From the Queen of England to the hounds of hell

While I find it very useful that I'm good at remembering crap (as in facts and occurances, I'm not so good at remembering to tell people important details) its a double edged sword. I also remember every dumb-ass thing I've ever done, long after its faded from the mind of the witnesses or it ceases to actually matter. Every so often, I'll have a flash of some moronic thing I've done and I'll end up dwelling on it even though its from almost 15 years ago and the people involved probably don't even remember it. (Oh, I'm not going to mention the current faux pas I have stuck in my head, as its a pretty bad one and I don't want it actually out there.)

But let us talk of less sucky, more inconsequential things. I guess MGS4 is coming out next week? Ign is doing some special features on it right now. Wednesday's was about the guns available in the game. Since Solid Snake is sneaking through a war zone, he can have heavier weapons at his disposal. This time around, he can use a MAC-10, an HK MP7, an FN P90, a Remington 870 shotgun (why not the M1014?!), the M4 Carbine, the AK-102, the XM-8, the M14 EBR, the MK-17, and the M60E4. I know the M60 is iconic and all, but why that instead of the Mk48 Mod 0(i.e., the upsized version of the SAW)? You know, the less buggy and more reliable "assault machine gun" that spec-ops switched to from the M60?

(Ooh, which reminds me, I need to check the library to see if they got this years Jane's Infantry Weapons 2008-2009 in yet and see if there's anything new in firearms that I don't already know about)

But heh, I saw they have both the AK and the M4 (you have to have the two most iconic assault rifles), but also the M4s current competitors, the XM-8, and the MK-17 (which I had mentioned in a previous post that both rifles had kicked the ass of the M4 in dust and reliability tests). Well, actually it was the MK-16 chambered for 5.56mm that was in the test, MGS4 has Snake using the MK-17 (which cutie Jessica Chobot erroneously refers to as an "M-17" in the video linked off the IGN article) chambered for the harder hitting 7.62mm. But yeah. I love that they included 7.62mm rifles like the MK-17 (which looks totally keen) and the M14 EBR (an old gun, but a cool one). And you can accesorize everything! From the video, it looks like you can add the m68 CCO or the ACOG or the AN/PEQ2. And righteous, rather than using the crappy M-203 as the underbarrel grenade launcher, they have the M-320 instead! Alas, for the underbarrel shotgun attachment for the M4, they have the Masterkey rather than the XM-26.

Owel, the other feature they have was of the new bosses in the game, the the Beauty and Beast corps. Supposedly they were once total hotties who were also mercs, and they suffered from PTSD and got turned into crazy killer cyborgs (with a naming scheme similar to the Foxhound members in the original MGS). Of course, MGS always had some weird enemies- bisexual vampires, armored fat guys with roller blades, Guys who fight with bees and Really old snipers with talking parrots to name a few. Ninja Gaiden 2 came out the other day, and it has its share of weirdos. There's Genshin and Elizabeta a bad-ass looking ninja and a hottie demoness. Volf is kinda cool, but how can a giant four armed werewolf not be cool? Then rounding out the four greater fiends (the first two being Elizabeta and Volf) you have Alexei and Zedonius the former of which looks like an butterfly man who shoots lightning (how fey!) and the latter looks like what people typically think of when they think of demons. He makes me think of a cornugon, except less scaly.

But with that D&D reference, lets talk about 4th edition. Just read up on the Warlock class. Its one of the new classes (I'm disappointed they got rid of Barbarians and Monks). It seems like an alternative spell casting class to the Wizard. However, its considered a striker rather than a controller class. So they get a lot of single target/small area effect spells. They concept is at least somewhat interesting. Instead of being your typical fantasy mage, having become adept at the ways of magic through natural talent and/or years of study, they inherited their magical abilities from pacts. There are three pacts, infernal, fey, and star. Infernal pacters get their power from demons, so their spells are accordingly hellish. Fey pacters get their powers from the Fey (what's this feywild they speak of? Are they taking a page from Changeling and Exalted?) and Star pacters get their powers from "the stars". Star pacters are kinda siderealish, because in this system stars also means fate. Although I guess you could also compare them to Nephlite (yes, I just made a Sailor Moon reference). Again, I find them kind of interesting because even though this is a fantasy setting, they seem to use a magic that is alien and otherworldly. Which I think is a more unique difference between spellcasting classes than the difference between sorcerors and wizards in the previous game(innate ability vs studying), or even between mages and shaman (scientific/academic approach towards magic vs communing with nature) in Shadowrun.

Speaking of magic, the roomie was watching a show on magic the other day that sounded interesting from the description but was instead incredibly lame. But that reminded him of the series of David Blaine Street Magic video spoofs, which he showed to me and I thought were hilarious. But of course I'm always amused by big queens acting all queeny.

Sucker MC's should call me sire

In my previous post, the article about the weapons in MGS4 only listed 10 weapons. Apparently there are 70 weapons available though? I noticed in the picture of Raging Raven she's wielding a M-32 MGL. I wonder if that's one of the weapons available for you to use, because I've always thought it was the sweetness. 6 40mm grenades down range as fast as you can pull the trigger? Talk about dropping the hammer.

