Ramblings – Staying Entertained During January

Hello, readers. I don’t know if you have noticed, but these last couple of weeks have been rather dead in the video game industry. Everyone goes on break at the beginning of the New Year until February hits and games actually start coming out again. Even the movie business pumps the breaks for awhile. This makes a blogger’s life difficult because there isn’t a wealth of information being flooded onto the internet every day. I start each day with: “What can I write about?” and find there is a lack of news to throw back up at you. There are no trailers, controversial endings, or games getting announced. This shit is getting old, yo.

I thought it would be fun to ramble on and talk about what I have been playing (because I know you are just DYING to hear about my life). I just feel the need to write and get out of this winter funk. Sometimes this is just a cathartic exercise for me. I do hope you get some entertainment out of this, though.

So, on Christmas night, I ordered Far Cry 3 because I had some Amazon money and I have been eyeing that game for weeks. It arrived a few days later and after playing it for a few hours, I didn’t know what to think. The overly “bro-ish” attitude is both hilarious and annoying. The fact that Jason knows how to kill hundreds of dudes from the beginning without any proper training is unsettling. Also, I am playing on PS3 and there is some rendering tech in place that is not at all perfect. The tone of the game is odd, and I don’t know if that was part of the charm or it was Ubisoft being Ubisoft.

OK! Now, after playing it for close to twelve hours-ish, I am totally in love with the game. Yeah, the story starts falling apart, but nothing beats running around the jungle and sniping dudes in outposts (or shooting Tigers in the face!). I love that the game rewards you for doing stupid shit like finding collectables and completing WANTED missions. Maybe you only get EXP, but it’s something, right? Unlocking new abilities is worth it as new takedowns are learned and tools to survive in the jungle longer are unlocked. Like Sleeping Dogs, the game really wants you to do everything, even if it is nonsense.

The comparison to Skyrim has been made with Far Cry 3, and to a point, that is accurate. That sense of being inside a big world that operates by itself is there. The scope is not as big as Skyrim and I certainly enjoyed killing dragons more, but it’s not a ludicrous comparison.

So, getting through most of Far Cry 3, I was thinking that I should’ve have gotten it sooner to talk up before the end of the year. While I was touring this violent paradise, I noticed that Darksiders II was on sale for $30 on Amazon, so I picked that up too.

Now, Darksiders II was a game that I also wished I played earlier in the year because I enjoyed the hell out of the first title. I have only played about 3 dungeons in DS II but I really like the direction that Vigil Games went in. The leveling up system for weapons is unique and I dig the new environments. I am also playing this on PS3 (I need to start that whole PC gaming business) and I noticed framerate issues and screen tearing. That takes the wind out of my sails.

My free time has been taken up by seeing friends home from college and playing those two games. I find I have even less time around the holidays to game because all my friends are just as bored. Tell me what you have been playing!

Oh, and don’t see that piece of shit film called, Texas Chainsaw 3D.