Long time updates

Well since I played borderland, I've gone around to playing a number of other games and while I am a part-time gamer it seems i'm even less of a blogger.

I never got around to finishing borderlands, for some reason it always ends up stuck on my to-continue-playing list. I'm not sure if its the story or the pace of the game but that's just how it is.

*obviously the image isn't mine

Anyway I played Crysis, the first one, after borderlands and I must say I liked it. The location game play was interesting, the addition of the capabilities of the Nano suit made it different from other FPS games that I've played while the scenery was amazing.

While there was nothing special about the weapons, the AI was pretty good plus the whole twist about Aliens and fighting them using "conventional" weapons made it challenging. The only I found hard to believe was that the North Korean Military had could stand toe-to-toe with the US marines and special forces and create their own Nano Suit...All in all I recommend that anyone new to the FPS genre play Crysis just tick it off the list of the must-play games of the genre.

From Crysis I moved on the Dawn of War:Retribution but that's a tale for another day.

The Shogunate

Well I've finally reached my objective of getting all 40 provinces under the influence of the Shimazu Shogunate. I was hoping for a grand ending movie similar to that shown in the first Shogun: Total War but I just got a congratulations and decided to continue my campaign to get all the provinces in Japan. Well that will take a while.

I achieved this feat much easier that I'd have expected because of the following reasons:

1) The Strategic location of the Shimazu shogunate at the western edge of the country keeps my borders safe from other powerful clans such as the Hojo, Takeda, Tokugawa etc.

2) The the Western side of the country is also closest to the major trade routes, namely with the Indonesians, the Chinese, Koreans which became a vital source of income when secured.

3) The fact that the Shimazu specialized in Katana Samurai gave them a distinct edge in melee combat units as very few foot soldiers could stand up to an onslaught of veteran swordsmen, especially, most vulnerable of which are the Yari Ashigaru. Also the Shimazu have generals with higher than normal honor which makes generals less likely to sell-out.

4) A strong Navy is crucial to success. Capturing and protecting trade routes, patrolling the seas, disrupting enemy trade routes, blocking ports, and most especially delivering armies behind enemy lines.

5) Focus on economic growth, less on military at the onset most especially agriculture.

All in all, Shogun2: Total War was a source of hours of brain activity for planning and the satisfaction of crushing a rival clan made every minute worth it.

Publish Post

I'm still trying to figure out what game to play next. Maybe Dead Space 2? I've got a long list and not enough to cross all the games off them...

Shogun Update

I know its been a while since I've updated but since that time, I've conquered a number of provinces, all my allies/vassals have abandoned me leaving me to stand alone against the rest of the country. I've established strong forward positions and have since captured a total of 36 provinces.

Pictures and updates to come.

Its been a while since I've updated and it seems I'm a better player of Shogun 2 than I am at updating this blog. I suppose blogging is something I've yet to get used to unlike surrounding my opponent's castle and peppering the defending Samurai Retainers with arrows.

I started the game using the Shimazu clan. Located at the western section of Japan, the Shimazu are considered an easy faction to play because the Shimazu are bordered to the west by the sea which is rich in trading areas for incense and spices, build a ship early to make use of these.

The first step for expansion is towards the Ito Clan in Osumi Castle to the east. Once I took the castle I held it and waited for the Ito try to get it back. After breaking their offensive I went on the counter-attack and took Hyuga castle. The Ito then offered to become vassals to avoid extermination. I took the offer and shifted my focus to trade and economic development.

Having vassals is a great way for you to expand your territory without jeopardizing your Daimyo's honor or incurring the displeasure of the Shogunate early in the game. The moment your vassals are at war with another clan, you have the option to support them without start the war directly.

When the Sagara declared war on my vassal, I thrust deeply into the heart of Sagara territory from Satsuma and took the castle within 2 seasons. With enough Yari ashigaru and Bow Ashigaru I held of a counter-attack and eventually took the other remaining Sagara clan holds.

During all this, I wasn't producing soldiers like crazy, instead I was focusing on food production and economic development and trade routes to keep the people from rebelling. Investing in a strong navy is also a good idea because those trade routes are the lifeblood of the economy.

So far I hold 11 provices and my military power is classified as terrifying, financially my clan is considered rich and my clan fame is prominent. So much so that I've attracted the attention of the shogunate so I'm bracing for a major confrontation soon.

I chose the long campaign so I need to conquer 40 provinces including the imperial city of Kyoto and I've only gotten 1/4 of the provinces with 59 turns of play. Though truth be told I'm not an overly aggressive player because I've learned that a too large army may conquer provinces but would not be able to hold them. Also, I don't loot, I peacefully occupy castles so I don't generate discontent which could later lead to rebellion.

I'm taking on the Mori Clan and Chosokabe, the More are strong but their forces are concentrated closer to their main castle which means I easily took 3 castle in their periphery with ease.

The chosokabe are across the pond so I need a substantial navy, army and support troops to take the war to them.

That's my update for now, more to follow soon.

Returning to the Borderlands

Post Dead Space

I just chose the stock name...

the 57 damage, changes to x11, so basically the damage is 57 x 11 for the splatter effect

After completing Dead Space and still feeling unprepared to out to buy Dead Space 2, I spent the next couple of days slaying human opponents in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, I've had the game for a year but the online experience remains remarkably able to hold my attention for hours on end. COD-MW2 is officially my favorite gaming stress reliever and sadly.

While I had high hopes for Black Ops, the Story Mode did not disappoint but the multi-player did. I'm not certain if its because my internet connection usually gets me higher pings in the 100-150 mark or it may just be because the game seems too basic for me, I mean weapons wise and everything else its got alot more of everything I believe but it just doesn't have the same thrill as MW2, a fact which I think alot of gamers feel.

So one day I found my self with nothing to play and I was afraid to get sucked into MW2 again for an entire day so I decided to revisit a game I played before but never really gave much time to, Borderlands.

The first time I played the quirky little shooter I thought that the blend of 3d and cell-shaded animation added a certain novelty to the game, that, plus its open-world rpg elements, the level of violence and the interesting blend of weapons and vehicles made me it an interesting game to pass the time. Going back to it now, I realize that maybe open-world games may not be the best for me, I need a particular goal and story to follow, too much freedom leads me astray and I find myself surrounded my more skags than I can safely handle.

I must admit that while the weapons are fun, there are a number of things in the game that I really like.

1. Shooting the head off a bandit - coming from Dead Space 2, where even headless monsters necromorphs keep attacking , its refreshing to see something really stop moving when you blow its head off.

2. Roadkill! - Next to shooting enemies, I believe running them over is the ultimate statement in dominance and ownership. Nothing says "you my bitch" like having the creatures lifeless corpse decorating the dashboard of your Runner like a bad hood ornament.

3. Setting enemies on fire- When you hit an enemy with a fire element weapon they usually end up burning, taking minimal damage over time based on weapon you used, well I will be honest and say that while I am saddened that the enemies do not run away screaming or doing the "stop-drop-roll" move when they're on fire, at least they burn away into ash if they die because of fire damage.

So far I'm only at level 16, just killed Sledge, a freakishly huge bandit with huge HP, tough armor, a powerful shield and a wicked shotgun. Fortunately, his life ran out before my bullets did and so his shotgun is now mine and yes it is pretty wicked for a level 13 weapon.

So I'm enjoying the game, I just hope it keeps my interest a little while longer as I have been contemplating getting myself a copy of Shogun 2: Total War. I mean, Borderlands is fun but I certain that once I start playing Shogun 2: Total War, I'll be hooked for months.

More updates to come