A link everybody should check out

What's up people, and all the new readers in Russia. I don't normally post about politics here but this was really powerful and needs to be read. Check out this link.


http://unshacklingprogress.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/unshackling-progress/

Check it out.

Star Trek: Into Darkness Review

It's fucking amazing go fucking see it...... And don't read any more reviews. They'll spoil stuff. 

Now for Q and A.

Q. How do you know I'll like the movie.

A. If you're interested enough to look up reviews, then you'll like it. 

Q. Would anyone not like the movie. 

A. Sure, it's heavily influenced by a previous Star Trek movie. In fact it's almost a remake. You really have to just ignore that part of it but once you do... if you like fun then you'll like this movie. 

REVIEW OVAHHHHH

Can Men and Women REALLY be Just Friends?

All men have been this guy at some point.

I know this appears on the Internet a lot, and it has noting to do with entertainment or tech, but still I rarely see people address this honestly. So can we be friends.... men an women that is? Well yes, I think we can we can. But it’s difficult.

Either that or you walked into it by stupidity

People tend to believe that men only become friends with women because they want to sleep with them. And.... to be fair, in high school and most of college, that reins true. But sometimes guys do want a platonic relationship. As a guy I can honestly say that I, and other guys, have put girls in the friend zone. It can be for a number of reasons but admittedly, the majority of the time these girls were not very (trying to find the right words) "aesthetically appealing". I know it's messed up but it's the truth.

Average Male Student: I tend to complain about the friend zone a lot.
 But I have no problem sticking ugly bitches in mine.

Like this one. Sorry sweetheart I love playing WoW with
 you but that's as far as we go.

The fact of the matter is the younger you are, the harder it is to be just friends. I remember my high school and college years. Sex was on my mind constantly. Now that I’m graduated, sex isn’t on my mind every second. It’s more like every three seconds now. Anyways, when you’re constantly thinking about sex and you grow closer to a girl, every guy has a moment where they begin to like her. Then they have to decide if they will speak up, potentially jeopardizing the friendship, or if they will wuss out and go silently into the ‘friend zone’.

Ladies, I don't know if you realize this but the
 Friend Zone IS rejection and it fucking hurts.

As it turns out the more attractive a girl is, the harder it is to avoid these feelings. Look, men get just as emotionally attached and can be just as romantic as women. However, men are very visual and a physically attractive woman will always get guys going. It’s really hard to avoid. My heart and brain may know that we're just friends, but my penis doesn’t know shit. All the penis knows is that it see's a hot girl within it's vicinity and it knows what it wants. Which can lead to very awkward moments when our female friends get too close. 

Look at how this video address the question.

Notice that only really cute girls are interviewed. When a girl is very attractive, it's more difficult for her guy friends to keep down their hormones. Without knowing it he will....

Girl: So me and David were thinking about dating exclusively.
Boy: Oh... that's..... great..... (try not to cry, try not to cry)

Get jealous when you talk about other guys.

 

What do I do here.... Is she making a pass at me or not?
  What do I do!?!?!??!?!??!!!!???

Wonder, every time you touch him if you’ve decided to give him a try.

Tell himself that he's happy only being your friend, but secretly wishes and prays that someday you'll see something new in him you didn’t before.

So all this in mind. It may be much more difficult for a young guy and girl to be friends but it does happen. I have female friends who mean the world to me. They give me advice and put me in check when I need it. And to be honest, I think all men need strong women in their lives. Ones that will call us on our bullshit. It's part of growing as a person. One day you won't try to hump everything you see. You'll be in a relationship and so will they. And although you will sometimes wonder what life would have been like if you had ended up with them instead, you otherwise won’t have any romantic feelings for each other, just an unbreakable bond. 

Wind Waker HD and the Future of the Zelda Franchise

First of all, I’m a huge Legend of Zelda Fan. I’ve loved the series for some time. Honestly more than anything I’m just hoping that Nintendo is going to take the franchise in the right direction. Next up they want to do an HD version of Wind Waker. Now, I’m not against that since next to Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker is definitely one of the most underrated of all the Zelda titles.

Screenshots from IGN

Wind Waker was a truly great game. Cel Shading gave it great performance; It ran and played beautifully. The game was huge in scale and yet somehow had not a single load time. I loved that they did something different with the story, where you are trying to save your sister and they keep the identity of Zelda secret the entire game. But most of all I love it for the music. Wind Waker has arguably the greatest sound design of the entire Zelda franchise.

But to be honest, I’m worried about the future of the Zelda franchise. I know I’m going to piss off some Zelda fans but I was not the biggest fan of Skyward Sword. It was a very good game but it had problems. And to be fair while Wind Waker was great and unfairly maligned, it wasn’t perfect either.

