GameInformer

 

Some random facts:

When I'm not overloading consoles playing vids, I'm writing short stories or applying critical theories to all kinds of random subjects, games included. 

 I have a scar from a right-temporal lobectomy that looks like a question-mark. I'm also an Epileptic and I advocate for awareness against stereotyping of those with biological disorders that affect the brain.

I'm Boricua (Taino, Spanish, Italian, African) and Amekikian/Native American.

I'm also Two-Spirit; which essentially means that I don't like to be limited to a gender. Of course though, feel free to refer to me as a male, since that is what I am biologically. I am pansexual- in the sense that I recognize the beauty in all people and genders.

If you'd like to know a bit more about me or my more important views in terms of writing or other aspects of the Gaming Medium then you should read these blogs:

The Tao of a Writer

Through the Darkness: Hope hidden within the Hopelessness

Why Subjectivity is sometimes needed in Reviews

What a Blog Is [Not]

Bad Choices: When Morality Goes Wrong the Right Way

 

More will be posted in the future!

 

On my favorite pastime:

I love videogames.

I also love writing, if you couldn't guess from some of the blogs that span several pages.

Don't allow my linguistic acrobatics to fool you though. I simply am a guy from the hood with a big vocabulary and a college degree. I spent some time at my alma mater on the lit staff of our wondrously eclectic Coraddi magazine, and have also been fortunate enough to be published thrice there. I continually contribute to them, because it holds a special place in my memories, and because appreciation of the experience of storytelling - especially from my Native and African cultural perspective- is lacking.

I volunteer IRL by editing and tutoring would-be future writers and scholars in the fundamentals on occasion, and I try my best to hold no favorites. The craft of writing is, after all, something we all have access to. The art of writing, on the other hand, is another story. It is a particular craft that must be taught and given much practice, revision, and patience, along with identity formation. As a result of this, I receive more joy than any number of views a nubile blogger could hope for when I receive a well-thought or considerate response, even a dissenting one. Writing, for myself, and by extension, my people, is not only an exchange of knowledge and narratives, it is a ceremony.

With the worsening of my Epilepsy, I find myself writing increasingly less and often spending inordinate amounts of time preparing ahead of time, making the process extremely taxing, yet I surprisingly manage somehow. It is my final dream, one that I refuse to let die, even if my voice is reduced to a whisper.

On my hopes here at GIO:

See above. Otherwise, I'm more interested in seeing the blogging community here at GIO flourish collectively than aspiring for my own personal fame. I could care less about having tons of views - though I was surprised by a few I have- or being herded so much as sharing an important particular experience and improving my writing. Of course if I ever do produce such a piece, I would be honored. That aside, I am a Cognitivist in many ways, which is really just an Expressionist in drag. 

 

 On WGWC:

I'm feeling what BlackHeartedWolf's come up with here on GIO, and am a regular participant. I'd recommend that as many members participate as well to really set up a nice atmosphere here; it won't hurt to stimulate some stimuli and improve your writing either- you don't have to do them in any particular order either, although I'd recommend that you atleast do the first so you could introduce yourself. So, I'll update this section and post each challenge whenever possible.

WGWC Challenge 1  WGWC Challenge 6 

WGWC Challenge 2  WGWC Challenge 7

WGWC Challenge 3  WGWC Revival Challenge

WGWC Challenge 4  WGWC Challenge 8

WGWC Challenge 5  WGWC 8 Recap

 

NOTE: WGWC has been postponed yet again due to a lack of participants. It seems that the project has seen its end, but one can be optimistic; it has inspired numerous other writing collaborations here at GIO, so its legacy will be remembered.  

 

On GaMe:

I admire what my pals Prince of Snark Euphoric Ennui I and DJH have devised, and am glad to support it - especially since he's royalty and all, so I thought I'd update it as well so you can check it out to see what the fuss is all about. 

Introducing Gamify Me!  GaMe week six recap  GaMe week twelve recap

GaMe week one Recap  GaMe week seven recap  GaMe week thirteen recap

GaMe week two Recap  GaMe week eight recap  GaMe week fourteen recap

GaMe week three recap  GaMe week nine recap  GaMe week fifteen recap

GaMe week four recap  GaMe week ten recap GaMe week sixteen recap

GaMe week five recap  GaMe week eleven recap GaMe week seventeen recap

 

GaMe week eighteen recap GaMe week 23 recap

GaMe week 19 recap GaMe week 24 recap

GaMe week 20 recap GaMe week 25 recap

GaMe week 21 recap GaMe week 26 recap

GaMe week 22 recap GaMe week 27 recap (final?)

 

 

On Reviews:

Since my user reviews have a habit of disappearing on me, I've decided to post links to them here for people to access at their own leisure. As you'll notice, some of these are blogs, as they are either DLC or legacy games. 

Naruto Shippuden  RE: The Darkside Chronicles

Modern Warfare 3 (Herded) NFL Tour

Street Fighter 4 Assassin's Creed II

Mass Effect 2    Halo ODST

Halo Reach Fear 2

Marvel vs Capcom 3, Fate of Worlds, Spiderman, Edge of Time

Dynasty Warriors Empires, God of War Collection

Legend of Zelda: TWW Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker

Mass Effect 2: Arrival  Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Minecraft (Herded)  The Darkness II(Herded)

Mass Effect 3 (Herded) Asura's Wrath (Herded)

Prototype 2 (Herded)  Max Payne 3 (Herded)

Mass Effect 3 Leviathan  Fez (Herded)

XCOM: EU (Herded) Mass Effect 3: Omega (Herded)

Mass Effect 3: Citadel  Crysis 3 (Herded)

Bioshock Infinite (Herded)

 

Look out for more!

 

On Mass Effect: 

 

Well, you guys should know by now how I feel about it. I freaking love Mass Effect. But for those too lazy to scavenge through my blogs, I'll just post a link to them here for your enjoyment! Keelah Selai!

Countdown To Mass Eff3ct series:

CTME3, 1: A Comprehensive Review pt 1  CTME3, 8: 7 Characters That Could Be Squadmates

CTME3, 2: A Comprehensive Review, pt 2  CTME3, 9: 10 Things you must do in ME2 

CTME3: A Comprehensive Review, pt 3  CTME3 10: Confessions of a Renegade

CTME3, 4: 10 Glitches we Love and Hate  CTME3, 11: Paragading; a New view of Morality

CTME3, 5: Top 10 Underrated Moments  CTME3, 12: Fight for the Love

CTME3, 6: Top 10 Overrated Moments  CTME3, 13: Mass Replay, vol. 1

CTME3 7: 5 mates who need a 2nd Chance      CTME3, 14:  Favorite Battles of ME (conclusion)

 

Miscellaneous:

Update: Magazine Claiming to have info on Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer is Bluffing

Mass Effect Arrival DLC Review

Bioware and the Gamer's Gauntlet: Can Mass Effect 3 Live up to Its Expectations?

Lair of the Shadow Broker Review

In Retrospect: The Benefits of Importing Your Save into Mass Effect 2 

In Retrospect: The Benefits of Importing Your Save into Mass Effect 3

ME 2 Review

ME 3 Review

 

30 Days of Mass Effect!

 

 

This was a great series, based entirely on Mass Effect's universe. I spent months brainstorming the topics for this series - in which I'd post a blog everyday for an entire month - and even longer gathering data for a special miniseries, featured below. I spent months writing every blog beforehand and then planned every single one of them through the Advanced Editor. That's right, every single one. My condition necessitated this. Of course, I did edit here or there along the way, but every blog was already finished. A hospital stay is where I conceived of the idea first and ironically, a hospital is where it nearly would've ended had I not already been proactive. Coincidences can be amazing.

That aside, I got some wonderful people to participate in it, and I was pleased and equally humbled to see it become the success that it has. I doubt that I will ever do anything as grandiose again - perhaps when the next ME trilogy comes out, I'll do something similar. Until then, I'll bask in the relief I feel from completing this tasking project.

 

Again, and this is strictly off-and-on-the-record, I'd like to thank Saint, Catlicker, Mojo, God of Irony, Cameron, Colin, Jotale (the latter three my facebook friends), DJH, Masterassassin, Yusuke, Hist, Hannibal, Anticitizen One, Blake, Jolt, Commander Shepard, and Doctor Apozem for participating, and those who wanted to participate but couldn't for considering it. Naturally, my readers are well respected as well. It was nice to see a few new faces and some lurkers come out of hiding. So, I thought I'd give you guys a tribute of one of my favorite ME3 songs to pay some respect. It was a tough ride, impossible to some, but we rose to the occasion and succeeded.

