If you weren't in the area..

You would have missed at this year's Anime North..
Cosplayers..

Bayonetta

Anime!


More cosplayers...


And even more anime!

Alot of fun this year!

What is 25$ Worth to You‏?

Its not worth a unique fast mount.
It needs to be the fastest mount in the game EVER. Seriously. It also can't be 2% faster. It needs to be blazing fast. The fastest mount speed normally is 200% faster than running? Then that 25$ better get me a 400% speed mount. And there better not be any future mounts that come close to that speed. Only if it costs more than 25$.
And it better look amazing. I've seen those mounts Blizzard and Sony put out.. not impressed. Not for 25$ a pop. I won't rag on the two companies too much as they've got to make money, and if people are willing (and they are apparently) then thats great for the stockholders.. which I am. I just think that is not a micro-transaction, that is a big ticket item and as such should warrant good value for it.

People in the streets better cry out: "Mother*bleeper*, that is one crazy fast and sickest look mount ever in the history of time!"

What is 25$ worth to you?
If you think about it, its more than a 1 month subscription to your favorite mmo and nearly 2 months.
Its approximately the same price as a dinner at a restaurant, or a couple meals at a fast food place.
Its almost half the price of most modern mmo expansions.Its significantly more money than many dlc's found on Xbox Live.

For me, 25$ is worth more than just a mount.

..granted, i'm going to probably fork out $300+ for this

Tamron Nikon Telephoto lens 70-300mm

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If you can't go to the Anime Convention in Toronto this weekend...

..get your cosplay fix here!

Precious Time

I want a new mmo to play.
I came back to Warhammer over a month ago and it was refreshing, familiar and shiny all at once.
Buuuttt.. I like the feeling of being brand new to the game world. Fresh and on a close playing field with those hardcore players. Though I may play with my guildies or alliance who are all very nice (case: some random alliance person gave my magus 2 pieces of high set gear b/c my friend told him I needed it. For Free.) , they are all closing in on renown rank 80. For those that are new or haven't been exposed to Warhammer, thats basically maxing out fully; there is no better gear than renown gear. That kind of rank means that person has played hundreds of hours easily, even if they've dominated and only have done pure pvp.
My best character is possibly only renown rank 30ish as I 'like' scenarios and 'dislike' orvr (for the frequency of it being slow and a waiting game) and it doesn't seem feasible that I'll ever reach even 50s in renown in even 6mths.

I love mmos:
- for the community
- for the exploration of the vast worlds
- for the crafting
- for the unlocks/achievements
- the character building, development and customization
- the persistent world
- the ability to play with many friends (more than 3-4)
- the attention to detail that the developers pour into via patches and expansions

I'm a tad sad as i've come to the conclusion that I don't think I can put in the hours any more into Warhammer and into a mmo. There is just so much one can do in one day. Gaming/relaxation is important and gaming can/is a hobby and shouldn't be knocked. But an mmo isn't something someone can pick and play imho. Sure there are casuals and casual mmos, but those aren't my cup of tea. I like to be the best or well known in the community. There is the career I must look for to be happy at work and to look forward to being at. There are the two blogs that I maintain. The digital photography that i've picked up which then includes touching them up and posting on blogs and Deviant Art. There are the books I read on photography (2), online sources that I use and even more books on self-improvement. This among many other RL responsibilities makes there so little time for whammer much less a new mmo. I look at some people around me and wonder how they make/find the time to game so much.. 3-4 hours a day? So much else can be done with that time.

I haven't logged into Xbox Live for over a month.
I tend to play Monster Hunter Tri only once a week, partially due to time restrictions, the other b/c my brother hogs the tv. The last time I played was on Sunday and for only half an hour, enough time for only 1 quest.
The last pc game i've played was Treasure Madness on Facebook.. which is just blasphemous.
Others are taking advantage of the time we spend in these virtual worlds and making leaps and gains in the real world. I don't intend on stopping, I just find that time has to be better managed as the world won't wait for us.

