Some music for you guys to listen to while reading the blog, a nice instrumental song I've been listening to lately ... Somebody can teach me to embed vids into a blog if they like I have no idea.
I was reading over my previous blog entries from years past and I thought it was pretty interesting to see all of the highs and lows that I went through, as well as the way I wrote and how I feel I've matured since then. I found it extremely therapeutic and would encourage others to do the same. Life is a long journey and its amazing to be able to look back and revisit past experiences and feelings. In the past, I had really only viewed blogging helping out by allowing me to gather my thoughts or share ideas with others, while never reflecting or looking back at my own posts. Rereading things, there's so many experiences that I had completely forgotten about and some stuff that I still can't recall even after reading about it. It's pretty cool to be able to look back and see the road I've taken to get where I am today so I'll definitely try to keep blogging in the future.
I was going over my past entries and reading over posts about the breakeven stretches or downswings I encountered... I remembered all the despair and stress I've felt from those bad downswings and how I thought things might never get better but somehow they always did and things always worked out...it was kind of empowering in that I'm still here and made it through all those rough times, giving me confidence that things will always get better no matter how bleak things seem.
I think as poker players, we certainly experience more than the normal person's share of highs and lows. I think those experiences though will make us stronger in the long run, and will benefit us if we choose to leave this game behind in pursuits of other ventures. Anyone who plays poker long enough has gone on downswings and know how difficult they can be to go through. It's not even always about the money, but just the aspect of simply losing day in and day out can really affect one's mood and confidence. But somehow we find the confidence in ourselves to keep pushing because we believe in ourselves and that eventually with hard work we will prevail.
And I believe that is one of our biggest edge's in life, we have experienced more rough patches than the average person and always continue having faith in ourselves to get back up again to strive for success. We believe in ourselves and that hard work will help realize our goals. I'm reminded of the quote from Rocky Balboa, "The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!"
It's something that has been brought up before but is currently one of the more popular topics over at NVG on 2+2 (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/29...guyen-1148903/) ... all of this really is sparked by a book by Tri Nyugen and probably has a lot to do with the marketing techniques as well. I'm a big fan of Tri as a person but not so in love with the way that he markets his products. I haven't read his books so I cant and wont comment on the quality of the products that he is putting out but I do believe that Tri is putting out the best products that he can and isn't trying to scam anyone as a lot of ppl over at 2+2 were kind of questioning. Someone said his marketing techniques were reminiscent of Tom Vu, a guy who made his fortune from some of his ads.
Its a funny clip the way it was edited together as well and the quotes are classic.
I find its extra funny cause it does kind of sound like Tri, not just accent but also the sound of his voice. I'm not hating or picking on Tri here for the record, I do like the guy!
But anyways, on to the meat and potatoes of this post. Some interesting points were brought up throughout the thread about whether a coach needs to be a winner to teach others, the amount of money a coach should be charging per hour, whether almost all coaches only do so to make money since they can't win at poker and of course whether paying for coaching was a good idea in the first place.
Whether a coach needs to be a winner to teach others: Some people were making reference to basketball coaches saying how great coaches are teaching players but they never were that great players along with other analogies but poker can't be compared. I think the main difference is that for poker, knowledge and understanding is really the driving force between a great player and a good player. Whereas in sports, just having technique and knowledge isn't going to be enough. You need to have the physical ability to perform at a high level and be great. But for poker, as long as you can click a button before a timer runs out, your physical skills are just about as good as anyone else's. So I really think if you're looking for a coach, he has to be someone that is currently doing well in the games or has done well recently at the very least.
The amount of $ to be charged per hr by a coach: There seems to be a fairly common belief that the amount of money charged per hour from a coach should be equal to his hourly rate. I understand where the thought comes from, but it is just far too short sighted. I think the hourly for coaching should certainly be higher or lower than the hourly of someone playing poker. That rate will be different for each person and should be calculated based on the coach's hourly from playing, but altered based on how much he values a steady income, how much value he feels the student gains from lessons (If I plug a student's leak that will increase his winrate by 0.2bb/100 for example, over a year that could add up to well over the cost of a lesson), how much he values his time that could be spent doing other things in life, how much he enjoys teaching others etc...In the end, each coach is offering a service. He can charge whatever he likes for the service and it is up to the consumer to decide if it is worth it. Lots of people were upset that Tri was charging a lot for coaching, but if you go to the store and you see water selling for $25, you don't have to buy it.
