Conversations with IrishPride Episode 17

Go Ninja, Go Ninja, Go!

 

Wow, I must be in a writing mood since I'm only a few days removed from my last installment of CwIP.  Anyway, welcome to episode 17 of Conversations with IrishPride.  I may have pissed off some of you with my last installment, so I figured I might as well keep this hate train going!  Today I'm going to talk about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  Now you may be asking yourself, "But IrishPride, TMNT is awesome, why would you be continuing this so called 'hate train'?"  Well, I'm going to be explaining why Donatello is the best one of the bunch and this may piss some people off.Heroes in a half shell!

 

Everybody who likes TMNT (which should be everyone) has their own opinion on who is the best turtle.  While I have never conducted a "scientific" poll on which turtle is one's favorite, the people I have asked, I have found that I recieve mixed results about their favorite turtle.  I'll briefly explain each turtle's pros, but in the end will explain why Donatello is the best.  First off is Michelangelo, a major favorite among fans.  Truthfully, it's hard not to like Michelangelo.  Mikey is the goof ball; care free spirit that makes him great.  He makes light of any situation and keeps the rest of the turtles loose and upbeat.  Leonardo is next and is great on his own accord, but he's no Donatello.  There is a reason why Leo starts with the letter 'L' (now I sound like Sesame Street) because he is the natural leader.  The letter 'L' is for leader, Sesame Street style.  He is the Tim Tebow of the turtles, if you will.  When the turtles are up against unbeatable odds, Leonardo is there to encourage his fellow turtles that anything is possible.  Leo leads by example and let's his actions do the talking for him.  Next up, the red headed step child, Raphael.  I mean honestly, does anyone, I mean anyone, like Raphael?  He's the only turtle that his name doesn't end in the letter 'O'.  He's rude, can be a jerk face and can be a Debbie downer.  You know that one friend, everybody has one, that makes everybody around them feel down?  The one friend that feels like if they can't have fun, no one can have fun?  Well, that's Raphael.  Now finally, the best turtle of them all, Donatello.  Donatello takes the aspects of what makes Mikey and Leo great and incorporates Cream of the crop.it into his own style.  Like Mikey, Don has a great sense of humor.  He knows how to crack that well timed joke that has the entire room busting a nut.  Like Leo, Donatello can be quick on his feet assessing the current situation and lead the turtles out of danger with his quick thinking.  And what makes Donatello stand out from the rest of the turtles is that he's smart.  He is a freaking turtle Macgyver!  Always conducting experiments; looking for ways to improve their way of life, Donatello does it all.  He also takes no traits from Raphael which is always a good thing. 

 

So there you have it.  While all the turtles, with the exception of Raphael, are pretty awesome on their own right, Donatello takes the cake.  He is smart, funny and wears the color purple, the color of royalty.  Yeah, that's right, royalty. 

 

This is IrishPride signing off.  Let me know in the comments below who your favorite turtle is!  Now, back to work...

 

~IrishPride

The Gameslave Podcast - Episode 99

Can you believe we are only one more episdeo to Podcast 100!  I may be alone today, but that means we will have all that more content for 100 and possible prizes!

Per the norm you can find the notes here.

Conversations with IrishPride Episode 16

If You See Cupid, Punch Him in the Face!!

 

What it is, what it is!  Welcome to Conversations with IrishPride episode 16.  I've realized the last few episodes I've talked a lot about video games, so today I figured I should go back to something random, since that's what this segment is all about.  I want to wish everybody a happy "Singles Awareness Day!"

 

That's right.  Today is not what most people call "Valentines Day", today should be known as "Singles Awareness Day."  Why you ask?  Well, being one of the few people in my circle of friends/family that is actually single, I am constantly reminded of my singleness.  Every February 14th singles everywhere are hit hard with this reminder, that yes, we're single.  Facebook is the worst.  I want to vomit in my mouth when I log on and I see all these "couples" posting love sentiments to each other.  Showing off that piece of jewelry their boyfriend/husband got for them or gushing over the dozen roses that were waiting at work for them.  Give me a break.  Valentines Day is simply a Hallmark holiday where they force all the foolish couples into buying cards, flowers, chocolate, etc to prove their love for one another.  Why does there have to be one day a year where you "have" to prove to your significant other that you care about them.  Why not send flowers to your girlfriend/wife on May 23rd just cause you can.  Why not send your boyfriend/husband an edible arrangement on August 28th?  Come on "couples", Valentines Day is a joke and you don't have to go around making your single friends feel even more, pardon the pun, 'singled' out.

