quick political post

Just a quick post from work. (still no internet at home) I don't discuss politics much but I understand its importance... and I voted. I hope you did too.

Real Life Update

So... not too much has happened that I would classify as "exciting" lately... 

Work has stayed consistently busy.. not overly so, but enough that my days are always occupied.  Had my three year review this past week and got a decent raise. (yay for monies!)  My boss is the best boss to work for.  He is very respectful and considerate toward his employees, and he takes care of them.  (afterall, he did buy me an Xbox 360 a couple years ago for my Christmas bonus...)  We extended our hours on Saturday which means my schedule got tweaked slightly.. Saturdays are still "short" days (done at 2 PM) but now I have to get up early to open at 8AM... mornings and me don't really get along.

My friend Jason has been working as a Press Ganger for awhile now... running tournaments and events for Warmachine/Hordes.  He runs that at a store over in New Jersey (he lives in Philly) and has been trying to get me to go over there for one of the tournaments (there was one today but I stayed home).  I'd love to get to play Warmachine more often, but I am not really keen on playing with folks whom I don't know and I also don't care to play it competitively... I play more for the cool models, the story, and the game itself...  and for me its all about playing with my friends... and yes, Jason would be there, but I also dislike driving into strange places.  This would be about 1.5 hour drive (one way) and it'd be through the city.  (and whats stranger than New Jersey?)  I have a hard time motivating myself for such a trip.  I am hoping my other local friend (Mike) would be able to go as well, so we'd could drive up together... that I could more easily get behind...  I feel bad missing Jason's events though.  Too bad he can't Press Gang for a store that is more local...

I spent today playing some Fable 2.  This game is really great.  The world (called Albion) is equal parts Harry Potter, Charles Dickens, and Legend of Zelda... sprinkle in some dry British wit... and you have yerself a grand world to explore.  The overall story is classic.. a young boy(or girl if you choose) with a troubled past who must rise up and become a hero and save the land... but the interesting part is how you do it.  I have spent hours not doing anything related to the main quest...(but the main quest is very cool) there are just so many things to occupy your time.  You can buy a shop and run a business, buy property and rent it out, or live in it and get married, have a kid.. you can work as a blacksmith, wood cutter, bounty hunter, archaeologist, and others... you can have bard sing tales of your adventures to raiser you renown... make the ladies in town swoon over you (and sometimes the men) and basically.. live the life of an adventurer in a beautiful fairy tale land.  You can be good and help the people, or be selfish, or despicably evil... Right now I am playing a good character... (I always start on the good side).. everything you do effects your character and how people in the game view you.. eat a lot of meat and pies?  You get fat... fall in combat often?  you get scars... do evil deeds?  the people hear about it and their opinion of you changes...  You also have a dog who follows you throughout the game.. and he is awesome. (I named mine Chewbacca)  he finds treasures for you, helps you fight in combat, and warns you of danger...you really grow attached to him after a while.  Overall the game is a great experience all around... the controls are solid and easy to use.. and its just plain fun.  I give it a 333 on the Karl scale. (that's a high score btw).  I think when I finish with this I will try to play through as an evil character, and will probably try the female character.. (i always seem to play the female characters as evil... wonder what that says about me...?  I did the same thing in KOTOR and Mass Effect)  With the huge deluge of games coming out this fall, choosing has been difficult... many will have to wait...  But I am glad I got Fable..  One of my favorite people on the internet, Miyuki Jane Pinckard, wrote a great post about her own Fable 2 experience... from a woman's perspective... its worth reading.

So for the rest of the day I will listen to some audio.. maybe a book, maybe a podcast or something.. and start packing up my stuff... I will moving into the other side of the house later this week.  I mentioned this house situation here and here... but now it will get more inconvenient... at least I will be in the permanent address.. and can hopefully get ComCast over here to hook up the cable/Internet... apparently the mailing address we have is not the address they have in their database.. but we think we figured out the proper address, so when I get moved over there I will call them again.  Cripes.. I am sick of moving.  (even if this time it's only next door)  If the house was going to be finished.. I'd be more excited,  however; pretty much the upstairs is all that will be done... so the downstairs will be a work zone for a few months.   By the end of this coming summer I am hoping to have enough money saved up to move into my own place...

Great episode of Clone Wars this past Friday (I'll put my review up later in the week, need to watch the episode again).... If I was still 10 years old there would nothing greater in this world than that show.  Even at 32 I find it highly enjoyable.  If you are a Star Wars fan, you should be watching.

Reconnecting with old friends is a great thing.  I recommend it.

Star Wars Cantina

I heard the song before.. but its made better with the cheesy animation.  :)

 

Star Wars Cantina Song @ Yahoo! Video

Return to Rapture...

