Deus Ex: Human Revolution Review

Welcome back to The Code. Sorry its been a little long since my last post. I've been dealing with a super trifecta of death.
I'm trying to prepare for two Fantasy football drafts. I'm actually running one for the first time and it's awesome.
Then of course, Hurricane Irene, fuckin bitch she is. I hope everyone is safe and is getting back to normal at this point. I personally lost power last night, and hope it comes back soon. I'm writing this on my droid. DROID.
To complete my trifecta of death / distraction, a certain title came out last Tuesday...DEUS EX: Human Revolution. It has basically took over my free time.
The rest of the gaming press has already offered up amazing reviews of the game. Since I am not officially a journalist and have no access to review copies, I wanted to give you a simple review now.
SCORE…9.5 out of 10
My first official 30 Dad Code review is a good one. Deus Ex was significantly delayed but well worth it. The highly touted freedom of accomplishing tasks is certainly possible and amazing. You can attack missions like a Terminator, or a stealthy cyber Solid Snake. Con NPC's into accessing secured areas, or hack your way in. Do every every mission, or stay with the main quest. The choice(s) are yours.
The only odd exception to this are the "boss" fights in the game. You must take these guys out no matter how your Adam Jenson is being played during the game. This makes the pacifists out there suddenly change their tune, which is a shame. Just like the rest of the game, you should be able to avoid these fights altogether if you choose. Personally, I had no moral dilemma killing these guys, and was prepared to do it. My interpretation of the story gave me plenty of reasons to do so, spoilers aside. I can see the criticism however.
Graphically, the game is top notch. Each city you travel to has a unique feel, and is dipped in sepia toned, Renaissance influences. The frame rate may dip slightly when the shit really hits the fan, but its forgivable, and honestly barely noticeable. Blade Runner is a heavy influence, but there's plenty of style choices made here to make it's own unique cyber punk world.
The soundtrack reminds me of Blade Runner, but that's not a bad thing. What's nice is that it appropriately switches up tone and speed depending on what's happening on screen. The guns and effect effects sound great and are all properly mixed. The voice acting is done well by the major characters, but you will notice similar voices out of the enemies and randoms.
The gameplay requires a lot out of a gamepad, and even in the action oriented parts, it holds up. You need to move silently through cover, stop n pop enemies, or both at the same time. To access the hidden areas, there's some platforming elements. The controls in all of these aspects work better then similiar FPS / RPGs, like Fallout or Elder Scrolls. My complaint here is that you cannot customize them. You are stuck how it is configured. Also, I hate there is no dedicated melee button. Stealth takedowns are awesome, but use your precious aug energy meter, but if you just want to be less stylish, or just beat someone down, you cannot.
Although the game allows you amazing freedom, I feel the game is imbalanced toward stealth. You cannot run and gun, which I understand. Damage is high in this game especially at the higher difficulties, and death comes quick. However, you receive more exp for stealth takedowns then straight kills. Plus you receive bonuses for NOT killing at all. Takedowns that kill are "louder" then KO ones, alerting guards. Moreover, you receive overall exp bonuses for completing missions without being seen. Being a tank is just as fun, and although you can potentially get more loot out killing and stripping them of their stuff, ala Fallout, is doesn't balance out. Moreover, there are simply some useless Augments to buy. Unless you experiment, or read a strat guide, you may be wasting precious "Praxis Points" on them. I wish there were even more "Augs" in the game, and they were more balanced out in their usefulness.
To conclude, Deus Ex is a must buy for not only fans of the series, but FPS and RPG fans alike. Get it now guys, before the rest of the holidays big hitters come out and you "won't have time". MAKE TIME FOR THIS ONE.
Thanks for reading. At the end of the month, I will have another post dedicated to this fine game. A stylistic comparison between a stealth approach and a tank one. Look for that. I will of course be postin about whatever so stay tuned! Follow the blog please. Check me out on XBL, PSN, or Twitter. Happy Hunting!

