Pirating

Chris' movie post got me into thinking about piracy again. But movie and even music pirating isn't as big a deal as video game pirating. Movies are probably watched by people more in the theaters than on illegal websites. I've also read that music artists make more money on concerts than CD sales or legit downloads, so they can still makes tons of money. When people download hacked PC games or buy used copies of PS3 games, the makers get NOTHING.

Before I get into my main point I would like to answer the rhetorical questions: Is pirating a sin? Is it okay to pirate?

Answer is yes and yes, because we are human. We like to get things free, even it would have only cost us a dollar.

Just like in natural selection, the relationship between seller and buyer is a struggle. Whoever comes out with better tactics and strategies wins, until the other side retaliates. I will not get into morals, only law and enforcement. We know the world is a place where not everyone follows the rules for the sake of it. I admit that I avoid my phone in the car only out of fear of a ticket. On the other hand, I keep my car at 70 because I derive my excitement on turns, and I like to save gas. If I was more crazy, I'd probably drive at 85-90 and tell the law to suck it. My point being is that we follow some laws out of natural inclement, and others because of fear of punishment. That's as far as I'll speak about morals. The only thing that matters is what video game makers and players can do.

Here's my own life memory of video game protection:

1995ish I remember after you installed Doom it was able to run off your hard drive.

1997ish I remember playing a flight simulator game that required you to run the CD in the tray, even though all data files are installed.

The gamer solution: make CD copies and pass them out to friends

The maker solution: CD encryption

2000ish Sim City required the real CD, it would know if you were running a fake.

the gamer solution: hacked EXE files of the program no longer required the CD aka "no-CD cracks"

the maker solution: STEAM digital distribution

2003 or 2004 is when Steam came out. At first I thought it was just for CS to convert online CD-keys into accounts. Boy was I wrong. Steam allows makers to release games that had to be activated by Steam. Once a new CD key was locked into an account, that's it, it's useless. This made even single player games unsellable.

Even with all this anti-piracy action, most gamers are playing pirated single player games. Hackers found ways to bypass Steam logins.

the maker solution: force the game itself to work only after connecting to the company's servers.
Starcraft 2 can't be played on LAN, and apparently Diablo 3 single player won't load unless you connect to the internet.

The piracy issue was pretty isolated to PC games but it's being targeted in console games now.

Gamestop makes billions of dollars off used games alone. The video game industry wants a slice of the pie but Gamestop pretty much gives them a middle finger. How ironic, I thought game makers and Gamestop were best friends when I was a kid. Games make nearly all their money in the first few months, then people buy the used versions. Apparently this is a reason that games cost so much now.

It all comes down to whether you think buying a PS3 disc entitles you to property or a license. The gamers say it's their property and that they can sell it. Makers say that it's a license, but they have no power to enforce that. The only thing they can do is to force registration.

BF3 was the first console game that made you enter a CD-key and lock it into one account. If you buy a used BF3 at Gamestop, you will need to buy a $10 license fee to play online. I think most online games will do this from now on, pretty much ensuring that I will never buy a Call of Duty game again. And there are discussions about making the next Xbox or PS4 game discs just data, and having to pay full price for licensing.

Alot of gamers got pissed at this but I thought it was pretty smart. I support what people do for their own interests in business. If hackers can get around it, good for them. Makers want to make money, and the people want to be lazy and steal without punishment. Of course the most moral people won't steal software, but like I said, we all have different morality standards for different things. This is where force comes into play. We are all thieves of opportunity, it depends on how easy it is.

At least I admit when I pirate. There are those who claim to be liberating files from capitalist overlords. Or those who claim they do it out of necessity. Stealing a piece of bread is a necessity for Aladdin, playing video games is not. They are not heroes of society. They are not the only ones trying to get by. Gaming programmers have grueling schedules and it pisses them off that they are only getting a fraction of their earned money.

It's good to see both sides because although I like free stuff, I know companies won't survive if they make no money.

So here's the conclusion:
It makes sense to pirate things if you're not sure if they're good or not (while knowing it's "bad" no matter what). But if you like a game or movie or band, go buy a new version or watch in the theaters or buy a CD. If you're not supporting things you like, then its your fault if they die out.