One of the 10 best games I have ever played... gets a sequel...

Bioshock 2 'Debut' teaser HD

Star Wars : The Old Republic (MMO)

The announcement of the game I have been waiting sooooo long for was made today.

http://www.swtor.com/

BioWare Reveals Star Wars: The Old Republic

Rumors finally come true as BioWare outlines ambitious project.

By Steve Watts, 10/21/2008

 
(Check out more screens for Star Wars: The Old Republic in our screenshot gallery.)

After months of rumors and leaks, BioWare has revealed its anticipated MMORPG set in the Star Wars universe, titled Star Wars: The Old Republic, reports GameSpot. The company has set up an official site, and we're watching the BioWare presentation for more details, but here's what we have so far.

So far, BioWare has been vague on a possible launch date, and the game is announced for PC only. They aren't ruling out the possibility of a console port, though, with EA vice president Greg Zeschuk commenting that "the PC version is all we've talked about so far." There will be an open beta "at some point."

The new game takes place 300 years after the other two Knights of the Old Republic games. The Jedi and Sith are still at war, and players can choose which side of the conflict to ally themselves with: the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire. But the story is leaving open for some moral ambiguity on both sides. "There's a lot more people than Sith and Jedi in the Empire and Republic, so one of the things that became important to us is that we separate the idea of faction and good and evil," said head writer Daniel Erickson. In this game, being a member of one faction doesn't mean you're restricted to only doing good or evil things. IGN also reports that the story will be enhanced by companion characters, who will follow your main hero to help in battle and comment on your decisions.

Erickson also wants to make the Sith a more sympathetic villain in this game, explaining that they're an entire culture banished by the Jedi. "These are actual people. They have to have a legitimate point of view. You have to believe when you're playing that the things you're doing make sense and be proud of where you are." He promises that this will give each mission a special context, rather than the standard grinding found particularly in the early stages of most other MMORPGs.

The two factions will consist of various classes, each of which will have its own branching storyline based on the ethical choices BioWare is famous for. We know of Jedi and Sith classes so far, but others such as Elite Troopers or Assassin Droids are said to be possibilities as well. In this game, though, BioWare wants to make players responsible for their choices rather than letting them turn back the clock with a save point.

As for settings, the game promises "dozens" of worlds well-known by the Star Wars fans, like Coruscant, Tython, and Korriban. Some planets will be strongholds of the Sith Empire or Galactic Republic, while others will be battlegrounds.

Finally, the new title won't be replacing Star Wars Galaxies, which is promised to see continued support.

We'll keep you updated as we learn more on this hotly anticipated game. 

Star Wars : The Clone Wars Episodes 02, 03, 04

02 - Rising Malevolence

"Belief is not a matter of choice, but of conviction."

03 - Shadow of Malevolence

"Easy is the path to wisdom for those not blinded by themselves"

04 - Destroy Malevolence

"A plan is only as good as those who see it through."

I am reviewing these three episodes all together mainly because I am behind and this is an easy way to get caught up on my reviews :)  and these three episodes form a really cool 3-part story arc... so they go together anyways...

Thus far, each episode after the next has gotten better.  Mainly because they have established themselves in my head, meaning I now know what to expect... so nothing really strikes me as jarring or unexpected.   I am used to the character designs, the voice actors, the music. and the way these stories are going to be told... so now its all about enjoying the ride.

A brief synopsis of the story and thoughts on these three episodes...

02 - General Grievous' new battleship shows up, called the Malevolence, and it hold his "mystery weapon" which turns out to be an Ion Cannon of great size.. the ship (which is HUGE) blasts its Ion Cannon disabling all enemy ships, then rips them to pieces with its multitude of weapons.. the episode starts with Jedi Master Plo Koon's ship suffering this fate.  Master Plo and a a few clones are stranded in an escape pod.  Anakin and Asohka head off to rescue them.  This episode was pretty cool... I enjoyed seeing Plo Koon in action, and there is more "clones are people too" morality.. which I find interesting.  At one point the clones say "No one is coming to rescue us, we're just clones. we're meant to be expendable."  A couple darker moments.. dead clones floating in space, others being vented into space.. the show at these moments really skirts its role as a "kid's show." There several references to the Star Wars movies.. the Ion Cannon fires very similarly to the Death Star, and the clones directly mimic Han and Chewie while repairing the escape pod.  "No, this one goes there, that one goes there..."  These references continue exponentially throughout the next two episodes.

