Merry Christmas!
by smurph on Dec.24, 2009, under gaming
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone has a blast this Christmas season. I know I haven’t posted in a long time and that really sucks… a lot (sorry). We’ve been incredibly busy and frankly, have had some weird happenings going on keeping us from blogging among other things. But Christmas is turning out pretty well!
So lets catch up… A few months ago, Borderlands FINALLY made it to our doorstep and we couldn’t be happier. The game is an absolute blast! We’ve logged 45 hours in the game and we’ve still got a ways to go. We have a few minor complaints, but overall, its definitely one of our favorites.
The following month, Halo 3 ODST came out and we had a blast with that one as well! The campaign really surprised me, I was not expecting such a gripping story and incredible graphics. Its hard to believe its just a tweaked Halo 3 engine. We’ve also had a lot of fun with Firefight which is definitely way more exciting than survival/horde modes in other games. I really hope Bungie is working on some Firefight DLC, but it doesn’t sound like that will happen. Firefight could definitely use some more maps.
Earlier this month, my lovely wife gave me an early Christmas present. Just like last year, we were slaying zombies before Christmas, this time in Left4Dead2. The game definitely has a lot to offer despite all the controversy. Although, I must say, I wouldn’t pay full price for it. The survivor AI got dumber and the AI director got tougher. After the fourth time one of our AI buddies spooked a witch, I started getting really annoyed. We left them behind quite a bit because going back for them was usually more trouble than it was worth. Overall, it is a fun game, and I look forward to logging some more hours on it. I’m not sure I want to try the next difficulty without having a full crew of friends though. The AI was just too aggravating and I don’t think we stand a chance with them.
Achievements! Wow, I’ve had fun with achievements lately. I’ll just list my recent favorites…
From Left4Dead2: CL0WND, CLUB DEAD, and HEAD HONCHO were all a blast.
From Halo 3 ODST: Be Like Marty (drove my wife around on a ‘hog), Vidmaster Challenge: Déjà Vu, Vidmaster Challenge: Classic (way easier than I thought it would be), and Vidmaster Challenge: Endure.
From Borderlands: You’re on a boat! (ok, I confessed, I kind of cheated on this one), Facemelter (LOVE corrosive weapons… *sizzle*), and that’s it so far. I really want to figure out what the rest of those secret ones are but without cheating 
.
I’m REALLY looking forward to Halo Reach. The trailer was fantastic. I’d link to it but I won’t because I strongly recommend you download it on your 360 and see it in HD with glorious sound. I’ve watched it several times now and I’m still all giddy.
Another one on my list is Brink. There are four videos on XBL for that as well. They show off the SMART system of movement which is pretty snazzy. Its Mirror’s Edge craziness but easier (or at least the dev made it look easy). The other videos show off a few different classes and the objective system. Brink is really shaping up and six player co-op has me extremely excited. If there’s no split screen, I’m going to be extremely bummed.
That’s about in on the game front and I don’t have a whole lot to add about anything else either. If you see me online this weekend or next week, send me an invite! Tuesday, we’re getting together with my brothers for some in-person gaming but other than that, we’re pretty free. So again, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Can I Has Reconz?
by smurph on Nov.21, 2009, under gaming
There’s a ViDoc for that.
Bungie was nice enough to let everyone earn their recon armor with the addition of Halo 3: ODST. I’m not quite there yet (still need classic and deja vu) but I’ll be there soon. If you’re having trouble with the Road to Recon or are in the mood for some good ol’ Bungie developer humor, check out the latest ViDoc.
WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Watch at your own risk. You’ve been warned!
Life in Pandora
by FoxxyLadie on Nov.04, 2009, under gaming
I thought I would follow up my last post with something a little more up-beat by talking about the new Borderlands game… which I’m really enjoying. For me, personally, I know I’m really into a game when I go to bed at night and instead of falling into a nice peaceful slumber, I am still in a constant state of kicking zombie/skag/horde ass mode. This could also be a sign that I have an addiction and I’m in need of an intervention, but as long as it doesn’t interfere with my ability to take care of my two kids, then I don’t think its too serious of a problem
Before I go on, I should probably remind those of you who are looking for tips, or a good/bad review about the game, to look elsewhere. You probably won’t find any useful pointers here… lol.