But in one of the demo videos earlier this year, the programmers showed a menu during the demo listing some more of the weapons. There's the HK MP5SD5, SD indicating its the silenced version, and the second 5 meaning its the fixed stock version. There's the Glock 18c which you may remeber Morpheus using, paired with a katana in Matrix Reloaded. Also on the list is the Vz-83, which I assume is the the Skorpion, the 83 version being chambered for .380 acp. I also figured they'd have to have more sniper rifles besides the M14 EBR, which is accurate, but not actually intended for true sniping. One of the next things on the list is the DSR-1, which is a interesting choice, because its not as famous as the HK PSG-1, the AW-series, or the big Barrett. The ign video accompanying the article I mentioned, I also saw a quick flash of a modified Colt M1911 (which Jessica Chobot refers to as an "Operator", though I think several of the companies making custom Colts have custom guns with "Operator" in the name) and what I assume is a SOCOM pistol. I mean, it looks like the SOCOM, particularly when they add the suppressor. It looks like Knight's suppressor for the SOCOM, identifiable by the little dimples throughout the length of the suppressor. And Snake's used one before, it makes sense for him to have it again.

But there's also a screenshot of Snake using the Javelin and the RPG-7. Which I find interesting since they're the two ends of the man-portable missile spectrum. The Javelin is a sophisticated anti-tank weapon, programmed to hit the tank from the top, where the armor is weaker. Its also extremely expensive. One issue our forces in the Middle East have been running into is the fact that the enemies aren't using friggin' tanks. Using Javelins against the makeshift fighting vehicles the insurgents have cobbled together from pickups and other trucks is not only over-kill but not very cost-effective. The launcher is $126,000, and each missile is around $78,000! But in our strive for technological superiority, we kinda glossed over the need for a cheap missile system you can use to take out a suicide bomber driving a pickup towards our assets.

The RPG-7, on the other hand is old-ass (its from the 60s), no sophisticated guidance (aim through the sights and fire), and while I think they've been updating the warheads to keep them somewhat effective against modern tanks, their range/power doesn't compare to our anti-tank weapons. But its cheap, and good for a big boom. (Hmm, they apparently make Thermobaric warheads for it, which are intense!) As I said, the Javelin mentioned above was more than $200,000 for the launcher plus just one missile. Since the Ruskies flooded the 3rd world with their weapons during the cold war, you can pick them up cheap! The going price in Iraq is around $200 for the launcher and just 20 bucks for the rockets! And you don't need the bells and whistles of the Javelin in the fighting in Iraq!

In urban fighting, you don't need sophisticated guidance systems since everyone's up close anyways. And you don't use tanks to patrol civilian areas, so you don't need tank-killing warheads. The RPG-7 is more than capable of handling Hummers, though I'm not sure how well they do against Strykers. I think they added armor to the Strykers to make them more resilient vs weapons like the RPG-7, but the extra armor also makes them handle like crap. Also, Somalia proved you don't need fancy sensors to take down choppers (which reminds me, I bet MGS4 will have Stingers) - Blackhawk Down, since there were so many buildings full of enemies around, they could just stand on the rooftops firing rpg-7s (since they're so cheap) and only one had to hit to take a chopper down. Even nowadays, in city infighting, our weapons are more accurate and our troops better trained, but the insurgents use the RPG-7s as a cover-fire weapon, just raining down rockets to keep our troops' heads down while the insurgents try to get closer and gain tactical advantage.

But I digress, I'm egg-cited to see what other weapons are available in the game, and think its totally awesome that you accessorize them. Its like dress-up, but for boys!

Unlimited power!

After lunch, decided to get dessert over at Tech Square at the Marble Slab. Heh, on the way up there, saw some "old chyx" (translated from geebspeak, 40+) powerwalking. But one of them was smoking! Doesn't that defeat the purpose of exercising (and I'm sure they were exercising and not just talking a stroll because they were in workout gear)?! But, got an amaretto float. I know, you're thinking, isn't that kinda ruining the flavor of the sweet cream+amaretto ice cream? I think it tastes good.

But supposedly when you say ice cream soda, that means ice cream + soda water, and not an actual soda? You say float when you mean a soda, apparently. Of course, I'm showing my regional dialect by refering to it as a "soda". But really, referring to soda as "pop". cliffV('What's up with that?!') But I digress, ice cream with just soda water?! Weird! I've never been keen on carbonated water/club soda or whatever you want to call it. I mean, it looks like water, but its got that carbonated feeling! So you're like expecting soda like flavor, but there is none! I don't see the appeal. But T would get that all the time at the Pony. I, of course, went for "Roman Cokes", until I developed my alcohol allergy, and started having them sans rum.

Ooh, just saw a new trailer for Soul Calibur 4 on gametrailers. Apparently the Secret Apprentice from Force Unleashed (which isn't coming out until September?!) is one of the characters as well. I wonder if he'll have at least some of the insane ramped up force powers he has in Force Unleashed. But speaking of Force Powers, my favorite combination has always been Force Grip, you know, where you levitate your opponent a few feet off the ground and crush him, as if he was being held and squeezed by a giant invisible hand, and while they're hanging there helpless, you fry them with Force Lightning. (I guess Palpatine kinda did that to Mace in the last movie) Wouldn't that be totally hilarious? If any of the force using characters in the game did something like that, I'd be so happy. But also from the trailer, it looks like Vader has a hilarious ring out throw- shades of Return of the Jedi where he lifts an opponent over his head military press style and tosses them out of the ring.