jcalvert

Demon’s Souls Replacement Guide

According to Joystiq, the Demon’s Souls replacement guides will ship out today. To be fair, I have not played my game enough to even ruffle the guidebook, so I have no idea if mine was one of the “bad” ones so I did not bother to send in the cover. If anything, mine may be more “collectable” one day because my game will still include the original guidebook.

I always figured that the guidebook was not really defective; instead sweaty hands from gamers pretty much ruined the guidebooks as would be the case for any game that was this f’ing hard with a small-ish Blu-ray size strategy guide.

If you are getting a new one, enjoy.

Weekly MUT Update

I laid off MUT for much of last week in favor of some other neglected games, but did get in a game yesterday. While I will never be rich (in terms of in-game coins) my team is now in pretty decent shape. I have several contracts expiring in 2-3 games, but nothing too serious. In fact, once I get another pack of cards, I will sell/exchange a few of these. I’ll do what I can to keep the Gold cards, but I am also not at all against flipping them in the auction house.

Thanks to the free Brees card, my team now has a healthy 80 rating, but at just below 50, my chemistry sucks. After a few card sells last week and yesterday’s win, I now have enough coins to buy a Silver pack.

This week I will probably concentrate on team chemistry. I do not really want to build my team around Brees or Saints cards, but the reality is that Brees and Chris Johnson are my best players. Doubt I will sell them until I have something of equal value at the QB and HB positions, but this is the enjoyable part of the game. My first step was to get to a point where I could sustain my team. I think I am there, or almost there; I could see having to infuse my team with another pack of cards (i.e. spending real money). The next step is to actually build a team. MUT is sort of like fantasy football console style.

White Knight Chronicles International – Some Initial Comments

A lot of the reviews have slammed WKC:I as having PS2 graphics; I just don’t see it. Certainly WKC:I does not feature awe inspiring, revolutionary, drop dead gorgeous graphics, but graphics engine is a far cry from flat out sucking. Besides that, I do not think the detailed environments could be reproduced on the PS3.

With that said, some minor things bother me about the environment; you are sort of, kind of, on rails to a certain extent. See that creek and all the water? Invisible force fields keep you dry. Same as walking around a big hill; there is really no way to go up or fall off, you just have to go along a predetermined path or you are blocked by those nasty invisible force fields.

I am still trying to get use to the combat system. One thing I hate is that at times I cannot tell who or what is attacking me. I read that enemy combatants have an unfair range advantage. That may be true, and while I have not determined how much this can affect the gameplay, I hate not being able to easily see from which direction I am being attacked. This may just be inexperience with the game, but is worth watching as I progress with the game.

WKC:I is very much a JRPG – if you expect (or want) this, you will do fine, however if you are looking for an RPG with a more Western influence (say Oblivion), you are going to be sadly disappointed. Everything from the music – BTW, love the opening theme song – to the characters is JRPG. I just love randomly going into houses looking for chests to open. Not really, but it is part of the genera. At one point yesterday my wife was watching me play and ask something along these lines “What’s wrong with these people? They are all stuck up and will not bother to help you.” It was kind of funny, but such is life running around talking to everyone and looking under every little nook and cranny for some sort of prize.

HVB Follies

I have spent a lot of time with HVB over the last three days, but my online record does not show any positive results. In fact, I think I am getting worse. I’m currently on a seven game losing streak, and adding insult to injury my disconnect score took a hit yesterday when my internet connection decided to get a little flaky. That sucked because my previous forfeit rate was a pristine 0%.

My rating has plummeted over the weekend from 1400-ish to just below 1200 or so, which seemingly puts the 1600+ Bronze trophy far out of reach. A low ranking is to be expected if I only average 1.5 strikes per game, and typically score around 125 per game. Ouch.

Even if I am playing poorly, HVB is a lot of fun and highly addicting. I actually play like I bowl (I suck in real life too), which is part of the problem. I know you could probably just sit down and go through the motions, but that would not be very fun. I think I am steadily improving; I probably need to play more off line, pick up some of the other characters and balls to see if I can find a combination that better suits my playing style.

From my vantage point, HVB is a must have PSN title. It has all the elements you expect in a good game – it is fun, offers a challenge, you can steadily improve as you practice with the game, and it has some decent trophies. In fact, if you are a trophy whore, there are a few that are easy to pick up. A Bronze trophy is awarded during online play for any of the following: Play 3 Games, 1 Win, 10 Strikes, 15 Spares, and 500 Pins. Some of the others are out of my reach right now – 25 Wins (Silver), 75 Strikes (Silver), Score 250 (silver), and 150 Strikes (Gold). I will probably get 5000 Pins (Silver) by attrition – call this one a lifetime achievement trophy.

Final Madden 10 Roster Update

I have not spent any time with Madden 10 this week, but I will have to jump online today to pull down the latest (and perhaps final) Madden 10 roster updates.

