As I mentioned earlier, my camera was so full of foolishness that I did not take many pictures. However, Steve downloaded all his and sent them my way, so I am now able to show some pictures of myself enjoying my weekend in Boston.
At the Sams Brewery
Trying out a “rumble vest” (it was like a vibration controller, but it was attached to your chest and back) Read More
I got Prince of Persia in from Gamefly today, and decided to leave God of War III alone tonight so that I could check it out. I had tried the game about a year ago (had actually earned 6% of the trophies playing for about an hour when Steve brought it over), and I remember liking it, so it’s been on my queue waiting for a shot. While the game looks and feels good, I still have some early complaints.
One of the first things I noticed is the awesome look of the game. The characters are done in cell shading (a la Borderlands) and are very crisp, clean, and look like they came out of an awesome comic book. So the game is all about navigating the world, obtaining energy orbs. To do so requires the Prince to be extremely acrobatic as he leaps between ledges, up walls, and across roofs. There is little combat, but that’s not my biggest complaint. The story is good, and the gameplay further develops the story as you go (by talking to your partner Elika), so the basics of the game I like.
“Hey babe, you ready to get up?”
“Is mine done?”
“What?”
“Does it have to be done separately then yours?”
“What has to be done? Our taxes?”
“I don’t know, I was babbling. Just leave me be…”
So as I have saying over the weekend and today, I was able to finally check out the 360 at PAX, and I liked what I played.
First off, remember that I am not a 360 hater. I don’t necessarily believe that the PS3 > 360, or that I hate the 360 simply because I have a PS3 instead. When I was ready to jump into the current-gen consoles, I was tossed up between the PS3 and 360. My friend and I had lengthy conversations about the pros and cons of each, and for awhile it looked like I would get a 360, for the lower price and the far-superior online service. However, one of the biggest problems was that I had never touched a 360 before. None of my friends ever had an Xbox or a 360, so I never knew how it was. Also, I was skeptical of the 360′s life due to all the RROD reports, and I didn’t want to think about the chance that I would have to worry about getting my console fixed. So when Wal-Mart happened to have a $100 deal on the PS3, I was quickly sold, and that laid it to rest. Read More
There was quite a lot to do at PAX East, and since I got a lot of the specifics out of the way in other posts, I will be able to give a general overview of the weekend here.
We first stepped into the Hynes Convention Center around 3:30ish on Friday afternoon and started checking things out. The first floor of the convention center was dedicated to basic stuff such as checking in, the PAX merchandise stand, and other stuff. There were a lot of internet notarities selling their wares, as well as a lot of table top game providers. There were two rooms set aside on the first floor for free-play table top, meaning you and your friends could go in there, pick out a board game (and there were a lot to choose from), and kick back and play. After checking out the first floor, we made our way upstairs to the second floor, where the main exhibition room was. Read More
When I walked into the exhibition room at PAX and turned the corner the very first thing I saw was Castle Crashers. Then I looked more closely and saw that the people playing it were using PS3 controllers!!! There was quite a wait to play so I didn’t get a chance to do so Friday, but on Saturday I swung by just as three girls were starting up, and I quickly grabbed the fourth controller to see how it went. It was everything I thought it would be!
I have been long anticipating the arrival of Castle Crashers. It looked like such a fun game, and when I heard it was being ported to the PSN, I was super excited. However, news has been scarce, and I feared the worst. But seeing it at PAX lifted my spirits. From what I played, it was flawlessly awesome and now I’m even more excited to get my hands on it at home.
When I was done I swung by one of the developers from Behemoth and asked him for a release date. He said “sometime this year.” I asked him if he could at least tell me what quarter, and he could only say “sometime this year.” He did mention that one of the delays has been the volleyball mini game, which apparently still has some kinks in it which were actually being worked on by another staffer right there at the booth.
Thus I will continue patiently waiting for Castle Crashers to crash its way onto PSN…
So with three days spent at PAX, I came home with quite a bit of swag. Most of it is cheesy stickers, temporary tattoos, and pens, but I got some nice bags and shirts and keychains/ lanyards out of it as well. Take a peek at my spoils:
Obviously one of the major draws of PAX is the games. I got the opportunity to play quite a few. Of all the games I played, only a small handful were unreleased…many of them are games that are already available that I have never had the opportunity to play. So heres the games, in no particular order:
I do love my Sam Adams Boston Lager, so when we were getting ready to head up to Boston for PAX East, I thought it only fitting that we find some time to take in the Sam’s Brewery. So on Friday, after checking into the hotel, we hopped on the subway and made our way to the Sam’s Brewery for a tour and a tasting.
