Jumper's Art Gallery #3 - We were Artists once

This is part 3 of my Jumper's Art Gallery section over at Teh Pwn Shop. Parts one and two can be found at the following URL's:

1) And so it Begins: http://tehpwnshop.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/jumpers-art-gallery-and-so-it-begins/
2) Origami Adventures: http://tehpwnshop.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/jumpers-art-gallery-2-origami-adventures/

Enjoy part 3 everyone!



This is the banner that I made using Mel Rains' banner for Teh Pwn Shop.



This is a signature of the Heavenly sword character known as Nariko.

This was a quickie, really. to get back in the groove for my next sig and avy set. ^^



This is an Avatar of Skylar St. Claire from the videogame: The Saboteur.

I saw the concept art in the loading screen and I just had to make something out of it.

This is the Avatar of the set.



This is a Signature of Skylar St. Claire from the videogame: The Saboteur.

I saw the concept art in the loading screen and I just had to make something out of it.

This is the Signature of the Skylar Set.

Thank you all for sticking with me so far and I'll see you next time!

Revised Knight Online review

This is the revised version of my Knight Online which was previously uploaded to youtube. What this means is that I sproosed up the intro a little bit. So the credits might be a tad off when it comes to the music. The music used in the intro now is in-game.
At any rate, I hope you enjoy it again if you’ve already seen it and if not, I still hope you enjoy it It’s old, bear that in mind. Seriously, it was before I pulled myself together …

revised version originally found at: http://tehpwnshop.wordpress.com/2010/03/14/pjs-revised-knight-online-review/

Thinking of the Overthinker's Overthinking

TGO 33 - Building a better gamer: http://screwattack.com/videos/TGO-Episode-33-Building-A-Better-Gamer

As I was watching this video (So see it first), I felt the need to comment. Seeing that comment grow and grow and grow in size, I decided to just make a blog about it and show it to you all here. These are 10 things I wanted to say. So read up, folks!

1) The only thing I know is that the video promoted there was garbage and is not about gaming at all. It was about this guy's own addictive personality.

2) Videogames are a toy, but being a gamer is a lifestyle as much as being a geek is.

3) Marathon gaming is only a slight problem IF the person at hands continues to maintain a healthy work and social life.

4) Agreed on the fact that if you're playing many games, you should exercise more often. Or change your life so that you move more when you move anyways, like taking a bike instead of your car.

5) Those little exercises and food tips you gave were given to me in my school class: OFFICE. Yes, there are far more situations than being gamer that requires that stuff, like sitting right and not turning to unhealthy snacks for easiness. BUT, you're also forgetting that you can also change from Coke to Coke Zero and from Chips to oven baked chips. Oh and Nuts have Oil ... Oil = fat ...

6) Yah, energy drinks should only be drank if you intend to move, like running or working a labor shift.

7) The first part of your culture part was completely off. Gamers know shit about gaming. Some gamers only know things about gaming and don’t tend to follow anything else. Many gamers however keep themselves well informed on global matters though. Now, switch up the word Gamer with “beauty” (from let’s say Beauty and the geek) and gaming with pop-culture and fashion. Once again, Bob, it may be true for us gamers as well, but we’re just part of the problem. Like a small cog in the machine.

8) Some people prefer to read modern books, Bob. Or Modern movies. Just because people don’t know shit about Shakespeare, doesn’t mean they know nothing. They might know more about Dan Brown or J.K. Rowling. They might not have seen Kane but they might have seen The Hurt Locker. (Not exactly comparable but seeing as it won a couple of Oscars ((undeservingly)) I might as well use that for modern movie) AND just because someone is not interested at all in politics, doesn’t mean they are pathetic if they know more about Valve than which asshat is running the senate. But yeah, if you haven’t even at least seen one of those faces in those pics. You have a slight problem. Because, let’s face it, some of these faces pop up everywhere and Kim Jong Il isn’t exactly a stranger to the media. Not knowing is one thing, but not recognizing is another thing.

9) ATTN, bob. Many of the people, if not almost all of the people, that I come across online that can type a sentence with minimum grammatical errors wants split screen multiplayer for their games. Many even cry out for it. Hell, many people still go to each other’s houses to play split screen games. Here it is not the gamers that need to change, but the developers. Also, that kid isn’t the fault of online games. Neither is it the fault of games that people take the kid’s side. It’s the parent’s fault for not EDUCATING THEIR CHILD. In the end, it all boils down to two things: Bad parenting or a fucked up kid to begin with.

