Sordid tales of Belphagor, Satan, Mamon and Asmodeus

I got around to downloading, installing and finally playing the demo for Dante's Inferno last night.  I had first read about this game over the summer and was assuming it would be out by now. I had hoped it would be my "hold over" game until GoW3 came out.  Well, my timeline was completed wrong, but my intentions were dead on.

In a nutshell, this game is the demonic lovechild of the Devil May Cry series and the God of War series.  Some (most) would probably call this a GoW clone and never even mention DMC... Perhaps I'm stretching a bit, but I see it. Its in the weapon actions.  Of course, GoW has these too, but I first discovered them in the DMC series - along with the orbs (which you could argue are a nod back to Soul Reaver - but that would be pushing it a bit).

Anyway, the game has a commanding storyline - which will be familiar to most - even if you're not a philosophy or theology major.  The graphics are impressive, absolutely.  Interestingly enough, the opening cut scene after starting the game was the best looking; not the game intro video.  It was "Beowulf good" almost. 

Gameplay, however, is exactly GoW. The creatures aren't entirely unique, but still fun.  There are some elements of this game that are new to the GoW title - which also appear is the GoW3 demo.  It's actually very strange how similar these titles are - but that won't stop me from enjoying them both.  I saw no evidence of puzzles, but I expect there will be some - I hope they're more than just an annoyance though (see Uncharted 2).

The game comes out a month before GoW3, and I hope to pick it up and finish it before the next game of the year hits shelves. :)

So, I finished AC2 last Friday actually.  Total logged time was right around 28 hours.  During that time, I found and unlocked all 20 hidden videos (no cheating either!) and of course the 30 codex pages, simple enough, all the hidden blade and armor upgrades (including Altair's) and a bunch of other little things.  So, it wasn't like I blazed through the story line, but I certainly didn't dilly-dally around the world looking for all 100 feathers (not yet).

Anyway, enough of that.  The game ended in what I feared most: another cliffhanger.  So, YAY cuz there has to be an AC3 now - but BOO because it'll be another 3 years before I get my hands on it.  I have to say about the main story ending... WTF.  Seriously? You took it there? Wow. ok.  Well, I guess we'll see how they recover from that, because honestly, I'm not sure how they're going to tie this up with a nice neat little bow.

I'm currently fighting hordes and hordes of zombies in Left 4 Dead - the first one.  It sucks there's only 4 maps in the Game of the Year Edition - I wonder how many the original one had on it.  I would like to get L4D2 though - maybe for christmas - although I'd rather have the GoW box set if it came down to it.

I picked up my copy of AC2 friday and while I was there, I was given a private demo code for the GoW E3 Demo (that means it was the demo available only at the E3 conference held earlier this year).

I couldn't decide what I wanted to do first - GoW or AC... it was a tough choice... so I started the download for GoW and played AC2.  I have a lot to say/consider about AC2 and I'm not sure how to organize it... it's both everything I wanted and yet it somehow feels... lacking in some ways.

First off... it picks up the exact minute the first one ends - which I was hoping for, so that's excellent.  However, I really think they lost some of the graphical excellence the first one had with this title.  If anything, it's the same as before - but honestly, I think they've dropped them a bit.  If anyone has any intentions on playing this - you had better play the first one because there's no "training" level like the first.  This game is considerably more open world than the first.  And I mean considerably. Gone are the silly little things like save citizen, pickpocket, etc... viewpoints are still there - and they are still fun.  There's a new money element in the game, allowing you to buy/upgrade weapons and armor.  Of course, you have to make money... so doing jobs... perhaps even being a landlord start to figure into the story. I played it for about 10 hours on Saturday and I still don't feel very far into the game at all.  In fact, it feels almost like a GTA title - very open, random missions, story line creeps in from time to time.  Its nothing that will keep me from loving the game though - the story is in-depth and it is keeping me guessing, so... we'll see how it goes.

God of War 3 Demo:
Wow... just freakin' WOW!!! I can NOT wait until March for this title.  It's everything you'd expect from a GoW3 title... the demo is all action - ALL action - and it allows you to experience just about everything "new" in this title. The game looks... omg, it's visually stunning - as you would expect, considering the limits pushed on the ps2 hardware.

