M.D, The Wonder Years, Batman, and Fraggle Rock. Hopefully they continue to add different shows from the 70's and 80's. http://www.hubworld.com/

Vicodin Induced Ramblings

I've had an awful headache all day, so I popped two vicodin. This blog entry could be scary. I'm feeling a bit fuzzy. I feel so fuzzy that I've decided against playing FALLOUT NEW VEGAS tonight. Instead I'll blog about some random bullshit.

Speaking of FALLOUT NEW VEGAS...I'm about five hours in and enjoying it. I hate those damned monster praying mantis nymphs though. Creepy bastards. I feel like I haven't played enough to really comment on a whole lot, but I will say that the FALLOUT game have some hot video game chicks. In the last game it was the Nuka Cola chick. She had a nice little ass. Now it's Sunny Smiles that I'd nail to the sheets. There really needs to be some hot bedroom action going on in the FALLOUT universe.

Still deciding if I'll buy ROCK BAND 3, FABLE 3, CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS, and ASSASSIN'S CREED BROTHERHOOD this year. The plan was to buy all four, but I may just buy a couple instead. I plan on milking NEW VEGAS for all it's worth anyway.

I had planned on seeing Cannibal Corpse, Vital Remains, Dying Fetus, and Devourment in November, but I'm thinking maybe not. I'm not sure I can deal with that much Death Metal in one concert. If this was the early 90's I'd be all for it. I'm also probably not going to see BLS, Clutch, and Children Of Bodom.

I can't believe it's almost time to throw the snow tires back on the Mustang. I love this time of year, but the snow is annoying.

We added another pet to our family. We decided our ferret Delilah needed a friend, so thanks to Craigslist we got another ferret that looks just like the one we have as well as a huge cage that they both share now. The lady was charging a "rehoming" fee, but ended up giving us the ferret and cage for free. Once again this ferret was owned by someone who didn't want the ferret after they bought it. We renamed our new ferret Daisy. She's quite a bit smaller than Delilah. Delilah beats up on her. She also beats up on our cat. She has a bit of a mean streak. She's likes to bite sometimes.

Just found out the other day that my boss was offered an early retirement from my place of employment. He's been a damn good boss for the past 16 years. Who knows who the hell I'll have to deal with now. I hate change. He'll be gone in three weeks.

Anyone else looking forward to PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2? I know I am. I thought the first one was really good. Here's hoping they don't fuck it up.

My DALLAS STARS are now 5-1 to start the season.

My daughter just turned 16. Holy shit where does the time go? I'll be dead before you know it.

Jagermeister Music Tour - Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax Review

It's been a while since I've been to a concert. I used to go to concerts regularly. Once upon a time there were a lot of great shows here in Kalamazoo. Now you have to drive an hour north of where I live to Grand Rapids or three hours to Detroit to see a decent metal concert. Last night me and a good friend drove the one hour drive to Grand Rapids to see three of the "big four" thrash metal bands. This isn't going to be your typical concert review. I have quite a few thoughts and some funny details to share though, so here goes...

We arrive at the show and immediately have to go back to the car because my friend Steve had a laser pointer. If we had read the sign on the way in we would have known that, but really who reads those signs? Not us. No big deal. I was thirsty anyway and had a bottle of water in the car. We head back in to get frisked. We are good to go. We were both told to go get over 21 years of age bands at the next table. Not that I was drinking, but whatever. To one side they were selling beer. To the other side they were selling liquor and lots of Jagermeister. Go figure. To the front they were selling t-shirts...lots of t-shirts. They were selling more t-shirts and other merchandise than I've ever seen at a concert. It was literally a huge wall of stuff. I brought enough cash to buy quite a few shirts, but decided to show some restraint and only bought two. Shirts were 35 bucks a piece. Remember the good old days when shirts were only 25 bucks? I could have easily bought 6 or 7 shirts, but didn't. BTW holding on to shirts for an entire show sucks, but you do what you gotta do. Next up I had to piss which took forever because I had to stand in a long ass line because the bathrooms were rather small...just as I got done I could hear Anthrax starting to play CAUGHT IN A MOSH...

