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HAZMAT

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  1. HAZMAT

    Hi

    By HAZMAT,

    Haven't been here for a few months, whoops. I just don't have the kind of time I used to.
     
    What's been happening?
     
    BTW I retired
  4. HAZMAT

    Welcoming the New Year

    By HAZMAT,

    I did so by playing 4 hours of Halo 4 with UK (and sometimes Sonu). We just wrapped things up and now it's 3 am.
    I'm a terrible shot with the controller but it's still fun to play, especially with friends. I might have to buy Gold after all...
     
    and this is my beautiful Spartan:
     

  6. HAZMAT

    Giant Tohu "Vector"

    By HAZMAT,

    A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away I made a vector of BZP's Tohu logo. (Some of you may or may not recognize it as the Steam group's picture.) I never got around to perfecting it (proportions are off and coloration is downright bad) and probably never will (I was originally planning to release it in GD with much fanfare), but if any of you want to use it, go right ahead.
     
     

    (click for fullsize)
     
    The image was created in Adobe Fireworks, if you open it in Fireworks, the actual vectors should work. It did for me, but I don't have it installed now to test it out.
     
    Have fun!
    (I used a lot of parentheses)
  8. HAZMAT

    #swag

    By HAZMAT,

    Awhile ago Gamestop had a contest on a a social network site to name a gun in Borderlands 2. I didn't win, but I was one of 100 random entrants selected to get a free hat and shirt!
    #yolo

     
    I totally forgot about it so I was quite surprised when this package showed up.
  9. HAZMAT

    HALO

    By HAZMAT,

    So last month I got a 360, and not just any 360: THE HALO 4 LIMITED EDITION XBOX360 TM ©.
    Since then I've been making my way through the series in order of release except for 2; I didn't order it at first to wait out the inevitable HD remake a la Combat Evolved Anniversary but since then have gotten it and backlogged it. Me and a friend recently started CEA co-op so 2 will be up next.
    ANYWAY
    Earlier today I finished 4, completing the series. What an experience it has been. Playing CEA really hit me hard right in the nostalgia, and it was quite a ride through the series. Definitely not disappointed with my 360 purchase, even though I've not even played half the games I bought yet.
    I haven't played any multiplayer in any games because I don't have Gold, but I have a trial code and UK has graciously offered me some of his own, so I may foray into MP sometime soon.
     
    After blasting through all of them sans 2 in such a short amount of time, it made it simpler to choose favorites, so from best to worst IMO:
     
    Reach
    4
    ODST
    Combat Evolved Anniversary
    3
     
    I'll touch on a few points to explain my choices:
    -I'm not a fan of the Flood, hence my top 3 not having them
    -Reach's emphasis on a squad lent itself well to gameplay, as I love having allies with me. It also made for the most engaging and interesting story, because instead of introverted Chief, you had a lot of interplay between squad mates. Also since you were your own Spartan instead of a predefined one, it made me feel more involved in the whole thing. Though I feel many of the deaths were cheap and thrown in solely for gameplay purposes; especially Kat's, seriously what was up with that????? ALSO SPACE LEVEL, it reminded me of Star Wars Battlefront
    -ODST also dropped you into a no-name character like Reach, but the story didn't really engage me at all. Perhaps if I played 2 I'd have been better in tune with what was going on. I really liked the open hub level you were thrown in between "real" levels, it was a nice break from more linear offerings. ALSO NATHAN FILLION!
    -4 hooked me in easily with the neon TRON effect on Promethean stuff and the disassembling weapons. It had some really great and challenging gameplay, sometimes borderline frustrating, but it never went overboard. The graphics were phenomenal for such dated hardware. The story felt pretty cheesy and honestly I had no idea what was going on most of the time (I'll get to that in the point about 3). Unfortunately it followed the trend of having no separate health bar, but it was just so fun I can forgive it.
    -CE... it's just a classic. While it may be meandering or confusing at some points, it was a great game at it's time and still holds up. The improved graphics in Anniversary looked great and are a welcome addition.
    -3... oh man, 3. Such a TERRIBLE GAME. The simplest of issues is the lack of a separate health bar, but that seems to be the norm today. The new Pure Flood Forms are a pain in the butt. The story made no sense (hence me barely following 4's), partly from my lack of playing 2 immediately before hand, and partly because it was SO BORING. Not just the story was boring though, throughout the entire game all I was thinking was "this is gonna be getting good soon!" but it never did. Though there were times I thought "this is terrible," i.e. the Flood Ship, which may be the worst level of all time ever. This apathy towards the game led to me barely being able to follow the story. There was nothing that made me excited to play, nothing I can think back on and go "that was pretty neat." Not everything was bad though, like turrets and ripping said turrets off their mounts, but overall it was definitely the weakest in the series. For being the intended end of the trilogy, it really was a let down.
     
     
    I ended up typing way more than I originally planned, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on my thoughts, and how you would rank the games based solely on the campaign.
     