It's been an awesome journey, but this Spectre's got more work to do in the galaxy, and lot's of fun to be had as well. Credits of this song go to the wonderful artist Malukah:

 

30 Days of Mass Effect HUB Blog (NOW FINISHED!)

 

Highlights of 30 Days of Mass Effect:

This particular section of the series highlights my favorite blogs I did in the series, and are strongly recommended as necessary reads. Make sure you check them out!

The 7 Greatest Moments of Mass Effect 3  The 7 Most Disappointing Moments of Mass Effect 3

The Ten Best/Worst Romances  Calibrations: Ten Best/Worst Changes of Mass Effect

Eight Defining Women of Mass Effect  Reflecting on Anderson

What I want: ME 4  The 4th Color: Why a Conventional victory is possible

Mass Effect MMO? My thoughts  Shepard Lives! Or not? What the endings mean

Is TIM the New Saren? I think so. Why ME3 isn't Complete without Javik

 

The Magnum Opus of the 30 Days of Mass Effect series, Building Consensus! Those who catch the Legion reference get one hundred internets.

Building Consensus, part one of four: Should EMS have been used? Both sides weigh in.

Building Consensus, part two of four: Which Ending was the Best?

Building Consensus, part three of four: Which Choice was the Best?

Building Consensus, part four of four: Which ME is the Best?

 

UPDATE: I was recently humbled to have the entire series Herded! I'm definitely in awe at the success and praise this has gotten and have to thank everyone who helped it become what it is again. It couldn't have been great had they not inspired me.

 

 

 

On Guides: 

I've noticed something. Whenever someone posts something on guides, others tend to edit the information and claim it as their own. So, I've decided that whenever I post an edit to a guide - which I always accredit while leaving the original info as unchanged as possible - I'll post that guide up here.

 

Mass Effect 3 Guides

Here's my advice on surviving Insanity mode on ME3: 

1) Never let any enemies (Marauders, etc.) get too close to you. Their melee attacks are much more powerful, and some - such as Banshees- have an instant kill grapple that can't be countered. I'm sure you might have experienced this before with Phantoms. Also, memorize their habits. Marauders and a few types of Cerberus soldiers almost always roll to the side when initially being attacked; Ravagers usually only fire when they have a static target; being under cover will protect you from being shocked by some of the Banshee's more powerful attacks.

2) Obviously, maintain cover. Most enemies now do significantly more damage in short amounts of time - Cannibals and Marauders are a prime example of this. Never allow yourself to get boxed in either, since dodging and shifting to new areas with the cover button can get pretty hairy.

3) Always have either a biotic - Liara - or a strong tech user - Garrus or Tali - in your party. Many enemies now come with shields, barriers, and extra health that you'll need to quickly deplete in order to get the jump on your enemies. Singularity works wonders on groups of enemies, especially if you've upgraded it to do damage. Combining that with a powerful tech skill like Incinerate or a biotic one like Warp is invaluable. Tali's energy drain and Kaidan's Reave are also useful.

4) Most enemies have shields you can easily destroy with Overload. Make sure you have a character that knows this skill if you don't, as it's the best way to set your enemies up for deadlier attacks. 

5) Try to have a couple abilities that target more than one enemy, since a lot of them will swarm you - as well as flank you more often.

6) Armor-piercing ammo and highly upgraded weapons are a MUST when fighting Brutes. A highly evolved Warp or Dark Channel (if you have Javik) is perfect way to quickly eliminate Brutes before they can corner you with their powerful attacks.

7) If you choose a sniper rifle, choose the Javelin. It's the best in the game, hands-down. While the Black Widow has a higher firing rate, it's way too expensive and ultimately still inferior to a fully upgraded Javelin, which can occasionally target enemies through smoke - especially if you have that attachment - and penetrate barriers and cover far easier. You'll want a powerful pistol or shotgun to balance your arsenal out, however. 

8) Headshots are always preferable to other body shots, especially if you have the appropriate armor to boost this. 

