Posted by Rob on December 31, 2011 – 2:25 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-optimus, collectibles, dead island, gamefly, platinum, skyrim, trine 2, trophies, trophy, wwe 12, x-men destiny
I would say that not only was X-Men: Destiny the easiest Platinum I ever received, it is also one of the “unplanned” ones. I rented the game because I knew it had a short campaign, and I wanted to get something nice and light from Gamefly. This would allow me to devote only a limited time to it and then I could get back to playing my own games while waiting for Gamefly to ship the next game on my queue.
I finished my first playthrough in under six hours, and I found it to be a pretty entertaining super hero button masher. I decided to keep it around for a second playthrough on the hardest difficulty just to get the gold trophy, check out the other faction (my first playthrough was with the Brotherhood) and to rock through the new game +. So eleven-twelve hours later I finished my second playthrough and looked at the trophy list. Much to my amazement I had 92% of the trophies, and was only missing some of the “kill X amount of Y enemies.” I jumped in to the level selects and played some of the later levels through just to kill the required number of enemies, and then bam! I was in Platinum paradise.
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Posted by Rob on December 31, 2011 – 11:44 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, activision, big bad bob, bigbadbob, brotherhood of mutants, button mashing, colossus, comics, cyclops, destiny, game review, Juggernaut, magma, magneto, mutants, mutie, PlayStation 3, powers, PS3, psylocke, pyro, redbox, super hero, Wolverine, x-gene, x-men, x-men destiny, x-men legends, x-men legends 2, x-men legends 3, xbox, xp
Destined to be yet another mediocre Marvel super hero game
When I first heard the announcement concerning the release of X-Men: Destiny, I was excited yet pessimistic. The fact that the game allowed you to create a unique character with their own powers was a great idea, but I immediately thought about how horrible this idea worked in Activision’s X-Men: Legends game, in regards to the character Magma. I enjoyed both X-Men: Legends games in general, but how would this game, that was focused so much on a non-cannon character, end up being. I can tell you that after spending twelve hours across two complete playthroughs, X-Men: Destiny is a mindless, fun little romp yet leaves you yearning for quite a bit more. Spoiler alert: Activision has failed to live up to its work with X-Men: Legends.
At the start of the game you select one of three unique characters. Which character you choose doesn’t necessarily matter… they all have access to the same pool of powers and there are no unique missions or anything associated with each different character (though there will be dialogue changes to coincide with your selected character’s backstory.) Once your character is selected they immediately find themselves in the midst of an attack, during which they will finally discover that they are mutants. As you continue through the game your character will develop their skills, equip the genes of famous mutants, and ultimately decide if their loyalities lie with Cyclops and the X-Men or Magneto and the Brotherhood.
Your three character choices: the football jock, the ninja chick and the ex-soldier
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Posted by Rob on December 30, 2011 – 11:13 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, amazon, big bad bob, bigbadbob, bluetooth, christmas, co-op, co-optimus, headset, mac, microsoft, official, online, pc, PlayStation 3, PS3, px21, socom, Sony, trine 2, turtle beach, voice chat
When I first picked up the PS3 and was in need of a headset, I went with the Official PS3 Bluetooth (since for some bizarre reason Sony refuses to box even the lowest quality headset with consoles like Microsoft does) At the time it was bundled with some SOCOM game, and I immediately traded in the game once I had the Bluetooth in my possession. I’ve been using it for almost three years, and it got the job done. However, over the past year I have begun to find it uncomfortable in my ear. With Christmas over, I decided to use up some cash and treat myself (and my ears) to a new headset. Enter the Turtle Beach PX21 Headset!
Here are the things I like about it:
- It’s versatile: It works with my PS3, 360 and PC (and a Mac if I was silly enough to blow my money on such an overpriced piece of junk)
- It’s comfortable: The official PS3 Bluetooth was extremely uncomfortable when I had to jam the bud into my ear hole. The PX21 is a nice comfy set of headphones that fit nicely over my entire head and are made of a much softer material. And while the headset is wired, the wire is long enough (16 feet) where it’s not an issue at all. Read More »
Posted by Rob on December 15, 2011 – 7:42 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as amazon, big bad bob, bigbadbob, bluray, dead island, dragons, harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2, lord of the rings trilogy, PlayStation 3, PS3, skyrim, ups, wwe 12, zombies
I’ve been waiting patiently all day for that beautiful brown truck to pull up in front of my apartment and drop off the precious cargo. While it says it’s the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″ bundle, I call it the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, WWE 12 and Lord of the Rings Trilogy Extended Edition BluRay” bundle (thanks to the Amazon promotion for purchasing the PS3.)
