I managed to get my hands on Crackdown 2 a couple weeks ago, but I’ve just now found some time to write about it. The first Crackdown was really fun. It combined a lot of the Grand Theft Auto styles and included some of it’s own. In fact I am pretty sure that this game includes some of the developers and team members from Grand Theft Auto, however I could be wrong.

That said, Crackdown 2 takes a bit of a turn and introduces a bit of a different gameplay then the first game. An organization, The Cell has taken over most of Pacific City and has shutdown all the reactors which you need to reclaim. When you reclaim a section a beacon is then deployed which you need to activate. The game also introduces a new breed of hell dubbed “the freaks”. These mutants are a product of the organization you work for. With each beacon activation you clear out the freaks from that section of the city.

Basically your objectives in the game are to reclaim the reactors, activate the beacons and get rid of the freaks. There are also points in the city controlled by The Cell which you can reclaim as well. The game keeps true to it’s original version by including agility races and car races each which when won boost your driving and agility abilities. The abilities ‘leveling’ is something that I really like and could even be considered a reason as to why I like the Crackdown series over Grand Theft Auto. It adds another element to the game, and makes it a bit more fun and rewarding.

There were a couple difficult and frustrating parts within the game. I found myself having to play a few areas multiple times because of poor camera angles or odd controls or unusually difficult enemies. The most frustrating parts I think were a few of the beacon activations as well as some of the end level areas. I would get a bunch of enemies that surrounded me and each of them would have
a rocket or grenade launcher and would be continuously firing on me so I could never stand up to move or run away. I also found the last mission to be a bit of a pain. I think I must have played through that one 10+ times before I finally got it right.

Overall I am very impressed with the game. It was a lot of fun to play. The world of Crackdown 2 is huge and a real pleasure to play in. The game includes a bunch of new weapons and cars. The story line was a nice change from the usual ‘track down bosses and beat them to win’. I for one am definitely looking forward to a Crackdown 3!

I should mention before I installed any applications I setup my email accounts which did take some time (but I blame this on my server). It wasn’t fun typing in my 16 character cryptic passwords multiple times. I also added my CalDAV account so I could have my calendars on my iPad. All very simple processes, pretty much the same as how it’s done on the iPhone.

One I had my calendar account and email accounts setup I setup my iPad with some of my applications and games. Again, same as how it’s done on the iPhone through iTunes.

After getting some applications installed I checked out the mail application. In portrait mode I found it not very fun to use, however in landscape mode I found it to be much more manageable. I do however miss the combined Inbox which my iPhone has since it’s on iOS 4.0. I still find the Mail application to be easy to navigate and use. I’ve even sent out a few emails. The keyboard on the iPad may take a bit of getting used to for me. I find myself making mistakes often and it does get to be a bit frustrating. Sometimes I find that I can’t hold the iPad and type which also gets a bit on my nerves. I find I have to set the iPad on the desk on on my lap and then type.

My next gripe is that 95% of my applications look terrible on the iPad, because they’re not specifically built for the iPad. I basically removed all the games I had installed, as well as most applications. I do have a couple iPad ready applications like Dropbox and Twitterrific which look beautiful. I think my wish list for applications would be:

1. Facebook
2. TouchTerm
3. Mirai Clock 2
4. Flickr
5. iKana
6. Doodle Jump
7. FML

I would love to see iPad-friendly versions of these apps (preferably without paying too much). I don’t like how some of the apps I have require me to purchase an HD or iPad version for 5x what I already paid. However, if that’s what it’ll be then I guess I’ll just have to buy them.

Overall I am pleased with my iPad. Had I not traded my MacBook, I definitely wouldn’t have purchased the iPad. It’s still too pricey. I do think this will make for a great companion and is a lot easier to bring around then a netbook or laptop.

I found this game while perusing the App Store for iPhone. It actually didn’t have very many ratings so it seems not many people have found it yet. Even now it seems to be pretty low-key. However, I can see it getting bigger shortly. The game itself is pretty fun. Basically you’re to protect the homes of a few residents in your town from the zombie outbreak. There’s a few different types of zombies as well as various methods you can use to protect your home. Zombies range from normal ones to giant zombies and even screaming old granny zombies. You’re provided with wooden boards and even a machine which can help fend off the attacks. Another neat twist in the game is that if a zombie does make it inside the house, you’re still able to kill them, but the zombie will leave a trail of guts which needs to be cleaned up in order to successfully complete the level.

