Work...Work...Work

So, I have been extremely busy at work lately. I interviewed for a new position...Toolroom Inventory Coordinator and i should find out this week if I got it. I think I have a good chance of getting it, but trying not to be too confident either.

I am also busy with SAP implementation. I was away for 2 days this week to learn uPerform software, which is the tool we will be using to create simulations and elearning courses. It was a pretty intense 2 days, and this week I will have to teach others in our plant the software. Then we will start to develop the training authoring for the MTS module, which is for maintenance and tooling. This will be a pretty big undertaking...and wiil take up a considerable amount of time.

gaming wise, I had a pretty good head of steam going in The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt...and need to get back into that. With having today off...and it looking like it will be a rainy day, I think I should be able to get a good chunk of it done to catch up.

The Masters Tournament

Every year after Easter, is The Masters golf tournament from Augusta Georgia. And every year there seems to be a crowning of a new golf icon.

This year if was 21 year old Jordan Speith. He led from start to finish, and put on a show of how to maintain your composure when so young, under the whole world watching and not falter. He rarely got into trouble, and when he did...made a shot that allowed him to save par. He had some players get close, Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose, all made charges...but couldn't get him.

Rory McIilroy played ok...but really didn't get going good until the 3rd and 4th round...he is still looking for his first green jacket and his career slam. Tiger Woods never really got it going, he played well...but was never really a contender.

I hope that Jordan can keep it up, as over the last 6 or so months he has been a very good player, and may even be the best and most consistent playing right now.

MLB 15 The Show

In what is a yearly right of spring, the new MLB game from Sony has arrived.

This year, it has added many new features, which are quite cool. Of course there is the ability to save your file to the could, and pick up on a PS Vita, if you buy both versions. You can also pick up your save from MLB 14...which I did. It seems other games must have taken up some of my time last year, as I only had played 47 games with my Tigers. I picked up with that save, and have played a few games so far. The game basics are pretty much like last year, you can pick how you pitch and bat...I prefer the pure analog style, which uses the right and left sticks to control speed and direction. You can also use the buttons, a hybrid of both, and others, which I haven't investigated.

There is also an option to speed up the game, which after each out will pick up the next batter midway through, so you could come into a 2-1 count, and have to take it from there. I prefer to use the normal style of game.

Diamond Dynasty mode is the card trading game, similar to the Madden, FIFA, and NHL Ultimate modes in EA's sports games. You can buy packs of cards and build your team, and play against others online. So far I have only started building my team...but it seems pretty cool.

2015 is the first year for licensed items in The Show, so you will see Nike, Mizuno and others in the game, and as sponsors for replays, games, and commercial breaks.

This year also saw the addition of 30 MLB alumni in the game.

Graphically, the game has improved from last year quite a bit...shadows move a bit more realistically based on time day. The player faces look a bit better, but still a bit weird. The ballparks all are quite amazing compared to the real parks, adding that much more realism to the game.

If you haven't played an MLB game in a few years, are new to the Playstation family, or just looking for something different and fun to play while you wait for all the delayed AAA games this year, I suggest picking up The Show.

Life update

So, this blog wasn't what I meant it to be...and I need to start using it more. So I thought I would give a bit of a quick life update.

I work in Hamilton, for a company called A Raymond Tinnerman, it is a good place to work...and although my duties aren't that engaging, the people are good, I make good money, have good benefits and a great social committee that plans lots of events, including a great golf tournament every summer. I have put plans in place last week, along with my HR manager to get moving in a different direction at work, and am looking forward to it.

I was seeing a girl, but it turned out we were too different. I have different interests which are more solitary and she got fed up...which is ok.  I was feeling kind of trapped in the relationship anyway...and am much happier doing my own thing and being on my own schedule. Some of us just aren't suited to be with others and I am ok with that.

Gaming wise, I finished The Order:1886 a few weeks ago, and I enjoyed it. It is a story of and alternate version of Victorian London, around the time of Jack the Ripper. WhiteChapel plays a pivotal part of the story, as the Jack the Ripper story runs concurrent with the other story.

You play the part of Sir Galahad, I am not sure if it is the Galahad from the fabled Knights of the Round Table, but it goes a bit deeper in the story of how he may be.