Gotta Collect Them All

I've only bought a few collector's editions for games in my lifetime.. the most recent one I can think of is Warhammer Online.. came with alot of fluff (but I suppose thats what they all are).. what I liked the most was the art book and the comic book introduction.

I love Fable 2.. don't have the time to go back the original Fable, and totally plan to get Fable 3. Its coming out for both PC and 360.. and I love the PC... but i'd be missing out on the achievements (haven't touched the 360 in over a month).. and this

The article found here at Kotaku.

Patty, Soto and I went to Montreal the other weekend for a photo extravaganza and here is one of my favorites:

This was in the Old Port area; it was just so odd, all the streets were empty, the office buildings all darkened, and then there is this one window brightly lit in red.

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Anime North in Toronto is FINALLY upon us. All the info is here.

Its this weekend, Fri-Sun. Different times each day.. either 35-40$ entrance fee and bring extra money for the prints (THA PRINTS!!! **droools**) Free parking at the back of most hotels. I'll probably be going on Sunday.

Happy Friday

I never realized how popular the Little Big Planet was on the PS3, but 2 million levels? Thats pretty impressive. I probably shouldn't show this, b/c the gf is going to really want this game, when it's full priced at 69.99/79.99$ at EB :P Some really cool looking games in the number 2; especiall the top down racers! Loved those kinds!

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I want to see more games in the future which has more realistic elemental effects.
Fire should cause a chance to burn via a dot.
Ice should either cause a slow down of movement of limbs (decreasing speed or attack rate)
Acid should burn through armor or weapons (decreasing defence or attack).
Explosive should explode (knockback or extra damage?).
Lightning should cause a chance to disable a certain function (versus ice which just slows down)

In Neverwinter nights, these elemental effects were just an added type of damage which may be a good choice if they are resistant to other forms of damage. Mass Effect 2 had more elemental realism but was also more limited, as you could either light your enemies on fire, or turn them into ice. The buffs that did more damage or shot through shields weren't too graphically impressive.

Borderlands (yes, Borderlands) seemed to have this down pat, except for the lightning part (though the ability to reduce shields quickly is helpful). It is missing the ice elemental ability.. which i'm hoping for the future.. (come on, more DLC!)

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Does this screen look familiar?

Its Syndicate and looks like we're in for a remake!!!! Woot! I really wish the new XCOM game that is being developed stayed true to it's form and was a turn based strategy game (when was the last good one?)

Spawn-camping

Is it (spawn-camping) a natural part of gameplay, or should the impact be lessened whenever possible?

I was reading the article by Vauleen on Nordenwatch, and he (?) talks about how the warcamp guards tend to be unresponsive and don't prevent spawn camping too much. I absolutely agree, either side Destro/Order can easily be spawn camped if one team is significantly weaker/disorganized/etc. I've played the scenario alot and you rarely see the guards move.. partially from good aiming, but also b/c they're really deep in the camp.

Fyi, I received an email that the Warhammer steins have been pushed back to August.. err.. this is not an mmo.. this is an mmo stein.. **shakes his head**

I love to push the enemy back to their spawn and keep them there. I rarely get bored of it, though there is less challenge to it and that can make it boring and sometimes if i was on the vent, i would suggest moving back and roar back to wipe them instead of just taking pot shots and taking one out at a time. Poor Tanks and mdps who are probably pretty bored. And I obviously hate it when i get spawn camped and wish our side would gather the courage to rush right at them and go for their squishies.. but that rarely happens.

The only solution I would have is for the game to be able to tell how many characters are behind a certain point and push the guards farther out or possibly create a roving group of guards similar to orvr infront of warcamps with high agro that would chase enemy spawn campers. Is it feasible? Well the game can tell where you die b/c your body drops in the general area, and the game can tell distances through spells both offensive and defensive. To make it tell where you are on the map, all stuck in your own camp, should trigger an event similar in quests or pqs to spawn some roving guards or to move them forward/increase their agro.

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Poor Playstation..

Always left out of the party (only for 360 and PC). At first it was a 'ho-hum' reaction, but thinking about it more gets me more excited; Fable 2 was a fantastic game. Developers are normally passionate about their games, but the people at Lionhead seems especially fanatical.

