Welcome to the dark side

   

     Or perhaps the emo side would be more accurate.  But more on that in a minute.  I really wanted to love Star Wars.  I went in expecting to be blown away, and for the most part I was.  The acting and special effects were top notch.  The storyline flows pretty smoothly for the most part, and it was great to see Han Solo and Chewie back in action.  (Yes they're my two favorite characters from the original trilogy).  There were a few miss-steps, however, that seemed completely avoidable.  Kylo Ren, for example.  The actor did a great job, no complaints.  He was a little emo but I blame the director for that.  I was completely buying it until I learned he was the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia.  In no reality, if those two had a kid, would he look like that.  Tall, olive skinned, and black hair?  I don't think so.  That little thing called suspension of disbelief?  Just went right out the window.  In a movie about magic, essentially.  I don't know why, but it just seemed like an really odd casting choice to me.  Shouldn't they have picked someone at least halfway believable?
     Another thing that bothered me was Han Solo's death.  This is more a personal thing, since he is one of my two favorites.  But why bring him back just to kill him?  It was traumatizing and very sad.  Then everyone was like "oooo they found Luke Skywalker."  No offense to Skywalker fans, but I could give two shits.  Give me Han Solo back!  Ok end of that rant.
     Just one more thing bothered me about the film.  (This is the last one, I promise.)  Rey defeating Kylo Ren in lightsaber combat?  Unlikely.  Sure she can use the force, but so can he and he's had a buttload of training.  It'd be like me picking up a sword and expecting to defeat a medieval knight in combat.  (Sort of.)  I'd get my butt handed to me.  And the move where she kept trying to hit Kylo in the shoulder with the tip of the saber?  What is that called again?  Perhaps the "I have no clue what I'm doing"?  Ok I'm done now.  Will I go see the next Star Wars?  Absolutely.  For the most part it was a very enjoyable film.  Let's just hope it's got a few less kinks than the Force Awakens.

Return of the King

   
     Ok bad pun I know.  PS plus members got the first episode of King's Quest free this month so I thought I'd check it out.  I played King's Quest 6 a long time ago and have fond memories of that game.  The new one is just as fun.  The artwork is gorgeous and the voice acting is top-notch, with Christopher Lloyd voicing the king.  The story is told by the king to his granddaughter, so it's kind of like a bedtime story, which is cool.  No, you're not too old for a bedtime story, get over yourself.   The puzzles so far are very, very simple to solve.  I haven't finished the first episode yet so I'm hoping they get a little harder.  The framerate does stutter a little but it's not enough to ruin the game.  If you liked the original series definitely give the new one a shot, you won't be disappointed.

Assassins Creed Syndicate review in progress

     Against all better judgement I picked up a copy yesterday.  Pretty sure I've mentioned how much I used to love this series, so I thought I'd give it one more shot.  Unity was a low point in a franchise that's been sinking for awhile now.  I think they should've wrapped it up at the end of 3 when Desmond saved the world.  The historical settings are awesome but without the modern story to tie everything together it's been lacking something.  And no, there has been no modern story to speak of in any of the games after 3.  So I wasn't expecting much.  I was pleasantly surprised by Jacob and Evie.  They're a little more fleshed out than Arno and Shay were.  Arno in particular was a dink, but I digress.  I don't know if there will be more to the modern storyline since I haven't gotten that far yet.  I did get to see Shawn and Rebecca breaking into Abstergo, but that's it.  I'm really hoping the story just blows me away because let's be honest that's the main reason most people play Assassin's Creed.      Running around 1800's london is awesome; as usual it's a beautiful game.  The free running still has the same issues as the rest of the games and the combat is basically the same.  It's very easy, even by Assassin's Creed standards.  I'm hoping it gets a little more challenging later on.  The stealth is a lot of fun and adds some challenge if you want to collect on all the optional objectives.  Also who doesn't want to run around hunting down Jack the Ripper?  I don't usually buy the DLC for Assassin's Creed as they usually seem blah to me.  And really, how can they top Ezio's speech in Bonfire of the Vanities?  That was the last one I bought.  But I think I'll be picking this one up as it looks amazing.  I'll give my final thoughts when I finish the game.  In the meantime, happy assassinating to everyone!

