Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

Oh, how I love, thee, Hideo Kojima.



Back in 1998, this god of a man released Metal Gear Solid. I shant get into it, but I will let you know that it is a life-changing game, and, as such, changed my life.


Changed for the better, obviously.

Then came Metal Gear Solid 2, 3, Portable Ops, 4, and Peace Walker.

My PS2 had been stolen several years ago, so, for several years, I have been unable to play 2 or 3. I got poor around PW, so I have actually never played that title, either.

However, this past Tuesday, Konami released the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (Apparently they thought this could somehow compete with Modern Warfare 3?). MGSHD consists of 2, 3, and PW remastered in widescreen and high definition. Two of the greatest -- if not THE greatest -- games of all time along with the sole Metal Gear iteration I have yet to play? At a discounted price?!

Count me in.


Inside the box, that is.

So, I started playing it, today. I was most excited to revisit 2, and made my wife and sister-in-law sit through the magnificent intro to experience the beauty of this game-which-is-art.

Then, I played on for 5 hours. I ended my (story) session at the point where Raiden journeys to the central strut in search of President Johnson. After playing the campaign, I revisited the VR Missions. I only beat the sneaking missions for Raiden, but managed to get the top spot for all but two.


Sadly, Snakeboarding did not actually make a return to the HD Collection :(

I cannot wait to put hours upon hours into this game.

The Best Budget Title Video Games

It's time to start making lists or casing stores to see exactly what you want to receive and/or give. As a gamer on a budget, I like to look for deals. As a gamer who works at Kmart, I get to see those deals on a daily basis.

I decided that it would be an incredibly helpful tool to any of my friends or anyone who takes a wrong turn on the net and finds this if I created a list of what I think are the best budget titles.

So, I'm going to be scouring are lock ups and budget title tables to create a list of the most worthwhile games for the budget-conscience gamer or game buyer.

Stay tuned.

Taught My Wife How to Play MTG

A week or so ago, my wife, Nicole, saw that Steve's girlfriend, Kelley, had beaten him in Magic. She decided that, because this was something couples could enjoy together, and that she knows it'd make me happy to teach her, that I could do just that.

I told her her best bet would be to play the demo of Duals of the Planeswalkers on the 360, because it offers the full tutorial and would allow her to go at her own pace, but yesterday, before heading off to my nephew's birthday gathering, I sat her down and allowed her to use my new Red Sacrificial deck.

When I explain things, I kind of over discuss every little detail and can overwhelm the person, but she got the gist of it. By the second (last, before we had to go) she understood the core mechanics.

I'm sure we'll play more and she will become more confident.

Red Sacrificial (60)	Black Zombies (60)
Lands
20 Mountain	22 Swamp
Creatures
3 Bloodcrazed Neonate 4 Crossway Vampire 2 Flameblast Dragon 4 Goblin Arsonist 4 Goblin Fireslinger 1 Grim Lavamancer	1 Abattoir Ghoul 2 Ghoulraiser 2 Gravedigger 3 Rotting Fensnake 4 Walking Corpse 3 Warpath Ghoul 2 Zombie Goliath
Spells
4 Brimstone Volley 4 Curse of the Pierced Heart 3 Furor of the Bitten 3 Infernal Plunge 4 Nightbird's Clutches 1 Red Sun's Zenith 3 Vampiric Fury	2 Distress 1 Endless Ranks of the Dead 4 Ghoulcaller's Chant 4 Horrifying Revelation 3 Mind Rot 3 Morbid Plunder 3 Night Terrors 1 Zombie Infestation
Sideboard
N/A	N/A

I call it "Sacrificial," because of a few specific card. No card in the deck has a mana cost of more than 3, aside from Flameblast Dragon. Because of the relatively low mana cost of the deck, I figured going at a nice 1:3 ration for my lands would be sufficient.

I put in a bunch of one cost goblins. I figured I could use them mostly as fodder and food for my Infernal Plunge I nabbed from the newly released Innistrad set.

Infernal Plunge allows me to, for one red mana, sacrifice a creature and add three more red mana to my pool. When my Goblin Arsonist dies, I can then ping my opponent for one damage, which would just sweeten the sacrificial offering.

