Sega's Sonic on PC

Gosh guys I was so psyched to hear that Sonic was finally available on PC in the Dreamcast Collection. The Dreamcast Collection features Crazy Taxi, Space Channel 5 Part 2, Adventures of Sonic and some fishing game I didn't give a shit about. First thing to try was Sonic of course because as you all know, I used to have a Dreamcast and it just drove me insane when it broke and I couldn't play my favorite games anymore ..... *sigh* Anyhow, as I was starting Sonic, I instantly recognized the set-up and realized that it was THE exact game I used to have on Dreamcast and love :-D so hooooray to that!

Sonic and Tails

 Let me just tell you that I now know why Sonic was a game on the console. The keyboard is just crap for such a game reminding me once again how badly I need a gamepad. The keys are simple: direction keys are the arrows and the typical S button for action and everything else. The camera is what bothers me the most because you have to manually adjust it.

I also noticed that they have actually added a few levels and places you can go to, which is really cool AAAAAANDDD they kept the CHAO'S!!! FYI: Chaos are adorable little creatures in Sonics world that can be raised, fed and played. You can morph them with little animals that you gain during the action levels and you can feed them special food to make them stronger. You can also make them compete in races and breed them to get colorful new variations of Chaos. The whole Chao concept im sure, is just a strategy to attract girls to the game, but it sure is working.

The graphics are the same old Sega graphic and you actually have to adjust your resolution so that you will be able to play in full screen modus. Overal the game is a good reminder of where gaming came from and I love the simple game play and it is just an epic adventure that might not be continued on another platform in the future.

Future Game Releases

There are a couple of new game releases that I am looking forward to this late 2011 and early 2012. I think in first place is Oblivion V: Skyrim! I have been waiting years for this game to be done, ever since I laid hands upon Morrowind and Oblivion. For those who don't know the Elder Scroll series; Elder Scrolls are THE most complex roleplaying adventure games I have ever played. There is nothing better out there in my ops and this is a MUST have.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is set to be released on November 11th 2011. It's the jinxed number that's supposed to bring them luck.


Another game or rather expansion set to be released in November is The Sims 3 Pets. I have been waiting for this expansion since The Sims 3 came out because I just love interacting with the pets. This time around, you will also be able to own horses.

The last new release I am looking forward to is Mass Effect 3. It is set to be released by christmas this 2011. It is the direct continuation in story of Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 2 ends with a cliffhanger wherein you just have to know how it continues. Mass Effect 3 is an adventure, roleplay shooter. It has mixed elements and it's all about space baby!

Early 2012 is going to be another release date for Prototype 2. I already presented you the 1st installment earlier in the blog and now I am looking forward to the new tricks that Alex will receive. I have also heard that you will either play the new adversary or him.... hmmmm let's just see and hope it's not going to be banned in my country again!

About Curious Incidents

Back in college, my friend told me to read The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time and I never heeded her advice until 2011 came knocking. Back in Germany, a friend of mine told me that this book was just strange and scary and so I heard so many different opinions without even knowing WHAT the book is about. I decided to get myself a copy through Amazon (which by the way is like my favorite book shopping place on earth), and finally decide for myself.

I was off to a slow start because the book was a draggy read. Mark Haddon tells the story of a boy named Christopher Boone who has Asperberger's Syndrome. The fact that he has Asperger's is however never said. Christopher tells the story of a dog named Wellington who was killed during the night with a pitchfork. Wellington was the neighbors dog and Christopher was the first to find the dead dogmaking him the prime suspect. That is why he embarks on the adventure of finding the real killer.

The journey however leads him to see and uncover so much more. He discovers that his mother did not die but has left him and his dad for another man who happened to be the husband of the neighbor whose dog was killed....WHEW! So the neighbor started an affair with Chris' father and when she broke it off, his father killed the dog. This makes Christopher scared and he finds the letters of his mother that he never got because his dad hid them. He then travels to London and finds her all by himself.

Christopher's way of seing things is simple. He doesn't pick up on feelings or sarcasm or expressions. He understands just the words that are said to him and not the underlying implications or meanings. Having Asperger's he also doesn't like to be touched or have many people around him. He also makes his day dependent on whether he sees red cars or brown cars because he hates the color brown.

There are many interesting, insightful and peculiar things that Haddon did with his character and that allows us a genuine look into a person with such a syndrome. Even though the story was off to a slow start, it still captured me and kept me thinking what will be next. A different read, perhaps not even a light one, but definitely one to ponder upon.

