Rage Gameplay Trailer

If I wasn't already completely sold on this game, I am now. This gameplay looks like everything I want. Full immersion of the senses, with sounds that are not only decoration but also functional (check when the player is going around the corner and spots that little golem fucker, you hear him before you see him). The weapons all look awesome too. Bladed boomerangs? Yes please.

The graphics looks supreme too. Hopefully it will live up to my expectations.

The Sacrifice and No Mercy on Left 4 Dead 2

So The Sacrifice came out for Left 4 Dead 1 and 2, as well as updating No Mercy for Left 4 Dead 2. So I took some time playing with this new maps. During this time I was playing with completely unbalanced teams, but that can be fun every once and a while. One very serious glitch I found in the Left 4 Dead 2 version of No Mercy was that the elevator kept dropping me. This happened in both campaign mode and VS mode and with different characters. I do not know why, but it only happened to me every time we got in the elevator. Extremely frustrating.
I really enjoy the updated No Mercy, the new weapons just fit seamlessly into the game. The Sacrifice is an extremely exciting new map. It is a lot more challenging that the basic maps, just as Crash Course was when Valve first brought that to the table. I like it a lot better on Left 4 Dead 2 than 1, mostly because the graphics are more appealing.
I give two thumbs up to the new updates on the L4D series. Now I want my tank plushie.

Planning a tournament

...On Xbox 360!? Yes, for the apartment complex that I am living in. I think it will be interesting to document how this goes, it will probably be Call of Duty and I am planning it with an RA that is a friend of mine. I don't know if I will participate or not (probably) and we are still planning prizes and so on. I think I will make this a 'how to organize your own LAN/Tournament' adventure.

The first issues that we have started discussing are how we will get enough headsets for everyone, or how will we keep the teams in contact with each other. I have proposed a BYOH (bring your own headset) but we will see how this plays out.

Left 4 Dead Comic: The Sacrifice

I am giving The Sacrifice which you can find on http://www.l4d.com two huuge thumbs up. It gave me just what I wanted from the game. I always had questions about the back story, and I figured they would never give it to me. They just did. They even go into the stories of each of the characters. If you loved Left 4 Dead you will love this. Also the artwork is great, I love the style they used it gives it a feel of the actual game. I am now content with life.

Aristotelian Definition of a 'Girl Gamer'

"A female gamer is a girl video game enthusiast (of any variety) who plays games that require some skill/are not of a feminine nature because she wants to (or has no outside motives) and is at least at a moderate playing level. The reason I argue this is that many girls will play a few video games simply for attention. When a girl claims to play video games it causes a lot of excitement through the male gamer community. Girls this this may have some interest in games but their primary interest is attention. By games that require some skill/are not feminine in nature. For example Starcraft or Counter Strike: Source. Starcraft is a real time strategy game (a war game that relies on your ability to gather resources and build units before the other players) games that are often played at a 'professional' level."

-From an essay arguing the definition of female gamers

Left 4 Dead Survival Mode

The great thing about Left 4 Dead survival modes (this is 2) is that it gives you an entirely new way to explore the game. You have more time to enjoy the details of these great maps. This is 'Bedlam' but there is some confusion as to what it is actually called. If you look on the stats page it is called Bedlam, but if you are trying to look for it to make a game it is called something different. The best way to tell is by the picture matching both.

Survival is a completely different style of gameplay. You are given a substantial amount of supplies to work with. Planning and tactics are your two best friends. You have to pick a place to stake out, although this is a little more complex in Left 4 Dead 2 because the AI is more intelligent. They have a 'sitting duck' detector, so in other words if you stay holed up in one corner the jockeys will find you and hump your face off the map. BUT you can still work with a 'sit in one corner and shoot everything' technique. It is just a lot more dangerous. Also, in Left 4 Dead 2 the tanks will not continue to pursue a player that is down. Once you are downed he will move to another standing player instead of bashing the downed player until he/she is dead.

Tanks and hordes come about ever 40 seconds, usually the horde sound queue comes first and then the tank. There are lots of ways to coordinate this. I often play with a friend who uses the grenade launcher. He is horde disposal as well as major damage to the tank. Then it is my job to have a smaller weapon to pick off the ones that get through, and also to light up the tank with a molotov or a gas tank. You will get good at throwing and placing gas tanks in survival mode.

I may post tactics for specific maps in the future. You can find a lot of tips at The Left 4 Dead wiki but many of the Left 4 Dead 2 tactics for specific maps have not been filled out yet. I will be working on posting them to the wiki, as well as this blog. Happy gaming.