Modern Warfare 3: Cheaters Keep Ranking Up

Just recently Infinity Ward released an update to Modern Warfare 3 that dealt with button signs in the players name and call sign.  Infinity Ward wanted to let us know that any form of hacking and or cheating would be dealt with.  Thank god we have dealt with buttons in the call signs. Who cares about actual cheating like wall hacking, aim-boting and boosting.

This morning it was so bad it took me 30 minutes to find a game that only had a couple of wall hackers in it.  It doesn’t take long for the hacks to make their rounds and suddenly there’s three seperate 18 kill streaks for the assualt pack.  Games get finished in less than 4 minutes are the norm.  The only way to deal with these guys is to leave the lobby and hope for a better caliber player.

I’m not asking for a whole lot, just a fair game. It’s bad enough that game doesn’t adjust for spawn campers like Black Ops did.  It’s bad enough the server issues dump whole lobbies and games.

But don’t worry: we won’t have buttons in the call signs anymore.  Great job fellas. Can the real Infinity Ward get back to work now and produce a decent product for us. Oh, and some priorities would be nice.

Modern Warfare 3

It’s been hyped, publicized, and screamed about since MW2 came out. Now Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is out and it leaves a lot to be desired.

The single player campaign is superficial and pretty much dressing on a multi-player game.  That being said lets move on to the meat of this.

MW3 adds some new twists to the ever growing shooter multi-player arena.  Perks are available for weapons now and you level your proficiency with a particular type of weapon and unluck all the goodies that come with it. Killstreaks come in three categories now: support, assualt, and specialist. Support allows you to stack kills even when you die; while assault and specialist reset after every kill.  This is great for run and gunners like me who love to get into the fight and never got to enjoy killstreaks from previous games.

All the additions to the MW multi-player are great and the weapons are extremely well balanced.  That being said great job guys.

However, there are many problems.  The game will almost continuously throw “disc unreadable” errors, lose contact with the server, and cheating is already prevalent. Wall hacking and aimboting are the most prevalent of cheaters.  Whats more is that the match making system sucks. There is no adjustment for skill level and if you leave a lobby you stuck back in it as soon as you try to join another lobby.

Oh and spawn camping, oh the spawn camping.  Some of the boards are very small and tight which force players to fight smart and aggressively. However the boards are so small and the spawn points don’t adjust if the there are enemy in the area.  This isn’t just the free for all matches it’s all the matches.

MW3 is a good game can’t be great because of serious oversight of the developers.  This really speaks to a lazy team that is used to success.  It feels like there was no real oversight even though every one from the Call of Duty family worked on this game.  What this game really needed was West and Zampanella but oops where are they? Not at Infinity Ward and not working on MW3 that’s for sure.  Nice job Activision, great for sight.

Overall I’m really glad I received this game as a gift. If I had spent money I would be really disappointed, as it stands I am disapp0inted in the product but can still enjoy what good it has in it only because I didn’t spend money on it.

Bottom line: Gift only. Or wait until the game developers get off there ass and really patch this thing. That won’t be till after the holidays though.

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword

 

Link faces off with the monsters of Skyward Sword. Players use the Wii remote for life like sword combat.

 

 

The Legend of Zelda Skywar Sword finally delivers on a number fan requests that weren’t met in Twilight Princess. Oh and it’s the 25th Anniversary of Zelda so big surprise the game released when it did. The Skyward Sword team decided to take aim at the biggest complaint request of the Zelda fan base: 100% true reactive sword fighting.  The result is epic. The movement of the Wiimote is completely reactive to the player. Swing side ways get a horizontal slash, from up to down verticle slash. You can backhand any slash you see fit as well.  It’s important to learn all of the slashes because certain enemies will need to be felled by only specific styles of sword combat. Sword combat is smooth and reactive.  Attention to where the sword is in game play and where the Wiimote is in the real world is tight and true.

One drawback is the shield and upgrade system for the shield. Your shield can only absorb a certain amount of damage before breaking, unless you shield bash.  If you time it right you can bash your opponent or projectile for no absorbed damage. Does this make sense? Not really, but it hasn’t ruined the experience yet so I’m going to forgive it.  You can upgrade your shield by collecting crafting materials and turning them into the scrap shop and paying for an upgraded shield.  The process is annoying but not so much to detract from the game over all.