 

A lot of you reading this may think I am bitter because I am single.  That's not the case.  When I was in a relationship, I still hated the concept of Valentines Day.  If you really love and care about your significant other, you would do special things for them throughout the year.  So, all you singles out there, this day is for us!  Go out with all your single friends, grab a few drinks and let the good times roll!  Also, it's entertaining to make fun of all the "romantic couples" so give that a try!

 

This is IrishPride signing off and remember, the greatest holiday of them all is a little over a month a way!

 

~IrishPride

This Weeks Geek - Support

Geeks are an odd bunch. We fight with each other constantly about if what we like is as good as we say it is. Sony fan boys will boast that their system is better then the Xbox is.  Xbox fanboys will call the Wii a child's toy.  And a PC gamer will call them all simple minded.  But despite all the infighting, all the forum flame wars, we are one people.  As geeks we support each other in our endeavors, even if we try to prove ourselves superior while we do it.

The inspiration behind This Weeks Geek is the amazing speed that Double Fine Adventures got funded.  Tim Schaffer and his company, Double Fine, decided they wanted to make a classic point and click adventure game.  There was one big issues with this though, Tim Scaffer wanted to make sure he can make the game his way.  He does not want to be held down by what an investor thinks should be in the game.  He did not want to have to work on their schedule to make sure they get a return on their investment.  This left him with one real option, crowd scouring the money. Tim setup a Kickstarter for the game with a goal of (I think at least) $440,000. Eight hours later he was funded.  As of now he has made $1,700,000 for his game. We also have Notch who may be funding Psychonaughts 2. Geeks support geeks.

But support within is not all we care about.  We as a people have heart.  This is seen in both Childs Play and Extra Life. Between these two charities geeks have donated millions of dollars to help kids.  Child's Play is a direct charity to Children's Hospitals world wide and in 2011 earned $3,512,340.  Extra Life on the other hand is a 24 hour gaming marathon.  You get pledges for each hour you play a game.  These pledges are then donated to the Children's Miracle Network. Both of these charities show we care about the world that we are in, and that we want these kids to have a chance to play future games.

So how do you support your fellow gamers?  All the examples I have given are monetary based, but that is not the only way. Do you read forums to provide authentic help to people in need? Do you write actual reviews to let people know which games to buy / avoid?  Sound off on how you help your fellow gamer.

This Week(end)s Geek - Sequel Prep

You may have noticed that we did not have a podcast this week. Due to schedule conflicts we were unable to record one. I did feel bad about it though, so I am giving you all a bonus This Weeks Geek. Our focus for this article is prepping for game sequels, mainly Mass Effect 3.

Now in the event that you live under a rock, or just plain forgot, Mass Effect 3 comes out on March 6, 2012 with a demo coming out February 14. The Reapers have arrived to harvest the galaxy, and only one man/woman can stop them, Commander Shepard. It had been about two years since I last played Mass Effect 2, and when I did not all of my team lived. Mordin, one of my favorites, failed to survive the mission after a shot to the head. I contemplated going to a save file just before the suicide mission to make things right, but I have also purchased a fair amount of DLC since my last visit to the Normandy. With this in mind I made the decision to start a new game. This would allow me to survive the suicide mission and experience new content. While this was my reason for playing again, I had forgotten how much fun this game is. I realized how much I missed the gameplay, the voice acting, and the story they are telling. By starting again with such a large gap between plays it feels like a whole new game. I am also getting reminders of some of the more subtle plot points. This makes me really pine for Mass Effect 3.

