• On Life and Love

    Funny Voices, Funny Lists, and GUCCI

    Just a few links and a vibeo as I get back into the swing of things. The Complete Rules For Games | Rock, Paper, Shotgun – How can one not like do's and don't's for games? Especially when so many ring true? Lots of people can’t fire their insurance companies | The Incidental Economist – "[L]et’s unpack the idea that if individuals have their own insurance, the “insurance company will have an incentive to keep [them] healthy”. That’s totally backwards. The idea that people might fire their insurance companies is exactly why they don’t have an incentive to keep you healthy." This guy's pretty damn good. The De Niro impression…

  • On Life and Love

    Lonely Games Are (Kinda) Less Fun

    I’ve resumed playing Galactic Civilizations II (GalCiv II), which I haven’t played since the olden days when the mornings were light and the afternoons long. Back in that long, long ago, I played on less-than-normal enemy intelligence and experimented with extending my reach through cultural influence and economic power. I read no manuals. I read no strategy guides. I micromanaged no economy. Why bother? The enemies were dumber than a box of rocks. Just play like it’s Civ 4, and be done. Returning to it, I (unsurprisingly) find myself wanting more challenge. I fired up an easy game and did a quick military conquest, my first. Not boring… exactly. But,…

  • On Life and Love

    Can’t Get Enough Purple

    I think I’ve even managed to baffle Mr. Ludo himself with my glee in playing GTA: San Andreas and now Saints Row: The Third. I sing along with almost every song in San Andreas, occasionally missing turns and stops because I’m thinking back to when I first heard whatever jam it was. Unlike whichever GTA I played in high school programming class, I’m playing this one solo and am interested in more than just running from the police and over people. Despite completing several missions, decking out in green (and an eye patch!), and trying to find some real plot here (and some damn money!), though, it’s not resonating with…

  • Uncategorized

    Mass Effect: How Can I Go Back to Fallout 3?

    I can’t imagine myself playing Mass Effect three years ago, but I’m thoroughly awed now. Greg supplied me with a video of Mass Effect‘s heroine being a badass last week and I mentioned that it convinced me to install and fire up the game. Excellent choice. Unfortunately, I’m not done with Fallout 3 yet, and ME is such a better game. Mostly. That is, if you leave off the vehicle driving, which often ends up with me careening up the sides of roads, cliffs, and mountains like a drunken BMXer.

  • On Life and Love

    Too Human Was… Too Human

    Sorry, I really couldn’t come up with anything wittier than that. I finished Too Human about a month ago at this point, I think. Let’s celebrate that for a moment. Given my propensity for games like Sims, GalCiv 2, and Civ 4, getting to finish a game is always a miracle. Guy totally warned me about some of the game’s disappointments, so I went in with eyes open. It was… alright. Kinda fun early on. Really frustrating later. I want more, but not more of what was in Too Human. (I’m restarting Fallout 3–which I never finished–as the balm for my ache.) A couple of nights ago, Greg and I…