Summer update

Yup, it's just like the Xbox Live Spring and Fall updates xD Now, seriously, I've been sort of neglecting this blog for some time now, with only sporadic posts, but now I'm back with, hopefully, good stuff to talk about. It actually feels good to be here, I really need a place to write now that I've sort of given up on another site. Anyway, I realized that I've kept you in the dark for a long time regarding the last games I played, so here's what kept me entertained in the last few weeks (no i'm not going to talk about MGS4 because you all already know how awesome it is):

Halo 3


The only reason why this hype-beyond-all-reason game was not a total disappointment was because I already knew what to expect, and yes, my opinion stays the same, it's just an average FPS. The graphics, although not bad by any means, are just average when compared to other FPS of its time and gameplay-wise its just the same thing all over again. Not that I was expecting a revolution, or something, but, damn, why do I have to feel like I'm playing Halo 1 and 2 again instead of the sequel they promised me? Another thing is the repetition of events. You shoot aliens, you shoot flood, from time to time you arrive in an open space where you fight with vehicles, it' been the same for years now! Oh, and scenarios? Guess what. You have forests, alien bases and snow like in Halo 1 and desert like in Halo 2. OMFG, it's original beyond measure! Couldn't they throw at least a new theme for a change? The jungle theme doesn't count, it ends too quickly... And guess how the game ends? With a fucking Warthog getaway, just like in Halo 1. Yeah, I'm also thinking what the fuck was Bungie doing all this time to just recycle the previous games instead of making a true sequel. At least it's not boring (for the most time)...

Assassin's Creed


Another pretty hyped game, specially because of producer Jade Raymond (don't look, funnyman, or you might need a cold shower), but this one actually delivered, although both the press and gamers, who apparently were expecting a perfect game, were turned off by just a couple of flaws. Ok, maybe I just like it because I'm interested in the theme of the Middle Ages and its detailed, living an breathing cities are a perfect research source for a book I'm writing, but still, one can't deny the pretty original gameplay and the just superb graphics. Everything is both huge and detailed, and it's stunning to see the game in motion. Recommended for anyone who likes the theme.

The Orange Box


Or better, Hal-Life 2, Episode 1 and Episode 2, since those are the ones I'm actually playing. Portal, as great as it is, once you beat it there's not much left, and I already beat it on my PC, and Team Fortress 2 lacks bots for off-line play, for all of us poor bastards without Xbox Live Gold. I actually just got this game because of Episode 2, but I decided to play the original game and Episode 1 again to better follow the story, and what can I tell? HL 2, despite being more than 3 years old now, is still great and even graphic-wise is not the worst looking game, or FPS, I've seen on the 360 (that title goes to Far Cry, great game with a suck ass presentation). When it comes to gameplay this game is the exact opposite of Halo 3, you never spend more than 5 minutes doing the same thing and just when you start to get tired of a certain section, some twist comes in and you find yourself doing something completely different. Of course it always involves shooting and a little puzzle-solving here and there, but this game really pushes the limits of how many different things and situations you can have in a single game, and the Episodes, that are sort of expansions, do this even better. Also, the interaction between our character and our allies is like nothing I've seen before (only surpassed by the All ghillied up mission in CoD 4), and story-wise, the end of Episode 2 is the most emotional virtual moment I experienced since MGS4. Yes, it's that good. Recommended for anyone looking for a good FPS that's more than just running and gunning.

Up The Fucking Irons!!! \m/

Oh. My. Fucking. God... 09/07/2008, I was there...

..to see the best fucking band on the planet! It was so fucking awesome that I needed almost a week to put myself together, process everything that happened, and write this post about it. Here's what happened...

Before the show my day wasn't going too well. I had just missed the train and the next one would only arrive 2 hours later. Damn... That meant that I would miss the previous shows. Not much of a problem since I'm not a fan of Avenged Sevenfold and my favourite Slayer song wasn't included on the set-list (it's Eyes of the Insane, btw), but any further delays could prevent me from arriving on time. After embarking on the train shit continued to happen. The train ahead of us had a mechanical problem and we were stuck for half an hour before it was solved. Fuck dammit...


