Brief thoughts on Boston bombing

People suck. What happened in Boston is terrible, any legitimate human being would think so. But...

I'm already sick of the news coverage. Maybe it's because this shit is becoming more commonplace (a sad commentary on our society) but I don't even want to hear about it anymore. The news and these journalists are just going to sensationalize and run the whole thing into the ground until something similar happens again, and the cycle continues. Just let me know when you fucking know something instead of showing the same video of the bombs going off over and over again. It's like they get off on this shit.

Jesus. 

"It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic..."

I was rummaging around YouTube (who doesn't) and I came across one of my all time favorite Joker moments. And, no, I'm not talking about Heath Ledger. Ledger was incredible beyond belief but it's this scene that captures the character perfectly. Mark Hamill is second to none when it comes to the voice of the Joker. 

It's not just because of the voice but also because of how dark this scene is. The Joker is torturing Robin and recording it! When the Joker unmasks Batman, so to speak, the delivery of dialog from Hamill is just awesome. 

"If you don't like the movie, I've got slides."

I love the PS4 controller

Seriously, look at this thing...

Gorgeous. I particularly like the textured back, analog sticks, the blue light, trigger buttons, and the touch pad is actually cool looking. Yes, I pretty much named almost every feature on the controller. Told you I liked it. 

*resuscitates blog*

Hello!

*waves*

Long time, no anything. 

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, etc.

Hope you all got nice and fat 'n drunk during your holiday season. Mine was particular awesome. I already love the holidays, just as they are. But these holidays were particular awesome because...

I GOT A NEW JOB!

I was offered this new job 5 days before Christmas. Nice gift, am I right?! I started last Monday and, so far, it's really cool. The first week was pretty much taking in a lot of info and meeting people. Looking to get more into the job this week. And that's my life event news! Onto gaming...

I'm going to buy a new game tomorrow! It's been a while since I've played a new title. I have been playing the Jak and Daxter HD Collection, but starting tomorrow I will have DmC in my possession. If you know me and the games I love, you know full and well that the Devil May Cry series (minus #2...we don't speak of it) is on that list. I've seen a ridiculous amount of bitching from Devil May Cry fans about DmC. They can bitch, hate, and boycott all they want. This game looks good. There's nothing better than watching glowing reviews roll in and seeing all the purists squirm and cry "conspiracy". Every single one of these reviewers is getting paid off by Capcom, in the minds of these poor souls. I guess Capcom must have paid off reviewers for all those amazing RE6 review scores, as well. Oh wait...

The cherry on top of all of this is I'm going to be able to buy DmC for half off because of a gift card. Score!

Almost bought a Playstation Vita. Almost.

Deciding to forgo the crazies and try my hand at some online shopping, I ended up not really buying much. I love (lurrrrve) me some Amazon and I picked up some TV shows (do yourself a favor and watch Breaking Bad, if you haven't) at some really good prices, a couple of games, and a gift for my dad. Then, all of a sudden, I saw a deal pop up that sounded too good to be true. It was a Playstation Vita, bundled with Assassins Creed 3: Liberation, 3 free months of Playstation Plus, and some other goodies I can't think of right now. All of this, for $179.99. I don't care who you are, that's a great deal! I quickly added it to my cart, knowing it would be sold out within minutes, if not less.

And then I sat there staring at the screen for what seemed like several minutes. I eventually checked out and finalized my order. 10 seconds later, I canceled it. Why? I started thinking about how, after all the shiny newness wears off, I'll rarely play this thing. I started thinking about how the PSP I spent $200 on just sits in a storage box, collecting dust ever since I completed Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Maybe handhelds just aren't my thing? But then I came to the realization that I just don't game as much as I used to. To be honest, I already knew that before canceling my order, but it just cemented the decision further. I just don't have the time, or maybe the games just aren't as good as they used to be. I'm not sure what it is. Back in the day, I would have had a game like Dishonored completed within a day or two. And Dishonored is a GREAT game. Really, you should play it. But it's taken me several weeks just to get to the end. There are times when gaming feels like it used to, where I'll play for hours on end. But it's rare. It seems only a very special game will make me feel that way nowadays. Whatever is it, all of this aided me in decision to cancel this order. In short (too late), I just won't play the damn thing. It is a brilliant piece of hardware and the software line-up seems to have gotten better. I probably won't see it at that price point again, at least not for a while. 

But, I just couldn't do it.

Okami HD? Yes, please!

Okami is a game that I owned for the PS2, played it, and never completed it. I can't really tell you why I never completed it. Maybe something else came along? I don't know. It was a very unique and beautiful game. I was hoping I would get the chance to play it again, since I got rid of most of my PS2 games (except for those few which I just couldn't part with!). And now, lo and behold, Okami HD gets released on PSN. Word on the street (aka IGN) is that it's an amazing HD port and the definitive Okami experience. 

I don't think I'll have too much of an issue parting with my $20. 

Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss

Artorias of the Abyss

I truly am a masochist because I went ahead and bought this DLC. I almost NEVER buy DLC but, for this game, it is a must have. Dark Souls is easily one of my favorite game of this generation. I've never gotten more joy out of dying repeatedly. It's the challenge, suspense, and tension that keeps me coming back for more.

The best thing about this?

I have to restart the game in order to access it, since the access point for this content is later in the game. Some people might not like that but I do. Hell, I've been meaning to do another playthough anyway.

Book review: The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower #7)

Well, here it is. The final volume in this incredible story. It took me almost an entire month to finish this book, mainly because I didn't want the journey to end. This isn't a perfect book. There are moments when it dragged and felt like it wasn't going anywhere, which, for the final piece of the puzzle, can be disconcerting. But as I was rushing towards the final moments of this crazy ride, I started to realize (despite some missteps) that this was actually an amazing close to the series. It's one hell of a ride. And this is a really difficult review to write, so...


After the big cliffhanger in the 6th book, our Ka-tet has a lot of ground to cover. Avoiding spoilers, the anti-christ's equivalent is on the lose, the rose is still not completely secure, and the breakers must be stopped from destroying the remaining beams. Not to mention, a certain important character's life must be saved so the world doesn't end. And I haven't even mentioned the actual journey to The Dark Tower. That's a doozy and one of the best sections of the book. Dandelo. That's all I'll say.

Again, this volume does drag for a bit around the middle but, after finishing it, it didn't matter. The emotional impact this book carries in momnumental, at times. After spending so much time with these characters, you're bound to care about them. It makes learning about their fates, whatever they may be, a very big deal. Stephen King has always been great with his characters, and these are some of his best.

My last thought is for the ending. 

***SPOILERS***

A lot of people will, and do, hate it. I hated it at first, and I felt so bad for Roland and thoughts of "cop out" were swirling around my head. But, after really thinking about it, it's actually pretty brilliant. Also, King does a bit of trickery to involve us a little bit in the ending. It's genius!

***END SPOILERS*

Ka.

Book review: Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower #6)

Well, King has out done himself in the "this book is more bizarre than the last", once again. Before getting into the thick of things, I will say that Song of Sushanah probably has the fastest pace of all the books in the series, so far. The novel is fairly short, anyway, but the pace is lightning fast. I'm not sure if it's because I read this while on a road trip, or if it was the fast pace I mentioned, but most of this read like I was in a dream. A very twisted dream.


Back to the story, Mia has almost completely taken over Susannah's body, except for brief flashes of defiance from Susannah. She's gone to the time of 1999, which proves very significant later on in the story (about half-way through #7 as I type this), to have her "chap". We spend quite a bit of time with Mia/Susannah and, in the process, we learn a bit more about who/what Mia is and also we finally get some info on the Crimson King. While all of this is going on in 1999, the rest of the Ka-tet is trying to do two things: 1) find Susannah and rescue her and 2) find a way to secure the vacant lot back in New York. Roland and co. have a plan and, well, let's just say that it doesn't work out exactly as they would have liked.

There isn't a lot of forward movement in this installment and some might not like it for that. And because of that, I'm not going to say much more about what does happen. This is definitely more of a set up novel. But with the fast pace, mysteries, and more cliff hangers, I still have to give this one my strong recommendation.

Book review: Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower #5)

Wolves of the Calla might be the most bizarre book in the series, so far. There are all kinds of connections and references made to not only King's other works but also other pop culture, some that hasn't even been invented yet in this story's time period! Some of it's silly but, for the most part, this 5th installment in The Dark Tower is very solid and kept me asking "What the hell is going on? Where is this going?"


We get a lot of character development in this addition and we also get to catch up with an old character from one of King's best novels, 'Salem's Lot (which is in my top two King books!). Father Callahan. I loved reading about what happened to him after he left Jerusalem's Lot. These are some of my favorite parts of the book.

For the main story, Roland and company are travelling along the path of the beam but they wind up in the small community of Calla Bryn Sturgis. We meet a lot of new and interesting characters and we also find out that the Calla has been under attack by the "wolves" once every 23 years. Most of the children born in the Calla are twins and the wolves come to pick off one of each set. They don't kill the kids but instead they are sent back "roont". The town (most of them, at least) have had enough and want to make a stand. In comes are ka-tet. The only way the folken know when the wolves are coming is because of Andy, the town's trusty robot. How does Andy know this? Is this all the robot knows? Who are these "wolves"? What, exactly, do the wolves want with the children?

What about that vacant lot back in New York, with the rose?

I love this book because of all the mystery and questions it brings up and it actually answers some of them. More questions are brought up with the book's "WTF" ending, but that's what we have books 6 and 7 for, right? My only quibble is, again, we don't get much movement in terms of Roland and co. getting closer to the tower. Everything is isolated to the Calla, except for little excursions here and there to New York. There just isn't a lot of movement of the main plot. It's not a major issues because I enjoyed most of everything to do with the Calla but it was a tiny bit frustrating at times.

Still, another great step toward The Dark Tower and I can't wait to start the next one.