Getting into Dragon Age: Origins

After finishing Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (which I'm sure will get a review eventually), I had an itch to play an RPG. I turn on the TV and see all these commercials for BioWare's newest fantasy RPG, Dragon Age: Origins. I follow the commercial with a few "ooohs" and "hmmms", and get to thinking. I've loved BioWare's games in the past, which included KOTOR and Jade Empire. I did hear about the technical issues the game had, but really, what BioWare game doesn't have technical issues? I was ready to overlook whatever framerate issues and ugly textures this game had. I mean, not everything can look like Uncharted 2 right?

So I picked up the game a couple days ago, and it's pretty much what I expected. Deep customization with your character (who is a Mage) and BIG world to roam around in, and from what I hear, a very good story to be had. The game doesn't look great. It doesn't even look good really. But for a game of this size and scope, it's adequate and something I can deal with. Technical problems aside, I think I'm going to like the game.

There's no telling when I'm going to finish it though. It's supposed to last at least 60 hours, and that's just the bare bones main story play through. Pretty good bang for my buck, considering I got this for $24 off a Gamestop promotion. ;)

Game review - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

I'll get the bad things about this game out of the way first. The cover system is a little sticky at times. The AI is a little suspect at times.

Ok, bad stuff out of the way!

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is the best game I've played in a long time, and one of the best, and most memorable games I've ever played. Period. I know people say that a lot about games they just got done playing, but I've given myself time to let it marinate and soak in, and I honestly can't think of a game that provides more entertainment, humor, action, likable characters, and jaw droppings moments. The game not only blows you away with it's incredible visuals, but also through the dialog and voice acting. Character exchanges have never been more realistic in a video game. Everything feels natural, even the off the cuff random bantering during gameplay. Most of it is very funny, and the writers did an excellent job.

Despite it being a sequel, Uncharted 2 doesn't really follow the first game. It throws in a few gems here and there for people who played the first game, but you really don't need to play it in order to get this one. You might appreciate some things more in this game if you had, but it's not a requirement. If you've seen the trailer where Nathan is falling out of the bus in the snow, then you'll immediately recognize the beginning the game. The game basically starts out in the middle of the story (with Nathan wounded on the bus), and then jumps around a few times to the beginning and back where you meet the main characters. The story unfolds with Nathan and a partner of his, Flynn, trying to find an old treasure of Marco Polo's. From there, it's all about betrayal, double crossing, and finding out that things are never what they seem. It's not the deepest story around, but for this kind of game, it works perfectly.

Another main character of the game, and added love interest to Nate, is Chloe Frazer. She's one of my favorite characters in the game, not only because she's got a sexy little British accent, but because she adds so much to the game overall. Flynn is also a great addition, as is the villain Lazarevic. A big reason all of these characters are great is because of the voice acting. The voice acting is down right amazing. I've heard awesome voice acting before in games like Kingdom Hearts and Metal Gear Solid, but never have I heard it with this kind of quality mixed with so much realism. A lot of that also has to do with the quality of the writing, but big kudos to Naughty Dog for getting great voice actors.

As you go through the game, you'll probably lose count of how many times you mouth opens in awe because of what is taking place on screen. There are so many awesome set pieces and action sequences. There's an incredible train fight with exploding helicopters, and there's another set where you're jumping from truck to truck as their exploding behind you, all the while trying fend enemies off by shooting them. And that's just to name a couple. Pacing in video games is often overlooked, but it can't be when it comes to this game. It's an integral part of what makes it so addicting. You don't want to put it down, and when you do, you can't wait to pick it up again. The gun fights were one of the things that kind of annoyed me in the first game. I though they were way too excessive. They might have been just as excessive in this game, but if they were, I couldn't tell. I enjoyed the gunplay much more. The platforming is better as well. Everything that could be improved from the first game was improved. As I was going through the game, it sometimes surprised me just how much better this game was from the first one. And the first one wasn't a bad game by any means, but it did have it's annoyances. Even the graphics seemed to be a lot better. Speaking of...

