Bad Company 2’s multiplayer component is very been-there, done-that — no to mention that, on the 360 version, it’s “laggy” (yet one more reason why I’m not a fan of console shooters). I enjoy it more than Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer, though these are two different kinds of shooters. I grew tired of corridor shooters like the Modern Warfare series after playing the hell out of Counter-Strike and its mimics more than a decade ago. At least Bad Company 2 feels like the (for me) more enjoyable Battlefield experience I loved several years ago. But, it’s still boring as an arcade shooter, for me. This is simply a concept of me somewhat enjoying a concept that I grew bored with less time ago than the other concept I grew bored with a decade ago. I’m still bored with the concept. Just like its single player component, Bad Company 2’s multiplayer doesn’t offer me anything I haven’t seen before (a lot).

Don’t assume I think the game is terrible, though. It’s not. I can respect the quality work put into the whole package. I mean, it doesn’t completely turn me off as soon as I pick up the controller. I’d even say it doesn’t turn me off at all; it just doesn’t excite me. And that’s not surprising considering how jaded I am toward a lot of modern gaming, first person shooters especially.

This is why I require the gimmick (and I use that term not as a pejorative) of realism in military shooters along with a mature, like-minded community — none of these things exist in the console market. And why should it? That’s the epitome of a niche market, and it’s something that can only exist on a PC. But I don’t expect it to exist anywhere else. I digress.

Bad Company 2 is a great game in my “professional” opinion, but it’s just not for me. If a player enjoys Battlefield 1943 or the first Bad Company, then he or she will love Bad Company 2. Alternatively, if a player is looking for something as fun and chaotic as Modern Warfare 2 but on a slightly more realistic*, less corridor-shooter angle, then he or she will love Bad Company 2.

*Bad Company 2, like Modern Warfare 2, is not realistic in any way aside from either shooters’ somewhat respectable appreciation and drive for authenticity in look and sound…to a degree.

Twitch gaming is boring to me. It’s not a lack of skill because, when I force myself to sit down and play these games I get really damn good at them, and my bad ass twitch skills come back in short time. But it doesn’t take long before I’m frustrated and annoyed by the entire experience. I can’t even get killed without uttering some type of profanity, and if that kill is a knife-kill I feel practically publicly humiliated (not actually, but the feeling is similar). It’s as if, “how dare he!” comes to mind and heart, and I want nothing more than revenge on that one asshole — and, surely he’s an asshole. Only an asshole would knife me.

Yes, I realize how utterly ridiculous that sounds, but imagine how I feel when I’m aware of this awful behavior with all its associated anxiety-riddled, high-blood pressure fueled emotion as it’s occurring. An hour of playing Bad Company 2 left me pissed off, annoyed and offended. I was sure that everyone who killed me was cheating (though, even through the red vision I do wonder about some of the actions the other team was taking, rationally — I do have a gift for allowing at least part of my brain step back and observe and become rationally aware despite whatever emotion-locked mode the rest of my brain is in.

This is all a mix of problems: my anxiety and frustration with the genre and my boredom of the whole thing, and I think most of that frustration comes from a subconscious disappointment in myself that I no longer enjoy these games that I once used dominate in, starting back in Quake through Counter-Strike and on and on and on. I want to continue to enjoy and feel excited for these games like my peers, but I just can’t. Also, I can be an extremely competitive person. Once I enter that competition mode I am brutally competitive, and without my ability to assume rational hindsight mid-emotional complex I’d probably end up taking the entire thing very personal and to a potentially unsafe level. Hell, if someone ever manages to piss me off to the point of physical anger (this is very difficult to do since I’m not a violent person), I’m one scary mother fucker. Ask childhood peers when people would fight with my brother. So, that borderline anger issue and aggressive competitive mode definitely plays a part in all this.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not that big of a deal for me. This doesn’t have me emotionally distraught and in need of therapy or worse. This is merely a, “hmmm, that kinda sucks” thing. Sure, my frustration and anxiety is at a high level when I’m playing these games, which is completely silly (I know), and I’m sure it’s either hilarious or annoying to anyone that’s around me, but once I stop playing the anxiety and frustration cease immediately and all I’m left with is a slight disappointment that one of my once all-time favorite hobbies somehow gradually, subtly eroded on me. I don’t care who you are, that sort of thing just sucks to have happen to you. And I’m sure it has at one point. But it’s just one genre, or rather a part of a genre. I’ll stick to my slower paced, tactical thinking-man’s online first person shooters, where my knowledge and understanding of real-world military tactics and strategy come into play, and I can enjoy myself and not care if my character dies or not.

See, now I’m considering others games I own, meaning I purchased them, that have relatively short and repetitive single player components (and no multiplayer). Were those games worth purchasing? Actually, wait, I don’t own any games like that because of self-established policies such as the one above (rent first, maybe purchase later), and the games I have purchased  without renting first have been lengthy, highly enjoyable and games with very replayable singleplayer and/or multiplayer components (the latter of which I honestly don’t mess with much anyway).

Thinking more about it, I suppose Heavy Rain’s story supposedly isn’t short. Still, the fact that it’s more like an interactive movie than most other games does (should I say might?) raise a red flag for me.

Eh, none of this really matters since I don’t actually own a PS3. [sadface]

The game looks decent enough. I can’t really tell you have how it feels. It’s real life cars, modeled nicely — though, I’m not even close to a car expert so I can’t point out if anything about these car models is off — with potentially real life tracks. The kick is that each track has power ups scattered every so often, aligned as they are in tracks in Mario Kart, and with properties like the ones in Mario Kart as well. How these over-the-top, paranormal abilities interact with the cars on the track is melded with a snazzy looking user interface, flush with neon colors and wire frames.

