The Energon Pub

[Shadowman]

Ah, it's good to be back.

Resident Evil 2:
Finished the Claire A scenario, now working on Leon B. Mr. X isn't nearly as bad as Nemesis, though that may be because Rookie Mode comes with an infinite ammo Gatling Gun, an infinite ammo Machine Gun and an infinite ammo Rocket Launcher. Do I feel bad using Infinite Ammo weapons? Kinda. Do I love seeing burning piles of gooey Zombie gibs? You'd better believe it.

[1337W422102]

Halo 2 [PC]:
Man, the Covenant story is still more interesting than the Humans' one.
Currently duking it out with Flood zombies as the Arbiter.

[Shadowman]

Halo 2 [PC]:
Man, the Covenant story is still more interesting than the Humans' one.

That's the opposite of how most people see it. Sure, the Covenant side may be a whirlwind of deception, betrayal and corruption, but the Human side is about Master Chief, the only person who is supposed to matter in Halo.

[1337W422102]

Halo 2 [PC]:
Man, the Covenant story is still more interesting than the Humans' one.

That's the opposite of how most people see it. Sure, the Covenant side may be a whirlwind of deception, betrayal and corruption, but the Human side is about Master Chief, the only person who is supposed to matter in Halo.

Only person to matter? Maybe for bro gamers, who the human story seems to be marketed to. I mean, it's all really bad action movie stuff, like the Chief narrowly-avoiding getting blown up at the end of Delta Halo by doing what? Running and leaping off a ledge. And of course there's the scene where he emerges from the smoke of the Scarab. And who could forget the awful bomb scene at the end of the first level? The first Halo game has a lot of feeling, this one is actionactionactionlolitsawesomebro. I'm still having fun, but the atmosphere and tone is so different that it's hard to get into. Especially after having seen Halo Legends (where the source material is handled just beautifully). Plus, I just finished replaying Halo 1, so that raised the bar big-time. Ah, well.

Halo 2 [PC]:
On the Quarantine Zone level. I'm going around in circles as it's really hard to see the cracks in the walls you're supposed to go through. Especially when driving around really fast and you can't look around.

On another note, did they make the Live Gold-only features available to all? I seem to be able to make my own game rooms and access features/games that have the little yellow lock icon.

[Shadowman]

The problem was, Halo 1 was half-assed. There was only something like four levels that they made you do twice over. There was no real characterization, you got no indication of anything in the Halo universe, and only four characters were actually named. Halo 2, while not exactly the greatest storyteller ever, at least gave you a feel of the Halo universe, characterization, and a much more complex story.

[1337W422102]

The problem was, Halo 1 was half-assed. There was only something like four levels that they made you do twice over. There was no real characterization, you got no indication of anything in the Halo universe, and only four characters were actually named. Halo 2, while not exactly the greatest storyteller ever, at least gave you a feel of the Halo universe, characterization, and a much more complex story.

I understand what you mean, but much of that could also be said about many of the Half-Life games, you know what I mean? I particularly enjoy the feeling of being small, insignificant, and not knowing the whole situation/plot in these games as it really gives a sense of scale. I guess I have Jedi Knight 1 to thank for that!

[Shadowman]

The problem was, Halo 1 was half-assed. There was only something like four levels that they made you do twice over. There was no real characterization, you got no indication of anything in the Halo universe, and only four characters were actually named. Halo 2, while not exactly the greatest storyteller ever, at least gave you a feel of the Halo universe, characterization, and a much more complex story.

I understand what you mean, but much of that could also be said about many of the Half-Life games, you know what I mean? I particularly enjoy the feeling of being small, insignificant, and not knowing the whole situation/plot in these games as it really gives a sense of scale. I guess I have Jedi Knight 1 to thank for that!

That's the problem, Master Chief isn't supposed to be small and insignificant. His very existence is supposed to be so important that they don't even list Spartans as KIA because the Spartans' existence is such a huge morale boost. I don't want to be an insignificant speck on a larger universe, I want to be the super-soldier made to save the Galaxy.

