Andy Laub

“Are you gonna get Red Dead Redemption?” they said. I said I didn’t know; I knew the game was a reboot of sorts for the franchise, but having never played the original (Red Dead Revolver) that didn’t mean too much to me. There was a lot of talk about how this new installment in the series would be taking a lot of cues from Grand Theft Auto 4 (the Best Game Ever™) to the point where the proper title was eventually replaced with Grand Theft Auto But With Horses for the sake of convenience.

And that was really my hangup; I wasn’t sure if I could love a GTA game sans the A. I enjoy those types of games because even after the game proper is long since finished, it’s fun for me to drive around the city and just play. I couldn’t picture doing that on a horse (or really any other means of transportation). Honestly, the earlier the game’s setting, the less interesting I find the driving experience. The Godfather or The Sabotuer are both good examples of games that are just not modern enough to make the driving element engaging to me.

So I didn’t buy Red Dead Redemption. My recent changes in both mindset (don’t buy every game) and cashflow (inconsistent) have prevented that, so far. However, when I got a “we miss you; free rental!” call from the local video store (yeah, we have those!), I knew what I had to do. Three days should be enough time to get to know a game, right?

I think it was somewhere around hour ten when the truth really hit me. This isn’t just Grand Theft Auto But With Horses; this is a real, bona fide Grand Theft Auto game that just happens to be set in a world before the automobile was ubiquitous. Everything else – the mission structure, the tone, the general story, the gameplay, the feeling – fits seamlessly into the GTA framework (I sincerely hope to come across at least one ancestor of a current GTA character), and when you start to think of this game as an endeavor on the same level with such a behemoth it becomes that much more impressive.

Suffice it to say, Red Dead Redemption is a very good game that I had a lot of fun with in my limited exposure to it. There are a few nitpicks, the biggest being that it’s difficult to tell friends from enemies which wreaks havoc on your reputation; the auto aim isn’t particularly picky about who it points your barrel at and then suddenly you’re WANTED and all hell breaks loose. I still can’t figure out the fast travel system, if there even is one. Something about setting up camp and then jumping from there to a previous settlement, which I never experienced.

In typical Rockstar fashion, though, the pros far outweigh the cons. Visuals and design are solid, and audio continues to be a strong point just as it has in the GTA series. With no radio the music instead is sparse and appropriately Western, mellow when appropriate but becoming more frantic during shootouts and other dramatic sequences. Voice acting is superb, especially in the case of main protagonist John Marston. He reminds me very much of Timothy Olyphant’s character in FX’s Justified.

Unsurprisingly, gameplay is nearly identical to Grand Theft Auto IV, with a few notable exceptions. The new(?) DeadEye system (which effectively lets you slow time to pick off a number of targets) is an absolute joy to use and may stand out as the defining mechanic of RDR combat versus GTA combat; I don’t foresee it working in the context of a more modern setting but it’s very appropriate here.

Most exciting though, is that we’re finally seeing a game from Rockstar with no health meters! RDR has gone the way of many modern shooters in that you still have a finite amount of health, but as your condition becomes more critical the screen turns red. If you can find cover, the reverse happens after a few moments. It makes for a much less stressful experience and unlike DeadEye, I hope this propagates to all future GTA games.

In short, Red Dead Redemption is both a great game by itself and, if you’d like, a worthy entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Three days was enough to get to scratch the surface but I definitely look forward to spending more time together in the future.

I took a brief hiatus from my Forza 3 marathon on Thursday to pay a final visit to Liberty City with The Ballad of Gay Tony, Rockstar’s latest (and likely last) installment of downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto IV. Given my fondness for all things GTA, it shouldn’t come as much of a shock that I was watching the credits roll by lunchtime Saturday.

Rockstar’s approach to TBoGT doesn’t differ much from the previous installment – once again you’re put in the shoes of what was previously only a supporting character. As I said before, the experience you enjoy the most really depends on which character and lifestyle you are most comfortable with. In this case, that character is Luis Lopez, ex-con turned bodyguard of/business partner to nightclub impresario “Gay” Tony Prince (who bears a remarkable resemblance to Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark).

