Conversations with IrishPride Episode 6

That's the power of love...err, choice!

Hello everyone and welcome to Conversations with IrishPride Episode 6.  Sorry I missed last week, had something come up, but now I am back and ready to babble!
 
Can a game that's a prequel to another one that was released over a decade ago be good?Today I'm going to talk a little bit about Deus Ex: Human Revolution.  This is not going to be a review of the game, just some of my initial impressions of it.
 
First off, it's not very often I buy a game on the day that it's released and it's even rarer when I pre-order a game.  Well, I pre-orderd Deus Ex: Human Revolution because I had high hopes for it and thankfully, I wasn't disappointed.
 
When I first booted up Deus Ex, I was really looking forward to the overall atmosphere.  I like science fiction games, but I'm tired of all the sci-fi games that are simply based on killing aliens.  Well, Deus Ex has a great mood to it.  The setting is 2027 and it's not way out in left field, like other games can be.  You can actually see this type of future happening in real life which makes Deus Ex that much more engaging.
 
Secondly, a lot of games tell you that you have full choice on how you want to approach each mission.  When, in the end, it feels like you were still pushed in one certain direction to get the mission accomplished.  Already putting 8+ hours into Deus Ex I can state that you truly have your own choices on how you want to beat a mission.  Well, that is except for the bosses.  Being a fan of stealth, I obviously have approached my gameplay as a stealth agent that sneaks by guards or take them down with hand to hand combat, I really don't rely on guns.  However, when you fight a boss, you have no choice to use stealth maneuvers and have to defeat them with guns blazing.  It's disappointing that you can't have Adam Jensen looks like a badass, but is he really one? Answer: Yes.the same choice options you have throughout the game during the boss battles, but it's not a deal breaker.  It's awesome to think outside of the box in a game to get your mission done.  I like not feeling pigeonholed and having only one path and one option to finish the game.  I'm already looking forward to my second playthrough as a badass gun totting s.o.b. that will shoot first and ask questions later and I haven't even finished my first playthrough yet!
 
There are tons of games out there that claim you have the choice to play the game as you see fit, when in reality, you really don't.  Deus Ex: Human Revolution truly gives you the feeling of choice and the dark gloomy atmosphere of Detroit 2027 really gives a futuristic approach to what we may actually see in real life.  The combination of a great atmospheric mood and the true options of choice really makes Deus Ex an exciting story to unfold.  Thanks for not disappointing me Deus Ex.  I'm still not sure if I'll pre-order more games down the road but at least this time, it didn't bite me in the ass.
 
Well, that will do it for episode 6 of CwIP.  I'll see you next time.  Until then, remember, you have the power of choice!  Whatever that means.  Game on!
 
~IrishPride

DeusEx And Gamestop - Not the Happiest Couples

If you purchased a PC copy of DeusEx: Human Revolution you would be lucky to find a code inside for a free copy of the game on OnLive, unless you purchased it from Gamestop.  Gamestop was not aware of the included coupon when they received the games, and since they do not have a partnership with OnLive was rather appauled that the coupon was included.  So much in fact they opened all of the copies of the game and removed the voucher.  Well people, including Square Enix, were not happy about new product being opened and the coupons removed.  Now Gamestop, instead of having to deal with angry customers that are mad about them opening the game before being purchased, Gamestop has decided to just outright not sell the PC version.  The promotion that SquareEnix has setup is in direct competition with a cloud gaming service that Gamestop has in the works.  So they are just going to return all the copies of DeusEx: Human Revolution.  If you purchased a copy through pre-order they will still honor it, but don't expect your OnLive game coupon.

Portal Videos!

Well what a week.  We have had two amazing portal videos on the span of a few days.  Lets start with the amazing live action one, shall we?

Cool Huh?  Lets hope that if Valve does a portal movie they look this guy up.  The portal effects were amazing and you get a real sense of how much of a b**tch GLaDOS is.

Second we have a video that is a few custom rooms.  It is truly amazing what a person can do when properly persuaded.  Make sure you watch the whole thing and don't jump around.  It loses the effect when you do that.

Did you watch the whole thing?

Good, she said yes by the way, so good going on this super geeky but awesome proposal!

The Gameslave Podcast - Episode 82

So I found the glich that kept ruining episodes.  And with that I give you the next episode of our podcast.

Download Link

Show notes can be found as follows: NOTES!

Legend of Zelda Wallpaper

Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary wallpaperI'm glad to see that Skyward Sword has a solid release date now. I haven't been this excited for a Zelda title in awhile.  Possibly not since Ocarina of Time.  I've enjoyed the Zelda titles that have come out since then, but there is something about this new one that has me thinking about Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past, which is my favorite Zelda title.  To show my appreciation and love for the series I'm posting up for you, our readers, another wallpaper.  This one as you can guess by the title is in homage to the Legend of Zelda series.  Like the Mario wallpaper I was thinking about the items that just have that distinctive classic Zelda feel.  I've made most of the items harken to my favorite A Link to the Past, though you will find a couple of items that are found in other games.  It seems stranged to think that it's the 25th Anniversary of the series, considering I have been playing since the first installment.  Man it makes me feel old.  In any case I hope that everyone enjoys this wallpaper.  It took me a lot longer than the Mario one, but I think the effort was well worth it for the final result.  If you are liking these, let me know in the comments section and give me suggestions for a future wallpaper.   I might just draw up a suggestion I like!

Click a link below for the desired size then right click on the image and choose Set As Desktop Background

Zelda1024x768    Zelda1280x960    Zelda1600x900    Zelda1600x1200    Zelda1920x1080

The Gameslave Podcast - Episode 81

Ok, I really need to find out why I cannot get my recordings to work reliably. But instead of coping out again I decided to try and cover everything we talked about during the recording. So with that, I give you The Gameslave Podcast Episode 81.

Download Link

Zelda: Skyward Sword Release Date

Curses, I was off by 18 days when we guessed the release date of the new Zelda game. But that is bound to happen even to the best of us. The release date for Zelda: Skyward Sword is officially set for November 20, 2011. So that means now I actually have time to play Skirim, even if it is only 8 days.

PS3 - Now Cheaper

Today Sony announced that the PlayStation 3 has been reduced in price to $249.99 (they also had similar price drops in Europe and Japan).  They did this seemingly out of the blue at Gamescom today. There were no lines like, "price drop in 2 weeks" or "we are going to drop the price but we are not saying to what".  The announcement came and was made effective today.  Is this the same Sony that could not keep the PSPGo a secret over a year ago?  But what does this mean to the poor sap that recently purchased a PlayStation 3?  That means if you want to save $50.00 you can return your recently purchased PlayStation 3 and get a new one at the new price.  But you will lose all your game saves you may have, and those can be more precious then life itself!

Thanks Amazon, cause that $0.99 was a real deal breaker for me.