Ohh no. Divided by zero

So there is this thing called New Media Cincinnati. While I could go on a tirade about how a group of people patting each other on the back for being self-proclaimed “new media” experts is not my idea of a good time, there are other people who do it better than me.

While these NMC events used to be free, they now cost ~$6 to attend. IF I was ever going to pay, it would only be to see this person speak, since they are experts in all areas (except knowing what their twitter name is).

New Media Expert ahoy!

If I haven’t mentioned it enough, I am a HUGE fan of Team Fortress 2. Not only is the game balanced (for the most part), but it is done in a tongue-in-check way that doesn’t take itself to seriously. TF2 focuses on being fun first, and everything else falls in to place.

Sadly, TF2 on the Xbox 360 is no where near the amazing experience it is on the PC. It has yet to be updated from the initial launch of the game, which means all of the new weapons, class balancing, maps, and rule sets are missing on the console version. It is also prone to people cheating, and if you can find a match, it will be a test or your patience. There was a video I saw that restored my faith in class-based shooters on a console:

Monday Night Combat, by Uber Entertainment, looks strikingly similar to TF2. There are multiple classes, each with strengths and weaknesses. It is light-hearted, and for all intents and purposes is a re-skinned TF2…. and I am fine with that. I would love to have a great class-based shooter on the 360.

The one thing that Uber needs to make sure they do is push updates to players for new content. If I have to pay $5 for every update, I am going to leave this game by the wayside and go turn on my PC, where I get all the TF2 updates freely. Games like this require constant tweaking and regular rollouts of new additions to keep the game fun and balanced. If Uber treats MNC like Valve treated the console version of TF2, it will become the same wasteland that TF2 is now.

(And yes, I realize that Valve wanted to put out free updated for TF2 and Microsoft wouldn’t let them distribute the content for free at the time.)

I LOVE Plants vs Zombies. It takes the concept of a tower defense game and executes it almost perfectly. If you haven’t played it yet, I suggest you download the demo now (unless you like being productive… then I suggest you stay as far away from this game as you can.)

I mean, look at the zombicide I was creating the other day

Plus, with a theme song like this, how can you not love the game?

I decided to boot up the windows side of my laptop last night, and noticed there were two games available for cheap on Steam. These are Episodes 1 and 2 of the Penny Arcade point & click adventure game. Both games are available now for $4.99 each! That means you can get two quality games for just under $10.

I grew up playing games like Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Max, and Maniac Mansion. The PA games fall right in line with the games of my youth. There is a great mixture of humor and storytelling, some puzzle solving, and a polished user experience. If you are looking for a new game to play, I would strongly suggest you pick these up.

I am a sucker for stop motion animation, and this video takes it to the next level