You Can't Handle The Truth

It's been very relaxed lately. Now that I finished the review I have a little downtime to a) prepare for the next one and b) catch up on the gaming I missed out on because I was sweating bullets rather than shooting them. That statement doesn't quite work, though, as I haven't been playing any shooting games, so... eh, just forget it.

As I said, I recently took advantage of the steam indie sale and got some games I'd been meaning to try while they were dirt cheap.

First is Recettear. There's something really charming about this game, maybe it stems from the fact that it ostensibly looks like something that was made in RPG maker. However, the assets are great, the concept and execution are staggeringly unique and wonderfully done, and it even has an intriguing story and very good voice acting (even if it isn't full voice acting). I guess you can expect no less from a Japanese indie game. I have only two complaints: The combat can get a little grind-y, and the picture stretches when I take it into full screen. Other than that. fully recommended. My wife has become obsessed with it.

Next is Thomas Was Alone. I can't give a full opinion yet, but so far, it's very much a triumph in game storytelling. Each rectangle has a distinct personality, but here's the thing: they somehow were able to convey that personality through their jump animation alone. It's insane. I very much want to see how it all comes together.

Lastly I got They Bleed Pixels. This one I can understand why people wouldn't dig it, but I love it simply because of the wonderful nostalgia it gives me. It reminds me of playing commander Keen over and over again. The art in particular has a real old-school adventure game feel to it, even though it's an action-platformer. It's also got this very consistent and appealing 'happy goth' style throughout and has gloriously satisfying combat. Lots of claret though, just a warning for the squeamish.

Movie of the day: A Few Good Men. Speaking of a warning for the squeamish: If you can get past the foul language in this movie, this is a wonderful courtroom drama with fantastic performances that show exactly why these actors were the cream of the crop at the time. I had no idea Tom Cruise was so good at shouting! There are lots of great subtle cues throughout the movie to look out for, and my goodness is it refreshing to see a romantic relationship begin in a movie, but not even get past the kissing stage. Isn't that more realistic? A relationship needs time to develop and you can use your imagination to guess how things will turn out without having the script ruin it for you. Very, very cool, just wish they were a bit more restrained in the language department.

Song of the Day: Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Very much in the vein of The Pixies' 'Where Is My Mind?", this is raw simplicity that somehow makes a compelling beauty. Still have no idea why they called it Maps, though. Or why the Black Eyed Peas felt the need to use it.