Skyward Sword delivers an experience that players have been begging for since the Wii was released. It’s unfortunate that the Zelda experience that everyone wanted has finally been delivered in the twilight of the console’s life since the new Wii U is set to surpass the Wii. Although late, Skyward Sword is an incredibly in depth game that focuses on making the play of the game as enjoyable as the graphics, music or story.  It’s a step in the right to direction for motion control games that every developer should pay attention to.

The Bottom Line: If you like Zelda: get it. If you like swords and medieval combat:get it. This is an excellent game and worth every penny.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Dragonborne of Skyrim battles a dragon.

Never has there been a game that is this ambitious or down right huge. Never has there been a game that is this comprehensive or jaw-droppingly stunning.  There is just too much to say about this game.  I could start here and go on for thousands of words and still only cover a fraction of the game.

Skyrim attempts something that hasn’t been done in gaming history: to build a living, breathing and evolving world.  Once a player hits “new game” and drops into the world of Skyrim a the world becomes alive. Only the main quests have preset outcomes that are dependent on the players actions.  Every character has it’s own AI it’s own drives and own motivations.  Wildlife, weather, and even crime and murder happen according the world and it’s circumstances.  That’s just the world we haven’t even talked the gameplay yet.

You are the last Dragonborne.  A race of people that can absorb the souls of dragons to permanently kill them.  As the last Dragonborne it is up to you to defeat Alduin, a dragon of terrible power and save Skyrim.

Skyrim returns to a level system that was evident in the previous game but with a twist.  You are never locked into a set of “class skills” that determine your level rate.  There is no level cap (sort of) and you can continue on building skills once you have maxed one set.  The twist is perks. Every level you receive a perk to place into a skill. The perk will add a bonus or give you additional ability dependent upon where you place it.  The monsters and enemies level with you. That means almost every quest can be completed at the lowest levels with only a few exceptions.  This leaves the world of Skyrim completely open but challenging at any level.

If that isn’t enough: there’s dragons and you fight them. The dragon fights are every bit as epic as they are supposed to be. At the end of the every battle with a dragon you feel like complete and total bad ass that you are.  Don’t forget: that’s the main quest.

And the quests. Oh the quests. There are more hours of game play then you have hours in your life.  That’s directly from Bethesda.  That’s a lot of game to play.  Whats more is that the game generates its own content.  There is a never ending stream of content from the game.  The faction and side quests are deep and fill out the world of Skyrim.  Nothing in this game is superficial or simple. Everything has a purpose.

Combat is almost identical except now you can cast in one hand and melee with the other. Dual wielding and two handed make a return as well.  Monster AI is smart and lethal if treated lightly making any battle completely imersive.

Overall Skyrim is an ambitious well done game that deserves accolades and hours of game play.  This game is total complete and absolute buy. You will spend over 40 hours just in the faction quests. Thats a lot of game for 59.99$.

Bottom Line: Buy.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Return to the world of Elder Scrolls with Skyrim on Friday 11/11/11.

If Skyrim is going to be anything like Oblivion then get ready to sink hours into this game. Oblivion had over 10 hours of game play just in the guild quests. Add in the main story and all the side quests and you had a game that held somewhere near 40 hours of game play before the DLC.

The videos, trailers, and screen shots prove that graphics will be the best we’ve seen yet. Let’s just hope the boys at Bethesda can deliver one more time.

Batman: Arkam City

Batman slugs it out with the thuggery of Arkham City.

Batman: Arkam City is one of the most highly anticipated games of 2011. All the hype the game has generated doesn’t fail to deliver either.

Arkam City delivers the same top end graphics, sound, animations, and voice acting that Arkum Asylum produced. However, Arkum City takes it all one step further. The world of Arkum City is huge. The open world element gives players the feeling of being Batman in Gotham city, despite the fact that Arkum City is actually only a small portion of Gotham city. There is nothing like dropping into a group of thugs from a roof top. Arkum Asylum made you feel like the Bat, but Arkum City lets you experience everything about about the Bat.

