Dead Space, Drunken Rock Band, and "Set Phasers To Fun" + Misc.
By skrutop 6 Comments
Dead Space
I got Dead Space for Christmas, and finally got around to popping it into my 360's DVD tray. And HO-LEE SHIT is it good! I can't remember the last time that any game made such a great first impression. Though none of its pieces are terribly novel, every single one of them is well-executed. The game looks simply stunning, controls very well, and perfectly nails the fine balance between Resident Evil-style jump scares and Silent Hill's underlying spookiness. I'm not far into the game yet, but I am enjoying it immensely.
Drunken Rock Band
My GH3 Les Paul started crapping out on me after after about two years of sold service. Costco ran a GH: World Tour bundle deal for $30, so I grabbed one of those a few months ago. Well, the strummer on that guitar already went out, so I had to grab a new guitar. The Micro Centre near me sells the RB2 Strats for $40. It's a bit wonky (I've never used the RB guitars before), but I tried using a pick instead of strumming with my thumb. I'm not that great at it yet, but somehow it does make the game a lot more fun. Also, I was four beers deep when I started playing, which makes anything fun.
Set Phasers To Fun
I am so happy for the unofficial return of the Endurance Run for the beta of Star Trek Online. My wife and I are big Star Trek fans - she prefers TNG, as anyone should, though I'm also a fan of Voyager and season 3 of Enterprise - though I'm not a fan of MMOs. I've been enjoying what STO has to offer so far, but I can also see the rough edges. If they do wind up doing a 360 port, which I sort of doubt, I may break down and get it eventually.
Miscellany
I started a couple new games of Dragon Age to get through all of the origin stories, and for achievement whoring purposes. Though I didn't really like Dragon Age that much, it was definitely worth going back and seeing all of the background stories. They tie into the overall narrative in what I think were very inventive ways. I also dusted off my copy of Lego Batman to get some easy achievements. I figured I could S-rank it, but it turns out that I simply don't have the patience to actually try.