Player's Perspective Gaming

Reach and Pax Giveaway!

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:47:00 +0000

So, I heard you wanna play Reach? Well. Here is a chance!

A friend of mine on twitter happened to mention that he has 5 beta keys left for halo reach. Know what that means? Yep! You could get one! Maybe!

ON TOP OF THAT, I AM ALSO GIVING AWAY A PAX EAST Xbox 360 Avatar hoodies! (Female only I think...only got 2 codes.

Rules for entry:

1. Follow @Superthrust and @maxdyckhoff

2. Trend #Reach as much as humanly possible!!!

3. RT this message! "@Superthrust @maxdyckhoff I wanna win the reach key and pax shirts! #contest #giveaway"

Thats it! You may subscribe to me if you want to, as there will be more contests and prizes to be won!

**PLEASE NOTE, I AM NOT, GIVING AWAY REACH CODES! MAXDYCKHOFF IS! NOT SUPERTHRUST! **

New Era Gaming Systems & You: Welcome to Gaming

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 09:24:00 +0000

So, You're new to online gaming. Well, First, let me welcome you. Depending on your gateway to the E-Life, you may regret it, Love every minute of it, or be indifferent. Let me point you to a chart. This chart is pretty factual at this time, while each system is completely oriented towards different types of play. (Please note, I am not biased in any way. I do not favor any of these systems, as I love them all equally.)

Well, will you look at that? PC people Stereotyping again!

Full story after the jump!!

Nevermind the PC section, But as this chart points out, If you have real life friends, the Wii is far superior due to the amount of fun people can have in real life together, not to mention exercise and what-not. It is also a GREAT way for parents to get more gaming in with their children. Yes, gaming with your child will help build a bond with them. I'm not talking about throwing them a copy of Modern Warfare 2 and telling them you love them, I am talking about picking up a controller, sitting down with them and enjoying some quality time together. Using the build in Wi-Fi, you can connect to Nintendo Wi-Fi. While online, if anyone else has your "Friend Code" they can invite you to a game or vice-versa. Of course, this is not needed to play publicly, but it is to invite others or be invited to a game. This is most definitely the safest of the three for online gaming for your children, and good for them as well, as it teaches them to stay active and has a wide assortment of learning games as well.

Next, The PS3, which has a wide assortment of Single-Player games. Now, this is appealing to alot because some might not have the high speed network required to play most online games, but still would like to have fun with great graphics and great, award winning games, then the PS3 is for you. With the ability to also play Blu-Ray movies, this makes the PS3 alot more appealing to the every day user as it has been reveled as one of the best Blu-Ray players on the market (needs citation) and since it doubles as a gaming system, all the better! With the 100% FREE online community, The Playstation Network offers online multiplayer, a marketplace for purchasing download-able content, and the unique feature which is a "Game" in itself known as PS Home. PS Home allows you to take control of an avatar that you create, and interact with other avatars that are controlled by real people. While in the PS Home game world, you can play mini-games with other players, watch previews and weekly movies and purchase more clothing and furniture for your avatar making it even more unique. Notable single player Exclusives are Heavy Rain, Metal Gear Solid 4, and the huge online experience, MAG.

Now on for the more popular of the trio, the Xbox 360. While the gaming library of the Xbox 360 is more for the average to moderate gamer, It is also the most common among gamers. With the built in ability to play DvD's, Backwards compatibility (which is nearly pointless now with the discontinuation of the original Xbox Live service), the system has become widely praised and voted to be "the best". But, being the best also includes problems sometimes. With a shocking 54.2% failure rate due to the Red Ring of Death or other issues, many have been driven to the competition. Although, these were the much older systems and have been mildly upgraded, fixed and most problems solved now. While the Xbox 360 boasts such a wide assortment of games, It also has the largest, most advanced online community as well...At a price ($7.99 USD monthly, $49.99 USD annually). Though the Xbox Live Gold account is not "Needed", To take advantage of nearly all of the services offered by Microsoft, you will need one which can be purchased using a pre-paid points card. The millions of players on Xbox Live all interact through the friends lists and plenty of online games. The gaming experience on here is great for players who would like to chat with other friends with the included cross game voice chat. There is also a very large and constantly updated marketplace for dressing your Xbox 360 Avatar's, games, and addons including maps, costumes, and more.

So, Maybe you are asking "Which is the system for me?" Well, I would like to ask, What will you be doing the most? With each system getting Netflix, but only the Xbox 360 and the PS3 being HD compliant, you can bring family time to all three systems. For movies, and the wider assortment of movies that you can watch, and a good amount of games to play for the casual gamer, the Playstation 3 would among the greater choices for you. With its HD and Blu-Ray compatibility, it will pay for itself over time.