[1337W422102]

The problem was, Halo 1 was half-assed. There was only something like four levels that they made you do twice over. There was no real characterization, you got no indication of anything in the Halo universe, and only four characters were actually named. Halo 2, while not exactly the greatest storyteller ever, at least gave you a feel of the Halo universe, characterization, and a much more complex story.

I understand what you mean, but much of that could also be said about many of the Half-Life games, you know what I mean? I particularly enjoy the feeling of being small, insignificant, and not knowing the whole situation/plot in these games as it really gives a sense of scale. I guess I have Jedi Knight 1 to thank for that!

That's the problem, Master Chief isn't supposed to be small and insignificant. His very existence is supposed to be so important that they don't even list Spartans as KIA because the Spartans' existence is such a huge morale boost. I don't want to be an insignificant speck on a larger universe, I want to be the super-soldier made to save the Galaxy.

I know, but that makes him seem like an even bigger pan-galactic Mary Sue generimarine in a fancy space suit. A few measly Covenant forces? No problem, he can take them out no problem. But some Flood-infected Forerunner weapon with the power to annihilate all life? That's something that even he would realize is a big deal, know what I mean?

[Shadowman]

I know, but that makes him seem like an even bigger pan-galactic Mary Sue generimarine in a fancy space suit.

Read "The Fall of Reach." It details most of the Human-Covenant War right up until the very beginning of the first game. The SPARTAN-IIs were designed to be pan-galactic Mary Sues in fancy space suits. Master Chief isn't even considered the best among them, even Cortana admits the only thing he has over the others is luck.

A few measly Covenant forces? No problem, he can take them out no problem. But some Flood-infected Forerunner weapon with the power to annihilate all life? That's something that even he would realize is a big deal, know what I mean?

He took out a large Covenant Fleet, one Halo (Itself capable of killing about 1/7 of the Galaxy) and a Flood Outbreak, all by blowing up one ship. Even though they recognize that as a big deal, it's not until Halo 2 until you realize that it really wasn't, the Halo he destroyed was only one of seven, and six Halos are still ready to fire, the Flood Hivemind is still alive and well, and all he managed to do is piss off the Covenant. By the end, it's even worse.

But still, I don't like feeling insignificant, I like to know I made an impact on the Galaxy and preferably some dude's face.

[1337W422102]

All good points, my friend.

Ah crap, is that Jockey riding the Tank? The Survivors are pretty much screwed.

[The Happy Locust]

Let's see where I left off.

Mercenaries 2
Tracked down Solano to his bunker but it was so well structured that a bunker buster didn't touch it. Going to need something stronger but where can I get it?
Luckily for me, the US and Chinese both invaded. 2 world superpowers should have nice explosives for me. Decided to support the US troops acting as an unaffiliated party so they don't get blamed. Started by helping them takeover 2 Chinese outposts, Destroying a Chinese artillery that was shelling the troops, and infiltrating and blowing up a base. Making good time.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate STruggle
GAME.OVER!
In the time since last post, managed to beat the game. The enemies are as wild and wacky as before, but only the last boss really felt frustratingly cheap. Definitely a worthwhile purchase.

[1337W422102]

No More Heroes 2: Desperate STruggle
GAME.OVER!
In the time since last post, managed to beat the game. The enemies are as wild and wacky as before, but only the last boss really felt frustratingly cheap. Definitely a worthwhile purchase.

Was there another bonus ending this time?

[The Happy Locust]

No More Heroes 2: Desperate STruggle
GAME.OVER!
In the time since last post, managed to beat the game. The enemies are as wild and wacky as before, but only the last boss really felt frustratingly cheap. Definitely a worthwhile purchase.

Was there another bonus ending this time?

Not to my knowledge, though it did open up a harder difficulty that I'm not in a hurry to try

[Shadowman]

All good points, my friend.

Ah crap, is that Jockey riding the Tank? The Survivors are pretty much screwed.

Yeah, I thought it would fit the Jockey's "crazy" persona to sit on the Tank's back and wave at the camera. On a related note, Tweezy swears he heard the Jockey scream "Ariba, ariba!" last time we played L4D2. Despite the fact that everyone hates the Jockey, that was totally awesome.

