It’s all about level 4. IIRC, I managed 600 million through levels 1-3. I totaled just under 1.2 billion on stage 4 alone. I was frustrated the whole game, but level 4 was just remarkable. The goal was 2 billion, but it just didn’t happen. Comboing level 5 is just not gonna happen. Next will be to better my early level scores so a huge level 4 chain will put me over the top. Fun game…no DOJ, but fun!
DDP:DFK New High Score (1.98 Billion)
Posted in Blog, DoDon Pachi, Games, High Scores/Accomplishments on June 4, 2012 by slatemanJesu: ST Original Picture Disc Mix
Posted in Blog, Godflesh, Music on June 2, 2012 by slatemanJesu’s debut LP is the soundtrack to my utter despair. It was the autumn of 2003 and my life was crumbling before my eyes. I listened to this album a lot. It was horrible.
I see another alternate mix of this has come out. I can’t say I’m certain I want to revisit this time…but it’s an interesting journey and ultimately a must for my collection.
DDP:DFK New High Score (1.84 Billion)
Posted in Blog, DoDon Pachi, Games, High Scores/Accomplishments on June 2, 2012 by slateman
I haven’t been playing DDP:DFK lately but there’s no real reason why. It’s a game I can play in front of the kids and it’s generally playable in small doses. Anyway, I opted to turn on the 360 the other day for the first time in a while. Today, I just crushed my old score of 1.7 billion. Chaining is fun, not nearly as challenging as DDP:DOJ and the game looks great. I should be able to get to 2 billion soon. Oh, actually, I had a killer run going when I got disconnected from XBox Live. I lost all my progress. So annoying!!! Anyways, a good run and a new score! Love it!
Ys Origin Out Today!!!
Posted in Blog, Games, Video, Ys on June 1, 2012 by slateman
Ys Origin launches today via Steam and it is the long-awaited official English localization. This is the last major Ys game to be released here in the States and it’s $20. It looks like…Ys and is likely nothing much more. However, it’s awesome to see support continue for the series, and with four titles on the PSP, another coming on the Vita and now this, it’s like an Ys genesis here in the U.S.! In the very least, the music is legendary. Brings me back to 1990. Man, I’m old.
Skyrim: Dawnguard…Not What I Was Expecting
Posted in Blog, Games, Skyrim with tags Dawnguard on June 1, 2012 by slateman
Vampires? Really? Well, the whole of Skyrim was so polished, I have no fear this will be a well thought-out and beautifully-crafted addition to the Elder Scrolls world. However, it’s not at all what I was expecting or desiring. But, I guess that’s the beauty of things. Too vanilla and we’d complain about just that. It’ll cost $20 by the looks of it, and I’ll have time to read reviews on the timed-exclusive Xbox360 version first. Ah hell, I’ll be getting this for certain. Oh right…still gotta beat it. :)
New Cube Order!
Posted in Blog, Cubing with tags 2x2x2, 3x3x1, Fisher Cube, Windmill Cube on May 31, 2012 by slateman
A student of mine was fascinated with the Windmill Cube I purchased some time back and asked me to get one for her. I shopped around and decided to return to Lightake. As I placed her order, I decided to get a add a tiny order for myself. While it is actually three new puzzles it’s actually a cheap and minor addition to my puzzle collection. Overall it cost almost nothing but I’m still pretty psyched. Let’s see what’s a’comin’.
Super Floppy 3x3x1
I’ve always been interested in getting a Floppy Cube but it’s never been a priority. As this is a real cheap order, I decided it was time. However, I’m glad I looked into it enough to know to get a Super Floppy instead as it can shape shift. This is going to be a novelty cube but it should be fun.
LanLan 2×2 – This time I’m getting it in black. I’m fairly certain someone stole my original LanLan 2×2 and while I don’t really use it much, I can’t not have one in my collection. I’ve never gotten into speed solving a 2×2…but that doesn’t excuse a vacant spot on my puzzle shelf! I’ll be happy to have this again though it’ll likely get less love than the other two.
Fisher’s Cube – So similar to the Windmill Cube, I figured it was time to test this out. I’m not too excited about this though I can’t say precisely why. Hopefully my Windmill Cube algs will help solve this. It doesn’t look as cool as that cube, but I’m building my collection so this should be in there.
RiDo’s Hunting Story
Posted in Blog, Cubing, Guides on May 28, 2012 by slateman
I’ve tinkered with F2L for quite some time and I’ve never really felt comfortable with it. While I realize it will actually slow me down at first, I think that becomes discouraging. Watching others do it however, makes me feel like I’m really missing out. Yesterday I came across RiDo’s Hunting Story and was impressed. Perhaps this can help me remember it all? For what it’s worth, I’m making a link for myself to remember. I really have to get on this…F2L would just rock!
New Cubing Record: 4×4 – 2:48.12
Posted in Blog, Cubing, Cubing Records with tags 4x4x4 on May 27, 2012 by slateman
Incremental new best times, I realize, but hey, I’ve never solved it faster! There were a few sure-thing solves that fell into disgust. One had me taking about a minute to solve the last layer alone. Pathetic. However, today, it’s good news. A new record, a second faster than the last. 2:48.12. I won’t complain!
