Mass Effect Trilogy

I picked up the Mass Effect Trilogy a few days ago. I'm not sure why I had been thinking about it so much lately. Years ago I watched someone get (probably all) the achievements, and that's it. I'm not a hard-core sci-fi fan (though I do love Serenity and Battlestar Galactica) and I find shooters to be terribly difficult for me.

But I got it, and I'm glad I did.

I should crop this picture, but I'm lazy, so I won't.

It's like everything else in my life: I am grateful, but so many people want a piece of my time pie.

Vaporeon approves.

My only problem is that the set has no instruction manuals. I know that is par for the course of new games, but you know what sucks about unreliable internet connections? Anyone can finish my thought here. But I can't remember how to throw grenades, and I'm not too keen on pausing the game to type my question into my phone, which may or may not want to establish a connection to my wifi.

I managed to make a pretty fem Shepard. Most of the time she looks worried and fragile. I'm being a good pushover at the moment, and I will do a run where I am a psychopathic bi-atch.

I was speaking to Garrus, and I read the dialogue and I tend to make the speech jump to the next part (because ain't nobody got time for that), and I think he hates me now. He won't talk to me on the ship anymore. But that's ok, because I got...

Picture from Wikia. 

I like the Quarian story, and it is similar to the story of Battlestar Galactica. Tali is intelligent, optimistic, and generally kind.

I also got...

Picture from Wikia.

Wrex! He's so violent. He gets the job done. But he's also concerned about the genophage. Good guy, right here.

I've read that on this play through I should focus on Liara, but I already like my team. Not sure if I have to have them on my team to complete their quests. Like I said, there's so very little time to play anything anymore, researching how to get all the achievements is an investment (and full of spoilers, argh!).

I've also read that Mass Effect 4 is in the works. I'm so far behind I know that by the time I can play it, I can get it for cheap.

And that's it. No more time pie for you. 

Silent Hill Homecoming-Short Review

*Minor Spoilers Ahead!

Welcome home, Soldier...

I don't want to do a whole review for this. Quite frankly, I like it a lot. Yes, we all saw the end coming. I think it's more pertinent to make Alex realize the truth, and the player needs to find out why Alex can’t see it like we can. The graphics are great, I liked the interaction with The Order, and I liked the story with Shepherd’s Glen. I’m tired of people exclaiming, “OMG YOU LIKED THIS GAME?!” Yes, I do. It’s why I got all the achievements for it. It’s why I’ll play it a billion more times before I die.

There are a few things I'd like to post though. You know who my favourite character is? This guy:

Curtis Ackers

People cite him as one of the main antagonists, second to Judge Halloway. I don’t really consider him a main, more like a mini-boss, and I’m not convinced he’s always been evil. I don’t think he was part of The Order until after you find his shop all locked up. I think they took him then and he converted.

What I find intriguing about him is his focus on fixing and maintaining. He runs the scrap yard/repair shop and he sees how people can neglect their possessions. With The Order, he “finds clarity.” I’ve been wondering what his clarity is. He isn’t part of the four families of Shepherd’s Glen, so I am uncertain if he was part of that religion too. His clarity might have been religion. And since he seems to be a grumpy guy who prefers to be alone, perhaps he found the people of religion to be of his social taste. And they gave him a new job-to fix...broken people. With a circular saw.

You know who I hate? This lady:

I'm busy looking for my son. Oh, wait..no I'm not.

Totally useless. Yes, I get her emotional trauma. She had to pick one son, but she gave birth to both. She’s mentally unstable now, but you know how short/different the game would be if she was like, “Oh, hey, about your brother...you know [insert plot reveal], right? Remember? Oh yeah, I guess you’ve forgotten [other big plot reveal]. Guess you have to go to Silent Hill now instead of meandering all over this town. Bye!”  

I could go on, but I think I'll leave it at that. 

Deadly Premonition Director's Cut Video And Release Date

Ok, so the video does not show a thing. Except that it will be released only the PS3 and in 2013. Some internet sources random people are saying March 2013, but since I can't find a terribly reliable source I'm not going to say that we should even take March into consideration.

Publisher Rising Star told Eurogamer that it will be released 2013. That's some reliable info right there.

I know Japan got a PS3 release for this game, but we didn't. Which makes me kind of bitchy when it comes to the Director's Cut only being released on the PS3. You know why I played Deadly Premonition on the Xbox 360? Because I don't own a bloody PS3, damnit. I do know people who are more than willing to let me use theirs, but still. If the PS3 dramatically drops in price I'll pick one up. But nothing beats fucking over one console's user group over another.

Now, shut up while I listen to my imaginary friend tell me what letters are in my coffee...

Persona 4 Arena!

I know that I've been a very bad blogger lately. Every time I sit down to write a review, I get a text from someone who wants to hang out. Considering how I had been completely alone in the sticks for about 6 months, I like all the attention I can get.