For the everyday gamer who enjoys lots of online interaction, the Xbox 360 and PS3 are the dual candidates here. Xbox 360 for the huge online community and the PS3 offers a nearly as large community without the monthly rates. But if you're the mobile type, and like to keep active while having a little bit of fun with your friends, the Wii is just right for you. Soon to be challenged by the Xbox 360 and PS3 (See; Natal & Playstation Move), the Wii is dominant in it's motion control system. The Wii allows for people to stay active, fit and have a little video-entertainment while doing so! Just make sure you wear your safety strap and follow the cautionary steps to avoid injury!

So, There you have it! Not every system is for everyone, but they are certainly fun to play! While some may be better for others or preferred by others, the point still remains that no one system is superior to any other as each may benefit each person or group of players in different ways. Next time, I will get into the online experience of some of the bad things you will find online.

As always, comments, questions or Letters to the editor, please Email me and I will be sure to address them in a post if you'd like. And as always, I am looking for quest writers too!

First Giveaway!

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 04:27:00 +0000

Ok, I have a couple things to give away today! I have a 48-hour Xbox Live card, which sometimes you get lucky in a game's case with, I have a download code for Sergeant Johnson for use in Halo:ODST and I Will also be giving away one month of Xbox Live as well.

Anyone can participate for the prizes, and they will not all be done at once, so it gives many people more times to participate.

Oh, and the prizes will increase and get better as well...this is all I could find short handed.

But, to Win, just follow me and retweet "@Superthrust I want to win your #Giveaway cause I love games too!" by 11:59 EST on Monday April 26th!

Alternatively to win, you can also Subscribe, watch, link and comment on my channel/video.

Halo; Reach SKU's revealed

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:09:00 +0000

EDIT: It has been brought to my attention that Blogger is not correctly displaying sources. On all my posts, if it has a source other than this website or my own mind, If you click the actual TITLE, it will give you a backlink to the original story. Starting now, I will be inserting links since blogger isn't too reliable this way.

This story comes compliments of MajorNelson, since again, blogger isn't displaying "Quotes" either. :( WTB new website.

Revealed this morning, the Halo: Reach SKU's have given players insight as to what they might expect coming from the game.
In the normal game ($59.99), You get the basic game disc(s?), case and instruction manual. But, most likely there will be some pre-order bonus's from everyone's favorite Video Game Retailer.

Also, if you're looking forward to the beta (Starting May 3rd), You will need your ODST disc...but if you don't have it anymore ~~cause it sucked~~ wasn't as good as the hype, you can easily and cheaply pick up a new one.

In the Limited Edition ($79.99), you will get the game disc's (implying there will be more?) in a special case, a special armor set for your Elite and an "Artifact Bag" that contains a Dr.'s journal and some other "classified documents and effects that unravel long held secrets from the 'Halo' universe"...Prolly nothing special. I wanted an art book for once.

And in the Legendary Edition ($149.99), you get EVERYTHING from the Limited edition, and a Statue of Noble team by McFarlane toys. If you are a fan of the spawn models, GOW, or other Halo models, you know these guys are good. Also, You get another custom armor "Effect" for your spartan armor...But everyone whose seen the preview video KNOWS it is the flaming helmet..which kinda screams "SHOOT ME! SHOOT ME!"...Not to mention, I am POSITIVE they will be selling this on the marketplace since they know people won't pay $150, but they will pay $5, $10 or even $15 on stupid stuff. But, is a $70 statue and a flaming bullseye worth the whole amount they want? I don't think so. Send me your comments and thoughts on this! Full Details after the jump!

"Halo: Reach will be available in standard, Limited and Legendary editions when the game launches this fall. Full details on the contents of the Limited and Legendary editions are below:

Halo: Reach Limited Edition - $79.99 (USD)
In addition to the game disc and manual, the Limited edition includes:

Game disc housed in recovered ONI ”black box”

An exclusive Elite armor set for use in multiplayer modes

Artifact bag containing Dr. Halsey’s personal journal and other classified documents and effects that unravel long held secrets from the “Halo” universe

Halo: Reach Legendary Edition - $149.99 (USD) The complete “Halo: Reach” collection. In addition to the game disc, manual, and the complete contents of the Limited edition, the Legendary edition includes:

Noble Team statue expertly crafted by the artisans at McFarlane Toys. Individually molded, hand-painted and individually numbered, this statue is a must-have for any serious “Halo” fan

UNSC-themed custom packaging

An exclusive multiplayer Spartan armor effect

The standard edition of Halo: Reach will have an estimated price of $59.99 USD. The two special editions will be available only while supplies last and I’ll let you know when they’ll be available for pre-order. Until then, I’ve posted some high rez pictures of some of the items mentioned above.

In other Halo news, Bungie’s latest Halo: Reach ViDoc, titled Carnàge Carnivàle was also released today. We’re only a few short days away from the Halo : Reach multiplayer beta which starts May 3rd. As a reminder, you will need your Halo 3: ODST game disc to participate in the beta."

