Hello everybody. I've been a fan of Sega Racing games (Daytona USA 1/2, Scud Race, OutRun 1/2, Sega Rally, Crazy Taxi, Virtua Racing, etc.) ever since I first played Daytona USA 2 in the arcade around 2002. I like them and try to promote them as much as I can. Let everyone know about the magic that is Sega Racing Games!!!
Showing posts with label Talladega Nights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Talladega Nights. Show all posts
Well guys, one of the least pleasant things in my life happened today. You're not going to believe it coming from me but here goes...
I wrecked my car for the very first time. Before everyone panics, let me get some good things out of the way now. Nobody, including myself was hurt. The car, for the most part, is intact. Very little damage to everything else besides my car. I have insurance and a AAA and the cops didn't treat me like some outlaw or adrenaline junkie. My dad is on the way here to help me get my car fixed. Still, I wrecked my car.
Let me explain what happened. It's raining, I'm in the office complex's parking lot and have one left turn to go before I made it to my building. The problem was this black pavement turns into black ice when wet. I really had no idea until it's too late. I can't steer or brake at 25 mph as I careen forward into a dumpster behind a fence. No thanks to the lack of ABS but meh, it wouldn't have helped much anyway. The air bags deployed but I wasn't slapped in the face or anything. I was able to start the engine, turn the wheel entirely left & right, play the CD, turn on the air conditioner, and roll up & down the windows. The main damage came from the right front light which was smashed along with some usual rumbling on the front right wheel, plus the windshield was cracked, the right door won't open, and the air bags obviously went off.
I sorta wept man tears for a while knowing that I had potentially killed my companion of seven years over a stupid incident that could've been prevented. Thankfully, everything else went okay. A utility worker called the police for me (lovely), the cop didn't ream me too hard with a ticket ($130), and I was able to drive the car into a nearby parking spot (boy, it would be nice to leave work and see my car parked next to yours...just needs blood on the windshield and doors). I am feeling better about the car's chance for survival and my ability to rebound. Personally, I would prefer not to buy a new car for three main reasons--odds are it won't perform any better than my old car (as in it handled well, was clean, and required minimum maintenance), I plan on moving to Britain in a year or two to work for Sumo Digital assuming I get a job there, and I love my old car. It's a real shit-sucker but to be honest, if you KNEW you were going to get in a wreck some day, this is the best way to wreck. No one's hurt and everything's being remedied rather quickly.
Still...this has to be the most punk ass bitch way of causing a wreck. Basically sprinkle the ground with vasoline, make it rain, and don't warn people about potentially slipper terrain. I mean, put a "slow down when wet" sign or even a speed bump for God's sake--those things suck but at least they would've saved my ass. Had this been a wreck on dry terrain and/or involving another driver, my morale as an "outstanding driver" would've been shot to hell. But here, I'm just fuckin' pissed and want to get back on the road as soon as possible. I don't want to pay a bunch of money, talk to a bunch of random strangers, and wait a long-ass time to get driving again. That's what makes this so difficult...
Really, could be a worse wreck...see my family friend who decided to ramp a ditch in his Corvette and end up deep in the woods. Lol, really, you can still see the tire marks where he went off road. Me on the other hand, just get a hammer and some duct tape and you're ready to go. Finish 20 laps down but hey, you still get credit for finishing.
There is a mixed blessing among this. One being that I get to hang out with my dad again. Another being that I've "experienced" a wreck and have a new-found appreciation for life. Third being that it gives me more ammo to joke about. Like being fired or vomiting after a large meal with some friends, it's like "hawhaw, here's some funny jokes at my expense." That's more source material which is good!
I'll probably post pics later cause I don't care. I certainly hope I recover soon. Plus I want to talk about the races over the last two weeks so hang on for those. Car wrecks aren't going to break my stride. Semi-relevant video:
HE'S SEEN THE FEAR...HE NEEDS SEGA RACER THERAPY!!!