Don't Worry Dad

Welcome back to code.

So I decided to decided to talk to the guys out there who are new to this. Who feel their favorite hobby is no longer possible due to their current situation.

Maybe you have a new born in the house, or another one. Congrats! Or maybe your role has Dad has left you longing to get back to your favorite pastime, but you're ashamed, or tired, or broke....or EVERYTHING. Don't worry my friends. I'm here to give you a few tips I have learned in my time to allow you to not only continue to be Great Dad but a Great Gamer too.

I'm only talking to real men here. Good Dads. If you're too busy to change diapers or help mommy because you need to prestige again, just stop reading. In fact, stop reading my blog altogether and get your act right. Being a great parent is the most rewarding thing you can do in life, and is something that will last long after your 360 is in a landfill.

So now that I'm off the soapbox, let get into it. We take care of our business but we gotta have fun too right? But how?

I think the first thing is that your significant other needs to respect your hobbies. Hopefully she/he games too (my wife does, I'm lucky) or at least understands your love for them. As long as you're priorities are straight you should be able to talk to her about your gaming. You need "private time", it's healthy for both of you, and the kids.

You need to lay the ground work right when the baby is born, and this goes for anyone, gamers and non-gamers alike. Establish a bed time, and stick to it, as hard as it is. Obviously, a new born will turn you into a zombie for a few months, but you should work in a proper bed time ASAP. More importantly, the kids need to stay in their bed. There will be nightmares, sickness etc...and of course that requires some extra TLC, but bedtime, and staying in their own bed should be reinforced as soon as possible. This way, you and your significant other have a goal every night. I have a 6 year old son and a 3 year old daughter. Their bedtime is 8 o'clock. Recently, it has been getting a little later, and little man will get promoted to a later time soon, but either way, the time is set. After that, it's "adult time". Again, that's a tip for anyone out there.

Here's another, don't be quiet. That's about a noob move as you can make as a young parent. Have a rock concert every night? No, obviously. But these kids should know normal sound levels from when they are born. Listen to the TV, play games, put music on, speak normally etc etc. Whatever you would do, do it. These two tips if reinforced properly are key. I'll put it to you like this. About once a month, we have a ton of people over our house for Karaoke night. We got LIPS and Rapstar on 360, Singstar on PS3, all fully stocked with DLC. We rock it out. Our kids are sleeping in their room and it's all good. We know they're safe, we are having fun and everything works out great. I also want to note that we don't live in a huge place by any means either. We just established those ground rules and we're good.

Ok, so you have established adult time to the best of your ability, what's next? Establish a night for gaming. If you're living with your partner, gaming every night as soon as the kids go down isn't always the best move. I have a small apartment, and yes, I do a have a TV in the bedroom, but my whole rig is set up in the living room. Plus, you do want to have some quality time that person anyways right? So what you should do is set a night a week, and let your partner know that you want to rock games soon after the kids go down. I've established this every Wednesday night at 9:00 - 9:30. That's AWWR night. Some of my friends and I created a clan of like minded gamers called "Again We Will Rise" (AWWR) and get together online and rock it out. My wife does her thing, watches TV in the bedroom, reads, whatever. And I get uninterrupted headshots and kill streaks. Here's the trick though guys, one hand washes the other.

If you get a night like that, so should your partner. That's the only way this can be sold. Plus, if you're talking about it, the two of you should make it point to do things together too. I know that when my first kid came along it hit me like an overhand right from Fedor. I got through the newborn "Zombie" phase and just forgot myself, and my relationship suffered too. So if you're not already, make time for that. Or, maybe there's too much quality time already, and if so, my bad....I'll shut up about it!

Alright so you've established the golden rules. You have your marathon night. I'm sure you want to game more then that right? Involve your family. I have plenty of games that I play with my whole family: Super Mario Bros Wii, Mario Kart, Wii Sports 1 and 2. The Wii isn't for the hardcore, but there's no denying it's fun, especially in groups, and since you have a ready made one already, it's a no brainer. Refuse to get one? Can't afford another system? 360 and PS3 both have viable options. PS Move is basically the HD Wii everyone wanted, and it's a lot of fun. I find it a little difficult to play it with my kids though since it requires you to use the camera. But Eyepet, and Sports Champions is a mainstay here. I think little hands can handle the Wii controller for sure, and in some simpler games, the PS3 Dual Shock. I think the 360's can be bit too bulky depending on how old your child is. However, the 360 has the Kinect, and that's probably your best best bet for little ones. Kinect Adventures, Kinectimals, Kinect Sports, all great for the family. Plus, the Kinect's camera pans and scans the whole room, so you won't have the same camera difficulties you had with Move.

I also game with my wife. I know, I'm lucky. But we have been known to rock a few games together, Little Big Planet, Super Mario, Mario Kart. If your partner doesn't game, try some downloadable titles, or classics to wet their appetite. If they aren't down, they aren't down. It's not a requirement.

Gaming with the fam is great, and having the marathon session to look forward to is BOMB, but what's that you say?

 "Flow, how the fuck can I keep up with my friends, or get anywhere in one night."

 I hear you. You know what doesn't? Your pillow. That's all I can say my friends. You want to put in a couple of hours here or there throughout the week you need to sacrifice something, and it's got to be sleep. Think of it this way, when the baby was a newborn you didn't get any sleep right? I remember going 48 hours straight no sleep. Several times....aaaaaahhh...memories. So to me, my body made it through that no worse for wear, and I still manged to handle my business, go to work, etc. You have already conditioned your body and mind to not need as much sleep. You unlocked your "sleepless" perk. EQUIP IT. Are you going to go all night every night? You shouldn't, even with time suckers like Deus Ex, Skyrim, Gears, and COD on the radar. But you can put in a little extra time right? Once your partner goes bed, fire it up! Have a coffee, if you need to. I'm serious.

Here's my last tip. Financing your habit. Being a parent isn't easy, and today's economy makes it worse. So how can you afford the latest and greatest? SELL YOUR BODY ON THE STREET. I'm kidding, plus, who would pay for you anyway! Seriously, budgeting your money is just as hard as your time. First thing you should do is join Gamefly, the at home game rental service. This is better then Blockbuster, or your local rental spot cause you can keep the games as long as you want, and the selection is top notch. Plus, if you really like the game, you can buy it out right at a discount. If the 16 dollars a month is too steep, find a friend, and share the "Two discs at time" fee of 22 bucks a month. That's 11 dollars per head a month. Not bad.

You should also make Gamestop's used section your friend. Join their rewards program (its free), and keep an eye out for trade in deals. And you should trade in your old games. Obviously there are a few you will always keep and play, but I guarantee there's a few you can part with right now. Gamestop always has trade in deals to make you more money.

I'm sure there are a few "can't miss" must have games you want to own right out. That's cool guy. Plan it out. Reserve early, and put a few bucks down every month. You can't pay full price for every game as soon as it drops, but with Gamefly, you can at least play it. Then, if you missed out, check back in a few months on the used rack and get it cheaper!

That's it for now guys. Have a tips or stories you want to share? Please hit up the Comments. If you like what you're reading, please follow me! And you can always hit me up on Twitter, XBL or PSN. Peace.

Why don't you get a job?

Classic.

Little kids online. Nothing wrong with that per say, but really, what's a 12 year doing playing an M rated game anyway? I'm not to talk, I understand. Shit, if I was 12 nowadays I would cut my own arm off to play online. But really lets get down to it....Douchebaggery exists at any age.

Let's be real, for as unbelievably cool online play can be, it can bring out the worst in people. There are plenty of online fuckwad archetypes out there: The Hyper Racist. The Griefer. Know-it-all-wanna-be-pro, or worse, The Know-it-all-who-THINKS-they're-pro. The cat who puts a mic on, only to talk on the phone. The uber-complainer. But for me, and I'm sure I'm speaking for a lot of you out there, it's the Douchlord Kids who take the cake right?

Just cause your voice is still squeaky on the mic doesn't automatically make you a herb, noob, douche etc. I have played with many "kids" that were cool and mature enough. But for a lot of em....when you're all snuggled up in your room, with the mic on, in complete anonymity, the crap rises right out of em. I'm all for shittalking. Please, I LIVE to shit talk, but let's have a little class right? And you need to be on the ball, quick witted. With these kids it's bringing a butter knife to a Lightsaber fight. Get lost little fuck. There are plenty of games for you that are age appropriate. Clean your plate, do your chores, finish your homework, and maybe Mommy will buy you one. Leave the grown up shit to the grown ups. But here's the thing that urks me the most. Despite their shortcomings, and possibly dragging your team down by completely sucking (at least be competitive kids please)....THEY DON'T SHUT UP. They fill your TV/mic with verbal diarrhea. Most of the time making no sense at all. Yes, yes I know....Mute them Flow. If it's that bad, avoid them. True. I do eventually. But there are two problems with that:

1) The rest of the team probably AREN'T muting him/her. So now your team, instead of relaying info or at least being silent (no problem with that), are now yelling, "SHUT THE FUCK UP, GO TO BED etc, etc."

2) Or you miss out on classics like what happened to me last night. So me and my boy Bart_Maul are playing some Killzone 3. A bunch of us try to roll together on Wednesday Nights (AWWR Night, more on that later). So anyways, we're playing Bodycount, you know....and we got thrown into a room with hardly anyone in it. So its basically 2 on 1 until we are joined by two young gentlemen that will go nameless. They are on our team mind you. The two of them are talking about the maps, and basic strategy....apparently one of them never really played Killzone. Listen, no problem here, believe me. Bart and I were talking about whatever anyway. So then one of them says something silly, I forget now, but honestly it was nothing. I chuckled. I wasn't trying to be rude, in fact I was going to chime in on this little Killzone 101 session. But that was not to be this game, no sir. I mind as well told our little friend to go fuck his mother, cause he began some the some of the worst...and I mean WORST shit talking I have ever heard in my online career. And it was never ending my friends. You couldn't say a word to this kid. He was a living run on sentence consisting of poor toilet humor, bad jokes, racism and the possibly the worst Cheech and Chong impression ever made. That's right, this little one pulls out Cheech and Chong. I have less of an idea where that came from then you.

But the part that was classic, the part that made listening worth it to me was this....I had asked his boy to get back to the KZ lesson and stop talking and he asked,

"Why don't you get a job?"

Motherfucker, I need TWO. Classic. I'm still laughing at that. Case Closed.

Listen, if YOU have a job (I'm kidding, not a requirement, couldn't resist), and still love games as much as I do, keep reading. Plenty more where this came from. Follow me on Twitter, or hit me up on PSN or XBL. It's all floworcrash baby. Real easy. Hope to see you out there.

Murder Simulators

As you could read by my last post I have a soft spot in my heart for fighting games. What's my other favorite genre?

What the sensationalist media types like to call, "Murder Simulators". Most call them First Person Shooters. I call them heaven.

The first FPS I played was "Faceball 2000" for the Gameboy. THE Gameboy. The 8-bit, grey brick ass Gameboy. That game was awesome. You were a 3-D ball with a smiley face on it. Your object was to move through a maze and shoot balls at the other smiley faces. There was no circle strafing. No free aim. No perks. Shit man, this was Gameboy how much do you think you could do? Faceball's loadout options consisted of your name, and what shape you wanted your smiley face (I was the cool Flattop one). For multiplayer, you needed the four player connect piece, and you hoped other guys on the playground bought the game.

A couple years later my boy hands me a "free" copy of Wolfenstein and that was it. I took down Mecha Hitler, and then it was on to the next one. Doom. Doom 2.

**Before I move on here, I want to say Doom is where I fell in love with my all time go to weapon in FPS games...the Shotgun. Man, blowing demons into bits up close and personal never got old. Now, in a pinch, whether it's Team Deathmatch or Career Mode, COD or Halo, whatever...hand me the shotgun baby. CLICK CLACK!
Ash from the all time classic movie "Army of Darkness" said it best, "See this? This... is my boomstick! -It's a twelve-gauge, double-barreled Remington. S-Mart's top of the line. You can find this in the sporting goods department..... It's got a walnut stock, cobalt-blue steel, and a hair trigger. That's right... shop smart: shop S-Mart... You got that?"  That's right Ash told you straight up. Hair trigger son. Sorry about that.**

Those games were sick, no question, but I have always been a console guy. I have enjoyed a good computer game now and then but I need a controller in my hands. So the joys of multiplayer FPS's were passing me by. Until one day like many of you I played the reason to OWN a N64: GOLDENEYE. Sorry Mario. I love ya' man, but if I wasn't takin dudes down in four player split screen madness in my dorm room, the N64 was off. I had a Playstation for god's sake, I'm not a savage.

Between Goldeneye and then Perfect Dark after that, I killed a lot of brain cells, missed a few classes, and broke a few controllers. That was the drug right there, and finally us console guys had a taste: visceral, strategic yet totally unpredictable. It was on.

Now if I even finish a "story mode" in our current crop of Shooters it's a mild miracle. I see it like this, if I'm not using my time hunting REAL opponents, it's a waste of time. There are perks to unlock, guns to buy, maps to master. If I want an excellent story in my Shooter, I'll play Fallout, or Deus Ex (7 more days AAAAAAAAAAAAA). I could care less if Malcom McDowell takes over the Helghast, or if Sam Worthington can make it out of that interrogation room to help Ice Cube. How many more games to till I get Scavenger Pro? Or that sick piece of armor? Or unlock that gun? That's what it's all about man.

Plus can I say, for all the blame mainstream media puts on video games, they are partly right. Do kids learn how to be better shooters or desensitize themselves playing Halo? Does it cause these heinous tragedies we are seeing all the time? No. But I'll tell ya'. For a guy that comes home from work stressed out, who still needs to leave all that in the car as you walk into the house and be Dad....FPS's are the best stress relief out there. You mean I can have a shooting spree every night and never go to jail? Sign me up.

Anyways for sake of argument, I have finished some Shooters "story modes" and found some of them great. I beat the entire Halo series and love that Space Opera. The only one I didn't complete was ODST, it got monotonous honestly, and COD 4 dropped so that was that! Medal of Honor (the original) for the Playstation was excellent. COD 4 was great in a Summer blockbuster kind of way. I never finished Modern Warfare 2. Does Gears of War count here? If so those are dope too. Can't wait for number 3.

I'm currently playing Killzone 3 on loop. I'll admit I got into the Playstation 3 a little late in the party. If it wasn't for a $1000 winning Super Bowl box this past year (nice 2 point conversion Pittsburgh) I probably wouldn't have at all. Now I'm regretting not getting one sooner. No, I'm not going to go into which system is better, blah, blah, blah. Who cares. But each system in the current generation has a it's strengths, and Killzone 3 for Ps3 is one of theirs. I love the character design for the Helghast, and the more gritty science fiction gets the better I like it. I missed the first two Killzones, and judging by the storyline of 3 I'm glad
I did. I was disappointed with the entire cliched affair. The Multiplayer for me has been a pleasant surprise  and I'm loving it. I wish they cribbed a few more things from Call Of Duty: Class customization, variety of modes (Free for all), and Halo: Forge (or at least some game customization), dual wielding, vehicle variety. But Killzones has it's own flavor and I'm all about it.

The soldiers and the guns they carry have a weighty feel to them, akin to Gears of War. In fact, with it's gritty setting, brutal melee attacks and the like, you wouldn't be far off to describe KZ as a "First Person Gears". I love how multiplayer forces you into classes and hopefully teamwork. Warzone is a mode I hope all my other favorite shooters copy. It's a long game that tosses 7 random modes at you at once. You move seamlessly from one mode to the next, and the play styles change with them. It's unique and mad fun.

