Google Currents really sucks.

I spend a lot of time drooling over the next cool thing that Google decides to do.  I have run into a few instances where Google is clear ahead on a project and it ends up canceled because they can't find a good place for it in their ecosystem.  Google Wave was a clear example of this.  It could have been very useful if it had been introduced to the proper niche.  I feel that in a corporate environment it could have been interesting.  I think that as a social media addition it could have been very cool.  It didn't make it and I have to deal with it.  Oh well...

Google has something now that acts kind of like an RS reader.  Google Currents.  You can sign up for numerous magazines, e-zines and countless websites.  The app is then supposed to bring you the top news to you.  It is supposed to be tailored more toward your tastes based on what you signed up for.  In the end, it just sucks.

Most of the stories are simply trending topics.  Some of which aren't even the most current news.  The way that the app displays these things is hilariously bad.  The pictures are wrong most of the time and the generic pictures that it puts up when it can't figure out what to put is even worse.  The headlines aren't displayed in a manner where you can really figure out what the story will be about.  It's really all kind of sad.  Add to that there are UI performance issues and it just slides downhill rather quickly.

There is a lot that can be done to infuse this app with the life that it needs to be a real winner.  To be something that Google would be proud to put their name on, but I'm not sure if it's being done.  I don't see a lot of talk about Currents and considering it is so new and is supposedly taking the place of the Google Reader... I'm not sure I have a lot of hope.  Don't get me wrong.  It CAN be good, it just needs work.

With some reductions in UI lag and how easy it is to pick a story/feed/trending topic the UI can be helped.  Offering different versions of styles based on phone or tablet would go a long was as well.  Allow stories or videos to pop up in a browser or in YouTube, don't keep them within the app (this has been a MAJOR issue for me).  Put some work into actually making the entire package usable and orient it more toward the individual user.  I have given you ALL of my information.  You know me.  You can tell me how much traffic there will be on my way home, but you can't give me topics that REALLY interest me?  Come on Google!

Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend

This is the first time I've been able to play in the Guild Wars 2 Beta Weekend events.  I wasn't cool enough or invited to any of the others.  Apparently I had to pre-purchase the game, not just pre-order it (which I did as soon as I could).  I'm not really big on giving a company money for a product when a release date isn't even available.  Just my "thing".

That aside, I was super excited to see that I had finally made it!  I finally got my shot to to give the game a go.  This seemed like the best time, too.  This looks the last event before launch AND it finally gives us a look at two of the classes people have been very excited about.

I don't really have a lot of free time, so I didn't get a chance to play a whole lot.  I got a couple hours last night and I am going in for some more tonight, but I've got enough that I can get out some first impressions.

The game looks boring.  Visually it is absolutely boring.  The models and game world doesn't look bad, far from it.  The game just isn't an over the top super polished masterpiece that we are used to seeing.  The game runs on a very wide array of PC specs and seems to pretty much cater to the ENTIRE audience of those who can run the first one.

I played a Ranger and a Thief.  I was excited to play both and I think that both classes will be very good.  I will probably give them both a shot.  The game has moved on from the originals class system (or multi-class system).  There isn't a whole mini-game of making the best class based on certain abilities, that has been replaced with a weapon system that is fluid and absolutely awesome.  It might just be some of the most customized fun I have ever had.  I'm not sure how it progresses as you level, but in the lower levels (sub 15) it is great.

The Ranger is your normal ranged class.  You can get in close and do some work depending on your weapons, but it isn't nearly as fun.  What sets the class apart is how neat some of the ranged stuff is for them.  Using melee weapons does give the class a very interesting feel, but it isn't what I want when playing a Ranger.  The pet aspect is also very fun.  Picking your own pet and allowing it follow you around or attack.  There are even weapons that make your pet better.  It will be fun to see how this class plays in all of it's different ways at max level.

The Thief is probably the class I will play first.  A sneaky-stabby class that can also use a gun.  It's like my Witch Hunter fantasy all over (best class ever in WAR).  Hopefully I will get to play this class for a good amount, though.  =P  The class looks like a blast and the only reason I didn't play it as much as the Range is because I found out that I hate the Sylvari.  That aside, it's fun.  The seamless gameplay between gun and dagger is so amazing.  The fluid motions and the easily understandable use of abilities is a breath of fresh air.  I am very happy with the entire experience.

It's the Steam Sale!!

The time has come and it's summer.  It's hot.  AND.... it's time for the Steam sale!

