I did quite a bit this weekend; or rather, I lackadaisically sat around my house and consumed others’ hard work. (I actually did pack a few boxes in preparation for my impending relocation to Colorado Springs, but that isn’t what I count as “doing something.”)
Things I did:
- Finished “On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode 1″ from Penny Arcade
- Played a large chunk of Half-Life 2 (after digging a controller and the game, along with Bio-Shock, out of an already-packed box)
- Watched Juno
- Watched The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode 1
I played this episodic game rather episodically — little chunks of areas and quests at a time.
It is tough to tell how good the game is, mostly because of the affection most people who play it feel towards the subject material — that is, Penny Arcade and its familiar characters. Given that, the game itself actually delivers and feels like you’re playing through one of their hilarious comics, with a healthy does of Lovecraft heaped on top to add a hook to sustain the plot. The graphics are stylized to mimic Gabe’s artwork in the comic, the dialogue rings of Tycho’s loquacious tone, and, as with the comic, the combination is largely successful.
Like many of Lovecraft’s tales, however, the game itself is rather short. It took me approximately 8-10 hours to complete, but I could easily see it only taking 4-6 hours if played more aggressively or if I had been a bit more astute and hadn’t needed to backtrack as much for items. Gabe’s special attack on the PC is annoying to the point that I almost stopped doing it — pounding the spacebar to fill a meter to the point of nearly breaking my keyboard wasn’t fun, and I hope that this mechanic is changed for future episodes. A friend asked, “Is it worth $20?” It is — it delivered an extremely enjoyable experience and left me waiting for the duo’s future episodes.
Half-Life 2
This game is old. It’s so archaic that the lambda on the cover probably house some ancient, mystical power. If it weren’t for the number 2 in the title, you might think it was the first game ever made, possibly even pre-dating computers. (Note: the game was actually released in 2004, a scant 4 years ago.)
Anyway, I received the Orange Box for Christmas, largely for Portal which I hastily devoured one Saturday back in January, and then discarded the remaining offerings housed on the disc. I picked it up yesterday, though, and had a blast playing through it. It offers a decent amount of varied gameplay for a FPS (vehicles, ant-lion commanding, standard FPS), and just when you start to tire of one style, it switches to another.
I mostly just wish you could use the gravity gun directly on enemies, but being able to throw any nearby environmental clutter is nearly as good. Anyway, Orange Box is very likely the best value game ever if you haven’t already played most of the content (which many probably have).
Edit: So I just got to the part where the gravity gun gets super-charged and you can use it directly on enemies. It’s even more awesome than I hoped it would be.
Juno
The movie was alright. I resisted seeing it for a long time because of things I’d heard from friends — it was too “cutesy,” the dialogue was too cleverly crafted to seem natural, or the dialogue was all “monotone” — none of the characters had different depth. While I could definitely appreciate all those criticisms (“Oh my blog!” …), the movie was enjoyable. It’s not something I’d watch again, but I don’t regret watching it a single time.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
This movie is a sort of “fictional documentary,” providing an entertaining account of the facts, while providing or speculating about particular unknowns. While it has a long run-time (2 hours, 39 min), it manages to pass the time fairly quickly with only a few entertainment droughts throughout the show. Please note there may be some SPOILERS below, other than the obvious plot point in the title.
Bob Ford is a transformation throughout the movie — from adoring teen to spurned traitor to, finally, a repenting mourner. He mostly seems a lost soul for most of his life, never really knowing what he wants. This seems to lead to his collusion with the Missouri governor — he is just looking for someone to accept him. Was he a coward? Until his last days, yes. Once he was able to accept (and mourn) his actions, it seemed that he found his niche in life and was able to be at peace with the world.
Brad Pitt did a great job of portraying Jesse James — ruthless when needed, paranoid as hell, and always charismatic. I often wondered about the scene where he died — earlier in the movie, he asks Charlie Ford, “Have you ever thought about suicide?” The implications are pretty obvious (and also part of the dramatization, I’m sure). I don’t think anything historically suggests that was the case, but, as with Peter’s denial of Jesus, it is all the more potent when the betrayed know of the traitorous act beforehand, and still allow it to happen.
Anyway, long post and I’m out.
Tags: Half-Life, Jesse James, Juno, Penny Arcade, Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness, Weekend
