Spouse Aggro

Google it if you’re not familiar with what I am talking about, but recently a 16 year old girl had to be rescued at sea because her mast was destroyed by a giant sea serpent. Or wave. Either or. Now, the question seems to be: who is responsible for her?

I know quite a few people that would tell me that it was her own fault, being that she decided to take the trip, and that her parents bear none of the responsibility. After all, there are kids in the world that are doing very adult things at 16, so why doesn’t this poor little kid count as an adult?

I cannot answer this, but with a question or three:

1) Have her parents gone through the process to declare her an adult? I haven’t researched it thoroughly, but I think not. This means that they are telling the world “This is a child that cannot make these decisions.” If they thought she was able to make her solo trip around the world (which she did not make,) then they should have let her be her own adult. Each state has unique laws for this, I am guessing. Still, it doesn’t matter if they have never taken those steps. They essentially own her, and everything that she does, just like a dog. Of course, like a dog, they have to treat her with care and respect, and have to take responsibility for the trouble she gets into. Remember, IF they are still claiming them as “their child,” then they have made the decision to be responsible for her actions. (And please, no comments or re-tweets that say that I think kids should be kept like a dog.)

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Usually, once me and Leala set our minds to a goal, we achieve it. We have moved around a lot, but generally each move has always been a step “up.” The next time we move, we want it to be to Austin, to be near all of the great gaming studios and music scene (I can find a band again yay!) I used to play Austin a lot with old bands, and every time I loved the energy of the place, probably a result of it being a college town. Even the dives we used to play were fun, and the smallest of crowds were pretty enthusiatsic.

Leala wants to get into the industry, something that she can do. She has a ton of ability and a lot of experience in her field and can soak up skills and information like no one I have ever known.

Me? I wanna’ keep writing. I absolutely love having the ability to talk to people from all different walks of life, from all over the globe, and I enjoy the fact that my writing might actually shape, or help shape, someones opinion. Of course, there is my creative writing, something I want to pursue as well. Writing has filled in some of the creative gaps that art cannot. Unless I am doing my super-duper-fast-sketches, art just takes too much time. My brain doesn’t sit still long enough to work on the same piece for months at a time and writing is art that changes with each word. I love it.

So, wish us luck. I plan on starting to use this blog as a general diary, as well, being that my professional writing takes care of the gaming part. See ya in Austin!

Beau

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I have finished uploading 150 something brand new sketches (which makes 199 in total with some older ones) and will be selling them after this Wednesday. They will be 10 bucks for the small ones and 15 for the larger. You can see them at facebook.com/spouseaggro of at myspace.com/beauturkey !

Let me know what you think, and if you will be in the Dallas area this Wed, let me know! Let’s have a beer!

Beau

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Listen/Download HERE!

NSFW-ish

This week we chat about E3 coverage, Beau’s adventures in WURM Online, Leala and her adventures in Earth Eternal, and what might be right or wrong with APB.

The music comes from the very cool Tommy Hernandez, and is a very rough mix for his upcoming album. He’s smart and stuff, and all the girls think he is hot. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/tommyhernandezmusic

THANKKSSS!

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If there is one thing I enjoy about doing as much writing as I do, it’s the possibility that I will become better at writing. I am learning about certain little grammar pitfalls (thank to my editors) and even picking up stylistic tricks from some of my fellow writers. Of course, I am also able to witness some writers fail completely and miserably, and from them I learn what not to do and how not to react to readers.

Still, reviewing games has always been one of the most boring things I could be asked to do. I generally hate reading reviews, being that most of them consist of a list of abilities and details, and are often devoid of any feeling or soul. Most reviews are essentially a cheat sheet and nothing more. But now that I write at least one review per week, I am starting to really enjoy it. I have to get better, though, and want to get better at it. There are some writers that I am in awe of, but I know that I can get there in time.

There are a few things that I will never change, though. I will never just make a list of complaints without also listing what could be right or is right about the game. I have never met a game that was 100 percent crap. I will never accuse my readers of being stupid, or use such insults to gain comments. And I will always report just as I experience the game, not as I have heard I should experience the game. (Remember that this blog is not held to these same rules. Just sayin’.)

If, for example, I cannot even get the game to load, I will report that. If I cannot get above level 5 or aout of the newbie zone by the deadline, I will report that. I don’t care if the chat font bothers me the most, I will report on any small detail as long as it is true to my experience. I will not list class crit chances or game mechanics if I do not experience them. That would actually be more dishonest than if I left out huge chunks of what the game might offer.

So what do you like to read? Do you need to hear details about classes and gameplay, or do you want to hear about the exact experience of the reviewer?A combination of both? Reviews puzzle, but they seem to be popular. Like I said, I want to get better at them.

Also, as someone that cannot stand spoilers or leaks, isn’t a review listing such details about a yet-to-be-enjoyed-by-you game basically a leak to you?

Beau

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CLICK TO DOWNLOAD/LISTEN

EXPLICIT-ISH

Today we talk about SWTOR and the possible poor choice of making players (especially Star Wars fans) listen to hours and hours of quest text. Then, Leala is looking for a guild in Earth Eternal and we SCREAM ABOUT FRONTIERVIIILLLEEE!

YEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWW!!

You know where to find us. if not, you didn’t listen to the whole show.

Music by Drive By Truckers, a band I used to play with on tour here and there. We let them borrow one of our bass amps once and they ended playing a 3 hour show.

3 hours.

