Things to pass the time
Aug. 4th, 2012 12:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tilly_stratfordYes here I am again. There've been some troubles with unstable internet access, but things are getting better all the time, and I'm switching companies tomorrow.
So what do you do in the evenings without internet when there's nothing but boring Olympic Games on the telly?
Games. You do games. Gaming.
Personally, I just finished Dragon Age II!
*I really didn't like how cartoony the combating had become. Jumping six feet in the air, weedy little elves hauling massive swords around, big warriors travelling straight across the room faster than the Flash... And having to spam the attack button for every hit?! (I played it on the X-Box) Come on!
*The main conflict felt very intriguing though, no Big Bad Villain at the end, just the hope that you'll pick the lesser of two evils. I really had a tough time picking sides, I really did.
*I was pretty sure I'd hate Fenris. I'd counted on it. And then he became my favourite. Actually, speaking of the game as a whole, that Spielberg-like zoom-in on Fenris' shocked face as he learns of his past, was definitely the most memorable moment for me. Furthermore, I knew I wouldn't like Varric. And then I did. And then I became one of those people who felt cheated because he wasn't romanceable.
*Didn't care for Merril though, as much as I like Welsh accents. Apparently she's romanceable? I thought she was, like, twelve.
*You bet your ass I romanced Anders. I have a thing for tortured souls. Even though I'm kinda freaked out about common-as-muck Scandinavian names being *OOH SO EXOTIC* in fantasy settings. Also romanced Isabela. Now that was a fun romancing scene!
*I named the mabari war hound Muir, because I'd just seen "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir".
*Bugs, things were crashing left and right. I hate that. But it was a pretty fun game and I look forward to replaying it as another class (and romancing Fenris. That damn prig wouldn't have anything but a pure-as-driven-snow Hawke).
Also I played and completed L.A. Noire!
*These faces are really good. I mean, they're really getting somewhere with computer graphics these days. The anguished look on Phelp's face before he knocks on that door is my favourite cut-scene, and there's not a single word said aloud.
*The game really didn't sway me. I should love absolutely everything about it: The nineteen forties setting, solving mysterious murders in the glamour of Hollywood, the film noir homages... I just didn't care for the characters, the gotta-catch-them-all vehicles didn't interest me, the crimes didn't fascinate me, and it really wasn't as film noir as it had been advertised.
*I mean, the only times the main characters intrigued me were in those few odd action scenes where they were close to panicking. Phelps became a grain more likeable to me once I heard him go "No no no no NO NO NONONONO!" as shit hit the fan.
*My biggest problem with the game was really that it started with the conspiracy stuff way too early. I already knew the guys I was charging as murderers couldn't have done it, I knew some sinister operation was going on behind the scenes, and it made the game very unengaging.
Right now I've gone on to the first Mass Effect game. I'm really intrigued by the "your choices carry weight in the sequels too" thing (which was very neatly done in Dragon Age 2), but eh, I really don't like those kind of dour grey sci-fi settings. I'm nine hours in and so far I just feel like I've done nothing but gotten lost in a lot of grey corridors, and done a lot of cover-based shooting at Geths.
Sometimes when I'm not gaming I'm reading. Right now it's The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht, and a massive one that I bought for my bachelor research but never read, about the plight of the common woman throughout Norwegian history.
Oh, and I'm still reading Justice League comics. Still early nineties issues, oh dear.
*I've been reading it one and off, but you might have noticed I've stopped with the recap posts. The reason is that after Giffen and DeMatteis (the initial writers) left, the title has so far mostly been really really bad. Just. Really bad. Some good stuff, but mostly shit.
*I mean, God, it's the nineties. They just couldn't let anything fun and light-hearted be, could they? Justice League International was envisioned as a sitcom starring superheroes, humour based around a ragtag group of C-list superheroes living and working together. And because the writers knew what they were doing, you'd occasionally get a dark, terrible storyline, just to keep the readers on their toes. But OH NO THE NINETIES. New writers, and everything has to be dark and gritty and everything fun and optimistic must go.
*I mean, Jurgens pretty much pushed the reset button on all the relationships that had been intrinsic to the dynamic of the League. Tora (Ice) and Guy Gardner's hesitant, slowly developing romance just disappeared overnight, and suddenly Tora hates Guy. Suddenly Max Lord's went from being "PR agent with anxieties and a skewed moral compass, but who deep down is emotionally attached to his team" to being "big shouty boss man who screams every sentence while waving his arms in exasperation".
*And the unforgiveable thing, taking Booster and Beetle's deep, eternal friendship and just, what? They're still best friends according to the dialogue, but they just bitch and criticize everyone, each other included, and it's presented as wit. At one point Beetle has to talk Booster down from brutally murdering a father in front of his six year old daughter.
The nineties indeed.
*Oh God these new team members. Maxima? Bloodrayne? REALLY.
*What's the deal with Beetle always hanging off rafters and curtain rods and stuff when he's at home. I know he's an acrobat but goddamnit somebody's got him confused with Spider-Man.
*I'm skipping issues occasionally, to be honest. The story arcs are very shallow and short anyway - I'm mostly looking for A) Important Booster and/or Beetle events, and B) Elastic Man. Because goddamnit is he great.
*The art's mostly shitty too. Scritchy nineties lines, busy design with poor readability. I thought I was gonna die from happiness when we FINALLY got another issue ("When Titans Date", Justice League Quarterly #10) with pencils by Ty Templeton. And it was a cute comedy piece as well, amidst all the angst and gore.
He's got some sameface going on but I'll forgive it for those nice clean lines (That's The Flash with the red hair, Booster's the blonde.)
Cuties.