The game includes some achievements as well. It probably only took me an hour or so to complete the whole game, which is a bit saddening. It would have been nice to see more levels, I believe there’s really only 4 (with 4-5 parts to each level). It would have also been nice to see a wider variety of weapons and ways to protect your house. The variety of zombies could have been a bit more as well. For only 0.99 cents you can’t go wrong through.

The one thing I didn’t like about the OS X version is that the default theme is not that blue one you see with the Windows and Linux versions. I guess this is nice, since the default blends in with the OS X UI a bit better, but I much prefer the blue theme. Fortunately you can install this by downloading and opening the downloaded file from this guys website! The result is as below and I love it!

Just having the Homebrew Channel doesn’t do a whole lot on it’s own, you actually need some applications to make it useful. The only applications I was really interested in were the Configurable USB Loader and the WAD Manager.

The Configurable USB Loader lets me load up ISO files of Nintendo Wii games. Great for making backups and storing your Nintendo Wii disks. It also loads and runs the games faster and smoother. I’ve got an 80GB USB drive I’m using to store my games on right now. I use WBFS Manager for OS X (which was a real pain to track down and find) to get my games onto the USB drive. The application runs on your Mac OS X computer and allows you to mount your WBFS formatted drive and then move your ISO/image files to your USB drive. The WBFS isn’t recognized by OS X, which is why you need this application. There’s definitely applications for Windows, you’ve just got to find them. With the Configuration USB Loader application you can also copy your own Nintendo Wii games to your own USB drive. I really find that to be a nice feature. The interface of the application itself is also quite nice. I haven’t played with it too much, but it looks like there’s a built-in cheats system which is really going to help me fly through a bunch of these games!

The WAD Manager is great because you can install WAD files, which to me are mostly Virtual Console games. Again, I use this for backup purposes. I’ve purchased a few Virtual Console games off the Wii Marketplace, so now being able to have the ability to actually get the WAD files for them is something I find useful. I don’t have to worry if my Wii crashes or something, I’ll always have the WAD files of the games themselves.

That said, I now have all of my consoles except my Sony Playstation 3 modified. I really find this stuff to be fun. It’s interesting to see a piece of hardware run software made by people outside the mainstream. Now, just because the whole process for me was relatively easy, it’s not the same for everyone. My friend said he spent 6-7 hours getting his Nintendo Wii to work right. It was a process that included downgrading firmwares, flashing different versions of firmwares, etc. I think I got lucky because of the age of my Nintendo Wii (it was one of the original units) and the version of the Nintendo firmware it was running. Luckily I had someone who’d done the process so the whole thing probably took no more then 30-45 minutes (from installing BootMii/Homebrew to getting the applications installed).

Useful Links:
BootMii
Homebrew Channel
Installing Waninkoko’s IOS249 for use with USB Loader
Configurable USB Loader Install
Wii Hacking Forum

One could even consider this a to-do list of sorts. The goal may be too cross off items while others areas may just be to make sure I have focus on the item, not to necessarily complete it.

1. Concentrate on Japanese language studies. Ever since I started learning Japanese a couple years ago, I haven’t made much progress at all. In fact I’ve probably forgotten a lot of what I’ve learned. I need to re-focus on learning the Hiragana characters. I think by the end of summer (September 2010) I would like to know how to write the basic set of characters along with some phrases (such as greetings, some basic questions and goodbyes).

Tools to accomplish this: iKana (for OS X and iPhone), Japanese dictionary for iPhone, Rosetta Stone Japanese, Japanese for Busy People (Kana and Romanized versions), An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese I. Also watching Japanese movies, TV shows and anime helps (I’m starting to understand some of the basic phrases being used).

2. Continue kicking ass at HostGator. This job is basically my life. I’ve figured out I spend more waking hours at this job then anywhere else. Some people may find that to be sad or silly, but when you love a job as much as I do, you’ll understand. I can finally admit to myself that I really love my job. I don’t wake up and dread having to go into work. I don’t find it to be a pain in the ass. However, as with any job, you have your off days and crappy days, but the awesome days far out-weigh the bad ones! I think by the end of the summer I would like to seriously start looking into what it takes to be a Shift Lead and to get the ball rolling on that.

