Best Games of 2013

2013 was another year for wide variety in my late night gaming. Miles wide in fact and mostly inches deep. I think I prefer it this way, even if my bank account is worse for wear because of it. I decided to separate out the games I played on the toilet tablet and keep them for another post on another day though. Below is my top 10 proper games of the year 2013. Below that is all the other stuff I played too.

1. The Last of Us
This year I finally realized what I value most in video games. I want story. The game play has to enjoyable enough to engage me, but mechanics never make me say wow. The Last of Us was somewhat flawed in it's combat mechanics and had puzzles that eventually grew tiresome, but the story never let up. Zombie stories The characters and their relationships were top notch. The arc that is told is a roller coaster of tragedy, but not without it's moments of hope. The ending was something I've rarely seen in any medium and certainly not a video game. 2013 had loads of great games, but Last of Us easily stood above them.

2. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Video game mechanics rarely are in support of their story. At best they do their damnedest to no detract from it, but many times they outright betray the story being told. Brothers was one of the first games I've seen where the two went hand in hand from start to finish. Controlling two characters (siblings) with a single controller is awkward at first. My thumbs learned to work in tandem though and as they did the two characters on screen also learned to work with and support each other. In a game without dialogue Starbreeze managed to tell one of the most enjoyable stories in a game this year.

3. BioShock Infinite
I was a bit skeptical about a third game in the Bioshock-o-verse after Bioshock 2 was such a let down. Infinite was by the same team as the original though.Would offer up very little in direct relation to the games setting and told a brand new tale with new characters. The story opening was incredibly strong. Slowly introducing it's world through character and environment. At some point the combat sequences became a bit dull and tedious though. The story lost it's way, but not for long. By the end it was back on the rails and presenting not only insights into Rapture, but the entire universe the game exist in. Really cool stuff.

4. Far Cry 3
In a year where I played more open world games than ever before, Farcry 3 stood above the rest. As with most open world games it's good story was not in the main plot, but in the tales concocted through it's "living" environment. "Oh man, I was sneaking up on this base. Cataloging it's defenses and plotting out my approach. When a pack of wild dogs burst from the trees and started attacking the guards. I threw out my plan and jumped into the three way fight". The game is jam packed with moments like that. All on a sprawling and beautiful island system. There is loads of meaningful side missions to go on, a crafting system worthy of emulation (see: Assassin's Creed 4) and one of the best acted villains video games have ever seen.

5. Gunpoint
I've been following allowing with Gunpoint's development since early 2011. Before it had great art and a smooth jazz soundtrack. The core concept stands up on it's own just fine. 2D stealth and puzzle mechanics. More specifically rewiring the electronics in the building you are infiltrating to remove obstacles. The light switch. You know, the one that turns on lights. Now it opens the door you wanted to sneak through or better yet short circuits a socket next to a guard and murder him.  If it was just that it would be a good time, but it also has the art and soundtrack mentioned earlier. Plus a story that is worth reading and interactive dialogue that is pretty damn humorous. It's a great game. I just wish there was more of it, I completed it right at three hours. What you get in that three hours though feels like a new experience in gaming. Maybe? Or maybe it is just Elevator Action evolved. It is a marvelous little game either way. (This write up was cribbed from my first post on this game)

6. GTA V
The single player in this game is far and above any other GTA story on offer to date. The up and coming criminal to king pin tale is out. They'd done it enough times and done it well where it would have been passable this time through. What they offered up instead was leaps and bounds beyond what they already did really well. Following three established characters from the start meant working with in the confines of their lives and personalities. You aren't meeting new NPCs every hour so you can play errand boy again. It works really well. The loses it's head of steam about 3-4 hours from the end, but the plot was still paced masterfully by comparison to the rest of the series. (This write up was cribbed from my first post on this game)

7. Don't Starve
Klei Entertainment, makers of Mark of the Ninja (ma jam!) made ma new jam too. Don't Starve is a 2D-ish (it's a 3D engine with 2D assets) open world game in the vein of Minecraft. That is to say it is a survival game where the environment you are in provides the materials you'll need to survive. What makes the game intriguing beyond being another open world survival game is the amount of trust placed in the player. The game opens with an unnamed man who instructs you to find food before night fall and poofs away. From that point on there are no instructions. The tool tips provided for left and right clicking different things in the world are all you have. What is good for you and what can kill is a trial by error process. The reward is mastering the consistent systems in the world, not starving and ultimately thriving. Bonus content: Great article and video about Klei. (This write up was cribbed from my first post on this game)

8. Tomb Raider
In 1996 my second computer or maybe third whirled up the original Tomb Raider on it's bite sized hard drive. It was the same time frame as the Nintendo 64, so polygonal platforming was still in it's larval state. I have great memories of that game. The new game is a reboot, but doesn't evoke memories of that past though. You don't raid any tombs per se, but that is because Crystal Dynamics is too busy doing their best Uncharted impression. Which, as it turns out I wanted way more Uncharted, so good job guys. It's an action movie in video game form, with better combat than the series it apes. (This write up was cribbed from my first post on this game)

9. The Stanley Parable
What this is, is hard to describe. It's a game for the PC that spawned from a source mod in 2011. That much is easy enough. What the game actually does though is much harder. It is not a puzzle game, as much as it is a mind fuck. Most "gamers" have played enough games to know the tropes, language and mechanics of a modern video game. This one turns all of that on it's ear. It constantly breaks the fourth wall and does so in clever and humorous ways. You explore the ins and outs a world that is masterfully narrated and never what you expect it to be. You should play it and will love it when you do. Very much like portal, but not like it at all, it's strange and wonderful. (This write up was cribbed from my first post on this game)

