How Playstation All Stars Destroyed my Pride and Honor

I usually try to refrain from using any character that will bring about harassment for using them.  In other words: I do not like to use characters that are deemed as "cheap" and "broken."  I decided to use Sweet Tooth as my main, mostly due to the general idea of "timing" that surrounds the character.  He is, by nature, a slow fighter, which does put me at a disadvantage most of the time.  Any-who, playing online when the game first came out was not too bad, seeing that everyone was trying to find their bearings with each character.  After a week though, everything took a drastic turn and almost everyone started using any character that had a "spammable" move.  I understand that a move is there to be used, but, if you are going to spam the same move or use only one combo the entire time, it really does take the fun out of the game (for other people that is).  It really is disheartening and irritating for people who, like myself, practice quite often with a character to utilize all he/she has to offer.  I do understand that a move is in the game to be used, I really do, but, if anything, doing the same one over and over again is taking advantage of the system just for the sake of doing so.  Most people point out that "it is not my fault the game is broken, I am just pointing it out and using it to my advantage." This is kind of like saying "Hey! I found a hole in your security and even though no one else has noticed it or made it known that they do, I am going to point it out and cause you and other people who use the same system as you tons of problems.  This is ultimately your fault and not mine.  Have a good day!"  Most things have glaring holes, but, it is common courtesy to not be that guy (or girl) to point it out and take advantage of it.  This may be a drastic example, but, the overall idea is still remains: it is wrong to take advantage of something just because you can.

I have given up my crusade to be one of the "good guys," one of the people who try to play a game as it was meant to be played.  I have recently decided to switch my main to Raiden, for he has enough cheapness to him that I can keep up with all of the "spammers" out there.  I do hate using him against people who are actually trying to play the game and I wish that I could somehow know these people before hand, but, it is what it is.  I have decided to take a shot to my pride and honor to be able to keep up and keep my interest in playing this game alive  It is not a matter of me sucking and refusing to admit it, I am just tired of losing to people who are not that skilled and make one of my favorite games not fun.  Its like the old saying goes: "If you cannot beat them, join them."

All for Nothing: David Hayter Not Returning to Voice Solid Snake

Over the past few days there has been news regarding the new Metal Gear Solid games and how they will not be featuring the voice work of David Hayter.  Hayter, who has been doing Solid Snake's voice since 1998, was not asked to return, nor was he given a reason for the decision.  Hideo Kojima, series creator, did go on record to say that they decided to take the series in a new direction, and with that, decided to go with someone new to make things "fresh."  I can understand the logic presented, but the fact that the guy who helped make one of gaming most beloved characters well, beloved, was not even given a reason as to why he was not asked to return is kind of a smack in the face.  In the end it is all just business, but, sometimes it is the smallest decisions that define us and this has definitely, at least to me, put Kojima in a slightly darker hue than what he was in before.

There are rumors and speculations regarding why this decision was made, most pointing to the fact that having the same voice actor for two characters (Big Boss and Solid Snake) may be confusing to people.  This would be a good argument if Kojima himself did not say that the decision was made to "freshen things up."  As pointed out by several fans, the original Ground Zeroes trailer that was about ten minutes long had the original Japanese voice actor (who, also, has been doing the character's voice since 1998).  So, why would the original Japanese actor be asked to return if they want to "freshen things up?" I did happen to find a link that actually confirms the return of the Japanese voice actor thanks to a poster on Kotaku.  The aforementioned link can be found with a few other links I used for research below:

http://www.explosion.com/26543/snake-japanese-voice-actor-will-reprise-his-role-in-mgs5/

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/david-hayter-says-he-wasnt-asked-to-voice-metal-gear-solid-5/

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/29/kojima-explains-metal-gear-solid-5s-mogren-fakeout-hayters/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/01/david-hayter-hearing-someone-else-as-snake-makes-me-a-little-i/

The World Wide Web of Pessimists

*This is a re-post of a random thought that was plaguing my mind a few days ago.  I was having a problem with typing the whole thing, mostly because it seems that I am over thinking how I should talk to my audience; I was having thoughts like:  Should I write everything like an essay? Should I talk to them as if they are right next to me?*

I like to read a lot of different news across many different facets, but there is one thing that I find common in each site that I go to: almost everyone seems to be overly pessimistic! Putting political articles aside, when it comes to media, everyone seems to be quick to highlight the negatives rather than praise, or even look into, the positives something has to offer. Now I am not basing this article off of anything specific, or to defend a game that I am fond of, but I do have an example that may help paint a better picture.

Take the social aspects of the Playstation 4 and how most people seem to be against the whole idea.  The PS4 allows the player to record and share game play videos with their friends or whoever cares to watch them. Social media is a big part of our culture; you cannot go anywhere on the internet without seeing something related to Facebook, twitter, Youtube, or tumblr.  If you were to go to Youtube and look up just about any game, you would find tons of videos that show off speed-runs, unique kills, walk-troughs, or even simple recordings pertaining to someone's take on the overall meaning of a game.  If you were to go to Facebook, you would find countless pages dedicated to games that offer updates on patches, tips and tricks, and even the opportunity to discuss something as simple as character design.  As I stated for both, there are countless Facebook profiles and Youtube videos, all of which are posted by your average joe, your fellow gamers.   All of this, at least to me, says that there is a very strong interest in being able to connect and communicate with one another.  If you were to go and read the comment sections on most articles related to the PS4 and its social aspects, you would find just as many posts arguing how the social feature is a "fail" as you would videos on Youtube.  Most of the arguments that you would find will argue that focusing on social aspects will take away from more crucial aspects of a game, such as story and gameplay, and that they refuse to waste their money on a social hub.  Now why is it that its okay for everyone to be social on the PC, but not on a game console? Is it not the same thing? Has the quality in PC games gone down since the introduction of podcasts and other ways to live-stream?  I can understand if the whole "social scene" is not your thing, but, is it really that bad to where a system needs to be written off completely because of it? Does it warrant bashing other people who are for the idea? With the idea of it being something everyone seems to indulge in anyways aside, is it really hard to just not use the feature? Is it really hard to see the usefulness in being able to record a video that could help your friend complete a level in his game? Is it hard to see the usefulness in being able to get help from a friend as he watches you play the part of the game that you are stuck on? How I personally see it is as this: the option to simply play game is still there and that the option to be social is just that, an option.

FIRST TIME!

Technically this is not my first blog, for I have one started over on kotaku.com.  I ended up deciding to make this one just to dabble in other blogging options.  Anywho, I plan on publishing a review of the new "Tomb Raider" in about a week or so, which will mark my first attempt at serious game reviewing.  I do not only plan on using this site to just review games, I am aiming to use it as a way to put my thoughts and ideas out there to try and better myself as a writer and a gamer.  I guess it is a little hard to try and create a good first impression through words, so, I am going to leave you with a few pictures that will help you gain some insight into the kind of person that I am.