The Energon Pub

[Shadowman]

DC Universe Online:
Not really doing much of much, mostly playing as Lady Awesome, helping lower-level friends of mine get through the game faster. (Unlike TOR, having a high-level character in your group doesn't decrease experience gain) In particular, my new sidekick.

Yes, it was entirely my idea for that to happen, and the both of us agree, it was a good one.

[1337W422102]

DC Universe Online:
Not really doing much of much, mostly playing as Lady Awesome, helping lower-level friends of mine get through the game faster. (Unlike TOR, having a high-level character in your group doesn't decrease experience gain) In particular, my new sidekick.

Yes, it was entirely my idea for that to happen, and the both of us agree, it was a good one.

JB FTW.

Metroid: Other M [Wii]:
Got to the first Navigation room. Really not liking it so far. I was hoping this'd be a badass Metroid adventure and not The Emo Kid Travels of Space Barbie: Revenge of the Daddy Issues.

Sin & Punishment: Star Successor [Wii]:
Stays faithful to the original, yet badassly maintains its own personality. Shame it pretty much ignores the story, though. Can't say I'm surprised.

Finished the first level; uploaded my crappy high score.

No More Heroes [PC]:
Got kicked out of Sylvia's car, literally. Did some odd jobs, including coconut harvesting (got a Gold medal) and the two hitman jobs available. Got gold on the "fight until you die" one but only silver on the "kill the pizza C.E.O." mission. Still had enough to pay for the next Rank Battle, though.

[The Happy Locust]

Sin & Punishment: Star Successor [Wii]:
Stays faithful to the original, yet badassly maintains its own personality. Shame it pretty much ignores the story, though. Can't say I'm surprised.

Finished the first level; uploaded my crappy high score.

heh,just picked that up last week. It was in the $10 clearance been. It's bad on so many levels except the gameplay, which is luckily the most important part.

[1337W422102]

Sin & Punishment: Star Successor [Wii]:
Stays faithful to the original, yet badassly maintains its own personality. Shame it pretty much ignores the story, though. Can't say I'm surprised.

Finished the first level; uploaded my crappy high score.

heh,just picked that up last week. It was in the $10 clearance been. It's bad on so many levels except the gameplay, which is luckily the most important part.

The clearance bins up around here have it for $30. I found it at Best Buy for regular price of $10...

It makes no attempt to be anything more than an oldschool, fast-paced shoot-'em-the-hell up, and in that regard it is smegging amazing. If you're looking for anything other than shootin' things up from a Sin & Punishment game, you're doing it wrong!

Red Steel 2 [Wii]:
Do you remember that Wii launch title, "Red Steel"? No? Perfect, because this game has NOTHING to do with that one.

If for some reason, you DO remember Red Steel, or, even worse, my mentioning it has dusted off terrible memories you forced into the dark recesses of your mind, Red Steel 2 is more than an apology.

Wild West meets Far East in a gunslinging katana-wielding good time. Hell, this has more in common with Borderlands than the first Red Steel, and makes me disappointed there was no Borderlands for Wii, which I would've played the hell out of with a friend.

Woke up, was tied to a motorcycle and dragged through the desert, under a truck, and into a quarry. Nearly blown up (the gloves on fire was a nice touch), I lost my sword to the leader of the Bandits-- er, Jackals. Rescued my sensei, borrowed his sword, took out some high-ranking Jackal, bought the "Rush" attack, and now I'm off to save (not shoot) the Sheriff.

This game rocks pretty hard, so far. Well worth the $5.

[Shadowman]

I do remember the first Red Steel. The sword fighting was nowhere near as realistic as they made it look, and the story was really bland, but I did love the gunfights. I always had a soft-spot for how FPS games can be done on Wii. Which reminds me, seeing as you have a Wii now, Metroid Prime Trilogy is a must. At least MP3, but the Trilogy pack if you can get it. (First two games with Corruption's beefed up graphics and gameplay, also Echoes doesn't have that stupid finite ammo anymore)

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind:
No Elder Scrolls game, or a Bethesda game in general, is complete without massive flaws and we love them despite it all. Morrowind is no exception though in this case it's not entirely Morrowind's fault so much as it's because of Oblivion and Skyrim. In particular, certain facets of gameplay that I might have taken for granted do not exist in Morrowind, and by that, I mean, proper goddamn directions to where I need to go.

I still love this game, though.

Currently playing matchmaker in order to get a tribe to recognize me as the Nerevarine. Killing a Vampire wasn't enough, now the tribe leader wants me to get him a girlfriend. The problem is, he wants a noblewoman, and no that is not happening. So instead we're going to pretty up a slave girl and try to make that work.

