The Worst Kind of Escort Mission

I just realized what bothers me the most about Bioshock 2. It's not that it seems like someone's bad fanfic (though it really does), it's not all the laziness in texturing and level design (which there really is a lot of) and it's not the awkward interface (wtf did they do with the subtitles and weapons/plasmid system?)...it's that half the game so far is like the final mission in Bioshock 1, only more annoying. I don't think I'll play this game again, but I'll tough it out for the people who requested it...and put up with all the knowing laughs from the other people I've told.

So videos were released a little weird this weekend as I was out of town. I will be returning late tomorrow evening. Bioshock 1 is finished. I will finish uploading Unreal Tournament 3 and continue uploading Skyrim videos. I finished the Dragonborn DLC before I left.

Tuesday Nights

I really need the sleep, but coffee has a way of making me not sleep. Ever. This is not the case with tea...or really any other form of caffinated drink. I don't count energy drinks because they are disgusting and make my heart feel like it's going to explode (seriously I tried half a can once and it made my heart VERY uncomfortable).

But it helped me bowl a 352 (5-pin) a couple weeks ago so I can't complain.

Oh yeah LP stuff. So Bioshock 2 is making me quite upset about...everything. As I say in the videos, it's like someone's bad Bioshock 1 fanfic. It has some interesting and fun aspects to it but...well...you'll see when I play what my gripes are. I do play it on hard, which doesn't help the situation.

Co-op LP work continues with Mesk (Hunted), Voyeur (Resident Evil 5) and Shauna (Alien: Isolation). I am intending to do some recordings with General Delta and another person soon, but I don't know when.

I have some Half Life 2 Episode 2 sitting on my hard drive waiting to be edited and encoded (but it's not finished) and some Guild Wars 2 (that I need to edit up and post). OH and I keep forgetting to finish editing the Extra Life 2014 recap video. It's done I just need to do a last pass and edit a little bit. There will be a long version and a short version. Short version is 9mins and ready to be posted. Long version is like...an hour and not quite ready yet.

But, my priorities right now are not in the realm of LPing. I have two tasks I must complete before the year is over. 1) Complete my writing project (this is not an option I have decided) and 2) get a full-time job (it is long past due and I will really need the money soon).

I feel like I'm forgetting something.

I'm still so awake and it's 4am. Remind me (people in different time zones and Mesk) that LPing Tuesday nights/early morning Wednesday would be a good idea.

A Bug Hunt

I am super impressed with how well my title fits this time.

FIRST - Alien Isolation continues. We are not done recording...I assume we are around the halfway mark, especially with the sudden difficulty spike. My thoughts so far? Not a bad game. It has...issues though. I don't particularly find the game scary. Now, listening to the videos, you will be inclined to debate this based on our reactions. But it's not scary like Outlast or Amnesia. It is tense. I am way more tense playing this game, and I was way more frightened playing the other games. Half of that tension just comes from whether the bloody Alien will show up and kill us before we can save and we have to do the same shit over and over again. Part of that tension just comes from the unpredictability. Also the game crashes. A lot. I don't even think I'm going to edit the crashes out to be honest. It's just business as usual between them because it's so common. So far in 8 hours of gameplay I believe we had 8 crashes. One crash per hour. gg. Also, the game is a little buggy. It uses Havok, so the physics objects are already hilarious, but the Alien itself is just...so broken. You should see a short clip on YouTube that I posted (two days ago?) that sums this whole experience up in about 45 seconds.

SECOND - Started Hunted: Demon's Forge with Mesk. We marathoned about...5 hours of it before we both got too tired to continue. So we are near the end of the second chapter and have already broken the game in new and exciting ways. We also recreated many of the old bugs he encountered with HKS back when he ran through it then. This will be...a different LP experience. I would recommend this one if you like seeing a lot of silly things (and don't mind that we take the time to see if we can push things to their limits). The game is actually decent though despite its major issues. It's super buggy, but gameplay is fun and interesting, there are tons of areas to explore, and the story itself isn't boring. I have been looking forward to this one. I've never played it before, but it is far from a blind LP as I've watched Mesk and HKS' videos (which can be found here). This LP should start going up on YouTube early November after Bioshock is complete.

THIRD - Extra Life reminder this Saturday. Kathleen reached her goal, but she's trying to stay in first for the Alberta Children's Hospital as she will have the chance to earn extra money for them (30k I think). So feel free to check out our streams on Twitch. I will post the links again on the date. I will be joining in the evening, so Kathleen will have a head start, so make sure to tune in to her stream while I'm off getting my fingers broken and my face crushed by large rubber balls. I'm uh...playing in a dodgeball tournament until about 4/5pm. I believe Shauna, General Delta, Mesk and Oliver may also join in.

Casting Lull

More like casting lol

I haven't been making any new videos for the past while aside for some Resident Evil 5 recordings and Alien: Isolation. I'm not too concerned as I have a ton of material to post that's in queue, but I will need to finish up Half Life 2 Episode 2 and Dishonored at some point. I won't be able to do more recording for a few days as I'm still sick and the condition of my throat will not allow me to speak for prolonged periods of time. I also have some voice work to do for a friend that I am very much behind in.

