Draconic Mods

Dragon Age: Awakening came out about a week ago. I didn't buy it. I don't want to. Well...I want to. But, because of the New Year's resolution that I made, I'm only going to buy the game when it's on sale or if the price drops. So in order to occupy myself, and keep me away from buying Dragon Age: Awakening at the drop of a dime, I tried my hand with the Dragon Age toolset again.

My custom amulet for Dragon Age: Origins.

The toolset is really complex. It boggled me even more than the Aurora or Electron toolset did. I failed the first time I tried making mods with it a couple weeks ago, and that was 8 hours of my life gone to waste. But this time, unlike the last, I was able to give my character an in-game item, a god-like amulet. I didn't do it by myself, of course. I had help using the step by step instruction on how to make custom items from weriKK's blog.

But even with this, my modding skill is still at level 0 though. I'm nowhere near as good as those modders who made the Grey Warden Runic Armor or The Ivory Tower mods (two of my favorite armor mods). Those guys are pros. It's still a step forward for me, nonetheless.

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God Bless BioWare

One thing I love about BioWare is that always make sure to slip a bit of romance into their role-playing games. Another thing I love about them is they are starting to base their game characters on real life models (see Girls of Dragon Age @ Maxim). So now it's much more easier to admire a beautiful face in their games without feeling a little weird. Now, if someone gives me a queer eye by drooling over Miranda Lawson's virtually beautiful face, I can say: "Dude, it's Yvonne Strahovski. A real woman."

Anyways, speaking of Yvonne, here's an interview of her talking about Mass Effect 2.



Now this video is a proof that God really exist. I still can't wrap my head around it. I mean, it's a pretty girl talking about a video game. She is cute in this interview too, especially when she admitted that she find the game's structure so confusing. I can only imagine, the dialogue branches in Mass Effect 2 is massive. Though not as massive as Planescape: Torment.

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Demo Monday: Supreme Commander 2

Unlike most gamers, I don't really hold Chris Taylor in high regards. That's probably because I'm only familiar with his Dungeon Siege series, which isn't that good of a game. A member of a gaming forum that I used to frequent at said that I should play all Chris Taylor's real-time strategy games, especially Total Annihilation and Supreme Commander, if I really want to know how good of a game developer he is.

Sadly, I still haven't played any of Chris Taylor's RTS games. So when a demo of Supreme Commander 2 was made available on Steam this morning, I took the time and opportunity to download it and gave the game a go.

The demo is consisted of two parts: the tutorial and a preview of the campaign.

The tutorial part teaches the most basic things in RTS games like how to move the camera, how to move a unit and such. It's really designed to teach the greenhorns to RTS. So if you've played any RTS games, you might as well skip this one.

The campaign preview, however, is pretty thick with huge battles. I didn't expect the first mission to be so dense with action right away. I thought you'd only have a couple of units, and without a base, to disable or disrupt your enemies plans. But I was provided with a base with capabilities to produce a couple types of air and naval units, and also a research tree to upgrade my units.

As for the battles, they really are epic in this game. There were many times in the campaign that I was being attacked on multiple fronts. So I have to mass produce a lot of units and defend those areas. Sometimes, I have so many units that I have to use the map overview in order to locate all of them or to see whether they're winning their battles. The multi-tasking and micro-managing of units here is quite overwhelming. Know I now why this game is called Supreme Commander.

Supreme Commander 2 seems to be a pretty fun game, and I do crave for more. Unfortunately, Dragon Age: Awakening and Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising is also going to be released this month. So I think I'll skip this game until it goes on sale. As for Chris Taylor, looks like he won me over with this game.

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Of Migraines and Civilizations

I haven't accessed the net for a couple days now, and not because I've been sacrificing my PC usage for lent. I had migraines, terrible ones, for three straight days. So I have to keep myself in the dark, literally. No lights, no TV, no computer. It's a good thing I was still able to listen to music and play with my guitar, since my migraine didn't come with sound sensitivity.

But, anyways, the first thing I did when the headaches abated -after I took a bottle or so of Excedrin tablets- was check for some gaming news. Then lo and behold, Sid Meiers and his wonderful team of game developers at Firaxis finally announced Civilization V, the fifth installment of one of my most favorite games. Go drool over the video.



