Too Much Gaming?

So Steam went and decided to sell Mass Effect 1 and 2 as a bundle for $9.99 and not only is that a great deal but the Mass Effect 2 was the digital delux version with a butt load of dlc and awesomeness.  Well I had beat ME2 on the xbox but had never played the first one.  Well when you play the first one and then import your character man it turns Mass Effect 2 into a completely different game.  No I truly understand how people that are utterly obsessed with this game got that way.  It is very interesting to have played through a game one way and then just importing a character from the first game completely turns the dialogue around.  I mean the default story was pretty cool but having molded and shaped the story with the first one is very interesting.  When I first played through the game on the xbox version I lost three of my squad mates I am shooting to get through it with no one dying.  Probably not going to happen I also need to get everyone Loyal too me.  I was kind of upset with Zaeeds loyalty quest because man that was a lot of Renegade points and I love going as Paragon as possible.  Well I am really starting to get the hang of using a keyboard and mouse instead of a controller it is too the point that I tried to play minecraft with my girlfriend on the xbox and man I was having a hard time using the controller.

I have been spending a lot of time playing games.  I did actually manage to go a night without playing any games last night ok actually that is a lie I played a lot of Candy Crush Saga last night.  Man I hate that game.
Man this blog is pointless and stupid.  ugh.

Much Love
M

First Gaming Computer Build.

OK so I built my first gaming computer and honestly I think it turned out pretty well.  I didn't really have a lot of money so my friend helped my build a computer that is easy for me to upgrade when the time comes.  The motivation for doing this was because I have really gotten into the feel of playing video games on a PC just using the keyboard and mouse just feels nice.  Also I don't want to be pinned to having to get one of the next gen consoles which are pretty much just going to be PC's anyway.  I would rather have something I can customize and update.  So here are the specs for what I got.

I got an AS Rock FX Socket AM3 N68C-GS motherboard.  So far it has been a very nice start up and at $45 it has been very worth it.  With that I am running an AMD FX4100 Quad-Core processor and I the reviews have been pretty up and down on this processor but for the beginning PC gamer like me it has been perfect.  Currently only running 4 GB of ram via a Corsair XMS3 stick of ram I do plan on upping to 8 GB really soon.  For a hard drive I am using a Western Digital 1TB SATA.  I remember a time when having like a gig of hard drive space was awesome.  I just dated myself there.  My first computer had only a 20 GB hard drive so I have no idea what I am going to do with 1 TB of hard drive space.  Haha.  For a video card I am using an MSi N650 GeForce GTX650 and again I am very impressed with the bang for my buck I have gotten with this build so far.  I have a standard DVD-RW drive and am using LOGISYS 430W power supply.  This is all housed inside a RAIDMAX Blade ATX-298WR Super Blade case.  I like this case because it has lots of room to add more stuff to it.

I have been spending a lot of my time since I built the computer in a closed beta for this game called Loadout which is just a wonderful fiasco of great fun.  It is a multi-player third person shooter game that is just a blast the art style is very Team Fortress with over the top animated blood and body dismemberment when being shot.  There are crazy moments when my head is only a brain and eyes or where I am running around one armed just trying to stay alive.  Usually I am not a huge fan of over the top gore but with this goofy animated style it is totally great.  I cant wait for the full version to be released.  Well I am going to go and pretend to work and hopefully get some gaming in this evening.

Oh I am still shackled to my console because I had pre-ordered Bioshock Infinite before I decided to build the PC so I am going to definitely be finishing that up and then also my friend bought me Skyrim for my birthday for my Xbox so I need to work my way through that.

Much Love
M

Minecraft Obsession

OK so my daughter was telling me about this game called Minecraft and that it was so awesome and there were videos on YouTube and I was like sure I will take a gander at this since she loves the videos.  I was not impressed I thought it was such a stupid idea for a game.  Then it came out as part of the Xbox Arcade and I downloaded and for her.... I was hooked the first time I spawned into that blocky world and was forced to survive that first night.  The first time I heard that freaking hissing sound and was blown to bits by something that I didn't even see I knew I was in for a bad time.  I have finally made the decision to upgrade to the PC version of the game and really give into my obsession.

I am choosing to lay the blame for my addiction to Minecraft not on myself but on YouTubers like iHasCupquake, AntVenom, sethbling and of course I cant mention Minecraft and YouTube without mentioning CaptainSparklez.  What these incredible people are able to do and create with this game is amazing I love games I love gaming I will admit it though I am horrible I suck beyond all belief but that is not what games are about they are about fun and creativity and killing time.  Minecraft has created the perfect tool for doing all of those. 

