The GTA IV Midnight Blog: ........

HOLY SHIT. Who cares that it's not midnight on Monday anymore. I've gotten some play time with GTA IV (somewhere around 5 hours) I am speechless, and I seriously have to restrain from saying "best game ever." Why am I restraining myself? It's only been 5 hours, and things could always change, not to mention the enormous amount of responsibility that comes along with a game of that title. Onto the good part; why do I have to restrain myself in the first place, well my friend, I hope you're ready for this.

Reason #1: Improved graphics. Everything isn't cutting edge, and everything isn't the best graphics I have ever seen, but it looks like a game from this generation. Not to mention the fact that the past games have looked about 3 years behind, grainy, boxy and just sheerly ugly.
Reason #2: Likable character. Niko is an awesome dude, who can totally kick your ass if you talk too much, or get on his wrong side. He has a short temper, and will attack at the drop of a hat. He's also a P-I-M-P and gets the chicks.
Reason #3: Improved game play. Everything from little to large has been changed about the game play, and the overall feel in general. Little things include movement improvement (nice rhyme) like when Niko goes down steps, he actually goes down them, not running over them like in every other video game. Pedestrians and civilians also act more....complex. They move more, and react based on what you do. If you shoot one in the stomach, (s)he will hunch over, and hold their stomach and stumble away. Big things include the aiming system (excellent) and the cover system (excellent-er). They are by no means pioneering in terms of video games, but adds a sweet touch to the series.
Reason #4 : Physics. Blowing things up, and people actually go flying with realistic physics? When you crash into something, you go flying through the windshield? SIGN ME UP!
Reason #5: Multiplayer. With a boatload of useful modes, 'nuff said.

I'm done talking for now. I need to go play more. There shall be a review of this game upcoming in a few days.

P.S. If you want to get a party-sized turf war together, or any other form of online game going, lemme know. Add me if you'd like GamerTag = Clarky412

The GTA IV Midnight Blog: Nifty Invention!

So the dudes over at http://www.sa-mp.com have come up with a rather nifty multiplayer scheme. After some technical difficulty, I got it going (I needed to downgrade from v. 2.0 to 1.0 in support of the multiplayer) and I found there are a lot of servers, with A LOT of game modes.

The best one by far though, has to be Cops and Robbers basically, you play as a character you want to be (i.e. taxi driver, car thief, food delivery boy) and you carry out those tasks. If you choose an illegal profession (honestly, why wouldn't you?) you get warrants out for your arrest, and ticket able offenses charged against you as you commit crimes. (Like stealing a helicopter...I seriously got a ticket). You can then choose to either pay the fine, or a warrant will get put out for your arrest, alerting the police. From here, it's survival of the fittest. Humans, acting as the police will hunt you down, leading to a more intense chase than crappy A.I. After this if you are caught, you have to serve out a jail sentence, of some time.

But let's be honest. The far best way of playing is to screw around and do what you're not supposed to. I was a car thief, and instead of stealing people's cars, I ran people over with them. This pissed people off, especially when I parked on them. (They can't move unless they leave the server)

This is a sweet mod.
Next up on the dockett...the game arrives!!!

The GTA IV Midnight Blog: And So It Begins

Well, I don't feel like typing much, but here I am, still giving you updates as to what I'm doing with my time, up to GTA IV. I realized that running around is maybe (debatable) the best part of GTA. Granted, the story is usually at least solid, the humor is superb, and driving is always neat, running around killing people for no reason at all (as sadistic as that sounds) can easily be the most fun. Seriously, what's better than staking out and seeing how long you can last against the army and police? I Love This Franchise

I am now going to call it, before I get on the CIA and FBI's blacklist.

(Next stop: San Andreas Multiplayer Mod)

Stray Thoughts #2

Video games, banquet stories, car alarms, and so much stuff to get too!

Got Mario Kart at midnight today, and am thoroughly enjoying it. (Was it really necessary for it to release at midnight?) Well I guess I can't talk, I bought it then. But anyway, it is oodles of fun, and the wheel for it is less than charming. So far (2 hrs or so of playing) it is in line to be my favorite yet.
GTA COMES OUT TOMORROW AT MIDNIGHT
Now that I got that out of my system, I guess I can mention my blogging tomorrow night leading to the release of GTA. In celebration, I will be playing some of my favorite GTA games, and posting about favorite moments, possibly screen shots, and other things. Then, I'm going to go buy it, and not go to school the next day.
Oh, also, if you're bored, and need a new video game website to use as your source of news, check out www.giantbomb.com starring former Gamespot employees Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. Go there now.