I was kind of expecting this though. I mean, it's been five years since Civilization IV was released. Still, this announcement -even though I got it late- overjoyed me. It overjoyed me so much that I have to take deep breaths and calm myself because the excitement made the blood rush through my head, and it was so painful it made me gag.

Nothing extensive has been released in regards to its gameplay, however. But from what I read on IGN, this line interested me the most:

"Diplomacy is handled full screen now, with full leader animations and appropriate languages."

This is just wishful thinking on my part but, I think, Civilization V's diplomacy might have some RPG elements? Because that would be awesome. It would be really cool if you can parlay with your enemy before you go to battle and, if your player character has the skill, you can perform some dialogue checks (like intimidate or persuade) to make your enemies surrender or at least lower the morale of their troops.

But, with RPG elements or not, this is going to be a great game. I'm definitely going to lose a lot of sleep playing with this game, and probably get more migraine attacks as a result.

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The I in iPod Touch

It's been months since I bought my iPod Touch. But I haven't posted anything to show if off in this blog. The reason being is that I haven't tinkered with it, save for loading it with music and listening to it. It wasn't until the last month that I realized the gadget's capabilities, that it is more than just a music player, that it caters to all my entertainment needs, whether as a music lover, a gamer, or a comic book aficionado.

iRock

My iPod Touch, sitting triumphantly on top of my ZEN Vision and Nintendo DS.

The main reason I bought the iPod Touch was because it plays music. Sure, I could've gone with another brand. In fact, I was gunning for an Archos 5, which is $100 cheaper than the Touch and has an HD space that is 4 times bigger. But it is too cumbersome to carry around. The Touch, however has a sleek and thin design. I can just shove it inside my pocket without bulging. The HD capacity of my Touch is only 64 GB though. But it's sufficient enough to hold all of my mp3s. Right now, I have 4500 songs, in bit rates of 256-320 kbps, on my device and it's taking up 40 GB of my hard drive. Combine that with its 30 hour battery life, I could take and listen to all my music anywhere for long periods of time.

iGame

Plants vs. Zombies, invading the iPhone/iPod Touch.

Another reason that I bought the iPod Touch was because of its apps, mainly the games. I didn't really expect to find good games, however. I just thought it would be nice to be able to play some games, even casual ones, and listen to music without having to take both my Nintendo DS and mp3 player with me. But I did find some really good gaming apps for my Touch, and I could see that gaming has a future in this platform. Zenonia, for example, is a fun RPG that reminds me a lot of SNES games. Then there's the iPhone/iPod Touch version of my favorite defense game, Plants vs. Zombies. But the best thing about these games is that they don't cost a lot at all.

iComics

Spider-Woman, the motion comics.

Even though I went fully digital with my games and music last year, I still plan on staying the hard copy route with my comics and books. However, there are some comics that I really want to read but are just too expensive for me to buy. That's where digital comics come in. They're cheap and don't need any maintenance. Apps such as comiXology has provided me with titles from publishers like Devil's Due and Image for only $1. Then there's also the motion comics, a cross between a comic book and animation. I just recently purchased the Spider-Woman motion comics, and I'm very pleased with it. The voice acting is great and it's only $9 for 5 episodes, which is $6 cheaper than the paper version.

I know a lot of people think I'm an Apple hater. I'm not (but I do have something against nosy Apple fanboys). I just don't feel their products are that special. But the 64 GB iPod Touch is different. It has the capacity to store all my music, it has games that I want to play and it even provides me with cheap comic books. I just feel that this device was made for me. Now, if only Jobs and his crew could focus more on gaming and then release a 64 GB iPhone. That would be great.

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On Dragon Age: Tips & Mods

So I just finished my second playthrough of Dragon Age this morning. I completed all the available quests this time, which took me more than a total of 50 gaming hours.

I played as a Rogue City Elf with the Duelist specialization and a really high Dexterity. She deals a decent amount of damage, wielding two daggers, and she has a really high defense. Though a lot of people in the BioWare forums said, if you want to deal huge amounts of damage, an Assassin specialization with high cunning is the way to go.

For my companions, I took Shale, Wynne and Oghren with me most of the time. If possible, bring Shale along with you. The golem's tough, I mean it's made of rock, making it the perfect tank. Take Wynne because she's one of the two mages in the group. Plus, she's a good healer and less whiny than Morrigan. Oghren, I just took him because he's funny, and Steve Blum (Oghren's voice) is one of my favorite voice actors.

