Between Netflix, BBC America, and more ‘illicit’ means, I am proud to admit that I am more than ‘well-versed’ when it comes to British TV. I’m quite familiar with American TV as well but let’s be honest, when it comes to comedy no one does it as well as the British. This list is by no means complete or in any order, but should serve as a great starting out point. So bid adieu to your dime a dozen crime shows and reality TV, and welcome to your life filled with sharp dialogue and men’s behinds.

The Inbetweeners

Four of the crudest, vilest, and funniest fuckers you'll ever meet.

# of Episodes: 18 (3 seasons of 6 episodes each), and a theatrical movie

Available on: Youtube or the DVDs at Amazon

Plot in one sentence: A group of three boys welcome a rich kid unlike them into their group as they try to survive school and most importantly, get laid.

Why you should watch it:  Because The Inbetweeners had me laughing out loud more than any show I can recall in recent memory. The groups roles of idiot, liar, naïve lover, and rich kid mesh so well that by the time it’s over you’ll be wishing for more. I know I was, when the show was finished I started re-watching it again immediately, I was hooked.

"Alan Moore? More like More Doritos!" - That unfunny guy from Big Bang Theory

The IT Crowd

# of Episodes: 24 (4 seasons of 6 episodes each)

Available on: Netflix

Plot in one (run on) sentence: A show about two nerds who work in the IT department of their company have to educate their new female coworker who knows nothing about computers their way of life.

Why you should watch it:  Many popular shows fake its nerdology and throws around words that a real person would never use in an effort to win a cheap laugh (cough…Big Bang Theory). The IT Crowd not only strays away from this, but manages to use clever and realistic dialogue that will have you guffawing constantly.

Take a wild guess who's the well-mannered one of the group.

Peep Show

# of Episodes: 42 (7 series of 6 episodes each)

Available on: Netflix

Plot in one sentence: Two roommates who are the complete opposite of each other struggle to function within society, making a mess out of anything they do from going to the gym to spending the night in.

Why you should watch it:  Peep Show was one of the shows that got me hooked on UK television. With relatable material that’s partnered up with a first person camera perspective the show was an addicting watch that made me crave similar material. Peep Show is on Netflix and is extremely accessible, making it a great show for anyone to watch.

The Dad. Like any family he makes the show.

The Royle Family

# of Episodes: 24 (3 series of 6 episodes each and 6 specials)

Available on: Youtube Amazon

Plot in one sentence: A family of four (five if you count the daughter’s always present boyfriend) sit around and watch TV. Seriously, that’s it.

Why you should watch it:  Even if you never sat around the couch and watched TV with your family before, I’m willing to bet there will be a moment in Royle Family that will have you think to yourself “Hah, that’s happened to me before.” The writers have somehow managed to make an interesting show that is about doing nothing but sitting around. Proving that shows do not always need a zany concept to be entertaining.

THIS IS THE USA SHOW. IT IS BAD. IF YOU SEE ANY OF THESE PEOPLE ON YOUR TELEVISION, RUN.

Skins

# of Episodes: 36 (6 series, series 7starts the 23^rd)

Available on: Netflix

Plot in one sentence: A group of students party hard, do a lot of drugs, and have a lot of romance issues.

Why you should watch it:  Okay so out of the list this show is the odd man out. The reason I’ve included Skins is because seasons 1 and 2 are considered my favorite television show of all time. Not that the other seasons are bad, but every two years the students “graduate” and they completely replace the cast. The first cast was unlike any other, providing both comedic and memorable moments on a constant basis. You may be skeptical of the premise and the first couple episodes, but give it until episode 3. That’s when it’ll click, trust me.

Well hopefully that got you started on your descent into vastly superior British TV. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go watch season 27 episode 2432 of the Office.

But before I go, here’s an amazing song:

The entirety of the internet has made a list, and I’ve decided this is the year I won’t be left out. Two things to note: I am making the award categories up as I go, and my opinions are fact. Also for the sake of brevity, I won’t be putting much more than a sentence per award. But that format is subject to change at any time during this post. If none of this puts your bum in a rift, let’s get this show on the road.

BEST XBOX 360 EXCLUSIVE:

This is actually unrelated to Tron and that Daft Punk album.

Outland (Arcade) – 2011 was truly the year that exclusives died, with Xbox 360 only having three notable exclusive retail releases (Gears 3, Forza 4, and Dance Central 2), and the biggest out of those three being overwhelmingly disappointing (Gears 3), the award goes to an arcade title. Outland, a metroidvania clone with an Ikaruga twist.

BEST PS3 EXCLUSIVE:

Gamers had to turn to the community to pick up Sony's slack.

