October is one of my favorite months. My childhood Halloweens will always reign supreme along with Christmas as my favorite times. I'll never forget the cardboard cut out construction paper shapes of witches and black cats, and strolling around the elementary school campus in our regalia for the school Halloween parade. And now it's upon us once again. Other things of note this month: I got my first royalty check from Amazon. It wasn't much, eh, but it was still thrilling to receive it. I blew out the back tire on my road bike, it's ruined. There will be no riding for a while. But the most important thing of all to occur this month is I finished Far Cry 3! I knocked out every relic, memory card and lost letter to boot. This was quite an achievement if I do say so myself.
1. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines on DVD
I've always been a fan of the Terminator films. The whole mythos is a testament to the ingenuity of James Cameron who created/wrote/directed the first movie. Who would have thought, this, coming from a man who dropped out of community college. Each successive movie in the series outdid the one before it. Each terminator was more advanced and more ruthless, and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines is no exception. The new T-X Terminator, so efficiently played by Kristanna Loken is the perfect evolvement of the Terminators before her, the almost ancient T-800 played by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Robert Patrick's chilling T-1000. I read that one critic said this movie was nothing more than a really long vehicle chase, but man, what a chase!
2. Soundgarden "Down on the Upside" on CD
Coming from the grass root origins of Seattle, WA grunge similar to Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Soundgarden was fronted by Chris Cornell, known for his unusual voice. I got interested in listening to Soundgarden because of my love for Canada's Big Wreck, helmed by Ian Thornley, who has been called "Canada's own Chris Cornell." I can hear the similarities, but I think Cornell's voice is raspier. As a whole, this album (a big thanks to my friend Neil Campbell for lending it to me!) has a classic 1970's influence to it. It reminds me of Led Zeppelin having a brooding angry stepbrother who leaves the house to find his own way, and this pissed off stepbrother is Soundgarden. You can definitely hear this influence again in Cornell's more recent band, Audioslave.
Coming from the grass root origins of Seattle, WA grunge similar to Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Soundgarden was fronted by Chris Cornell, known for his unusual voice. I got interested in listening to Soundgarden because of my love for Canada's Big Wreck, helmed by Ian Thornley, who has been called "Canada's own Chris Cornell." I can hear the similarities, but I think Cornell's voice is raspier. As a whole, this album (a big thanks to my friend Neil Campbell for lending it to me!) has a classic 1970's influence to it. It reminds me of Led Zeppelin having a brooding angry stepbrother who leaves the house to find his own way, and this pissed off stepbrother is Soundgarden. You can definitely hear this influence again in Cornell's more recent band, Audioslave.
3. The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing on PC
I'm still playing this amazing ARPG, and having a total blast of it. Like I said last month, I got bored of Path of Exile and its terrible loot drops that always pertained to other classes, and I thought Torchlight would never end, but this game which is an indie title makes me want to play through it again, and I've not even finished it yet! The loot drops are like lucky day Lottery scratch off tickets that just keep on giving. I frequently receive items that are not only usable, they are game changing upgrades! Animated skeletons, giant rats, and frenzied orcs that usually populate ARPGs have been replaced with denizens that would inhabit any Transylvanian setting: vampires, werewolves, and witches. I can't wait to finish it simply so I can reroll another character.
4. The Broken Places by Susan Perabo
Imagine being one of the cool kids in school, the quarterback on the football team, and someone all of the other cool kids flock to. Your dad is a crew chief at the local fire station and he gets involved in a collapsed house and the rescue of the high school's king thug, a loser in a trench coat who bullies others and sports Nazi insignias. Suddenly, out of some twisted gratitude this high school miscreant idolizes your father, and he and your dad start hanging out all of the time. Your father begins to see this kid more than he sees you! I read Susan Perabo's book of short stories, Who I was Supposed to Be, a while back and I was amazed at her ranging ability to create memorable characters. I'm getting the same vibe in this book. I'm only halfway through it, but I'm excited to see how this is all going to go.
5. Assetto Corsa on PC
This game finally went from Early Access to a full blown game released into the wild. And oh man, what a send off! In the final hours the developers added a career mode (full multiplayer has been added weeks ago) and this new mode has amped the fun factor up to 11. I've had my first career race and quickly was reminded this is no arcade racer or "sim-lite." If not through my ineptitude to put the pedal to the metal at the right times then it's the bone jarring force feedback that vibrates through my Logitech G27 Wheel/Paddle set when I roll over an S curve chicane. I've played auto racing sims since Papyrus's magnificent Indianapolis 500: The Simulation back in 1990. I think this one is going to go down as the best one I've ever played.