As for the mods, I suggest you go use the No Follower Auto Level. It is a great mod that prevents your follower to auto level when they first join you, giving you more control of them. With this, I was able to turn Oghren from a two-hander to a dual-wielder. There are other mods I use as well but only for aesthetic purposes like more hair and face options.

Dragon Age: Awakening is still a month away, and I think I got one more game in me. After all, I didn't like my ending with my second playthrough, she became the Bann of the Elven Alienage. I heard that you can marry Anora and become king instead of Alistair. I don't know how, but I think I'm gonna work on that one.

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Mass Effect and BioShock Toys

A couple months ago, I thought of moving to New York and bunk with my cousins. But I soon discarded the idea because I have such a comfortable life here in Chicago. Then all the geeky blogs that I visit on a daily basis covered the Toy Fair 2010 in New York. Suddenly, I found myself wishing that I reside in the Big Apple, just so I could witness the event.

Ah, well. I guess I'll have to start looking for some nuke med jobs up there, then. So I can live there, do what I love the most -which is shooting radioactive stuff inside the hearts and guts of people- and enjoying geeky events such as Toy Fair and NYCC. Right now, however, I'll just droll over the new line of toys. Especially the Mass Effect and BioShock action figures.

Mass Effect 2 figures, wave 1. Tali looks cool.

I need me one of them Big Daddies.

Man, these toys are cool. I especially want Tali and Sheperd. Hopefully, wave 2 will also include Garrus, Miranda and a female Shepard figure. As for the BioShock, I'll only get the Big Daddy with the drill arm, the one that is featured on the box art.

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Dating Pixelated Girls

It's Valentine's Day...again. This will be my 5th year to be without a date ever since Guatemalan-Italian and I separated ways when she left to live in Tennessee back in 2005. I suppose, in the span of 5 years, I could've found myself a nice girl already. But no, I got too busy with school, work, and hobby. Gaming, especially, took most of my spare time in the past years. So, every Valentine's, instead of dining and wining fine-looking women, I retreat into the solitude of my room and date pixelated girls of gaming.

I know, I may seem weird (because I am weird). But, while they're not as good as real girls, female video game characters have some advantages. For example, I like them because they're more animated and I can fully control them -not the other way around. They're also low maintenance and cheap (some you can even download for free. Illegally, of course).

During my gaming years -including my arcade years during the 90's- I've met many fine pixelated girls, and controlled them to do my whim. But alas, I can't make a really long list to accommodate them all. So, I have to cut it short and only list 10 of them. Anyways, here's my list:

My Top 10 Female Video Game Characters

10. Cammy (Street Fighter)

I had a hard time playing Street Fighter back then. I'd always get beaten up by my friends, and even by my friend's 5 year old brother. But their bullying stopped when I got my 'beat 'em up groove' when I started using Cammy.

Why I like her? She has strong, long legs that goes up to her neck.

9. Carla Valenti (Indigo Prophecy)

I bought Indigo Prophecy because I heard it was a good game, and its story was praised by a lot of adventure gamers. But I was surprised that the main characters, Lucas and Carla, had a sex scene. Of course, the censored they North American version, which disappointed me to no end.

Why I like her? Hardworking and, like me, a completionist. Daring enough to pose for Playboy.

8. Morrigan Aensland (Darkstalkers)

Darkstalkers was my favorite beat em up game during the mid 90's, and part of it was because of the sexy Morrigan. She may be a cute looking devil, but she's a devil nonetheless. I kick-ass with her too.

Why I like her? She's a succubus, a demon lover. What more could you ask for?

7. Faith (Mirror's Edge)

Honestly, I haven't finished playing Mirror's Edge. I'm just scared of heights, even in video games. But the intensity of the vertigo I get from heights is nothing compared when I see Faith's face. She rocks my world.

Why I like her? She's got nice tattoos. Great agility and endurance.

6. Alyx Vance (Half-Life 2)

Honestly, Alyx isn't the prettiest female video game character I've seen. I'm sure those chicks from Dead or Alive or Soul Caliber are way more hotter than her. But what she lacks in the T&A department, she makes it up with her brains and caring personality.

Why I like here? She's smart. Knows a lot about technology.