Combat is fluid, dynamic and requires timing and strategy. Sure you can set the difficulty to easy and button mash your way through the game. Set it to normal and a whole new mob AI takes over that requires timing and strategy. Gadgets also have quick combat applications that can help you disarm thugs or disorient them.

Add in side missions, random encounter quests, and Catwoman as a playable character you have definitely got the makings of one the best games ever made.

Game Informer gave it a 10 out of 10. A perfect score from a magazine that is know to drop a full point for even just the slightest of hiccups. In my book I can’t give it anything other perfect score and a glowing endorsement. Buy this game and you will sink hours into the story and the side missions. So what are you waiting for? Go get it.

Palm Pre 3 – HP and Palm Try for a Resurrection

At first glance I am unimpressed with Palm Pre 3. It is almost identical to the Palm Pre Plus that released and failed on Verizon. So why is HP and Palm resurrecting this failure like Lazarus from the grave? The system itself doesn’t seem to be that greatly improved. A larger display at over 3.5 inches that’s .4 inches more than the Plus with a 3.1 inch display. The resolution has been upped as well to 480×800.

These minor adjustments to the Pre doesn’t sell me on giving it a third chance. I am a Verizon iPhone 4 user and know I’ve found the phone that everyone is going to try and beat.  The Pre fell short on so many levels that I’m stunned that it’s been brought back by HP.  To compete against Apple’s Jesus phone HP is going to have to bring a lot more than a larger screen and better resolution.

Verizon iPhone – First 24 Hours

OK so it’s been a bit more than 24 hours with my Verizon iPhone 4, but who’s counting?

The Verizon iPhone 4 is everything you expected out of an iPhone 4. The only set back, and it’s minor in my eyes, is the inability to use voice and data at the same time (unless you are connected to a wireless hotspot).  For AT&T customers I guess this is a big problem(?) My minutes never get used, I end up doing most of communication over text/IM so the lack of data and simultaneous voice isn’t that much of a loss. Most of the data I use is numbers and text so lots of copy/paste. Overall not a big deal. Can we please move on now? Thanks.

Personally I had no problems with activation/registration, although some reported that it took a longer than they would have liked.

The Verizon iPhone 4 has the all the features you wanted plus one extra: it can act as a mobile hotpot for up to five devices. It is really over priced at 20 dollars a month and a limit of 2GBs.  That is just too little data with way to high a price.  This is the only glaring problem with the iPhone 4. However, one feature that dropped in price was the Verizon Navigation dropping to just $5.99 a month.

Some features haven’t been ported over yet. Most notably is the VZ Navigator, but this is set to release to the App store sometime next week.  I have no doubt that we will see all of our favorite apps be converted to iOS sometime soon. Except for you bbm, goodbye forever.

Overall I am beyond happy with my iPhone 4.  It is just what we wanted for all of four years: the iPhone on Verizon with everything that it has on AT&T. Let world peace ensue.

When Can I Activate My Verizon iPhone?

Ok so some of you, like me,  may be receiving your iPhone tomorrow. If you are you may wondering “Is Verizon going to let me activate my iPhone?”  If you google that phrase you’ll get varying results.

Don’t worry, a quick call to customer service let me know that Verizon is more than happy to activate our phones as soon as we receive them. However, if Chantel was blowing smoke up my butt I’m going to be very angry and she’ll probably be laughing. She couldn’t be lying, right? I mean she put me on HOLD to ask her boss. That means it’s legit right?

All kidding aside we really didn’t have a whole lot to worry about. Apple has been pretty good about letting the users activate phones even though the phone wasn’t supposed to show up until X day. Last year the same thing happened with the iPhone 4 release; Apple and AT&T made a good move and let the people use their phones. Yes it was move of infinite cool, but in reality it was live walking advertising. Anyone who had the phone and used it was doing Apple and AT&T a favor and saving them millions in advertising. OK maybe not millions but definitely a bunch of money.

So fear not. As soon as you get your phone you can activate it and start using it.

