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Happy Holidays!

-Rickycameleon

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Thanks again for taking a look!

-Rickycameleon

Not too long ago I created a website in school dedicated to a comic parody of Resident Evil 4. I've decided to post the first and second of several issues on this blog, please tell me what you think!





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-Rickycameleon

After a long while of being disconnected from Gamespot, in fact my entire computer...I am finally back!

for the past month and a half or longer, my PC has been in shop with problems. First there was some kind of error and I lost system files, then I got that fixed and my RAM when kaput. Got new RAM and RAM slots on motherboard turn out to be faulty. Got motherboard fixed and Windows won't re-install. Replaced hard drive and windows won't install. Got motherboard fixed again and windows installs. Sets up computer and realises one of the RAM sticks isn't working. Takes out RAM and in turn videocard for a closer look, realised I didn't unplug the computer. Computer doesn't work for 12 hours. Computer thankfully works. Manages to log into Gamespot. Assignments to do...homework to finish...finally some lengthy leisure time shows up. And that brings me to here and now.

I'm very sorry, that I haven't been around lately. Some of you probably thought I had abandoned or maybe been swallowed up by some kind of vile beast.
Now I'm gonna try my best to get back on track. Although when I first took a look at the Gamespot homepage I was quite shocked. Oh well.

It's good to be back. :)

-Rickycameleon

Wow, I haven't updated this thing in months, but I must say after reading the finalists of GS's 2005 awards I really appreciated this wild year in gaming. Hot coffee, PSP, Xbox 360 (I really didn't think they'd call it that), Nintendo DS (for Australia), revolution and later on it's controller, PS3, Nintendo Wifi connection, the list goes on and on...

As for my personal life, I got a Gamecube, got a DS, finally beat Kirby's Star Stacker a game I'd had for 8 years, single handedly beat-up a kid at school, hated PSP, joined a PSP community, wanted a PSP, got tired of talking about PSP, shared countless adventures and rants with my friends, trialed for a HL2 Mod team- lost my demo map, made a new demo map, burnt out my P4 3.0ghz and Asus p4p800, bought another better p4 3.0ghz and a Gigabyte p4Titan (of course this is all techno-mumbo jumbo), lost my new demo map, discovered Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrows for DS was discontined in Australia and had to ship one of EB's few copies left-a process taking the longest 3 weeks of my life, fell in love (but with what exactly ;) ), and a whole novel sized assortment of goods, bads, highs (NOT THOSE KIND!...well maybe sugar) and lows...*sigh*

Well with 5 days till my Merry Chritmas, if I don't see ya...Have a Merry and Holy Christmas...
Or a Happy Hanukkah...
Or whatever joyful celebrations you might celebrate at this time.

Happy Holidays to you all!

-Rickycameleon

Since my completion of Half Life 2, I've been a little tempted to try and make my own masterpiece using the Source SDK available for all Source game owners. I went through a similar phase one I finished up with the first and got absolutly nowhere besides a bunch of errors, crude maps and a knife with holes in it.

Luckly now I have a greater knowledge of what I'm doing and a better understanding, all thank to the Valve developers community. Mapping is not very hard actually, it's really all about patience (which I lack) and with enough time you'll find yourself with some MP worthy hellholes. Like Nintendo's Revolution, Valve is using some updated previous software for game creating so I'm quite familiar. Now I'm on to making maps and stringing ideas for unsucessful MODs together whoho!

The map quality I'm aiming for...

The map quality I'm getting now...

Ok so I've got a long way to go but I'll get there. After all the first Counter-Strike was made primarily by just one guy, so mapping shouldn't be a problem...right?

-RickyCameleon

I finish Half- Life 2 recently, no I won't spoil the ending like the very spoiling type of people out there (you know who you are) but I must say like the first it never fails to impress.

Such a changing world is the one of HL2 and the drop dead gorgeous graphics make it even better. At first you'll find yourself in city streets at 11am, before you know it it's night and you've found yourself in a hellhole village, then that morning you driving along a misty mountainous coastline. It feels almost like a journey, the game changes moods so well it''s almost unbelievable. HL2 is indescribable, it gives me the vibe I got from LOZ: Ocarina of time and Earthbound.

By the way no screenshot will show you just how good it is...Half life 2 must be seen to be believed.

Such an effort has been put into creating such an immersing atmosphere, not only the realism but the plot and story. Characters are well established, gameplay is top notch, those who believed Halo 2 was good haven't seen anything yet. A game you'd expect to be in endless corridors and tunnels is instead full scale worlds of the highest calibur. Even now I'm tempted to return to City 17 for another adventure. And I am heavily anticipating HL2: Aftermath.

