tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28952962968597543072024-03-10T13:46:07.622+11:00Zombie Arcade - Game Reviews, Culture, and BlogWhere hardcore gaming comes back to life.Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.comBlogger419125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-6071676434795851972013-10-02T04:29:00.001+10:002013-10-02T04:30:20.691+10:00Battlefield 4 Beta ImpressionsI expected absolutely nothing from BF4, and yet I'm somehow still disappointed!<br />
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Awful (and somewhat strange) performance issues? Eh, I suppose that'll probably be fixed out of beta. I could actually believe that. I'll give the apologists that one.<br />
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But the netcode somehow being even worse than in BF3? That's just downright impressive. I'd let that slide too, since... beta... but it NEVER got fixed in BF3, so... I'm not exactly hopeful. Not only is getting shot a full second around corners even with a low ping still a thing (when it's not in any other online FPS I've ever played), but now you also have this fun effect where it feels like it takes 12 bullets to kill anyone, but you die in 2. BF3 didn't have that one, so thanks for adding it!<br />
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The map in the beta is an absolutely awful clusterf- in both modes. I guess maybe the other 9 will be better, but this isn't exactly a good impression if this is the direction you're going for map design. <br />
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The gameplay is even more focused on hyper-ADD-sprinting around shotting fast than BF3, which is... pretty impressive considering BF3 was already pretty damn braindead.<br />
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The UI is improved in some ways, but other aspects are even less functional than BF3, so I guess... I guess a pass there, overall?<br />
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The worst part is that I can't name a single feature or addition that significantly increases the value or enjoyment of the product that isn't something that was CUT from the series for BF3. Adding back in features that you cut for no good reason doesn't really count as new.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>So, commander mode and spectator mode? In-game VOIP? Naval combat that isn't pointless and terrible? Thanks for adding back in the features you stripped out of the series for no other reason but being too lazy to include them.<br />
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Levolution? Levolution is a gimmick. Yes, it changes the levels, but it doesn't actually add much to the replayability of the game. You're kidding yourself if you think it's going to be used to get much of an actual advantage over the other team, and the novelty of the cool visual effects will wear out pretty fast, and since you can guarantee 100% that everything that can be altered will be in every single match, it's not like you're going to actually have matches play out differently because of it.<br />
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There is a minor graphical improvement over BF3, so that's good I guess. The colour palette is much better and there is slightly less crap flying everywhere blinding me for no reason, so that's also good, but I'm not sure how many points you get for not repeating awful decisions that the community at large hated.<br />
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I loved this franchise for years. When the BF3 beta landed, I defended the game because it was just a beta (feel kinda stupid now considering how few of the problems in the beta were ever actually addressed WELL). I bought premium because I still believed in the series despite the mediocrity of BF3. I've tried to stay cautiously optimistic about BF4. I figured "This'll be the one. This'll be the game that is what BF3 should have been. It probably won't revolutionise the series, but it'll fix the glaring problems with BF3 and make the game fun again."<br />
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But it's not that game. It's another shallow modern military shooter with the pacing and longevity of an over-excited 15 year old losing his virginity. It's MW3 with tanks. My expectations were so low. Just a mild improvement over the previous game, fixing the major flaws. Nothing major. And it seems like DICE are determined to undershoot them.<br />
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I'll keep an eye on the game. Maybe I'll even buy it if DICE seems to have fixed some of the actual, plain-as-day technical problems and reversed some of the terrible design decisions (I only scratched the surface, this post was already too long...) If not, eh, I guess it's just one more franchise that used to be great but then sunk into an abyss of mediocrity so deep mankind cannot reckon its limits.<br />
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Guess I'll go back to playing CS:GO, ArmA 3, Tribes, or, hell, even BC2, BF2, BF:V or BF1942. I'd rather play something that's actually new and fresh than any of those games, but it seems like the only thing that's fresh in the shooter genre these days is the stench of the turds pushed out by the major studios, and without some big changes, BF4 is shaping up to be a ripe one.Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-18199381533117311032013-06-12T20:59:00.003+10:002013-06-12T20:59:24.145+10:00Xboned: Microsoft Have F#$*ed Up BadI made a Vlog today about how messed up the Xbone is. Here's the video:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dcdFLEOkm_s" width="853"></iframe>
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What I wanted to do in this post was clear up what I said about cloud computing in the video, since I didn't cover this very well. So here we go:<br />
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<a name='more'></a>You should be familiar with cloud storage. Basically it's the idea that you upload something to a server instead of storing it locally so that you can access it anywhere, from any device with access to the server. So like pictures you upload to Facebook or the videos I put on YouTube. Hopefully, these are actually distributed over a network of servers so you can access them quickly wherever you happen to be in the world. This is more or less what the Xbox One can do. Let's take the example of the Driveatars from Forza 5.<br />
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Here's how that's going to work: While you're playing, the game records some data about your driving style. This data is then sent out to a server somewhere and stored. Then, when people play a race, the Xbone will download this data about how somebody drove and plug it in to the processing being done on the Xbone for the AI. If the data recorded is complex enough and the way the AI works smart enough this'll give you a pretty accurate representation of how that other player drove (although how well this feature works is a bit besides the point right now).<br />