Excerpt from "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," by Mark Haddon:

I decided that I was going to find out who killed Wellington even tough Father had told me to stay out of other people's business. This is because I do not always do what I am told. And this is because when people tell you what to do it is usually confusing and does not make sense. For example, people often say 'Be quiet,' but they don't tell you how long to be quiet for. Or you see a sign which says KEEP OFF THE GRASS but it should say KEEP OFF THE GRASS AROUND THIS SIGN or KEEP OFF ALL THE GRASS IN THIS PARK because there is lots of grass you are allowed to walk on.Also people break rules all the time. For example, Father often drives at over 30 mph in a 30 mph zone and sometimes he drives when he has been drinking and often doesn't wear his seatbelt when he is driving his van. And in the Bible it says Thou shalt bit kill but there were the Crusaders and two World Wars and the Gulf War and tehre were Christians killing people in all of them. Also I don't know what Father means when he says 'Stay out of other people's business' because I do lots of things with other people, at school and in the shop and on the bus, and his job is going into other people's houses and fixing their boilers and their heating. And all of these things are other people's business.

Elizabeth Gilbert and her Mega Bestselling Masterpiece Eat, Pray, Love

You guys saw it coming, I have also jumped on the bandwagon that was so popular in '10 when that blasted movie came out. The difference is that a friend introduced me to the book back somewhat in '08 and I never have gotten around buying it until I got back from the Philippines. So I bought it and read it simultaniously when the movie came out of course not watching the movie before reading it.

What can I say; the book is just a big journey to your soul. It is simply great. It is heartbreaking, funny, and deeply moving. If you do not know the plot yet, here it is. Elizabeth decides to travel to three countries after her nasty divorce was dealt with. She wanted to travel to Italy, because she loved the language and loved the food. India was her next destination because she wanted to stay at an ashram that was led by her yogic teacher. And finally she wanted to go to Indonesia because she was supposed to help and learn from a local healer. She made a deal with her publisher to write about it and thus getting the cash advance to finance her year of travel.


She stayed in each country for 4 months and found something in every country. In Italy she found pleasure again through food. In India she found herself and god through prayers and in Indonesia she found her husband and thus completing the title of the book with love. The stories within the story were the most interesting and funny tidbits. Gilbert made me feel as if I was travelling with her and actually experiencing the culture myself. Eat Pray Love is a great read that I enjoyed.


Since I have decided to go back to my good 'ol review format I will once again and forever give you an excerpt from Eat Pray Love:

The following morning, I arrive right on time for the 4:00 am meditation session which always starts the day here. We are meant to sit for an hour in silence, but I log the minutes as if they are miles - sixty brutal miles that I have to endure. By mile/minute fourteen, my nerves have started to go, my knees are breaking down and I'm overcome with exasperation. Which is understandable, given that the conversations between me and my mind during meditation generally go somthing like this:

Me: OK, we're going to meditate now. Let's draw our attention to our breath and focus on the mantra. Om Namah Shivaya. Om Naamah Shiv-

Mind: I can help you out with this, you know!

Me: OK, good, because I need your help. Let's go. Om Namah Shivaya. Om Naamah Shiv-

Mind: I can help you think of nice meditative images. Like - hey, there's a good one. Imagine you are a temple. A temple on an island! And the island is in the ocean!

Me: Oh, that is a nice image.

Mind: Thanks. I thought of it myself.

Street Fighter 4

There are just a few beat 'em ups out there for PC and one of them is Street Fighter IV. I used to love those games on consoles and I was a big fan of "Dead or Alive" but that was during my Dreamcast days.....Yeah where were we? Oh yeah, Street Fighter 4 impresses with a nice little intro movie full of artsy fartsy graphics which I liked by the way. The welcome screen is the good 'ol Street Fighter screen.

Intro Movie Captured

You can play different modes from Arcade Mode to Live Mode which connects you to the internet via Windows Live and allows you to play online. I chose to play Arcade mode to watch the little cutscenes and I loves the scenes because of their anime style and storyline. I played two characters namely Crimson Viper, an american agent, and the imfamous Chun-Li, the chinese cutsy girl.  You see that I love playing girls and deep inside is a strong belief that girls will eventually be stronger and kick ass in fighting. You can access more characters once you finish the Arcade modes with each character.

Now about the game play: Let me tell you guys, freaking beat 'em ups on keyboard is a tough cookie. I constantly keyboard bash and I really don't want to have to. The moves are hard to fulfill when you can't even properly rotate the move directions like on a controller. The game play itself is super fun. Moves are varying and good and the graphics received some brush ups but stayed pretty much the same; in 2D with now a little hint of 3D.