Monster Hunter Tri: Early Review

So with the coming of the second disc of FF13 on the 360, I traded it in for a new copy of Monster Hunter Tri for the Wii. I was skeptical of how there could be a Wii game that is anything but a party game like Rayman: Raving Rabbids or Mario Party. I was also worried about the online component; glad it was free, unlike in Japan (where there is a subscription), but afraid of the convoluted friend/game code system that the Wii was notorious for (hence nearly never played online except Mario Kart). And lastly, I was nervous about the graphics.. b/c we all know the Wii isn't known to blow your mind in that respect.

Charrrrrrrrrrge!!!

Monster Hunter Tri is first and foremost an RPG game. If you don't like rpgs, stop reading. The object of the game is that as a hunter of a coastal village, you're to hunt fantastic monsters and gather supplies to rebuild your broken town from a legendary monster.
There is alot of freedom in what you can do in this game; some will find it liberating, some may see it as grinding.

The three main things you'll do:
- randomly hunt monsters in the wild; when the monster is slain, your character can then skin/scavenge the corpse for useful items

- go gathering, there are many resource nodes (for an assortment of mushrooms, bones, honey, herbs, dung (yes poo), bugs etc), these items can be combined into greater things (herbs+mushroom= potion, potion+honey= greater potion etc), used for upgrades or new equipment, or turned to resource points which will allow the town to do more things (send a caravan to go fishing, or have a farm grow plants/bugs for you)

- do quests in three flavors: gathering, hunting, capture


There are 5 different weapons and (whats refreshing) 5 different combat styles:
- sword and shield
- long sword (2h)
- hammer (2h)
- lance and shield
- bowgun and actually a new weapon, a hybrid: Switch-axe
Its different in that with a sword and shield, the user can nearly constantly keep swinging, move around quickly, use items while in combat, and dodge. A person with a lance plays totally differently, they move at a snails pace and if they rush, they use up alot of stamina; they have a longer reach and do 2-4 times more damage. They can't dodge, but have a massive shield in which they can use. My favorite for the past 10 hours has been the power of the hammer, with approximately 3 hits, it'll take down any monster usually. But trying out an upgraded sword and shield combo looks to be my new stand-by now that i've learned how to maneuvre correctly.

Some things i've noticed:
- It seems a bit complicated at first; the game doesn't hold your hand, it just lets you try trial and error; ie. at the beginning I was completing missions and getting rewards, but I didn't know what they did and just sold it; in hindsight, i would have put them in my storage box or gave them to the town for town resource points
- the online components seems complex, i was able to join a game, but looks like each person were in their own party and I couldn't see anyone chatting; when I left to the wilderness, I wasn't able to join the group.. very confusing (and will do forum searching on how to join correctly)
- the graphics.. are ok; they will not blow your mind, unless you've only played on a wii
- the game is complex; don't give up, it took me a good 8 hours to figure out how most of the systems/mechanics worked, and i'm still learning and hoping to find info as i'm still lost sometimes
- there is no target combat lock in MH3, you have to line your target up and then swing, otherwise you'll miss completely, sometimes leaving a big opening for the monster to take a bite into your backside

One (b/c you can craft weapons, armor and talismans) of the crafting systems.. the first screen shows what i'm combining, and if you never made it, it will show up as "????", but after you make it, it shows you the percentage of success for the future.

I love:
- the different combat system; its frustrating when you don't align yourself, but oh-so satisfying when you bring your huge hammer down on their heads
- the crafting system; its huge and really fun.. so many different things you can collect and combine; the storage space is humongous and makes you want to not sell anything but hold it b/c it could combine to something great
- the openess of the game; there is no rush, I can go hunt in the wild to collect resources, or I can go questing, or micromanage all the gear and items

I don't like:
- the controls aren't as crisp as you may be use to on other systems
- the graphics; I'm on a HD tv and the text is hard to read in conversations, and when you see FF13, this looks like the dung you pickup in game

Back

I guess it wasn't too long since my last entry, still feels like an age. Over the weekend, Pat, Soto and I took a trip to Montreal & Quebec City to go on a photo extravaganza. We spent 16 hours a day taking photos, about 1 hour a day travelling, 2 hours eating and the remaining sleeping. A sleep-deprived vacation that warrants a new vacation to recoop ;)

Ever ask the question where cursors came from?

