The scramble left me with a very fortuitous cross and so I had the bottom layer done in less than 10 seconds. The rest of the run was good enough to break my record but I have to admit that in my head, I was hoping for a sub-30. It didn’t happen, but a quarter of a second faster than my fastest ever is still reason to be psyched. I had done a run on my stickerless Zhanchi but returned to the good ol’ black cube for the victory. I love the stickerless, but maybe it needs some tensioning. Who cares! New Record!!!
Archive for the Best / Worst Category
New Cubing Record: 3×3 – 31.50!
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records on March 19, 2013 by slatemanNew Cubing Record: 4×4 – 2:40.67
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records on March 19, 2013 by slateman
I still time myself doing 3×3 solves here and there but I’ve mostly abandoned speed cubing other cubes. After breaking both my 2×2 and 3×3 records recently, in the same day, I took a peek at the larger cubes. Until I get a new 6×6 I’m not even going to try and my 5×5 attempts were far from my record (I solved in 6:11, record is just over 5:00). The 4×4 sat there, the spectacular ShengShou cube, and so I tried it. Centers were solved quickly, maybe 30 seconds. It’s that middle edge matching that kills me! Well, ultimately I finished the cube in 2:40.67, less than a second faster than my prior record. While that’s not really a huge deal, breaking my 2×2, 3×3 and 4×4 personal bests all within the same month is pretty cool.
Mini-Review: Darkstalkers: Resurrection – Missing Something
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Reviews with tags Darkstalkers, vampire on March 19, 2013 by slateman
I spent an awful lot of time a few months back working on an exhaustive Vampire Savior FAQ and I now will have to update it with Darkstalkers/Vampire Resurrection information. After a little while of testing things out, I have to say…it’s OK. My main concern was the port of Darkstalkers 3 – a game that never truly existed. Sadly, they didn’t take the ‘best of’ idea and include Vampire Savior 2 and Vampire Hunter 2 tweaks. This game appears to play just like the arcade version of VS without the Dark Force changes or the additional three characters. Why this is eludes me. The gameplay is spot-on, of course and all the usual perks are included. You gain points for completing challenges. You use this currency for the Vault – artwork and movies. Fortunately there is some new artwork included here not present in every other version. Unfortunately there is no sound test; this is a pity considering how the soundtracks to these two games may very well be the best Capcom has ever produced. The Japanese game was released in disc format and the first copies came with a bonus soundtrack CD. Sure I already have the soundtrack for VS but it’s just that good! AND, the game definitely features at least one new track – again, a sound test would have rocked.
And then I start doing tutorials/challenges. Now, can someone tell me why back in 1997 Arika was able to do the trial thing right and why now, 16 years later, we’re left with this? First off, there are only five for each character for each game. That still is a lot of challenges, I suppose. Street Fighter EX+A had…was it 15? 20? 25? And, since I’m not a fantastic player, I can’t perform half of them. Morrigan has the same trial for both VH and VS (screw this American naming convention). The same trial? Well, I can’t manage to chain a c.Short->c.Fierce->Darkness Illusion…so that means there are 2 of Morrigan’s 10 challenges. Great.
Now, the entire presentation is amazing. The HD makeover looks phenomenal (the game still looks like it always did) and when you switch from VH to VS, you remain in the last menu. I.e. if you’re about to start a ranked match and you change games, the menu places you in the ranked match area again. Small things like that are great. There’s also an info box giving you details about all the fighters. Developers, if you’re going to do this, please have at least 100 different quotes. I played for 10 minutes and felt like it was repeating already.
Online play was superb, zero problems and GGPO has treated me well with all recent fighters. I suck, so it’s no fun at all getting trounced by Gallon (Talbain) constantly. But, that’s my problem.
There’s a spot for the Playstation Store – so I don’t know what they’re planning on trying to sell us. $15 for this package is indeed good, but I’d be pissed if they asked me to shell out more for anything. Unless it’s the soundtrack – it’s just that good. Then again, I now have this game for the PS1, PS2, PS3, SS, PSP and arcade ROMS – just missing the DC game. I’m not paying anything more for Vampire/Darkstalkers until part four comes out. :)
Mini-Review: Tomb Raider – Oh Yes!
