All posts by Mike

Now I’ve Done It

Gaming

I preordered myself a DS Lite this afternoon, which is what I decided to do with some extra cash I picked up last week for doing some PC recovery work for a neighbor. I ended up getting a bundle that also includes New Super Mario Bros., which has been my primary motivation for getting a DS from the beginning. Since I made up my mind about getting one, I have noticed that there are several titles that have piqued my interest, including Mario Kart DS (go figure), Super Mario 64 (Because I never beat this on the N64), Brain Age (sounds interesting), Tetris, and a ton of other games that The Shack has blessed with its holy ShackHype™.

Update: Apparently my DS Lite has been back-ordered I dropped by Circuit City after work and got my DS Lite! 😀

Half-Life 2: Episode One

Gaming, Half-Life

I am always happy to see more Half-Life, since it is definitely one of my favorite gaming franchises (if not my most favorite). Half-Life 2: Episode One came out today, and boy is it awesome. Valve promised between four and six hours of gameplay. I clocked in at around four and a half, and I have only one thing to say about it.

It is worth every cent.

One of the great things about Valve is how much effort they put into making their games. This is no exception and literally trumps SiN Episodes: Emergence; no wonder they waited a month to launch. They didn’t want to upstage Ritual again. Everything about the game just screams polish.

I am going to play through it again to listen to the commentary. Talk about a solid, solid title.

The Office Wraps Things Up

TV

This past Thursday NBC’s hit sitcom The Office wrapped up its second season in a special “super-sized” finalé. I’ve only been watching the show since around the end of January, but I am hooked. The show is unusually awesome.

What I admire so much about the show is how they break the mold of a traditional sitcom—there is no laugh track, the plots are unusual and the writing and comedy are top notch. I see myself picking up the DVD when it gets released later this year. It is now without a doubt one of my favorite shows.

Update: According to this entry on “Pam’s blog”, the Season 2 DVD will not be out until September.

SiN Episodes: Emergence

Gaming

I must say that I was a bit of a fence-sitter with regards to Ritual Entertainment’s SiN Episodes: Emergence that saw its inaugural release yesterday on Steam. I preloaded and paid for it practically on a whim with the resolve to support electronic distribution and episodic game content. (The free inclusion of SiN 1 was also a motivating factor, as I had never played it.) A couple weeks ago, however, I got a bit nervous. What if it wasn’t very good?

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