As a result, the game is centered around Algonquin, Liberty City’s equivalent to Manhattan, and the high-roller atmosphere extends to fast cars, great new music, and a slew of new over-the-top missions. Of course it’s not all fun and games, but I’ll just leave it at that with regards to plot. You’ll run across plenty of characters that you’ve been previously introduced to, including one loose end from the core game that I was glad to see tied.

I have to say, I really liked Luis as a protagonist – while he kept getting thrust into situations that were less than ideal, I never felt that things were completely out of control like I did with Niko or Johnny. One constant across all GTA games is that you can continue to experience the city even after completing the missions. You may find it telling that when presented with that option in TLaD I opted instead to return to the original game. I don’t expect that to be the case this time around.

I remember the first time I played a Super Nintendo. The game was Super Mario World (was there any other?), and it was a demo machine set up in the local Kmart. During that time, I always relished shopping trips, as I knew that if I was lucky nobody else would be playing and I could spend a few minutes with my favorite plumber.

Imagine then, going back home, and trying to enjoy Super Mario Bros on the original NES. It wasn’t bad by any means – it just wasn’t “special” anymore. Mario World boasted multi-tiered backgrounds and sprites bigger than anything I’d seen before – remember the giant Bullet Bills? It had amazing new environments! It had Yoshi!

What’s interesting, then, is that no 2D platformer came along after Super Mario World that really made it look outdated and stale. The next huge Mario game was Super Mario 64 – and while it’s notable for the fact that it brought a third dimension to the Mushroom Kingdom, comparing it to any Mario game that came before it is basically apples and oranges.

An eternal plus for Mario is that the game was never meant to be photorealistic; so even today the NES and SNES titles manage to keep some freshness. The original SMB is a little flat, sure; but Mario 3 will always be an exceptional game. While the graphics in this day and age could easily be surpassed by my phone, it doesn’t matter, because they were what they were. They were, and always will be, classics.

Where am I going with this?

I just finally got around to playing Indigo Prophecy. It’s not a new title, having seen release on the PS2 and Xbox a few years ago. My curiosity was piqued during a discussion about it last year, and recently reinvigorated by the news on the developer’s follow-up title Heavy Rain.

My point here doesn’t require me to go into too much depth regarding the plot of Indigo Prophecy, so suffice it to say that it was in their best interest to make things look as realistic as they could. That is an admirable and common goal among a good portion of games nowadays. And I suspect had I played the game 3 or 4 years ago when it came out, I would’ve found it perfectly acceptable.

However, I have been playing games almost exclusively on the Xbox 360 for nearly three years now; games that have truly raised the bar in terms of what video games should be. It’s not really a stretch to say that these games have spoiled me with their bright colors and slick graphics – that’s kind of the point.

So from the minute I put in Indigo Prophecy, the deck was stacked against it. It probably didn’t help that I had just finished Prince of Persia, one of the most beautiful games available on the current crop of consoles, the night before. Everything about Indigo Prophecy was blocky, muted, flat… stale.

The thing is, I’m not convinced that these modern 3D games can ever be enjoyed the same way classic 2D games can. Why would I want to play the original Gran Turismo when I know that Gran Turismo 5 is even closer to the game Polyphony Digital really wants to make? I think that when the paradigm of game design shifted away from traditional 2D, sprite-based platforming games towards 3D polygonal mishmash, all of the 2D games that were great at that time (Mario, Metroid, Zelda) were immortalized.

I don’t think we’ll see that sort of phenomenon again for awhile, what with the massive leaps in technology happening so frequently. Look at Grand Theft Auto IV, versus Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, versus Grand Theft Auto III. You’d expect the differences between this and the previous generation to be pronounced, but even the two games on the same console are worlds apart after only 4 years.

This is going to end in one of two scenarios:

1. Games will continue to develop and advance, graphically, until they can’t go any further. We will have games that are truly photorealistic to the point where the only way to improve is to increase the scope of the game and continue to expand the player’s environment.
2. Console games as we know them will phase out due to some dramatic shift in technology. True, immersive 3D, I suppose. A sort of holodeck type of thing? Once this happens, it will basically render the current types of games moot, leaving the last of their kind to become legendary like some of the great SNES games have become.