The first two things I’m going to do is install Skyrim and Dead Island and make sure those two bad boys are ready to go, because I’ve got a hankering for going dragon and zombie hunting.
Posted by Rob on December 15, 2011 – 5:59 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, aliens: colonial marines, amazon, big bad bob, bigbadbob, borderlands, campaign, co-op, gearbox, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, release date, xbox, xenomorph
Not the best screenshot but if you click on the pic you will be it clearer
I was zipping about Amazon today and for whatever reason decided to look at Aliens: Colonial Marines. I was shocked to see a release date set there for March 31, 2012 (which happens to be my mother’s birthday.)It’s still officially set for “Spring 2012″ but could Amazon have leaked the release date details?
All I know is that this is a guaranteed purchase for me. Four-player campaign co-op from the Borderlands studio set in the Aliens universe? Sign me up to kill ‘dem xenomorphs! Who else is excited for this potential 2012 Game of the Year release?
Posted by Rob on December 14, 2011 – 5:36 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, aliens: colonial marines, big bad bob, bigbadbob, bluray, bulletstorm, bundle, co-op, crimson alliance, dead island, dead space 2, elder scrolls v, gears of war 3, harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2, lord of the rings, online, PlayStation 3, PS3, saints row the third, skyrim, war in the north, warhammer 40000 space marine, wwe 12, xbox
It’s hard to believe that it’s been two weeks since I sent my PS3 back to Amazon after it got fried. In that time I’ve been keeping busy by playing on the 360. I rented Saints Row the Third and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine through Redbox, rented Dead Space 2 and Bulletstorm through Gamefly, purchased Crimson Alliance and played through Lord of the Rings: War in the North (which I won.) But I still missed the PS3, particularly Skyrim and Dead Island. Even though I got my $250 back from Amazon I still wanted to know I was getting a deal.
I finally found the deal I had been waiting for today on Amazon. They had the 160GB Harry Potter bundle for $250 with a $50 trade-in credit. So the way I see it, for $250 I get a 160GB system, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II on BluRay and a game of my choice for $260. That’s just the deal I was waiting for, and I’m pretty happy. The best part of it all is that I get to choose any game I want, though I’ll definitely wait until after Christmas. Maybe I’ll pick up WWE ’12 or Gears of War 3 if I don’t receive them for Christmas, or maybe I’ll save it for a future pre-order like Aliens: Colonial Marines.
Either way, I’m pleased as punch to finally get a PS3 back in the house. Worst part is that it must be on back order or something since Amazon is quoting me with a delivery date of Tuesday, even with my Amazon Prime two-day shipping. I can’t wait to get back to the ol’ PS3!
Posted by Rob on December 14, 2011 – 3:53 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as action, adventure, batman, batman: arkham city, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, dead island, dungeon hunter: alliance, ea, elder scrolls v, fall of man, fighting, game of the year, gears of war 3, hockey, house of the dead overkill extended cut, infamous 2, insomniac, lord of the rings, mortal kombat, multiplayer, nhl '12, oblivion, online, pre-order, rail shooter, Resistance 2, resistance 3, rocksteady, RPG, skyrim, smackdown vs raw, Spike TV, Sports, sucker punch, thq, trailer, vga's, war in the north, wwe allstars
Move over Spike’s VGA…you were and still are a whopping disappointment to the gaming community. Why you think I’d rather watch some jerk jump onto a Velcro wall or some deuche in a mouse helmet spin tunes rather than allowing the winning developers to give a one-minute speech that didn’t end in a tea-bagging incident is beyond me. But enough of that…this is my personal Game of the Year awards. These are the games I played and enjoyed the most this year, and some may be expected or a surprise. Just sit back, relax and enjoy.
