I WANNA (HAVE TO) HOLD YOUR HAND

*ahem* Better late than never, right?

What's with video games forcing a darkness dwelling, anti-social, awkward and agoraphobic troll like myself to engage in intimate and personal (No, I don't mean that. Well, actually, sometimes that) activities? I play video games so I don't have to do things like keep real life relationships going. Answer obnoxious phone calls and drive my "friends" around to do the things that they want to do. Take middle aged men by the hand and traipse about through the damn forest! Gamers (mostly) are an inherently irresponsible lot - so why heap irritatingly mundane responsibilities on our frail, unsunned shoulders?

Social dynamics are like the new water levels - annoying and necessary to complete a game. Well, mostly necessary. It seems that with Fable III you can more or less skip the whole friend making thing altogether to get to point B, but the overall suggestion I'm getting from the developers is that I'm missing out on, like, two thirds of the experience should I overlook it. The game, the series as a whole, seems to have a habit of taking complex ideas and trying to distill them down into something much simpler. Or raw, or whatever.

Not my cup of tea when I'm having stupid days, I guess.

But it's ok. I have a new (virtual) Man-Crush; In the form of Geralt of Rivia. I had always been itching to give the Witcher a spin and I'm so glad I did. I know he may be a moody, substance-abusing mutant-junky of an anti-hero- but he's my anti-hero. Hyphens and all.

Speaking of catching up on my ever growing backlog of unplayed games, I've jumped back into Dead Space in an effort (and out of excitement for the sequel) to finish the damn thing. My suggested tone is probably misleading: I love Dead Space. I loved it when I didn't finish it and I love it more now. With the exception of Molyneux's latest, so far so good...

... And better late than never, right?

-Fitz

End transmission.

(UN)FRIENDLY COMPETITION pt. 2

The universe's warped brand of justice is served.

Red Dead Redemption has my attention once more in the form of the Undead Nightmare pack. I finally decided to give it a whirl and I must say, it's good to dust off the ol' dusty sunbleached hat... thing, and slip into the spurs of John Marston again. Not so good, though, is remembering (which lent to mine brain that grudging "oh yeaaahh....") how Mr. Marston controls. Or doesn't, as the case may be.

I tell ya, there's nothing that shatters the immersion factor into a million little pieces like trying to casually strole through an open door on a second story balcony only to get snagged on the corner of the entrance, overcompensate with the movement stick, spin wildly out of control and take a dive over the railing to the street below. Real smooth, action star. Real smooth. It's enough to get under my nails, sometimes.

Maybe I just have to reacquaint myself with the way the guy handles, having been away from him for so many months; like embracing a long lost friend - relearning their idiosyncrasies, what makes them tick. What makes for a good conversation. What will make him swing the God damn torch in the right direction instead of flailing wildly at open space while a walking husk from hell feasts on your epidermal delights.

But I like it. In spite of the above logorrhea, I do like it. The mood the developers have managed to create along with the reunion of all those classic characters makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

Now, I just have to remember how to play the damn thing - a new way.

-Fitz

End Transmission