Nov 30, 2009

Shoot 'em up: Borderlands


It certainly has been a while since I've posted about a video game. I believe my last one was regarding LEGO Star Wars. As fun as that game is, c'mon. It's LEGO Star Wars. We can do better than that here.

Over the long weekend, I went to one of my favorite places. A place where I am accepted, and my tendencies to freak out over nerd things is completely normal and in fact, encouraged. It is a haven for all those who would rather sit and stare at a television than go to work, school, or even socialize with friends. I am of course speaking of the local Game Stop. Perhaps that build up was a bit much. Anyway, I'm at Game Stop, and I found a used copy of the Halo 3 collector's edition. It was the same price as the normal Halo 3 used copy. I lucked out big time. Anyway, I go up to pay for it, and I am informed that if I were to buy two used games, then I would get the third one free. Well, I couldn't pass this up, so I began to scan the shelves for two more games that looked remotely entertaining. I picked up a copy of Fable 2 (collector's edition as well....far out!) and this game called Borderlands, which I had heard many good things about.

I'm guessing the reason I had heard so many good things about it is because...well...it's awesome. It is a very well made RPS (Role Playing Shooter) with many selling points that will keep you wanting more. The first thing people will notice is the extremely artistic styling of the graphics. It's right in the middle of real-looking, and cel-shaded. It reminds me of that one movie with Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey Jr. and confound it all, I can't remember the name right now. If I think of it later, I will put a in a hyperlink.

Another thing that is really cool about this game is the simplicity of the story. While there is a main plot, the amount of side-missions is very high and it gives you a lot to do. The only thing more numerous than the side-quests is the amount of weaponry available to you. Seriously. There are a TON of different guns in this game. It's tempting to get attached to some weapons that you really like, but eventually you have to let it go. Don't worry. The only reason you would let it go is because you found a weapon that was even better, perhaps one whose bullets can set people on fire or maybe blow them up into tiny tiny pieces.

The other selling points are the RPG elements. I already mentioned the quests and missions that are recorded in your 'journal' but you also gain XP by killing enemies and you level up. Like all good RPGs, leveling up gives you the opportunity to kind of customize and tweak your character however you would like. This is done by adding skill points to different categories. If I would rather be a better doctor than shooter, I can add points one of the medic skills. However, I prefer to add all my points to the skills in the 'bad ass' category. No, it's not a real category, but it should be.

I could go on and on about how it reminds of other great games like Fallout 3 and Bioshock, but I won't go into that. I will give it a 9 out of 10 and recommend to almost anyone because it is just a lot of fun to play and very well made, and any gamer can appreciate that.


Nov 24, 2009

Hey, who turned out the: Lights


I checked my inbox this morning only to discover about 100 unread messages from Blame it on the Media subscribers and they were all very cross with me about the lack of new posts. Don't believe me? Just check how many angry comments I got on my last post about the Avatar movie! Oh wait, I must have accidentally deleted them all. I swear there were at least 70 something comments! Now you probably all think I'm lying to you. Oh dear, what am I ever going to do to gain back your trust.

I know! I'll ask you to take a leap of faith by telling you to check out a female electro-pop artist! No no no! Don't walk away! She's actually really really good, and I can't believe I haven't told you all about her already! She's not one of those sellouts, creepers, sex symbols, or generally annoying bad musicians! Why am I using so many exclamation points! That should have been a question mark!

Anyway, she calls herself 'Lights' and she makes all her own music and writes all her own lyrics. Her LP entitled 'The Listening' was released this year and ever since hearing her EP last year, this was one of my personally most-anticipated albums of 2009. It didn't disappoint me either! A solid album from start to finish. I generally try to be as critical as possible, but there is nothing about her or her album that I could possibly say anything bad about. She's cute, witty, and talented. She'll win your heart if you give her a chance. As always, I won't just ask you take my word for it. I will include a music video and a live video for your viewing pleasure. No, you know what? Make that two live videos. I'm feeling generous today.