More at Gizmondo

Everyone needs their own donut maker..

Tome Unlock Item

Its been a long time since i've posted one. It was a pleasant surprise to find one, especially one that gave a trinket set item! Found in Kadrin Valley, destro side to the west of the last chapter town. (yeah I do pve alot :P)

There are Stone Trolls that are on the edge of the hill that has a chance to drop a hardened item. When you pick it up, and right click on it, you get the unlock and are able to pick it up at the Capital city.
Enjoy!

Hidehammer Online

I wrote this nearly two months ago.. lol

Original Article

poor eb.
or more.
poor employees that got the flak.

EB in my opinion is a good company. I've worked for it at a local mall for nearly 4-5 years. It was a great learning experience, I met alot of great people and had alot of fun.
I always tried to be as honest as possible and found a way to incorporate it in an environment with high sales pressure. Sure one could not care about sales, but with many of the managers that I had, if you didn't sell, you got the friday shift, once every two weeks from 6-9 (good luck if you lived on your own). Thankfully in my early years, I was shielded from many unsavory and unethical practices so when I actually identified that people were doing it, that I didn't participate.

The emphasis now is probably the same as it was before: sell used games.We don't care about new games (unless they're launch day titles) or selling systems unless you're selling all sort of accessories and warranties on them. It makes sense; they want to make money, and those things make more money than just normal games.EB always have promotions to both get (get 50% more value/trade 3 get it for free)and sell used games(Edge Card).

I don't know whether these staffers knew the ins and outs of how the downloadable content worked; whether used game buyers were entitled to the download or not. I'm quite sure it was something that wasn't discussed and it wasn't brought up when someone on the bottom of the ladder thought it up. I would hope that they didn't purposely keep that information from them, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did. Many managers and district managers are only concerned about the bottom line and will do whatever is necessary to look good. I remember a day I had a store full of customers sitting on the floor b/c my manager falsely promised that the wii system would be in.. and it wasnt. I had people trying to open the big-box delivery of our PS3 interactive!

Sometimes a bit more proactive and constructive thinking is required as new concepts/ideas (downloadable content via new games only) are created and how it applies to current business practices.

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I love scenarios.. on Ironrock it pops rather frequently in T4.. its normally rather even in regards to win/loss ratio. And thats me just joining PUG groups.. I would imagine and hope we'd win more frequently if I bothered to join premades. I'm trying to lvl my squig herder to lvl 40, right now he's lvl 37 and if I tried could get it to 40 in a few hours. I don't like joining groups being under lvled.. atleast I got a full Devastator set; I've never acquired a full set of gear except the very first one in T1.

I hate Orvr though. No matter how busy and organized it is, its boring. Its basically pve as far as i've seen. Running from one end to another, rarely meeting up against Order. And if we ever do see Order, we get wiped. I've spent more of my time in Reikland in the Manor objective hiding.... HIDING. Bah.

The message brought to you by

Torani - Bacon Syrup

Question:

Why does a true samurai warrior need more than even 2 swords?
Do they break easily? Can't afford one with good materials?
If he saved the money, instead of 6 meh-swords, I bet he could get 1 really good sword?
Maybe he's like General Grevious and has two hidden arms.... tho that still doesn't explain the extra swords.

It'll finally be Friday! TGIF!

Busy busy

The next Borderlands?

In development by Id Software, the same makers of Quake and Doom...
Read more here

Added my Deviant Art link, Pat's and Soto's website links. All great photos found on each site. Give it a look if you have time =)

More cosplayers!

Get your fix =)

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This is another pay plan I was thinking that you don't see... or atleast that I haven't seen yet.