If you just happen to have a good PC, I most highly recommend this game, it is truly one of the best PC games of all time, 5 star! You won't regret it...trust me.

-RickyCameleon

I was asked this question a few days ago actually, with the improvement of realistic technology are trends like GTA or NFSU sending gaming in the wrong direction? And will gamers suffer from this in the end?

Well I can't really see a bunch of guys literally suffering for playing GTA because of the horror of Tommy Vercetti with a chainsaw and hockey mask, but then again what about kids. Is it really gaming going wrong or society in general. Games are given ratings for a reason but I still see kids playing games that might make and influence on their developing minds. My parents actually kept me from violent games till I was about nine or ten. And then still after that my dad was mindful about extremely gory and games.

But what about the kids who do play violence when thery're young, it's not some much their minds that are affected...it's more us gamers. Why?
Because senators, congressmen, representives and simpson-like mobs of angry mothers rebel against this kind of gaming! Ultimately we suffer because people with short attention spans little knowledge on the issues complain. Heck when the GTA SA hot coffee incident hit the news thety called it GTA 3 and showed kids playing it on PS2. (Actually Gamespot proved it was also on PS2 but the news won't know that for at least two days). In fact even if Rockstar was telling the truth the news would know otherwise because they are without a clue of what a patch does.

Well people ratings are there for a reason, get angry at the parents not develops and gamers. If society was more kind, considerate and moral wise, GTA wouldn't exist and parents wouldn't let minors play those games anyway.

So is gaming just a scape goat for direction society is going into? Sadly I think yes.

-RickyCameleon

If there's one thing in this world I can't stand is pirates and counterfeits. No not you inocent chum pirates like Johnny Depp or any Mexican Speedboat rider out there, but the shameful shelf almost every body in the developed world has brought themself to be... buyers of DVD burners, MP3 players and dodgy compact discs and crap from Asian country's excluding Japan. And what do they think of it..."everyone else does it you can't stop it". Pety thieft like this is robbing innocent people of millions, perhaps billions of dollars each year. Not just big corporations either, I'm talking about factory workers, upcoming bands and the worst of all game developers. And the profits...they go back to these average greedy people, the guy who bought the re-writing equipment and worst of all (for you American people) terrorists.

Homer Simpson refuses to buy counterfeit jeans

Now I won't be a hypocrite...I've burned and downloaded a few things in my life, and this is exactly what the pirates want out of guys like me, confessions that I've done it so why can't they. Well first of all in your lives you'll pirate at least a hundred times more than me and second, I've acknowledged wrong doing and attempted to stop myself and others. another trick of theirs is to claim that "CD's cost like 18 cents to like produce, these guy are like greedy". Yeah that's nice but here's your problem...ARE YOU PAYING THAT COMPANY AT LEAST THAT 18 CENTS?...NO! And here's your other stingy excuse..."Music and movies should be like free to watch for everybody" or "if you own something you are legally allowed to make a copy" or "it isn't illegal as long as you don't sell it" or "I couldn't be stuffed paying for it".

Well here's a punchline for you...THAT"S B*&LS*&T!!!!! DOING STUFF LIKE THAT IS ILLEGAL!!! IT IS STEALING. IT IS A SIN! They are all myths stupid people develop to clear their absent consciences.

There is an island in Indonesia called Bali. You've probably heard of it at least once before, it's actually quite a tourist hot spot for Australians seeking a cheap holiday. chances are it will cost you a Nintendo DS to get over there and a Nintendo DS and a stylus pack to get back. Why you ask...well let's just say people go there with two empty suitcase and return with two full suitcases. What are these suitcases for? DVD's my friends, DVD. Sadly I must admit that 1 in 3 compact discs (that includes CD's and DVD's) I see are pirated and 50% of these come form Bali.

Well actually there are thousands of things I could tell you about but we have clearly run of out of time. The bottom line is that without public awareness these sick things are going to continue. People will continue stealing and breaking the law and thinking nothing of it. Even people who think they are good people do it. It's a crime and it raises prices for the rest of us. I'm digusted that average people want to steal from their fellow man and woman.

The amount of times this has been pirated (no pun intended) would make even pirates (the sea ones) vomit. That is if they've had food in the last 24 hours. A pirate's (the sea ones) life is pretty tough. A pirate's (the stingy average joe's one) isn't.

What can you do...Make a difference that's what! Go to a shop ( a legal one) and buy that movie or CD you wanted. Go to the cinemas and see the latest flick. Start being a loyal fan to musician's you like and actually buy their stuff. And finally don't break the law! Stealing is wrong and people must learn that again.

-Rickycameleon