9) In Insanity, you'll notice a lot of enemies will seem to have replenishing biotic barriers (the purple ones). There's always a biotic generator somewhere that you'll need to destroy before you can deal any significant damage.

10) Don't waste your time using your Omniblade too often, unless it's chained behind a melee combo, as most enemies will dodge the attack and counter with a pretty nasty melee of their own.

11) I can tell you this now, as a person who favors playing as an Infiltrator; the stealth ability is practically useless, even at its fully evolved state, so don't waste too much time with it. Rarely will it work appropriately, since most enemies - when attacking you, especially - will STILL be able to see you and continue to fire. As you continue to play, you'll find yourself using it very rarely, so don't waste your ability points on it.

12) Having a tank like James Vega is a great way to have a party member that can soak up the damage and deal it at the same time. His Carnage ability, as well as his astronomically high melee attacks can be very useful. 

13) Don't be afraid to use your medigel. Enemies will deplete your health often, and you'll definitely want to heal your party members as soon as possible in tougher situations. 

 

Acquiring the Hijacker Achievement-

The "Hijacker" achievement requires that you gain control of an Atlas mech. What you have to do, is equip yourself with a powerful weapon - I prefer a sniper rifle that fires more than one round per clip- or atleast one that gives you a constant rate of fire; pistols, smgs, and assault rifles, are a good alternative. I recommend using an ammo ability like armor-piercing or warp ammo. Then, continue to fire at the canopy - the yellow shield protecting the cockpit - while maintaining decent cover. Eventually, you'll notice it begin to crack the more consistent your shots are, until it eventually shatters and kills the pilot inside. Simply run up to the cockpit of the Atlas mech and climb in to gain this achievement. Most of its health will probably be gone, but you should still be able to deal a decent amount of damage first.

Note that you cannot gain the "Hijacker" achievement any other way, such as in the Grissom assignment; you have to be in active combat against an Atlas mech. There's plenty of missions, especially side missions for you to earn this achievement, so don't worry too much.

 

"Saving" Anderson -

Alright, so there's a lot of confusion about how this works. People think that this means Anderson will live if Shepard stops TIM. As far as I know, he will always bleed out and die, without any hint of him still being alive. However, there is a way to prevent him from being shot again by TIM, which I think is what "saving" Anderson refers to. Doing this will unlock more dialogue with him before he passes away. Unfortunately, the trick to this is something most will miss entirely on their first playthrough because of its difficulty (you'll need the right reputation amount each time, so you might miss it).

In order to "save" Anderson, a player must use only Charm or Intimidate choices when the option appears during conversations with TIM, and never deviate (for instance, if you use Charm in your first conversation with TIM, you must only use Charm in the rest of your conversations with him; the same for Intimidate). If you do not do this, then the final option for either choice will remain grayed out during your last conversation with TIM, regardless of how high your reputation is. However, do this, and the option for either choice should appear, allowing you to stop TIM from shooting Anderson.

 

That's it.

 

Prototype 2 Guides

 

So Above it all Achievement

This achievement requires you to remain in the air for about 25 seconds. Early in the game, it's pretty hard to do this since you don't have your air dash ability evolved to its highest yet. Once you do, which will hopefully be when you've reached the Red Zone, travel to the Empire State Building in that zone and head to the top. Quite simply, you can also get the Icarus achievement by climbing up the building's spire. Continuing, you can glide from the Empire State Building's roof - make sure you use your air dash every so often to keep your gliding angle from becoming too steep. You should have the opportunity to use air dash either twice or three times. Either way, you should have more than enough time under your belt once you reach street level. When you land, the achievement should pop up.

Anger Management

To get this achievement, you have to level up Heller to the point that you are able to earn the Finisher ability. It requires you to destroy five vehicles using this skill. Once you have earned this skill, simply start a few battles with enemies - usually at their bases where tanks and other enemy vehicles will be located - and when you see a tank or APC coming, do as you usually would and mount it. With the Finisher ability enabled however, you can simply press "Y" once you've landed on these vehicles to instantly destroy them. Repeat the process, and you should have the skill in no time.

Hijack Be Nimble-

This ability is pretty easy. In this case you have to stealth hijack about 5 tanks or APCs, which simply means you have to hijack tanks - usually ones that are already commandeered without setting off an alert. I recommend starting a little chaos to draw them near - consume one of the soldiers first - then escape and shift into that form. Once the alert is over, simply return to those vehicles and you should be able to hijack them with little problem. Once again, easy.

 

Cannonball-

This achievement's a bit harder to get since it requires you to kill a bunch of enemies - 20 - at the same time with one Hammerfist attack. In the overworld of New York Zero, you'll probably never find that many enemies crowded around each other to earn it. (If anyone does, feel free to let me know) However, you should have no problem locating large groups of infected inside Lairs. Try to corral a group, and then have at it until you've earned this achievement. It's relatively easy when you're inside a Lair and I earned it the very first time I tried.

 

All Together Now-

This achievement requires you to get 10 kills with a single bio bomb attack. You can do this with anyone or thing, so feel free to use this on the general public - I did, in the Green Zone. Or, you can earn this while in a Lair or even the Red Zone, both of which are constantly populated with infected. A relatively easy achievement to earn.

 

Road Rage- 

This achievement requires you to destroy 10 Blackwatch tanks, APCs, or helicopters with a single tank or APC. The easiest way to earn this is to head to the yellow zone, hijack one of the two while you're at a base, and then do your damage that way, traveling throughout the area to different bases and destroying to your heart's content. You'll need to keep moving if helicopters appear, since they'll waste no time firing missiles at you. For those who just can't seem to earn this achievement, you can simply change the difficulty and then you should bag it in no time. Just remember that if you do this, you won't be able to earn the Master prototype achievement if you haven't beaten the game yet on Hard.

 

The Floor is Lava-

This achievement requires you to travel half a mile using glide, jump, wall run, and air dash without touching the street floor or the roofs of buildings. The easiest way to do this is when you've upgraded your air dash to the highest point - and your jump ability also. Head to the Empire State Building in the Red Zone, and then have at it, running up the side of the building, jumping off the side and gliding for awhile, then returning once your glide becomes too steep and repeating this until you've earned the achievement, which shouldn't take too much time. It seems hard at first, but it really isn't. Note that you can do this with any tall building. I just chose the tallest.

 

Strike, You're Out.-

This achievement requires you to destroy a Strike Team in 15 seconds or less. I recommend the Yellow Zone. To earn this, head to a base there and hijack a helicopter. Once you do, cause a little mayhem until a strike team is called - which will always be one single helicopter. Fly over to the helicopter and destroy it - preferably with missiles - to earn this achievement. 

 

These are just a few things I've learned while playing, but I'll share more with you when the time comes.

 

On Blogging Etiquette:

As a follower of the Middle Way, it's important for me not to veer too far into certain extremes. As a result, there'll be times I or you might disagree on an issue, but nomatter how strongly it contradicts my beliefs or standpoint, I'll respect your opinion. I'm a nice guy on average, but I'm also not a gullible one, so here's a warning for wouldbe trolls and "unwashed masses" -as a wise blogger once said- to heed when visiting my articles.

1) Try to pass off opinio as scientia and I'll demolish you quicker than a Tactical Nuke explosion. Superimpose your preferences on others and I'll refrain from sparing the use of my profile's editing features.

2) When I delete you, I *delete* you. You know, like those Facebook junkies who delete friends like they're deleting people from existence. The same however, is said for past grudges and misunderstandings. I'm always willing to commune with others and amend any conflicts in the name of Zelda- so long as you aren't a uruk-hai. 

3) Remind yourself that gamers aren't monolithic. We all have different tastes and standards, and as a result, some which will inevitably clash. Thus, try to step out of your comfort zone and understand things from their perspective. You don't have to agree with a person to be respectful toward them.

4) By all means, when visiting my blogs, please respect the GIO Blogging Community and read first before you offer input. It tires me to no end when individuals have a) grossly ignored information that contradicts their critique b) overlooked answers for questions they might have c) deliberately exaggerated another's argument or made baseless claims d) broken the general rules set forth by this site. I don't particularly care how in-depth your comment is, so long as it is coherent. 

5) No grammar Nazis- unless you're critiquing my posts! Then, I'll just brag about my shiny little useless English degree and how I can use neologisms and you can't, herp-derp.

 

On Who I Admire here at GIO:

There are lot's of interesting people here at this site, and quite a few I've developed a rapport with, so I thought I'd like to acknowledge them here: just click on your profile page, take a gander, and you'll know.