I honestly couldn't give less of a fuck.

There is one game that I even care about getting.  I want to pick up Half Life: Source, so I can have ALL of the Valve games.  Other than that I don't really care about anything else being offered, at all.  Most of the games either aren't appealing or just don't place on my list of things I want to play.  I still have a ton of games that I haven't played on Steam already.

I do play a good amount of games.  I play all sorts and find different kinds enjoyable.  Contrary to popular belief I am not just a bitter, hateful fuckhead.  I do enjoy games.  I just REALLY hate games with huge budgets that don't hold up on their end.  Failed promises, piss poor optimization and dumbed down console controls will kill a game before I even get to play it.  So what if I'm picky, I think I should be allowed.  When PC gaming are shelling out 300 bucks for middle-of-the-road video cards every two years or so, we are allowed.  When we are dropping 200 bucks for second-tier CPUs on the same time table, we are allowed.  When we fork over the SAME amount and receive so subsidy, that's shitty, and we are still allowed.

I still love Steam as a platform.  I am still excited that they have sales.  This particular sale is lackluster because.... WHAT HAS COME OUT SINCE CHRISTMAS?!  What amazing game has come out since the holiday season (their last sale).  Not much has popped up on my radar and with Guild Wars 2 coming up in six weeks, I can't see spending too much on games I might never play.  A new WoW expansion will be out shortly after that and that 40 dollars will have WAY MORE content than just about anything Steam currently has on sale.  I understand that entertainment will be different, I just find it so hard to care about this.

I'm more excited about getting a tablet.  I bet I can play a ton of cheap ass tower defense games on a tablet, too.

How to make Spotify better

I have been a fan of Last.fm for a while now.  I do not care for Pandora, however.  Pandora seems to be VERY random and put a lot of strange things on my list.  Why am I hearing Rhianna on a list of 80's music?  Why is Beyonce on my Less Than Jake station?!  It makes no sense.  I feel like Last.fm leanrs my listening habits much better and is able to give me music more focused at what I am looking for.  Last.fm always pays attention to what I've listened to and can play back those songs as well.  ALL OF THEM.  Well, anything that they have the appropriate rights to.

I have switched to Spotify for a little bit now.  My brother seems to like it and a lot of people are on the bandwagon.  It isn't bad, but it isn't all that good, either.  I have compiled a list of things that I would like to see added that would make it more well-rounded and worth of it's 10 dollar a month fee.

1. Love/hate, upvote/downvote.

2. More variation based on selected radio.

3. More easily manageable playlists (online/offline).

4. Support for MORE artists.

I have used Spotify for many things, but one of the things that I really wanted to do was find artists similar to those I already enjoyed.  It is very hard to find good music these days and Spotify doesn't make it any easier.  On top of the mediocre radio (which is supposed to lump like groups together), it moves further away from band similarities and almost becomes hilarious in some situations.  The "New" and "Popular" songs and albums are hilarious.  I was hoping that a music provider with such a huge tie to social media would at least understand what I enjoyed.  It doesn't.

If they could somehow find a way to implement Last.fm type features into this, I'd buy it 100%.  It isn't all bad, but it's bad enough that I can't help but wait for improvements.  If those don't come, I'll be ditching this service.  I just hope others are smart enough to do the same.

E3 always disappoints

Not that I can blame E3, though.  The move to consoles for most games doesn't rev me up like it used to.  There were some good looking PC games, though.  There just didn't seem to be very many games that thought about PC first. =(

Planetside 2 looks solid.  The gameplay footage looked very tight and the action looked intense.  The world looked gorgeous.  They already had a good thing going with the first game, bringing that sort of thing over into a new generation (PlanetSide just celebrated it's 9th anniversary) is very exciting.  I am sure a lot of things have changed, but the constant pressure to act and feeling of war still seem to be there.  I was very pleased that it didn't turn into an all out suckfest, because we all know Sony isn't the most reliable publisher out there.

Borderlands 2 also looked pretty good.  I know it isn't a title exclusive to PC.  It still looked pretty damned fun and hopefully they will build on what they learned from the first game.  While it was a good bit of fun, the connection issues killed the game.  That and the fact that you had to play it more than once to actually enjoy much of it.  Hopefully they also release some creative and fun DLC, much like they did the first time around. I still don't care too much for the cell-drawn art style, but as long as they have fixed the FoV and some of the frame rate issues, I don't really care.

