Moments: Solving the Mystery of Boone's Wife in Fallout New Vegas

This is another type of new article I will publish occasionally that takes time to remember truly unforgettable moments in video games. Whether these moments be exciting, heart breaking, terrifying, or especially tense, they deserve our attention and I'll write about as many as I can recall right here.

One of the new features in Fallout: New Vegas was the companion system. Throughout the desert wastelands of Nevada, you could find several individuals with specific skills and perks to accompany you on your adventures. One such companion and my personal favorite was former NCR sharpshooter, Craig Boone. When you find Boone in the small town of Novac, he's keeping his skills sharp serving as the town's night shift sharpshooter. Talking to Boone, you learn that part of the reason he seems so resigned from the world is his deceased wife.

Boone explains that she was taken by slavers from Caesar's Legion and he suspects one Novac's citizens is responsible for selling her into their custody. This begins a mission to gain Boone's loyalty named "One for My Baby." Boone tasks you with talking to several townsfolk to find out who sold his wife into slavery. After handing you his NCR beret, he tells you to wear it with the suspect in range of his rifle to signal you found the guilty individual. I set off to put my sleuthing skills to work and approach my prime suspect, Boone's former friend and NCR brother in arms, Manny Vargas. Manny is the one who had invited Boone to move to Novac after he had married Carla. However, Manny wasn't very fond of Carla. Carla hated Novac and was in a constant state of discontent. Manny certainly has the motive to have sold off Carla but I'm not convinced; it seems too simple.

I continue my investigation with Cliff Briscoe, the odd man selling dinosaur toys inside of the T-Rex. Perhaps he knows something that may help my investigation. I find out he isn't Carla's biggest fan either but beyond that he doesn't provide very much information. Outside, Ranger Andy also concedes that Carla wasn't popular among the townsfolk of Novac. Eventually, I find out that basically, everybody hated Carla. Well now, that doesn't really narrow things down. I review who I have left to interview for the mission and I remember a man near the entrance of the town who had been muttering nonsense when I arrived. It's No-Bark Noonan, the village idiot and I don't have high hopes he'll give me any good information.

But I figure it's worth a shot, so I go to talk with old No-Bark Noonan. In our conversation among some incomprehensible ramblings, he reveals some strange men had stopped in the lobby of the Motel. Finally, we're getting somewhere. I head inside and talk to Jeannie May Crawford, the Motel owner. She's a pleasant lady and when asked about Carla, she compares her to a cactus. She's nice to look at but hurts when you get close. So she feels the same as everybody else. I begin to explore the lobby looking for clues left behind by these strangers when I spot a safe behind the counter. The safe intrigues me not because of my investigation but because I tend to let my fingers wander where they don't belong. I wait for Jeannie May to leave before I indulge my obsession for robbing people of their caps.

The safe is a cinch to crack and I loot the items inside. Unfortunately it only contains some rubbish and a handful of caps. But I look again and see an item named "Bill of Sale." What's this? I investigate further to learn it is a receipt from the Legion in which Jeannie May had sold Carla, and her unborn child into slavery! My head is whirling with disbelief. One, the guilty was one of the last people I would suspect. Two, Jeannie May sold Carla and her child. This lady is going down! With the town of Novac still shrouded in darkness I find Jeannie May and tell her to follow me to the dinosaur so I can show her something. What a fool! I walk with the wench until we're in range of Boone's rifle and I slip on the red beret.

Quietly, I wait, as Jeannie May stands, peering into the never ending black of the night, unaware that she's about to meet her untimely de- BAM! Her head explodes and fragments of her skull litter my TV screen as I jump like a little girl watching a horror movie. Her body, lifeless crumples on the sandy ground. I look up to the mouth of the dinosaur and see Boone with his rifle and I feel confident that justice has been served.

Keep an eye out as I will update my blog with more unforgettable moments.

Prometheus: Movie Review

Prometheus, the third ever science fiction movie directed by Ridley Scott is the long awaited prequel fans of the Alien series have been anticipating for over a decade. Director Scott teamed up with writer Damon Lindelof to deliver a film that would serve as a prequel to the Alien series but at the same time, would explore new ideas that allow Prometheus to stand apart from the Alien movies as an original film. There's no doubt that Prometheus does exactly that; the feeling of the movie reminds you of Alien and there are plenty of cues for fans of the series to pick up on but Prometheus easily separates itself and delivers a truly unique alien movie.