The game starts off with you in prison, being tortured by guards. During this time, you find your handcuffs come loose, and you break free. After a stealth section, you jump off London Bridge, and then flashback in time to start the story.

This is where the story picks up, and during the story you will visit various places in London, and are armed with various weapons, which all have a steampunk feel to them.

The game is full of Quick Time Events, and that takes away some of the feeling of being involved in the game, and it has been said that the game is more like playing a movie. I didn't really feel that way, and even though the game was short, under 6 hours, I very much enjoyed playing The Order:1886

Well,


yesterday I finished Act 5 in Diablo 3. It was fun, short, but fun.


I am now exploring Adventure Mode and Rifts...which are dungeons set in different parts of the Diablo 3 world. It has bigger monsters and bosses, and along the way gives you new events that pay experience and gold.

Need to get back to this

So, here it is August 4 2014.




I haven't written much, with my last post being well over a year ago, so I am going to make a concentrated effort to get on and write at least once a day, with some rambling thoughts about games, movies, books, and anything else that tickles my fancy.




So, the first thing I am going to write about is my new phone. I picked up a Samsung Galaxy S5 a couple weeks ago, and am loving it so far. The bigger screen, live home screen, and interaction with my Google account, make things a bit more intuitive for me going forward. I am also thinking of picking up a Galaxy tablet to replace my iPad, but we will see how that goes.

Injustice: Gods Among Us

So, I have never really been that good with fighting games like Mortal Kombat, but do like the DC comics universe, so I thought I would pick up Netherrealms new title Injustice: Gods Among Us.

The game is set in a world where Joker has done something unthinkable (for most people,not for him) and Superman goes into a rage and kills Joker. This sets off a series of events involving alternate universes colliding, and just happens to make for some fights between DC characters, and some can be pretty fun.

The game has a decent, but not great, story but is very short...about 6 hours depending on difficulty level. There is also ladder matches, STAR labs fights, and multiplayer, but I haven't tied any of these modes.

I personally found the game to be too short, too dull, and not worth the full price.

God of War: Acension

Oh Kratos, you never seem to get a break. Ascension is the story of Kratos and his beginnings. It is set 6 months after the death of his wife and child, at his own hands. He was duped by Ares, and has betrayed him, so he starts off captured by one of the three furies, and you must escape.

This is where Ascension falls back on the Quick Time Event structure that is a staple of the series. QTE's are the heart and sole of God of War, and this time they are much more inevidence. Which is good, in that it retains that familiar feeling, and bad in that it relies a bit too much on them.

I will post more as I play through the game more.

Bioshock:Infinite

On March 26th, Irrational Games released Bioshock Infinite, the third game in the Bioshock series.

This game does not take place in the underwater world of Rapture, but in the city in the clouds Columbia.

You play as Booker DeWitt, a PI who has been tasked with rescuing a girl being held in the city. After you take a rowboat to a small lighthouse, you get transported via a small rocket to the city in the sky. Truly impressive stuff, and grabs you right off the bat.

Once you are in the city of Columbia, it is hard not to look around and just breathe in the surroundings, the sounds, the sights, how the city feels alive.

I haven't gotten very far, so this is just a brief entry to talk about the world, but I wanted to just give a quick impression, and will provide more as I go on.

Tomb Raider

It has been a long time since there was a good Lara Croft game, and in the meantime a new explorer took over. Nathan Drake, and the Uncharted series, has become the gold standard for the action/adventure genre.

Move over Nate, but Lara is back. The 2013 Tomb Raider is an origin tale, telling the tale of Lara on her first adventure where she is a little more confident in making decisions, and being a bit more forceful in her decisons.

As the ship she is on travels into the Devils triangle, it is swept over by a rogue wave, and broken in half, Lara scrambles to get out of the half she is on, and makes a desperate jump to the other half, and is caught, for a second, by Roth, her mentor. It is short lived however, as she falls into the ocean.

When Lara awakes, she is on an island, alone, cold, soaking wet and unsure of where her friends are. Getting her bearings, she hears her friends voices just over a ridge, and she starts to walk towards them, when she is knocked unconscious from behind.