Even now as I am typing this blog post I am being destracted by Cupquakes Minecraft Single Player videos.

OK enough about that I just wanted to take a moment to rant about something that I take enjoyment from.  On to another note the battle against the bulge is going I am slowly making some progress which is a good thing I don't want just rush in and lose a bunch of weight.  I have been down that road before and after the rapid weightloss it was always just a matter of a few months before I have put even more weight on.  So I think that going slow is the better way to go.  I am hoping to get this blog and everything about it more organized and less of a mess.  I am hoping that just by typing everyday perhaps I will get better at it.

Much Love
M

Oh Beef Jerky

I have decided that Jack Link's Teriyaki beef jerky is probably the greatest snack food I have ever had the pleasure of sticking in my mouth.  I have always been a big fan of Jack Link's but it wasn't until I was enjoying a bag of the Teriyaki jerky this morning that I realized I love this stuff.  I mean when you think about it yeah the sodium in it is insane but when you look at only 80 calories a serving and 14 grams of protein a serving it is a nice little pick me up when you are dragging and need a little bit of energy and are trying to stay away from sugar and coffee. 

Also I am already starting to seen an improvement in how I feel even after only two days of not stuffing myself into a food coma every day.  I did eat a little bit more yesterday than I had wanted.  What can I say I am not perfect and that slice of chocolate cream pie just looked so delish last night.  The upside where as I would usually eat that and go "Well I already screwed up I might as well just keep eating."  I didn't this time I said well I ate that and really shouldn't have I just wont eat anything else this evening which it being at 8:00 PM wasn't a bad thing.  So I am just going a day at a time I am hoping that soon I will have dropped a few pounds and will be able to walk more without having to worry about my knees supporting my weight.  That is my first goal.  I just want to be able to walk without my knees hurting or getting winded.

Enough on the dieting front.  I ordered a copy of FF12 from Gamestop to play since it is probably my second favorite FF game of all time next to 7 though I will always have a soft spot for the end of X when you got to hear a FF character say I love you for the first time it was special.  OK on to 12.   I have always loved that game I always thought that the voice acting and the story was always top.  I managed to dust off my PS2 (Still one of my favorite systems ever) and started that baby up.  I had forgotten about a few of the annoying things about the game for example the camera controls when walking are a little bit annoying and also the battle system is a bit different.  Also the size of the Playstation controllers lol.  I have been playing my 360 for so long I had forgotten how tiny they were but after a few minutes I was starting to get the feel for it again and I am sure it is only a matter of time before I am back to slashing through the game.  I am going to try to play it all MLG style no strat guide or anything like that.  Luckily it has been so long since I played it that I don't remember anything about it.  :) 

Well that is it for me right now.  I am going to try to perhaps write a little something this evening to keep myself moving with this.

Much Love:
M

My Halo 4 Review (SPOILER FREE)

So I loves me some Halo and I decided to give my opinion about Halo 4 the latest chapter in this epic saga.  OK I will admit it I was scared about where the franchise would go after Bungie stepped away and 343 stepped in and took over.  That fear was misplaced.  I was afraid that this game would play differently that it would be a "Halo" game.  Again I was mistaken this game plays just like a Halo game.  I can move seamlessly from playing Halo 3 and into 4 and not feel like I am trying to relearn how to play a game.  The new enemies are amazing and admittedly I am still on my easy run through.  I always run through a game on easy for the first play through so that I can focus more on the story and less on trying to survive.  After I finish the campaign on easy I will move up and really start to get my teeth wet.  The story so far is amazing and the voice acting is even better than in past games.

Something brilliant that Microsoft and 343 did with this was the Forward Unto Dawn series they released through Machinima Prime was a great item to get my mouth watering and get me ready for the game.  I don't really want to go into it too much because of the possibility of spoilers.

I haven't had a chance to go through much of the multiplayer modes except for Spartan Ops which was what I was most excited to see and it is amazing.  I love the idea of these small ongoing  and ever evolving campaigns that keep giving you something fresh to do every week.  I do have to admit though that I have heard that so far they are only going to do it for the first 10 weeks after the launch but I hope that they decide to continue it after that period.  If anyone happens to stumble on this blog and has any info on if they are going to keep this going please comment. :)

OK so to sum it up this game is amazing and well worth the price.  It has everything that we have always loved about Halo and a couple of new things that are sure to be loved just as well.  I am hoping to start making these little blog posts a regular thing when new games come out and I have the money to purchase them.  The next one I think will probably be on Medal of Honor Warfighters I have been really excited to get my hands on that game and soon I will be able to do just that.

Good Gaming,

Needlesedge