Monday, December 30, 2013

Christmas Work Party 2013


Having spent most party events trying to avoid any confrontations or blank stares, I figure I should stop once in a while to enjoy a few. Such as the last party I attended for my work event on the 15th.  

               

 

 

I had set out my green tux T-Shirt, with my white/green relax jacket, to better facilitate the oddness one could muster up while out on the hunt for potential girls to pick up.

Being the fool to rush in, I had spent my time shaving the wolverine sideburns I was rockin, and power showered off the grim from work that day. However, this wasn’t necessary as I found out as I was the first to arrive to the party.

The location for our party was held in a grand establishment, and was the first real major party that I felt I didn’t fit in, due to the fancy service and rows of round tables draped in silky materials stood far beyond my current attire.

Spend the first 30 minutes walking around the empty room in slight embarrassment for my earliness, while trying to look for the best table to escape to the exit doorway, if need be escape is required.

Finally, after 50 minutes of drinking from my water wine glass, several  party goers were starting to file in, as well as the waiters, host and Dj.

80% of the people there weren’t part of my work group, as most were much higher ups within the company, leaving my 20 year self to deal with 60+ year older drunk folk trying to regain that youthful vigor they once had.

 

 


 The Dj was basically the butler from The Haunted House.


Since I knew I wouldn’t meet these people again, I decided to fuck around by going around tables and saying “Hey Grandma/Grandpa! It’s me your nephew.” And when they wouldn’t recognize me, I would declare “Man, that Alzheimer is really getting to you.” I stopped around table 3 when I found out the person I spoke to really did have Alzheimer (or at least I felt his mannerism mimicked of that.).

 

Even though I could have lied, or bribed, I held off that feeling to indulge in alcoholic beverages, seeing as my 20 year old self was patient enough to wait one more year.

 

Apparently one of the co-workers kept buying drinks for this one woman, and kept telling the waiter that “It’s from Mr.GreenToS ” So got strange looks from her throughout the evening.

 

The table I sat at had two bartenders, one dressed as an elf while the other madly deep within her drink. The rest of group held a varied unknown older folk. One such drunk kept tripping over the x-mas tree lights.

 

The banquet served several high end salads, desserts and other extravagant words I couldn’t congregate up to try out. However, due to my junk food taste buds, everything looked like shit to me and felt like I was going to sit it out hungry till I notice the Chief. The Head Chief made anyone who stopped by his private spot a chicken and waffle combo, Spazzing out as he spilled his cherry goo all over your plate).

 

Feeling like I shouldn’t look too anomalous for only getting one item, I quickly nabbed a dessert chocolate shot, with cherry cream on top (urgh!). Yet I choked on the overly tart slime and proceeded to let it dribbled enough out to warrant a “cum face” of discussion from others.

 

Fuck!

 

Eventually the rest of my co-workers showed up, and wasted no time getting smashed behind the bar. The Establishment’s staff kept trying to tell then them “they couldn’t make any flaming Dr. Peppers” while avoiding the spills of countless glasses being toppled over the counter.

 

At one point, there was this creepy child molester looking 70 year old bloke, seriously wearing striped child play shirt, who kept sneaking several sessions of making out with several co-workers. The only redeeming thing I could bring about him was his amazing skills of being able to sit down and back up in one motion.

 

I started to get jaded, as any designated driver would undergo, and stirred my eyes up to witness the first old couple to dance on the dance floor. I started to write a script about them in my mind, as if this dance was the ending to their own film. Leading me to shoot a director’s cut of the dance with their son running in and declaring their daughter was pregnant with the gardener’s son.

 



Saw a female Version of Bill Hader.


After a few murmurs of the dance floor being bare empty, the first karaoke song was brought out, total eclipse of my heart, came on. Then without warring, I started to do the most sporadic dance around my table. (From the flopping arms out as wings, and jumping around my chair and table as a maniac, while mouthing out the lyrics to the song.)

 

Unlike most people, I can start dancing whenever I feel like it, unlike the majority of those sitting and trying to avoid getting the spotlight on them.

