Overdue Post

Yet again... BUT, I have some things to share.

I wanted to make a post about this a few weeks ago, but I never got around to it.

First and foremost, I was able to have a turkey and ham on Thanksgiving, which is always awesome, and am hoping for turkey and maybe a roast on Christmas.
Also awesome is that I was able to rent a game from Hastings, TWO games in fact. There was a "Rent 1, Get 2nd Free" deal for rentals (Rent one game and rent a second for the price of one), which seemed to have lasted a long while since I haven't had much visits to Hasting in a while (Maybe it will hold up the next time?...). Plus, it was the first time in about 2 1/2 years for a deal like that to come around FINALLY.
Anyway, the two games I rented were Resident Evil 6 and Dishonored both for PS3. I was only able to finish one game. Sadly, Dishonored remains unfinished.

I'd like to say that I've spent a substantial amount of time playing both games, and experienced quite a bit. I'd like to give out some detailed reviews, but here on my blog, I'll give you the summation of my thoughts on both games. I want to give out more details when I make a video about them sometime in the not-too-far yet hopefully possible future.

Starting with Resident Evil 6, I remember playing the demo that released before the final product about two weeks after. I remember absolutely despising it to the near nth degree, and after playing the actual game... my complaints practically stood pitch-perfectly still, among others.
Resident Evil 6, in my opinion, is a downright disappointment. It takes the direction of third-person shooting elements in a way that looks poorly-constructed and poorly-executed, a certain number of gameplay features (health tablet counter) and elements (aiming mechanics) are underdeveloped and intentionally moronic to certain (the skills vendor is lame), it tries way too hard to be scary at times, the story is a bit contradictory to the canon, the characterization is vapid not to mention the strange-at-times writing in the dialogue, the difficulty is often arduous, and the replay value is flawed.
Overall, Resident Evil 6 is nothing short of being average at best and arduous at worst, and with the amount of flaws present within, I can safely say this is the most disappointing game in the since, even more so than Resident Evil 5, which I thought was rather decent. I can understand why people criticize Resident Evil 5, but it's borderline next to nothing compared to 6. Lastly, while 6 isn't bad, it's not easy to recommend, even for a rental. You're better off looking in the bargain bin with a price tag of $20 for the game. That's when you're more than welcome to try the game out. You have been warned!

Finishing with Dishonored, I was interested, but I didn't expect to play it right away. I have seen gameplay from a playthrough I briefly saw. So I thought that maybe I could give it a try, and try I did. Now, let me say first that I am aware that this game looks similar to the Thief series, which I do know about but never have played before, so going into a stealth game, in which a few key people that have worked on the Thief and Deus Ex game series have participated in this game, such as this is a bit enticing yet a bit unnerving to my comfort zone. Onward!
While I haven't finished Dishonored, my impressions are rather positive... to a degree. I'll say this about Dishonored: the game is good, but feels like it needs some tweaks and fixing in places. It's slightly disappointing, not as much as Resident Evil 6, but I'd still say it's fun to play in a way. Kinda like Max Payne 3 or Rage, two games I thought were fun but have flaws. Although, I tend to be blatantly frugal with the coins I acquire in the game, so I've bought little upgrades and abilities, but I do weigh my options and choices carefully; you never know what could be lifesaving. I do hope to continue playing when the time comes (God willing and the creek don't rise :P) because I'd like to give my full opinion when I finish the game. In the meantime, this is just my initial impression of the game. It's totally worth the rental, thought the $60 price tag is a bit steep; I'd say about $40-$45 best suffices. If you ever get the chance, give it a try, you may enjoy it.

Alright... I was hoping to do something this month, especially on 12/12/12, but I figured this blog post might do. So that's pretty much what I need to say, and I hope you found some sort of usefulness out of this post.

In any case, this has been RYNOPro ripping video games a new one (How original).
Take care.

Blog Template Change

You may have noticed I changed the background template on my blog. I figured I'd change from the old and dated previous template, knowing I could customize it a certain way. Of course, I felt like using a wallpaper from Terranigma for the background. It was a bit o a challenge because of the lighting detail regarding the color of the text; I wanted to make sure the text was congruent to the beam of light in the center and well as the dark spaces so it's neither too dark or too bright to read. Sorry if it may seem illegible, but good thing I had the option to disable the "scroll with page" so only the text will scroll. That way you can view the posts by scrolling to a certain position to read it.