PS just be sure to update iTunes so you’re not waiting for a download, install and restart.

Verizon iPhone Pre-Order – Possible Fumble?

Yes I am one of the crazy people that was up at 3 am to pre-order the Verizon iPhone. The dream is fulfilled, there will be a CDMA iPhone in my hands on February 10th. But did it go as well for everyone?

Unfortunately the process wasn’t as smooth for some as it was for others.

First: Either due to a glitch or on purpose the pre-order started 10 minutes earlier than planned. When users hit the refresh button 10 minutes till the screen read “Begin Your Order”. Needless to say I jumped all over that. Personally I had a very easy pre-order experience with no problems. I made sure I logged in a full hour ahead just to make sure I didn’t hit a traffic jam of user log ins. The pre-order forms were as simple as ever. Just check the lines you are purchasing iPhones for (only on per line thank you) and mix and match features.

Second: If you are watching the twitter feed for #verizoniPhone you see almost as many frustrated people who can’t get the page to load as there are people who have completed their pre-order. Most of the problems are load problems either entering the pre-order side of the website or at purchase side. Another problem cited was that business customers couldn’t participate in the pre-order. Imagine that let down.

If you thought the Verizon iPhone Pre-Order was going to go off without a hitch that is just wishful thinking.  There are just to many people to support this kind of activity. The idea that Verizon should throw up extra dedicated servers for one night is just silly. The real test will be how Verizon handles the issue later today and tomorrow. I’m going to get ahead of the curve and call it “Pre-Order Gate”.

 

Respawn Entertainment Entices Abbie Heppe from G4

When Infinity Ward imploded and lost the two main heads of the company many thought that may have been the end.  If you did don’t count yourself as the only one because I am right there with you.

Recently though, Respawn has enticed the incredibly talented (if I may say so: lovely) Abbie Heppe to their company. She leaves G4 TV to become the new Community Manager for Respawn Entertainment.

Ms. Heppe has become a well known face on G4′s x-play and made a number of appearances on Attack of the Show. She’s also done extensive reporting from E3 and many a gaming con.  Not only that she has been a part of Feedback (G4 webcast on games and gaming) for as long as I can remember.

Her reporting and reviews are insightful and she has the ability to remove her own penchants and personal feelings from what ever game she is reviewing.  Rarely have I heard her blithely say “this game sucks”.  I hold her comments and reviews quite high when I think about purchasing a game.

This ability of Respawn to entice Ms. Heppe from G4 proves that Respaw is: A) very serious and B) highly marketable.

Ms. Heppe: Good luck on your new venture. I hope you do well. I hope you bring all the creativity and professionalism that you brought to G4 and X-Play.  You will be missed, but again good luck!

Verizon iPhone Only a Short Wait

So if you’re like me you’ve been waiting years for the iPhone to come to Verizon. Finally the wait is almost over.

I find myself checking in at my Verizon account daily. Just to check in. I’ve called sales twice. I’ve already made sure that I can charge 2 iPhones to one account.

It’s just a matter of time.

The bloggers want to get in one last dig though. Rumors of an iPhone 5 surfacing in June are just ramping up. The question arises “Do I wait? Or do I just get an iPhone 4?”  The answer is simple for me. I am gettting an iPhone 4 and going to love it.  The current rumor around the iPhone 5 is that it will be a total hardware redesign.  Apples last total hardware redesign fell flat for me with the revamped iPod Nano.  I am afraid they will get away with themselves and totally screw up the iPhone.

To those who are waiting: Good luck! I shall not. Have fun camping out and getting excited. I just want an iPhone and iPhone 4 is enough for me.

2010 Year In Gaming – Did the Recession Finally Catch Up to the Industry?

It’s the New Year and that means every video gaming pundit is weighing  in on the year in gaming. For me this is one of those slow news topics that every journalist is guilty off (myself included).  It’s great topic for writers to give their personal opinions and lay judgement on the industry at large. All pretty self serving, but what the heck, let’s do it!