I know it's been said, but I'm going to say it again. The game is GORGEOUS! And not just the graphics themselves, but the animations. It's all top notch. The first game got a little mundane in the environment department because they were mainly in the jungle for the most part. In this game, Nathan goes to the jungle, he's goes to bombed towns, foreign villages, and the Himalayan Mountains. All of which look spectacular! The snow and ice in the mountains are a particular highlight, because snow has never been this well done is a game before. As Gametrailers described it, it's like "magic" how the snow moves as you run through it.

As if the single player game wasn't enough, there is also a hefty multi-player component in Uncharted 2. You'll find all of your standard MP fun here, including Deathmatch, objectives, elimination, and a couple different co-op modes. To keep it short, it's addicting. I'm not amazing in the MP or anything, but I've never enjoyed MP online as much as I have with Uncharted 2. I think most of that has to do with the fact that it's third person, it's damn near as amazing looking as the single player, and there's platforming involved. I've actually started to get better because I've been playing so much! :D There's various incentives to keep playing, as you earn money for doing various things throughout. It's just one more thing to add to an already amazing game.

If you haven't guessed by now, I'm giving Uncharted 2: Among Thieves a perfect score. I don't think there are a lot of games out there that deserve perfect scores, but this is definitely one of them. Unmatched production from top to bottom, with exciting action and set pieces of epic proportions, this game is a must own for every PS3 owner. And that's just the single player. Add on the MP, and you have one of the best video game packages to come out in a very long time, that's more than worth the $60 price tag. No one game is worth buying a console over, but if you don't own a PS3, you best add Uncharted 2: Among Thieves to the growing list of reasons to buy one.

Final Score: 10/10

The set up

Oh what tangled webs this life weaves! Another chapter has just been added to the saga know as my Books-A-Million termination. Remember me saying something about this whole thing being shady? Yeah, read on.

The whole reason my records and work history were even investigated in the first place was because somebody from inside the store called the BAM Alert Line, and basically said something to the effect of "Hey, you might want to check out Jon Lee's work history, because he's not being entirely truthful about it." I actually have no idea what was said, but I'm sure it went something like that. So, after he broke this news to me, I felt a sudden urge to punch somebody in the face. Namely the person who did this. My first thought was, of course, "who the **** did it?!" And at first, I honestly couldn't think of anybody who could have done it, or WHY somebody would do it. Without sounded conceited, I was pretty well liked by everybody there. At least I thought I was.

I don't even remember telling anybody about my work history, or even why I would. It must have been a while back, and work experience must have been the topic of discussion, otherwise I would have no reason to tell anybody. And if I did tell somebody (which I obviously did), it wouldn't have been just some random associate. It would have only been a few people, three of which I know for a fact didn't call this alert line. I was talking to Meaghan about it, and she thinks she knows who it is, and using the process of elimination and just thinking about it, I'm inclined to agree with her. If it was indeed this person who did it, it wasn't because of any personal dislike of me, but rather a resentment of me. And I've known about this resentment before, without him having to say anything about it. It was just a vibe he gave off when I was around him. And Meaghan only confirmed it for me tonight, because he's actually told her how he felt!

But I don't want to condemn anybody just yet, because I don't know if he (maybe it was a she, I don't know) did indeed do it. What I do know is what goes around comes around. Just got to move on now and let karma (if you believe in such a thing) handle the rest. It sucks and it pisses me off, but what can ya do?

This is It

What's up readers. I managed to catch Michael Jackson's This is It in theaters today. I'm not really sure how to do a review on it because it's not really like any other movie I've seen. I could call it a concert film, but that wouldn't be very accurate either, since it really wasn't a concert. So I'll just give my humble thoughts on the film.

Overall, I liked it a lot. The film did a really good job of humanizing MJ and showing a serious, yet also funny side to him. There were many moments in the film that made me smile. We also got to see how he constructs his songs for live performance. One of my favorite parts of the film was when he was in a room with the music director, telling him exactly how he wanted to open "The Way You Make Me Feel" on the keyboard. It was such a cool look into how persistent MJ is with his vision of how he wants something to sounds. If something isn't right, Michael will tell you and explain how he wants it. There were many other scenes like that. Very interesting stuff from someone we almost never got a chance to see behind the scene.

My favorite moment of the film, however, was seeing MJ rehearsing for "Human Nature". We've seen a lot of it online, but there's even more, and it's brilliant. There were times in the movie where he obviously wasn't singing to conserve his voice, but when he did, especially on the slower songs, his voice was like magic. "Thriller" was also cool because of the set, as was "Billie Jean", for the sheer giddiness of the crew as they were watching him. The film opened up with a bang with another one of my favorite parts, "Wanna be startin' something". One thing that must be said: Michael Jackson could still dance and move like nobody else. The electric slide has never looked smoother, and the way he could move is a testament to his immense talent. Before I get to a couple things I didn't like, MJ turned one of my least favorite songs of his, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", into an awesome part of the film. The way he was using his voice at the end of the song with the chick who was singing alongside him was so soulful and amazing.

The movie was not flawless though. I felt it dragged on a little too long. Around the time when "Earth Song" hit, I was starting to get a little tired. That could be do to the fact that I thought the video and performance of "Earth Song" was totally overblown and little bit too pretentious. You know I love me some MJ, but I didn't like that. Also, while a lot of the footage was really cool, I don't think they should have shown the WHOLE song for every single song he was going to sing. It would be different if it was a full blown concert, but it's not, so some of it was actually kind of dull because it went on so long. If they wanted to show every song he was going to do, maybe show highlights of some, and full footage for others. I would have loved to have seen him sing all of "Man in the Mirror" instead of the damn "Earth Song".

But there ya go. While it did have it's share of flaws and nitpicks, I still really liked This is It, especially the cool insights into how MJ worked the stage. I will be buying the blu-ray when it drops, and watching my favorite scenes. I don't think it's a movie I would want to watch all the way through for a second time, but then again, this isn't really like any other movie.

Awesome night

Despite being seriously pissed and upset upon hearing the news of my suspension, and then being told about my sacking, I just had one awesome night. One reason: Meaghan.

Meaghan was a co-worker of mine at BAM, and I've been crushing on her for quite some time now. Little did I know that while I was increasingly liking her, she was having the same feelings for me. There were always two barriers in my way though: One, I was technically her boss, and relationships in the workplace are a big no no. And second, she has a boyfriend. Well as we all know, one of those hurdles just got bumped out of the way and stomped into the ground. The second hurdle, the boyfriend, has slowly been unraveling. And I know I probably sound like a dick, but I'm happy to see it. Meaghan is an awesome chick, and it's rare to find a girl who is this into my red hair. lol

But tonight, Meaghan and I decided to chill outside of the house and just enjoy each other's company. I know that sounds corny, but it was really awesome. We drove to this local bridge around 1 am (it's called the Big Dam Bridge), except we didn't go on the bridge. We decided to drive around it so we could get on the island in the middle of it around all the water. Now it's just rained A LOT in the past two days, so the river was over flowing, but it was really cool because it kind of gave this already cool looking beach a surreal feel to it. There's was also this big ass tree that had been knocked down, and we were just chilling on the fallen trunk, enjoying everything around. And each other. At that moment, I didn't give a damn about anything that had happened at work. With the scenery and everything around us, it didn't even feel like we were in Arkansas.

It was a really nice and special moment that I needed. Great night!

New music: Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment

Check out Adam's highly anticipated debut single, "For Your Entertainment":

At first listen, I was kind of confused. It didn't really sound like Adam at first. And it had me worried because dude has a really distinct voice. But the further I got into the song, the more I loved it. It's hot! The production is cool, if a little much at times. We don't need too much for somebody who can sing like that. It took a minute, but I could definitely hear Adam come through on the track, especially at the end. Those wails are one of a kind!

I think it was really smart of Adam and his people to release a track like this as a first single. There aint too many dudes on the radio doing music like this. This is something you'd hear more from Lady GaGa or even Britney Spears (except Adam can actually sing). I love the song, but I am hoping there's more substance on the album. And from what I hear, their definitely is. For a first single, it's smart to hit 'em with a strong pop song like this.

