I recently picked up Euro Truck Simulator 2 on Steam. I also have to admit picking up Farming Simulator 2013. The former piqued my interest a bit for other reasons, but the latter I actually know I openly mocked. “A simulation about farming? Whoop-dee-doo!”

I never thought I would buy them, especially the farming one, but both are very good games for just zoning out. During the last few weeks I’ve had some long, stressful days at work due to a large project. Then I get to come home, which has been great, but there is really no time to relax with two young kids. Once they finally fall asleep, I just want to zone out. Driving a big rig down scenic European roads is quite soothing as is plowing a virtual field.

Honestly, though, I’ve always had a interest in logistics, or the shipping and organizing of goods. I don’t know why, but it fascinates me. Euro Truck Simulator 2 fills this interest a bit. It allows you to run your own trucking company all across Europe. You start with no trucks, so you have to make your first money by driving for other owners. I have only played a bit so I’m still driving for others. I agree that it can get slightly boring just driving on the roads, but they’ve done a wonderful job at keeping it interesting.

They allow you to use your virtual radio either with MP3s or a fully-stocked list of streaming radio stations, mostly from Europe. So, you can rock out to Pantera, like I did last night, while listening to Radio Metal France and hauling a load of forklifts to Leipzig during a thunderstorm. They also did an amazing job designing the winding roads of Europe which covers all the way from Great Britain to Poland. Obviously, it’s not to scale, but the drives feel fulfilling. The scenery is beautiful and the environment feels real.

Sometimes you find more fun in games you didn’t expect if you venture out of your comfort zone once in awhile. There are more games out there besides Skyrim and Call of Duty.

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Remember, this is my list of vocalists, not a list of the top vocalists of all-time. I decided to only choose vocalists who are still alive and active, rather than from all-time. This will actually come into play on one of the vocalists I put into the “Honorable Mention” section. They are also not in any particular order. (Most links are YouTube videos, but they should just pop-up and play and not require you to leave that page.)

1. James Hetfield

James, if you live under a rock, is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and vocalist of Metallica. He is sometimes used as the quintessential thrash metal voice. His raw power and emotion can easily be heard in his singing style. Also known for his use of the word, “Yeah” as seen in this cleverly created SoundCloud clip. You can follow his vocal journey by listening to the Metallica albums in chronological order. His vocals on the early stuff, like Kill ‘Em All, is not quite as powerful, almost whiny, but he has come into his voice over the years. He can even bring out the emotion in songs like “Nothing Else Matters.”

Hear it yourself: Metallica – “The Day That Never Comes”

2. Russell Allen

The one on the list that may be new to a lot of you. Russell Allen is mostly known as the lead singer in the progressive metal band, Symphony X. He also sings in the heavy metal supergroup, Adrenaline Mob, with Mike Portnoy. He is known for his powerful and versatile voice which he can use to sing in the normal, gruff heavy metal style, or belt out those high notes.

Hear it yourself: Symphony X – “Set the World on Fire”

3. Sully Erna

Sully Erna is best known as the singer in Godsmack, though he also released a more mellow solo album in the last few years. He is a little guy with a great big voice, perfectly fitting of the metal genre. Again, like James Hetfield above, he can be powerful for those metal anthems and slow and mellow for the slower songs.

Hear it yourself: Godsmack – “I Stand Alone” — Mellow: Sully Erna – “Sinner’s Prayer”

4. Lzzy Hale

A somewhat new entry in the rock field. Lzzy Hale is the frontwoman and co-founder of the rock band, Halestorm. Not being sexist, but it does take a lot to be a female rock/metal singer and keep up with all of the well-known male vocalists. Male vocalists usually just have more “power” behind their voices due to genetics. Lzzy is one of the few exceptions as she has raw power in her voice that doesn’t back down from those other male vocalists, yet when she needs to sing mellow, the male vocalists can’t even keep up with her.