10) Seriously, dude, you’re making a point here that is viable for a lot more people than just gamers. Almost everyone needs to pull their act together or shape up, just like you said and just like everyone else was already thinking. Not to sound like a douche here, but why you think we gamers need to change our ways to become better persons? The problem with this is that we will not step up to everyone else’s level. We will step beyond. What you did wrong here was focus on the gaming community whilst these are tips for everyone.

The Oscars 2k10

The Oscars 2k10

Oscar season has come and Oscar season has gone. The dust is settling once again to leave behind a trail of dissapointment and bewilderment as the Oscar night was filled with surprises. Who won and how do I think about it? Let’s find out!

The Wieners … Euh, winners … sorry: (As copied and pasted from Comingsoon.net)

BEST PICTURE:

**Winner** The Hurt Locker

Avatar (20th Century Fox)

The Blind Side (Warner Bros.)

District 9 (TriStar)

An Education (Sony Pictures Classics),

Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company)

Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (Lionsgate)

A Serious Man (Focus Features)

Up (Disney•Pixar)

Up in the Air (Paramount)

DIRECTING:

**Winner** Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

James Cameron - Avatar (20th Century Fox)

Jason Reitman - Up in the Air (Paramount)

Lee Daniels - Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (Lionsgate)

Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company)

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:

**Winner** Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart (Fox Searchlight)

George Clooney - Up in the Air (Paramount)

Colin Firth - A Single Man (The Weinstein Company)

Morgan Freeman - Invictus (Warner Bros.)

Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment)

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:

**Winner** Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side (Warner Bros.)

Helen Mirren - The Last Station (Sony Pictures Classics)

Carey Mulligan - An Education (Sony Pictures Classics)

Gabourey Sidibe - Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (Lionsgate)

Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia (Columbia Pictures)

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

**Winner** Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company)

Matt Damon - Invictus (Warner Bros.)

Woody Harrelson - The Messenger (Oscilloscope)

Christopher Plummer - The Last Station (Sony Pictures Classics)

Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones (Paramount)

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

**Winner** Mo'Nique - Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (Lionsgate)

Penelope Cruz - Nine (The Weinstein Company)

Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air (Paramount)

Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart (Fox Searchlight)

Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air (Paramount)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

**Winner** Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (Lionsgate), Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher

District 9 (TriStar), Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell

An Education (Sony Pictures Classics), Screenplay by Nick Hornby

In the Loop (IFC Films), Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche

Up in the Air (Paramount), Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

**Winner** The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), Written by Mark Boal

Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company), Written by Quentin Tarantino

The Messenger (Oscilloscope), Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman

A Serious Man (Focus Features), Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Up (Disney•Pixar), Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:

**Winner** El Secreto de sus Ojos (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haddock Films Production, Argentina

Ajami (Kino International), An Inosan Production, Israel

The Milk of Sorrow, A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production, Peru

Une Prophéte (Sony Pictures Classics), A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production, France

The White Ribbon (Sony Pictures Classics), An X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production, Germany

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:

**Winner** Up (Disney•Pixar), Pete Docter

Coraline (Focus Features), Henry Selick

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Fox Searchlight), Wes Anderson

The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney), John Musker and Ron Clements

The Secret of Kells (GDKIDS), Tomm Moore

ART DIRECTION:

**Winner** Avatar (20th Century Fox), Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg, Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Sony Pictures Classics), Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro, Set Decoration: Caroline Smith

Nine (The Weinstein Company), Art Direction: John Myhre, Set Decoration: Gordon Sim

Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood, Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

The Young Victoria (Apparition), Art Direction: Patrice Vermette, Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

CINEMATOGRAPHY:

**Winner** Avatar (20th Century Fox), Mauro Fiore

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Warner Bros.), Bruno Delbonnel

The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), Barry Ackroyd

Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company), Robert Richardson

The White Ribbon (Sony Pictures Classics), Christian Berger

COSTUME DESIGN:

**Winner** The Young Victoria (Apparition), Sandy Powell

Bright Star (Apparition), Janet Patterson

Coco Before Chanel (Sony Pictures Classics), Catherine Leterrier

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Sony Pictures Classics), Monique Prudhomme

Nine (The Weinstein Company), Colleen Atwood

FILM EDITING:

**Winner** The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

Avatar (20th Century Fox), Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron

District 9 (TriStar), Julian Clarke

Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company), Sally Menke

Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire (Lionsgate), Joe Klotz

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

**Winner** The Cove (Roadside Attractions), An Oceanic Preservation Society Production, Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens

Burma VJ (Oscilloscope Laboratories), A Magic Hour Films Production, Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller

Food, Inc. (Magnolia Pictures), A Robert Kenner Films Production, Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (First Run Features ), A Kovno Communications Production, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith

Which Way Home, A Mr. Mudd Production, Rebecca Cammisa

MAKEUP:

**Winner** Star Trek (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow

Il Divo (MPI Media Group through Music Box), Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano

The Young Victoria (Apparition), Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

ORIGINAL SCORE:

**Winner** Up (Disney•Pixar), Michael Giacchino

Avatar (20th Century Fox), James Horner

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Fox Searchlight), Alexandre Desplat

The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders

Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.), Hans Zimmer

ORIGINAL SONG:

**Winner** "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from Crazy Heart (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

"Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

"Down in New Orleans" from The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney), Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

"Loin de Paname" from Paris 36 (Sony Pictures Classics), Music by Reinhardt Wagner, Lyric by Frank Thomas

"Take It All" from Nine (The Weinstein Company), Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston

SOUND MIXING:

**Winner** The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett

Avatar (20th Century Fox), Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson

Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company), Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano

Star Trek (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount), Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

SOUND EDITING:

**Winner** The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment), Paul N.J. Ottosson

Avatar (20th Century Fox), Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle

Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company), Wylie Stateman

Star Trek (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin

Up (Disney•Pixar), Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

VISUAL EFFECTS:

**Winner** Avatar (20th Century Fox), Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones

District 9 (TriStar), Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken

Star Trek (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment), Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

DOCUMENTARY SHORT:

**Winner** Music by Prudence, An iThemba Production, Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett

China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province, A Downtown Community Television Center Production, Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill

The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner, A Just Media Production, Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher

The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant, A Community Media Production, Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert

Rabbit à la Berlin (Deckert Distribution), An MS Films Production, Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

ANIMATED SHORT FILM:

**Winner** Logorama (Autour de Minuit), An Autour de Minuit Production, Nicolas Schmerkin

French Roast, A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production, Fabrice O. Joubert

Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty (Brown Bag Films), A Brown Bag Films Production, Nicky Phelan and Darragh O'Connell

The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte), A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production, Javier Recio Gracia

A Matter of Loaf and Death (Aardman Animations), An Aardman Animations Production, Nick Park

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM:

**Winner** The New Tenants, A Park Pictures and M & M Production, Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

The Door (Network Ireland Television), An Octagon Films Production, Juanita Wilson and James Flynn

Instead of Abracadabra (The Swedish Film Institute), A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production, Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström

Kavi, A Gregg Helvey Production, Gregg Helvey

Miracle Fish (Premium Films), A Druid Films Production, Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey

_____________________________________

Most of these I do not care about. What I’m here to discuss is the travesty surrounding The Hurt Locker and Avatar. Whilst both movies deserve their credit where it’s due, neither of them truly deserved the Best Picture statue. Even though they seemed to be the only ones running for it. The Hurt Locker especially did not deserve to be even nominated in the same year that Watchmen was DENIED from being nominated to begin with. As this movie was superior to The Hurt Locker. For me, there was only one true winner for this category and that was Basterds. True, the movie was too long in certain scenes and it did not a few tweeks here and there … but the movie was far better. That first chapter in Basterds alone would be good enough.

Now, The Hurt Locker also got several other statues that it most definitely did not deserve. Let’s start with Best Director. The movie needed a better director, really. There were so many things that needed to be changed in order for this movie to truly shine. Following this is Writing. Now there’s a statue that the movie did not deserve. The Hurt Locker has been made before, it’s been made better and it’s certainly not new or innovative. Hell, it’s just about better than Avatar. When it comes to director, I’d have given the award to Neill Blomkamp. Then there’s other awards like Best Editing. My ass. That movie was a mess when it came to editing. My thoughts throughout the movie were: FOCUS. Lady, FOCUS. The only reason this movie got the awards it did get was because the director had boobs.

Avatar deserved the statues it got when it comes to its visuals though.