Pumping up my red mana could offer several chances to do some damage: I could get Flameblast Dragon out earlier than turn six, or pump up the damage of his or Red Sun's Zenith's abilities, which deal X amount of damage for X amount of red mana used.

Red Sun's Zenith is a great card, because, unless I somehow have to discard it, It shuffles right back into my deck.

I also have Bloodcrazed Neonate in there, offering up some cards for support. The Neonate receives +1/+1 any time she deals damage to the opponent. When Crossway Vampire enters the battle field, I prevent a creature from blocking, allowing a better chance for Bloodcrazed Neonate to do her thing. Nightbird's Clutches prevents two creatures from blocking, and I can even cast the bird an extra time from my graveyard.

Finally, when all that is said and done, I have a Grim Lavamancer (wish I had more) that takes all those sacrificed creatures and sorceries and instants and whatever else and uses them to send damage to my opponent.

As you can see, I'm also working on a Zombie deck that will revolve around the Zombie Infestation and Endless Ranks of the Dead cards.

Friday Night Magic Part 2

I participated in my second FNM, last night, at Game Emporium. I used my black deck mentioned previously, with, I believe, a few changes.

I had to leave after the fourth (out of five) round, however, to pick up my lovely wife from work; I didn't do horrible, though I did better two weeks ago. This time, I came out 50/50, winning two rounds and losing two.

I had a couple of dramatic plays, though:

One opponent was playing an infect deck that had very few creature spells. I have a large number of cards that involve creature destruction and buffing/debuffing, so those spells can be of little effect against a deck like his. I have a particular creature called tormented soul that attacks for only 1, but cannot be blocked. This card has a cost of only 1, so is quite effective when I can put him out my first turn, followed by my bloodthirst minions.

Bloodthirst allows me to place a +1/+1 counter on specific creatures if the opponent player had been dealt damage earlier in that turn. This is why tormented soul is so handy, as it cannot be blocked.

At one point, I had a couple vampires with bloodthirst on the board with power/toughness at 3+1/1+1. I needed to act fast, as my opponent had been poisoning me, and all I had was a card that put a -1/-1 counter on target creature, and allowed me then proliferate. Proliferate means to increase any counter by 1. I decided to place it on one of my vampires, making him a 3+1-1/1+1-1. The +s and -s are separate, so they do not make each pther disappear; therefore, I was able to increase the +s, making him a 3+2-1/1+2-1, and my other vampire a 3+2/1+2, giving me enough power to defeat him.



Another round had a similar play, but, instead of debuffing my own creature, I had an instant spell that destroyed a creature and proliferated. I used him on a creature my opponent was attacking with, which got rid of one of his potential blockers, securing the victory.



I decided To make up a new deck, as well. Staying true to what I am experienced with, I made a Red deck, though I know it needs some tweaks. Particularly, very few people are fond of Scrambleverse.



I like to have randomness in games. In Smash Bros., I cannot fathom how people can find no items/Final Destination to be fun. It takes all of the variables to work around out. This card takes all cards on the board (minus lands), puts them in a pile, and forces you to flip a coin to see who gets control of those cards. It could win the game for me or completely destroy me, and I think that sounds like fun.

I definitely need to get more cards for this deck. At least one more scrambleverse, as I only have one.

            

Black/Red (60)	Black (60)	Red (60)
Lands
3 Dragonskull Summit 9 Mountain 7 Swamp	22 Swamp	22 Mountain
Creatures
3 Blood Ogre 2 Bloodrage Vampire 4 Duskhunter Bat 3 Goblin Arsonist 4 Goblin Fireslinger 2 Grim Lavamancer 4 Stormblood Berserker 3 Tormented Soul 3 Vampire Outcasts	3 Bloodrage Vampire 4 Duskhunter Bat 4 Phyrexian Rager 3 Sengir Vampire 4 Tormented Soul 3 Vampire Outcasts	2 Flameblast Dragon 4 Goblin Arsonist 4 Goblin Fireslinger 1 Grim lavamancer 2 Manic Vandal 4 Stormblood Berserker 2 Volcanic Dragon 1 Warstorm Surge
Spells
4 Doom Blade 4 Incinerate 1 Red Sun's Zenith 4 Shock	2 Dark Favor 4 Doom Blade 3 Geth's Verdict 4 Grim Affliction 4 Spread the Sickness	3 Chandra's Outrage 2 Concussive Bolt 3 Fireball 4 Incinerate 1 Red Sun's Zenith 1 Scrambleverse 4 Shock
Sideboard
N/A	SB: 3 Child of Night SB: 4 Deathmark SB: 4 Horrifying Revelation SB: 3 Mind Rot	N/A