This is as brief a post as possible since I'm tired and not in a very witty mood.
So there's Aliens: Colonial Marines. Everyone knows that was one of Sega's babies. Everyone knows Sega blew seven years of time & resources on it. Everyone knows that it sucks. And now everyone knows that Gearbox basically shifted resources from Aliens to other projects, particularly Borderlands and (get ready for it) Duke Nukem Forever. This is a great link to read--here's the "anonymous" Sega employee at it again but unlike Zach Morris, this guy actually seems credible. And even more Sega & Gearbox employees are confirming the same thing. Apparently all those layoffs and the TimeGate outsourcing confirm that there was foul play here. Oh, and before you say Sega should sue, apparently they can't because Gearbox basically met the contract and Sega just made a stupid mistake and LET 'EM OFF THE HOOK!!!
It just eats me up on the inside cause you look at it, here's Borderlands (a game I'm indifferent towards) which everyone gushes over "OMG GEARBOX AND 2K, SO AWESOME!!!" And Sega money basically contributed to it. But does Sega get anything from Borderlands's success? No. What a piece of crap.
And Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford reminds me of Tim Tebow. Tebow's a pretty cool guy but Randy's a dick. I even saw a few job opportunities pop up at Gearbox during my tenure at grad school and there was a slight chance I would've gone but no--they suck, I wouldn't deal with Gearbox ever again. Again, I hope Sega gets their head out of their ass and does a better job at publishing games where the developers don't wander off like idiots.
And then tomorrow is the Daytona 500. You know I'm not at the race (I'm still at home in Slidell, Louisiana) and and I sure as heck am not going to drive straight there and buy scalped tickets outside the front door or hang on the outside fence Reese Bobby style, like this:
Well if it isn't your mangy, transient grand-daddy...
No, this isn't Final Destination, this is real. At least the friggin grandstands don't topple to the ground!
Chris Graythen from Getty Images with the IMPRESSIVE photograph.
"HOLY SHIT!" indeed...pieces of debris as well as a tire from the wrecked #32 car flew through & over the fence on the final lap and injured 28 people (one in critical condition). Literally, a 50-pounded shredded tire was on the seat right next to the guy (they're super hot, don't touch 'em). Where I sat and took pics at the last two Daytona races (see here and here) was awfully close to where that tire ended up. I was closer to the pit row entrance. Either way, geez, it makes you think...
Now, this isn't even close to the biggest auto racing accident in history (that would be the 1955 Le Mans where 83 people died and 120 were injured, DAMN!!). But this just cements one thing for me again and that is....I can't take seeing these wrecks lightly anymore. I like cars and I know that wrecks are part of the sport but when you got people living in fear of fluke wrecks and debris destroying property and huring innocent people, I can't stand it. Why I don't like these Burnout games and stuff. And I know some people are saying "well you go to the race so you're taking a chance." You wanna see a chance, look at those guys at the rally races which are within a few feet from a car slipping around on dirt. Here, you're sitting back a couple of rows from a giant tire to fly right at their head. Bits of debris and smoke, yeah, but heavy objects, no.
Had I been at the Daytona 500 tomorrow, I would've brought another Sega sign and waved it, but there's the chance they could lockdown on keeping people away from the fence which sucks. So maybe I wouldn't have taken the pic anyway. Just tragic all around this kind of stuff, NASCAR is getting more disappointing to watch. :(
Ok, I'm fairly certain that everyone's heard of The Sims, the 2000 Maxis/evil Electronic Arts "classic." I found this game fascinating many years ago but then it hit me like a pile of bricks that this game is awfully redundant and that I should stop and never play it again. Barely dabbled in the Sims 2 and haven't touched Sims 3. I'm a SimCity guy anyway but EA put the kibosh on that so let's never mention Maxis ever again after this post.
