BEST! WEEK! EVER!

The past week has truly been one of the BESTEST weeks of my gaming life.  (BESTEST, in case you didn't know, is my successful attempt at converting BEST into a super-superlative. Thus giving it the nuance that is needed to describe this week as it compares to others)

It all started some 5 or 6 days ago, I don't quite remember. This week has mostly been a blurred progression of great event followed by great event and my joy-ridden mind can't make the distinction of a precise point on my temporal scale. That and the fact that I have never really been good with time constructs i.e.dates means I'm not sure when it started but I know it was last week. (If you ask me what happened, I can give a detailed reconstruction but don't ask me when it happened or how long ago it was. I fail every time! (My lovely wife uses this against me) My brain doesn't seem to see the need to correlate "what" and "when", apparently, "when" isn't nearly as important as "what.") 

My good friend and fellow scourer of the interwebs sent me a tweet (@theantiguagamer) regarding a sale on PSN. Apparently there was a MAJOR sale happening where you could get great games at an even greater price. I don't know what happened and I didn't ask why. I was reeling at the fact that there were games available for as low as $2.00 and I mean good games, top of the line games, game that I had wanted to play but never had the opportunity to (or the money to buy). I quickly loaded the link he sent me and almost immediately had a nerdgasm! There was a comprehensive list of all the games available, somewhere around 70 different games spread across 3 different consoles (PS3, PS4 and PS Vita). Being the poor gamer that I am, I was relegated to only being able to buy from the PS3 section. (I'm still waiting for my fairy-god-person to provide me with a PS4. I accept monetary donations of any/every kind and gift packages with consoles inside *suggestive wink*) However, I quickly got over my saddened state when I saw the Crème de la crème of this competitive cache, the epitome of the economical envoy, the bestest bargain in this budgeted bonanza. The Mass Effect Trilogy!!! Not 1, not 2 but ALL 3 games on sale, bundled together for the INCREDIBLY low price of... *insert drum roll* $4.80. 

(For those of us in the know I'm sure you have just nerdgasmed as well so I'll leave you alone. For those of us outside the know, Mass Effect (originally released in 2007)  is one of the most critically acclaimed series in video game existence. It is a deep and rich story with in-game choices that actually shape the in-game universe and how your story plays out. It even goes as far as to carry over choices made from one game to the other i.e. choices made in part 1 affect gameplay in part 2 (released in 2010) and part 3 (released in 2012). Originally each game sold for about $60.00 and then they brought out a collector's edition package which housed the trilogy (also released in 2012) for about $75.00. The digital copies of each game now costs $10.00 each and the digital trilogy now costs $30.00. So for me to be able to buy the trilogy for $5.00 is so epic that it's nerdgasmic in and of itself!!! It can be likened to buying a V8 DOHC Race spec Engine Block for $100.00 or a Gucci Pre-fall Python Handbag for $50.00 or the Limited Edition Olympic Air Jordans for $20.00... you get the idea.) 

The next big thing to happen this week was the release of 2 of my most anticipated games and to make it even better both of them just happened to be released on the same day!Destiny's second "expansion" called The House of Wolves (You can read my Rant about "expansions" here) and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt were both released this week. I got a taste of The Witcher a bit earlier than i its release date though because the same friend who told me about the PSN sale had the brilliant idea (and financial backing) to both pre-order and pre-load it. (pre-order = pay for a game before its release, pre-load = download the game before its release) I didn't actually get to play The Witcher, unfortunately, but I was contented with the gameplay he recorded. A short time after that (maybe a day or so later) I played a bit of House of Wolves. I played the story mission on Venus and failed to complete it even after a 4 tries (I suck at shooters especially FPS)...  fun times!

The icing on this most epic week was having my lovely wife out and about for the majority of the week. She has recently taken up a volunteer position that required her to take part in training sessions that were spread out across the week. This gave me a few extra hours to enjoy myself at SSG and allowed me to dive head first and uninterrupted into the first 12 hours of Mass Effect. I've been doing well so far. My death count is below 20, (none of which I can blame on my lovely wife) which is not bad for me considering I'm playing on Veteran difficulty (HARD MODE) and I think I have finally gotten my team to a satisfactory level (for now). Most importantly, I have finally become adept at the decryption mini-game. (The video shows the most basic decryption. It require exceptional hand-eye coordination and stellar reflexes to get those 3 inputs correct and in time. I am currently at 7 inputs, so you can see why I'm happy. Thanks to Youtuber OsaMind for the video) 

All in all, this week was grand and I can't wait to enjoy my new/old acquisitions. Mass Effect is shaping up to be all I heard it was. (I'm having a hard time defeating Matriarch Benezia though. My "hit and run" tactic doesn't seem to be working against her)

RANT #3

I AM A GAMER!!!

Yes, I have my preferences and sometimes I get into my fanboy mode but generally, I'm an open-minded, accepting, willing to give it a try even if its not in my comfort zone i.e. not on my favourite system (PS4) or in my preferred genre (RPG, Action-Adventure, Platformers) gamer. 

One thing that REALLY grinds my gears though, is the concept of "Exclusives." In layman's terms (and by "layman" I mean "not so game-savvy individuals") an "Exclusive" may be defined as a game that is made SPECIFICALLY for a CHOSEN system. For instance, Bloodborne is a PS4 Exclusive. It was created with the sole purpose of only being played on the Sony Playstation 4 (sorry Xbox and PC guys... no Bloodborne for you). Then there's Sunset Overdrive which (in case you don't know) is an Xbox Exclusive. Only people with an Xbox One need apply for the joy that's to be had in this game. 

I! HATE! EXCLUSIVES! 