So basically what I’m saying is that I like new games, and I like old games. It’s the in-between area that fails to light my fire.

I like to save money on stuff. Not that that’s unusual – but between places like Amazon and just general sales on things, I have a hard time convincing myself to shell out a bunch of money if I don’t feel like I’m getting a good deal. Oftentimes this involves a little extra shopping around, but it’s worth it.

But then sometimes, stuff just basically ends up right under your nose.

Anecdote #1

With a Best Buy gift card burning a hole in my pocket, I finally decided to pick up Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the DS. I don’t generally enjoy buying games for the DS as I feel that $35 is an awful lot of money for such a tiny cartridge; but the gift card dampened the impact, if only a tiny bit.

And then they picked the next day to knock $15 off. It’s still on sale – definitely pick it up if you’ve been on the fence. It really is amazing what they’ve been able to accomplish on the DS platform.

Anecdote #2

I’ve long thought that the Keen Newport H2 would be the perfect sandal if they’d just add a cleated option for us bikers – there’s just no way I can justify that kind of money if I can’t use it for biking, as my typical summer footwear rarely breaks the $10 mark.

And then, thanks to BSNYC I discovered the Commuter. At $115, it’s at the higher end of what I’d be willing to pay for such a product, I figured I’d think more about it when (if?) biking-in-sandals weather returns. But that same afternoon, REI sent us a catalog and was all like “we’re having a sale!” (it started today). $85 is still a lot for sandals, but that’s about what I paid for my (well-worn) Shimanos and I expect these to be even more useful when off the bike.

It was big news when Rockstar announced that Grand Theft Auto IV would see a simultaneous release for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Arguably even bigger news was that Microsoft basically showered Rockstar in cash in exchange for the exclusive rights to two episodes of downloadable content.

That was in 2006; Grand Theft Auto IV hit stores in April 2008 with the promise that the first portion of DLC would follow in the fall. And true to form, it was delayed. But finally, last Tuesday, The Lost and Damned arrived and set out to redefine what downloadable content can be.

Instead of continuing your experience as Niko Bellic (protagonist of the core storyline) TLAD puts you in the shoes of biker Johnny Klebitz (of The Lost Motorcycle Club), one of the ancillary characters that you previously crossed paths with. I really like this approach, as the entire cast of GTA IV is ripe for this sort of extrapolation. I was a little hesitant about the choice of a biker as I wasn’t a huge fan of the motorcycle-oriented missions in the original game, but fortunately those fears turned out to be unfounded.

Whether you prefer Niko or Johnny as a “hero” boils down to personal preference; I found both to be likable enough, with a sort of “why does this keep happening to me?” quality about them. As noted above, you’ll end up in a few missions where both characters are involved simultaneously and that may be my favorite aspect of this whole experience – seeing a whole new viewpoint of a scenario that you had previously only witnessed from one angle. Furthermore, relationship between Niko and Johnny versus Niko and the rest of TLMC is quite interesting to follow as they rarely seem to be consistent.

Aside from that the missions are par for course, but enjoyable. I probably spent around ten hours on the story mode, and didn’t find any one level particularly frustrating. Interestingly, Rockstar has reworked the continue system with this expansion, so restarting the mission often puts you at a checkpoint instead of at the beginning, finally.

Liberty City has also received some upgrades in the form a couple new interiors and some new vehicles; most of which are motorcycles. But most notable is the addition of all sorts of new music and dialogue on the radio stations. It’s pretty rad and remarkably satisfying to hear Deep Purple’s Highway Star and Bon Jovi’s Wanted blaring over the exhaust of your bike. Odd though – I can’t help but notice that Rockstar seems to have raided the Rock Band catalog. And while I believe the new vehicles are only available when you’re playing TLAD, the media additions are universal.

So is it worth $20? If you spent countless hours with the original, then yes, no thought required. Buy it and see Liberty City in a whole new light. If you weren’t crazy about the core game, than nothing TLAD brings to the table can remedy that aside from perhaps the continue system. Still, though, it’s not nearly as satisfying or interesting to play if you weren’t already emotionally invested in the characters. It’s not an entirely different game, and it’s not an entirely different story. What it is, is a very strong addition to what was already a very good game.