10. Saints Row IV
Earlier this year I caught up with Saints Row: The Third, a game that I should have made time for in 2011. It was an absolute blast. What started as a GTA clone turned into a goofy parody of the videogame world. Often breaking the 4th wall and throwing out reality and tired tropes in favor of fun. The fourth game in the series actually started as a DLC pack for the third and then ballooned into it's own game. It stands on the shoulders of the third (engine, mechanics and world) and then breaks all of it's rules. Your character is now super powered. Gliding through the air, sprinting at the speed of light and leaping over buildings. There is no need for a car or even guns later on, but the game manages to stay balanced and challenging even as it gives you loads of power. The humor is the main course still though. Eliciting consistent small giggles and even the occasional belly laugh. Totally worth a play through, though you may be better served playing the third installment first. (This write up was cribbed from my first post on this game)

11. Call of Duty: Ghost
12. Prison Architect
13. Sleeping Dogs
14. Metro: Last Light
15. Hotline Miami
16. Magicka
17. Orcs Must Die! 2
18. Spelunky
19. Card Hunter
20. Guacamelee*
21. Papers Please!*
22. Gone Home*
23. Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
24. The Wolf Among Us*
25. Max Payne 3**

* played it once or twice and was not hooked enough to return to it
** actively disliked playing this piece of crap

Annual Report 2012: Gaming

(Click to Embiggen)

2012 may have seen a record number of games played by me. Certainly it didn't compete on hours, we had a second child and I used to play WoW. In terms of sheer number of games I tried and sometimes completed though, 20 seems like a lot. That total doesn't account for the ten trillion iOS games I played either. I tried to figure out a way to track them too, but there is no Steam on my iPad.

Speaking of Steam, 2012 was the year of the PC. Even for games I would have normally played on the console (e.g. Darksiders 2). I picked them up on the PC instead, piped them through to my office study TV via HDMI out and played them with a wireless controller. PC ports don't suck anymore and the hardware in my PC is not going on eight years old. It renewed my faith in the platform and even sold me on upgrading this coming Spring. Even with the looming 720 and PS4.

Most Disappointing Game: Diablo 3
I made my peace with the disappointment Diablo 3 brought on my house a while ago, but the after taste still lingers to this day. Considering I put 71.2 hours into it before finally settling on "this sucks", there must have been some merit right? Certainly the art direction was great, the nostalgia it preyed upon was welcoming and seeing old WoW friends again was fun times. Then it turned into a grind, maybe it was the same grind in Diablo 2, but in 2012 that shit don't fly. It was unbalanced in the late game, the auction house vs. crafting was junk and nothing about it screamed "play me more". Total bummer!
Honorable Mention: Assassin's Creed III

Best Broken Game: Hotline Miami
I wanted to love this game. Small indie developer with a vision for a game that it got right in some many aspects. A dope sound track that I spun in my car more than I heard it in game. Graphics that were retro because they felt right for the game, not just because they are easier and cheaper to do.Twitch game play that felt odd at first, but became crisp and tight over time. All the makings for a potential game of the year, but than it ran like shit on my modern personal computer. I was turning off print spool drivers and sacrificing goats over the keyboard, but nothing would raise the frame rates to a playable level. Boo hiss!

Game of the Year: Dishonored
Stealth gets me going. Good, bad or otherwise I gravitate towards the mechanics of sneaking. Dishonored is all the stealth I want from a first person perspective, but what makes it my game of the year is all the other stuff it does. It creates a world I want to return to, rich in implied and direct story telling. The art direction was unified, stylized and beautiful. It was all that and a great stealth game. Standing on the shoulders of games like Thief and Deus Ex and doing them one better. Making the stealth work and the fail state of having to fall back on combat not feel like a fail state. Heres to the story DLC that should be coming in the first quarter of 2013!
Honorable Mention: Mark of the Ninja

Best Multiplayer: Black Ops 2
Every year I tell myself I won't get the next annualized Call of Duty game. That it is a money grab, that the DLC situation on the PC is total bullshit, that it is a tired franchise that needs to be put out of it's misery. And then I end up buying it. I buy it because they make the same game every year, but that same game is a great one. The multiplayer is fast paced, quick and fun. If I die it was because of the poor decision I made in the split second I had to make one. Then I get to try again, over and over and then I usually get it right. If I was no good at them I would quit, but I usually log 100+ hours over the course of the year (post release) and I always get better. The class building, leveling and prestige systems are the added carrot to the stick.
Honorable Mention: Journey

Weekend Review: Sept 8th & 9th

Every weekend there are new sights, sounds, and taste to consume. There are other sensory inputs that tickle my brain too, but saying there is stuff to feel sounds creepy. This is a weekly journal of my weekend endeavors. Enjoy!

Mark of the Ninja 
On Friday Mark of the Ninja silently released to Xbox Live. With what seemed like little fanfare from Microsoft (their latest dash is terrible). Thankfully ever game news site I follow fell in love with it. A 20 minute demo later and I was cramming credits into my account. I like stealth games a lot, but many titles get lost in the weeds when stealth becomes hard to convey. MotN sticks to it's guns. It has fantastic visual cues and offers up enough tweaks to the game play from start to finish that it remains interesting. Oh and it has a good story too. Game of the year contender for me and only $15.

Locke & Key: Clockworks
I devoured the first four trades of Locke & Key when I finally got around to reading it earlier this year. Then I fell off for some reason. I went back to the well this weekend and loved the continuation of the story. It wraps up this fall with the final arc and that has me really excited and already a little depressed it will be over.

