SF4 - Gripes

To follow up with the last post praising the game, this post will be the gripes I have. These are very nit-picky gripes; but gripes all the same.

1. Down loadable content. Someone wrote it better for me here. I'm not quite as bitter as that writer, but their points are all completely valid. I shouldn't have to purchase extras on the day of release for a game that has been 2 decades in the making. Especially when they are not really "content" but just different costumes and colors. Jeers to you, Capcom.
   
2. Seth. This guy is an abomination of bosses, in my opinion. Previous bosses have been Sagat and M.Bison. These bosses had their own traits, characteristics, and weaknesses. Sagat had his speed, range, and power; M.Bison had incredible defensive abilities and even more power than Sagat. But even he had weaknesses. This new guy has none of his own abilities, instead he uses the best abilities of all characters in the game. This gives him unsurpassed power, range, speed, and the ability to fight from all areas of the fight. You try ranged, he throws projectiles, and closes the distance via teleportation. You try close up and he destroys you with something similar to Akuma's Instant Hell Murder, an uppercut with Ryu's power and Ken's combo, or Zangief's piledriver. Even on the easiest mode this guy is ridiculous to fight. I've read posts that say that he is easily dispatched by just using HK/HP combos at opportune times. Why in the hell would I enjoy playing a boss whereby the strategy is little pokes; completely disregarding the reason I like playing a certain toon?! Jeers to you, Capcom creativity.
3. Getting back in the mix. After losing to Seth in a matter of seconds, I'm forced to waith through his worthless flavor text, then the option to continue (this is a staple of SF, so not a big deal), then the character select screen, then the matchup screen (that can't be sped up or skipped), then the intro cut scene. I waste more time trying to get back into the fight then I do losing it. Jeers to you, Capcom Devs.

Ok, that should do it for me. Again, these are minor issues, but they still irritate the living crap out of me. Maybe we'll see some of the addressed in a patch or something... if that can be done.

Street Fighter 4: aka "The return to childhood"

First.... Stop reading this and go buy the game. Seriously. I'll wait. Now, open the box and get that "new game" smell. Breathe deep and remember back to popping in that SFII cartridge into your SNES for the first time. This will not be the first time that you will have this feeling.

I have not played a game that is so beautiful to look at that could take me back to times sitting up all night with my buddies, mouths agape, beating the living hell out of one another. I instantly felt at home with this game. The technical aspect is nearly perfectly redone. I could even use all of the old combos I used to be able to do. The timing is a *little* off, but nothing like the abominations that came in between SFII and SFIV.

As far as the visuals... amazing. I can almost see Capcom throwing down the gauntlet when they started dreaming up this game. "Hey! Everyone else is doing remakes of old games, lets blow them away!" And... they did. From 10,000 feet away, the game looks and feels the same as it always did. Up close, it is just stunning. People's clothes move independently of their bodies, hair is free-moving, character's faces keep locked on to their opponents, and special moves are just... special.

The music is updated, but definitely grabs its roots from those old-school 16-bit riffs. Sound effects are subtle, but impressive. It actually took me about 5 minutes into the intro to realize that the music was the original track, just updated; and it is wonderful.

Gameplay? Perfect. I get the same feelings I did back in the day when I broke so many controllers getting pissed off at the CPU opponents. The same mix of finesse and technically. If you've ever played a (good) Street Fighter game, you'll be both right at home and blown away.

Amazing.

Brush with Death

Gotcha with that title, didn't I? In reality, it was more like an instant of 'holy crap'. With your interest piqued (it is, right?) I'll commence with the story.

This past Saturday, the wife and I decided that our shutters on the house needed a fresh coat of paint. Our mailbox was tired and needed to be replaced, as well. So, we decided to take the day and fix both of them.

Around 10am we went to the local Home Depot to pick out some colors for the shutters and the new black mailbox that we bought. We had picked out a basic mailbox with the intent of painting it to match... blah blah blah who cares? You still haven't heard my 'holy crap' moment.... I'm getting there. Flash to 11:30, and I'm pulling down the shutters for the wife to clean, and then together we paint.

I had pulled down about 5 out of 10 of the shutters when something that can only be described as 'weighty' crawled quickly on to my hand. Instantly identifying the shape, I whipped my hand to shake it free. Heart pounding, I raced inside to grab a container to catch it (I'm such a kid) and examine it to find out if it was what my mind thought it was.

Yes. My late night sessions watching Animal Planet and paying attention in school (yes, I did occasionally do that) paid off. That black 'weighty' thing that crawled on my hand was a black widow. Surprisingly, I had my 'holy crap' moment; it wasn't a holy-crap-my-pants though.

I lived, and so did my little killer. I took the pictures, then walked it up the street a bit, then deposited it in one of the storm drains on the street.

Nap Time

So, I've taken up a new hobby at my current job. I am the unofficial, official, nap police. Let me pause here for my past work environment and job ethics....

