Sims 3: Is it true? Does the game suck?

Sims 3 is the latest rendition of  MAXIS – Electronic Art’s highly acclaimed simulation game and gamers hate it.  The message boards and forums are packed with complaints regarding graphics and gameplay.  The one complaint that sticks out the most is the lack of objects in the base package.  It appears EA wants to engage in a little fleecing of the fans by selling MAXIS designed objects separately through the Sims 3 store.  If this is the trend to come, I may have reached the point in my life where  I stop buying games all together.

News: 17 Yr Old Eagle Scout Suspended From School

This is a story I believe needs the widest possible distribution.  The gist of it follows.  A 17 year-old Eagle Scout attending a school in upstate New York has been suspended from school, due to a zero tolerance policy regarding weapons on campus, for a 2-inch knife he kept locked in his car.

You ought to go back and read that statement closely.  You may not have a problem with this and think the school acted appropriately.  I, on the other hand, think the school has over-stepped their boundaries.  The vehicle is private property regardless of where it sits.  What I want to know, and isn’t mentioned, is who searched the vehicle?  Did they contact the local authorities and have them search the vehicle or was this performed by school employees?  You see, one of the boys friends went and told a school administrator about this knife.  That is how they learned of it.  It wasn’t because the young man was carrying it around in his pocket and a metal detector went off or he was brandishing it.  It was a friend stabbing him in the back.  Now, this young man’s entry into West Point may be in jeopardy due to the length of his suspension.

This is just another example of where good intentions (the school policy) cause problems for good people.  The young man is an Eagle Scout and wants to attend West Point.  He is one of the good guys.  He is a role model for other young men.  This is the young man you would want to date your daughter.  But, someone wanted to make an example of him.  Part of me has to ask. Why?  I’m sure there are other more serious violations.  It’s a school.  And why did the friend feel it necessary to report a knife locked in a vehicle?

Seriously, go read the article.

Twitter: My Thoughts

Twitter is gay. I don’t see the need for it. If you really have to communicate with someone that bad, why would you opt for such a limited method? Trust me, nobody wants or needs to know what you are doing every second of the day. The only person you are keeping informed is yourself. As far as celeberities go, their use makes sense. It gives them another method of connecting with their fans.  Other than that, use a method of communication that allows you to completely express your thoughts without using cutesy abbreviations due to a character limit.

Whenever your message requires more than one tweet to convey your meaning, you’re using the wrong medium.  That is why email exists or cell phones.  There is even the original instant messaging services.  Think about it before you join the ranks of the twitting twits.

Game: Fallout 3 (PS3)

Recently, I have been playing a very addictive game — Fallout 3 on PS3.  Many times I have walked past this game at Blockbuster for other titles.  I often opted for the straight up first person shooter (FPS).  I had no idea what this game was about.  I had never heard of it.

This game is very much like any other “Character Building” game.  You have your primary character attributes and skills.  The combination of the two give your character his or her effectiveness throughout the game.  Simple, right?  It is up until you research the game on the internet.  There is a ton of information on it.  There is information on character building, quests, skill books, Non-playable characters, and more.  There is no need to buy the game guide for this title.  However, you will never truly enjoy the full scope of the game without some sort of guide.

After you play through the first time, you’ll get upset.  At the end, that’s it.  There is no more.  You don’t get to run around in the wasteland and “see” what you have missed.  The game actually ends.  Bummer.  You spent hours playing and now you have to start all over in order to enjoy the rest of the game.  I call that poor design especially in sandbox games. 

Your second time through you will have done some research and discovered the following ways to have an awesome – overkill character.
01. You’ll head directly to Rivet City and collect the Intelligence bobble-head.
02. You’ll make your way to the Museum of History and obtain Charon’s contract.
03. You’ll allow Charon to fight for you while you abuse well know bugs that allow you to collect two specific skill books an infinite amount of times (Actually, I believe the developers left this in as an easter egg.)
04. You’ll never start the main quest until you’ve discovered every location, found every bobble-head (minus one in Raven Rock), and retrieved every skill book you need to max out your skills.
05. You are bound to select the following perks for one simple reason.  These are the only ones that make any sense to have: Intense Training (more than once), Educated, Comprehension, Gunslinger, Commando, Strong Back, Animal Friend, Finesse, Sniper, Silent Running, Light Step, Action Boy, Better Criticals, and Grim Reaper’s Sprint.  These are thoroughly explained other places on the net.
06. You’ll obtain the schematics for the dart-gun and Deathclaw gauntlet early in the game.
07. You’ll realize that Rielly’s Ranger armor is the best armor in the game and max out your medicine skill early.
08. You’ll acquire the various special weapons like Vengence and The Terrible Shotgun.
09. Finally, you might get upset with how repetitive the game becomes.

