Video Games

Guitar Hero II: Play in moderation

Jeremy Brayton — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:27:00 GMT

I received the shipment of Guitar Hero 2 yesterday roughly at Noon. I didn't disconnect the controller until 9:00PM (give or take 30 minutes). I took maybe a 1-2 hour break if you combined the couple of minutes in between songs. In total I'd say I spent a good 6-7 hours playing and I'm greatly feeling the effects of it.

Here's a basic injury rundown:

Left forearm is tight. Muscles got a workout but the tendons received a beating. This was the most agonizing injury as it made sleep impossible until the waves of pain subsided.
Left hand tendon tension focused at the second knuckle from the base (forgive not giving the technical term). This is a direct result of pressing and releasing the keys. A good indicator of the problem is that it hurts to make an O.K. symbol with my hand.
Right hand thumb blister. The strum key caused the worst blister so far and there's no easy way to prevent it. I tried just flicking the key, using my whole hand, or gripping it in different ways. If I could only somehow use a guitar pick, it wouldn't be so bad on my fleshy digits.
Various calluses on my left hand. These are due to the keys and me holding the controller in various positions.
Super callous on my left middle finger. I've had calluses from straight guitar playing and this beats all of them combined. After cutting into my thumb blister to reveal the inner damage (and to pop what was basically dead skin), I can only imagine what a beating it took.

Needless to say, I'll be taking a major breather from the game for a while. I could say it's fun and addicting but I think my injuries speak for me there. I knew I had minor pains while playing but it wasn't until I could actually quit for a while that everything caught up to me. If I could only devote a fraction of that eagerness to my guitar, I might not be so mediocre. I will say one thing though, regardless of whether or not the game improves my actual playing ability it has given me an appreciation for playing that wasn't always there.

As of now, I've started one song on the hard difficulty level and I'll probably be there for a while. The game does a good job of progressing in difficulty and speed so that once you've mastered the easy level; medium isn't that much of a stretch. I made the mistake of putting a song on medium the very first time I played on my friends PS2 and I couldn't come close to finishing it. Now? I feel like a demi-god when I can thrash "Killing in the Name" or "Dead" on medium and I've yet to even touch Expert mode.

Anyway the game is great and possibly one of my best purchases for the 360. Even though it seems short and you're essentially playing the same songs all the time, it'll be very hard for me to put it down. I'm thinking about taking a limited play session when I get home, hopefully my injuries won't mind a slight discomfort. Here's hoping I'm not going to be stupid and spend another 6+ hours on it.

Herro

Jeremy Brayton — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 22:12:00 GMT

It's been over a year since I last posted and I return with a whiney post regarding work issues. The main reason I stopped blogging regularly was I typically talk to the majority of my readers on a regular basis, and I felt like just about every other post I was complaining about something. Complaints are fine but when you're reminded of nothing but crap you're dealing with, it doesn't exactly make the experience "fun".

What exactly has happened in a year? Obviously I've been playing a lot of the Xbox 360 and I've recently 99% completed building a desktop that will be primarily used for work and XNA purposes. Work has had very little variation. I still mainly do SalesLogix customization and support, with a sprinkle of Everything Else(tm). Sadly, the recent DST update and a couple of other incidents have left me complacent. My knowledge of SalesLogix was gained primarily through trial, error, and a heaping portion of luck (i.e. no formal training). Anyone with the misfortune of using SalesLogix in a small business shares a portion of what I go through and I've got to a point where it just doesn't seem worth it any more. Am I slipping? Is my job faltering in any way? No, but it's definitely a steep uphill battle and I'm growing tired of climbing.

My extra-curricular activities involving XNA and personal projects should provide me with less whiney behavior. I intend on posting more when I have the Internet at home (long story) and my desktop is officially complete. I also intend on actually doing something with my long defunct project ideas considering they’re still in the back of my mind from time to time.

Eventually I’ll try to procure a personal site to move my blog. I have nothing but great things to say about geekswithblogs.net but having never ran a site of my own, I feel like it’s overdue. I want more than just a blog can give me anyway and my ideas really can’t be contained here too well.