If you don't know about The Sims, you can get jobs in one of twenty career tracks (10 in original Sims, 5 in Livin' Large expansion, 5 in Unleashed expansion). Tracks include typical stuff Business, Law Enforcement, Entertainment, Politics, Science, etc. Each track consists of a ladder of ten jobs increasing in income with each level. To get promoted, you have to improve your Sims' talents (charisma, body, logic, creativity, mechanical, and cooking), make family friends, and go to work in a good mood. If you keep at it, you'll make it to the top level of your career track and become a bazillionaire, or something.
Though it sounds cool on paper, your job description hardly has anything to do with the gameplay. A carpool shows up every day at a specific time to take your Sim to work. You never see him again until the carpool brings him back. So you can be something badass like a "major league athlete" or a "criminal mastermind" but you never get to see any of the action. Only thing that differs is the job hours, the wage, the job uniform, and the car that picks you up (ranging from junker cars to limos).
Only time you see a damn car in this game.
Anyway, it's worth mentioning there's a job out there called the "Grand Prix Driver" which sounds right up our alley! But to get to that job, you must jump through a bunch of hoops in the Xtreme Career Track. Here are all the jobs you must accomplish before becoming the next Michael Schumacher or Mario Andretti:
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1. Daredevil (§175) You've turned a bar bet into the foundation of an extreme career. In short, you'll try anything, the crazier, the better. Swim under the surface of a frozen lake, leap between rooftops with a bicycle, beat a train to a crossing, juggle a chainsaw while whistling "Dixie." Your workday is short, but intense.
Holy mackerel, Batman, you're a Joe Schmoe looking through the newspaper and they need people to do dumbass stunts (for Dumbest Stuff on Wheels, apparently)? And you don't need any skills, training, or experience whatsoever? Good, cause I enjoy the idea of cracking my head for chump change. And to severely hurt yourself, you don't really need talent at all so that's good! Might as well film your own Jackass/MTV/Spike TV show while you're at it.
2. Bungee Jump Instructor (§250)
The salary sinks - but whoever thought that you'd get paid to do this? Body skills are critical here; nutrition and fatigue must be carefully monitored at home. You might invest in home gym equipment as well, to keep in the best shape possible.
It's bungie-jumping, not much else to say. At least I'm watching other people suffer besides me.
3. Whitewater Guide (§325)
You're in charge of the rafts bobbing down the river in Sim Canyon. Hope your body skills are sufficient - to advance here, your paying riders need to have confidence in your strength. Never know when you might have some boat repairs to do, so mechanical aptitude is a plus.
Um, whitewater rafting. At this point in my career, I ask "WHAT THE HELL DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH RACING!!!" Nuff said...
4. Xtreme Circuit Pro (§400)
Snowboards in winter, mountain bikes in spring, kayaks in summer, and skateboards in fall - you've entered the year-round pro circuit. Strategies for winning can be helped by developing your logic skill. Since you're burning mega-calories, learning a few cooking tricks is a good idea, too.
Congrats, you're a Dick's Sporting Goods/Academy poster-boy now. This job makes sense since we've seen pros like Bucky Lasek, Travis Pastrana, Ricky Carmichael, and Shaun White go race cars before (apparently, they are used to extreme danger/speed). But HOLY COW is being a skateboarder (or any of those other things) on a professional level is insanely hard. Takes a ton of patience to learn how to ollie/kickflip/grind a rail. Made it that far already? How about you go to the pros, compete in X-Games, film movies, and overall try not to kill yourself. If being a pro skateboarder is a necessary requirement to being a race car driver, then bitch please...I'm done. Back to video games. Besides, you deserve a lot more money for doing this work. Why it's at #4, I have no clue.
5. Bush Pilot (§475)
Piloting that antique plane of yours demands some serious mechanical skill if you're going to safely dive through dense cloud cover and land on dangerous terrain. And you'd better be in great physical shape in case you can't get out the same way you got in. Of course, the danger does yield high pay.
