This story is so gross that i had to post it here as well just so that everyone can see it.
I have thought in the past that i had some lazy friends and that they (and I) sometimes needed to clean up more around the house. However they cannot hold a candle to this person, whoever you are.
This link is again, totally safe for work, nothing offensive or anything like that. You will be grossed out though, bet on it.
Click on the link if you want to see more, but you have been warned!
So this weekend we (my wife and i) went ahead and told my immediate family the news that we were pregnant. I think they were guessing something was up but i don't think they knew that it was going to be the news they got.
Everyone came over for dinner and (with out going into a long story) my niece was there as well. We told her that she had a present to open and she was very excited. She opened a box that had two (really horrible previous christmas gifts) ducks in side. Upon Further investigation one of the ducks had a smaller ceramic duck in a pouch. I explained to her that it was two larger ducks and there was one more one the way.
Well she didn't understand but my Mother and Sister sure did. They both started yelling and crying at the same time (both in joy, not madness). Everyone was all smiles the rest of the day. I told them that we didn't want the rest of the family. At least not until we have an ultrasound to show them. Oh and we will be finding out the sex of the baby too. None of that guessing till it's born BS.
Ok so first off, I am not a "sports gamer". I very rarely will play ANY contact sport game on any system. It's not that i don't understand them (except Hockey), it's more that i just don't like the level of SIM that goes into playing the games themselves. Like Baseball games (yes i realize it's not a contact sport) on most systems are way more complicated that i want them to be. I liked RBI Baseball on my NES. Get up to bat, hit the "A" button to swing... and that was pretty much it.
So imagine my surprise when i discovered that when i played the latest iteration of EA's Madden series, that i really liked it. The game can be as simple as i want it to be. Pick a play let it run out on screen. If you're on defense you don't have to do anything if you don't want to. If you're on offense you just hike and pass to an open man and run. Or this game can be as complicated as you want. Pick formations, call audibles, change pass or rush coverage... it can get really complicated.
Not to mention that you can go through "SuperStar" mode and make a player and nurse him through the process of being drafted for a team, making the cut, and actually playing in games. Franchise mode that lets you manage the team swap players, make play changes... way complicated for my liking.
That being said i really enjoy this game. I have been playing with a group of guys recently, and was able to take part in their Madden League. Playing online games against another human that doesn't swear at you, call your mom out, or act like you are the gayest man at the gay pride parade, is nice. I can't say that i am destroying people in the league but at least i am holding my own. . . Anyway
From the graphics to the sound (except that ass Chris Collinsworth, ugh!) the presentation of the game itself, and the addition of the self adjusting game play, this game is tight. I don't mean that in a slag way of saying "It's tight Yo!", no i mean this game is actually very tightly produced. Everything feels correct. Nothing feels out of place or over done (again except Chris).
I would give this one probably an A- or 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
So upon finding out that my wife is probably pregnant, i have come to the realization that i will for at least the next 18 or so years be without a "disposable income". My only solution for this is to sell off anything and everything that i can to get money to feed my hunger (i.e. games, not drugs, alcohol, or gambling).
The first thing on my "Must Go" list is my collection of cds. Of which i own about 400. So now i am going to embark on the long journey on ripping my cds that i may actually care to have later in life to my computer. I don't think there will be any system to doing this (genre as opposed to alphabetical) but i know no matter how i approach it, it will take me a looong time.
Also i am looking into getting a large external hard drive to store all this info on. I am thinking that about a 350 or a 500 gig will do me just fine. i don't think i would ever be able to fill up a Terabyte of space, at least not during the life span on my current computer.
I will probably start this task this weekend when i have some down time between my Madden League games and rounds of Tiger Woods 09 and Rock Band 2 Battles (reviews of all pending).
After two weeks of being stuck in mail from Gamefly, my copy of this game finally showed up on Saturday.
The first game was a lot of fun, and i have been looking forward to playing this one for a while. The first was maybe a little too open-ended, they didn't really give you enough direction so you kinda spaced and just ran around the country side GTA style.
It's basically the same premise as the first game though, just in another setting. You are a high paid Merc that is out for revenge on a guy that didn't pay your bounty and ended up getting you shot in the ass, literally. You have to work with (or against) several different factions in order to get the information that you need to find the final guy you want to get to. That is pretty much the bulk of the story, it's kinda weak but it's enough to hold your attention and keep you moving.
The one thing that this game (was and) is known for is blowing stuff up. It does that very well. There are numerous fuel tanks, red barrels, trucks, tanks, pretty much anything that you think will explode does, and well. When things go BOOM the screen goes white and then gets very dark. Considering that is exactly what your eyes will do when forced to take in very bright lights, it is a very nice use of the effect.
Also in the game you make money at an almost alarming rate. I thought when i started that it would take a while to earn up to the Million$ mark for my "Tattooed Millionaire" achievement on the 360 but it really didn't take long at all. You have to "hire" a helicopter pilot, mechanic, and jet pilot. Once you get all them then you can pick up literally pallets of money ($100K), drop air strikes, and fix your vehicles and other things.
You get "quests" from other factions that you want to help in order for you to find your final goal. One thing to consider is that if you work for one faction you may piss off another then have to pay said faction off in order to get them to help you more. It's a nice little strategy aspect of the game.
All in all it seems like a short game. Considering that i have had the game two days and have moved through almost 50% of the game (according to the in game ticker). I don't see myself holding onto it for long, except for the fact that it has a pretty fun Multi-player aspect that allows you to jump in and out of a friends game at any point.
When it comes down to it I would score this probably around a B- or a 4 out of 5. Well worth the slot in my Game fly Queue.
So following up on yesterdays big event, my wife made an appointment with her Dr. It's about 4 weeks away from today. She also took another pregnancy test and the results were the same. It's a pretty safe bet that she is pregnant now, but we have to wait to get the official word from the Doc.
So now the long wait begins to see if it really is officially true. . .
There aren't that many games on the horizon that I am truley looking forward to. This one is defiantley on the short list though.
I have been formulating plans for level design, character design and what I want to take pictures of (with my Playstation Eye) to add to the game. I can honestly say that this game is a big reason why I am happy that I went ahead and got a PS3. Being able to design so much from just one simple game is just amazing. My creative juices are certainly flowing now.
More than just being able to design levels and such on my own is the prospect that everyone out there that also has the game is doing the same, AND we can share. I heard on one of the many Podcast that I listen to, they were making a pool on how long it would take before the first "Super Mario" level was uploaded. Its a forgone conclusion that it will happen, but hey, that's what this game was made for.
October 21st can't get here soon enough for me. I have already paid off mine and will be there first thing to pick up my copy.
So today my wife and I found out that she may be pregnant. . .
I needed some time for that to set in. We haven't been actively trying to get pregnant but I guess you could say we were just practicing until we got it right. I guess here recently, we did.
It was very surreal hearing my wife come out of the bathroom (with a "stick" she just peed on) saying "We're pregnant!". At first i really didn't believe it. I am still thinking about it and it hasn't really sunk in yet.
I walked around Target today, mostly through the baby section. I actually looked at most of the stuff and checked out the toys, clothes, and just general "things" that you end up getting when you have a child. I think i can do this. I think I am ready.
Thus begins my new Blog. The "Expectant Gamer". I will generally post things as they come up about the baby that might be on the way. Also i will put my two cents in about video games and the culture that surrounds them. I will try to post at least once a week maybe more. I will also update this page throughout the course of this journey with links, pics, and other doo-dads that correspond with my new direction in life.
It's no longer just about me, now its truly about the future and what it holds for my wife and I.
