World of Warcraft

Not as tough as before....

Date played: March 2nd
Platform: PC
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

I ran a quick dungeon last night.  Nothing special to say here, Uldaman is pretty easy now at my level.  I will probably farm some herbs to level inscription next time I play.

Lego Batman

Date played: March 1st
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 40 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

Well, we traded in Kirby (25$ booya) and got Lego Batman and LittleBigPlanet 2.  We didn't have much time to play but we did play the first two levels.  We're keeping LBP 2 for the next time we can play together.  Before I talk about the two levels, I need to explain why we are playing Lego Batman.

Now, personally, I would have went with Star Wars myself but my girlfriend can't stand it.  Harry Potter wasn't an option because we played the demo and hated it.  Indiana Jones might have worked but the store didn't have it in stock.  Now Batman works.  We both like Batman and the demo was fun.

Anyway, the first two levels were interesting.  It's amazing how many things are hidden or not accessible in this game until you unlock more abilities.  We will NOT be doing 100% on this one, guaranteed.  The first level was pretty straight forward.  My girlfriend had trouble controlling the little RC car at the end but she eventually understood.  Clayface was the boss and he was fun, we had to blow stuff up and then we arrested him pretty much.

Cute but still badass

The second level was a bit more frustrating.  There was more platforming here and it shows that this game's fixed perspective isn't always the best.  I didn't have too many issues myself but my girlfriend fell into lots and lots of bottomless pits.  There was also a new mechanic for her playing as Robin where she had magnetic boots to walk up metallic surfaces.  She had a lot of trouble controlling that too.

Then there was the fight with Mr. Freeze.  In the first boss fight, we never actually had to hit the boss so we initially thought it would be same for the second one.  We scrambled around for about 5 minutes trying different things until we figured out we actually had to punch Mr. Freeze in the back of the head.  From there it was fairly smooth but the lack of direction was a bit frustrating.

Overall though, we had a good time and we'll definitely play some more.

World of Warcraft

CLICK IT!

Date played: March 1st
Platform: PC
Time played: 25 minutes
Session fun rating: 5/10

Well, nothing special here.  I ran SM Cathedral and got Whitemane's Chapeau, a nice 10 item level upgrade for me.  I'm also really liking this lightwell thing.  It's not super useful yet because the instances I ran were all fairly easy in terms of healing but I can see it being a life saver in tougher dungeons.

Again though, it seems difficult to get people to click it.  I made a macro that says "Lightwell is up, click it for free heals!".  It's not perfect but it seems to help.

Kirby's Epic Yarn

Date played: February 28th
Platform: Wii
Time played: 45 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

Well, we finished Kirby's Epic Yarn at a full 100%.  Honestly, it's the first time in a very long time that me and my girlfriend played a game together from start to finish and it was fantastic.  Getting 100% was tough but satisfying and I don't think we would have enjoyed ourselves that much had it not been for the tougher challenge levels.

This image pretty much sums up this great game

The last boss was pretty cool and the last two bonus levels were lots of fun.  There was one challenge level where we had to collect a lot of beads in a top down shooter stage.  That shit was tough.  I hate those little UFO guys.  Also of note, the "Thank you for Playing" screen was amazing!  It's pretty rare nowadays that devs put in an image like that.

Now, on to something else, maybe LittleBigPlanet 2?

You Don't Know Jack

Date played: February 27th
Platform: Playstation 3

LOL!

Time played: 25 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

I played this with my brother and his new girlfriend.  I won both games but it was mostly because they were a bit too reckless on the Jack Attack.  Otherwise, it would have been much closer.

This game really is meant to be played with others and I urge anyone to stay away from playing this by yourself.  Also, one Dis or Dat category was really cool, it was the 10 best TV shows and the 10 worst TV shows according to TV Guide magazine!

Split/Second

Dump a dump truck.  Get it?

Date played: February 27th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

Well, I played the first episode and started the second one.  This game is pretty damn fun to be honest.  I sent a cruise ship on fire, I made a tanker ship slide off the road and I made a helicopter dump a giant dump truck in the middle of the road, to name a few.

This game rocks.

Kirby's Epic Yarn

Date played: February 27th
Platform: Wii
Time played: 10 minutes
Session fun rating: 6/10

We thought we would have more time to play but the baby woke up and broke up our play time after one level.  It was good though, it was Dedede's castle or something like that and it's the last level before the last boss I think.  It had some cool parts where we had to time our jumps while riding fluffy cannonballs.