Thoughts on horses real and imaginary

So I went horseback riding this past weekend.  Now as a gamer I have certain (unrealistic) expectations of how horseback riding should go.  When I ride a horse in a video game they respond to my every command promptly and happily.  And they can climb really steep hills.  Not quite how it plays out in real life.  It doesn't help that what I know about horses could fill a thimble.  I do know the basic commands: how to stop, turn, etc.  So I'm always baffled when the horse ignores me and does exactly what it wants.  On this trail ride I had a horse that would shake his head every time I tried to get him to do something.  His name was Shaker, appropriately.  It was funny and frustrating at the same time.  I love horses and I wish I had the time and money to actually learn to ride.  Alas I do not, so I think the next time I get an itch to go horseback riding I'll just pop in Red Dead Redemption and go riding around Mexico.  I don't have to deal with obnoxious trail guides and I get to go to Mexico in the 1800's.  Can't beat that!

Finished Witcher 3

     I finally finished the main quest for Witcher 3.  Woohoo!  I really liked the ending, it was a little sad but it was well written.  (In case you haven't figured it out there will be spoilers ahead).  I got the ending where Ciri becomes ruler of Nilfgaard and I chose Yen as Geralt's love interest, so altogether I think Geralt and Ciri both got what they deserved.  Well maybe not since Yennefer is one cold bitch but I had more respect for her than Triss so that's who he ended up with.  I really wish Vesemir hadn't died, he was one of my favorite characters.  It's kind of depressing walking around Kaer Morhen after the credits have rolled.  There's no one left at all.  I believe that CDPR said this was the last Witcher game they were making, so maybe the author will write more stories.  I doubt it but I can always hope!

     The only complaint I have with Witcher is the combat system.  Those boss battles were a pain in the butt, and not in a good way.  I don't mind hard boss fights, but I do want a responsive combat system to back me up.  I find it incredibly frustrating when I dodge and Geralt just stands there.  Or when I have to press the button twice to get him to drink a potion.  Happened more than once.  But overall I enjoyed the heck out of it and I'm looking forward to Hearts of Stone.  I am going to take a break from Witcher for a bit before I jump into the DLC.  I just got Far Cry 4 so I'll mess around with that for awhile.  Then I'll go back to cursing like a marine while trying to get Geralt to actually throw a bomb.  Just throw the bomb, damnit!!!

Need ideas/suggestions

So I need help with something. I'm trying to find a game that is for four people, and they can play the entire game together. I voted for Star Wars battlefront but none of my friends are especially fond of PVP. So that's out. Also no Destiny. We've done Destiny to death. Anyone have any suggestions? Winner gets a cookie. (A good cookie, not one of those crappy ones).

Ash Vs Evil dead

I watched the first episode tonight.  I've been a fan of Bruce Campbell since I was a kid.  I loved
Brisco County Jr, and pretty much everything he's been in.  Heck, it seems like half the TV shows I watched as a kid had him in them.  His appearances on Hercules were great.  So I had to at least give it a try.  I'll be honest, I almost turned it off a couple minutes in.  But I stuck it out and I'm glad I did.  It stays true to the feel of the original movies and it's great to watch him back in action.  By the end of the show I was loving it.  I hope it sticks around, I can't wait for episode 3.  Hail to the king, baby.      

