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You win again, gravity!

By sweep September 18, 2010 23 Comments

I don't know what it is about Starcraft that I find so appealing.

My usual dabbles with the RTS genre end tragically, mainly because I lack the ability to multitask to such an extreme that I am barely able to perambulate and pontificate simultaneously. However there's something clinical about Starcraft 2 which I rather like, perhaps the way in which the game has been reduced to such a binary science that it's execution is almost mathematical. For every action there is an appropriate reaction. It's like chess, but with lasers.

Er....sure?

There is an elitism beneath the obscure acronyms which, though baffling, houses it's own satisfying form of cultural significance. Whatever opinion you may hold on the game, Starcraft 2 is a big deal and there's something nice about simply being able to watch it happen.

So uh... what else?

I started playing Eve online again. I know, I know. I'm an idiot.
After several late-night starcraft sessions I found myself completely exhausted. I looked through the list of games in my steam library and Eve Online was the only one resembling any form of therapeutic counterbalance. It's not something I intend to pay constant attention to but it's nice having it in the background, available. Sort of like a girlfriend?

I also loaded up Mass Effect 2 to show my dad how awesome it was and got completely caught up in the demonstration. I'm now playing through the game as an Infiltrator. I wanted a class that I could use to play through on the hardest difficulty and my previous choice (the ever-popular Vangaurd) doesn't seem particularly appropriate. On insane mode the last thing you want is to get up close and personal with the enemy. The swap from shotgun to sniper is a healthy change of strategy.

Fuck, i'm playing a lot of space games.

I don't even like space games?!

IN OTHER NEWS

I read the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels. They are fantastic, far superior to the film (though that was pretty amazing as well). The comics bring everything back down to earth (appropriately), it's a nice easygoing read and it's genuinely funny throughout. Scott Pilgrim doesn't act like a dick (as much) and I don't have to spend two hours staring at Michael Cera's goofy fucking face. A minor gripe would be the art style makes distinguishing between characters somewhat vauge at points - the minimalist style and frequent changes of hair and clothing mean i'm constantly having to check just who the fuck is currently talking - though the book makes up for this by re-introducing it's cast every other page. 5 stars, buy it now.

Segway!

Lastly I wanted to talk about the Whiskey Friday Live show, specifically about the Comic Vine segment. I think Comic Vine is a great site but comic books are quite clearly not a medium built for video. Finding a way of making this segment engaging is therefore difficult for obvious reasons. Another problem is that, like it or not, most of the people watching that stream were doing so from giantbomb (by a stupidly large majority). They are people like me who know nothing, or very little, about comic books. Finding a balance between making that subject approachable whilst discussing it with the insight it requires is a tough act and, putting it bluntly, what they have right now is not currently working. In an effort to turn this criticism constructive, the segment did improve towards the end when other members of Whiskey got involved. Ryan did a great job at engaging the Comic Vine guys, especially as I felt his understanding of the subject matter was as shallow as my own. Food for thought, perhaps?

Speaking of food, it's time for some crackers!

Thanks For Reading
Love Sweep

23 Comments