“Unfinished Business…What's Going on Here?”

I have played a lot of video games throughout the course of my life and honestly I can't recall that many games with such noticeable glitches and/or bugs as I can today…now I'm not saying there wasn't any (so put away your can of whoopass and holster those light guns)…just that they were few and far between and for the most part they didn’t hinder the overall experience.

Before the idea of having a constant internet connection came along, which allowed developers a direct link to your system; it seemed as if they kept the games on the burner until they were completely done or at least as close as possible.

Now though, it seems as if they release games before they should…with the thought they'll just patch up any issues later. This philosophy may work well for the publishers but unfortunately it leaves the games with a bad taste in their mouth.

Obviously not all games with glitches/bugs fall into this category, there are some that just slip by the quality testing peeps and unintentionally make it to the sales floor. However, there are some that seem as if they just get thrown out with the idea that they will just be fixed later at the gamers expense.

Bethesda’s games are a great example of this…I would recommend to anyone playing one of their games to save…and to save a lot…because there is nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of a game and running into one of those said glitches/bugs and having to restart everything you just did…talk about nerd rage.

There also doesn't seem to be a sense of urgency on the developers part to release the patches to fix the said issues at hand either…sometimes it takes weeks, months or even in some extreme cases years.

I don't know if they're not aware of these issues until it's pointed out…or if for our $60 we're buying a beta which we are the testers for…to make the games more enjoyable for those people who’ve decided to wait on picking it up when it’s first released and just buy it later on down the road…who knows…I guess like Guns N' Roses said, “All we need is just a little patience”.

I know with the advancement of technology and of course the margin of error for the human involvement, it's not an easy task to make a perfectly polished game. However, I don't think it's asking too much that a $60 game be playable from the moment you take the shrink wrap off either.

MJM

"Confessions of a Geek"

Ladies and gentleman…geeks and nerds of all ages…I bring you one of the hottest geek chicks on the web! So without further ado I bring you Sarah Almond from "The Sadder But Wiser Girl"!

MJM

 

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This could very well be me:  A redhead who played the flute in band from elementary school through college and beyond.  But I never went to band camp.  So I can’t have the cool catch phrase.

My band days may be long gone, but that doesn’t make things much different for me. Throw me in any social situation these days and I’m like a fish out of water, a hobbit out of the shire, or dare I say a taun taun in the desert.  I know, AWKWARD.  I live amongst the disturbingly thin and beautiful Scandinavian population in Central Iowa where I fit in sooooo well.  Good times. 

Part of my problem is my inherent inability to make this thing known as small talk.  While I can talk about the weather for a few minutes, and maybe a thing or two about my kids, the vast majority of things that fascinate other people don’t even really register on my radar. 

That’s because I speak GEEK.  Yeah, I’m one of those.  Not only am I a geek, I’m also married to one.  In addition to this, I’m raising my very own geeklings.  I’ve seen and I can totally kick your butt at Star Wars trivia.

One of my geeklings.  I think the purple nightie sets off the Iron Man mask quite well, don’t you?

Don’t get me wrong, I like some of the things that decidedly normal people like.  I like clothes.  I work out.  I love movies and music.  I like a big glass of wine on the weekends.  I like to look at Pinterest.  But despite all of these things I seriously belong to a whole other  world. 

Years ago I tried to hide my geekiness and act like normal people, but as I have gotten older and have been referred to more than once as kind of weird, I realize that it really doesn’t matter any more.

So I’m going to make it a little easier on you people.  I present to you the vastly contrasting things between what would be considered a “normal” female’s world and mine:

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I like to talk about movies.  But don’t talk to me about The Notebook or Silver Linings Playbook.   I’d rather talk about Iron Man 3.

Oh, you know a little French?  I know a little Klingon.

Golf is a four letter word in your house?   Hmmmm, Skyrim is the same thing in my house.

Do you own pets named Fluffy and Spike?  Mine are named Rogue and Neo.

What do your kids like to spend money on?  My 5 and 8 year old children pooled their Christmas money so that they could buy Skylanders for our Xbox.

So you say you can name all of the people on Real Housewives of Orange County?  I can name every major character on all five Star Trek series.  

You said you’ve read the whole 50 Shades of Grey Trilogy?  I’ve read the whole Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

You named your kids names like Emma and Brayden.  We considered names like Jadzia and Zephram.

You spent your Saturday morning getting a pedicure?  I spent mine at the comic book store.

 

 

My son loves the comic book store, and for good reason…

Your say your kids got an Xbox? I’ll see your Xbox and raise you an Atari, a 3DO, a Nintendo, a SuperNintendo, a GameCube, a Playstation 2, and a TANDY.  Yes, a Tandy.

Your favorite show is Gossip Girl?  Mine is The Big Bang Theory.