This post is for Kim Harrison (and book lovers)

   

     For anyone who doesn't know who she is, she wrote the NY Times bestselling series the Hollows.  I loved the Hollows series and think she's an awesome writer.  She just released a new book at the beginning of October called the Drafter.  It's very good, a lot different from the Hollows but definitely worth a read.  Now you're probably wondering why I'm devoting most of my post to her book instead of just mentioning how awesome it is.  There is a reason.  I follow her on Facebook and she posted a blog earlier today.  Apparently the Drafter sold so poorly that her publisher is thinking about canceling the sequel, which would suck because I would really like to know what happens to Peri (the main character).  So even though I don't have a huge audience for my blog, I thought I would show my support.  Her Hollows series was hugely popular, so why the Drafter failed to sell is mystifying.  I find it really sad I might never get to read one of her books again.  I might just buy a bunch of copies and give them away as christmas presents!  If you'd like to check the Drafter out and help spread the word here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/Drafter-Peri-Reed-Chronicles/dp/1501108697/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444698949&sr=8-1&keywords=the+drafter

Also here's a link to her Hollows series, which is now complete:http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Witch-Walking-Hollows-Book/dp/0060572965/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444699468&sr=8-1&keywords=dead+witch+walking

Star Wars Battlefront beta impressions

   
I played the beta for a few hours yesterday and today.  I love Star Wars and I've really been looking forward to this game.  I know a lot of people are not having a good first impression.  I don't think I've read a single positive thing actually.  (I'm sure there are some positive reviews I've just missed them).  It's hard to judge the beta because I don't know how deep the main game is going to be.  The graphics are beautiful.  There is some lag but hopefully the kinks will be worked out before release day.  The weapon variety isn't great, hopefully there's more weapons to be had than what I've seen.  The drop zone is kind of meh, it's the standard control match.  The walker assault is a lot more fun.  My only complaint is I saw jedi knights running around and people flying vehicles, but for the life of me I couldn't find those powerups on the map.  There's seven different multiplayer modes, so we're just getting a taste of what the game has to offer.  I can imagine how much fun the fighter squadron is going to be.  I'm assuming it's an all vehicle battle (hopefully) so that will just be wicked.  I want to run out and pre-order it, but I'm going to have to wait for reviews on this one.  It looks fun but I'd rather play it safe.

Taken King last impressions

     After playing pretty much nothing but Destiny for the past few weeks, I have a few new thoughts and observations.  The Taken King was a step forward in a few ways for Destiny, and I do like some of the changes they made.  But they got a lot of things wrong.  I was maxed out on my characters for Vanguard and crucible marks when the Taken King dropped, and I got no legendary marks to compensate for them.  Bungie could've easily worked out a system to translate those marks and given us something, even if it was a small amount.  I realize they probably wanted everyone to start off at the same point so it was fair to all.  But wouldn't giving everyone a few new marks in return for the old marks do the same thing?  I'd like those hours of my life back!
     Another big problem is the tweaking and recycling.  Bungie gave us new strikes?  Awesome.  Not so awesome?  Taking an old strike and inserting some Taken into it randomly.  Its lazy and unnecessary.  And everyone keeps asking when I'm going to go back and get the Stranger's Rifle again because apparently there's a rumor it might be worth a crap one day.  Never.  That's when I'm going to go get it.  Never.
     Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of things I love about Destiny.  The repetition is not one of them.  I'd really love to try the new raid, but I can't because I don't have enough light.  I can't even do nightfall yet!  My biggest problem is I simply don't have enough time to sink into the game.  It's great if you want to play with friends for a few hours, but when those hours get you nowhere it's kind of pointless.  If they'd cut back on the grind just a little bit, it'd make the game a lot more accessible for those of us with jobs and a life.  The only people I know that are uber powerful are old dudes and young kids who apparently have too much time on their hands.  Seriously, how do they have time do to schoolwork?  In any case, this'll probably be my last Destiny expansion.  I've enjoyed it, but I have too many other games I'd like to finish.  

Halloween pictures

As promised I'm posting pics of my halloween decorations.  It won't really be done until Halloween proper.  I've more spiderweb to add and more props to set up, so I'll take some final photos in a month.  I might even do a video of the motion activated props, if I can get my camera to cooperate.  I apologize in advance for the night time shots.  I have two lights that make the yard look really cool, but its hard to get night shots to turn out.  I did my best!  I'm off to play Witcher, hope you guys enjoy.