I'M FLYIN A PLANE, WHOOOOPIEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! LOOK MA, NO HANDS!!!!!! Can we go skydiving now?? Your move, Maxis. If not, we can always DO A BARREL ROLL!!!!
6. Mountain Climber (§550)
You've become a renowned climber of unscaled peaks, and there's lots of cash to be made by filming your expeditions for television. Mechanical and creativity skills will be important - a failure in your ascent gear or strategy could be devastating.
Stuck in this lousy career track, better drink my own piss, indeed.
7. Photojournalist (§650)
Creative skills will help you here. Work time is divided between taking photos and writing articles at the Sim Times newspaper office. You need to make sure you allow enough time to write without social distractions, in order to meet deadlines and collect a nice, fat fee. Maybe you should practice charisma. Who knows when you may be called upon to narrate your photos?
I've covered wars you kn--wait, WHAT AM I DOING AT THIS LOUSY JOB AGAIN??? At least I get to live out my lifelong dream of running around a mall in my underwear.
8. Treasure Hunter (§725)
You've moved on to salvaging wrecks off the Sim City coastline. You need friends in the right places to secure all those permits. Hone that creative talent to get an edge in the search.
According to the job requirements, you need 5 logic points to attain this job. BULLS***. You need 11 logic points for this job. A SECRET MESSAGE ON THE BACK OF THE DECLARATION THAT TELLS ME TO GO TO SOME ARBITRARY LOCATION WRITTEN IN A BUNCH OF HIEROGLYPHICS??? BETTER GET SOME LEMON JUICE!!!
9. Grand Prix Driver (§825)
Your latest job involves laying rubber on Sim City's racetracks. It is important that you leave home in a good mood with high spirits - you'll drive your best race that way. Playing an Electronic Arts racing game on your home computer might sharpen your reflexes, too.
BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY, WE MADE IT BOYS!!!! WE'RE FINALLY RACE CAR DRIVERS!!!! But no, you don't drive--err...ride to work in an F1 car, just a Dodge Viper. The pay sucks for a professional driver. As for my response to an "Electronic Arts racing game"...
HEY JIMMIE!!! How'd you become such a great driver??
"Just worked hard all these years...rode bikes, went bungee jumping, rafting, skateboarding, flew planes, climbed mountains, took pictures, and and looked for buried treasure. Any questions???"
For the record, your "extreme" career is not over! Prepare to be whisked out of your cockpit seat to...
10. International Spy (§925)
You've become a "secret agent" on assignment for your government in Sim City. To survive this highly lucrative business, you must keep yourself in top mental and physical condition. Spies are also irrestible - which can cause problems with your mate.
That's right--you go from a friggin race car driver to mutha-f***in James Bond (or Ethan Hunt, if you're feeling picky). I have no idea how that works so for all terrorist/criminal organizations out there...keep tabs on Formula 1, NASCAR, Indy Car, Le Mans, Rally, Grand Tourer drivers out there since there's your man right there. SECRET AGENTS...
Oh, that's right. James Bond is such a great driver because he was once a professional race car driver! It all makes sense now!!! 007 doesn't even need a steering wheel to drive!!!
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But we all know the real way to be a race car driver and that is to race dirt cars/go-karts a frickin hell of a lot, win a lot of races, build your own cars, and get a car owner to hire you. Either that or you pay a crapton of money. Being a "risk taker" conditions you for the danger and sharpens your reflexes. You've already seen the fear so you're well-prepared. Otherwise, these menial jobs are meaningless.
Go driving with a cougar (the animal type) and skip the first 8 steps. Easy!
Just for s***s and giggles, let's take a look at some other jobs from The Sims:
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(Journalism) 2. Game Reviewer (§200)
The lowliest writing job you can get, but your name is in the byline. Game companies send you free beta builds, and you get to play them (game and company), deciding on a whim whether you'll give them good press or not.