TIE Little Big Planet 2 and Infamous 2 – PS3 had pound for pound better exclusives than the 360, but they all suffered heavily from sequel-itis, with every one of them just being bigger versions of their predecessors. LBP 2 and Infamous 2 just happen to be the most enjoyable out of these creativity absent products.

BEST WII EXCLUSIVE:

Skyward Sword was plagued with game design choices that were dumb as that bird looks.

Skyward Sword – There was no choice, but let me say this: Skyward Sword wasn’t very good. The entire game felt like it was made on a shoestring budget as Nintendo forced the player to re-visit several areas and fight an uninspired boss three times.  In fact, I would call it the worst 3D Zelda to date. Bravo Zelda, by winning every single Wii award at every site, you manage to silence any Nintendo fan boy who would otherwise argue that the Wii isn’t dead.

GAME BREAK!!!

Before we continue with video game awards, let’s stray away from the hobby I am becoming increasingly less passionate about.

TOP 5 MUSIC ALBUMS OF 2011:

1)      M83 – HURRY UP, WE’RE DREAMING

2)      BON IVER – BON IVER

3)      DESTROYER – KAPUTT

4)      THE ANTLERS – BURST APART

5)      DAS RACIST – RELAX

BEST TV SHOW –

If you haven't read the books, this guy right here is all you should care about.

Game of Thrones – Basically on the merit that didn’t mess that shit up. Seriously, read the books, it could’ve gone south fast.

MOST BORING THING TO HAPPEN IN 2011 (ALL CAPS TO KEEP YOUR ATTENTION)–

Claire Danes is actually a cow, and ironically enough, I believe she played the part of one in some HBO special.

THE TV SHOW HOMELAND –  RUNNER UP: THAT ONE TIME I WAITED IN LINE FOR FIVE HOURS TO GET ON SUPERMAN IN SIX FLAGS. BIT MORE EXCITING THOUGH BECAUSE I GOT A SUNBURN WHICH KEPT ME AWAKE. AND FOOTBALL.

BEST FOOD –

If you were expecting NOMNOMNOM, go stick your head in a deep fryer.

Sesame Chicken – Twenty Three years running, too GDLK.

BEST ELECTRONIC DEVICE –

My baby.

iPad 2 – Skinny is sexy and fast is sexy, so taking the already super fit iPad 1 and making it sexier causes it to be a shoe-in for this award.

BACK TO GAMES.

Let’s kick off the return to games with a bang, this game earned not one, not two, but three awards!

BEST MMO, BEST STAR WARS GAME, BEST GAME RELEASED 5 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS –

Be warned, that hot chick on the cover is actually a grandma in the game. False advertising indeed.

Star Wars: The Old Republic – Pretty fun game, it’s basically World of Warcraft with cut scenes and dialogue choices ala Mass Effect.

MOST OVERRATED GAME –

Nate is as lost as everyone with good taste when searching for the fun in UC3.

Uncharted 3 – Runner Up: Bastion. Uncharted 3 is the game for graphics whores who can’t afford a PC and wish that George Lucas was capable of making a good Indiana Jones sequel. Instead of complaining about 8.0 scores, fans should’ve been thankful that this fraud of a game received any praise. Bastion is the runner-up because it’s about somewhere between 2 hours and 10 minutes long. It’s also a pretty generic twin-stick shooter with leveling and progression.

WORST COMPANY THAT MAKES GOOD GAMES –

I found this on a Russian site, so blame them for the lack of wit.

CAPCOM – Between Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition (Aka Apology Edition) having to be patched because it was so badly balanced, the blatant trolling of their most dedicated fanbase (Megaman), and releasing a sequel within the same year of release (Marvel Vs Capcom 3), Capcom has nothing to be proud of. But I’ll still be playing their games.

WORST COMPANY THAT MAKES BAD GAMES –

Right you are, girl from one of SE's BAJILLION spinoffs!

SQUARE-ENIX – Final Fantasy 14. Enough said. No? Well I just received word that the pathetic cash-in attempt FF13-2 is doing abysmal in Japan. Here’s hoping the company goes under sooner rather than later.

Wow, all this negativity is making me look like a hater. Let’s finish up on a positive note.

BEST BAND THAT I DISCOVERED IN 2011 –

This is actually my first time seeing these people. They look cool, if not a bit bored.

LOS CAMPESINOS  – Thanks Spotify. Everyone should check out the album to Death to Los Campesinos, it rules.

GAME OF THE YEAR 2012 THAT I PLAYED IN 2011 –

Yeah, I'm pretty good. If you need some tips I do lessons, paypal 15$ an hour.

DOTA 2 – I’ve been in the beta for about 2 months now and it’s glorious. Like my “why you should play LoL” post, I’ll be making one for Dota 2.

And the award you’ve all been waiting for…

GAME OF THE YEAR –

Do not stare for too long, lest you risk getting spunk everywhere.