[1337W422102]

All good points, my friend.

Ah crap, is that Jockey riding the Tank? The Survivors are pretty much screwed.

Yeah, I thought it would fit the Jockey's "crazy" persona to sit on the Tank's back and wave at the camera. On a related note, Tweezy swears he heard the Jockey scream "Ariba, ariba!" last time we played L4D2. Despite the fact that everyone hates the Jockey, that was totally awesome.

I'll have to keep an ear out for that! ...or just go through its sound library. I listened to all the recorded Survivor dialogue from the first on and was cracking up. The best one was a line from Louis: "When things go back to normal, Zoey, Bill - I'm givin' you both jobs. Francis, I'mma teach yo' ass how to read." I think I saved that .wav for future laughter.

[Shadowman]

All good points, my friend.

Ah crap, is that Jockey riding the Tank? The Survivors are pretty much screwed.

Yeah, I thought it would fit the Jockey's "crazy" persona to sit on the Tank's back and wave at the camera. On a related note, Tweezy swears he heard the Jockey scream "Ariba, ariba!" last time we played L4D2. Despite the fact that everyone hates the Jockey, that was totally awesome.

I'll have to keep an ear out for that! ...or just go through its sound library. I listened to all the recorded Survivor dialogue from the first on and was cracking up. The best one was a line from Louis: "When things go back to normal, Zoey, Bill - I'm givin' you both jobs. Francis, I'mma teach yo' ass how to read." I think I saved that .wav for future laughter.

If you can, find Ellis's stories about Keith. "This one time, my buddy Keith camped out on top of a building. I mean, he was shootin' at birds, but the police were too busy tear-gassin' him to ask what he was doing up there. He screamed every single time he opened his eyes for an entire year! It was funny at first, but then it got sad, but then it was funny again."

[1337W422102]

If you can, find Ellis's stories about Keith. "This one time, my buddy Keith camped out on top of a building. I mean, he was shootin' at birds, but the police were too busy tear-gassin' him to ask what he was doing up there. He screamed every single time he opened his eyes for an entire year! It was funny at first, but then it got sad, but then it was funny again."

Those are great, too. I like how the other characters react to them. "Is NOW the best time, Overalls?"

[The Happy Locust]

Mercenaries 2
Finally, getting towards endgame. The US... excuse me, Allies had one final mission before they handed over the weapon I needed. But first, I had to single handedly defeat the entire Chinese army. No problem.
Destroyed 4 AA supports for the Chinese before launching a massive rocket strike against their commanders HQ, actually managing to capture him and turn him over to the Allied forces.
Allied leaders were planning to screw me over by making me pay for the weapon I needed, citing red tape. But Solano decided to launch a nuke of his own, threatening all foreign forces out of the country. US capitulated, giving me the bomb. Now I just have to make it back to Solano's bunker and shove that nuke right up his...

UPDATE:
GAME.OVER!
Made it to his bunker and launched a tactical nuke right inside his bunker. It came down surprisingly quickly but he still managed to make it to a helicopter... after surviving a nuke?
Anyway, hijacked the helicopter, shot Solano dead, escaped and collected a nice meaty paycheck for taking him down. Kinda sad that the climactic boss battle was a quick-time event but at least in this game you expected that kind of thing.
Surprisingly fun game, but ready to move on. Still have to Hit Prince of Persia and some Wii ware titles before my next batch of games arrives in the mail.

Update again:
Prince of Persia
2 more fertile grounds healed, 2 more battles against the Martyr, and one unhappy Locust wondering why he keeps playing a game this boring.

[The Happy Locust]

Prince Of Persia
I was a little hard on this game last time. Now that I'm actually experiencing story progression, starting to have some fun. When the parkour... parcer... free-running segments get going, they can really be a thrill.
Anyway, cleared all but 4 fertile grounds, unlocking 2 black gates. In those gates, managed to destroy both the Soldier and the Concubine and just unlocked the last power of Orzmad.

