"Jacob's Ladder," "Silent Hill 2," and "Crackdown 2." How do I fit these into a blog?

So, as some of you may have seen on my facebook, we watched Jacob's Ladder last night. This was our second try after a scene put a bad taste in Alexis's mouth. I have to say this: for the hour of build up with him seeing demons and everything, they sure forgot that in the last hour of the movie. Seriously, we went from Jacob seeing demons once every fifteen minutes or so, to it being more like a John Grisham novel where a guy tries to sue the government. And, yes, this is an anti-war movie, namely anti-Vietnam. That would be great if it were made in the '70's. Unfortunately, it was made in 1990.

I think that's part of it for me, though. I wasn't alive for the Vietnam war, so its hard for me to relate to the character. I was, though, in the Iraq War, and can relate to the general feel of what the characters were supposed to be going through, although, very loosely. What it felt like to me was PTSD. What they pinned it on in the movie was Agent Buzz. After all, the government only wanted to drug our soldiers unwillingly to make them better fighters. Sure, they killed each other, but who cares? They're only soldiers, right. Bullshit, movie. I'm sorry, but the government cares more about the people who potentially sacrifice their lives a whole lot more than you give them credit for. Sure, its not perfect, but to say that the government is nothing but a bunch of monsters? Bite me.

A few people have told me that it felt like Silent Hill to them. Maybe. I'd say Silent Hill 2, and that's not a complement. See, Silent Hill 2 and Jacob's Ladder have the same problem: the build up has nothing to do with what's going on, and no one gets that. I'm not going to spoil Jacob's Ladder anymore than I did. But, here's the issue with Silent Hill 2: James gets a letter from his dead wife. He goes to Silent Hill to investigate. He gets attacked by monsters until he remembers that he killed his sick wife. After coming to grips with his guilt, he defeats the monsters.

Simple plot... except for why he forgot he killed his wife. I can somewhat understand going into a town after getting a letter from your dead wife to investigate. But, people make James seem like this horrible person. "He killed his sick, suffering wife! He deserves to be punished!" Here's the big, glaring issue with this: She begged him to kill her to end her suffering. Sure, he'd feel guilty about that, and it may not be right. But the fact is, she was in pain, and she wanted to end it. I may not back his actions of killing her, but going so far as to say that he did it because he was a ruthless bastard? He did it because he loved her. Letting her suffer more would seem more cruel to him. Also, why do most of the monsters represent sexual repression? I've heard, "he hadn't gotten any since his wife was sick." I'm pretty damn sure he had bigger things to worry about than getting laid. Like, you know, his dying wife!

Finally, I'm to the point where I've pretty much given up on Crackdown 2 being a playable game. I will dare to say this: Singularity was actually slightly, very slightly, better than Crackdown 2. Here's why: At least the game is playable. Every time I turn around in Crackdown 2, I get stuck because fifteen guys are shooting rockets at me. As I've said before, for some reason, rockets stop you in mid-step instead of sending you flying. So, when you can't progress in a game because you can't move, how do you expect to play it? Not to mention the unbeatable mission where you need another player, too. Oh, and the fact that the buildings are virtually unclimbable at max agility. The last grip is always just out of reach.

Here's the thing: if you want a free roaming game that you can be a jerk in, play The Saboteur, Red Faction: Guerrilla, or, if you have a PS3, Infamous. Hell, even Red Dead Redemption, which is a fantastic game, but not a jerk game. Or go play the original Crackdown. I'll guarantee that you'll have more fun with those than Crackdown 2.

First Reactions: Mass Effect 2

Welcome again, reader. Today, I am musing about the first impressions of a big title game: Mass Effect 2. Note: I was hesitant to buy this game due to how it has been advertised as a "sex sim." It's actually thanks to Bennet the Sage from thatguywiththeglasses.com that I actuall got interested in this game.

Controls:

Pros: Mostly tight. The aiming and gun play is better, the dialogue trees aren't changed (a good thing). The addition of Paragon and Renegade QTE's may seem like a little much, but they actually fit in pretty well.

Cons: Combat, and I'm the only one that may think this, is a bitch. ME1 did a clever thing with the non-reloading weapons, ME2 does away with that... mostly. It's explained that you have to reload a thermal clip when it overheats. The problem is that most of your weapons need to be reloaded after only a few shots. Oddly enough, it reminds me of Borderlands' combat, but in third-person, and not as well developed. Movement is way too slow, the sprint is too short of a distance, and for some inexplicable reason, some cover you can't shoot from, nor hop over.