5. Cate Archer (Nobody Lives Forever)

I only bought Nobody Lives Forever because it was a bargain ($2). Little did I know that the main protagonist, Cate Archer, is going to become one of my favorite video game characters of all time. I even like her more than Gordon Freeman (who's probably a mute).

Why I like her? She's classy, she's sassy, she's groovy. The female counterpart of James Bond.

4. Tifa Lockheart (Final Fantasy VII)

As a kid who grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons, I don't play a lot of Japanese-made RPGs (because they're not RPGs). But Final Fantasy games, I'd replay them over and over just to see the cute girls. Amongst them all, however, Tifa is probably the best.

Why I like her? She's cute and chesty. Looks good on a tank top.

3. Miranda Lawson (Mass Effect 2)

Miranda's probably the prettiest video game character. Of course, her face (as well as her voice) belongs to actress Yvonne Strahovski, the sexy spy chick from Chuck. Next to Carla Valenti, she also delivered the steamiest sex scene in a game.

Why I like her? She's genetically engineered to be perfect. She's got assets...great ass sets.

2. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)

I haven't played a lot of Tomb Raider games. But it would be sacrilegious if don't include Lara in this list. After all, she's the first video game vixen. The first female character who had 3Ds (DDD).

Why I like her? She's rich and adventurous. Has nice guns and great air bags.

1. Morrigan (Dragon Age: Origins)

Morrigan grew up in the forest with no companions except for her mother, making her a sex-starved loner. You can always go to her tent and have sex with her, no strings attached such as love or commitment. She's the perfect girl.

Why I like her? She's willing to bear you a child and will even take full responsibility of raising the kid alone. How great is that!

Well, that's it for my Valentine's Day post, my top female video game characters. Although, as much as I enjoy writing this, I do hope to find a real date next year. I'm getting old after all.

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Return to Dragon Age

I just finished playing Mass Effect 2 today. I have to say that it's the best damn game I've played since Deus Ex. But before my FTL drives can cool off for another playthrough, I found out that the Dragon Age: Origins expansion, Awakening, is already coming out next month. I thought this game wasn't due until this Summer. Oh well.

Since my hero on my last game died, I went back in time, to the age of dragons, and create another hero in preparation for this expansion. Now I feel like BioWare just demoted me from a space faring marine to a mute rogue who doesn't even own a horse. She's cute, at least, and not so full of herself, unlike Sheperd.

In order to spice things up in this Dragon Age: Origins playthrough, I also bought the latest DLC, Return to Ostagar. The DLC costs $5 and it's available over at the EA online store. I haven't played it yet so I don't know if it's good or not. All I know is that your party will -well- return to Ostagar and retrieve Cailan's armor. But since I got a fraud alert call from my bank, 30 minutes after I purchased the DLC, I think Return to Ostagar might suck. Hmmm, even my bank thinks buying from EA is a fraud.

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Charge!!!

A couple of posts ago, I mentioned that I was a bit disappointed with some of the changes in Mass Effect 2. One of those changes was the removal of the Barrier skill from my beloved Vanguard's skill set. Barrier and shotgun were my bread and butter in the first Mass Effect. I'd just activate Barrier and wipe everything that moves in the room with my shotgun.

But after 20 hours of playing Mass Effect 2. I'd say you can keep your Barrier, I'll take the Charge skill instead. It's a lot more fun to use. To prove my point, here's a video of me charging and wiping a room full of mercs and mechs with my fists and shotgun.

It's just so awesome coming out from the charge animation. You can see your enemy flying in the air, and everything is in slow motion so you can have cheap shot on them with your fists or shotgun. I have to say that Mass Effect 2 got the best and most satisfying combat there is in gaming right now.

Anyways, that's enough blogging for now. I'm on hiatus until I finish this game...twice.

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Boarding the Normandy

I'm not even near the end of my second playthrough with Dragon Age: Origins but BioWare, eager to start this decade and year, has already released another game. That game, of course, is Mass Effect 2, the highly-anticipated sequel to the 2007 RPG of space operatic proportions. So, in celebration, I took a two-day off from work to spend some quality time with this game.

The Blood Dragon armor, a Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age crossover.

