Elwin's back, Raquay's calling

Elwin didn't go to church today. His back is bothering him. He's been putting this stinky stuff called Tiger Balm on his back. The smell is very powerful!

Since he didn't go to church, I had to carry my own bag! Can you imagine? That bag is heavy! Hmmm....I wonder if that bag has contributed to the back problems. Hopefully he will be better tomorrow.

Raquay was called and set apart today as 1st Counselor in the Deacon's Quorum Presidency. The kid can be too serious sometimes. He didn't crack a smile.

Transformers: War for Cybertron review by Raquay Holland

Transformers: War for Cybertron review by Raquay Holland

Transformers: War for Cybertron is a third person shooter game made by High Moon Studios released for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. The game features a somewhat “prequel” story that happened before the movies, as this is probably the first game released for the franchise not based on a movie. As expected, you can play as Autobots, or Decepticons in all phases of the game.

The game has 3 features: a campaign mode in which you can play solo, or cooperatively over the Internet, a multiplayer mode which has modes like Team Deathmatch, Domination, or Free-for-all, and Escalation, which is like Zombies from World at War and Black Ops.

First, the campaign. It pretty much seems similar to a lot of shooters released in recent times. You kill a lot of enemies, and you move to an objective point. Oh, and you'll encounter tons of bosses along the way. Your arsenal of weapons include machine guns, snipers, shotguns, grenades, melee attacks including swords and hammers, rifles, and your vehicle weapons. Your robot can transform into a car, truck, tank, or plane. All this in 10 chapters, 5 for both factions. Once you beat the game, you might still be occupied, as the game offers 3 difficulty levels. Yet, it may seem a bit repetitive, and bosses are really daunting.

Next, multiplayer. You will get a variety of modes. All the modes include Team Deathmatch, Free-for-all, Domination, a somewhat unique mode called Countdown to Extinction, where you try to place a bomb into the enemy's base, King of the Hill, and Code of Power, where you fight for a giant melee weapon. You are offered 4 classes, each with their own weapons, perks, abilities, and even health amounts. The four classes are Leader, Scout, Soldier, and Scientist. You can level up, and get new weapons, just like Modern Warfare.

Finally, there's Escalation mode, or Zombies if you prefer. You can play as any official Autobot or Decepticon, depending on the map you're playing on. You can get more maps and characters with the DLC that has been released. No more explanation needed here, really. You get points for killing enemies, and can have up to 4 players cooperatively playing. Sound familiar? Also, you can spend your points on health, ammo, other guns, or more passageways. Once you've taken a lot of hits, you can be revived by other players.

All in all, Cybertron is definitely a great game if you're a Transformers fan. If your a shooter fan, though, don't shy away just because it's third person. It's actually a good shooter, and has some good multiplayer options. The campaign can deliver quite a challenge, but isn't that what it's supposed to do? Really, my regrets are that it doesn't have any local capabilities for multiplayer, which can bite in the butt for anyone that doesn't have an Xbox Live or PSN. Connection issues might be a problem, but it might just be my router. If you have a working network connection, like shooters in the third person, and like games that may have a lasting appeal, then this is the game for you.

The good: solid campaign, multiplayer is fun, especially Escalation, you blow stuff up, great story for transformers fans, good controls, great graphics, replay value.

The bad: no local capabilities, can be VERY hard.

Score:

8.5

Not a typical Saturday

Well, Raquay just got home from his campout. He can barely walk. And he is dirtier than dirt. Thank goodness for hot water! He failed to mention that this was a 2-day campout. I didn't find out until we were at the pool party ( they were leaving right after the party).

Merrinth has been asleep all morning. I think he stayed up all night playing video games. He starts his full time job on the 14th.

Elwin discovered that the air conditioner is leaking ON THE INSIDE! It's right above his computer. He had to clear everything off the shelf. Now it's all on the kitchen table. Cables everywhere!

Novice, again

Ok. I'm new at this blog stuff (as if you haven't noticed). I tried to post earlier but it came up blank. So...I'm trying again, hence the title "Novice, again".

Raquay has a campout tonight. But before that he has a youth activity at the North Vernon pool. I really don't want to go but I'm one of the Youth Leaders so I'm obligated. I'm sure I'll have plenty of fun once I get there. We have wonderful youth in our ward.