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Reviews with tags Tomb Raider on March 17, 2013 by slateman
It isn’t 1996 any longer. While there have been many Tomb Raider games since then, none have lived up to the standard set by the first two games. And with Uncharted coming to take the torch, how precisely can a reboot live up with the legacy of both UC and TR? By doing precisely what they’ve done in this game.
And Uncharted IS important because it took a formula and perfected it. Its second entry is probably my favorite game of this generation. Its third iteration, however, didn’t live up to the standard set by the first two games. Sound familiar? (Plus, we’ve talked about this…twice!) As Lara Croft scrambled to safety in the 2013 reboot, I was a character who was real. No more one-liners after murdering two dozen swarming enemies. It’s not that Nathan Drake is unlikeable; it’s quite the opposite. It’s just that by the third time, it was all expected. We knew we’d be dangling by one arm at least six times. Every action sequence felt familiar the intensity was thereby reduced. When Lara first killed a person, it was a big deal. The intense moments in Tomb Raider were intense! The entire journey was a remarkable one; even if it felt like UC a few times (which itself felt like TR a few times).
Lara was a mess. She was hurt. Her pain felt real. The visuals in the game were positively incredible, the sound outstanding. The gameplay was impeccable and FUN. The weapons were powerful. Their customizable evolution was perfectly executed. I felt a draw to the history, the lore. The locales were lush and vast. I listened to the audio logs. The collectibles fit within the world created. I went back to collect GPS caches, using my new-found abilities to unlock new paths. More than once during my adventure I stated, “This represents everything I love about videogames!”
This review is pretty simple. The game absolutely rules and is one of my favorites in a long time. In retrospect, I’m stuck trying to find a weakness. Perhaps more diverse enemies would be nice. I guess the biggest problem is how to deal with a sequel but who cares about that now? Tomb Raider has somehow returned to form, copying and trumping a game that copied and trumped it in the first place. This is just about perfect; it cannot be praised highly enough.
Tomb Raider: First Thoughts
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Uncharted with tags Tomb Raider on March 8, 2013 by slateman
I got Tomb Raider from my favorite service, GameFly yesterday and have managed to squeak out maybe 45 minutes of gameplay. First impressions? Awesome! Crystal Dynamics couldn’t really go the Uncharted route…and seeing how UC ripped off TR in the first place, what could the developer do? Well, what they’ve done is revamp Lara Croft entirely and craft a spectacular new style of game. I’m super psyched to play through the rest of this, foregoing even God Of War to do so. That’s saying a lot. The snapshot above looks like it’s straight out of UC actually. However, I most certainly am not complaining. Now, if I only didn’t have to take that photo w/ my phone. Perhaps if there were a Share button on my gaming controller……. :D
New Cubing Record: 2×2 – 9.66!!!
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records on March 5, 2013 by slatemanWait…what? TWO records on the same day? I haven’t done the 2×2 for speed since…September of 2011! So, since I had such a great 3×3 run (still psyched about that!) I grabbed my old white LanLan (which isn’t nearly as good as the QJ I have at home) and the first run I did came out at 9.66 seconds! WOW. Seriously…two records on the same day! I think this 9.66-second run is certainly a breakable record. Maybe I’ll try a few more runs!
New Cubing Record: 3×3 – 31.75!!!
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records on March 5, 2013 by slatemanMy stickerless Zhanchi is still my favorite cube ever, but today I decided to bring to work both my Zhanchis. I could never really figure out why I prefer the stickerless. Why does it turn so much better? Would my times be crap on the standard, black, stickered cube? I pumped out three crazy fast runs: 35.96, 37.73 and then…
Wow! Now…I’ve gotten to the point where .23 seconds is a vast improvement; this is unlike the old days where I could break a record by 3, 5, 10 seconds! Less than a quarter of a second is still a new personal best! However, what I’m really impressed by is the ability to get repeated low-30s. This is my second sub-32 and, with some additional luck, maybe the sub-30 is possible! That would be pretty sweet. Today is a good day!!!