While I’ve made it clear that my love for the Xbox 360 and next generation gaming in general is nearly boundless, I’ve also harbored a resentment towards Microsoft (and Sony for following suit), for using this latest technology as an excuse to bring back $60 games. If that sounds like a lot of money, don’t worry – that’s also what it feels like as it leaves your wallet.

I can think of at least ten titles that lightened my bank account by at least $60 in 2008. Sadly, I feel that only about half of them were worth the MSRP, which means I probably could’ve saved a hundo or so by being a little more patient – money that could’ve been spent on more games/car parts/hookers/groceries. I tweeted earlier this year about my resolve not to fall into the $60 game trap again, and so far Skate 2 has been the only game to test that.

The thing is, it’s not that hard to find games for less. Half.com and Amazon are obvious places to look, but you have to give it some time before they start to reach the “worth it used” threshold (I consider this to be about $40-45, depending on how desperate I am). Skate 2 has actually reached that point, if you want it for (cringe for effect) the PS3.

I’m not NOT buying stuff.

But a place I’ve found great success in the past is our local Family Video. Since I hadn’t been in awhile, I decided to stop in and browse over the weekend – and ended up with the latest Prince of Persia. Thus far I haven’t been disappointed – it’s a fun game with good mechanics, and I’ve found that it works really well in short bursts – maybe 30 minutes or so.

This week also marked the release of some classic hotness: Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection landed, bringing with it over forty full Sega Genesis games in high-def with achievements. I have to thank Sega for realizing that nobody in their right mind would pay $60 for disc full of 15-year-old games, and instead pricing the whole thing at half that. As the owner of either two or three Genesis..es(?) (but only one while they were actually relevant), playing the original Sonic the Hedgehog series brings back a lot of memories, while making me wonder how I ever played this stuff as a child.

Finally, I know where my next $20 in gaming will be spent, and it really is probably pretty obvious. Not bad for $80 total.

2008 ended last week, I guess. I feel like I wrote a decent amount, and I had every intention of writing a sort of “year in review” type of post. But I never got to a point where I had the right tone in my head, so instead I present you with this meme I found on the internerd. INTERNERD.

Achievements & Landmarks

What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

Lost weight on purpose. Went into debt for a car that I fell in love with.

Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I guess so, and probably not. They were always a half-hearted promise to eat better and take better care of myself. Also I’m pretty sure I was resolving about a Mac Pro heavily at this time last year.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Uh, our neighbors? Or did you mean emotionally close? Then no.

Did anyone close to you die?

Sort of close. It would be wrong to say we weren’t close at some point.

What countries did you visit?

This one.

What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

Patience.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I don’t think there’s one big thing that stands out, but I’m really proud of the work I did on Over the River and Through the Woods and Sweeney Todd. And losing weight counts as a major thing for me.

What was your biggest failure?

I let things fall by the wayside that shouldn’t have, and got angry way more than I should have.

What was the best thing you bought?

The Mac was the most practical best thing, and the Miata was the least practical best thing.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

What? Not mine, that’s for sure.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

People I thought I could trust. Myself included.

Where did most of your money go?

Toys. Lots of toys.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Grand Theft Auto IV. Driving stick. Singing in public.

What song will always remind you of 2008?

Monsters, by Matchbook Romance. Lame, I know, but it got me stoked for rides at Nine Mile.

Compared to this time last year, are you:

Happier or sadder?

Sadder, but I shouldn’t be.

Thinner or fatter?

Way, way thinner.

Richer or poorer?

Richer.

Miscellany

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Enjoying myself. Letting things go.

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worrying. Spending money.

How did you be spend Christmas?

With people whose company I enjoy.

Did you fall in love in 2008?

Only on stage.

How many one-night stands?

None.

What was your favorite TV program?

I enjoyed SNL, as usual. Surprise second goes to Prison Break for no reason whatsoever.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Yeah.

What was the best book you read?