Oh and Sandra Bullock won an award that should also have been sent out to the one thousand other actresses and actors even that performed the same part in other movies exactly like it.

Lastly, I think that we need to stop caring about the Oscars. It’s gone the road of Spike’s Game of the Year Awards, as in it rarely hit’s the nail on the head. It’s nothing more than an advertisement for a movie. As Moviebob said, if anyone remembers The Hurt Locker by next year, I’ll be surprised. Then there’s the fact that in a clip of memorable horror movies, Twilight was put between The Exorcist, The Shining, Jaws and others. Proof and Point that the Oscars are a hoax.

Heavy Rain: The Movie, the game - review

Also to be found at Teh Pwn Shop: http://tehpwnshop.wordpress.com/2010/03/09/pj-review-heavy-rain-the-movie-the-game/

Fahrenheit was a game unlike I’ve ever played before. It was dramatically engaging, difficult but fair in gameplay and revolutionary in my humble opinion. Never had I imagined that there’d be a similar game that could surpass it. I mean, come on, you could get laid in the game after all. TWICE. Bow chika wow wow. Which I did on my first playthrough by the way. I’m a player like that.

Yet here we are, years later and one game later. It’s kind of like James Cameron. Fahrenheit was the number one game in its kind for all these years and the only game to surpass it is this one.

So, without further ado, I hereby give to you:

As presented by Teh Pwn Shop,

A Puddle Jumper review of:

Heavy Rain: The movie, the game

An interactive drama of the top shelf, Heavy Rain is a videogame where you are given control of four different characters all tied together by a single person. This person is none other than the infamous Origami Killer who has been terrorizing parents for several years now.

Ethan Mars was a loving father and husband, until his oldest son was killed in a car accident. Two years have passed and now Ethan’s youngest was taken from him by the Origami Killer. The man then begins on a difficult and very challenging quest to reunite him with his son.

Madison Paige is a young woman who suffers from insomnia when she sleeps at her home. Upon going to a motel to get some well deserved sleep, she stumbles upon Ethan Mars. After which she is trusted in to the story that is unfolding before him.

Scott Shelby is a private investigator who was hired by the families of the Origami Killer’s victims. They asked him to find out who exactly the killer is before he kills again.

Norman Jayden is a member of the FBI who is one of the few people who gets to tinker with a new device called the ARI. Norman and his ARI are now working together with the local PD to hunt down this Origami Killer.

The rest of this story isn’t exactly written in stone. Sure, it’s not infinite, but it’s sure enough to make sure that only a few people will have the same playthrough as you. One thing is for certain however. No matter what you do and how it ends, you will have played one of the few must play games out there with a story worthy to win an Oscar, if those still mattered at all. Heavy Rain definitely belongs in anyone’s top ten list when it comes to videogame storylines.

Then there’s the graphics. So unbelievably good. The amount of details put in to the environment and the realistic nature of the people themselves. True, there’s an uncanny valley around the people’s mouths and there could be a few texture issues here and there, but in the end this is still one epic view to behold. What also impressed me is the detailed and fluid movement. From drawing an architectural design to shaving your bears, it’s all so beautifully detailed. That is, until like half an hour in when the game shoves a guy’s hairy ass in your face. Oh, sorry, SPOILER ALERT. There’s going to be a hairy ass in your face at some point.

This game is like a sensory overload, really. I mean, your mind is being boggled by the story, your eyes are being amazed by the pictures that appear on screen and then there’s the sound’s that perfectly matches or sets up the mood at all times. If this game could give me a blowjob, I’d be the happiest man alive.

Whilst the music and the sound effects are quite awesome, the voice acting … is not. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some quality acting going on up in there. But overall, there’s just too many accents that keep getting in the way. It’s quite obvious that these people are written to be American all the way, not just in nationality.

As usual, the meat of the game is the gameplay. Said earlier, there are a ton of different ways this game could play out. What’s also good to know before I go deeper in to this is that there is no game over until all four characters have died. Even if one of the characters dies, then the game still goes on if you do not reload the chapter yourself.