So with Killzone being my "Murder Simulator" of choice for now, I wanted to leave you with a list of my Top 5 favorite Multiplayer FPS. So in no particular order:

1) Halo 2 - Best Halo of the bunch, and THE reason for me to get high speed Internet, let alone Xbox Live!
2) Perfect Dark - I could say Goldeneye here, but PD did everything better: Guns, modes, secondary functions, customization, it had it all.
3) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Yes, the sexy choice here is COD 4, but Modern Warfare 2 did everything bigger and badder...for better or worse. Mostly better in my opinion. There were glitches and balancing issues, but I'm not MLG so I could care less. Can I roll with double shotguns and call in a stealth bomber airstike? Yes. Winner is me.
4) Shadowrun - This was a complete sleeper and a great game. It had a Counter Strike plus fantasy element unmatched in game I have played. Now if more people actually played it....
5) Gears of War 2 - Again, does this count? It will here. This game is the "Mortal Kombat" of shooters. Vulgar, brutal and unbelievably satisfying.

What do you guys think? Hit me up. Follow me on Twitter. Or get at me on XBL or PSN (it's all the same name player, floworcrash). I'll see ya.

The Wild West

Every summer for as long I could remember growing up, we would hit Atlantic City. Such a great time. It wasn't Disney Land but it was close for me.

Atlantic City when I was kid meant two things: Lots of swimming, and ARCADES!! When I was young my sister and I were forced to stay in our room when our parents went to gamble, but when we got old enough it was on.

My Mom and Dad would hand each of us a twenty dollar roll of quarters and we both stalked the boardwalk. My sister was lame and played those rip off "crane" games for prizes, or skeetball for tickets. She usually went through her roll pretty quickly with little to show for it. Me? C'Mon Guys you know where I'm going here... STREET FIGHTER 2

Yea, I would play Street Fighter 2 and it's iterations every moment I could. It wasn't just about staying on the longest but also putting your quarter up on the screen and sizing up the comp. Analyzing moves and strategies from the regulars and taking what would work. By the way, early on, it was 50 cents to start, .25 cents to continue....and who didn't continue CAN I GET HOLLA for that?!?! (Until the arcades caught on...) I used to play so much I would get a blister on my ring finger!

All manner of kids were at the arcades, and since each one had their Boardwalk entrance, and little security, the unsavory were rubbing shoulders with the upper class trying to get off their Hadokens and Dragon Punches. Those were the glory days. There were unspoken rules. If you roll up on someone playing the arcade mode, you gave them a chance to beat their opponent. And never Cheese someone out. Unless you want to wear out your welcome....remember those "unsavory" types? They didn't appreciate waiting twenty minutes to get jabbed into oblivion. I'll leave it at that.

Here's a story I'll never forget. I was on deck waiting to play Street Fighter: Champion Edition at Resorts (Wait, you play as the bosses now? SICK). There was one teenage white kid who was on like a 3 fight win streak. He was Bison, and he did two moves ONLY: Bison's Phycho Crusher (the tornado move) and jumping Hard punch. You've probably faced a guy like this. Walk back walk back, BOOM, you're getting up...BOOM. And it really didn't matter if you block cause the chip damage was so high back then. So anyways, we got this kid running the table on some straight cheese. So his opponent wasn't having it after he gave him fourth straight win.

The loser screamed, "WHAT THE FUCK!?" And gave the lighted marquee an overhand right, shattering the plastic...he proceeded to ice grill the cheese head, and he ran out scared shitless. He then casually moved into cheesy's spot and pointed at my quarter and turned to me, "Is this you?" I was shocked no question, but what was I going to bitch out? I just waited 10 minutes! So I put my quarter in and off we went.