 

Groups I'm a Member of and other things:

I used to be a pretty active lurker of the forums, but those are pretty dead now. I still visit a few of them however, and I'd like to describe which ones are worth a visit.

The Official GTA Safehouse

Unfortunately, this group is dead as a doorknob. We'll probably see a meager amount of action again in the future, but not with Rockstar giving players such little information on GTA V. 

The Official Bioshock Aquarium

This group is also currently dead. I expect more activity once Infinite releases, but otherwise no one's been visiting Rapture.

The Official Tekken Group

This group was once an extremely active one. Now everyone who was participating simply miraculously disappeared and the site's been vacant ever since. Even if it were deleted from the annals of history, I doubt anyone would currently miss it.

The Official Final Fantasy Group

Once every blue moon, this group gets activity. Other than that, not much occurs here.

The Official Halo Haven

This place isn't very active, but there are posters from time to time. There haven't been many new topics to bring up, though, aside from 343's new extension of the Halo franchise.

The Official COD forum

This is COD. You know it's going to be active.

The Official Valve Clan

This isn't a really active group, but it also isn't a group that's dead. You have a modest amount of participants posting occasionally, so I recommend a visit.

Movies

Active.

Writer's Guild

Inactive, but not dead.

The Official Mass Effect Group

This group is currently undergoing the Lazarus Project.

The Official Elder Scrolls Group

This group isn't really active much either. Currently dead. Once ESO information surfaces, I'm sure it'll explode with life again.

The Official Assassin's Creed Group

This group is very active.

Site Feedback

Does it matter? 

The Official Red Dead Redemption Watering Hole

Deader than Marston himself.

The Official Minecraft Builder's Group

It's Minecraft. There's always something going on.

The Star Wars Group

The Force is strong here.

The Official Survival Horror Group

This group is very active, since there's lots of things to talk about.

The Newcomer's Cheat Sheet

Recommended reading for everyone, noob and vet.

GIO User Guidelines

People seem to think we don't have rules here at GIO. I recommend you check these out, especially the ones on blogging. "BLOGGING? There are actually rules?" Yeah, there are.

That's all for now. I'll update this occasionally.

 

GIO Achievements

This wonderful project is orchestrated primarily by none other than Saint, with some help from Born4this, and is something I look forward to once it finally kicks into gear. I wrote a blog discussing some of the main achievements in the first round he unveiled, as well as their possible merits and drawbacks. I recommend you check it out here. I even have some achievements of my own I've been thinking of for a bit of fun, but those are top-secret.

You can also check out Saint's blogs here and here.

Anyway, I thought I'd list the achievements I currently have and don't have, based on this system. Naturally it will be updated with time:

Blog Comment Totals: highest tier

Blog View Totals (single): first tier (one blog's nearly got 5,000, so I'll be second tier soon)

Total Blog Views: as of 9:22, 10/1/12, I have 61,300 views total

Monthly Blog Count: achieved with my ME 30/30

Forum Post Totals: accomplished at highest tier

Comments: I'm pretty far, past the first tier

Guides: Look at my page. Of course I've got this one.

User Reviews: Look at my page. 

Podcast Totals: Don't have any, but if certain plans go into fruition... hehe

Moderator Comments: Isn't this ironic lol. So far, I've got about 12. Only 8 more, and I'll have this mastered.

Staff comments: None.

Blog on Fire: I've got one blog on fire so far, with quite a few others on the way.

Comment on Fire: I've got one comment on fire, just need four more.

RHIP: I'm at level thirteen right now, soon to be fourteen.

 

Friends in high places: Not yet, but will soon enough

I fought the Law: This will be a cinch once I have the time to team up with some other GIOers.

That was then, this is Now: Ironically, I was here on an old account I deleted before the major changes, but didn't start this account until 09. I probably wouldn't qualify on a technicality as a result, but I'm still Totally Breakfast!

Read the Fine Print: Not happening any time soon.

You've Got Mail: Haven't been featured in the Newsletter, and I doubt I will be.

You have the Right to Remain Silent:  Thankfully, this hasn't happened, nor do I intend to shoot for this achievement.

Green Eggs and Spam: I think I'll earn this the next time I'm fishing for noob posters.