 

Once the song was over, I of course earn yet another “THIS IS GONNA GO ON YOUTUBE!!” shout out. Which I heard enough in life to not care about, but I would wish at least someone would send me a link or two of those outta nowhere dancing bouts over my years in existence.

 

I guess the sight of an underage guy doing such a bizarre dance sober was too much for some of the older generation, and so a majority of them left soon after that.

 

Ultimately I would go out on the dance floor to dance whenever singers would bravely go up, which lead to my duet and dancing with my boss, singing “This is Fuckin Awesome!”. (Which would be more of an understatement in that moment for me, as I felt the crowd was far below interested in our zany actions, but nonetheless my boss felt otherwise.)

Then everyone else remaining kept using the fire exit to smoke, leading to security bursting in and yell at them for setting off the alarm soo many times.

Feeling apologetic for witnessing the inebriated partiers act towards some of the wait staff, I decided to step in and act proper to the maître d'hôtel. By giving complements of how groovy they are and telling fake stories about my horrible love life. (Such as the time I ripped the last condom I had on me by accident, or vomiting all over my prom date.)None of which was true but even so it did make the entire staff laugh till they cried.

Then Sang “I Ran” by A flock of Seagulls near the end of the night, but was moderately dreadful at it. I know I’m at least decent at dancing, well not remarkable but enough to cause flavorless people to want me to teach them, but horrible at singing at together.

 

Then rest was a blur of hugs and goodbyes as I left back home.

 

 
 
Would have posted this sooner, if it weren’t for my self-wanting needs to do things outside my pc life, such as reading my ever growing novella collection, or maintaining my sanity as countless cousins visit over the holidays.

 

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Something I wrote a week ago.


(The tone of this post, as spoken in a slumber state?)

Where did I go, He asked to the monitor? For the past several days had been spent in a hypnotic state of hibernation with Persona 4 Golden.

 

Plans? Why I thought I did, when the rough draft to two blog post sit unfinished in the documents folder.

 

Did you enjoy the Hobo Cake, He misheard instead of Home, Ok?

 

Left to Rot, in three days’ time of waterless pipes, as winter took hold of the land.

 

Stufflebean, a last name that was under the list of unwanted patrons.

 

Why bother to type under sleep, with the worry of a lesser paycheck?

 

The search for a specific video goes missing, as memories fad the details away.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Thank You Wallpaper!


With thanksgiving over, and the last month of 2013 taking forth its grips off Y2K evangelists, I decided to list off some things I’m thankful for this year, but wasn’t present at a table to say before.

 

I’m thankful for my father getting me my first job.

I’m thankful for the numerous deals on amazon.

I’m thankful for gaining some new online friends.

I’m thankful for shoe polish.

I’m thankful for 4pp, for letting me not only win chatter of the week, but for getting several of my GAME relative blogs on their front page.

I’m thankful for that random girl who flashed me on a random drive to town.

I’m thankful for my huge backlog of games I can go back to whenever I run dry on buying games, ha!

I’m thankful for my iPod; countless hours of work were made easier with this little device.

I’m thankful for the last visit my older brother came over from CA. For only a day we discuss games and I was able to witness his first reaction of playing GTA V.

I’m thankful for my 3DS XL, this is a REAL handheld for my big hands.

I’m thankful for getting the amazon deal for the vita bundle, will update if vita doesn’t show up.

I’m thankful for you taking your time to read this whole list.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Employment Soup.


What is this, but an update on my own personal work status?

 I’m currently still working as a dishwasher, and getting a tad nervous towards the big event for Thanksgiving Day. (400 people?!)  Anyh0w, I just wanted you to know that I still love it, but there are a few moments that come to mind as I think back over my six months I’ve been there so far.

 

Get asked to help peel potatoes, only to peel off thumb skin on third slice. (Not much, thankfully)

 

There’s a staff meeting to try new menu items, but due to my distain of anything that isn’t chicken strips or burgers, that’s the only thing I can tolerate with my bland taste buds, am forced to watch everyone slobber down and go “mmmm” then clean after them. (Since I’m the dishwasher and all, duh)

 

Everyone knows my name, even the guys who only come in to change the rugs once a week, yet I only remember my boss and the main chief’s name. (I’m sorry, but I’ve made too many attempts to remember numerous acquaintances, and thus I’ve just given up on even learning. It takes a good eight months to implant your name into my brain, unless I see it constantly in Facebook/twitter handles.)

