Playing As The Bad Guy

In the past few weeks I discovered something about myself, in terms of gaming. It's something I knew deep down in the back of my head, but never fully acknowledged.

I enjoy playing as the good guy.

That in itself isn't a revelation. I mean, who doesn't love being the hero? Who doesn't love sweeping in and saving the day? But with games nowadays, there is more then one way to win the day. And that does not always mean being the good guy. In fact, sometimes it means being a downright bastard.

The games I play the most- the Mass Effect series, the Fable series, and the Dragon Age series- you can win the game multiple ways. You can be a true paragon, or an evil renegade bastard. Sometimes there are even achievements for playing as the bastard. Now, this doesn't mean you are evil. Far from it- sometimes it just means that you are playing as an "ends justify the means" sort of character.

I sat down to play through Dragon Age: Origins again, and as I flipped through the achievements, I realized that I had about 3-4 I needed to get. The consisted of being a total bastard though- killing the Dalish elves, killing off the mages, and pouring blood on the ashes of a holy figure. The last one would be especially hard, as my current romance, Leliana, would attack me and leave the party if I did that. Thinking about actually doing any of these just gave me the willies. In the end, I ended up saving just before I had to make the decision, played as a bastard, got the achievement, then immeadiately reloaded and played as the good guy. This required about twice the amount of time, but in the end I felt better.

So with all the choices that games have to offer, why do I hate playing as a renegade? I am unsure, but I know some of my friends just revel in being a bastard online. I can't seem to do it. I also have an aversion to romancing more then one character. This is especially true in Dragon Age: Origins, where you get an achievement for romancing all the characters. I flat out refuse to do it. First of all- it takes most of the game to get to that point, so it's not a short 10 minute segment. You have to put actual thought and time into it- and end up really caring about the relationship. These three series are some of the few where I can play as a female character- and gives me the option of romancing another female. I see this so little in my real life- including other video games and tv shows/movies, that romancing someone else almost feels like cheating. I like my romances with Liara, Leliana, and whatever random female villiager I can connect with in the game. I don't like the game tempting me with other romance options just for the sake of 10 achievement points.

I guess in the end I just enjoy being the Lesbian Hero.

Geek On.

Fable 3, Fallout New Vegas, and Assassins Creed: Brotherhood

October and November are usually awesome months to be a gamer. And this year, that is no exception. Some really good games have come out so far. I haven't been able to afford Rock Band 3 yet (All I need is the keyboard, but that's around 75 bucks- no thank you!). Here is what I have picked up so far:

Fallout New Vegas: I admit, I'm not a HUGE Fallout fan, but I picked this up and from one of my students, and I really like it. I haven't finished it (not by a long shot) but I plan on playing it over winter break when I have hours to just explore.

Fable 3: I just finished my first play through of this game. Overall, I enjoyed it, but there were parts that I didn't care for all that much. The storyline for the first half was really good... and then you get to the second half of the game. From there you go from gathering allies to overthrow your brother on the throne... to micromanaging. The game does not indicate to you until you are almost done that you need roughly 10 million dollars to get the absolute best outcome for the end (this is of course, if you are playing good- if you are playing as an evil bastard, then you don't need that). So that meant I had to frantically buy as many shops and houses as possible. The game gives you money for every 5 minutes that you play the game. In order to get 10 million dollars, I would literally turn on the game, load it up, go to the Sanctuary, and then read a book or watch tv- making sure i moved the controller every once in awhile. After doing that for 3 days I finally had enough money to continue on with the game. If I had a CLUE even a little earlier in the game, i would have invensted in poperty as soon as possible.

The multi-player aspect is a lot of fun. I played with my friend Rae, and we got married to one another (we needed to do that for a part of the game) and found that we shared money and property when we played together- this was a great way to make some money.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood: I have only played 1.5 hours and I am enjoying it so far. I haven't tried the multi-player mode, but i will let you know how it is.

Geek On.

Lazy Weekend = Gaming and TV!

I have a lazy weekend planned. What does that entail? Lots of gaming and some tv watching. Just how I like it.

Gaming: I need to play through the DLC, Lair of the Shadowbroker, one more time so I can write a review for lesbiangamers.com I also restarted Alan Wake on on a higher difficulty (holy shit, that game is HARD), and I have been thinking of picking up Fable 2 again before Fable 3 comes out.

On the other hand, I discovered that if you buy a tv show via Amazon.com, you can download the episodes to your TiVo. So, I immediately bought Rizzoli and Isles in HD. Because really, being able to see Sasha Alexander in glorious, pretty HD? Nothing is better then that! mmm, Sasha Alexander.

Where was I? Oh yes, TV shows. I have been told to try Warehouse 13, and they were on sale at Amazon, so i bought them (not in HD, as I only have 20 hours of HD programming on my TiVo, and 10 of those hours are reserved for Sasha Alexander.) They are almost all downloaded, so I will watch those tonight and tomorrow, switching off with gaming.

Upcoming games: I am looking forward to Fable 3 and Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, both being released this month.

I also decided on a Halloween costume: an Evil Knight. This will be included with black hair and the necessary evil goatee and sideburns.

Geek On.

New Shows, New Dog

It's the start of the new fall tv season! Time to watch the really good shows do well, and the trainwrecks crash and burn. So here is what is new that I added to my TiVo:

The Event: I watched the first episode, and the first thing I thought was: "Kerry Weaver is back!" Then I realized I wasn't watching ER. The Event was a little confusing, and it's chock full of allegory, but I'll give it a few more episodes before I decide if I like it or not.

