Safety Zone

The biggest things I am excited for in video games right now are sequels. Looking at the horizon of possible video game purchases, the games that stick out are second editions of games that I have played and enjoyed. Next month, I am anticipating buying the sequel to a game that is itself the third edition of series: Fallout: New Vegas. 

Fallout: New Vegas

 Looking to the future, the games that are on my radar are the sequels to Infamous and Batman: Arkham Asylum. As I was getting ready to write today’s post, I started thinking about why that is.

The reason this question comes up is because a little over two years ago, I made a change in the way I purchased new video games. Previously, I would just buy a new game, basically, whenever I felt like it. While this meant I never had an opportunity to get bored with the video games, it also meant that our bank account was continually being drained. Knowing this, I knew I had to do the responsible thing and cut back. So, I decided that I would only buy a new video game whenever I had beaten the previous one. This one little change has ended up making a huge impact in the way I look at new games.

Knowing that I only have one chance when I pick up a new game has made me more cautious in which games I choose. If I pick up a new game, there is a 50/50 chance that the game will be one that I will not enjoy. Thus far, I have been fortunate. Of the new titles I have bought, only one so far has been a dud. Obviously that is a great average. What’s interesting is that the one game that was horrible was not a sequel.

Red Dead Redemption is a game that has had nothing but rave reviews.

Red Dead Redemption

 On the site that is the video game equivalent to Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, it has a score of 95. That means that out of 100 reviews, 95 of them reviewed the game favorably. In this case, you can lump in the 5 percent that feel the game is terrible. What’s interesting about the positive reviews is the vast majority of them mention the story. I am all for story being a key element of a video game, but if the controls stink, then the game is worthless. In this case, the game’s just plain not fun.

Sequels are generally safer. Odds are if you enjoy the first game, you will enjoy the second. Rock Band is a primary example. The first game was incredibly fun. Paul, Jennifer, Brandon, Jeff (of the bestjeffever.com) and I would stay up until late into the night, playing.

Rock Band 2

When Rock Band 2 came out, we once again resumed our Rockstar-fueled music marathons. The game took the basics of the first and just expanded on them.

Sequels are not guaranteed hits, though. Last year, I picked up the sequel to one of my favorite games of all time, Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance

 I expected the game to be similar to the first, with an expanded roster of superheroes and more powers. This was not the case. What I didn’t realize at the time was that this game had been made by a different company than the first. The new company, Vicarious Visions, didn’t follow the example set by the prior. They  created a game that had less powers, fewer costumes, and was,  overall, shorter than previous versions. That was good and bad because, although the game was less fun, it didn’t take me very long to beat.

Looking at the system I have set up for my video game purchases, I think I will probably spend most of money on sequels. Even though I may be missing out on some games that could be innovative or original, sequels have the greatest odds of being games that I would enjoy. Now, I am not completely opposed to first editions. However, unless I am able to properly research the game (using resources such as Game Informer), I won’t be spending my money outside of the safety zone.

Fort Quintanilla

Our fort

Today was an interesting day. I had planned on spending the day in my normal manner. Ever since  Jenn and I had gotten married, I’ve spent the majority of my Saturdays in the same way. I wake up, hopefully before eleven, and begin to clean the house. Afterward that’s done, I usually spend the afternoon playing my latest video game, only taking the necessary breaks. Today, however, was different.

My uncle, Arthur, has been in the hospital for a few days at this point. Today, he had an important surgery that, if successful, could extend his life. My cousin, Jessica, wanted to be at the hospital in support of her father-in-law. With Paul, her husband at work, she needed someone to watch her daughter, Isabell, and her son, Maciah. Jenn and I volunteered. I was eager to spend the day with them, (even if it meant giving up my video game time) because I wanted to some practice entertaining kids for an extended period of time.

The day turned out to be really fun. I was nervous that Jenn and I would be boring because we are not what you would call “active” people, especially now that Jenn is pregnant. I wasn’t sure if Isabell and Maciah would want to go home after being here for only a few minutes. Ordinarily, I would  have just expected Brandon to pick up the slack but he had to leave for work. So it was up to Jenn and I to make sure these kids had fun.

As soon as they arrived, Jenn and I looked at them and asked them what they wanted to do. We tried to offer some of the more active right away, like going to a park or playing outside. Instead, the first thing they both wanted to do was watch a movie. Inside, I was relieved. As I have written about multiple times, I am a huge movie buff. So this was something that was right up my alley.

As we scanned the Netflix Instant Watch list for something to watch, we came across something that I had already decided would one of the first things I would introduce to my girls: “Avatar: The Last Airbender”. I explained to them what it was and they both said they were curious enough to watch it. I was ecstatic and quickly loaded it up. I was especially interested to see what Isabell’s reaction would be.

