Back where, Doc?

Back…TO THE FUTURE!

*lightning, etc., etc.*

Not too much to report here folks.

I just beat Fable 2 last night, and that was indeed an interesting ride. I think I’m gonna give it back to GameStop as soon as I get a chance, because I made sure to do EVERYTHING in the game the first time around…but that kinda saps replayability, so perhaps I should play games less completely the first time?

I dunno.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience full of trials and triumphs, and I’m happy to have played the first one so I could get all the little inside jokes and nods the Fable 2 gave.

Hey.

You.

Guy on the fence about an Xbox.

Would you hurry up already so you can play this game?

You’ll be sorry.

[i/o]

Well, BrokenJpg has returned.

At the request of many, the once-great giant has been lured again from his slumber to wreak havoc upon the land.

I’m thinking of moving to more of a weekly update sort of thing, just in case I don’t have many things ot talk about, but then I’d at least be on a set schedule - so if nothing else, you’d know when a new post was coming.

We’ll see.

But for now, bullet points:

• Dead Space comes out tomorrow. I think I’m going to need to buy a pack of adult diapers just in case.
• Apple also has a new event tomorrow focusing on laptops. I can’t wait to see how they’ll be distorting reality this time.
• My Xbox almost bricked over the weekend. It turns out it was all Halo 3’s fault, so I just deleted all of the offending content from my 360 then re-downloaded them. For the time being, it continues to run like a dream.
• I finally got Rock Band 2. I didn’t think I could like it more than Rock Band 1, but I do. Also, if Daddio ever decides to actually man the hell up and “Jump In” (as the 360 ads suggest), then we can start a band over Xbox Live. So even when we’re not together we can rock out.
• I think I like the new season of Family Guy more than any seasons prior. The references seem to be so much funnier and more well-timed. Perhaps they’ve honed their craft.
• I’m still waiting to hear what days I should take off this December/January. I’m excited as all get-out and I’m ready to solidify the plans.
• Other games coming up soon that I’ve preordered: Fable 2 - October 21, Fallout 3 - October 28, Gears of War 2 - November 7, Mirror’s Edge - November 11. And then I think there’s a new Prince of Persia game somewhere before Christmas that I haven’t preordered, but I need to see some more videos for that before I make my decision. Oh well.

Anyway, that’s for being so patient through the hiatus, and be aware that a new banhammer has been selected and is at the ready for any of those who come knocking with unwelcome comments.

(Family and Friends excluded from Banhammer, of course)

[i/o]

I’ve got a buttload of games preordered that come out in the next month or so, but I have nothing to do until then (games-wise).

Today I decided to pop in Assassin’s Creed one more time and play it through to get that final nagging achievement. I guess it’s my way of saying goodbye to the game.

I’m planning on selling a bunch of them, seeing as how I’ve completed most of them and I’ll never touch them again, and Daddio seems loathe to break down and buy himself one.

Maybe the prospect of a bunch of free games is scary, I dunno.

Just thought I’d update this dusty old thing before the last post started to grow mold.

[i/o]

Sorry about the absence of a post lately, it seems like I haven’t had a lot of time to make one.

Firstly, a lot of games are on the horizon that I’m excited for, namely some of the ones I’ve pre-ordered:

• Fable 2
• Fallout 3
• Gears of War 2

Needless to say this Fall is going to be quite the season for blockbuster titles. There are a few more that I still need to pre-order (Rock Band 2, Mirror’s Edge, Portal: Still Alive, and Resident Evil 5), but I’ll get to them soon enough.

In other news, I’m really, really tired of all the iPhone news. My normal websites (like The Unofficial Apple Weblog) are absolutely chock-full of iPhone updates, and it gets really old, really fast. I’m pretty sure that even if I didn’t get a new iPhone I wouldn’t care about all of this stuff they’re prattling on about. Some stupid app that lets you calculate tips or mix colors or catch a ball in a cup, OH BOY!

I’d estimate that about 9/10 posts on there at this point are iPhone-related. Gag unto me with a spoon.

Anyway, I suppose I’ll go enjoy some Supreme Commander now. Perhaps I’ll see some of you later once you get a newly-priced Xbox 360.

[i/o]

So, I finished getting my world rocked today by that fantastic gem Bioshock.

Just when I thought the game could get no deeper, a new layer of complexity and story would peel away from the carapace, it’s wonders gently swaying like a thousand bristling tarantula legs.

I highly recommend it to any who’ve not tried it, because it really adapts itself to your play-style. Don’t like long-winded stories and just want to kill stuff? Would you rather search and collect everything? Prefer to be whisked away into a deep and driving story by top-notch voice acting?

Well you can have any of that and all of that, as well as pant-pooping scariness to boot.

———-

In other news, I’m trundling my way through Duma Key. It’s not so much a race to the finish as The Dark Tower came to be, I’m finding myself letting it’s gentle nuances and extremely fresh writing style (at least for sai King) pull me along for the ride, and I’m enjoying where it’s taking me.

The main character Edgar Freemantle is given a bit of “relocation relaxation” to give himself time to cope from his debilitating construction-site accident, as well as his soon-after divorce.

He begins to discover a long-lost love for drawing and painting…as well as the incredibly healing powers those gifts seem to induce.