Stop Podcasting Yourself
When My Brother, My Brother and Me made the jump to the Maximum Fun family of podcast I was introduced to a grip of new shows. Most everyone has been great, but the one I've enjoyed the most is Stop Podcasting Yourself. The host are two stand ups who live in Vancouver and bring on a different guest every week (pretty standard format). They revel in silly humor and constantly make each other and their guest laugh. They have lots of great guest, but I'd suggest going back in the archive and scoping up ever Paul F Tompkins episode.

40k Painting
I picked up my brushes again early last week and finally started up on my Sons of Medusa army. Which has been on my hobby table untouched for six months. The catalyst for my return was a game my three year old refers to as "Dice Game". We set up five marines each on his Lego table and take turns moving them around the battlefield. We resolve conflicts with d6 rolls and I get him to count up both dice and tell me who won. It is a lot of fun as is, but I am already thinking of modifications to the system. Letter identification for combat advantage and setting up Lego cover.

E to the E to the Electronic Three

Shit has it really been a year since the last E3? It is time then to throw my short form commentary on what seems interesting into the nether. Jesus do they only make sequels now or is that all I care about? Who is the problem here...

Uncharted 3 - The only reason I care about my dusty old PS3 just got another iteration in the story. I will be picking this game up on launch day.

Modern Warfare 3 - Despite second fiddle love for the PC market and Activision crapping all over Infinity Ward's founders I am still playing BLOPs most nights. The MW3 trailers look incredible and Elite looks benign, sign me up.

Battlefield 3 - I want this game to compete with MW3 in the worst way. I skipped Bad Company one and deux, but have a storied past with BF1942 and Vietnam. I want to come home.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations - Last year I thought Brotherhood would be a money grab. I was wrong, I can admit that. They made an awesome single and multiplayer game. I'm ready to be done with Ezio's story, but they have earned my faith in one last romp.

BioShock: Infinite - I'm hearing game of the show from twitterverse. I would not put it past Ken Levine and company if that were the case, I loved the first one.

Mass Effect 3 - Though not out till 2012 the coverage has only served in me wanting this game more.

WH40k: Space Marine - Every trailer of the actual game play looks like crap, no cover, poor graphics, bland animation. They will need to be swimming in media praise for me to even consider buying this game now. I'm super disappointed.

Wii U - Seriously who is the audience for this? They (Big N) now have a console on par with 360 and PS3, but it is 5 years too late. Getting ports of the big games that will already be available on the two systems I own does not sound appealing. Hasn't the "hardcore" audience moved on? Wait we were left behind.

L.A. Noire

Games that are not on my radar have no expectations to fulfill or hopes to dash. If they come out, like L.A. Noire did, to fantastic reviews, they can easily delight and fascinate me for unexpected weeks. Noire is a game unlike any I have ever played before. Sure it takes it's driving, shooting and melee combat from it's GTA predecessors (not a good thing), but that is where the similarities end. It is a big budget adventure game in an open world.

Less action and more police work. Investigating crime scenes, questioning suspects and putting clues together. Unlike most "police" games that boil down to "shoot the bad guys", Noire has brains and makes you use yours. I described it to my wife as one of her crappy CSI games done with a big budget, awesome graphics and incredible writing. Of note, the facial animations are almost unsettling realistic, they are a must see.

That is not to say it isn't without flaws, for me personally at least. I have a hard time being completely happy with a game when I think I am "doing it wrong". Splinter Cell is a perfect example, I've loved all of the games in the series, but I know there is a way you are supposed to play them. I.e. a stealth ass spy, not Rambo with a 50 caliber. Inevitably I end up stepping into a search light or leaving a body out for another guard to find. The immersion breaks down when I go hauling ass to the next check point knowing the guards won't follow me past a load screen. It gets the job done, but not in the most satisfying way.

I am tamping down the urge to reload and retry scenes in Noire were I get an interview with a suspect or witness completely wrong. Sometimes I could see the blame falling to me. For every time that is the case though there is a confusing question or answer that seems to have no solution. Coming to the game as a flawed human police officer instead of action packed super cop seems to be the best answer to this. Except there is no way to fail, fuck up an interview royally or Columbo that shit and you still move on to the next case. It gets the job done, but not in the most satisfying way.

If you can't fail, then it boils down to performance or star rating. Ultimately that is less satisfying then story changes due to failure or even hard resets to get it right. That is not to say I don't like the game, but without consequence it feels less meaningful. I'm playing it for the acting, story and dialog, and crossing my fingers that Noire is just the tip of the iceberg. This game could be a watershed moment for gaming with the way it is selling and I for one welcome the iterations that might follow.

Return to Borderlands

I find it odd that I never wrote about Borderlands here before, or at least that I could not find a post where I did. I've made a concerted effort to do less product review style post for 2010. Games like Borderlands fall victim to this new direction sadly. Until today of course.

My first play through of the game was back in October of last year, when it was released. I played it on the 360 with Chris to completion and then a little beyond that to get every achievement, but one. It was a great game and I figured I was done with it at that point. I sold it before the first DLC even came out.

Flash forward to two months away from the anniversary of the games release. I've purchased the game and all of the DLC for Steam and I am playing through with a new group of four. It is just as fun as the first time through surprisingly. The four player co op really makes it feel different and the difficulty is well balanced to a group that has all of the classes (us). Last time around I played a solider, a bit more of a utility class. Where as this time I'm playing a hunter, a pure striker in D&D terms and a glass canon for the un-inclined.

We plan to play to the level cap and through all of the DLC, including the one coming this month. Fun times for sure and I'll do a brief follow up once we have cleared it all. Until then..."I'm dancin' I'm dancin!"

Bonus Round...This is my 400th post, see you all at 500.

Red Dead Redemption

I never played Red Dead Revolver, the first title in what I assume is now a series. I skipped waiting line at PAX East because I wasn't interested enough to stand around to see one game. When asked to pre-order at my local game store brick and mortar, I rolled my eyes and told them I'd wait for a demo. Despite my efforts to turn away Red Dead's advances though, it has won me.