Also, a bit off the subject, but I discovered why I cannot play Modnation Racers online: After many months of searching, I discovered that my router is actually completely incompatible with the game. The Westell 7500 series routers do not work. These are the routers that Verizon rents out to their customers, along with a Gateway router. I called to inquire about switching routers, and they told me there would be a $60 or $70 charge. I asked, "With that price, that of course means it is mine to own?"

No. I would still have to pay rental fees. That's dumb, so, now, I have to go find a new router. At least I have a solution.

Post Friday Night Magic

I participated in my first Friday Night Magic, at Game Emporium, last night. Not sure exactly how many people were there, but I think there were at least twenty. There were five rounds, and each round is best two out of three. I won three rounds and lost two, with none going into the third set. So, I won six sets, lost four, and placed ninth. I did pretty decent for starting so recently, I feel.

I used my Black/Red deck, which was primarily crafted by Steve. However, since this was my first FNM, I had to sign up for my DCI card, which got me a premade thirty card deck.

I decided to go ahead and use these new cards to create my very own Black deck.

See ya, next week, FNM!

Black/Red (60)	Black (60)
Lands
3 Dragonskull Summit 9 Mountain 7 Swamp	20 Swamp
Creatures
3 Blood Ogre 2 Bloodrage Vampire 4 Duskhunter Bat 3 Goblin Arsonist 4 Goblin Fireslinger 2 Grim Lavamancer 4 Stormblood Berserker 3 Tormented Soul 3 Vampire Outcasts	2 Blood Seeker 3 Bloodrage Vampire 2 Caustic Hound 4 Duskhunter Bat 2 Gravedigger 2 Mortis Dogs 3 Onyx Mage 2 Sengir Vampire 4 Tormented Soul 3 Vampire Outcasts
Spells
4 Doom Blade 4 Incinerate 1 Red Sun's Zenith 4 Shock	3 Dark Favor 4 Doom Blade 2 Morbid Plunder 4 Spread the Sickness
Sideboard
N/A	SB: 3 Child of Night SB: 2 Disentomb SB: 4 Horrifying Revelation SB: 3 Mind Rot SB: 3 Warpath Ghoul

My Name is Aaron Miller, and I Will Be the Next PlayStation Tester.

Today starts the voting process for the next PlayStation Tester. The Tester is a reality show put on by PlayStation that awards the winner with the opportunity to work for Sony in Quality Assurance (game testing) for an upcoming game.

The producers will pick most of the contestants, but the community is allowed to pick one special user.

So, you should all sign up and vote for me!

I Entered Into the Gathering

Growing up, I had always wanted to get into Magic: the Gathering, but never had the means to dive into the culture:

If prices have stayed roughly the same, I would have had to save three weeks worth of allowances to just buy an intro pack to have enough cards to play with. That definitely was not going to happen. Likewise, I doubt I would have been "mature" enough to fully comprehend the gameplay mechanics and effective deck building theory.

Recently, though, Game Emporium had begun selling MtG merchandise, which reinvigorated my friend Steve's love for the strategy card game. Needing a more social hobby, I had decided to finally purchase my first intro deck.

With Steve's help, I (mostly Steve) turned the M12 Core Set Black/Red Intro into the following deck. I hope to be able to amass a decent collection to fully utilize all kinds of decks.