I want to play ALL the games (that I want to play)!!! Why would you as a developer/publisher (devs/pubs) want to do something like that? Who thought it was a good idea to LIMIT the potential sales of a game?  In my mind the more copies of the game you sell, directly and proportionately, equates to more money in your pocket. So I fail to see how shrinking the market of your product helps your bank account. The more people you sell to should (by virtue of mere numbers) turn a greater profit than having it "down-sized" to a specified group, at least from my stand point, but I don't have a Degree in Economics, I'm not sure how Marketing works and I don't have a Public Relations Department. Hell, what do I know? As I said in the beginning...I'm just a gamer. (A gamer who would gladly buy the game you so casually barred me from) 

Listen here devs/pubs! I just want to play your games... OK? I don't want to be forced to buy another system (for $350.00) then buy the game I want to play (for $60.00) just to play the game. Don't put me in that position. Its hard for a guy to shell out the money for a new system especially since he can get another *whips out mental calculator. Divides. Carries the 5. Rounds up to the nearest whole number* 6 games for that price. 6 games, 6!!! Hours upon hours of enjoyment multiplied by 6. 3 plus 3 new adventures to undertake and accomplish. Half a dozen stories to unfold. Number of enemies slain and experienced gained to the 6th power. You get the idea!!!

"But T.A.G, research has shown that restricting the availability of a product increases the "desired value" of said product. It's called "The Law of Supply and Demand." Also, the simple act of partitioning our product appeals to the "Elitist" aspect of the human ego. Owners feel superior to non-owners and non-owners feel lacking when compared to owners. It plays on the "Na Na Na Na Boo Boo... I have something you don't" mentality that is sub-conscientiously ingrained in every individual."

*Cough* BS *cough*

Remember me saying I'm a gamer? I'm well aware of how the industry works. We (I) know that the company that has a vested interest in the system your game is exclusive for, paid you a buttload (which is an ACTUAL measurement) of money that (may or may not) make up for the difference in sales that you would have gotten if the game wasn't exclusive. (I'm still not sure how effective this practice is but devs/pubs keep using it so I'm guessing it "pays" off... *buh dum tsss*)

Bottom line... don't leave us (me) out in the cold! I want to play your uber cool game and I will gladly pay my hard-earned money for it. So play nice and make it for ALL systems...OK? That way ALL gamers (me) can enjoy your work of art. Only then will we be able to rid the world of the scourge that is: EXCLUSIVES! (The bane of my gamer existence) 

An Audible Adventure!!!

*Powers on PC, dusts off keyboard, loads page, signs in, asks self "How does this go again?", types the following*

Did you miss me? I hope so!

How long has it been since my last posts? (Rhetorical question people. I'm well aware how long it's been but I need time to think and develop this post so I'm using every weapon in my arsenal to bide time and come up with a witty, well-written posts that will hopefully make up for my absence) It feels like forever. I would love to tell you guys a descriptive tale of what happened while I was away. Laying out every detail in the process as I lead up to some climatic end where I make a profound point and tie in everything into a cohesive story but I have been told that such an action would belittle the effort I have put in so I will forgo the typing and let the fruits of my labour speak for me. 

As you readers know I have been embarking on a journey to improve the blog and make it more varied. As part of this movement I spent some time over the last week taking part in... *insert drum-roll here* THE ANTIGUAN GAMER PODCAST!!! 
*proud smile* 

A friend of mine let me be a part of his podcast and, of course, I jumped at the opportunity to strut my stuff (but in reality I was more humbled by the invite than anything). It was a very gratifying experience and I hope that it becomes more than a one time thing.

I have taken the liberty of including the ENTIRE podcast in this post for your listening enjoyment. Go take a listen and tell me what you think. Leave comments and share it with your friends!!! (If you feel so inclined but if you don't that's fine too, however, it would be really helpful and greatly appreciated but no pressure and I won't judge *ends guilt trip*)   

Grinding for EXP!!!

You may have noticed some slight changes taking place on the blog (and if you haven't, I challenge you to go find them. You get half a cool point for each change you can name. Ready? GO!). These are the cumulative efforts of the T.A.G blog team and have been implemented to assist in making the blog more user friendly and reader enjoyable! (Basically it's my sly, subtle, slowly but surely way of garnering new readers while maintaining old ones (I LOVE both types equally and would never place one above the other... unless I happen to list them in bullet point form, but I digress))

I will be embarking on some new side quests in order to level up the blog and I figured I should let you readers in on a bit of the behind the scenes action that will be taking place going forward. I don't want to give away too much (you know I'm not a fan of spoilers) so I'm going to be pointedly vague. 

In the foreseeable future you should... EXPECT NEW THINGS!




*inserts
long
pause
for
dramatic
effect
and
turns
around
pretending
to
leave
then
quickly
faces
forward*




JUST KIDDING!!!

I have a few projects, I'll be working on with some friends, that will be a great addition to the content of the blog. Who knows... maybe... you'll get to see/hear some cool stuff. There are a few write-ups (write-ups = posts) that I have been mulling around and I think your defense stat is high enough for you to handle it (you've done well so far). I'm also working on a few reviews for some recently released games. These take a lot of time and effort that I may or may not have readily available (between work and family events, my gaming/writing time has decreased) so just sit tight until they get to you. Research is being done on topics that pertain to overall improvement and I'm hoping to implement then as soon as I can 1. figure out how to and 2. get the needed resources. Finally, I have to make a notable effort and direct each and every one of you to take part in the poll that can be found on the top right hand side of the page (that's a freebie for anyone needing more cool points) these polls go a long way towards giving me insight into the minds of the readers. Go answer the questions HONESTLY! (As a gamer, I am all too aware of the temptation to CHEAT but I implore you to avoid the urge and stay true to the cause plus erroneous data will pervert the process and I would prefer it to be as correct as it can)