Playing Games with Strangers on Facebook

Some of you know that I've gotten heavily into Facebook recently.

I'm connecting with old friends, some from my childhood, some from my early career jobs and well basically from all walks of life. (When I start to think about all my friends who DON'T Facebook, it really starts astounding me just how many people I've connected with in the course of my life.)

However, what I've come to realize it, I'm enjoying playing with strangers rather than my friends/acquaintances. Friends complain when you send them invitation to new games. Strangers who signed up on forums to get their friendships up, don't mind the invites. They're the ones who WANT to try out new games and find the next fun thing on Facebook.

And so, my friends list consist of 400+ strangers, with about 150 friends/acquaintances. And out of those 400+ strangers, I get regular invitations from about 30 of them. They recognize that I have the power to block those applications if I don't want the notices anymore and so they invite, send with wild abandon.

And I am ever so grateful to them. From them, I'm finding out what the hottest latest games on Facebook is.

Above is SuperPoke! Pets. It's about the ONLY game I'm really playing with my friends. You go visit their pets and if you do, you both get rewarded. With this game, if they are your friend, you get to see their pet without any effort on your part (I think that's why I'm actually playing with friends.)

Other games, you actually have to invite them to join your mob/squad/zoo connection etc. Hence the motivation to play with strangers who have stated outright (by caring enough to write on a forum) that they want and like to play these types of games.

Saints Row Glitch

OMG! Too funny. We finished a mission on Saints Row 2 during while our protagonist was on fire. Well a glitch occurs and for the remainder of the time, our protagonist has sort of become The Human Torch. We are not of course, the first ones to discover this glitch, as evidenced by this search.

What was friggin' great was that the protagonist could set people on fire, yet drive a convertible with the flames spilling down the back all over the henchman without burning him up. Meanwhile, cars moved out of your way, the entire dialogue of surrounding people reflects the fiery state with questions like, "Does that hurt?" "God is punishing you." "I'm getting tired of your screaming." (This was due to the protagonist screaming her head off and yet her health status bar didn't move a millimeter)

So does that make us inured to violence? No, because I view this in the same way I view Bugs Bunny violence. It's not real.

By the way, Saints Row 2 is a great stoner's game. It's fun, challenging but yet forgiving in lots of ways and great as an audience game as well.

Endless Oceans, Yet Another Stoner Game!

Bratworse bought me this game this week.... Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

It's supposed to be a big secret because somehow, she feels embarassed that we own a copy of this, but she's been just as into it as I have been.

It's Endless Ocean for the Wii. Basically you get to explore... you got it! An endless ocean.



I highly recommend it as a stoner game.

Guitar Hero!

Well, this household's been rocking out the past two weeks. Our pal, Pogoboy, (he's a programmer that makes games for Pogo.com, hence the name) has been talking it up weeks to us, and we finally got one.

Both Bratworse and I can't wait to obtain a second guitar and we can BOTH rock out at the same time instead of taking turns.

Boy, do I wish all music was written the way Guitar Hero is written; I might've been a much better violinist now. It's truly fun and you do feel like you're playing a musical instrument which is the best part of the game.

Imagining you're a rock star with hordes of fans, certainly is a nice getaway after work.

Oh, btw, Danceteach just happened to engage me in video-chat the other day, and burst out laughing when he saw the wii-guitar slung around my neck. He said that it looked just like a ukelele and that "Ukelele Hero" just doesn't have the same ring.

Friends are those who mock you straight to your face.

Obsessions

So, it's been two weeks since we found New Worlds and though it's boring at times, we can't help but log on.

It's gotten so that I think I want to give up my WoW fees.

Within a day or so of us joining New Worlds, there was another player, Sabana who had joined up. By the end of week, I wanted to know who this person was. And I found out.

On the old game, my character had an affair before she got engaged (to Bratworse's character). It turns out that Sabana WAS that character I had an affair with. Talk about small world.

I hope she comes back (It's been around a week since she was last sighted). I enjoyed playing New Worlds with her.

Here We Go Again

Long time readers here know that Bratworse and I met through a MUD. Soon after she and I got together, we left the MUD we were playing and didn't look back.