That's what it was like back in the day man, The Wild West. Street Fighter was top dog but there was plenty of other arenas to be had. Mortal Kombat at the Taj. Samurai Showdown at Showboat. Time Killers at Cesar's.

Arcades were magical back then because the graphics and gameplay blew away anything you had at home. I truly miss it. Online play captures some of the fun, but I miss the personal nature of heads up Arcade play. There were always local legends you wanted to beat, and outsiders you defended your turf against. I loved hitting up TIME OUT in the food court on my lunch break. Fuck eating, I want to get my Tekken on!

I still love Fighting game the best. FPS's are fun no doubt, but I love the one on one arena. I'm currently rocking Tekken 6, Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Super Street Fighter 4: AC. Can I admit something though? I think I fucking lost a step on the old SF play. I've been playing SF for as long as I can remember, and I don't know guys, I completely suck at it now. I don't know what happened. I could be one of these herbs out there and blame the connection, or my opponents cheap techniques, but I blame myself. I got to put more time into practising. But who has time? Either I'm trying to beat someone down, or playing something else, I can't sit on the training mode for hours on end. Last time I did that was college.

SUNY Purchase baby. You're talking to the two time Tekken 3 SUNY Purchase champion. And then Tekken Tag dropped, and I won that tourney too. One my greatest gaming accomplishments. What was my secret? Lots of free time, pot, and shrinking grades. I used to sit on that trainer mode for hours if I wasn't playing other cats. ALL DAY. Those were the days my friends!

For the record, I main with Law, Paul, Lei, and Hwaroang. Come test me out!

Hey, you guys got any great arcade war stories?  I'd love to hear em. Follow me on Twitter if you like, or hit me up on PSN or XBL. See you out there!

- FLOWORCRASH

UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN.....

..Can you finish that Internet? If you can't finish the title, I'm not sure if you should continue reading. If you're like me, in their thirties (or older), you probably still have that little code memorized. The 30 man code. One of the more infamous secrets of the late, great NES.

This little piece I'm doing is a bit different. Welcome to the 30 Dad Code. I want to speak for a voice that I feel has been lost in today's "Next-Gen" gaming world. The guy (or gal), that played games when it wasn't cool, and didn't care. When blocky graphics were considered cutting edge. When you bought a game not based on Metacritic or a Forum, but game box art, and recess scuttlebutt.

Sure, there are retro gaming gaming blogs and articles, whatever, this is not what this is about. I'm from one the oldest generations who have played games my entire life, and love them. The two buttons and a D-Pad became 6, then 8, then analog sticks got slapped on...all the while I picked them up and couldn't put them down. What this is about is about a gamer who has a real life, and responsibilities.

While gamers have gone Pro and gaming tournaments are the norm, I think gamers like us haven't had a real voice. Yes we can pick up a gaming mag for news or reviews, but is it really speaking to you?

I know there are plenty like you out there. Does this sound familiar? I have two small kids that I adore, and wife that loves me, and a job I break my ass at. I may have to get another one. I'm the man of the house and I get it done. But you know what I can't wait for? When the kids are in bed, and it's late...I grab a beer, turn on the LCD and ROCK SOME GAMES! It's my release. All day on the grind, and I can't wait to put some virtual bullets into someone's virtual head. Do I have the time or energy to beat every single game I own? No. To spend a month getting to 10th prestige? I wish. Despite that, I'm pretty fucking good. Always have been. It's a pleasure of mine to compete in a sea of "try- hards". I'll never be on MLG, my kids gotta go to school. Your Kill / Death ratio is ratio is epic? Nice story bro. Pass me a beer, and watch my name above yours post game.

Does that sound like you? Hope so. If so, stick around. You might like what you see here. My name is Floworcrash. Keep reading here for my (read: YOUR) view on gaming culture, reviews, and maybe some shit talking. No, definitely I'm going to talk shit! Follow me on Twitter @floworcrash. Or, take it a step further and request me on PS3 or XBOX, it's all the same name. Later.