Update: So that's it

Before I could even set my plan for resigning in motion, I decided to call my district manager about the situation and ask her what she thought I should do or if she knew anything. She knew something all right.

She told me she was kind of shocked that I had called her because she was just getting ready to call me (seems convenient). So I said "Were you? Annnd, what did you want to tell me?" She said that based SOLELY on the fact that I left the work history from Academy Sports and Outdoors off of my application, they had to let me go. *sigh* Saw that one coming. She said it didn't have anything to do with whatever happened while I was working for Academy, but just because I left it off the app. She said that not disclosing previous work history (however irrelevant it might be) is very serious with the company, especially for a high shrink store, where some serious shit went down about a month prior to them hiring me. Which makes the fact that this wasn't an issue when I was first hired seem even stranger. *shakes head* Whatever.

So yeah, it looks like it's back on the grind for me. I do have a few positives to take away from this. I got management experience. I wasn't there as long as I wanted to be, but I learned a lot in 7 months, and it's a lot to put on a resume and an application. Also, at least 3 people who worked with me, GM included, will be amazing references for me. They know me. They know my work ethic, and will be able to vouch for me. And also, I'm only 23. There is so much more life has to offer to me than Books-A-Million. My career there didn't end how I thought it would, but I never was going to be there for very long. I wanted to use it for experience purposes mainly. And I did that. It just sucks how it ended.

And last, lessons will be taken away from this. The one good thing that comes out of bad situations is that you can learn from them. It's something else to add to the great book of life.

Crappy situation at work

Let me drop a little history for you...

Four years ago, when I was 19 years old, I worked for Academy Sports and Outdoors as a receiving associate. It was a cool job and they paid pretty well for part-time. Not long after I started working their, two of the guys I was working with starting stealing merchandise. And not just little stuff and in small quantities. I'm talking pairs of shoes, apparel, and a lot of it. I saw them doing it one day, and of course I was in shock. Especially considering how much they were taking. At that time, the thought to go to one of the managers about it never really came to mind because I didn't feel like it was my place to police the store. That's what cameras were for. Boy was I wrong.

Not long after, managers started finding out and LP (loss prevention) came into the store. Now at the time, the store manager seemed to really like me, and after a while, I finally decided that I needed to say something about it. Once I did, he told me I really should have come to him sooner, and that since LP is in on the situation, he wasn't positive that my job would be ok, but he thought I should be fine. Here's the thing about LP though: they never once came and talked to me. Usually in situations like this in retail, LP talks to EVERYBODY involved, whether they took anything or not. Anyway, a few days later, about an hour after I get to work, two of the store manager's flunkies take me into the back and tell me they have to let me go, not because I stole anything (they knew I hadn't), but because I knew about it and didn't come to them immediately. I was pissed beyond reason. But I was only there for two months, and it was a lesson learned. It certainly wasn't anything I would put on a resume though. Why would I?

Flash forward to this Tuesday afternoon...

I'm at work and I get a call from HR (human resources) and they want to ask me a few questions. He makes note that I was a business graduate from Oklahoma State and that I worked at Wal-Mart for about a year, but then he mentioned "And you also worked at Academy Sports and Outdoors, right?" I told him yes, and that I was there for about two months as a receiving associate, yadda yadda yadda. He then asks me "Why didn't you include this on your application with us?" And I tell him because I didn't think it was important or relevant, mainly because I was only there for two months, and it was 4 years ago. He asks if I quit or if I was terminated, and I go on to tell him the same thing I explained a couple paragraphs up. He ends up saying "So you were pretty much just an innocent by-stander?" And I say "Exactly!". He finishes the conversation by saying "Yeah, that does sound like a sticky situation. Ok, can I talk to your GM please?" The day ended with my GM telling me that I'm suspended because HR has to investigate my stay at Books-A-Million.

First off, why is my work history and records being looked at 7 months after I got hired? Isn't this the kind of thing you do before you hire somebody? I know it's not because of anything I've done while working at Books-A-Million, because quite frankly, I've been a damn good employee and manager. And I can say that without sounding arrogant because it's true. The whole thing is completely shady to me. Why on Earth does it matter that I didn't put this on my resume? It's not relevant or important to the job I applied for, especially considering I was only there for two months. My manager told me they see it as a lie of omission, but I call bull shit. If they are seeing this now, 7 months after I got hired, wouldn't they have seen this when they did a background check on me before I got hired? This would be like the CEO of a company coming up to one of his/her executives one day and saying "Hey Jon, we were looking through your records and we noticed that you were fired when you worked at the mall when you were 18, so we're not sure if we can keep you anymore because you didn't disclose that information with us." It's completely stupid.

The situation in which I was let go from Academy Sports and Outdoors was sticky, yes, but it has no bearing on the job I'm currently working at FOUR YEARS LATER. And there was never anything on my record that says anything other than the fact that I got terminated because, of course, nothing happened. I was let go on a technicality. I'm not into conspiracy theories, but something else has got to be going on here. Because if they're investigating me while I'm suspended on my track record at BAM (or even my other previous jobs), they won't find anything. But just because life sucks, don't be surprised if my next post concerning this situation is me talking about how I'm looking for another job.

I'll be doing that anyway, even if they do keep me.

Going to see "This is It"

I've finally decided that I'm going to see "This is It" in theaters this weekend. I had initially decided to just wait till it came to Blu-ray. Part of the reason I decided to see it was because I was lucky enough to get a three day weekend. Another reason is because of this video:

Cool ass video! It wasn't much, but that little shimmy at :22 was so fresh. The rest of it was just as cool, especially with the special effects background showing hundreds of soldiers. This always gave a small glimpse of how MJ was in control of his shit.

I've said it before, but it looks like "This is It" would have been a hell of a show.

Forgot to mention...

Ya know that monopoly game McDonalds cons people with twice (or so) a year? I haven't played nearly as much as I used to, because I don't eat as much McDonalds as I used to for one. But also because I've realized I've been wasting so much money playing that damn game trying to win money. But wait...

I actually won something! It wasn't money exactly, but it was almost as good. I won a $50 Shell gas gift card. $50 of free gas bitches! That's a big something in my book. I guess that game isn't the complete con I thought it was.

Now if you don't mind, I'ma go pick up a couple apple pies.

Currently reading: Stephen King's Under the Dome

One of the few perks of working at Books-A-Million is that sometimes you get to read some new stuff nobody else gets to read at the moment. This is the case with what I'm reading right now. My boss and our community organizer recently went to seminar and they came back with a LOT of books they like to take for themselves. Being the awesome people they are, they brought back some gifts for a few of us.

I've been wanting to hop on the Stephen King train for quite some time now, and eventhough I work in a bookstore, I hardly ever have time to read. One of the few exclusive books they brought back was Stephen King's Under the Dome. It doesn't come out until November, and they didn't even bring the books to seminar with the dust covers because it was so exclusive. Which is fine enough, as the book looks cool enough without it. The book is HUGE (1,100 pages), and it's going to take me a while to read, but that's not a bad thing, because the book is already great 100+ pages in.

Having not made a big dent in it, all I can say about the book is that an invisible, indestructible dome comes down and covers a small town in Maine. There's also a few other side stories going on already, one involving murder. This dome aint no joke! If anything runs into this dome, it's over. Helicopters, cars, people, etc. all go down. Decapitations, neck breakage, and all that other good stuff started from page 1. King wasted no time!

Not much to do at 4am...

I usually close all the time at work. This week, however, I've been opening everyday. My screwy sleep schedule finally caught up to me yesterday, after I went into work at 6am and didn't leave until 4:30pm. I came home, chilled for a couple hours, and then passed the **** out around 6:30 - 7pm.

I woke up around 3:50am this morning, and it's almost been kind of surreal. I can't remember the last time I just simply woke up at a time like that without any kind of alarm. I can't even remember waking up with an alarm at that time. So it's about 5:30 in the morning right now, and all I can think about is food. No matter the time, waking up early always makes me hungry.