DARK SOULS – It might not be for everyone, and it’s certainly not without its faults, but Dark Souls was the game I found myself enjoying the most. Everything from the game’s art style to its gameplay just completely outdid the competition. If your good at video games pick it up immediately, otherwise stick to Skryim (shit!).

Thanks for reading, and here’s hoping that 2012 is as good of a year. Looking at the upcoming release schedule I can’t see myself playing that many games, but I’m sure I’ll make some time for a special few. Until then, stay happy.

Initial impressions on Apple’s new cloud-based music streaming service.

Back in June Apple announced its new service, iTunes Match, allowing users to stream their entire music library from the cloud to any iOS device they owned. The service was greatly aniticipated with the price being comparatively low to the competition ($24.99 a year versus Spotify’s $119 or $4.99/$9.99 for Napster depending on which devices you use), and knowing that Match would have the ability to automatically detect and “match” music in your library (including pirated songs). However, the service finally came out this week and the reactions are mixed.

Works:

-The Price. $24.99 for a year works out to be just over $2.00 a month, skip the soda once a month and you’re in there.

-The ability to stream across all devices. Anyone who owns an iOS device should be interested, from the Dad who just wants to stream to the new iPhone he got for Christmas, to the technology aficionado who wants to be able to listen to his library on his iPad, iPod touch, and laptop.

-Songs on the Cloud already are automatically found. With most of the other cloud based streaming services you are forced to buy storage and then manually upload the songs yourself. With iTunes Match this is not the case, as the service will find your songs on the cloud and give you permission to stream it. Sometimes even upping the quality of your version if you happen to have a bad rip of it (cough, pirates).

Flops:

-Many of the Songs aren’t matched. My own personal experience with the cloud was that about ¼ of my 12,500 song library was matched. Granted, I have a lot of foreign music on there but there were some weird omissions like the White Stripes. Really Apple?

-No music hoarders allowed. Anyone with more than 25,000 songs is not allowed to use the service and will be forced to create a miniature library just to check it out. With worry I checked to see if I fell in that category and was surprised to see that I was well below the limit. So this probably won’t be a problem for most of you, but it still is a setback.

-Match is slow. It may be because the servers are getting hammered at the moment but even matched songs take a while to upload with unmatched songs expectedly taking longer. It’s not a real problem for that initial major upload if you can plug in your device and live a few hours without it, but when wanting to add new songs on the go (like the new Drake album, eh eh?) it can be a setback.

So, is it worth it?

Unless none of the cons seem to affect you and you desperately want to stream, at this time I would say wait a little bit. Otherwise, go ahead. Just keep in mind that the service has only been out for less than a week so it is possible Apple may make some adjustments.

Brothers to the end...which might be sooner than later.

(NOTE: This is a post that I originally wrote for Bitmob’s Gears callout.) Let me start off by saying Gears of War 3 is a great game, one of the best in the already-crowded shooter genre. That being said there are some flaws with the game, some of these problems are serious while others are just plain annoying. At the time of writing this I am currently level 35, have beaten the campaign on hardcore with three of my friends, and have several years of gears experience under my belt. In my opinion the following are Gears 3’s biggest problems.

• The map selection is pathetic and ironically crippled by Epic’s DLC plans.

On a recent episode of Inside Xbox (which can be found on your 360 dashboard) Cliffy B says that Halo 2 was the original Xbox’s defining experience and he hopes that the same could be said for Gears 3 on the 360. Halo 2 which shipped in 2004 came with 12 maps on the disc and another 2 maps as free DLC a few months later. Gears 3 will definitely have DLC with three new maps already being found on the disc as locked content, but the chances of it being free are slim to none. When Gears 1 was first released and it was time for a Title Update, Mark Rein and Cliffy B were guests on 1UP Yours and took a staunch position on fighting for free content and not charging players for DLC. Back then when Unreal Tournament was still fresh in everyone’s minds with new content being regularly released for free, it was easy to believe the guys from Epic that pricing was out of their hands. In the day and age of forty-five dollar weapon skins, not so much.

Both Gears 2 and 3 featured 10 maps for their multiplayer components but Gears 2 included 5 old maps for all new copies of the game, bolstering its total map count to 15. One of Gears 3’s few maps is yet another remake of Gridlock, a map that has been seen in every iteration of the Gears franchise. So Gears 3 is a downgrade in quantity from Gears 2, but that’s okay as long as the quality is there. Unfortunately it’s not. In my honest opinion, the maps found in Gears of War 3 are the worst in the series yet. The low points of these maps are Overpass, a map that features only one entrance to the high ground that practically decides the game and encourages camping in every way possible. The other is Sandbar, a map way too big for Gears and feels like something you would expect to find in a Halo Big Team Battle playlist. Epic has made some blunders with their multiplayer map choices and as a result there’s not a doubt in my mind many players will quickly drop the game for something else in the busy fall gaming season.