Tightly interwoven with the gameplay is the story. As with Mass Effect, Fallout 3 and other games like it, you get options during conversations. These options are displayed over the character’s head. Not exactly a good thing when you don’t have an LCD TV or an HD TV as the camera won’t always be close. Even if you switch it yourself. Meaning that if you think that you’re supposed to press circle, you were actually supposed to press square. Just a tiny complaint that many games have these days, but nothing to really stress about. Now, it’s not just in the conversation where you can get to make decisions. Some times you will have to make decisions like: do you go right, or do you go left? Then there’s the more difficult options like: do I go with the reaction command or do I go for a conversational option? Speaking of reaction commands, these are primarily used when in action scenes. Fights, for instance, are filled with reaction commands from start to finish, with a few decisions to be made as well sometimes. For those who prefer, reaction commands are also known as Quick Time Events. I just call them reaction commands because Quick Time Events are usually nothing more than a means for the developer to thicken the gameplay for no reason at all other than the cut scene was lasting too long or something, I don’t know. Then again, if done right, it’s quite an addition to the game. Like in Resident Evil 4. As with the conversational commands, you might have to lean in to the TV screen at times to see what exactly you’re supposed to press if you have an old fashion tube TV.

What’s most fun about this game is that also uses the controller’s motion functionality. Remember the guy’s ass up the player’s face? Well, you’re going to dry that puppy off by waggling the controller left and right and up and down and what not. Isn’t that neat?

Also available to the player is the option to interact with his or her environment. Want to turn on some tunes? Simply turn on the radio. Want some coffee? Then make it, damn it! You can do all sorts of things and many things aren’t even vital to the story. Though unnecessary in the big picture, they do add a lot to the story in a whole. It gives your character more personality, in a way. You get to find out what one character likes to read, which magazines he or she likes, what tricks they can and more things like that. Of course, all these actions are cued by a command and many times you even have to follow up on it.

I gotta tell ya though, you reaaaaaaally need to be finger magician if you want to play this game. At some points in the game, you need to press several buttons at once. That wouldn’t be a problem if they came in a good order. You’re already holding the controller in a certain manner because of how you got to point B, but now you need to get to point C by first pressing square, then circle, then cross, then R1 and then Triangle or something like that. Problem is, slip for just a second and you need to start all over again. You need to keep that sucker pinned down!

One last thing, and this is quite a complaint, they’ve made the control scheme in such a way that the only way for your character to walk is for you to press R2, which makes your character walk automatically. Yes, there’s a walk button. And yes, it’s quite annoying and clunky.

Heavy Rain in short:

The story is unbelievable. It’s now officially ranking as number 1 in my favorite stories list for games. It might pick up slowly, but when it does … wow. Just, wow. And it never seems to stop as well.

Graphically, there’s nothing much I can really say about this that isn’t in superlatives. I mean, come on, seriously. The loading screens alone, where you get to see a character’s face up close, is unbelievable detailed. And to think that their faces are like that in the game. The subtle changes in skin color, other imperfections in their skin, the color of their eyes and the red in their eyes, their hair and their eyelashes, the reflection in their eyes, the wrinkles, the bags under their eyes and the movement of their face. It’s … wow. But, sometimes the animation can be off like the uncanny valley around their mouth.

There’s nothing much to say about the sound but superlatives as well. Besides the voice acting. Though they might be good performances all around, they just didn’t cast the right people for many of the roles.

And gameplay wise, this game is amazingly addictive and smooth. Even if you mess up a few commands, the game is quite forgiving, offering another chance or just going on without punishing you that much. Whatever you do, the consequences will be clear later on. Either by scorch marks, bruises or something of the sort. Even though you need to a magician with your fingers at times, the controls are easy enough and adjustable, depending on your familiarity with the controller.

In the end, this game is a solid

9/10.

And since there’s no such thing as a 10/10, that’s saying a lot.

If you own a Playstation 3, and I don’t say this often, you must have at least played this game once. In the great debate between the 360 and the Trey, the 360 is still going to win though.

Trey: We have Blu-ray

360: We have Xbox Live

Trey: We have Uncharted

360: We stole Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid

Trey: We have Heavy Rain

360: I WAS FROZENNNNN TO-DAY

Trey: …

This has been Puddle Jumper with a review of the Playstation 3 exclusive: Heavy Rain. Special thanks to thatguywiththeglasses.com for so many awesome jokes like: I was frozen today! For more awesome content, go to the main page of Tehpwnshop.wordpress.com, Headshot Gaming or my very own blogger: Greyarch Entertainment.

Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition - review

One man’s voice blasts through the speakers, saying words about the Good Fight. His words travel far and bury deep within you as you look around. As the voice behind the radio began to speak about the news he had received, you once again stepped outside the small shack, loot in hand and blood under your boots. The sound of a sudden thud spooked you, making you stop in your tracks. Looking down and behind you, you see the Raider’s head roll over towards you. Passing you, the eyes of the raider looked up in to yours. You can still see the man’s soul inside those eyes, slowly fading away in to the darkness. Seeing this, you can only think one thing. That at least he was now in a better place. Because Hell could not be this bad.

“Thanks for listening chilllldren!”

Three Dog wrapped up his news segment. Swearing because you missed it, you close the door behind you and draw your repeater, which used to belong to an American President called Lincoln. Or something like that, at least. Whoever he was, he sure had a good gun to shoot things with.

Around you is the great wasteland. Nothing but sand, rocks and blood surround you, with a faint glimmer of fallen cities in the distance. With a slight smile you start walking ahead, knowing that wherever you end up, it would always be an adventure.

Teh Pwn Shop presents
a Greyarch Entertainment review by Puddle Jumper:

Fallout 3 – Game of the Year edition.

This game is just way to large to make a video about really. Because, even if I make a review of twenty pages, it would still not be enough to fully write down the experience. So I decided to just divide this review up in pieces and in multiple parts. For now, let’s dig in to the main game of Fallout 3. Starting with the Fallout Universe.

There have been several games prior to this one of which two belonged to the numerical series. Obviously, seeing as this is Fallout 3 and not 6. Even though it could be beneficial to acquaint yourself with these games, by reading reviews or watching the Gametrailers.com retrospective, it’s not exactly required. Sure, you would miss out on a few fun references here and there. And you might not fully appreciate the characters, factions and events. But, in the end it’s still a whole experience that requires little to not knowledge of the previous installments.

The Universe itself is quite awesome to dig deeper in to. It’s set in a futuristic version of the 1950’s, with laser weapons and robots, that was destroyed by a nuclear holocaust. Though it is 200ish years later, you can still say it’s the 1950’s as time has basically stopped. Pulled back even to more medieval times. Everything however has that classic 50’s vibe to it, down to the clothes and music. Even the technology itself is quite old, even though it’s set in a “future” time. Imagine that you’re dressed up in Power Armor a la Master Chief, wielding a plasma pistol and a laser rifle and you fidgeting about a computer that’s still working on DOS whilst Galaxy News Radio is broadcasting an oldie.

Then there’s the actual world. From the ingeniously built Megaton to the lowly fences of the Republic of Dave, the world has a whole lot to offer. Every locations seems so different and so unique, whilst at the same time it’s often repeating buildings, models and voices. It’s the vibe that’s different every time alongside the stories of that area. Bethesda has done a good job of making everything fresh in that aspect. You’ll meet men and women of wisdom. But also the craziest motherfuckers you have ever seen. Cool is that the history and backstory of these people can often be found in computers and by talking to people. You get a LOT of story to soak up.

Every hero needs a villain. And so, for the vault’s Lone Wanderer, Bethesda created Raiders, Ghouls and Super Mutants. The Raiders are your standard nutballs with guns in the desert. Nothing fancy there. Ghouls are more interesting though. They are human being that have been deformed by extreme amounts of radiation. One word to describe them is Zombies. Normal ghouls however remain to be human beings in mind and soul. Whilst the Feral Ghouls are just plain old zombies a la Resident Evil. Luckily, it’s the movie Zombies as these guys move fast and furiously. Wouldn’t be much fun otherwise. At any rate, these Ghouls replace the black people really. A lot of racism surrounds them that constantly reminds me of the black community of those times.

The last humanoids on my list are the Super Mutants. A big mystery surrounds them as nobody knows their origin and point of origin. As the story progresses, you start to learn more and more. It becomes quite fascinating in the end. I won’t give away too much here as I really don’t want to spoil these guys. I normally don’t use smilies in my reviews but I just can’t help it this time. Super Mutants are quite o.o worthy.

And there’s a lot more where all that came from. Inner-people relations, random encounters, side quests, references and easter eggs are scattered all over the place, waiting for you to find them. Most of Fallout’s Wasteland is what it is. A wasteland. But still, I’ve had most my fun just walking around the giant map, discovering a lot of fun stuff along the way.