    I'm sure you've all heard Konami is no longer making AAA titles.  I'm a big fan of Castlevania, so his makes me very sad.  I decided to change the background of my blog to a Castlevania theme in protest.  I'm sure that will make them change their minds and make more Castlevania games.  Not.  Oh well.  I never did finish the sequel to Lords of Shadow, so I'll have to give it another crack.  It was a disappointing game to be honest but I have to get my fix somehow.  Maybe I'll just replay Symphony of the Night instead!  I really can't believe that they're going to drop a series as popular as Metal Gear Solid is, or was.  I've heard the new game is struggling to sell units, so perhaps it's not as popular as it once was.  It'd make sense financially for Konami to sell the rights to another developer, so maybe we'll see more games in the future?  Probably not but I'll keep my fingers crossed.
     To mention something totally unrelated next Thursday is the 1st of October so I'll be decorating for Halloween.  Its my favorite holiday so I go all out, I'll post pics when I get everything done.  One crappy thing about living in the south, Halloween isn't a big deal.  Actually a lot of people refuse to celebrate it, which really sucks.  But anyways I'll get pics up if anyone is interested, probably by Friday. It takes two days to decorate so hopefully it'll be done by then.  If anyone wants to share their Halloween photos, or anything gaming related, they're welcome to post them to my facebook page.

Destiny the Taken King first impressions

 I know I said I wasn't going to start anything new until I finished up some old games, but I
couldn't resist getting the Taken King.  I'm glad I did, for the most part.  Bungie obviously put a lot of effort into telling a better story this time around.  The cutscenes are one of the best parts of the Taken King.  Cayde is by far my favorite character, and of course it doesn't hurt that he's voiced by Nathan Fillion.  I do love Firefly!  The new content is a lot of fun, and they've added a lot more variety to the missions than the standard run and gun.  They also gave me a lot of free stuff, more than I expected.  I got a couple of free guns, armor shaders, new class items, and a new vehicle.  That being said, its still way too short.  It took me less than an hour to do the main missions.  Granted I still have miscellaneous quests to do but for $40 I expect a little more content than that.  Still its a step in the right direction and hopefully future expansions will be even better.  

Thoughts on Ethan Carter

 I finished the Vanishing of Ethan Carter tonight.  Very good game, if you haven't played it it's definitely worth a buy.  Its short but the story makes up for it.  The graphics were gorgeous, if the town hadn't been abandoned, creepy and a little depressing I would've wanted to visit!  But the best thing by far was the story.  If you haven't played it yet you might want to stop reading here, cause there will be spoilers.  It's a pretty heavily influenced by a few things, to the point that it could be described as unoriginal.  In fact it borrows from so many sources that its quite a list.  Lovecraft, Shakespeare, Poe, the Sixth Sense, and a short story I'm sure most people have read, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.  If you haven't read it you should give it a try, its short and worth the time.  It was required reading at my high school, I spent an hour googling it because I couldn't remember the name!  I'm sure it has other influences I didn't pick up on but those are the ones I caught.  There isn't much action, other than running away from a creepy guy at one point.  The focus is on the story rather than gameplay, and it does have the twist ending that's become somewhat standard.  The ending can be interpreted a few different ways.  Was Ethan the sleeper?  Was Paul his imagination or something else?  Did he die at the end or did his family save him?  There's more than one way to interpret it, which is pretty standard for the genre.  But Ethan Carter manages to pull it off without feeling like a carbon copy.  The game is definitely multi-layered and worth a closer look.  I'll know I'll be playing it again, just to see if I can get anything else out of it.

Just a heads up, Gamer's Oracle is on Facebook.  I do post random stuff/thoughts on there, if anyone is interested.  Clicky -----> Gamer's Oracle

I stayed up til 3am this morning watching Supernatural.  I love that show.  I know its not the best show on tv but the actors and writers put a lot of heart into it.  I don't get to watch a lot of tv, as I don't have much free time.  But Supernatural is one of the two shows I'll actually sit down and watch(the other being Black Sails).  I love the music, and the car, and everything about it really.  Did I mention the car?  If they would just get rid of Castiel, and put Crowley in his place.  I know I know everyone loves Castiel, I'm just not a fan.  I love Crowley's wit and he has really good chemistry with Sam and Dean.  I think it could work!  Maybe I should send the idea to the show's writers....

