{"id":3486,"date":"2016-01-19T00:42:54","date_gmt":"2016-01-19T00:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/?p=3486"},"modified":"2016-01-19T00:42:54","modified_gmt":"2016-01-19T00:42:54","slug":"new-memories-sometimes-theyre-just-as-awesome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/?p=3486","title":{"rendered":"New memories: sometimes, they’re just as awesome."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"bfbox\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This game has been out what\u2026 just over two months?\u00a0 How could I already have an unforgettable memory associated with it?<\/p>\n

Well, a lot has changed in regards to Star Wars since Battlefront II was released on PC and consoles back in 2005.\u00a0 Of course there was the sale of the franchise to Disney, the creation of new movies \u2013 pretty much one a year for the next few years (!!!) \u2013 the well-established Expanded Universe no longer being canon, and one of the biggest heartbreaks, LucasArts being shut down.<\/p>\n

But fear not!\u00a0 EA and DICE were there to pick up the slack, and they promptly announced Battlefront III!\u00a0 Well, kinda \u2013 it would just go by Battlefront, but still, it was frickin\u2019 BATTLEFRONT!!!\u00a0 It was coming back, baby!<\/p>\n

Actual game footage was a bit slow to pour in at first, but it became obvious at E3 2015 that this would be a pretty-looking game, to say the least.<\/p>\n

But would it be any good?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Also,<\/a>

Also, what in the world is Endor-Luke doing on Hoth?
Where’s Hoth-Luke???<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

On November 17th<\/sup> \u2013 almost ten years *to the day* that Battlefront II came out \u2013 Star Wars Battlefront was released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.\u00a0 Having just purchased an Xbox One not too long before, and with more friends of mine owning that console than a PS4, I went ahead and picked up that version.<\/p>\n

I obviously started with the single player stuff with the intent of treating this as a game I would play by myself after a long day of work.\u00a0 You know, to unwind.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it wasn\u2019t long after playing through a few missions that I realized Battlefront was mainly built as an online multiplayer experience.<\/p>\n

There are eight solo and co-op \u201cmissions\u201d as well as four \u201csurvival\u201d rounds spread across eight maps for you to play offline \u2013 but that\u2019s it.\u00a0 Even then, the missions are quite literally all about killing AI with no other objectives in sight.\u00a0 The lack of anything containing a story, especially considering the Star Wars saga is so story-driven, was quite disappointing.<\/p>\n

I quickly realized that if I was to enjoy Battlefront for what it was, I had to go online.\u00a0 For those of you who know me and how I feel about multiplayer games \u2013 specifically shooters \u2013 that was a pretty big deal.<\/p>\n

I held my nose, bought myself an Xbox Live Gold subscription, hopped online and hoped for the best\u2026<\/p>\n

Well, to say that I\u2019m glad I did that would be an understatement.\u00a0 I have played the various multiplayer modes like crazy, and although I\u2019ve stuck to some more than others, they all have their merits.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"So<\/a>

So many modes, so little time.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Drop Zone \u2013 claim and defend randomly-dropped escape pods (one at a time) in hectic 6 vs. 6 action.\u00a0 First team to claim five pods wins the round.<\/p>\n

Droid Run \u2013 6 vs. 6 like Drop Zone, but with three Gonk Droids slowly roaming the battlefield.\u00a0 Hold all three for 20 seconds, or hold more than the other team when time runs out to win the round.<\/p>\n

Fighter Squadron \u2013 10 vs. 10 battle in the skies with a very Rogue Squadron-like feel to it.\u00a0 Incredibly fun, especially when you get on a roll or manage to snag a token to pilot Slave 1 or the Millennium Falcon.<\/p>\n

Heroes vs. Villains \u2013 each round, three players on each team of 10 are randomly assigned the role of a Hero.\u00a0 If you\u2019re on the Rebel side, Luke, Han and Leia each have unique and extremely powerful abilities.\u00a0 If you\u2019re with the Imps, Vader, Palpatine and Boba Fett get the call\u2026 the first team to eliminate all three of the opposing side\u2019s \u201ccelebrities\u201d wins the round, and the first team to win five rounds wins it all.<\/p>\n