Aesthetics:

Pros: No pop in graphics (mostly). Great voice acting. The return of some characters looking different is a good touch.

Cons: It's painfully obvious that the Hollywood stars, i.e. Michael Dorn, Martin Sheen, and Keith (Badass) David, steal the show from the "unknowns." Yvonne Strahovski (Miranda) seems to be there only to be a sex symbol or an absolutely annoying, condescending bitch who can't act. Some graphic pop ins, and major graphic errors (wanna see the inside of a Krogan's mouth?)

Characters:

Pros: Mostly better developed that ME1. Garrus and Tali are always welcome back to the series as far as I'm concerned. Jacob Taylor is freaking awesome. Joker and Dr. Chakwas return, with some humorous events along with them. Grunt is more interesting than I thought he'd be, and Mordin is funny and cool as hell. AI is pretty good. The addition of a human female love interest for both genders of Shepard is fine... but what about the occasional gay gamer?

Cons: Miranda and Jack are both annoying. Miranda can fight, but usually dies first due to bull rushing the offense. I haven't used Jack for fear that she might have sex with the enemy instead of killing them. I haven't gotten Thane, Legion, or Samara yet. Enemies like to target you, and leave allies alone. The game is obviously meant for teenage boys and men with nothing better to do, due to the fact that you have more relationships that appeal to straight male gamers or lesbian gamers than a straight female or gay gamer.

Player:

Pros: Importing your Shepard is awesome. Being able to change class and looks is good too. The Adept class is very well done.

Cons: Um... what about the scars in the first game? Changing your looks seems counter-productive in the story if you import.

Story and Etc:

Pros: Good writing and execution. Loyalty quests had a more TV show feel to the game. The return of some characters is a good addition... but...

Cons: The end mission stat screen pulls away from the games feels. The loyalty missions seem tacked on at points. The enemy is never really developed like Saren was. The game is on the short side for an RPG. I'm half-way through it in 10 hours. The return of some characters seem forced and very against who they are.

Overall so far: I'm not done with it yet, but it's not a bad game. The first was better by far, though, in the story area. The characters in this have the much needed development that only a few had in the first (i.e. Tali had a interesting backstory and culture, but Ashley did not). But, the writers seemed to have forgotten how real people (much less their characters) would react if they saw someone who was dead for two years. If you liked the first, this is worth a play. More on it later.

Returning To An Origin

I mentioned to a friend awhile ago that I want to start writing a graphic adventure game. What some of you may not know is that I was writing one shortly after I got out of the Army, but I lost the text file when my Toshiba was hacked. I was pissed off, and decided to take a break from it. After about two years, I think its about time to start on it again. That's right, Andrew Taliesin may be returning.

For those of you not in the know, Andrew Taliesin, the main character of Taliesin: The Gemini Agenda, is an agent of the "Abominable Crimes Unit" of the FBI who leads a team of agents that solve the most horrific homicides and rapes in America. He prefers to work on these cases (as opposed to robberies and minor assaults) because of a burning desire to study the insane criminal mind, not as a puzzle, but to understand why evil exists. He's bitter, sardonic, and suffers permanent injuries from a shooting five years ago, but shows kindness and has a gentle heart (when he shows it, which is rarely).  His team consists of his sister and "flowerchild empath," Flora Wintergreen; the spoiled rich computer software forensic tech, Karl Rade; ex-Triad assassin Charmane Tong; and ex-pornstar turned detective, Chevy Blake. And the team gets their biggest case yet, when they aren't expecting it.

In La Fayette, New York, a couple is found murdered in an alley, bodies arranged to represent the Tarot card, "The Lovers." When questioning the witnesses, Taliesin finds that the only one who saw the potential killer was a prostitute who described he killer as a "tall man dressed in black, with a silver mask." The killings progress, getting progressively morbid by the murder, and leaving clues that may lead the team to a shocking discovery, a conspiracy that extends past anything any government or religious group could ever imagine, and a group that intends to create a god.

Taliesin is not a game for the squeemish, obviously. But, the interesting thing I'm planning on is the art style. Each chapter will have traditional artwork for its intro screen, and any loading screens will be traditional artwork based on the characters or situation. I'm working on the character designs, as well as backgrounds, locations, and even puzzle designs. I'll post more on it (and some sample stuff) when it happens. For now, keep an eye out.