In past jobs, I am used to people who are lazy. People who come across as unconcerned about the overall future progress of the company. People that kill the joe and don't make some 'mo. People that decide to keep entire spice and condiment racks in their office, which happens to be 3 doors down from the private kitchenette in the office (complete with a family sized Mrs. Butterworth's). I'm used to people who are habitually tardy to work. These same people are never late to functions while at work, and so engaged in them that it was shocking to me.

In my new position at my new job, the above 'quirks' do not exist. People are up-front, punctual, and motivated. I've gone Yang, when I'm so used to Ying. To complete the cycle it seems fine to come in 20 minutes late. It's accepted if you need to leave, answer a phone call, complete other work, or start an entire new meeting with the current members... all during a meeting. and last its totally OK to just fall asleep in a meeting, be it large or small. Even if you snore. Its not uncommon to see drool. No one seems to care.

So, back to reality (oops there goes gravity); I've taken it upon myself to take pictures of these people. I have about 20. Its kinda like that late 90's fad Pokémon; I have to catch them all. To date, I've got people nodding, people pretending to be reading their crackberries, and people "resting" on the palm of their hand. I've seen them slouch down in the chair, prop it against the wall, or put their heads over the back pad in an awkward 90-degree-neck-angle. I've seen droolers, snorers, and that odd person that does the nod-then-look-surprised-then-amused thing. Some with head-in-hands examining their shoes, cuddled up like they have a blanky, and nearly spooning the person next to them. Mouths open like a bird bath, glasses slid all the way down their face like an old man and a newspaper on sunday. Shit.. I've even seen people come to them in slippers!

I don't know what it takes to build a work culture that accepts this, but damn its funny. I suppose I do this to avoid becoming one of the sleeping herd. Who cares though? The best part about all this is people are starting to look at me like some sort of NARC. Which means I tend to have open chairs next to me, which means I have more room. So... all good. Just... hilarious.

**Unfortunately (for you) I won't be posting the pics, as the eyes are a big part of the proving sleep; and thats the one thing you have to censor with out having permission from the person to post. Trust me, it happens. Every meeting. Without fail.

Mother Nature says....

Your Car is NOT Compact enough!!1!
With the recent heavy storm in the area, a colleague of the wife's got a little extra "precipitation" than the rest of us did. Luckily for them, it doesn't look like they got too badly crunched, when up close. Luckily for me, I bought that iPhone to be able to take this shot.

Wal*Farts

So yeah... I've never been a fan of this place. I have always hated the narrow aisles. I have always hated the cheap plastic carts that feel like they were designed for people 1/4 my size plus you can never find one with that 'good cart' feel; don't look surprised, you know exactly what I'm talking about!. I've always hated that the majority of people that shop in my area never have a full head of teeth. It has always been the epitome of what disgusts me.

Over-sized people.
Under-sized carts.
Over-sized lines.
Under-sized aisles.
Over-sized store.
Under-sized prices.

It is not just me, and it is probably the worst ratio of things to put into a store and market but women seem to love it. Just about every individual man I have ever talked to feels just about the same way. Plus, it never really felt right 'feeding the monster'.

Well, I guess someone there took note. We just had one of the Super-biggun-Wal*farts open up close to me. So, not only can you buy some clothes and unnecessary off-brand 3-lb bags of crunchies, but you can do it along with your regular shopping and auto parts. Oh yeah, and you can also pick up some electronics, flowers, and curtains to decorate your home, too! Yippie!

Jokes aside... this one has normal-people carts and aisles. There is enough room that I can steer clear of the behemoths that are frequent shoppers and their fe-mullets.

Next to that off-brand SPAM, you can actually find a Deli stocked with real meats and cheeses. Next to "Bob's VCR" you can find a legitimate Blu-ray player. And next to that gamble-of-a-box Spartans... you can buy a real gladiator in a Trojan.

So, I may still get that skin-crawling-I'm-going-to-catch-a-disease feeling when I walk in, at least I know I won't leave totally pissed off, which I guess is good enough for me.

Expectations of a Call Center Analyst

The phone rings and a call is logged. Having called into many different call centers, and worked on four in my life; I will try to accurately depict my outlook on the way a help desk ticket lives within a business. Know now that this is merely my opinion and is based in my reality, alone.

From an end user, or customer, stand point, I typically call in frustrated that whatever it is I am trying to do is not working. I know my tone comes across agitated and annoyed. I expect that the person on the other end of the phone will not only be able to deal with this, but do so with an audible smile.

From a technician, or analyst, stand point, I answer the phone with my best ‘voice’ on; something someone close to me calls “giving good phone”. I know that the person on the other end of the phone has been set back in what ever they are doing due to a technical problem. I expect that they will be upset and frustrated, and expect that I am both savvy and courteous.

This is the way that all of my dealings go, and the way I will always expect them to transpire. Despite this knowledge, I still find myself dreading both ends of the transaction. I suppose that I should take respite in the fact that most of incoming calls I can handle, or at least know where to turn for assistance. I suppose my expectations should remain the same.