Hi my name is Adrienne, and this is my story...a World ofWarcraft/"Intervention" Mashup

"World of Warcraft" and I have had a pretty tumultuous relationship.  Like the best telenovelas, there was passion, drama, cat fights, and people speaking foreign languages (I raided with a guy who I really don't think spoke any English or at least pretended he didn't know any--Orochi, if you're out there--hola, amigo!).  For six years I lived and breathed Azeroth.  Last year I gave it up cold turkey (I'm still waiting for Blizzard to send me my one-year chip).  This is my story (cue "Intervention" style music).

I was first introduced to WoW in 2006.  A family member said "hey, you've got to try this," so I did.  I was hooked from the first time I stepped into that crowded night elf starting zone.  At first, I only played when I felt like I needed it.  To blow off some steam after a stressful day of work or on the weekends.  Then, I started playing even more--I needed it every day.

Casual questing turned into hours of raiding.  I was driven to get as much WoW as I could handle.  When I woke up in the morning my first thoughts would be of WoW.  I would go to work and sneak WoW--well, not exactly the game itself, but forums, videos, and articles.  It was then that I realized I had a problem...

I started skipping out of obligations and making up lies to get more WoW.  But now, I was in deep...I was obligated to log on and raid.  I couldn't quit.  I'd be letting all those people down.  So, rather than acknowledge my problem I let it get worse.  I signed up to raid five days a week or more--I started hanging out with others who were just as deeply entrenched in the culture and who encouraged me to continue.

Things started to decay quickly.  My new friends were very demanding and wanted me to do more WoW with them.  Relationships grew strained and finally I quit.  It felt great to no longer have this hobby that had turned into an obligation in my life.  Unfortunately, I only stayed on the wagon for a short time.  All it took was for me to read an article or talk to someone that was still playing for me to have a deep seated hankering for more WoW.  I renewed my subscription after a year away and the cycle started all over again--"I'm just going to play casually."  "I'll just do a few raids."  I've quit and returned three times.  (Cue crying and desperation ala "Intervention" style drama)

This last time I went back, it was different.  I found that WoW had grown stale for me.  It no longer held the fun that it used to.  I didn't feel like being obligated to play--I didn't want the drama.

Now, picture happy family members exchanging hugs and congratulating me on my achievement.  I've been WoW sober for a year now.  The end.

So if you insert some sort of substance that you would see on "Intervention" for the places that say WoW and change the verbage from being game related...

I'd like to dedicate this post to all the awesome people I met in Azeroth--Gathun, Monkeynuts, Gyna, Grimclaw, Ivalla, Joerock, Rubylynx, Pandamage, and especially my three besties Lindyra, Tannhauser, and Liska.

I'm done crying for now....

So back to the topic at hand.

("The Walking Dead" Season 2, Episode 5 spoilers--read at own risk!)

I'm giving up on the recap.  I'll just hope that whoever reads this has played through the game.  So now for the opinion part...

In the end it all comes to two characters who both have their flaws--Jane and Kenny.  This was a tough choice.  Really a "lesser of two evils" type of choice.  Should Clem go with Jane who might be likely to abandon her at the first sign of trouble?  Or should she go with Kenny who seems to have turned into a violent psycho over the course of both games?  (Doesn't Kenny have a right to be a psycho?  He saw his son get bitten and put down, his wife committed suicide, somehow he survived the swarm in Savannah, AND his girlfriend had just gotten killed by zombies.  PTSD anyone?)

My first gut instinct was to go with Jane.  She seems to know what to do to survive.  I chose her on my first playthrough.  It was hard! I really don't like the whole part where she manipulates Clem into seeing Kenny's "bad side."  As Kenny is dying he seems happy...like Clem made the right choice.  Ugh...that part was horrible.  Jane takes you back to the Howe's warehouse from episode 3 and it seems to be a great place to start over.  A family arrives at the gate and Clem can choose to let them in or turn them away.  I chose to let them in--it seems like a good start to a more stable life for Clem.

On my second playthrough I chose Kenny.  Sure, he has a need to beat the crap out of someone once in awhile, but I really don't think he'd intentionally hurt Clem.  He would protect her, maybe with his own life if necessary.  I don't think Kenny is a bad guy, just a guy who has been through a lot of bad stuff.  At heart he's still a dad who wants to watch out for his family.  I liked the ending with Kenny a lot better--I chose to have Clem and the baby stay in Wellington without Kenny. I will have to go back and pick the ending where you go with Kenny to see what happens (to me that seemed like the worst choice--you're going to live in the wilderness with a baby in the middle of winter?) And then I cried as Kenny walked off into the distance.  Hey Telltale Games, can you supply a box of Kleenex with season 3?