2010 was a good year for gaming. To quote Adam Sessler “Games came out, they were good”. Sales slipped 4% according to Reuters, but hey, it’s a recession after all.  2010 wasn’t a stunning year for games but I think it could have been. Fallout: New Vegas is great example. Instead doing something with the game mechanics or the engine they just gave you Fallout 3 with the addition of weapon mods and better companion commands. Oh, and it was set in New Vegas. Thanks guys but that could have been a patch or DLC. Bethesda had the chance for real greatness instead they went for a model that would make money. Business wise that’s very smart (again, we’re in a recession); to the fans it just felt cheap.  Halo: Reach is another example. Great game, great story, great multiplayer, but nothing that I didn’t get in the previous 3 games. Oh yeah ARMOR ABILITIES! Again not a huge innovation, no major plot or story hooks were revealed.

Sure we had the Playstation Move and the Kinect but they didn’t do anything for motion gaming as whole. Both the Move and Kinect are products that won’t be realized until the library builds up and better games come out. Improving the tech would be a major plus as well. I know I don’t have all the needed floor space for Kinect and especially Move.

So why the lack of innovation? I really think 2010 is the year that the video game industry was affected by the recession.  Developers are thinking like every other company and going for the “let’s just get through this together” mentality.  Do I fault them for this? Heck no! As a dad all I want is to keep the bills paid and food on the table. I’m not going to judge anyone for acting the same way in time where everything could be shaky.

What the real question is: will this model continue and will this bring mediocrity to the gaming industry? Could this be the beginning of new cycle of development for games? IE when recessions hit will developers lean on the old standby and what works instead going for something new and better?  It remains to be seen.

Tron: Evolution

Tron: Evolution is movie tie-in game to Disney’s Tron: Legacy and tells the story of the fall of Kevin Flynn and how he became trapped in The Grid and how CLU turned against him.

You play as a new System Monitor Flynn installs in the Grid to solve what Flynn believes could have been the murder of ISOs leader and combat a new virus that has entered the Grid.

Tron: Evolution blends Assassin’s Creed style free running with Tron disc combat.  The free-running isn’t bad but it’s not really good. It’s about as buggy as Assassin’s Creed, you’ll find yourself falling and derezzing pretty constantly. Luckily the check points are very frequent so dying doesn’t mean a lot of frustration.

Plot isn’t great and it isn’t terrible either.  The System Monitor is voiceless and relies on the cast of the game to push the plot along.  CLU and Flynn are voice by someone other than Jeff Bridges and does a passable job.  Without spoiling the game or the movie I’ll just say there was a major event in the film that was addressed via flash back that the game will address.

Online multiplayer is accessible within the story mode by accessing disc upgrade stations spread throughout the world. XP earned in multiplayer applies to your character. The multiplayer is a great way to gain some extra xp and level your toon  very quickly and only pulls you from the story mode for a short amount of time for each match.  There are plenty of multiplayer modes and you can chose from light cycle combat to a form of team death match.

Combat requires a lot stick awareness. The trick is make sure the targeting icon is lit on your opponent constantly. If not you will wind up tossing your disc into a wall with no avail.  This makes combat challenging and heavily mobile.  Once you get some practice you can bounce, dodge, and wall jump your enemies to derezzed bits.

Overall Tron: Evolution is a good game. It’s highly challenging to someone who is experienced with action games and a lot of fun for anyone who is a Tron fan.  If you are skeptical pick it up on Gamefly and give it try with no worries of buyers remorse.

Verizon to Announce iPhone on December 27 to January 3

A close source inside Verizon revealed through an intermediary that Verizon was indeed about to announce the iPhone on Verizon sometime between December 27, 2010 to January 3, 2011.  The source sites recent training for managers and sales staff for the full features of the iPhone.  As of now it will be the iPhone 4 to be released with a possible iPhone 5 announcement later this coming year.

Whether or not  Apple, AT&T and Verizon will play the game of who gets the new version of the iPhone first remains to be seen.

Dead Nation = Zombie Killin Fun!

Dead Nation is possibly one of the best downloadable games I have played since Shadow Complex.  It’s controls are simplistic and well adjusted. It’s story is stark and well done.  I can’t get the game out of my head.

