Edward's November 2015 Mix

November. Where in the hell did the year go? My daughter came home for a visit from Texas and brought her PS4. Granted, Fall Out 4 looks nice on our 4K TV, and the PC now allows mods to be created on PC and migrated to PS4 (sorry XB1) but still the PC master race wins out. Graphics just look so much better. Daughter agrees.

1.      Need for Speed: Shift on PC: I've always had a love/hate relationship with EA's esteemed arcade car series. Porsche Unleashed back in 2000 was probably my favorite, but NFS: Most Wanted (2005) is the one I've had the most fun with. I recently tried NFS: Pro Street and it was so buggy I couldn't play it. Just installed this. It’s a great arcade racer, not anything comparable to Assetto Corsa, but definitely fun to play. It seems to work well with my Logitech G27 wheel/paddle set. I feel like a regular Rick Mears in this game. The game came out in 2009, and the graphics reflect that, but if you’re a fan of NFS it’s worth checking out.

2.      The Witcher 2 on PC: Okay, I finally finished it. I started this game back in January, and there were times I left the course, simply stopped playing it. But I was a compelled man. I picked it up again and eventually found my way. It took me 92 hours to beat it, and 89 tries to beat the first boss (supposedly the most difficult boss in the entire game—and I believe it) but the game was worth it. I went through the same predicament in the original Witcher game back in 2008, and oddly the same experience revisited me here and now in 2013. Geralt is a regular medieval Jedi bad ass. And will be hopefully through The Witcher 3.

 3.   Interstellar on Blu-Ray: Directed by Christopher Nolan. So you bought a new big screen TV for your living room? This is the movie to watch first. Well, this or Sandra Bullock’s Gravity. This movie will have you thinking for a week afterward. It’s long but good. In the near future, Earth has been devastated by drought and famine, causing a scarcity in food and extreme changes in climate. When humanity is facing extinction, a mysterious rip in the space-time continuum is discovered, giving mankind the opportunity to widen its lifespan. A group of explorers must travel beyond our solar system in search of a planet that can sustain life. The crew of the Endurance are required to think bigger and go farther than any human in history as they embark on an interstellar voyage into the unknown. Matthew McConahey, the pilot of the Endurance, must decide between seeing his children again and the future of the human race. If you can keep a dry eye when he says goodbye to his kids, then you're not human.

4.      House of Cards: Season 3 on Netflix: Francis Underwood is on the campaign trail to become the next President of the United States. His absorption in his tasks at hand leave him oblivious to  Buddhist monks who are in the White House creating a collage of art by blowing colored grains of sand through straws to make pictures. Francis walks by these men who are there as part of a cultural exchange program. Claire stops to watch them for one tear filled hour. And then suddenly, they are gone, and we see them on a river bank, chanting going on as they release all of the grains of sand back into the elements of a local river. Francis catches wind of this and realizes, despite his shady shenanigans that he never took the time to watch these remarkable artists. His life, his marriage, and his power is fleeting.

     

5.      Star Trek The Next Generation:  Season 2 on Blu Ray: Series is getting better and better. Ensign Wesley Crusher, you’d think he’d be a smart alack kid, but instead, he’s humble, and golden. You only want good things to happen to him. This is the first time I’ve ever rooted so much for a kid since . .  . okay, well, since Will Robinson in the old Lost in Space series. But then I was his age! I could relate perfectly.

6.      Peter Gabriel SO on CD: My trilogy is finally complete. I admire Gabriel for having such a game plan in place. This CD is pretty impressive, I mean, hey, come on! “Red Rain,” "That Voice Again,” and “In Your Eyes.” Those are incredible numbers. Still, US is my favorite, and my go to when I’m sad or lonely late night, and the games are over. US is why I love Peter Gabriel, and would tell him so were I to meet him face to face.

7.      Roxy Music  Avalon on CD: I got lucky and managed to pick this up in a local CD shop today. If you’re a music fan at all then need I say more? You need this in your collection. Brian Ferry, is arguably the world’s best singer ever! Okay, Morrissey crooning, “Everyday is Like Sunday,” might be tops, but Brian Ferry runs a close second. If you’re a music maven, this belongs in your collection. You’re a fool to not have it.

8.      April in Paris by Michael Wallner: a decent story concerning a young German corporal in WWII who is transferred to France to become a translator. He falls in love with a local French girl who works for the French Underground Resistance. Complications develop, obviously! A good read which moved fast and had a sad ending. Highly recommended if you like WWII history.