Hear it yourself: Halestorm – “I Miss the Misery” — Mellow: Halestorm – “Here’s To Us”

5. Mikael Åkerfeldt

Mikael is the frontman for the progressive metal band (also described as progressive death metal), Opeth. I find his voice very unique in the death metal-type genre as he switches flawlessly between both clean vocals and growled vocals (aka Cookie Monster vocals.) I’ve never been a big fan of the deep, growling vocals until I heard Opeth. Mikael does it so well that it feels right and fits the song. If you would show someone a song he sings with clean vocals only and then one with growled vocals, they would never suspect it’s the same man. Also, he seems so happy and timid in his interviews, it’s weird to watch him growl like that.

Hear it yourself: Clean vocals: Opeth – “Burden” — A mix of both: Opeth – “Ghost of Perdition”

Honorable Mention

Vocalists that just didn’t make the cut for one reason or another, but I still enjoy.

• Layne Staley – He didn’t make the cut since he is no longer with us, but his voice was just so powerful and unique, no one will ever match it. – Alice in Chains – “Rooster”
• Phil Anselmo – Best known as the singer of Pantera, but also works with Down. Great metal vocalist. – Pantera – “I’m Broken”
• James LaBrie – Vocalist of Dream Theater. He gets a lot of flak for having a high voice, but he also has power behind which a lot of people seem to just ignore. – Dream Theater – “A Rite of Passage”
• Chris Cornell – Mainly know for Soundgarden and Audioslave. Another unique voice from the 90s that hasn’t lost a beat. So much power behind that voice. – Audioslave – “Cochise”
• Cristina Scabbia – Female vocalist in Lacuna Coil. Another female vocalist that can belt it out and my personal opinion is that she easily overpowers the male vocalist in the band. – Lacuna Coil – “Spellbound”

As always, I probably missed someone, even on my own list.

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I think I may have finally hit that point. The point where I’m no longer interested in playing World of Warcraft. I think the last time I played was almost two months ago and I’ve had absolutely no urge to play, even though my year subscription doesn’t run out until sometime in April.

Hell, it’s been just over 7 years since I first logged in on the Eitrigg server back in March 2006. No game even comes close to keeping me interested for that length of time, even with the small breaks I took during it.

I don’t feel sad. Syrana hasn’t played for almost 3 years now (or 41 years if you believe her entry in battle.net.) Though, I will miss playing with my in-laws since it was a nice way to chat with them.

I will always still remember my first character, who actually was Sideshow. My first non-Horde, Gertbee the Dwarf, whom I still play and is pictured above. My first 5-man dungeon run, Shadowfang Keep with some real-life friends. My first “real” guild, “Crimson Night”on Eitrigg. My first raid, which I think was Upper Blackrock Spire (UBRS) with said guild.

It will go down in history as one of the greatest games I’ve ever played. No MMORPG I’ve played has come close to it. It also does have the honor of being the first one I ever played, so it did raise the bar pretty high.

I’m not leaving for any specific reason, just mainly lack of time and too many other things I’d like to do with that time. I enjoyed my time in Mists of Pandaria and I think it was a decent expansion.  Odds are in favor of me popping on again at some point. I foresee the game surviving for many years to come in one shape or another.

The blog is still going to be active, in case you were wondering that. I still game a lot and I love you guys!

I leave you with this. A picture of a creepy bunny zombie. Happy Zombie Jesus Day from Sideshow!

The post Off Into the Nether appeared first on Sideshow & Syrana.

Yes, please.
Click for big, pretty version.

One of the big discussion points on SimCity so far has been its “internet connection required” DRM. Now, I’m not a huge fan of DRM, especially when it gets in the way or causes a huge headache like Aion’s did to me back in 2009. But, I also don’t think it’s a huge negative, especially if it doesn’t get in the way. People use Steam everyday, people love Steam, I love Steam. Now I know Steam games don’t usually need you to be online to play, but you do need to have Steam running. Due to the massive online global market and city regions that SimCity has, it’s honestly no different than an MMO. I agree that requiring it to be online to play in private sandbox mode is sort of annoying, but as long as EA and Origin can keep it up and not fail like Blizzard did with Diablo’s launch, I’m not worried about it. If you don’t want to buy the game because of it, fine, no problem, but if you’re so worked up about it that need to tell anyone and everyone while tossing in some f-bombs, I’m sorry, go off to your corner. No one cares.