Note to self, try to watch some episodes on TV instead of using hulu all the time...

Childhood McNugget: Counter-Strike

I was re-arranging old pictures on my old computer when I digged up these golden memories.

By the way, when you first buy a computer you should re-format it so that at least 50% of it is backup. For example on this old P4, there's 160 GB. I dedicated 100 GB to pictures and music and programs, and the other 60 is for Windows. I keep everything backed up like Office and drivers. That way when the computer gets laggy after a year, I reformat and re-install everything. I get a fast computer again, and don't have to worry about files being lost. Also, if there's a virus, no problem, just reformat.

Sadly my digital album stops after 2008-2009, when I realized pictures will always be on facebook.

Anyway, click any of the thumbnails for a larger picture, or open in new tab.

Counter Strike was the most revolutionary game in my lifetime. It was the first addicting online game for the non-nerds. I remember the popular jocks knew me for being one of the best at CS in my grade. It was easy enough to pick up, but difficult to master. Add in the fact that this game became popular before DSL meant that kids were going to PC Lans which defined the new arcade of the 2000s.

 Teamwork was essential too, it's pretty non-existent in console games now because there's only dumb kids blabbering on the mic.

I'm not sure if another game replaced CS as the online king, but at my high school it was pretty much nerd-status by 2004-2005. But COD 4 didn't come out until 2007, so I wonder what people were playing 2005-2007.

 we thought we looked so badass. picture is dated 4-13-2003

 

 it's like a sweatshop, but with CS instead of sewing machines

 

 I think aC was the last real clan I was in, with practices and scrimages. I'm Chingsta, Chris is Azn Sensation, and Joe is Fob Stick.

 

the TN clan, when we pretty much retired from competitive play after my 10th grade. Here I am with Jon and Linh. I honestly cannot ever remember playing with Tony ever. Did we Tony?

 

 Stacking with pistol, knife, and grenade

 

CS Source: guns look more realistic 

 

before he was good at SC, he was good at CS

Epic Orchestra Music [1]

I think all of us have pretty well rounded music tastes. But for me, the most epic music comes from video games and movies. I like epic soundtracks, and it's even better when they are played by a live orchestra. Anyway, for the first edition, there's no more obvious choice than Guile's theme. There are tons of versions out there, from 8-bit to metal to techno, but this my favorite.

This sounds like it belongs in a Batman movie. With the deep foreshadowing notes at the beginning, I can imagine Bain about to kill Batman (in the next Dark Knight movie) then the drumbeat starts and Guile comes in and flashkicks Bain to the face. Then Batman and Guile fight off the thugs... for AMERICA.

This music is also appropriate for doing epic things. SONIC BOOM! = the ripple waves when the deuce hits the water

GMG: People who want everything to be easy

Here's a review I reamd from someone who doesn't like Battlefield 3.

Don't worry this post isn't all about video games, it's just a primer for discussion.

--------------------------------

I brought BF3 and COD:MW3 about the same time. I tried Call of Duty first and hated it for the most part but stuck with it and found a game I had some good fun with after a while. After maxing out a few weapons and earning a few rare titles I got bored of the game and decided to try BF3.

Over the past month I've owned it I put it in several times to try and get the hang of it but not liking it all so much (not for the same reasons I disliked COD at first). I didn't enjoy the pace of BF3.

To break it down multi-player is the highlight of this game. Offline I tried for a bit and found I liked it for the hour or so I played even though it was like riding on rails. Online the game doesn't have the experience you think it would.

Between COD and BF the biggest difference gameplay wise is the option of using vehicles. You have your choice of using just about any Jet/copter/tank/army machine you can imagine...even a freaking bulldozer.Which adds charm to the game but wait! All of the vehicles are hard as dry dog turds to drive. The vehicle controls are punishing. I crashed so many jets before figuring out how they work it was embarrassing.

If there is one question about the game people asks it's how do you pilot vehicles in this game. EA never thought to add in a bootcamp,flight school, training mode or anything at all that would make the game more enjoyable for people just starting out. So your left to be a pest to your teammates crashing equipment they need to win until it takes you X times to figure it out.

