Updates

So I made some changes to the blog today and going to change some of the ways I do things.

First, I changed the List Page and created a new page that will contain all the completed games on it.  I wanted to do this so it would make the list easier to read for me but also for you without having to scroll around looking at what is not crossed off.  I can also keep track what I have beaten to keep a count of how long until I can get a new game.

Second, I will be making "groups" of games to play.  It will be a way for me to make a course of what to play in what order.  I pick one game for each system, plus something to do on FFXI in terms of a mission pack.  I thought this might be easier than to just randomly pick games cause there are so many games that I want to play.  If I beat a handheld game I can either go to the next group, or wait to finish the group that I am in before I proceed.  However I can not go past the groups that I have planned.


Here are the Groups of I have so far:

Group I
1. Crisis Core PSP
2. Diablo PC
3. FFXIII-2 PS3
4. FFXI -Crystal Add-on/ZM

Group II
1. FFIV DS
2. Diablo II PC
3. Assassin's Creed PS3
4. FFXI - Moogle Add-on/ZM

Group III
1. FFVI still making a decision on the format
2. Diablo II: Lord of Detruction PC
3. Assassin's Creed: Revelations PS3
4. FFXI - Shantoto Add-on/WoTG

Look at the picture to get an idea

Can anyone guess what is on the discussion block for today???


Anyone?????


Hmmmm

Maybe its what I consider one of the best platforms to experience games.

Its Steam (made possible by Valve, who also owns the above image.  Thank you)

I have a closeness to Valve and therefore Steam because of my early days of gaming on the PC.  The first First Person Shooters (FPS) that I ever played all the way through and completely obsessed about was Half-Life.  Made possible by Valve.

Honestly, Half-Life is up there as once of the greatest along side some of the grandfathers of the PC FPS genre (Doom, Duke Nukem, etc.)

Half-Life helped to spawn Counter Strike, Day of Defeat, Team Fortress, and other directly.  I can't really think of anyone that plays FPS on PC that has not played Half-Life and its offspring.

I remember back in college I would play Half-Life 2 on my PC as my roommate watched.  It was seriously like watching a movie.  Soo many wasted nights doing that.

Back to Steam though.  I think it appeals to me so much because it allows you to manage your games on PC in one location.  I can buy games off the Steam network if I want to and they will automatically download to my PC.  I can then access them from my Steam client without having to dig around through my HD to find the games.  I can add games to Steam that are not in it's store but I have on my computer so I can load them from Steam, but also take advantage of their cross game chat feature they have for when you want to talk with your friend while playing a game.  Hell, I think its a feature that is the standard and is much better than what the PS3 and Xbox360 have.

There are trophies and achievements as well with Steam, but those don't interest me as much as on the PS3 for some reason.

I think that it comes down to this.  I can keep it running in the background when I am working on the internet, typing a blog ;), or just listening to music.  Then when I am feeling gamey (insert laugh) I just right click on the icon, select my game, and I am off.

Its quite addicting.  Once my new PC is built it will work wonders on that for sure since my current system is quite old (over 10 years) and is chugging along like a Centenarian with organ failure running the Boston Marathon (poor dude ain't even going to make it).

This leads me to another good thing about Steam, which is I can instantly install all my games on another PC to my new one by just installing the client.  It does only support the Steam Store games, but still its amazing.



I know all of that sounded like I am trying to sell a product.  I promise I am not.  I am just happy with my experience with it.

The everlasting enjoyment of the move

Currently in the slow process of packing things up for the big move that is coming up.  Finally getting our asses out of this God forsaken dump and moving to a much better place only about 5 minutes away.  Then after the pack and the move comes the unpack and set things up stage which sometimes feels as if it never ends.  ARGH

So what does this have to do with the list.  Well I asked my Fiance to not pack all the games up since there will be some down time in which there is nothing to do.  So I decided to keep Fallout 3 out.  Everything else is going to be packed for the PS3.  No other games.  Nothing.  Null.  Natta

Why?

Cause I need to force myself to finish it.  I have had the damn thing sitting on my shelf for almost 3 years now.  And I am half way through.  HALFWAY.  Cue another ARGHHH


It just is soooo much of a game.  That is only taking the main title into consideration.  The expansion packs are added dread in terms of trying to get things done.  Luckily for now I only have one installed so it won't cause too much harm for me.  I can do this.  I can do it.

Options, Options: Radiated Water or Dirty Water?

I love a open games.  Not that whole open source, anyone can change whatever (thats a whole different beast), but the idea of a game that does not have to follow a linear path, but can diverge and go on in different areas.

This means side quests.  It means side quests that you have to work for.  That take almost an hour of sweat and blood (and not your own, but the character.  Please do not cut your self for a game.  Thats a little...well...crazy).

Its side quests that take you off the linear into the surrounding world and have you almost forgot why you were playing the game to get to the ending.  Quests that have you sitting in one spot for forever just to catch some random beast and hope that they drop an item that has a 4% chance of dropping each time you kill it.

And thus we begin talking about Fallout 3

I blame my friend Wes for getting me addicted to the Fallout series.  It started out as a PC series for Fallout and Fallout 2.  There was also another one after those but I never played that game.  Underlying story though is that there was a great war with China and nukes were launched.  Years later you are in America.  Devastation from the bombs is still there, with radiation everywhere.  Usually you play a Vault dweller who has to leave the vault to get something for everyone to survive.  There are multiple things that can occur that make you have to go out into the big bad wasteland.

Thats where this post picks up.  I find myself maybe past halfway in the game's main plot, but I am in the middle of some quest that has me in a dark, wet, scary place where crab like things are attacking me.  That is the beauty of Fallout 3.

The fun and rewards of all these side quests are things that make me keep going off course, and probably going to be the reason why it may take me a little bit of time to complete the game.  This is one of the reasons why I decided to split the DLC for the game into separate games because then it would just take me FOREVER to complete this.  ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh