Duke Nukem Forever is out, and the reviews are offensive.

So after a very long wait, Duke Nukem Forever is finally out. The reviews that accompany it are troubling. There is a slew of horrible reviews out there. Scores of one to three out of ten. Essentially saying that this game is completely unplayable. This level of hate is unfounded, and truly unprofessional.

The game isn't perfect, that's clear. But it is in no way as horrible as these so-called reviews are trying to claim. Scores such as they give are reserved for games that are broken. Full of bugs and glitches, unplayable, un-winnable, graphical and sound errors everywhere, and basically a game you can't play from start to finish. That's definitely not case.

DNF is a decent shooter. It's nothing new, using features seen in most of today's First Person Shooters. It uses a two weapon system, that limits what guns you can carry around with you. That is one of the main complaints that the fans have, as they prefer the "carry all you can find" style of Duke Nukem 3D. There is also a regenerating health bar (or Ego in this case). Which leads to a lot of cover based play instead of the run and gun style that the previous Duke game had.

The game is also full of Duke, in all his rude, offensive, sexist, ego maniacal glory. And that's something the fans are happy for. The old Duke is back, just as promised. While the action may have changed a little, the one liners, puns, horrible jokes, insults and general crass behavior is still there.

The reviews out there have been bashing the game in many ways. And Duke's personality tends to be a main theme. Saying that the game is too offensive. That it's humor is childish and crude. That nobody could enjoy such things. Which is odd to see considering that it's exactly what the game was supposed to be. It's what the fans have been crying for for the last 14 years. To make comments like that in the reviews is like saying that Gran Turismo (one of the most popular racing games out there) is a bad game because there's too many cars and too much racing in it. It's a baseless complaint, and generally insulting to the fans out there who have been waiting for just what they got.

There is one review that went into a rant about how horrible the graphics and lighting in the game are. Specifically, they referenced a level called the Hive, complaining that the level is too dark to play and horribly designed because of it. The thing is, the level is SUPPOSED to be dark, as the entire point of the level is to make you use your night vision to find your way around. The stage is specifically designed for that, yet the reviews make it out to be some horrible error in designing the game.

Duke Nukem Forever has been a long time coming. Announced about 14 years ago, the game was originally being made by 3D Realms. They worked up a semi-complete game, but then scrapped the whole thing to start anew with a new engine. This happened multiple times. And a couple of years back Gearbox software took over the project from 3DR. They basically restarted the project using the design concepts left from 3DR. Yet again building the game from the ground up, and using some pieces here and there that were left over from the previous build.

This may be part of the problem. The reviewers seemed to be expecting a game that technically took 14 years to produce, a game that would be an epic masterpiece that was finely honed over all those years. But in reality, it's a game that took about 2 years to make (much like most games) and wasn't designed to be ground breaking, or to revolutionize shooters... but rather to give the fans what they wanted. More Duke. And that's exactly what it did. But, as it didn't live up to the expectations of the reviewers, it's met with nothing more than scorn and slander.

This sort of behavior is unprofessional and downright insulting. Fortunately, there are countless people out there who love the game. Most European reviews haven't jumped on the "hate" bandwagon. And the gamer written reviews are a lot more honest. While the game isn't getting perfect scores, it tends to get a seven or eight out of ten. It's a decent game, that may have a few faults, but is definitely not the garbage that the so-called professional reviewers are trying to make it out to be.

Duke Nukem Forever is to video games is what Bruce Campbell is to movies.

You don't go see a Campbell movie expecting Oscar winning performance, ground breaking special effects, or even a well written story. You go to see them for a good laugh. Often childish and crude, but still appealing to those who enjoy such humor.

Duke Nukem Forever is much the same. People didn't want the new big hit shooter. They didn't want revolutionary. They wanted more of the classic bad Duke humor, and that's what they got. 

Sony owns up to security problems...

Sony admits utter PSN failure
So Sony has gotten around to admitting that they've been hacked, and that the account info of PSN users might be at risk. Naturally, this is a huge issue. Personally, I've already changed my passwords, and gotten a new credit card ordered, just in case. It's highly unlikely that my information will be used, especially considering I'm only one out of 75 million accounts, but better safe than sorry.

The thing is, while it is a shame that Sony's security has been breached, all the hate seems directed at them. Why is none of it being placed where it belongs, on the hackers themselves?

If your bank gets robbed, is it the bank's fault? Or that of the robbers?
There's a reason the robbers get charged and the bank does not.