Car alarms are one of the worst inventions I can remember in the past......well the past....ever. Has a car alarm actually ever stopped somebody from robbing a car? In case you're still thinking about it, the answer is no. Instead, all they are good for is waking the ENTIRE neighborhood up at 6 a.m. (on a weekend!). They never go off at a useful time, and people ignore them. If somebody was to rob a car, the alarm would go off, and nobody would notice.

Oh about the banquet stories....never volunteer for an assignment involving every high school senior in the school. Just a word of advice.

A Movie for Old Men

What a movie. No country for old men? More like Country for Great Movie! Alright, that made no sense, but just as I thought, I am completely in love with No Country for Old Men. (NCFOM) I've watched it at least 3 times in the last two days, and I feel like I have a solid handle on the movie.

So why, do you ask, am I in love with it? Let's start with something important then, possibly most important, acting. Going into this movie the cast of actors appeared less than impressive. Javier Bardem...who the hell is that? The craziest (note: picture) most insanely awesome killer, maybe ever. Josh Brolin....iight so he had Planet Terror, but still he way surpassed his acting threshold with this one. And since when is Woody Harrelson a good actor...seriously! But it wasn't just the acting that made it, it was the overall tone and atmosphere exuded by the movie. There is NO music through the movie, except minimal beats in the intro and during the credits. This leaves room for intense silence, and one can really focus on how tense the movie actually is. This is all supported by probably some of the best writing of the last twenty years. The plot was thick and rife with sheer awesomeness.

This is seriously one hell of a movie. 4/4 Stars

Stray Thoughts

While procrastinating and trying my hardest not to start my english paper, a few thoughts have come to me. These thoughts are by no means related, and I will no doubt experience them again, so I've decided to make a segment called 'Stray Thoughts'.

We're down to 6 days left on the countdown til' this baby up there ^^
enters my Xbox 360's disc drive. Its all history from there.
I also have heard word of a GTA San Andreas mod, which intrigues me. Multiplayer role playing is the name of the game, and people dedicate hours to a particular aspect of San Andreas. (i.e. Taxi Driver, Ambulance driver, etc.) With the admins acting as police. Sounds like Second Life, except, minus the creepy sex-offenders looking for a "good time". (Don't ever ask me about my experiences with that game)

Something wonderful and something....so-so arrived in the mail today. I'll start with the lameishness first. Ultimate Spider-Man has come (issue #121) today, and I'm not at all excited. It has been SO boring as of late, and has no promise of getting better. Now, onto the good stuff.
No Country For Old Men has been touted as the best movie of '07, and an overall masterpiece. It came to me today, in a little red envelope with some word like....MetLix or something on it. (Maybe it was NetFlix). Anyway, I fully expect to report tomorrow with how in love with the movie I have become.

I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

Welcome to my blog, I guess you want to read what I have to say. I figured it was time to create an environment with which I can get my opinions and interests out to the world, because honestly they need to be heard.

In general, I'm a cool guy, with cool interests. I'm also a die hard nerd. I geek out to video games and comics daily, but, it's not all taped rims and pocket protectors. I also am into a wide variety of music; Rock, Ska, Rap and all of the shitty made up sub-genres, are all choices I enjoy listening to. (Seriously...what the hell is Rap-Core???) I happen to play two sports right now, Cross Country and Tennis. I'm not an all star at either, but I mostly enjoy them (Cross Country...eh we'll see).
Hobbies consist mainly of anything creative. I would like to think of myself as a creative fellow, and drawing, writing, filming, recording, and a handful of other things are what give me true joy in life. Well, that and my girlfriend Jennifer Lynn Duncan.
I'm currently taking a course at tech school in Commercial Arts, that is the process of advertisement and packaging design. With portfolio in hand, I hope to be accepted to Montclair State University, and begin a college career double majoring in Graphic Design and Business (Marketing).
Oh yeah, I love movies. I used to try and create a top 10 list of movies, but quickly decided that was WAY too hard. However, here a bunch that I really love. 300, V for Vendetta, the Boondock Saints, Children of Men, Hotel Rwanda, Sin City, Batman Begins (Christian Bale), Ocean's 11 and 13 and probably lots that I forgot for now.
Video games wise, I'd have to list The Resident Evil Series, Super Smash Bros., Rock Band, Streets of Rage, Earl & Toejam, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Super Mario Galaxy, Soul Caliber, and a myriad of titles that just aren't coming to mind.
I'm only going to say this once, so if you found it boring, you shouldn't have read it in the first place, but hey, it's over. Pat yourself on the back, you now know a lot more about one of the coolest kids ever. (No that's Ben Savage) seriously look at him. Boy Meets World = GREATEST SHOW OF ALL TIME.

I don't plan on posting everyday, just when I feel it necessary to say something. (Often)