Anthrax played a very short set consisting of just seven songs. This was my second time seeing Anthrax. The last time I saw them they opened for Judas Priest for Priest's ANGEL OF RETRIBUTION album. I've only ever seen Anthrax as an opening band which kinda sucks because I'm a a pretty big fan of Anthrax. Though their set was short they played some classics. It's too bad more people weren't there early because I'm sure the pit would have been more intense for INDIANS...WAAAAAAR DAAAAAAANCE!!! Anthrax kicked ass and got a really good response from the crowd. Scott Ian is intense on stage. He looks like he's in his own world when he's playing. He was just totally into it as were the rest of the band. Joey really is a great front man with a ton of stage presence. Man, Joey is looking old! I guess that's because he is. Though he may have looked old he was still running around like he was in his 20's. At the end of their set Scott Ian thanked us all and told us there would be a new Anthrax album next year.

Next up was Megadeth, but I had to piss again. Yes, I have the bladder of a little girl. I also had to get a water. While getting a water a guy said "you are from Kalamazoo aren't you". I was like yeah. He said "I recognize your face". I said "Is that a good thing or a bad thing"? he laughed and then pointed at my Overkill shirt and said he recognized me from the in store meet and greet they did here at that store. He couldn't think of the store, so I immediately told him it was called Sounds Unlimited and that autograph signing they did in Kalamazoo was back in 1989. They played later that night in Grand Rapids with Wolfsbane, and Dark Angel opening. I told the guy I was surprised he remembered me because I am now 21 years older and had a lot of hair then. We both laughed and I took off. I get this all of the time at shows. I must have a really recognizable face or something. Now here is where I let you all know that we weren't supposed to be on the floor seeing the show. Those tickets are more expensive than the tickets I purchased. Nobody was checking wristbands when we first got there to see Anthrax. When I came back from the bathroom there were people checking wristbands. We decided to go into the stands where we were supposed to be. The plan was to wait until the lights went off before Megadeth hit the stage and slip through the guard rails in the stands. We did. Rules be damned! I wasn't about to pay 10 bucks more a ticket to be on the floor.

Megadeth hits the stage and the crowd freaks out. This was my third time seeing Megadeth. I saw them on the Rust In Peace tour back in 1991 opening for Judas Priest. I also saw them headlining on the Countdown To Extinction tour with Korn opening. Of course I didn't watch Korn though. Megadeth were top notch. They ripped through every song on RUST IN PEACE from beginning to end. If ever there was an album for Megadeth to play straight through this is the one. I am so glad I got to see them play this one. I think my only complaint is that they weren't loud enough. They were using the house system with no Marhall stacks like Slayer. I'm not saying I wanted to be deafened, but louder would have been better. The crowd was drowning out Dave's vocals. I don't think I've ever heard a crowd sing every song the way we did or as loud as we did. Shit, we sang that album straight through from beginning to end. When they had finished playing RIP they broke into TRUST. Really? Trust? The posers seemed to like it though. LOL I'm probably being a bit too harsh here, but that was a radio friendly song. It really felt out of place after playing all of RIP, but whatever. It was mostly the young kids and chicks who went ape shit over it. They really need to take that song out of the set and play IN MY DARKEST HOUR or WAKE UP DEAD instead. The also played HEAD CRUSHER which I also thought was weak as hell. The finished with PEACE SELLS. Megadeth owned it for sure. They got the best crowd response of the night. In my opinion they should have played last. They were better than SLAYER. Judging by crowd response Megadeth stole the show.

Once again another piss break and once again I snuck back onto the floor. This time while the lights were still on. I must admit that knowing what to expect as far as a setlist goes kinda ruins it. I knew what Slayer's setlist was going to be. I like SEASONS IN THE ABYSS. It's a great album, but it's no REIGN IN BLOOD or SOUTH OF HEAVEN. SEASONS IN THE ABYSS is really not a good album to here straight through live. It just isn't, and it showed just by how the crowd was reacting. The pit was even sluggish and slowing down during certain songs. That's unheard of at a Slayer show. I really thought that even the band knew that SEASONS doesn't really work all that well live. It just lacks the energy that RIB and SOH have. Just as an example as soon as the crowd heard the opening for SOUTH OF HEAVEN it was like a wake up call. Everyone erupted and it was crazy again like it was when they started the show with WORLD PAINTED BLOOD. Hands down the best response they got all night was for RAINING BLOOD. Slayer was good. I just think playing all of SEASONS was a bad idea.