So it's been awhile since I've written a new post.  I took a break from gaming for awhile, except to play Witcher 3 off and on.  One of the best games I've played in a long time.  I'm really excited for the new expansion that's coming out next month.  And I just learned that it has a limited edition that comes with two gwent decks, so I'll be calling Gamestop first thing to see if I can pre-order.  I have a feeling its not available in the US, but I'll keep my fingers crossed!
     I've been trying to clean up my backlog to get back into gaming, I still have a few games I'd really like to finish up before jumping into anything new.  I'm working on Shadow of Mordor at the moment, I'd forgotten how much fun that game is.  Mowing down a crowd of orcs is insanely satisfying and a little addicting.  After that I just need to finish Mass Effect 3 and AC Rogue and I'll be good to go.  I'd like to jump into the Taken King at some point, but to be honest Destiny is too much of a time suck.  I don't have a lot of free time so I have to use it wisely!  And I wasn't that impressed with House of Wolves.  It was an improvement in a lot of ways, and POE was a blast, but they really need to do something about that grind.  People got other stuff to play!
     Also I did rent Elder Scrolls online, just to see if I was missing anything.  It was pretty bad.  I love the Elder Scrolls series, but I'll wait for the next installment to come out.  I kinda wish I had seen how the PVP worked, cause the combat...I just don't see how that works in PVP.  Maybe I'm spoiled by WOW or perhaps it gets better as you level up.  I don't know and I don't care enough to find out!
     Other than AC Syndicate there's not a whole lot of games I'm excited for this winter.  The new Metal Gear game looks awesome but I've never played any of them so I'm a little leery of diving into the series at this point.  No Man's Sky and Dishonored 2 are the games I'm really looking forward to right now, hopefully we'll actually get to play them next year.  What are you guys playing at the moment?  Anything good coming out this winter that you're excited for?

I've played Witcher 3 for about 25 hours now.  So far I'm pretty impressed with the game.  The graphics are gorgeous, the storyline and voice acting are top notch, and I'm addicted to gwent.  If the cards weren't $75 on ebay I'd get a set.  I've heard a lot of people complaining because the graphics aren't as good as promised.  I can't really comment on that, as I made sure not to watch or read anything that had to do with the game before it came out.  I've been burned before.  (Yes I'm looking at you Assassins Creed.)  In my opinion there's nothing to complain about.  I was caught in a storm yesterday, I wish I had taken a screenshot.  The colors of the sky were amazing, the trees were cracking and popping, I felt like I was in a real storm!  The combat does take some getting used to.  I'll admit I wish it was a little deeper, but it's a lot more responsive than Witcher 2.  So I'm good with that.  The only real complaint I have is the cutscenes do lag a tiny bit.  It is a huge game though, and lets face it the PS4 needs a little more power under the hood.  But other than that I'm enjoying the game immensely.  I still need to pick up Destiny at some point.  I'm eager to try out the prison of elders, but for now it'll have to wait.  Now if you'll excuse me, I have more gwent to play.

Ok so this has nothing to do with gaming, but I had to share.  I went to one of the local horse farms this morning, they hold tours twice a week.  Tours aren't really my thing, but I love horses so I sucked it up and went.  Very glad I did, gorgeous horse breed.  They're called gypsy vanners; the breed was bred and created by gypsies in England.  The guy that owned the farm was very informative about the history of the horse breed and gypsy culture.  It was a fun two hours!

As promised, I'm posting pictures of the Witcher 3 collectors edition.  Very awesome set, much higher quality than some of the sets I've seen.  The medallion is probably my favorite, it's already given me an idea for a halloween costume....anyway I'd like to get back to playing the game.  Hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am!  I'll write more on the game once I've put a few more hours into it.