Posted by Rob on January 31, 2012 – 12:41 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, konami, maggie, mr. burns, PlayStation 3, playstation blog, ps+, PSN, simpsons arcade game, the simpsons, xbla
One of the best arcade games ever made
Last November I mentioned the announcement that the Simpsons Arcade Game would be coming to XBLA, and with that being said, I assumed it would come to PSN. I have heard no new information since then, such as a release date for the XBLA version, the confirmation of a PSN version, or anything else. Then today the PlayStation Blog broke the news. Not only is The Simpsons Arcade Game dropping on PSN next week, it’s going to be FREE to PS+ members!
I was initially going to purchase it on XBLA simply because I wouldn’t have been able to wait around for the PSN version. Now that it’s coming out next week, at no cost to me, I’ll be all over the PSN version. You can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be online Tuesday night taking on Mr. Burns’ well-dressed goons and gigantic obese wrestlers as I fight to bring Maggie back home.
Posted by Rob on January 20, 2012 – 8:06 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, beast mode, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, co-optimus, cole, cole train, dungeon defenders, gears of war 2, gears of war 3, headset, horde mode, marcus, online, payday: the heist, PS3, px21, ticker, xbox
One of the best games of 2011 that I didn’t get to play til 2012
I picked up Gears of War 2 for my birthday last April. By then most people weren’t playing it as much, so I just ran through the campaign on my own. I never touched the Horde mode or any other online mode. But I felt like it was something that would be a lot of fun online. So for Christmas Gears of War 3 was on the top of my list, and Santa ended up delivering. However, I didn’t really start playing til this week after figuring out how to hook up the PX21 to the 360. Now that I started playing Gears 3 online, I’m pretty much hooked.
I met up with four other guys from Co-Optimus last night and they walked me through my first Beast Mode. I really, REALLY had a blast. If you’re not familiar with the game or mode, it’s basically a survival mode with a twist…YOU’RE THE BAD GUYS! You and up to four friends can team up playing as the Locust. You earn cash for beating up the good guy soldiers and heroes (like Marcus and Cole) and use that cash to purchase respawns of different Locust units, ranging from the usual grunts with guns to gigantic centipedes and beserkers. I’ve grown quite addicted to the Tickers, which are pretty much running suicide bombers. You use these little beauties to run up to enemy troops and with the tap of a button you explode, taking anyone nearby with you. Unfortunately there is a slight delay as you ignite, and it’s easy for enemy troops to evade the explosion. With some more practice I think I’ll get better at guesstimating their reactions and plan my explosions so they are more devastating.
Nothing’s more satisfying than blowing yourself away for the good of the collective
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Posted by Rob on January 19, 2012 – 8:09 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as 360, big bad bob, bigbadbob, co-op, collectibles, game review, local, online, platformer, PlayStation 3, PS3, rayman: origins, super mario bros, xbox
Yup, you punch and kick without having arms and legs
I was initially indifferent to Rayman: Origins after playing the demo. The brief sample of gameplay displayed a typical platformer: run about a side-scrolling level, making ridiculous jumps and jumping on top of enemies as you race to the end of the level. Also, IT WAS HARD!!! I really hate being frustrated with video games, and this one seemed like it was full of punishment. But then the reviews started pouring in, not just from review sites but also some several friends who were praising the game. In the end I decided that I had to rent it to see what all the hubub was about.
I think there’s a story somewhere in Rayman: Origins, but I definitely missed out. I think someone was snoring, and this pissed off someone else, and then a bunch of evil inkblot-looking thingys were released into the world, and then you’re running around saving scantily-clad and heavily-endowed fairies. Luckily you don’t play a platformer for the story, so this incoherent attempt at crafting a reason to be running and jumping all over the place is rather unnecessary. You control your choice of one of four characters, all who have the same exact skills and stats. This is quite silly as they look uniquely different, ranging from the normal-sized Rayman to some big fat frog dude to these two little midgets with long noses. I was hoping it would be like Super Mario Bros. 2 where each character brought a slightly different skill to the table (Peach floated, Luigi had his crazy-legs jump), but what are ya gonna do. Also, the game does support four player local co-op, so you and the family can run around jumping on old men all you want. Unfortunately, the game does not support online co-op which is a real shame. I would have really enjoyed playing the game with someone else, and having someone there with me to support me would have probably been beneficial during really frustrating levels.
