Nick the Genius

In my last post I suggested that Nintendo was the only developer making good games for the Wii. On second thought, I realize that is simply untrue. The problem is that all of the third party gems are being buried under a glut of shit. Just go to your local Gamestop or Target and peruse the Wii section. There you will find games like No More Heroes and De Blob sandwitched by trash like Petz: Crazy Monkeys or Action Girlz Racing (why do shity games for tweens have to have a “z” somewhere in the title?). So, while my initial recommendation, to pick up Deadly Creatures, stands, there are many games that could use your dollars. By voting with bills we can tell game makers that just because the Wii is cheap to develop for we don’t want cheap games.

Tonight I have enjoyed two things for the first time, and I would like to share my first impressions. So without further ado:

Deangerous Creatures (Wii):

As any of you who have a Wii know, there are two kinds of games you can play on it. The first are games made my Nintendo and the others are crap. This makes Dangerous Creatures somewhat of an anomaly. The game was developed by Rainbow, who I had never heard of, and published by THQ, not a publisher normally on my radar. And, oddly enough, for a Wii game, it has A-list voice actors, a high level of polish, and a truly unique concept.

The game starts with a voiceover by Billy Bob Thornton, which tells the story of a mysterious gas station fire that has injured a local ne’er-do-well. It then quickly places you in the role of a tarantula as you navigate the dangers of the desert: hunting prey and fighting off predators. Halfway through the level you switch away from the spider and take over as a scorpion. The actual story elements are told in game, as the insects encounter, at least from afar, the goings on of the human world above them. It is a very different way to tell a story, and does its job of making you play on. For example, you hear loud thuds and the sand begins to shift and fall around you. As you skitter closer to the source of the noise you hear two humans, voices muffled, talking about digging up a body. Later in that level you crawl across the half buried skeletal remains of the above mentioned body.

If that brief description does not get you interested, maybe the graphics will. While you would never mistake this for the HD gloss of the 360 or PS3 the graphics are richly detailed, run at a sooth frame-rate, and the creepie-crawlies animate with frightening realism. Compared to the shovel-ware that developers heap on the Wii as a way to cash in on its remarkable success, Deadly Creatures is a real standout. If you own a Wii, and want a reason to actually turn it on once in a while, we need more developers to make games like this, and they never will if you don’t buy it.

Dollhouse (Fox):

I am a huge Joss Whedon fan, and cannot honestly say that I have disliked anything he has ever done, so take my impressions with a grain of salt. 

Much has been made of the fact that this first episode was not the originally planned or shot pilot, and that many have taken this to be a sign of trouble. As someone who morns Firefly, this is completely understandable. If you compare the first shown episode of Firefly to the one originally shot and then make a 1:1 with last night’s Dollhouse you will be familiar with my chief complaints. The episode focused too heavily on the open and closed story of the episode, and left us with way to many questions about who these characters are and what exactly the Dollhouse is. Motivations and backstories are almost nowhere to be found, or at least you really have to be paying attention to see them. 

I can see what happened now: Joss wrote a sweeping beginning to his new tale and Fox thought that it strayed to much form the popular CSI/House formula to be accepted by a wide audience. So a new story was crafted to make it conform. But it is in spite off all this that Dollhouse shines. The concept is so different and the glimpses of greatness are too many to not want to see more. And isn’t that the whole point of a pilot?

Last night I had the prestigious honor of meeting, and yes even sitting next to, a very famous minor television personality. I even have the photographic proof:

My wife and I with a famous minor television personality

 We even had a nice conversation with an internet star, though it was a little bracing being that close to a feral man:

Todd with a feral internet star

As you may have noticed that is not I, but my friend, he has his own Blog, Mad Traditions, maybe he will write about the event as well…

Regardless, everyone should read this rather famous person’s books, they make me laugh, and they should make you laugh too.

That is all.

I will not be the first person, or that last person, to blog about the events of yesterday, but here goes anyway. The Republican party has dominated the political and cultural landscape of America for far too long. Its brand of righteous “family values”, hiding a love of big business and religious discrimination, is finally over. Not only did we resoundingly kick them out of the oval office, we have cemented a firm majority in the United States Senate. I could not be happier.

Oh wait, Prop 8 is passing in California…. CALI-FUCKING-FORNIA! In one election the American people have finally moved passed race as a deciding factor and have voted on the merits of the individual, and yet we still hate gay people. All four candidates, even our new president elect Obama, have stated that they do not believe in gay marriage. The only difference between the Republicans and the Democrats here is that the Democrats don’t want to legislate their beliefs. If we can look beyond race we can look beyond sexual orientation, otherwise we still have a long way to go. Where is our homosexual Martin Luther King?

