Week in the knees

TV:

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.

The week (?) that was

Since the ice has been broken, the cherry popped, let me throw my two cents in regarding the past week

Music:

Animal Collective, MPP: It's fucking great. Steal it if you have to. But then give AC the money, because they seem like nice guys.

Titus Andronicus, The Airing of Grievances: I missed this is the whirlwind that was 2008, but this is a bad ass punk record. Not balls out like Fucked Up, but with more "indie" influences and varied instrumentation. The lyrics may been juvenile ("Fuck everything, fuck me"), but they have energy in spades.

Everything Jay Reatard has ever made: Seriously, the man's a genius in my book. From '06's "Blood Visions" to the singles he released this year, it's all great.

Wavves, singles from his forthcoming album: Hailing from The Smell (a place that many other bands that are enjoyable hail from), Wavves is one dude, super lo-fi and pretty much just about smoking pot and having nothing to do. It's already fairly hyped, and I bet he'll be this year's Vivian Girls - a lo-fi punk darling that will have a sizable backlash in no time.

Books:

American Psycho, Ellis: I've been wanting to read this forever, as I found the movie enjoyable. The book version destroys it in every way possible. More violent, more insane and much more well done.

The most soul-crushing business card of all-time.

The Crying of Lot 49, Pynchon: Most well-known for "Gravity's Rainbow," Pynchon is one crazy genius. 49 tells the story of the quest for the truth regarding the worldwide conspiracy that is the U.S. Postal Service. Or something like that. It's confusing, funny, postmodern, weird and the hardest 175 pages I've ever read. I already started his other novel "Vineland" and have "V." on deck. So yeah, for all his craziness, his writing is pretty awesome.

TV:

Friday Night Lights, Season 2: Friday Night Lights is the perfect show. When you talk about it, it sounds like a manly football show - and it is, kind of. But in reality, it's a high school drama - which, deep down, everyone loves. I've already blown through a dozen episodes in a matter of a few days (Hulu, ftw!) and will probably go back to season one once I'm done.

Video games:

Persona 3 FES, PS2: I really needed a time sink RPG for these "tough economic times" (a.k.a. I have no job) and I've heard great things about the Persona series. You play as a kid at a high school where you fight monsters by night and manage interpersonal relationships and afterschool activities by day. The great bit is that these are related - friendships with certain people strengthen the different "personas" (typical summons from any game). It sounds complicated and dumb writing it down, but I can easily seen dropping 50+ hours into this bad boy. Not bad for a dead system.

Oh, and the characters shoot themselves in the head (fast forward to about 1:00) to summon personas. Eat that censors!

Prince of Persia, Xbox 360: I dabbled in The Sands of Time when it was new on the original Xbox, and since I borrowed this (thanks Wig), price was not an issue. I have not been disappointed. This is was Mirror's Edge should have been, a seamless platforming experience with shiny visuals and a passable story. The game is not "dumbed down" as many complained, the controls simply allow you to do some slick things. You'll go from wallrun to ring grab to wall jump to another wall run to pole climb with the press of a few buttons. It feels a lot like a rhythm game, where timing and visual cues are key. Oh, and the combat is based on one-on-one duels, which is refreshing in this world of "get 48574389 Locusts on screen!!!!111"

Left 4 Mothafuckin Dead, Xbox 360: Still owns, versus cheats and all. I am still not tired of the maps (but a patch wouldn't hurt...) and the announcement of a PC patch to fix bugs coming to the 360 soon will only make things better. It's great, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.