LAWL GAMESPOT AND IGN, BUNCH OF NOOBS. "Deciding on a whim whether to give them good press or not"? You're saying you never play the games before reviewing them? Or that someone pays you off instead? No s***, Sherlock.
(Hacker) 1. Beta Tester (§200)
Put the next version of the software through its paces, and try to crash the software as often as possible. The Company is depending on you to make sure this code arrives on the store shelves in the cleanest possible condition, provided you don't rack up too many late-night pizza bills.
Full Sail grads.
(Hacker) 6. Game Designer (§610)
Good thing you've gotten so creative as of late - turns out your ideas for games have caught the eyes and ears of the Powers That Be. Now the pressure's on for you to develop a game script that will capture the public's interest, as well. That also means you get to work nights, since that's when the engineers are at the office.
Aw hell naw, that ain't right. Creativity gets you jack s*** at EA, remember? Get back to work, programmers!!! The working nights part is spot on, though. And why is this track called "Hacker" anyway--wouldn't the name "Computer Science" make more sense?
(Hacker) 9. Venture Capitalist (§1300)
All those stock options paid off - now that you've gotten more liquid, you can pick and choose which struggling little startups will earn your magnanimity, as well as the prestige for your name as a backing of their work.
GUESS WHO THIS IS!!?? ->
BTW, there is technically a Formula 1 car in The Sims 3...buy the uber DLC "Sims 3: Fast Lane Stuff" for more cool cars that all you can do is stare at! Unfortunately, it's a open cockpit single-seater so no woohoo allowed. Why can't this be in Forza 4 instead? I'm done here, this post sucks.
1: goodwill to fellow members of the human race; especially: active effort to promote human welfare
2 a: an act or gift done or made for humanitarian purposes b: an organization distributing or supported by funds set aside for humanitarian purposes
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Because Christmas is the Season of Giving, I figure I'll talk about this. There's several reasons why people make video games, mostly a combination of these I'm about to mention:
* To make money. Dirty sexy money. Don't doubt that the developers of Minecraft, Angry Birds, World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, etc. are laughing their asses off to the bank right now. Granted, profit is not bad (you NEED money to live) but for some, it's less about the game and more about the money. We know that.
SEX WITH MONEY!!!
* To educate or get some point across to the audience. Like if you hate McDonald's, you make a game about cows getting slaughtered. These games suck. Like in Dead Rising *MILD SPOILER* the outbreak was caused by genetically mutated cows. And there's a subtle message about the "evils" of American consumerism (zombies in a mall). So instead of buying things from evil corporate Wal-Mart, I should turn of electricity and water, sit at home at my farm, plant a field of and knit a quilt (get the yarn from my own livestock). Whatever you say, boss.
* This is a big one--you get to make games that personally move YOU. Think arty-farty stuff here. You want to make a game about an elf going around stabbing monsters with swords? Or a game about rolling stuff up in a ball? Or a game about a dad who will cut off his pinky finger to save his son? You got it.
Thankfully we have visionaries who will go the distance to make "art" like this. It's great. It's where we get the Marios, Sonics, and *cough* Halos of gaming.
* Then there's the opposite of the above. Rather than make games for yourself, you make games that cater to other people's wants. Oh dear, who will make a good Sonic game? Well, Sega will do it because we love the fans (really?). Or who will a new motion control Zelda game or a Gran Turismo game on the Xbox? While there's the money motive involved (SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!), you know some Good Guy Greg's (or GGG for short) are patting themselves on the back like "Good job, we made those people happy."
And this is when I reach a conundrum. I'll say this--my main goal, as sad as it is, is to make a new Daytona game (or some equivalent). It's just branded into my psyche and it won't go away.
But instead, I'm detoured by all sorts of other games. Like Battle Fortress Tortoise for school. Games I'm not as enthusiastic about working on but I know there's a fanbase who'd love to see this game get made. More people than Daytona USA for sure. I'm still feeling a bit rebellious seeing as my game pitch never had a chance but am I being an ass for being stubborn in my pursuit for more racing games?