The new Unreal Engine looks... unreal.  I have been a long time Unreal fan and this new engine is nothing to laugh at.  This thing is a beast and boasts some pretty impressive tech.  I can't help but wonder if they will make another Unreal Tournament or if it will be focused entirely on Gears of War, since that is the cash cow for them now.  I still hope that they bring back my favorite way of playing Unreal (XMP, multiplayer from Unreal 2).  It's a long shot that we see any new Unreal news, but here's to hoping!

Assassins Creed III seems to have everyone spellbound.  I don't really see it myself.  It does look cool, but I'm not sure that as a PC gamer that I give a fuck.  Sometimes those games just don't transfer to the keyboard very well.  I'm a lot more interested in.....

WATCH DOGS!  This game looks like it could be really, REALLY, cool.  It has been a long time since I saw something and said "Holy fuck, this is running on a tricked out PC and it looks awesome as shit!"  Seriously.  A LONG TIME.  The game looks neat and with it running on a PC now, I have high hopes that it will end up there eventually.  I really look forward to this and I might actually check up on it and follow it's progress for the next year or so until it ships.

I'm too much of a team player.

I rely almost entirely on others to have my own fun.

I have to play with people.  If I don't, I don't have fun.  I prefer to play with others that I know in small groups. The old days of of 5v5 or 8v8 competitive play was perfect for me.  When I have 3 or 4 other people with me I find myself very excited and performing at my best.  My strength is being with other people.

I'm a good healer.  I'm a focused tank.  I'm passable DPS.  I'm an excellent support player.  I'm a mediocre shot.  I'm a fairly capable strategist.  I'm a quick thinker.  I bring all of these assets to the people that I play with.  I am at my absolute best with others.  When I play with others I attempt to make up for what they lack.  If someone is a tank, I'll heal.  If someone is going to be a support class, I'll be a badass and take down as many people as I can.  I always try to round out the group to give us the best chance to finish our objective.  That means: I like to win.

In any team activity the final objective is victory.  I want to celebrate with others, too.  Completing an instance. Winning a battleground.  Owning some fools in CTF.  It's a rush, it's fun.  It is amplified when I have other people to share success with.  Even when we lose, it provides motivation.  I don't want to lose, then other people don't want to lose.  BOOM!  Now you have the motivation to not let others around you down.  It doesn't always have to go swimmingly, but it's nice when it does.

I don't always have to lead a team, but I find that a group of people dedicated to one particular strategy and willing to take orders works best.  I don't mind making tough calls or executing quickly in a tight spot.  Making decisions on what to do or where to go, I suck at.  Asking me to pick a map or decide where to go is bad.  Allowing me to take control and call the shots once we get there is a win.  Not always an actual win, but I always do my best to manage the people I have to get the job done... or as close to done as I can.

I wish I had more people to play with these days, because I seem to be running incredibly short or enjoyment.  Maybe it is because I am too picky or because I can't get everyone together on the same page.  I miss the old days of having people available all the time and everyone enjoying the company of each other.  I don't know what it is or how to fix it, but I sure do miss playing with other people.  I kind of think that if I can find more people to play with that I might just give up the hobby entirely.

G4 is dead. Finally.

Adam Sessler recently left G4.  As much as I respect him and think that he was really what kept that shithole afloat, I was sure that him leaving wouldn't kill them.  Kevin Pereira, however, will.  He has announced that after E3 he will be leaving.  Maybe there is a God after all....

For years I have railed on about how shitty G4 is and about how it is pandering to stupid fucking assholes.  This could easily be a death blow for them.  While it might sound weird that someone who loves gaming so much is cheering for G4 to die, you have to understand how shitty they are.  G4 generally shows 16 hours of infomercials and Cops or Campus PD.  Another 2 hours is devoted to past shows that may or may not have been good.  Two more hours highlight everything that is wrong with gaming.  The final 4 hours contain content that might be relevant.... if you played on a console.  So, basically, the network is shit.

G4 went from having tech-driven shows to shows about shitty pop culture.  They went from having 4-man LAN competitions hosted by guys who looked like they were on steroids to the endless cycle of Cops.  They lost out on many talents over the years from ditching some of the good TechTV shows to basically shitting all over the Screensavers.  What a fucking nightmare.

A lot has changed in game, and a lot has change in G4.  I guarantee that in the next year they will close their doors.  With the face of the franchise walking away and the brains behind everything leaving before him.... oh man!  It's fucking over!