// Deck: Proto Deck (60)
// Lands
3 Dragonskull Summit
10 Mountain
7 Swamp

// Creatures
2 Bloodrage Vampire
4 Duskhunter Bat
1 Flameblast Dragon
4 Goblin Arsonist
4 Goblin Fireslinger
4 Stormblood Berserker
4 Tormented Soul
2 Vampire Outcasts

// Spells
4 Doom Blade
2 Fireball
2 Incinerate
4 Shock
2 Tectonic Rift
1 Warstorm Surge

Borderlands 2 Confirmed

One of the best games of the first decade of the new millennium is getting a very well deserved sequel.




Borderlands 2 will release sometime after this current fiscal year ends, which is post March 2012.

Which means it could theoretically release just before my birthday, and that would be stupendous.

Oh, Sad, Sad Sadness

My Modnation Racers is faulty, and I do not know how to fix it. This is terrible.

Several months ago, MNR received an update to help combat loading times, which were admittingly long. Instead of being forced to go into the Modspot (the main hub or menu, where you drive to separate areas for your career, creations, online racing, etc), you would be given the option of going to Career Central, the Modspot, or Creation Station. If I were to attempt to enter the Modspot, the loading screen would cease to load at 71%. However, I could freely enter the other two options.

I googled the issue shortly after noticing it, and found someone who had the same issue; no one replied to his or her querry, so I gave up and stopped playing. I thought that, even though there was another, separate account of this issue, it may be my disc.

Recently, though, I had an MNR itch and decided to continue creating Mods and Karts. I wanted to race, again, and found out my library had the game.

I checked the game out, and, to much dismay, the problem persisted with the new disc. This indicated, definitively, that the problem was not my disc; I regoogled the problem. I found, on the official Playstation forums, some more people having the same issue. One of the posters made me realize it happened after the update. I deleted, redownloaded all nigh 4 gb, and reinstalled it, because this is where the various updates laid.

No luck.

There are hundreds and hundreds of items to be collected, and some of the challenges are, indeed, quite challenging. INCREDIBLY challenging. Sadly, this meant, to me, that my save file was somehow corrupted.

I backed up my save file, just in case, and then realized I could simply hop onto another profile without a save for the game.

I did so.

The load still failed.

This is with a separate disc.

I do not know how to fix this. This is incredibly sad, to me, because I really do believe this is the best PS3 exclusive (it has much more replay value than Metal Gear Solid 4, you see). I am sad.

UPDATE: There may be a solution: the only thing I have yet to try is another console. The HDMI on my console is nonfunctioning. I received the system for Christmas, which would mean it was purchased, probably, just before (this was a replacement for my original that bit the dust 2 weeks prior to Christmas) the holiday. This means it is still under warranty, and can be replaced for free. So, I test it out in a different PS3 (while still downloading all the updates - bleh). I think I shall try this. I mean, I'd get a PS3 with a working HDMI if nothing else.

Some Mods I Made in Modnation Racing

Modnation Racers is, far and away, one of the best Playstation 3 games, EVER! I absolutely love everything about it.

In MNR, you get to create EVERYTHING bout the game. It's a kart racer, a la Mario Kart, but you design the kart; you design the mod (character); you design the track. You design everything.

One of the more intuitive design processes is the track creation. There have been games, before, where you can place a straight here, a curve there, and ramp elsewhere. With Modnation Racers, United Front Games made the process effective and even easier: the track forms behind your kart as you drive.

That was mind blowing the first time I saw it.

The kart and mod creation process, though, is even simpler: you start with a base, and then you just choose things to put on it. You choose from bits and pieces offered such as engine blocks (standard racing engines to beating heart engines) for cars and your typical hair and clothing pieces for mods.

Here is where I'd like to display some of my mods based on licensed characters. Enjoy.




Rorschach, of course, with The Comedian's smiley face button.


Super Fighting Robot Mega Man!


Nicole made Homer.


Falco, from Starfox.


Dr. Horrible and Captain Hammer from the musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog



Some character's from the Fallout series: a White Glove Society member, Vault Boy, and a Fallout 3 Raider.

Started a New Game of New Vegas.

I started up a brand new game of Fallout: New Vegas, this morning.

It is 10:03 am, and, when it turned it off, my save said I had been playing for an hour and forty-five minutes. It made me realize one of the reasons Fallout is so great:

In that 1 3/4 hours, I had only leveled -up once.