• The starting weapon balance is non-existent.

New to Gears of War is your choice of starting with one of three rifles and one of two shotguns. Out of the three rifles only the normal lancer is somewhat balanced with the Hammerburst decimating anything at long distance and the Retro doing the same at close range. And while the screams of the crowd shouldn’t always be believed, type Gears 3 Sawed-off shotgun into Google and the first suggestion is SOS Overpowered. Being a Gears 1 and 2 vet I’ve been an advocate for the Gnasher shotgun, but losing over and over to mindless players who just rush in and are rewarded with a kill for aiming slightly in my direction has caused me to jump ship. You’ll hear message board jockeys scream all day about why the SOS “isn’t that bad,” or “not that overpowered,” but challenge your friend to a 1 on 1 duel of Gnasher versus Sawed-off. Even if you’re much better than him chances are he’ll take a few rounds off you, and in a competitive game rewarding an inferior player is just unacceptable.

• The campaign makes arbitrary decisions that serve as nothing but to annoy the players.
  

  Who the hell is this guy?

Want to play on the game’s hardest difficulty? Well you’re going to have to beat the game first before you can do that. A good trick to artificially lengthen games without replay value but with Gears’ extensive multiplayer it’s just unneeded. The bosses in the game also have way too much health and it seems Epic’s design motto for them was “length = difficulty”. There are also numerous occasions where you’ll be asked to take a branching path from your AI or CO-OP partners in which you’re reunited no more than a minute later. It’s just confusing and not needed.

Like I’ve said the game is still great, it might just not be remembered as a classic because of these issues. Looking at Epic and Gear’s past though we will certainly see more maps and title updates that will hopefully correct some of the existing issues. Many competitive games need frequent patches before they hit that point of balance where there aren’t any huge glaring problems, the fact that my friends and I will be playing Gears every night says something about Epic’s initial shot and just how fun the game is. Let’s just hope that they don’t let greed get in the way of turning their game into something that will be played for years (or until the next inevitable game is released).

This is sort of what I thought the 3DS was going to be like.

A few months have passed since the 3DS has been released and I think it’s safe to say the launch goggles effect of ogling over the 3D has finally diminished to a point where it’s possible to critique the system without bias. My take on the standard stuff like the make of the system and the OS: Great, the system itself is very sturdy (minus the wobbly top screen hinge) and the circle pad works wonderfully. The Wii-esque interface is a more advanced version of what we saw on the DSi, with an online store (which has Link’s Awakening, most underappreciated Zelda game ever) and a friend’s list that is a step in the right direction for Nintendo in the online space (Friend Codes are still here but we actually have a friend’s list with usernames on it! We’ll have to wait until a real popular online game comes out like Mario Kart just to see how well it works). Really any problems I had with the interface since launch have either been addressed or just little nitpicks that aren’t too big of a deal. Moving onto the 3D I can say this: It’s annoyingly cool.

That it does.

I had no idea what to expect from glassless 3D. Was the image going to pop out from the screen like a holograph from Star Wars? Of course not silly, that would be too cool. Instead it makes the screen appear deeper as if you’re looking into a world and once in awhile an object will fly toward you and look like it’s actually coming out of the screen. If everything worked perfectly with no consequences then it would be great, but unfortunately we can say that for many things in life and the 3DS is no exception. First off, if you’re not looking STRAIGHT-ON at the 3DS then the image becomes headache inducing, and I mean straight on. This might sound like a silly complaint but don’t forget that we’re talking about a handheld that we hold with our hands and I assume I’m not alone in that my arms don’t remain perfectly still throughout an entire play session. Next, the 3DS’ 3D greatest asset is also its greatest weakness in the 3D slider. Every time I start playing a new title on the system I have to spend thirty minutes figuring out where the optimal spot to put the slider, not the biggest deal but still an annoyance. The 3D also comes at a cost in that many games it takes a toll on the 3DS’ power and becomes the inferior way to play. In Street Fighter 4 the game drops from 60 Frames Per Second to 30 when the 3D is enabled, Ocarina of Time the graphics become jaggy and there’s often a nasty ghosting effect. Still the 3D is a neat addition that sets the system apart from its competition. Like I said before, it’s annoyingly cool.

Pictured: An old man bitching about something.

