Nerdblog!
The following is unrelated to WAR, so if that’s all you’re looking for, skip it.
Everyone still here?
Cool.
I’ve managed to carve out a few hours of free time over the past week and actually got a chance to catch up on some gaming, watch a couple of movies and generally act like a normal fanboy for once. Here are a couple of thoughts on things played, seen or read:
Games*
I’m always a year or so behind the Cool Kids when it comes to most games. Part of it is due to simply being too busy and part of it is related to preferring to have other folks test-run everything for me so I can avoid the stinkers and just play quality games. Here are a couple of titles I’ve been poking around with recently:
Overlord (Xbox 360)
This game makes me happy. There’s something so… RIGHT about a game where you can split your time between slaughtering innocent sheep and butchering halflings. The entire game is basically one, big, naughty gag made at the expense of “serious” fantasy and it’s stupidly fun to play. My only gripe relates to the wonky camera controls – but it’s rarely enough of a problem that it becomes seriously frustrating. This title flew under most folks’ radar as near as I can tell, so keep an eye out for it in local bargain bins. Definitely worth buying.
Lost Planet (XBox 360)
When this game is good, it’s REAAALLY good. Unfortunately, that tends to be limited to boss fights. In between those fights – which are full of unparalleled amounts of Liquid Awesome – you trundle along mindlessly killing wave after wave of hopelessly dull-witted grunts. I imagine if you’re slightly better at these types of games than I am, it’s possible to mow through this one in a couple of sittings. Still, it has moments that are oodles of fun. Rent or borrow it.
Mario Galaxy (Wii)
If you do not like this game, you hate joy. Simple as that. It’s the game that – for me – finally cemented in my mind the potential of the Wii as a system. Each planet (level) presents something truly unique and impressive. The control scheme is so perfect at times that I found myself suffering pangs of Game Design Jealousy. Even the interstitials are great. Mario, arms out to his sides, zipping through the Cosmos – I’m morphed into a kid every time it happens. Buy it, love it, give copies to everyone you like.
Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)
The exception to my “plays old games” habit and – for that matter – the “killer app” that compelled me to buy a PS3. The first Act is a little dodgy, but after that the game takes off and just keeps getting better. I haven’t finished the final Act yet, but I feel confident that – unless Kojima hops out of the console at the end and punches me in the face, then steals my TV – it’s the best offering in the Metal Gear series. The variety of areas, challenges, play styles, strategies, weapons, and characters is staggering. The overall design (as always) is magnificent. And the story – ye gods the story. It’s pure, distilled Metal Gear Weirdness. Which, I suppose, you either love or hate. Most of it is told through what can only be described as a perversely huge amount of cut-scenes. Hours and hours and hours of cut-scenes. Some of the scenes I’ve sat through so far must have teetered on the 30 minute mark and there’s apparently a 90 minute whopper in store near the end. I can definite see this being borderline intolerable if you haven’t been playing the other games in the series over the years, but those of us who’ve loved Metal Gear for decades are more than willing to sit through the whole thing. A must-have for hardcore MGS fans, a solid buy for folks familiar with the series, probably not worth the overall cost of the PS3 and the game for folks who’ve never touched the series before.
Spore Creature Creator (PC)
What can I say? I love making terrible, offensive Spore creatures. I thought I wasn’t one of those people, then I saw the option to add “mantenna” to my creature and that was that. Hours of dangly-bitted fun for everyone! It’s free, so you really have no excuse NOT to try it.
Movies
Incredible Hulk
Incredibly less awful than expected! Plenty of “in” gags for the hardcore fans, plus JUST enough character development to make you care about what’s happening. The rest of it is non-stop smashing. Even Barnett was forced to give it a (for him) positive review. Worth seeing in the theatre.
Wall-E
Damn you, Pixar. Why must you make me get all teary-eyed in public? Yet another astonishingly, inspired, uplifting, funny, wonderful film by Pixar. It has some moments that are transcendently awesome. The rest of it is so far above average that I won’t bother explaining it. Go see it tomorrow. Bring everyone you care about with you – from baby to grandpa.
Comics
Ultimates 3 (Marvel)
Dear lord. What happened here? It’s like somebody lost a bet and had to consume every terrible, over-muscled, robot-armed, Venom-and-Wolverine-cameoed, gun-totin’ pile of crap from ’90s comics, then puked it all into a five issue cavalcade of sheer horribleness. It’s honestly one of the most unreadable things I’ve ever seen a major publisher put out (and I’ve read the racist issue of NFL Superpro). Every now and then, I’m tempted to read current comics and nearly every time I’m punished for doing so. I’m going to reread Watchmen now to wash Ultimates 3 out of my brain.
Hrm… everything else I’ve read recently has been non-fiction and is mostly political or historical stuff. Not really applicable to Nerdblog! posting. But I do read books. SERIOUSLY.
Anywho… that’s it at the moment. What am I missing?
*As a note, in the interest of professionalism, I never comment on MMOs. What I think of a competitor’s product is either suspect or scandalous and is thus of no use to anyone.
Its funny you mention Wall-E. I managed to talk my girlfriend in going and seeing Wall-E with me today in a few hours. Pixar movies don’t normally appeal to me but something about Wall-E just makes me think its going to be a great movie. Plus I like saying Wall-E, it just brings a smile to my face.
NFL Superpro? Hahahah! Holy crap, does THAT bring back memories. All the way back when I’d collect a first issue of anything juuuuuust on the off chance that it may be worth something later.
“Y’know, I like football, I like comics, how bad can this be?”
You’d think I’d learn that anytime I end a sentence in “how bad could it be?” or some variant, it’s gonna be pretty bad.
I liked the New Hulk and kept freaking my daughter out when I’d geek out over all the little “geek moments” in the film. She’s usually in on the joke, but having never read a Hulk comic in her life or seen the TV show from the 70’s, she missed out on a lot.
what you’re missing: See Kung Fu Panda, and Wanted. Good stuff.
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