I think I've made a life out of liking things that not many others around me are into. First and foremost, as a hockey fan, I'm a sheer anomaly in this area. I like the New York Islanders, not the prototypical Montreal Canadiens or the Toronto Maple Laffs.
I don't like the Boston REd Sox or New York Yankees, I like the Toronto Blue Jays. My favorite Movie isn't Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, it's the Crow (a must see, Comic book fans!).
Anyway, I've noticed a trend in my gaming tastes recently too, in that I enjoy games that haven't been rated very well. Take for example a game I've mentioned numerous times here, Spider-man Web of Shadows. It got generally bad ratings (metacritic has it at 65 out of 100) but I love this game so much that it ranks #2 in my collection behind the mighty Mass Effect in number of playthroughs. (3 so far to Mass Effects' 6). The next game I've really taken to and it's gotten really poor reviews is Dead to Rights: Retribution (Metacritic has it at 61 out of 100). This, by all accounts, is a generic, run of the mill piece of crap dumped out because it might make a quick buck. It has very little depth, very poor story, and controls strangely. This of course, is all someone else's opinion. ME, on the other hand, can take each of those points and counterpoint. The game is generic and has a poor story in that it is a cop who fights and shoots his way through a gang riddled city in search of clues to his father's death. He can fight. He can shoot.
Hello. Anybody getting that "throwback 80's vibe"? I LOVE IT. The Story is ripped right out of a Steve Seagal movie and I LOVE IT. How many games recently have shamelessly done this? Let's look at my playlist (It is RATHER large >>that's what she said<<). :P Ahem. Anyway, there's Final Fantasy 13. We need not speak more about it's wierd story. There's Bioshock 2. Under the sea strange story. Batman Arkham asylum. Brilliantly done, but it IS just a Batman Story. AvP. Military in Space. Mass Effect. Space Opera. Mass Effect 2. Ditto. Alan Wake. Dear God it's complicated. Nothin' wrong with any of these at all, they are just trying to tell a more complex story. But with Dead to Rights, it's enjoyable to me because of the "less is more" principle. I don't need to go through the throws of major emotion, the thoughts of millions of hours of backtracking, of levelling, of anything. I just have to get from the start of the level to the end of a level with my pet dog that tears out badguy's gonads. (seriously... you even get an achievement for it called "Scrotality"... ick)
The control is easy enough. Punch. Kick. Shoot. Cover. Very basic stuff. The way I feel it was intended to be. I picked it up and played without even opening the game manual.
If you are looking for a game that won't take the world of time to finish and you want a quick romp of fun, check out games like this because simply put, a review is just some guy's opinion. Nothing more. Do you think that these people have doctrines in videogaming? Or were they like me or you who just played a lot and made a semi career out of talking about games? No matter. This is one of those "I got lucky from a blind buy". Check out Dead To Rights Retribution. On my grade scale, I'd give it a $59.99. Buy it used if you can, it's worth the dough.
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I've been posting a lot of photos on flickr recently. I find it drives me, and gives me confidence in trying to be more creative with my photography. The neat little awards and accolades I've received have been great. My wife has put up maybe 7 shots, and gotten rewards on ALL of them. She likes to chase my cats around the house and get them doing cute things. She's gotten a lot of confidence out of people simply saying "neat" or "nice shot". Thanks to everyone who has commented on our photos. :)
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There are now 3 official dealers for GO Maps. If you are interested, stop by the website, or drop into one of the shops. They are available at the following places.
Coastal Marine (Mt. Pearl near the Paradise overpass)
Boyd Slade Electronics (Near the Foxtrap Access Road on the CBS Highway)
Wade Atlantic (Water Street West, downtown St. John's)
This is the off season for GPS users really, so each shop is only carrying a barebones quantity of the maps. I always have some on hand, so if you find that they are sold out, simply contact me directly.
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Thanks and see you next time.
C
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