You ugly Dedede

We will most likely finish this the next time we play.

Dead Space 2

Freaky bitch

Date played: February26th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 140 minutes
Session fun rating: 10/10

Well, I'm nearing the end.  Spolers ahead.

I'm now in the middle of Chapter 13 and I can smell the ending.  I passed a cool bit where I ride on top of a giant mobile drill while the Australian lady shouts funny things at me all the while killing off scores of Necromorph.

I also saved her ass by forcing her to escape when we found a working frigate while I went on to destroy the marker.  Now I'm facing off against some military dudes by unleashing Necromorphs on them.  I also had a nice talk with imaginary Nicole.  I can't wait to see how this wraps up.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Date played: February 25th, 26th and 27th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 120 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

Same old, same old.

DLC

Can't wait for the new maps to freshen this up a bit, they are coming out later this week.

World of Warcraft

Date played: February 25th, 26th and 27th
Platform: PC
Time played: 300 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

Level 40 Dire Maul?  Whaaaaaat?

Well, I grinded some instances over the weekend.  I also farmed a few herbs in Western Plaguelands to level my inscription to 174.  This is now a level 35ish zone but it used to be 50+ the last time I played this game and everything is difference now.

I reached level 39 through instances and got Lightwell.  It turns out it's pretty strong but not all groups understand how to use it.  I did Uldaman which is now easier than it's ever been.  I also did SM Cathedral and had the pleasure of looting the nice one hand mace that drops there.  I also did a few runs of Maraudon and even Dire Maul.

Dire Maul is another of those spots that used to be much higher level but is now around the level 40 range.

Dead Space 2

Vintage Circa 2410 AD

Date played: February 24th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 90 minutes
Session fun rating: 10/10

Wow.  This game keeps getting better.  I completed Chapter 10 and started Chapter 11.  Chapter 10 was great, it had good pacing, some good fighting sequences, some nice Zero G and even some closure for Isaac and Nicole.  There was also a nice little surprise for Strauss which I won't spoil.

There was a great sequence on a large elevator.  This is the kind of stuff you see in many games where you  must fight a certain amount of enemies while you reach your destination.  The reason it's better in Dead Space than in other games is that the core game mechanics are just so good.  I took out my Ripper and tore the place apart.

I also bought the Advanced suit and it looks pretty cool but I still prefer the look of the Vintage suit.

Split/Second

Date played: February 24th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

I picked up Split/Second for cheap in a bargain bin.  I had been waiting for this game to go down in price because it looked like something I would enjoy, but not 60$ worth of something I would enjoy.

Heh.  Awesome.

Either way, I played the tutorial and the first two events and I like this game a lot.  It's fast, has nice graphics and the destruction "hook" is really cool.  Honestly though, it feels a lot like Burnout with location specific weapons.  That's not really a bad thing.

I will definitely play more of this and I want to try playing online.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Date played: February 24th and 25th
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 50 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

Marathon user.

Same as usual here.  I played about four games of TDM.  I got frustrated in one of the matches because the other team was mostly using SMG's and running around wildly on Summit.  This made it difficult for me to get a lot of kills with my trusty M60 so I decided to go with the Stakeout after dying three or four times in a row.

That worked wonders against the little fuckers.  I don't like using it too often because it's limited in it's effectiveness but it can help against Marathon runnin', aK74u wieldin', hip-firin' children.

I also had a few good matches on WMD and Nuketown respectively.  WMD is great for someone like me who uses the M60 at mid range and Nuketown.... well I guess I got a bit lucky in Nuketown.

World of Warcraft

No, no, no... the OTHER RFK!

Date played: February 24th and 25th
Platform: PC
Time played: 80 minutes
Session fun rating: 6/10

I only ran Razorfen Kraul tonight.  It's the first time I run it in Cataclysm and it's quite different than it was before.  I had a great group though.  I'm level 33 but the tank was level 38 so that made things much easier than if I had been in a group my level.

I got some new bracers and shoulders so that was cool.

I also farmed herbs in STV again to level inscription and ran SM Library and SM Armory.  I got the robe off Doan's dirty body.  Sweet.

World of Warcraft

GIMME YOUR ROBE!

Date played: February 23rd
Platform: PC
Time played: 60 minutes
Session fun rating: 7/10

I reached level 31 and leveled inscription to 117.  Not bad.  I spent about 30 minutes farming herbs in Northern STV and 30 minutes running SM Graveyard and SM Library. I looted some nice shoulders and the legendary Illusionary Rod.  Now I'm only missing the Robes of Doan.