All in all, though, I could not be happier. The cherry on the cake would be if President Barack Obama (man that feels good to write) were to prosecute George W. Bush for all his crimes, and man have there been a lot. But, I guess I will just have to keep hope alive.

P.S. Its been a long time coming, but I have finally put up a gallery of my engagement, bachelor/bachelorette party, and Honeymoon. Wedding pics should be up soon.
Nick and Boot’s Journey

Also, I will be writing a new entry to Ishtahar’s Tale soon, so be on the look out.

A lot has been said about Sarah Palin’s ridiculous assertion that because you can see Russia from a place in Alaska (a place she has never been mind you) she has foreign policy experience. But John McCain recently said something equally as outrageous. For the relevent remark just jump to 1:15 in the following video, but the whole thing is worth watching:

Anyone this out of touch with how the real world actually works should be laughed out of public office.

With several members of my D&D group already posting their own game reports ( The Talking Bookcase , Untitled Games , and Mad Traditions ), and with me needing to stay more engaged with the game, I decided to do something a little different with mine. If you look to the right you will see I have added a new page, where I will be posting my reports. They are going to be dramatic retellings of our adventures, told through the eyes of my character, I am extremely rusty with my writing ability and greatly encourage feedback and criticisms. Enjoy.

<UPDATE> page removed, link to the story: part 1

Today the Large Hadron Collider (or the LHC) went online for the first time. It’s the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, and may fundamentally change the way in which we view the universe.

Also, it may be the first thing that humans have created that has the possibility to annihilate the planet Earth.

I highly recommend that if you have even an ounce of scientific interest that you take the time to read up a little on it. At the very least check out the pictures, they will blow your mind.

LHC Homepage at CERN
Pictures of the LHC

When I was in grade school my parents, probably scared silly by Reagan era Republicans, refused to let me play D&D, because it was “demonic”. Leaving how ridiculous that is aside, I spent my childhood mostly immersed in single player video games.

As a result, while I have played pen and paper games several times, I have never really gotten that hang of them. Take for example the campaign I am currently playing. The group, except for me, is largely made up of experienced pen and paper players, most of whom have played several campaigns together. I, on the other hand, have only played several short lived games, most of which not D&D. That, coupled with my general lack of computational skills, and being used to games that hide all the number crunching from me, makes me a fish out of water.

I tend to spend a longer amount of time figuring out game mechanics than my fellow players. This means I have a hard time remembering how much to add to my rolls and in trying to figure out which ability I should use next. This makes me feel like I am always a step behind everyone else, and tend to just ask them what I should do next, instead of figuring it out for myself.

This makes it hard for me to keep my mind on the game. So, when a tiny break from the game winds down, and the story pick back up, I sometimes miss the cues to get my head back in the game. At best I miss some important information and at worst I cause the group to backtrack in order to catch me up. Trust me, when that happens it is as much embarrassing for me as it is annoying for the group.

I intend to spend more time making myself familiar with the rules of the game, in an attempt to make it easier for me to play. Perhaps, more than anything else, I need more practice, and to remember to pay attention.

We all wish that life was easy, that we never had to make hard decisions, and that nothing serious ever happened. That way we would never have to spend a moment worrying, never have to be held accountable for our decisions, and could spend all our time having fun.

Sadly, this is not the case.

Life is hard and short, and the serious outweighs the flippant. And yet every day I turn on the news and listen to a Republican speak you would never guess that anything in this world is serious. They treat their opponents like kids on the playground, war like it is a silly game of dodgeball, and buying healthcare like finding extra lunch money.

They think nothing of speaking out of both sides of their mouth: damning democrats for the littlest things while they perpetrate crimes against humanity. In one breath they say that the government should make abortion illegal and then say that it’s a private decision. Essentially: we want to tell you how to live your life, but we can do whatever we want with ours.

Somehow they think they are above everything, that their decisions effect no one, and that they deserve to be in power simply because they can talk the talk. To a Republican life is silly and unimportant. Power is something to be had for powers sake and if they run the world into the ground it’s our problem, not theirs. I have news for them: that’s how Paris Hilton runs her life, and no one wants her in public office.

Do the real world a favor and vote Democrat.

The other day one of my friends asked me if I would rather be a dragon or ride one. I immediately responded with: “be a dragon”. Suffice it to say, I like dragons. A lot.

Some would say that this is unhealthy and that I need psychiatric help. They are probably right.

This whole conversation came about because I play D&D with a good group of friends. The other day we came back from a month long hiatus and played a rousing 10 hour session that saw our group (who I insist on calling the Tunnel Inspection Team. Think about it.) level twice. We met many colorful characters, fought ruthless villains, found a boat to protect us, but the crowning moment was when I befriended a dragon.

Let me repeat that… I befriended a dragon.

It was the best thing ever.

His name is Merc, he is green, and we plan on hanging out next Saturday, maybe sit on some gold or something.