New Average-Of-5 Record: Sub-40!!!
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records on February 28, 2013 by slateman
I’ve finally done it!!! While the past two weeks have been tinkering with my new Gigaminx, I’ve returned to the classic 3×3 (seems so small in comparison!) and after a pretty impressive first two runs (36.56 & 39.89) I figured why not go for the five? 41 and 43-second runs were not quite as impressive leaving my average just over 40. I knew I needed a great run to bring that down and after an awesome last-layer skip, I finished at 35.15! Anything in that region is still exciting but to have it finish my average-of-five run at 39.31 seconds was thrilling! So – the final run times were:
36.56 / 38.89 / 43.80 / 41.17 / 35.15 = 39.31 Average
\m/
What I’m Playing: February Edition
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Personal on February 24, 2013 by slateman
Vacation week has been a bit insane here, really. In fact, they’ve been totally bat-shit crazy, but it’s OK; that’s life. In fact, I’ve had the chance to play some games this week. So, what’s what?
Gravity Rush
PS+ is the bomb, to reiterate the obvious. I grab everything that’s ‘free’ even if I don’t download it. Having beaten Uncharted: Golden Abyss and with zero interest in the arduous task of getting the platinum, I deleted that bad jackson and tossed on Wipeout. I’m not much of a racing fan though, so while it looked phenomenal, I deleted that too. Why not try Gravity Rush!? I’d tested out the demo and didn’t quite like it, really. However, it’s Free! The controls take some getting used to but it’s actually a pretty good game! And, in the process, I got a reminder about how much I love Japanese games. In the old days, I would pore through magazines, translate games and I loved it. The music, the quirky nature of Gravity Rush is wholly Japanese and I love it. Not sure if I’ll beat the game but it’s a fun romp while it’s lasting!
Aliens: Colonial Marines
I don’t need to say much more.
New Super Mario Bros. U
This game is traditional Mario fun. There is nothing like the feeling of running through the stage, full speed, bouncing off of enemies that were precisely placed for that purpose. There’s nothing better than looking at an area with a curious eye only to reveal a hidden coin in an invisible cave. The new Wii U controller is comfortable enough to play this familiar game. The HD visuals are nice, if not somewhat wasted. It’s Mario. It’s a mushroom. Sure, it’s nice to be in HD, but I’m waiting to see the Wii U play something gorgeous. Zelda is my first guess.
It’s the same game I’ve played before but it’s fun. I plan on getting every gold coin and unlocking whatever it is that unlocks. Sadly, after that, I’ll likely avoid the game for a while. As good as these games get, I rarely go back too much. Not like the classic, Super Mario Bros. 3 – probably my favorite game ever. *shrug*
Playstation 4: Four Reasons To Be Excited
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Lists, Uncharted with tags PS4, PSVita on February 24, 2013 by slateman
Oh, new console, how I loathe thee. I’m sorry, I am actually quite fond of you. Your first year usually sucks but then again it’s so cool having the newest, latest & greatest tech! But nowadays, things aren’t quite like they were years ago. New consoles mean so much more than just better visuals. So, with a non-backwards compatible (with hardware & software), expensive machine on the horizon, why should anyone be excited? My PS3 does just about everything I want (cross-game chat notwithstanding). Let’s see.
#1 – Remote Play & Streaming
Sure, we’re disappointed by the lack of backwards-compatibility but if remote play is anything near what Sony was touting during their press event this month, I’ll be rather impressed. So, I’ll be able to play PS4 games on my Vita? Without lag? Wait…I’m going to press the X button on my Vita, it’ll send that signal via WiFi to my PS4 which will process the button press and then send that entire video signal back – with zero lag? Then to say we could do that with anything from a phone to an iPad…I’m not entirely sold. However, if they can get this working; it’ll be pretty sweet.