Late in the 21st century, archaeological scientists, Dr. Elizabeth Shaw and love interest, Charlie Holloway discover illustrations that show men pointing to what seem to be a formation of stars that are consistent with the writings and drawings of several different cultures. This discovery leads them to believe the drawings are related and may reveal the origin of mankind. After sparking the interest of Peter Weyland, multi-billionaire CEO of Weyland Corporation, a team is put together and he funds a journey for crew aboard the titular Prometheus to follow the map to the darkest depths of the universe where the crew will learn the dark truth behind mankind's creation.

The plot of Prometheus is easily one of its strong-points but is not without its shortcomings. Instead of making the movie into a science fiction, horror-filled thrill ride, Scott and Lindelof focus on the themes of truth and religious ideologies as the characters strive for knowledge concerning their beginnings. Prometheus has a much more serious undertone than the alien movies; its about so much more than shooting Xenomorphs or fighting to escape a ship over run by aliens. Without spoiling any of the plot I can only say that Prometheus  provides answers and new insights for fans of the original Alien series but more importantly, raises new questions concerning the dark past of our creation. I found myself leaving the theater with more questions than answers but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

My only complaint with the plot was that I feel it wasn't developed enough. Prometheus is just over two hours long but I felt it was so brief. As the falling action began, I could sense the end of the movie was near and all I could think was, "Already!?" The whole movie seems to move a bit fast though. The Prometheus crew of 17 is easily forgettable with a couple of exceptions (which I will get to in a moment). Most of the characters felt like extras or were just annoying so I really didn't feel I cared about them at all. They were uninteresting and just felt flat and didn't really evoke any kind of emotion. I feel their personalities and backgrounds could have been developed much more if a scene were added.

Strangely enough, the character I enjoyed the most was the android David played expertly by Michael Fassbender. He's the one character without a brain, a soul or a heart yet he was the most interesting crew member without a doubt. Fassbender stole the show with his excellent performance as David and his acting expertise really shines. David is meant to look and behave exactly as a human. David has an almost unlimited source of knowledge but he can't quite comprehend the reasoning behind the voyage to the strange planet. Each scene with Fassbender is a delight and to me, his portrayal of David was the highlight of the movie. Fassbender says he was heavily influenced by the replicants of Ridley Scott's, Blade Runner and also took cues from David Bowie's, The Man Who Fell to Earth. 




Noomi Rapace plays opposite of the emotionless and moral devoid David as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, who is desperately seeking answers behind the creation of man. Her limits are tested as she learns that planet they are own holds dark secrets. Noomi fit the role well but I feel like there was more to her character than the film let on. A brief flashback gives us a glimpse of her skeptical views on religion, yet Shaw wears a cross around her neck. Her complicated views are the focus of some scenes and her beliefs do spur some interesting thoughts. She does an excellent job in a few solo scenes which aren't for the squeamish and you won't want the kids to see. Similar to Ripley from Alien, you will feel sorry for her as she does endure quite a bit of punishment but again, I would have liked to learn more about her.

The visual presentation of Prometheus also drew my attention. The movie was shot entirely with 3D cameras and also relied on more conventional video effects rather than CGI, as most films do these days. Scott's direction mastery is exemplified by his intense set-pieces and the fact that green-screens were used less than six times during filming. The dark caverns, the futuristic technology and mysterious planets are nothing new but Scott presents them perfectly to evoke feelings of fear and awe. New monsters and alien species also provide some excellent visuals that are sure to leave you terrified.

While Prometheus was Scott's first time filming in 3D, he testified it was pretty simple and instead of creating scenes that pop out at you, Scott focused on adding illusory-depth to the movie to really immerse viewers. The opening scene of the movie caught me by surprise. It provides an impressive fly-over montage of different parts of Iceland panning over majestic mountain-scapes, waterfalls and endless plains which is beautifully shot and took a reported two weeks to finish.

You shouldn't let the fact you haven't seen the original Alien movies keep you from seeing Prometheus. No prior knowledge of the original movies is needed as Prometheus can stand perfectly well on its own and delivers a rich and satisfying plot full of disturbing elements that'll make you cringe. Scott and Lindelof purposely left many questions unanswered but encourage fans to seek answers throughout the film. I personally enjoyed the movie and I would recommend seeing it. Two expert performances made up for a cast that mostly fell flat and the story alone of Prometheus is as exciting and grim as they come.