I know games are somewhat of a separate affair when critiquing a system but it needs to be mention: The 3DS is severely lacking in this department. Two of the best games on the handheld are console ports (Street Fighter, Zelda), and when looking at the upcoming titles one has to worry if the 3DS is going to be a repeat of the Wii with the only worthwhile games being first party while other Developers lazily port their games over while adding a forgettable 3D effect. Unsurprisingly the best use of 3D comes from the new Pilotwings title but unfortunately the game itself is too short and shallow to warrant the $40 admission. In fact I can’t think of a single game that is worth the steep price tag although I have not delved too far into the highly rated Ghost Recon, which lends itself best to the idea of 3D by making the top-down turn based strategy game look like a miniature board game. Still, with nothing on the horizon but a handful of first party Nintendo titles and a minigame on the consoles stretched into a full priced experience that lacks the ability to save (Resident Evil: Mercenaries), 3DS owners have every right to worry if their money may have been spent in haste.

At least he likes it.

I may sound like a hater but I actually like my 3DS. That might be more because I’m absolutely enamored by all video games though and not because anything of quality is being produced here. Unless you’re absolutely stoked at the idea of 3D or really value your Nintendo games, then I can’t recommend picking up the system at its current price. And I’m guessing if you don’t have one yet then you’ve been able to manage holding out just fine. Besides, with the system already out for a few months you’re that much closer to the 3DS lite coming out.

Yeah...I know.

Portal 2

Before you go “Really?” and close your browser’s tab let me explain myself. I was a sophomore in college when the original Portal came out as a part of the Orange Box and with only an 8:30 AM class that day I decided to try and tackle all the new games in the collection. I started with a short marathon of Episode Two managing to beat the game before my roommate ever awoke. Before tackling Portal I wanted to sample Team Fortress 2 (which as of yesterday is Free to Play if you have yet to check it out) for an hour or so which turned into about three hours that were only interrupted by my gurgling stomach. I emerged from my room to go to the dining hall with a friend who had also been playing the Orange Box and was on the verge of beating Portal. We shared our initial impressions of TF2 and the other games and returned to our rooms with haste so I could begin Portal, the last game for me to conquer in the Orange Box after a long day. At first I thought Portal was great and thought Glados’s lacerating quips were a refreshing change in video games that I had always wanted to see. It wasn’t until I reached that last third of the game that my suite mate had finished playing and came into my room to watch over my back and yell out solutions to puzzles when I failed to nail them on my first try. Being constantly berated by him along with a desire to just see the end of the game really ruined the entire experience and left me not wanting to play another Portal game ever again. Yet with the amazing critical reception Portal 2 received I decided to give it a try and boy was I glad that I did. With no annoying suite mate over my shoulder I was left alone to witness some of the best writing and one of the most memorable endings in anything ever. Here’s to you Portal 2, I was wrong.

Much better than Oblivion.

Fallout 3

In one of my earlier, poorly written blog posts this was one of my anticipated fall release games. Even though I was anticipating the game I was still extremely skeptical since I had bought all the hype surrounding Oblivion (see: Skyrim) and could not get into the game no matter how hard I tried. Still the universe was intriguing enough for me to try out the game and I don’t know if it was the idea of traversing a wasteland where bottlecaps were the currency that kept me hooked or just the fact that guns are more enthralling than a clunky fantasy-based battle system, but I was obsessed. I would drive back to my house in a trip that took over thirty minutes just so I could play in the two hours that were in-between my next class, that’s how much I loved Fallout 3. I never did get any of the DLC’s but two years later I’m enjoying New Vegas which inherits all of its foundations from this gaming classic. Hopefully I won’t have to include Skyrim in my negative edition of this post as I think it looks absolutely incredible.

Best mech game this gen no doubt.

Armored Core 4

I think I had some birthday money or something because I remember rolling up to Gamestop and buying this along with Tony Hawk Project 9 and Call of Duty 3 (which both turned out to be absolutely awful) even though I had never played an Armored Core title in my life outside of a Playstation demo. When I got home I saw that the game was bombing critically but the guy at the store (Steve) had assured me that game was “sick and the robots were really sweet”, and he wouldn’t lead me wrong right? It turns out Steve was right as once I picked up the game I couldn’t put it down and to this day I listen to the Armored Core soundtrack. You might not believe me but take my word and make a 10$ gamble and pick up Armored Core: For Answer to try it for yourself. The game itself is complex with each of the Mechs being widely customizable and filled with action akin to what you would find in Zone of the Enders 2. If that doesn’t make you want to try it then listen to one of the many excellent songs from the game’s soundtrack:

Don’t worry my more cynical readers, my next post will be a bit more negative as I share experiences covering the other side of the coin.

The Barrier for Entry is Extremely Small (Free!)