For the next couple weeks you will see more Bioshock, the first episodes of Alien: Isolation, UT3 and my first few episodes of the Gamecube games I played. I will continue to take suggestions for Extra Life, which is just under 2 weeks away.

Accidental "Success"

Note to self: "Fanny Trampling" is obviously a...thing somewhere (apparently Germany and Italy), because Bioshock Episode 2 got way too many hits in the first 24 hours (over 120...and most hits were less than 5 seconds). And yes, I knew exactly what I was doing at the time. The title was not an accident. Just the views. Seriously, I consider 15 views in the first 24 hours successful.

Plan to alternate uploading Bioshock and other videos continues. I will be entering a very unproductive stage soon, meaning I will probably be doing more recording than anything else...so thankfully I have a lot of videos prepared.

Otherwise...no new news really.

Opt for the Cliche?

Debating posting horror/creepy games for the month of October cause...Halloween? Meh, I dunno. Usually I just post whatever the heck I want. Maybe I shall post a higher frequency of such such videos for this month.

OKAY SO SCHEDULE.

Bioshock 1 begins uploading today. I will be uploading two Bioshock episodes every odd numbered day (ie. Oct 1, Oct 3, Oct. 5 etc.) At that rate, I will be done uploading the entire LP by the end of the month.

On even numbered days, I will be alternating uploads between: Guild Wars 2, Unreal Tournament 3, Haunted Mansion (Gamecube), Bioshock Infinite and Skyrim.

Expect Half Life 2 Episode 2 by the end of the month. Expect Dishonoured: Brigmore Witches early November.

Extra Life is on October 25. I am in a dodgeball tournament that day as well, so I will be joining in the video games after 5pm and pulling an all-nighter.

If I have free time, I will likely make some silly custom titlecards for YouTube. Top of the list for these is UT3.

As for co-op projects (holy crap I'm doing a lot of videos), I will continue Burial at Sea with Shauna before moving on to the new Alien game being released. I will continue playing Resident Evil 5 with Voyeur and I expect to start Hunted: The Demon's Forge with Mesk once he is done some of his other projects. That brings me to my next news...

I, uh, may or may not be voice acting a small part in an audiobook...heh...

I will post the link here when it is released...if it is released publicly.

Bioshook

As of five minutes ago I have finished Bioshock 1. I enjoyed it. I'll have a longer review in the video, but overall not a bad game. It has its issues with AI, interface and terrible escort missions, but the music, atmosphere and story were all good points. Oh and the physics objects. The amazingly random physics objects that launch you into the air and spring across the room like torpedoes. A+

Bioshock will begin uploading October 1. I will continue to add UT3 and Skyrim videos periodically. I need to focus on editing and encoding Guild Wars 2 and Bioshock Infinite in the meantime.

Ah yes, and we need to finish Resident Evil 5 Mr. Voyeur.

*prod prod*

IT'S OVER

The Penumbra Trilogy is now fully uploaded, and posted and stored away in the LP playlists. I can now wash my hands of it. Let us never speak of this ordeal again.

ONWARDS TO SORTING OUT THE MESS THAT IS BIOSHOCK INFINITE.

Also, there is a preview of a blind Bioshock 1 LP that will be release early October. This clip is...basically my experience of the game in a nutshell. Random, confusing and full of my poor aim and broken sound clips. Apparently my sound card can't handle the inanity.

Ahead of the Game

Also behind at the same time. I have a ton of video ready to release, and have recorded a lot of other stuff I've been meaning to go through. I finished UT3 last night, but unfortunately the game crashed on the last mission, and Mesk and HKS beat the level on that try before I could reconnect. Mesk will be giving me video footage to complete it. Over the last two days I have started Bioshock Burial at Sea with Shauna, continued Resident Evil 5 with GameVoyeur and started HL2Ep2 as well as Bioshock. Also thinking of future projects with Mesk and HKS, which will likely include Neverwinter Nights, Guild Wars 1 and Hunted: The Demon's Forge.

A list of prepared video:
-Unreal Tournament 3 (almost have the entire LP encoded and ready)
-Schwa Can't MMO content including: Guild Wars 2, Archeage, Neverwinter
-Skyrim (another three episodes)
-Haunted Mansion - Gamecube
-Lord of the Rings, The Third Age - Gamecube

A list of recorded video that has not been processed (and are mostly incomplete):
-Half Life 2 Episode 2
-Bioshock
-Bioshock Infinite
-Bioshock Burial at Sea Episode 1
-Dishonored, Brigmore Witches

I may pre-release some of these. You can find them on my Google Drive. I have made a public folder.

Transistor

While uploading Dishonored I have been writing, playing Skyrim (shhh) and now, Transistor. I also keep thinking of "Transistor" as "Mansistor." Thanks for that one Mesk.