We walked into the building, and made it just in time to catch the tour going in. The tour was technically free, but they suggested a $2 donation which went to local charities. However, they were not aggressive about it, and in fact we almost missed the keg which was set aside to receive the donations. So even though I did it, if you were a real cheapskate you could go to the Sam’s Brewery and keep all your money to yourself and no one would know or care. I was amazed to find that the tour actually took place on the production floor, amongst the vats of beer. The first part of the tour takes place off to the side, where the tour guide explains about the ingredients in Sam Adams beer, and passes around samples of hops and barley for you to smell. After that, we go back onto the production floor, and the guide explains the process of making different varieties of Sams. On that particular day, they were brewing Cherry Wheat, so you could see the guys in the back covered in cherry stains as they went about their work. It was really cool to be standing around watching the process go down in front of you.
I got in from a weekend of gaming and other nerdly delights last night, and now I’m ready to let you know how it went. Overall, PAX East was great. I had never been to a gaming convention before, so to me it was awesome, and I had a blast. I have so many things to talk about, and they are not all going to fit into one post, so I’m trying to figure out how to break it down. So through the course of the day I will be putting out several posts about how things were up in Boston and I’ll try and do a good job organizing everything I want to say into several different, relevant posts.
I didn’t get a call for a job today, so I was able to devote my morning/afternoon to slowly making sure that I am completely packed for our trip. Steve comes up here tonight, and we are leaving bright and early tomorrow morning, so I’m thinking we will be hitting up Boston around lunch time. Here’s some of the “cool” things I packed:
I got my PAX three day pass and other info in the mail early last week, and now there are only a few days to go before Steve and I descend onto Boston along with fellow gamers and nerds to partake in PAX East. I’m looking forward to it for sure, as it will be fun to spend a weekend totally engulfed by games. The only thing I am not looking forward to will be the massive crowds…
I will be posting more as the convention draws near, and will be sure to post about my adventures when I return on Sunday/Monday.
I just have to say that the minute you pop the game in, you are pretty much blown away. The game starts with the credits rolling against animations of the two previous games, bring you up to speed and refreshing your memory of the stuff that went down in the previous installments. Then the fun begins.
The game picks up right where God of War II leaves off…Kratos is riding the titan Gaia as they scale Mt. Olympus to wage war on and kill Zeus and the other gods. The game is full of plenty of cut scenes to really get into the story, and most of the first stage deals with Kratos fending off an attack by Poseidon, who takes on the from of a man/water horse/crab creature. The level design is amazing as Kratos jumps between Gaia and Mt. Olympus as he tries to save the titan from the god. The boss battle with Poseidon is huge…not only is Poseidon’s form large in scale, but it is spread out across the level, meaning you will fight him for a bit, he will retreat, and you will chase him down to his new location. As you run through the level you are reacquainted with Kratos’ move set, and also get to kill some minions.
Gamestop finally delivered, and I received my copy of God of War III in the mail today. While it only cost be about $4.00 (I had $50 in giftcards, and then $10 free coupon for complaining to them, and then free shipping- only had to pay tax), it was still annoying to have to wait four days for it’s delivery. But now it is here, and I can’t wait to rip Zeus’ head off and toss it off Mt. Olympus!!!
Sure, I like St. Patrick’s Day for the annual corned beef meal, but that’s about it. You won’t catch me wearing green, I won’t down a Guiness, and, long story short, I won’t go around pretending to be Irish, like so many people do. All too many people make believe that they are Irish for a day (and the weekend before, and the weekend after) during St. Patrick’s Day, and run around going bar-hopping and acting like fools. Now if you’re of Irish decent, I have no beef with ya…it’s your holiday and you do what you like. But there are more non-Irish people celebrating it here in the States than those who are Irish, and for that I say boo.