Blur Preview

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:43:00 +0000

Picture this. You're driving down the freeway...Some car going about 10 mph faster than you cuts you off, throws you a finger and speeds away. Now, the classic gamers and players of Nintendo's Mario Kart series may want to throw out a Red Shell and laugh as you speed by the newly flipped car...Although others may want to ram it off the road and introduce them to Gladys. Coincedently, No one has to day dream much or go to prison to get this fix. Yes, Need for Speed & Mario Kart have had a child...and it's name is Blur.

Modern Warfare 2: Love from Above

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 23:17:00 +0000

Now, Maybe this IS patched, but if this is how things went, I would have really liked to see something like this. (Please note, button method in the video is a joke.)

I'll be clean and clear with people, I have some issues getting the kills to get ONE Emg. Air Drop, But for those who get them all the time, I nearly cry when a really good one falls and I can't use it. Last night, I got a Care Package and then a harrier, then a Emergency Air Drop...Upon throwing the E. Air Drop marker, I was killed and they completely setup shop around my packages while 3 people on my team left the game. Thankfully, ALL FOUR PACKAGES were Counter-UAV's...So, I thought that all was lost. When I noticed that I still had a normal package left, I quickly tossed it to reveal a AC-130. I cried for joy as I picked it up...then, the game ended.

Angered, I proceeded to use a riot shield in Free-For-All for the next 3 hours...racking up a 28-1-7 score in a single game. I think I'll be trying that again soon.

This has been a semi-useless post of the day.

Also! If you have any gaming industry questions, Comments or emails and such you would like me to read, write and reflect upon, Drop me an email and Ill

Downlaod Free xbox 360 games (burn and patch games too)

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:10:00 +0000

FIRSTLY, I WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS THAT YOU MAY INCUR WHILE PERFORMING THESE ACTIONS. YOU WILL MOST LIKELY BE BANNED FROM XBOX LIVE AND YOU MAY HAVE OTHER PROBLEMS TO WORRY ABOUT AS WELL.

That being said, here is a post about a nice little post about the how to's of modding, downloading and burning your own collection of Xbox 360 Games. After taking a look at this, I might pick up another system and do it myself. But, after i give it a nice long thought.

Downlaod Free xbox 360 games (burn and patch games too)

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Microtransactions

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:43:00 +0000

First and foremost I will come clean and say that I DID BUY THESE ITEMS (except one).

Now, Secondly I will come out and say that i feel ashamed of myself for doing so. Yes, I feel that paying $25 smackers is a little much for a damn horse. When I bought mine, I got an email from a friend stating that the Celestial Steed is now on sale. So, I bought mine and was happy about it. But once I logged into the game, I saw that there was about 40 people running around with this horse...Levels 20 to 80, it seemed like everyone had it.

I suddenly felt ashamed and bad. I wished I could get my money back and I even stopped using my pets i bought as well. I just did not want to be seen with the cash-bought items anymore. Many players, including myself, see this as a precurser to the downfall of the game. Alcapwn from Aerie Peak agreed that "If they are so quick to sell a pony at $25, and some pets at $10, what is to stop them from selling more mounts at an even greater cost, or later on Gear, pre-made characters or gold?

I know TONS of players would up and quit the game if it got that far, but because of that, Alot more would just come and join. Many games have stable microtransaction systems that work, others, not so much. But then again, with every thing that blizzard puts in, some people wil be happy, others wont be. Here is a list posted by a MVP of the Official World of Warcraft boards. (This list was heavily revised by me). Read it all After the Jump.

"Every time Blizzard Noun's a verb, it 'Ruins the Game'..it's been ruined by;

Rooftop camping, removal of rooftop camping (Gaurds walk on roofs in Stormwind, Ironforge and Orgrimmar. They are invisible rogues wearing plate using insane axes)
the lack of honor, the implementation of honor, the rate at which honor is gained
Lack of Dishonor, Implementation of Dishonor, then the swift removal of Dishonor (I remember raids falling apart due to one dishonorable kill)
Removal of wall walking (a fun thing that sometimes gave an advantage in raiding or pvp)
Rank rewards (Level 60s just wanted to hold the shiny swords without trying.)
Decaying rank, the removal of rank deca (casual players said it was too hard to maintain)
Removal of PvP Titles (I know people who quit and want these back as well)
Ahn'Qiraj
Scourge Invasion
Zul'Gurub
Cost of Mounts (This has been changed QUITE a bit.)
the lack of information about TBC, all information released about TBC
playable Blood Elves, playable Draenei (And the factions they were put on)
Horde Paladins, Alliance Shamans (The cause of many "old players" leaving the game)
Flying Mounts
the timing of the release of TBC
the cost of flight & Epic Flying
Jewelcrafting
The LFG channel & holding people accountable to the Terms of Use
Meeting Stones (Implementations and limitations)
Arenas, the number of arena teams one player can have, arena-based gear rewards
the lack of battlegrounds, the addition of battlegrounds, everything about battlegrounds
Illidan being killable (Too early in the expansion and in general)
Daily quests
instance-based reputations
the Darkmoon Faire
/pizza, playable wisps, Tinfoil Hat & other jokes
the Armory
Warden
the lack of information about Wrath, all information about Wrath
a failure to revamp old world areas
the inability to transfer from PVE to PVP servers
Playable Hero Classes being Overpowered
siege engines & Vehicles
Cold weather flying (Cost and Implementation)
Wintergrasp being a PVP zone
Death Knights
the inability to start a new character of any class at 55 or higher
the lack of a dance studio & character recustomization
the inability to change race or faction
the cost of mammoths and motorcycles
the fall damage negation of mammoths and motorcycles, the removal of fall damage negation from mammoths and motorcycles
the ability to transfer from PVE to PVP servers
dual specs
Achievements
holiday events
Mountain Dew Game Fuel
streaming Blizzcon ’09 on pay per view
the revamping of Onyxia’s Lair
Worgen for the Alliance, Goblins for the Horde (Even I am not happy about this. It makes little sense and is actually dumb imo)
revamped old world areas
ability to change faction
the ability to change race
new race/class combinations
purchasable vanity pets
Icecrown Citadel
cross realm LFG
Also, Weekly maintenance and the inclusion of every patch since 1.1 till present date.
(UNOFFICIALLY) Gearscore and Everyone allowing/Not allowing people to raid due to their gear not being 'shiney" enough.
Now that is a very big list. But, I have been around since the beginning and I can assure that this list is pretty damn accurate. Alot of people bitch over thsi stuff, whether it really affects them or not.

