Mirror's Edge

On Friday, I picked up a copy of Mirror's Edge from Wally World for twenty five bucks. It was reduced in price. They must not have been selling many copies. Which is a shame, really. It turned out to be a fine game.

I consider this game to be a "sleeper". In other words, an excellent game that the masses won't catch onto until later down the road (despite the good reviews). The main reason is that it doesn't fit into a popular genre of electronic gaming. Much like the Valkyria Chronicles, it appeals to a niche crowd in the market for now.

It's something different, which is what I like. Willingness to try new avenues is what pulls in fans for a new title and keeps things fresh. There's talk of this title being a trilogy. I certainly hope so.

I also highly recommend gamers give Mirror's Edge a try.

It's also convinced me that EA can actually market a decent game, with a chance of lasting appeal, outside of the sports genre. The only other non-sports EA game I cared anything about was Black. However, despite being a decent (and over the top gonzo) shooter, the appeal of the title is not what I would call enduring. I played through Black a couple of times, then lost interest.

But there are trophies and time trials that will keep me playing Mirror's Edge for a while.

The only real gripe I have with Mirror's Edge is the use of animated cutscenes, as opposed to CGI similar to the in-game experience and character interactions. They don't really "fit", and disrupt the "flow" of the game overall. But this is only a minor nit pick on my part.

Well, that is it for my random bullshit for now. As I said before, I highly recommend Mirror's Edge. I suspect that many of you won't be disappointed with it.

As they say in "happy land", have a nice day.

Out Come The Knives...........

Same old shit, different day. That's how the old saying goes.

A new manager was hired a few weeks ago, and I had a bad feeling from the get-go. Experience is a harsh teacher. And my suspicions are slowly being validated.

It's almost eerie how history repeats itself. Or else, Human nature is just that damned predictable.

Here's how it goes......

1. The new manager has (or so I'm told) similar experiences from her past as the last long serving manager we had.

2. She's jealous of her position, to the point of being paranoid and insecure of employees "undermining" her, by going over her head or being friends with past supervisors. Just like the last long serving manager at this place (who's currently pulling time for embezzlement).

3. People whom I have known PERSONALLY for years (and consider friends outside of work) are getting cozy with her, to secure better standings for themselves. My Rule Number Five, on my list of rules of workplace survival, is "Don't Trust Co-workers Who Try To Get In Good With The White Hats". My rules are ironclad, because they work. And they have ALWAYS rang true.

4. She already has a list of family, friends, and associates that she want's to get "in the door", so to speak. The last long serving manager also had a nepotistic streak.

5. The guy over her, who was traditionally anal about having a hand in the hiring and firing, has now done a 360 degree turnaround. He's now telling us that all handling of such matters fall squarely on her. See number four above.

6. She doesn't like me. And I don't like her. And we both know it. While the professional interaction between us is cordial, it still doesn't bode well for me.

Already, the knives are already coming out of the scabbards. And they're very... fucking... sharp. So-called "friends" will eventually turn on each other, because of the "every man for himself" mentality in that place. Looks like I'll have to start watching my back, and return to my old policy (from previous jobs) of trusting no one. I'll simply clock in, do what I have to do, clock out and go home. Period. It's my longstanding policy to stay out of workplace politics. I'm simply going to take that policy to the next level.

Sure, it all sounds paranoid and melodramatic. Hell, it sounds like something out of a friggin' daytime soap opera. But sadly folks, it's all too true. If you worked there, you would see what I'm talking about.

In any case, I'll post updates as time passes for your amusement folks. As much as I hate the drama, even I have to admit that this shit is better than Jerry Springer. And I have to put up with some of the same shit stains he features on his poor excuse for a talk show.

On a side note, I'm seriously considering taking my Associate's Degree to the next level, and shoot for my Bachelor's. If all goes well, then a Master's in Criminal Justice. Then I can teach on the Community College level (I sure as hell don't want to teach High School students, not with how kids are today). I need to get the fuck out of constantly falling into jobs loaded with backstabbers and "mouth breathers".

