A look back: Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
What was I thinking? I mean, I knew better. I could hardly stand the first Turok game. But when you’re as hopelessly consumed with games that you’ve already beaten everything and you have and darn near everything that’s ever came out for the N64 (the good stuff anway), what’s a kid to do? Turok 2 gets off to a good start right off the shelf with a cool leathery textured box and a slick black cartridge. Sadly the trend of being more fun to look at than actually play continues from the box art to the screen once you fire it up in the system.
Ends up, the reasoning for purchasing this game can be summed up in just two words. “Eye Candy”. And as these re-reviews have proved to me time and time again pretty much EVERY game I bought on the N64 primarily for graphics hasn’t stood the test of time well. Just like with games of today, back then some of the shortcomings in gameplay and fun PLAYING the game can be made up by the detail and awe the graphics provide. Especially when 3D gaming was still in its infancy. Cool new effects and rendering techniques were a joy to experience for the first time. But as time goes on and other snazzy looking games come out, older graphics just don’t impress like they used to.
For me this game was all about graphics. And yes. That's a dinosaur with cannons on its back.
So this was a difficult game to re-play. The level design is sketchy at best. Precarious jumps from platform to platform seem like a needless challenge that serves only to frustrate. I found myself ALWAYS low on ammo and having to back-pedal halfway across maps while chucking 10 arrows into a dinosaur with a laser gun chasing me down. It wasn’t long before I remembered the only way I ever made any progress in this game was by plugging in the “All Weapons and Ammo” cheat.
This was one saving grace this game had. There were some really interesting weapons. Over the top stuff like the “Cerebreal Bore”. The instruction manual explains some BS about locking on to enemy brainwaves. But the fact is it’s cool just to kick back, lock on to an enemy’s skull and watch this slow moving projectile pursue some random rifle toting dinosaur monster thing as they scamper away, then drill into their skull and then BOOM! Sounds graphic and for the time it probably was, but it certianly doesn’t look realistic by any stretch.
The gore was excessive enough to be humorous in most cases.
Unfortunately that’s it. Once I’d had fun playing with all the guns, there was just no motivation to keep playing the game. The story isn’t integral to the game, so you don’t really care what happens next, and the levels and enemies aren’t interesting enough to care what’s around the next corner.
If nothing else Turok 2 is a good example of how hopelessly obsessed I was with gaming at the time. When I could beat a game in a week or two tops, and it was months, or even years at times between decent games, as Gramps would say, “We played with what we had at the time.” Unfortunately the time I spent with Turok 2 was much better spent doing just about anything else. I never even got close to beating the game. And the tacked on multi-player was utterly worthless. So as little as the game had to offer back then… I truly see NO redeeming qualities today.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWgwBBNWpZU]
Cutest Video Ever!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiHXASgRTcA#]
12.1.09What to do with the Blazer?
Worst case scenario should I go fuggin nuts.
Damn. I missed a day of posting. Oh well. I’m back and beating my average. =)
So the Blazer has been for sale for a few days now. Gotten at least a call or two a day on it. I don’t want to turn this into a complain-fest. But I REALLY hate selling stuff. Half the people that have came and looked at it so far act shocked that it has issues. And the other half have been, “TOTALLY AWESOME“, then never hear from them again. Okay. I get it. I mean, I’m the same way. Always looking for the deal of the year. I can’t hold it against anybody.
So the reality is what do I do with this machine. I’ve been driving it to work this week and it hasn’t had any problem getting me the three blocks back and forth. But I’ll be honest. If I want to go across town, I take the Toronado. Ha ha! If I could figure out the bogging down thing, I wouldn’t hesitate to keep it. But before I can get that far… I’m going to have to throw some money at it. So I’ve been tossing it around in my head and can’t really decide what I want to do.
So here’s some options, regardless of your automotive knowledge what do you think makes the most sense. Feel free to offer other options than the ones listed. I am choosing to list them from “cheapest” to “fully financially committed”.
1) Keep it for sale at $800 until it sells.
2) Keep it for sale, but lower the price until I at least get what I paid for it.
3) Keep it for sale, but keep trying to fix it in the meantime.
4) Not for sale. Invest in the proper tools to figure out what’s wrong. Possibly (but rarely) ever use tools again.
5) Not for sale. Start replacing parts that might be bad (could be cheap, or end up being VERY expensive)
6) Not for sale. Take it to a shop and have them find out what’s wrong and then try to fix it myself.
7) Not for sale. Take it to a shop and tell them to fix it.
So there ya go. I suppose this is a decision I should have made BEFORE I bought the thing, hehe, but I’m interested to see what folks think. Now, I’m looking for candid opinions here. I welcome those who would tell me how crazy I am for wanting to keep it, or those who think it has tons of potential. It’d take a chunk of change, but hell I could drop a Chevy 350 in there if I really wanted to. And that would solve my engine problems for SURE.
11.29.09Sometimes it’s just good to relax.
Seems like it’s been one extreme or the other lately. Thanksgiving was real laid back and a nice break from the routine. Only to turn around on Friday and work 5:30 AM to 7 PM. Yesterday was busy cleaning house and then off to work, coming home cleaning some more and then playing a few hours of Blackjack with Biebs and Andrea’s family.
But today has been nothing but lazy. I haven’t even had to put on a pair of shoes. Hehe. Played some Guild Wars and spent most of the day watching football and just relaxin. My Vikes s pare still rolling and I really have to take back all the bad stuff I ever said about Farve.
No real point to today’s post. Just need to keep the streak going and since I didn’t do anything today, there’s not much to talk about! I need to set some new short term goals I think.