This sets the stage for her tale of escape, puzzle solving, learning to use different weapons, and, most importantly, her first kill.

I won't say much more but it is a fantastic game, with lots to do and lots of treasures to find.

Long time no Blog

So, it has been well over a year since I last wrote something, so here goes.

Part of my absence could be explained by working steady nights, it just takes so much out of you. I am happy to report, that as of February 19th, I am now on day shift working with th eplant trainer, to write work instructions and things like that. It is interesting, and keeps me pretty engaged.

On the gaming fron, I think I have finally given up on World of Warcraft, it wasn't holding my interest anymore...I just got a free 7 day pass so I will see if it brings me back into the fold. I also need to finish Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, and others, and get back into Guild Wars 2.

Games that have really grabbed my attention are Tomb Raider, which is a fantastic reboot of the popular franchise, and Tiger Woods 13.

Tomb Raider is such a fantastic game, the story centering around Lara Croft's first adventure. When the game starts, she is not the killer we all know, as she is jsut starting out on her tomb raiding adventures. The ship she is on gets hit by rough seas, and breaks the ship in half, as she is running and jumps to grab the hand of a fellow ship mate, she slips into the sea, washing up on shore later.

She finds herself seperated from her ship mates, and when she figures out where they are she is blindsided by someone, and wakes hanging upside down in a cave.

Been a while, but I am back!

Hi everyone, well it has been a while since I have blogged...mostly I am working steady nights and it tends to wear me down, and it eats into my leisure time...but...it pays the bills.

Gaming has been busy the last few weeks, with Batman:Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Forza 4, Xmen:Destiny, the Gran Turismo 5 2.0 patch and DLC, Dark Souls, and this Tuesday is Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception and the following Tuesday is Modern Warfare 3. Once I get through this huge back log I plan on getting a review of each up, or at least some imperssions.

Back

I haven't posted in a while, reason being I got a new job. I am now working for an auto parts manufacturer...pays the bills...but nothing that I am confident will be long term.

As far as gaming goes, I have been playing Dungeon Siege 3, and have been really enjoying it.

E3 2011 Starts Monday

So, this Monday June 6, 2011 E3 in Los Angeles starts with the Microsoft briefing at 12:30 Et on Spike. It will be interesting what MS has to show, besides Gears of War 3 and Forza 4. I would expect some news on a new Halo game...what with the 10th anniversary this year. I also expect that there will be more Kinect games, and Kinect enabled games.

Keep an eye here, as I will be post info and news from each conference.

Modern Warfare 3 reveal trailer.

So, Modern Warfare 3 got it's official launch trailer...and it seems like it will be pretty fun. i really enjoyed the story of MW, but felt the MW 2 got a little strayed from the story...and got to jumpy from location to location. Hopefully we get to catch up with Price, Soap and the others still alive.

DCUO ongoing review

So, being a big DC comics fan and a gamer I was very happy when I first heard of Sony Online's DC Universe Online. An MMO set in the DC universe was something I was always interested in, and was glad that SOE finally got to making it.

As a member of PS+, I was able to get into the beta in December...and played for a good month, getting a hang of the combat system, style of play,maps, and overall story of the game. I was concerned however, as there didn't seem to be a good way of telling SOE about bugs or anything else that might break the game or cause a crash. It was still quite fun, and once the beta ended, I was positive about the overall aspect of the game and put it on my to buy list.

January 11th, 2001 was release day for DCUO. I went down to my local Gamestop, with a couple of old games to use towards the trade 2 get it for $9.99. I went home, and started the install process...which took about and hour...which was both installing from the disc...and downloading a patch. Once I got it installed and patched, I then set up my account via PSN. It was painless, and allows for you to either use a recurring subscription via a credit card, or pay from your PSN wallet. I picked the pay from wallet option, as it allows more control if you want to take a month or two off. You can pick between 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, or 1 year. There is also a lifetime subscription available for the PC version of DCUO, but is not available at this time on PSN due to limitations on how much funds can be in the wallet. It is my understanding that SOE and Sony are working on this. At the time of writing, the Playstation Store was still down, so I will update pricing once it comes back.