This week, my friend gave me the flu. He only had a slightly sore throat, he said. And only in the morning. I haven't been actually ill for about 3 or 4 years so I got hit with a full body aches and pain, shivering and fever, flu.

With my forced containment, I cracked these babies out:

I caved and bought Persona 4 Arena new. I had to buy myself my own copy of Persona 4. I got it for a good price and $1.99 shipping. Can't complain...and I HAD to buy it so shut up.

Persona 4 Arena!

I've been playing for two days. I don't have a full review in mind for this one. I'm not done, but more than half way done story mode. There is a bit of a spoiler section at the bottom that I marked. Beware if you haven't finished the game yet! Also, did I not buy a second controller?! People come over to my apartment,  I finally have a game for us to play, and where the hell is my second controller?! I rarely lose things. Now I have to play this by my lonesome *forever alone*  


Story Mode

Too much boring dialogue. Hey, I like reading. I like it so much, I fucking advocate it daily. In fact, I think I'll marry it, I love it so bloody much. But story mode is so repetitive. My problem also is that if you've played Persona 4 this is just ridiculous. It also goes into Persona 3's story as well. And I just finished playing that game, again. I don't need a recap, stop it! I've feel like I've played it so much I was there myself watching from the sidelines.

Pro Tip
I read way faster than the dialogue goes, even on the fast text speed. I learned the hard way that you DO NOT want to keep pushing the A or X buttons without being sure that there is another line of text already started on the screen. I did this blindly with Chie, and I accidentally chose the option to make her jump out a window chasing Akihiko because she smelt steak. Serious. I got her gag ending. Which was cute, but I didn't even know there were gag endings. I saved past where I could have gone back and gotten her real ending. This game still pretends that it's an RPG, and you can occasionally choose certain responses. Don't blindly click away.

Voice Changes 
The only voice change that really stands out to me is Chie. Dear lord I hate her new voice. It's not that the voice is bad, it is just isn't terribly close and at times it just sounds so bad. I really wish they had her voice. Miss President's accent is AMAZING. However, I got sick of it super fast. Luckily the harshness of her voice goes away as you go through everyone's story mode. Makes me think that Yu's story was the first they recorded and she was getting used to the role.

Ending (SPOILERS!!)
Seriously? This is what the Arena is?

Can we please get away from the whole "robots with a heart" thing? Please? Please think of different things for future Persona games.   

I don't like what the truth turns out to be. It's just dumb.

I'd really like to see more of "The Shadow Operatives"-the Persona 3 team after the events of their story. Akihiko is pretty badass in college. It also makes me less of a creep when people ask who is my favourite Persona 3 guy.  

Silent Hill: HD Collection-No Xbox 360 Patch Rage

(Updated with new from August 12th 2012 at the bottom of the page.)
(Updated August 22nd 2012 below the previous update.)

I originally found the news here at Inner Fear and double-checked with Joystick over here.

The Xbox 360 version of Silent Hill: HD will NOT be getting a patch. But the PS3 version will. What the flying ass fucking fuck?

They can’t because of "technical issues and resources."

Ok, let me take this over. I got this one. You can all thank me later.  

Dear Konami,

Are you telling me that I used my resources (money) and traded for a product, a flawed product at best, and now you're telling me that you don't have the resources to fix this? But you have the resources to fix it for the PS3? 

Fuck you.

Love,
Ester York.

If the fact that SH3, my favourite, most beloved SH game of all time, got the SHITTIEST, MOST ANNOYING redub WITHOUT the option of switching to the original voices was bad enough, this is. SH3 of the HD Collection is broken as fuck. Not unplayable, no. Some will say that it is, but it isn't. But I'll tell you one thing. I WILL be playing my PS2 version. It is my "go-to" game that never gets old. I don't particularly give many shits about it being HD. Maybe just one shit, but definitely not two. If it never happened I would not have noticed. I'm not one of these pre-pubescent pansies who have nervous break downs over pre-HD quality game graphics. SH2 of the HD Collection is broken to a shit- filled hell too.  Unlike most of the Silent Hill fan base, SH2 isn’t my favourite SH game. Not my least favourite, but it’s down there. It doesn’t hold a particularly special place in my heart. Do I still want to see a glitch filled pathetic HD update of it? No. If you’re going to make something, do it right.   

Why the fuck do game companies release broken as fuck games? Yes, we can download patches. Though I have to remind you that there are, in fact, places in the world that have shitty internet connections. Up until a few months ago my parents, and therefore my younger siblings, had dial- up, and it was the slowest dial-up I’ve seen and completely unreliable. For a while they had no internet at all. They bought a game and played it as is. Game companies have to stop releasing games full of bugs to patch it later. Why don’t they, I don’t know, make a product to the best of their ability? Something that they can be proud of? If a game is rife with bugs, here’s a radical idea: DON’T FUCKING RELEASE IT. DON’T TAKE MY MONEY. Hang your head in shame and hold it back. Let’s face it, SH games are pushed back all the time. Video games in general are pushed back all the time.