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What Microsoft seems to want consumers to believe is going to happen, though, is cloud computing where, for example, the computation for the AI is actually done on that server and then streamed to the player and plugged into their game running locally (to oversimplify a bit). This isn't actually new tech per se, although doing it over the internet in real-time is challenging. The advantage is that by taking some of the calculations necessary for running the game off of the local Xbone, it frees up some CPU time for other things. By distributing the processing that needs to happen to make the game work over multiple machines, you can end up with something far more complex. This would negate the slight tech advantage of the PS4 and but Xbone firmly in the lead in that department, and it seems like Microsoft wants you to believe that this is what is happening, and are using cloud computing as an excuse for their online requirement. But it's not what they're doing, and the online requirement is only for DRM.<br />
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For the above scenario to work, you need a constant (hopefully high bandwidth and low latency) connection to the server cloud so that you can receive the output of that AI processing (again, simplifying a little). If you lost your connection, the AI would stop working. You also couldn't readily have an offline mode where those calculations are done locally, because presumably the game is designed around them being done in the cloud. Suddenly shoving them onto the local machine is going to cause massive performance issues. The point is; this stuff cannot work at all if you're only checking in with a server once every 24 hours, which is apparently the actual requirement.<br />
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There's also a lot of other problems with that approach unless you can guarantee a stable high-speed connection with good bandwidth.<br />
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What this means is that ultimately, nothing actually essential to the running of a given game can possibly be being done by the cloud if you only need to log in every 24 hours. What does that tell us? This mandatory checking in is DRM plain and simple, and, problematically, it's the kind that can seriously hurt legitimate users. I personally try not to support that.Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-13167818254112321482013-06-12T18:52:00.002+10:002013-06-12T18:57:10.095+10:00Repurposing The BlogWhen I started this website back in late 2010, I was mostly planning to do text content. Reviews, culture rants, stuff like that. I had no real plans to move into video and I certainly didn't think I'd end up with people who actually pay attention to the things I do of their own volition. I pretty much only make videos now, though, and while I've gotten some use out of the email addresses associated with owning the domain, I don't really use this site for anything anymore. BUT NOW I WILL.<br />
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I realised late last year it's kind of pointless just linking back to my YouTube videos on an external site when everyone's going to watch them on YouTube anyway. And there's no point spending the time maintaining the site if I'm not doing something that actually has some kind of value to somebody.<br />
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So here's the new plan: Use this blog as a blog (shocking, I know). I'm planning to restructure this site around posting up additional content surrounding the core of what I produce, the vidya. Mostly this'll entail only updating every now and then, when I actually have something additional to say about one of my videos. When I upload a Vlog I might put up some more detail about a topic in text over here. When I upload short video reviews I can give more detail about the game in text. Maybe when I finish an LP I'll have some reflections on it to make. You know, things in addition to just the videos you probably already saw on YT and that might actually be interesting to people. And of course I'll link back to the website in the relevant videos so that people who mostly just follow through YouTube (pretty much everyone) know that there's more to be known if they're willing to read for a couple minutes.<br />
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This'll be starting to happen very soon. In fact I've got some additional explanation I want to do about a video I'm uploading right now. But won't really come into full-swing for a couple more weeks, when my exams are done.<br />
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Who knows, I might also post random crap from my real life that people might find interesting.<br />
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Like some kind of... blog. Or something.<br />
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Prepare your body. Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-53053029912202232572012-12-26T20:10:00.002+11:002012-12-26T20:10:53.705+11:00Happy Holidays From ZA! (Also, Rocksmith Gameplay)<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7G-uUpe0OY0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-67112229460637524282012-12-08T12:47:00.001+11:002012-12-08T12:47:55.315+11:00Battlefield 3: Scanvenger is Fun!/New Show Incoming<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dob5pf5aDzk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-28433821607330578342012-12-06T18:12:00.001+11:002012-12-06T18:17:55.086+11:00Battlefield 3: Aftermath ImpressionsAfter the scavenger video I'll be starting a new series for BF3. More info about what that will be in the next video.
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cc3hpQlQW5A" width="853"></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-53489513967449107322012-10-31T17:26:00.002+11:002012-10-31T17:26:40.815+11:00Medal of Honor: Warfighter Final VerdictCheck out the first of a new weekly column I'm running over on an Aussie news site! http://megaphoneoz.com/?p=2581
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<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kZ6eO1n9vZU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-61464085790625454212012-10-30T16:32:00.001+11:002012-10-30T16:32:24.268+11:00I Am Alive (For Now) Part 5<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lLSIYmdM7Vc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-22686398840706305582012-10-30T16:30:00.003+11:002012-10-30T16:30:21.182+11:00Medal of Honor: Warfighter First ImpressionsI may have lost control and rambled on a little much in this one but screw it, I was excited, I was playing a new game.