I don’t know – something that was on the bookshelf.

What was your greatest musical discovery?

Stephen Sondheim. The man is a genius.

What did you want and get?

Dollars, which enabled me to get many other things that I wanted.

What did you want and not get?

Resolution. Recognition.

What were your favorite films of this year?

Iron Man, easily. Dark Knight was also enjoyable.

What did you do on your birthday?

Complain. It was a tough day for me this year. That’s what I get for being born on Christmas Eve.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

“Hey, this fits me now!”

What kept you sane?

The internerd. Driving. Acting.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Obama would be a logical answer.

What political issue stirred you the most?

Obvious also starts with an “O”.

Who did you miss?

People I could only talk to online.

Who was the best new person you met?

Somebody who helps keep me sane.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:

Let. It. Go.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I don’t think I can. That’s pretty lame, even for this.

I was extremely happy to reach the conclusion of Dead Space for a number of reasons:

1. No more monsters jumping out of vents
2. I can play another game without feeling guilty

I had initially started playing Far Cry 2 while in the midst of Dead Space, and all the freedom it offered had the interesting effect of making me long for the more structured missions of the very game I was avoiding. I managed to put about five hours into it before giving it up and returning to the land of linearity.

And so with the conclusion of Monster Zombies in Space™, Far Cry was forgotten in favor of a new contender: Metal Gear Solid 4. I’ll be honest; I didn’t have high hopes. I’ve played games in the series before and not done overly well, but given that this is the flagship game for the PS3 and beat out my favorite game ever for GameSpot’s Game of the Year, I expected that it would at least provide for an interesting and entertaining experience.

I was not wrong.

Like other games in the Metal Gear Solid line, MGS4 has a healthy serving of dialogue and cutscenes to accompany the gameplay – there’s a pretty good chance you’ll be watching just as much as you’ll be playing. But the Metal Gear universe is so deliciously convoluted that every bit of dialogue becomes important to understanding just what the hell is happening. Before playing through I had only a passing knowledge of the series, and even I wasn’t completely confused.

That’s not to say it’s brilliant or clever; more appropriate descriptions would be weird, or twisted, or just plain crazy. Still, it’s definitely interesting and keeps you intrigued. And you’re rewarded for your wait with some really good gameplay. Metal Gear games have always relied heavily on stealth elements, and while this one certainly is no exception, you’re provided with adequate firepower from the get-go that will make the occasional skirmish less of a punishment.

There’s not much else I can really say about this game except that it’s really fun, and you should play it if you have a PS3. After a stream of averageness, this is the first game I’ve played that really gives me hope for the console.

For the last 3 weeks I’ve been away to Liberty City with frightening regularity. That’s Grand Theft Auto talk, but I have a feeling that you knew that. I’ve killed pigeons, jumped rivers, fallen out of helicoptors, and ridden motorcycles through the subway. This week I wrapped up the single player game 100% and finished up some miscellaneous achievements that have been eluding me, so I feel compelled to take a break from the gaming and the rest of my distractions and finally sit down and tell you how much I like this game.

One of the factors that has made GTA such a compelling series of games is Rockstar’s persistence in getting the environment just right. Not just in terms of buildings and appearance, but overall feel – sounds, conversations, advertising, and more. The PS2 generation of games were amazing for their time; everything felt so lush and fleshed out. The veneer has since worn a bit, mostly thanks to the huge leaps with this generation of consoles, but you can still pop in any of the games and appreciate the effort that’s gone into them.

But let’s talk about this generation. I’ll admit, I was a little let down when I learned (last year) that Grand Theft Auto IV would be set exclusively in Liberty City (same location as Grand Theft Auto III, but there’s little to no resemblance). I had been spoiled by the vast environment of GTA: San Andreas, spread over three cities and an entire state. But Rockstar had their reasons. Instead of simply making GTA IV larger, they wanted to make it deeper and more detailed. And considering the game was delayed by six months, I’d imagine trying to model another city with the same depth as Liberty would’ve added even more time. And finally, disc space was already at a premium, at least for the Xbox 360 version.