[Update: Fixed font issue with last paragraph]

Xbox 360: The platform

Jeremy Brayton — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 09:26:00 GMT

Usually I'm not an early adopter of any platform. I have limited funds and choose to alocate them wisely. Once a year I go against this principle for Christmas/my birthday and splurge on myself. This year I had it all picked out, Xbox 360, but there was no way in hell I would wait in line. I reserved $500 and some change for the purchase, knowing tax would bite me.

Finding the right package

I used only one online tracker (http://xbox360tracker.com/ ) and waited for just the right offer to pass me by. Luckily, or unluckily if you understand credit, I found an offer from Dell for the premium system, 1 wireless controller, play and charge kit, 3 games (kameo, madden, pgr3), and 12 months of xbox live for 680. The accessories and games alone equalled $300 + the $399 base of the premium system. Not too bad for everything I would have eventually paid for.

There have been a number of reported issues such as overheating, lockups, or other quirks.

Configuration
- Orientation: Vertical. It seems to "prefer" this setting as the controllers are at the bottom of the console and every picture I've seen is in this configuration. I've always hated loading DVDs this way though.
- Power Supply: On the TV stand behind the TV. There's not much room to draw air but it's exposed enough and not on carpet.
Transport: I've toted it up and down stairs multiple times (can't while powered, no media was harmed) and I've yet to see a problem. It looks so fragile but you'd be surprised.
Locked up: 2 times
- 1 - Call of Duty 2: Possibly software but the DVD-ROM was making a whirring-click noise. As if it was searching for a spot on the DVD but couldn't read it. This happened in a loop and I had to power down the console using the power button (control was unresponsive)
- 2 - PGR3: Clearly a software issue. The game just locked up. I could use the controller and load again so it was a small foul.
- I consider #1 a serious problem if the software can cause such a loop. The OS was built from the ground up for the hardware, not using XP. I can see a reasoning for doing so, but there may be unplugged holes. Luckily dashboard can be updated (and probably could track it).
Loudness:
- No game/DVD: Almost silent. There's a fan inside the box but it's barely noticable with normal ambient sound. I play demos when I'm in bed and with a fan on I don't notice a difference.
- DVD: It's a 12x DVD-ROM. Fast is an understatement and I doubt it's any quieter in a computer. I expect this to sound like a small jet/high powered vacuum/high rpm lawn mower/dragster

Despite what I've experienced, what I have is still a stable platform. The Dashboard (OS/UI) makes changing console settings easy plus the "escape to Dashboard without saving" feature lets me get out of a game if I want to be anal and load a save before I got beat down during single player matches.

Conclusion

Was this a sound investment? Personally, the game choice hasn't reached "enough" for me but I'm extremely picky. The fact that 90% of my library works on the new system (though I only spent $150 on the Xbox) means the bulk of what I'm getting is the updated software and hardware. As far as the hardware goes, it's definately worth it. I could have waited but I'm glad I don't have to focus on paying it off immediately.

If I had a chance to do it all over again my only wish would be to inspect the box before hand at a local retailer. Things came a little banged up though everything seems to work just fine. Kameo and PGR3's boxes were either cut or crushed. The console box was a little bent on a corner suggesting things took a tumble. They were packed using air bags, not anything more secure, so it's highly likely the console bounced around and took out the games. Am I crying over it? Not unless 2 years down the road I can't get anything hypothetically caused now fixed and have to repurchase the console.

Xbox 360: The games

Jeremy Brayton — Tue, 28 Feb 2006 09:26:00 GMT

These are the games I've played so far to date in order of freshness:

Fight Night Round 3

Single Player
- Quite possibly the game that makes the purchase "worth it"
- The graphics are amazing as hell and while unrealistic (linear blood spurts) screams "potential" for upcoming titles
  - Tekken 5 was the first game that made me say "Holy ... I'm playing a cutscene" in the arcade when I first saw it.
  - I don't even have HD and the graphics are definately better than Tekken 5. "Holy ... I'm playing Final Fantasy: Spirits Within"
- As with most EA games, I make a guy that looks like me. A non-or-slightly-non-obese person who seems to be at a decent ideal weight and looks relatively like me.
  - This means perfectionist single player until I get over the OCD.
- There were big changes from the Demo to Retail as far as gameplay goes
  - The get up "2 sticks" option is incredibly hard after 5 knockdowns. It begins to become like a magnet when you try to put like poles together.
  - A HUD is good for a beginner like me initially. No HDTV makes trying to use visible fatigue difficult.
  - Some say the game is "slow" but compared to the demo everything is noticably faster but not Ninja Gaiden quickness. Say this with me: it's okay that it "feels" slow
Multiplayer
- I've yet to play it but the options seem perfect for this type of game
- Lag would be annoying and an excuse for beat downs
- I expect to get schooled often