But, as Asmodan of the Azgalor realm states...

"Although most of us enjoy playing World of Warcraft as a form of entertainment, Blizzard is currently going through the sustain phase of the their business model in terms of product life. (WoW).

Planning
Analysis
Design
Implimentation
Maintenance

In order to maintain a constant cash flow/revenue, Blizzard will require non-standard methods outside of monthly subscriptions to keep players interested and with renewed interest between patch and expansion cycles. But we should all be confident that Blizzard knows what they are doing."

I sure hope they do... Until then, Bliz is throwing a huge message screaming "SHUT UP AND GET ON MY HORSE!" (NSFW)

What are your thoughts? Leave them in a comment below!

WoW Patch Day is Coming Soon?

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:21:00 +0000

World of Warcraft's launcher greeted me to a little surprise earlier. When I opened it, I noticed that "Data for the next patch is now available for download." so could this mean the world of warcraft patch is coming soon?

This means that patch 3.3.3 could be dropping soon which means a number of good changes are about to happen, including the reintroduction of subtlety as a class spec again.

Read more on the changes for 3.3.3 at WoW.com!

New Sharing System!

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:49:00 +0000

I've added the new sharing system to the website. If there are any issues, let me know out there!

In order to share a story, for now, click the story you would like to share, then at the top, press which way you would like to share it. (digg, facebook, twitter, etc).

By the way, if anyone happens to know how to make the sharebars appear at the bottom of each post rather than the top of the whole website, please let me know.

Red Dead Redemption delayed until May

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:05:00 +0000

It seems that a rough first quarter has caused Red Dead Redemption to be delayed until a now, “promised” May release. Rockstar noted on their website:

“The game’s new release date – which we promise is final! – is May 18th, 2010 (May 21st in Europe).”
Hopefully they will stick with this release date. With the huge amount of pre-orders and the major hype that is arising over this game, It’s a wonder why they had the fear before of their game being a flop.

“With Red Dead Redemption, we felt that these extra few weeks will make a big difference in helping us deliver you an experience beyond your expectations.”

Which, from Rockstar, is a good sign as their games have been amazing in the past with selling many copies than the competition and the replay value of their games hasn’t let me down yet. Well, I am not about to let a simple 3 week delay discourage me into doing something drastic…like canceling my pre-order!

The first 10 minutes of God of War 3

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:02:00 +0000

While many of the gaming community is drooling over the new Battlefield Bad Company game out, There are more “Ancient” enemies lurking in the fiery depths of Hades. Yes, I am referring to God of War 3. While some of you were lucky enough to receive a very nice beta invite to this jewel of a game back around November of 2009, most of us are able to play it now due to our pre-order of the God of War 3 Ultimate Edition.

This video happens to be the first 10 minutes of the FULL game, which has been leaked in Germany…And you saw it here first on ~~Gaming Bolt~~ Player's Perspective. (Please Note, I was a writer for the Gaming Bolt community, and I was removed from the team for asking not to be bossed around like a slave, and for a little decency or pay. The administrator did not like that, and sent me away.

The Fall of Call of Duty

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:32:00 +0000

Today marks the death of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty series.

Yes, the series will still continue to be made, but no longer under Infinity Ward's watch.

Reportedly, a meeting between Vince Zampella, Jason West, and Activision staff occurred on March 1, after which neither Zampella nor West were seen; this was followed by the arrival of security guards at the studio.

More after the jump.

