24-Hour Video Game Marathon

The few days following Christmas are some of the most wonderful days of the year.  Schools out, there are infinity leftovers to eat, and I generally have more video games to play than I know what to do with.  This year is no different so I've decided to have a 24-hour video game marathon with some of my friends. This will allow me to make a (small) dent in the number of video games I have to play.  Check back throughout the next 24-hours for updates and probably a little bit of insanity as the sleep deprivation kicks in.

The First Result when I Googled "Game Marathon," I have no idea.

Update @ 8:00 PM:  We have enough beer, pizza, and energy drinks to make it through the night.  Starting with Uncharted 3.  Time to kill lots of faceless mercenaries and destroy every ancient artifact in the Middle East!  24 hours to go.


9:00 PM: Made it through chapters 9 and 10 of Uncharted, taking a break to watch friend play through Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition, some things get better with age.  Except for The Library, that level just gets more annoying.  Here's a shot of our set-up:

Behold: One of the nerdiest places in Northern Virginia over the next 23 hours

10:15 PM: Random thoughts about Uncharted 3: the characters' eyes look way better in this game.  In Uncharted 2 they looked creepy and bug-like, now they are much more realistic.  The new hand-to-hand combat system is pretty cool but the game tries to force you to use it way too often.  Just because a guy looks like Jason Statham doesn't mean you have to punch, guns work way better.  Here's a picture of a chimp unwrapping a present:

It made me happy

1:30 AM: Nathan Drake's life is defined by Murphy's Law, anytime it would be really inconvenient for something to go wrong, it goes horribly wrong.  In one small portion of the game Nathan managed to destroy a cruise ship and a gigantic plane.  If the robot uprising ever happens we just need him to touch Skynet.  Then the evil computer will immediately explode in an extremely cinematic manner and Darke will emerge with his hair and his body unharmed.  

Made it to the last third of the Uncharted.  Apparently there's a twist and I think I've figured it out.


5:00 AM: Just beat Uncharted 3. The combat system and graphics received some minor upgrades but the story felt like a step back after the superb storytelling of the second in the series.  That being said, I still enjoyed playing through Uncharted's best Indiana Jones impression.  I hope Naughty Dog keeps the series going. 

Next up: Batman: Arkham City and some Gears of War Xbox Live


8:30 AM: Apparently there is an even higher concentration of 12 year-olds on Xbox Live at 8 AM because everyone else is asleep.  I want to avoid this, so I think it's time to get breakfast.


10:00 AM: Back from breakfast.  Nothing against Arkham City but it starts a bit slow and my sleep-deprived brain wants something more ridiculous.  So I'm going to start the only game that allows you to throw feces at strippers, Saints Row 3.  If this can't keep me awake there's no hope.


11:15 AM: In the first thirty minutes of Saints Row 3 I robbed a bank, destroyed six helicopters, went to jail, got out of jail, jumped out of a plane, and killed over twenty men while in free fall.  I did all of these things as an obese green man with a British accent and an anime style haircut.  I think I'm in love.


12:45 PM: Two hours into Saints Row I've come to two important realizations:
1.  Your character can die.  At points early in the game I was shot by a squad of thugs more times than Sonny Corleone but my character seemed unfazed.  I began to wonder if it was even possible to die.  My question was answered during a fight with dozens of heavily armed gang members, I tried to drive away but my battered car soon exploded and killed me.  
2. The Penetrator is a very affordable melee weapon.

Yep, that's the penetrator

4:00 PM:  Getting to the home stretch now.  Only four hours to go but I'm definitely starting to slip a little bit. The excitement of punching people in their weiner in Saints Row 3 has worn off.  Probably time to crack my last Red Bull.


6:45 PM: Too... many... video games.  I think the morality in Saints Row is starting to rub off on me.  I must fight this by watching Love Actually ASAP.