Transistor is pretty amazing (thanks Kristy, Oliver and random people I follow on Tumblr for encouraging me to pick it up). I am recording it and I'm not doing too bad. There is a distinct learning curve that I'm on. I can imagine the little graph in my head, but I'm having a lot of fun trying out a bunch of the combos. I eventually figure most things out, but the beginning might be a little cringe-worthy as I jump in knowing very little of the game. Like Bastion, this is a rare instance of me going into the game without playing any of it at all. Even in Dishonored I played a little bit of the first level for sound and recording tests. I will post these videos eventually.

I will finish Brigmore Witches this week, then I will continue recording Half Life Episode 1. Expect Transistor and HL EP1 to appear near the end of the month. I will start Dark Souls first week of July, because I will have ample time. I will start Bioshock around this time as well.

...

Also, I am really sad that I didn't think to name my Bulbasaur, Bulbafett in Pokemon Y. It's almost painful. These are the things I think of randomly when I'm in the car. I am pleased with my Pikachu's nickname of Zappy McGee however, so it all works out in the end.

PS - I am slowing down the recording a little bit. My wrist and hand are in rough shape.

Quarter of a Century

I'd say longevity assumed, I'd be 1/4 through my life, but that can never be known so I'm going to forego all the "you're this much done your life" talk and just celebrate the fact that I have my pointy nails embedded into life for another year. Horray for solar rotations. 

I never posted any LP updates yesterday. Summer LPs will be ramping up soon. I'm excited. I've been posting Dishonored gradually over the last month. Those videos will continue as I prepare to play and record Half Life Episode 1 (already started), the last 2-4 hours of Brigmore Witches (I'm sorry, there's been so much to do lately...but we aren't even close to that yet in the LP so meh), Dark Souls (oh boy), Bioshock 1 and Unreal Tournament 3 co-op. 

Red-eye Retro episodes will go up on an occasional basis. I have tons of videos prepared for it thanks to WC2. I also plan to delve into Spelunker (pun intended), more Space Taxi, Commander Keen 4 and finish the Orc campaign in WC2 (which is a raging, hilarious, tired mess...like I have no idea how I managed to complete this one level). I may not be able to sleep sometimes, but hey, at least we all get silliness and nostalgia out of it.

One other random request concerned Skyrim. I've always been reluctant to play these games because they are so open-ended. If I do any long-term projects (ie not just silly clips) with Skyrim, I shall do the two DLC with the current character I have. I may need verify the cache on that game or something as I swear the number of broken objects and textures has exponentially increased. 

Ah crap I meant to bring the Doge card I got to work. Monday I guess. 

Soundtrack Thursday 13

Another soundtrack Thursday. It's been another tough week, though for different reasons. Regardless, I'm still sick and I have no energy so I'm going to let you guess what today's theme is rather than explain it.

Bioshock 1 - I actually thoroughly enjoyed this soundtrack. I liked it better than the Bioshock Infinite one. I've decided I need to LP this sooner than later.

Must resist the urge to listen to...Dishonored...tracks...

dot dot dot

Chocolate peanut butter eggs have been delivered to me via shady staircase hand-off. I may yet survive this day.

Dead Space 1 - Another game I really need to LP in the near future. I never actually finished it. Also...wtf when did I purchase Dead Space 2?

Motivation to stay functional...dropping. Must, get, coffee.

Half Life 2 - Fitting as I am LPing it.

Yep. The bottom of my coffee was where all the sugar escaped to.

F.E.A.R. 

Holy crap I nearly had a heart attack when I thought my coworker was a giant, elongated cat head walking towards me out of the corner of my eye. This is not a good sign people. Now I know what terrifies me. Aside from spiders and demented Muppets popping out of closets and demonic omnipotent death hares and giant bat people. This is just a whole bucket of NOPE.

Actually I'd love to see concept art of the last three...as long as they stay out of my dreams.

This blog post appears to be an exercise in growing madness. I better conclude it before it gets worse. I added a list of all video LPs that you can see if you scroll down to the bottom of the blog. Also, I have fulfilled most of my promise for this week's videos. I only have to finish Penumbra Overture now.
Crap.

...

link

shh....

Forgetful

It's only going to get worse. I forgot that I said I'd also be looking into playing the Bioshock series as well. This will be another LP series that will appear in 2014.

To finish 2013:
Half Life 1
Penumbra - Overture, Black Plague - with Shauna
Overlord 2 (just need to upload the segments (35 total)

Coming in 2014:
Alice: Madness Returns (will record and maybe put out a couple videos before the new year)
Dark Souls
Bioshock - 1, 2, Infinite
Penumbra: Requiem - with Shauna

Co-op or Multiplayer 2014:
Magicka (will be posted on GameVoyeur's YouTube)
Unreal Tournament 3 - Tentative
Diablo 2 Expansion - Tenative
Age of Empires 3 (I have about 20 games recorded that I played with my brother...I may post a few of those if there's interest)


Is it bad that the lists here are probably going to end up being mostly for me?