While people may not believe this to be a serious issue, It comes at the heels of the closing of may other Activision owned studios (RedOctane, and more). Some reports have come in saying that "that the developer may have breached their contract with Activision by holding meetings with other video game publishers. It is speculated that this may have resulted in the firings" This is no real surprise. Activision is in a serious blood-for-blood battle with EA right now at their Modern Warfare 2 Killer

With Bad Company 2 releasing in a day from this posting, Many people already have pre-orders and it looks like EA might run off with a large player base who were completely fed up with some of the changes that Infinity Ward had decided to implement at the last minute (and some since the start). EA easily rebuttals to Infinity Ward and Activision in every public announcement or informational about Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with:

The game will have dedicated server support. Unlike Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which does not support dedicated servers. Players will also be able to use party chat for each game mode.

Is this the real reason why they were let go? Does this mean that Activision feels threatened that EA is giving the players what they want? I myself think not. It is common knowledge that Bobby Kotick dislikes the gaming community and cares only about milking a series into oblivion as long as he gets that dollar at the end of the day. What's it to him if Infinity Ward gives the players what they want. Once they enter the store, its Activisions money anyways, since Infinity Ward has not received ANY royalties from Modern Warfare 2.

Website Changes!

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:32:00 +0000

Obviously there have been some changes going around! New stories, New content, Wider coverage and more concise news!

If you find any broken pages or anything, please report them to me here and Be sure to explain what you were doing or what you were trying to do when this error occurred!

Final Fantasy XIV Beta Test to start as early as Next Week!

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:47:00 +0000

You read it here first, the beta testing for the VERY anticipated upcoming title, Final Fantasy XIV, may start as early as next week for PC players. (Sorry PS3, looks like you will have to wait until you are "No Longer Sick" at a later date!)

Again, this is simply for PC players at the moment. To apply for the beta, you must have a Square-Enix account (Which is free and easy to create) and you will be able to apply!

Here is the link for the USA application

Europe and PAL players should go HERE to select your region and apply within!

Warning to All Playstation 3 Owners!

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:51:00 +0000

Please note: As of 6 PM EST, this should have been fixed. If not, within the day, it should be.

If you're the owner of a Playstation 3, and you woke up this morning to attempt to start playing a little bit of Heavy Rain, you may have been greeted to a surprise 8001050F Error.

While this error is SUPPOSEDLY only affecting the Fat, older PS3 models (Sorry fellow fatties), there have been some minor reports of the Slim models being hit with this as well. It is not known as of yet if these issues are related at all.

I will continue to watch this issue a little bit more carefully, but as of now, I would NOT turn on your PS3 system just to be safe.

As a funny Post, someone made these...

Others feel the pain indeed...

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Stat Changes Announced

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:04:00 +0000

While seeing some of the changes as much needed changes to the game, I can't help but notice that come Cataclysm, the entire game will be changing. Again. From the looks of things, since they are going back to the old world and making it new, it is almost as if they are making the new stats, similar to the old ones. Kind of making the mechanics of the game now, somewhat like the way the game was when it first released.

But others have said that this is a way for them to take what they couldn't do then or what they hadn't thought of, and make it happen now. While some of the changes are for the good, others wonder if some of these changes will "break" the game.

I thought I would take a couple of parts that affects tanking and melee classes and bring them into the light a little bit more.

Stamina - Because of the way we will be assigning Strength, Agility, and Intellect, non-plate wearers will end up with more Stamina than before. Health pools will be much closer between plate-wearers and other classes.
Block Rating - Block is being redesigned to scale better. Blocked attacks will simply hit for 30% less damage. Block rating will improve your chance to block, though overall block chances will be lower than they are today.
Armor - The way Armor mitigates damage is not changing, but the Armor stat has been rebalanced to mirror changes to the armor curve in Cataclysm. As a result, bonus Armor will go down slightly overall. We are also changing the mitigation difference among armor types so that plate doesn’t offer so much more protection than mail, leather, and cloth
Strength, Agility, Hit Rating, Expertise, and Critical Strike Rating - These will all still appear on gear as well. Aside from situations mentioned elsewhere in this list, in general these will function similarly to how they do now, though the details -- such as how much Hit Rating you might need to effectively combat high-level creatures (more on this below) -- are likely to change.

Basically, this means that tanks will be taking a huge hit. While raiding now, it is common to see a normal tank with 40k health minimum. Now, at level 85 raiding, While you will have 55,000 health, a healing class and the rest of the raid will be very close to your amount of health at near 50,000 (these are not set in stone, merely a rough guesstimate number)

If you are a tank (druids excepted), expect to see:

No more Defense on gear. Existing Defense becomes Dodge, Parry, or Block Rating.
No more Block Value on gear. Existing Block Value becomes Block Rating.
You’ll have as much Stamina as you’re used to, though you may notice your tanking plate has a bit less Stamina than a comparable piece of DPS plate, since we tend to take the gem budget out of your most attractive stat.
Bonus Armor on gear will go down slightly.