 

An old man in speedos walked in the kitchen, and declared the bathroom doors were locked. As I began to turn, to search for some assistant, I witness a yellow trail go down his right leg. (What I should have done was to continue my turn and search; instead I abruptly stopped and stared at the puddle forming around him.)

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Initial Concepts


Coming up with an idea can change throughout development, such as one idea that started up with just the title: To the MAX!

Idea#1- (Short story idea) A bodybuilder, name Max, works himself to death, leading to his co-workers to investigate whether it was suicide or accidental.

Ex. Text : And there he was, lying on his arched back, with his blue digital stopwatch in one hand and the other firmly clutching a worn-out rusty barbell. Of course this was a typical day for Max, except for the fact his heart monitor wasn’t dolling out the constant bpm beeps he had achieved for the past few weeks. For his next door flat neighbors, the abrupt silence at 6 a.m. was enough to warrant a call for help. At least, that’s what I would have wish…

Idea#2- (Game Idea) A roughly teenager watches too many movies, starts training his life to the MAX! (Ex. Every time he levels up, he deals out a ridiculous amount of effort for a small task. Lv1 Open door, Lv2 Kick door open, Lv 3 (Max) Walks through door, leaving a deep hole. )
 
 
BONUS!
 
 
 
Free Timing #4- Safe and Sound all upside down
Got bored and started to rework the lyrics to safe and sound into a couple having rough BDSM, then stopped when I couldn’t resist laughing at the last line.
I could beat you up!
I could show you what you did to me and (break all of your fucking teeth)
You could get fucked up, Even if my eye is falling out,  I’ll know that you’ll be screaming out
Please pull it out!
I should tie you up, (I know why you won’t cooperate), that’s why we’re gonna fornicate
 
 

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Random Events of the Yesterday


Bought Killer is Dead brand new and limited edition at GameStop yesterday. The worker stated that I was the first person to even buy that game there, so don’t know if this is good or bad news.

 


 

Sees Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is on TV, watches the rest of the movie, only to dig out my own DVD of said movie to re-watch what I missed. Then dig out the novel and audio book, but stop myself from going any further. Can’t lie, I ended up buying a poster, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ALU46VI/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1  , after putting book up.

 

Got to try out a ps4 at GameStop, first game demo I played for the next gen? Octo-Dad! The other customers, who were waiting behind me to try the other demos, looked at me strangely.

There was an Xbone display box as well, but someone stole the controllers, so it ran a Constant Video over and over till the employees muted the TV.

 

Flip off at TV till ads stop appearing, only to stick several sticky-note pads around my room, with drawn ads flipping me off.

 

 

Attempt to look outside the kitchen window, only to knock out the screen.

 

Forget how tinfoil feels, find some and immediately regret chewing on it.

 

Game Idea pops up into head, can’t say much about it, cept its going to be called “To The MAX!”

Monday, November 18, 2013

Review: Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust

Whilst I glare at the box cover in resentment, thinking about my squandered time consumed on it, I question out in a vociferous tone as to “why I did this”. There have been countless others who have reviewed this period bomb on the white carpet, and far fewer have done so for free. Why? Because what better way to start off my first written review than to venture into the madness that is of Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust?

Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust
Developer: Team 17
Publisher: Codemasters
Release Date: March 27, 2009 (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)


Summary of Story-
Lovage is tasked to go under cover at his uncle’s movie studio, to help discover who’s been disrupting the cast and crew. The central hub you’ll be running around is the studio lot, with three separate movie theme locals as dream sequences. Each one based off over three genres, Western, Horror, and Drama, to show how the developer’s thick heads jammed in as many pop culture references they could. SPOILER! After a few nab and jab quests, Lovage uncovers the master mind, IT WAS KIP, and a happy ending is achieved, at least for Lovage that is. The ending consists of Lovage finally getting Amy, the main love interest, as well as two coworkers with strap-ons.