Action/ Adventure Game of the Year: Batman: Arkham City
Batman: Arkham Asylum was successful in making a game in which you actually felt like Batman. It concentrated more on stealth, gadgets and puzzles than any other Batman game before. With Arkham City, Rocksteady Studios built on top of what it had already achieved and made it a bit better by adding a sandbox-style environment that the player could explore at will to uncover side missions and search for crimes in progress. The supporting cast of heroes and villains (and the voice actors that bring each to life) is phenomenal and despite all the baddies Batman faces the game never seems over-crowded. The combat is simple to learn yet complex to master and the urge to track down every last Riddler trophy is tempting (especially when the lives of hostages are on the line.) Batman: Arkham City makes for a fun romp through Gotham as the caped crusader and is easily the best Action/Adventure game of 2011.
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Posted by Rob on December 13, 2011 – 6:54 pm
When it comes to the Christmas season, I’m quite the jolly fellow. I especially love the whole culture behind Santa Claus and have even written a story or two diving further into the mythos of the big guy in red. So when I saw Best Buy’s new campaign ads this season, I was a bit turned off. Here is one example of their holiday-bashing. I tried to get more off youtube but Best Buy blocked any direct link to them from their youtube account.
So Best Buy’s idea for a great marketing campaign is to bash on Santa. I’m not exactly a fan of this…what are kids going to think? They’re going to ask their parents “oh Mommy did you buy me these gifts instead of Santa?” And how does this make mothers look? They are a bunch of kids themselves, taunting Santa as he brings their children free gifts. Who does that?!
How could Best Buy possibly think that a bunch of commercials that make Santa look like a chump could possibly be a good idea. This is almost as bad as Dr. Peppers “Dr. Pepper 10″ marketing strategy that says their new drink is too manly for women to drink. But attacking Santa is going to put you on the naughty list faster than making stupid, cliched 1930′s sexist comments.
Posted by Rob on December 9, 2011 – 12:31 pm
Filed under TV Shows
Tagged as a christmas carol, bart, big bad bob, bigbadbob, charlie brown, christmas, christmas with the simpsons, christmas with the simpsons 2, dvds, funzo, gary coleman, grift of the magi, holidays of future passed, homer, lisa, marge, marge be not proud, miracle on evergreen terrace, mr. burns, ned flanders, santa, santas little helper, Simpsons, simpsons roasting on an open fire, simpsons world the ultimate episode guide, tickle me elmo, tis the fifteenth season
Every December Shell and I get ready for the holidays by pulling out all of our Christmas movies and begin watching them. Of course I consider my two “Christmas with the Simpsons” DVDs part of this tradition and it’s nice to get to watch a bunch of Christmas-themed episodes back to back without having to switch through all the DVDs. Unfortunately not all of the episodes on the DVDs are Christmas-related but are included as a filler mainly because there is snow in the episode, or if Christmas is briefly mentioned but not the center of the episode. So I decided to put together a list of my five favorite Christmas-themed Simpsons episodes. Most of these can be found on the DVDs, but one is not present for some unknown reason.
5. Miracle on Evergreen Terrace
How You Can Watch It: Season 9 DVD, Christmas with the Simpsons DVD
Rundown: This episode is based around Bart ruining Christmas. He decides to open his presents early and ends up burning the tree down on accident. Rather than tell the family that he ruined Christmas he buries the remains outside and then tells the family that he saw a burglar steal the tree and toys. The townspeople gladly donate money to the family a la “It’s a Wonderful Life” but once Bart confesses and the truth is known, the townspeople feel like they’ve been scammed. The Simpsons are shunned until the townspeople believe that the only way to make things right is to steal stuff from the Simpsons to get their money back, and the episode ends with the family fighting/bonding over their last remaining possession: a washcloth.