Gaming Pet Peeves

It's that one thing in a game that you just can't ignore; it bothers you to a point that you begin to ask yourself 'why' or 'how'. It doesn't ruin the experience nor is it a game breaker, it's just kind of...annoying. I'm sure everyone has one. It's not a complaint like bad graphics, bad voice acting or weird shooting mechanics; those are the types of things you criticize a game on. To give you an idea what I mean, I'll confess a few of mine.

No Visible Damage After a Boss Battle
Probably the biggest of all my peeves, I hate in a game when you finish a boss battle complete with gunshots, explosions, stabbing and everything else and the ensuing cut-scene depicts the protagonist and the boss both huffing and puffing, yet neither of them have a scratch. It feels kind of hokey seeing the bad guy falling to the ground suffering from wounds I can't see; I would compare it directly to a death scene from an old black and white movie in my head sometimes. I'm not saying I want to see every mark I could have possibly made throughout the fight but it would be nice to at least see some visible damage on my opponent.

Too Many Doors!
I love when a game separates itself from all the action and just gives me some time to explore. What gets me is that sometimes there's just too much to explore. I'm the kind of person that has to explore every possible nook and cranny of every location in every game. I'm a complete item, ammo, weapon hoarder; I have to find everything. I hate when I'm going about my business exploring and I run into that fork in the road or that hallway that has like ten doors because I have to look in every single one of them. It turns into which one am I supposed to go in so I know to go there last. Sometimes I realize when I choose a certain path I may be going deeper into the mission, quest or whatever so I end up turning around and backtracking to check out the areas I may have skipped. It sounds crazy but in Games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill or Dead Space I find myself hoping doors will be locked or paths blocked so I don't get stuck endlessly exploring.

Can't Swim
I hate in games when you can't swim; it almost never makes any sense to not be able to swim in a game. Take the first Assassin's Creed game for instance; Altair would drown if players fell in the water and the game would reload your last checkpoint. How can a master assassin not swim or just instantly drown after falling in water!? I ran into this problem a few times in Assassin's Creed; there were always those jumps or leaps that you just missed. Altair just didn't grab the ledge, ran into the wall and fell into the seemingly perilous water below. Red Dead Redemption is another game that this peeve particularly annoyed me. I know that a lot of people in that day and age couldn't swim but that doesn't make it okay for John Marston to drown and again die instantly from standing in waist deep water.

I probably have a couple other peeves other than the ones listed here but they don't come to mind at the moment. I know a lot of people can relate with the peeves I've listed and that there are many others out there so feel free to list yours in the comments section!

Prey 2 Delayed Not Cancelled

It was recently reported that the sequel Prey 2 has been indefinitely delayed. The game was showing great promise with bits of news here and there until there wasn't anything at all. I assumed Human Head had decided to stay tight lipped until E3 but apparently that was not the case. Without going into too much detail because there really aren't many at the moment, it seems Bethesda is not satisfied with the quality of the game. In a PR statement from Bethesda they revealed the game will not get a 2012 release date but that they are working hard to ensure the game meets their quality standards.

Right now, it's good news the game isn't cancelled and that Bethesda has the fans in mind. In a way it's bittersweet; while the game won't be available this year the delay will hopefully ensure a higher quality and more successful game. Let's just hope work can continue on the game soon since it hasn't been touched since November of 2011.

 You can read the PR statement here.

Development of Prey 2 has not been cancelled but the game will not be released in 2012 as planned. The delay is due to the fact that game development has not progressed satisfactorily this past year, and the game does not currently meet our quality standards. Prey 2 has shown great promise and we regret disappointing our fans. We have made a substantial investment in game development to deliver the experience fans want. We are determined only to release the AAA game that fans rightfully expect, and are unwilling to compromise our quality standards to meet a release schedule. 

Mass Effect 3 Bounty Weekend Up Ahead

BioWare is serving up another multiplayer challenge for players this weekend! Code named 'Operation Exorcist'  N7 forces are being tasked with killing 1 million phantoms over the course of the weekend. The challenge starts  today (Friday) at 6:00 PM PST and lasts until 5:00 PM PST on Monday. Participants will be awarded with a a victory pack.

Additionally BioWare has set a second objective for payers. Survive any enemy on any map with a difficulty of Gold and you'll be awarded a commendation pack. The awards are well worth it and what's better than free stuff for playing the games you love?

Unfortunately the challenge is still unavailable to PS3 players as BioWare and Sony still have not reached an agreement to host these bonus weekends.

UPDATE
This challenge is now available on the PS3 platform as well! Challenge starts tonight. Good luck everybody!