[The Happy Locust]

I do remember the first Red Steel. The sword fighting was nowhere near as realistic as they made it look, and the story was really bland, but I did love the gunfights. I always had a soft-spot for how FPS games can be done on Wii. Which reminds me, seeing as you have a Wii now, Metroid Prime Trilogy is a must. At least MP3, but the Trilogy pack if you can get it. (First two games with Corruption's beefed up graphics and gameplay, also Echoes doesn't have that stupid finite ammo anymore)

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind:
No Elder Scrolls game, or a Bethesda game in general, is complete without massive flaws and we love them despite it all. Morrowind is no exception though in this case it's not entirely Morrowind's fault so much as it's because of Oblivion and Skyrim. In particular, certain facets of gameplay that I might have taken for granted do not exist in Morrowind, and by that, I mean, proper goddamn directions to where I need to go.

I still love this game, though.

Currently playing matchmaker in order to get a tribe to recognize me as the Nerevarine. Killing a Vampire wasn't enough, now the tribe leader wants me to get him a girlfriend. The problem is, he wants a noblewoman, and no that is not happening. So instead we're going to pretty up a slave girl and try to make that work.

I got the first Red Steel as part of a package deal for my Wii (Ebay FTW). I may be very generous, but I thought it was pretty fun. Yeah, not the best game ever but I was enjoying it enough to finish it off.

[1337W422102]

My friend picked up the original Red Steel. I watched him play the first mission or so while we both made snide remarks. Multiplayer was very uninspired. However, the samurai cowboy sequel is well worth checking out and makes very good use of the MotionPlus technology. That being said, the FOV is too damn small, like pretty much every other game of this generation.

Wasn't the Metroid Prime trilogy some kind of special edition, or something? Limited release or whatnot? It never hit general retail up here, and I've only seen a single copy in a specialty "lol wer hardcore gaemerzzz" store for about $80. I'd like to get my hands on the Trilogy, but eff if I'll pay that much for it. Hell, the system cost me less than that.

No More Heroes [Wii]:
Took out the good doctor. Bought a new beam katana from Dat Naomi as well as the treasure piece (it's paying for itself already), and got the 3 abilities from Thunder Ryu's gym.

Anyone else having issues with the drifting on the bike? When I hold B and turn the Remote, the bike drifts in the opposite direction that I turned it. Am I just an idiot and I'm supposed to hold it upright with the B button facing me, or something?

[Shadowman]

Wasn't the Metroid Prime trilogy some kind of special edition, or something? Limited release or whatnot? It never hit general retail up here, and I've only seen a single copy in a specialty "lol wer hardcore gaemerzzz" store for about $80. I'd like to get my hands on the Trilogy, but eff if I'll pay that much for it. Hell, the system cost me less than that.

Ah, you're right. Seems Nintendo discontinued it in North America a couple years ago. If you snoop around, you might be lucky to find a used copy somewhere, it really is worth checking out.

[1337W422102]

Wasn't the Metroid Prime trilogy some kind of special edition, or something? Limited release or whatnot? It never hit general retail up here, and I've only seen a single copy in a specialty "lol wer hardcore gaemerzzz" store for about $80. I'd like to get my hands on the Trilogy, but eff if I'll pay that much for it. Hell, the system cost me less than that.

Ah, you're right. Seems Nintendo discontinued it in North America a couple years ago. If you snoop around, you might be lucky to find a used copy somewhere, it really is worth checking out.

I won't be able to find it in this province unless I really luck out and decide to pay out of an orifice or two, but it's on my "DO WANT" list.

As for the No More Heroes drifting, it seems I was supposed to turn my wrist as if opening a door, not turn the Remote sideways, according this message board post I found. Not that that really clears it up, since there are many ways to open a door, depending on the type of door, knob style, etc. I'll have to experiment.

[Shadowman]

Suda51, before NMH2 came out, mentioned he didn't really like how the overworld came out in the first game. I haven't played Desperate Struggle yet, but it's supposed to have been vastly improved.

EDIT: And in case you didn't know, be sure to buy the final beam katana (Not necessarily the upgrades for it) BEFORE going for the final mission. It'll pay off, trust me.

[1337W422102]

Suda51, before NMH2 came out, mentioned he didn't really like how the overworld came out in the first game. I haven't played Desperate Struggle yet, but it's supposed to have been vastly improved.

EDIT: And in case you didn't know, be sure to buy the final beam katana (Not necessarily the upgrades for it) BEFORE going for the final mission. It'll pay off, trust me.

Yeah, in Desperate Struggle, there isn't an overworld. You look at the map and choose where to go via said map.

Is each new katanas better than the previous one? At Naomi's, I didn't see anything about stats; it just showed the model and a little description. That being said, I'll take your word for it. Is the no-need-to-fap-fap-fap-to-recharge add-on worth it?

Also, in Desperate Struggle, you can really see where Naomi invested all the cash you'd given her. And I approve. Also explains why she's sitting down most of the time.