So, once you have it installed and loaded the first thing is to create your toon. You can pick to be mentored by Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman on the hero side; and Lex Luthor, The Joker, and Circe on the villain side. This will give you a preset toon, which you can then customize even more. You can also mix and match and build a toon from scratch, and customize everything from hairstyle, facial features, body size, and outfits. Once you have your toon finished, and have picked either a PVE or PVP server, it takes you into the game world. For reference, I am playing to Birthright, a PVE server.

Before I get into the starting area and first few levels, I want to give a brief on the story. There will be spoilers. The opening cinematic takes place in the future, with a war between the heroes led by Superman, and the villains led by Lex Luthor. It is a brutal fight, with Lex Luthor eventually stabbing Superman with a spear laced with kryptonite. It then flashes to the alien Brainiac taking over Earth. It then flashes back in time, when the future Lex counsels the heroes on Brainiac's intent of taking over worlds. Lex then opens a cannister containing exobytes, which can give ordinary humans super powers.

You start your adventures by fighting your way out of Brainac's ship...which serves as a tutorial on the combat system of DCUO. You are also introduced to Oracle( Barbara Gordon and batgirl from DC lore), she acts as your connection and the person who gives you missions as the game progresses You fight various bad guys, some bigger and stronger, as well as getting small amounts of money, loot and health potions (Soder Cola). Once you fight your way to the main section of the ship, you will be joined by your mentor, in my case Batman, who then helps you clear out a few waves of re-spawning bad guys until you finally beat them all. You are then directed to walk through a teleport, that takes you to a police station or night club, depending on your mentor or hero/villain side of the fight. You will either be in Gotham or Metropolis.

Leveling up in DCUO is pretty standard, you do missions, some exploring, and upon hitting the next level can spend points in your powers of your role, tank (fire & ice), controller (Gadgets and mental) and healer (sorcery & nature). You can also spend points in skills, which include movement, fighting moves, gadgets, and magic spells and abilities. Fighting moves are done with the face buttons, while special abilities( which are configurable on the on-screen spell bar) are used in conjunction with the L2 and R2 triggers. The special moves also consume power, which once depleted will render your special moves unavailable until replenished.

Missions tend to run in the familiar go here and fetch X number of that, as well as saving various citizens, helping police maintain order, breaking up schemes of the villains, and usually culminates in an instance against one of the main villains, or heroes if you are playing a villain, of DC lore. As you progress in levels, the missions and instances become tougher, Alerts ( DCUO's version of dungeons) 2 person duos, 4 man dungeons and raids, as well as PVP instances and vaults open up. PVP comes in 2 styles...legends, where you can play as a DC classic hero or villain, and standard PVP variants. You will also unlock feats and headlines, which track your carrer as you do missions and other quests within the world.

The world consists of Gotham and Metropolis, with each faction having a home base. The Watchtower for hero and Hall of Doom for villain. There you will find access to teleports between Gotham and Metropolis, vendors for high level weapons and armor, and pvp entrances, as well as your bank.

Well, I will update this review again in the near future with my game play and level progress. Being an MMO, I think DCUO is suited to a longer review process, as it is an ever evolving world and game.

PSN Outage

So, this was the big news in gaming for over 3 weeks, the outage of PSN due to hacks and attacks on the Playstation store.

The PSN outage, which also ended up including a breach on SOE, was I am sure, devastating to Sony and it's publishing partners. Much has been made, and lots of rage at Sony. I do feel Sony should have some anger directed at them, the sell free access to PSN as a selling feature, and usually is only down for a bit during maintenance periods.

That it was out for so long, and that Sony took so long to confirm the hack, and how safe or unsafe our data was, was a big sticking point to most people. I only use PSN cards, but still don't like that my personal info may or may not be used in an attempt to commit identity theft. In my thinking, Sony was wrong in waiting so long to confirm the hack, and could have provided updates more often than the every couple of days we were getting.

SOE, informed us right away that they had been hacked, and older credit card info, from Europe mostly, was attacked. This showed a bit more grace to their customers, and they tried their best to keep us up to date.

Both Sony and SOE have offered welcome back packages, and Sony is going to offer Identity theft insurance and credit monitoring free for it's customers, and is in the process of rolling those programs out in the various regions.