Why I Like It: It’s a great Christmas story. You have the family all excited and geared up for Christmas until Bart ruins it. The Simpsons soon find themselves stripped of all their stuff but still find happiness having just the washcloth. It’s not the best Christmas episode but it’s more Christmasy than Mr. Plow. Read More »
Posted by Rob on December 7, 2011 – 5:22 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, amazon, arrow, art book, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, co-optimus, collectors edition, lord of the rings, map, middle-earth, quiver, skyrim, sticker, ups, war in the north, xbox
I love the folks over at Co-optimus. Not only have I met a ton of online friends through the site, but they also have pretty frequent contests. For the approximately three years that I have been a regular on the site I have won an Xbox 360 console, a copy of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga and now, as of today, I am the extremely proud owner of a brand-spanking new copy of Lord of the Rings: War in the North for the 360. And it’s not just any ol’ copy…IT’S THE FREAKIN’ COLLECTOR’S EDITION!!! I was anxiously sitting by the door all day waiting for the UPS dude to deliver my precious…
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Posted by Rob on December 5, 2011 – 9:59 am
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, crimson alliance, dlc, dungeon crawler, game review, hack and slash, leaderboard, online, rogue, RPG, Sacred 2, warrior, wizard, xbla, xbox, xp
That’s the Soul Siren, your arch-nemesis
I’m sure many of you fellow gamers are familiar with the hack and slash/ dungeon crawler RPG genre. Here’s the generic laundry list that typically defines this genre:
- Fantasy setting
- Two or more players
- Simple, button mashing combat
- Several different classes of character, each with unique skills
- Develop skills by assigning points to skill trees
Grind to get XP
Smash boxes and open chests to find gold and equipment
- Purchase new equipment and sell off old equipment
Here’s what Crimson Alliance does:
- Fantasy setting
- Two or more players
- Simple, button mashing combat
- Several different classes of character, each with unique skills
Develop skills by assigning points to skill trees
Grind to get XP
Smash boxes and open chests to find gold and equipment
Purchase new equipment and sell off old equipment
Seems like your everyday, run of the mill dungeon crawler
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Posted by Rob on December 2, 2011 – 12:59 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, DVD, food lion, gamefly, harris teeter, movie, netflix, PlayStation 3, PS3, redbox, rental, saints row the third, video game, xbox
No more feeling guilty when you hand the video clerk a copy of “Disney Universe”
With my recent console dilemma I was stuck with PS3 games from Gamefly yet no PS3 to play them on. I only have a handful of games for the 360 so I wanted something new to play for a little bit to tide me over until Gamefly can send me a 360 game. Enter the Redbox. I had never used one before, and Netflix has always fulfilled our movie needs just fine. Now that Redbox offers games too I figured I would finally give the service a whirl.
In case you don’t know, Redbox is a giant vending machine located in certain grocery and pharmacy stores that dispenses movies and games. You select your title, slide your credit card through, and they pop the disc out for you to take home. You have until 9:00pm the next day to return it and only pay one day charge ($1.20 for movies, $2.00 for games). If you keep it longer it’s an additional days charge per day. The really neat thing I discovered is that you can go onto their website and see what each kiosk offers, as each one not only has a few different titles but you can also see which discs are available and which are currently being rented. You can even rent a disc off their website and have it reserved so you can pick it up later! Read More »
Posted by Rob on December 1, 2011 – 6:28 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, amazon, big bad bob, bigbadbob, bundle, christmas, dvr, Gamestop, Jurassic Park, microsoft, Nintendo, PlayStation 3, power supply, PS3, refund, repair, surge protector, Wii, xbox
Only slightly exaggerated
So there I was…Shell was doing some research on the computer last night, which meant it was time for me to play a bit. I turned the PS3 on, booted up the new Jurassic Park game, and was in the options screen getting things situated when all of a sudden my PS3 just died. There were no blinking lights, no beeps and blips, just complete and utter silence and stillness. I pushed and held buttons, plugged and unplugged wires, gave the PS3 a tour of all the outlets in the apartment, but no such luck. I was horrified, and it got even worse as I tried to turn the system back on without success. I was crushed.
This morning I gave Amazon a call to see about getting an exchange. I had purchased this system in September, so the 30 day return policy was long overdue. But I didn’t let Amazon’s policy stop me from getting what I wanted. I spent an hour talking to two customer service reps and one supervisor before I convinced them to give me a refund. It was a battle, but a battle worth fighting, as the alternative was to wait weeks for Sony to “fix” it, and we all know those don’t always go as planned. So I packed the PS3 up and took it off to UPS so that Amazon can do what they want with it. Read More »