Last week, we started a search for a new home to MUD in. And through trial and error, we finally hopped into New Worlds, a MUD run by a former player and pal of ours. Because so many of our friends play on New Worlds, we decided to tell no one of our plans - we wanted to see if we get recognized.

New Worlds is an RP world, which means the second you log on, you create a story for your character and you have to stay in character. Many people think this means talking in Rennaissance Faire language, like 'How art thee, Miss' but that's just not true. It means if you create a Centaur (like I did), you have to remember that you're a Centaur at all times, and if you're a peasant, you have to act like a peasant. If you want to act all high and mighty, then choose noble as your background.

Anyway, Bratworse and I thrive in this type of environment. We get to use our imagination, giggle and interact with other people. One of my character's quirks is, she nods to herself all the time, and she quotes her Ma's sayings all the time.

But here's what gets to me.

The first night we log on, we meet up with one of my best friends from the old MUD. I know who she is, but she has no idea Gryssic is me. And yet, within 15 minutes of rp'ing with me, she already knows it's me, and she tells the designer of the game that it's me. I figured out she knew it was me when the next day, she made me go apologize to one of her guildmates for interrupting his talk. She normally wouldn't make a person new to the game do that, but since she had a feeling it was me (the feeling was getting confirmed with each action I took in character), she had no problems humiliating me.

I confirmed everything with her today when I let her know Gryssic's me. But truth be told, I have missed her tremendously and I am soooo glad to be playing with her again.

I remember when she was just starting out in the other game... and how shy she seemed. I didn't know that she was just getting to know English (she's greek) but when I did, I used to translate for her. Now, she's an ex-GM (Guild Mistress) of this game.

I think we're both hooked.

Replacement MUD

Bratworse and I met through a MUD - a Multi-User Dungeon. 'K, get your head out of there - Dungeon as in D&D as in Dungeons and Dragons, NOT Dungeon as defined in the S&M world. (Man, that image really gives a whole new meaning to dungeon crawl - we gamers think of that term as going into dungeon after dungeon fighting creepy crawlies.)

This particular MUD sucked both of us, and we lost about four years each of our lives to this virtual world. Oh, what is a MUD? It's basically a D&D game that's text-based so everything is based on your imagination. When a Giant Hornet comes out of the Forest after you, you basically just see the words. The terror comes from your imagination AND the consequences from your character dying.

Both Bratworse and I miss MUDs terribly. It's very much participating in an on-going novel on which your character has to react to others. For instance, when my character used to walk into a room she pounced on people playfully. In my head, I could picture my character doing that and trust me, I wish I could do that in real life.

We spent about 5 hours last night searching for a replacement MUD. We wanted one that you could level a character up, that was 18+ so we could engage in MUDsex (trust me, there's a lot of that going on) and that was roleplay intensive. Nothing spoils the imagination like having a character all decked out in medieval armor come up to you and say, "Yo dude, whazzup?" or even worse, "BRB, AFK for 5."

So far, we've found roleplay intensive MUDs that allowed 13 year olds. We found Adult-Only MUDs that was ONLY about sex. We've found adult only roleplay intensive MUDs, but we didn't like the races or classes offered. UGH.

Our search goes on because both of us refuse to believe there was only one MUD out there like the one we were on. Neither of us want to go back to the one we met on, me because I ended up hating one of the Admin and some of the people there, her because hmm I'm not sure. I think she didn't like the Admin too.

Wii Wireless Sensor Bar by Nyko

Remember the stir-crazied cat I blogged about earlier in the week? Well, while we were at the hotel room, she decided the wire to the Wii's sensor bar was a good way to quell the time. To thwart her chewing capabilities, we splurged and bought a Wii wireless sensor bar by Nyko.

I finally had a chance to try it out the other night.

OMG! I am LOVING this bar. It is much more sensitive than the original and much less annoying, due to the lack of wires. (The original had like a 25 foot cord! Okay, I'm exaggerating but only a little) With the original, whenever I played Cooking Mama: Cook Off I had to reset the controller to make sure it was synched with the sensor bar correctly. With the new wireless and sensitive sensor bar, I just plunged into the game with no adjustments needed.

