The Perfect Transfer

You gotta enjoy the small things in life. It's why I take pleasure in something as small as the "perfect transfer." Going north on the 5, you can exit to Grand by switching lanes to the right. But there are bumps (called Bott's dots) on the road that prevents the transition from being a smooth one.

So what is the perfect transfer? It's being able to switch lanes without hitting any of the bumps. A car has 4 tires and you're moving at least 50mph. It's not an easy task avoiding Bott's dots. I expect to hit one every time I transfer, but when I don't, I smile.

I've only done this about two or three times total, but I was able to pull it off on the night of May 11th.

I think you can imagine what I did to celebrate that night.

Cheers!

Halo Reach

Halo Reach is the latest installment of Bungie's popular long-running sci-fi series. The game takes place before the first Halo, putting you in the middle of a war between the humans and the Covenant. You play as part of a Spartan squad of super-soldiers and complete various objectives critical to winning the war.

The story isn't anything special since it is virtually the same as any other prototypical military shooter that takes place within a large-scale conflict, but at least in this game, you get to go into space! There just aren't many chances for plot or character development when you spend the majority of your time shooting aliens.

The graphics suffer from a curious case of ghosting that's apparent from the very first scene. Although the game has some stellar skies, the entire graphical package is not impressive. Environments look simple, textures are average, special effects are okay, but at least the framerate's solid. The sound does it job with good voice-acting and the weapons pack the appropriate amount of punch. The music is great as always and the overall presentation is polished.

Although it seems like all I have is bad things to say about Halo Reach, I will say this: Halo Reach is one of, if not, the best single-player first-person shooter campaign on consoles. The joy of combat is simply unmatched in any other game. The enemy types, the weapons, and the AI all complement each other creating a unique battlefield that is both dynamic and exciting to navigate. It's been a long time since I've played against enemies that actually move and react to my actions. Enemies run away after you slaughter their comrades. They don't stay in one place, waiting for you to pop them in the head. They actually run for cover, try to flank you, and flush you out with grenades.

The levels are designed with great variation in elevations, structures, and different terrain types to make each encounter exciting. Throw in a mix of vehicle combat (including spaceship dog fighting) and turret sections and you have yourself a campaign that is varied, excellently-paced, and fun.

Bungie always throws everything and the kitchen sink when it comes to options and Reach is no exception. Multiplayer is chock-full of choices from the Forge to its 4-player co-op component.

Halo is Halo. If you're looking for a dynamic single-player campaign and an impressive suite of multiplayer options, just reach for the nearest copy of Halo Reach.

Fillings

A visit to the dentist's office always means pain. That's why dental scenes in movies are so effective. We've all had the experience of getting our tooth pulled out before, so it's easy to relate. It's like watching a man get hit in the balls. Every male cringes collectively at the sight since we could imagine it (and have probably experienced it as well).


After enduring some light traffic, I made it to UCI's health clinic a little earlier than I expected. I parked in Stall 2 of the patient parking area--I still remember because you have to check in or your car gets towed. Although my appointment was for 10:00, my early arrival got me started faster.

The dental assistant handed me plastic goggles to start off with. That gave me pause, since my wisdom teeth removal didn't even require goggles. The dentist, Dr. Wong, decided to kick off the party with a little needle action. It wasn't that bad at all, I just felt a slight sting. Once the anesthesia started taking effect, Dr. Wong put a wood block between my teeth and went to town on me with a drill.

Whoever created anesthesia is god.

I was feeling vibrations in my head. Every once in a while, Dr. Wong would wipe his hands on my bib. I know your name is Wong and all, but that just ain't right.

After drill operations were complete, Dr. Wong and his assistant decided to take a small 10-minute break. Since I didn't go to sleep until 4:00 last night (too much Battlefield Vietnam), I was feeling really sleepy. My stomach was also rumbling, and I regret not eating anything that morning--especially since they always recommend not eating for a couple hours after a visit.

Dr. Wong and his assistant came back to finish the job and filled the gaps with amalgam. By the time everything was done, my white t-shirt was covered with traces of blood. Dexter Morgan would probably be able to tell you exactly how I got them. My face still feeling numb, I bailed out and eagerly await for my next fulfilling visit to the dentist's office.

Running

I ran for the first time since the summer of 2010.

Haven't felt like this in quite a while. The shortness of breath, the throbbing of ankles, the dripping sweat--somehow, despite how terrible it sounds, it actually feels kind of good. Few things can force a man to confront himself, but one of them is definitely running.

It's easy to go through the day and think, "I should probably run," but the task in our mind is more daunting than it really is, so we just forget about it and say, "Nah, maybe next time." I guess this what separates the sporty from the lazy.

The first run is always the hardest. The body's out of shape, there's all sorts of knots and useless fibers in our muscles, so the first run is a cleansing run. The body must be purified of all redundant threads. It's not a particularly pleasant experience since it leaves you sore and aching for days, but it is a necessary one.

It's a constant battle within myself. I have to force myself to keep on running. I throw self-encouragements and draw from my competitive gamer spirit. The mind is willing, but the body is barely capable. It's only when you're gasping for dear life do you gain a little perspective.

Physical exertion is, after all, life's greatest metaphor.

Call of Duty: Black Ops

As massively popular as the Call of Duty series is, it also catches it's fair share of flak. It's no surprise since most popular things always have a small contingent of haters. CoD has become a verb that's used to describe the dumbing down of first-person shooters. The idea of level progression, kill streaks, and arcadey recoil is a symptom of mass-market design, an appeal to the lowest common denominator, and a concerted effort to lower the barrier of entry to all players young and old. But that's a story for another day, because today, we're talking about Black Ops.