It’s even coming out for all of you Mac players. Look at those graphics!

Beyond that I’m loving the new overhaul of the SimCity series. I played in the first closed beta. The data layers look awesome, the roads are now extremely flexible, and the completely 3D graphics are amazing. I’m looking forward to all of the deep strategy and not being required to always build everything to keep your city going since you can tap into other regional cities. That will allow people to build their own unique cities, specializing in touristy cities or industrial cities, or a city in the shape of a butt, etc.

I think I may start my own region at first to get a feel for everything before trying to play with other builders, unless one of you out there wants to play together in a region, let me know.

The post The SimCity That Never Sleeps appeared first on Sideshow & Syrana.

I finally decided to watch “Firefly” as it is now on Netflix. I’ve seen its praise over the years and was aware that it was a good show, but I just never had a chance to sit and watch it. I’m in a few episodes and it is really good. But, that has also spurred me into a space game phase.

Fortunately, I did pick up some space games during “The Great Steam Fiasco of 2012,” namely Endless Space, Galactic Civilizations, and Evochron Mercenary. Evochron Mercenary feels more like “Firefly” since you’re, well, a mercenary doing odd jobs for whoever you want. I played it a bit, but it has a somewhat steep learning curve, so I’m still on my training wheels.

During..you guessed it..another one of Steam’s sales, this time a Linux-related one, I picked up FTL: Faster Than Light for $5. I read about it and watched some reviews on it, but was not completely sold on it. I tend to shy away from Real-Time Strategy-ish games as I don’t enjoy the massive stress related to chaos. I like to think out my moves. But, since it was $5 I picked it up. I played one game last night and I really did enjoy it. It’s easy to pick up and play, not a massive learning curve. It’s not really an RTS, only during battles, but you can argue that any FPS or MMO is the same way. It also does allow you to pause the action to decide on your next move, even though during the heat of the moment, I never ended up doing that.

I did receive an email from EvE Online this month, asking me to come back into New Eden with a decent deal for 3 months. During this space game kick, I just may take advantage of it, but I need to do it within the next week. I usually end up enjoying my EvE time, but then getting bored because, honestly, what I like to do in the game can be boring. I’ll admit it. Maybe this time I’ll go in a different direction. Maybe I’ll actually get blown up once, something I’ve never done.

Do you go through any phases in your game play?

The post Lost in Space appeared first on Sideshow & Syrana.

1. Hunt the Wumpus

I remember playing this one on our TI-99/4A using the cartridge drive that was built-in. In the game, you had to move around a map while guessing which direction to travel. There were multiple things that could happen including falling into a pit, finding the Wumpus, or a successful move. The final goal, I think, was to kill the Wumpus. Another choice you had was to shoot an arrow in one direction, though if  you missed, I think the Wumpus would hear it and move closer to you. It also makes a good band name. [Wikipedia]

2. The Story Machine

This one was by Spinnaker Software. I remember that this game was on our Commodore 64. I vaguely remember it, but now looking at the screenshots I found, a lot of it comes back to me. I definitely remember the little characters and making them do things. I know I played it with my cousin, Ryan. We both had, and still have, a demented sense of humor so we had a lot of fun with it. Watch it in-motion on YouTube. Isn’t the Internet awesome?

3. Mattel Football & Bo Jackson Football/Baseball

These were two of the few handheld games I remember playing as a kids. The Mattel one was the first one and it was basically just one small line dodging other small lines, but dadgummit, we loved it! The Bo Jackson game, by Tiger, was a little more “advanced” as it used the little LCD screen sprites and it also allowed you to flip it over to play either Football or Baseball. I think I was pretty good at the Mattel one, if I remember correctly. Watch the Bo Jackson game on YouTube.

