Trigger Happy

If you were worried that Lost Planet 2 wouldn't offer the level of character customization you were hoping for, you can stop worrying now. Check out this blog post from someone who is apparently, in the know (I wasn't able to figure out who "Snow" is but he definitely has a wealth of knowledge to share). Character appearance is extremely customizable:

The game is loaded with various factions, all with their own cultures. You'll be getting parts to these characters as you play, and it's all interchangeable. You'll be able to swap out heads/helmets, torso/armor, backpacks/t-eng canisters, and their legs/boots. Not only that, but each of those pieces has various colors and patterns to choose from.

Plus, there will be abilities, weapons, emotes (the next level of T-bagging), and titles that can all be changed to make your character even more unique than your friends' characters. Lost Planet 2 is sounding more and more like an RPG, which, in terms of customization, is a characteristic many of us here are particularly fond of.

Source

Cross-posted at Co-Optimus

My wife surprised me yesterday with a Wii for our anniversary! We only have Super Mario Party 8 and Wii Sports but we'll be adding more to our collection soon. We also had a GameCube way back when we started dating so we'll dig those games out too.

So far the Wii is exactly what I've expected. Lots of fun, simple games that get you off of your chair/couch which is a nice change. I'm impressed with all the channels available but the community features are lacking. What the hell is with the Wii ID code thing? That's just ridiculous.

Graphics, of course, could be better. Its hard to go from Xbox 360 to Wii but at least the graphics are very clean and pleasant to look at. I like the integrated WiFi (connection was a breeze) but I would have opted for an ethernet port since I already have a switch in my cabinet.

Overall, I'm really excited about having a Wii finally. I'm excited that Payton should be able to start playing some of these games. Of course, its every gamer dad's dream of having kids that will game with them. My wife rocks!

If you have a Wii, feel free to add me. My code is: 4351-0219-0087-7428

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!

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!

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!