I will be getting the GoW1,2 box set for the ps3 sooner or later and will be playing through them soon enough - just because.

Overall, it was a damn good gaming weekend!  Don't forget to check out my pool blog for those gaming updates.

I haven't posted here in a while, but a few weeks ago I picked up Uncharted 2 - the much anticipated sequel.  I have to say, as a sequel it is outstanding.  The gameplay is nearly identical, the graphics have been improved and there are more guns and tweaks and environments and puzzles, etc.  The stats say it took me 11 hours to finish the game, but it didn't seem that long - which is a good thing.  On the other hand, I was a little surprised to finish it so quickly.  I'm planning on playing through it again on Hard mode so I can unlock Crushing mode - which makes me a little scared actually. I played it on Normal (no idea who would want to play it on easy or extra easy). Hard, so far (the first 6 chapters is all I got through last night), seems to be the same - but you take more damage per hit.  I expect I can finish it at this level in less than 11 hours.  I guess we'll see. 

I haven't yet played it online or via co-op, at least, not with the full version. I did play it online with the demo and it was pretty cool.  I hope to do a little more with it online in the next week or so.  Overall, I'd say it was better than the first because it didn't feel as repetitive as the first one did.  The enemies were different this time, yet someone similar.  It's hard to explain, but things just felt a little more varied overall.

However, I'll be picking my reserved copy of Assassin's Creed 2 this weekend, and I'm not sure if I'll get back to Uncharted any time soon. heh.  I'll try and keep this thing updated.

Wow, it's been a while since I posted here.  Oops.  Not for lack of gaming though.  Some interesting game wrap-ups/tid-bits:

Overlord (XBox)
I was gifted Overlord, for the 360 the other day - and it's pretty entertaining - especially if you like having countless minions do your bidding and acting silly while doing it.  Rumor has it this an updated version of Dungeon Keeper for the PC - so far the story lines are pretty similar, as is the game play, so I'm told.  I'm not very far into it, but it is fun in 2 hour bursts.

Fable II (XBox)
I have long since finished Fable II with my "pure and moral" character (completely with halo even) and am now about halfway through the game with my "evil and corrupt" character.  It's entertaining to see how the world changes because of your actions as a small child.

Project Gotham Racing 4 (XBox)
This game has pissed me off for the last time.  The career mode is ridiculous. Why? Because you *have* to these tournaments on tracks you've never raced, and you can't restart the tournament, or practice the tracks. I'll forgo the bitching about the car choices, but I hate what's available.  I loved PGR2 though, I mean, I loved that game - but this one... I dunno. It just doesn't work for me.  I'll try Forza 3.

inFamous (PS3)
I decided to pick up this game over the weekend and was reminded just how entertaining it is.  Considering the hours I've put into the game, the fact that I'm only 65% complete is a bit encouraging actually.  It's definitely not a quick game; which is good cuz it means I can hack away at it for a while.  But, it also means I'm less likely go back through and play an evil character because it's so long.  However, I've unlocked the 3rd island and secured about half the territories there.  I hope to finish before the end of the month - which is reasonable, considering the other titles I'm always playing.

In non-console news, I've started another blog - this one is all about pool. Johnny Plays Pool is where you can read about my own advancement in the game and the training materials I've found helpful, along with my own interpretations.  It's pretty new, so forgive the lack of an archive.  Would love to get some action on that thing, but I shouldn't be too hasty. It's only been up for less than a week. heh.

I don't think I posted here that I received an XBox 360 for my birthday a few weeks ago.  It, so far, is the cat's meow.  The interesting part is that I'm discovering urges to buy games on this console which I already have for the PS3 - simply for the ease of switching and also the useless but false sense of accomplishments given by the numerous amount of "Achievements" the games offer.  I am terribly curious to see what sort of achievements there are for Assassin's Creed, most notably. :)  Then again, the game was developed a while ago and I'm not sure it supports them - although since the 360 is an older unit and was around for the release of AC, I'd expect it support them.  I should ask around.