Having not grown up with sisters, I am not quite sure what young girls are into. My only information (like most things) comes from what I have seen on television and movies. So I wasn’t sure if a show that didn’t include princesses or copious amounts of the color pink would interest her. It turns out I shouldn’t have been worried. She was very into the show,asking questions about the characters and otherwise paying rapt attention to the screen. This was a great way to start our time together.

The rest of the day was just as much fun. We spent of our time indoors by their choice. (In the words of Isabell, it was “too hot outside”.) A good portion of our time was spent playing video games. I had downloaded the demo version of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”and they had seen me playing it the last time they were over our house. After we watched an episode of Avatar and the movie, “The Iron Giant”, Isabell asked if she could watch me play it. No sooner were the words out of her mouth than I was up and grabbing a controller.

Jenn, Isabell, Macaih and I played video games for the next hour or so. After Isabell and Macaih got a chance to play through the demo level, they both wanted to play Rock Band. We all took turns rocking out on the drums and guitar, playing through the various songs they knew. Once again, one of my biggest anxieties as a father was slightly alleviated. I at least had circumstantial evidence that a girl could be as into video games as I am.

Once Brandon came home from work, Jenn and I felt like we needed to get everyone out of the house for a while. So we decided to walk to take Puck and get ourselves candy from the Dollar Store, pizzas from Little Ceaser’s, and Icees from the Quick Stop. It turns that Macaih and Jenn move at the same pace. Of course, Macaih’s reason is because of the length of his legs while Jenn’s is because of…well, the girls.

Post-dinner, we decided to finish out the night, alternating between watching movies and playing Scott Pilgrim (the same level over and over again.) We built a fort for Isabell, Macaih and I to hang out in ( even though Puck tried to destroy it). The time until Jessica arrived seemed to fly by. Today gave me hope that fatherhood was not something that would be completely foreign to me.

What the Puck?

Today, girls, is family day. Since we talked a bit about your mom last week, let’s talk about who else you’ll be sharing the house with. He sleeps most of the day and the time he is awake, he just wants to play. No, I am not talking about a certain Canadian. I am talking about our family’s first dog. I’m talking about The Puck. 

When I was younger, my parents had a dog named Wonder. They got him when when they first got married and kept him till shortly after I was born. From what I am told, the main reason they did not keep Wonder was because, as I would crawl around, I would grab his tail. They say they gave him away for his own good. I think it’s because your uncle Victor was born. (But to be honest, I naturally blame most things on him.) 

When I was about 4, we moved to a ranch and my parents acquired three more dogs. There was black lab named Goofy, a golden retriever named Terry, and what I think was a mutt named Paco. I remember Paco being the inside dog but other than taking him with us on a trip when he was still a puppy, I don’t remember much about those dogs. My mom tells the story about a strange man who pulled into our driveway while Victor and I were playing outside. Apparently he wanted to take our picture. She thinks it was his his way of gaining our trust so he could kidnap us. As my mom tells it, the only things that prevented us from appearing on a milk carton were those dogs. They kept growling and barking at the guy until my dad finally came out to see what was up. (Girls, your mom and I will be much more attentive parents, I promise.) I have a tendency to chalk things up to my mom exaggerating a story for effect but there is that mysterious Polaroid of Victor and I outside the ranch house…. 

Your mom and I decided early on into our dating relationship that as we moved into a house, we wanted a dog. Much like your names, we had the breed of dog and names picked out. Unfortunately, we could not afford to move into a house right away. Instead, the first 6 and a half years that we were married, we lived in a tiny little apartment.  One that, much to your mom’s great regret, did not allow dogs. So, to fill the void, we tried out a variety of small pets from fish and hamsters to a couple of rather large turtles. While we enjoyed each one, there was still something missing. 

Thus, one week before we moved into our first house at the end of the Summer of 2009, I told Jenn that we could afford to finally get our puppy. Almost immediately, she was on Petfinder.com, searching for the perfect dog. I still remember that hot August night that Jenn spent in the kitchen, hunched over the computer. (Yes, I know the computer was in the kitchen. I said the apartment was small.) She would pull pictures of the various dogs and ask Brandon (he’s the Canadian I was talking about earlier) and I our opinions. Finally, late into the evening, we settled on a tiny little black mutt. The only catch was the pound we were adopting him from was in Fresno…and Jenn would have to pick him up the day after we were supposed to move in. 

The Puck as we first saw him.

 

That day is still kind of fuzzy. The day before, Victor, Jenn, your aunt, Brandi, and a few of our closest friends spent all day moving everything in. Victor and I started at 8 and we moved the last stuff in at around 10 that night. The first thing we did was hook up the TV and Playstation so Jeff Barton (of bestjeffever.com) and I could play Arkham Asylum.  We ended up staying up until 2, beating crooks and trying to figure out the Joker’s evil scheme. Your mom went to bed because she couldn’t handle the awesomeness. She will say that it’s because she had to be up at 4 to drive to Fresno to pick up the puppy. I’ll let you decide. 