4. Metroid

I used to love playing this game on the NES. I don’t remember beating the game, but I do remember finding different power-ups, like the the ability to turn into a ball and better weapons. The future versions of the game never grabbed me like this original one did. [Wikipedia]

5. Kid Niki

Even though I obviously remember playing Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt on our NES back in the 80s, this game sticks out for some reason. I’m pretty sure we had rented it from the video store (a what?) that was down the street. I don’t remember it being a particularly good game, but we obvious had fun playing it. [IGN Article]

6. Super Mario Bros. 2

I remember when we got this game for Christmas one year. All of the presents were opened and this was the last one they gave us, for reasons obvious to me now. I sort of remember my older brother and I freaking out we were so excited. Don’t you miss getting excited like that over a video game? [Wikipedia]

7. Super Mario Kart

By the time we got this game for our SNES, I was now playing mostly with my younger brother. I recall hours and hours racing each other and battling in the head-to-head arenas. The original Rainbow Road will always hold a special place in my heart. [Wikipedia]

8. Mario Paint

This game required me to use a mouse with my SNES. Crazy. I spent hours trying to draw things and making simple music in the music editor. The one thing it did lack was a long-term saving option, so I never did anything too extraordinary in it. [Wikipedia]

9. Super Mario 64

This was the first thing we got with what we thought was the next big thing from Nintendo, the Nintendo 64. The game itself was very impressive compared to previous Mario titles, but since we got in so early with the N64, the choice of games was really weak. The weak choice is what pushed me to sell the N64 and buy a Playstation. That was basically the end of my Nintendo-only relationship with video games. [Wikipedia]

10. Minecraft

When I first saw information on the game, I was somewhat confused, as everyone probably is. This was back before the game really exploded, so there wasn’t much info on it. You had to load the game up, jump in, and just figure it out. No Minecraft Wiki. I fell in love with it. If 8-year-old me had access to this game, I would’ve never left my house. As an adult, I love the no-goal mode it has, but sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed by that fact. As a kid, that would be the best part. I’m really looking forward to showing my kids the game and letting their imaginations go crazy. [Website]

Which memories of your gaming history do you remember best?

The post Top 10 Gaming Memories appeared first on Sideshow & Syrana.

Recently, I got back into my Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim game. It’s been a long, hard road, let me tell you.

The first game I played when I picked up the game back in November 2011 is no more. Sometime after about 40 hours of playtime, my hard drive decided to, shall we say, resign from its job. On a hilarious side note, this was no more than 2 weeks before Steam enabled the “Steam Cloud” feature for Skyrim that would upload my save games to their servers.

So, I had to start over again. I played a bit before I got burnt out from doing everything all over again. This time I made some better decisions and I did know a few key things before doing them, which helped. I think it’s well beyond spoiler territory, so if you’re still in the dark, feel free to stop reading.

I decided early on to play the stealthy, ranger-type character. I like to sneak through my dungeons and kill without being seen rather than bulking up in heavy armor and charging in. This is also why I usually bring a follower, though they aren’t the stealthiest. As soon as I shoot someone from the darkness they decide they should rush in like a crazy person. Though, on the bright side, they do take all the aggro. I just pick off the enemies from afar.

This time I also didn’t kill Lydia, who is most people’s first follower. Last game, I didn’t know about the fragile moments when she is out-of-combat and kneeling when her health has fallen low. If she is attacked during this time, she dies..for good. I made that mistake last time and killed her with a badly-aimed shout and then proceeded to do some major stuff before saving. So, I decided to mourn her rather than re-load. In this game, she is still with me. I also got married in my last game. I forget who my spouse was, but I imagine it was a beautiful ceremony.

Me, in my badass Nightingale Armor. (Yeah, I’m a woman, deal with it.)

The other night, I finally hit the point in the Thieves Guild quest line that I had just finished last time. I finally took out Mercer, became a Nightingale and returned the Skeleton Key. I may actually be able to use my new found armor, bow, and special abilities this time. All I have left is doing some more side missions to unlock the special missions to become Guild Master.

I may look into the Dark Brotherhood quest line next, as long as it doesn’t interfere with my Thieves Guild stuff. I also made it bit further in the main quest line, though that is always the one I ignore. I played Oblivion for hours and hours and honestly don’t remember much beyond telling that guy that he was the new emperor. I always got lost in the world and side quests.