Honestly, it's not very good looking to me. I know I could've done more, but I lack any "creative" designing methods to make the blog look a little bit outstanding or less generic for the time being.
It's not just my blog, but my site, too. Since I'm currently [still] using Webs, I'm currently using the old SiteBuilder2 format, using the pre-designed "Blade" template that comes with it. I thought that "Blade", and the "Fantasy" template, looked pretty interesting. However, I feel that I should use something unique for me, rather than something pre-designed or generic and, once again, make it somewhat stand out.

I do intend to look around and see if I can find the software, the know-how, and the inspiration in order to make those accomplishments. In the meantime, what you see on the blog and the site is what you get for now.
Thanks for understanding, and take care.

Fallout 3 update

I wanted to give an update to my progress on Fallout 3. While I didn't travel a whole lot of the entire map (just most of the bottom right of the D.C. Wasteland), I was able to make it to level 20. However, that pretty much marked my long break from Fallout 3 for a while.
Now, I'm not so much used to Western RPGs (I don't believe Bioshock counts in Fallout 3's case), let alone Japanese RPGs, but I honestly think the level cap deteriorates the fun factor for me; the fun part of the game was the rewarding of experience points that help increase my skills and grant me additional perks, and the fact I can't max my skills out or collect the remaining perks because of this somewhat laments it for me. I am aware there was a certain way to play this game, but the depth of my thought process couldn't understand the impact of how I play the game in the long run after having made prior decisions because I went into this game BLIND. Plus, I was more so under the assumption of spoiling myself of the game spoils the experience for me; then again the strategy guide can spoil it (maybe the game's story) anyway, so there's that debunk.
I haven't finished the game (obviously), and i probably won't until I get the "Game of the Year" edition because the Broken Steel expansion extends the level cap to 30. But the extension changes nothing for me, especially since the other expansions come with additional perks not in the original copy.
I think Fallout 3 is a really fun game to play, and it's kept me playing for a long while (around 170 hours worth in about three weeks!) and it has a lot to offer, but I think it also lacks some extra attention to detail in the gameplay. I also think the technical aspects feel like they lack extra polish or fine-tuning, the visual and physical aspects won't age very well, and the character design and animations are real awkward and off-putting. Keep in mind, I'm playing this on the PS3 (technical issues beware, which I have come across) and these statements probably don't apply to PC users, probably through modding. Fallout 3 is probably a bit overrated in my opinion, but I still think it's worth whatever penny you spend on it and will keep you playing for a while, just be careful of any technical issues on any/all versions, especially the woeful PS3 version (What did the PS3 do to deserve this???).

I may not be done yet, but I sure do need a big break from it. I do have other game I want to play! 

See ya soon.
      -RYNOPro

Fallout 3, Games, Videos, and Personal stuff

I haven't been playing games for a certain while up until a few days ago when I got Fallout 3 on PS3. Yep, the version I hear Bethesda can't work on to save their skin, especially after hearing about Skyrim on the same console. That's just pathetic considering after six going on seven years since the console's release, they'd know how to make a game on PS3 work right... BY NOW!
Anyway, I got Fallout 3 on PS3 for $5. Honestly, I've had some good fun. I was addicted to it for about 4 days and played about 66 hours worth. However, I haven't done much but traverse through the mid-southeastern part of the overall map killing super mutants, feral ghouls, Talon mercs, and raiders within metro tunnels, underground passageways, abandoned buildings, and urban locations. I've been grinding, looting, and other stuff instead of traveling elsewhere; I've just been having some joyous fun doing so. I took a break from the game, but I will return to it shortly. I'm glad to have played a game after a while. :D

I have other games in mind I want to play, one of which is a PS2 game which I'll mention next time, but I'm hoping to check out the Resident Evil 6 demo in the next few days. I'm real excited about the game itself, and I'm definitely renting it once it's out PERIOD!
As for Doom 3 BFG releasing two weeks later, I'm still hoping to see if my mom can buy it when it releases because I really want to see how it looks and experience the expansions (I never played Resurrection of Evil). However, things have been a bit tight, which I'm hoping it will somewhat recover within time. We'll see what happens...

As for videos I hope to make, I do have ideas of what to make, have jotted them down, and have a good idea what to do in making them. They all won't be strictly about video games because I want to be a little more diverse with myself. I might want to make something entertaining (if I can accomplish that level), although it may just for my own gratification.
Again, I do plan to monetize, but only when I feel like I've done alright. Time will tell...