In one final act of sticking it to the Falcons, Tony G. is the only Falcon to receive a ratings change:

Tony Gonzalez TE ATL Decrease, from 99 to 98OVR

Not only did Gonzalez get screwed out of the Pro Bowl, he also gets docked a ratings point. I guess if he was not injured in the final game against Tampa Bay, and would have caught four passes instead of three, 1000 career receptions would have saved a point.

Super Bowl Sunday

It has been a long time coming, but at last it comes down to the field of play. You just know that both teams are praying that a Eugene Robinson Super Bowl XXXIII incident does not affect their team. Thanks again JA!

The Colts are favored by 5 (some lines have them higher), and I think they will pull this one off along the lines of 34-23. Yes, the Saints have a high powered offense, and they will blitz like crazy, but the Saints do not have the same caliber defense as the Jets. Peyton Manning will not be rattled, and while the loss of DE Dwight Freeney looms big, the Colts have a sturdy enough defense that they will overcome him loss.If this sort of thing matters to you, both teams have done well recently against the spread…

New Orleans:
* NO are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games on grass.

Indianapolis:
* IND are 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 games on grass.
* IND are 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
* IND are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 playoff games.

Except for the Indiana, and some small pockets of Falcons fans, I think the whole country is pulling for the Saints. I hope they go to bed disappointed!

Eclectic Night of Gaming – Featuring White Knight Chronicles International

Last night was a rather strange night for gaming. When I got hope I popped in White Knight Chronicles: International Edition, but I really did not have much time to spend with the game before supper. I created my avator – looks sort of like a freak Asian kung-fu fighter, so I named him Ming-Fu. That is actually the middle name on the papers of my Shih Tzu, but I digress.

I spent a few minutes watching the story unfold, exploring the city (I think it was called Balandor). This is a very JRPG type game – you know the drill; if you do not like JRPGs you need not try this one out. Early on I decided that I may as well use Leonard (starting character; looks like story will revolve around him) because Ming-Fu is irrelevant. He stands around, nodding his head, looking stupid, but I digress.

I stopped for supper, and jumped back into the game. After leaving the city I lost my third or fourth battle because I could not tell WTF was attacking me. I am sure that as I understand the battle system I can tell what is going on; I blamed it to distractions from my youngest son and turned off the game.

1942: Joint Strike
I jumped over to 1942: Joint Strike because sometimes I just need a rapid fire shooter. I only play this game occasionally; I chalk it up to my dotage – I just do not have the dexterity to dodge, duck, memorize patterns, all while pressing buttons. This is one PSN game I regret purchasing; not really worth $9.99. I never thought I would say this, but I would probably play more if the game included trophy support. Not that I am a trophy whore, but some incentive would be nice.

High Velocity Bowling (HVB)
For my night cap I pulled out HVB. It has been a while since I played this one, and interestingly enough, it is one of the few game I actually enjoy playing online. I played a few off-line games before calling it a night; really just practice to get re-acclimated before going trophy hunting today. [OK, color me a trophy whore; I am just not very educated!]

Preorder Madden 11 – Get $20 Gift Card at Wal-Mart

This morning I was responding to some propaganda spam from EA; this year you get to vote for the Madden 11 cover athlete. I voted so I would get a chance to win the 2010 draft day package; that would be an awesome prize to win!

Following the Madden 11 pre-order link takes you to a Wal-Mart deal where you get a $20 gift card. I have never ordered games from Wal-Mart, so I have no idea how they stack up to amazon – do you get games on release day, how much is shipping, etc. I am not even sure that I will order Madden 11 (yeah, right) because for once I think the current version can hold me over for a while. I showed will power and did not order NCAA Football 10 (that franchise has become garbage) so there is a precedent.

Falcons Staying the Course

Pat Yasinskas (NFC South Blog at ESPN) has posted some comments from an interview with Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff.

Dimitroff did say the Falcons will continue to try to build mostly through the draft.

“What I can tell you is that the draft will continued to be need based for us,” Dimitroff said. “And I can tell you it won’t be as lopsided as it was last year when we only took one offensive player or the year before when we kind of focused on offense.”

Dimitroff also said that injured players Harry Douglas, Brian Williams, Peria Jerry and William Moore are all progressing well in rehabilitation.

There are several interesting nuggets of information. First, I think we all knew that the Falcons would continue to build through the draft. No surprises. It sounds like the Falcons will split offensive and defensive needs in the draft, but I think they should focus heavily on defense. Second, the rehab update is good news. I am not sure if Brian Williams can return as the best d-back in the secondary, but if Peria Jerry is fully recovered, the secondary will get better instantly. If Harry Douglas regains his speed, that will be a major coup for the Falcons. It is almost like the walking wounded will be key draft picks, which will help since the Falcons without a second round pick.

Final Fantasy XIII – And A Whole Heaping Helping of Incoming Games

Speaking of not having enough time to play games, I just pre-ordered FFXIII from amazon, which has a nice $10 off a future video game purchase promotion.