I pre-ordered Mass Effect 2 from Steam weeks ago. I got the digital deluxe edition which costs $10 more but it's worth it. The package includes in-game items, points for purchasing downloadble contents, an artbook, "The Making Of" videos and the Mass Effect: Redemption #1 comic book by Dark Horse Comics. But I didn't have the chance to play the game until earlier today. I was trying to finish the first Mass Effect last night so I could get an endgame save file to import to the new game.

I almost skipped playing the first game though. Because I was so eager to play the new one. But I'm glad I finished it since importing your character from the first game to the second had some benefits, such as extra credits, minerals and experience points. Your decisions from the first game also plays out in the story here, like if Wrex, Kaiden, Ashley or the Council had survived.

As for the meat of the game, I'm not that deep into it yet. But the intro is probably the best prologue I've ever seen in a game. They also made a lot of changes in here, and it actually feels more like an action game rather than a role-playing game. It's fine by me though. Because -with its cyberpunk-ish setting, at least in the Omega station- it actually reminds me of Deus Ex, which is a great FPS/RPG. The story seems to be darker too and is more mysterious than the last game.

Commander Shepard, taking cover.

Overall, I think Mass Effect 2 is going to be an epic game. Even more than its predecessor. While I'm a bit disappointed with some changes, I can still ride it out and I'm still going to lose some sleep over it. But enough talk. It's time for me to board the Normandy and kick some Batarian ass.

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Mass Effect 1.5

I'm playing Mass Effect again. I know, I know. This game is not included on the list of things I should be doing this year (see here), like reading all 46 novels of Philip K. Dick. So you might think that I've been derailed from my goals, shirking away from all the work that will fulfill my resolutions. But, no, not really. Because, while Mass Effect isn't on my 2010 "to do" checklist, all the choices and decisions I've made in this game will actually carry out on Mass Effect 2 -a game which is on my checklist- by transferring my save files (see article here). So if my character on the Mass Effect is an alien hater of mass destruction, people will treat him as such in Mass Effect 2. Nifty, no?

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Another Year, Another Checklist

In conjunction to my resolutions post (which you can read here), I have decided to make a checklist of the things I want to this year in order to keep track of what I've accomplished. This idea was inspired by and borrowed from Julie Powell's blog, Julie/Julia Project, after watching the movie Julie & Julia. However, instead of cooking 536 recipes in 365 days, I have 251 game achievements to unlock, 41 character levels to reach and 90 books to read in less than a year.

Unlocked Game Achievements

• Batman: Arkham Asylum - 29 out of 47
• Fallout 3 - 3 out of 72
• Dragon Age - 49 out of 87
• Mass Effect 2 - 0 out of 50
• Torchlight - 36 out of 62
• Left 4 Dead 2 - 0 out of 50

Character Levels and Renown to Reach

• Champions Online - 12 levels out of 40
• Warhammer Online - 47 renown out of 60

Books to Read

• Philip K. Dick novels 1 out of 46
• Ernest Hemingway novels 0 out of 9
• Back logs read 0 out of 20
• New books read 0 out of 16

Looks like I'm going to lose a lot of sleep this year. So do you think I can do it? I think, no. I can only accomplish half ot it. I know, because I like to half-ass things.

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2010, Please Entertain Me

Usually, I try to make a list of "my [insert number here] most anticipated [insert form of media entertainment here] in [insert current year here]". But since it's 2010, that means I'll have to find 10 games, 10 books, 10 music and 10 films to post in here. That's a lot of things to look forward to, I think. It'll cost me a lot, too, if I happen to play, read, listen to and watch all of them. So, since I'm saving money this year, I decided to throw 10 various entertainment that I'm anxiously waiting for this 2010. (list is not in order of importance)

1. Mass Effect 2
Just when I thought I would get a brief respite from holiday spending, BioWare decided they're going to release Mass Effect 2 this January, even though Dragon Age: Origins is still warm on the shelves. I guess they're pumped to open this decade with another epic RPG. So be it, then. I guess I'll have to shell out some cash this month and drown myself in this space opera, killing Geths and making alien love -or hate, if I decide to give Shepherd a xenophobia.

Mass Effect 2

2. Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising
The first expansion of Dawn of War II, one of my favorite RTS games. So what is it that I'm excited about this game? Well, there are Chaos Marines in this game, for one. They're like the Sith version of the Space Marines, which makes them even more bad ass. Secondly, all the characters you control in the original campaign (Cyrus, Avitus) can be corrupted, depending on the choices you make. That means, the campaign, its even more of a RPG/RTS hybrid with the good and evil choices.