As if moving in wasn’t tiring enough, the next day was your great-grandmother’s 80th birthday party. The plan was that Jenn and her mom would drive to Fresno, pick the puppy up, and then meet me at the party. I don’t remember much about the party, not even the 15-minute video I made for the event. But the one thing I do remember was Jenn walking in was this little black bundle. And that’s when I first met The Puck. 

The three of us at Grandma's 80th birthday party

 

I was so exhausted from moving and getting up early, I left the party soon after Jenn arrived. She stayed behind to meet some of members of my side of the family that she had never seen before. I drove Puck home and let him smell the house so he could get familiar. He was a little car sick from the four hour drive from Fresno. So we both layed down on the couch and fell asleep. As of the day that I write this, Puck still falls asleep curled up with me. 

Puck’s named after a character from my favorite Shakespearean play. The Puck was an elfin sidekick to Oberon, king of the fairies. He was known for getting into mischief and causing trouble. Well, our Puck has certainly lived up to his name. We knew things had changed the first night we had him when we tried to teach him to sleep in a crate in our bedroom. He immediately started whining and whimpering. Needless to say, your mom and I did not get much sleep that night. The next day, we tried moving the crate into the kitchen area. We still could hear him. Thus ended the great Puck crate experiment. 

One of my things I worried about before we got Puck was if I would be able to deal with a dog. I grew up with them when I was kid but the last time I lived in a house with dogs was over 20 years ago. I knew that, with Puck (as much as with you two) I would rely on Jenn’s expertise. She had grown up with dogs all her life. In fact, our time at the apartment was the longest she had lived someplace without one. Initially, it seemed that, outside of who he slept with, Puck naturally took to Jenn. I was disappointed but I thought that was probably for the best. I didn’t feel connected to him until the time came for Puck to get his first shots. 

It was the first Saturday that Puck and I would spend an extended period of time together. Jenn had Sidewalk Sunday School, which took up most of the day. It was my job to take Puck to his first obedience class and then to get his shots. (What a crappy day, huh?) We arrived at the veterinary clinic and after waiting for a few minutes, went in to see the doc. Puck was shaking, so I started petting him. As the vet approached, something happened that bonded me to Puck instantly. He lifted his front paws and placed them on my chest. He then looked into my eyes as the vet began to give the first shot. Looking into his eyes, as corny as it sounds, I knew that I loved Puck…and he had bonded with me. 

When I was a kid, I don’t remember much about having a dog. Today, almost exactly a year to the day since we got him, I can’t imagine not having him. You know, I think your mom said it best today. If we didn’t have Puck, life would probably be easier. But it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.

Life is a Highway

Tonight, Jenn and I headed to our first night of birthing classes. It was…interesting. I am thinking about going more in-depth  about the class later this week. However,  the class took a lot longer than I was anticipating. As such, I now have a very short time to make my post for today. So I am going to be  taking a something I wrote for a Disneyland Trip Newsletter I made in preparation for the New Year’s 2o1o trip and adding to it for tonight’s post. In later posts, I’ll be talking about some of the things I have enjoyed during our past trips. Today, I am going to write about a part that doesn’t get much thought. The ride down.

I have been asked multiple times why I don’t save time and fly to Los Angeles. One of the major reasons I do not drive is because simply, I enjoy the drive. I don’t find it boring or even particularly long. Plus I have many memories from different aspects of the trip.

One that stands out to me is a memory from our April 2008 trip with Victor and Brandi. We were pretty stoked because this was going to be the first time it was going to be just the four of us on vacation. There was some additional excitement in the air as we had decided on a whim to leave a day early. So we piled into our Jeep and were on our way down Interstate 5. Unfortunately, we didn’t know that there was nighttime construction. So, even though we made good time down most of I5, after we left Harris Ranch, there was an hour-long delay as we crawled through what felt like 10 miles of road. Initially we were all still pretty jazzed, but as the minutes stretched on, Jennifer ended up succumbing to the frustration. Victor, on the other hand, succumbed to sleep. So it made for a funny moment once we were past the construction, as Victor woke up and said, “That wasn’t that bad.” Needless to say, Jenn lost it.

Even though I have some more intricate memories, I also have some simple ones. Jenn and I have developed a little mini-game that we like to play. Every time we pass one of the mileage signs on the side of the road, we figure out how long it will be until we reach the resort. (Yes, Jenn and I know we are such nerds that we make up math games to entertain us.) The game is fun, though, because it becomes a countdown for when we will reach Disneyland. As each mile ticks away, we get more and more eager to “get home”.

However that is not the only game we play. Back in April 2009, Curtis, Brandon, Jennifer, and I each picked a few songs and we tried to guess who picked what song. It not only helped pass the time but it was interesting to see the different musical styles each of us enjoyed…even though we all agreed we didn’t like Curtis’s style.