Since I brought the game mainly for that reason it was my biggest turn off from it. The FPS aspect isn't worth talking about. It's not exciting or heart pumping like COD is. You see a guy you kill him or he kills you. Guns are so so compared to COD and the accuracy of the guns is like playing baseball in the dark. You either hit or you miss when you swing but you won't know until you see someone fall or that ball fly. The weapons look more detailed and sound good though but don't expect intense fire fights as most people scope and snipe or in COD terms it's Camper heaven. Not really anyones fault but the games. The maps are so big that really scoping and sniping is the best method to take people down when your playing infantry.

Back to the vehicles though. They tried to make this game simulator and that's the problem. There's just too much crap going on and too much to remember/do. Each vehicle steers differently there are no simple controls. You'll be so busy trying not to crash or get your teamates killed you'll forget what you got in the vehicle for. Tanks are the easiest to drive but also the worse. They get stuck on everything and maneuver like well... a tank. They also don't last long as someone always has an RPG to take them out so get your rounds off quick or take down whatever you need (how realistic is that? an RPG takes down a tank?).

In a Military Action game I'd expect to be able to focus on the battle and not focusing on how to be a Pilot or tank driver which is why I'm not a fan of this game. If they want to make flight/driving simulators they should just make a separate game just for that not mash the two together. The game would be more fun with simple vehicle controls so everyone could have a good time without having logged 90000 hours into the game to master a jet or dunebuggy. I'm Using a PS3 controller to fly I don't think complex controls are necessary, I've never seen a real F/18 or Viper pilot use a PS3 controller to fly Why so Serious with the freaking vehicle controls.

I've given up learning to fly and know have become a suicide Kamikaze pilot. I find my target and crash into them. At least when I crash it will help out the team somewhat.

If BF4 comes out or any BF game I'll pass I'd rather stick with COD. I play games for fun not frustration.

Oh yeah and the game pace is so slow it is boring if you're used to faster action and heavy gun fights that make you think like in COD. I see BF3 as a game for people that fail at being COD to run to. Not many people like COD because of the skill and reflexes it requires to become skilled at but people love BF3 because it doesn't require much any of that. It's like the Anti call of duty. Hardest thing in this game is learning the GOD awful piloting controls. THIS GAME SUCKS SKIP IT!

----------------------------------------

This fool made me laugh so much. Complaining that vehicles are hard to drive because they all handle differently(you mean I can't turn an SUV hard like a sports car, why not? what happens?!) Complaining that guns are hard to use because they have different recoil patterns and velocity drop? Complaining that real pilots don't have to use a PS3 controller (but instead a stick, throttle, and shitload of God knows how many buttons in the dashboard)?

Here's a summary of what grinds my gears.

1) What he thinks is important or vital to modern warfare is completely off. He complains that a game should stick to "focus on the battlefield" instead of vehicles (oh yeah... sorta like how the American military dominated Iraq, we sprinted our infantry across the desert without tank or plane support). This applies to ignorant and prideful fools in society that think they know what's best for everyone when they don't know jack. Being ignorant and prideful alone is one thing, but when you combine the two you get Super-Douche from the planet of Douche-ton. He can only be stopped by douche-tonite.

2) This guy doesn't care about team goals, only his own stats. He's wants a high kill death ratio, and doesn't care about his level of competition. I on the other hand, enjoy a good whooping of noobs, but also equally value a 1:1 ratio if I win a Rush game against supreme competition. You only get better by going against those better than you (in other words, losing isn't the worst thing). If you are content with being better than noobs, then you aren't getting any better. An example is an adult that thrives on dominating basketball games against kids and wants them to know he's better than them.

3) This guy wants everything to be easy. I enjoy the fact that I've crashed helicopters a couple times before I was able to fly them through tunnels. I'm still amused when I crash a plane into a near invisible radio tower. I laughed my ass off when my jeep got stuck between some debris and Tony and Jon were in the backseat and we got killed by a tank. Outside of BF3, there's other everyday slips. I appreciate the fact that I still miss basketball shots even when I'm on fire. You think I'm really good at stick shift? Sometimes I literally grind my gears because I'll stall my car every now and then.