  12. HAZMAT
    My pal Josh was over today, and after a brief stint of Burnout Revenge and an episode of G Gundam, we forayed into Gears of War.
    Even though we both aren't used to shooting with controllers, we both had a ton of fun.
     
    Also it's neat he can sign into his Live account when we co-op and earn achievements.
  13. HAZMAT
    My Xbox got here today. So far all I've done is set it up, mess with preferences, redeem some codes, and play a little Burnout (SO FUN).
    Hooking it up to my monitor is a pain; long story short I can't use my speakers anymore for my PC, so I guess I'm going headphones only (final destination) for my PC. Guess next on my to-by list should be a TV (or another set of speakers, but that's ridiculous).
     
    Also what's up with the Dashboard only being 720p, it hurts my eyes.
  14. HAZMAT

    It is done.

    By HAZMAT,

    Xbox360 Halo 4 Bundle
    +
    Bodycount
    Burnout Revenge
    Crackdown
    Crackdown 2
    Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3
    Gears of War Triple Pack
    Gears of War 3
    Halo CE Anniversary
    Halo 3
    Halo 3 ODST
    Halo Reach
    Red Dead Redemption GOTY Edition
     
     
    Total price comes out to be somewhere around 650 USD. Not bad, not bad.
  15. HAZMAT
    Ok, so I'm fairly certain I will be buying myself a 360, now the next thing to consider is games. What are some games you guys would recommend that aren't on PC? I am and will forever be a PC gamer first, consoles second. I'm primarily interested in games with great local (splitscreen) co-op opportunities. Also I won't be getting a Kinect.
     
    Games I'm considering:
    Halo series
    Gears of War series
    Army of Two series
    Red Dead Redemption
    Crackdown 1 and 2
    Bodycount
    Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 im a weeaboo
    Burnout Revenge
  17. HAZMAT

    Deja Vu

    By HAZMAT,

    Last year I made this entry:
     
     
    Even though at the start of October I thought of it, I forgot again this year WHOOPS; Gata reminded me.
    Time to go find out what my new spinny is.
     
    edit: IT'S THE IGNIKA
    I WANNA STAY SEVEN YEARS OLD FOREVERRRRRRRRRRRRRR
  18. HAZMAT

    Next Tuesday

    By HAZMAT,

    XCOM: Enemy Unknown comes out. I had that pre-ordered for awhile; very excited. Seriously, if you like strategy games you need to check it out, it looks incredible.
     
    Today I caved in/took a leap of faith/another proverb and pre-ordered Dishonored. If I'm disappointed, I blame Xaeraz because his blog entry about it is what spurred me to do it. I haven't really been following the game to keep things fresh and exciting when I do play it; on the flip side, it also kept me from really getting interested due to lack of exposure. Whatever, where MAKING THIS HAPEN.
    That also comes out next Tuesday.
     
    This is good because I'm at a standstill on what to move onto next in my backlog. Now I can do what I do best: procrastinate and wait for salvation (eg. XCOM and Dishonored) to come to me.
     
    ---
     
    Also, on a less video gamey-note, next Tuesday I'm gonna start taking reservations for Lego sets and such. (Don't know what I'm talking about? Read this blog entry.) I realize I haven't updated the entry in awhile because there's really not much to say. Progress has been slow but it WILL GET DONE BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR (hopefully). I'll have more info about reserving things on or before Tuesday. KEEP YO EYES PEELED.
  20. HAZMAT

    Steam Sale Loot

    By HAZMAT,

    finally got around to compiling the list:
     
    Trine 2 (gift for Xaeraz)
    Saints Row the Third franchise pack
    Binary Domain (from Amazon's Summer Sale)
    Batman Arkham City: Robin, Nightwing, Harley, and Challenge Maps DLCs
    The Walking Dead
    Red Faction Guerrilla (gift for a friend)
    Fallout New Vegas: Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Gun Runners' Arsenal, Courier's Stash, Lonesome Road, and Old World Blues DLCs
    Assassin's Creed Revelations: Lost Archives DLC
    Cave Story+
    Tiny and Big: Grandpa's Leftovers
    Torchlight
    Psychonauts (gift for a friend)
     
    Total spent: $101.13
     
    A good haul for a good price. Certainly more than I thought I'd buy. I also preordered Darksiders II and Torchlight II during that time period. July has certainly been an expensive month.
  22. HAZMAT
    It feels SO GOOD to have money... and there's still a week left! So far my wishlist dropped from 28 to a mere 11 (though one of them was bought from Amazon). My backlog is huge.
     
