Captiosus
Shared on Sun, 07/15/2007 - 16:02It's been a while since my last post, so this post will be a post in three parts.
I. The Bigs Impressions
Well I finally got around to playing The Bigs. Several of my friends have recommended that I pick up the game, but I really wanted to give it a try first. I'm glad I did.
As an "arcade" baseball title, it's really good. The controls are pretty solid and the graphics are great. It does have some minor issues that I've seen, namely that the commentator really sucks and fielding is way too touchy for the fast paced, arcade nature of the game, yet the CPU seems to make perfect fielding plays every time. I didn't really try to experiment with the camera, but I found it very hard to field with the default camera angle being very low.
The problem for me, however, is that I'm just not a big fan of over-the-top, arcade baseball, at least not in the way The Bigs delivers it. This causes me to pause and reflect as to why I like the sport. I like baseball for the same reason I like football: Strategy. In football, strategy is "burst" - it happens each down, then they do it over again, repeating each burst of strategy until the end of the game. In baseball, strategy is slower and long term, much like a chess match, where you have to know your opponent, know your field of play, and pay attention to the numbers. I live for the numbers and strategy; If I know a hot batter on the opposing team is weak against one of my middle relievers, and we're up by one and need a clutch out, I'll bring in the reliever the batter is weak against. To me, that is baseball.
Unfortunately, this is also what plagues baseball. In this modern age of soundbytes, instant gratification, and apparently widespread public ADD, appreciation of the chess-like slow nature of the sport has dwindled (of course, steroid controversies and league arbitration arguments haven't helped the game's popularity, either). People who only watch baseball to see the "long ball" or the "high heat" will thusly appreciate The Bigs as it caters directly to those elements. People like myself who appreciate the strategy of the game.. well.. we're probably better off sticking to MLB 2K7 and hoping they work out some of the kinks in MLB 2K8.
As a game, I'd give it an overall 8 out of 10. Enjoyable to most, just not enjoyable to me.
II. Sleep Problems
On to a non-gaming related issue.
I have no idea what the hell is going on, but I've been having some major sleep problems lately. For the last 4 days, I've fallen asleep and woken up exactly three hours after falling asleep. I'll lay there for about 20 minutes and then pass out again, sleeping for another two to three hours. Six hours of sleep is respectable, I suppose, but the problem is since it's broken sleep, I end up feeling extremely lethargic and worn out all day long.
I suppose I could take half of a lorazepam before I go to bed, but I really don't like taking pills unless I absolutely have to. I'd rather try to identify what the cause of this issue is and fix it than take a pill to modify it.
III. Pet Pictures Addendum
In looking at my post regarding my pets, I realized I neglected to mention another of our former rats, Bertha.
Bertha was a rat we got from our veterinary hospital. She was about 2 years old and someone had abandoned her in their lobby overnight. She was nearly dead when the office staff came in the next morning and they nursed her back to health. When I had to take in Trigger for a respiratory check-up, my vet introduced me to Bertha and asked if we'd like to adopt her.
I said sure, but we'd have to wait two to three weeks to maintain proper quarantine procedures. Two weeks went by and I went to pick her up. She was a very frail, but sweet and adorable, little rattie. I felt so bad for her because she had been abandoned and practically left for dead, but she finally had a home that wasn't just some corner of the veterinary hospital. She loved people, she loved being held and loved sleeping in laps.
As the days went by, my wife and I noticed she was gradually losing motor control of her left side. We'd seen that once before. One of our previous rats had similar symptoms and it turned out to be a stroke. I called the veterinary hospital and, since Bertha's care was now a collaboration between the veterinary hospital and myself, they offered to see her for free. I made an appointment for two days time. Within two days, Bertha got very bad off. She could barely move her left side and we had to move the bowl to where she'd lay and prop it on its side so she didn't have to stand to eat.
Sadly I knew the prognosis was going to be poor. She had been through far too much and had barely recovered from being left for dead. Any kind of treatment was going to be "last ditch" at best. When the vet saw her, the vet was very dismayed because the vet agreed with me. They did a battery of tests and, sure enough, Bertha had some kind of stroke well before I even picked her up. There was little to be done, so we all said our teary goodbyes and she was put to sleep.
