Plugging In

As I rack up the points, or at least try to, in the latest Call of Duty series called World at War, I find myself wondering if I'll be able to tolerate going through the entire leveling process all over again. Granted, this is only for those who wanted to play around with the extra custom class slot that's available. Sadly, you don't simply gain the rest in one shot. Each slot is unlocked at a particular "Prestige" level. Once a Prestige level is achieved, you start back at basic Level 1 in order to begin the level-up process all over again. This is fine for those who consistently play the game. But for the casual, this won't be the case. However, everyone has their style of play. Eventually it'll become natural to have a set of custom classes in order to maximize the flexibility of one's profile to accommodate a variety of situations, be it to take out a tank or to set up a sniper profile. That's why custom classes are needed.

Only recently have I finally surpassed the old Level 40 mark which was the limit of the beta that was released earlier. I am finding that getting to the next level is getting longer and longer, as the point gap between each level gets bigger. This isn't so great when it comes to the casual player. At least there's Headquarters where the points are usually plentiful there.

In other news, a long-time buddy of mine has recently published a review I submitted. I figure I'd plug his stuff on here since the review would eventually link back to here, where one will find a lot of foul language being used. So go ahead, read up and see what I was raving about, and maybe make a purchase to get one of your own. Well, that's if you got the cash for it.

For the time being, I have to regretfully halt any future purchases from Japan. This is due to the really dismal economy that's also affecting the dollar/yen exchange rate. And because of the rate going the wrong way, it means that getting any future items will end up being so much more expensive than before (I pay out more dollar per yen). Instead of something I'm determined to get, it has now become an item that I wish I could get. Yes, it is that bad now even with my picky selection of import figures. But that's the reality of it. And I blame damn GW Bush for it. Fuck you, Bush. Thanks for making all of our lives miserable for 8 fucking years.

Boot Camp: Part 2

Having played Call of Duty 4, I wasn't all too thrilled to be playing the new one (World at War).  However, things have surprisingly changed for once.  For starters, the weapons are nearly like night and day.  The map design appear to be considerably better and much more balanced out.

Granted, the weapons are designed around the World War II era, ammo is a bit of a major factor to how people take their shots.  As for me, I can't aim worth jack squat.

One of the major banes for me in CoD4 was this so-called Hardcore mode, where the game increases the power of the weapon such that you die much more quickly than before.  And because of this drastic change, trying to run across a mere street is impossible.  And if it's not possible, then it's not great to really try to run around and mount an offense.  This is especially true when you're down or pinned down and want to at least help turn the tide over for your team.  It frustrates me so much that I quit the game.  It's ridiculous that I cannot have a fighting chance.  And it is not due to not being a bad player.  I know when I suck if I cannot hit the side of a barn with a mere gun with 100% accuracy.  But not being able to go from cover to cover?  Hell fucking no.

Anyway, World at War was released.  And it didn't take me long to break down and get it.  I originally wanted to wait until there is some sort of hot sale to save a few bucks.  But that impulse took over and I grabbed it.  Well, even if there's no decent sale by December, at least I know I got an extra out of my purchase to make it a bit worth the money.

I'm not entirely sure if, after all of us get to the max level and stay there or worse yet start over in Prestige, it'll keep us entertained.  CoD4 didn't keep me in there because nobody wanted to play Normal mode in it.  And I sure hope that World at War will at least keep some things sane and not end up being the same pile of shit (but with different shit) that CoD4 was.  I guess I'll know in a few months...

First Time for Everything

Many years have I not opted to vote personally on a presidential election.  That's usually because I am not much of a voter.  However, I looked up information and gathered what was necessary.  The information was there.  And I just happen to be in the neighborhood in the morning.  I figure I'd stop by and see how the process work and what type of ballot system my state was using at the time.  Yes, I was curious to see if the votes will be counted or be flawed by design.