Bratworse is looking forward to getting our Rayman back from Writerboy and his wife so she can drum without worrying that the sensor didn't pick up her movements.

The only two drawbacks to the sensor bar? It uses four AA batteries, AND you have to either turn it off physically yourself, or put it on a 1 hour or 2 hour timer to shut it off.

If you own a Wii, consider plunking down $20 for this. Also, invest in rechargeable batteries. Your Wii remotes and your wireless sensor bar will love you. So will the environment AND your pocketbook.

Wii Moving Up?

Well, lookie here. Gamestop must've decided that the Nintendo Wii is coming up in this world. I remember that it used to be XBox 360, then PS3, then Nintendo Wii or something else. But now look at the order. PS3 has dropped down to 4th place, behind Nintendo DS even.

By the way, in the past two months, our pals Robbie & Kitty, E&B, RobnRoger (You have to say their names together like that and honestly? I've only just figured which was Rob and which was Roger about a year ago, after 8 years of knowing them), Writerboy & his wife, have all gotten Wiis. Only a few more of our friends to go and then Wii'll take over the world. [rubs her hands with glee]

Outwaiting Desires

This past three weeks as our condo was being fixed, Bratworse and I have had to share a small studio suite in a hotel with our stir-crazied cat. We brought the Wii but stupidly only brought one game. Somehow we ended up with all three laptops there (we originally only brought one) but mostly shared the Macbook Pro.

For a geeked out family, this was akin to pure hell. *GASP* Only one decent screen to share betwixt us?

After three weeks of sharing the Macbook Pro, I started checking out iMac and Mac Pro towers.

I think I've decided on the 24" iMac. Now to outwait this desire so I won't really have to spend the money. Any odds that I will actually succeed in thwarting my wishes?

Jump to Conclusions Much?

Apparently, a couple of people (like Dr. Phil) decided with no evidence whatsoever, that the shooter in the Virginia Tech shootings HAD to have played video games.

After all, video games like the Grand Theft Auto series depicted above, must be the reason why someone would shoot 32 people dead, right?

WRONG!

No video games, not even something as innocuous as Tetris, NONE was found in the shooter's room.

Can we stop jumping to conclusions about gaming now? SHEESH!

More Evidence

More evidence that the Nintendo Wii has hit mainstream. Norwegian Cruise Line has partnered with Nintendo to provide Wiis on all their cruise ships. Now instead of building tennis courts and bowling alleys, etc. on their cruise ships, they just plop in a Wii and people can have the same fun.

I must admit that I NEVER expected video games to hit the mainstream the way Nintendo Wii has. To see it around retirement homes and seeing the joy in seniors as they remember what it's like to move and have fun without fear of straining oneself... 'Tis a real heartwarmer

H/T Joystiq

One Out of Three...

...comments that ring true, ain't bad for Microsoft (considering their track record with me).

“Today’s games-and-entertainment enthusiast has an insatiable appetite for digital high-definition content,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president for Microsoft’s interactive entertainment business, in Redmond, Wash.

FALSE! I just bought Bratworse Animal Crossing which is a Gamecube game, and boy is she hooked. Graphics isn't high def and yet the fun quotient is extremely high.

John Rodman, group product manager for the Xbox platform and Xbox Live, said

“We don’t feel like the Wii customer and the Xbox customer are the same thing,”

TRUE! Since getting the Wii, we haven't spent ANY money on the XBox or the PS2, nor do we plan on spending money on their next-gen consoles. I will admit that I'm contemplating renting Fight Night Round 3 for the PS3 in two weeks simply because I will be spending some time with gamers that have the 360 and PS3, but we're bringing our Wii too. Wonder which system will win out at that geek party.

John Rodman also said

“We think that as soon as the Wii customer turns 14 they want something else.”

Again, FALSE! Well, it might be true of testosterone filled boys but this gamer who is 42 years old and is willing to spend oh, a thousand or so a year on my gaming habits doesn't seen anything on the high def line-up that appeals to me even remotely.