There is just so much to do right from the start. I created my character as I typically do: with ruffled up hair and a manly, overgrown beard. I'm pretty sure I also choose this beard, because I have such a problem gorwing my own facial hair, and I long to be able to have a full beard :( 

I then set out on my quest to find the man who shot me in the head and buried me only slightly alive.

I scoured the area, checking all mailboxes, looking for magazines, items that will increase my stats, when I'm in a bind, as well as any bottle caps (currency) and ammo.

Then, to get a free gun and experience points, I did the tutorial quests that would show a new player the gist of the game, from combat, waypoint following, and item crafting.

I encountered some baddies, including escaped prisoners and giant, mutated geckos. I made my way to the next settlement, a casino town called Primm, and learned that more escaped convicts had taken the town hostage.





After stealing some better armor from the local militia, I headed into town, circling around the central casino as I cleared the area of convicts. I holed up into a general store, where I found a disabled Eyebot lying on the table.

I had all the components to fix ED-E, minus one sensor module that I passed up just outside of town. I retraced my footsteps, grabbed the device, and returned. I found my first, and my favorite, follower, whom gives me a greatly extended radius of awareness, increasing my perception, allowing me to know when other creatures, good and bad, are even remotely close.





That's when I decided to end it for the time being.

What Should I Get This Holiday Season?

I have a new job that I actually enjoy and am actually respected at. Kmart is giving me a ton of hours as compared to my meager fractions at Radio Shack, so I feel I may be in a better position, this holiday season, to make some new purchases.

This November, in particular, is shaping up to be a real problematic month, as far as decision making and priorities go:




Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is coming out, which will likely break records, as its predecessors had. However, I probably will not be puchasing this iteration, just like I hadn't MW2 or Black Ops.

What's disappointing about the CoD series is that they are actively attempting to release a new entry every year. Granted, they alternate developers each year, allowing for at least 2 years development, but this does mean that the games are just churned out as if they were on an assembly line.


I would be more okay with this if they just dropped the campaign. No one cares about it. Just focus on multiplayer. If they would put all their effort behind the only mode people play, it'd be that much better.

 

I am one who firmly believes in the concept of video game addiction, and I do get addicted to this series. It's nothing terrible, but when I had World at War, I was, in fact, neglecting the relationship that would eventually become my marriage. When I realized this is when I decided to, from then on, simply rent or borrow the games. I would, at times, be simply unable to put the controller down, or end my gaming session in a distant mood.




However, the Halo series does not invoke that kind of response, from me. I think I simply enjoy the series more, and end my sessions on a more positive note.

Sadly, though, 343 Studios wants to take the same yearly release approach. Sigh.

With that said, Halo: Combat Evolved: Anniversary is also releasing this November. Halo: CE: A is an HD remake of the original Halo title, a game that I admittedly have played only twice. If this were a remake of Halo 2, I'd think more positively about the purchase.

The thing is, I'd almost be entirely interested in replaying the incredible multiplayer maps, if it were a Halo 2 remake. With that said, the Halo 1 remake is releasing with 8 classic maps from 1, 2, and possibly 3. These maps, though, are to be played along side Halo: Reach players. I believe I read that these maps will be given as a DLC voucher code within the game case, though I could be wrong. This, to me, says that, especially to maximize profits, the maps will be released for purchase for Reach. So this sale is also an iffy purchase to me.




Elderscrolls V: Skyrim is due out the same month. I have never played an Elderscrolls game, before, but Bathesda, the developer, made Fallout 3 and allowed Obsidian to use the same tools to make Fallout: New Vegas. These games (especially F3) are simply amazing, and I'd like to get into their other games. Skyrim looks to be mezmerizing, and I am considering this game to be a must have.




However a game that is no mere consideration, but rather a must buy for every single person alive, is the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. Collecting MGS2, 3, and Peace Walker in HD, this anthology (that I believe will be a budget title) is going to blow me away.

I have been incapable of playing my Playstation 2 titles ever since my PS2 had been stolen sometime in 2007 or so. I eventually got a PS3 (in anticipation for MGS4), but they no longer manufactured backwards compatible PS3s, which meant I could not play my PS2 games.