3. BioShock 2
The spiritual successor of System Shock and sequel to one of the best shooter game returns, and is scheduled to be released this February. Like its predecessor, BioShock 2 promises a great storyline, art direction, and it will also include a multiplayer feature that will increase the game's replay value. But what I'm really excited about this game is that you'll be playing as a hulking Big Daddy, the superstars of the first game. Kick ass, no?

BioShock 2

4. Toy Story 3
Honestly, the plot in Toy Story 3 is a little bit similar to The Brave Little Toaster. But who cares, right? This is the next Pixar film, which every decent mom and 9 out of 10 people with a reading comprehension of a 3 year old look forward to see each summer (this, by the way, is just my guesstimate). In addition, it's also the next Toy Story film. So that's a double whammy right there.

5. Iron Man 2
Next to Nolan's revision of Batman, the Iron Man film franchise is the best comics-to-film. So I have plenty of reasons to be excited about this sequel. Let me enumerate them: (1) Robert Downey Jr., I have a man crush on him. (2) War Machine, because he's metal. (3) Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, sporting a bad Russian accent and her 34 C's in a latex overalls. (4) More Sam Jackson as Nick Fury, paving the way to the Avengers movie.

Iron Man 2

6. Kick-Ass
This movie is about a teenage boy decided to become a real-time hero, after being inspired by comic book super heroes. The film is based on the comic book of the same title, written by Mark Millar, who also wrote Wanted (you know, that movie where they can curve bullets). Unlike Wanted, however, Kick-Ass seems to be royally faithful to the books, which is a good thing.

7. Alice in Wonderland
I'm a Tim Burton fan. Although his most recent films (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride), I wasn't a very big fan of. So when I found out that he's working on an Alice in Wonderland movie, I couldn't help but be excited about it. The setting is just perfect for Burton's "technicolor gothic" style. Then there's also the cast. I'm especially looking forward to Johnny Depp playing the Mad Hatter. This is going to be fun and crazy film.

Alice in Wonderland

8. The Victors (rumored title of the third The Hunger Games book)
Honestly, with all the books I got the last Holiday, I haven't had the time to read Catching Fire (2nd book of the trilogy). But, I know, once I finish reading this dystopian novel for the young adult, I'm pretty sure I'm going to crave for book 3 right away.

9. Option Paralysis (Dillinger Escape Plan's new album)
Honestly, I thought DEP was no more when I found out that their drummer left, when they left their label, and when their singer got sick. But here they are now with a new drummer, their own new label, healthy band members and a new album to follow up Ire Works, their 2007 "heavier than metal" album. I just couldn't wait to hear their new material. I'm pretty sure though that it's going to give me neck injuries.

The Dillinger Escape Plan

10. Deftones' untitled album
I'm a big fan of Deftones. But for almost 4 years now, I've been straining my neck and waiting for them to drop their new album. It's understandable though, why they have to cancel the 2009 release of Eros, their latest completed work, in respect -I guess- for their bassist, Chi Cheng, who's under comatose. But now they're back with a new bassist, Sergio Vega (from Quicksand, also a favorite band), and a new album. I'm extremely looking forward to hear it.

That's my list. I hope this year will entertain me even better than the last.

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Just Another Resolution Post

At this point, the blogosphere must be suffocating with all the New Year's resolutions that have been posted this week. Unfortunately, as much as I want to deny that this isn't one of those posts, I must let you suffer through another round of "resolutions". I promise, though, that it will be quick.

Here are my resolutions for 2010

1. Only buy games that are on sale or if their prices have dropped (Mass Effect 2 and Guild Wars 2 are an exception).
2. Replay some of my older games and, if available, unlock all their achievements.
   
3. Reach renown rank 60 and don a full Invader set in Warhammer Online.
4. Reach level 40 in Champions Online.
5. Only buy used hardcover books.
6. Read all of my back log books and graphic novels before getting new books to read.
7. Read all novels by Philip K. Dick.
8. Read all novels by Ernest Hemingway.
9. Maintain comic book spending at $40/month, and become a trade waiter instead.
   