I also downloaded the “Hearthfire” DLC during my Steam holiday extravaganza, so I’m also busy building my new mansion over near Lakeview. So far I have the foyer and the main hall built and a nice, quaint garden to grow my ingredients for deadly poisons. I plan to go look for two unlucky children to adopt. I can make them sharpen my weapons. Maybe I’ll make Lydia my steward so she can be of some use besides ruining my sneaky plans.

The post Back to Skyrim appeared first on Sideshow & Syrana.

Here is a quick list of what I bought during the sale with their prices. The original price in ():

• Jan 5, 2013 – $45.00 ($60) - You Need A Budget 4
  • Ironically, this one took up like 25% of the money I spent, but it’s honestly the best, most useful budgeting program I’ve ever used. It’s already helping me (once I finishing buying all of my Steam games..lol.)
• Jan 4, 2013 – $6.24 ($24.99) - Evochron Mercenary
  • An interesting space simulation game that reminds me of EvE Online, but not on a massive server so you can play by yourself if you like or join/setup a smaller multiplayer universe.
• Jan 2, 2013 – $14.99 ($59.99) – Payday: The Heist – Four Pack
  • It was either one license for $5 or a 4-pack for $15 to give to your friends, so I was a nice guy. So far it seems like Left 4 Dead meets GTA. I haven’t had a chance to play it much, yet, but for $3.75, it has a low bar to hit.
• Jan 2, 2013 – $7.49 ($14.99) – Dear Esther Game Plus OST
  • I haven’t played it, yet, but it’s received really good reviews. Looks like an interesting “experience.”
• Dec 30, 2012 – $7.49 ($14.99) – Mark of the Ninja
  • I love my stealthy games and I’ve heard a lot of good about this one. I’ve played a bit so far and really like it. It’s not overly complicated stealth and who doesn’t want to be a ninja?
• Dec 29, 2012 – $29.99 ($59.99) – Hitman Absolution: Professional Edition
  • This is the one I spent the most money on, though it was recently released. I’ve always loved the Hitman series, but I’ve been absent for a bit. I really liked this one. I’ve finished the campaign mode and found it fun to play. The “multiplayer” contracts mode is also really clever. I plan on writing a full review soon.
• Dec 29, 2012 – $6.24 ($24.99) – Galactic Civilizations Complete Pack
  • Haven’t played it, yet, but it looks like Endless Space and Civilization. Overall, well reviewed. And only $6.24? No question.
• Dec 28, 2012 – $7.49 ($29.99) – Civ V Gods and Kings Expansion
  • Still love Civ 5, though when will I find time to play it? A good deal on a pretty decent-sized expansion pack.
• Dec 27, 2012 – $8.74 ($34.99) – Driver: San Francisco – Deluxe Edition
  • I always like the Driver series back on the consoles. I did play this one a few months back for a bit, but something came up. I haven’t played it on PC, yet, because I’m waiting to pick up my Xbox 360 controller receiver. Car games suck using a keyboard.
• Dec 27, 2012 – $1.24 ($4.99) – The Binding Of Isaac
  • Haven’t played, yet, but heard good things from friends…and for a price that is less than I pay for a bottle of soda at work.
• Dec 27, 2012 – $8.74 ($34.99) – Orcs Must Die! Franchise Pack
  • Haven’t played, yet, but well-reviewed. I’m not a huge tower defense fan, but it’s a nice diversion when I need something else to play.
• Dec 26, 2012 – $5.99 ($29.99) – Tropico 4
  • I liked previous versions. It’s a nice, unique play on city building games with some humorous moments.
• Dec 24, 2012 – $2.47 ($4.99) – Skyrim Hearthfire
  • Once I get time to venture into Skyrim again I can now start a family. It’s like real life in a virtual life!
• Dec 24, 2012 – $11.89 ($34.99) – Endless Space: Emperor Edition
  • Really enjoying this one so far. I did a full review of it on the site recently.
• Dec 23, 2012 – $6.79 ($19.99) – Dead Island GOTY
  • Another one I saw friends playing. I played it a bit. Looks to be fun to play. Need more time on it.
• Dec 21, 2012 – $2.49 ($9.99) – Garry’s Mod
  • Not really a game as much as it is a “toy.” Hard to explain.
• Dec 21, 2012 – $19.48 – Patrician IV: Gold ($29.99) Flatout Complete Pack ($39.99)
  • Looks like the only time I bought more than one game at a time. Patrician is a trading simulator. Some people may find it boring, but sometimes I like boring. I loved Flatout on the consoles. I found out that racing with a keyboard sucks, so will play again when I get that Xbox controller adapter.