I am SO excited to return to MGS2, my favorite of the series. I just cannot wait to paint the deck of the tanker red with blood, climb the crows' nest, and take pictures of my handiwork. I do hope this will allow you to export your in game pictures to the hard drive. I also cannot wait for the explorative feel MGS3 gave me as I trekked from jungle to cave to swamp to mountain to etc.

Such a great series.




I also think the Playstation Vita will be touching down in November, but I could be mistaken. If I were to ever get that, though, it'd probably have to wait until my birthday, in April.

So, those are the most hotly anticipated November releases. I cannot wait for MGS.

Hm, I think I'm going to add a Christmas list to the side bar. Never too early, right?

Link to the Past in Magic: The Gathering

A Gamesradar contributor has fashioned himself faux MTG expansion involving the third Legend of Zelda iteration, A link to the Past.

I have never really been into the fantasy card game, but some of my friends (including the previously blogged about Steve) have thousands upon thousands of cards.

The creator has, in fact, gave the same treatment to the first two Zeldas, as well.

(LoZ | Zelda 2)

Here are some stand out cards (In my opinion, based on scant knowledge of worthwhile card attributes):

Started up World of Warcraft

Per my friend's request, I joined the Bonechewer server. I started playing a bit, just doing what I assume to be the tutorial process.

Sadly, I am afraid I have not given the game a proper chance, as I got bored by the time I hit level 3. However, this may also have to do with me coming off of working 32 hours in 3 days.

I was tired, so I called it a day, at that point. I'll continue to try it out, though. Afterall, it's so popular for a reason right?

Funny story: I downloaded WoW, because my best friend, Steve, was holed up in a hospital, due to his leukemia. He was able to come home, yesterday, which is wonderful, because now I get to actually see him. I'm telling him my progress, and he replies, "Yeah, I'm thinking about cancelling my account."

That bastard!

I'll still try it out, though, to see if I like it.

Revival

So, I just stopped posting.

I got bored of it, like so many other wannabe bloggers do. Now, I've restarted, like so many other wannabe bloggers.

Let's see if I can make this work, again.


Fun fact: If I ever decide to get a tattoo, this is a contender.

So, to start anew:

My name is Aaron Miller, and I love video games.

Some of my earliest memories are of video games. In fact, my 3 earliest memories that I can recall at the moment are:

1. I was once sleeping, and rolled off my brother's bed. I fell and landed on a Star Wars toy that sliced my nose down the center. I still have a scar. It was not pleasant.
2. I remember going to my aunt's house, one winter (I remember wearing a winter coat). We were there to pick out a kitten from a new litter one of their cats had had. I remember being so happy to see all these tiny puffs of fur. That day, we took home my first pet, Snow Ball.
3. I was woken up one night, probably by older brother, because my oldest brother beat Super Mario Bros 3. I was so upset he didn't wake me up to watch him beat it. He was my hero, though.

I like several types of games. I enjoy being nostalgic and going back to play classic games such as Earth Bound, Lemmings, Blackthorne, and the like. I also like modern shooters. Halo moreso than CoD. I find them to be more team oriented. I also greatly enjoy party games like Lips, Scene It, etc. I enjoy some RPGs, as well. Mostly WRPGs, such as Fallout 3. That game blew my mind, and may be the greatest gift I ever received (aside from the replacement PS3 I got, this past Christmas)

I like everything in between, as well.

A little over 2 months ago, I married a wonderful woman named Nicole.




Nicole actually enjoys gaming, as well. She loves Fall Out 3 and has recently begun playing L.A. Noire. She is my life. I love her.

I had request my best friend, Steve, to be my Best Man at the wedding, as is typical. Fortunately, despite my friend's illness, he was able to attend. He has since had to go back to the hospital.

Ashamedly, I must admit that I do not have my license >_>. I require other people's (Nicole's or Steve's mom's) schedule to coincide with mine if I want to visit Steve over in Chicago.

I have just started a new job at Kmart, and they like to give me lots of hours, which is a good thing, but it means I have less a chance to see Steve. So, I am now currently downloading World of Warcraft, because Steve is an avid addict :D




Anywho, I am going to try to keep this up. I'll find a way to say something interesting.

Peace.