The Super Bowl: It went from being pretty boring (I wanted the Cards to win due to deep-seeded Steeler hate) after Harrison's TD return, to pretty great in the fourth quarter. I feel there were a few calls that fell the Steelers' way (Warner's last "fumble" not reviewed? Really?), but the Cards had the lead late and could not stop them. All in all, a solid game. Only a few days until pitchers and catchers!
Other than that, the cable in my room is dead so I don't watch TV much. Although I am curious to see the CollegeHumor show on MTV soon. I have a feeling it will be bad.
Video Games:
So I beat the new Prince of Persia and felt it was a very good experience. It is a very different game, and I think one that future titles may crib things from. Not being able to "die" in the traditional sense (your ethereal lady friend will save you from all falls and enemy death blows) is very odd and did take away from the urgency of fighting somewhat. But since games are moving in the "everyone can play, wheeeeeeee" direction, I think more games are going to use the "can't really die" mechanic. I know I would have liked it in Mirror's Edge.
But it kept all the wallrunning flowing and is better than looking at a load screen and feeling like a dumbass. Plus, there is an achievement for being rescued less than 100 times (which I did not get, but I didn't know that until the end), so I had motivation not to die.
Condemned: Criminal Origins: This is an oldy that I picked up for $5 over the summer on a whim. It's a first-person game where shooting is not the focus - melee is. Bloody, teeth-knocking, 2x4 with nails usin', awesome melee. It never gets old bashing hobos with a locker door or a lead pipe.
But more than that, there is this weird serial killer plot and crime scene aspects - such as using a black light to find blood trails and this scent thingy to find chemical trails - that make the game unique, especially for it's time. It was quick (8 hours) and the graphics showed their age, but there are some great scares and jump moments. I am glad I played it and would even pick up the sequel on the cheap.
Portal (Orange Box): Yes, I just played this game for the first time. I had played a few levels and the flash version before, but I never got around to firing it up on the Orange Box. I am glad I did.
For anyone who doesn't know, Portal is a ridiculous puzzle game that focuses on momentum and physics. You shoot two portals (one leads to the other) in first-person view to hit switches, jump over shit and generally feel awesome as you move around the map. It's as short as hell, but challenging and I found myself wrapped up in the quirky plot of a HAL 9000-like robot messing with you. There is a lot of very funny writing and it's a game that everyone should play.
Dear FPS developers, make a fucking portal gun in all your games. Please.
I'm glad you finally played Portal. It is really short, but I think it has to be considered for best game ever.
ReplyDelete"Although I am curious to see the CollegeHumor show on MTV soon. I have a feeling it will be bad."
ReplyDeleteIt was. There was a good reason why it failed after six episodes. NOBODY (except for idiot College Humor fanboys/fangirls) wants to see the writers play fictionalized versions of themselves! And I just love that this idiot on Youtube who calls himself "Nicholas Caesar" thinks the show was "A Successful Failure" when NOBODY even talks about it or even remembers it!
Heck, I can't even find any of that show's episodes anywhere, but I can find 12 episodes of the Greek dub of the obscure Rankin/Bass cartoon Karate Kat. Shows like the Swat Kats and even (to a smaller extent) The Centurions are more of "A Successful Failure" than The CollegeHumor Show is! Of course, being on that pile of garbage network known as MTV didn't help either, though I doubt The CollegeHumor Show would have done any better on a more respectable network.
The lesson is: Stick with what works and not do something outside of your strengths.