Killzone 3 Review

Even though it has been out for a f ew months, I wanted to post my review written at digitalbbq.net

Game: Killzone 3
Reviewed-By: VanishedNine (Rod Blackstock)
Platform: PS3
Genre: Shooters

Presentation-Rating: 5 out of 5 Briquettes
Presentation-Comments: Killzone 3 has great visuals and cinematics that keep you engrossed in the game. Cutscenes come fast, as there is usually 2 per level...which keep you motivated to get to the next one to see how the story will play out.

Gameplay-Rating: 4 out of 5 Briquettes
Gameplay-Comments: Gameplay was standard FPS fare. With a good cover system, lots of ammo crates for reloading and some new weapons. The WASP is a grea weapon that shoots a group of three rockets towards a target. This is great for taking out tanks, some of the bigger enemies, and can also zoom in for a more accurate shot. There is also a bolt gun, which will pins enemies to walls if suitable, and the Arc Cannon...which turns enemies into a gooey explosion. Some areas get frustrating with the sheer number of bad guys, and they now try to flank you...which causes you to die a lot. Your AI counterparts are hit and miss in places. Also, when an enemy is in close range, you can use L1 to brutal melee...if he is facing you, you stab him in the eye, or break his neck and it never gets old. Definitely not for the kids.

Audio-Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 Briquettes
Audio-Comments: The sound is fantastic, with lots of sounds that should be there. Machines sound full and loud, guns all have a distinct sound, and when you brutal melee a guy, depending on how you do it it sounds quite gruesome. There are a few hiccups...but not too many to make it affect gameplay.

Graphics-Rating: 5 out of 5 Briquettes
Graphics-Comments: This game looks fantastic...from the opening section, to the cutscenes, to the in game graphics it looks fantastic. Once in a while...at the start of a level but before the shooting starts...I would look around and take in the scenery.

Longevity-Rating: 5 out of 5 Briquettes
Longevity-Comments: I played on the normal level, and there are still a couple of higher levels to play on, and I haven't really tried the MP part too much but I am sure this will be one to rival COD:BO and Halo:Reach on PSN.

Overall-Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 Briquettes

Final-Thoughts: With the small audio glitches, Killzone 3 is a fantastic game, with a good story( cliffhanger at the end for the inevitable KZ4), excellent video and graphic presentation this is a game that everyone should eventually have in their collection

iPad

Well, it has been some time since I have written...but now I will be trying to write on a more consistent basis. I thought my first post in a while would be about my iPad.

When Apple announced the iPad 2, the price of the first iPad dropped by $130.00...so I took the plunge. I am very glad that I did.

It fits very nicely in my hands, very comfortable to hold and use, and does not generate much heat. It uses all the accelerometer and tech that is found in the iPhone, and switches from landscape to portrait view very easily and effortlessly. the home button at the bottom of the device, as well as volume and on/off buttons are placed similarly as on the older 3G iphones. When you turn on the device, you are greeted with the same swipe to unlock screen as on the iPhone, and are greeted with the same home buttons and app buttons as on the iTouch. The standard Mail, Safari, iPod, and Photo apps are there, as are iTunes, App Store, and Game Center...which allows you to compare scores and play against other Apple customers with supported devices. The iOS has really grown and evolved since being released on the first iPhone...and really shines with the iPad. A new app, that is a free download is iBooks...which is Apples take on the e-book reader. It is easy to use, has the iBookstore built right into the app, and shows your books like they are on a bookshelf. Books are quite inexpensive as well, with new releases around $14.99. I am enjoying this app very much.

Setting up and syncing are very easy, and not much different if you have ever used an Apple iOS device. It is a bit too big to use as any type of MP3 player on a daily basis...but is a great dvice for surfing in bed, on the train, or on the couch without having to boot up your computer.

Bye Bye 360

Well, after a few attempts to fix my 360, it finally died. it is too bad, as I love the 360 and the exclusive game library, but got tired of the hardware issues. I will now be a PS3 only gamer for the time being. I will keep an eye open for deals, maybe on Boxing day. The Reach console is one that I have my eyes on.

But, the PS3 has such a great library of games the it will not really be missed. I have such a backlog of games that it will take me some time to get through them.