I assume if you’re reading this that means you’re on a computer which means you’re eligible to start downloading and playing League Of Legends for free right away (if you’re on a phone or iPad boo, hiss!). The game itself is free and the system requirements are not the least bit demanding ensuring that anyone with the least bit of interest can start to play. With a streamlined interface and a plethora of website resources such as LeagueCraft and Mobafire, the game is also much easier to get into then its predecessor DOTA, so if you have bed memories of that game put them aside. Unfortunately a Mac version is not officially released yet despite Riot Games saying that it was due for release almost a year ago. And be warned, while the game itself is free, the toll the game will take on your restraint to not hit that Buy Riot Points button can be taxing once you are addicted.

The action can be fierce.

It’s both rewarding and deep.

I’m writing this at 4 AM, my good friend who has never played a game of LoL before has only left a little over an hour ago after an extended play session (with each game ending with the classic “one more!”). Being a team based game makes League perfect to play with your friends both online and in real life, and by being rewarded just for playing with Influence Points (IP) to unlock other characters with there’s also an incentive to play on your own. The game itself can remain interesting on just this level for many (a year plus for me personally), but if you ever want to take it to the next level there are plenty of streams and competitive tournaments that are worth checking out (this past weekend the official Dreamhack stream surpassed 200K in viewers, which as far as I know is more then any eSport stream out there).With both normal and draft-style ranked games you won’t be finding yourself burned out anytime soon.

It really is.

It’s fun!

I can tell you about the time I was playing as Caitlyn the Sniper and was having a back and forth battle with Ashe the Frozen Archer in the middle of the river only to have her pop ghost and run away with it coming down to the last moment when I managed to snag the kill by getting a clutch snipe. Or I could tell you about the time I was playing as Vladmir the blood mage and was about to be annihilated by a meteor from Veigar (think Vivi from FF9) when at the last second I turned into a pool of blood nullifying the attack. But you’ll just have to take my word on it, this game is really fun.

Don't hold this against the game, think of it as sandwich making time.

Everyone’s doing it.

As I mentioned earlier the Dreamhack stream this previous weekend had over 200 thousand viewers, that’s insane.More and More people are playing League of Legends and unless you want to turn into that one guy who thinks he’s super sweet because he doesn’t understand what Twitter is, there’s no time better then now to jump on the train.  With more players starting every day that means you’re more likely to be matched up against other newcomers who are of an equal level making for a more fun match for everyone and creates a sense of camaraderie between newbies in which you can help one another become better by exchanging tips and tricks.

Are you really going to pass on Bunny Teemo?

It’s better then HoN and all the other DOTA clones.

I’m just kidding, Heroes of Newerth is just as good as LoL. As long as you would enjoy an experience similar to being dragged into a back alley and mugged by three dudes while your friends and family scream at you “NOOB! WTF ARE YOU DOING NOOB!”. Not to say LoL doesn’t have it’s fair share of pricks, but HoN and other games make them look like saints. I would tell you to try HoN and see which you like better, but you have to pay for it and if you already played DOTA then you’ve pretty much have played HoN.

Just found this on the web, would be a shame not to use it right?

I could go even further but I think I’ve hit all the points that I wanted to. That, and despite it being 4AM, I really want to play now. Will this post be useless after DOTA 2 is released? I don’t think so, many people will undoubtedly play it including myself but tons of League players are committed to a game they have spent countless hours playing and we won’t drop it just because of some new hotness. If you do decide to start playing, do not hesitate in adding me to your friend’s list so we can play together. My summoner name is Spruchy and I look forward to seeing you in the Summoner’s rift.

Edit: Played Rammus for the first time in my late night game, went 2-8 but got a whopping 41 assists against an all tank team. Fun stuff but I prefer DPS.

All the components lined up ready and waiting.

I need a new computer, badly. My last PC had served me well, but considering that I had gotten it when I was a sophomore in college, it was time for us to part ways. I had always wanted to build my own PC, with all the saved money and the comfort of knowing your rig inside out, who wouldn’t? My first PC was a Gateway that I had gotten for my birthday after much kicking and squealing to my Macintosh parents who refused to believe a machine running Windows was anything but a Virus Dumpster. Four years later I got a custom gaming computer from a company called Nutech and four years after that I got another custom but this time from Ibuypower. Both computers got the job done although they were riddled with small problems like the motherboard BIOS had locked OC’ing for some reason and the ram timings would often be incorrect. Having nothing to do with those processes when the machine itself was built made for some infuriating days when I had no idea why my machine wouldn’t boot, and don’t even get me started on the time the “recommended” power supply blew and the guy at the repair shop laughed at me for using something so underpowered. Always I would claim “my next computer I’m going to build myself!” only to never follow through, but this time I did it.

The Motherboard, otherwise known as Homebase.