There seems to be a lot of wild accusations that anyone involved in coaching is pretty much unable to beat games anymore and looking to make a quick buck or scam people for money. I definitely can't completely think these guys are fools as there has definitely been a lot of coaching scams in the news recently. The whole Girah scandal probably being the most prominent but there have been others as well. However, I think a lot of us coaches that are legit just enjoy teaching others. I loved tutoring in high school and thought about being a teacher before. I'd want to be a high school teacher though since its a lot more interactive rather than at university where you lecture and then say bye without ever really talking to students unless they are bugging you about whats on the exam. However the pay for high school teachers is pretty shitty so I wasn't feeling it too much. Anyways, point is there are definitely some positives to coaching others and it is something that I always enjoy doing and I'm sure there are others like me out there so not everyone is out to scam ppl or only teaching because they can't win in the games anymore.
I think coaching can be beneficial for those who are willing to put in work. Everyone learns at a different pace and results may not always be immediate. Students will have to not just listen to what a coach is saying but be able to put it into practice with the pressure of a timer counting down. Studying and reviewing hands with a coach and learning the proper thought processes will take time. Especially if its done during sweat sessions where the student is playing hands with the coach giving advice/theory at the same time since the brain can only comprehend so much information at once.
But if you are looking for a coach, finding the right one can also be difficult. Results are not the only thing one should look at. Coaching styles should gel with the way you learn and the coach needs to be able to express his thoughts to you well. I think that is one of the most interesting things about coaching or teaching someone. I tutored some kids back in high school and I noticed that teaching one kid with a particular style worked well but with another it wouldn't help the student absorb the information as quickly. By the end, I'd have a number of different styles that I would use for each individual student which really helped them grasp the materials. Results can often be doctored or photoshopped these days, so its tough to use that for a benchmark. PTR is probably the best indicator of results nowadays but I will say that my play on Ipoker is way off but it seemed pretty accurate for stars/ftp. I couldnt really imagine ever getting coaching from someone off 2+2 since there is such a lack of trust, personally I would stick to training sites since it's almost more of a regulatory body if anything ever goes sideways. For those considering coaching, I'd recommend trying out one lesson with a coach and seeing if his coaching style and personality would work well for you before buying into any bulk deals. With the right coach, it really can be very beneficial.
Let me know your guys' thoughts on the topic. Later
-Jma
In this year ending blog, I am going to go over in detail my thoughts on the experiences one would find waiting for them if they were to partake on a journey of playing online for a living. I think it will be a good read for anyone who is contemplating playing as a sole source of income as well as for those who have already started that journey. I'll cover all of the benefits as well as the disadvantages of taking the career path that many are not bold or skilled enough to take on. (After finishing writing this all out, I do realize it may be a bit long so hopefully you guys will get through it and enjoy the read)
One of the best parts of playing for a living is the freedom that you will have to live your life. Being able to make one’s hours and schedule really allows the ultimate flexibility in being able to fit any activity or hobby into one’s lifestyle. There really does not ever have to be a missed birthday or anniversary because of work related issues; Vacations can be taken as needed as nothing is truly set in stone. You really are the boss and do not have to answer to anybody which can be a very gratifying feeling.
However, this ability to create one’s own hours can also be a problem for some players. Those who procrastinate will often find themselves spending less hours playing than they should be and much time is spent on other endeavours or activities. Without a set schedule, one’s work ethic and focus are truly the main factors that will influence the number of hands played in a year. There are many other interruptions in life that can disrupt a set play schedule as well. A friend, for example, may call right before a session wanting to meet up for drinks or to hang out and it can create a tricky situation. A decision will have to be quickly made as to whether to put in time working or spending time socializing. Say no and some people may not take it well, especially since some believe that because you make your own hours, you should work around their schedule and just put in your session at a later time, but this can become problematic for obvious reasons if one has a flourishing social life. I think the best way to handle this situation would be to try to let those around understand that there is a schedule in place that is strictly adhered to unless there is good reason to not play.