10. Brush up my blues guitar skills.

That's that. Short and effortless to do. Not like losing weight or getting a wife.

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Top 9 Games of 2009

Gaming in 2009 was great for me. There were a lot of "improvements" in my life as a gamer. First, I've forgone buying hard copies of games and finally went digital using Steam. It made buying games more convenient for me and also introduced me to indie gaming. Second, I finally found MMORPG love with Warhammer Online, which also introduced me to a bunch of exemplary folks at Gaiscioch (my guild). Lastly, Dragon Age: Origins was released and I had tons of PC games (I bought 25 games last year) to play with.

So, without further ado, my top 9 games of 2009:

1. Dragon Age: Origins 9.5
BioWare opened a decade with an epic RPG, Baldur's Gate II, back in 2000, and closed it with another, Dragon Age: Origins, in 2009. I've waited for this game for 5 years, impatiently. But after I played it, I understood why it took so long. Everything about this game is grand, from its G.R.R. Martin-inspired storyline to its enjoyable tactical combat.


2. Batman: Arkham Asylum 9.2 [Review]
This game took me in by surprise. Since it's a comic-to-game -and since games in this genre suck really hard- I never really thought much about Arkham Asylum. But I was in awe after I tried its demo. The art direction, the free-flowing combat, the story and the voice acting in this game is just top notch. It's definitely the best superhero game I've played.


3. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II 9.0 [Review]
One thing I don't like about real-time strategy games is setting up bases. It just slows the game down, in my opinion. But Dawn of War II removed the base building feature and puts the player right into the action, making the game fast and fun. Playing the game's campaign, which is more like a tactical RPG rather than a RTS, is also a satisfying experience.


4. Empire: Total War 8.8
I was actually disappointed with Empire. I was looking forward to its new naval combat but I found it to be slow and boring. Yet it still ranks as my #4 game on my list. That's because every feature that made all of the Total War games enjoyable are still here. Except all those features are magnified in Empire, especially its huge map that now includes the Americas.


5. Borderlands 8.7
Borderlands is a splice between an action RPG and a shooter. All the critters in its map respawns and drops random loot like an action RPG. But, unlike action RPGs, it doesn't have a mindless combat because it's also a shooter, which requires twitch skills to fend off enemies. In addition, the cell-shaded graphics also looks neat. This hybrid of a game is just gold.


6. Torchlight 8.7
Torchlight is another surprise for me this year. Like Arkham Asylum, I also found this game while looking for a demo to play with. The next thing I know, I had a hard time putting it down. This game is pretty much like Diablo. Although it has a pretty nice, cartoony graphics and some new knick-knacks, like the achievements, that makes it a refreshing dungeon crawler.


7. Plants Vs. Zombies 8.6
I only play tower defense games at my office, in order to pass time, nothing more. But that was before I played Plants Vs. Zombies. Unlike other tower defense games Plants Vs. Zombies has an X factor that makes it very addicting. So, if you still can, do yourself a favor and don't play this game. Because you might lose some sleep, weight, or friends from playing it.


8. Risen 8.5
This game has a lot of flaws, there's not doubt about that. But the atmosphere in Risen is wondrously immersive. You can easily lose yourself in this game, exploring its huge map that is dense with vegetation and filled with lurking dangers, and talking to its inhabitants -pirates, fantatics, thieves and mages- which are well acted and full of character.


9. King's Bounty: Armored Princess 8.4
This game is the sequel of King's Bounty: The Legend (which also landed last place on my top games last year). Besides the addition of a pet dragon, not much have changed in this game since then. Which means it is still a turn-based strategy/RPG hybrid where you can raise an army, explore and plunder the world -and that is a very enjoyable thing to do.


So that's my top 9 games for this year. Compared to previous years, I didn't have any trouble filling my list this year. I didn't even have any Nintendo DS games listed down, which means PC gaming is was in full bloom in 2009. Yeah, we still have some multi-platformed games. But there were a lot of indie games and RTS that were only exclusive to us PC gamers. Hopefully, next year will be the same.

My other Top 9 of 2009:
Top 9 Films of 2009
Top 9 Music of 2009
Top 9 Books of 2009

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Cheap Princess

As a new user, one thing I did not know about Steam is that they always hold a year-end sale. Their price cuts are huge too, enough to make me regret buying games from them earlier this year. Torchlight, for example, I bought it for $20 from them not two weeks ago. Today, they slashed 75% off its retail price, dropping it down to $5. It's like slap in the face, I tell you, for not waiting. Indeed, good things come to those who can wait.