These everyday small setbacks give you perspective that we are human who make mistakes, and you have to work to become good at something. Talent only takes you so far. So why do I laugh at my failures, while some annoying kid RAGES over his microphone? It's because I know that hard things are worthwhile because they are hard. More importantly I believe in my potential to become better. These small setbacks remind you to be humble, but it gives you hope. It lets you know how far you have come, and how hard you have to go. And knowing is half the battle.

New Co-operative Game

What's the only two player game more fun than flying an attacking helicopter with a friend in Battlefield 3? Now you can play two player co-op tetris with a friend on a giant NES controller!

you know you play too much video games when ...

... you drive on a long bridge, and you're not worried about an earthquake but an RPG hitting the supporting columns.

Brothers to the End!

I'm sure i've posted about this before but... 

Epic video game trailers, they just hit the spot. 

Here an example of what i mean.

Oh, that third one...soooo good. 

The ability to make a viewer feel the compassion and bond between the characters in the game within seconds or minutes is awesome!  There are a lot of games out there with trailers from previous titles to current titles that have connected story lines. Of course, you'll feel a stronger connection if you have actually played the game.  I gotta find an xbox so i can finish the fight!

And dont' forget about those epic Live-Action trailers. For example >=]...





That was amazing! Through some hard work and dedication a rough outline of the Halo story was explained, and not to mention with awesome acting and video effects! GAH! If this ever becomes a movie i'm going to be so happy!
But for now, i'm satisfied with, that's right folks, another Halo!
YIPPEEE KAY YAY MFs! HALO 4 is on the way!

Classico

Cool trailer, i really want to try this for the cross platform experience. We will see what happens after i slave my life away to Battlefield 3 for a couple months, and MW3 for a couple hours. Dang, counter strike has really come a long way, i remember playing 1.5 back at Bosco. Paying to play when i didn't have a computer or when i didn't feel like playing on dial up. Condition Zero, 1.6, Source...Dang, sooo many versions and all were great in my mind. Valve really hit a jackpot with their engines. Their engines were so good that they could change some minor details and create a whole new franchise, Day of Defeat!, damn, what a good game. If it weren't for WoW I'd probably always be playing CS or DoD.

To the future
-J.Frosty

Jersey Shore : Call of Duty edition

New Layout

Notice anything new? That's right, we're finished with construction! What better way to bring in the new layout then with a "New" segment, like the Cleveland Show to Family guy, my segment is a branch off of Mac's GmG. So without further adieu:

Heated Frosty Presents: You know what melts my frosty?

Bad drivers...more specifically, bad drivers in big cars...more specifically, bad drivers in pick up trucks... Now I'm not talking about people who drive trucks and actually use them for their purpose of hauling things around, such as a construction worker, and I'm not really talking about people who drive slow, yeah they make me mad sometimes, but they don't melt my frosty.

& I'm not really talking about the person who drives a truck for fun either, although I really don't support it. No, what i'm talking about is that newbie truck driver that blocks lanes by always making wide turns and my absolute favorite [sarcasm] takes up more than one parking spot. Oh you sob mutha trucka!!!

Not only is there no reason for them to be driving a truck, they truly suck at handling such a big piece of machinery. You cant look badass if you're looking like a douche. I understand that this happens with all kinds of cars and not just trucks, and of course my frosty is melted by all types of bad driving alike, but i'm picking a fight with the truckers because they happen to affect me most often =P

lmao, this showed up after i made the post
(click me)

Save yourself some face and some gas
-j.Frosty

=====================================================

In other news, New Duke Nukem! Very Excite!

stuff to keep me occupied since Playstation Network went down

I've been reading more, and I find it alot cheaper to borrow books from the library than to buy them. But on the way out from the library, I saw a large pile of books that were for sale. I decided to go through the pile and I found some gems for one dollar. There was an Atlas of the World, a relationship book similar to "men are from mars, women are from venus", and the first Twilight book. Yes freaking Twilight. Why would I read this? Because its not classy and super ignorant to be bashing something that I've never read. I may have said that Edward looks like a douche (because all you need to do is see a picture or trailer) but I've never said Twilight the book was lame. So I will eventually read this book and give you a review. This better not be one of those "porn for women" books where it goes: "and so Bella indulged in her fantasy, to be with two men at the same time: Edward was cleaning and Jacob was cooking". To be fair, if the book IS like that, I will read it all the way through before giving it a review. That relationship book is also very interesting, I just got it a few days ago and I almost finished reading it. I don't claim to be a relationship expert but I'll have some posts on interesting stuff I learned that may help you guys (and girls) too.