Was it as good as season 1?  Hmmm...I think season 1 was better.  I really liked the dynamic between Lee and Clem.  This season definitely had some difficult choices and gut wrenching moments.  It is amazing to see how much Clem has grown up and changed since the first season.  In ep. 5 you are briefly reminded of this during a flashback.  Clem isn't a scared little kid anymore, she's a survivor.  The divergent endings make me wonder what season 3 will have in store.  I vote more Clementine!

Season 1 Clementine--remember that scared kid?

Season 2 Clementine--Survivor!

            

"The Walking Dead" Season 2, Episode 5

Oof...another emotional gut punch from Telltale's "The Walking Dead."  It seems like every episode just builds you up and then smashes you right where it counts.  I finished episode 5 yesterday with two different save files and two totally different outcomes.

Now, I know that there is probably no one reading this.  If you are reading this and haven't finished it, stop reading NOW!  The entire rest of this post will be about episode 5 and it's ending.  Spoilers ahead!

The episode opens with the raging gun battle between Clem's group and Arvo's.  Clem hits the dirt and both groups continue firing.  The player is then faced with a tough decision--the baby is laying on the ground in the middle of the fighting, you can crawl over and save him or you can run to hide behind a wall with Luke and take cover.  (I was not surprised to see that almost 90% of players chose to save the baby--the other 10%, really?  You would leave it?). I discovered that no matter which option you choose the baby is saved--either by you or Luke.  Luke takes a bullet to the leg and things start to look really dire for the survivors.  Kenny manages to save Luke from getting shot in the face with a shotgun. One gunmen remains and it doesn't look like anyone can hit him, then you hear him making an odd gurgling noise.  Someone stabbed him in the neck.  It's Jane--she's back and basically the savior of the group.

From here the survivors round up Arvo (after Kenny smacks him around some--looks like Kenny's issue sre still there)--the only survivor from his group--say a quick goodbye to Rebecca and decide to trust Arvo's claim that the Russians have a safe house with food and supplies only a short distance away.  During the walk, Clem and Jane discuss the reasons for Jane's departure and then sudden (but awesome) return.  Jane still seems a little shady and untrustworthy.  What's to stop her from leaving again?  The group walks until dark and Arvo informs them that this supposed house is still far away.  The group decides to spend the night at an abandoned electrical station.  Clem urges everyone to make it a nice, quiet night with no drama.

The sequence at the electrical outpost seems to be about rebuilding the group dynamic.  The whole group doesn't really trust Jane and Kenny is still having the occasional psychotic outburst.  Who should fix it?  Clem should fix it.  Part of our task is to convince Jane and Kenny to hang out with the group and be friendly.  It finally seems like things are coming together--everyone sits around the fire, jokes, and is generally having a nice time.

Your trek to the safehouse continues the next day.  Kenny relentlessly harasses Arvo during the trip.  The group finally gets within visual distance of the house and realizes two very important things:  1.) The house isn't actually completed--it's being constructed.  2.) They will need to cross a large frozen pond to get there.  Ice...we all know how this is going to end.  The group ventures onto the ice and makes it most of way before things start to go wrong.  Arvo decides to make a dash across the ice, it breaks but he only partially falls in, and Kenny manages to catch him and get to shore.  The rest of the group follows but now the ice seems a lot weaker.  Clem notices cracks in the ice.  Then, you hear louder cracks and see that Luke has completely stopped and that the ice is not going to bear his weight.  Oh, and a pack of the undead have managed to catch up to you and are adding to the stress on the ice.  The ice cracks and Luke's legs fall through the ice.  He's hanging on, but you have to choose--does Clem venture out onto the ice to help him or does she cover him while he attempts to pull himself out?