Call of Duty 2

Single Player Veteran
- Enemy AI has shot me through the ground or what perceived to be complete cover
- It looks like there are spots where the enemy comes out in an unspecified number of people until you reach a certain point
- There are ways to make it feel less "cheap" but it seems more obvious you're playing against a computer. Yeah I believe WWII was a death trap but it feels very unrealistic, like they can see something you can't see.
Multiplayer
- Lag is an understatement on some levels
- The first user has 0 ping, which leads me to suggest the first person in a Lobby "hosts" the game
- Once a game is done, you're kicked out forced to join another lobby (to my knowledge)
- Playing games with friends is challenging (not that I have any)
- There's an upcoming patch hopefully covering all of this.
- I love it online with a squad that talks and works together. I'm a gung ho, retarded, shoot people in the face kind of person and it's nice to know someone has my back if I can speak reasonable

Tony Hawk: American Wasteland

Single Player
- Same old Tony Hawk: Underground with slightly spiffier graphics and a Matt Hoffman BMX kind of gameplay added
- Luckily I rented it. Online makes keeping it nice but the achievements and rest of the gameplay make me possibly want to buy it when it becomes $30 or whatever "greatest hits" is
Multiplayer
- There seems to be active games in sperts. At most I've seen 3 possible games, the least being 1
- Seems confusing at first but cool once you understand it
- You seem to have to unlock the levels before accessing them. I know they have to be unlocked to host the map, not sure about playing

Final Fantasy XI (Beta)

I understand the concept but I only know one person to play this type of game and normally I don't have x/month to spend on one service.
Chat without a keyboard is "interesting"
Xbox Live headset does work which would make chatting easier. If it only dictated or used voice commands we'd be set
I'd love to play the beta until it's no longer free but with no one I know, I'm lost. I can't decypher the single player type text from people peddling crap.
I'd love playing if I had a guide. I don't really like MMO from what I see but I like the concept of having one person and building them up (it's what I do in single and multiplayer matches for as long as I've owned a console or game)

Project Gotham Racing 3

Single Player
- Usual PGR single player. PGR2 got repetitive and cone challenges were "controller thrower" moments. Good to know that has returned
- I've intentionally raced a small amount of races because of cone challenge but I'm no longer stuck on needing the highest medal on a race before moving on
- I hated the normal cars and are glad they're gone. I hate simulations that use them
Multiplayer
- I first raced only having the initial amount of money and I bought a car that cost all of it
- Most people finish while I'm way behind. We share a laugh as I run into walls to try and finish on time
- Different cars are definately better. I had to come back after a good couple of single player matches to finish easier.

Madden NFL '06

Single Player
- I play the Falcons because of 2 reasons: I've lived in Atlanta all my life and it's the team I've consistently used since the NY Giants had Lawrence Taylor. We're talking Madden '91-ish
- I go for practically every 4th down. Some games I can go all 4 quarters without being stomped but the computer catches on quick
- Michael Vick seems cheap. You can run the hell out of the ball into any pocket and get a decent first down every time
- Running game seems like the computer "knows" every play I'm gonna make, except for the sneak
Multiplayer
- Haven't played online. Because of my team choice, I feel like everyone and their mom plays Michael Vick
- I know no other decent team that wouldn't be played out and I don't feel I should have to give up my home team
- Football isn't my sport so I'd most likely get beat down quickly with the technicality

Kameo: Elements of Power

Single Player
- Honestly my type of game even
- I love hovering. I've had a dream where I've flown like this so it's kind of cool to be able to do it in a game
- Definately a good double digit hour experience. It appears kidsy but would definately be over their head (as evident here )
- I'll get back to playing this when I can't get online
- I too would feel like a puddinghead for not owning this after playing it. It's the best game of the initial line up (with no patches)
Multiplayer
- Looks interesting but I don't know anyone on Live or have anyone to play with locally

Games I'm looking forward to are Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Saint's Row, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Frame City Killer and Mass Effect when it eventually comes out. It'll be a while before I'll have all of those games but I think I can last.