What also pisses me off is that they don’t have the fucking RESOURCES. Oh, and there are fucking TECHNICAL ISSUES. Well then. Those are totally good reasons </sarcasm>.

#1. RESOURCES. I gave you my fucking money. You gave me a piece of shit not worth my time (as stated, I’ll be playing my PS2 version instead). I gave you my fucking resources in exchange for goods. Suck it the fuck up. At this point, this is your fucking fault. When I worked in a coffee place, if I made your coffee wrong and you brought it back, I apologized and made another one. You eat the fucking cost because YOU royally fucked up. I didn’t go “Shit, no can do, yo. That would cost more money.” You know, I didn’t shrug my shoulders and give up because I have an IQ above a fucking shoe box full of rocks. And because I’m not a morally deplorable dip-shit.   

#2. TECHNICAL ISSUES. The whole fucking product is a technical issue. IT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU RELEASE A PIECE OF SHIT. Did they port it and not even test it? Did they get a four-year-old to test it? Who the fuck can’t see these glaring issues? Who the fuck at Konami looked at the final product and thought it was passable? Fuck you and your technical issues. Oh, these are just too fucking hard to fix, eh? Boo fucking hoo. Why don’t you release a game FREE OF ISSUES so you don’t have to fix these TECHNICAL ISSUES AFTER WE GAVE YOU OUR MONEY? Oh, fuck, is this concept just too hard?      

So what, all Xbox 360 owners are shit out of luck? Sure, we could trade in (taking a loss, btw, because trading in NEVER gets a decent return) and get a PS3 version. Except, you know, for those of us who don't own a PS3. And I guaran-fucking-tee that if they don't have the RESOURCES to fix these issues, they don't have the fucking RESOURCES to buy me a PS3.

Conclusion: Making a patch just for the PS3 and not the Xbox 360 is ass-fucking Xbox 360 owners with something long and sand-papery. Don't release broken pieces of shit to begin with. Thank you Konami for taking my money and giving me a piece of flaming rat shit in return.     

Update: Konami has released that they will exchange the Xbox 360 version. IF YOU HAVE YOUR RECEIPT AND BOUGHT IT NEW. Not only that, it isn't a refund. It's an exchange. 90% of the games on the list (you can find it here along with the news) are crap (at least to me). It's like you buy a new TV. You get it home and it's ok, but you look at the resolution and it just isn't that great. Not as sharp as it claims to be. The audio kind of sucks. It's not worth the money you paid. Maybe it's just broken. You bring it back and instead of giving you your money back or fixing it, they offer to give you something else. A radio. Well, fuck me, that's not what I want. If I wanted a crappy game from your list, I would have bought them myself. Hell, some of the games, like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, I already have and it was a disappointment too. If I order a burger and you make it wrong, don't offer to take my burger and give me only an apple pie. Apple pie is fantastic, but it isn't what I paid for. It isn't what you promised to deliver when I gave you my money.

Update: Konami still has not offered to buy me a PS3. 

Xbox 360 + Kinect

I know I haven't been posting lately. First and foremost I want to say that I have been working 45-55 hours per week. I basically go home, eat a banana, and go to sleep. But before this started, I picked up something for myself:

I finally have people who will play Kinect games with me! The best person to play with happens to be my little sister, which is convenient since she lives somewhat near my new place. The games I have so far are these:

Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012

Kung Fu High Impact

Just Dance 3

The Black Eyed Peas Experience

Kinect Adventures (came with my console)

Yes, a fitness game, and I plan on getting more eventually. There is a gym here that I go to, but with my schedule sometimes I only get free time at night. Do I really want to be walking to the gym on an unlit street at 10 pm at night? No. Anyway, so far we’ve played Kinect Adventures, and despite what people say about games that are included with consoles, we are enjoying it. It was a great introduction to the Kinect. The only other one we have cracked into is Just Dance 3. It’s too bad I don’t have more time to play with her, because everything gets pretty epic. Especially the song where you get to be the Power Rangers knock-off. Hellz yes. And The Black Eyed Peas Experience was bought on a whim because I thought their songs might be more catchy than the ones on Just Dance 3. I’m looking forward to it.

My precious...precious...   

I’m glad I actually have people to play with me. My librarian friends in my last city weren’t exactly the video game type. There were people who should have played with me, but they sucked and I hope they read this and bask in their lameness.

So, 55 hour work weeks. Stressful, but I like it. I came from a city where I was very fortunate to find a part-time job but I could not find another to fill in those missing hours. That city has an extremely high unemployment rate and I feel better having so much work now. Anyway, I have two reviews about half done that I’ll get around to at some point. There is also the little matter of something that I mentioned before with my brother. And I do ask all the people who know me in real-life-if you want to pick a fight with me, do it another time. Picking a fight with me the day before my brother had tumours surgically removed from his head is immature.  

On a better note, want to hear an extremely sexy song? Yes, you do.