Edward's December 2011 Mix

1. Napoleon: Total War:

Playing on Easy setting this is still one of the most difficult strategy games I’ve ever played. And when I see some of the Steam achievements available I’m like, how in the hell?? Some of them seem utterly impossible. I’m about midway through the game now, on my first campaign to conquer the whole of Europe. Brutally difficult, but maddeningly addictive in one of those all too familiar “just one more turn” kinda ways, and then suddenly 3 hours have flown.

 

2. Warcraft III:

It’s kind of embarrassing that I never played this when it first came out. In a way though, I’m glad. This is the WoW world right before vanilla WoW came into being, only viewed from a near top down off the shoulder view. And it’s nice to go back and see how the storyline evolved into 2005’s mammoth game that took over the world. This, however, is a strategy game. There are no difficulty sliders, but it’s a very doable game. Suprisingly, the graphics still look pretty dang sharp despite its 2003 release. I finished the human campaign and am now playing the second campaign, the undead. So far so good. 

3. South of Broad by Pat Conroy: 

I still occasionally pull a Pat Conroy book from my shelves and read paragraph long passages out of it. Prince of Tides was absolutely magnetic, and probably inspired my own writing in more ways than I can tell. This story concerns a boy dealing with the suicide of his brother who was a few years older, and sort of a local sports hero. “My brother was so handsome that I could sense my mother’s disappointment every time she looked at me.” This novel is filled with such gem sentences that I find myself stopping to read over and again. 

4. Star Trek: The Next Generation DVD: Season Two: 

I was so much more a fan of the original Star Trek. ST:TNG’s first season didn’t impress me too much. But in watching the second season, something has changed. I’ve gotten to meet The Borg, and Q has made an impromptu appearance. Is there anybody with a bigger ego in the universe? And characters I didn’t particularly care for in the first season, I’m starting to really become attached to in this season. Yes, I even have an attraction to Whoopie Goldberg’s “Guinan.” 

5. PC Gamer 1998 issues: 

I’ve been reading through my old issues of PC Gamer again. 1998 was when games were starting to get really good again after the late 80’s foray from EGA graphics to VGA. From 1994 to 1997 we had to endure such atrocities as “full motion video” and games that cost $60.00.  But 1998 saw StarCraft and Half Life come to fruition. It was a great time to be a gamer. 

6. Manny’s Search by Edward C. Burton: 

I’ve had two phone calls with editors from Amazon’s CreateSpace now. I’m taking out all of the typesetter marks I put into the novel and simply doing my own italics and special marks. I have a few friends working on a cover design. It’s all shaping up well. Hopefully by the end of the month or early next month Manny’s Search will finally be in print.

7. Torchlight: 

I almost dismissed this as a casual game when this game first came out, and now I’m glad I didn’t. It’s basically a Diablo steal with bolder and more campy graphics. And what other RPG lets you send your pet back to town fully loaded with your extra inventory loot to sell to vendors. The game could probably use a mechanic which gives a better sense of direction, but it’s a crazy click-fest. Highly recommended for fun factor alone.