It can be tough though to establish a strong social life because at most other jobs, you will have coworkers and bosses which will usually lead to outings where you also meet their friends or have work parties, but online you will mainly only be conversing with your colleagues through msn, aim or skype. It can be a very isolated work environment and also stifle one's romantic life. If one is single and no longer going to school, it can be very difficult to meet new girls other than through friends or going to clubs. A lot of people end up meeting their significant others through work, school or through social circle hookups, but if one is playing poker online for a living then none of those channels will really apply to his life except for dating through friends. One would actively need to set aside time to work on building his social circle or love life.
The friends that you meet through poker can definitely be great people, but unfortunately there are also a number of scum bags these days that you have to watch out for. And the friends that you are fond of usually only get to meet with you annually for the WSOP in Vegas unless you happen to live close to one another, are willing to fly out for a trip, or end up living together. I do think living with a group of professional players would probably be the best way to alleviate the work environment issues and it would create a better social environment while making it easier to improve one's game.
The way most people look at you is certainly different if you are a professional poker player. From what I gather from most players, they are often humble or embarrassed when describing their occupation with family, friends or prospective girlfriends. I believe declaration of the profession can be perceived in both a positive and negative light. On the one hand, it is a job frequently seen in a negatively. A lot of people have preconceived notions about "gamblers" and think that you are a degenerate from the get go. However, I believe most people in their early twenties are starting to understand playing poker as a profession as a lot of people that I have met in that age bracket usually know at least one person who does it for a living. And there are some out there who will truly appreciate the talent required and quite frequently, there is genuine intrigue created when one mentions playing for a living since it is a much more unusual and exciting job to hear about than someone telling you that they are an accountant or work in finance (sorry to the number guys out there but it's true). I believe that if you are proud of what you do and believe in it, then playing for a living will come across much better than those who are unconfident or embarrassed about it. Often having a stronger frame of mind and belief than someone else will be enough for them to join that frame or at the very least give more weight to what is said. You cannot overcome other’s uncertainties unless you are absolutely certain. But confidence in this profession can waver much more than most.
In the game of poker, one often feels the most confident when everything is going right. Pots are being won with rags, monsters are taking every chip in someone’s stack, the bankroll grows higher and higher and all the moves made feel perfectly timed. However, things do not always go so smoothly as I’m sure any experienced player knows… sometimes things go downright disastrous. Even when the right moves are being made, things do not work out. Endless streams of coolers, hands that do not hold, big hands losing to bigger monsters, bluffs being picked off and all the such.
With luck playing such a large role in every session, one can be sure that there will be losing days, weeks or even months. Not a lot of people can handle the emotional swings involved and the mental distress. There really is no set hourly. Every table is different and every session you play will be unique. This obviously creates an unstable source of income and it can be difficult to keep emotions in check. This may make things tough for those around you depending on your personality and how you will be able to cope on days where nothing seems to go right. Being able to compartmentalize and keep poker related problems away from family and friends is ideal, but can be difficult to put into practice. The longer a breakeven or losing stretch goes, the more it will take its toll on one’s confidence and mood. And as one’s confidence becomes in doubt, his play is consequently going to suffer as each move made begins to become questionable as to whether or not it is +EV. The more one plays poorly or starts to tilt, it will only lengthen the amount of time breaking even or downswinging. I believe this is the toughest aspect that comes with playing for a living. The fear of being unable to make money playing anymore, going busto, having a diminishing “hourly” or having to drop down in stakes can really be very taxing mentally. It takes hard work, determination, and self conviction to be able to pull through...
