jcalvert

Bloom County Returns

Last month my wife of 16 years gave me the Bloom County Complete Library Volume 1 as part of an anniversary present. Bloom County is my all-time favorite comic strip. While I have had various paperback versions of this classic strip, there is something special about this new hardback version that is a complete blast from the past.

Of course the humor is not for everyone; if you are easily offended you need not crack open this great tomb. Of course I now have Volume 2 on preorder, but April is a long way away!

Friday Gaming Quickie

A few PSN games that I am interested in purchasing are on sale are on sale this week (via PlayStationLifeStyle update):

* Gravity Crash (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
* ZEN Pinball (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
* Critter Crunch (now $3.49, original price $6.99)
* Braid (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
* Burn Zombie Burn (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
* Tank Battles (now $3.49, original price $6.99)
* Uno (now $3.99, original price $7.99)
* Championship Bass ($5.99) [PS one Classics]

Of these games I will probably purchase ZEN Pinball tonight; I am a sucker for a good Pinball game. Not sure about the others, but this is where I would actually look for a decent review or two to get the “popular” opinion or general consensus on a game.

Just for the hell of it I may consider Championship Bass. Have not played a decent fishing or hunting game in a while, and they are usually a fun way to waste away some time.

White Knight Chronicles: International Edition

When I have time, which lately for serious RPG fun, is almost never. I have a backlog of PS3 titles that I have yet to finish, and in some cases start: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Demon’s Souls, and Dragon Age: Origins. Adding White Knight Chronicles: International Edition (WKC:IE) may be a tad overkill at this point. Still, the game looks promising.

I have written enough on the topic of online gaming that I do not need to elaborate beyond saying I am not a big fan. RPGamer thinks the game is run of the mill at best, I am actually intrigued by WKC:IE’s online components.

As mentioned earlier, White Knight Chronicles features an online mode which allows for cooperative play. Players will be able to take their avatar online to complete the aformentioned special quests, but will not be able to take Leonard and company along with them. Instead, people having difficulty with a particular quest will have to team up with other players to accomplish their given tasks. Another interesting feature of online play is the ability for players to create their own Dark Cloud-esque Geonet, which allows them to recruit NPCs to a customizable town for support and dialogue.

I am not sure if WKC:IE’s interesting twist on how to integrate online components into a single player offline game will be enough to draw me in for a purchase. Besides, I still have to ask if I even have time for this sort of game.

Now Reading – Some More Robert E. Howard

It has been a while since I posted a “Now Reading” post, so I thought it would be a fun diversion. Back in December I finished up The Icewind Dale Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore. It was a solid read for heroic swords and sorcery fiction based on Dungeons and Dragons; really the Forgotten Realms setting. I am not going to pretend to be a fiction critic; remember this is just a fun diversion type of post.

With that said, I thought the pacing was very uneven. The trilogy started off fine, hooked me in the middle, and became too unbelievable (if I can use that adjective to describe fiction) towards the end. I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but the conclusion to the dragon fight in the underdark-ish dwarf citadel was just too much. To make matters worse, I really had to slog my way through the very last bit in the astral plane (or whatever it was). Thankfully there was not too much of this nonsense; Mr. Salvatore must have realized that he was up against some sort of page count.

As I said, I enjoyed The Icewind Dale Trilogy enough to take up some of the other Drizzt books. I thought the characters were interesting, and certainly the sights and sounds of the Forgotten Realms were captivating. Well, maybe not captivating, but certainly enjoyable.

I just started Robert E. Howard’s Kull Exile of Atlantis. I have read some of Howard’s Conan works, but never any Kull stories. Obviously Kull came first, I have to assume that Conan and Kull are fairly interchangeable as sword and sorcery characters for all but the most diehard Robert E. Howard fans.

I am only about 40 pages in, but so far am enjoying the tales. I have to admit that I can only take so much of this type of fiction in one sitting, much less over the course of a book. Last spring when I was reading The Essential Conan, as much as I enjoyed the various Conan stories, I never made it through the last few in the book.

When PSN Games Fade Away

I was cruising around N4G this morning I came across this article for Calling All Cars. Apparently as of Jan 14, Sony no longer hosts the game on its servers. The article shows that the game is still playable, as long as you (or a friend) hosts the game.

My concern is that folks that paid for the game were not told up front that their online experience would fade away after a certain period of time. Granted, I got the game for free as part of a Qore episode/subscription, have not played the game in a while, and am not all that bent out of shape about the game fading away. Of course that is beside the point. Since I do not have any skin in this one, it only bothers me enough to write a short rant, but what happens when a game I care about disappears?

I think Sony needs to keep hosting these games for the life of the PS3, or Sony needs to offer some sort of voucher (for those that paid for the game) for a replacement game as PSN content is discontinued.