Given all this information, you get a sense that Rockstar really has their priorities straight. And when you play the game, your suspicions are proven correct. I could write pages about all the aspects of this game that I love, but to sum it up, I appreciate that they’ve given you a protagonist with a tangible background, and logical motivations. Then they’ve created a cast of interesting, funny, and sometimes annoying supporting characters and then wrapped that all up in a compelling story with many twists and turns. They’ve given you the opportunity to make some of your own decisions this time around, and while they don’t necessarily affect the story as much as you might expect, they’re still interesting and some will really have you digging deep to determine what decision you’re more comfortable with.

Visually the game is everything you’d expect. The surroundings are beautiful in that gritty sort of way; perfect in their lack of perfection. The vehicles this time around are especially nice. There were lots of oddly-proportioned cars in the previous games, but at the very least these cars are good-looking, if not downright sexy. The audio is up there as well, with the perfect amount of ambient noise, interesting pedestrian voices, and radio with humorous dialogue and well-chosen music. I especially enjoyed the cameos from Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, and Fred Armisen from Saturday Night Live.

The only thing that I had issues with at first was the updated control scheme. GTA IV introduced a new cover system and slightly different shooting mechanics. They also tweaked the handling of the cars to be slightly more realistic. I’m still getting used to the new controls, even after having spent nearly 100 hours in the game, but I do like them significantly more than I did when I started. Ars Technica’s Ben Kuchera summed the game up perfectly in his review:

This is not a game that instantly impresses, and the more time you spend seeing what surprises the game holds for you, the more you will be drawn in. By hour five you’ll be happy, by hour ten you’ll be impressed, and by hour thirty you’ll be blown away.

Plus, it’s the highest-rated game on Metacritic and holds the title for the biggest video game launch ever.

The best game in the world™ hits at midnight tomorrow night, and I’m sitting here avoiding reviews, playing other (similar) games, and trying to determine just how much I want to know about the game before I play it for myself. I think I’ve settled on looking at screenshots and watching the non-gameplay videos straight from Rockstar.

I am actually nervous about playing this game, which is a weird thing to say. But I have been waiting for it since summer of 2006, when it was announced for the 360. It’s the reason I bought one, and so there’s a tiny bit of apprehension that it won’t live up to the expectations that I have for it.

Metacritic begs to differ, as the game is currently boasting a perfect score on both platforms. It doesn’t really matter, but it’s certainly reassuring.

It’s been about a year since the ol’ Xbox RRoD‘d on me, and while I’d like to think that issue has been taken care of once and for all, it was still “fixed” before the days of the more reliable (as far as I can tell) HDMI 360s so I’m wondering if it will resurface.

If it were to resurface, I have a sneaking suspicion that it will decide to do so on the morning of April 29th which would easily be the worst possible time. Given this, I have mentioned (only half-jokingly) that I have a requisite amount of dollars set aside for a replacement should the need arise.

However, this would result in two Xbox 360s, and technophilic as I may be, that’s just silly. And redundant. And unnecessary.

So instead, an emergency trip to Best Buy WalMart would be in order to procure a replacement of a different kind. I am terrified of this Plan B. I hope dearly that it doesn’t come to this.

We’ve noticed that customers who have purchased or rated Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas or other games in the PlayStation 2 > Adventure category have also purchased Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Mermaids. For this reason, you might like to know that Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Mermaids will be released on February 11, 2008. You can pre-order yours by following the link below…

Wow.

Well, here is the finale for 04. It was what I would call a moderately exciting year. Here’s the best stuff:

Events:

• January – I bought my Powerbook and became a full circle Mac user
• February – after months of waiting, we finally move to our new apartment
• March – I got promoted at work, bought a PS2
• August – I decided I couldn’t function without a car
• December – CellOne is done, and I am happy with Sprint

Music:

• The College Dropout – Kanye West
• Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand
• Super D – Ben Folds
• The Spine – They Might Be Giants
• Pressure Chief – CAKE

Movies:

• The Incredibles
• The Butterfly Effect
• Napoleon Dynomite
• Kill Bill
• Shrek 2

Games:

• GTA San Andreas
• Half-Life
• Burnout 3: Takedown
• Katamari Damacy
• Sly 2: Band of Theives

Cars:

• Acura TL
• Chrysler 300C
• Land Rover LR3
• Porsche 997
• Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

Stuff We Bought:

• Herman Miller Mirra
• Sony Grand WEGA
• Apple Powerbook G4
• Sony Playstation 2
• Car Insurance
  

Or will all that is good and logical prevail and lead to a new president. All I can really say is, like many other Americans, I am more than a little worried about the outcome of tomorrow’s election. Let’s hope for the best, I guess.