Just finished watching The Girl w/ The Dragon Tattoo. Was a pretty good movie, its a slower paced film than most these days which is a nice throwback to when we were younger and movies focused a bit more on character development and plot. I think it could have been a bit better paced early on but the movie definitely picks up and is intriguing throughout. Had a pretty graphic rape scene, probably the most graphic i've seen in a movie so far, and from what I read online a number of people walked out at their theatres. Only two people walked out after the rape scene in my theatre with about 100 ppl so... The sex scenes throughout def helped keep me awake, the girl had a banging body too...Looking on the imdb board, seems a lot of dudes found her attractive, myself included...goes to show no matter how socially awkward and even somewhat weird looking you are, if you got a great body and decent face, there would be a lineup of dudes wanting to hit that.
I give the movie 9/10. no chance I'd read the book version cause im not much of a reader and given the pacing of the movie, I can only imagine the pace of the book.
Things have been busy as its christmas time, lot of family dinners and get togethers so havent had as much time to get work done. I saw in Jeffs (lostinthesaus) blog that obama has given the green light for USA to legalize poker so hopefully we can get you guys back in the game soon. Games just arent the same anymore without you! At first, shit was real good cause I guess there's quite a number of strong american players at msnl and also more of the mass multi tabling variety so with them out of the equation, it opened up things for the rest of us to captialize on the fish, but now that time has passed a lot of the solid winners have managed to get back online and creating a more fierce atmosphere online than ever, but there is still a lot of money out there to be won. It really takes work though on one's game and a good grasp of poker theory I think these days to be solid winners even at lower msnl games. Things are changing a fair bit but I think coming up with lines to counteract the higher levels of aggression right now is the best way to achieve crushing win rates. I've been experimenting around a bit with some different tactics with pretty great results as of late.
Also started watching sons of anarchy which is an amazing show. Great actors/actresses and after watching a couple episodes, I was pretty hooked and powered through the four seasons in a week and a half or so... The show basically focuses on a biker gang based on the HA (hells angels)and it concentrates on the characters and their relationships as much as the gang shit that goes on so its a nice bit of drama mixed with action. There are actually quite a few gangs in BC, the UN, red scorpions, independent soldiers and HA... there was a lot of gang related killings a couple years back where almost every few days, the cops would find a body and that went on a for a few months. That probably led to me having a bit of a higher interest in watching the show but I still think its amazing and deserves to be checked out.
Anyways I guess I'll try to prepare one last blog post for the year that will be a good read like last year where I actually put some time into the writing and make it come across in less of a jumbled rambling thought type of manner. I'm thinking of doing some writing on my impressions of playing for a living, the pros and the cons. I saw Bw's post the other day and it seemed pretty well received and I thought he touched on some things that could have been expanded on more as well as omitted other things. Let me know if there is something else you would rather have me write about and I will consider it
Seems like FTP is in the process of making its revival. With the assets changing hands and the DOJ deal expected to go a lot smoother than the GBT / FTP negotiations, hopefully the animated cartoony poker site makes its return soon.
It is unclear how things will be for RoW players in terms of their ftp points and ironman, even whether or not we will be able to cash out freely is a concern. I know earlier they were calling players and surveying if players would be cashing out their bankroll with a penalty imposed or would be willing to play/wait until a later date when revenues are generated through rake and such to be able to cash out without any penalty. I also wonder if those with million dollar bankrolls did end up getting a call and asked if they would like equity in the company as of yet. I had a lot of ftp points and iron man months accrued and would be a bit disappointed if I lost all of it but at the same time, getting my money back would be enough to put a smile on my face.
Pokerwise I've been playing and trying to grind a fair bit lately, but I did make a 3/6nl vid yesterday which I thought will probably have some interesting spots so hopefully u guys will enjoy that. Once I get my FTP $ back though I should be able to jump back into the 5/10nl games which I am not quite adequately rolled for at the moment after cashing out quite a bit this year to pay for some life expenses and then hitting a 25kish downswing playing a mix of 3/6-10/20 usd and euros. Just ran real bad in some high variance games but I believe my EV winrate is still strongest at 5/10nl out of all the games I play which is encouraging as that has been my bread and butter game for a long time. Frustrating for sure to not be able to play in it as much as I would like but I think I will return to those limits at some point hopefully early 2012 even without any $ from FTP.