Keeping the Saints Down

It’s no big secret that I am going to pull for the Minnesota Vikings over the New Orleans Saints in this weekend’s NFC Championship game. While the Falcons and the Saints have not much success in their limited franchise histories, the Falcons have been to a Super Bowl (notice I did not say “have won a Super Bowl”) while the Saints have not. I hope it stays that way this weekend.

For those keeping score at home, the Saints are one of only five teams not have previously experienced the goodness of a Super Bowl Sunday. The other teams are the Cleveland Browns (I bet they still have Elway nightmares), the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Houston Texans (have never made the playoffs).

So I say go Vikings!

Monday Madden 10 Football Action

At some point over the long weekend I stumbled across some news about Madden Ultimate Team. To me this looks like a free DLC engine to take additional cash from pre-teens or anyone else addicted to collecting things; videogame related or football cards.

It has been a long time since I played Madden 10 or anything else for that matter. Yesterday I decided to fire up Madden and give it a go. I had to wait for the 1.03 Update to download, but after that I was all set. I saw the new Madden Ultimate Team in the menu, read the various tutorial screens, and backed out at the point of creating a team. Maybe next time.

I only got in two off-line games, and I have to admit that they were a ton of fun. While my gaming time has been extremely limited the last few months, and really my desire to play anything has been much diluted; right now I am an unenthusiastic gamer. However, I always enjoy spending some time with Madden.

Arizona 20 – 14 Falcons
Picked Arizona as a random team, but I guess it was a timely selection being that they just got kicked out of the playoffs. I never said I was good at Madden; in fact I downright suck. I typically play on Pro, with various settings to suit my preferences. My oldest son asked me my I don’t play on All-Madden. [sigh] I think my Madden IQ is still stuck below 500; not because I do not understand football, but because I am too damn old for this stuff now! Back to the game. I should have won, but I threw three INTs, one of which was returned for a TD. The final blow was Ryan’s third INT with about 90 seconds left as I was driving for the winning score. Three Red Zone INTs will kill you every time.

Falcons 24 – 6 Giants
Another random opponent, but this time I wanted to play on the road. Just for the hell of it I selected snow, which turned out great because it was fun watching the momentum of the players. They would slip and slide; maybe not truly realistic, but the developers did a good job of making a noticeable difference between ideal conditions and a field of snow.

Did I mention that these days I am more or less a casual gamer? For this game (thanks to the 3 INTs in the last one), I made sure I had access to the Rewind feature. Yes I suck, and yes I did rewind one TD run by the Giants, but I had the damn runner dead to rights; locked him up with two different tacklers, but to no avail. I no longer have low enough blood pressure to put up with those type of antics. Life is too short.

Yesterday afternoon the weather was so nice that we took the family for an afternoon walk. It has been nasty and cold for so long that everyone needed some quality outside time. During the walk I commented to my wife that I am going to have to somehow arrange my schedule to get in a couple of hrs of video game time a week.

So yes, my Madden day was a lot of fun.

Now Drinking – European Lagers

One of my “New Year’s Resolution” was to drinking better beer. I enjoy beer with the best of them, but a lot of times I lapse into the cheap(er) stuff. This year I am going to try to go with more premium brews; sort of a quality of quantity deal. Maybe; that assume I am not a drunkard and do not guzzle, which would be a good idea if for no other reason than to keep the wallet (somewhat) full(er).

I am going to cheat a little. The three entries featured here were given to me as a Christmas present. Yes, my family knows I am a would-be drunkard; or at least a beer whore! They at least know how to buy me a Christmas present that I will actually enjoy!

Listed in reverse order of preference …

Tyskie Gronie Grand Prix Poland – This Polish beer features a 5.60% AVB. Tyskie Gronie Grand Prix is listed as a pale European lager, but I have definitely had better. Then again I have had worse. I was trying to find something to say about this one, but it is really not very distinctive. It does have some sort of bitterness too it, and I enjoy a little bitter here and there, but I really cannot put my finger on the source. Let’s call this one a nice freebie, but not one that I will turn to on purpose in the future.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro – Let’s call this one the Pabst Blue Ribbon of Italian beer. I have had Peroni before, but not sure I have every come across the Nastro Azzurro variety. I don’t think PBR and this Peroni have anything in common; I am sure PBR is much cheaper by the dozen! Nastro Azzurro seems like a typical pale European lager, which is not a bad thing, but I am not sure that it is one that I would specifically seek out in the future. The 5.1% AVB would work nicely on a hot summer day.

Pilsner Urquell – This Czech lager has a “light” beer-ish 4.4% AVB. Pilsner Urquell is surprising light and crisp; a refreshing brew. I had a few of these on a trip to London, but my Christmas six-pack was my first experience with it in the U.S. I think dry is the overwhelming characteristic that best describes this one. Assuming the price is decent; I think Pilsner Urquell will become a summer staple in my beer rotation.