The game I got with the 360 was Fable 2 - and it's one of 2 primary titles, so far, specific to that console. (The other being Left 4 Dead, which I haven't picked up yet.)  I've logged over 30 hours of gameplay already and yet have only attained 24 of 66 achievements.  I expect that I'll pick up a few more here and there - but doubt I'll get them all anyway.  I did pick up Project Gotham Racing 4 - and it's a pretty fun game - though honestly, it seems to be quite a bit tougher than PGR2 (which I had on the original xbox).  Perhaps I'm just used to Burnout Paradise.  Oh! There's another title for which I'd like to examine the achievements.  I have a friend with that game, so I could ask him.  The PS3 recently (within last 6 months) released the trophy system - the same as achievements, but most of my games don't support them because they were released prior to the trophies.  Some games have released updates to integrate, but I *think* I'd have to play through them again. Some of those titles, I wouldn't mind at all playing again.  Others... too much time to do so.  *sigh*

In other news, I've been playing a lot of pool lately.  I've noticed something: I very often play my best during the first few games, then I tend to deteriorate gradually after that.  The more I think about it, the more I think it's because the first game is my 'warm-up' game and I don't really spend too much time calculating the shots - I just shoot, naturally, what feels good with a general idea of where the cue-ball is going afterwards.  It's always been enough to get me through the table in really good time.  Then the more I play, the more I put effort into cue-ball control and the more I miss shots - but with the only 'saving grace' being I do often get the position I wanted.  There are still a number of specific situations that continue to elude my bag of tricks though - and it seems that no matter how many times I practice the shot, I can never accomplish both the making of the object ball *and* getting the position I want.  The problem is when I use 45 degree english - top+left, top+right, etc. Strangely enough, I seem to do pretty okay with the straight left or right (9 or 3 respectively) - and top and bottom is pretty good (12 and 6 respectively).  The issue with side-english is that it causes "deflection" as well as "throw".  Each cue is different in the amount of deflection is creates and in combination of power and distance, trying to learn the cue is a daunting and exhausting task.  Throw has been more of an excellent benefit than a hindrance. I'm really happy to have picked up that useful tidbit.  My bank shots - particularly my back-cut bank shots - have dramatically improved.  *sigh* I just need to figure out a way to not sleep.  In the words of the Dragon Emporer: "I have too much to do in one lifetime." - although he wanted to conquer the world, I just want to conquer games. haha oi, how sad. :/

I can't explain why I like this song so much - but I do.  The calming yet disturbing repetition of the music accompanied by the almost chant-like vocals... the story and it's ending... Sometimes, it all comes together so well.
______________________________

Come with me
I will let you see with my words
I will let you burn, and observe
But where I go, you can only follow
so close your eyes, open your mind and see

somewhere, out in the dark
a car pulls up and parks
and the passenger shifts, nervously in her seat
and the butterflies flutter in her belly

and the driver shuts off the engine, moves a little close
she giggles a little as he unbuttons her blouse
she pushes him away and he whispers, "aw baby, don't be that way"
i took you out, i treated you right,
now mmm don't put up a fight
come on
i only wanna put the tip in
don't fight, don't fight, c'mon

this is all your fault y'know,
just, mmm, just relax, just let me do what i gotta do,
and i'll let ya go,
don't you love me? mmmmm, ffff
don't you...  love me?

breathe in deep a sea of desperate dreams
i have no mouth, and i must scream
breathe in deep a sea of desperate dreams
i have no mouth.

and somewhere in a normal neighborhood
in a normal house,
a normal family... is falling apart
and down the hall, the little ones hide
frozen as fossils, as their mother cries,
listening, now that the others have gone silent
the walls blister, as sister rises in defiance

here, in the depths of the labyrinth she will make her mark
she travels the cavern, searching for the minotaur
and she finds him, asleep in the heat of his triumphs,
a sparkle of flame flickers in her eye
she nudges him softly and says: Daddy? Wanna give me a try?
and he rumbles a roar,
you must lick honey from a thorn if you are to survive this night.  
and she says, nooooo, i'd rather a pick a fight, heh heh
and he reaches out, and she's on the attack
and he's face down, and she straddles his back
and as the moonlight fades from his eyes
she sighs, c'mon? what's the matter? don't you love me?
don't you... love me?

breathe in deep a sea of desperate dreams
i have no mouth, and i must scream

what we are, you too, will become
liberated children of a blood hungry god  

Sedition!

they used to hang women like me
strange fruit on the poplar tree!
they used to own women like me
necessary accessories!
they used to burn women like me
to quell the fires of liberty
in the blessed fertile crescent
they still stone women like me

and one day you will say
just look at her now!

and as everything fades to black
and as they jackals laugh in the aftermath
i'm not yours, anymore

First off, I should say that Otep was fucking awesome!  If you don't know... you're missing out.  Not your usual brand of metal - fronted by a bad-fucking-ass woman with some serious pipes. Here I present Ghostflowers from Otep - make sure you stay for at least 2 minutes as the mood of the song changes about 1:30 in.