There, now you can tell your friends you got the cliff-notes of the story.

Side note: It makes me disheartened to discover the storyline was actually written by Allen Covert, the lead actor in Grandma’s Boy. (For those unfamiliar with the series, Al Lowe was the head writer and creator of the original series, but left long before Box Office Bust was released.) I enjoy his inflection and range he delivers in films, but just knowing he help ruin the franchise doesn’t settle well with me.

Voice Acting-
I was surprised at the noticeable voices I’d recognized from several of the cast members. With Patrick Warburton, voiced Brock Samson in Venture Bros, playing an animal fetish loving big shot movie star Damone LeCoque. Or Peter Graves, of Airplane fame, portrayed as wash up old man Clark Taslemuff. (Though from his dialogue and slur in speech, it seems Peter was drunk throughout the recording sessions). Finally we got the protagonist himself, Larry Lovage, voiced by Josh Keaton. (Who you may recognize in the video game world as voicing the latest Spiderman, Young Hercules in the Kingdom Hearts series and even Robin in Batman: Arkham Origins.)



Lovage: "Welcome to Poontown, population 70."
(A scream is heard in the distance)
Lovage: "Make that 69. Oh yeah!!"
-Beefcake Mountain



Lack of development-
The main environments are colorful, in that pop-up book for 5 year olds type, with hardly ANYONE to fill in the empty voids. Sure you’ll come across a guy driving around in a cart, or a person chatting it up with a coworker, but that’s it. This game truly feels lacking in the development process, with a lack of ambient outside mission music, with reiterating looping mission tracks, and the health bar recovery shown during a cut scene clearly indicates some noticeable ones up front.

Another annoying irk the game pulls out of its own ass is its often unclear as to where to reach your objective, even if labeled as high or low on the GPS, mainly due to unclear paths to choose from. This really takes effect when time based missions, with no checkpoints, makes you go ballistic when you realize you spent eight minutes inside a hotel going floor to floor, when all you really needed was to go outside to reach it.

 Animation wise there are some specifics I do enjoy, such as the goofy cartoonish run and wall hanging Lovage does, while others remind me not to give too much credit (When the timer actually stops to let the climb on/off ladder animation go, just shows how ridiculously lethargic it takes. ). Ladders suck!!

Controls-
The main controls are handled as a platformer merged into in an open world format. Considering the original series was a point-n-click structure, this could have led to an interesting twist in the series. However, this sucks due to the misjudgment of jumps and overshooting movements from the oversensitive controls. Hell, even performing a simple ledge grab is often luck based; with micro adjustments in midair seem to deem vastly different results. Frequently I found myself exploiting the system by jumping around corners to skip tedious padding segments.

Camera-
Most of the time, you have control of the camera to look around Lovage, yet most platforming sections lock the camera in place to create a visual thrilling view. In spite of this normal gameplay element most platformers do (i.e. Ratchet and Clank series), It tends to create tank controls by sudden camera shifts and thus led to copious amounts of frustrating unwarranted deaths.


Lovage: "I’m gonna shove a stake so far up your ass it’s going to look like you grew a new fang!"
-Horror Coffin

Mission Structure-
Main Missions: The majority of the missions get tiresome real quick due to the repetitive nature of them requiring an item to be taken and/or placed, usually locating on a roof, all while a timer ticks away meticulously. Storyline missions and side quests are thankfully separated on the completion wise, but it does leave an important conundrum. The dating quests are considered side quests, IN a Leisure Suit Larry game, whose main goal in every game is to get laid!(It was more funnier when it was the original 40 year old virgin Laffer doing the dating, compared to the juvenile teenage nephew  Lovage.) This may have been done intentionally in order to establish a connection with Lovage and his coworker Amy in the main storyline. 

Side Quests:
Driving- After beating a dream sequence, a race quest will open up, but given my own personal abhorrence of racing games, this was the only side quest I actually skipped out on. (But I had plenty of driving in the open world map to know racing wouldn’t even be entertaining, as the max speed you’ll reach is that of a faulty golf cart.)