Hawaii 5-0. Ok, the only reason I added this was Grace Park in a bikini. Yeah, I"m shallow like that. So sue me.

Nikita- What is this, the 8th reincarnation of this series/movie? It's the CW, which scares me a little bit, but i'll give it a try.

Blue Bloods: what can I say? I love cop shows.

No Ordinary Family: This is the one I am most excited about. Julie Benz! Superpowers! Just don't go into a giant hole of suck like Heroes.

On the Netflix side I have been slowly working my way through Dr Who and Legend of the Seeker. Both are pretty decent and I am enjoying them.

Games-wise I took a break- I think Mass Effect 2 killed me. I might go play Alan Wake again, as there are things I missed when playing the first time.

I also added a new addition to my family- a dog named Hawk (short of MoHawk). I got him at a shelter- he is a shitzu, and an adorable little man.

Geek On.

Lair of the Shadowbroker

I will keep this post pretty much spoiler free (unless you haven't played Mass Effect 2 at all, then you might be screwed- sorry!).

I just finished my first playthrough of the ME2 DLC, Lair of the Shadowbroker. So far, I am pretty impressed. A halfway decent boss battle, and a good addition to the ME2 story. But we all know the reason I actually played it- Liara. or, to be more specific- to continue my relationship with Liara that I started in ME2. I have played ME2 3-4 times right now- and in almost all of those games I had a romance with Liara, and then chose to not cheat on her through the second game, hoping it would pay off. And it DID. Of course, I did one playthrough where I romanced Thane, only because I wanted the damn romance achievement. Now I can't remember which character that is, and I am sort of afraid to play Lair of the Shadowbroker with that character- I am sure it will not be a happy/puppy/rainbow ending.

But I digress- Lair of the Shadowbroker was 800 microsoft points, but it was worth it. You get a tone of stuff, about 2 hours of gameplay on casual, and it is a good bridge between ME2 and ME3 (I am assuming).

I had started a new game, thinking that Lair of the Shadowbroker was supposed to take place in the middle of the game. You can play it that way, but then I went on the bioware forums. Apparently the developers assumed most people have already played the game, and a lot of dialog changes if you play it after you have already beaten the game. I plan on doing that with one of my previous characters just to see the dialog changes. But really, all I cared about was the storytelling. They sure do know how to pack an emotional punch into this game- and the DLC is no exception. There are some hilariously funny lines, showing the developers have a good sense of humor about themselves and the game. I approve.

Geek On.

Alan Wake, Red Dead Redemption, and a New Job

One of these things is not like the other. One is something that if I didn't get soon, I might have gone crazy (and no, it's not Alan Wake), and the other two are games I have been dying to play. All three things came true!

So yep, got myself a new job and moved about 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately, I am still waiting for my Xbox and Tivo to be hooked up to the internet, so I may still be slightly crazy. I can still play games and watch tv, I just can't record anything or playing anything online- so that part kinda sucks.

So, two games I have got borrowed over the past few weeks: Red Dead Redemption (RDR) and Alan Wake. Two very different games, and two very different opinions.

RDR: I thought this is would be the game I loved the most. But, so far, I find that I am mostly bored. The graphics and the scenery are stunning, and the voice acting is superb. But, it goes so slow. I am someone who likes to do most of the game (I'm not a total completionist whore like some of my gaming friends, but I do like to get most achievements). And so far, I have been doing the same things over and over again. I am hoping the game picks up, as I am still in the first 1/3rd of the game.

Alan Wake: Now here is a game I can't wait to play again. The story was awesome, the pacing was well thought out- and it pretty much scared the crap out of me. It took me awhile to get used to the controls and the combat system, but overall it was pretty good. The soundtrack and the voice acting were excellent, and some of the vistas were gorgeous.

One last note- I am hooked on a new show on TNT: Rizzoli and Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. It's pretty much the gayest non-gay show ever. And I love it.

Geek On.

Home... but where is it?

So, no matter where I lived, I always considered Wisconsin "home," and to an extent, I always will. However, I just spend 3 weeks in Wisconsin, and I had a startling realization. I was so happy to come back to KC and Warrensburg, and I as pulled into KC, I had a sense of being HOME. I was happy to leave WI. I don't have a place to stay there that is my own, and most of my friends don't live there anymore.

It was nice to see my niece Paige for the first time- and hanging out with my bro is always cool. I managed to avoid seeing my dad except for one time- and that was clearly one time to many. I also love my mom, but i just cannot live with them for an extended period of time. In their two bedroom apartment, they have 2 cats and three fucking annoying birds. I cannot stress how much I hate those 2 parrots and 1 parakeet. They are loud, annoying, and i didn't get a decent night's sleep in that apartment. Plus the fact my step dad smokes like a chimney. A nice place to go for a day or two, but not much longer then that. I saw my boys, Tom and Justin one night, and they are still trying to convince me to get a job at Steven's Point, but i don't see that happening. I LIKE living in a place where I have more then two friends, and none of them actually work in Housing. A stable group of friends who don't move every 2 years.

So even though I was born and raised in Wisconsin, I now consider Missouri my home- which is both scary and exciting at the same time.

Geek On.