Xin Sheng and Good Day.

No Big Deal, But Still Proud Anyway.

Well, I finally "completed" Motorstorm: Pacific Rift tonight. I broke Legend (Bronze) on the Online Ranking. Thus giving me the gold "Legend" trophy. My 49th trophy.

Which, in turn, unlocked the platinum trophy "Overachiever". The final one. Now all vehicles are unlocked.

It's been one hell of a thrill ride. I'm just a bit miffed that the online leaderboards are not updating like they should.

Aw, screw it. I'm pretty much done with online Ranked play, anyway. If I race anymore online, it'll be casual games. Which won't be much, since hardly anybody plays casual races online. So, I should not give a rat's ass what the boards show.

All that matters is that I finished the game, as I did with the first Motorstorm. The "complete freak" in me is satisfied. I'm feeling pretty damned proud of myself, even though it's really no biggie.

Now, I'm just waiting for Motorstorm: Arctic Edge. And the accompanying frustration that'll come with it.

But I'm a sucker for punishment.

The Fox And The Capellan.

Over the last few days, I've been seeing a small number of "baby" foxes in my backyard. Apparently, they have a den in what we call the "Old House", which has long since collapsed. It's the perfect hiding place for these critters.

I'm kinda glad that foxes are doing well around here, despite the presence of coyotes. Coyotes, an invader species in Southeastern North Carolina, has been (supposedly) putting a dent in the fox population.

In any case, I saw the female today bringing the little foxes something to eat (probably a rabbit).

Normally, when I'm out and about, I keep a rifle on the back porch (either my Winchester M1894AE or WASR 10/63 AK clone) in case I see a coyote (there are numerous coyotes in my area, and our policy is "shoot on sight"). But I have no intention of popping the foxes unless they attack my outside cat (who has her kittens well hidden).

These little symbols of Davion imperialism has been providing this Capellan fan lots of sightseeing amusement. I'll enjoy it while I can, since they are about big enough to leave the den here soon.

The joys of country living.

More Of "Barry's" Antics.................

Our old buddy Barry O is at it again. Of course, anything he does is no surprise to me anymore.

There was the Air Force One photo op incident here recently, which Obama bin Biden feigned ignorance of. I find it hard to believe that our Community Activist in Chief had no idea that his personal ride was being used to buzz the Statue of Liberty for a PR shoot (and no one in the NYC government being informed about it). But that is old news, and another story for another day.

What concerns me is the recently planned release of 17 Chinese Uighur terrorists from Guantanamo Bay. These "bomb throwers" were part of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, who were captured at an al-Queda training camp. Not shocking they were there really, considering that group's ties with Bin Laden and al Queda.

Okay. Now we all know that Komrade Obama made it clear that Gitmo was going to be done away with at some point. Stupid, to be sure. But to be expected of a Marxist of his ilk.

Now, here is where it gets better..........

They are planning on releasing them right here, in the United States. That's right, ON AMERICAN SOIL.

What...the...mother....fuck?!?

There was strong opposition to this by the interagency panel created to deal with the issue of terrorism. The loudest griping came from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. And guess what? The White House overrode their recommendations. Congress will be "briefed" on the planned release (if they hadn't already). I only hope that our Congressional critters will raise enough stink to get Dear Leader to change his tune. But I highly doubt that will happen, with the number of Obama's ideological soulmates in the legislature. The War on Terror is a legacy policy from the previous administration. And most hard leftists believe that current "evils" affecting America are somehow all Bush's fault, even those that arise in this post-Bush era (I'm only half joking here).

I also wouldn't be surprised that the DHS's opposition was a political smoke screen. After all, it's headed by Obama appointee, and radical feminist ball buster, Janet Napolitano. I can't see the minons of His Royal Higness offering (or daring to offer) opposition to his policies. It's not a good idea in the political arena to bite the hand that appoints you.