Cutscene playing Crimson Viper

The Arcade challenges in particular were difficult as hell. I love fighting games and I am a crack at it, but this game on PC? No way hose did I ever win in normal mode. I had to play in "Easy as Pie" Mode in order to even get to Seth who is the boss. Seth just drove me nuts. Until now I haven't defeated that bastard and I think until I won't defeat him, you guys won't see any other games coming around in this blog -.- ......... Don't worry I can discipline myself into trying three times in a row per hour ;).

Street Fighter IV is definitely a must have for beat 'em up fans, but be sure to have a freakin controller by your side when playing.

Seth the Boss in Arcade Mode

Cutscene Chun-Li

                                                                         Happy Fighting Guys!

Prototype

Prototype is an action game that focuses on the main character Alex Mercer who wakes up to find himself changes. A concept we all know works well for movies and other games. Alex however is not a Mr. Goody Twoshoes but more like a swiss army knife that can do absolutely everything. He flies, he falls, he jumps and he kicks ass. 

The storyline is kept simple: he wants to find out who changed him and seeks revenge while uncovering his past. Alex has become what people like to call shape shifter, which means he can shift into any person he wants to and he can also transform his arms into claws, blades or hammer fists. He can shield himself and has the ability to create a whip out of his hands. There are plenty more added bonuses to discover.

This is the Skill Upgrade Screen where you can buy your enhancements.

The game starts with a storyline and several missions which you can play through. Once you have finished the missions, you can basically go about and destroy everthing that's in your grasp. Similar to GTA-like games, the military starts noticing and you will have more and more enemies to bash.

Cutscene

The game itself is fun as hell if you enjoy bashing and violence. After all this game has been banned in several countries for being too gory and Germany being one of them. I love how the character goes about in the city and how you can freaking run on walls skywards, sideways or down. You also have a level-up like set up in this game where you have to buy your advancements such as your blades or hammer hands. After every mission you get the chance to upgrade.

Thie is the cloak skill where you can change the appearance of Alex.

Another nice feature is the mapping feature where you get to see the origin of every dead character, assuming Alex killed them, and you see who they are connected to in order to learn about Alex's past. To sum it up; the graphics are great, the gameplay is just sheer fun and the storyline is good but generic. If you want to find out why this game is banned, get it and you will find out. If you happen to live in one of those banned countries you may order through Amazon or through Ebay.

Alex attackung.

Alex' flying skill.

Growing Up with The Sims

The Sims kept me glued to the PC screen for hours and still keeps a tight spell on me. Somewhere and sometime in the age of Windows 98, The Sims came out and was the first people simulation game in the market. It created a hype and thus plenty of Add-Ons and Will Wright was a genius for having created such game. I spent countless hours creating the perfect looks, the perfect house and try to improve the skills to get the perfect job. With all the later Add-Ons I just started investing more and more time into the game and into making my character the greatest possible.



The idea has not much changed when Sims 2 came out. There were just major upgrades such as the actual Sim who looked just so much more human and less stick figure. They added expressions, movements and changes while aging. You were able to select wishes for the sim and select their life time wish and make them happy. The continuity of aging was a lso a big concept in this game where you could actually age from baby to grown up and also get pregnant. Everything is just closer to real life. What would Sims 2 be without the expansions as well? Same concept, same expansion packs from Nightlife to University, everything was there again.



The Sims 3 added an universal interactive neighborhood where you don't need to wait for another place to load when you visit a community lot. You can even visit your neighbors and spy on them. The whole system changed where everything is now connected to the world as a whole. I love how you can also create personalities whether they be neurotic or flirty. Jobs have also changed because you are able to also do assignments outside the job and you can even decide whether you are working effectively or whether you want to have a chat with your collegues instead.

There are also different kinds of professions where you can work independently from home as an artist for example or you could choose to become a stylist where you actually choose different styles for different Sims. The Add-Ons have also changed drastically. You can now travel abroad and actually own a vacation home there and have missions. Sims 3 reminded me almost of an roleplay simulation because I felt like I am doing some level-up think with my character. Another expansion also enables you to be a celebrity and actually make a living out of it. Sims 3 has altered the Sims Universe and ultimately improved it. They however also make tons of money out of it since the new universe allows you to spend money online to buey different furniture and looks for your Sims.



The Sims Universe is definitely worth a dip no matter from which genre you come from. I grew up with it and still relish in the fond memories of it. Happy Siming!