Graphically it’s a solid game. They’ve cut back on a lot of things when it comes to variety. Models in general. You’ll often find the same things and people scattered about the place. Eventually you’ll start to get insane at this matter though, especially when Gary comes to play. Who is that, have I met him, have I seen him before, he looks familiar. These are all questions I ended up asking myself. Because, believe it or not, some characters like to travel from city to city or from city to remote place. Not often, but it happens. At any rate, everything looks more detailed and full than I had expected from a game this size.

Sound wise I don’t have a lot of problems either, other than the fact that they only managed to scrounge up like 4 voice actors for the entire freaking game. They probably spent all their wads of cash on Liam Neeson and Ron Perlman… Actually, why am I complaining about that. Ditch the other voice actors and get Christopher Walken in there. He can even do the kid’s and Women’s voices for all I care.

Also, the mood and vibe of the Wastelands is that you are supposed to be alone in the big bad world, fighting creatures far more dangerous and higher up the food chain. The music in this game does a good job of keeping you in that game as it never breaks that illusion.

How this world treats you all depends on your Karma. Yes, there is karma in this game. And no, it’s not as unbelievably thick as in inFAMOUS. My god was that stupid. What do I do? Save that pedestrian or step on this bag of kittens?

No, no, no, no. These are actually quite good and subtle at times. Is doing the right thing also the good thing to do? Is the good thing to do right? If you do the right thing, will good come of it? You will be surprised many times over.

Now, besides your choices in conversations, your karma also is changed by your actions. For instance, you can give Purified water to a hobo and you can steal from people either by pick pocketing them or stealing from their property. Pickpocketing is a lot of fun though. I mean, reversed pick pocketing. If you’ve already played this game, you must know what I mean. 1,2, KABOOM. Mhuahahahahahahaha …. Yeah, I enjoy that a tad too much.

Here’s where it gets interesting in my opinion. The gameplay that is. You see, one of the main aspects of this is the fact that you create your own story. From birth (literally … TOTALLY gross. First thing you hear is your character being splat out of the vagina.) to the end, you create your own adventure. You choose your own character, you make and evolve and that character and you can decide how the world perceives this character. For my first run I went with a female Dudley Do-right. And for all you future Wastelanders, a female is a good option in this game as they have a perk that really swings it in her favor.

Fallout 3 uses conversation branches that allow you to chose how you reply. You can reply in a good manner, bad manner, neutral manner, ending manner, constructive manner and manners related to your stats. Depending on your choice, you could have a very different playthrough than most other people. For instance, early on, you are given a choice whether or not you perform a little … euh … scenic redecoration. It’s not as simple as a yes or no answer here, as there are a few variations that you can explore. One thing is for sure though, you need to have a good stomach if you want to follow through on a few of these options.

As far as personality goes, you can also use your own imagination to further create your character. But linking together events in the game and giving him or her feelings and emotions. It’s very rich like that.

As Fallout 3 is also an RPG, you can also build your character each level by giving points in S.P.E.C.I.A.L and Skills. S.P.E.C.I.A.L. is given at the beginning of the game and after you selected a specific perk when you ding. These are the big ones, not as specific and do a few things. There’s strength, perception, luck, endurance, intelligence, agility and charisma. Then there’s the smaller skills, more specific this time. There’s a lot more of these that can be raised to one hundred each. Big Guns, Energy Weapons, Explosives, Melee Weapons, Small Guns, Unarmed, Lockpick, Medicine, Repair, Science, Sneak, Barter and Speech. Each of these can be leveled up reading books found in the Wasteland in all sorts of places. You’ll be amazed where you find them. Of course, the books only raise one point each. There are objects in the world that raise ten points. Although these are far more rare and are for both Special as skills. One for each category. These are the bobbleheads. Nice to collect and awesome to find. A quick tip though, if you have 90 on a skill, go and get the bobblehead if you don’t have it already. Just a friendly advice. And research skills before you play this game. No, seriously. DO IT. It’ll make your life a whole lot easier. Well, your characters life actually …

Besides all of this you can also further customize your character with armor and weaponry. There’s all sorts of weapons plus a few unique ones as well. Though, the armor isn’t really that big a deal anymore once you obtain companions.