Get a $10 Video Games Credit
Order Final Fantasy XIII and get $10 off a future video game purchase. The promotional code will be placed directly into your Amazon.com account within 2 business days after the product ships. Offer valid when shipped and sold by Amazon.com. Promotion valid on all existing orders. Limit one per household. Amazon reserves the right to change or terminate this promotion at any time.

It is about to be a crazy-stupid time for videogames. Besides being loaded up on current games, an unbelievable amount of gaming goodness is headed my way over the next few weeks.

Upcoming – Preorder and “Watch List” Games:

White Knight Chronicles International (will arrive today)
MLB 10: The Show (March 2)
Heavy Rain (February 23) – Interesting title; will probably wait for a sale, price drop, or other buying incentive.
FFXIII (March 9)
God of War III (March 16) – I should really play God of War Collection before jumping on the GoW bandwagon.
2010 FIFA World Cup (April 27) – Probably do not need this and FIFA 10.

Good grief! It looks like I am all set for gaming for a long time except for a new quality racer. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue just never did it for me. I guess F1: Championship Edition and Ferrari Challenge can hold me over until the next great racing title lands in my laps.

ESRB Musings on DOA Paradise

This article from TheSixthAxis was just too funny not to quote. This is probably not safe for work (text description). I’m not going to offer a quote – no point in the T&A bots picking up this post.

White Knight Chronicles International – Off the Pot

One of my favorite pastimes in a silly sort of way is watching the metacritic scores roll in to see how the “critic” review scores line up with the “user” rating scores. As mentioned previously, White Knight Chronicles International was getting flogged by the so called pundits, but a funny thing happened as the users, presumably RPG fans, started voting – 65% (6 critics reviews) to 8.1 (36 user votes). I’m still waiting on one of the better RPG review sites to offer up a score; that should be the telltale sign of where the game actually stands.

Just for the hell of it, I decided to get off the pot; do my business so to speak and order the game. It should be here tomorrow. Worst case is that I either don’t have enough time to play the game (typical on a lot of my impulse purchases) or maybe I don’t like the game. There is always eBay, right? At least I can offer up some other than peanut gallery comments.

Average Signing Day for Georgia

I have always maintained that ranking signing classes was a crap shoot. You never know how an eighteen year old is going to react in his first year away from home, family, and his sweetheart. Of course you also do not know what happens when kids start “hanging” with the wrong crowd. The real world is just a different situation for some of these kids.

I am not at all surprised to see that Georgia pulled in a mediocre (by their standard) recruiting class. That is what happens in the midst of uncertainty, but hopefully this is just a bump in the road towards ultimate success. It has been a long time since 1980!

“Recruiting is about relationships built, and we knew when we went through a process like we did with our coaching changes, that some relationships were broken,” coach Mark Richt said. “It put a strain on some young men, and we know that some of them changed their minds and didn’t stick with their commitment.”

Still, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham got some nice pieces to play with as he revamps the defense. Freakish athletes such as Jakar Hamilton and Alec Ogletree could contribute quickly and several defensive linemen were added. On offense, the list is short on superstar recruits after missing out on receivers Da’Rick Rogers and Christian Green.

Let’s judge this class in 3-4 years, after the flunkouts, legal issues, and homesickness are resolved. It is one thing to say that the Dawgs now suck – such is the dejection of a 16th overall rivals.com class – but it’s another thing to see how these boys actually produce a few years down the road.

White Knight Chronicles International – Early Reviews Less Than Favorable

I’m closely watching White Knight Chronicles; call it research to justify a purchase. The first four reviews, not necessarily by my trusted regular reading sources, have rated the game with a ho-hum score of 69%. Although the critic score should receive a small bump later in the day when the metacritic editors realize there is an error with the GameRevolution review score (metacritic show 67%, but the actual review shows a “B-”).

It will be interesting to see how the RPG sites rate the game, and how the user votes compare to the critic review score.

White Knight Chronicles – Or how to piss off your fan base.

I still have not decided what to do with White Knight Chronicles International. I know if I purchase it I will not have enough time to play, or get my money’s worth. Besides there is that backlog of RPGs that I mentioned yesterday, but I digress.

This article from the “official” PlayStation Blog is sure to royally tick off some folks.

For those of you who are going to be investing significant time in your characters, there will be an option to remake them without having to start the game over by purchasing a special key through the PlayStation Store for only $4.99. This will allow you to redesign your avatar at any point and keep all that hard work you’ve put in intact. This feature will go live this Thursday on the PlayStation Store.

Ouch! I am sure it is considered innovative to change your character’s appearance mid-game, but charging almost $5 to make the change (and of course keep your current progression) is just a bit much. Oh well, with the cost of modern game development, I guess Sony has to figure out how to squeeze additional revenue sources from its games.

Still, I think it would have been better to wait on this announcement. Instead it sort of comes off as “F-you! We know you will pay anyway!”