Various thoughts and happenings at the show.

Some chubby metal chick needed to get by me at the show, so I moved and smiled at here. She then smiled at me and rubbed my bald head as she walked by.

This is something I'll never forget. A guy needed to get through all of us. He was leaving the pit. To get people to move he covered his mouth with both hands with a sick look on his face like he was going to barf. The crowd parted like Moses parted the red sea. Then when he was through the crowd I saw him smiling and laughing about it. Hey, it was effective. I'll use this in the future if I need to.

Jim Florentine from THAT METAL SHOW was there as the MC I guess. He told some lame jokes and also asked us all if there was another band added to the big four to make it the big five who would we want added. He threw out Testament, Exodus, and Overkill as bands. I shit you not Overkill got the loudest reponse. I was kinda shocked by this, but thrilled of course.

Saw a chick I hadn't seen since probably 1998. Seeing her made me feel old.

Got quite a few Overkill comments because I was wearing an Overkill shirt, of course. One skanky metal chick even decided to touch my back saying fuck you over and over again because my shirt has fuck you written on the back a bunch of times. Yeah, that's right I get the fat chicks rubbing my head and the skanky ones touching my back flirting with me. Of course the hot chicks that were there paid me no mind. lol

I took a ton of pics. Too bad my phone fucked up on me for some reason and none of my Megadeth and Anthrax pics were saved. I do have some Slayer pics though. They aren't very good shots though. Oh well.

It was a great show. There were only a handful of idiots that I encountered. Most people were really nice though. One guy even passed a joint my way. I don't high though, so I declined. Remember my last blog post about metalheads being the worst music fans? I've changed my mind. There are a lot of good people in the scene. I think it may have helped that a lot were my age and not snotty little kids.

Here's a link with a lot of great pics from an earlier show on this tour. I'd love to post my own, but my phone decide to be a whore! http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2010/10/slayer_megadeth_4.html

Are Metal Fans The Worst Music Fans?

The reason I ask the question are metal fans the worst music fans is because I was recently deep in thought about the next concert I'll be attending. Ok maybe I wasn't deep in thought, but some things crossed my mind when it comes to the fans of the genre of music that I mostly love. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't really care for most people I meet. I'm not big into crowds. The only way crowds work for me is if I don't really have to interact with them on a personal level. This is why hockey games and concerts are doable for me. At the same time concerts aren't an entirely enjoyable experience for me.

As much as I love metal music I pretty much detest most "metalheads". I find them more annoying than your average music fan. I'm not saying that every metalhead is an annoying twit. I do find that concerts bring out the worst in a lot of people. Concerts are full of juvenile idiots who chain-smoke,drink too much, scream too much, and try way too hard to be tough guys. Years ago none of this really bothered me except for the smoking part. There's nothing like waking up the morning after a concert with your sinuses feeling totally destroyed by cigarette smoke. It's because of all of this that I don't go to many concerts anymore. I just feel like I'm way out of touch with these people. I feel like the only thing I share with these freaks is the love of the music. These days for me to go to a concert it has to be a band I love. Friday I'll be seeing Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. I'm driving 40 minutes, and dealing with all of the idiots for these three bands.

With all of this being said diehard metalheads are also the best music fans. All idiocy and juvenile behavior aside metalheads are the most passionate music fans you'll ever find. We'll defend the bands we love tooth and nail on message boards and face to face. We'll also point out bands that we think suck endlessly. This isn't always a good thing, but it's also done with passion. We're also ready to talk metal 24/7. One of the greatest things about being a metalhead is to talk about bands you love with like-minded people. We have spent and will continue to spend a ton of cash on cds, vinyl, t-shirts, and concert tickets. We wear our favorite band t-shirts with pride and honor. I can't go anywhere without someone telling me they like the band shirt I'm wearing.

While there are things that I hate about the genre's fans I have to respect them for certain things as well. I just don't enjoy being around them at a concert. This Friday I'll do my best to block out all of the morons and just focus on the music. HORNS UP!!! SLAAAAAAAAAAAAYER!!!!