You went to see Sex and the City on opening night?  I saw Star Trek: Insurrection on opening night.  I was one of the only girls there, unless you counted the ones in the ISU Marching Band.  By the way that had to be the coolest night of my life.

How many times have you watched Bridgette Jones Diary?  I’m pretty sure I’ve seen The Empire Strikes Back at least 100 times.

You play the Sims a little?  I bet my husband’s Sims could kick your Sims asses.

What did you ask for when it was your birthday?  I asked to go see Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness!

Sarah Almond is the mother of two geeklings and is married to a certified Evil Genius.  When she’s not losing her keys, avoiding the dishes,  or watching her husband build an Iron Man suit, she writes the blog The Sadder But Wiser Girl.  You can read all about the insanity that is her life at http://sadderbutwiser.wordpress.com

 

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So there you have it.  I’m totally okay with being a big geek.  If that scares you away, so be it.  I wouldn’t be trying too hard to talk to you anyway.

“PS Vita and a toilet”

No…this isn't a thread about how the PS Vita sucks…and how the only thing it's good for is toilet paper. I actually like the little guy, sure it's not the best thing since sliced bread, but it has its moments.

My Vita has become like my Wii…kind of just sitting around waiting for that special game to play. It's like a CoD camper, it just waits there, not moving a muscle until I walk by…then it's plow...how do you like me now.

Well this past weekend I was given Resistance: Burning Skies just because people knew how much I enjoyed the series on the PS3. At first I just put it aside not really giving it a second thought, but then for some strange reason as I was lying in bed staring at the ceiling I figured I would give it a try.

While playing the game my stomach felt as if it was bubbling over...kind of like a witches cauldron...so I had to make a mad dash to the crapper…of course with the Vita still in my hands.

As I sat there dropping off the goods…I was playing the Vita the whole time…not being aware of how much time had passed because I was so deep into my game. Once I snapped back into reality and realized I was sitting in my own funk for what must have been twenty minutes or so I was ready to move on.

I placed my Vita on the shelf and started taking care of business…all the time being careful not to hurt my Vita…like any good parent would do. I couldn’t very well try to handle business with my Vita in my hands…unless of course I was like an octopus…then I could wipe and play at the same time…now that would be freaking cool.
 
When everything was all cleaned out I attempted to stand up...but with my legs not having any feeling in them since sat so long it didn't work out as planned. I almost crashed into the shower but luckily was able to grab onto the sink and hold myself up until I regained feeling back into my legs.

So the moral of this story is, don't game on the toilet unless you have a spotter...and don't touch my Vita when you come over, unless you're wearing gloves or have some hand sanitizer available.

MJM

“The Tough Life of a Gamer”

How can someone who knows absolutely nothing about video games work in the video game section of a store?! I was at Target the other day...I saw "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning" on sale for $20...I've always wanted to play it so I figured now would be a good time to pick it up…especially after having to format my PS3 and losing all my saved data.

Now I know these departments aren’t called the video game department, they are not exclusive to video games…they are called the electronics department…but in that case , like my mom used to say…if you don’t know what you’re talking about then shut your piehole and open your ears because you may just learn something.

I also always like to hear people’s opinions of these games…just to hear what they have to say…and who knows maybe make a new friend…oh who am I kidding, what I meant to say was make “a” friend. Yes I’m lonely…my Miis just aren’t cutting it any more…I need some real friends…I’m craving that human contact.

So I asked the clerk who was assisting me…because you know how these stores are they lock their games away behind those super impenetrable force fields…which can only be opened with the master key…and sometimes when trying to find a clerk and/or fight through the other nitwits in the store it can actually play out like a quest right out of Zelda.

I asked this guy…who was about my age and looked like one of the guys from ZZ Top if he has heard anything about the game and/or if he’s played it. At first he looked kind of puzzled…as if I just asked him the final Jeopardy question…he hesitated for a moment then finally spoke…he said, “I have not played it, but I heard it’s a lot like Mortal Kombat” which just so happened to be the next game over.

Now I never played the game myself either…but I sure as hell knew it was nothing like Mortal Kombat…I felt like slapping him upside the head like as if I was Gibbs and he was DiNozzo. I restrained myself though…mainly because I knew he would most likely kick my ass…and just shook my head and walked away. This nincompoop must have thought just because they were next to each other on the shelf that they were within the same genre…of stupid little man…he just has no freaking idea.

I went and found my girlfriend in the clothes section…and asked her to go back and pick up the game for me…because I couldn’t look at that guy again…at least not without crying. She was pissed…called me an idiot…then stormed off to get the game for me.

The moral of the story…don’t talk to strangers…especially about video games…unless you can kick some serious ass and run really fast.

MJM