Sony's not at fault in this case. Yes, they could use better security, but you never know how effective your security is until it's tested. The criminals here are the hackers who have violated not only Sony's servers, but your personal information. People cry out for lawsuits against Sony... where are those calling for the lynching of the hackers who have decided that you don't deserve to keep your information private?

Sheridan needs to teach Roadwork 101

What a surprise. I drive in to school this morning, and see that they've finally filled in those huge potholes in the parking lot. That's great!
There is a slight problem though... they filled the holes up with asphalt, but didn't compress it. Part of how the process works, is that after you lay down the asphalt, you need to use something like a steamroller to compress it down. Otherwise, all you have is a pile of black oatmeal which crumbles apart.
I could already see that a couple of the holes have been mostly emptied by people driving over them. They're going to need to get those redone at some point. Hopefully correctly this time.

A sign of the season...

Birds are in the air, the sun's shining brightly, and big, noisy trucks block most of the main roads. Winter has passed, and Canada's other season has arrived... construction. Oh joy.

We go from having trouble getting around because of snow and bad weather, to having roads reduced to one lane by the crews "working"to improve our roads. Driving to school this morning, Trafalgar road is down to just the one lane, which naturally causes no end of problems for that early morning rush, and the trip home.

I suppose it wouldn't be too bad, if we saw the construction crew hard at work. But for some reason, it seems every time I'm driving by, all I see is a group of guys sitting around chatting and eating. The construction on the road actually started last year, but I've yet to see anyone actually "working".

The lesser of two evils?

So an interesting question came up with my table in class today.
Everyone knows that Buckley's medicine tastes horrible (but it works!).
So the question is… which would be a better, a spoon-full of horrid medicine… or a suppository?

The table was undecided. There are benefits to both of course.
Many people aren't too keen on something going up the rear entrance. But then, does that outweigh that dreaded taste?

Something to ponder.

Nature's a Mother

Things were going so well. The weather was slowly improving. We were getting days where the sun would actually show its face. Where people didn't need to bundle up and hide from the elements.

Then I wake up this morning and look outside… Oh… My… God…
The hell is that white stuff falling from the sky? Snow? Really? Mother Nature just had to taunt us with some nicer weather, before giving us a kick to the boonies and having a laugh at our expense.

So it looks like we'll be putting up with some car cleaning, driveway shovelling, gloves and toque weather for the next little while.

Now, having lived most of my life in Canada, I honestly don't mind the cold all that much. And I do think that snow is beautiful. Of course, I'd find it more so if snow was warm. I'm just tired of winter. I thought it was finally over. That little groundhog had given us a thumbs up. Looks like the little bugger needs to have an unpleasant encounter with the local alley cats.

But as annoying as the weather might be, the worst part about today is the idiots. We put up with months of snow and horrible weather. Hell, we're Canadians, driving in the snow should be second nature to us. So why is it that everyone suddenly forgot how to drive? People putting along at 5 kilometres an hour in an 80 zone. Morons who are stopped in the right turn lane, even though there's not a car coming for some time… because they're obviously too afraid to make that big, scary turn.

Road rage is a bad thing. But if you have a sudden urge to drag these idiots out of their car and beat them with a sack of oranges, I think I'd be cheering you on.
There's a huge difference between driving safely, which is always advisable. And driving like a complete drooling moron who has no business ever being behind a steering wheel.

If you're going out on the roads today, yes, be cautious. But for everyone's sake, don't be stupid.

Why mess with something that works?

So I watched the premier of the Muse version of Being Human.

Now, I've watched the original series that was released by the BBC. It was an incredible show. The characters were amazingly well done, the actors did an incredible job, the show had a gritty reality to it, while still bringing forth the humanity of the characters (even monsters have feelings and deal with life problems). There was a humor to the show in the manner that you'd find when hanging out with friends, or dealing with people in real life. None of the slapstick or silliness, but something realistic.

Sadly, the new version of Being Human, cast with North American actors, seems to take that great show, and make it more "mainstream". There's a silliness to the show. The characters seem a lot more exaggerated. The plot itself is essentially the same, though it feels a little more rushed. Feels like they're focusing more on some aspects which would play up ratings, instead of aspects that built the story in the original show.

Honestly, I don't see why a remake was needed. The original came out just last year, and now they've already remade it. But the remake seems more of a lower quality imitation, instead of a true retelling of the original. And in the end, it simply wasn't needed. Are the UK accents too much for Americans to follow? Was it really necessary to "localize" a show that is universal? Sometimes, companies need to know when to leave well enough alone.