Edward's August 2013 Mix

Autumn in July! Who would have known? And now here we are in August experiencing temperatures in the upper nineties. Crazy weather! Funny how it all went nutso after El Nino in 1993. Coincidence? Anyway, I paid my car off this month, Hallelujah! More money for games now! Actually, my next big purchase will be a peripheral for my PC. I've been drooling for the Logitech G27 Wheel/Paddle set for a very long time. I'm told once you go with a wheel and paddle set there's just no going back to anything else. Oh, and I didn't think I would, but I've become hopelessly addicted to crafting Steam badges. Anybody got any they want to trade for? I'm particularly looking for Civilization 5 and Bioshock Infinite badges. Come on, help a bro out!

1. SimCity on PC

Soon to hit the 75 hour mark in this game. Maxis just released a new patch that enables one to create roads which include bridges and overpasses, how cool is that? Truthfully, this game is nothing like the debacle it was on launch day. I've started my first city specialization: gambling, and installed my first gambling HQ. And now all of a sudden, MONEY! MONEY!, it's raining MONEY! So what if my sewage pumps are at max, and people are getting sick due to encroaching ground pollution. It's a tourist town they don't have to stay there! 

2. Battlefield 3 on PC

DICE is trying to instill a lot of anticipation for Battlefield 4. And they did it right this month; they offered a long double XP weekend. I took full advantage, earning a lion's share of medals, assignments, a ton of XP, and I ranked up twice. Boo-yah! My kill/death ratio isn't the best. I die about twice as many times as I dispatch someone, but my accuracy is my gift. Of all my friends I have the best.

3. Bioshock Infinite on PC

Bioshock way back in 2007 was the first game that worked me into an emotional turmoil in the end. The cinematic cut scene worked its magic and yes, I wept. The game's undersea madhouse outshined the characters in the game. Shoot, the environment really WAS the main character. And now I'm finally getting to play Bioshock Infinite and for the first time in my life I've actually gotten emotional at the beginning of a game. It took me completely by surprise. I'm only about a quarter into the game and loving it immensely. This is one of those games that make me proud to say I'm a PC gamer and confirms that the love I have for my chosen platform is unshakable.

4. Hard Times by Charles Dickens 

This is a bleak novel of the underbelly of pre-Victorian England. Dickens's characters are all memorable and his language is evocative, but sheesh, this is a very heavy novel. What I mean is, the plotline is confusing, and there's a lot going on, and to tell you the truth I got lost. A lot. This is certainly not my favorite Dickens's novel. I'm not so familiar with the man's works; I've read few of them, but I did knock out his outstanding Great Expectations. That book was enjoyable. This one, in my opinion was like mowing a lawn. In other words, reading it was all too chore-like.  This is a book I would have enjoyed much better with an accompanying Cliffs Notes.

5. Hole Celebrity Skin on CD

Courtney Love is the female rocker of our discontent. She's more infamous than famous, former girlfriend of Billy Corgan and ex wife of Kurt Cobain, she's pressed on nobly. She's a big fan of Manga, and I've seen her in a movie. She's not a bad actress. But I like her best as the front man, er . ..woman, that is, of the band Hole. I've not heard Hole's first album, but the second album was interesting, gritty and raging. This third effort, however, is polished and plays like a greatest hits album. I was first introduced to it back in 1998, and each time I listen to it now it always takes me back to that time. It's never far from my car's CD player. It's one I'll never get rid of, and a replay always makes me smile and makes me feel just a little too cool.

6. Computer Games Magazine 2004

Still working on this venerable year of my old Computer Games Magazine. 2004 truly was a great year for a geek culture whore such as me. The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly came out on DVD in a very nice box set, The Star Wars Trilogy was released on DVD this year, and more importantly, this was the year City of Heroes came out, and my first foray into MMOs. (Thanks to my cousin, Justin Rexroad.) World of Warcraft came out soon after and I abandoned City of Heroes, but there are aspects of CoH I really miss, even today.

7. Lanterna Desert Ocean on CD

This little band from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois was a Pandora discovery that hastened me to order the CD right after hearing that first song. They are ambient, sort of like a more quiet version of Explosions in the Sky. Their sound is mostly comprised of glittering floaty guitars. Listening to them on my early morning bicycle rides have been really fulfilling lately. Who needs aspirin when there is music like this in the world. Go to youtube and look up "Luminous." You can thank me later.

 

8. Lost: Season One on Blu-Ray
 

Still working my way through season one. (See, I've always told you I'm a procrastinator) but dragging this out nice and slow is making it worth it. Still, so much is happening so quickly. Boone has died, which I found to be more disheartening than I would have imagined. Sawyer keeps vacillating from an evil prick I can't stand to a good guy I'd want on my side. And now even John Locke, who I'd always liked, is starting to wade out into grey areas. We find Hurley is a lottery winner and worth 158 million back in civilization. Michael is trying to build a raft and is going to take a small crew with him to seek out the known world. It will be interesting to see where (and if) that raft will take them. But I think so far the greatest revelation to me is discovering that Sawyer really was crushing on Kate in a very big way.

9. The Munsters: Season One on Netflix

Granted, this show only spawned two seasons, however there were a lot of episodes! Just finished the first episode, and I have to admit it got a little long in the tooth. Maybe it's because the last time I watched this I was 9 years old. Still, it's interesting all of the vernacular I thought came out much later that I'm actually hearing in this show, "Let's go, already!", "That would be really boss!" And I've gotten to hear Lily Munster sing. (I'm guilty of crushing on Yvonne DeCarlo.) I actually saw the episode featuring Grandpa's Drag-ula (one of my favorite model car kits as a kid.) This show really does depict a more innocent time.

10. System Shock 2 on PC

I've tried to play this game before, but recurring bugs finally caused me to give up. I recently purchased the game on www.gog.com and it seemed promising. But alas, like an idiot, I quick saved right at a point where I was falling over dead. And I've progressed much too far to go back. It's too bad I couldn't finish this, the spiritual predecessor to Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite, but it will remain in my personal annals of history now because I won't make a third attempt to play it.

11. Civilization 5 on PC

Definitely my favorite Turn Based Strategy game ever made. I see myself playing this for a long time to come. I recently ventured into my first online game. It was with my next door neighbor, and it turned into an 8 hour all-nighter. How cool is it that my neighbor would be as much an addict as am I! I'm the Songhai and he's Japanese, and the two of us are taking over the world. And you know what? I think we're actually going to pull it off! Our game isn't completed yet, (another cool feature that you can save online games) but we'll finish it before long.