Collectibles- 100 gold statues of Lovage’s Uncle Laffer are spread throughout the map, with your only real enticement for getting them is achievements.

Dating- You start off every date by walk up to the “Employee of the Moment” board to learn Lovage’s next potential victim, er I mean girl, he wants to “date”.  After making a bad first impression, Lovage is tasked to fetch an item. Once acquired, you’ll return to the girl and start randomly hitting buttons till the “humorous” dialogue options dwindle down to a win win for Lovage.

Now for the sake of clarity, I’ve detailed one of the horrendous quests you’ll partake, from the Beefcake Mountain Sequence, in order to showcase an average mood one will besieged upon one’s self.

• Mission starts with quest to find the old prospector, in order to use his dynamite to blow open the big safe in bank.
• The GPS displays a list of twenty individuals to ask for the old prospector’s location, and then get told to “fuck off” by each person.
• Get the correct info at the 19 person, while venting at the amount of people you had to ask.
• Ride horse to location, only to fall off cliff from clunky controls.
• Game auto reloads to the start of the mission.
• Turn off game to play a better game, then reload save.
• Repeat the ask 20 people section; seek out the last person from before for info, only to find out they now don’t recall the info.
• Then attempt to skip to location due to former knowledge of prospector’s location, but game prevents you from riding there till you ask 19/20 people.
• Ride Horse to location after asking 19 people, AGAIN. WHY EVEN TELL ME ITS OUTTA 20!?
• Watch cut scene of your destination get cut short, forced to take long meticulous route.
• Finally get a checkpoint, a rarity for this game.
• Die from buggy forced camera angle.
• Repeat several times till blood vessels burst forth from arms.
• Arrive at location, and witness a shortcut being open. Fuck.
• End of Mission. (Wow! What a complex and enriching mission this has been.)

Something that should have taken less than five minutes has instead been stretched to a shocking 30 minutes!



Amy: "My name’s Lily… as in pad. What’s your name?"
Lovage: "Jack… as in off in two minutes…I hope that’s not a deal breaker."
-Bytanic


Mini-Games-
Certain missions will have a gimmick to spice up the lack of entertainment from the humorless dialogues or numerous fetch quests, while each dream sequence will have a unique mini game associated within their realms.

Basics:
Gun fights- Most shooting sections require precision aiming, as you’ll be reduced to pong movement, or a per-planned awareness of attacker’s location is required to pass.

Fist Fights- Fist fighting is poor as the developers merged the punch button with the jump button, as well as the difficulty scale gets wonky when ganged up by more than three enemies.

QTE’S- Some Quick Time Events will arrive in either cut scenes or taking pictures, however these moments are far too easy, as the time given is long enough for any slowpoke to react.

Stealth-Lastly, stealth sequences can be easily beaten due to being able to jump on top of enemy’s heads to avoid being seen.  The game later on turn the tables on these moments by sticking you in an outfit that makes you intentionally slow, as well as making Lovage erratically move wildly.

Unique:
Beefcake Mountain- Sniper Shooting requires Lovage to dose up several women, as well as a few horses, for LeCoque to have his way with. While controls were too loose for my preference, I had no problem getting the required score.

Horror Coffin- Zombie Basher has Lovage running around a pac-man like environment, attacking zombies and gaining power ups.  Certain power-ups felt too similar, as the title for each one didn’t give off many details, but I was able to enjoy the novelty of exploding zombies.

Bytanic- Then we get Shuffleboard, A game wholly unfamiliar with cruise ships, where Lovage tries to hit the target while avoiding the bird poo traps. With the opponent AI managing to hit every bird poo made winning far too easy to feel any real accomplishments.

Last Words-
In summary, Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust isn’t worth your time, or bribery money, to invest in. Sure there may be a line or two that gives you hope, but atlas poor yorick, it doesn’t happen enough to warrant a purchase.

Score: 20%
20-29%: Terrible - Almost no good qualities are found here.