Going the Distance 017: Jacked Up
We’ve been getting some good responses to some of the classic comics, so I think we’ll run another one or two of them just to keep folks happy. I’m a sucker for peer pressure. In Going the Distance, our main character, “You,” has to manage to make his way to delicious cake. Sounds simple, right? But there are deadly spikes to deal with, and a host of other problems that appear each time. Let’s just say You fails more often than You succeeds. After all, it wouldn’t be much of a quest if You could just get cake whenever You … Continue reading Going the Distance 017: Jacked Up
DLC You Later
Mass Effect 3 is due out on March 6, and some recent news has gamers on edge. Specifically, that Bioware will release DLC on the game’s launch date.
DLC has become something of a running joke in the gaming industry. When executed right, it can be both effective and fun. Left 4 Dead added a couple of campaigns that were well worth the money. Rock Band has one of the most successful models around with a huge collection of music from a variety of artists. Red Dead Redemption added an entire new chapter to the game, bringing John Marston into a world of zombies.
But when companies put together a DLC plan with only their own interests in mind, that’s when the whole thing starts to go downhill. Continue reading “DLC You Later”
NerdCrush: Rita Mordio
**Hello everyone and welcome to NerdCrush! A new series of Blogs dedicated to those characters out there that we have a serious NerdCrush on. You know which ones we’re talking about. Those characters who, from the moment they’re introduced, steal the show in our eyes and help carry their prospective plots along like no others could. The kind of characters who we aspire to be more like or perhaps someday meet in the real world through some form of eldritch magic. The kind of characters who, with a mere cameo appearance, can entice us to watch or play something we otherwise wouldn’t have given two shats about. These Blogs go out to those guys (and gals), our NerdCrushes.**
With Tales of Graces coming out on the 16th, I figured this was the perfect time to start my first NerdCrush piece as the character it revolves around, Rita Mordio, is not only a Tales character but the character that helped spark my interest in Japanese Role Playing Games (JRPGs) in the first place.
First things first. I should start by saying that my experience with JRPGs as a child was pretty much limited to a certain Pocket Monster game with yellow, electric mice. I grew up on Sonic and Wolfenstein, not Mario or Final Fantasy. So when Tales of Vesperia rolled around a few years back, not only had I not heard of the game before, but I honestly had no interest in playing it. Of course at the time I lived with At The Buzzer’s own Chris Etling, a diehard Tales fan if I ever saw one, who was not only going to get the game, but was interested in having all of us in the house play it. Not being one to shy away from new video games, I figured I’d give the game a chance, even if I’d had no prior experience with games like it before.
As it turns out, Tales of Vesperia was exactly the kind of game that I needed to play in order to get me into JRPGs. Real time combat, voiced cut-scenes, a typical “save the world” story with non-typical JRPG characters… I could write a review of Tales of Vesperia, but I won’t. I’ll leave that up to Chris if he ever feels like it. For now we’re going to focus on my favorite part of Vesperia, Rita Mordio. Continue reading “NerdCrush: Rita Mordio”
I’m Old and Get Off My Lawn
I need more sleep. I get winded more easily. My knees throb simply from sitting at a desk too long. My hips are kind of wonky. I can’t sleep on my back anymore. I went swinging the other day — swinging on a swing set — and was ill for 45 minutes afterwards and had to lie down. Sometimes I completely lose where I am or what’s going on. Wait, I always did that. Still, the point is, I’m old.
I’m old, and I sort of feel it. 25…a fifth of the way through already, if I live to the conservative age of 125. My high school reunion is in three years. The other day, my roommate was napping in the office of our apartment, and I was napping on the couch. It was a nap party, and no one was having any fun. That’s not true, it was unfortunately spectacular. Continue reading “I’m Old and Get Off My Lawn”
At the Buzzer (02/23/12)
Episode 33: King of the Sea Jungle — The guys fight through sickness to avoid skipping an episode, talk about professions and how they’re linked to fate, and run through a litany of listener comments in Buzz In. Also, Chris would … Continue reading At the Buzzer (02/23/12)
Bullet for my blog
Chris may have previously used the “bullet blog” excuse this week, but as you’ll learn on tomorrow’s episode, we’re both a little sick. So this week from me you’ll get a few bullets on thoughts and some things about my recent trip.
Going the Distance 016: Can You Dig It
Things are still a bit messed up for my schedule, as noted in yesterday’s post, so we’re going back to another classic. It’s amazing how much wherewithal You has. In Going the Distance, our main character, “You,” has to manage to make his way to delicious cake. Sounds simple, right? But there are deadly spikes to deal with, and a host of other problems that appear each time. Let’s just say You fails more often than You succeeds. After all, it wouldn’t be much of a quest if You could just get cake whenever You wanted, would it? For more … Continue reading Going the Distance 016: Can You Dig It
Number Three With a Bullet
Look, I know. It’s a copout. But it’s been a rough week. I’ve been working extra because someone’s on a vacation. I spent last weekend (and three days in the week) in Phoenix for my grandpa’s open heart surgery (which had a variety of complications, but he’s doing better now). All of that activity has me sick now, staring at another long work week.
So you get bullets. And you will like it. Continue reading “Number Three With a Bullet”
Lady Gaga and the Future of Music
**Many of you may not know this, and to be fair how would you, but I once wrote for NAU’s Lumberjack newspaper. While not everything I wrote was journalistic gold, there were a few gems that I still feel deserve a look at.**
Let me be the first to say I was not a fan of Lady Gaga. I just didn’t get it. She struck me as a typical wannabe superstar who was no different than any other pop singer we’d seen in recent years. Other than the rumors of her potentially being a man, nothing struck me as particularly interesting about her.
Yet something strange happened when I actually bothered to watch some of her music videos — I liked them. Apparently I’m not alone, either, because Lady Gaga now has the prestigious honor of being the first franchise to ever reach 1 billion views on YouTube. While it may seem like a frivolous accolade, one has to wonder why Gaga was the first to ever reach this milestone. Or perhaps more importantly, what does that say about the current generation’s mindset?
Underneath those over-extravagant hats lies the mind of a truly talented young woman. A keen eye will notice her music videos often have an atypical sexual undertone. While it’s no secret sex has been a huge factor in pop music for decades, Lady Gaga doesn’t limit her videos to sexual norms. Bondage, furries and other such “deviant” sexual ideas are rather common in her videos. With her achievement of reaching the 1 billion-view benchmark, it’s impossible to deny our generation is being exposed to these radical ideas. Continue reading “Lady Gaga and the Future of Music”
Have a Nice Trip, See You Next Fall
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before…let’s see, I can’t remember exactly how it goes…but it’s something to the effect of “if you’re a nice guy, you don’t finish first. Or even close. More like…last.” Yeah, I think that’s pretty much it. Nailed it.
Truer words maybe have never been spoken. Don’t worry, nice girls: the same applies to you. This acute sort of perpetual misery is all inclusive. Don’t get me wrong; kindness sucking at racing doesn’t apply to every situation. If you suck as a person, it’s hard to be a good friend. Tools and douchebags need not apply for the Nice Olympics. But I tell you what, in my not-as-brief-as-I-would-like-anymore existence on this earth, one of the things that has rang true is there is no better way to woo the opposite sex than to be in a-hole city, population: you. Continue reading “Have a Nice Trip, See You Next Fall”
