Raiding is hard - No malarky

So I just got done reading an editorial over on Massively.com that I thought I would bring over here and share. The article is from their "Soapbox" feature and it is discussing Eliot Lefebvre's perspective on how it came to be that he and his wife were elitist jerks.

I can say that I have had nearly exactly the same experience; I applied to a guild that was already clearing BT and was ramping for their foray into the Sunwell. I had just rolled a fresh and fantastic Elemental shaman and I was 70 for a hot minute. The rationale for me to have the ele shammy was really free lightning bolts. I was just completely enamored with the idea of free damage just happening because of the precise amount of awesome I was...

BEHOLD! the "Majesty" of Shammy T6 kids!

The guild I joined was looking for dedication and not gear which was lucky for me because I had the time to be dedicated and the will to be a great raider.

Now it helps that I am an above average video game player and I knew my class in and out. What my skill lacked elitistjerks (Binkenstein rules) cleared up for me along with a little help from my old friend Autohotkey.

So I started raiding and in the beginning the addiction to upgrades is blinding. When you are wearing gear that is holding you back and you get an upgrade and get the instant gratification of the graphical change along with the increased numerical representation in Recount it is a real buzz.

The challenge is that over the years you end up in these repetitive wipe festivals trying to progress on content that would simply break the will of lesser organizations. You feel buffered by your friends in the guild in these situations; but the reality is that it is painful, long, tedious hours staring down fight mechanics that feel like or are borderline impossible; hundreds and hundreds of wipes later you get into the rage of missed upgrades that massively.com refers to and feed off of that energy within your raiding organization.

What is more is that it is likely that you become "competitive" - that is to say that perhaps it turns out that your guild is competing to be in the top 100 guilds in the US or something to that effect. This meta-achievement is what continues to compel you to compete even though the joy in it is long gone...

It starts off fun and exciting but it quickly turns on you and before you know it you are compelled to do something you dont actually want to do.

Source: Massively.com

P.s. Yes - I realize I just revealed to you precious internet just how much of a complete and total nerd I am <3

DC Comics: The New 52

Just a few weeks ago, DC Comics did something that can be viewed as the riskiest corporate move in recent comics history: They rebooted their entire line of comics. Now, and DC reader will tell you that this is not the first time something like this has happened in this universe. But this time, they're also incorporating Jim Lee's Wildstorm Universe into the main DC universe - they're also folding the Vertigo titles back into the DCU proper.

What does this all mean? It means that the Justice League is just gathering for the first time. Superman and Batman aren't old buddies. Wonder Woman has not yet been sent to the world of Man as the Amazon ambassador. Everything is fresh and new, and the public at large in the DCU seem very apprehensive about these new super-people (and presumed super-people like Batman) flying around in costumes.

Being a Marvel guy, I have to say that it all feels a lot like the Marvel Ultimate line, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Of the new titles, I've only read Justice League #1 so far, and I highly recommend it. I mean, it's got Jim Lee's art and Geoff Johns' words in there...do I really need to say anything else?

CoOp Avengers? Cancelled?!? WTF?

What the HELL do we have to do to get these developers to realize that we want to play video games together?!! World of Warcraft has bleventymillion subscribers people! We want to play together!

1UP.com reports a video leaked to the internet on Reddit for an unnamed game apparently from THQ tied in with the upcoming Avengers movie.

HULK SMASH

The video is amazing and shows footage of Iron Man hovering and shooting hand lasers as well as Hulk sprinting/jumping and doing AIR COMBOs against hapless foes...

So how did I make the leap to CoOp? In one part of the video Hulk clap smashes a mob and detonates an Iron Man mine! Further there is one part where Hulk and Cap are in the same shot... Now maybe it is a stretch but c'mon what is more "Avengers" than having a video game where you free roam as a superhero posse of limitless power?!

Why do these companies have such contempt for us?! If you build it I will buy two copies of it so we can play CoOp in the house!!


Source: 1UP.com

Movie Review - Contagion

I am a bit of a connoisseur of apocalypse movies, television shows, and books. I love the stories about how society/humanity gets destroyed and about how the people left behind have to begin to deal with the "restructuring" of their problems.

Warning! I might have a few spoilers here that some folks would not appreciate!

Contagion stands out as a bit of a spin on the subject; the whole movie exists in the space between Day 0 and day 200. Its the story of the decline - not just the story of the aftermath. What's more is that the movie does an amazing job of creating a reality that we all live in everyday. Which it then summarily disassembles right in front of us causing us to question the assertions we work off of everyday. The movie's virus kills in 4 days and can be transmitted in many, many ways. Making it virtually impossible to remain uninfected if you have been in contact with someone who has. All of the key reactions you can wonder about have been covered, the CDC, government, blogosphere, facebook, municipalities, local neighborhoods - the story is very thorough in leaving no stone unturned from an apocalypse geek perspective.

The real genius of Contagion is the presentation of the horror angle - it could really happen; and Contagion tells a story about what it might look like if it did, and it looks very scary. It is expertly directed and performed by an amazing cast of people who make it look effortless. Finally - I think you should see it in the theatre so that you get a real feeling for the scale of the epidemic. The small screen may take a little bit away from that...

Dead Island Shouldn't Be So Fun

Fantastic teaser trailer aside (which, by the way, has little to do with the game), Dead Island really shouldn't be as fun as it is. It's a first person hack and slash, punctuated by fetch missions and endless backtracking with a bit of weapon customization thrown in. Even the premise is gimicky: it's a zombie outbreak, but this time it happens at an island resort. On the surface, you'd even think it's an L4D wannabe. But you have to look closer to see what makes it so great.

First off, it's friggin scary. Like, SCARY. The noises the zombies make is the stuff of nightmares, especially if you have surround sound. Dead Island draws you in to the point that you actually get concerned about dying. The cast of characters ranges from those afraid of being zombified, and Euro-Trash blondes wanting only to get drunk and party.

And then there's the melee-heavy combat. Zombies are in your face constantly, and you're fighting them off with a stick. It doesn't get more up close and personal than that. And the noises that the zombies make...did I mention that?  Dear Lord, the NOISES...

Do yourself a favor while I spend a few minutes pulling myself out of the fetal position: buy Dead Island and experience it for yourself.