The 10million guarantee is coming up tomorrow as well which I am excited to see how soft the field is going to be. I have to believe that this is going to be the softest tournament of the year with 50,000 ppl putting up 200 bucks a piece. And the last time they did something like that it ended up having a 12 million prize pool so pretty insane. I only wish they would do this like once every couple months or something.
Physique wise Im going to start trying harder to put on the pounds and bulk up in size. My diet hasnt been great lately either and its starting to take a toll on the abs so will need to get better in that and start doing more cardio/lifting as well to help counteract eating so many calories. Forcing myself to eat healthy and eat a lot of it is difficult and a bit of training in itself. Im getting close to my original starting weight again after cutting about 20 pounds pre-vegas when I was doing mad cardio but definitely think my body is consisting a lot more of leaner meaner muscles right now compared to previously. And Im getting hungry now which means that I need to go stuff my face so I will have to blog again soon.
Im sure I will do at least one more blogpost in summarizing the year type of fashion so I wont be a stranger for long.
The state of the games lately has been pretty bad for 3/6 and higher nlhe 6max/fr games... Not a lot of games really run anymore and the waitlists are getting close to the point to feeling like I'm at the bellagio. As Harang mentioned in one of his other vids, a lot of the 5/10nl games these days are all solid regs with one fish that comes but usually doesnt spew of his chips in a radical fashion and will slowly bleed it and he has a decent chance of coming away with a win as well since there are just less huge mistakes made. A likely reason why there are a lot of former 5/10nl regs now becoming 2/4nl and 3/6nl regs. Games are tough these days and its important to work on one's game to stay ahead of the curve...
I was also dabbling around the idea of trying to go supernova elite next year since it'd be a nice change of pace, making grinding poker seem more of an RPG where I can level up and get experience points on my way to a nice 100k whereas nowadays I just try to put in hands and focus the best I can but often feel unmotivated to put in long hours and get distracted with a multitude of other things going on. I think maybe I'll try for it in 2013 but I dont think its a good fit for my life for the time being. With the amount of hours I think I'd need to log playing 1/2nl-3/6nl full ring (I dont think I can get as many vpps playing 6max without being a losing player) it would just take up pretty much all of my time and I'd be giving up a year of my life. But the flipside to that would be a very, very lucrative payday. But I think I'd rather stilll have the sense of freedom right now and the ability to focus my energy on other things as well. Not to mention I think it is pretty taxing mentally and physically. I tried playing some 7 hour days 18 tabling and it really gets pretty exhausting on the wrist. I think I would have to 18table for like about 40ish hours a week so would mean one day off a week and long days the rest of the week. If I do try to go SNE in the next year, I'll probably have to do more than 18 if I want to have some more time to do things.
I've never really been used to playing that many tables but it really increased the amount of hands I was able to put in and I guess that played a bit of a role in helping me identify more patterns in the way that players play now, especially in those limits and I think I have a pretty good feel/strategy for how to have a strong win rate in those games as ppl tend to play exploitably in one way or another. And not to mention at the 200nl games, there are still some of those mega fish that come in and do spew off their money almost instantaneously playing 70/50 or something crazy.
I would say its been a nice changeup and a good learning experience throwing some more FR into my game. There's just different table dynamics and player types that test your ability to adjust and also have opened my eyes a bit as to changing my game to better fit how my opponents are playing. I think just playing a variety of formats for a game will help you see the game in a different light and be useful. I think the only exception really would be if you only played HU then you wouldnt really get anything out of playing with more players at the table. But if you play 6max or FR, then definitely dabbling in games with more/less players will be a good test. I also find its nice to play fullring as well to help decrease variance.
So supernova elite will have to wait for 2013 and beyond. They say the world might end in 2012 anyway so why waste it in front of a computer!
Anyways Im getting tired... off to catch some Z's
-Jma
So pokerstars has been having their usual xx billion dollar hand promotions again and like usual almost all winners were at small stakes. There was some humour in phil galfond playing in one of the milestones and from what I hear folded pf, but there was also some pretty big controversy in the 70 billionth hand.