So this is where free will comes in. Let's throw out money and fame for a second. If you had the choice to make a game you LIKE that won't please as many people or a game you DON'T LIKE but will please many, what do you do? A guess a good example would be like Peter Parker in the Spiderman move. Do you save Mary Jane or the school bus full of kids? And no, you can't save both--Peter got lucky there, you can't.
Isn't it a bit selfish to make games that you like even though they won't do much good for everyone else? How is that a bad thing--YOU'RE the one putting in tons of mental labor, not them. The video game industry is such a mess now with people begging to get "what they want" that you'll leave some out to try and that's the breaks. Besides, if you make a great game, maybe you'll be able to "convert" them to your side. I don't think you could make some crazy games like Katamari Damacy or Shenmue without hoping for this to kick in. Besides, if the majority of fans got what they wanted, then we'd be sitting on a mountain of Call of Duties, Halos, Zeldas, and Final Fantasies. Geez.
Oh well, I know that Sega is throwing us fans crumbs....we got Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and OutRun 2 ports recently, but I feel there's more. Like it took the work of people like Bart to emulate Model3 games when Sega seemed unwilling to do so. The question is how far is Sega going to go to satisfy our miniscule fanbase? Just admit it--there's not a whole lot of people itching for a new Daytona. There's however a lot more people itching for a new Sonic and that's what you get--more Sonic games (thankfully, they're better now).
I guess that's why I'm working at becoming a game programmer cause I'm taking matters into my own hands. Oh, I want people to play games and be happy but if I'm assigned to a project that I have some say in, I don't know which way I'll go. Be sure to leave feedback so I can know what the people want...rambling idiots on message boards DO NOT COUNT.
Batman was never really "loved" by the people. He just swooped into the save the day and off he went. No one knew who his true identity so they couldn't really thank him. A true GGG. So who are you going to be--Batman or some egotistical jerk?
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EDIT: On the contrary, I went to sleep and was reminded of this quote from Talladega Nights that no one seems to remember. It's the end of the movie:
Reese Bobby, the bum father waiting in the parking lot, says, "Hey Ricky, let me ask you a question. Who'd you win that race for?" And Ricky replies, "I guess if I really gotta think about it, I just went out there and drove...and knew that no matter what happened, my boys, my momma, and my lady would love me."
Maybe there is no shame in doing my own thing since I'm just doing what I love and maybe people will understand.
Why do people play video games? Well, if you cut the philosophical crap (the desire to be powerful or break the rules, etc.), people play them to have fun. The same reason why people to go parties, watch movies, sky dive, drive go-karts, make out, etc. But somewhere down the line, it transfers from having fun to accomplishing goals. In other words, you don't play to have fun, you play for the glory of accomplishing some goal, whether it be succeeding in something difficult or beating the crap out of your opponents.
Yes, it's entirely possible to have fun and try for goals at the same time--that's not a bad thing. But the idea is that if you accomplish your goals, then you had fun. If you don't, then you feel worse than before because you just wasted your time.
Let's take sports for instance. So you're playing in a league and you should be having fun regardless. But you lose a lot. Is that fun? Okay, now let's step it up to the big leagues. You play football, work out, study, basically dedicate yourself to the sport. You take a lot of big hits, are relatively unsuccessful, and the fans and ESPN hosts want you cut from the team. Are you having fun? Or even worse, you're a professional boxer or MMA fighter. Do people like Brock Lesnar enjoy getting pummeled to death? No, but they do it to win the prize--the glory of achievements.
"I'm too drunk to taste this chicken."
So what am I getting at. I play a lot of Rock Band now. It's really the only game nowadays that I dedicate myself to. I play Pro Keys, this you should already know. How my "career" works is simple--play a song, hit as many notes as possible to get a high score. Just keep jumping from song to song to get higher on the leaderboards and make myself look as good as possible.
