There is a prevailing belief in the creative world, that perfection simply cannot be improved upon, and there is real merit to that line of thinking. Because there are movies, books and video games that never once elicit a complaint and are beloved by all and poured over by scholars, because the story they bring to the table is iconic and powerful and really, how does one improve upon that? But despite the fact that some stories achieve that magnificent status, that sure doesn’t stop people from trying to reimagine or remake them, and some of the creators of these stories, even go so far as to tinker with their own perfect works, and for proof look no further than George Lucas.
​
But while George has taken some flak for his tinkering with the storylines of the original Star Wars trilogy, there is one element that he and other tinkerers are correct in trying to improve upon, in regard to perfect stories; the technology. Because some of these tales are simply ahead of their time, and what needs to be accomplished on the screen in order to provide a flawless experience, simply isn’t available at the time of the story’s creation. Which means sometimes, going back and fixing those little flaws only enhances an amazing story further. And recently, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which is a perfect video game (story wise), just found its way back to the market with major improvements made to its ‘visual effects’.

Because let’s be honest, the original graphics engines that handled the first iteration of this game were nowhere near as powerful as they are now, which made for a thrilling but not truly immersive experience, something that is fixed in this new version of the game. Because this new ‘cut’ is breathtaking to say the least, for the visuals simply pop off the screen and the amount of detail that’s present in this remastering is downright ridiculous. For every little thing was fawned over at the studio. From something as simple as to how plumes of smoke move in the background during the Battle for America, to how the blood spatter lands when you waste a tango and those little details matter because they help to draw you into this game’s already fabulous story and the wonder of this remaster doesn’t end with the visuals.

For this particular game also paid great attention to the sound as well, something that we don’t talk about enough in gaming. But how a game sounds is truly important, especially in this day and age where surround sound is commonplace and what this remaster has accomplished there is downright incredible. Because it makes full use of 5.1. surround, to the point where you hear air raid sirens blasting in the background or shouts and screams as the battle rages on around you. Plus, simple effects such as having bullets whiz over your head or smack into the stone next to you seem amplified here, and that allows for this game to truly become an immersive experience, one that you eventually lose yourself within. To the point where a break might be necessary from time to time since the action gets quite intense. 

If anything, this is what Modern Warfare 2 should have looked and sounded like when it arrived on the market all those years ago. Because this is a story that requires a cinematic look and feel, and it finally has that at last, and that oddly makes this game more enjoyable to play after all these years. And while it may not shock you with its twists and turns this time around, you’ll definitely feel your jaw drop at the gory and unexpected detail surrounding you and, in the end, all of these enhancements truly accomplish the impossible. Because in this particular case, perfection has indeed been improved upon, and these changes help to cement this game’s legacy as one of the finest shooters to ever grace the gaming world.

Well hello again my fellow captain and admirals, and welcome to another edition of The Admiral’s Log. And if you’re like me, and you’ve been playing an unhealthy amount of Star Trek Online during the quarantine; then you’re likely counting your bounty after this year’s First Contact Day Event. Which I don’t recall being this in-depth last year, but that’s okay. Because I’m making it a point in 2020 to pay closer attention to the events the game is sending our way, simply because the two that I’ve taken part in this year have yielded some wonderful rewards.
​
After all, I now have a brand-new fancy ship that I guess more or less serves as my weekend ship, or my online therapist. Because bad traffic is still a thing in the midst of a pandemic, and a quantum torpedo or two helps to relieve that stress. But I digress. Because we’re here to discuss the wonder of the past event and when we last settled to discuss STO, I had made mention of the fact that this event might put my patience to the test. Because this time around, there were only two options to advance the stats toward this year’s rewards, and sometimes you just don’t have a lot of time to take part in a long away mission and that meant… the time had come to build a lot of rockets. Like… so many rockets.

Because assembling your own launchable replica of the Phoenix takes about ten minutes, plus you get some Steppenwolf at the end and that sounds appealing from a time standpoint. But I won’t lie, I think I did this mission twenty of the twenty-four days that it was available, with the only breaks in between coming from any Endeavor mission that needed Borg drones to die, and that made this event the toughest grind that I’ve been through to date. Because it really is the same old, same old every single time. You collect your parts. You look for better parts, you enhance those parts and you launch those rockets and possibly dance to ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ while they take to the skies. 

So, there were definitely moments, where I wondered if the Temporal Vortex Console and a toy Phoenix were worth the effort, and in the end they are. Because the console does some cool stuff in combat and that rocket goes on forever. But while they have their own merits, this particular event made me realize the true value of dedicating my time to such endeavors. Because holy cow, once you’ve earned the grand prize, you basically load up dilithium, and I’m not talking a thousand units here or there like you get when you complete an Endeavor Mission. We are talking metric tons of this valuable little crystal, to the point where my savings from this event and the last one has me swimming in it for a change.

Which means, I’m all on board for future events if it means I can load up on the stuff, like I did here. Because my standard patrol route only nets me 3k in dilithium and here I am now, sitting on a stockpile of 60k. So, in the end, it’s clear now that events are worth one’s while for the long term, and that makes the grind supremely palatable and made this particular one a lot of fun when all is said and done. Because every little hunt for hull plating, and every unexpected arrival of the running man, has my crew ready for all kinds of future upgrades and that’s a solid way to wrap up this event. And now that First Contact Day is in the books, this blog will likely go silent again. For there is little to discuss outside of my usual day in Starfleet. But if something else pops up, I’ll be right back to discuss it with all of you. Until next time, Galactica out.