This week has been relatively uneventful for the most part. I was going to play some Wolfenstein and help Jeff get closer to not taking a shot of gin (still think he just needs to man up...look at Ryan take it like a pro), but sadly, no one in town had a copy available for rent. It would seem that, at least on the rental market, that game is doing exceptionally well. I had debated picking up a copy of King of Fighters XII, but I haven't heard anything good about the game at all. Even considered a copy of BlazBlue, but none of the rental places even have that. Therefore, I went with the better option: re-rent Batman and S-rank dat hoe, then stop by Best Buy to pick up a game from the discount bin. Which game? Well, the only one that seemed like something I would enjoy: Warriors Orochi 2.
ME...ENEMY...DEFEAT!Say what you will about the Warriors franchise, but I dig them. Part of it is the loot whore in me. Part of it is because I know how to rape Chaos mode, which I'm more than positive most people who complain about the game wouldn't last a minute in. The main thing for this generation is achievements...obviously. Warriors Orochi 2 has some very time-consuming achievements, yet it's time that I'm not spending doing much else, so fuck it. Plus, I don't think anyone can complain when the game only cost $15. Needless to say, I'm a little disappointed in some of the additions to the game, as they don't honestly do much extra. I haven't even tapped into their potentials, and I've already got a level 99 character in one playthrough and obtained a Level 4 weapon. In order to do that, you gotta run through Chaos mode. I was a bit disappointed at how dumbed down Chaos mode felt. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I already understood how most of the systems in the Orochi series work, so I was able to get to a high level with great setups early on. Oh well, it's fun and I'm enjoying it.
Batman's face is about how I felt going through all those 3-medal Combat Challenges runs.Aside from that, I've just been jamming on Shadow Complex, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and the occasional rounds of Small Arms. I've got one achievement left for Shadow Complex, and I'll have my sweet S-rank. I just don't feel like leveling up right now. lol Meanwhile, I've got five achievements for Batman, which are just Predator challenge medals, that stupid Mano-A-Mano one, and beating the game on Hard. I should be able to get those done soon enough, but it'll probably mean another rental of the game to finish it off. As for Small Arms, I picked it up because it's only 400 points and I had some spare MSP laying around on the account. The game is pretty enjoyable, and I don't typically enjoy things that are in the vein of Super Smash Bros. However, this game is just a good, fun little thing to jump into and blast away for a little bit. The Challenge Mode can be frustrating as shit, and anyone who has gotten 50 kills in the Challenge Mode is basically a God in my eyes at this point (but maybe I'm just really bad at the game, who knows).
Into Eternity's The Incurable Tragedy The rest of my time has been invested into listening to a shitload of music. I went by Hastings the other day and picked up Into Eternity's The Incurable Tragedy, which is an INCREDIBLE CD. Lots of textures between death metal/metalcore/prog metal/power metal, Stu Block shows a ton of range with his voice, and the instrumental work is so dead-on. Unfortunately, I don't dig the way that Steve Bolognese's hi-hat sounds (makes it sound like a drum machine), and there seems to be a couple of moments where I questioned the editing jobs of the tracks. Other than that, though, it's a great disc to jam in the car while I'm flying down the highway to work in the afternoons.
Taproot's Gift Meanwhile, as I was leaving the store, I passed by a discount CD bin, and an old favorite of mine that has been FUBAR for a while was laying there: Taproot's Gift. That album was really great upon release, and it was only $6. I picked that up, and man...those guys really had a lot going for them. The use of seven-strings for that low-end crunch while still not trying to be the rap-rock that everyone else was doing (except on one or two tracks), the incredible lyrics, solid backend, pounding drums... Man, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that album. I found myself being 16 all over again, and it was great. If you've never taken a listen to the excellence of that album, I would suggest a listen. Steven Richards' voice is not for everyone, as it can be a bit whiny again, but songs like "Smile", "Again & Again", and the personal meaning I hold with a song like "i" just can't be beat.
Chevelle's Sci-Fi Crimes I also picked up Chevelle's new album, Sci-Fi Crimes. I didn't really enjoy Vena Sera much, but that's because the Chevelle I like is found on This Type of Thinking... and Point #1. Sci-Fi Crimes feels like a good mixture of all that, but I keep feeling like Point #1 is the best comparison to this. There's an underwritten and slightly raw sound to a lot of what's going on, the big bass drops aren't as present, the guitar work has more chord progression and a feel like Point #1, and the vocals definitely made me think of their debut disc more than anything in recent memory. While I still think This Type of Thinking... was their best work so far, Sci-Fi Crimes is definitely better than anything they offered with Wonder What's Next and Vena Sera. If you dig good modern rock, I'd give it a listen and see if you wanna pick it up. It was $10 at Best Buy, so I said "fuck it".
To top this all off, I bought some new sandals. Unfortunately, it seems people only believe in whole sizes, so they aren't wide enough for my feet. Needless to say, I need to get a shoe stretcher to them. Otherwise, they're pretty nice. I just wish the pain in my right foot would cut it out.
That's about it. Hopefully, by this time next week, I'll be two S-ranks richer, folks.