Tools to accomplish this: Basically just continue working hard on what I have now, ask my supervisor what else I can work on to be a Shift Lead.

3. Locate a new apartment/house so I can get a dog. Since we’re not allowed to have any pets at my current apartment complex I will need to locate a new place to live as soon as possible. I want a dog more then anything. I’ve already put multiple hours into finding a new place to live, however 100% of my apartment requests have been turned down. These apartment complexes which do allow dogs do not allow German Shepherds. It is my goal to either find a nice complex which does allow them or a house. I’d actually almost rather a house especially if it has it’s own back yard.

Tools to accomplish this: There’s multiple websites which I’ve been using to research and locate possibilities.

http://www.har.com , http://www.apartments.com and http://www.apartmentratings.com

Also word of mouth and friends from work and such. I am hoping to have something nailed down by September or so.

4. Complete more video games on my list. Currently my list is actually growing and not shrinking. I do try to put in an hour or so per day or every other day, but it’s not enough. I need to kick more ass. I love video games, but I’ve got games on there from like pre-2000. It doesn’t help that new video games come out all the time ha.

Tools to accomplish this: My video game consoles, some pizzas and some long weekends. Honestly there’s not much I can do right now, but to keep plugging away at the list. I’d like to have say 15-20 more of those crossed off by the end of the summer though.

5. Run a mile in 7 minutes or less. I really need to get back into shape. Not only for myself, but when I get a dog, I want to be able to go running as part of our exercise routine, and a dog like that has a much higher limit then I would. I want to be able to keep up with my dog. I also want to be much more fit and in shape. Sitting around and playing World of Warcraft for 2-3 years definitely didn’t help my cause but now I really have no excuse.

Tools to accomplish this: I have access to a pool and 24/7 access to a gym. Currently I visit the gym every other day. We also have a gym at work. I need to keep up with this, no excuses. Also I have access to the dogs at the Houston SPCA for which I can jog/run with if I wish. I would like to be able to hit 1 mile in 7 minutes or less by the end of August 2010. Pics or it didn’t happen. :)

6. Weigh in at 150lbs or less. This one is basically the same as above. I’ve got a bunch of weight which can certainly be shed. This one is also for my own well-being. I need to be healthier.

Tools to accomplish this: I have access to a pool and 24/7 access to a gym. Currently I visit the gym every other day. We also have a gym at work. I need to keep up with this, no excuses. Also I have access to the dogs at the Houston SPCA for which I can jog/run with if I wish. I would like to be able to hit 150lbs or less by the end of August 2010. Pics or it didn’t happen. :)

7. Get a German Shepherd. This is pretty much one of my biggest focuses over any of the others. I need a buddy to hang out with. Of course before this happens, I do need to find a new place to live. I’ve also decided that I would not be able to get a puppy, at least not right now at this point in my life. I just don’t have the time to be around to let him/her out every hour or couple of hours. I would like to get a German Shepherd which is already house-trained and would be okay with being left alone for 8-9 hours at a time.

Tools to accomplish this: I’ve been researching the heck out of the breed, I’ve been having as much hands-on time with the breed as possible, I’ve been researching new home (for us) and I’ve been looking all over for ones that are up for adoption. I’ve looked into the SPCA and local rescue groups as well. I think the main goal here is really start getting serious about it and by the end of September I’d like to be in a new home and to really have either have gotten a dog or be ready to say yes, and to be able to come home with one. While I might not have one, I want to be 100% ready to get one at a moments notice.

I think that pretty much covers what I want to focus on this summer. I really hope putting this together and being able to look at it whenever need be will help me focus on these items this summer. Of course I want to have fun doing them, but they are things I am serious about doing. Here’s to completing at least half of them! :)

After playing the little flash version of the game that PopCap has online I went out and spent the $3 on the game. Completely worth it! While there’s a couple frustrating spots in the game which required me to play a level 3 or 4 times to complete them most levels are pretty easy to complete as long as you’ve got your tactics down. The game overall is really simple though. You need to protect your home from the invading zombies. You have a wide variety of different plants which you can plant to protect your home. Plants range from the simple pea shooter to fun plants like the venus fly traps and cat tails. Just as your plants vary, so do the zombies. There’s normal zombies, to zombies driving zambonies, to Michael Jackson zombies and more.