Beau and Leala

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Ah, the human body. Capable of so many wonderful things, but also capable of causing great discomfort if you do not take care of it. I take pretty good care of mine: I don’t drink or smoke, I eat pretty good (an apple a day and all that) and drink almost nothing but water. I exercise and keep my weight at a constant 135 pounds (since I was about 12!) I am a little, pretty healthy guy.

But we all have our things. For me, it’s minor asthma, horrible eyes and a really bad case of tennis elbow.

The asthma is easy enough to care for, being that if I treat it basically like seasonal allergies I am fine. Now, my eyeballs are not such an easy fix at all. I can see clearly to about 6 inches in front of my face, so wearing thick glasses is the norm for me. One of the reasons these thick black frames are so great (they are fashionable now, too) is that they are able to hold my thick-as-steak lenses in place. Also, I am conscious of rubbing my eyes in the shower or otherwise. No, I am not kidding. Essentially my eyeballs are stretched and not round. This stretching will not only mess up my vision, but I have actual tearing in the eye (my eyes are filled with “floaters”, little pieces that float around. You might have these as you get older). If I were to rub too hard one day, as it feels good to do after a shower or waking up, I can literally tear my cornea loose. My mother actually did it.

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I know y’all have been waiting for the announcement of Frontierville (makers of Farmville)….well, it’s here. No more waiting, pardners.

Yes, I’m being sarcastic. Go ahead and post your hate for a bright and shiny video game, claiming that it forces players to buy cash shop items and forces players to spam without giving them any choice in the matter. Go ahead, post it. You have my blessing.

Feel better, now that you have posted things that are not only not true but that show you as a heartless old man or woman?

Anyway, I played the heck out of it already. Fun stuff, better animations and more and better features.

Then, I resubbed to Fallen Earth. Wow, I forgot how much fun I was having in that game last time. I think time just pulled me away from it.

Then I have the Rise and Shiny Game, Craft of Gods. Broken all to hell, yes, but fun for some reason.

And of course Mabinogi launched their new update today, complete not only with all sorts of combat and lore goodness, but with wine making and fashion show abilities! I kid you not. They put out more updates than any game I have ever known. Brilliant.

I will be very, very busy.

Beau

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Download/Play

EXPLICIT-ish

Today we talk a bit about everything, and have a lot of fun doing it. Did I mention that I hate show notes? I mean, either you are going to listen or not, and while I understand that these notes might sell the show to a new listener, there’s  no way I can cover all the stuff we talk about in the show. Basically, we talk about games. Lots o’ games.

Find beau’s articles at massively dot com, Leala at ravenwoodradio dot com. Spouseaggro is the website, facebook and twitter. Theeeeenks.

Music by Aesop Rock. For some reason I picture him looking like Ali G.

Beau and Leala

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1) I can now not play it for free.

2) There are already many, many high quality F2P games out there. If anything, LotRO is catching up to the larger market that is filled with high quality choices, not bringing F2P up to some glorious higher standard.

3) Good luck to Turbine, and I think they are making a smart move.

4) Can people stop pretending now that they don’t want to be “nickeled and dimed” to death? Yes, yes they do. Just because it is being done with a game that you are familiar with doesn’t mean it is not being done. It’s not a bad thing, anyway. We don’t buy CD’s in plastic sleeves anymore, do we? Why wouldn’t the same iTunes approach work for content? (Hint: it does.) Also, we all know you bought that limited edition for the special cape. Welcome to cash shoppery.

5) Yes, this does mean that there will be more and more large purchase items (like mounts) in more of your games. Get used to it. If it helps, no one cares how someone else plays. Really, I promise. I know it feels good to say “I care that that guy bought his way into power” or something similar, but trust me no one notices. No one noticed when someone DID “work” for the best armor or weapons in game, anyway. You shouldn’t be playing for someone else in the first place.

See you in the fall, at least in the newbie area!

Beau

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Before I begin, I have to admit to skipping around games like crazy. I can sometimes literally spend an evening with several games, logging in and out, trying new things. Usually it’s a sign that I need to step away from them for a while, because my senses were a little dulled by all of the stimulation. It sucks when it happens, but it’s part of the job I think.

This is the honest truth, and I wish more gamers would admit to it. Sometimes you just get a little bleary eyed because of all the exposure to whatever it is you are into. When we would record a song or an album, the worst thing that would happen is that you would lose your opinion; all of it started to sound the same.

Minus all that, though, I have learned to recognize what triggers this feeling more than anything. It’s not graphics…games are all over the map where that is concerned. Music and sound is great, normally. Systems are not even the culprit, being that there are enough fresh takes on tired systems to keep any explorer happy.

It’s leveling.

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Look, I understand that it is no secret that Spellborn is always undergoing some kind of switching-of-the-hands. We heard it was Frogster, then Accliam was bought by..blah blah blah….who knows, it’s all blending together now.

Point being, there are people left in the game, and it has been rough to watch them struggle to hold some form of community together. It seems that in such an obvious situation, most players would get the point. But this is a game that basically said “Hey guys, we are going totally free until we get this thing re-released. There won’t be any updates, but we’ll keep the lights on for you.” So, now that players are attempting to hold the game together with duct tape, helping each other track down errors and bugs and walkarounds, now those extremely loyal players cannot even log in due to some kind of subscription error change. I know, because when I tried to log in it told me to go re-activate. Of course, the link it gives you is nonexistent and going to your account gives no option to subscribe.

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Yep, coming soon.

http://www.clonewarsadventures.com/

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.

Yay.

Beau

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