Lastly on a personal note, I've thought about getting a part-time job. My mom has spoiled me $10 every week, and I figure getting a job will not only cut my mom some slack, but also provide me more money for other stuff than just video games because I feel like I want to explore some other stuff, too. What other stuff? I don't know; there's so much to specifically name. Who knows?
I've thought about it for some time, and I hope I can get that glimmer of hope to get some working experience for who knows what lies for me in the future...

I think that about wraps it up for now, so let's see what happens.
Take care.

The Games of 2012...

I need to post more often. Anyway...

For the entirety of 2012, I've rented games released that year. Some I've missed, lacked interest in, and some I could have but didn't rent. Not to mention, I might miss out on upcoming titles for the same reasons.

What I have played: The Darkness II, Silent Hill: Downpour, Syndicate, Max Payne 3, and Inversion.

What I hope to play: Never Dead, Resident Evil 6, Doom 3 BFG Edition, Dishonored, Borderlands 2, Sleeping Dogs, and Far Cry 3.

Now, I may miss Borderlands 2 because I've never played the first game (at least yet). It's a personal rule for me to play the first game of a possible series first so I can better understand the experience first hand and see how its successors hold up.

I'm hoping to remedy this by eventually purchasing Borderlands- Game of the Year Edition before the end of the year.

Darksiders II, however, I will miss out on for the same reason, not to mention I'm more interested in playing Darksiders than I was after it released. Also, it seems to have been re-released, which means the re-release covert art will NOT be holographic Considering I want the PS3 version, this make getting the original label even harder because the PS3 version is most sought out for.
So it probably won't be until around 2013 when I get to BOTH games.

Far Cry 3, on the other hand, I probably will play without its predecessors, though there's a chance I may miss it, too.

Basically, i played Far Cry: instincts (through Predator on X360), and it's left a bad impression on me. I have since decided not to play Instincts: Evolution, believing it will have very similar gameplay.

Far Cry 2, after looking it up, has not only disinterested me but also pissed me off. It has a number of design choices that basically make it candidate for most frustrating game, next to Siren on PS2, I'll have played.

Far Cry 3 has interested me, however. I've seen the teaser and the trailer presented at E3, and it looks interesting, story and gameplay. I'm hoping for the best.

One more game: The Ratchet & Clank Collection. I'm a fan of Ratchet & Clank, so I will get it at some point. It may either be later this year or earlier the next. One thing I'm glad is that it will only cost $30 instead of $40, the usual price of HD/Collection remasters, which is a bit too much. $30 is more surmountable in my opinion.

I know there's more games to list, but some I lack interest in, some I have no plans to play, some I wish i could but can't for now. Not much else to say.

I think that pretty much covers it. In the meantime, I need to stop being so reserving.
See ya soon.

The Dark Cloud of Today.

Before I get into the topic of what happened today, I want to know if anyone of you reading know about how GameStop up and decided to trash the boxart and manuals of any PlayStation 2 game $5 and under. If you are, well... you know how they mentally work. About over a year ago, I took it upon myself to ask the managers of the local GameStops (there's 4 of them where I live) to ask if I can take the boxarts and manuals off their hands rather than trashing them. I've been collecting boxart and/or manuals of games I never thought I'd get in my lifetime. It was awesome, up until it's become a slight problem at home.

I realize they've gotten rid of some Nintendo DS game cases as well, so I may as well take them up on those, too., even though it adds more fuel to the fire, space-wise, at home.

Not to mention, what type of game cases they'll get rid of next (I'd bet the X360 games).

Anyway, last Friday, I went to the closest GameStop (formerly EB Games), and I asked if the manager has received any cases in which he told me he had a box if not boxes of PS2 and NDS cases in the back room. I wait for some time to see how the progress would go without having to badger him so much and the busy days he may have, which I understand.
I wanted to head over there on Monday but slept too late, so I decided to go Wednesday (being today). So I go to town, do some browsing, and the manager wasn't there, but his friend and employee of the store was. I asked if he had any game cases, only to put a huge dark cloud over my head and tell me the cases had been trashed; then telling me they were probably hauled out by now and were possibly rained on. I acted to shrug it off with some disappointment, but I was honestly pissed, practically two tons worth.

I recalled last Friday to have seen some NDS cases on the floor next to the loose NDS games. I figured they were the pre-owned ones, some of which I was looking forward to acquiring.