The game also include achievements so I felt a little bit better about having spent all that time playing the game. At least now I can show off some of the achievements I got! When you complete the game you unlock the Quick Play mode which allows you to select between levels and the mini-games. The ability to go back and reply any of these levels is really great as well as choose any of the mini-games. It adds a lot of replay to the game itself. It also makes grabbing some of those achievements a lot easier.

For the $3 I spent on the game, I’d say it was well worth it. I’ve definitely gotten my monies worth and I highly recommend this game to anyone with an iPhone/iPod touch (or PC/Mac). When and if I ever get the Apple iPad I’ll be purchasing the higher definition version of the game as well. Check out the Plants vs. Zombies website if you haven’t already and try out the online version they’ve got up. You’ll get hooked!

After completing Final Fantasy IX I was going to work on Final Fantasy X-2 but I’d been kind of Final Fantasy’d out. After asking for a couple ideas of what to play instead, Bayonetta popped up a couple times. I didn’t know much about the game, but I had read and heard it was pretty bad-ass…

Bad-ass barely scratches the surface of how bad-ass this game really is. Within the first few minutes of playable time, you can already call upon these huge demons that reside within Bayonetta. I think one of the first ones that’s she’s able to summon is my favorite. It’s like a vicious dog, dragon, demon that will eat you up! The game play is very similar to that of the Devil May Cry series. It’s basically just and action packed story with a pretty decent story-line.

Bayonetta’s story is a bit difficult to grasp in the beginning and it was only towards the end that I really started to understand what was going on. It does feel like it hurts the game overall, because as much fun as blowing shit up is, it’s hard when you can only partially understand what’s going on. Eventually though, it does come together, you may even experience that “Ah-Hah!” moment.

The controls within the game are quite simple to learn and use. There’s tons of different combos you can unleash upon your foes, and the finishing or climax moves are really fantastic. However, I did find myself dying multiple times because at several points throughout the game you need to hit or repeatedly hit a button to save yourself from dying. I did feel like 95% of the game I was just button mashing to get through, but then and again, I probably did the same in Devil May Cry. The only point where I really used the combos was during the level loading times. During these times you’re shown on-screen which button combos you can perform and you can practice them while the next level loads. It sure beats staring at the screen and waiting!

Another neat little thing in Bayonetta is that at the end of each level you get to play this arcade shooter. Each kill or hit awards you some points which you can spend on items (power ups, etc). Of course I never really had enough hits to get anything useful so I ended up trading them in for halos. It actually wasn’t until the last or second to last level that I figured out where to spend these halos. You can visit a shop owned by your buddy and he offers you anything from health revitalizing lollipops, to weapon upgrades. You can also collect these record (yes like the music kind) fragments and he’ll take those from you and provide you with new guns and other weapons.

Each level is riddled with various types of enemies and some levels have end-bosses. I attempted to think of what game I could compare these enemies too, but couldn’t think of anything! They’re quite unique, and rather large. One of the first large enemy encounters you have I had thought was going to be the final boss being that he was incredibly large and seemed like the ruler of the world. However he ends up being one of the bosses you meet in a few levels. The final boss is actually someone who’s voice you hear throughout the game. Overall I am really impressed with the character and boss designs. They’re quite unique (trust me you’ll know what I mean when you see a couple of these bosses)! Each boss has a different way to kill them, so it’s does provide you with a good challenge each time. Each normal enemy also has a unique way that you finish them off which I found to be pretty fun.

The graphics and sound in Bayonetta I also to find to be superb. Each level is well design and beautiful in own way, regardless of whether you’re in a forest or a town that’s be burned to the ground. There were a couple instances when the camera and level environment didn’t play nice and several times got me killed. Other then that, A+ work.

Overall I found that Bayonetta was an awesome game and really appreciate the people that recommended it to me. I fear that it would have taken quite a while to get to this game otherwise. If you’re looking for a really fun to play, kick the shit out of everything, make you laugh, fall in love with the girl, awesome kind of game, definitely check this one out!