This is where a lot of the magic happened this year. Writing this list each year is one of my favorite things to do at the end of the year. It forces some perspective on what I played and coheres my thoughts on the experiences this year. I spent less time with video games this year, to the tune of 19 fewer games played. 2013 heralded a shift toward portable games for me thanks to a rapidly maturing 3DS library and a nice, new phone. ...
The awesome cast of Orange is the New Black (Photo by missmegsblogcontent) Lots of talk on the internets about how Orange is the New Black was a fantastic show not worth missing. After checking it out, I’ve got to say everyone’s really right. Movies Nope, but probably this week! TV The Bridge - Demian Bichir is doing fine, fine work on this show, but the serial killer stuff seems fairly fantastical and he’s almost omnipotent in his power. ...
Giant mechs and giant monsters. I’m all in. (Photo courtesy Domenico) You know how the saying goes, right? When the cat’s away, go see a kaiju homage movie. It was silly stupid fun and it was awesome. Movies Tokyo Godfathers - Min and I were looking for something to watch during dinner and I finally convinced him to check out Satoshi Kon’s fairy tale/holiday story. I love how happy this movie is and ends. Very few mind games for a Satoshi Kon flick too. ...
It’s my first time experiencing a Shakespearian comedy (Picture courtesy Pinay New Yorker) Sure, it’s not like watching live theater for real or anything, but this was my first tie experiencing one of Shakespeare’s comedies (not counting liberal adaptations like 10 Things I Hate About You) and I absolutely loved it. More below. Movies This is the End - I wish I could say that I had more fun watching this movie, but it just wasn’t all that funny. Then there’s the fact that I’ll be forever embarrassed by jumping and shouting “AH!” during a jump scare. ...
This has nothing to do with what I did this past couple of weeks, but I love this tea. Actually, I did drink a lot of it over the past few weeks… Whoa, whoops! I forgot to get this up on time! I forgot to even post this yesterday! Been too busy, but we’re back now! ...
Was there a Franklin gag that I just missed? (Picture by Tom Trager) I went to three baseball games this week, one graduation party, and one father’s day dinner. There wasn’t much time for anything, but I still got some gaming in. Movies Nope. TV Arrested Development - Partway through S4 I realized that this season was just a giant puzzle box meant to be deciphered as you went along. Either you like to do that or you don’t. Either you like the season or you don’t. Also, I’m not the only one who thinks Arrested Development is like One Hundred Years of Solitude! ...
http://youtu.be/FYTW0P9DerA It’s the mash-up nobody knew they wanted until today! I mean, this is pure insanity, but it’s also super awesome. Rock vs. Ryu?! BRILLIANT! Can’t wait for that free download. http://youtu.be/W01L70IGBgE Uncharted 3 may have been lacking that je ne sais quoi that its predecessors have, but that’s probably because the big guns were working on this sucker. What a fine looking game it is too. Can’t wait to see how this pans out because it looks astounding. ...
http://youtu.be/MX6eqoCLbTc The Last of Us tops my most wanted list for sure. Cannot wait for this thing to finally drop in 2013.
http://youtu.be/krLNvmYF7lM Holy cow, is there another studio out there even approaching the natural and real-seeming performances that Naughty Dog is putting out? This looks fantastic.
E3 is sure showcasing a lot of hyper-violent games this year. The Last of Us gets props from me for making it all look ugly and brutal, but it sure makes it hard to watch. Can’t wait to see how this game turns out for Naughty Dog. ...