What this means to tanks and all other classes is that there will be a huge health increase with the gain of stam on everything. Pair that with the removal or altering of all the other stats, will definitely make it more interesting. The PvP resilience change will have people turning their heads again. I was NOT a fan of the introduction of resilience, and I still am not. What used to be "May the better player win" is now "May the player with shinier gear win."

I will be posting a little bit more on random stats and changes as I see fit, but for now, here is the link to the full post for details on healers, DPS, and full stat and class changes.

Spambots Gone Wild!

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:14:00 +0000

I laugh at every single time I receive an email that has posted a comment!

Then, all it is, is a shit ton of periods with hyperlinks in them all going to something different.

So, as a big f*** you to the chinese assholes who keep spamming, im turning on comment moderation for the time being.

Note: I am not trying to be racist, but the posts that are being made are in chinese characters, with each period or character leading to a different bit.ly website. Please only trust links that I POST.

As always, my twitter, facebook, and contacts are here for your pleasure.

I dare a chinese spammer to call my phone and try spamming their bullshit to me.

Featuring WoWInsider's Guildwatch: This is NOT an Fing Joke!

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:36:00 +0000

By clicking the story link above, you can view the original content, located on one of my favorite World of Warcraft websites, WoWInsider. Otherwise, click Here

The above post mentioned in the link, was a post made about a guild on my server, Winterhoof. The player, Strakken, of the guild Shattered, proceeds to tell us that guild raiding into progression is serious business. I somewhat agree with him, and admire his passion for progression...But, some say is he taking it a little too far? Others have called him "A Raid Nazi".

I plan on interviewing him tonight and getting the full story. More after the long break.

Endgame's Difficulty with Ulduar

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:45:00 +0000

Its all really the same. All bosses before Ulduar were "hard" at some point. Sure, people just went in and cleared the content, cause we had a preemptive strategy to work off of. All of the kind hearted players who ran the Naxxramas content in the “Vanilla Wow”, and even the lucky few who ran through during The Burning Crusade, all knew what they were up against, and all had an idea of what was going to happen in there. So, when the time came in Wrath of the Lich King, people knew exactly what to do in these fights and situations, which were toned down slightly and revamped for 10 and 25 players, rather than the classic 40.

Ulduar, The new raid dungeon introduced in patch 3.1, is only hard for some, due to its “newness”. As a collective, the players who were experiencing the endgame content in the initial installment of wrath, were asking and craving a challenge that would take them time to complete. Their answer, was Ulduar. With its release, people were rushing to the area to view the new dungeon, and Northrend and servers were crashing left and right. While some were able to clear and have content down the launch night, the world first Yogg-Saron kill, came to Ensida, only 2 days after the patch was released. People have questioned whether or not the guild had pushed themselves too far and too hard, or if they were coordinated and geared enough to do it without much error. Others, complained that the content was far too hard to be completed even by classic “hardcore” raider's standards.

Now in the recent patch of 3.1.1, there has been some noted changes about the fight, making it so that some mobs and add's that appear during a few of the boss fights, can be snared and controllable, making it easier for some of the people to progress into. Also, but this falls under the list of bugs that are more and more less apparent, but they have fixed the issue with pets and minions not being able to attack Kologarm. These, along with they hot fixed an issue with being able to sneak past some mobs leading up to the Mimiron fight, some argue that they are making some of the fights easier.

While the instance has been difficult for some players who can't PUG the raid, and some guilds have even disbanded over the difficulty and drama that results from the instance, some people are regretting that this instance may be “too hard” raid that was given by Blizzard. Comparing to the situations involved in the past, this raid could be similar to the installment of The Black Temple or Sunwell Plateau raids, that were released sometime ago during the end of The Burning Crusade, and that most guilds were not prepared (no pun intended) for the Ulduar experience that was intended. Though, the initial intent by Blizzard, was to bring in a raid that will simply “Amaze and blow people away” with its gear, graphics, design and challenges. This goal has been met.

Many guilds and their management, are now gearing up, recruiting and retracing their steps through the old instances, collecting any missing gear, glyphs, and rethinking their actions and rotations with the new changes to many of the classes and abilities that Patch 3.1 has brought among us, and some who had relied heavily on the abilities and moves that they have grown to be used to over the past near 5 month ago release of patch 3.0, have dubbed this patch as the “Worst patch ever” and a ruiner of the World of Warcraft. While some have either left the game or are taking a break, their voices can still be heard on the official community forums, located on the World of Warcraft website.

So, a new question has risen with this insertion of “Hard” endgame content. Will this be the first and only time that blizzard listens to the player base and inserts what is asked for, a “hard raid” that requires planning, training and strategies? Or will this be a harbinger to what is come ahead in later patches. We still have yet to go fully into the area of Icecrown, though with the introduction of the Argent Tournament, you are placed in direct vicinity of the Icecrown Citadel in their later quests. I could not wait longer, and went around to ask some players what they thought of the new instance. The initial thought was that many players I spoke with are wondering “If ulduar is this hard, what will the Citadel be like?” and “Will Blizzard make Arthas as bad, mean and tough as the lore and story makes him out to be?” Over time, we will tell.