If you've played a Modern Warfare, you already know what you're getting into. The template hasn't changed much, other than making things bigger, badder, and more incomprehensible but that's part of the game's charm. The single-player campaign is once again a linear, straightforward, heavily-scripted shooting gallery with moments of spectacle sprinkled in to spice up a mundane and mechanically-repetitive experience.

Enemy AI consists of enemies standing behind cover and shooting at you. If you throw a grenade, they run away. Grenade spam has been considerably lessened from the enemy's side, which at least reduces the amount of cheap deaths you may receive. The level design is basically modeled after a funnel, forcing you to go down linear paths and proceed with a stop and pop style of gameplay. There's no Halo-like ingenuity to the combat system where you can take cover, flank, and otherwise employ real-world battle tactics. It's all rather rote and routine.

The Call of Duty series is always known for its spectacular sequences, and this is Black Ops' one saving grace. The sheer amount of crazy shit that happens on the screen is second to none in the gaming world. An assassination attempt on Fidel Castro, a daring escape from the gulags, and shooting your way out of a Vietnamese POW camp are just some of the wild scenarios you get to play through. It's a roller coaster ride packed to the brim with thrills and slow motion moments of pure carnage.

Black Ops has a decent story that I would say is a combination of Fight Club and the Manchurian Candidate. It's more grounded than its predecessors but doesn't leave too much of a lasting impression.

The multiplayer is vintage Call of Duty multiplayer. It rewards lone-wolf play in virtually all of its modes. The damage model reduces encounters to "whoever sees the other guy first wins." Killstreaks and boosters tack on a nonsensical layer of skill-buffers to lower the gap between plebeians and aristocrats. The zombie mode makes a return with new gamey additions to flesh out the experience.

So which segment of the population do I belong to? Consider me a hater. I actually enjoy CoD's SP campaigns but they're only good for one run. The multiplayer is a wash since the damage model doesn't give me any chance to employ crazy last-ditch tactics like I could in other games such as Battlefield: Bad Company 2. With killstreaks encouraging camping tactics, CoD is just not my cup of tea.

If you're a fan of CoD, you're a fan of CoD. My review won't do anything to change your mind, so have fun and shoot away!

PSN Welcome Back Program Over Extended

Update: Seems like all the bitching about the date actually did something, so the Welcome Back Program is now extended until 9AM PST July 5th. Now you have no excuse if you don't cash in on your free games.

Today, Sony's Welcome Back program, which lets you download several games for free, is now over. The window for downloading was open for a whole month and was supposed to end on July 3rd. When things are worded like that, one would assume that the window would close at 12:00AM July 4th--basically the end of July 3rd. But, the window was closed on July 3rd itself, meaning that those who planned to redeem Welcome Back downloads (like the free month of Playstation Plus) at the very last second are shit out of luck.

Cue the horde of angry gamers directing their rage at Sony for their piss-poor wording of July 3rd.

This is the world's smallest violin playing just for those poor gamers who didn't have the chance to download their free games. I don't think there's a more self-entitled group of consumers than gamers who will whine about every little thing that doesn't go their way, even when it comes to something like free games.

Silent Hill Homecoming

Silent Hill Homecoming is the latest console release in the long-standing Silent Hill franchise. The series is known for its psychological horror, protagonists with horrible pasts, foggy towns, and bizarre fleshy monsters. The horror genre is one of the few that works especially well in a video game format since it involves the player directly. Other than going to Knott's Scary Farm or Six Flag's Fright Fest, horror games are about as close as you can get to experiencing hell.

With the original "Team Silent" no longer in existence, Homecoming was developed with the help of western development studio Double Helix Games. Their influence is immediately recognizable with the new third-person over-the-shoulder camera. The stilted fixed camera angles of the past are gone and in its place is a more user-friendly one. In addition, the main character, Alex, has some nifty moves in his arsenal. Unlike past SH protagonists, Alex can dodge attacks and roll. He can wield a variety of weapons like a knife (which is the best), an axe, or a sledgehammer.

Over course of the game, you'll encounter obstacles that require the use of a specific weapon to get through. Wood planks go down with an axe chop and chains break with a trusty crowbar. A lot of the meandering has been taken out of the game for a more straightforward experience. The puzzles aren't as obtuse as its predecessors, but they still require a fair amount of brain scratching to solve.

The game has an uneven pace. The beginning is rife with healing items but a stretch in the middle is completely barren and artificially hard because of it. The knife, because of its quickness and speed, is the best weapon and renders others tools pretty much useless.

Silent Hill has always been one of the best-looking games, its nightmarish settings are packed with detail, dried blood, and rust. Homecoming, sadly, does not live up to the series' reputation. Aside from some creepy environments, the graphics are just plain bad. Character models are laughable, facial animation has no animation, and the water looks like concrete. The game runs at a steady framerate, but the animation is janky, awkward, and missing a few frames anyways. The noise filter returns but manages to make the game looks distractingly messy rather than add to the ambiance. Fortunately the sound design is still superb, forcing you to jump at the slightest sounds and the music is still vintage Yamaoka. The voice-acting is serviceable.

If you haven't tired of the Silent Hill formula, Homecoming will satisfy your survival horror needs. It's a shame that its a mediocre entry in an otherwise stellar series. Decent and nothing more.