Monday, May 18, 2009

Another day, another piece dies..

Another bad day. Another day at the job that is sucking away what little sanity and peace I have left. It's getting harder and harder to push away the perpetual despair and grim thought processes. I'm on the edge.

There's been a couple of layoffs at my job and the schedule is in a state of flux after June 26. It's only going to get more stressful without proper support. I think this move was a mistake and may have screwed my department in the future.

I can't leave my job stress at my job because everything is so uncertain.

Friday, May 8, 2009

The Gamer's Lament

"Why Fanboys and Fangirls Need To Get More Sun"

I generally don't make long winded posts about games. However, Shaun has been bombarding me with his discontent over the lack of downloadable content for Fallout 3 on the PS3. (Please note, that I also have it for my Ps3.) He makes the mistake of searching message boards for accurate information. These forums of mouth-breathers tend to be nothing more then Sony and Microsoft fanboys/fangirls arguing. A legit opinion suddenly gets twisted into a "Sony sucks, so you should have got a 360 hur hur hur" discussion. I know, such an intelligent observation.

Honestly it is bothersome that this content is only available on the PC and 360 platforms. But I knew that from the beginning. I am unhappy with what Bethesda did however Microsoft showed them the money, you know? (Mind you, I find it worse that they can offer millions of dollars to video game developers but then layoff a couple thousand staff? Then try to take their severance packages because it's too much money? I have no kindness for Microsoft.) It does set another terrible example of where these rival companies can toss around enough money to screw over their consumers. It's a not so gentle way of saying "Hey! Buy a 360 so you can play this awesome content that is EXCLUSIVE!" and that is what Microsoft wants you to do. It's not just about the customer who already has the core game. It's always been about the all mighty dollar when it comes to the companies. I made the decision to not purchase an Xbox 360 because of the game selection. I have always had Sony products and unlike other people I've read about, I have never had a problem. Also, the games I do enjoy were offered on my platform of choice.

For my own posterity, I decided to take a look at a list of the decent games 360 has to offer as a potential buyer. So let's see what some of my options are:

1. Halo 3 - DO NOT WANT!
2. Gears of War 2 - DO NOT WANT!
3. Call of Duty: World At War - DO NOT WANT!
4. Far Cry 2 - DO NOT WANT!
5. Resident Evil 5 - PS3 Version
6. Dead Space - PS3 Version
7. Fallout 3 - PS3 Version
8. Fable 2 - Maybe
9. Left 4 Dead - Maybe
10. Devil May Cry 4 - Ps3 Version

And no matter how appealing Fable 2 is to me, I'd never plunk down hundreds of dollars on a system for a few titles of interest. If the game is available already on another platform that I own, I am going to go with what is economically sound to my enjoyment. It does suck that video game developers and companies can toy with their customer base in such a way when it comes to exclusive titles and content but that is business for them. They want their fanboys and fangirls to go on the attack and argue their point. It's the best PR and advertising they can receive, especially since it is free.

Switching gears, Microsoft's exclusive agreement is only for the first 3 content packs which means "Broken Steel" will be the last they get first dibs on. This agreement also expired three days ago. There is a rumored 4th content patch called "Point Lookout" however that would not be bound by an exclusive agreement as it stands now. Who knows? It is all speculation as the official word from the honcho of Bethesda is that there will be no more downloadable content for Fallout 3.

Now time for an aspirin because reading that many typos and grammatical errors can be taxing. I swear, just because you are on the internet doesn't mean you get to be lazy. The gamers on some of those forums are just as bad as teens on myspace.