So now, I open it up to you. What do you, the readers, think will happen? How are you favoring with Ulduar and the “Hard Mode” content that is a savior to the bored, hardcore raider? Is this a new chance for you to come back into the game with a challenge at hand, or is this a reason to quit all together because the content is simply too tough for the casual or mid-level raider? I myself have not been able to make it into Uldaur, and have not witnessed the Flame Leviathan fight that many players are all talking about. But I do believe the talk that has been going around many of the servers, and that is Ulduar, is no cake walk compared to Naxxramas, Obsidian Sanctum and The Eye of Eternity, and to progress into this new dungeon, your going to need a lot more than your Flasks, Feasts, and Bandages to make it out alive.

Flickr

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:57:00 +0000

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

This is also a Request from me...Please, if you are reading this, click a few ad's if you want to help me feed myself from day to day on Cup o' Noodles. Also, check out my youtube channel and my supported channels. They love being subscribed to, and would love you as much as I do.

So, if you would like to help, just click an ad or 2. You don't have to do anything, just click the non-spyware containing, Google made & funded ad, then close the window. That contributes enough to me, to keep my love for you burning stronger than a venereal disease on a porn star drinking a gallon of water an hour.

Moonkins – Created By Nature, Adored by Blizzard

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:24:00 +0000

When the moonkin was first introduced, people thought nothing of it other than a big iron bird, that shot magical beams of light out of the sky, pummeling its victims into oblivion, and effectively logging their enemies out of the game, banning their accounts with all the moonkin's might. Do you remember that? Of course not, cause it never happened. The Moonkin's were a simple feathery bird, nicknamed the OOMkin, that threw out a few attacks, than ran around the area, /danced and watched as it became overly useless around its friends due to its lack of mana and ability to continue attacks.

Although, at endgame in vanilla WoW, it was a formidable opponent, yet still downsized. When The Burning Crusade hit, the class was looked over, tuned up, and changed around. Many people loved the changes, and as a whole, the class took a hit. Its raid effectiveness was damaged to some and buffed for others. The fact that people could use most of the main abilities that were needed in raids, like Abolish Poison, was a slight hindrance in some situations, but not too much to complain severely about. The plus crit and damage that is applied to most of the raid that was introduced in the 2.4 Fury of the Sunwell patch, was a huge help for those who wanted to raid and be useful as well. But, some people were not happy with some of those changes. They still complained about not being completely useful in most situations of PvE and nearly useless in PvP. What this melted down to is not enough sustained DPS in raids, and not enough burst or max damage in PvP, unless you were feral.

So, in light of the occasion, most druids decided to make the switch to feral or restoration. While in feral spec, they were able to farm, pick dps spots in random 5 man groups or daily heroics, do some pretty good pvp, and when the time came, they could dps in the raid that they wanted to go into, if allowed by the leader. As restoration, they could go into pvp, whether it be arenas or battlegrounds and heal many, they could heal some questing friends or guildies, heal their 5 man groups or daily heroics, and most of the time, they would be a shoe in for their scheduled raids, as many have come to realize, a druid healer, is one of the best around. But, when they switched to that “Spec of Taboo”, that arcane / nature combo, it quickly became Nuke or Nothing. If things were not destroyed in the time it got to the Moonkin, it was almost doomed without the proper gear. But with it...it was glorified.

So thus, the Boomkin was born. With the major changes to the class in patch 2.4, it brought many different changes, including the epic flight form changes and many revisions to the balance tree, bringing the Moonkin to dangerous threat levels all across the boards. They could now cast a number of spells at level 70 with the proper gear which made them a force to be reckoned with in the arena's, battlegrounds and in raids. They were great with crowd control, great with burst damage and great with sustained DPS, and were awesome with their “ganking” power. For awhile, with their constant cyclone with no diminishing effects, and the ability to put other druids into quiet mode with hibernation, made them tough to beat in pvp, and mostly in the arena. But still, the nerf came when Wrath of the Lich King was released.

With the slower cast times, improved levels of spells, and limited range on spells, it makes some casting druids completely respec back into feral, simply for leveling up to 80. Or, if the druid was audacious enough, they would stay as restoration and either solo mobs and just heal through damage as their dots ticked away, or heal through instances after instance which could become quite tedious fast. As a collective community, there is a huge outcry that the druid class is horribly underpowered as a whole, and that some serious buffing is needed. I, for one, do not play a druid, so I cannot attest to these claims but from what I have seen, a druid, with a light off-healer, is a near unstoppable opponent in pvp. I have fallen victim to a druid many times on my mage and on a rogue, they simply apply barkskin and laugh as I try to break through their defenses while their teammates stop me in my tracks.

