Left 4 Dead

You know, when the vampire trend was spinning out of control and spitting out some of the worst films and television programs known to man (as well as some really cool stuff; I won't forget that), I started believing that it was time for people to start getting into zombies.

When I was first in college, getting my philosophy degree, I descended into the world of George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. These films were some of the best movies I've ever seen. I used to watch horror films because of how ridiculous they were, but now I was watching zombie movies that were smart and told me something about "human nature." To this day, Dawn of the Dead remains one of my favorite movies of all time.

Left 4 Dead was a franchise that came about long before the zombie thing started to feel like it was being done to death. And the brilliance of these games stems from the fact that it feels like you are inside of a Romero zombie movie. You are controlling one of four main characters.

I've come to love this game enough that it has crept into my every day life. For example, whenever someone has a headache, I have the unhealthy compulsion to shout out "Pills here!" And sometimes when there is a girl crying in public I like to shout out "WITCH!" OK, that last one was a lie, but I have definitely said the former quite a few times.

Just play the game.

Borderlands: Claptrap's New Robot Revolution DLC

I only have three more achievements until I have completed all of the achievements in Borderlands. All three achievements take place in Claptrap's New Robot Revolution, and all three require that I slaughter masses upon masses of rebellious robots, pick through the junk pile of their clanky corpses, and find the following items: oil cans, bobbleheads, panties, bags of fish, and slices of pizza. What will I do when I have completed these comical challenges? Well, hopefully Borderlands 2 will be out by then.

Borderlands: Zombie Island of Dr. Ned DLC

When I first devoted myself to PC gaming, there were two games that I really wanted to play: Borderlands and Left 4 Dead (the original; those characters are way better than in the second game). In a strange way, Borderlands: Zombie Island of Dr. Ned combined the two fantastic games. I love zombies, and I love the sci-fi comedy of Borderlands. According to the simple algebra of things I like, I am in love with Zombie Island of Dr. Ned. Headshot. Headshot. Headshot.

Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx DLC

Borderlands provided me with a fair share of difficult bosses. Consider Marley and Moe, for example, two overpowered skag bosses that are horrendous when you are low-leveled and playing solo. (The key, I've found, is to keep the little skags alive. Sure, they'll winnow away at your HP, but they're quick kills, which ensures a Second Wind every time.) Consider Skagzilla, another overpowered skag boss who has, more than once, survived longer than all the ammunition in my arsenal. (This is where action skills come in handy, and let's not forget buffs that heal and regenerate ammunition.) Consider not the end boss, but the army of Guardians lining the mountainside leading up to the vault. (Shock weapons destroy their shields while shotguns and automatic weapons assure that your bullets make contact with speedy alien flesh.) But how does any of this compare with the optional boss in The Secret Armory of General Knoxx DLC named Krawmerax or to the latter arena matches in the Circle of Duty quest-line? Of course, for those brave enough to complete either the Krawmerax or Circle of Duty challenges, there are ample rewards. Tons of great equipment. A guaranteed level for whatever weapon you are holding the moment Krawmerax dies. And let's not forget: Bragging rights. Not everyone is bold enough to follow up on these side quests.

Left 4 Dead 2

My friend Joe Jinn has logged over 800 hours of playtime on Left 4 Dead 2. Before I owned the game, he'd tell me to play it on his computer and he'd watch, something of a video game voyeur. No matter how well I'd do he'd heckle me, saying something like, "It's not worth playing unless you're on Expert difficulty," or "You wouldn't last thirty seconds on Realism mode." Some of my friends scoff at how often Joe plays Left 4 Dead 2, saying things like, "It's a great game and all, but all he does is sleep and play - nothing else," but a part of me not so deep under the surface envies Joe. I'm not saying that I'd give up my fantastic relationship with Amy or the other things I strive for, but were I capable of duplicating myself and sharing my experiences with several satellite-Justins, one of them might just be dedicated to playing Left 4 Dead 2 all the time. On the other hand, maybe Justin-2814 would get bored of it. It's a great game and all, but all I'd be doing is sleeping and playing...

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4

A couple of weeks ago, the final Harry Potter film was released in the United States. This means that both the book series by J.K. Rowling and the movie series that was adapted from said books are complete. There are a lot of people who are trying to figure out what their next step is. Some are saying that the upcoming movie series titled The Hunger Games will take its place, and according to the Twitter updates I get on a daily basis the list of A-list actors in the Hunger Games far exceeds the list of A-list actors who are not in the Hunger Games. My first thought after leaving the theater: Maybe now they'll make a Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7. I spent so much time playing through the original with Amy last summer that I can think of few things that would please me more than to play through a sequel.

Bioshock

I do believe it took me three summers to finish Bioshock. It had nothing to do with disinterest. From the very beginning, the game is already one of the most intriguing stories I've ever encountered. The reason it took me so long was because every time I would sit down to play Bioshock I would get so scared that I couldn't play for long. Someone was always popping out of nowhere and threatening my life, and sometimes they were incredibly hard to defeat. Any time I had just played, you could touch my shoulders and feel the tension that had risen into them. There was a time when I measured the greatness of a work of art by the amount of emotion I felt upon experiencing it. I didn't say happiness or laughter or anything like that. Sometimes anger or sadness, but in the case of Bioshock it is fright and anxiety that make it obviously a work of high art. I'm sure you've all played this game years ago, but if there is anyone out there who hasn't, you really should. It is on almost everyone's list of best games of all time, and there's a good chance it will make it to yours.

A Guide to Video Game Lingo 7

1. D.P.S. (noun) - an acronym that stands for Damage Per Second. "It refers simply to the amount of damage a player or group of players can inflict on the enemy in one second. It's not usually an exact figure unless it is used to rate something like a weapon or spell. Melee and caster classes typically do high DPS, while healer classes most often do much less." (About.com)

2. Tank (noun) - "A player-character, typically in a MMORPG, that is able to occupy an agressor and take the brunt of the aggressor's attacks while the other players deal damage, heal, or perform some other action. The "tank" can survive longer while taking damage than the other characters. Typically, the tank has higher hitpoints (health) and a higher armor rating than the other characters. Less commonly, a character with a lower armor rating can perform the actions of the tank by using avoidance abilities. Ultimately, the tank needs to be able to occupy the agressor without dying. The method employed, whether avoidance or absorption, does not matter, as long as the tank can mitigate damage in some way." (Urban Dictionary)

3. Caster (noun) - a character who, to put is simply, "casts" spells. Casters tend to use magical abilities rather than physical abilities and often do so from a distance.

(Immediately after publishing each episode of "A Guide to Video Game Lingo," I usually encounter someone who wants me to tackle a word or words that he/she is familiar with in the video gaming world. I want to take a moment to say that I wish all of you would think of words and phrases that are specific to the world of video gaming, be it PC, console or otherwise, and feel free to list them. I keep a master list and I hope to get to every single term in the near future.)

Portal 2: Lab Rat

After the surprisingly interesting Left 4 Dead: The Sacrifice comic, I was gung ho to read Portal 2: Lab Rat, a comic book available on the Portal 2 web site that links the action of Portal with its forthcoming sequel. The comic captures the interesting and comedic jargon that, combined with fantastic game play, made Portal such a catchy video game. It even has an interesting take on Schrodinger's cat. I would definitely check out Portal 2: Lab Rat. It is a great way to pass the time until the game is released.

Portal 2: Lab Rat is available via the Portal 2 web site here. The comic can also be downloaded in PDF form here.

Even More Portal 2 Trailers

I just pre-loaded the game. Here are some more trailers.

Borderlands

I had intended to write a heartfelt essay on my completion of Borderlands titled either "Twilight Over Pandora" or "Farewell, Pandora," or some other purposely melodramatic title, but I always felt that there would be more to Borderlands. Claptrap's New Robot Revolution was released on September 28, 2010 as the last Borderlands DLC, and it tied up the overarching story in a really satisfying way.

And yet I'm still not satisfied. What is it going to take for me to be satisfied with Borderlands? Do I need to get one of each of the rarest weapons? Do I need to find every single secret location? Must I have the most powerful character or accomplish the fastest speed run?

I can never be satisfied with Borderlands. I can never complete Borderlands and move on. Borderlands is one of the few works of art (LOST, Pink Floyd's The Wall, etc.) that I just cannot shake. Pandora is one of the alternate dimensions of my mind, and it never really sleeps. It never sees its twilight.

I may yet write, "Twilight Over Pandora." I just need some perspective. I just need some time.

A Guide to Video Game Lingo 6

1. Farming (verb) - the act of collecting items or currency in order to power up your character.

"I'm farming gold so I can get something good at the auction house."

2. Agro/Aggro (verb) - to draw the attention of one or more hostile NPCs and in the process to get attacked by said NPCs.

"That idiot just ran ahead and agroed the whole room."

3. Chain Agro/Aggro (verb) - to cause a chain reaction in which one agroed hostile NPC triggers another nearby hostile NPC and so on.

"Watch the chain aggro. It'll get you every time."

A Guide to Video Game Lingo 5

1. pwnStar (noun) - someone who dominates a particular video game to the point of celebrity status, whose friends no longer like playing with.

"Let's leave this server. That dude's a pwnStar."