6. Ultimate General: Gettysburg on PC
I followed this game for quite a while when it was still Early Access. I finally pulled the trigger and made the purchase a few days before it went gold. I merely meant to dabble in it and play around a little since I've got so many other games to finish. I ended up playing and beating both campaigns, the Union and the Confederate. The game feels like a love letter homage to Sid Meier's wonderfully elegant Sid Meier's Gettysburg released way back in 1998. I stated as much in my review which was the first official review of the game in its final version (I don't believe in Early Access reviews. I think criticisms/compliments should be restricted to the forums until the game is officially out.) And as of this writing the review is still the second most helpful review on the Steam Store page for the game.
7. Six Feet Under: Season 3 on DVD
We now know Nate Fisher survived his harrowing cliffhanger at the end of season two. He and Brenda parted ways (thank goodness) and he married an old friend from the past who he impregnated. Despite that he's a funeral director doing a job he deplores, but feels compelled to do since it's the family business, and he keeps chasing the doubts away that intimate his marriage is going to prevent him from finding true happiness, he is trying to do the right thing. And then his wife disappears while on a road trip to visit her sister. Poor Nate turns into an animal. He binge drinks and participates in random sex with one night stands. He lets his emotions surrounding the grief that comes with his job get the better of him. David ends his relationship with his abusive partner, and Ruth Fisher finds love where least expected, a love that leads to her remarriage. This has been a season about relationships on the show. And just when I thought it couldn't, it ended on another cliffhanger.
I'm still playing this amazing ARPG, and having a total blast of it. Like I said last month, I got bored of Path of Exile and its terrible loot drops that always pertained to other classes, and I thought Torchlight would never end, but this game which is an indie title makes me want to play through it again, and I've not even finished it yet! The loot drops are like lucky day Lottery scratch off tickets that just keep on giving. I frequently receive items that are not only usable, they are game changing upgrades! Animated skeletons, giant rats, and frenzied orcs that usually populate ARPGs have been replaced with denizens that would inhabit any Transylvanian setting: vampires, werewolves, and witches. I can't wait to finish it simply so I can reroll another character.
4. The Broken Places by Susan Perabo
Imagine being one of the cool kids in school, the quarterback on the football team, and someone all of the other cool kids flock to. Your dad is a crew chief at the local fire station and he gets involved in a collapsed house and the rescue of the high school's king thug, a loser in a trench coat who bullies others and sports Nazi insignias. Suddenly, out of some twisted gratitude this high school miscreant idolizes your father, and he and your dad start hanging out all of the time. Your father begins to see this kid more than he sees you! I read Susan Perabo's book of short stories, Who I was Supposed to Be, a while back and I was amazed at her ranging ability to create memorable characters. I'm getting the same vibe in this book. I'm only halfway through it, but I'm excited to see how this is all going to go.
5. Assetto Corsa on PC
This game finally went from Early Access to a full blown game released into the wild. And oh man, what a send off! In the final hours the developers added a career mode (full multiplayer has been added weeks ago) and this new mode has amped the fun factor up to 11. I've had my first career race and quickly was reminded this is no arcade racer or "sim-lite." If not through my ineptitude to put the pedal to the metal at the right times then it's the bone jarring force feedback that vibrates through my Logitech G27 Wheel/Paddle set when I roll over an S curve chicane. I've played auto racing sims since Papyrus's magnificent Indianapolis 500: The Simulation back in 1990. I think this one is going to go down as the best one I've ever played.
6. Ultimate General: Gettysburg on PC
I followed this game for quite a while when it was still Early Access. I finally pulled the trigger and made the purchase a few days before it went gold. I merely meant to dabble in it and play around a little since I've got so many other games to finish. I ended up playing and beating both campaigns, the Union and the Confederate. The game feels like a love letter homage to Sid Meier's wonderfully elegant Sid Meier's Gettysburg released way back in 1998. I stated as much in my review which was the first official review of the game in its final version (I don't believe in Early Access reviews. I think criticisms/compliments should be restricted to the forums until the game is officially out.) And as of this writing the review is still the second most helpful review on the Steam Store page for the game.
7. Six Feet Under: Season 3 on DVD
We now know Nate Fisher survived his harrowing cliffhanger at the end of season two. He and Brenda parted ways (thank goodness) and he married an old friend from the past who he impregnated. Despite that he's a funeral director doing a job he deplores, but feels compelled to do since it's the family business, and he keeps chasing the doubts away that intimate his marriage is going to prevent him from finding true happiness, he is trying to do the right thing. And then his wife disappears while on a road trip to visit her sister. Poor Nate turns into an animal. He binge drinks and participates in random sex with one night stands. He lets his emotions surrounding the grief that comes with his job get the better of him. David ends his relationship with his abusive partner, and Ruth Fisher finds love where least expected, a love that leads to her remarriage. This has been a season about relationships on the show. And just when I thought it couldn't, it ended on another cliffhanger.