A couple players were just 24 tabling HU and folding every hand near I guess every milestone and eventually spiked one and made a nice little payday. Obviously abusing the spirit of the event as they are playing hands w/o any rake and also playing more hands than anybody else on the site at the same time. Its definitely an interesting way to spend one's time but I'm guessing if PS doesnt do something to fix the problem, every future winner is probably going to be at some HU table.
But its almost certain that PS will fix this problem cause well people not paying rake and winning their promo money is just something that I"m sure will not go over well and I also imagine that they can't just exclude any HU hands played in promotions like these as that'd punish players who are actually playing HU.
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IN other news a couple of buddies of mine that I met in vegas during the summer are visiting in Vancouver for a week. I've been showing them around the city a bit and its been nice catching up. Its definitely still a great place to visit I think even at this time of the year where there's a pretty good chance its just a rainy day but when its sunny out, it is damn beautiful.
Seems that full tilt's new potential buyer is doing his due diligence and calling around europe and apparently some canadians to try to get a better understanding of what players intentions would be if the site reopened. Callers were asked which were preferred among three "withdrawal" options: 1) getting FTP shares 2) instant cashout with penalty percent 3) Cashout over time with no penalty, the main choice so far is apparently cashout over time with no penalty. The third choice seemed to be the preferred one.
From what I can tell this is at least a positive sign that the Tapie group is working towards finding a solution to reopening the site which is going to be good for all players. I think its perfectly reasonable for the buyers to not want to have to put up all the money and try to share/diversify the risk as much as possible.
although no Americans were surveyed, they also would not be potential customers of the site for the time being. But if the site does reopen, I imagine that would greatly increase the chances of American players being looked after. I would find it hard for a large million dollar company to continue operating for years while owing $150mm to Americans and publicly refusing to payout.
I wonder where they currently stand with a deal with the DOJ but hopefully we will hear more positive news soon!
So Im going to ramble out some thoughts here as I try to maintain a good habit of updating this thing. Going to be a bit all over without smooth transitions but the writing should still hopefully be quality.
Still waiting on ftp reopening like everybody else but with no news at this point id have to assume that there is difficulties in negotiations between doj and ftp. A lot of people are concerned about the Tapie group offering equity in the company to those who have a ton of money on FTP which I dont think is too warranted given that Tapie is probably looking to "share the risk" on his investment in any way possible. A 2p2 thread that has an employee from ftp talking about ftp most likely not opening for another 3 months at least which kinda sucks. Guess we'll have to keep waiting this one out with fingers crossed.
Same old story of someone getting hurt and nobody giving a damn to help out but only this time it involves a 2 year old. I dont think its an issue singling out china's morality but it is reflective of a lot of places in the world. It is human nature for people to expect others to take care of the situation and to carry on with their own busy lives, termed the bystander effect.... obviously a broke old woman came to help out, often seems like the people who need help the most are often the most willing to give it.
On a lighter note, picked up arkham city and that game is pretty damn sick. Been playing it a ton and beat it pretty fast. Its fun to play as catwoman and robin too, I could easily have pictured this being an amazing multiplayer type of game done in a more traditional beatem up old school style Streets of Rage like game and it'd be just as epic. Goes without saying I think you should buy this game, its a must have.
Been starting to grind out some poker now that Im done with the gaming binge, midstake games are kinda funny these days. I open up PS and I see nutsinho grinding 2/4nl and also playing with 100k in a 200/400nl deep game. But maybe thats how the games have gotten these days that there's just not enough tables running at 5/10nl+ without hopping on super long waitlists. Been seeing chewy, aaron and even a little sauce running amok on the 2/4nl games too so they obviously have never been easier :P
Bum hunting to the extreme seems to have seeped down to the 2/4nl games a bit. I was playing a 2/4nl game built around 1 fish, few mediocre regs and a couple good ones. Fish sat out and everyone insta sat out. I dont even think the table played one hand afterwards. And to top it off nobody left since they were all waiting for the fish to come back, reminiscent of what goes on frequently at 25/50nl but to see it come to that at 2/4 was pretty laughable and sad to see at the same time. Even if you are going to not play when a fish sits out, please at least not make it so obvious that you only want to play because he is so bad... play another orbit or two and it probably increases the chance that he comes back to play instead of watching everyone insta stop the second he goes for a smoke or w/e.