Pay-as-you-go:
1.50$-2.50$ an hour
To the normal 15$ a month

So that comes out to approximately 6-10 hours a month..For people with limited game time; they can pay per hour they play. Great if you don't think you're getting 15$ dollars worth. Obviously the more hardcore players won't even need to look at this option.. though if the company wants to be flexible, they might work out a deal that a specific month they can change from subscription to pay per hour if say they know they'll be busy or on vacation and not have access to the internet/game. Also great for Weekend Warriors who save rest xp for when they have time to play.

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Warhammer Online - Cross Faction Announcement

I'm a little late on the subject, but I did write about it as soon as I read it, just too busy these days to get everything done at one time. I now have a Deviant Art account.. soo i'm gonna be even more busy ;)

Bad. Idea.
I generally would like to think of the positive side to new ideas/concepts.. but I can't really think of how this helps anyone..

Concepts:
More traffic on lower tiers
+ people would re-roll on the same server instead of taking people away from the server
+ these maxed out people won't be facing off against newly maxed out (lvl40) characters, making gear a bit more balanced
- T4 might not be as busy anymore.. possible more server merges?

Balanced servers
+ if a side is too dominant, the dominant people will go over to balance it, while the weaker side can go to the dominant side so they don't lose interest
- communication; there WILL be spying which kind of makes it unfair.. sure there may be spying anyways, but it will be more prevalent (even with lockout timers)
- if you have many characters, you may not have enough character slots

More interest in the game overall
+ losing all the time sucks, going over to the winning side is always nice, having a challenge is also fun
+ no one likes to move (servers), now you can stay on your familiar servers
- its cheap; you don't like losing, go to the winning side :P
- when I make alts, i tend to lose interest in my older characters, I have 2 DoKs, 1 Blackguard, 1 Sorc, 1 Magus and my current favorite: Squig Herder.. add some Order guys.. and i'll losing interest in playing Destro

After re-reading what I wrote.. there seems to be more positives to this than negatives. My main argument is that some people (ie: me) see's this as a cop-out/catering to some whim or just wasn't explained fully and I cross my fingers that it is implemented correctly. I've seen fantastic ideas poorly implemented all the time which resulted in catastrophe and this is not something the Mythic should mess up on. Yes, it sounds fanboi-ish but it isn't meant to; its mostly because a concept such as this cannot really be reversed. People will scream bloody murder if characters need to be transferred or even deleted.

If it has to be done, it has to be fleshed-out and implemented smoothly. Its never good to criticize without giving solutions, so this is my solution, Shadowar is more knowledgeable in timer-lockouts than I am, but i'd go further and say 2 weeks, 14 day lockouts. If you really want to move over, you must stick with it for 14 days; no spying, no just-b/c-i-can-or-feel-like-it, no messing with the opposing faction. Make a commitment to your choice or either play on a different server or get another account.

Endless

Editing photos is a great stress relief. Give it a try!

I love blue =)

Instancing

I've been reading some WoW blogger's entries (not b/c i like reading about WoW, but for the content about mmo's), and a hot topic recently has been the difference between 10 man raids and 25 man raids.. that apparently the game is becoming more accessible for all players as they 10 man raid instances will get similar/equal loot compared to the 25 man raids.

It makes me wonder, should games segregate instances/dungeons into two such groups. Would you classify those type of groups as casual vs hardcore. Or is it just close-knit and wide-spread? Sometimes I think it's a combination of both: A small close-knit group could be hardcore, whereas a wide-spread/high population guild could be full of casuals. Whatever/whichever way it is divided, there are two groups, those that can only afford the 10 mans, while others that can meet the 25man requirement.

mmm snowcones.. delicious

Blizzard apparently wants to make the game more accessible to their consumers, which is not surprising due to the many things they've done (convenience items, fluff, premade characters, racial changes etc). This has worked in their favor as they have millions of subscribers and live on their mountaintop of gold. I'm not one to be part of the 25 man bracket, but I would like to see more exclusivity between the two groups. What should happen though, is there should be exclusive areas/dungeons that are solely 10man or 25man and ones where its possible to be both.