So on that note, I want to make my voice heard for all us Italians out there, that we want a holiday too. I mean, just picture how awesome a holiday would be if the Irish stuff was replaced by Italian stuff. For example, everyone would down awesome, delicious wine rather than beer. And let’s face it, wine is tastier than beer, goes better with a dinner, and gets you feeling good faster than a bottle of beer would. Secondly, the food. Screw the corned beef, cabbage, potato, and Irish soda bread. Sure, it’s a decent meal, but what about a GREAT meal?! Picture it: lasagna, baked ziti, meat pie, chicken cacciatore, veal piccata, sausage and peppers, pasta, meatballs, fresh warm Italian bread with some extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings to dip it in…mmmm my mouth is watering just thinking about it!!! And what about dessert?! To be perfectly honest, I don’t even know what an Irish dessert is, but look at Italian desserts: cookies, cannoli, spumoni, tiramisu…simply fabulous!
So while I don’t mean to bash Irish cuisine and culture, I’m just saying that Italians need an ethnic holiday in the U.S. too. To be quite honest, both the food and drink are better, and I think people would have a great time getting drunk on wine and eating warm, hearty food. Easter is kind of a good example, so maybe that counts? Or maybe Columbus Day? Don’t start hating on me and telling me about all the bad things Columbus did…I’m a historian, so I know. However, it is an important holiday to Italian-Americans, and maybe more of us should start embracing it as such, rather than for the man himself.
Corned Beef and Cabbage (a la Crock Pot)
Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! Seeing how today is indeed St. Patty’s Day, I’m cooking up the traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner…in my crock pot! The crock pot is so easy to use and takes little time. Prep time is typically short, and once it’s in the crock pot, you pretty much just set it and forget it. Then when dinner time comes around and your stomach is grumbling, your meal is fully cooked, fresh, piping hot, and ready to be devoured. Enjoy!
As some may know, we had a tough time coming up with a cake topper. While the wedding is Tuscan-themed, we still wanted to have a unique cake topper…something special that identified with us personally. After much searching and browsing, we eventually decided to get a custom one done. The cake topper we chose basically has the bride (Shell) dragging the groom (me) away from his video games. The person I purchased it from customized the topper via the figure’s hair color, the game being played, the system and controllers (PS3, naturally), and the beverage of choice (in this case- Sam Adams.)
Overall, I’m pleased with it. While it may not match the grape-covered cake we will be getting, it symbolizes us in a humorous way. Me thinks it will get plenty of laughs (and probably some confused faces) when the guests see it on the day of the wedding.
I’ve been seeing billboards around town for the new Captain Morgan Lime Bite alcohol. I didn’t know what it was…I assumed it was like a hard limeade, similar to Mikes. However, seeing how Captain Morgan is my liquor of choice, I knew I wanted to try it. So when Shell and I went to Salsa Latina tonight (the best Mexican restaurant ever) and there was an ad for Lime Bite on the table, I had to give in. I ordered one, and the waiter asked which beer I wanted it to go with. Eventually I realized that it was a lime-flavored liquor, and I decided to try a shot of it in my Tecate.
It was really good…so good in fact that I am planning to pick up a bottle of it soon. It adds a nice lime flavor to the beer, and is successful in eliminating some of the “bite” of the beer. Shell, who normally hates my Tecate, actually took two sips because she couldn’t believe how good it is. I’m not sure how it would go with all beers, particularly Sam Adams, but with the Mexican beers like Tecate and Corona, I can see it blending together very well for a great, smooth taste.
While it was great in my beer, I would love to try it in other stuff, particularly a lemon-lime soda like Sprite and Sierra Mist…and maybe even in ginger ale. The ads also have other recommendations for it, such as adding it to juice and other mixed drinks. Being the Captain Morgan fan that I am, I will be willing to part with the spiced rum from time to time to have some Lime Bite instead.
It has finally come…March 16th is just around the corner, meaning that in a few mere days God of War III will be making it’s way to my house (I pre-ordered it from Gamestop.) I really have no idea what to expect. I have been avoiding reading up on the game, ignoring any review or article I see about it in magazines or online. I have also boycotted the demo and have not touched it, since I did not want to go into the game with any misconceptions based on anything that was not the final version of the game. God of War III is definitely one of my most-anticipated sequels, and would only be overshadowed by the release of a Kingdom Hearts 3 on the PS3.
Once I receive the game, you know darn well that all other games will be stepping aside for the time being, and all my gaming time will be solely devoted to the masterpiece which is GoW III.
I like this old one better than the new one.
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