As I left the store, I felt devastated, as if my back just got stabbed. Even now, I sulk about it.

I mean, the manager had some boxes of cases for me to take off his hands and his co-worker throws them out 5 days later! I mean wasn't the co-worker aware of this, wasn't he clarified by the manager?!

I'm still pissed, pissed to the point where I don't want to go there for a while. I contemplated on going there Friday, assuming and hoping to all hell he was talking out his ass, but I risk adding more insult to the still open wound and end up refusing to put my foot at the door until I want to otherwise, which WILL take a while.

There was even some games I greatly hanker to get particularly at that store, but once the damage has taken its toll, recovery will be a bitch.

After I got home, I drank the last Mike's Hard Strawberry Lemonade, which has been in the fridge since my mom bought it in late April/early May. I swear, I never felt like I've been this butt-hurt in my life.

I probably have more to say, and I do, but right now I need some rest. I feel like I've "quite the day".

Take care.

       -RYNOPro

Out of the Shadows and Into the Light... once again.

For the past seven months, from November 2011 to May-June 2012, my attempts to release videos have been fruitless, in the degree that regards to me and/or the fallout with YouTube in its ongoing direction since March.

I myself have not been happy with YouTube's new direction, knowing it benefits NO ONE, not to mention the process of removing inactive and dummy accounts had gone with a hitch, causing subscription losses, subscriber losses, and affected view count average.

YouTube has personally screwed itself, as well as anyone wanting a chance to shine, focusing on the more popular channels. YouTube no longer resembles the YouTube we once knew: a place for people to express themselves, hence the tagline "Broadcast Yourself", which I only see on the tab and nowhere else.

I refuse to give up because I still hold my interest in showing off videos. I may not hit right away, but it's more about creating my own little space for me and showing off what I apparently really like to do: playing and collecting video games. However, I don't just want to show off my collection or recently purchased games. I want to do more than that so I can diversify how I make videos. In fact, not every video I intend to put out has to be video game-related, personalized or otherwise.

One thing I want to briefly touch upon is monetizing my videos. I don't see any reason not to monetize my videos, so long as it's fair and under proper guidelines.

For the record, I want to release videos on my own accord while actually providing the intended content I'd like to provide. Any revenue I may get shouldn't affect how or when I want to put out a video. It's nice to experience the luxury of earning money, but at the end of the day, it's more about the videos I make, what they present, and how I present them.

The thing about making the videos is keeping up with my interest or "bad habit" in playing the games I collect. I love to play video games, and I will continue to play video games. The thing is I can have so many games in my collection, picking one to play can be a bit arduous at times. Not to mention, playing a certain genre continuously can burn me out, and depending on the day, there are times I feel like I need a brief vacation from it. This either prompts me to try a different genre or hold off playing games for a while.

Case in point, I've played many shooters, which is my favorite genre, but I've decided to switch up to the RPG genre, among Hack-and-Slash, Beat-'em-Up, Platforming, and maybe Open World genres as well. It can pay off to play some different games, but knowing where to start is like a hit-or-miss situation, depending on the day, mood, or game.

To finish up this post, my intention to release videos is not for the money or fame or popularity. My intention is to create a little space on the internet where I can have a good time without the crap I may have to suffer through in the future, be expressive, somewhat socialize, and... be myself (even thought I'm still figuring myself out :P).

In the words of Elle from Terranigma: "I think happiness is just being able to loaf without stress." Wouldn't you agree?

Take care.

        -RYNOPro.

Here's... The Gaming Junkie!

Hello, anyone and everyone. I'd personally like to welcome you to my blog, where literal posts too big for Twitter and thoughts too personal or whatever reason for video.

Basically this is where, much like Twitter or YouTube, posts containing updates, literal reviews/impressions, or... ANYTHING to a degree will go. I'm sure you have somewhat of a clear idea... right?

Well, this "introduction" post SHOULD be the default main page because I plan to update it whenever possible with particular links, such as the following below:

Website: The Gaming Junkie

Twitter: TheRYNOPro

Facebook: (To Be Determined)

YouTube: RYNOPro

Blip: (Link coming Soon)
WeGame: (To Be Determined)

Just for the record, I have a DailyMotion and Facebook accounts, but I will NOT YET put the links here; only when the time is right and if I feel like I want to.

Other than that, thank you for visiting and stay tuned for future posts and other stuff.