On my first playthrough I chose to have Clem cover him--he's yelling at you to do it, it seems like a good option.  Clem shoots down the zombies, but Bonnie refuses to leave Luke and tries to help.  The ice cracks and they both fall through.  You see Luke come up under the ice near you and you can have Clem attempt to break it and save him.  Clem falls in as well--Luke dies, but Bonnie manages to get out.  Jane pulls you out and rushes you to the house.  Second playthrough I chose to have Clem help Luke.  The ice breaks and Clem falls through.  There are zombies in the pond and they pull Clem down, Luke is able to help her get free, but another zombie pulls him down.  It's a sad sequence watching Luke slowly sink out of sight.  I liked Luke--he was a good character.  Someone to trust and who kept the peace.  Again, you are rescued by Jane and rushed to the house.

I think I'll post about the rest later.  This is getting long.  And I'm sad about Luke.

"The Walking Dead" Season 2 Episode 5 and Pinball FX 2

I was excited to see that episode 5 for Telltale's "The Walking Dead" season 2 came out this week. I just downloaded it on my IPad and can't wait to see the ending.   This, the final episode, came out relatively close to episode 4.

(Spoilers ahead regarding ep. 4!)

When I last left off in episode 4, Clem and her group were trudging away from their camp at the Civil War battlefield.  Jane had departed and Rebecca had her baby but wasn't doing so hot.  Things were looking pretty dire for the survivors.  Then, things went from bad to worse when the group ran into Arvo (the kid who you can choose to rob of his medicine--leg brace, broken glasses, speaks a different language...yup, that guy).  Arvo greets Clem and the group and then the rest of his group emerges from the forest.  Guns are pointed by everyone...it's intense.  During gun waving, Clem discovers that Rebecca has succumbed and turned.  The baby is in danger!  The player then gets to choose how to resolve the Rebecca is a zombie situation--you can shoot her yourself (while both groups are staring each other down guns pointed) or you can yell for help.  After two different playthroughs I discovered that either one results in the same ending--some random gun fire between the groups.  Cliffhanger!  Who got shot (besides Rebecca--RIP Rebecca, you were cranky, but could be nice at times)?  What is going to happen to the baby?

I'm going to find out.  I hope things work out for Clem and the group...they rarely do though.

On a similar front, the "Walking Dead" pinball table came out on Pinball FX2 (Steam).  Here's a video:

Thoughts on "Top 100" List

Now, much of the outrage stems from the noticeably absent games from the early era of PC gaming.  Where are the games from the 80's and 90's (yes, there are a few)?  Where are those well respected classics?  There are also several games on the list that are early access games that are not even completed yet (Kerbal Space Program, Starbound, DayZ--which isn't even a game, but a mod).  What about the original Half-Life.  I can still fire that up and enjoy smacking head crabs with crowbars.  What about the original Starcraft?  Or any of the pre-WoW strategy games from Blizzard (Warcraft-Warcraft III)?

Needless to say, this list is a little mind boggling.  In the magazine they explain how they picked them, but really?

I guess when it really comes down to it these "top" lists are very subjective (and I don't wonder if they pander to some of the publishers--after all, they have to work with them to write their articles and reviews).  Every gamer has their favorite game or genre that they will stand by.  I like RPG's and tend to lean towards them, but I also like strategy and the occasional shooter.  I was happy to see several RPG's on the list (namely Mass Effect and The Witcher).  Seeing Mass Effect 2 at the top of their list was a little surprising especially after the Mass Effect 3 EndingGate scandal.  Mass Effect 2 would definitely top my own personal list, but is it really the "all time greatest?"

Who knows?  And really it's extremely subjective.  I'm sure there are other nerds out their compiling their own top 100 lists.  Let's face it--lists like this will always start arguments.  That's the fun!

EDIT:  -1 to reading skill for me.  Bioshock is on the list...I missed it.  My bad!

PC Gamer's "Top 100 Games" List

In this month's edition of PC Gamer magazine the staff compiled a list of the "top 100 PC games" ever.  I am getting the impression from some curious Googling that this is something they do every once in awhile.  There is also some serious e-outrage at this supposed "top" list.  I am enjoying reading all the angry comments.  You, (meaning possibly just me, but maybe some random person who stumbled upon this blog) be the judge:

1. Mass Effect 2
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
3. Half-Life 2
4. Deus Ex
5. Bioshock
6. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
7. Team Fortress 2
8. Mass Effect 3
9. Portal
10. Dark Souls
11. FTL: Faster Than Light
12. DayZ
13. Bioshock Infinite
14. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
15. Dragon Age: Origins
16. DOTA 2
17. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
18. Minecraft
19. Portal 2
20. The Walking Dead: Season 1
21. Grim Fandango
22. System Shock 2
23. Alpha Centauri
24. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
25. Civilization V
26. Diablo III
27. Doom
28. Fallout 3
29. Papers, Please
30. Rising Storm
31. Thief II: The Metal Age
32. Dishonored
33. Mirror's Edge
34. World of Warcraft
35. Planescape: Torment
36. Battlefield 3
37. Crusader Kings 2
38. Fallout
39. Guild Wars 2
40. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
41. ARMA 3
42. The Witcher 2
43. Spelunky
44. Hearthstone
45. Day of the Tentacle
46. Duke Nukem 3D
47. Frontier: Elite II
48. ARMA 2
49. Outcast
50. Battlefield 4
51. Company of Heroes
52. Left 4 Dead 2
53. Hotline Miami
54. Cave Story+
55. Monkey Island 2
56. Return to Castle Wolfenstein
57. Saints Row 4
58. Final Fantasy VII
59. Fallout: New Negas
60. Unreal Tournament 2004
61. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
62. The Secret of Monkey Island
63. FIFA 13
64. Braid
65. EVE Online
66. League of Legends
67. Empire: Total War
68. Batman: Arkham City
69. FEAR
70. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
71. Far Cry 3
72. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
73. Doom 3
74. Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War
75. Bastion
76. Command & Conquer
77. Don't Starve
78. Grand Theft Auto IV
79. No One Lives Forever 2
80. Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance
81. Total War: Rome II
82. Ultima VII
83. X-COM/UFO: Enemy Unknown
84. Broken Sword
85. Battlefield: Bad Company 2
86. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
87. Assassin's Creed II
88. Quake III
89. Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth
90. Kerbal Space Program
91. Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis
92. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
93. Planetside 2
94. The Sims
95. Starbound
96. Freespace 2
97. Kingpin: Life of Crime
98. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
99. Company of Heroes 2
100. The Curse of Monkey Island

I've got pages!

8 pageviews that were semi-likely not my own!  I'm semi-famous to 8 people.  What to do with my new found e-fame?

I'm planning on adding some deep thoughts on my new pages.  For some weird reason I sort of have this "A Christmas Carol" theme going through my head--future, present, and past.  I don't really like Dickens so I'm not sure where this theme came from, but I'm going to run with it.

"Future gaming conquests" is going to be a place to talk about games that I'm excited about that haven't been released yet.  I'm always keeping my eyes peeled for something new to play.  I'm hoping that my six year old computer (ugh, yet another ding in my nerd armor--I don't run the latest and greatest, I'm a teacher and new tech stuff is expensive!) will continue to run these new games.

"Present gaming conquests" is where I'll post about my current gaming conquests.  Games that I'm enjoying (or hating) for the first time or that I'm revisiting yet again.

"Past gaming conquests" will be a place to reflect on some of my favorite games or just old games in general.  Who doesn't love going back and playing a favorite?  It's like visiting an old (sometimes laughably outdated) friend.  (Coming soon!)

So, one of possibly 8 people who looked at this blog--now you know my master vision.

So I wanted to make a blog...

And here it is.  Now, what to blog about?  How about, like Oprah, I blog about a few of my favorite things.  Well, really just one favorite thing--gaming.  I thought maybe something about cat walking, but that would probably be pretty dry.  "Here's my cat!"  "Here's my cat on a leash!"  "Here's my cat on a leash laying on the grass!" (FYI that is pretty much the main event of cat walking)  So I decided to go with gaming.

What can I say about gaming...hmmm...it's something I have found a passion for in my dotage.  Gaming is something I grew up with--if we're being really honest here I come from a big family of nerds.  Nerds who go to the theater on opening nights of LoTR (not in costume though, gotta draw the nerd line somewhere) and play video games.  I remember going to my Grandma's house and playing on her PC Jr. (circa 1986ish).  My family always had a computer and yes, we used it for gaming.  We also had a few consoles that were cool for their day--an Atari or two (I'm not down with the Atari lingo to know the model #'s), a Nintendo, and of course a PC.

                                My brother and I celebrating our unknown future as nerds.

                                  PC Gaming in the good ol' days.  Snap bracelet included!

Needless to say, I have continued the family tradition of gaming (and general geekiness).  To further score geek points I plan to document my gaming experiences on this blog for perpetuity.