Spring is trying to squeeze in, but hey, this is Indiana. Weather is crazy here, and always has been. I’ll take what I can get, because frankly, I don’t care since I generally try my luck avoiding the elements anyway. In winter there’s a risk of frostbite and in summer there’s sunburn. Oh my! I much prefer playing PC games or reading or playing my guitar indoors where it’s so much safer. Who can blame me, so many good books to read, so many games to play, so much music to lose oneself to? Amirite?
Mission Impossible: Season 4 on DVD: Thanks to my lovely sister, Lisa, for loaning me this series set (she owns the whole series) I’m able to watch this series that aired when I was a kid (back when I thought it was too grown up for me) but in truth, these episodes are spectacular. I can easily see why these series episodes inspired the Tom Cruise movies, yes, they are that good! Campy in comparison, indeed, these shows are still compelling enough to have you on the edge of your seat. Leonard Nimoy makes his debut in this season, replacing the venerable Martin Landau, and boy howdy, does he do a good job. If you want to sample it, I suggest you look up the episode “The Submarine.” You’ll be amazed. It’s truly one of the best episodes of anything I’ve ever watched on television.
Age of Empires II on PC: This is a game that bypassed me back in the old days when I was too busy playing Starcraft and Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty. It’s recently been re-released as a remastered rendition and I have to admit it’s pretty impressive. I’ve not tackled the single player campaign yet, though I’ve played with some friends online. Despite its redux, the AI still harbors its cruel pragmatic systematic mode of play, showing no mercy and not stopping until you’ve been curb stomped. The redux looks amazingly good on modern PCs. This game is a testament as to how reduxes should be done.
Star Trek Online: One of the few games I preordered. I actually preordered this one hard, spending $80 for the collector’s edition. The game was released in a broken state and has gone through a few iterations. It ultimately became free to play. I’ve tried to get into NC Soft’s Guild Wars 2 but there is just so much going on it’s hard to keep up. It prompted me to revisit Star Trek Online which has since been fixed and is now priced just right: free. If you’re a fan of any of the Star Trek universe, the classic series or the next generation or Enterprise, it’s all here in some shape or form. The game even prompts new accountees to choose a genre/universe to begin. I created a character in the original series. It was astonishing to step onto the bridge of a dreadnought class ship that looked just like the beloved 1960’s TV Enterprise.
Hell Let Loose on PC: Bloody, muddy, gritty and as bleak as a rainy day funeral, this is a game which will test your mettle. Depicting soldierly combat in World War II, this game is a verisimilitude of the fighting and stress that occurred there. Death is constant, and constitutes a five to ten minute walk back from a spawn point to get back to the action. Ranks are earned, literally, the hard way, but the pay off is worth it. You never see the bullet that gets you, which they say is a lot like real life. Best played with friends on live chat. The struggle is real.
Hammock Maybe They Will Sing for us Tomorrow on CD: One of the prettiest articles of music I’ve listened to. Hammock is comprised of two men from Nashville, Tennessee. Utilizing a mix of combining orchestral arrangements with electronic beats, piano and droning guitar, this duo takes ambient music to new levels. Give this album a listen and you’ll wonder why more of their music isn’t used on movie soundtracks and such. I could listen to them exclusively from this point forward and not be disappointed. I suggest a look up of the titular “Maybe They will Sing for us Tomorrow” on YouTube. You can thank me later.
Company of Heroes 2 on PC: You all already know the original Company of Heroes (2006) is one of my top three favorite real time strategy games of all time. Well, I’ve had Company of Heroes 2 in my Steam library for years and never played it. Now that Company of Heroes 3 has been announced I thought I’d better get busy. The wait was worth it. This theater of operations involves the German onslaught on Russia, you playing as the Russians. Their mode of operation was simple: fight the Nazis with whatever you had and if you didn’t have a gun, just pick up the gun of the fallen soldier next to you. And whatever you did, don’t think about retreating. Soldiers who took a step back were shot by their commanding officers. This game is a hamburger simulator. The brilliant sound design and game mechanics from the first game carry over.
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