Edward's March 2015 Mix

I’m enjoying the new job. I get to read read my Kindle and my ancient issues of PC Gamer Magazine.  I still get to violate my 5^th amendment U.S. Constitutional right and provide evidence that could potentially convict me in a court of law by figuring my own taxes and then signing them, thereby sealing my own affidavit. I brought home well under what is considered poverty level and had to pay the Affordable Healthcare Act fine because I couldn’t afford health insurance. I’m really glad the Dems are out in November.  I’ve had a few wonderful days on the Vespa, but as of this writing it’s still winter.

1.      Oz, The Great and Powerful on Blu Ray: This is my second viewing of probably the best movie I watched in 2013. Helmed by Sam Raimi, of course you know who he is, the movie was panned by critics. What the hell do they know? It was a great movie. It had an all star cast, and the art direction was fielded by Todd Cherniawsky who did War of the Worlds and Beowolf, Armageddon and Oblivion. The movie came with highly recommended credits. I’m actually reading the Oz books on Kindle, and this canon doesn’t necessarily relate to what I’m reading, but it’s still fun to watch and required if you’re a fan of the old MGM Wizard of Oz.  

2.      Cities Skylines on PC: It’s a ripoff of Maxis’ SimCity. Don’t let the haters tell you any different. It is. But it’s certainly not a bad ripoff at all. It seems like these German designers took all that was bad in Maxis’s SimCity and made it good. It’s funny because I was a fan of SimCity and as of today there still hasn’t been a patch made on Maxis’ site since December of last year. Cities Skylines is easier to play because it’s simply easier to accomplish things in-game. But what makes it night/day better than SimCity is its welcoming attitude to player mods. This puts it in a class above and beyond the ancient and once respected SimCity franchise.

3.      Alien Isolation on PC: I beat it on the hardest setting, and can safely say, yeah, it’s pretty much a heart attack simulator. Of course there are the generation millinial out there who are going to say, “I’m still waiting for the scare.” Fine. If you were born in the 1900s this game is going to scare you. The art direction is brilliant, and is prompting me to actually buy The Art of Alien Isolation to set on my coffe table (since when has a game prompted me to do that? Umm . .how about never?) I beat the game, and the next day began it again. I’ve not done that in years. 

4.      Fury on Blu Ray: I love tanks. I put together tank models as a kid. I went through high school knowing I was going to graduate and become a tanker in the US Army. Alas, plans changed and I enlisted in the US Navy instead (just like David Ayer, the director of this movie.) But this movie lacked something. Brad Pitt as “Wardaddy,” was basically a real life representation of the old comic book character, Sgt. Rock. This was an attempt to surpass Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. It was a noble attempt, and well worth watching (and owning) if you’re a fan of tank warfare, but it was a fail. Overacting.

 

5.      World of Tanks For a free to play game, this is a pretty good one. It’s definitely a go to game if you want to play twenty minutes at a time. The only downside I’ve found is the price to pay for the premium content. It's just really expensive. You can grind it, but it's going to take you a really long time.

 

6.   Lost Season  2 on Blu Ray: Watching this. It’s compelling, entertaining and definitely anticipatority. I’ve just been introduced to Desmond (in the second episode.) It shall be interesting to watch. Once again, a great testament to the wonders of Blu Ray over the traditional DVD!