Though within a Naxxramas raid, things can be hectic for all casters, especially during the Heigan fight, but for druids, whose main burst of damage rely on their procs, it can be especially difficult. See, the new eclipse buff they have been given, allows for a buff towards their damage, but allows you a limit of almost one attack given you are under the casting debuff, and with another 11 seconds of Eclipse left, well, its times to dance. After the dance, you must apply another wrath of moonfire, and hope for another Eclipse proc that you can make use of before its dancing time again. While some say that it is uncalled for, to have casters, even while under a full effect of Nature's Grace, a talent which gives spells a 100% chance to apply a 0.5 reduction in cast time, is still out spectrum as spells simply take too long a time to cast.

Most druids I have talked to during the PTR have something to complain about there also. They noticed that they no longer have as much armor in their “Tanking” forms, and some less damage mitigation. Some say that this patch, 3.1, with the release of Ulduar, is a patch for Death Knights to rejoice about, while other classes look on with envy. Could this patch, with no real improvements for druid tanks or moonkin's have anything to offer for the rest of us? Or is it a simple misunderstanding and people are just jumping to conclusions? I for one, hope that when my druid reaches 80, I will have as much as I have seen people have in the past.

What do you think? Reply in a comment or drop me an email at my registered email in my profile with the subject “Questions & Comments”, and ill be sure to answer your questions in my next article. Until then, Enjoy your stay in the World of Warcraft.

Memories can be caused by the Present

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:32:00 +0000

So, have any of you been listening to a simple song, and been reminded of a certain someone? I have. Matter of fact, I was in the middle of a Rock Band 2 session, and in the middle of the song, i became entranced with another song that me and a special someone were playing awhile ago on Rock Band 1.

Then, while driving home from the store, I heard on the radio her favorite band and realised that she might have felt like a load of shit this weekend...You see, this past weekend, Feb. 27-28, Nickelback was in Detroit...and she REALLY wanted to go badly, but i sadly could not go with her, and we did not have the money for the tickets...

So, to my dismay, I was unable to talk to her or anything through the day and called her later and heard her depressed state. I kinda felt bad.

Has a song or something you have done made you think of a certain someone in your life? Maybe someone you care for but just haven't said it to them yet? Post your answer in comments below and ill be sure to reply to them in my next posting!

New Adsense and Youtube content

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 09:03:00 +0000

I have posted some ads on the side of my blog and on some of my youtube videos...

Plain and simple, the economy sucks. If you have the time, help me out, but other than that, a little money to help pay the bills from a student's funds would be the most helpful...

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Don't worry. I chose some advertising for some gaming channels and funny stuff on youtube. I think people will like it...

I Love you...Well, your Voice at Least...

superthrust@gmail.com (Javier "ST" Ledesma) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 09:40:00 +0000

Today's Suggested Blog Topic is "Is it possible to fall in love with someone's voice?"

And today, I can take people's answers on that. I asked a simple pact of gamers on xbox live, and ZeroOzzy69, has said that it can happen. MasterofMayhem also said that it may seem low, but to some people, its a way of "Love at first sight" but in this case, sound.

Myself, what this blog is really about, Yes. I think it is possible.

That is how I met my first girlfriend. It started out as one of those all too commmon E-relationships, where its the simple "Oh hunny" this and the closer we got, we found out we lived near each other. Sometimes, a simple voice is all it takes to create a frendship, relationship and much more.

Back when the Xbox Live service started, I read a story that was reported by resident reporter Trixie herself on a couple in Canada (I believe...) that had met online and socially played Unreal Tournament regularly for a long while. Then, when they took it to the next level and started to hang out offline, their relationship grew into something more. Later on, they were married and were the first couple to be officially united via the Xbox Live gaming service and are still together today (to my knowledge).

Now, a happy couple. Married, and still happily gaming after, all by a simple voice. They apparently fell in love with each other's voice, whether not that much at first, but certainly over time. Where voice communications are the new text based IM's, you can hear almost anyone now adays by plugging in your headset that came with your xbox. Yet, more and more, the service is being plagued by the smack talkers, immature and underaged people of the internet and society, which are making more and more people forsake thier talking ability and playing their game in silence.

Whether or not someone can consider me a low being for falling in love with a voice of someone I have never met before, I ask this. What if you were lonely enough to just look for a friend. Falling in love doesn't have to be a relationship of love, but that of a loving friendship. There are many relationships that involved a form of love that having nothing to do with the common conception of love, but the simple loving friendship.

So, if you are looking for a simple friend, or are looking for a player 2 in your life, Xbox Live may be answer. I say may, because while the shot is a long one, it certainly is a try. As long as you are spontaneous enough to try, and aren't afraid of being rejection. There is somene for everyone, and it just takes a little bit of time to look, whether the person is in your game right now camping your spawn, topping your kill charts, or on your friends list. If you can hear a voice that you adore, and have an aspiration to top his / her leaderboard of love, you may have the chance, whether its a simple online infatuation or a full blow article of love.