Leveling Down

My PS3 Library continues to grow, system be darned!

It’s been a little while now since I last gave an update on my PS3 hunt, so for today I am going to share what I’ve been up to on it for the last couple of weeks. It’s a good sign for me that I should get a PS3, because even after two weeks, I haven’t changed my mind on wanting it. Then again, part of me now is wondering if the reason why I want to acquire one so badly is simply because I can’t find one.

Anyway, if you think it was as easy as just clicking a button online or driving to a store and grabbing one, you are sorely mistaken (although, I guess it could have been that simple if I stopped changing my mind). Read on to see the ups and downs I’ve been going through these last two weeks in order to actually attain this coveted console, and I haven’t even gotten it yet!

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While Yakuza 3 was just released here in the states, Yakuza 4 will release in Japan next week.

My wife and I booked a two week trip to Japan for our vacation this year, and we’re heading out there in May – one week in the Tokyo area and one week in the Kyoto area. I’ve never even been in Japan overnight (stopped over a couple times in Narita airport, but never actually went into Tokyo), so I was pretty excited. I’ve grown up playing Japanese video games, watching Japanese anime, and reading Japanese manga. So isn’t it basically the dream of a gamer (or otaku, in my case) to visit the “Land of the Rising Sun”? I thought it was, until I started seriously thinking about what to buy when we go to Japan in a couple months. I’m coming up quite short.
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Since I posted about Blizzard on Monday, here’s another Blizzard related entry that I have been pondering as of late. I was at Target with my wife this past weekend, and as we were waiting in line to check out, I noticed that the kid in front of me, who was probably an underclassman still in high school, was buying a 60 day pre-paid World of Warcraft card. These cards are $30, and allow the World of Warcraft account holder to play the game for two months (the monthly subscription is $15 a month to play). Three thoughts went through my mind as I saw this WoW card go down the cashier belt:

1. People actually buy these things?
2. Do I say something?
3. Should Blizzard even be selling these?

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Mass Effect & Dragon Age – Bioware’s own Star Wars & Lord of the Rings?

So coming off of Mass Effect 2, I decided I needed some more Bioware in my life, so I picked up Dragon Age: Origins to give it a whirl. I’m really digging the game and am getting pretty into it, although I still think Mass Effect 2 is the better game in my mind. Maybe that’s because every step of the way in Dragon Age I’m just comparing it to Mass Effect. I decided to jot down a few of my thoughts into writing.

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The results of being hacked: losing all of your equipment yet having a nice amount of gold…

This past weekend, I received an email from Blizzard Entertainment informing me that my account password had changed. The email went on to state that if I had requested the change, to disregard the email. But if I did not request the change, then I would need to contact Blizzard immediately in case my account had been compromised. I did not request the password change, so I got a bit worried. I tried to log onto my account on the battle.net website, and surely enough, my password was no longer valid. Someone had actually somehow hacked into my battle.net account! This freaked me out. Read on to see what transpired…

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Been seeing this dude on my 360 dashboard for several days now…

After about a month or so of R&R away from Modern Warfare 2, I jumped back into the game this past weekend and haven’t stopped playing it since. I had been playing Bayonetta, Brutal Legend, Band Hero, BioShock 2 (that’s a lot of B’s!), and GTA IV: The Lost and the Damned. After spending some time with BioShock 2’s multiplayer, it sort of jolted me back into wanting to play Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer. After all, why play BioShock 2’s multiplayer when I could be playing something else far superior? Here is a recount of me getting back into the game, consisting of my thoughts on how it feels to be back, and whether I have what it takes to keep up with the “kids” these days…

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In Ice Hockey, the USA never loses to Canada…or the USSR

While espion4ge was busy having his heartbroken on being denied a PS3 at the last minute, I was experiencing heartbreak of a different sort: sports heartbreak. Battling a fever, I drove 4 hours to get home to watch the United States play Canada in the Gold Medal game in hockey. The game was well worth it, even if the final result wasn’t what I’d hoped. At least Canada never beats us in baseball…oh wait, they did. Whatever. I’ve more or less stopped playing sports video games, but watching hockey always makes me want to pick up a hockey title, since hockey games are my favorite type of sports game, and also because hockey video games make me nostalgic. For what? I’m glad you asked.

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I think I want one of these now.

For followers of Leveling Down, you all are most likely aware of how entrenched I am in the 360. I own three 360 consoles, probably something like 70+ Xbox 360 games, and have even bought and returned a PS3 at one point. Well, now I’m back to wanting a PS3 once again. It didn’t seriously hit until this past weekend, due to a variety of factors that have all come together to make me seriously lean towards purchasing one. And when I am seriously considering purchasing one, there is often very little to stop me once my mind has been made. Read on for reasons for my “capitulation”, my worries, and even how my PS3 hunt went this weekend.

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Lightning bolts coming out of my hands? This is insane!

I wrote the title of this post about three hours ago. I was planning to say how Insanity Mode in Mass Effect 2 started out rough, but then got progressively easier and that I was blowing through the game, but then I just spent the last three hours on ONE mission, so I think I will back off of those plans for now.

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Today is President’s Day in the United States, so we’re off (and I just woke up). I’ll use today as a short entry to recommend you gamers see the film Zombieland – especially if you’re a fan of the Left 4 Dead games. Zombies seem to be popular in both films and video games, but they’ve become very popular in video games as of late and it looks like they’re also seeing a “resurgence” in film as well.

The movie is a little on the short side, but it has a lot of humor and it’s done quite well. It’s surprising that the people who created Zombieland did not mention taking any influence from the Left 4 Dead games, since it has so many things that we’ve experienced in both Left 4 Dead games. One thing that we’ve experienced in the Left 4 Dead games that seems to also occur in Zombieland is the lack of a plot. The plot for the film is not much better than the plot for either of the Left 4 Dead games. Well – maybe a tiny bit better. But all you need to really know is that these 4 survivors are trying to make their way across the United States, which is now basically Zombieland since everyone has pretty much turned into zombies.

Zombieland really is for us gamers, as the main character is the young guy on the left in the shot above and his narration is what guides us through the film. His thoughts and mannerisms are easily identifiable for gamers, as he comes up with all sorts of rules to survive such as always checking the backseat when entering a new vehicle. We even see him spending time playing World of Warcraft in his apartment before the zombie infection begins, which is a nice little touch for fans of the game.

This honestly feels like a Left 4 Dead movie. 4 survivors come together and team up to take on a zombie horde that has ravaged America, all with their own distinct personalities and traits. I don’t want to give too much of the film away, but definitely check it out if you enjoy Left 4 Dead!