Edward's February 2013 Mix

Someone once said the only thing constant is change. This has surely been a month of changes. I switched Internet providers after six years of loyalty. The sad thing is, I would have stayed with Comcast, but when you treat your customers like doggie dung, and they wake up and realize they are being treated that way, well, I had to let them go. I'll spend my money elsewhere. Obama's tax fiscal cliff thingie kicked in. My pauperous paycheck is now $20 less--something I needed like a shotgun blast to the chest. I'll just have to look at the brightside. I now save $75 a month with my new Internet provider, so that makes up for the extraneous government dip into my paycheck and still gives me an extra $35.00 a month. I'll never stop griping about my invasive government, but at least their increased taxation isn't affecting me this time around. Oh, something else, too. I became a grandfather for a second time. And I'm not just saying this, the boy is the most beautiful little baby I've ever seen. Welcome to the world, Eric Cruz. I'm glad you were born. Despite all of the busy-ness as of late I've still been able to dedicate myself to my geekdom, here I'll show you.

1. Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson 

Still continuing the adventures of Hiro Protocol, pizza deliverer by day, badass hacker ninja by night in the Metaverse (the inspiration for the virtual environment, Second Life) this book is filled with huge nuggets of trivial information, and some not so trivial. And I’ve never read a book that correlates computer viruses and their proliferation with the spread of ancient religions. This is definitely science fiction for nerds. Why did God bestow man with the ability to talk in tongues? Simple really, it was all that much easier to mingle with the jungle natives and convert 200,000 people when they could instantly understand you.   

2. Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood on PC

Gearbox released this game a mere seven months after the release of the venerable Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 back in 2005, and they took some flak for it. The environments aren’t that changed, and the game even has the same characters. Shoot, even the story overlaps the original game, but this time you step up to the plate as one of the minor characters who has suddenly taken charge and is in command. This game is still brutally difficult even on the medium setting I’m playing it on. But each mission is historically accurate, and I can’t help but feel as if I’ve really stepped into a time machine and parachuted into the shrubs and backfields of Normandy in 1944. If you enjoyed the HBO series, Band of Brothers, you'll feel right at home in this game. Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox, wasn't lying when he said their aim was to make this game as authentically as possible.

3. Lost on Blu-Ray

You always hear me bragging about how great Battlestar Galactica was. Well, I think Lost has stolen the title of the best writing on television away from my beloved BSG. Yes, I know, I know, the ending is garbage, but so far, though I’m still in season one, I have to say I’m hypnotized. Just finished watching “The Moth,” where Charlie kicks his nasty habit and we find out that Sawyer may be a bad man, but he’s not inherently evil. If you were to ask me, I’m not a JJ Abrams fan. I know his endings are weak, and how could he even accept the reins of both Star Wars and Star Trek? This was a pretty arrogant gesture as far as I’m concerned. But Lost could make me a real fan. Stay tuned for further details.

 

4. Interpol Antics on CD

I must have heard “Not Even Jail” late one night on Pandora while playing Second Life, or when I was writing several years back. I’m not sure how they ended up on my plate, but if The Joy Division hit a time glitch and ended up in the here and now this would be them, well, maybe if the angst were glitched out as well. This band sounds very much like them, from Paul Banks’ vocals to Daniel Kessler’s shoeglazey guitar work. The background synthesizer in guise of an old church organ that suddenly sung and danced itself out of a funeral service nails my love for this CD.  Holy hello, you know what? Their live band pictures even remind me of Joy Division. Hmm . . . do you believe in time glitches?

 

5. Incubus Light Grenades on CD

 

This band had a pretty loyal underground following for quite some time. I had heard of them, but not listened to them. The slight exposure I had to them reminded me too much of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, a band I dislike. And then I picked up this CD. Brandon Boyd’s voice rings perfectly in “Dig,” (supposedly, it was his voice that caused Sony to pick them up) and not to mention the glittering guitar sound that reminds me of leaves flickering in sunshine under a steady breeze. And Ben Kenny’s amazingly tight bassing is the true ear candy that sold me. Go for a stroll with these tracks loaded up on your mp3 player. It will be a walk to remember.  

6. Civilization V on PC

This game still makes me cry. Well, not tears of grief, but tears because I stare at the screen so long and forget to blink. An hour later my eyes are stinging because I feel like I’ve been staring at the sun. I get so engrossed I forget to take eye breaks from the screen. And not to mention, having six hours to go before having to get ready for work, and then hoarsely mumbling, “Just one more turn, all I need to do is send my army into this single city-state that’s been a thorn in my empire’s side then I’ll save and go to bed.” Ha! Three hours later, not only has my army went in, they’ve conquered and the city-state is now a member of the proud Burton empire. Ah, so much for sleep before work, who needs it anyway?!

 

7. Titan Quest on PC

Edward Pyro is a force of nature to be dealt with, and his fire elemental is almost as formidable. He is level 33 now, and he’s been alive for almost 37 hours. He only comes out an hour or an hour and a half at a time, but he’s roamed this Earth since September of last year. That’s a long time for a computer game. In all of his fire mage ferocity he’s trekked across ancient Greece and crossed the Great Wall of China. He believes the final boss is around the corner, he has to be, and he's dreading it because he knows this will be the ordeal that will add another unnecessary six hours to his pixelated life. But oh why oh why? Because game designers are cruel beings. He'll have to aggressively ignore the dark steely whispers, "go ahead, ragequit, it's okay, you're not a failure, just quit . . ."

 

8. Manny's Search by Edward C. Burton

Got the “dummy” back from Amazon. It was definitely a hallmark moment, opening the parcel and plucking my book out of the cardboard and holding it up to the light of day. Flipping open the pages and seeing all of the words is a feeling I shall not soon forget. The novel is with an editor friend of mine now who’s giving it a going over, and then I’ll make the final corrections before it goes out into the world. Will it become a bestselling indie novel that gets picked up by a major publisher? Will it be a flop that sells twenty copies and carries twenty one star reviews? I don’t know, but I do know it’s inspiring me to stop being lazy and get my second novel reformatted for Amazon. Maybe this was the kick in the seat of the pants I needed.  

 

9. Portal on PC

Finally got around to playing this game. I’d always heard the cake is a lie. This is a supposed 3 hour game. It took me 9 hours to beat it, and I hated it. I almost ragequit three different times. Even after looking at Youtube vids and reading walkthrough cheats I couldn’t get past certain areas without trying thirty or more times. This is just not fun to me at all. I finally struggled through it, and of this, I have to say about it. The cake is not a lie is a lie itself. There is a cake at the end, you just don’t get the chance to eat it. And furthermore, I will not ever play Portal 2, nor will I see JJ Abrams Portal movie if/when it comes out. Forever. Most frustrating game I have ever played. Done with all things Portal. (Okay, I do have to admit I'd love to pick up one of those sentry bots on Amazon. Those things exude hella coolness.)

 

10. PC Gamer Magazine 2011

PC Gamer was truly on its own in this year with Computer Games and Games for Windows mere ashes in memory, and the publisher could have cheapened things down, but instead it began producing the magazines on heavier paper, and bragged how each one would become more collectible. Good on them! Yeah, reading reviews/news on Internet sights is good, but sometimes you just want to be able to carry a magazine around with you, you know, to show friends and read at work. And as far as 2011 in particular: a great time to be producing a computer game magazine. Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dragon Age 2, Crysis 2, Diablo III. Now you know.