Which brings us to the next to last part before the actual gameplay itself. Your character has one companion slot besides one reserved for your good pal Dogmeat, one of the most useful allies you have ever met. This guy is a WoW pet. A dog that can soak up more bullets than the Army of Two guys and that can aggro anything and fast. Then there’s humanoid companions. These guys can be quite annoying at times because they tend to kill things faster than you can. Meaning you don’t get XP for their kill if you haven’t hit that mark yet.

Lastly, with every level you gain, you get to chose a perk. This can range from a stat raising perk to an ability perk. There’s a perk where you can eat a corpse, there’s one to raise your strength, one that summons a mysterious stranger to help you in V.A.T.S. and countless more.

True to the RPG, the combat has V.A.T.S. It’s a system that allows you to select where you attack. You go in to first person mode and a part of your enemy lights up. You can select the part and shoot. A very useful addition to the game. For one, if you sneak up to a character and go in to it, you can first cripple his leg with the crippling first shot in Sneak mode and then kill him with headshots.

Shooting also isn’t a lot of trouble as you auto-reload fast and become a better shot if you level the right things. In the end you’ll be a mean killing machine.

Moving around is simple enough. You can switch from first to third person mode. I prefer third person most of the time because first person is just not doing it for me when it comes to the mood. Crouching automatically puts you in sneak mode, jumping can be rather tricky when you actually need to jump and switching weapons is made very easy by assigning weapons to D-pad buttons.

There’s nothing special to be found here really. Most of what makes Fallout 3 so awesome can be found in the world itself and its lore. Not to say that the gameplay isn’t sweet as hell, because that is what it is.

Once again, Fallout 3 is an RPG. Meaning every enemy you kill has loot and there’s a lot of booty to be found in treasure chest and in plain open field. (Seriously though, there’s a “uckton of shit lying around.) This you can either use yourself, repair your equipment with or sell in stores. Using it yourself is self explanatory but allow me to go deeper in the other two. Repairing your equipment is vital in this game, as everything degrades quickly and there’s not always spare guns equipment around. This can be a real drag as you obtain some of the more sweeter guns early on, when other things like it are rare at best. Next are the stores. They act as you expect but what’s not so funny is that they have a limited amount of caps, depending on the time. If they just sold a shipment, you’re golden. If not … well, you’re fucked.

Now you have the gist of the game. So now I want to talk about some of the gripes. Starting with general complains.

You really need to save a lot out in the wasteland as you can never really know when you’ll encounter a trap or just enemies. Because death sends you back to your last save, or autosave from when you exited a building or fast traveled to a location.

Speaking of traps, some of these things are insanely hard to spot and will kick you in the balls more times than not. Well, that’s why they’re traps … but still! Come on!

Speaking of traps, why do I have insanely stupid companions? These guys will run over every trap in the room without me moving an inch. And they will sometimes run off on their own as well which is quite annoying.

Why does hacking a computer make no sense at all? It’s like the board game: Mastermind. Only when it says there’s one letter right, it means squat. As either there is no other word that has all different letters besides one or it’s the fourth word with all different letters and there’s still just one right.

Then there’s the numerous unforgivable bugs. Companions get stuck behind doors, buildings are locked off and there’s no other way in whilst everyone says it open, the game will freeze on many locations, equipment will disappear, dialogue will not appear even if it should, quests will not be completed even if you did and so much more.

This game truly is a coin. On one side you have the game of the year. My favorite game ever and an all around champion. On the other side … My LORD the mistakes in this game!

Here’s the quick recommendation if you haven’t bought it yet: Rent it or borrow it first. A weekend will get you far enough to see its flaws and beauties. Far enough to decide whether or not its your cup of tea.

This isn’t the end of the review folks, as there’s five more expansions and more blogs! There I’ll also be going deeper on a few subjects I left out here. Don’t want to overwhelm you, now would I? Just know that this part alone is a good representation of how I experienced the game.

See you next time.

Update 02/10/2010

You're probably wondering why I haven't been updating this place too much and there's a good reason for that. You see, because I started working on this blogger, I got more and more involved with this novel I'm writing. But eventually, every time I started to make new content for here, I ended up writing another page.

Not only that, but I've also been really busy with the games that I've bought for the Trey like GTA IV, Uncharted DF, Saint's Row II and now Fallout 3, which is my new favorite game by the way.

I'll try and get a review out on all these games, with a combined review of GTA IV and Saint's Row. Probably will make some more art pieces as well.