The first salvo across my bow came in the form of a multiplayer trailer Monday night care of Penny Arcade. The second and final strike came Tuesday morning when a wave of stellar reviews washed over me. Even though I am mid stream in a play through of Bio Shock 2, I went Tuesday night to pick up Red Dead. I've since shelved Bio Shock for a later date and fallen head over heals for an open world western.

What the game does best so far is nail the sense of place. Sure the story is good, the voice acting is great, the controls are spot one, but the environment is the big seller here. Trotting out of town at midnight on my horse reveals an expansive sky filled with stars and a sense of loneliness that is palpable. Where some games might attempt this they usually fall short and end up feeling lifeless. The foliage, wildlife and ever changing terrain keep Red Dead out of this rut. It is simply beautiful to play.

Since I have not finished it yet, I won't ramble to long here, but will take a moment to recount some of the great moments I have experienced. The single player core missions are fun, but also scripted to a certain degree. What I have enjoyed most so far are the random encounters I have come across:

• A man being chased by a pack of wolves, screaming for his life, only to be saved by some quick sharp shooting on my part.
• Coming across and overturned stage coach, a hobbled lawmen and two prisoners attempting to escape on foot. I chased down and shot the first prisoner in the back and lassoed the other and dragged him back to the injured guard.
• Another broken down stage coach, which saw highway men ambushing a farmer. Two shots center mass for the first bad guy and a bullet in the head for the other. The farmer took off after his escaped horse following my rescue.
• A man and woman spill out of the local saloon, the woman screaming for some one to help her. The man seems to be in the process of what will eventually be a rape. In an attempt to shoot the man, I fire wildly and accidentally kill them both. On lookers scream out and call the local authorities before I explain my good intentions. My horse meets me half way out of town and I escape into the country side.
• Two miles outside of town I see a gentleman attempting to flag me down on the side of the road. I pull up just short of him and he explains that a group of men are attempting to hang his friend. When we arrive the man is hanging from a noose kicking and grasping at his neck. My first shot should have been the rope, but instead I kill the bandits. By the time I shoot him down from the tree it is too late. The man who waved me down falls to his knees weeping over his now dead friend. I feel awful and wish I could offer condolences, but there is no button press for that.
• After midnight I leave the bar to head to my room and step into the middle of the street where bandits are shooting wildly on horse back. Attempting to be a hero I walk out in front of them and I am trampled to death.

Moments like these, the county side and the perceived joy I will get from the multiplayer and forthcoming co-op pack are putting this game at the top of my list for 2010. That's right Mass Effect 2, you better watch your back!

Shadow Man 9

District 9
Not knowing too much about this movie going into it was a good thing. It allowed for a feeling of surprise that I have not felt in the theater in sometime. Without digging to far into the plot I will share some of the interesting background bullet points that made this movie stand out to me. Peter Jackson tapped director Neill Blomkamp to first work on a Halo film after seeing his shorts and commercials. The Halo project fell apart when some investors pulled out, so he (Blomkamp) made D9 with Jackson instead. The film was made for $30 million dollars, given its impressive special effects and visual candy the cost is a feat in and of itself. The lead on the film (Sharlto Copley) was the producer on Blomkamp's most successful short and has no other acting credits to his name on IMDB at least.

Hmm, I have dedicated a paragraph to the all the stuff not on the screen. How about a seven word summary to put a nice little bow on this not review review then: Gritty aliens on Earth sans brushed aluminum.

Shadow Complex
As mentioned previously on this here bee-log I was looking forward to 2D shooter like it was 5am on Christmas morning. Well now having played through it once and starting up a second time I can say it was worth the wait. To get it out of the way early the story is straight up terrible. It does just enough to support the amazing game play and not get in the way. What really shines are the graphics, game play and progression. Starting out without weapons or the ability to hang on a ledge and then quickly ramping up to super human solider is pretty cool. The collectibles are meaningful and around every corner and weapon upgrades are doled out at a perfect pace. The combat is rewarding and switching to the Z axis for some attacks feels natural. Overall this game delivers and for the price ($15) there is no reason you shouldn't be playing it.

'Splosion Man
In the lull before Shadow Complex I went hunting for a game to pass the time between raids. What I came across was a 2D game with a fun concept, but little depth. There is one action you can take in S. Man outside of moving left or right, you splode. All the buttons are mapped to it and it essential boost you vertically and is driven by your momentum. That basic mechanic is repeated ad nauseum for the duration of the game to the point that I can not be motivated to finish it. It tries to be funny, but the most I ever do is crack a smile. The puzzles go from "Hmm that was clever" to "I want to pull my finger nails out with pliers". The long and short, skip this game unless you are hard up for summer entertainment or you some how win it on 1 vs 100.

The Coming Storm

Just off the coast a storm of video game releases is building for the Fall of 2009. I expect to be knee deep in the tide as it rushes ashore, reporting into the studio as the satellite feed craps the bed. The first salvo will hit this month with Batman: Arkham Asylum and Shadow Complex. Both games will hit my weak points for critical damage...

Batman: Arkham Asylum
The caped crusader has a scarred history of semi-passable to awful video games, with bright spots associated with the Lego franchise. To date no one has given him the dark comic book style treatment he deserves. Arkham Asylum looks to do that with a tour of the most sadistic criminals the dark knight has ever faced a la the comic that carries the same name. The demo for this game dropped just days ago and for the most part delivered on all of the marketing push that is positioning it as the official start to the Fall gaming season.