11.28.09Well, I think the Blazer is up for sale.
I may have to take a blow to my pride, but I might have to admit defeat when it comes to the Blazer. I was out today loading up all the leaves I’d raked up a couple weeks ago to finally haul them off to the compost site. As I was hooking the battery back up (because it’s drains dead if you leave it hooked up) I was running through my head what could be screwed up with that thing again. The truth is I really don’t know. I’m almost sure it’s something electrical, but I don’t know where to start without throwing parts at it to get it going. Could be anything from a $20 sensor, or a $400 fuel injector spider. And unfortunately I don’t have the tools to test the different components correctly.
So I could take it to a shop and hope it’s not something ridiculously expensive to fix. But if it turns out to be the injectors I can’t really justify the cost of getting it repaired at the shop just because of the multitude of little nickel and dime things that the thing needs.
So after much deliberation I think we’re going to put it up for sale for a little more than we paid for it since it DOES run better than when we got it and it’s a hell of a lot cleaner. Then put that money towards something that I wouldn’t be afraid to cross a busy intersection with.
The irony is I made two trips to the compost site today and it ran better than it ever has for me. So far every time I’ve drove it longer than 10 minutes it would die. But I probably was running around for a good 30 minutes and while I still couldn’t get on the gas without it sputtering, I could just drive around normally with no problem. Sadly I don’t think there’s a good chance it’ll fix itself.
So if anybody here want’s first crack it it, I’ll give ya the family discount. 😉
Black Friday Experience
Well today was my first ever participation in Black Friday. I’ve always heard the news stories, and talk to people that have gone shopping at that insane hour in the morning. But I’d always just shrugged it off as a sort of niche thing that “normal” people didn’t really have much to do with. But apparently (once again) I’M the one who’s far from normal.
I had a live broadcast today from Orschlen’s. It’s a new personal record for earliest remote I’ve ever done (6AM – 9AM). And as I was driving across town, I first noticed the cars lined up and parked around the block from Sears. “Wow,” I thought. Must be some deals there or something. THEN I drive past Wal-Mart. HO-LEE-CRAP. There wasn’t an empty space in the entire parking lot. Infact people were parking at the stores and fast food joints next to Wal-Mart just to get in that place. I can’t even imagine what it was like on the inside. And this is just Great Bend, Kansas! I mean good greif!
So I pull up to Orschlen’s about 30 minutes before they opened to start setting up equipment. Sure enough, there were already people lined up outside the store. I’ll be honest. I assumed that Orschlen’s would be 2nd or 3rd on people’s priority list. But that place was jam packed for a good 2 hours and then pretty steady after that.
I mean they had some good deals. Pretty much everything I didn’t really need. But they had a really nice mounted work light set that I snatched up for $20. I figure for $20 that will help working on stuff after dark. With the shorter days, it’s a shame to let all that time go to waste.
So that’s my Black Friday introduction. After seeing that Wal-Mart parking lot though I can’t imagine I’ll ever be bold enough to run in THAT crowd.
11.26.09Happy T-givin’. And a re-detication.
Well, Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope everyone’s had their fair share of food by now. Taken a nice long nap, and just generally been able to enjoy the day. It’s been a nice day around here just for Andrea and I to spend together. Seems like we don’t do that as much as we should. Went bowling last night (where I beat her all three games! hehe). Then we slept in today, I rolled out of bed around 8:00 and realized a few things we forgot at the store.
Oh how I LOVE the small Dillon’s here in Great Bend. They don’t have the huge selection and six brands of everything. But they’ve got everything you need, and as long as you’re not there during the peak hours, it’s not too busy. Plus it’s super nostalgic to walk through that place. I grabed some pineapple slices for the ham, and some evaporated milk for the pumpkin pie, and it was off to the short drive back home.
We REALLY need to have home cooked food more often. Even with the tons of stuff we made, it wasn’t too hard, just had to take the time to let it cook. Preperation really wasn’t a sweat at all. And it was just downright delicious. I’m gonna be eating ham sandwiches, pork and beans, ham and eggs, etc. until Christmas probably!
And geeze, almost Christmas already. Time really has been flying. And I mean supersonic jet speed, flying. I don’t really know what my holiday plans are other than Christmas at my Aunt’s house over the New Year weekend. I need to make the Cimarron rounds, as well as the Wichita/Winfield rounds. It’ll be fast and furious I’m sure.
One thing from now until 2010 at least that I want to do is get back into the blog. It’s fun to go back and read my daily ramblings, and much of them are just little inconsequential things, but fun to read and remember none-the-less. So until at least the New Year, and hopefully longer, I intend to resurrect my “one post a day” rule. Unless I’m completely without internet access I’m hoping that forcing myself to write SOMETHING will get me back into the swing of things around here. It’s been truly pathetic, I admit and apologize.
SO. I hope you all had a great holiday. I’m off to bed because I’m up early tomorrow to be at a Orscheln’s remote at 5:30 AM. See ya then black friday shoppers!
Yup.
WARNING: 23 minutes you’ll never get back.
I have been remarkably un-inspired lately. What is below is an utterly terrible podcast. Good music though.
11.8.09A few random pics.
Well I haven’t been blogging much lately. I guess it’s just been pretty dull lately. So for lack of anything better to post, heres a few recent pics I pulled off of the digital camera.
My halloween costume. Whatever that's supposed to be.
Andrea's nieces up to visit. Annie and Lyssa.
Andrea's nephew Nick.
Covered in animals.
Andrea and Sydney
Invisible pilates ball.
Invisible pogo stick.
Enough sun for both of us.