I’m currently playing the game as Lilith. She’s the only female role in the game, which I was pretty bummed about at first, because honestly, as I told my husband… I would much rather watch her than play her. She is definitely one of the hottest characters for a video game I’ve seen thus far. As my husband and I started getting into the game, the more I started to realize just how kick-ass she really is. Besides being a pretty attractive, sassy, redhead she has the power of invisibility where she not only has increased speed during this time, but also has the ability to harm her enemies with a shock-wave upon returning to her normal self. Granted her power lasts less than a minute and there is a cool-down time, but it’s a great way to sneak up on your enemies and surprise them from behind. Now I know some of you may think this is a pretty cheap fighting tactic… ya know sucker punch them from behind or when they least expect it, but she could always be a little less ballzier than she already is. For instance, my husband is playing through the game as Mordecai. Mordecai has what I guess you could call a sidekick. A pretty powerful falcon that he can send in to attack enemies. So while I personally go in (with use of my invisibility), he uses his pet bird to do his dirty work… lol.
The game seems to have a never ending supply of weaponry. My favorite weapon being the KKA22 Static SMG which sends a nice bolt of electricity through your enemy… works well on skags. I also enjoy the T04 C Detonating SMG, which, in most cases, will kill your enemy in one shot. I am still hunting for a decent sniper rifle, but I usually let my husband take care of the sniping. I don’t have the patience to sit back and snipe all my enemies. I tend to run ahead, which works fine in this game, because if I get too carried away I can always use my invisibility to run back, unharmed, with my fiery red hair wagging between my legs. Yikes… that sounds worse than I thought it would!!
Anyways… the world itself is quite a bit bigger than I expected it to be. I thought we would be through with the game by now, but it’s difficult to find the time when you have two kiddies around. The only negative thing I have to say about the game is that you cant play splitscreen online. Which is difficult for my husband and I because if one of us finds the time to do some gaming the other is usually in the mood to do the same. My husband keeps pushing me to buy another xbox. Its a difficult process trying to make a full blown tech geek understand that its a waste.. lol.
We have yet to get through Halo ODST, so if your up for that, we could use the company!
Game Over, Infinity Ward
by smurph on Nov.04, 2009, under gaming
Congrats, Infinity Ward, you’re on my Shit List. I’d tell you why but everyone knows you won’t listen and you’ll just tell us it’s better your way.
Life as an at Home Mom
by FoxxyLadie on Nov.03, 2009, under IRL
If one more person makes a rude comment to me about how they believe I have it easy for being an at home mom/wife, I’m going to shove my fist down their throat. I’ve had my fair share of difficult jobs. I’ve worked as an assembly line worker for Rubbermaid where you have to be quick and on your feet… working 12 hour shifts at a time. I worked as a maid for the Holiday Inn scrubbing god knows what off the walls, cleaning up after people’s disgusting drug habits, and midnight joy rides. I worked on a greenhouse plantation (40+ greenhouses) where my job was to label every plant/shrub/tree that was thrown in my direction, most of which had thorns that i had to wrap my arms in or around, which left me with a few nasty scars. Last but not least, before becoming a mother, I worked as a pharmacy tech for Walgreens where my job was to fill prescriptions and interact with people and their insurance companies. These jobs were all difficult and stressful in their own ways, but nothing has been harder on me then the job I have now.
Every job requires a certain amount of responsibility and a certain amount of time and care, but when you’re a parent, you don’t have a time card, you don’t have a weekend off. Your day is spent tending to their needs and their calls and with a three year old with a 50 word vocabulary and an 8 month old, everything is a guessing game. They can only tell you what they are needing at the time with a cry, a whine or a grunt. Everything around them is brand new and they explore all of these new things first by using their mouth. It doesn’t matter what it is… a rock, a bug, a shoe… it all goes straight into their mouth. Then there’s the diaper changing and the potty training… neither of which would be so bad if you didn’t get the occasional accident on the floor, or the diaper that somehow managed to stay completely untouched while the rest of your baby seems to be covered from head to toe in baby poo. You also have the teething, the occasional boo boo, and then, of course, you have the responsibility to teach them everything the world has to offer, and to prepare them for life on their own, all the while trying to keep them safe and secure, making them feel loved and wanted, making them feel special and a part of something truly amazing.