Four characters to choose from, though it doesn’t matter which Read More »
Posted by Rob on January 15, 2012 – 11:58 pm
It’s flippin’ sweet
I’ve been cautiously optimistic ever since FOX announced they were developing a Napoleon Dynamite animated series. I’m a huge fan of Napoleon Dynamite and was bowled over by this news. At the same time I was a bit scared of how it would end up being. The series premiered tonight with two episodes, and I have to say that I was very happy with them.
The “entire cast” from the movie returned for the show, which was a very big draw for me. Most of the characters sounded great, particularly Napoleon, Kip and Rex. I was a bit put off with Uncle Rico, and Summer didn’t sound like Summer at all. However, what was touted as “the entire cast” was a bit off, as the actor who portrayed Don in the movie was the only one who did not return for the show. Also, Lafawnduh’s character does not make a return at all, and Kip is soon seen chasing other women on the internet. Overall, the voice acting was top-notch, even if Uncle Rico sounded like he was dazed and and spaced out (more so than his character was in the movie.)
They’re about to receive a roundhouse kick from someone wearing those bad boys
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Posted by Rob on January 13, 2012 – 2:15 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as allstars, big bad bob, bigbadbob, brawl, caw, master of the brawl, online, platinum, server, skyrim, smackdown vs raw, svr 2010, svr 2011, trine 2, trophies, trophy, wwe, wwe 12, you have fans
One of the lamest-looking WWE Platinums, and one of the most annoying to get
Gotta catch ‘em all: I have the Platinum trophies for Smackdown vs. Raw 2010, Smackdown vs. Raw 2011, WWE Legends of WrestleMania and WWE Allstars. Thus I was destined to continue the tradition and work towards the Platinum trophy in WWE ’12. It was a mediocre one…there were a lot of easy trophies, but two in particular were a real pain to snag.
“You’ve Got Fans” was a particularly difficult one to obtain, and it should not have been. The trophy requires you to upload something to the servers and then have five players download it. Well the big problem is that the servers were constantly down. If you’ve played WWE games in the past then you’re used to servers being down or laggy when trying to get an online match going. But the servers are so messed up in WWE ’12 that it took me a couple of days just to get on long enough to completely upload a CAW (create-a-wrestler.) So with me having a hard enough time just uploading, it took even longer for five people to find my CAW and then download it. The servers have been cruddy since the game launched in Novemeber, and to this day they have not been fixed. It’s a shame not only for people who want to get this trophy, but for others who just want to download a crappy Hulk Hogan CAW that has an overall stat value of 100. Read More »
Posted by Rob on January 11, 2012 – 2:20 pm
Filed under Video Games
Tagged as co-op, co-optimus, combat, game review, knight, online, physics, PlayStation 3, PS3, PSN, puzzler, thief, trine, trine 2, wizard, xp
Better than the original
I enjoyed playing Trine, but with it’s lack of online co-op I was forced to play it single player. When Trine 2 came out, I was hesitant to make the purchase even though I liked the first game and the sequel sporting a shiny coat on online co-op. However, when two buddies of mine from Co-Optimus purchased it and told me they needed a third, I gave in to the peer pressure and made the purchase. I’m glad I did, because Trine 2 is definitely one of the best downloadable titles of 2011.