The first few minutes I watched this game being played, I was turned off by the whole experience. It seemed silly to me, in concept and execution. It doesn’t help that I’m not a fan of anything arcade-y, a product of my video game tastes maturing (your mileage may vary) toward simulation and realism. Still, I continued to watch because I was grabbed by curiosity. The execution began to grow on me, then the concept, and then I was left wondering why this hasn’t been attempted before (with real world cars). Maybe it has, but I’m not immediately familiar with any.

It does appear the game can be a little laggy, which is to be expected by A) a person streaming their gaming on JTV and B) a multiplayer beta and C) a racing game online.

Anyway, the game looks fun. I’m not sure how long it would keep my interest, as not even Burnout: Paradise managed that for very long (which is a great game). Though, full disclosure, that was because GTA IV came out soon after.

In related news, turns out two senior people at Infinity Ward were shit-canned today (yesterday?) . So far it’s confirmed that one of the employees is Jason West, and I guess it’s close to confirmed that the other is Vince Zampella. G4 has more on the situation here.

Apparently this has something to do with “breeches of contract and insubordination by two senior employees at Infinity Ward,” whatever the hell that means. G4 links to this long-as-granny-tits document.

Now politics annoys me, as does religion. I’d rather not get into political discussion for fear of it turning into debate, where I often find myself having to hold my tongue. Compared to years ago, I feel more indifferent toward winning battle of logic and wits toward political theory and philosophy. A win for me is changing the subject so I don’t have to deal with the pointless back and forth struggle that typically ends up being unknowingly tied to semantics.

I’m not a Republican, but when my conservative and/or Republican peers see me disagree or scoff at their world view they assume I’m a Democrat. I’m not a Democrat. Those rival peers assume I’m Republican. I’m not a Republican. The cycle begins depending on where it started. If I’m not one of these then I must be Independent, but even now that is a monolithic third party (in a sense) that I do not find myself belonging to. It’s not blatant anti-conformity that drives me to this state. It’s honest displeasure and an inability to accept any one subjective political viewpoint that requires I hold it as absolute truth.

I recognize valid points from the two sides, and I must express my discontent toward the existence of only two viable, valid sides to anything regarding political course and the modus operandi of controlling the lives of my peers and I. But I can not accept or enforce any one rigid political ideology, or any of its parts for any lengthy period of time. I happen to enjoy the fence for its comfortable and fluid shelter.

I’m actually kind of worried about this, but I don’t really have any options. The pain is NOT on the tooth or around it, but behind it near the jaw hinge, and the jaw muscles around it — hence why I can’t open my jaw, and not just because it hurts to much (it does when I attempt it) but because it’s too damn swollen. I’m not sure if the tooth is impacted or not. It’s been dormant, sticking through the gum/skin for a few months now. It didn’t feel as if it was coming in extremely akwardly, though I did worry if my jaw actually had enough room for it to come in more. I’m afraid it doesn’t, and that’s where this pain and discomfort comes into play.

I’m giving it until Monday. If by Monday morning it hasn’t improved I’m going to the ER. I’d go to a Dentists office, but as I’ve written about before, I’m unemployed, I have no insurance, and I have zero money. At the very least I can make sure I don’t have a potentially serious complication on my hands. If it turns out the hospital can’t do anything for me, and I can’t afford a Dentist, I’ll just have to live with the pain and discomfort and reconfiguration of my jaw, or whatever else comes of it.

I gotta say, whether or not a nationalized health care system is right for the country, I sure could use something like it right about now. I don’t know of any charities that could help me, and I don’t know anyone who can afford to help me either.

So, I sit here and wait for the Ibuprofen and Benadryl to take effect, allowing the swelling to go down so I can get some rest. When I’m not eating, yawning, talking, laughing, or swallowing (the back-right side of my upper-throat, where I assume my tonsil is, is very tender and soar), all I mostly feel is an annoying pressure sensation on the right side of me cheek where the jaw meets my skull. Shift your jaw left or right a little too far and hold it there and you’ll know what I’m referring to.

I can’t even really brush my teeth at this point because it’s A) too painful, and B) not easy to do since I can’t really open my mouth. I’m stuck using salt-water. I’m avoiding mouthwash to avoid creating the conditions for thrush, which my brother had to go through once. The thing I’m worried about most of all is infection.

I hope this tooth, or any of the others if they ever decide to join the party, comes in normally. Or, erm, whatever normally is supposed to mean. I’m pulling for complication-less and painless, but I’ll take the former over the later. I can deal with pain as long as this human ritual doesn’t require arbitrary settlment, and by that I’m referring to surgery or worse.

See, if this tooth turns out impacted, in any of the variations a third molar can be impacted, then I’m going to have to deal with the pain and whatever secondary complications generally come standard with that. I don’t have insurance. I am not employed. I have zero money. I’m fortunate (very fortunate) to be living in as nice a place as I do with access to the pleasures of life that I do. But I don’t have any access to dental or medical care, even at a severely reduced cost. The best I could hope for is free assistance, and that doesn’t exactly exist, especially in this economic climate. So, as I said, I’m pulling for complication-free since these teeth can’t be pulled (like what I did thar?).

I’m certainly glad I didn’t have the money to purchase the game. It’s worth a rental at most.