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<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KDwsrleKz4Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-61639879682033292732012-10-26T16:35:00.003+11:002012-10-26T16:35:38.447+11:00TtC Enjoys Medal of Honor: WarfighterI got it working eventually, there'll be some gameplay and actual impressions up a bit later today. But uhh... this wasn't exactly the best first experience of the game.
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<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ipU26iDh19E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-13438814167095331332012-10-26T14:36:00.003+11:002012-10-26T14:36:56.696+11:00I Am Alive (For Now) Part 4Long video this time. MoH:W first impressions tomorrow.
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<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0sUan4tPlO4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-71978614719128011192012-10-23T17:20:00.004+11:002012-10-23T17:20:50.030+11:00Battlefield 3: EA, y u do dis?Is there an angle I'm missing here that makes this make some kind of sense? Or have EA really just completely lost control of their minds. Let my know in the comments.<br><br>
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JK9pDApNAug" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-62963250448514957312012-10-22T19:52:00.002+11:002012-10-22T19:52:55.180+11:00I Am Alive (For Now) Part 3There will ACTUALLY be some BF3 tomorrow :D. Also, Warfighter coming out later this week, so look forward to that, you MP-focused folks.
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<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MIDenaLKtdY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-45659835699535863222012-10-19T20:36:00.002+11:002012-10-19T20:36:19.579+11:00I Am Alive (For Now) Part 2Probably a BF3 video tomorrow. Somethings have gone down that I wish to comment on.
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<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3Du-NNo8RnY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-77313714333532846672012-10-19T20:34:00.001+11:002012-10-19T20:34:25.980+11:00XCOM: Enemy Unknown is DOPE<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CdWVG1pAVdA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-79180467864893138902012-10-15T18:38:00.001+11:002012-10-15T18:38:15.057+11:00I Am Alive (For Now) Part 1If I can't find a way to fix this fucking mouse glitch I may just kill everyone. At least I've already dealt with the sound issue!
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<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Sz2YAzTuaR8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-84751014959405265682012-10-14T19:10:00.001+11:002012-10-14T19:10:15.073+11:00Battlefield 3: It's Gone NowIf you're wondering why my game looks the way it does, check out my last BF3 video about the colour tweaker here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHRvQCgNRtU<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AVRlnBPntgY" width="853"></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-91171386578627257252012-10-09T21:21:00.001+11:002012-10-09T21:21:05.021+11:00Let's Play Condemned: Criminal Origins FinaleAnd now, the conclusion.
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<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QnoR7MdhzyI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-77653249419468202872012-10-08T17:31:00.000+11:002012-10-08T17:31:09.993+11:00Let's Play Condemned: Criminal Origins Part 18Tomorrow: The Dramatic Conclusion.
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<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ONPZj78R3Gw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-46384236996755789402012-10-07T23:37:00.001+11:002012-10-07T23:37:47.240+11:00Battlefield 3: Dat Colour TweakerGo discuss this in this thread I made on Battlelog: http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/forum/threadview/2832654489997450948/
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And do me a favour and spread this video around if you like it or care about this issue, I'd really appreciate it. I might get banned for this, it'd be cool to at least get a little exposure and exposure for this issue out of it :)
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Here's a link to the colour tweaker: http://bf3.realmware.co.uk/colour-tweaker/
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Remember YOU MAY BE BANNED FOR USING THIS. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. DO NOT BLAME ME IF YOU GET BANNED.
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BHRvQCgNRtU" width="853"></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-71713912788576566252012-10-06T16:44:00.001+10:002012-10-06T16:44:36.655+10:00Let's Play Condmened: Criminal Origins Part 17A lot of the parts of my CCO playthrough unfortunately didn't make it over to the site. If you've missed parts in between, go check out the full playlist on YouTube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9C116D28B786E6B0&feature=view_all">here</a>.
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<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZjYD2FxcAyM?list=PL9C116D28B786E6B0&hl=en_US" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-23573166159590532682012-10-05T16:42:00.002+10:002012-10-05T16:42:14.594+10:00What's Happenin' TtC? (Battlefield 3 Gameplay)Ah yes... running aimlessly around the map while rambling. We meet again.
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<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RpxXYfzMR_I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-65707931740584744832012-10-02T18:50:00.001+10:002012-10-02T18:50:29.250+10:00TtC Enjoys Modern Warfare 3! Part 3Soon...
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<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/M5XIIjvWl5Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-77536843800375848662012-09-30T18:24:00.002+10:002012-09-30T18:24:52.185+10:00TtC Enjoys Modern Warfare 3! Part 2The fun continues!
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tJU-cqvo5y0" width="853"></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2895296296859754307.post-26239538801852161992012-09-29T18:29:00.001+10:002012-09-29T18:33:51.540+10:00TtC Enjoys MW3!I've actually recorded a bunch of these. I'm working on getting a new project off the ground, this was some stuff I could record/upload quickly while I'm doing that. So uhhh... enjoy! I know I... well, I certainly played the game.
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ODkwBs5cJgk" width="853"></iframe>Troubletcathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01688663912418471134noreply@blogger.com0