— Really enjoying Tomb Raider (the remake from a year or two ago). I never played the original games, but the new one has a very “Uncharted” or “Last of Us” combat feel, combined with some very engaging puzzle solving.
— Assassin’s Creed Unity should be getting its fourth patch soon… just in time for me to leave for Limeyland. Of course.
— Finally got a chance to see Wrestlemania XXX (that’s thirty, pervert) last night. My favorite match on the card might have been Cena-Wyatt; amazing in-ring psychology. None of them were bad, lots of great moments and in-ring action. Only match I didn’t like was Brock-Undertaker. Yes, yes, the streak ended, but the match itself was subpar, probably because Taker got hurt. It is what it is, I guess.
— After three seasons of Madden NFL 15, I can safely conclude it’s one of my favorites in the series. Owner mode needs to be fleshed out (seriously). Let us make our own (horribly broken) plays again. I stand by what I said years ago: let Madden and NFL Head Coach make a sweet, sweet lovechild. I recommend endless clips of offensive linemen going out of bounds to set the mood. However, the good outweighs the game: apart from some brief stuttering, the game works flawlessly, no crashes. It plays a very reasonable game of football. There’s still some room for improvement on gameplay, but word on the street is that DB vs WR battles are going to be looked at next season, which will be a key improvement.
— My major professor liked chapter one of the dissertation! He had some criticisms, but they’re all fixable. Now, I have to write five more chapters at least as awesome.
— Mark Greaney has taken over for the late Tom Clancy in churning out books based on the Ryanverse. Greaney’s style isn’t as multi-layered as Clancy’s, but his action scenes are a little more exciting. I’ll keep reading them, but I wouldn’t say they’re must reads any more.
— Paul Heyman’s documentary on the WWE Network was epic. Without exaggeration, the best they’ve ever done. The Monday Night Wars series is a lot of fun too.
— I will have gotten to see the Browns three times this season with Sunday’s game against the Bengals. They are 1-1 in those games, but I blame Billy Cundiff. WE LOST BY ONE STINKIN’ POINT. Looking forward to the Johnny Football Era in Cleveland. He is totally awesome in Madden, FWIW.
— All packed and set up for the trip out to London. I’ll be AWOL (or perhaps AWL, since I do have leave) for two-ish weeks, so we’ll have to rely on Kevin to entertain you.
— Speaking of London, I think I like Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor in Doctor Who so far, and I like the development of Clara as his companion. It’s nice to see them not push the “I secretly love and/or want to bone my companions” angle.
— Other shows I’ve been watching and enjoy: Gotham, Arrow, The Flash, Bones (although their supposed “Hitchcockian” episode was at best meh), and The League (one of the most consistently funny comedies I’ve seen in a very long time).
— Whoever called Borderlands “Diablo with guns” needs a freakin’ medal. There has never been a better description of any game ever.
— Although I do enjoy teaching, I wish I could score one of those sweet “here’s a bag of cash [preferably with a $$ on it], write all day long” fellowships. Some days, I’m just too burned out to actually write. Some days I’m really productive; other days, it’s a struggle to get a paragraph done. Gotta keep on keepin’ on.
36 Chambers - The Legendary Journeys: Execution to the max! 