Now that I have Cooking Mama: Cook Off, it's Wii Music Orchestra I'm eagerly anticipating, despite the scant information about it.

Repeating History?

The GDC (Game Developers' Conference) is going on right now and it's something I like to read about and perhaps, one day attend either as a fan or a professional. Instead, I read accounts from sites like Joystiq and Gizmodo. Earlier today, I blogged about a comment made by someone from Maxis/EA about how the Wii was basically two Gamecubes duct taped together.

Now I read about how Mark Rein basically scoffs at Wii's computing powers and claims that the Unreal Tournament 3's engine won't make it to the Wii due to the lack of power.

All these comments are reminding me of American automakers when Toyota and Honda started selling in America.

'Nuff said?

Our household is looking to purchase probably about 2-3 more casual games for the Mac this next year. Probably 2-3 serious games for the PC and Mac - maybe more if I hit the lotto. We're looking to buy about 6-15 more games for the Wii in the next twelve months, depending on which titles are released. On March 20th, we're hoping to score Cooking Mama: Cookoff, Tiger Woods, and maybe Prince of Persia: three very different games. (Okay, truth be told, I'M the one hoping to score. Bratworse's happy with Wii Sports and wants a drumming game.)

Notice the lack of games for PS2 or Xbox, much less games for the next-gen consoles? You guys can have your graphics. I'll stick to fun games that I can play with a group of people AND by myself.

Gaming as an Art Form?

According to Joystiq who're attending this years Game Developer's Conference, Chris Hecker of Maxis/Electronic Arts' rant included the following:

"The Wii is a piece of shit!" Hecker said the Wii is two Gamecubes duct-taped together. He says developers make better games by having a platform with power, not for graphics, but using the CPU for computations. Through a slide he compared the Wii to an anorexic and malnourished man. better to reason about the world their inhabiting. He believes that Nintendo does not treat gaming as an art form, but simply a tool for fun. At the end Hecker had two demands of Nintendo: "Recognize and push games as a serious art form" and "Make a console that doesn't suck ass!"

Whoah!

I come from the world of comics, where it's been treated as a serious art form by the creators. And year after year, I watched prices go up and the amount of buyers go down.

And based on that, I ask, why can't it be both?

There's pop art, and there's fine art. Why can't there be pop games and fine games, or pop comics and fine comics? For that matter, why can't there be things in between?

I am a MAJOR consumer of games. I spend much more than the average gamer, having the disposable income to do so. And yet, I have ZERO interest in new games for the PS3 or Xbox360. My most anticipated game this year? Mama's Cookoff for the Wii. AND I DON'T COOK.

So, Mr. Hecker, do you want my business?

Democracy or Anarchy?

I was reading through Boingboing and came across this post about Republicans trashing the Second Life Headquarters of John Edward's campaign.

I smirked, thinking shit happens then giggled at my own pun and didn't think much else until I ran into this post in Pandagon. The shit's really starting to hit the fan now thought I, before devolving into a puddle of giggles again.

Then finally, I read the source of Boingboing's post, by John Brownlee of Wired and found myself nodding in agreement with him.

Basically, Edward's Second Life HQ got defaced with "a feces spewing obscenities" and other stuff. Brownlee's assessment of this is absolutely accurate: "This is the modern-day equivalent of hippies freaking out the squares."

I'm 40 something years old, and have been involved in the internet for about 20 years now. I went from BBS's to MUD's to MMORPGs to Blogs to whatnot. I've chatted with people from Greece, Texas, Malaysia and I love this messy thing we call the internet. Should there be rules? Probably. Do we take ourselves way too seriously in things like Second Life? Probably. Should events like what happened to Edwards' HQ be punishable? Probably, but not through conventional means. These guys who committed the defacing should probably be exposed to as many hours as it took to deprogram the assault, of say... Buddy Hackett's crooning.

That should count as an eye for an eye.

Another One Bites the Wii

Woot!!!

Writerboy just informed me that he and the little missus scored a WIIIIIIIII!!!!!