Anyway, speaking of the best, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is. There is more to this game than I ever could have imagined, and the things you can do are absolutely amazing. I can honestly say it was justified for me to take half of last week off just to play it, because there’s that much, and trying to play it only after work would have taken weeks. Rockstar has once again put out a fantastic product that bests the previous version and its competitors in every way.

My five favorite features:

• skydiving
• car customization
• clothing
• the jetpack
• Toreno’s missions

And least favorite:

• gang territories
• eating
• Zero’s missions
• girlfriends
• flight school

OK – that’s it.

Cars from Door County:

• Porsche Cayenne (3)
• Range Rover (2)
• Infiniti FX (1)
• old BMW 5-series wagon

Also, saw the new A6 today. I am very, very disappointed. I mean, it is what I expected after seeing pictures and all, but they could have done so much better. Apparently Audi is trying to prove that BMW isn’t the only one that can screw up a car. This leaves me worried about the future of Mercedes – that F1 grille thing is OK on the SLK and SLR, but if they start trying to bring that into other things I am going to be sad. VW should be OK just because they’re not in that luxury car fray, meaning it is in their best interest to offer the German driving dynamic in a more conservative package.

I paid my money for GTA:SA today, because it means no waiting in line tomorrow. The local GameStop has about 200 pre-orders, leaving about 20 unreserved copies. There are going to be some very frustrated stupid people this week.

Chicken Fight!

Well, debates are all wrapped up. Read about ‘em here, here, here, etc…
It was quite interesting to watch them because on one side you have a confident, self-assured, calm, professional leader, and on the other side you have our current president.

My car battery died, I guess. I mean, I assume that’s what the problem is when it won’t start unless it’s jumped, and then won’t start again unless it’s jumped. It is sitting at Sears right now, awaiting a brand new battery for max winter starting power, and I figured I’d get the tires rotated while I’m at it.

Man, that number up there is getting lower and lower! I can hardly wait. I’ve been trying to pacify myself by playing Gamecube, but it’s not doing much good. Maybe I’ll use next week to refresh my madd GTA skillz, or something.

Wow, I am a dork.

And so I’m going to waste some space by writing some stuff that’s not of any particular interest. Here goes.
I guess the first of a few debates was last night. I read a transcript that was linked to from The Poor Man (that alone should give you some idea of who I support) and this whole politics thing is actually pretty interesting to me for the first time in awhile. I guess it is because I so passionately despise Bush, and I am looking for ways to support my opinion. I am happy to say that I am not one to blatantly tell people I don’t know who to vote for, but I at least have an opinion and reasons to back it up.

Also, it occurred to me that dinner is kind of a strange word. Growing up, dinner=supper and lunch was separate. But to some, dinner=lunch and supper is separate. Something to think about.

Finally, you’ll notice the randumb number above. Given prior entries, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what that’s counting down to.

We replaced the rather large computer desk (like 6′ x 6′ in an L shape) with some 36 x 18 metal shelves from Le Target. It looks better, holds more, and takes up so much less space in the (formerly) cramped bedroom. In the picture you’ll not only see the shelves, but my lovely G3 and Abe’s Alienware, as well as an ancient Marantz receiver and some older Bose 201 speakers. It is a fantastic sounding system, with the only source being the G3.

I met yesterday with a really nice person from our local paper. They are apparently trying to put together a couple of magazines and are recruiting freelancers – it sounds like a fun side project so I hope I’m included.