Supremacy \u2013 20 vs. 20 battle for capture points, probably the most similar mode to the classic Battlefront games.<\/p>\n

Walker Assault \u2013 my most-played mode by far.\u00a0 20 vs. 20 battles where Imperial AT-AT\u2019s slowly make their way to escaping Rebel transports on the opposite end of the map.\u00a0 As the Rebels, defend beacons long enough to have Y-Wings swoop down to take out the AT-AT\u2019s shields for a limited time.\u00a0 The longer you defend the beacons, the more Y-Wings come to disable the AT-AT\u2019s shields, giving you more time you have to damage them.\u00a0 As the Imperials, defend the AT-AT\u2019s by deactivating the beacons as best you can, then suppressing any fire the Rebels might throw at you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Decent<\/a>

Decent round, but I didn’t do as well as a poopsicle.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

So yes, to say that I\u2019m having a blast with Battlefront so far would be an understatement.\u00a0 The crazy part is that I\u2019m not nearly as good as most of the strangers I play against!\u00a0 At the same time, the game does a good job of not making you feel like a piece of garbage for having a terrible Kill to Death ratio.\u00a0 By sticking to mission objectives (such as capturing droids, damaging AT-AT\u2019s, etc), you can accumulate tons of points and help your team a lot!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Sometimes<\/a>

Sometimes I suck!
Sometimes I snag the Millennium Falcon and go to town!
(My old friend Josh still manages to get more kills, however…)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

OK, so as far as unforgettable memories go, this one ranks right at the top.\u00a0 Like, major-big.\u00a0 Huge.<\/p>\n

My wife Anita and I met on June 16, 2006, and when it came to choose a wedding date five years later, we thought June 16 would be as good a date as any.\u00a0 The courthouse here in town only does weddings on Fridays however, so we set June 17, 2011 as our date.<\/p>\n

No big deal \u2013 it would just be two days of anniversaries instead of one!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"'Twas<\/a>

‘Twas a great day!<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

As is usually the case, people started asking us pretty much right away when we would start having kids.\u00a0 It\u2019s something every couple inevitably goes through when they get married \u2013 heck, some people even go through it before they get married, and even when they\u2019re single.<\/p>\n

We started trying to have a child about a month after getting married.\u00a0 As time went on and we were unable to conceive, we naturally began to wonder what the deal was.\u00a0 Was there something wrong?\u00a0 Was it me?\u00a0 Was it her?\u00a0 Are we healthy?<\/p>\n

We started going to various appointments, taking tests, doing all the things that people wanting to be parents will do.\u00a0 To make a long story short, we ended up being told it would be very unlikely that we would be able to have a child by traditional means.<\/p>\n

We could either adopt or try various means of fertilization or try to improve our chances with drugs\u2026 but because we are the way we are, we wanted to do it normally.<\/p>\n

Besides, with our luck, we\u2019d take fertility drugs and end up with quadruplets right off the bat!<\/p>\n

The decision to let things be was a tough one, even though it was one we were eventually okay with.\u00a0 As time went on, we kept getting the questions \u2013 \u201cwhen are you two going to start a family?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cShouldn\u2019t you be ready to have kids by now?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI saw you in that picture with a child, and it looked really good on you!\u201d<\/p>\n

Any progress we would have made with *not* being bummed out about our situation would take a bit of a step back.\u00a0 We eventually made complete peace with it just being her and I for the rest of our lives, and it was a HUGE relief for both of us when we could finally just let things be, and all the questions would just roll off our backs\u2026<\/p>\n

A day or two after Canadian Thanksgiving, Nita called me at work requesting that I bring her Subway for her lunch… \u00a0that was incredibly odd, because during the entirety of our relationship, she had a notorious dislike of Subway.<\/p>\n

Mostly as a joke (but also because I had a hunch), I went to Wal-Mart to pick up pregnancy tests before picking up and dropping off her sandwich. \u00a0We shared a laugh, and I went back to work.<\/p>\n