So since Skyward Sword was the most recent game. And I can assume that it shows the direction they want to take these games in, I’ll start there. But since I don’t want Zelda fans to kill me I’ll start with what I liked.

The Good

I loved the motion control for the most part. The sword and gadgets worked great and controlling the swings was fun. I liked the difficulty level. This was easily the most challenging of all the 3D Zelda games. And I looooooved the dash button. Being able to do anything faster , from climbing a ladder to running along walls, was a good thing. So overall the controls in this game were top notch. I also really liked how people would say different things thought the game. Just going through the Bazar and having a girl slowly develop a crush on you was a funny little touch. I also really liked how they kept changing the gameplay and the environment would change as you revisited places in the game.

Now for the bad

We're talking about Legend of Zelda. THERE IS NO BAD!!!!!

I hated the save system. We’ve always been able to save wherever, spacing it out was a huge pain in the ass. Also the bird did not control well. Most motion control parts have a button to press to center the direction control just in case it got funky. Riding the bird you didn’t have that. I could rarely get it to go the way I wanted.

But those are nitpicks I have two major complaints with Skyward Sword. One the game felt isolated. I mean, wasn’t Wind Waker the one where you dealt with islands? In this game there is no connected overworld like there is in almost every Zelda game. This one you pick little places in the clouds where you want to drop down. It made the world feel really small. Remember in Ocarina of time, there were many towns with their own shops and different characters and prices. Well, we didn’t get that in Skyward Sword. The game as a whole just felt really small. I would have loved to visit the world of Twilight Princess (that is assuming there aren’t orc’s shooting burning arrows at me.). Just seeing the sights and going fishing would have been amazing. But I can’t say I’d ever want to  visit the land of SS.

My second major problem is the pacing. This game is SOOO Damned SLOW. Everyone wants to talk and they take forever to do it. Now I love a good story. That’s why I play games, but this one gave me no sense of freedom. You are trapped on a very linear path for over an hour in the beginning of the game before The game really gets going and lets you roam free. Now that I think of it? Every Zelda game seems to have more and more story.

The Legend of Zelda

Here is the story... "It is dangerous to go alone. Take this"

And that’s it, the action starts. You want story? Read the book on your own time. Your imagination created the story. 

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link 

You're told the princess is cursed or asleep or something. It's been a long time since I played this one. You grab your sword and head outside. Adventure started.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link To the Past

You see a short cut scene about an evil sorcerer taking over the kingdom. Zelda sends out a telepathic message to you and your uncle. You follow him and you find his fat ass in a gutter, too weak to continue. Take his sword and shield and there you go, adventure begins, plus you're already in the first dungeon.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Now the story lines start. But at least in this game most interactions aren’t cut scenes. You talk to people but your are in control of Link the whole time. Plus if you already know how all this shit works then you don’t even have to talk to all the people hanging out. All you have to do is find a sword and shield, then after a quick conversation with the Great Deku tree, your first dungeon begins.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

Now this IS the most underrated stories in the Zelda franchise. But you start off getting jacked and cursed. Then you have to figure a way back into your body. Now this game has some time go by before you can go explore the whole world but in this game you don’t have to sit and watch cut scenes. You actually get to decide whereto go and what to do. After you become human again, you and Link are off to bitch slap evil doers.

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker/ The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

I put these two together because they have similar openings. Link live a simple and yet happy life. You meet friendly townsfolk then shit goes down and you have to save the day. After that when you think it’s over SHIT GETS REAL and the adventure begins. Now in both of these games you have openings that are linear and story heavy.

But in these cases you actually get more freedom than in Skyward Sword. You can talk to who you like and the conversations don’t go on forever! Eventually in both games you get complete control over where you go and how you explore. In SS you have to talk to people again and again. And it never seems to stop. But the problem is that People talk so damn slow. And that isn’t something that happens just in the beginning of the game. The WHOLE game is like that. Cut scenes where they aren’t needed.

You don’t have to show me a cut scene to tell me that I knocked this boss off its feet. I just fucking did it for the fifth time, stop showing me!  I swear I never do this in games but I kept hitting the A button in the cut scenes wishing it would go faster so I could get back to the gameplay. If you haven’t played SS, imagine if everyone you talk to in the game is just like your conversation with this guy....

Oh God I give up. Gannon wins just stop talking!

So overall SS was a good game, but it frustrated the hell out of me. And unfortunately the bad kinda poisoned all the good things that this game gets right.

 But what does all this mean for the future of the franchise? What will happened in the games to come.  Well the producer released a video where he’s talking about the series.

Me mentioned changing two things about Zelda gameplay. One that dungeons are done in a particular order. Maybe this means that we will get to explore things in any order that we like. Also he mentioned that we assume that we will play alone. Does this mean that the game will be online? That we can join up with friends or even strangers to take on dungeons?

