Panda Explosion

Well, it's here. World of Warcraft's fourth expansion has been released into the wild, and with it comes loads and loads of the much-sought-after Pandaren. I have no bad blood or regrets with WoW and me quitting, and yet, here is the boat to Pandaria, sailing away in front of me while I wave a fond farewell.

Aside from my personal reasons as to why I'm unable to play Mists of Pandaria, I'm finding this day a little bit bittersweet. I have fond memories of my guild and all the friends I made through the game over the years, and through good times and bad, I definitely had a lot of fun and I wouldn't have changed a thing if I had gone through it all again. Still, even today, I follow the same news feeds and websites that I always followed when I played, just to keep up with the current times, though I have to admit, I skimmed over the new talent system and some other major features.

Regardless, tell me this: Don't you think it's strange that I'm both glad and sad about not playing WoW anymore, and yet, I'm still following the game along however I can? Why do I even care anymore about recent events and news involving this game when I don't even play it anymore out of boredom?

This is something I think is truly cool about video games, especially games that are designed to last a long time like MMOs or games with a lot of DLC (however expensive and annoying that DLC might be), or even a series of games like Sonic the Hedgehog or the classic Mario titles. Even after you quit playing or you "leave" the series, you're still compelled to follow it along because you loved the time you spent with it. As much as you might deny it, you care enough to see what's going on because it's something that interests you, and you just might want to return some day when something really, really cool happens that cures your boredom.

That is the feeling I have. That is what I want from World of Warcraft. Even today, this god of MMOs rolls on, and even though it may have begun to show its age here and there, like I've said time and again, it's still a fantastically designed game and is loads of fun when you really get into it. Even though I'm bored and I probably won't be there to fight for these newly discovered lands in the name of the Alliance (sorry Horde, but I gotta stick with my friends!), I'll be watching them every step of the way, right here in my computer chair.

Another New Playstation 3

Really tired right now, so this one's going to be a short one. :(

Recently revealed at the Tokyo Games Show is this new, third rendition of the Playstation 3. It comes in two sizes, 250GB and 500GB. The former will cost you $270 and comes bundled with Uncharted 3 (which I will probably never play because I'm not a rich bastard), and the latter hasn't had a price announced yet, but it is being released on the same day as Assassin's Creed III (again, not a rich bastard).

This is pretty cool and all, but I wonder how much time could have been spent on making the theoretical Playstation 4 instead of a second redesign of their console which already worked out alright. Or, even better, create and release this sleek model in the first place instead of a big bulky monster of a system.

Maybe I'm just ignorant or I don't know enough information, but as far as Sony goes, they were never a company to think of the customer first in my eyes.

Games I Haven't Tried Until Now: Ratchet & Clank

I was admittedly not a big fan of the Playstation 2 outside of Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts when it was at it's prime. It was the most dominant console at the time, but I mostly stuck to my Gamecube and my Gameboy Advance. I look back at this time and wonder what I might have missed, and frankly, I'm a bit saddened that I did miss this one.

I've only recently started playing Ratchet & Clank, and while I'm making my way through the game slowly (read: busy college guy), I somehow find it entrancing. Every new level comes with a new weapon that you can only guess at what it does when you see it, and using them all is even more fun. Saying there are too many weapons in this game is ludicrous, because you choose which you want to use the most and that defines your playstyle, which in a way defines your experience with the game. That's amazingly awesome. The platforming, the shooting, the hidden items, and the puzzles all combine into something seriously addicting.

The characters are wonderfully enjoyable as well. Ratchet himself seems a little stubborn but with a good heart, Clank is probably the bravest tiny animated robot I've ever seen anywhere, and Captain Quark, according to one of my good friends that has played through most (or all, I can't remember) of the Ratchet & Clank games describes him as an "egotistical, clumsy oaf, but hilarious". While some characters in some games are remembers by players solely for their heroism and actions, you'd definitely remember these ones not just from that but from their one-liners and ridiculous scenes they get themselves into.

I'm currently still playing though, so I haven't experienced this entire game yet. Good news though, because I also now have Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal, the two sequels that took place on the Playstation 2 alongside the original, and my goal is to finish all three before the end of this school year.

Best of luck to me I guess...