Daytona Speedweeks Is Upon Us

Speedweeks is the traditional start to the 2010 racing year, with the Rolex 24 at Daytona only a couple of weekends away (12 days to be precise). According to RACER, Team Ganassi will have the strongest driver lineup:

Ganassi, which has won three of the past four editions of the legendary endurance event, will have arguably the strongest lineup on the grid, fielding former IndyCar Series champions and Indianapolis 500 winners Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon – all former Rolex 24 winners as well – in the team’s No. 02 car, where NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Jamie McMurray will also take turns behind the wheel.

The No. 01 car will be driven by former Grand-Am champions and Daytona event winners Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, joined by Indy car hotshoe Justin Wilson and American Le Mans regular Marino Franchitti.

This year the Daytona 500 falls on Valentine’s Day. How sweet is that? I already told my wife what I want – unfettered access to the TV all afternoon watching the opening race of the year. A little something from v-secrets would be nice as well, but I don’t want to push my luck!

Button Dismisses F1 Shortcuts

What a stupid idea by Bernie Ecclestone. Shortcuts in F1? Good grief!

Ecclestone proposed the idea during a media event last week. “I’ve tried to push the teams with a number of proposals. Imagine a shortcut which a driver can use five times every race,” he said. “It would stop people from getting stuck behind others and be good for TV.”

Jenson Button quickly dismissed the idea out of hand. Mr. Ecclestone, why not work on the actual on track racing, implementing rules for passing, not introducing hazards on the track?

Heavy Rain Lights Up The N4G Charts

I should have titled this one “Oh what a little T&A will do for you!” but wanted to keep this article strictly business. LOL – maybe I should just do a reply for T&A Thursday and compare scores as the week progresses, but I digress.

I decided to take a quick look at the latest news and notes on N4G, and was not at all surprised to see a story about sex, in this case the ESRB’s description of Heavy Rain’s sexual content, lighting up the charts. The article currently sits at 740 degrees, and is sure to move up later today. A holiday will do wonders for your T&A hits when all the horny teenagers have nothing to do except surf for soft porn.

For what it is worth, in this case I specifically did not quote any of the T&A content from the article so as to keep references and hits somewhat on topic.

A Quick Look Forward to the NFC and AFC Championship Games

The early odds are in, with both home teams listed as early favorites. Colts are -7.5 while the Saints are -4.5. This year the home teams are 5-2; exceptions being the Ravens (over the Pats) and the Jets (over the Bengals and Chargers).

I am not sure who I like yet, but will be pulling for the Vikings over the Saints. I have not decided yet between the Colts and Jets.

I think it is funny that there is some “controversy” surrounding the late TD that the Vikings inflicted on Dallas. The only one that seems to give a crap is former Falcons LB Keith Brooking. Early in the broadcast, it was mentioned that Brooking was the emotional leader of the Cowboys. They may want to reconsider that for next year’s run to glory.

**********

Quick Edit (within ten minutes after the original post): I found this bit on Brooking from Jeff Schultz of the ajc.com:

If Brooking was this demonstrative and as great an emotional leader in his last few seasons with the Falcons as he is now with the Dallas Cowboys, would the Falcons have tried a little harder to keep him?

This was the point I was being sarcastic about in my closing sentence. Brooking never showed this sort of emotion in ATL; not that it matters because his antics did not make the loss any less significant for the Cowboys.

Underdark gets an early release

I have had the 4E Underdark source book on preorder for a while. I noticed this afternoon that the local B&N had one in stock, which I thought was strange since it does not officially release until Tuesday. I did not flip around through the book very much; was more or less pressed for time and somewhat distracted keeping up with 3 kids!

I also noticed that there was a single copy of the 4E Player’s Handbook Races: Dragonborn supplement, but right now I am not interested in these types of supplements. Other than trying to make money for WotC, I am not sure what purpose these race supplements serve. The only reason that I would pick it up is for a brief reading (it is all of 32 pages) and to flip it a few years down the road, which assumes it will become a rare and/or high in demand book. Besides, the PHB3 should be out later this spring; seem like this sort of material is best served with the PHBx books.

J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets!

Finally a really good game. I told my boys that the game would be 20-17; I was just not sure who would score 20. We spent the first half of the game at Buffalo Wild Wings; it was packed with football fans, but not really a crowd supporting either team.

The Jets 17-14 win over the Chargers sets up an interesting “rematch” of sorts when the Colts host the Jets next weekend. Not sure who I will pull for, but you better bet the farm that I am going to root for Favre and the Vikings over the Saints.

Sunday Between Games Break

Three are in – New Orleans, Indianapolis, and Minnesota. All the home teams have won, so it begs the question if San Diego is going to make it four for four.

The Jets/Chargers game is also the last chance for a really good playoff game this weekend. I guess Ravens/Colts was a solid game, just not what I would call great. It is not like I am going to look back on that one and think it was a turning point for a Super Bowl champion.