Because of the "hanging chad" incident in Florida in the 2000 election, it has left a foul mark on how to proceed with improving the ballot system.  Since then, the people wanted an improved ballot and voting system that would soon make it easier to place votes and be reliably counted.  Electronic voting is what can be defined as that.  My state wasn't using it, thankfully.  In the years to come, there would be plentiful of news regarding the electronic voting system that were deployed.  Many of the news range in horror stories from cracking the system to votes gone missing.

So far, there have been no voting horror stories aside from the long lines waiting to cast.  And in the end, I find some propositions were passed and some denied.

Moving on, having played the Call of Duty 4 game, I was not all that optimistic nor enthusiastic to play the World at War beta.  But considering that I am willing to give the game a try to see how it holds up, I find myself participating in the beta to determine its worth.

From what I've gathered, several of the flaws inherited from CoD4 is present in the game.  That includes the shitty retarded server browser and the worthless and retarded spawning system in place for Domination gameplay.  However, the game seem to perform well and I have not seen any outstanding issues yet.  The weapons seem balanced and I do not find any one weapon to be overly powerful.  The perks look interesting despite inheriting most from the CoD4 game.  And the maps look to be designed well.  Unfortunately, this doesn't guarantee that I will buy the game on release day (Nov 11).  A different game takes priority.  But things can change...

Another Year, Another Day

I'm not one to celebrate birthdays.  I just find it as just another day like any other day of the week.  As Guild Wars ramps up the Halloween theme to their game, other online games seem to be doing the same in their own way.  Grand Theft Auto IV turns your character into a zombie.  And other intellectual properties run by NCSoft are also decorated or celebrating the spooky holiday.  I, though, do not really like to really celebrate the occasion.  I just find it too troublesome having to answer the door just to hand a few kids some candies and treats.  Sure they're just doing it for fun.  I just think it's bothersome.

So with only days away from the 2008 US Election, it won't be long until I am finally rid of these pathetic political bullshit ads.  I'm pulling for Obama as he and his running mate appear to be more of the complete package than McCain and his dimwitted pick of a VP.  Granted, whoever is elected is going to inherit a lot of shitty fucked up mess that G.W. Bush left behind.  That fucking prick...

On a lighter note, man years ago, Budweiser unveiled to the world the biggest catchphrase on the Super Bowl.  8 years later, the folks responsible for making this commercial are back in this little clip.

True.  True.

You hereby agree to ...

You've seen them.  Those agreements that you have to click "Yes" to in order to install a program, use a program, or use an online service.  Sometimes they're dubbed as EULA but that's not really what all of them are called.  Some are just some sort of service usage agreement where they have certain rules set up so you cannot sue the living shit off of the company or provider.  Yeah, it's pretty lame on how it's has infiltrated our daily lives now.  These days we just simply ignore what the bunch of useless bullshitting legalese text say and click on the "Yes" or "Agree" button/checkbox.  All it was is a bunch of annoying shit that we cannot be bothered to read from top to bottom as half the time we cannot even begin to translate what their stuff says.

So when I install applications and programs, I usually click through all that just so I don't have to deal with all that.  It's just an unnecessary step that I have to hop over just so I can get to using something I know has been working so far.  The least thing the software developers could have done is to simply warn users that using said program may do odd things and that they are not responsible to what happens to your data should something really really bad happen.

Then today as I do my daily scan of various news sites or to check on what's news since seeing the site has updated, I came across this article with regards to the recent release of Disney's Sleeping Beauty on Blu-Ray disc.  What bewilders me is how much legal bullshit text is in there.  Just what kind of asshole sat at the desk for hours just to write up a bunch of useless legal bullshit for a movie that is... *ahem* to be viewed by children?  Even more absurd is why such a thing exist?  Sure there may be something interactive but can't we leave all the really interactive shit on devices that does the job better?  Like a Wii?  Or 360?  Or PS3?  Or PC?  Or Mac?  Seriously, whoever's in charge of producing and managing the Blu-Ray department at Disney ought to be brought out and shot, along with the prick who wrote up that shit.

So by reading this post, you hereby agree that you don't give a rats ass on what I say and go on your merry way.  But hey, who reads License Agreement these days?  Nobody, I tell you.  Nobody.