That’s right.  After you have spent hours developing your uber-character, it will finally dawn on you.  This game is highly repetitive and could have been so much more.  The game also suffers from many calculation bugs involving VATS (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System).  Many times I have had an enemy targeted with VATS that was in the open, un-obstructed and standing-still, that never got hit.  I also enjoy watching the enemies move at lightening speed when aimed at.  I’ve seen robots go nuts trying to avoid gunfire.  I also have problems with lighting and the drab colors used.  I understand it’s the wasteland — but, c’mon.  They could have done better.  This game seems rushed and unpolished.

Still, it’s hard not to like that first time through.  Be warned, this game is very adult oriented and should not be played by young children.

Political News: Obama Christianity Statement Taken Out of Context.

I’m not an Obama fan.  I did not vote for the man and think the nation chose poorly.   However, the ruckus over today’s Christianity sound bite is unfounded.  One of our founding principles is religious freedom.  The freedom to talk to, pray to, or demonstrate fealty to God in any manner you see fit (minus criminal acts).  We are a nation of citizens that practice the rituals of many faiths. 

Please watch the video below and decide for yourself.

PS3: Terminator Salvation

I just rented this Terminator Salvation for the PS3 from Blockbuster thinking it would be cool.  It’s not.  There’s hardly any game play to it at all.  It seems to be a collection of small game activities surrounded by lots of animation and dialog.  If you have or had any thoughts about purchasing, don’t.  This is definitely a game you should rent and keep out of your collection.

 

JB

Cruel commercial or not?

Have you seen this TV add?  The first thing you will think is — “Wow!”  Those kids did a wonderful thing.  Now, allow reality to sink in and remember your days in high school.  How many of us would have done the same thing?  Not many.  That’s why I have started to view the commercial as cruel and insulting.  Homecoming Queen and King are typically the popular kids in school.  They get that way by participating in sports or being known for “certain” qualities (party goer, promiscuous, vain, athlete, cheerleader, etc).  You know this is true.  The add alludes to this because we see a pretty girl making the announcement.

Now, I’m sitting here trying to figure out exactly what I find “cruel and insulting” and having a hard time putting it into words.  Part of me views the commercial as putting an individual suffering from Down Syndrome on “display”.  Another part of me views the commercial as playing a mean joke on someone.   What was your first reaction when you saw the girl brought out as Homecoming Queen?  Did you momentarily go, ” Yeah, right.” with disbelief?  If so, you know somewhat where I am coming from.

You decide for yourself.

Movies: Star Trek (2009)

If this is your first Star Trek film, you will be amazed and love it. If you are a long time fan, the film may fall short of your expectations.  You have to get over the idea of a whole new group of actors portraying some of your favorite characters.  You have to be willing to turn the reigns over to a younger generation and let yourself be surprised.  This can be hard.  Especially when William Shatner is our favorite starship captain of them all.  Every young boy wanted to be Captain Kirk.  He got the girls.  He was revered, courageous, fearless, and respected.  The bar set by Mr. Shatner is what alll of the “follow-ons” strove to achieve — with Patrick Stewart being the star pupil.  Sadly, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer were less than compelling.   Without Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, there was no reason to watch ST: Voyager.  The same thing can be said for Jolene Blalock as T’Pol on ST: Enterprise.

My sincerest hope is the movie surprises us all and becomes the top grossing film for the summer.  Why?  I want another Star Trek series.  This movie could be the catalyst.  But, what is there left to do in the Federation?  Even in this film, much of what you see has been done before.  What do you think?  Is there material to explore for a new series?

General: Use of GMAIL to obtain personal information.

There are hundreds of new scams floating around on the internet.  Every last one of them offer a job of some type if you’ll just send your information to an email address with a GMAIL domain account.  Please delete these emails or block any and all messages sent from a GMAIL account.   Keep in mind that employers will use a legtimate domain account. 

 It’s really sad that GMAIL is going to gain such a bad reputation for being a source of scammers.   Oh well.  Just thought I would throw this out there.

Movies: Quarantine (2008)

If you haven’t seen this movie, don’t.  You won’t be missing much.  It is a knock-off of The Blair Witch Project.  The story may be different, but the filming style is identical.  There is a reason these films don’t do well and hit the rental shelf quickly — they suck.  If you saw it at the theater, I’m sorry.  You wasted your money.

Is there anyone out there that has an original idea?  Anyone?  We’re waiting.

-JB