Anyway, with PSN down I finally opened the Gran Turismo 5 case and started playing. I think I'm in love with racing games again. It's repetitive but I like challenging myself to get better lap times. The cool thing about this game is that they have alot of "normal" cars like Civics and get this, even a Prius. I wouldnt have as much fun if all I can drive are super fast cars. I'd like to know how a normal car operates at fast speeds and sharp corners. Also with all the tuning options it allows you to really preview how a car's performance inproves when you tune it. And it's not bullshit, they spend weeks at a time to just model one car's physics. So when I bought my Mazda 3 in the game and started racing it, I have high confidence that it can train me for real life, if I ever need the skills :-) Here's a 11 minute gameplay video of me showing you a "crash" course in how to get faster lap times.

TO ARMS!!!!

For a greater cause
I have swallowed my pride and joined the team.
Back up has finally come Mac!


PsN: JNFrosty

Oh God! What have I done!?
-J.Frosty

Need to change my pants

Video games don't really excite me the way that Modern Warfare 1 did anymore. But this... oh my gosh... When the RPG hit the hotel I was like Fuuuuuuhhhh... so amazed I couldnt even finish my word.

I cannot wait for Battlefield 3. A strategic game team-based game WITH ridiculous graphics. AND VEHICLES. I can already imagine piloting a Blackhawk full of squadmates into hot LZs. Damn this cruel world, I am fated to not be able to play alongside Frosty.

Black cOps Out Now!

With the huge release of Black Ops storming the gaming nation all we have to ask is, will there be more? Well BiA has the scoop for you, Xbox has announced that Treyarch will release an exclusive special expansion for the Xbox Live community that will only cost $5.00 us. That's right PS3, Shove it! The expansion includes extended single player campaign missions as well as a couple extra fully customizable load outs for online multiplayer. The expansion does not yet have a release date but developers are saying that it will definitely be worth the wait and believe me, it looks like very promising. Here's a preview of what's to come





I can't wait! I love Carl! ;)
-J.Frosty

My Proposal to Women this Halloween

You go around dressing scandalous, and I won't call you a slut and call your dad. I'll go around with my airsoft guns as the Call of Duty Black Ops guy and you won't call me crazy and call the cops.

DEAL?

And Bao, you can go hang out with me on Halloween and dress up as the Other guy from Black Ops.

A little history about the end of JnXgo

eSo while I was talking to certain someone the subject of video games came up and why I don't really play so much anymore. My answer: because I've played enough video games, I'm tired of video games. I've been playing video games since I was a little kid starting with the Original NES back when Duck Hunt was forbidden and Doom was Satan. Here's a list of Consoles I've owned: NES, Super NES, Gameboy Pocket, Gameboy Advance, N64, Xbox, Xbox 360. I've spent several hours on several games on each of the consoles. I can only track how many games I've beaten on the Xbox 360. I've owned and beaten 42 games on my Xbox 360 alone!!! Easily 200 hours on single-player, then add the countless hours spent playing online... Sure, everyone plays video games and a lot of people played their consoles as much as me, but that's only consoles. What really sets me apart are the hours I spent on the computer, especially with World of Warcraft. Here's an image of my Xfire which is a program that tracks hours spent playing games on my computer.

And that's ONLY when I had Xfire turned on and running, so you can pretty much double that and add some for an estimate of the total time I've played video games on my computer. I went from Counter-strike 1.5 all the way to Source, and even played a lot of Day of Defeat, spent lots of time practicing and scrimmaging for clan matches. Then there was World of Warcraft, this was as important as the air i breathed. Simply put, I played WoW A LOT. I remember back when I played WoW (EVERY DAY for 3.5 years) I would check my time played and it hit the months marker... as in hours added up to equal all the hours in a month...

