This is probably the most uneven feature on the blog, but I like to make me some lists from time to time. It’s just not predictable, I guess. Anyway, enjoy.
Not So Random Ten
I suppose an explanation is in order. Normally I start off a list day post with 10 random songs from my playlist. Lately, I’ve come to realize that my music selection has become rather stale. So I’m attempting to liven things up a bit, with some help, of course. Any musical recommendations are welcome, though I suppose I can’t guarantee I’ll listen to everything… Anyway, what this means is that the selection below isn’t quite as random as normal. Some of it is new, some of it is old, some I’ve heard before, some I haven’t.
- Vendetta Red – “Shatterday”
- Arcade Fire – “Intervention”
- The Animals – “House of the Rising Sun”
- The Mars Volta – “Aberinkula”
- The Mars Volta – “Metatron”
- Sufjan Stevens – “Come On! Feel The Illinoise!”
- Sufjan Stevens – “They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh!”
- Modest Mouse – “Paper Thin Walls”
- Rodrigo y Gabriela – “Hanuman”
- Sigur Ros – “Hoppípolla”
5 Annoying Things People Do When Playing NHL 10 Online
- Abandon A Game – This happens all the time, and it’s really annoying. Picture this: You’re playing a game of hockey online, and for once, you’re doing really well. The puck is bouncing your way, you’re putting up a pretty good wall of defense, and you’re actually getting scoring chances. You’re about halfway through the game, and you’ve just taken a 4-1 lead when… your opponent quits the game. Now, it can be intensely frustrating to play this game against someone who is a lot better than you, so I can sympathize, but at the same time, this is a douchey thing to do. Indeed, some of the Trophies you can earn are dependent on actually finishing the game (this happened to me for the Century Play trophy, a gold-level trophy I’ve been slowly chipping away at for a few months now). Of course, there are accidents. People lose connectivity, etc… But those are rare. This happens way too often.
- Watch All the Cut-Scenes/Highlights – Dude, come on, they’re the same damn things every game. There’s no reason to do this. None. It’s a big waste of time. Sure, you want to watch a particular goal because you’re amazed at how good I am (or you want to rub your talent in my face), fine, that’s understandable. But that should be maybe once or twice a game, not during every goddamn whistle. Also related, but not a full-blown pet peeve, are the people who pause the game constantly for some reason. I’m assuming it’s because they’re fiddling with their lines or something, but that’s still annoying. Real players can win with what they’re given.
- Play With The All-Star Team – Look, if you’re really that bad, maybe you should put in some time playing the CPU on Hardcore Superstar until you get better or something. Choosing the All-Stars as your team just pisses me off. It’s bad enough that most people seem to choose amazingly good hockey teams like Pittsburg or the Canadiens, but there’s at least a reasonable chance that those people are legitimate fans. I play with the Flyers. A good team, but nowhere near the best.
- Gratuitous Fight Picking – This is partly the game’s fault for allowing so much shenanigans after the whistle and there is a place for fighting in the game (among other things, it boosts your lines energy, etc…), but that doesn’t mean we need to take EA up on the offer every time gameplay stops.
- Playing With A Slow Connection – Really? You want to play a game that’s this choppy? Gimme a break. This is the one time I think it’s acceptable to abandon a game (but you need to be sure you’re not the offending party, in that case).
All that said, I am enjoying myself with the game. Now I just need to figure out the online league thing. I created a team and I have like 7 members on the team, but I can’t figure out how to join a league or play a game. I guess some of my other members have to be online or something. Damnit.