This is stupidity of the highest fucking order. These guys are part of the international Islamic terrorist network, a collection of terror groups with differing levels of ties with one another. al Queda is one of the "big boys" in this society of cutthroats. And the East Turkestan movement is associated with them. Hell, al-Queda is TRAINING (and possibly equipping/funding) the motherfuckers.

The friend of my enemy is my enemy, in this case.

Add in the fact that we've had these asshats detained, I'm sure they don't like us too awful much (as if they did before they were busted). All it would take is for al Queda to "ask nicely". Over time, we may see these boys on the news again, after they've blown the fuck out of something here in the States.

They shouldn't be released. Period. Here or anywhere else.

I would hope that this would be a wake up call for the morons who fell under the sway of Hopenosis and Changeology. There have been examples previously of why Obama was a Bad Idea(tm). But it just keeps getting worse.

Is the next election here yet?

Would You Like Some Cheese With That Whine?

Let's get straight to the point here. We ALL complain about something. Hell, some of us like it.

For me, the little bitch sessions I carry on sometimes are a way to vent off steam. It's the same with many folks. When you talk about about your "bad day" with someone close to you, that's complaining, but in a positive way. There is nothing wrong, at the very core of it, with complaining.

But there is a such thing as negative complaining. Whining (aka: Pissing and Moaning) is one such example of bad (read: fucking annoying) complaining.

I post over on the Ubisoft forums. The HAWX boards, to be exact. And talk about whiners! Jesus H. Christ, some of them are worse than five year olds with a tooth ache. Over a Goddamned game.

I generally ignore them and post in a civilized manner. And I only pay attention to the posters that air their complaints concerning the game's problems in a mature manner. But it gets worse when the trolls come out to feed. The whiners at Ubi.com are as bad as the dumbasses, over on 4chan, who just can't resist the urge to feed the trolls. Some threads that start out decent, degenerate into pointless bickering between childish members and those that troll them.

As they say on 4chan: "Successful Troll Is Successful". But on some sites, the trolls don't have to work awful hard.

Anyway......

People have to realize that Ubisoft has a rather mixed history concerning game quality. I've known this since I first played Ghost Recon on my then-brand new (and rather bulky), first Playstation 2. Some of their games have been problem free for me, others glitchy/buggy as all hell. HAWX falls somewhere in between in my experience.

Yes, I get pissed when I get booted (or have hosted players get kicked) from a Team Death Match. I've had minor issues with online co-op. And offline, I've had occasional "game freeze" and frame rate glitches.

But that's par for course for Ubisoft. And Ubi vets, like yours truly, have learned that's part of the deal when buying their products. You may get get Sterling Silver. Or you may get Pure Shit. Which means patches and updates out the ass (which only concerned me recently. I've only been gaming/downloading PS3 stuff online for roughly a couple of months).

Now I understand some feeling like they're not getting their money's worth, especially with the price of third generation console games. But air your grievences like an adult, and not like a spoiled, rich teenaged socialite whose parents didn't buy them the Beemer they wanted.

The patches will come whenever. The remaining bugs may, or may not, get fixed. DLC? Yes, we're getting some cool planes (Viggens and Floggers for the fucking win). Be happy we are getting SOMETHING from Ubi this soon after release. Hell, the Motorstorm fans are still wondering when the shit we're getting ANY downloadable content from Evolution Studios, for Pacific Rift. I'm sure we will get some new maps for HAWX. It's just a matter of being PATIENT.

But some assholes want it all NOW. And whine like spoiled brats when they don't get it.

If one wants instant gratification, that's what jerking off/ fingering yourself is for. It doesn't necessarily apply to everything else in life.

And maybe if people could be more mature, then some Ubi developer would be happy to address the issues on the Ubisoft forum. But until then, all we'll hear is the crickets chirping.

End of rant. From glorious Sian, Citizen Oldfart signing off for now.