This news actually has got me pretty excited. I never got to play four swords and I’ve always wanted to know what it would be like to take on a dungeon with friends. So hopefully we see the franchise go in new directions. 

To all the hardcore Zelda fans out there. I leave you with this. 

Is Mass Effect 3's Citadel DLC really worth it?

Yes, yes it totally is. I'll talk about the topic spoiler free at first but I'll get really into it in the spoiler section.

 I was as disappointed as everyone else when the ME3 came out. Without spoiling anything, the problem comes when you find out who is behind the whole reaper threat. Then they force you to make a choice, and all the choices are dumb. It's the same problem I had with Fallout: New Vegas. You give us a choice, but I hate all of the choices. Now a sad ending can work, (for example Fallout 3), but it has to feel earned. With Mass Effect, and New Vegas for that matter, I felt like "Seriously, these are the only ways this can go? Your telling me we can't make this work in a better way." Sometimes I feel like Frank Sinatra or Finn and I just wanna force through and get things done MY WAY.

But seriously the citadel DLC is totally worth it and it may even be my favorite DLC in all of Mass Effect. I may even like it better than Leviathan and the Lair of the Shadow Broker. Citadel allows you to go on a short adventure with your team. Even bring back Wrex from the first game, allowing you to have your entire team with you. It also gives you the chance to have even more personal time with whichever character you're romancing. But most importantly you get to ..... 

PARTY !!!!!!!!

The greatest thing about Mass Effect was it's characters. I loved everybody on the ship for all three games. YES, even Ashley. Citadel allows you to actually spend time with the group and enjoy them as people er... um aliens....well people and aliens I guess. 

Now before I go into the spoilers I just want to say that if you are on the fence because you are still pissed at EA for that ending, OR you were interested until you heard people bitching up and down about the ending and consequently didn't get it: PICK UP THE GAME. Citadel is well worth your money and lots of fun to play through. I know, you don't want to give them even more of your cash but I'd say Mass Effect 3 with the extended ending, Leviathan DLC, and the Citadel DLC, is a pretty solid game. The other DLC's are good but not essential. I wouldn't recommend playing ME3 without Leviathan and Citadel. Also DO NOT play the Citadel DLC until you are at the end of the game. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll say its after the mission where you run into Miranda and her sister. You will be given the final mission after that and this is the perfect time to do the Citadel DLC. One last hurrah before you go off to destroy the reapers. Well Now that that's out of the way. 

Now the original ending to Mass Effect was a bit of a let down. In the first and second game the Reapers were a real threat. THey were a mysterious, awe inspiring, formidable, and seemingly unstoppable force that was going to wipe out the galaxy. However in the end, they were run by a faulty AI gone rouge. Either that or you sign on to the whole indoctrination theory. An interesting theory but I could never sign on for it, because it's kind of a 'fuck you' to the audience. Now, to be fair a big pull the rug out from under you surprise ending can work for one game ( i.e. Bioshock), but you can't build up a trilogy making us care about the characters, just to end it with AND YOUR ALL FUCKED.

Damn you Star Child!!!!!

To be honest, that whole thing reminded me of another scene I hate.

But with Leviathan and Citadel DLC the games ending doesn't seem nearly as bad. When you actually find Leviathan and discover what the Reapers really are, I felt like "Damn, this is how the game should have done this in the first place." It stays in line with the epic scale and makes you feel like Shepard is facing impossible odds. Citadel gives us all the real goodbye we wanted. In the main game you get to say last words on a video phone. A FUCKING VIDEO PHONE. While some random dude watches you. You cant have a real moment with them because you have the operator staring at you. Citadel allows you to really say goodbye.

Internet Commercials Suck.. But They Don't Have To.

I love watching things on the internet. I actually don't even have cable because I can catch any show I want to see online. Between Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Streaming I can see just about any show I want to see with relative ease. The problem is when you watch so many videos on Youtube and Hulu, you end up watching loads of commercials. And unfortunately it's gotten to the point where I honestly hate the internet ads. 

I realize the real reason internet adds suck more than regular comercials. Because we are more likely to watch them. Nobody watches commercials on TV for the most part (unless its REALLY funny). During the commercial break most people run to the bathroom or get something to eat. Internet commercials are short and because the video can be paused we don't feel the need to get up whenever the commercial break starts. So we end up watching them, which wouldn't be so unbearable if they weren't all THE FUCKING SAME! Every I'm sick and tired of having to sit through the same commercial over and over again. I'll admit I always pay attention for a new commercial but after seeing the same one maybe 30 times a day, it begins to get a little jarring. The problem is on Youtube people get sponsored, so if you are going through a bunch of videos on one Youtuber's channel then you will be seeing lots of the same commercial. 