Dead Nation doesn’t take a whole lot of time and doesn’t concern it’s self with the origin story. I might get it all down in one sentence. Here we go: The zombie apocolypse is here, and you are, maybe, last survivor.  That’s it.  It’s simple story line doesn’t complicate itself with over wrought characters, emo-heroes and silly virus plot lines.  It just jumps right in and lets you put your own voice and thought into the character.

Controls are fun and simple. The world is laid out flat or on slant camera angle. When navigating around unseenable areas the camera makes a slight adjustment and you can see over tops of buildings or other obstructions.  When the camera can’t adjust for view your character and any enemies are high lighted in blue.  Left analouge stick moves you up/down left/right while the right analouge controls your aim.  Zombies come in a bunch of varieties and come in waves. Don’t worry, you can clear an area and explore but be snappy because you never know when more will drop out of a window or a truck.

Weapons are upgradeable and fun.  I’ve gotten to the flame thrower so far but I can tell you that the base rifle is fun and one of the best weapons out there. The base rifle is comparable to Samus’ blaster from the Metroid series.

There is an online mode as well. Zombie killin with friends! One of my favorite features is that when you complete a level it sends your stats to the global site. This in turn adds to how well your country is faring in the zombie apocalypse.  Last the night the US was leading with 52% of it’s zombie population cleared.  USA! USA! USA!

The verdict? Get it. This is a game that is worth you digital bucks and who doesn’t love killin zombies?

Video Games Protected Under 1st Amendment – Video Game Supreme Court Case

The Supreme Court hearing yesterday did not even come close to asking if video games are protected under the 1st amendment. Good news for the gaming industry and gamers as a whole.

The focus of the argument moved to obscene behavior or extreme violence. CA’s argument broke down when they failed to accurately describe what extreme violent or obscenely violent was. CA continually presented the argument that a jury will be able to figure it out. Justices pointed out that  ”of course a jury can figure it out” but that the law was too vague to direct producers to make sure they don’t break the law when they produce a game. CA didn’t have a response for that. Pornography has a very clear subset of rules for film makers to abide by and know when they are making porn or just rated R movies.

This led to Justice Sotomeyor to point out that CA failed to appeal part of the law that would have made games be labeled for adults. This led to the Justice to argue that without proper labeling and symbols of 18 year olds only the law was impossible to enforce. Thus it did not hold up to any judicial standard. CA said that they wanted that appealed, at which point Justice Sotomeyor said “you concede that by not including in your brief”.

All in all the CA case is not looking strong.

My Thoughts on CA vs The Gaming Industry

Currently the Supreme Court is hearing the case of California vs everyone who makes a video game. The basis of the case is that CA feels it’s inappropriate to sell violent video games to minors and bans the sales of M rate games to minors just the same way that minors aren’t allowed to view R rated films in theater.

As parent and a gamer I’m torn in two directions. Do I like laws that help me regulate and stipulate what my children will see and play? Yes I do. Do I like the idea of the government telling me how to parent? No I don’t. Do I like the idea of one of my favorite media types being controlled by the government? Not one bit.

As a parent I don’t relish the idea of my child playing violent video games. Why? It can be disturbing, it can give you nightmares. That’s me protecting him. I don’t need the government to do it though. Ok, now you’re going to cry foul and say “Keith, you play those games! Isn’t what’s good for you good for you kid?” No it’s not. I don’t let my three year old drink scotch or beer. Even in moderation it’s not good for a three year old. Common sense much? The same goes for violent and disturbing images. When my kid gets older, like at least 10 years older from now, maybe I will reevaluate and think about what games my kid gets to watch and play.

On the other hand is it good that there are controls in place to keep these games from being marketed to kids? Heck yeah! However those controls might not be needed. Mature games and their developers don’t market to kids. They don’t put things in kid terms and they don’t target young children. M rated games are marketed right at adults. Some say this law is just the same as keeping tobacco companies from marketing to kids. OK fine but, that right there is the separation.  Tobacco companies were marketing to kids, they ran commercials at times when kids watched tv, they put adds in magazines that were aimed at kids, and they used imagery and cinema to market to kids. Video game developers do not practice any of those marketing strategies.