I sent her a quick note to say, y’know, “you should probably take a test, just in case, because you never know?” \u00a0She agreed, but was like “haha, when this comes back negative, you’ll eat your words!”<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, the Facebook message came in.<\/p>\n

“Uhhh…….. holy s**t.”<\/p>\n

So, Anita is pregnant, and is due this coming June.\u00a0 To say that we were surprised to learn this would be an understatement, but when she started feeling sick and craving weird things, I knew something was up.<\/p>\n

We had the positive tests, we had confirmation from an after-hours clinic doctor that \u201coh yeah, those tests are accurate, you\u2019re pregnant\u201d, and we had a very sick mommy-to-be.\u00a0 But other than that, it hadn\u2019t really sunk in.<\/p>\n

I had a couple days of vacation to use before the end of the year, so I used two of them in November the week Battlefront was released.\u00a0 The 16th<\/sup>, Nita had her first appointment her new family doctor, so I took that day off\u2026 the 17th<\/sup> would be dedicated to crushing Rebel scum\\Imperial scum.<\/p>\n

During the appointment, the doctor said \u201cwe\u2019ll try to hear the heartbeat \u2013 we might not be able to hear anything yet, but we\u2019ll give it a shot!\u201d\u00a0 Nita and I both thought \u201cwell, hopefully there\u2019s an actual baby in there and it wasn\u2019t a false-positive test\u201d, mostly because it was still such an unbelievable turn of events.<\/p>\n

The doctor\u2019s office overlooks a 200-plus year old cemetery, and it was a really cloudy day that day.\u00a0 While the doctor asked Nita questions, I stared out the window and tried not to get bummed out.\u00a0 What a dreary and gross day!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"*Man,<\/a>

*Man, I can\u2019t believe I finally get to play Battlefront tomorrow\u2026*<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I just kinda sat there in my own little world, paying attention pretty much only when I needed to pay attention.\u00a0 When it came time to try and hear the heartbeat however, I snapped out of it.\u00a0 After a few moments, we heard it.<\/p>\n

*whoww-whoww-whoww-whoww-whoww-whoww*<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t believe it.\u00a0 That was *our child*.\u00a0 After being told it probably wouldn\u2019t happen for us, there it was, clear as day.<\/p>\n

*whoww-whoww-whoww-whoww-whoww-whoww*<\/p>\n

I looked at Nita, and she looked at me.\u00a0 Time froze.\u00a0 Was this real??<\/p>\n

*whoww-whoww-whoww-whoww-whoww-whoww*<\/p>\n

After the tests and her countless bouts of vomiting, we knew she was pregnant, but it hadn\u2019t hit home yet.\u00a0 When we heard that heartbeat, that was the moment it truly dawned on both of us; we are going to be\u00a0<\/em>parents.<\/em><\/p>\n

I got Battlefront the next day, but to tell the truth, I was on such a high from the day before that my first experience with the game was a blur.<\/p>\n

Even now, after a couple months of playing the game religiously, I\u2019m still experiencing some pretty amazing stuff.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re in the process of moving to a new place, and although we were going through and packing\\moving things gradually, I left my Xbox One and Battlefront unpacked so I could keep playing it. \u00a0Not only am I incredibly pumped for the move into a much better place to raise a child, but we have also gone for an ultrasound to *see* our baby.<\/p>\n

As mind-blowing as hearing the heartbeat was, seeing the child and learning the sex was even crazier.<\/p>\n

So yeah, these past few months have been a whirlwind, but I\u2019m so incredibly excited for what\u2019s to come in 2016!<\/p>\n

A bunch of Battlefront DLC and a bouncing baby boy.\u00a0 Not too shabby.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  This game has been out what\u2026 just over two months?\u00a0 How could I already have an unforgettable memory associated with it? Well, a lot has changed in regards to Star Wars since Battlefront II was released on… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,118],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-star-wars","category-xbox-one"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3486","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3486"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3505,"href":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3486\/revisions\/3505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.controlpadblues.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}