But these commercials don't have to suck. Advertisers are missing a great opportunity being on the internet. Why are they just showing us stuff like they do with TV adds when they could be interacting with us. I once saw a commercial for a puzzle game where instead of showing they actually gave me the option of doing a puzzle and I played it for like 20 mins. Then bought the game. Advertisers aren't being creative, they are just taking the adds from TV and putting it on the internet. So advertisers I'm talking to YOU. Because I'm sure you all read my Blog, here is what you could do to make commercials better. 

1. Change it up. And I'm not saying the same advertiser can't advertise twice. I mean you should have different commercials even when it's the same product. We get sooo tired of the same ad over and over and over and over and over and over and over and..... you get the point. 

2. Make it more interactive or creative. Hit us with something we haven't seen before. Screw with our expectations.  Like the 'don't skip it' intro to the Evil Dead add. Where we got told not to skip the trailer. It totally threw me off when I saw it. 

3. Keep em short. The longer the commercial the more tempted I will be to leave. Honestly most places do a good job of this already but sometimes I'll notice some pretty long commercials in there for certain programs. If the commercial gets to long you run into the same problem that you had with the TV adds. People turn off completely and don't want to see int anymore. 

DO these things and maybe, JUST MAYBE, I'll consider buying your products. And hey someday maybe we'll look at ads as something we look forward to, instead of something we have to put up with. 

Why We Should Never Pre-Order Video Games Again

I know that I probably shouldn't make my first entry such an angry one, but I think that this is an issue  that deserves our attention. Video Games aren’t cheap, especially for young people. We pay $60 plus tax to get a new game. Now I love video games, but the gaming industry and stores like Game Stop are pushing for people to pre-order EVERYTHING instead of getting it the old fashioned way. And this practice puts the consumer at a pretty large disadvantage.

Love this game

                 Love this game too

I remember the first game I ever pre-ordered was Windwaker for the GameCube. Nintendo offered anyone who pre-ordered the game a special disk with TWO VERSIONS of Ocarina of Time, and I thought that deal was amazing. It really was a win win situation. It’s good for the company because they have a number of sales before they even release the game. And it was good for consumers because we got an extra game as a thank you for pre-ordering. Now take a moment to think about that. You got AN ENTIRE GAME as a prize for pre-ordering. Two games really. So things started out nice but then companies got lazy. Nowadays we get a bonus skin for our character or we get to some special armor when we start the game. To me it feels less like a prize for pre-ordering and more like them just withholding part of the game if you don’t pre-order. Honestly think about the last few pre-order specials you got. Did they feel like something extra or just something that should have been included in the game from the beginning? Video games came with fun modes and unlockables as a reward for playing all the way through or finding and Easter egg. Now those same fun modes are held hostage, and we don't get them unless we pre-order or pay an extra fee online.

My biggest problem with pre-ordering is that we have no idea what we just paid for. Sure we may know the game series, but sometimes a new developer is brought on to design the sequel and they can kinda screws it up. *Cough* *Cough* Obsidian *Cough*. When you pre-order you haven’t seen any reviews. You don’t know anything about the quality of what you are buying, and personally I think that $60 is a lot to spend on a shot in the dark. Let’s not forget what just happened with the Aliens Colonial Marines.

Because of the pre-orders, this game sold like crazy before anybody even knew it sucked. Well I suppose the developers knew. But my point being that people basically had been duped.

Now I know that the video game industry's response to this would be something like “Well we loose so much money because of game rental companies and people reselling used games.” Well in response to that I’d say News Flash: Every medium has to put up with that. What makes you so special? Books, DVD's, Blu-rays, even computers get resold all the time. Hell, libraries rent books out for FREE. In 2010 the video game industry made around 100 billion dollars. I can’t say they're hurting for cash.

100 billion, That's a lot of coins.

So what can we do? What can the average person do against multi billion dollar companies. I’d say lets just stop it. Stop pre-ordering games just to get some stupid bonus skin. Funny thing is, video games are one of the only industries that can get away with this. Imagine if the Blu-ray you bought didn’t come with special features. Instead you’re left with a message that says, “You have to pre-order the disk to see the gag reel. You may go online and purchase the special features for $10.” I’m telling you if we keep doing the pre-order thing, that’s where we’re headed. Now I know that not pre-ordering can be difficult. I’ll admit I couldn’t resist pre-ordering Batman: Arkham City, just for a few brief moments as Robin. But we have to resist. 

So this is my proposal: From this point on, lets not pre-order anything unless the item offered is amazing. BUT only put down the minimum amount money needed to pre-order. Then, before picking it up, look at the reviews. If the game is as abysmal as Aliens was then skip it. I know, I know you put down five bucks. Well I'd rather loose $5 than loose $60 on a bad game. Then when the game company finds that no one is shelling out the money promised to them by the pre-orders then maybe, just maybe, they'll have to think twice about trying to sneak a crap game under the radar.