Edward's July 2013 Mix

Autumn in July! Who would have known? Who could have guessed, yet that’s what it is. Our nights lately have been in the low 50’s. But it doesn’t matter, whether I’m avoiding the melanomanic rays of the sun or escaping these unseasonably Icelandic temps, I’ve been indoors indulging in Steam’s wonderfully maddening Steam Sale and losing myself in all sorts of gaming goodness. I picked up Shogun 2, Bastion, X-Com: Enemy Engaged and Darksiders. I suppose the real tragedy in this is I still have games from Steam’s Winter Sale I’ve not played! Doh! Anyway, I think I’m good to go . . .for a while . . .er, at least until Steam’s Winter Sale.

1. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne on PC

I knocked this game out in 10 hours. A friend once told me, play the first Max Payne for the gameplay, and the second one for the story. Having made it through the game, and looking back, I have to agree with him. Kudos to Tommy Stevens for that nugget of sage advice. I was a little disappointed I had to download a NO CD crack to get the game to work, but then I recently heard Rockstar was doing the same thing to get the game to work properly when they ported it over to Steam. Ah, the irony!  Much of this game was a nightmarish tour in which I was not led by the hand, but more like pulled along, my heels hesitantly dug into the ground, and looking back to see a wake of twin furrows. But through the movie set funhouse, and the dreamscape police precinct, and the construction site in the rain and the myriad shootouts with countless bad men (and bullet time!) I found myself wildly entertained. I’m a fan of emergent gameplay, but a great solid linear storyline in a game once in a while is always a good thing.

2. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin in paperback

I’m winding down the first novel. It has been a magnificent tour de force on paper. I’ve not found myself so emotionally involved in such a colorful cast of characters like this for ages. Who is good in one chapter does something underhandedly heinous in the next. And the guy you loved to hate in one chapter does something noble and redeeming in the next. The settings Martin has conjured up in this novel make me feel as if they’re real places. This is a book that makes me want to play The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. In last month’s post I intimated this series of books were reputed to be better than The Lord of the Rings. At this point I can safely say, yes, A Song of Fire and Ice is more entertaining than LOTR. 

3. Sid Meier’s Railroads on PC

Another completion of a game this month. Boo-yah! This makes the second time I’ve played through this game. And who knows, with its quaint charm, its ease of use and its bright eye popping graphics I may give it another go in the future. I’m not so pleased they took Railroad Tycoon 3’s seriousness and dumbed it down to appeal to a wider audience, but this is a beer and pretzels kind of game well worth checking out.
 

4. The Darkness II on PC

I was a little put off by the fact the original game was not released on PC at all. Damn! PC gamers getting screwed again! But despite its console roots it was a very well done game. It was another foray into a heavy narrative of a game, but I kept focus throughout simply because I wanted to see what was going to happen next. Was I a resident in a state hospital who dreamt I was an anti hero with unearthly powers inspired by the comic books laying on my nightstand? Or was I actually a demon possessed former mafia hitman who had terrible dreams of being locked away in a state hospital? The ride was over all too soon. I finished the game in 11 hours, but wow, what an amazing 11 hours! This game reminded me of why I believe games still outshine the best movies Hollywood has to offer.

5. Revenge on DVD

(Speaking of movies . . .) Tony Scott may not have been as revered as his brother Ridley, but he did a fine job with Top Gun and Crimson Tide. This earlier gem starring Kevin Costner, Madeline Stowe and Anthony Quinn didn’t receive quite the same fanfare. This suspenseful thriller also introduced John Leguizamo in probably the most serious role I’ve ever seen him in. But what really made me a fan of this movie was the music. I ordered the CD of the soundtrack years ago, and it had to be specially ordered from England. Not since Blade Runner or 1492: Conquest of Paradise have I seen music so effectively used in a film. Okay, how odd is that? Blade Runner and 1492 were both directed by Tony’s brother, Ridley. (Incidentally, the Blade Runner and 1492 soundtracks were both done by Vangelis; Revenge was done by Jack Nitsche.)  

6. Computer Games Magazine 2004

Reading back through my back issues of CGM. 2004 was a great year for PC gaming. Far Cry came out as did Doom 3. This was the year I had my first essay published in Computer Games Magazine about one of my favorite games, Novalogic’s Black Hawk Down. I was big into LAN gaming parties at this time. Everybody has broadband now and Teamspeak so those days are behind us but I sure do miss them sometimes.  

7. The Ocean Blue: Ultramarine on Amazon Cloud

This is the band you’ve heard me talk about that I discovered on late night Conan O’Brian way back in 1989. Hearing David Shelzel’s guitar solo on “Between Something and Nothing” made me an instant fan. The band’s sophomore release, Cerulean, was slightly more mature, and more dreamy sounding. They had several more released in the years to follow, but I’ve read on more than one message board (and I have to agree) this album is the true successor to Cerulean. This is the album I would pass to someone to become acquainted with the band. They’re certainly not esoteric, but they’re not mainstream, and I like that. I like keeping them to myself. “New York, 6:00 A.M.” If Simon and Garfunkel wrote a song about New York City today, this would be it. “Ground Gives Way” this song reflects the wholesomeness that seems to exude from all TOB lyrics, and that heavily chorused guitar intro always makes me replay the beginning about five times.

 

8. Train Simulator 2013 on PC

From my first electric train on my 9th birthday I've always liked trains. I've lived in a few places where I had trains running near my back yard, and it seems I've always lived within earshot of that long lonesome whistle at night. Shoot, I interviewed with Union Pacific in Austin, Texas, and I've interviewed twice with Conrail out of Indianapolis. I was never selected and I think that's been one of my life's injustices. Self pity aside, at least now I can do the next best thing. I can drive pretty near every engine on nearly every line in the US (and the world.) Yes, it's true, all you really do is go forward and backward, but oh man, all of the in between. Staring out the open window at the world outside while feeling the vibration of those turbo diesel engines under your feet, and looking back to realize you're pulling a 70 car train. This simulation pulls it off beautifully. This is a dictionary definition of a niche game, and its esoteric following proves this. If you were to download all of the retail lines and engines, you'd have $2,000.00 in the game. Most expensive PC game on the planet!