Thanks to this very helpful thread on Neogaf, I watched a few tutorial videos and ordered the parts right for my budget. Despite never building a computer before, it looked nothing more then LEGOs for adults and I had a head start by being familiar with all the parts. I was only partially correct, but here’s the specs of the beast:

• Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler, RR-B10-212P-G1
• Corsair Enthusiast Series 750-Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply compatible with Intel Core i3, i5, i7 and AMD platforms 750TX v2
• MSI LGA1155/Intel P67 B3/DDR3/SATA3&USB3.0/A&GbE/ATX Motherboard P67A-GD65 (B3)
• MSI nVidia GeForce GTX570 Twin Frozr II OC 1280MB DDR5 2DVI/Mini HDMI PCI-Express Video Card N570GTX TWIN FROZR II/OC
• Samsung Spinpoint F4EG 2 TB SATA2 5400rpm 32 MB Hard Drive HD204UI/Z4
• Intel Core i5 Processor i5-2500K 3.3GHz 6MB LGA1155 CPU BOX80623I52500K (overclocked 4.5ghz)
• G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1333MHz DIMM PC3-10666 Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL
•   ASUS Internal 24x DVD Rewritable SATA Optical Drive DRW-24B1ST Retail (Black)
• Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid Tower ATX Case (RC-912-KKN1)

As you can see, Maximus is a pretty capable machine . The actual process of building it was pretty easy thanks to having some help from my dad and following along tutorial videos on the web. The hardest part was probably installing the custom cooler onto the CPU as it actually had to go on both sides of the Motherboard and you were esentially balancing a small brick onto a very expensive microchip with the only thing between the two being a dab of thermal paste. The fact that the directions were seemingly written in an undiscovered language that is only decipherable by the gods did not help either. My temperatures have been fine even during an overclocked stress test, so I guess we did it right.

Dad helping with the confusing installation of the cooler.

From there it was just more screwing in, connecting of cables, and plugging parts into other parts. The only other slightly problem was these small little blocks that you attach onto a cable inside the case and onto the motherboard. These blocks have different features listed on them, some clearer then others such USB1, LEDPOWERON, etc. Some are written in complete gibberish and the only way to find where they went was to consult the motherboard’s manual that contained no rhyme or reason to what information it did or didn’t possess. This turned out to be the only problem once we were done as everything was in working order except the two front USB ports, it was a problem that was quickly remedied and I’ve been using Maximus for two weeks now without any problems.

The finished beast, Maximus.

To anyone thinking about build a computer, watch some videos(such as this one), and if it seems like something you can do, then do it. If the whole process seems to be too daunting I would check out sites like NCIX which allow you to order all your parts and then they put them together for a fee of $50. Otherwise I know a few friends who have been getting Alienwares as of late, and while they may cost more, everyone seems to be pretty happy with them. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

To keep this somewhat gaming-related, I’ve been playing Shadows of the Damned, and it is awesome.

inFAMOUS 2, good or bad?

Two posts back to back? What Craziness! Anyway, last week I finished inFAMOUS 2 for the PS3 and I thought I would write up a little post on what I thought of it. I’m not going to write too much about what inFAMOUS is all about considering you can get it free as a part of the welcome back program on PSN right now. But if you don’t know what inFAMOUS is about it’s an open world game where you play as Cole Mcgrath , a parkouring dude who is made relevant by the fact he is given the comic-book like ability to control electricity. You control Cole through a campaign that is moved along by a plot that is just inspired by comic books as his powers are through a variety of Main plot missions and side missions. The side missions in the first game quickly became very repetitive with each mission falling into one of three subsets: Go here and kill a bunch of bad guys,  go here and defuse some bombs,  or go here and play an annoying game of hot and cold. Prior to the sequel’s release, Suckerpunch said that this problem of unvaried side missions would be definately remedied. At first I believed them when I was taking photographs, competing in electrical races over rooftops, and just only killing a bunch of bad guys every other mission. That was until I realized all they had done was add a few new missions to the already existing subset and the dullness of doing the same thing over and over settled in, causing me to lose any desire to finish all of these boring missions toward the end of the game.

User-created missions, a great idea, but ultimately unnecessary.

In an effort to make sure players don’t trade their copies of inFAMOUS in after beating the game or a very optional replay as the opposing moral alignment, Suckerpunch has added the ability for players to create their own custom missions. If you leave these missions on in the settings then you will see markers pop up all around the city that look and act just like a mission that’s actually part of the game. Out of the dozen missions I played only one of them were the least bit interesting and all of them essentially boiled down to being giant encounters of way too many enemies squished into one location. Tooling around the mission editor I saw that there’s definitely a girth of customizable options, I just don’t think the world and the game’s system lends itself to user-generated content as something like Little Big Planet or Minecraft does. And with a campaign around fifteen hours along with side missions and exclusive good or evil missions one has to ask this of the creatable missions: Is it really necessary?

Only if the encounters played impressively as they looked.