When I finally arrived in Lisbon I quickly took a cab and arrived at the place one hour before the start of the show. That was a close call... After grabbing a beer I enjoyed the rest of Slayer's performance (pretty cool) and when it was over I finally tried to locate the only two people I knew who where there (I later discovered that Profeth was also there, but he forgot his fucking phone, so I had no way to contact him...). Ok, I only knew them from chatting with them on the web, it was the first time I met with them personally, but you can't go wrong with fans of both metal and games.


Mochito and dxvolt, you guys are the best. Too bad we were together for such a short time (damn trains!), but, anyway, such a show is always best enjoyed in good company, so thank you both for providing that. Eventually we started to hear "doctor doctor", the UFO song (they're cited as being a big influence of Steve Harris), so we knew the show was about to start. We were already getting somewhat impatient (although the band arrived only 10 minutes late, nothing compared to other bands who make us wait one hour. Yeah, it happened to me once...), but then we begin to hear Churchill's speech (yeah, the WWII one), and then comes Aces High. OMFG...



What followed was just so fucking incredible... The musicians' performances were just superb, the pyrotecnics were on par with what Rammstein use on their gigs (which is saying alot!), the stage was perfectly decorated, with nice details like sarcophagi with bright red eyes glowing in the dark and great backgrounds (I think the background of Rime of the Ancient Mariner had actual pieces of cloth acting as sails instead of just a picture) and Bruce's costumes were as good as ever. Oh, and Eddie also made an appearance, twice! First as a big ass mummy and then as an android. Really, we couldn't have asked better. I've seen a lot of Iron Maiden concerts on DVD and this was without doubt one of their best, not just because it was the first I attended, but because they really gave it all to make it a memorable night.



When it ended the only way we could express our sheer joy was through a group hug between me, dxvolt, mochito and...fabio, I think? Sorry, didn't catch your name :/ What a great show, what an awesome experience, it was one of those things that only happen once in a life-time...and I was there! Fuck yeah! :D

PS - Dxvolt, thanks for everything, man, really. For the food, the drink and the ride home. I really appreciated it, remember me to buy you a beer when we meet again ;)

MGA: Metal Gear Awesome!

Words are simply insufficient to describe the colossal sense of WIN which this game engenders in fans of the MGS saga, therefore the only useful response is a visual representation of said fans' reactions:


FUCKING WIN!!! This shit is awesome! It is made of WIN and GOD! (and yes, that's me in the photo)

Yeah, I know I've used the sentence above more than a couple of times already, but really, it couldn't describe MGS4 more properly. This game is the shit! This is next-gen! The current generation is filled with great games, that's undeniable (unlike what some people say...), but lets be honest, despite prettier graphics most of them don't really feel like their the next generation of games, bur rather the same old games with just new make-up. This game, on the contrary, is next-gen in everything it does, and it would be simple impossible to do without the modern hardware.

Yes, this is so far the pinnacle of HD gaming, and is more than enough reason to buy a PS3 just for it. No, I'm not insane, I just fucking love the game! The graphics are just "OMG awesome". The animations? Even better. Gameplay? Just fantastic, still fresh even after 4 games and polished up to near perfection. Sound? Unbelievably good. And story? The story is the best damn part! We get to see practically every character from the series again (except the dead ones, obviously) and finally we have answers for the questions that tormented us for so much time! What happened to Olga's daughter? Why the fuck is Vamp apparently immortal? And why the hell does Snake look older than my granpa? Patience, young padawan, for all this will be answered in this most excellent of sequels.

So, what the hell are you doing here reading this? Go play the damn game. Now!

Just for the record, I'm not finished yet, I just reached Act 3, so be careful with spoilers when commenting, ok? :)