I bought Franz Ferdinand after about a month of deliberation, and I am actually pretty pleased. I also imported a Von Zipper sampler that’s been sitting on my desk for who knows how long. 19 more songs until I hit 3000. I have been trying to wrap up Grand Theft Auto Vice City, and I am happy to say I like it again. Appearance is very different from Driv3r, but it is so much more fun. I can’t wait for the next installment.

A friend of ours has procured some kittens, and they are the cutest thing in the world. We went to check them out yesterday, and I was surprised because I’d forgotten how small kittens are. Also incredibly awkward, in an adorable way.

I only have $500 left to pay off on the moped!

We went to see my parents on Saturday and they ooh ‘d and ah ‘d about ABE’S NEW CAR. I must say that I like it an awful lot, too. Anyway, parents – it was strange walking around the house, because it seems so much smaller than when I lived there. I don’t know if it is because I was under their wing and it was comfortable at the time or because our place has 11-foot ceilings, or both.

The new Porsche 911 and I have come to a mutual understanding. I will no longer mourn (publicly) the loss of the Boxster headlights and it will maybe be mine someday. It is certainly a gorgeous car as evidenced by the desktop I now have at work.

I am back in a clothes-buying state of mind. I spent a bunch of money at AE, including for shoes. Their shoes have always been fantastic to me, and cheap as well. I also have serious intentions of buying many shirts at Express when we get there at the end of the month. I love their shirts.

Um, well – I played GTA: Vice City today, to see how it was since I’ve been playing Driv3r for quite some time, and now I don’t know what to think. I really like Grand Theft Auto for its immersiveness (I know I’ve mentioned this prior) but Driv3r, in spite of its numerous glitches, is really a nice-looking game. Furthermore, the controls feel tighter compared than those of GTA. This is purely subjective, but I think Driv3r balances well between the looseness of GTA and the extreme tightness of The Getaway. It will take awhile to get used to again, but I think I can make the sacrifice for San Andreas.

Speaking of websites (who?) – here are some that I’ve recently been enamored with: gtagaming.com; engadget.com; joystiq.com; consolidatedskateboard.com; adultswim.com; elementskateboards.com; toymachine.com; edmunds.com; apple.com; gamespot.com; esfootwear.com; that’s it for now.

And so Adult Swim – what is going on here? This week Seth McFarlane (creator of Family Guy) is showing his four favorite episodes and personally introducing each. Fine – great idea. But so far, two of the three were on last week. Just venting.

It’s hard to really qualify Driv3r at this point. I like the additional vehicles and the detail in the cities seems to be adequate. The problem – well, the main problem and the biggest difference between the Driver series and Grand Theft Auto is that Driver’s environments are very stark and artificial while GTA’s make you feel much more at home. Simple things are missing, most notably interaction with others. There’s not a lot of this in GTA but it makes you feel like part of the world. I also prefer the radio stations of GTA to the ambient music of Driver (and The Getaway), especially with the commercials.

I have yet to play the missions at this point, since I spent most of the night getting acclimated to the new surroundings, but Driv3r will shape up to be a decent time waster if nothing else.

This will be the last time I mention Grand Theft Auto until the inevitable comparison to Driv3r in June. I decided to pick up the PSX GTA Collection since it was cheap and I thought it’d be good to have. I also finished both GTA 3 and Vice City. It is a nice feeling, owning Miami and all.

The weather was awesome today but that will all be over tomorrow. Big shock.
I picked up the Kill Bill DVD and the iTunes update today. The free weekly download idea is interesting, and the WMA conversion is clever.

And…Abe is an uncle as of this morning.

We also saw Kill Bill vol. 1 over the weekend. It is one of the best movies I’ve seen this year, if not ever. The visuals and audio were both spectacular to the point where I will actually probably buy the DVD.

Also, I thought that I could get by without mentioning Grand Theft Auto, but Chappelle mentioned it so I figured it’d be OK.

…I am continually amazed by the Grand Theft Auto series. I was playing some GTA3 over the weekend and loved the numerous references that it shares with Vice City. Even better, one of the missions in GTA3 is to eliminate the main character from the Driver series, because they’ve found that he’s actually a cop. OK – I’m done now, but I think it’s genius.

Also, I guess I’m doing this. Here.