Let’s get a few things straight. Firstly, it is a sequel to the original game, so the knight, thief and wizard return to once again save the kingdom. As I already mentioned, Trine 2 supports online co-op, so up to three players can meet up online to take on the puzzles that the game throws at you. In case you’re not familiar with the Trine series, let me give you a brief rundown: there are three characters who each have several distinct skills that are needed to get through the puzzles littered about each level. Along the way you are on the hunt for XP potions which will enable your characters to level up and unlock addition skills that are needed to get through levels. The knight has a sword, hammer and shield and is good for blocking projectiles, breaking down walls and beating down the baddies. The thief has a bow which can be used to take on enemies safely from a distance and she also has a grappling hook which can be used to access areas that other characters cannot. The wizard is not what you would expect, as his spells are limited to creating wooden objects (boxes and planks) and levitating objects, including obstructions, other players, and enemies. The three characters have to work together to make it to the end of a given level, and often times a single puzzle may require several different abilities from each character. A great example I encountered when playing is that the thief (me) had to grapple onto a platform of water to make it spill to one side. Then the wizard player had to levitate a box he created to angle the water flow off to one side. Finally the knight had to use his shield to further direct the water onto a tiny little plant that then grew, allowing us to climb it to the next section.
The game is much prettier but this is the best image I could find with three players
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Posted by Rob on January 6, 2012 – 1:31 pm
Filed under Randomness
Tagged as amazon, apple, army, bag, big bad bob, bigbadbob, indiana jones, ipod, map case, messenger bag, military, nathan drake, purse, rothco, satchel, sunglasses, uncharted
I’ve got a lot of stuff, and I’m a pretty forgetful guy. So when I jump in the car to drive either five minutes to the store or eleven hours to my parents, I forget to bring a lot of the things I need for car drives. The most important item is my prescription sunglasses, as without them it it a pain to drive in the daylight. I also tend to forget my iPod (the only Apple product I will ever own) which means I’m stuck relying on finding a decent FM station to listen to. Then there’s the bluetooth headset for my phone, as well as other things. Long story short, I wanted something that I could put all that stuff in so that I could just grab it and go.
So I had to find something that didn’t look feminine or would label me as being “fruity”. I have a couple of messenger bags that I used for my laptop and other supplies when student teaching, but that was too big for non-business every day use. I didn’t want a backpack since I did not want shoppers thinking I was some hobo who was going to go camp out in the outdoors section or alert security that I would attempt a five-finger discount on DVDs and men’s shaving razors. So then I thought about my two favorite treasure hunters/ archaeologists would do: Read More »
Posted by Rob on January 1, 2012 – 11:52 am
Filed under Music, My Personal Life, Randomness, Sacred 2, Site Updates, TV Shows, Video Games
Tagged as 2011, american idiot, big bad bob, bigbadbob, character build guide, firefox, ghost, google analytics, google chrome, green day, high elf, internet explorer, jurassic: the hunted, nedna, oneonta, PlayStation 3, PS3, ps3 review, rogue, Sacred 2, safari, shadow warrior, Simpsons, skyrim, stumbleupon, top ten, undertaker, web traffic, wrestlemania, wwe
With the start of the new year, I will once again take a brief look at my ten most popular blogs of the past year (thanks to the cool tools available through Google Analytics. I’m really curious to see which old blogs are still getting activity, and which new ones were strong enough to make their way into the top ten. Before I get into that, I just want to spout out some statistical info:
- My site had 69,771 unique visitors over the past year
- 9,536 of these visitors liked my blog so much that they became repeat visitors
42,852 of these viewers found my blog off of a typical Google search, while 16,831 came across my site via StumbleUpon
42,969 visitors were from the United States, 6,282 were from Canada and 5,536 were rocking from the UK
The average visitor spent 31 seconds looking at a particular post before leaving the site
31,240 visitors used Firefox, 20,858 used Chrome, 11,540 used Internet Explorer and 8,665 used Safari (I wonder if next year will be the year that Safari beats IE)
Now on to the blogs!!!