This is what all the pro Guitar Hero/Rock Band players do. It gets really intense as people try to FC (hit 100% of notes without breaking your streak) songs that they become incredibly frustrated when their efforts are in vain. On the other hand, when they do succeed, they're overjoyed, like a 40-year-old woman who just won a Dodge Viper on The Price is Right. WARNING: Tons of profanity.
I've always said that people have "emotional chips" that they lay down on things, such as games--regardless of whether they have control over the outcomes, like sporting events. Kind of like putting your eggs in one basket... You bet more, the happier you are if you win and the sadder you are when you lose. The only time I really won "big" in the emotional roulette is when I got my Cruis'n USA world record years ago. My reaction was similar to those people above. Imagine if the hours that I put into the game, I didn't get the record. I would be pissed about all the time I wasted. Reminds me of the time I tried speedrunning in Goldeneye for the N64--that was a huge failure. Couldn't even get :23 on Runway Agent although the WR is now :22...
So recently, as I get into my RB3 Pro Keys sessions, I'm looking through songs to play. Nowadays, my choices are very limited. It's sad that I'll pass over songs I really like, such as Scenes from an Italian Restaurant by Bill Joel because I've already played the crap out of it and it pisses me off or something of that nature. Instead, a few days ago I made it my top priority to hit all the notes in Centerfold by J. Geils Band. And for three hours, I failed and failed and failed, missing the glissandos which I could never do consistently. I got a new high score and decided to walk away saying, "I did okay, let's cut our losses and run." I was bitter that I failed to live up to my rivals.
I'm not saying this to act jealous or to demean the character of these people but damn, it can get frustrating at times to see other people effortlessly accomplish what you struggle to do. Like all these good players going out there FCing every song like it's nothing. I know it's just a game but it can be disheartening. I have respect for those who act classy about it because we are human beings first and foremost.
And this does have to do with other games. Back when I actually had the chance to play Daytona USA 2 (in 2004), I discovered the Marubaku videos and my frustration really compounded. I became angered because I hardly ever improved over time like why am I being bothered with this? Eventually you know how it ends--in 2005, the cabinet went bye bye and then I couldn't play the game for competition OR for fun.
Another sad excuse of a failure is Call of Duty: Black Ops. I'm 11th prestige right now and that is sad. Well, I currently have a 1.5 KDR in Team Deathmatch. I like to call myself "good" but I go through many slumps. I've already talked about FPS "skills" here. I've played FPSes for YEARS and I really can't get over the hump. I have experience and strategy, but I can't execute 100% of the time. When I lose at the game, I feel that I've wasted my time, spending it to prop up some professionals at my expense. Now I know what it feels like to be a "noob." It is humbling to say the least. This and Daytona 2--times when my skills would vanish for unknown reasons. That's not fun.
Gotta go to your happy place...woah look out kids, this could get a little rugged...
And one more thing about achievements--I'm talking about achievement points. Back in the day, I used to be an Achievement Point Hunter, buying games and upping my score. I didn't like all the games I've played (thereby removing the "fun" element out of gaming again) but hearing that "badonk" from the chievos made it worthwhile. But some games once I've unlocked every single achievement, I would just stop playing them. Fight Night Round 3 was a good example--you had to beat all but the final tier of matches to get 1000/1000. I hadn't finished the game but I didn't care--I just stopped playing it. Good riddance.
Why is this video so quiet? Overall, I think when games become unfun, we're shooting for something better...being loved. Cause we want to feel good about ourselves. But it's okay because Jesus has unconditional love for you regardless. So go back out there AND DO WHAT YOU LIKE AND KICK AS MUCH ASS AS POSSIBLE.
So competition isn't necessarily a bad thing--it's the thing that drives the economy and brings out the best in us. But when things that are mere entertainment become sources of grief and people are at each others' throats about it, then we need to step back and get a little peace of mind. Those that get enveloped in the competition usually become so stressed they are twisted into a pretzel. If that's the case, then I'm glad I'm not that much of a diehard competitor...