    (that Paypal email is for Darksiders II from Gamestop (inb4 Takuma))
  23. HAZMAT

    Meet The Pyro Sucked

    By HAZMAT,

    It was short and lacked the humor of previous Meet-the-Teams for LOL ISNT IT SO CUTE XD (which was fan speculation I've seen a million times on the internet). Not to mention no one actually fears Pyros anymore like depicted since Valve nerfed them to oblivion.
    I was hoping for something really cool for the final character (and my personal favorite class) but noooooooooooooooo
     
    And here I was hoping it would restore some of my faith in the TF2 team as the game continues spiraling downward...
     
    RIP TF2
  24. HAZMAT
    Original Entry (May 15th):
     
    (well, most of them)
     
    Anyway, I think it's about time to clear out all of my sets I don't want, and keeping the handful that I do. Additionally, I'll be selling other LEGO-related stuff like the Bionicle comics (and maybe even the magazines if someone wants them??? I have all of them from like 92 to 2008 or something)
    I don't really know what I'm going to do with them, but I figured I'd throw a topic in B/S/T. Beforehand however, I'd like to gauge interest and see if even that would even be worthwhile, or if I should find something else to do with them.
    Here is the majority of my collection on Brickset, several sets are missing (also keep in mind I will be keeping some):
    http://www.brickset....?OwnedBy=HAZMAT
    (if I do end up selling on BZP this will be completely updated beforehand and I'll probably make an entry to let people know that the list in finalized)
     
    So, how many of you would be interested? (and by that I mean, actually BUY SOMETHING)
    Additionally, how do you recommend I come up with prices for them? (inb4 someone says make them all free)
     
     
     
    Update (June 10th):
     
    All this week I've been making my way through. Progress has been slower than I'd hoped, a lot slower. I was hoping to have everything ready by the end of the month, but I don't know if that's feasible. I was off this week which gave me plenty of time to go through them, but it's back to work tomorrow.
    Additionally, some missing sets have been added to my Brickset list, feel free to check it out. (sets I'm keeping still haven't been removed)
    As for pricing, I'm thinking of just using the original MSRP. I know some of the older sets are probably worth more and I'd be taking a loss, but I care a lot more about getting rid of them than making loads of money.
    That being said, I might start taking reservations sometime soon, so if there's anything you know you want and will actually buy, provided the prices are agreeable, maybe you should start a list somewhere. Once the topic goes up in B/S/T, people who have reserved sets will get first dibs on them.
     
     
     
    Update (October 6th)
     
    I will now be taking reservations for sets. Here's some info you'll want to read:
     
    -Reserving sets does not commit you to buying them, it simply gives you first dibs on them when I begin the selling phase.
    -You can reserve as many sets as you want, but try to remain realistic of what you will actually want to/be able to buy.
    -In the case of several people reserving the same set(s), whoever reserved first gets first dibs. If they don't want it, the next person who reserved gets a chance.
    -Keep in mind I'm not going to be selling every set. If you reserved something that I'm keeping, I'll let you know when the list is finalized.
     
    To reserve sets, do the following:
     
    Send me a PM titled Reservations. (if you want to change your list at any time, just send me another PM titled Reservations Changes)
    Include a list of sets you want to reserve. Set numbers are required, names are optional.
    List each set individually, don't just say "i wnat all ur boncles"
    If you're not from the US, please say so. I'm still undecided about shipping internationally.
     
    Some other info:
    I'm hoping to start selling before then end of the year, but no earlier than the end of October. That should give you some time to figure out what you want and will be able to buy.
    As for pricing, I'm currently leaning towards original MSRP+10%, but I'm not sure if that will be final; it seems like a lot to ask. Prices will definitely be negotiable, regardless of what I settle on for pricing. I'm also considering doing package deals, eg. "buy 6 Toa for the price of 5" or something like that.
    Paying will almost certainly be via Paypal only.
     
     
    This whole going-through-sets and selling-sets thing has turned out to be much more involved than I thought it would be. The reservation guidelines seem a bit strict, but I'm hoping it'll make things easier for me once it gets to selling time.
     
    if you have any questions/comments/concerns, leave a comment below.
     
     
     
    bumping to hopefully drum up interest
  25. HAZMAT

    More Video Games

    By HAZMAT,

    Prototype was close to completion when I wrote the last entry, and I beat it soon after. Like I said before, really fun game and I recommend it.
     
    Then I played and beat Alan Wake over the next few days, as well as the 2 DLC levels that were included for free ("The Signal" and "The Writer").
    Wow, it was great. I was doubtful of the whole "fight with light" thing, but it worked out really well. The fights felt tactical, challenging, occasionally stressful (in a good way), and perfectly paced. And of course, the story was phenomenal. The TV episodes stylization was a bit strange but worked well and added to the cinematic feel. I could totally imagine watching this on TV at night.
    Like I mentioned in the previous entry, I have American Nightmare preordered and am now really looking forward to it.
     
    In the meantime, I've preordered Max Payne 3, which came with 1 and 2 as well. I have never played any of the games and pretty much went into this based on hype alone. The trailers for 3 look cool and the first 2 are considered classics. Hopefully they don't disappoint.
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