[Praxus Prime]

I've been playing Megaman Collection a lot lately, and I'm stuck on the Dr. Wily/Dr. Cossack castles on almost every game . Same with Megaman 9, Megaman 10, and Megaman X. I recently beat Megaman X4... it took me about 8 or 9 years to do so... Anyone who says Megaman games are easy has never played a Megaman game. They don't call him 'MEGAMAN' for nothing! Mario on the other hand just eats mushrooms and stomps on turtles, and he somehow gets the title 'Super Mario'!! Sorry about that... I got a little side-tracked.

[Shadowman]

Mario on the other hand just eats mushrooms and stomps on turtles, and he somehow gets the title 'Super Mario'!!

Fun fact: Despite it's cute looks and fairly simple concept, the Mario series is often EXCESSIVELY difficult in later stages. It took me something like three months to get all 242 stars in Super Mario Galaxy.

F-Zero X:
Cleared all four cups on Novice and Standard mode. Expert...it's just not fair the speeds the AI drivers can attain.

[1337W422102]

Mario on the other hand just eats mushrooms and stomps on turtles, and he somehow gets the title 'Super Mario'!!

PROTIP: By eating a Super Mushroom, Mario's powers and size augment, turning him from default Mario into Super Mario. And he's had to do more than enough crap over the years to deserve that title!

[Shadowman]

Mario on the other hand just eats mushrooms and stomps on turtles, and he somehow gets the title 'Super Mario'!!

PROTIP: By eating a Super Mushroom, Mario's powers and size augment, turning him from default Mario into Super Mario. And he's had to do more than enough crap over the years to deserve that title!

The guy's fought more battles than most game heroes have even heard about, and he was rarely armed with more than his bare hands. Let's see Master Chief or Kratos stop an army with just their fists.

Resident Evil 2:
BEATEN! And they all lived happily ever.

Well, except for Claire, she's got the Rockfort Island thing to deal with...

Also, Leon's got to deal with Las Plagas and Los Illuminados...

And then Degeneration happens...

Okay, they don't live happily ever after.

[1337W422102]

Let's see Master Chief or Kratos stop an army with just their fists.

Kratos, maybe, but it'd take longer. The Chief-- hm, maybe I should play Halo 2 with the Plasma Pistol with depleted core and an exhausted Energy Sword and just punch enemies!

Resident Evil 2:
BEATEN! And they all lived happily ever.

Well, except for Claire, she's got the Rockfort Island thing to deal with...

Also, Leon's got to deal with Las Plagas and Los Illuminados...

And then Degeneration happens...

Okay, they don't live happily ever after.

Don't forget that whole 'zombie-infested boat/green blood' gig Leon got himself into. Capcom sure did!

Halo 2 [PC]:
Finished the Arbiter's "get the icon" level. Miranda and the Sarge using that tentacle thing to get it was a fun cutscene. She looked so cute brandishing SMGs, like she has a hope in hell of standing up against the Arbiter and the Brutes. Seeing her get carried away was pretty funny. "No, Tartarus, no!" "IT'S HALO TIME!!"

The next cutscene was kinda confusing. So Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors is somehow on Halo Delta, he's infected with the Flood, his vines reach the structure the Chief was in AND the shaft the Arbiter fell down AND wherever the Monitor was, and he managed to infect the Prophet that the Chief punched out. Oh, and he can teleport stuff, too.

Wait, what?

Needless to say, I'm no longer taking the game seriously at all and just having fun with the lack of sense and over-the-top action. Shooting Wookiees with red Plasma Rifles is great. And the Chief saying "Boo" to the Grunt and grabbing his Needler was kinda funny.

Proceeded to rescue a few Marines, gave them the red Brute Plasma Rifles for some more asskickery. The new Cortana model is definitely and improvement of the Halo 1 model. I also like her dialogue if you camp near her long enough. Currently running around, letting the Covs kill each other. Feels good, man!

[The Happy Locust]

[b]Prince of Persia[b/]
More fertile grounds healed, allowing me access to the final 2 corrupted lairs. Killed both the Hunter and the Alchemist, which completes the set. All that's left is to go put the final locks on Ahriman's jail.