In a way this legislation is redundant. CA is saying don’t make violent video games for kids! The gaming industry has said all along that they agree.

Then there is the question of freedom of expression as protected by the first amendment. Everyone gets free speech, however if you are going to walk out on the street and scream offensive words and slurs you’ll get fined. Video games are different from that situation though. You have purchase the game.  That right there keeps it from being a public item. It is not public by the virtue of to experience it you must pay to play. So the innate protection is that of the relation of buyer to seller.

The second question is do games need to be rated? I say yes. I think that each game should be rated and be put into a category to aid parents in stipulating what content their children will purchase. Should their be a fine for sellers who ignore the rating and sell to minors? I don’t think it’s a necessary law. It will be very difficult to enforce and pull law enforcement from more pressing issues.

The real issue is parents being involved with their kids. If your kid wants a game do the research on it. It’s not hard at all, most developers make the rating of the game even in early development public. Also if it looks like a violent game then it probably is. This isn’t a gaming law but a good rule to go by. I shouldn’t have to write any of this, it should all be common sense, for some reason though it isn’t. My parents controlled all the content in our house and made sure we were protected from ourselves. It wasn’t hard, they just said “no” a lot. Boy did I hear “no” a lot.

The Walking Dead Review – Time to Invest in a Shot Gun and Board My Windows

Zombies seem to be every where. It’s the day after Halloween so it makes sense that they are all over the place but still there have been a lot of zombie games (Resident Evil, Plants vs Zombies, Left 4 Dead), movies, and even a musician with Zombie in his name. With the Twilight craze there are even more stiffs to bump into.

With all the dead walking around it would be hard to make an impression. AMC’s new show The Walking Dead doesn’t just leave impression it leaves a crater. The TV series is based on Robert Kirkman’s comic of the same title. Kirkman’s work has been highly acclaimed in the comic industry and with a setting like the zombie apocolypse it only made sense that it would make the jump to film or TV at some point.

The show uses the best of lighting, directing, top notch acting, of any feature film.  The first hour and half of the show didn’t feel like a show at all. It was violent, bloody, gory, and terrifying.

The show kicks off with a nod to 28 Days later. Sherrif’s deputy Rick Grimes is shot in the line of duty and hospitalized as a result of his injuries. Days or weeks later he wakes from his injuries to find the world in shambles and his family missing. He leaves the hospital to encounter the dead and come to grips to his new world. With a little help, he is given some aid and advice about how to survive in the new world.

Deputy Grimes world is starkly claustrophobic and devoid of life. Many times throughout the episode I felt like the world had gone totally quite and incredibly dead.  And the best part? It scarred the living  crap out of me(yep, that pun was intended) . I had nightmares all night long, and I can’t wait for more.  With any hope or luck this won’t just be flash in the pan pilot. If we are lucky this show will grow into the next Lost and keep us scared for many more Halloweens to come.

Word of Warcraft – Early Release Cataclysm and Why I don’t Play WoW

Well WoWers are getting a treat today. The long awaited expansion Cataclysm drops for digital download for anyone who dropped the coin for pre-sale according to G4.

Cataclysm makes drastic changes to Azeroth and the rest of the World of Warcraft universe. Some new features include two new races, goblin and worgen, and changes to the powers and classes.

Not being a WoW player I can’t get excited. Now before the spam and hate mail flood in it’s not because I don’t like WoW it’s because I don’t have the time.

WoW is a game bent on teamwork, leadership and creative problem solving, all the things that I love about the military. The problem lies within those qualities. As a player would you be pissed if I had to bounce out of a raid when I gotta take care of my kids? Or how about missing the raid all together for some other family duty?

I played about 2 hours of WoW and I loved it. I had a ton of fun but I just don’t have the time. When I was single you could find me on Dark Ages of Camelot for hours on end with my guild.  Now? Well the game better let you save constantly and if it has multiplayer it better be drop in drop out.

So for all the WoW fans enjoy the pre-sale bliss you are about to receive today.