Throughout the game you’ll find yourself going up against three different factions, all of which are very different from one another. Each of these factions also have their own boss-type enemies which are more of an annoyance then anything else, which can also be said for the bosses you fight as a result of the plot. The one thing Suckerpunch really got right though is the way these different groups fight against one another instead of just homing onto the player, the end result creates a war-like vibe as you watch enemies shoot rockets and claw one another to death, leaving the option of taking up a smaller side battle or hopping directly into the fray up to you. Many games try to do the common enemies angle including critically acclaimed games such as Half Life 2, but inFAMOUS 2 really does it the best. It’s just a shame that the outside of their appearances, the bosses in the game are entirely forgettable.

Does inFAMOUS have a future?

Between scouring buildings for blast shards, zapping the energy out of cars to bring down monsters, and chasing other mutants through a train yard, inFAMOUS 2 is a pretty fun time. However, I don’t know if it’s because much of the Developer’s resources were invested into making the mission creator, or just because they wanted to play it safe, but if inFAMOUS 3 is to come out anytime soon, there needs to be some changes.  Outside of the improved graphics and some minor tweaks and additions there’s hardly anything new here and for a second repeat trip that’s OK. But to do it a third time? I’m not so sure. Then again, Suckerpunch just announced at E3 that they’re working on a new Sly game, so perhaps we won’t see Cole Mcgrath for a while.

Oh yeah.

Or maybe we will.

8 /10 – If you thoroughly enjoyed inFAMOUS 1 definitely check it out, if you didn’t then stay away. If you never played it and it sounds interesting to you  I recommend trying out the demo. As you can tell from reading this, what you experience in a small sampling is very much a large glimpse at the whole picture.

What I’ve been playing:

New Vegas in all of its glory.

Fallout New Vegas

Last week I built a new PC (which there will be a separate post about sometime in the near future) and while it’s capable of running The Witcher 2, Crysis 2, and all of that other fancy stuff, I chose to play the less hardware-demanding Fallout. When Fallout 3 came out I was skeptical as I wasn’t the biggest fan of Oblivion but once it got it grip on me there was no turning back, I was rushing home from class just to squeeze in a two hour session before having to drive back over for yet another class. Unfortunately when New Vegas came out it wasn’t the most optimized game and my old computer wasn’t capable of playing it, fast forward to today with my new computer and I’m happier then ever getting 60 frames with everything maxed out. I’m really enjoying the game itself despite Obsidian’s decision to play it relatively safe and add very few new things from Fallout 3, but the writing and the main quest itself is a lot more enjoyable and more thought out here. Let me just say this to anyone who hasn’t started the game yet: New Vegas does not start until you get to New Vegas, which can be anywhere from 6 to 8 hours depending on which of the few beginning side quests you choose to do. Once you reach the game’s titular city things really ramp up and you go from having little choice on what to do to a full range of options and opportunities. I can’t wait to delve back into Nevada.

Like a Phoenix, both Rez and the Kinect Rise!

Child of Eden

My Kinect had a lot of dust on it, I’m talking like a Wii in a basement prior to Mario Galaxy 2′s release levels here. But everyone who had gotten a chance to go hands-on with the game said this was the definitive title for the $150 device and would turn it from a Dance Central machine into a real thing. Now I don’t know if this is bias because I have a 120” projector and surround sound system that come together in a way that makes it seems like they’re tailored for the game, but:

Believe the hype.

Child of Eden is the Rez successor you always clamored for but never thought would happen. CoE is also the game for the Kinect that eases the bullet you bit this last fall when you were tricked by Microsoft’s aggressive ad campaign into buying the thing. There’s not much I can say as any words would fail to accurately portray the experience fairly, but get to the end of the second stage and tell me you’re not a believer, go ahead, try it.

A picture of OoT 3DS and Chocolate Mousse, despite what you think this picture actually isn't in 3D.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS

Not only is my Kinect getting justified but now my 3DS! What Craziness. I know it’s lame but I’m using a walkthrough to get 100% of all the items including the skulltua’s and poes. Despite beating the game countless times I actually never did a 100% run before. The 3D is okay although there seems to be a slight ghosting problem that’s more noticeable the higher the slider is turned up, I usually play with it at 30-40% or just leave it off. All you really need to know that it’s a really nice port (the frame and character model improvement does wonders) of a classic game. If you have a 3DS already then I’m sure you’re most likely buying it.

And besides that I’m playing a game of League of Legends every now and then to get my win of the day along with finishing up L.A. Noire which is a pretty unique title but ultimately ends up being pretty repetitive. Once I beat Fallout I’ll probably start the Witcher, I’m itching for a fantasy game since I’m reading Lord of the Rings and just got done watching Game of Thrones. And knowing my love for Suda, I’ll probably be picking this up tomorrow:

What a boss song, and who said the summer is a drought of gaming?