In Journalism 1, we were divided into groups to research various subjects that would pertain to a movie we were about to watch that day. The movie (a documentary, actually) was titled Page One: Inside the New York Times. Our group was tasked with the research of David Carr (not the quarterback), who is a columnist for the New York Times.
I have to say, I judged Mr. Carr too soon. During the research, we discovered he had a history of drug abuse, relationship troubles, and welfare. I have a habit of making inaccurate assumptions. Watching the documentary, one can't help but be captivated by David's personality. He's smart, tough, comical, and somewhat abrasive. He's a man who's made some bad decisions and has learned to live with them.
My favorite quote from the movie is what Mr. Carr says to Shane Smith, co-founder of VICE Magazine "Just because you put on a fucking safari hat and looked at poop doesn’t give you the right…" after Shane attacks the New York Times for not reporting on relevant topics, like the atrocities in Liberia. I'm a huge fan of the Vice Guide to Travel series (and Shane Smith) but David just made him look like such an asshole, it was priceless.
The above video is a pretty accurate description of David's personality, minus the comedy and abrasiveness.
I really enjoyed the documentary and would recommend it to anyone who is unsure of what the history is for the mainstream media. I liked how it outlined what the average day is for an employee at the New York Times is. Also, the process involved for getting stories to print was fascinating. It's playing at the Cinematheque right now, check it out!
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Sunday, 25 September 2011
Monday, 19 September 2011
Call of Duty: Black Ops (PC)
I am a HUGE fan of the Call of Duty franchise. A lot of people are. With that being said, a lot of people absolutely hate it, and I can understand why. The matchmaking system that was used in Modern Warfare 2 was absolute garbage, you couldn't have dedicated servers, and you had to keep paying for the DLC packs if you wanted the new maps. Black Ops is a bit better in that respect, minus the DLC crap (I swear they release a new DLC every month at 15 bucks a pop). But overall the dedicated servers are great, no more silly matchmaking, and they brought back the bad ass zombie mode from Call of Duty: World at War.
One of the main things people hate about COD is the unrealistic game play. I agree, it's totally unrealistic. But it's also a video game. I can tell you a lot about the army, the reality is it's not always action packed and fun; COD generally is. If you really cared about realistic game play, join the army, it's as real as it gets and they'd love to have you. The game is really easy to grasp and has a lot in common with the previous COD's, ie: perks, killstreaks and weaponry. The graphics are a bit better than MW2 (you can't tell from the video because I was playing on low quality and the file format is changed for upload-ability) and I think the maps are way more detailed.
I want to briefly address some things you see in this video:
Yes, I'm an idiot. I haven't played this game in awhile and totally forgot the range of napalm. If you haven't watched it, I manage to not only kill myself, but some members of my team. I get yelled at for it, pretty funny. That second napalm wasn't mine though, I swear.
That dude that shot me through the wall was my teammate, thanks man, I probably deserved it.
Yes, I should have been playing the objective, which was to plant/defend the bomb(sites). Oh well.
At the end when I got kicked for teamkilling (not my fault, although I could have said I was calling mortars/napalm to the enemy spawn), we definitely did not win. We won the first round, lost the second round, and would have proceeded to a third round where we would have been randomly assigned to attack or defend.
It was my first time playing in months and usually I'm much more focused. Oh, and I also killed myself with a flash-bang, pretty embarrassing.
If you love COD and haven't played Black Ops yet, I would highly suggest this game. Even the single player campaign is pretty sweet. Also, if you loved ZOMBIES from World at War, you'll go nuts for the Black Ops version (it's way better). If you despise COD and everything it stands for, don't get it. But please (and this happens a LOT) don't sit there in a server and whine about how much you hate the game, its the only thing more childish than the six year old killing you over and over again, sitting in the same spot all game.
If you think I only play PC games, its because I do. Black Ops is still $60 on Steam (absurd, I know). There's also a tonne of DLC you'll have to get, which gets expensive pretty quick. You may just want to wait for Modern Warfare 3 (check out my other blog post).
One of the main things people hate about COD is the unrealistic game play. I agree, it's totally unrealistic. But it's also a video game. I can tell you a lot about the army, the reality is it's not always action packed and fun; COD generally is. If you really cared about realistic game play, join the army, it's as real as it gets and they'd love to have you. The game is really easy to grasp and has a lot in common with the previous COD's, ie: perks, killstreaks and weaponry. The graphics are a bit better than MW2 (you can't tell from the video because I was playing on low quality and the file format is changed for upload-ability) and I think the maps are way more detailed.
I want to briefly address some things you see in this video:
Yes, I'm an idiot. I haven't played this game in awhile and totally forgot the range of napalm. If you haven't watched it, I manage to not only kill myself, but some members of my team. I get yelled at for it, pretty funny. That second napalm wasn't mine though, I swear.
That dude that shot me through the wall was my teammate, thanks man, I probably deserved it.
Yes, I should have been playing the objective, which was to plant/defend the bomb(sites). Oh well.
At the end when I got kicked for teamkilling (not my fault, although I could have said I was calling mortars/napalm to the enemy spawn), we definitely did not win. We won the first round, lost the second round, and would have proceeded to a third round where we would have been randomly assigned to attack or defend.
It was my first time playing in months and usually I'm much more focused. Oh, and I also killed myself with a flash-bang, pretty embarrassing.
If you love COD and haven't played Black Ops yet, I would highly suggest this game. Even the single player campaign is pretty sweet. Also, if you loved ZOMBIES from World at War, you'll go nuts for the Black Ops version (it's way better). If you despise COD and everything it stands for, don't get it. But please (and this happens a LOT) don't sit there in a server and whine about how much you hate the game, its the only thing more childish than the six year old killing you over and over again, sitting in the same spot all game.