In other news, and in no particular order, I saw District 9 and while it was good, it's impossible not to draw certain parallels to real-life.  The movie was decent, sad and disturbing and makes me wish for a sequel wherein the majority of human civilization is wiped out. 

A similar thought crossed my mind after watching this week's True Blood episode.  If I were immortal (or close to it) I think the longer I was alive the more I'd despise humans - the atrocities we create and perform are just... I have no words.  The analogy of "a kid with a magnifying glass" doesn't even begin to accurately describe it.  Of course there are always those on the other side of spectrum, so... maybe it balances out? I don't think it's balanced, but at least it's not completely one-sided.

I watched Death Race (the remake with Jason Statham) last night.  It was a fun little movie and sooner or later I'll get to the original (1975 - Roger Corman); but this will do for now.  A little predictable, but still entertaining.  It's nice to see a story that's quick and to the point - no over-the-top intricate plot, just one storyline.  People have to be so over-stimulated these days with 17 sub-plots every 30mins, this was a nice change.

I don't know if I've mentioned that I was thinking about entering an 8-ball tournament next weekend, but if I have, here's where I say I can't enter.  Why? Because it's for hall-regulars only and I've never been to that particular pool hall.  Also, I dont think I'd qualify.  Not being overly confident or egotistic, but I don't think I'm a C player (the average everyday beginner).  I'm thinking about looking into leagues but most require a 4-person team and I'm not sure I know more than one or two people who like to play enough. *shrug* maybe not. We'll see.

I've either been busy (little tiny bit) or just been fucking around on facebook most of the week. not like my stream of flash-game scores are exciting to anyone; but at least it's not stagnant over there. lol

Last week i bought a Jim Rempe Training Ball as well as a video for improving my pool game. been working on that most of the week.  learning some good stuff - most of which is my lack of consistency and good form - one explains the other though, so if I can hammer one out, the other will immediately follow.  this makes me happy, but it's very frustrating having to change your style after years of doing it one way. *shrug* it's all worth it.  XY and I watched the video a bit this week and she's excited to try out of some of the techniques and whatnot, so yay!

I've been really wanting to play some music lately as well. Don't know for sure which kind though. I listened to Styk's cd for a week straight and I found myself wanting to play an ear-candy role with my (non-existent) f/x module.  But I also want to play some (non-existent) e-drums on there as well.  *sigh*  I need to go pick up my kit from Dan's place - I have mutes so I can play without being obnoxiously loud in the house.  This week has proved anything but what I expected.

Monday was my mom'd bday and we got together at our house to bbq and try our best to celebrate it without letting the death of her mom get us down too much.  Tuesday we went back to gma's apartment and cleaned out the rest of the stuff we were taking.  Wednesday I helped MX re-org the utility room; which took far longer than expected. Thursday I watched the tape of my family vacation to Florida back in 1989. yikes that was interesting/scary. Afterwards, xy and I watched the pool video again. Then some gaming.

Speaking of gaming... I have a new one: Battlefield: 1943.  It's a downloadable-only game for $15.  It's totally worth it as well.  If you ever played Bad Company, this is just like that - only with WWII weapons, hence the name 1943.

Tonight will be preparing for the funeral tomorrow morning - at 7:30 in the morning - more than an hour away. ugh.

Tomorrow will be funeral, then mass, then buriel ceremony then a post-funeral luncheon provided by the church.  Afterwards, I have no idea.

Sunday wll be usual sunday stuff - True Blood most notably.

Monday will be OTEP!!!!!!!! Fuck and Yes!

Now back to my sorta-programming work for the rest of the day.

Jupiter hit with asteroid, leaving Earth sized hole - NASA surprised