(Old School) Halo 3 Clip of Da Week

Back in the day when kids didn't have cell phones and minimum wage was $5.75 there was a little game called Halo 3.  Gabe McFann and I ripped up the Halo scene with our mad skills and coordinated teamwork and a great example of this is us winning the last checkpoint of a game in Rocket Race with unconventional technique.

See ya on the race track...

Why Breach blows chunks

A little less then a year ago at a video game expo on the east coast a video game appeared that wowed those in attendance and internet browsers who were following the news coming from the event.  The game was called Breach and it boasted fully destructible environments and a cover system rare to the FPS genre.  I was intrigued and so were a lot of friends of mine.

Here's a video preview from PAX East 2010

Fast forward to present day and after a myriad of set-backs, delays, and possible bankruptcy Atomic Games releases Breach into the wild on Xbox Live Arcade and PC.  I've been following this game ever since I was initially impressed almost a year ago but now after I've purchased and played the game for quite a few hours I can say I am utterly disappointed.

So why am I writing this blog post?  It's to hopefully prevent you from buying this game and having Breach blow chunks in your face.  So here's the low down on why you shouldn't spend your hard earned $15....

• A face only a mother could love.  The YouTube videos you'll find of the game are obviously the PC version of game, looking nice and gorgeous, but with the Xbox 360 version the game feels like a throwback to the original Xbox.  There's terrible animations, muddy effects from explosions and dust, and extremely plain environments.  If you like nothing on your bagel this might be right up your alley.

Warning: Games may not appear like in screenshots

• Destructible environments are just a gimmick.  In the matches I've played there's little blowing up and it's more like a standard shooter.  In fact there are very few buildings that really matter to blow up.  Even when you do want to blaze a new trail the gameplay tends to make it a more a chore than fun. Even though the new Battlefield series has limited destructibility compared to Breach; it's used more effectively and actually the changes game drastically where in Breach it's just not the case.

• The gun play is sub-par, hit detection is wonky, there's input lag, and it feels more like luck than skill to get a kill.  The gameplay really could've saved the game but it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Peek a boo I see you, now if I could only shoot you...

• Network noobs.  It's obvious Atomic didn't do too much homework while working on the network code.  Here's an example of the antiquated network design, when a host quits the game the match ends and your kicked to the main lobby all the while losing all your experience and stats you accumulated during the match.  Also there's noticeable lag whenever the player count exceeds 6 total players.  In the modern day shooter genre good network code is a must and Breach falls way short.

Lets wrap this up all with this thought; given time Breach can be patched and ironed out into a good game, but why wait when you could pick up a used copy of Battlefield Bad Company 2 which does everything Breach does but better for $5 more.

Yep, it's better

Let me know what you think and whether or not Breach blew chunks in your face

Halo Reach Clip of Da Week

Marshawn Lynch went beast mode on the New Orleans Saints during Wild Card weekend and here's me trying my best to imitate his beastiness.

And in case you missed Lynch's run for the win a couple weeks ago check it out..

How can the Green Bay Packers win the Super Bowl?

The Green Bay Packers (my team since I was 9 years old) is coming off a huge high from Saturday's blowout win against the Atlanta Falcons 48-21 and now face the Chicago Bears for the NFC championship.  So how do the Packers keep winning all the way to the Super Bowl?

Here's my five top things the Packers need to keep doing in order to win it all in February.

• Keep running no matter what the outcome is.  This helps establish the play action pass and with rookie running back James Starks, big plays are just hole away.

• Keep blitzing especially throwing the cornerback Woodson into the mix.  With the Jets upset over the Patriots last Sunday and Tom Brady getting sacked 5 times, we saw what happens when even the best of quarterbacks feels pressure.

• Strong coverage in the secondary.  With all the pressure up front it's easy for a receiver to be wide open.  Rookie corners Shields and Williams have been breaking up plays and getting interceptions all this post season and this needs to continue for the blitz to be successful and not as risky.

• Stop dropping balls.  It baffles me that receivers especially the Packers have been dropping easy passes.  Jones dropped a perfect pass that could've easily sealed the deal against the Eagles in the Wildcard game and there's been plenty of blown opportunities due to lack of concentration.  It was encouraging to see very few dropped balls against the Falcons, so keep it up.

• Let Aaron Rodgers run the show.  The blowout upset against the Falcons can mostly be credited to the near perfect performance by Aaron Rodgers.  He is extremely accurate and powerful, a quick thinker and right now he's playing the best football of his life.  Give him protection and he'll win the game for you.

The Packers have a tough road ahead of them, but they have momentum, talented players, smart coaching staff, and nothing to lose so GO PACK GO!!!

Welcome

Whats happening?  My name is Brandon Rodstol I live in Wenatchee, WA, I'm a Christian, and I'm 27 years old. I'm an avid gamer, husband, and father of two who thinks he can write a blog. Well, we'll see how that goes.

Okay so if you've gotten this far reading you're probably a friend, someone I met online, or just a curious stranger; whatever it may be thanks for stopping by and let my tell you what I'm going to be sharing on this blog.

• Video game reviews, insight, opinions, and news from a Christian perspective
• Youtube clip of the week from my exploits in Halo: Reach just to keep it fresh

• Thoughts on Jesus, what he's done in my life, and where He's taking me and my family
• Other things I like such as motorcycling, the outdoors, and my infatuation with the NFL

So if you like video games, the NFL, or what I have to say I think you should stick around. 

-Later