Heard it on the Radio: Doubt I'll ever get this.

Take me to your leader: Disabled, so won't be getting this either.

I am Legend: Not much of one for show, so I doubt I'd get this either.

Good Samaritan: Soon as I get the chance, I will be donating.

Top Gun: This is an award that only Pon can get, sadly.

Official Member of the Peanut Gallery: Also doubtful about this one.

Assume Nothing: No intentions of earning this.

Handle with Care: Not in my territory.

The Royal Imperial Guard: It will be interesting to see who earns this.

Overachiever: Well, with time I might earn this.

On Moderating: 

I'm now officially a moderator here on GIO. Given a recent interest with the latest promotion of new moderators here at GIO - including myself - I thought I'd let you know that becoming a mod isn't easy, nor something you should try to "shoot for" while you're here on this site. It's something that requires a lot of responsibility, and mods are nominated to uphold those duties.

I'd also like to say that contrary to what others would claim, mods aren't here to scare you into conformity. That's never our mission. We're here to make sure that discussions, whether passionate in nature or general, are held responsibly. You don't have to agree, as I've emphasized before, with another's opinions to be respectful. A warning thus, is not a threat, but an entreaty. We've seen seemingly harmless statements - to the user anyway - incite flame wars and vitriol filled with hatred and pointless personal insults, including bigotry.

I've even seen people recommend genocide before and tell other people to commit suicide - and I've only modded here for a few months so far - and most of these incidents started with minor statements the original user never took into account beforehand. With this in mind, please recognize that my goal especially is to be proactive and to possibly curtail this from happening. In that respect, at least reciprocate and do the same, so that we here at GIO can perhaps engage the more controversial subjects without having to worry about entire articles being taken down over the vitriol that eventually erupts.

We're not invincible, contrary to what others would have you think: Mods answer to the editors of GIO and other superiors, as well as each other. All our bans -exempting spam profiles- are logged and recorded, and in several cases, based on the actions of the users affected, bans have been shortened. In cases where they showed a refusal to improve their behavior, they have been lengthened. Remember that freedom of speech doesn't mean that you can express yourself with impunity; this is a videogame website with site guidelines that users automatically agree to follow once they create an account here. Users have a responsibility to follow those guidelines, and if they don't then the proper disciplinary measures will be taken.  

It's been a while since I've modded - I did so on an old website some friends maintained - but I'm quickly getting accustomed to the feel of this website and am proud to help out the community, so feel free to come to me if there's a spam problem that needs addressing, or if there's a particularly unruly member that needs a pep talk. Note that I am not a bubblegum machine, so choose your complaints carefully and make sure they're serious; a dissenter with an opinion you don't like  does not a troll make, so please don't waste my time reporting people over trivial matters. Offensive language of a severe nature however, is something I'll consider dealing with.

I honestly don't know why I was chosen apart from being very active on this site, but I'm nonetheless humbled to serve the community. I've been here for quite some time actually on a different profile - back when the forums weren't a veritable spaghetti western with posses of spam terrorizing the boards and when attaining ranks was fun; I was never "totally breakfast!", but I knew quite a few who did get that coveted title. While others choose to be disillusioned, I simply choose to see the new changes as a challenge I have no problem confronting. Either way, it's been a blessing getting to know so many people, even if most of them are gone now. There have been plenty of new additions however, who've built up quite a reputation, while other recruits fell by the wayside chasing mirages. I hope all reading this will achieve their dreams and I say best of luck to you.

An Altercation with a previous member of this site raised issues about something important that all members should be aware of. If you ever run into a situation where you feel you were banned unjustly, I implore you, report your problem to the staff of this site - including Joey Guerra. We want to make sure that users feel comfortable on this site and not unfairly discriminated upon. 

 

Other cool sites for Gamers: 

This section is devoted to sites that I'd like to promote for fellow members to grow their community as well as provide exposure. Feel free to visit these places and support your fellow gamers! If you've got a site that you're active on outside of GIO, feel free to let me know and I'll promote it.

Ftngamers  

Awesomeoutof10

Omega Twilight Infinity

CinEffect

And a Special Tribute to the person I shall always have nothing but the fondest memories of!

 

That's all for now. I've got some trolls to hunt down.