Uncharted: Why Golden Abyss Is Better Than UC3
Posted in Best / Worst, Blog, Games, Lists, Reviews, Uncharted with tags PSVita on May 27, 2012 by slatemanI love me some Uncharted. I’ll go as far as to say it’s the best game this generation. It helps that I prefer 3rd person games. But there’s no disputing the level of care the four UC games have been given. The settings, voice acting, stories and gameplay are all polished and pristine.
When Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception came out in November, I was disappointed. It did a lot right, let’s clear the air there. However, when looking at its single-player experience, it was inferior to UC2. That’s not a surprise, really, as UC2 is the aforementioned best game of this generation. There was something more though…something more disappointing than the fact the game was disappointing. It failed to move forward in a lot of ways. It failed to make me care.
So, as I started to play Golden Abyss, I knew we were looking at a side entry into the series. They’re never as good. And, once again, to be clear, it is less grand in several ways.
The visuals are clearly not as fantastic as the third game. The controls are lacking both a second pair of shoulders and the clicking of L3/R3, that’s 4 buttons lost. This makes reloading more cumbersome and you cannot zoom in through most gun scopes. The touch-screen controls are totally unnecessary and add zero to the game’s value. And there are never as many enemies on screen as on the consoles, though the endless hordes towards the end of UC3 was apparently one of the only picking points to its stellar scores.
Spoilers To Come BTW!
With those basics out in the open, it appears (about 3/4 of the way through the game) Golden Abyss is better in almost every other way. The story in 3 may have been large, but like I mentioned, I didn’t care about Marlowe and Talbot. Cutter was a grunt and Chloe and Elena were barely in the game. I was really disappointed in the cast and settings of UC3. Right from the get-go, I felt passionate about Dante. He was slimy and deceitful from the outset and I disliked him greatly. However, you are tied with him, which makes you hate him more. Chase started out just so-so, but as I progressed, I actually cared about her search for her grandfather. The Chase/Nate chemistry is there too, replete with his trademark charm and tongue-in-cheek comments. Then…Sully!!! I really didn’t know he’d be in the game. His appearance is perfect. There is a ton of dialogue between him and Drake, the camaraderie and history is blatant. There are jokes about ‘that time when…’ and Nate picks on Sully’s age. It’s all just like it should be. It has virtually everything UC3 has.
We’re talking about a handheld game that is, through its story and gameplay just as good if not better than the huge-budget console brother! I am totally digging Golden Abyss. It is flawed but IMO not as flawed as UC3 was. It’s exciting and delivers a great story and explosive moments. Where UC3 gave me the ‘been-there, done-that’ feeling, this feels fresh and exciting. You may disagree with one being better than the other, but it’s hard to deny this is one of the biggest handheld adventures ever. I’d, once again, go as far as to say it’s the best portable game I’ve ever played. And I’m not even done yet! And, I’ve already thought about subsequent playthroughs.
I figured I’d share some more pics. I love the screenshot option and these sure are beauts.
Uncharted: Golden Abyss = Friggin’ Sweet!
Posted in Blog, Games, Reviews, Uncharted with tags PSVita on May 22, 2012 by slateman
Golden Abyss!
OK, Golden Abyss is flawed. The controls can be a little shaky. The motion/touch-screen controls are gimmicky and at the outset, it feels like a side story.
With that out of the way, however, we can get into the rest. Now, I’m about 8 chapters in, so I think that’s about 1/3rd. It’s a reasonable time to make some sort of basic ‘conclusions’. Beyond those issues listed above, Golden Abyss is the best handheld title ever. It’s gorgeous. Its voice acting is top-notch. Beyond the voice-overs, the audio is spectacular. It’s fun. It’s Uncharted!!!
The story, which loses its ‘side-story’ feel as time goes on, is pretty cool and very quickly I identified with Nathan again. It helps that they didn’t outsource his voice, as it returns me back to the series I adore so much. The tale of Dante and Chase (pretty generic adventure names at this point) is not bad. I kinda like this Chase chick and Dante is as sleazy as he should be. I don’t trust him and I’m curious about her. Perfect…they’ve pulled me into this tale 100%. I’m overlooking the downsides, because at this point, I haven’t a clue why I’m collecting all this shit. There are treasures and there are pictures (lame) and then these archaeological things and for some reason you have to clean them. Why am I cleaning a pick-axe? Umm, ok, and then there are other puzzles like torn-up sheets of paper and then the rubbings…whatever. They’re gimmicky no doubt, but they’re not painful. The motion controls are horrible. Umm…there’s a reason they were removed after the first Uncharted game.
However, I’m having a blast with this game. Playing with headphones allows me to hear everything in its perfect, high-budget glory. This is not the ‘ting ting’ sound of yesteryear’s handhelds. It’s amazing. The gameplay, while definitely dumbed down from the PS3 outings (no analog click zoom, no swapping shoulders, grenade tossing sucks) is still Uncharted at heart and it’s fun. I’m finding the dialogue with Chase interesting and Drake just mentioned how he needed to show something to Sully. I may have dissed UC3 a bit a few months back, but I love the world and the series. I’ve already thought about subsequent playthroughs to pick up all the stupid crap I missed.
Ultimately, there’s still plenty left. I plan on enjoying it as I go through the game. I’m pretty psyched that it has turned out so well and may report back with final thoughts in a little bit. For now, some cool artwork from the game. I captured these with the Vita itself. I love this system!!! Enjoy!