Oh, this one I heard about days ago, but it slipped my mind until now. There's a Days of Thunder game for Xbox Live Arcade. It's 800 MSP. From what I heard, it is pleasantly average. I should've downloaded the demo but I was too busy playing Pro Keys on Rock Band 3, please forgive me. I'm sorry--Rock Band is that engrossing that it can distract me from paramount news.
Going for the edgy Burnout angle here...whatever.
Kind of strange that they went back 20 years to get the Days of Thunder license, but at least they bypass the NASCAR license which isn't too bad. The game has both oval and technical tracks which is nice cause it keeps in line with Daytona USA tradition.
I'm guessing the framerate sucks because of the recording. Actually, this video does suck so ignore the FPS. No way you release a game with 5 FPS nowadays unless you want to the lynch mob to knock on your front door. Pwned.
Actual in-game footage. It looks better than I expected... To be fair, the game looks like it has potential cause it looks loose and free-wheeling. I also noticed how you can go up to 220 mph (354 kph) which is certainly nice compared to the lame-o 190 mph races of real-life NASCAR. Too bad you can't powerslide. I doubt it'll ever live up to Sega racing expectations though.
I hope this game is good, really, I do. I assume I will post further opinions when I actually play the demo.
EDIT: Just played the demo, I thought it was good. Controls are a bit fidgety but this isn't like Mario Kart, it's a bit tougher than that. Will post more about this later.
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Obligatory movie footage, rubbin' is racing, yada yada yada...let's get an actual movie clip in here, something for you to analyze:
PLEASE DON'T GET DELETED FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
Down and dirty racing... Now make a Talladega Nights game next, lololol.
Ok, so I'm tired but it was a fun day, I guess. We saw Trevor Bayne win the Daytona 500. He's only 20 years (and 1 day old) so he's the youngest to win behind Jeff Gordon who won it at 25. There were the most lead changes and caution flags of any Daytona too.
You know, it was really interesting to see Bayne win since he only participated in one Sprint Cup race in his career (finished 17th at Texas last year). In Daytona, he qualified 32th. He moved up to around 4th with a few laps to go. He communcated with and agreed to push David Ragan (#6) who was in first. Now knowing that you'll push someone, it means you are sacrificing first place in order to help someone else to win, but Ragan was black-flagged for changing lanes before the green flag in order to set up the draft with him. Then Dale Jr. crashed and brought up the last caution.
Thanks to Ragan shooting himself in the foot, Bayne moves up to first in the next green flag. He ran two laps with Bobby Labonte (#47) pushing him the whole way. He edged out Carl Edwards (#99) who was creeping up on him very quickly. Bayne won and did some half-assed donut maneuver and got lost on the way to Victory Lane.
Welcome to Victory Lane! You made it!!!
It was a good race, especially when you consider how blemish-free his car was. That was fantastic.
On the other hand, Kyle Bush's yellow #18 M&M's car must've spun out and been bumped about ten times the entire race. Luckily, he finished in 8th place.
As for the rest of the race, one could wish for a self-repairing automobile cause when you see massive pileups with several people being sucked in, it's no good to see all that junk... Gotta haul the car out Just press a button and the car realigns itself. Brilliant!!
Now I don't know if NASCAR rigged Trevor Bayne to win, but if they did, they should've done it in favor of Dale Jr. You know, cause of Dale Sr. Anyway, this is inspirational. If Trevor Bayne can win the Daytona 500, then I can win the Daytona USA 500...make that Sega game and haul that giant box of CD's and throw them all around, save video games, make everyone feel alright...ok I'm tired so I'm just rambling again. I am looking at a Full Sail in Florida visit soon
EDITEDITEDIT: Seeing some new guy win, it reminded me of Talladega Nights, rofl.
Not really gonna talk about NASCAR anymore...just cause of Daytona USA and stuff.