[Shadowman]

Is each new katanas better than the previous one? At Naomi's, I didn't see anything about stats; it just showed the model and a little description.

I think so, but it's been a while since I played the game. All I remember is that the final katana (Green blade, lacks a rail, making it look like a curved lightsaber) does a bit more than hurt people more. It unlocks the actual final boss and real ending.

That being said, I'll take your word for it. Is the no-need-to-fap-fap-fap-to-recharge add-on worth it?

It's really, really expensive, I didn't get it on my first playthrough. But yeah, it's worth it.

[Shadowman]

Hey, guess what's on sale for $10 this weekend on Steam?

Deus Ex: Human Revolution:
Only the best damn remake of The Six Million Dollar Man.

I was...okay with the original. It was good, but it lacked that cyberpunk style I was expecting. Also, I had almost no idea what I was doing, nothing about the game just seemed to fit right. That is not the case with this game. I have every idea what I'm doing. Everything fits right. Sure, I have to use a guide every now and then, but other than that it just works for me.

Got to China, got into a big ol' firefight. Got a Heavy Rifle for their troubles while also showing off my new Double Takedown. Takedowns already involve opening a can of Agent Smith grade whoop ass, now I can open two for the price of one.

[1337W422102]

Was that game on your wishlist? Did you buy it for yourself, or did you ask for it?

Red Steel 2 [Wii]:
Did some more jobs around town. Turned on comm towers, blew up the Jackals' supply trucks, found some hidden collectibles, battled some military hardware, learned some new moves, saved Tamiko (I can see why the Jackals were after her), and most importantly, I sent Payne back to hell and retrieved my katana.

The next mission will send me through a Point of No Return, so I'm going to wrap up some side stuff here before moving on. Still need to find two of those damned trucks for the side mission and I want to buy that boomstick. How groovy would that be? A boomstick-wielding katana-slashing swordslinger? Do want.

I-- I actually like this and recommend it. If you have a MotionPlus or Remote Plus and at least one badass bone in your body, you might enjoy this. Well worth the $5.

No More Heroes [Wii]:
Currently ranked 8th; on my way to Rank Battle 7. Got all of the Ball upgrades except for one.

So if #8 and #6 are any indication, Travis has himself some trouble killing the ladies. Guess he's not a literal ladykiller. Why do I get the feeling this is going to come back and bite him in the ass? Still, given the chance, I'd have wasted #8. Never did like her. Though the "Master" teaser for Desperate Struggle might have Travis thinking otherwise. "I feel like the pervy teacher in a porno..."

[SlyTF1]

Hey, guess what's on sale for $10 this weekend on Steam?

Deus Ex: Human Revolution:
Only the best damn remake of The Six Million Dollar Man.

I was...okay with the original. It was good, but it lacked that cyberpunk style I was expecting. Also, I had almost no idea what I was doing, nothing about the game just seemed to fit right. That is not the case with this game. I have every idea what I'm doing. Everything fits right. Sure, I have to use a guide every now and then, but other than that it just works for me.

Got to China, got into a big ol' firefight. Got a Heavy Rifle for their troubles while also showing off my new Double Takedown. Takedowns already involve opening a can of Agent Smith grade whoop ass, now I can open two for the price of one.

How do you get into a firefight in that game? You die in like 2 shots...

[Shadowman]

How do you get into a firefight in that game? You die in like 2 shots...

I don't see how vulnerability and mortality is the deciding factor in what is and is not a firefight. I shot at them, they shot at me, thus, it was a firefight. In order to get past my mortality, I, like anyone who knows anything about combat, used cover.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution:
Well, Detroit is in the middle of a riot. But what else is new? I'm hitting the point the Deus Ex games hit where everything is just one big conspiracy smoothie: friends turn out to be enemies, enemies turn out to be completely different enemies, there's an AI, the Illuminati are around here somewhere, Adam's past makes no damn sense on purpose, dead people are alive, living people are dead, cats and dogs living together--mass hysteria!

Also, apparently DE:HR is the hidden announcement for Final Fantasy XXVII.

[1337W422102]

That's actually an androgynous guy in that poster, you know.

[Shadowman]

That's actually an androgynous guy in that poster, you know.

Nah, as far as androgyny goes in Final Fantasy, Kuja is the only real example of "dude looks like a lady."

Deus Ex: Human Revolution:
BEATEN! 25 hours! Pretty impressive for a non-RPG. Went with the "Tell everyone the truth" ending. In the end, doesn't really matter. Ban augmentation, don't ban it. Either way, one Bob Page is working on nanotechnology, which leads to the Super Denton Bros.

Also, after that, there was the totally awesome theme to the original game.

[The Happy Locust]

Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Remembered that I still had a DS so powered it up. After restoring the tracks from the Snow temple, returned to the spirit tower and found the ocean rail map. On the way, found that an important bridge is in bad shape. Hired a bridge builder but was conned into paying 5000 rupees. Had to go on a treasure quest to find something that could pay it off. Luckily, the con man got screwed over too. Yay Karma!