Shadow Complex
While Epic is calling this a Metroidvania game the aesthetic very much reminds me of the Flashback series. Seeing a game like this done on a 3D engine and in a modernish setting puts a smile on my face. Seriously go watch the quick look and you will soon be asking for a glass of the Shadow Complex kool-aid I have been filling my belly with all summer.

Modern Warfare 2
While I don't need a pair of night vision goggles (ok, maybe I do), I want the next volume of the Call of Duty series more than ever. The departure in 2007 from the World War II story setting was tenuous in that it was a change to what was already a winning formula. Modern Warfare brought with it a single player story line that stood on the shoulders of its predecessors and reached higher and a multiplayer that was black tar heroin like in it's addiction. Bring on part two this Fall!

Mass Effect
Not the second one due out this spring, I recently bought the original a second time and played through it. The first time I bought Mass Effect was the day it was released in 2007. Call of Duty 4 also came out 15 days before it though, so every time I sat down to play I was drawn by the sirens call of modern warfare. Not giving it a proper shack the first time around is what I sat down to rectify this summer. I played through as a solider and skipped all of the side quest once I left the citadel. My goal was to see the main story line and skip the side quest which I had heard on numerous occasions were boring. I have done so and now await the second game with bated breath.

Unleashed Half-Blood Movies

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
It is a rare breed of video game that can make up for short comings in it's game play with a strong story. Unleashed does it up, down, left and right though. Experiencing difficult spikes, maybe a boss is knocking you over from a full health bar to none at all or maybe your about to turn off the system in white hot frustrated rage? Don't worry a cut scene is right around the bend to swoop you off your feet and keep you playing for the rest of the night. Knowing that the story it tells between episode III and episode IV is canon in the SW universe makes the game even cooler. That is not to say that the game play is all bad, being a bad ass Jedi assassin makes for some pretty cool scenarios on occasion.

I Love Movies
Mehtul put me on to comedian Doug Benson's podcast about movies and his love for said medium. It was about two weeks ago that I started listening to the back catalog and now my cheeks hurt from laughing and I am behind on all of my other listening. The format is essentially Doug making some jokes, bring out guest comedians and them making with the funny for 30 minutes to an hour. They talk movies of course, as the title implies, but they also tangent all over the place. The only warning I would give is that the show is made or buried by the quality of the guest. Doug is a funny dude, but he can't save a comedian who is intent on drowning themselves and the podcast.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Our trips to the movies are few and far between these days so we pick and choose what we see with great care. We were both bit with the Harry Potter bug after seeing the first film, mind you neither of us has taken the time to read the books. Something we should hope to rectify one day, but regardless the films are first class. So it was a forgone conclusion that we would see the sixth installment in the series and thankfully it lived up to the rest. It would have been nice to see a true ending to the story THBP told, but as I understand it the book did the same thing, essentially setting up the final volume. Which will be broken into two films Kill Bill style.

Wars, Wood and Progress

Star Wars Lore
Never a fan of the three newest films and a rabid fan of the original three, I have spent years wondering about the expanded universe. As of late I have taken action to pursue that interest further. I'm currently reading the Darth Bane series, as they are the first books in the Star Wars time line. It is actually really good. From what I've heard there have been enough authors to touch the Star Wars universe that you can pick the best of the best to the bottom of the barrel and everything in between. So to get a good book my first time out was a bit of luck for sure.

My mailbox should have a copy of the Force Unleashed in it sometime this week. The game is set in the time period between Ep.III and Ep.IV and you play as Vader's first apprentice. Sounds cool, although I've heard the actual gameplay got mixed reviews. Finally I picked up the first two trades from the Legacy comic series, which is set years 100+ years after Ep.VI and follows Luke's son. Can't wait to start reading it.

Woodworking
As if I needed another hobby to empty my wallet, I have taken a greater interest in woodworking recently. My Grandfather was a woodworker and carver for at least the portion of his life that he and I were alive. He tried, when I was in high school, to pass along some tools and basswood in the interest of getting me interested in carving, but I was too young and too focused in other things. For Father's Day I got the go ahead from Kaden and Crystal to purchase a sliding miter saw. I have all kinds of other tools I'd like to buy next, but for now I'd like to see what I can produce with just a saw and some handtools. Look for a full post in the future, as I may be tackling my first project this weekend.

P.S. Woodcraft moved in a mile down from the road from us, I'm wallet is doomed.

Guild Progress
Raid progress without consistent attendance is just plain hard. After killing Yogg back in June we started the trudge to Algalon, it has been a tough row to hoe. Previously we had killed Molgeim last and unlocked the quest for Algalon by doing so. Since Yogg, we have downed the following hard modes: Flame Leviathan, XT-002, and Hodir. While accomplishments in and of themselves, Hodir is the only one that progress the guild toward the ultimate goal. It is not for lack of effort that Steelbreaker and Thorim still stand, but without a consistent roster of raiders we are swapping assignments and teaching strats every time we enter the zone.

Scalped Hangover of the Damned

Scalped
Continuing my disdain for most all cape and cowl comics, don't worry I love you Invincible, I picked up the first to volumes of Scalped. The story is set on the most economically depressed reservation in the U.S. Unemployment is high, drug and alchohol addiction are the norm and crime is everywhere. Dashiell Bad Horse the main character has returned to the "rez" after a fifteen year absence and is hired by the corrupt leader of the tribe to "clean up" the area. The writting is great, the story is complex and the art is just the right amount of grimmy to covey the location of the tale.

The Hangover
Our first movie since parenthood had our faces aching from laughter when the credits rolled. The story follows four friends to Vegas for a bachelor party just days before a wedding. Shenanigans ensue and the story is told in in flash back chunks of a night the guys can't seem to recall. Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms really shine in the film, bringing the funny none stop. Bradley Cooper, although playing the straight man still has funny moments, but overall it is nice to see him again since we enjoyed his roll on Alias. Long story short, go see this movie, you will laugh.