Oh wow, it's been so long since I wrote a long, random post just because I'm bored. And I'm not used to sitting on this hard sofa like this, ow ow ow.
So what do you do in the evenings without internet when there's nothing but boring Olympic Games on the telly?
Games. You do games. Gaming.
Personally, I just finished Dragon Age II!
*I really didn't like how cartoony the combating had become. Jumping six feet in the air, weedy little elves hauling massive swords around, big warriors travelling straight across the room faster than the Flash... And having to spam the attack button for every hit?! (I played it on the X-Box) Come on!
*The main conflict felt very intriguing though, no Big Bad Villain at the end, just the hope that you'll pick the lesser of two evils. I really had a tough time picking sides, I really did.
*I was pretty sure I'd hate Fenris. I'd counted on it. And then he became my favourite. Actually, speaking of the game as a whole, that Spielberg-like zoom-in on Fenris' shocked face as he learns of his past, was definitely the most memorable moment for me. Furthermore, I knew I wouldn't like Varric. And then I did. And then I became one of those people who felt cheated because he wasn't romanceable.
*Didn't care for Merril though, as much as I like Welsh accents. Apparently she's romanceable? I thought she was, like, twelve.
*You bet your ass I romanced Anders. I have a thing for tortured souls. Even though I'm kinda freaked out about common-as-muck Scandinavian names being *OOH SO EXOTIC* in fantasy settings. Also romanced Isabela. Now that was a fun romancing scene!
*I named the mabari war hound Muir, because I'd just seen "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir".
*Bugs, things were crashing left and right. I hate that. But it was a pretty fun game and I look forward to replaying it as another class (and romancing Fenris. That damn prig wouldn't have anything but a pure-as-driven-snow Hawke).
Also I played and completed L.A. Noire!
*These faces are really good. I mean, they're really getting somewhere with computer graphics these days. The anguished look on Phelp's face before he knocks on that door is my favourite cut-scene, and there's not a single word said aloud.
*The game really didn't sway me. I should love absolutely everything about it: The nineteen forties setting, solving mysterious murders in the glamour of Hollywood, the film noir homages... I just didn't care for the characters, the gotta-catch-them-all vehicles didn't interest me, the crimes didn't fascinate me, and it really wasn't as film noir as it had been advertised.
*I mean, the only times the main characters intrigued me were in those few odd action scenes where they were close to panicking. Phelps became a grain more likeable to me once I heard him go "No no no no NO NO NONONONO!" as shit hit the fan.
*My biggest problem with the game was really that it started with the conspiracy stuff way too early. I already knew the guys I was charging as murderers couldn't have done it, I knew some sinister operation was going on behind the scenes, and it made the game very unengaging.
Right now I've gone on to the first Mass Effect game. I'm really intrigued by the "your choices carry weight in the sequels too" thing (which was very neatly done in Dragon Age 2), but eh, I really don't like those kind of dour grey sci-fi settings. I'm nine hours in and so far I just feel like I've done nothing but gotten lost in a lot of grey corridors, and done a lot of cover-based shooting at Geths.
Sometimes when I'm not gaming I'm reading. Right now it's The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht, and a massive one that I bought for my bachelor research but never read, about the plight of the common woman throughout Norwegian history.
Oh, and I'm still reading Justice League comics. Still early nineties issues, oh dear.
*I've been reading it one and off, but you might have noticed I've stopped with the recap posts. The reason is that after Giffen and DeMatteis (the initial writers) left, the title has so far mostly been really really bad. Just. Really bad. Some good stuff, but mostly shit.
*I mean, God, it's the nineties. They just couldn't let anything fun and light-hearted be, could they? Justice League International was envisioned as a sitcom starring superheroes, humour based around a ragtag group of C-list superheroes living and working together. And because the writers knew what they were doing, you'd occasionally get a dark, terrible storyline, just to keep the readers on their toes. But OH NO THE NINETIES. New writers, and everything has to be dark and gritty and everything fun and optimistic must go.
*I mean, Jurgens pretty much pushed the reset button on all the relationships that had been intrinsic to the dynamic of the League. Tora (Ice) and Guy Gardner's hesitant, slowly developing romance just disappeared overnight, and suddenly Tora hates Guy. Suddenly Max Lord's went from being "PR agent with anxieties and a skewed moral compass, but who deep down is emotionally attached to his team" to being "big shouty boss man who screams every sentence while waving his arms in exasperation".
*And the unforgiveable thing, taking Booster and Beetle's deep, eternal friendship and just, what? They're still best friends according to the dialogue, but they just bitch and criticize everyone, each other included, and it's presented as wit. At one point Beetle has to talk Booster down from brutally murdering a father in front of his six year old daughter.
The nineties indeed.
*Oh God these new team members. Maxima? Bloodrayne? REALLY.
*What's the deal with Beetle always hanging off rafters and curtain rods and stuff when he's at home. I know he's an acrobat but goddamnit somebody's got him confused with Spider-Man.
*I'm skipping issues occasionally, to be honest. The story arcs are very shallow and short anyway - I'm mostly looking for A) Important Booster and/or Beetle events, and B) Elastic Man. Because goddamnit is he great.
*The art's mostly shitty too. Scritchy nineties lines, busy design with poor readability. I thought I was gonna die from happiness when we FINALLY got another issue ("When Titans Date", Justice League Quarterly #10) with pencils by Ty Templeton. And it was a cute comedy piece as well, amidst all the angst and gore.
He's got some sameface going on but I'll forgive it for those nice clean lines (That's The Flash with the red hair, Booster's the blonde.)
Cuties.
Oh wow, it's been so long since I wrote a long, random post just because I'm bored. And I'm not used to sitting on this hard sofa like this, ow ow ow.