Did I mention the short lifespan of rats really sucks?
I. The Bigs Impressions
Well I finally got around to playing The Bigs. Several of my friends have recommended that I pick up the game, but I really wanted to give it a try first. I'm glad I did.
As an "arcade" baseball title, it's really good. The controls are pretty solid and the graphics are great. It does have some minor issues that I've seen, namely that the commentator really sucks and fielding is way too touchy for the fast paced, arcade nature of the game, yet the CPU seems to make perfect fielding plays every time. I didn't really try to experiment with the camera, but I found it very hard to field with the default camera angle being very low.
The problem for me, however, is that I'm just not a big fan of over-the-top, arcade baseball, at least not in the way The Bigs delivers it. This causes me to pause and reflect as to why I like the sport. I like baseball for the same reason I like football: Strategy. In football, strategy is "burst" - it happens each down, then they do it over again, repeating each burst of strategy until the end of the game. In baseball, strategy is slower and long term, much like a chess match, where you have to know your opponent, know your field of play, and pay attention to the numbers. I live for the numbers and strategy; If I know a hot batter on the opposing team is weak against one of my middle relievers, and we're up by one and need a clutch out, I'll bring in the reliever the batter is weak against. To me, that is baseball.
Unfortunately, this is also what plagues baseball. In this modern age of soundbytes, instant gratification, and apparently widespread public ADD, appreciation of the chess-like slow nature of the sport has dwindled (of course, steroid controversies and league arbitration arguments haven't helped the game's popularity, either). People who only watch baseball to see the "long ball" or the "high heat" will thusly appreciate The Bigs as it caters directly to those elements. People like myself who appreciate the strategy of the game.. well.. we're probably better off sticking to MLB 2K7 and hoping they work out some of the kinks in MLB 2K8.
As a game, I'd give it an overall 8 out of 10. Enjoyable to most, just not enjoyable to me.
II. Sleep Problems
On to a non-gaming related issue.
I have no idea what the hell is going on, but I've been having some major sleep problems lately. For the last 4 days, I've fallen asleep and woken up exactly three hours after falling asleep. I'll lay there for about 20 minutes and then pass out again, sleeping for another two to three hours. Six hours of sleep is respectable, I suppose, but the problem is since it's broken sleep, I end up feeling extremely lethargic and worn out all day long.
I suppose I could take half of a lorazepam before I go to bed, but I really don't like taking pills unless I absolutely have to. I'd rather try to identify what the cause of this issue is and fix it than take a pill to modify it.
III. Pet Pictures Addendum
In looking at my post regarding my pets, I realized I neglected to mention another of our former rats, Bertha.
Bertha was a rat we got from our veterinary hospital. She was about 2 years old and someone had abandoned her in their lobby overnight. She was nearly dead when the office staff came in the next morning and they nursed her back to health. When I had to take in Trigger for a respiratory check-up, my vet introduced me to Bertha and asked if we'd like to adopt her.
I said sure, but we'd have to wait two to three weeks to maintain proper quarantine procedures. Two weeks went by and I went to pick her up. She was a very frail, but sweet and adorable, little rattie. I felt so bad for her because she had been abandoned and practically left for dead, but she finally had a home that wasn't just some corner of the veterinary hospital. She loved people, she loved being held and loved sleeping in laps.
As the days went by, my wife and I noticed she was gradually losing motor control of her left side. We'd seen that once before. One of our previous rats had similar symptoms and it turned out to be a stroke. I called the veterinary hospital and, since Bertha's care was now a collaboration between the veterinary hospital and myself, they offered to see her for free. I made an appointment for two days time. Within two days, Bertha got very bad off. She could barely move her left side and we had to move the bowl to where she'd lay and prop it on its side so she didn't have to stand to eat.
Sadly I knew the prognosis was going to be poor. She had been through far too much and had barely recovered from being left for dead. Any kind of treatment was going to be "last ditch" at best. When the vet saw her, the vet was very dismayed because the vet agreed with me. They did a battery of tests and, sure enough, Bertha had some kind of stroke well before I even picked her up. There was little to be done, so we all said our teary goodbyes and she was put to sleep.
Did I mention the short lifespan of rats really sucks?
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