But that’s all I’m going to say. I got it on Amazon for…$19, I think (thanks be to Alaina), and that’s the hardcover.

I’m not saying OMGGOBUYNOWLOLOLOLOL, but certainly it’s worth the read. Just makes me wish such a craftsman of the word wasn’t contemplating retirement.

[i/o]

Well, sorry folks for the bit of an absence in posts, but I seem to have been soaking up a lot of things recently.

I’ve been relishing the return of my TV, and am currently watching Les Stroud survive the Kalahari Desert. The crisp colors! The large size! It’s almost too much to bear.

In a kind of conjunction with that, I’ve also gotten myself hooked on Bioshock. The creepy “sea reclaiming its territory” ambience is well done, the water effects are stellar, and the late 1950’s environs are captured without flaw. Music from gramophones are warbled and cracked, weapons feel heavy and perfectly fitting for the era, and the dialog is as numerous as it is well done.

And of course, I’ve also been trying to soak up the age Jack is currently at. They say that you blink, and they’re leaving to go to college (or something similar), and it would seem as though time has sped up some since his birth. He’s already going to be two weeks old tomorrow, and at his appointment today the pediatrician said he was exhibiting traits of a 4-month old.

They were also surprised that he was already holding his head up…so maybe he’s a developmental wunderkind?

Time will tell I suppose.

[i/o]

Folks, take a look at that image to the right there (click to make it larger).

That’s a screenshot of UPS.com when I entered in the tracking number Westinghouse had supplied me today when calling about the status of my TV.

Notice anything odd?

Check the weight on that sucker.

The original weight of the package was about 40-50 pounds, and when Alaina and I sent the package back for service, the package only weighed 45 pounds.

So!

I pose the question to you, kind readers: what the hell are they sending back to me?

[i/o]

But mostly bad news.

First of all, I was told to be on the lookout for a box, because it would probably have my birthday present in it.

During the day while I was at work, Alaina’s sisters/family were setting up a surprise baby shower with about 30 people in attendance.

At about 6:00 p.m. (I was holed up in our room because I can’t stand that many people at once, let alone women), Bethany came up to where I was and asked if Alaina had ordered anything. I saw she had a box in her hands, and I averted my eyes so I couldn’t read the label or see any defining marks, and I said it was probably my birthday present, and to just set it on the table.

About 2 minutes later, Alaina’s mother comes upstairs holding the same box, and asks the same question. I tell her I’m not supposed to see it. As she makes her way back downstairs, she says “I was wondering who it was for, because it says it’s from SpiderCo Way.

I had to rest my head in my hands and try my hardest not to tear open the box and kill that idiot with whatever present I had been given.

Read more

Just downloaded three new tracks for Rock Band last night.

• Limelight by Rush
• Roxanne by The Police
• Working Man by Rush

It was about 9:45 after I had finished watching the latest Fable 2 developer diary video, and I thought to myself “should I play those tracks now, or wait until tomorrow?”

I ended up playing all three on Easy, and then again on Medium. I couldn’t help myself.

Granted, only the Police song is a master track, the guy they got to sing as Geddy Lee does a pretty good job. Also, during the loading screen, little facts pop up about the game and the band you’re playing. The one about Rush was that Neil Pert, not Geddy Lee, is the main lyricist for Rush. Then it made some comment about how he was into some novelist and sci-fi. I thought that was a cool little tidbit.

Anyway, I’m off to try and conquer the songs on Hard. Working Man especially. The guitar solos in that song are like…half the songs length!

[i/o]

Over on Alaina’s website (technically isn’t it called a sister blog?), there is a sweet little mention of yours truly:

Oh, yes, and I get mad at Ian for not mentioning me in his posts (it’s that selfish thing again) so I’m going to take this time to say Hi Ianny-poo-poo! Thanks for always cleaning out the litter box! You’re the best! Oh yeah and you’re the most amazing pretend guitar player on rock band! Even if you never beat it on expert!

You know it.

So now’s my turn to mention her.

Hi Alaina-bear! Thanks for growing a baby and getting up at weird hours to go to work! Thanks also for dealing with my whining about how his middle name shouldn’t be Robert! You’re the best! Oh yeah, and you’re the best at taking large and oddly-shaped poops that freak me the hell out!

There we go.

Now doesn’t everyone feel better? I know I do.

Speaking of Rock Band, the last set of 5 songs on Hard difficulty really ramp up the furious fretwork. I mean…really. There’s this one song, called Flirtin’ With Disaster by Molly Hatchet…I don’t know what kind of hopped-up kids it takes to beat this song, but I swear to God, playing a real guitar can’t even be this hard.

Seriously. Look at a video of what I’m supposed to beat (the guitar is on the left).

Granted, that’s the expert version, but I can tell you that the Hard version is very close to that.

Anyway, I beat the songs before it…so I’m sure I’ll eventually get it…and then cry myself to sleep once I can’t get through Expert. Oh well. I’m actually not that worried about Expert…I’m not too sure I’d want to be an expert at fake guitar anyway. Good enough is good enough in this instance.

Oh…and a note to the Daddio, when and if he decides to purchase it for the Wii: make sure to calibrate the lag. Seriously. It’s a pain to know you hit a note and the game says you didn’t.

Seriously.

[i/o]

P.S. Look at this hot girl.

Gotcha.