We played the game again for the New Year’s 2010 trip. I asked Brandon, Victor, Brandi, Paul and Jessica to each give me 10 songs to build our trip playlist. After gathering the songs from each person, I realized that we needed to add more songs so we wouldn’t run out before we reached the Grapevine. Luckily, Jenn and I had built a library of trip songs from the multiple trips we have made. A good portion of songs we have were picked based on the ones we enjoyed playing on Rock Band. So I made the CDs (16 in all), not realizing that there was a disporportionate amount of Rock Band songs. As the seven of us played the game and tried to guess the person who picked the song, the cry of “Not Rock Band again!” quickly became a catchphrase of the trip. (It was so ingrained in us that when one of the songs played as part of the background loop for Sunshine Plaza in Disney California Adventure, we all yelled it.)

So why do I like to drive rather than fly? Yes I could save time but for me the trip is not about saving time. It’s about using each moment to make a new memory. And if the drive gives me more time to make memories, then I would take it over a flight every time.

Death In-House

Looking back over the past week, I noticed the day most people who read my blog seemed to be the least interested in Tuesday, a.k.a. video game day. At first I was surprised. I assumed that the wrestling and comic books were much more niche and would have a lower appeal. But as I was thinking more about it, I realized that video games have evolved into a much more solitary pursuit. Which really saddens and annoys me. 

When I was younger, I used to love when video games had the ability to allow two people to play at the same time. There was something about sharing the gaming experience that took what was already a fun thing and made it amazing. Even games like Super Mario Bros. 3, which I consider one of the top video games of all time, were made better by allowing more than one player to play. 

Super Mario Bros. 3

 

Although it was only by having players alternate turns, I remember how much fun it was as each person tried to beat a level. (In case you think this is simply an opinion based on nostalgia, two years ago my sister-in-law, Brandi, and I downloaded Super Mario Bros 3 on the Wii and we spent an entire three-day weekend trying to beat it.) 

The next big step in multi-player gaming was the Nintendo 64 and one game that revolutionized first person shooters, Goldeneye. The Nintendo 64 was the first major video game system to have four players built into the console. Ports on the front of the machine allowed for  four controllers to be hooked up and there were plenty of games that took advantage of this feature. 

Goldeneye

 

One of my fondest memories of being an intern was having a bunch of guys come to my house and stay up all night sniping each other on Goldeneye. 

Since that point, it seems that Nintendo has always been a big supporter of what I like to call “In-house” multi-player. Their next system, Gamecube, continued the four port feature. For the guys of Reality Student Ministries, two games took full advantage of that: Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart: Double Dash. At the time, Jeff Barton (of the bestjeffever.com), Eli Whatley, and I were leaders of the guys home group. One of the key components of that home group was the fun each guy had playing those guys. Up to 25 students, from 12 – 25, were united by the common thrill of unleashing the blue shell at the cocky guy in the lead. 

The most hated turtle-related item in history.

 

Other game systems made some attempts at tapping the in-house multi-player market. The one that stands out was the  X-Box and their franchise game, Halo. Halo took it to the next level. By using a ”system-link” or an Ethernet cable (sold separately, of course), it was possible to patch up to four X-Box systems and have as many as 16 players face each other. Even though I love first-person shooters, I could not get into Halo. There was my minor bias against Bill Gates but my primary reason was my dislike of the X-Box controller. It felt too cumbersome to be used effectively, especially in contrast to the sleek Playstation or Gamecube controllers. Had I known what Halo would be responsible for, I would have been much more vocal in my dislike of X-Box. 

In 2002, Microsoft launched X-Box Live.  Whereas before you had to be at the same house to play a game with someone, it was now possible to do so without even having to be in the same state. While this was a boon for those gamers who were predominately solitary players, those of us who have friends watched as more and more games slowly started lacking the in-house multi-player features. Games like Halo 2 and the Call of Duty franchise primarily supported online only multi-player. As time went on, in-house multi-player was left primarily in the hands of the sports titles (and even those promoted their online capabilities). A new era had dawned. 

In-House multi-player is not dead. The Wii proudly supports four players in the same room. In fact, it’s interesting to note that, even though most of the software for the system was considered inferior to those on the X-Box and Playstation, the Wii became the number one selling video game system because large groups of people could come together and play. A brand-new genre of game, the music simulation, was created by Guitar Hero but exploded when Rock Band introduced the ability for four people to become a band in their living room. 

I am not anti-single or online play. I just feel that developers should not ignore the in-house multi-player market. There is a demand for games that people can join together and play. As I flip through my latest issue of Game Informer, though, I do not have much hope. It looks like the days of Jeff, Paul, Brandon, Jenn, and I staying up late, hopped up on Rockstars, may be have ended. And not just because we became parents