Last of 2015

Alright, it's the last Eccentric Sphere for 2015.

The Steam X-Mas sale has been nice, but I have to say I miss the flash and daily sales. Valve says that they got rid of them to be fairer, since a great sale might pop up when you are at work and thus you miss it.

OK, fair enough, but without these varying extras, the sales aren't as much fun. What you see is what you get, but that means that a great holiday sale is just a big weekend deal. The same deals are up from day one to the end. If they at least had some 48h extras it would be more interesting. And that's just it, it's not even about the money. It's less exciting to visit the Steam store when nothing changes, and I miss the thrill of hoping a game you've been waiting for shows up.

Oh well, here's hoping they bring the short sales back.

For all my complaining though, I have picked up some good ones.

My wife got me Pillars of Eternity for X-mas. A grand old-school RPG. Looking forward to getting deeper into it, but it does require that you really pay attention. It's not a game you play when you're tired or distracted.

SunlessSea is a game I've been eying lately. It's Victorian-Steampunk with Lovecraftian elements. Madness, monsters, and really weird stuff (sentient rat engineers) abounds in the seas around Fallen London. So far it's very good, but damn hard.

I bought Stranded Deep, but I haven't installed it yet. It is however shaping up to be one of the best survival games out there. So once winter hits properly, I'm escaping to my own paradise island. Coconuts, crabs and the risk of dehydration awaits. Oh, and sharks, lots of sharks.

Finally, as we're drawing towards New Years eve, I want to talk about PartyHard. Here you play as a man who just wants peace and quiet. But a huge party rages on and you can't sleep. So naturally you kill everyone there. In Party Hard you have to slaughter all the guests at party after party without getting caught. It's great fun but sometimes truly frustrating, like when you have three guys left to stab and the cops spot you near a body. If you're caught it's game over.

That's it for this year. I want to thank you all for reading my ramblings, and I hope you'll continue to do so in the coming year.

So until 2016, have a great week and a happy new year!

The Legend of Devil's Creek

Last night at 1.30 in the morning I finished The Legend of Devil's Creek by D.C. Alexander.

This is one of the most interesting murder mysteries I've read in a very long time. Not so much due to the actual murder mystery itself, but because of the philosophical examination of the nature of evil and what drives someone to murder.

We follow Riddley, a shy and introvert college kid and his new friends as they hike, party, fish and go to philosophy class. This in itself doesn't perhaps sound all that exciting but it's essential to the plot.

The rest of the book portraits some of the police officers who are struggling to find the killer, mainly Captain Marshall, a traumatized veteran.

It's difficult to explain why this book is so good without inadvertently spoiling anything, but the quality of the writing is top-notch. D.C. Alexander has a gift for letting you feel, not only the characters emotions, but also the atmosphere, all without rambling on and on. Maybe it doesn't sound like fun to read about a bunch of twenty-something-year-olds drinking and talking on a cold beach, but it was some of the best parts of the book.

Because all the talk of crappy childhoods, the philosophical discussions in class, the partying and the silly pranks they play on each other, helps you understand the killer as well as provides a strong sense of normalcy that makes the murders seem more real.

My biggest criticism of the book is Riddley. In the beginning of the book, his self-esteem is so incredibly bad that it's frustrating. He gets better but it takes time. Quite a lot of time. That said, it was never unrealistic. Annoying yes, but never unbelievable. Perhaps I shouldn't be lambasting the author about this. After all, it takes discipline to stay the course and not yield to the temptation of letting Riddley off the hook too quickly.

Anyway, I've been rambling on too long. I highly recommend this book. I loved it.

Finally, I'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas, or which ever equivalent you choose to celebrate. See you next week!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

I recently got into Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Usually I'm not that fond of American comedy, instead preferring the British school, but Brooklyn Nine-Nine is awesome.

We follow the shenanigans of the 99^th precinct in Brooklyn and the craziness that goes on therein. And it is crazy. There are elements of slap-stick but surprisingly little. It's used more as a spice than the whole meal. This leaves us with a show that's clever, witty and warm-heated without being sappy.

The characters are naturally stereotypes. But they also have other characteristics that defy the typical cliches. Like Scully and Hitchcock, two lazy, old incompetent detectives that are pretty much just running out the clock, but on occasion show genuine police skills. They get a lot of abuse from the others which they take with grace and they actively discourage any praise since that would mean they might be takes seriously which would mean more responsibility.

No character is badly written.

I've seen seasons one and two, that's 45 episodes (they are only 22 minutes each) and I've laughed out loud at least once in almost every episode. That is, for me, very rare in with comedy show.

So if you need a pick-me-up for your mood in these stressful pre-christmas times, consider a dose of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

I'm going to bow out here. I was thinking of going into more detail about this wonderful show, but I have had maybe four hours of fitful sleep, and I fear I'm neither terribly coherent nor eloquent.

So until next time, have a funny week! 

 

Movie time

Last Saturday my wife and I watched a Chris Pratt double feature, namely Jurassic World (2015) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014).

Jurassic World may be the fourth movie in the Jurassic film line, but it is a fairly direct follow up to the first Jurassic Park (1993). Jurassic Park 2 &3 have their own plot-lines and have little to do with the actual amusement park.

First off, Jurassic World is a very pretty film, the effects are stellar. The acting is fine, and the sound is as good as ever. The real problem is the script. It relies heavily on the first movie, so much so that it felt smug at times.

The core of the story is that people are becoming bored with dinosaurs so InGen creates a new scarier hybrid dinosaur in order to boost attendance. Obviously dinos escape and eat people. Heroes do heroic stuff and the villains are mean and stupid. End story.

Jurassic World is not a good movie but it is spectacular. If you want to see an action filled romp with lots of cool effects and giant monsters rampaging about, then this is worth watching. If you want character development and a complex story, watch something else. I had fun, but almost more fun dissing it with my wife.

Guardians of the Galaxy is a Marvel movie, so it's based on a comic book series. It technically belongs in the Super Hero franchise, since as an example, Iron Man later becomes a Guardian, but the film is squarely Space Opera in my opinion.

This is a spectacle in every way. It's action and fantastic backdrops, witty one-liners and explosions. It's a fast two hour ride of fun. In fact, I have only two complaints; many scenes are really dark, making it hard to see what's going on and the fact that little is really explained. Actually the last point isn't really a bad thing, so scratch that.

My second complaint is that the villain is boring and pretty generic. Since the mettle of a hero is measured by the villain he fights, this detracts somewhat from the enjoyment. Sure, the villain is powerful, but since I haven't read the comics he made little sense to me.

The cast is absolutely dazzling, with big names every time the scene changes. I'm happily waiting for the sequel.

If you really want pizzazz and just a good time, see this movie, but it's not a “serious” film, so leave the intellectual part of your brain in a drawer and let your ten year old out.

That's my entry for today. Until next time, have a stellar week!