Library was a bit tougher than other instances.  Mobs hit harder and our tank was in a hurry so he had a lot of enemies on him at all times.  Nevertheless, no one died.

Call of Duty Black Ops

Date played: February 23rd
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 60 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

HQ = farming

Nothing to see here folks.

I played some matches of TDM and one match of Headquarters.  I now remember why I don't play HQ.  While the concept is great and when played properly, it's really fun, many people don't play it as intended.

The game I played was on Jungle and we got destroyed by the other team.  That would be ok except for the fact  that they essentially farmed kills at the end.  They camped the HQ, did not capture it and farmed kills. That was boring, dumb and frustrating.

Screw HQ.

World of Warcraft

Date played: February 22nd
Platform: PC
Time played: 120 minutes
Session fun rating: 8/10

Add tusks and some orange hair and this is my priest.

Well, today I spent some time farming herbs in Durotar and Northern Barrens to level up Inscription. After I started shopping for glyphs, I was floored by the exorbitant prices these things go for these days so I decided to make them myself and/or make enough money from it to afford to buy the glyphs I can't make yet.  It also seemed to have a cool mechanic where you must mill ingredients from plants, similar to what has been done for Jewel Crafting.

I managed to reach level 104 in Inscription and put up a few high demand glyphs on the AH.  I hope they sell.....

I also ran SM Graveyard and Gnomeregan and looted a nice pair of boots in Gnomer and reached level 30.  I did buy Dual-Spec but I don't really see the point right now.  I selected Disc just to see what it's like but after spending the points, I feel like I won't like it.  It seems to rely a bit too much on shields and smite.  I guess I could build a shadow spec to DPS every once in a while but since I just do dungeons, I would rather just play Holy.

Dead Space 2

Date played: February 22nd
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 30 minutes
Session fun rating: 10/10

Holy fuck this game is scary disturbing stressful.  Every time I play,  I feel tense and I get twitchy trigger fingers.  I only played a short period today but it was enough to get my heart pumping.  SPOILERS ahead.

I was running through the supposedly "decontaminated" USG Ishimura.  It was quiet and empty for a disturbingly long period.  I was expecting a monster to attack me at every corner and it never seemed to come. Then, like a frying pan to the head, it hit me.  A giant gorilla-like monster jumped out at me from I don't know where and started running after me.  I took out my trusty Seeker rifle, slowed the dude down with stasis and shot him a few times in his damn dirty ape shoulders.

After that point, the monsters started coming out fast and hard.  I'm glad I spent some nodes upgrading my Stasis skill, it helps a lot....  I eventually reached a large room where I had to solve a puzzle involving lining up pipes by placing panels on a cylinder in zero-g which was pretty fun.  I can't wait to see where this game goes next.

Apparently, the two new DLC chapters are coming out the first week of March so I'll try to finish the game before then.

This is one of the controllable characters from the Severed DLC

Call of Duty Black Ops

Date played: February 22nd
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 30 minutes

I wish these were the attack dogs.

Session fun rating: 7/10

I only played a few matches today.  I did pretty good but did nothing out of the ordinary.  I did get in one match where the other team got dogs and I killed at least 6 dogs by myself before getting shot down by a player.

Those little canine bastards are quite a distraction and can get kills pretty easily.  Too bad it's an 11 killstreak, that's a bit too rare for me to use but it sure is fun to get them.  Hell, I think I just might equip them the next time I play, just for shits and giggles.

Killzone 3 demo

Date played: February 21st
Platform: Playstation 3
Time played: 20 minutes
Session fun rating: 9/10

Killzone 3 is out this week.  I won't buy it right away but after playing the single player demo, I'm sold.  After I finish Dead Space 2, this is probably next on my list.  I did like the campaign in Killzone 2 so I'm excited to see what they can do in the third game.

JETPACKS MOTHERFUCKER!

The demo was really cool.  It starts you off in an air transport vehicle manning a turret.  You and your team slowly fly around and take out enemy facilities that are built on top of a river or something.  Then you crash land and must grab a jetpack (fuck yeah!) to go take out a large anti-air cannon.  I also took out some tanks and stuff with a large missile launcher.

The game plays faster than the last one and that's a welcome change.  Sev, the main character, moves faster, aims faster and just feels lighter overall.  The combat feels good and the new melee moves are brutal.  Also, it's worth noting that the graphics are simply spectacular.  This is one of the best-looking games I've ever played.

Check it out for yourselves, the demo is free!