DOWNLOADABLE CRAP: MY TOP 5 DLC PICKS

My ass has a combover.

Downloadable content has had an interesting journey over the past couple of years.  It's taken for granted now; games are expected to have DLC.  Just a game alone isn't good enough for today's consumer!   But while add-ons and expansion packs have been around on PC for a long time, the ability to download and add on new material for a console game is actually fairly new.  It has been pretty much exclusive to the 7th generation of gaming.   Some companies have tried everything they could think of to get those couple extra dollars out of your wallet, while others genuinely added to and refined the experience.

NPC AI, AN OFT-OVERLOOKED DETAIL

For the past week, I haven't so much been "playing" Far Cry 3, as much as "rabidly devouring".   I have barely touched the main questline, but I've already crafted everything possible, found over 60% of the collectables, done most of the side missions, and unlocked most of the map.  It's a freakin' great game, and I'd be lying if I said otherwise.   However, it has a lot of glaring flaws that I think almost stand out even more because the rest of the game is so well-crafted.  One flaw in particular has actually become something of a fatal flaw for a lot of modern video games, in my book.

The AI and dialogue for non-combat NPCs is dumb as shit.

DAWNGUARD

Released this past tuesday, I have spent the past five days deeply entrenched in Dawnguard, the first expansion pack for one of my favorite games, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.   I'm not quite finished with it yet, but I already have a lot to say.  (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!)

It's no secret that I am an enormous fan of the Elder Scrolls series.   I could go on about what a phenomenon Skyrim has become, but if you're a gamer, you already know.  You're sick of "Arrow to the knee" jokes, and have Fus Ro Dah burned into your geeky lexicon.  So if you're anything like me, you have been anxiously waiting to see what kind of amazing DLC Skyrim was going to get, especially after watching the string of incredible expansion packs we got for Bethesda's last huge open-world game, Fallout 3.  And then the trailer came out, and it probably gave you a giant gamer boner, like I got.  So now that I've had my hands on Dawnguard for a few days and spent about 20+ hours with it, does it live up to the hype?

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

I love Borderlands.  It's on my list of "games that never get old no matter how much I play them".   I love the world of Pandora, I love the cel-shaded art style, I love the over the top characters, and for fuck's sake I love the loot.  OH GOD, SO MUCH LOOT.   I have long since considered a craft project of making my own CL4P-TP "Claptrap" robot, and for years the text message chime on my phone was Claptrap's "HaHAAA!!!"   Needless to say, Borderlands 2 is incredibly high on my Must Buy list of upcoming games for this year.

THE ELDER SCROLLS ARE LIKE, DEEP, MAN...

I found this recently.   Blew my mind completely.  I've been playing TES games since Morrowind, and have sunk hundreds of hours into each game.   I knew that they had some serious history and lore, but I had no idea that it ran this deep.  This is some uber-geeky stuff, delving into the lore and philosophies of the game and cracking it open to get to a theorized gooey center.  It's very long, but very fascinating, and you might have to use some sort of illicit mind-altering drug to really get it.

GABEN, YOU'RE SUCH AN ASSHOLE

I've decided to use my first post on this new blog to address an issue that is currently really bothering me. This holiday season has been marred by a lot ungrateful, entitled people getting bent out of shape because they received free stuff, but apparently not good enough free stuff.