2. Camping (verb) - "The Act of staying in one spot in a map in a first person shooter video game to gain a tactical advantage over an enemy or group of enemies. The person committing the act of camping is the 'camper' and the spot on the map it is happening in is 'camped.'" (Urban Dictionary)

"That n00b's camping long hallway."

3. Patching (verb) - the process of updating a video game by inserting code into it.

"We can't do multi-player until Stephan's done patching."

Team Fortress 2

Adam and I were playing Team Fortress 2 one night and we came across a player whose screen name was NickelbackSavedMyLife. Another player on that particular server asked this player if Nickelback had indeed saved his life. Without qualification or explanation, NickelbackSavedMyLife simply responded, "Yes."

Portal

Super Meat Boy

Postcard 2010: (7th Gen) Console Gaming

A couple of years ago, I went to the New York Comic Con and witnessed, at the Marvel booth, the unveiling of a mission-based Iron Man video game and a sandbox Incredible Hulk game, both for the X-Box 360. The high-definition three-dimensional environments astounded me and the game play looked fantastic. I gazed in awe at these two video game wonders before promptly forcing myself to turn away and never look back. The temptation to play seventh generation console (Nintendo Wii, Playstation 3, X-Box 360) games combined with my meager earnings could only bring about suffering.

The last console games I remember playing were Xenosaga and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on Playstation 2 and X-Box respectively, archaic, outdated systems. I'd played Wii at bars and large get-togethers with friends, but it wasn't until finding that Amy owned a Playstation 3 that I actually got into the new wave of console gaming. We played Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4, Brutal Legend, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game, and X-Men (a port of the original arcade game). It was quite the console renaissance, and perfectly timed, considering the fact that many believe the next (eighth) generation of consoles to be overdue. I even found myself the proud owner of an X-Box 360 game and controller by the end of the year (but sadly, no X-Box 360).

I may be behind the times, but at least I'm still trying.

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers

Postcard 2010: PC Gaming

I had been to my share of LAN parties where a network cable was all I needed to connect my computer to a bunch of great friends and play video games for hours. I would spend hours playing video games and then I would go the rest of the year without thinking about starting up Warcraft III: Frozen Throne or Counter-Strike: Source. Meanwhile, good friends like Stephan, Adam and Joe were playing video games all year round. The difference in skill level between me and these other boys was gigantic, and quite often it just made playing certain video games no longer fun.

At the end of 2009, the digital content delivery service known as Steam had its first big post-holidays sale. Interesting games I'd seen friends playing in Stephan's basement were now available for incredibly low prices. I could play the same games that my friends were playing only it would cost me 20 to 40 percent of the price. At the holiday LAN of 2009 I had made up my mind: 2010 would be the year when I went gung ho into PC gaming, and particularly first person shooter. The week prior to 2010 I spent stockpiling fantastic video games for dirt cheap.

While I found myself playing a whole lot of different games, Team Fortress 2, Bioshock, Left 4 Dead, and Left 4 Dead 2 being among my favorites, it was the quirky FPS Borderlands and its brilliantly crafted DLC Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, and Claptrap's New Robot Revolution that made it easy to make good on my promise to get into PC gaming. I could start up the game in Fort Worth, Texas, hook up my head set, and find myself in the company of my good friends Adam (College Station, Texas), Derek (Grand Rapids, Michigan) and Stephan (Corpus Christi, Texas). While gaming, the world that I had known prior to leaving Michigan wasn't all that far away any more.

LANs became different. I could keep up with my friends, both when it comes to computer hardware and game performance. Over Christmas, I played a CS: Source gun game mod with six or seven friends in which I was neck in neck with Joe, who had probably logged more hours of gaming in 2010 then everyone in the room combined. Rather than simply forgetting about PC gaming after the holiday LAN, I found myself trying to deal with difficult gaming quandaries such as which game to play after Borderlands (no good answer yet) and whether to subscribe to DC Universe Online or Star Wars: The Old Republic in 2011 (hopefully both, but at different times).

A Guide to Video Game Lingo 3 (CS: Source Edition)

1. Deagle - (noun) IMI Desert Eagle; semi-automatic pistol designed by Magnum Research, manufactured in Israel by IMI

"I don't care how loud you scream when you're shooting at people, Justin. The Deagle's just more useful than the Dualies."

2. Dualies - (noun) .40 Dual Elites; a pair of Beretta 96 semi-automatic pistols, .40 S&W, manufactured in Italy

"I just downed a terrorist and picked up his Dualies. WOOT."

3. Auto-Shotty - (noun) Auto Shotgun; M4 Super 90; Italian semi-automatic 12-gauge shotgun manufactured by Benelli

"That noob's running through the halls with the Auto Shotty again."