If you think I only play PC games, its because I do. Black Ops is still $60 on Steam (absurd, I know). There's also a tonne of DLC you'll have to get, which gets expensive pretty quick. You may just want to wait for Modern Warfare 3 (check out my other blog post).
Friday, 9 September 2011
Counter Strike: Source (PC)
I started my online gaming career with Counter Strike many moons ago. I was hooked instantly. If your unfamiliar with Counter Strike, I'll give you some quick (and interesting!) background info.
The original CS used the Half Life engine to support game play. In November of 2004, CS: Source was released with Half Life 2 roughly two weeks after. Despite being released earlier, CS: Source still used the HL2 engine to support game play. I'm guessing this was supposed to be a little teaser for the fans. When you join a game, you have the option of playing for the Terrorists or the Counter Terrorists. If your a T, your job is to plant the bomb (only one player can carry the bomb) at one of two bomb sites on the map. If your a CT, your job is to not let that happen. This is exactly the same game play as the original CS. One of the only differences in CS: Source are better graphics, new maps, and surfing. What's surfing you ask? It's probably easier if I just show you.
Surfing actually existed in the previous CS, but in CS: Source, its much smoother and the maps are better. I was bored of the normal game play very quickly. Surfing is such a unique gaming concept and trying to learn different maps can be a lot of fun (or extremely frustrating). There have been many times where I was tempted to smash my keyboard into my monitor. The basic concept is this:
1. You spawn, either as a T or CT - Usually right next to each other with a barrier in between.
2. You attempt to 'surf' the map from object to object to reach a spot where you can kill the people who have landed in the 'jail'. Most maps have a jail (but sometimes you just die) that you end up in when you fall off the ramps.
3. My video is a perfect example of a spot that you want to get to. I can see them, but they can't see me. Usually good surfing is rewarded with a good killing spot. Now it's time to sit back and rack up the kills.
There's always teleporters you can use if you get bored of being in the same spot for too long. Here's another good spot on that same map:
Here you can see that I have a great view of the enemy spawn area. The particular server that I was playing in was running a modified spawn protection time (extra health for longer) which makes it a little more difficult to use that spot effectively.
I would recommend getting this game (it's very cheap, $20 and can be purchased online through Steam) if your bored of the standard first person shooter scenario. It's a really cool way to explore the vast possibilities of the HL2 engine, while still being able to make people so angry that they call you names and quit. Possibly forever.
The original CS used the Half Life engine to support game play. In November of 2004, CS: Source was released with Half Life 2 roughly two weeks after. Despite being released earlier, CS: Source still used the HL2 engine to support game play. I'm guessing this was supposed to be a little teaser for the fans. When you join a game, you have the option of playing for the Terrorists or the Counter Terrorists. If your a T, your job is to plant the bomb (only one player can carry the bomb) at one of two bomb sites on the map. If your a CT, your job is to not let that happen. This is exactly the same game play as the original CS. One of the only differences in CS: Source are better graphics, new maps, and surfing. What's surfing you ask? It's probably easier if I just show you.
Surfing actually existed in the previous CS, but in CS: Source, its much smoother and the maps are better. I was bored of the normal game play very quickly. Surfing is such a unique gaming concept and trying to learn different maps can be a lot of fun (or extremely frustrating). There have been many times where I was tempted to smash my keyboard into my monitor. The basic concept is this:
1. You spawn, either as a T or CT - Usually right next to each other with a barrier in between.
2. You attempt to 'surf' the map from object to object to reach a spot where you can kill the people who have landed in the 'jail'. Most maps have a jail (but sometimes you just die) that you end up in when you fall off the ramps.
3. My video is a perfect example of a spot that you want to get to. I can see them, but they can't see me. Usually good surfing is rewarded with a good killing spot. Now it's time to sit back and rack up the kills.
There's always teleporters you can use if you get bored of being in the same spot for too long. Here's another good spot on that same map:
Here you can see that I have a great view of the enemy spawn area. The particular server that I was playing in was running a modified spawn protection time (extra health for longer) which makes it a little more difficult to use that spot effectively.
I would recommend getting this game (it's very cheap, $20 and can be purchased online through Steam) if your bored of the standard first person shooter scenario. It's a really cool way to explore the vast possibilities of the HL2 engine, while still being able to make people so angry that they call you names and quit. Possibly forever.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
I still find twitter mildly confusing and quite cluttered. That being said, I will attempt to figure it out. If anyone can find David Cross on twitter, please let me know. Also, if there are any other Richard Dawkins fans out there, please note that he DOES NOT use twitter. If you love exclamation points, I suggest following Kanye West. Daniel Tosh also has some pretty great updates. I intend to use twitter to let people know when I have reviewed a new (or old) game, so if you aren't already following me on twitter... please follow me on twitter.
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3!
That's right! It's on it's way! As a current Call of Duty enthusiast, I will no doubt be reviewing this game. I fell in love with Modern Warfare 2 and have the highest hopes for Modern Warfare 3. The current release date is November 11, 2011. See you online!
Oh, and check out this sweet gameplay demo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CblUvlZDio8
Oh, and check out this sweet gameplay demo!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CblUvlZDio8
Welcome to my very first blog!
My name is Aaron, I am a Creative Communications student at Red River College in Winnipeg, Manitoba and I love video games. Check out my blog for the latest reviews of video games or for older games that you may not have heard of, but are certainly worth checking out!
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