GTA4: Lost and the Damned
If Sons of Anarchy was a video game LATD would be it. More than a year after GTA4's release I didn't think I would be playing it or an expansion. The original game had a strong story that tapered off as it reached hour 20 or so. The wrap on it was pretty weak, but twenty hours is twenty hours no matter how you shake it. LATD is a more compressed bite of GTA tastiness featuring a motorcycle club (Lost MC!). Without the price tag of a $60 game looming over their heads, they (the developers) put together a story that is trimmed of fat and well paced. The story is great, but what really grabs me is the motorcycles. I love weaving through traffic at 90 mph making my own lanes and not missing a beat. It reminds me of Lucas Burnell's work, but with engines.

Resolute Weapons of Battle

Wanted: Weapons of Fate
What started as a comic that I didn't read and was made into a movie that was supposed to be no where near as good as the comic. Has now become a game that was a damn good rental. This game was a lesson in building two or three game mechanics that work really well and then running with them for 5 to 6 hours. The plot would be confusing if you had not seen the film and the voice over work is spot on enough to not get in the way of the action. It all boils down to curving bullets and Max Payne style bullet time mixed with cover mechanics. The cover mechanic feels on par with Gears of War and the addition of melee attacks over thin cover is very satisfying. By the time I got five hours the game began to stale, but thankfully it came to an end shortly after. Like I said killer rental.

G.I. Joe: Resolute
I first heard about Resolute after the live action G.I. Joe trailer was released and I was extremely underwhelmed. Other folks who were similarly distraught by what appeared to be a kick in the teeth to the franchise of our youth, posted Resolute previews in response. Resolute is written by comic author extraordinaire Warren Ellis. It has an anime feel and is mature themed for it's violence, but in general just tells a good story. The series is available on adult swim and all over youtube as well. It would great to see the series picked up as a follow up movie sequel, ongoing TV series or even just released on DVD or BlueRay.

Battle Royale
This film was brought up at our first D&D night, among many other topics, but for some reason it stuck with me. So the following day I found* a copy and watched it. The story is adapted from a popular manga and takes place in an alternative reality Japan. This Japan is a police state whose adults think is being undermined by the next generation of teens. So once a year they hold a lottery to select one 9th grade class to travel to an island and fight each other to the death. The last teen standing is the winner and their reward is there life. The film has big cult classic appeal and the none of the B grade special effects look bad enough to ruin the suspension of disbelief. Definitely worth picking up if your in the mood for some campy film fun.

World of Evil Watchmen

World of Goo
I'm a sucker for independent games. I love the idea of one, two or a very small group of developers putting their time and passion into a project they love. I just don't buy that many of them though. Shelling out $5 to $20 for every game that came across my desktop would have me sleeping on the couch most nights. World of Goo is the exception to my rule practice though. It is a engineeringish puzzle game with fantastic art design and a killer carrot on the proverbial stick. Much like Peggle I always can make time for "just one more level" to the point of hours played, in the face of just a few minutes planned. I picked it up on Steam for $5 one weekend when it went on sale, where it is normally $20.

Resident Evil 5
I came on board to the Resident Evil series in 1998 with RE2. It was one of the first games I got for my PlayStation and was the first game I had an audience for while playing. It was like watching an interactive horror movie with my friends. RE5 is the first game in the series to take what was essentially a coop series by audience and make it a true coop game online. It stands on the shoulders of the last game in the series, in that it is RE4 with Africans instead of Spaniards and has coop. Where RE4 was the best looking game on the Gamecube, I would argue that RE5 is the best looking game on the 360.

Looks aside the first half of RE5 is a very enjoyable experience much like RE4. You fight "zombies" in a dense urban environment, with limited ammo and not many places to run. The recipe for actually working with your partner is in place, more so than any other coop game I have played to date. It is unplayable with out communication and coordination and I love it for that. RE5 parts ways with RE4 about half way through when there is a vehicle level and nose dives from then on. By the end of it is nearly unrecognizable from the simple formula that set it up for greatness.

Watchmen
I am new to actually reading and enjoying comics for the most part. My limited budget and passing interest before now did not result in the passion I have built up in the past year. My new foundation has been built on reading pivotal books like Batman: Year One and Watchman. The latter of which I mentioned not really getting in a previous post. None the less, I was geeked for the movie when it was first announced and upon watching subsequent trailers. Upon watching the Watchmen, I can say that it is a near match to the graphic novel. The dialouge still dominates and when there is action it is very good, but the action few and far between. At three hours, it could have used a good trip to the editing room and I can't imagine it made a ton of sense to someone who didn't already read the book. Overall it was good film, but great films don't find me looking at my watch half way through the picture.

Civil Lycans Cry

Far Cry 2
I have only spent just shy of five hours with this game and I am already living and breathing the world in. Farcry's Africa is so well imagined and immersive that I find myself day dreaming about it even as I write this. Not that it would be pleasant to haul ass around the African bush while being constantly under fire from mercenaries and militants in real life. The experience in a video game though can lead to feelings of "bad assery" or if you like "bad assitude". It is all under pinned by the living world they have built or at least what passes for living at 45 mph in a jeep.

I should note that this game shares almost nothing with the first title. You aren't a flower shirted mercenary on a tropical island fighting aliens that is. Or at least not yet, I'm only five hours in.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
With Kaden on the clock we are trying to get some quality date nights in before the big day. We had planned to see Taken last Friday, but dinner at Da Lat (supah tasty) went longer than planned so our only option was Underworld 3. Where we enjoyed the first two films as guilty pleasures the third in the series just made me feel guilty. The first two films were over the top action, bad acting and good special effects. The newest film is over the top action in a period piece, worse acting and mediocre special effects. I should have known my good will for this series sailed when they changed all the actors except for one and got a new director.

