Friday, February 27, 2009

A positive Friday...


Okay... lately there has been an overrun of negativity on the ol' blog here. Granted, it is merely the reporting of what goes on around me on a quasi-daily basis, but today I want to keep any negativity out of this. It is after all, Friday. It's the end of the week, the cusp of the weekend. A time for at once rejoicing that the weekend is at hand and remembering our men and women who are serving abroad as I write this. Whether it be in 'The Stan' or elsewhere. So hey... Today: positive thoughts all around!

So last night I went online with my son-in-law (XBOX 360 Live) and three of his mates. We were playing the growing favorite: Call of Duty - World At War (or simply CoD-WaW) and it was my first exposure to this game online. Predictably, I had my ass handed to me on several occasions and I died many, many grotesque and military deaths. Unfamiliarity with the maps, respawning directly under enemy guns, improper use of cover, running through the open, initial disorientation upon re-spawning, not crouching when I really should have and simply being outplayed... all of these factors had a hand in many of my demises.

And of course there were the dogs... Yes, you have packs of fucking dogs, German Shepherds to be precise, loosed on you. So besides being wary of your human foes armed with guns, you have the added joy of being like totally unnerved by the fact that you're also being hunted down by packs of baying, snarling dogs at the same time. There is something just wrong about being shot while a dog is simultaneously ripping your throat out. It does kind of get your blood racing, even though you know full well that all this is only a game. But, as with any other new scenario, I slowly improved, game by game and subsequently ranked up several positions before we called it quits. Those players in the 'Prestige' levels have nothing to fear from me yet though... Not for some time...

I did not find WaW as satisfying a Battlefield: Bad Company, although we all had a good time playing at it. This may be due to the fact that the maps were quite a bit smaller than what I had become accustomed to with BC. On the BC front, I have already established myself as a force to be reckoned with, although I am still miles away from ranking with the higher echelon of World-Ranked players. I have been able to unlock some serious weaponry and develop sound attack and defense strategies which serve me well. The large maps with their rolling fields, wooded areas, farm houses, and watercourses, are far better suited to my free-ranging style.

Even the desert locales with the mud and wood houses, flat rooftops, fuel refineries, wadis and oasis, are conductive to some serious play. Tackling a pesky attack helicopter is made easier when you can hop into an Abrahams tank or a Russian BMP. I have yet to play a round of CoD4 online... I'm thinking that could be pretty bold. "SAS Spec. 'Soap' McTavish reporting for duty, Sir!" Awesome... I will have to investigate this one soon... perhaps on my own. It really is too much fun...

There is an endless array of games out there which have online capability. For the mere pittance of $50.00 or so, I have year-round access to XBOX 360 online play. It's pretty amazing when you think of it. You're playing against other gamers from around the globe, literally. This kind of gives me pause, just like the advent of the now ubiquitous e-mail. I can remember being fascinated by the concept of sitting in one spot in the world and being able to communicate practically instantaneously with someone else in any other country. I guess I'm just not jaded enough, to not be impressed.

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