So, according to that, I spent $192.76, but I feel I got a lot for my money. Outside of the sale, like if I bought them all right now, it would be about $543.83. I saved about 65%.

Also, you can subtract $45 for the budget software since it was not really part of the sale. It was just cheaper on Steam than from their website, so I went the Steam route. So, more like $147.76. Also not included was a copy of Portal 2 I sent to my friend for Christmas for like $5.

With all that done, I plan on not picking anything else up until I play most of these. Or at least until SimCity comes out.

The post Now I Just Need Time appeared first on Sideshow & Syrana.

One of the games I bought that I had previously never heard of was Endless Space. From the description it sounded like something I’d like.

This galaxy is ancient, and its first intelligent life was the civilization we call the Endless. Long before our eyes gazed upon the stars they flew between them, though all that remains of this people is what we call Dust. A substance found scattered or in forgotten temples, it once gave powers to admirals and galactic governors. The galaxy will belong to the faction that can take control of the Dust and uncover its secrets…

Endless Space is a 4X turn-based strategy game. For some reason I get into space-related games, but I have yet to find something I really enjoy. I dabbled in EvE Online, but due to it’s MMO nature (and famously steep learning curve) I didn’t get too far into it. I liked parts of the space stage of Spore. It was on the right track, just lacking a bit.

So, I downloaded it on a whim for like $6 or something. Well, so far I’ve put like 6 hours into it. My best description is it’s like playing Civilization but in space, since it’s a 4X turn-based strategy game. I don’t really like real-time strategy games like Starcraft. I much more enjoy taking my time and figuring things out instead of being forced to do something in real-time. At first start it seems really complicated with all of the customization options, but once you get into it and follow some of the tutorials you can start diving into the massive amount of game play.

I got it during a flash sale on Steam, but it’s still 50% off now – $14.99 for the normal version and $17.49 for the “Emperor Edition.” I definitely recommend it if you like Civilization games and space games.

Trailer below. Even though it says “Mac Release Trailer” it’s the same as the PC version.

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Check this tag for my other “Songs of the Week” posts.

Hopefully, it’s a good chance to hear some new music (or old music) and get my take on it. I do tend to lean towards Heavy Metal and Hard Rock, so most songs will probably be in that general area, but I will veer from time to time. I know music is very much like religion and politics, so I’m not pushing anything onto you. If you don’t like something, I respect that. But, if you do, I’m more than happy to get you more info on it, just let me know.

Most entries will have a Wikipedia and Last.FM link at the end for you to get more information and listen to other songs at your leisure.

Metallica – All Nightmare Long – It’s a good sign if your last album was released in 2008 and it’s still in constant rotation on my playlists. Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” was definitely a return to their roots. The song is James Hetfield’s return to an H.P. Lovecraft lyrical theme similar to the previous songs like “The Thing That Should Not Be.” Fortunately, they also just added their whole discography to Spotify, so now I can easily embed it. [ Wikipedia | Last.FM ]

Machine Head – Darkness Within – I’ve always enjoyed Machine Head. They sound a lot like Metallica or like they came from the early days of thrash metal. This is from their latest album “Unto the Locust.” The song seems to deal with praying to music and letting it free you from your darkness within. [ Wikipedia | Last.FM ]

Brendon Small – Deathwaltz – From his “Galaktikon” album, Brendon Small is the creator and main musician for the cartoon band Dethklok from Metalocalypse. He’s a very good musician and while it shows on his Dethklok stuff, he can also write his own stuff. The album has a Dethklok feel to it, but with a more personal style. He also doesn’t sing in his Nathan Explosion voice, but his own, so it is unique in that way. [ Wikipedia | Last.FM ]

Next song post, I’ll work on another theme.

The post Sideshow’s Songs of the Moment appeared first on Sideshow & Syrana.