It’s up to me to make sure they grow up to be the best person they can be. Whatever it may be, whoever they become… its up to me to make sure they get there and that they are happy.
If you want to believe that your job is more difficult… thats fine. All I ask is that you keep these opinions to yourself. I’m tired of rude people trying to make me feel worthless. My life means something to my girls and that’s all that matters. If the only thing I ever accomplish in my life is raising these two girls to be happy with who they are, then I can live with that.
Yup… so kiss my ass!!
Google Voice Just Got Better
by smurph on Oct.28, 2009, under tech
Google Voice recently added a feature that really appeals to me. There are times where I work in buildings where I have no service on my cell phone. Google Voice has helped this situation by allowing me to forward my Google Voice number to wherever I am. The problem is, not everyone has my Google Voice number, and even if they did, they’d still see my cell number whenever I call them. If someone calls my cell phone and leaves a message when its out of service, I don’t get the message until I’m on the road, which is usually too late.
The new feature Google Voice has added is allowing me to using Google Voice for voicemail on my cellphone. It doesn’t work with all cell providers but they hit the major ones including US Cellular (who I use) which usually is left by the wayside. Not only does it consolidate voicemail boxes, it also allows me to forward my cell calls to my Google Voice number which then dials any number I set up. So now I can even receive those calls that I would normally miss and I don’t really need to hand out my Google Voice number.
If you’re tired of me raving about Google Voice and just want to try it, I have three invites to hand out. Leave a comment or dm me on twitter with your email address and I’ll hook you up! (If you leave a comment, I’ll already have your email so you don’t need to include it in your comment)
Also, sorry for the lack of posts lately. We’ve been very busy the past few months. I’ll be posting some gaming stuff soon (hopefully).
@mikeyface’s Pre-Order Bonus
by smurph on Oct.04, 2009, under gaming
If you’ve been following the Borderlands news, you’re probably well aware of the crazy promise Mike Neumann made over Twitter last week. To recap, in case you missed it, Mikey promised valuable loot to anyone who could prove they’ve preordered Borderlands. Of course, I jumped on that offer as fast as I could and earned myself a spot on his list (above… 3rd page, 1st column, 10th name).
I’m very excited about this for three reasons. First, the achievement I previously mentioned which is awarded for playing a co-op game with a Gearbox employee or someone who has the achievement. Obviously this isn’t the most important reason, but it would be cool to achieve this one firsthand.
Second, LOOT! One of the best parts of Borderlands is the loot, even better is free loot from a Gearbox employee. That’s pure money.
Third, and most important, I just want to chat with a Gearbox employee. That would be really cool. I can’t wait for this extremely rare opportunity.
Fight Like a Girl Halo Charity Tourney
by smurph on Oct.02, 2009, under gaming
You can’t beat gaming for a great cause! If you have $10 and are free that weekend, give it a shot!
Unfortunately, we have a very important wedding to attend that weekend so we won’t be participating 
.
Thanks to bsangel at HawtyMcBloggy.com for calling this to my attention.
Halo Legends Preview
by smurph on Sep.21, 2009, under gaming
Oh this is looking a TON better than I was expecting. Check this out!
I’m Prepared to Drop
by smurph on Sep.21, 2009, under gaming
I’m so pumped for Halo 3 ODST right now its not even funny. It runs wild tomorrow and my copy should be delivered tomorrow thanks to Amazon’s release date delivery. What’s odd is they waited until today to ship it with 1 day shipping. You’d think it would be more cost effective to use slower shipping and ship it on Friday or something especially since it only costs $5.98 for release date shipping. Anyway, I keep watching the live-action trailer, mouth watering with anticipation. I can’t wait any longer!
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