There is a downside to playing a game that was so great so close to its sequel though. I am already hyping up Mass Effect 3 to be game of the year material, but now I will have a fresh image in my mind of how good the series is. Many people wanted Uncharted 3 to be better then Uncharted 2, but they were so close to the same that some were not as enamored with the third game as they hoped to be. I slightly worry that I may disappoint myself by not having the game as fresh as possible in my mind. I worry that it will be too much of the same. I may also find that in playing the second game, I will have burnt myself out on the gameplay. This could cause me to put Mass Effect 3 on hiatus for a bit mid way through the game.

For good or bad though, I have started my preperations.  How do you prep for a sequal? Do you play the series through? Do you read wikipedia pages to refresh yourself with the story?  Or do you just look at the media hype and await the day of the release? Share you rituals, or lack thereof, in the comments. I look forward to reading them.

Initial Impressions of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Hello everybody!  At the end of episode 15 of Conversations with IrishPride, I said I would have my initial impressions of Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning after I had a chance to play it.  Well, after putting seven hours into the game, I'm ready to give you my very quick impressions of the game.

 

The reason this is going to be a very short article is because Assimilator will be posting a full fledged review shortly.  But, I said I would provide you all with my initial impressions and I am here to deliver that.

 

Fun is to be had in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning!!!I was right about KoAR, it is simply a fun game to play.  The story is intruging enough to make the bland questing not feel monotonous.  All the characters are voice acted, except for you, and they do a pretty good job keeping you engaged.  It's no Mass Effect voiced dialogue, but for the sheer content of this game, the voice acting is good.  Where KoAR really shines above other open world RPG's is the combat system.  Combat is fast, fluid and the animations are spot on.  It is super easy to be striking an opponent with your primary weapon, then add your secondary weapon, followed by a lightning spell.  I'm actively looking for something to kill when I'm exploring the lands because the combat is that much fun!

 

That's all I'm going to say about KoAR since Assimilator will have a kick ass review shortly.  But, if you're impatient and don't want to wait for the review and you are wondering if this game is any fun, I will say emphatically, YES!  It is a lot of fun and I cannot wait to get back into the game.  My rogue character is itching to kill some more bandits.  Stay tuned for Assimilator's review!

Conversations with IrishPride Episode 15

It's All About the Gameplay Baby!

Herro everybody and welcome to episode 15 of Conversations with IrishPride!  While our podcast section is close to the mammoth benchmark of 100 episodes, I'm pleased that I've reached 15, that's good for me *air high five*!  Okay, I'm done patting myself on the back.  Today I'm going to be talking about Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.Can't wait to get started!

 

It's been awhile since I've bought a new game on release day, this whole trying to buy a house thing really puts a damper on my game purchases!  Anyhow, I've been keeping an eye on KoAR and decided to buy myself a birthday present and get it.  I haven't gotten a chance to play it yet due to work, but I have it installed and ready to go on Steam when I get home from house shopping. 

 

I've played the demo and must say, it is a blast to play.  Sometimes as gamers we forget why we play games.  Or there are some gamers out there, specifically in the MMO world, where they take games way to seriously.  I don't know about you all, but I play games because they are fun.  They are a form of entertainment that I use to forget about daily stresses and not have to worry about bills, work and life in general.  KoAR seems to have struck a fantastic balance for me in the 'just plain fun' department.

 

When playing a new game, a lot of gamers want to know how it looks.  If the graphics are top notch.  Others want to know about the story.  Is the game worth my time.  One of the biggest criteria I look for in a game is the gameplay.  When you're potentially going to be sinking multiple hours into a game, especially an RPG, I need to know I will enjoy my time and to me, flawed gameplay is not enjoyable. 

 

Knowing very little of the story, I essentially bought KoAR simply for the flawless gameplay.  The combat in Reckoning is an absolute blast to play.  I'm a fan of RPG's and am a bigger fan of level progression, loot and action paced combat RPG's and KoAR seemed to be right up my alley.  I'm eagerly waiting to sink my teeth into this game to see if it was worth a day one purchase.  Check back soon and I'll have my initial impressions of the game.

 

This is IrishPride signing off and until next time, go ninja go ninja go!

 

~IrishPride

The Gameslave Podcast - Episode 98

We have reached episode 98 of The Gamesalve Podcast.  We are taking a break next week, so that means 3 weeks to episode 100!

Notes can be found here.