But what's done is done, crying over spilled milk won't refund me for being hasty. Besides, this sale ends a week from now. That's plenty of time for me to watch their special deals like a hawk and salvage my loss with Torchlight. So when they put King's Bounty: Armored Princess on the pedestal, I plucked it right away with my greedy talons.

My army, small yet terrifying.

I've been wanting this game since its release last month. However, with my budget cut short due to the holidays -and having a tough time deciding between this game and Blood Bowl- I have to skip on it. But now that Steam brought its price down to $10 (from $40), I just didn't have enough reason to refuse it.

It's a pretty enjoyable game. If you love turn-based strategy like Heroes of Might and Magic or Disciples, this is a perfect game to play. Although not much have changed since the first King's Bounty. The only addition in here is your cute pet dragon. Other than that, the atmosphere and the gameplay are all the same. Which isn't a bad thing at all, especially if you liked the first game.

With that said, I'll end my post here. I still have an army to raise and lands to conquer.

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On The Table

I worked 16 hours on Christmas Eve (6 am to 10 pm) and then went to Church at midnight with my family. Since I'm tired to the bones from working, I decided that I'd rather stay home this Christmas and sleep the whole day than drive an hour to attend a party, hosted by my mom's boss. But, before they left for the party, my mom left me some things on the table: food and gifts.

The food wasn't much. But it was enough for me and it was good. Some garlic mashed potatoes, garlic bread, fresh eggrolls, a quarter of coffee cheesecake, two bottles of Heineken and maybe a pound of honey-baked ham. Because I only ate a slice of deep dish pizza for dinner last night, I devoured the food like a month-starved prisoner. I gave a very loud, very satisfying belch afterwards.

After I finished eating, I opened up my presents and here's what I got: (clockwise from the top right on the picture)

1. Invicta Chronograph Watch - This was from my mom -she knows I'm a watch fiend- and it looks kick-ass. Although its huge, almost like belt buckle than a wrist watch. I'm still gonna wear it though.
2. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun, Graceling, and Fire - These 3 fantasy books were from my dad. Except for Graceling, which was sitting on my wishlist since last year, I didn't ask for any of these books. Now I got more books to read. Awesome.
   
3. Shin Megam Tensei: The Devil Survivor - This was from my sister. I never bought any NDS game this year. So it's nice that I got one, and this game seems good as well.

Well, that's what I got for Christmas 2009. I couldn't ask for anything better. All in all, I had fun this Christmas. Although I wish the weather was a bit more nicer.

Merry Christmas to all my ardent readers and blog mates.

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Holiday Steam

It's the 23rd of December and all of my gifts are already wrapped, snuggled under the tree. But if you're a last minute shopper -like most people I know- and have a PC gamer in your Christmas List, then it's your lucky day because Steam just rolled out their holiday carpet and slashed their prices to a jaw-dropping low.

It's insane, really, because -during my entire gaming years- I haven't seen prices as low as these. There are a lot of good games as cheap as $10, some are even cheaper. So if your head is spinning because you can't decide what to buy from Steam's catalog, then here are my top 10 picks to help you out:

• Grant Theft Auto IV
  
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
  
• Braid
• Defense Grid
  
• Knights of the Old Republic
  
• Torchlight
  
• Freedom Force: Freedom Pack
• World in Conflict: Complete Edition
  
• Plants vs. Zombies
  
• Mirror's Edge

While the sale will end at January 3rd (which gives you plenty of time), some deals will only last for a day. So better head there now (click here) if you want to catch some good deals. As for me, I think I'm going to treat myself with The Witcher: Director's Cut and Braid.

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Relapse

Rudyard Kipling once said "Four things greater than all things are: Women and Horses and Power and War." I don't have Women, Horses or Power. But I can always play WAR.

I actually thought I won't be coming back to this game. But after seeing my former guild move to a much more active server and then saw their recruitment video (watch it here). I just started to itch for some realm vs. realm action. So I remedied it by re-activating my account and had a lot of fun playing with guildmates last night. It's just sad that we have to leave Phoenix Throne.

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