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
In Solitude, went to the haunted castle wing and found myself surprisingly transported to the mind of a madman (literally) and a cameo by the hero from Oblivion (if you believe some of the wikis).
Ran south to a new hold. Solved a murder mystery in Morthal and found a vampiric plot. No more blood to be spilled there.
Cleared a bandit hideout south of Solitude and turned in a lot of treasure for sale. Tracked down a beacon for the Deadric Prince Meridia, but this also led to a vampire nest. Still not able to contract the disease yet though.
Returned to Whiterun and found a new set of armor for sale. Bought it purely for just to have it in my inventory.

[Shadowman]

Still not able to contract the disease yet though.

You need to get the Vampire in question to use the ability Vampiric Drain on you...basically, when a Vampire sucks your blood, you become a Vampire. It seems obvious in retrospect.

On the flip side, there's only a 10% chance of the happening, compounded by Argonians (Which, going by your sig, I assume you're playing) having 50% resistance to all disease. And if you did the Companions questline long enough to become a Werewolf, then you're just immune to Vampirism entirely.

Finally, my extreme nerdiness in the realm of both Vampires and Elder Scrolls has combined.

[The Happy Locust]

Still not able to contract the disease yet though.

You need to get the Vampire in question to use the ability Vampiric Drain on you...basically, when a Vampire sucks your blood, you become a Vampire. It seems obvious in retrospect.

On the flip side, there's only a 10% chance of the happening, compounded by Argonians (Which, going by your sig, I assume you're playing) having 50% resistance to all disease. And if you did the Companions questline long enough to become a Werewolf, then you're just immune to Vampirism entirely.

Finally, my extreme nerdiness in the realm of both Vampires and Elder Scrolls has combined.

You're correct on the Argonian bit. Waterbreathing seemed to be the most useful racial ability and I really like playing as a lizardman. I'm holding off on the werewolf quest just because I want to try being a vampire first. I can re-contract Vampirism but only get Lycan-ized once, if I understand this right.

[Shadowman]

You're correct on the Argonian bit. Waterbreathing seemed to be the most useful racial ability and I really like playing as a lizardman.

All the races have some innate ability that's very useful. Dark Elves, for instance, can set people on fire if they get to close.

I'm holding off on the werewolf quest just because I want to try being a vampire first. I can re-contract Vampirism but only get Lycan-ized once, if I understand this right.

Yep. You can cure Vampirism and still become a Vampire, but once you cure being a Werewolf, you're cured forever.

[The Happy Locust]

I'm holding off on the werewolf quest just because I want to try being a vampire first. I can re-contract Vampirism but only get Lycan-ized once, if I understand this right.

Yep. You can cure Vampirism and still become a Vampire, but once you cure being a Werewolf, you're cured forever.

Too bad, that limits the options quite a bit.
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Retrieved King Olaf's verse for the bard's college. It wasn't in good shape but the bardmaster and I respectfully forged the missing bits to get what we wanted.
Still trying to decide if I want to join the stormcloaks or imperials. My travels so far are in primarily imperial territory with Whiterun being neutral-ish.

[1337W422102]

Red Steel 2 [Wii]:
Man, the lack of world map is really annoying me. I'm only missing one truck for the Truck Stop II side quest and I can't seem to find it. I got the one in the garage near the Payne fight, so I'm guessing it's out in the open somewhere I haven't been.

NBA Jam [Wii]:
Finished Jam Camp and played a Play Now match, earning me 4 Jam Challenges, which I assume are like Achievements, only they seem to actually make a difference and unlock stuff.

Really not digging the motion gimmickry. It keeps mistaking my dunks for jump shots. Back to the Classic Controller, I guess.

Saints Row: The Third [PC]:
Decided, grudgingly, to do the Genki DLC crap. This is yet another excuse of how NOT to make a worthwhile content pack. It's essentially just re-made Activities that you already got tired of during the base game, with useless unlockables and the forced meme of Genki, which is laughable rather than amusing. Finished the entire pack in about 2 hours with a friend, earning 6 Achievements by accident in the process (I guess most of them were due to story progression).

Don't waste your money on this crap.

[The Happy Locust]

The Elder scrolls: Skyrim
Did a personal favor for the Jarl of solitude. She offered me Thane status, but I'll need to own property. Currently saving up to 25,000 gold. Trying for Thane status in Morthal, but can't find anyone currently needing assistance.
As an aside, was asked to free a captive woman from bandits at the behest of her husband. Got to the top, but found an honestly unexpected plot twist. SKipped the final fight and told the man his wife was dead.
Returned Meridia's beacon and was granted access to her temple to drive out the necromancers. Currently in the second part of Kilreath temple on this task.