Breakfast at Lani's

Effecting me Massively!

On January 26th, 2010, the sequel to one of my favorite video games of all time was released, Mass Effect 2. Created by Bioware, published by EA - it is, hands down, one of the best action RPGs I have ever played. In the 15 days that it's been out, I have logged exactly 32.5 hours of gameplay. It's all I can think about. And, like a good book, I don't want it to end. I'm seeking out every side mission/quest and mundane task to prolong my gaming experience. It's a horrible feeling knowing that the end is near. It could also have something to do with reading my friend Martin's most recent Facebook status:

 

Well, shit. 

I'm about to experience the most epic mission ever made, and then what? It's over? According to wikipedia (which means it's legit), Mass Effect 3 is planned for a release date sometime between 2011-2012. I realize this doesn't seem like a long ways off but when you're emotionally connected to your character and game, two years is a lifetime. I'm sure it's similar to what Twilight fans are going through between the saga's movie releases... 

Pain. Torture. Agony.

But wait. Did she just say "emotionally connected"? Why yes. Yes she did.

 In the first Mass Effect I spent a lot of time creating my character; tweaking her hair, eye colour, eye brows, nose, etc. And I spent a good chunk of time considering a background that would suit my character. I decided she was colonist, born and rasied on Mindoir, a small border colong in the Attican Traverse. When she was 16 years old, slavers raided Mindoir, slaughtering her family and friends. She was saved by a passing Alliance patrol and she enlisted with the military a few weeks later. Her psychological profile reveals that she's ruthless. Throughout her  military career, she held fast to one basic rule: get the job done. she's been called cold, calculating, and brutal. Her reputation for ruthless efficiency makes her fellow soldiers wary of her. But when failure is not an option, the military always comes to her first. 

 

The beauty about Mass Effect 2 is that you can port over your character from the first Mass Effect. I can't even begin to explain how crazy exciting it was to load up ME2 and see my character from ME in the opening cut scene. I was giddy. 

One of the most interesting aspects of the Mass Effect franchise are the relationships. Love, loyalty and betrayal are all part of what makes this game so much fun. The writing is fantastic and if you liked games like Fallout 3, Fable 2 or Dragon Age, you're going to love ME2. 

Alright...I plan to finish the final mission this week. I'll let you know how it rates on my epic scale...though I'm pretty it's going to get a rock solid 10.

Forgive & Forget?

I don’t think there is any hope for Sally & Burt. In fact, things have taken a turn for the strange. And by strange I mean this has now become one of those weird situations that would normally be reserved for the residents of Stepford. After many displays of fist shaking and yelling Burt calmed down and decided to throw a party of his own. As mentioned yesterday, Sally was not invited. But guess who was? Hank! Can you believe this? This guy Hank is the WORST! Not only did I catch him stealing an expensive garden gnome while on shift (Neither Sally or Burt have fired his ass yet), but he managed to get himself invited over for supper? Unbelievable.

On a more reality-based note, soccer is going well! Little one had her first game last Thursday and I was amazed at how “into” the game everyone was. I fully expected a few of the kids to just sit down and start picking flowers, nope, every single one of them was enthusiastic about the game. I’ll post pictures soon!  

Simulations

I play the Sims 2, like, all the time. It is highly addictive. If you’ve never played, don’t do it! It's too awesome. It will take over your life. I'm seriously thinking of scrapping this blog and switching it over to a Sims 2 fansite.

I’m not sure if EA realizes this (or cares) but after hours of playing the Sims, one begins to "think in sim". I kid you not. My life has actually started to shift around this Sims 2 obsession and like some crazy game of existential Dr.Mario, things just seem to fit a bit better. My relationships with friends and family have even improved. How? Let's just say that everywhere I go I see a little friendship meters over people's heads. If it gets too low an alarm sounds and I know I need to "call" or "invite over". The Sims logic system is being absorbed into my brain's programming and the rest of my life is slowly growing around it. It's a mass. I'm like Akira. And I like that.

So what some people call a childish video game addiction, I refer to as self help. I think my way sounds better. The time I spend playing this amazing video game is actually like an icebreaker that's pushing crap aside and making room in my life where no previous room existed. One day I'll tire of this game and have instead an extra 2 hours of my day to fill with something else, perhaps knitting, or mahjong... for now, it’s the Sims 2.

I think it would be safe to refer to myself as an “experienced” simmer. I’ve definitely had my share of characters, and I’ve learned to remain calm when something terrible happens, like the time Sally threw a party while her husband, Burt, was at work. Not only did she blow the bank on a buffet table, karaoke machine, turn tables and a love-tub, she also invited Hank – the family’s bi-sexual housekeeper who likes to clean the toilet while Sally is in the shower. The party was in full swing when all of a sudden a career “chance card” popped up; Burt was forced to make an important career decision:  "Stay Honest" or "Pay the Man"? Burt chose “Pay the Man”. Apparently that was the wrong choice because he immediately lost 25K Simoleons and was demoted to dishwasher. Sick from losing the family fortune, Burt returned home (early!) with the hope of being comforted by his wife, instead he was greeted by his baby’s mama making woo hoo in the tub with Hank. This is when things got nasty. Burt started yelling at Sally and then actually bitch slapped her – that’s right – dude actually hit a woman. “Are you gunna take that from him?!” I yelled. Sally fought back. Hank remained in the tub. Burt ran upstairs and started crying uncontrollably. What a mess that day was.

But yeah, safe to say I'm quite comfortable playing the hand of god. I should, however, point out that just because I'm comfortable in the role of god, doesn't necessarily mean I'm a good god. In fact, I will admit to taking pleasure in seeking new methods of killing my sims. So far my favorite is the old 4 walls, 4 fireplaces, no doors, no windows,  and one very flammable rug, Burn baby, burn. I'm not sure what this says about me, but I'm guessing it's not good.

Since that horrible day in Verona Ville, I've been trying my hardest to makes things better between Burt & Sally but the future does not look bright. Without my consent, Burt has planned a party of his own, she doesn't know this yet, but Sally's not invited - we'll see how the drama unfolds.