Civilization 4
I have never really played a turn based strategy game before. Listening to the GWJ podcast as of late though, has built a foundation in my mind where a TBS game could build a home. I got close with Sins of a Solar Empire last year around this same time, but that was a game that picked the TBS corpse clean and was moving on. Civ 4 is as pure as it gets, no baking soad, just raw turn taking with a basis in strategy. There is an odd thing about this game though, while a full match might take anywhere from 4-24 hours of time played, the tech stages seem to go so quick. Or at least that is what I tell myself when I have to be cut out of my computer chair after an eight our session.

Fabled Batman Blade

Fable 2
While not the open world Fallout 3 was, Fable number two snagged me up this winter and fed me to it's RPG young. I logged near 30 hours in this game and if not for the lack of a true co-op game would probably still be playing it with friends. I never owned the original Xbox and as such did not own the original Fable. What I hear though is that it did not live up to the hype. The hype seems to be met and exceed in the sequel though. The story is what really made this game shine as the best RPG for me in 2008, versus Fallout 3 which felt disjointed a bit. I've heard it best described as Zelda for adults and I will leave it at that.

Mount & Blade
Indie games tug at my heart strings, but usually not my purse related ones. M&B is a game produced by a husband and wife that is indie to it's core, save its home on steam. The game is based in medieval times (not the restaurant) and is a mash up of a RPG, RTS and third person action game. Throw in late 90's 3D graphics and early aughts physics and you are approaching what could be a great game.

There is no real story, you start out the game plopped down in what presumably is the English country side. Just a dude with a sword and from there it is up to you to choose what you become. There are various factions to align with or you could amass your own army and rule the land. What truly makes the game great is the amount of latitude you have to create your own story. The huge battles on various types of topography don't hurt either.

Lego Batman
When Crystal finds a game that she actually has interest in I cling to said game like a baby baboon. The last one we sunk our teeth into was Mario Galaxy near one year ago. To my surprise the game she picked out this year was Lego Batman. I knew she enjoyed Lego Star Wars when I picked it up in 2006, but I was floored when she picked Batman as her stocking stuffer. The game is just as the title who lead you to believe, Batman stories done with Legos. The co-op is where it really shines and the drop in drop out arcade style play is solid. We skipped Lego Indian Jones after the 4th movie based installment turned my stomach to no end this summer, but Lego Batman is just the ticket in a post Dark Knight world.

Micro Blogging
As if posting here twice a week wasn't enough self indulgence for me on the webs, I started a micro blog over at Tumblr. It is really just a filter of all the stuff that inspires, awes and generally peaks my interest on the internet everyday. It will be updated much more frequently, but consider it bite sized morsels to this blog's steak dinners.

Comcast
This is not a follow up to any of my baggage with them, but a great article on Wired about the last two years at the company, high highs and low lows.

Anniversary
The blog is two years old as of Jan 18th, where is my cotton based present?

Wreck Awards 2008

So I did this thing last year and now it's that time again!

Game of the Year: Wrath of the Lich King
I some how got in more gaming this year than I did the last and without WotLK in 2008 I would say last year held a better roster of games. Regardless a new LCD TV in my office and purchasing the 360 wireless adapter (still a rip off) made for some great console gaming this year. Which is funny because the best game I played this year was WotLK on the PC. Hands down Blizzard brought it with their newest expansion. More story oriented questing, phasing and end game content for the masses made this a must play for me and 11 million others.
Runners Up: Fable 2 and Castle Crashers

Game I should have played: Metal Gear Solid 4
The Metal Gear series and I have a long on again off again relationship that started when I was in high school. The first title on the original playstation was great. The second on the PS2 was really good , but not great by any stretch and then I hated the third game. I think the controls staying the same for six years may have had something to do with it or my disdain withe the clunky camo system. In any case word is MGS4 fixes those things and brings Snake into the modern world. Crossing my fingers for a 360 port.
Runner Up: Farcry 2

Movie of the Year: The Dark Knight
Not since Terminator 2 has a sequel eclipsed its predecessor like Dark Knight. As far as super hero and/or comic movies go Ironman set a high bar this summer and Dark Knight took a green giant step up, over and beyond it. The late Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker was the stand out roll of his short lived career. I phenomenal acting job by all involved and replacing Katie Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhaal was a great move. It is difficult to think they could raise the bar again with a third film, but Johnny Depp and Philip Seymour Hoffman are rumored to to play the Riddler and the Penguin respectivly.
Runner Up: Burn After Reading

Movie I should have seen: The Wrestler
The TRS guys drooled all over this movie about a washed up B level wrestler who finds love and a new purpose in life. Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei are both fine actors so it could be great.
Runner Up: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

TV show of the Year: House
I've said on a number of occasions both here and other places that House is the best show on TV. I still believe that and think that the current cast is better than the previous or the writting just got better, but watching old episodes can be a let down.
Runners Up: True Blood and Sons of Anarchy

Not Listed
I would have done comic of the year and album of the year, but all of the comics I'm reading were not produced in 2008 and strangely I didn't get around to much music this year.

RIP 1UP
So the whole thing is dead now, UGO bought the site and the magazine. The podcasters have either quit or were let go and EGM saw it's last issue in January. Sad really, I hope everyone who worked there lands on their feet and their feet equal new shows for me to listen to. Update: They have landed!

2009 Wish List
Healthy Baby
Computer Upgrade
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Left for Gears

Sorry, no video as promised in the last post, my days have been hectic as of late and video encoding has been on the bottom of my list. We picked up our Christmas tree from Tom Leonard's over the weekend and got it all decorated up. Sunday I was forced to sit through Twilight with Crystal, her friend from work and a room full of teenage girls. It was utter trash, but more on that in a future post. Now to the video games...