03- This episode focuses on Anakin leading an assault on the Malevolence to shut it down.  He leads a battalion of clones called Shadow Squadron, and they use the prototype Y-Wing Bombers.  These are brand new Y-wings, not the old used up ones you see in the movies. :)  They have to fly through a nebula to catch up with their target.. but find it to be a nest for giant Neebray Mantas, huge space leviathans.... they dodge them and then arrive at their destination.  The Malevolence  is after a Med Station currently housing 60,000 wounded clones.. and pretty brutal target... the med station is run by a Kaminoan (the race that created the clones, makes sense) which is cool.  Anakin leads his squadron, and ends up disabling the Ion Cannon.  Just in time for Obi-Wan and his fleet to arrive.  Some cool space battles in this one... the mantas were cool, as were the Y-Wings... and the introduction of the 4-legged Power Droid.. the Plunk Droid!

Tons of references and quotes from original trilogy.. "I have a bad feeling about this", "Cut the chatter...".. "From a certain point of view..."  I don't mind the references... but they are getting close to the point of having too many references..  More darker moments.. a clone, named Matchstick who you are introduced to, crashes and dies... several ships full of escaping clones are taken out by Greivous' ship...

04 - This is the first episode featuring Padme and C-3PO.  They are captured and held hostage by General Grievous so the Republic ships have to cease fire on attacking the Malevolence until she can be rescued.  Obi-Wan and Anankin head off to save her.  They eventually meet up, and are able to disable the Malevolence's hyperdrive, or more accurately, rig it to crash into a moon.  This was a good episode... the most satisfying so far.  There was a high speed train battle, we get to see the romance of Anakin and Padme some (an important part of the fall of Anakin Skywalker), and General Grievous finally gets off the bridge of a ship and starts swinging some lightsabers!  I think the reason I liked this one so much was the fact that Anakin and Obi-Wan were together again... and C-3PO and R2-D2 were together again.. the gang was all there!  It definitely had a much more George Lucas-y and Star Wars-y vibe than the previous episodes.  Excited to see where the series goes from here...

"Everything I know I learned from you." - Anakin

"Oh, if only that were true." - Obi-Wan Kenobi

"Ever since I've known you you've been playing with droids." - Padme

"I used to put them together. Now I only take them apart." - Anakin

Memories Hoooooooo!

I'll see your He-Man commercial lokipan, and raise you this...

The Reading List

I have really fallen behind in my reading of late... at one point I promised myself I would dedicate more time to reading.. but I have failed at it. So I thought I'd make this list of books that are on "the pile" to be read soon.  Then I saw this post on Wil Wheaton's blog today.. and he had the perfect quote from Neal Stephenson:

"If you choose to read a book today, it's not like a hundred years ago, when that was your only option. Today, when you read a book, you're making a conscious decision not to play a video game, not to surf the web, not to watch a movie, not to turn on the TV. It does require a certain discipline to make that decision.…"

I also spend a good amount of time listening to audiobooks, so I will include them as well.  Mostly for me, audiobooks are a way to re-live a book I have already read, so they are not as much of a priority as reading new stuff.  These are in no particular order...

Star Wars : Allegiance by Timothy Zahn

Star Wars: Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn

I have been slowly working my way into the Expanded Universe... Zahn is easily the best of the authors writing in there...(he is also pretty much responisble for starting it all...)

Star Wars: Republic Commando Triple Zero by Karen Traviss

Star Wars: Republic Commando Hard Contact by Karen Traviss

This would be the second best Expanded Universe author...gritty war stories from the Clone Wars told from the point of view of the Clone Troopers.  Very respected and recommened books in the Star Wars Community.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Everything this man writes is worth reading... and I have a signed copy of this book just waiting to be read. 

The Dark Tower 1: The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Never been a King fan... but a friend of mine recoommnded this series heavily.. so I am gonna give it a try.

Armegeddon's Children by Terry Brooks

The Elves of Cintra by Terry Brooks

The Gypsy Morph by Terry Brooks

Brook's new series The Genesis of Shanarra, which links two of his previous series together.. I have always enjoyed Brook's work.. just haven't dove into these yet..

Infinity Rulebook: 2nd Edition by CorvusBelli

Still working on learning this game... and this version of the rules just came out...  Its a really cool game.. with awesome miniatures... here is one of those very miniatures painted by the master of miniature painting, Mike McVey.  The fluff behind the miniatures and armies is one of my favorite parts of miniature games.. so I am looking forward to reading this.

Listening to.......

The Black Unicorn by Terry Brooks

I love the Landover series, and hadn't read it in ages.. next fall is a new book in thsi series, so I am gonna get caught up via audio..

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

Ever since I started reading about the upcoming TV show I have wanted to go back and read the books.. but audio seems like a good way to go about it... then I can paint miniatures at the same time. :)