Thats all for now, Im going to grab some food and work on preventing my abs from deteriorating.
Hey everyone havent updated in a while just been too busy w/ real life tbh as well as getting distracted by hockey and some video games. Need to put in some hands for sure but have been doing some gaming in the past couple days which makes me feel guilty and enjoying it at the same time... So i think I'll just blog about games im playing right now / have played recently. If you dont want to read about video games then stop reading at this point and wait for my next blog post
Got gears of war 3 / dark souls a couple days ago. I bought dark souls first having seen it was very highly rated but was kinda disappointed with the game so bought GOW 3. Darksouls has the look and feel of a game that could be absolutely amazing but I'm hating a few features about the game. The biggest problem I have I think is the whole stamina needed for running, dodging and attacking. Sure its realistic but the game is already structured to be pretty difficult in battles where you are full on stamina and not being able to attack or run cause the guy you made is tired is pretty annoying. Especially since making one misstep can usually insta kill you. Bosses can kill you in like 2 or 3 hits so its almost just something else thrown in to make the game tougher for the sake of making things more difficult. I mean the selling slogan of the game I believe was "prepare to die".
Not being able to heal very easily in the game also makes things pretty annoying. Mostly just during boss battles where they can usually combo you to death. Another complaint I have is that the game doesnt do that great a job teaching you how to play. I still have no idea how to leave notes on the ground for other people or how to give it a +1 rating as well as no clue how to hotkey items to use (just figured out what was going on with this)
Parrying seems to be very sensitive and the timing has to be perfect which isn't really ideal in a game where every hit takes a ton of health away so it kind of is being avoided for the most part unless I have to absolutely use it to beat someone
I like a good challenge but spending an hour playing the same stuff over and over is kinda lame. And usually I go through games pretty easily even on hard difficulties so I can only imagine how much time would be spent by someone with less skillz. If I was to rate a game near perfect, I wouldnt imagine doing so because the game gave a great challenge... but a lot of ppl do seem to love the game so maybe its just not my cup of tea. Its also possible Im playing it wrong and it could be a japanese rpg type of game where u spend hours levelling up before trying to beat a boss so you dont have as much of a problem and teaches you work ethic / determination lol....Right now Im stuck on the bridge demon part and will have to do some levelling probably
Gears of war 3 though is really fun, almost felt kinda too easy on normal mode so probly will replay it on hard. just a good ol shooting game and I havent played it online but Im sure that would be pretty fun.
I think Arkham City came out today which was a game I was really looking forward to but may feel too guilty not putting in hands and try to discipline myself to not go out and get it today/ next few days but not sure if I can resist. Arkham Asylum was one of my fav games to play in the past couple years. For me a great game is one that you can't stop playing because you are having so much fun and you never want it to end... its challenging but not to the point of frustration and I remember that feeling with Arkham Asylum and the god of war games but not really too many other titles have really grasped my attention in that kind of manner.
Even Deus Ex which was a really good game didnt really give me that same feeling. I enjoyed being able to play different styles in the game and that gave it some decent replay value.
Overall if you were looking to get one of these games I'd probably rank it as follows and since I havent played arkham city yet I'll just assume its equally as good as arkham asylum was as it seems to have similar ratings from critics/gamers.
Arkham City > Deus Ex > Gears of war 3 > Dark souls
Can't beat the big black bat. Deus Ex is a bit more variety of a shooter than GOW3 which is a pretty straightforward shooter but it'd probably just depend if you wanted to do a multiplayer shooter rather than a single and could go either way. Dark souls is still a good game but right now Im not too impressed. Its pretty disappointing as its easy to see how the game could have been made so much better imo.