That means that we'll have his avatars parading through our Wii and vice versa. This is so cool - Bratworse and I have been waiting for our friends to get Wiis as well so we can start playing games over the internet with them. We're hoping that we can play doubles tennis over the internet with our friends.

So far, we only have one Wii Buddy and that's my little cousin and his wife and kids' Wii. But one thing about having an Asian Wii buddy? All of our Miis start looking alike. No shit! Bratworse was cracking up about the fact that one of our Miis - the only blonde among the group totally stands out.

I'll have to try and put up pictures of some of our Mii avatars. Writerboy's avatar on our machine TOTALLY looks like him.

Naming People

So of course I got Burning Crusade for World of Warcraft. And of course, I created Blood Elves.

I named my guy Paladin, Gryssic, and I named my girl Paladin, Thiodra. (Short story as to why I created two blood-elves paladin is because I promised Bratworse I wouldn't play Gryssic without her and she's got no time to play, so I created Thiodra to play more.) BTW, Bratworse asked me how I came up with these names and y'know? I have no idea.

The thing is, I'm totally in love with both of these names. I'm now trying to find a story to revolve around Gryssic and Thiodra. Any ideas?

I Crack Myself Up

The other day, I emailed a friend, offering our help to paint their house in time for their new baby.

I wrote, "How can you refuse help from two Wii-bodied lesbos offering to channel the Karate Kid?"

That line's been cracking me up for five days now.

Yes, I've been told by many that I'm easily amused. Thank you.

Wheeeeeee, It's the Wii!

Miraculously last week, we managed to score a Nintendo Wii and extra controllers. And boy-howdy, is it one sweet machine.

The good news is, yes, you actually have to get off your butt to play some of those games - like bowling and boxing. The bad news is, at times, the sensor won't register some of your movements (At times meaning infrequently).

Our impressions and one paragraph reviews of the Wii games we got:

Wii Sports: a big WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE for this game. It's probably both Bratworse's and my favorite since we get to play with and against each other. We made our friends make little Miis of themselves (Avatars that can travel from console to console) and now when we play baseball, our friends get to be on our team! Yay!

Red Steel: So far, it's our least favorite mainly because neither Bratworse nor I are big FPS (First Person Shooters) players. Our friend Bryan the Fireman really like the controls and how they worked with the weird controllers (shown above) and he's a BIG FPS player, playing SoComm and all those 007 games. Red Steel got his nod of approval.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz: Altogether, this could be much better. It was fun trying out all the party games, but execution was a bit wonky at times. I've a feeling that the other Party Games for the Wii will be better though. Still, we like it enough to have played it two out of the five days we've had the Wii.

Legend of Zelda, Twilight Princess: We've only just delved into this game. I never played Legend of Zelda and since we bought the Wii to be a console for both of us to play together, we held off on playing it. A few nights ago, my best friend, DanceTeach from L.A., tried it out and loved it. I've a feeling that's what we're going to be playing tonight. I'll let you know more once I've actually played the game. (I've just watched it being played)

Rayman: Raving Rabbids: Okay, this is too cute for words. So far, it's a good party game, the solo game has been fun (Bratworse and I take turns playing because each "quest" only lasts a few minutes if that and levels only need 4 out of 5 quests completed to move to the next). Basically the premise of the game is, you are in gladitorial combat (of sorts) and you have to get the fans (the rabbids) to root for you. The way to do that is to win the events (quests). Events could be, throwing a cow, milking a cow, turning spotlights on during a dance sequence in time to the music, racing a warthog, etc. Just try it, you'll like it.

Trauma Center: Second Opinion: This is my favorite game so far. You get to operate and defibrillate and oh my, it's just fun. Both Bratworse and I are hooked on this game, taking turns operating and making the other person go first so we don't walk into an operation blindly without knowing any of the procedures (makes you glad we aren't real surgeons eh?). DanceTeach also had fun with this as he proudly announced to his boyfriend/husband that he saved three lives and only killed one person.

If you've been wondering why there's been few posts, this month has been crazy in terms of travel, events and whatnot. And now, with the Wii, there's even less time to post.

Oh, and in case you're wondering? We LOVE LOVE LOVE our Wii.