It's just time for this gamer to move on. Don't get me wrong, I'll sit down and enjoy a game here and there

BUT

My gamer soul is burned out, I've got nothing left for video games, I'm done living for video games, at least for now if not forever. . I'm transitioning from a life of video games to more of a social life outside of the gaming world. Since I was a little kid, I never really had a life outside of video games. When i think about it, even when it came to friends it was always about video games. I ate, drank, and dreamed video games. Video games was my schedule, it ruled my life. But I can't say I regret it completely.

I had A LOT of fun spending all those hours playing video games, my priorities were out of order and I could only see video games. "Wait shouldn't you regret only being able to see video games?" Yes and No. Before it was video games first, everyone/thing second but with video games out of the way i can see clearly and now I can truly appreciate everything I have and everyone I know. It's funny but Video Games was a big part of my life and part of the reason I am who I am now, and well... I love who I am =]. So if you see me not wanting to play video games so much anymore, you'll understand why and though some people maybe upset with this, it's just something that was inevitable.

I've got new things to live for now!!
-J.Frosty

Can't find my jaw.

I really hope they make a movie cause this is incredible.

-J-

More Gamer Greatness

Another Ghost Recon coming soon! Hooray.
I hope this game is as fun as the last one.



Live Action Game Trailers really
aren't fair, they're just too good.

Stay Frosty

Bored of MW2

I wouldn't say bored bored. I can still pick up the controller and play 30 minutes at a time. But I'm not into it as much anymore. As soon as my brother gives me the green light, I'm putting the game up on ebay.

Before I sell it, I'm going to do a review. I give Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2 a score of 3.5 out of 5. Yes I know the rating is a bit low, but it's based on my demand for a good story line and realism.

Pros:

graphics are amazing. you can now see through the grass while sniping. New assortment of guns, but I liked the guns from MW1 more. They added recoil to the desert eagle, no more laming for andrew! New killstreak rewards (AC130, nuke, etc) are interesting.


Cons:

They added the .44 magnum which has no recoil. It in effect has become the new desert eagle. (you need to see andrew use it to see how lame the no-recoil is)

The downside to the killsteak rewards is that it's capitalism at it's worst. the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. I don't like inflated kill ratios. Actually if you think about it, this style of play is bizarro-socialism. The government gives freebies to the rich at the expense of the poor. Magnificent. Seriously though, the good don't need anymore help and unfair advantages. I'm not saying this because I suck, it's just that it took me a long time to become above average and the learning process SUCKED. I'm sure Andy will agree with me. He just recently went from newb to average, the learning process must have sucked for him.

The single player for this game sucked. SUCKED. It was too short (5 hours?) and nothing was memorable, compared to Modern Warfare 1. In MW1, I think I played some missions at least 3 times. In MW2, before you can become attached to one character, he will die. By the end of the game, you don't even care who lives anymore.

The game is not realistic. I'm going to list all the ways I can think of: The running and knifing class is way too fast. by the time i can hear them behind me on my surround sound speakers, it's too late. or if they're using Ninja perk, I can't hear them at all. Stupid idiots like Andrew who play like that piss me off. In my opinion, the knifing is the worst most unrealistic thing they put into Call of Duty. (he survives a blast from a shotgun and kills me in one stab? really?)

The lack of recoil is also ridiculous. Chris and I have shot an automatic M4, the recoil isn't punishing but it's more than you think. I can't shoot more than 3-5 without going off target. Yet in CoD it recoils like a BB gun. You can put all 30 bullets full auto into a target from 50 yards away!

Conclusion:

Rather than bitch about the game (it's overall very good), I'm going to bitch about the genre. Call of Duty is like NBA Jam. Unrealistic dunks from 3 point line, and once a guy scores three in a row, he's on fire and you can't stop him. he will shoot 3 pointers from half court and make all of them (AC130 anyone?). I am more into NBA Live: a game that's more realistic and requires all 5 players to do well. So I need a new FPS.

I just need something to hold me off until March 30th, when I will forsake all shooting games for a month because Gran Turismo 5 comes out!