Left 4 Dead
L4D has been on my radar for a while now, it was announced back in 2006 and has been cropping up in magazines and on websites ever since. Aside the many delays I was still geeked to play it this fall and then WotLK came out. I missed the release date by a week or two, but finally put some time in with it this weekend. I don't know if it is all of the Walking Dead I have been reading or just a general love for all things zombie, but this game scratches my itch. It has just the right amount of intense highs and lows that you stay scared and adrenaline pumped the entire time. I have only played the four player coop so far, but sharing moments of panic with friends is really fun. Think hay rides at Halloween.

Gears of War 2
The first Gears game was an revolution in third person shooters. It had game play that felt impactful and graphics that jumped off the screen. The newest game in what is now becoming a series is more evolution than revolution, but still a blast to play. The story is still poop, but the world has opened up more. It is prettier and you do more than just move from cover to cover. All in all it is what a video game sequel should be. Unlike movie sequels that tend to just be the same formula, but worse, video game sequels tend to fix what was wrong with the previous title. I've yet to play horde mode or versus anything yet, but the single player and coop are a blast.

Guild Progress
Naxx (492nd US) and Sarth (171st US) 25 man down, only Malygos 25 to go. I wish there was more content to raid now more than the last time I mentioned it. After we down Malygos this week everything will be on farm save hardcore achievements.

Fallout Tres

A raspy voiced Ron Perlman starts off the third game with...

"War... War never changes."

A phrase that has been used to start off all of the previous Fallout games. I would be lying if I said the hairs on my neck weren't standing at attention. Kick in the scratchy recordings of The Ink Spots and Louis Armstrong and I'm yours. The Fallout series has been courting me on the computer since my sophomore year in high school. Truth be told I bought the game on a whim with money from my Grandmother because the box art looked cool.

The post apocalyptic theme mixed with 50's pulp was right up my alley. That was just icing on the cake to a story that felt very off the rails. There was not a ton of guidance from the creators as to where and what you should be doing and it was liberating. Want to spend your time in caves killing molerats go for it. Want to explore all of the side quest that could be a game in and of themselves be my guest. Eventually you could take steps to complete the over arching quest, but you did it at your own pace.

Fallout 3 seems (I'm about 6 hours in) to take that ball and run with it, but in its own way. There are defiantly hints of Oblivion style game play, but it is more of a cousin to Fallout then it is the child of it's engine. The side quest seem to chain for days and I have just now started to get back to the main task at hand. I could go on for reams about this game, but here is a brief list of my thoughts so far.

1. Playing from the first person perspective I feel like I am less aware of my surroundings, but more invested in the character.

2. There is tons to do, but I feel a little over whelmed at times.

3. I had planned to be evil, but I end up taking the good path more often than not. I've heard it described as "A dick with a heart of gold".

4. The combat feels a little scatter brained when you get rushed by 3-4 raiders and you are out of action points.

5. Why do my weapons have to break so quickly. Money is hard to come by early on and the selection available from the vendors I have met is limited.

Wii, Not for Mii

We procured our Wii in a middle of the night raid on Walmart more than a year ago. It was all candy canes and lolly pops for the first few months and then we wanted a new game. The novelty of Wii Sports has a long tail, but the alternatives outside of it are slim and far between. We tried out Wii Play which was not a game, but an excuse to get another controller. Then it was on to Rayman Raving Rabbids which was fun, but had unresponsive controls on occasion. The dry spell that we braved next was trying, but rewarded us with Mario Galaxy.

Post Galaxy we have yet to buy a game for coming up on a year this November. Turkey dinner games like Zelda and Mario titles are few, while half assed shovelware titles like Carnival Games and Ninjabread Man come out weekly. I can't fathom paying forty some dollars for titles that are essentially waggle based money grabs. Especially when Castle Crashers is fifteen dollars and big production games for the Xbox are sixty. Lack of quality titles on the system only serves to point out what appears to be the systems core flaw.

We were given a system with last gen graphics for the trade off of price and innovative controls. They delivered on price for sure, but have yet to deliver fully on the innovation. Beyond the waggle, point and object simulation systems released on day one there has been very little that is compelling enough to play. Third parties are flooding the market with garbage and Nintendo has no system to filter the wheat from the chaff. Why should third parties struggle to find new uses for Nintendo's controllers when the first party stopped trying a while ago? At an install base of over ten million there is little incentive to change.

Nintendo's solution to date has been to ignore the core gamers (i.e. me) and focus on selling peripherals to their customer base of soccer moms and geriatrics. The latest innovation they have come up with makes the wiimote more accurate. Well unless they plan to send one in the mail to every customer who has a wiimote (send me four please) then they are just wasting their time. Why would anyone take time and resources to produce a game that in theory would be more fit for "hardcore" gamers when the market has been fractured. Sounds good Nintendo, let me go convince my wife to sell the dust collector next to our TV. Good luck in the future when the Wii2 isn't selling because grandma is content to play her original.

Chrome Fail?
New browsers get me excited for some reason, especially from companies I view as tech community aware. So when Google announced Chrome and I read through the feature set and their new approach to web browsing and got excited to try it out. The comic helped too.

Well seeing is believing and after a brief test drive with Chrome last night I don't believe. The first thing I did was essentially a load test to populate the new tabs page with my most visited sites. It slowed to a crawl, then to a stop and then to a crash with just ten tabs open. Now the comic parody makes a little more sense and I a reluctant to go back to it with Firefox just a click away. It is easy to make the "it's still in beta" argument, but gmail has been in beta since Jesus was born.