XBox One

I missed the conference (completely forgot about it), but from what I’ve read, the One seems to be about on par with PS4. Or, they’re about the same as PS3 and 360 are. Sure, they showed it as an entertainment device, but we already know it can play games. They basically did what Sony did and saved the stuff we want for E3 and got the boring stuff out of the way now.

That aside, the updated Kinect is impressive. It has really improved since its introduction. The update on the controller is nice as well. Subtle design changes keep it fresh, without losing the comfort it already has. The improved D-pad is a much needed change as well.

Overall, it seems like it wasn’t a bad reveal. Some good stuff, some mediocre stuff, and some boring stuff. Box looks a bit odd, though, like it is split down the middle. I imagine the conference itself was pretty lackluster, but the news that came out of it was pretty decent, much like the PS4 event.

I made this video with my buddy Michel. It’s a short film made using Minecraft (and a few mods). It was written, directed, and filmed entirely by myself. Michel helped with some set construction and controlled the character seen in the film. Watch and enjoy!

Mining and crafting… again.

I’ve been back into Minecraft after a long hiatus. I started hosting a server to play with my buddies, which ended up quickly only being me and my best friend Michel, despite having three or four other guys on there to begin with. Amazingly, I’ve dedicated probably close to forty or sixty hours in the server since I started it. 

Even more, I started shooting a short film within the game. I’ve got about a third of that shot so far, and have most of the next shoot planned out. It’s hard to have someone ‘act’ in this kind of thing, though, because it takes a while to set up shots, and then it takes multiple shots of Michel doing the same thing over and over before we get it right. For me, it’s very exciting. For Michel, based on how often he runs off to kill a sheep or pig he notices, it must be pretty boring. Luckily, he has a lot of downtime while I set things up to do his own thing. 

I wrote this whole film myself, but I’d like to get him to help me write and storyboard the next one. If things go well with this one and the finished product end up looking good, he might be down to do that, which makes me more motivated to get a really good finished product for the current film.

I’m quite excited about going through with this film. This will be the first video production I’ve undertaken all on my own, using all my own resources. What worries me the most is that I might not have a good enough editing software to do what I want. I’m so used to using Final Cut Pro at work, that I might have aspirations higher than I’m able to accomplish with the utilities I have at home. I’m sure I can make it work though. It shouldn’t be a problem.

Me, playing video games.

I recently started doing some Let’s Play-esque videos, and I’m uploading them on my recently cleared YouTube page. It’s a fun way to play games that keeps me focused, as well as helps me practice a good speaking voice (not that I have one - that’s why I’m practicing). 

As of now, I only have a few runs of The Binding of Isaac, but I’ve got some new stuff coming up. If you’re into video games, maybe check it out. 

10/31/2012

Yesterday marked the release of a handful of games that I’m interested in, namely Assassin’s Creed 3 (and Liberation on Vita), Ragnarok Odyssey, and Zone of the Enders HD. I was having a tough time deciding which of those to buy, because I really wanted to start up a new video game. Assassin’s Creed 3 was tempting, but I thought it might be a better thing to wait on and let a family member get for me at Christmas. Same went for Zone of the Enders HD, since I’ve played those games plenty of times. 

So, it came down to Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation and Ragnarok Odyssey, both on Vita. Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation runs on the same engine as its home console counterpart, so it would mostly be the same game, but cheaper and portable. Ragnarok Odyssey, on the other hand, is an online cooperative dungeon crawler similar to Monster Hunter. Neither had reviews up when I was going to the store to get one, so I had to decide blindly. 

I ended up getting Ragnarok Odyssey, because I didn’t want the story driven game, and was mostly interested in a game I could sink some time to here and there. After playing it for a while, I can’t say that it was the best choice. I don’t think the game is bad by any means, nor do I think AC3:L would have been a /better/ choice, but I’m simply surprised at the overall quality, or lack thereof, the game has. 

Visually, it looks like a PSP/late PS2 game, but I can get past that. What is most odd is how little the game offers to the player in terms of upgrading their character. Characters don’t level up, as far as I can tell, and upgrading equipment requires items that I haven’t even come across yet, despite being a decent number of missions in. The lack of leveling isn’t a surprise, since the game is basically a Monster Hunter clone, but what sets MH apart from Ragnarok Odyssey is that you can build better equipment if you are willing to put in the time, and risk your skin a bit on some more difficult missions. In RO, I feel as though many of the items required to upgrade equipment isn’t even available yet, because missions are opened up one or two at a time, unlike MH, which opens five to ten at a time. 

Despite my issues with the game, I’m still enjoying it. I’m not sure how much of that enjoyment is sincere and not an attempt to push away from buyer’s remorse, but I’m enjoying it regardless. I really bought it so I could play online with some people from a Vita forum I frequent. I don’t have any kind of relationship developed with the people there, but I’m hoping I can create a few through this game, because this game would be a blast to play while killing time and chatting with buddies. With that, if you have the game, and would like to play online with me, you can add me on the PSN; my PSN ID is schmete. 

Oh, and Happy Halloween! Go watch Hausu!

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