Streaming is a different beast entirely and I’ll believe this when I see it. Beyond streaming to devices to play PS4 games, being able to play PS1, PS2 and PS3 games via streaming could be outrageous! Of course, I don’t want to pay for any game I already own…and pay for the streaming service as well because we know that won’t be free! However, this could be a great thing if implemented nicely. I’m hoping they do this right. I’m not sure how this will work but the more I think about it, the more I fear it’ll be a greedy method of extracting cash. Hmmm….
#2 – Dual Shock 4
I may be in the minority but I love the Dual Shock. I’ve loved it since before it had dual analogs and…well…shock. Tweaking it doesn’t look too sexy but from what it seems, this should be one hell of a controller. It’ll also come at a cost; I can’t see that monster going for any less than $60.
Now, I don’t know how much I’ll use the Share button, nor do I have any clue why I’d need a touch pad. The rest looks solid though and I’m excited about it. Oh, and the ability to charge while the system is off: A+!
#3 – Horsepower
Of course we’re looking at a faster, more-powerful processor and more RAM. But it’s what that means that makes me happy. Irksome things from the PS3 will be eliminated. Cross-game chat is, of course, welcome (though will it cost us via a new subscription service?) but there’s more than that. The reported ability to install in the background is a wonderful change from the current method. I’m excited about what else this processing power will entail beyond just graphics.
#3 – Screenshots/Movies
10 years ago I used to capture video and post stuff to PTH but I have neither the time nor the resources to go about it any more. I’m thoroughly enjoying the ability to capture images on the PS Vita, even if I don’t do much with them. Being able to edit video could be a very cool thing indeed as there have been numerous times I’ve wished to do the same. Sports fans could go back and edit replays like they have done for years but now they could save them.
How about a few things I’m not excited about.
#1 – The Price
This thing has to cost a ton. Even at a reasonable $400, which I find a doubtful price point, you need a game and so that’s a $500 purchase in the end. Will PS+ carry over? What will the new subscription cost? Streaming? Additional hardware? That controller at $60 would be manageable – but still costly. I love hardware, but don’t like paying for it! :D
#2 – Not BC with PSN Games
I totally get the backwards-compatibility issue with PS3 games just like how Sony took out PS2 BC on the PS3. I accept that and look forward to how streaming will be implemented for older titles. However, PSN games would be nice to carry over. I have a large number of PSN games. I suppose this is the same as every console generation but I have a LOT of reasons to keep my PS3 hooked up. Speaking of…
#3 – HDMI Space
I now have 3 HDMI devices connected to my TV. My PS3, my Wii U and a blu-ray player. My TV only supports 3 HDMI inputs. Another device = what to unplug? I hate that decision. It may be minor, but in a small house with kids everywhere…it’s an important decision.
#4 – Gimmicks
Sony isn’t focusing on 3D but we cannot forget how important the push was just a little while back. It’s typical, especially for Sony. So, now, we’re going to get the share button forced down our throats, the new camera system will make the Dual Shock 4 act like a Move controller, the touch screen will be used for balancing, etc. Expect the first wave of games to have trophies related to them both. Silver trophy for sharing this game/something with 10 friends! Meh. It’s just like the first Uncharted games – both on the PS3 and the Vita. Remember balancing in the first UC? Tilt the controller? No thanks. It was removed from games #2 and 3. How about the Vita? Hold the Vita up to the light! Swipe, swipe, swipe! No thanks. I hate gimmicks. Expect the PS3 to come at you full force with them.
So…that’s that. I’m certainly excited about the PS4 and will almost definitely be getting one. I have enjoyed the systems for over 15 years now. This holiday’s launch should be cool and I look forward to what they’ll have to offer. Next up…see what Microsoft has to say! I can’t wait to see what innovations they’ll conjure up! While I don’t play my 360 nearly as much as my PS3, I own both of Microsoft’s consoles.