Sunday Statement

Yes there was no post on Thursday. No I didn't forget about it.

The reason there was no post on Thursday is three short words, "Old Man's War." Specifically I am referencing, John Scalzi's book, Old Man's War.

I don't go out and buy very many science-fiction novels, usually because they aren't worth the ink on the page, so my not catching onto this work for 3 years doesn't come as a surprise. What does come as a surprise is that I haven't yet purchased any more of Scalzi's books. Old Man's War was one of the best science-fiction novels I have read in years. The story and setting feels very much like "old-sci-fi", like the science-fiction novels I found while cleaning out my grandmother's house, but the clear and inventive writing turns this possible (I actually like many of those old sci-fi novels) con into a very positive pro. To top the cherry on the cake, it goes really well with the space stage in Spore, so I happened to read it at just the right time.

Go out and buy it, read it, it only takes a day if you put everything besides homework and classes off.

I'm not joking, go get it.

Will Wright's Greatest Success

Spore is without a doubt the best game I have played all year.

This is my conclusion after finally reaching the space stage (the last of the 5 stages in the game which act to separate the different game types within Spore) and dinking around a little bit.

I had fun with the first four stages. I enjoyed fighting for survival as a cell. I had a very good time watching the little beast I made evolve under my careful guidance in the creature stage. I felt a swell of pride as my little monsters united together and routed the other beasts from the continent in the tribal stage. I had a glorious time seeing my handcrafted empire take over the planet in the civilization stage.

In short I had a very good time with the first four stages of the game, and I would have felt my $50 purchase was worth the money I spent had the game ended there.

But then space stage came along.

In the hour that I have played the space stage, I have had more genuine fun than I've had in the last three weeks combined.

The way the galaxy is presented; how massive and ready-to-be-explored it feels. Combine this feeling of new discovery with a bond with my avatar stronger than any Final Fantasy could ever hope to accomplish. Well, let's just say it's a damn good time.

What excites me most of all is that this is a game my parents, or some little kids could play and get the same enjoyment out of. It's not complicated, at least not until the space stage, and each of the stages prepares you for the next. Top this off with the ability to create an avatar that emotionally invests the player to the game intrinsically, and these people who don't play games will find themselves losing track of time as they watch their little creation live out its destiny.

I recommend Spore to anyone and everyone, and encourage everyone who has it to show it off to as many people as possible.

Not So Triumphant Return

I sorely apologize to any and all who read this blog, though I still despise that word. I took a very large break from writing on this site due to a large amount of difficulties that appeared in my life. Beyond this, I had fully intended to start writing posts regularly again this previous Sunday. My only two answers as to why I did not write Sunday and Monday are both single words: School and Spore.

I do not intend for this bad (re)start to influence the rest of my posts on this site, and you may fully expect to read my impressions on Spore before 11:59 P.M. tomorrow.

Until then Vale, Valete!

P.S. I hate apartment hunting as well as the setting up of utilities and networks.

Ugh

No post tonight, blame pizza and stomach problems.

Aha!

So, had a little false start as evidenced by no post Sunday or Monday. All I can say is, blame summer and it's wondrously lazy days.

Eureka starts season 3 on the Sci-Fi channel today and I couldn't be happier. Eureka is one of my favorite shows. It has a beautiful mix of comedy, suspense, mystery and romance (I guess suspense and mystery are pretty close to the same thing). What I really love about Eureka is that they manage to create great whodunit mysteries despite their science-fiction base. Even better, on top of the whodunit there's usually a howdowedoit, or how they stop the ionic cooling array (or whatever) from blowing up the town. On top of everything the show has some really wonderful fake science, matched only by (off the top of my head) Futurama (which has an alarming number of master degrees and PHDs working on it).

Return To Forever

And I'm back. Alright, so I realize I've been gone a long time, let's just say that I had a lot things going on in my life that made it difficult to formulate even the most basic of postings. Consider this my official comeback note, after the weekend (and maybe even over it), I'm going to resume my regular posting schedule.

I Broke My Nail On A Rib Someone Didn't Want

Posts will continue to be infrequent for the time being due to my suddenly ridiculous lifestyle over the past week. Highlights include:

Training Dog New Trick
Getting New Job
Working At New Job Everyday
Getting Home At 1AM Because of New Job
4th of July With Grandmother
Helping Mother Around The House
Try To Figure Out Where I'm Going To Live In Two Months
Trying To Find Free Online Site So That I Can Discuss Secret Project With Someone
Working A Lot On Secret Project
Getting Chrono Trigger Soundtrack
Getting Disgaea Soundtrack
Reading Titans of Chaos Series
Attempting To Beat Metal Gear Solid 4

So yeah, I've been busy. It doesn't help that I'm apparently incapable of getting less than ten hours of sleep.