Lists (3)

Video games that I've actually played lately and what I thought of this. Is this just me reviewing more stuff? Possibly. Is this all I have to talk about? Possibly also.

1) Space Marine
You know, this was a button basher that many people dismissed out of hand, but you know, I frickin' enjoyed it. The combat system is actually threatening and very fun, the selection of weapons could have used a re-think (why is the lascannon a sniper weapon?) and the lack of vehicle section is actually refreshingly good. Violence, violence and more violence. Bring on some more!

2) Oblivion
So even though there is a copy of Skyrim in my house, I haven't actually played it yet, 'cause I wasn't really finished with Oblivion. Can one ever finish Oblivion? Of course not, but I still haven't done all that it offers. Is it all that immerseive? No, but it's the best way I'll get to play D&D without all those pesky players messing it up all the time.

3) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Yeah, I'll never escape from this game, it's just so well crafted. It doesn't really matter how many times I play it, but the huge amounts of story options there are to get through make it pleasingly huge, yet familiar every time. The story is fantastic, with a plot twist worthy of the original Star Wars trilogy. Shame that rather than making a trilogy, Bioware made an MMO.

4) Cursed Treasure: Don't Touch My Gems!
Internet tower defence game that's annoyingly addictive but very well thought out. Look it up, it's free to play. Upgrade the Orc towers first.

5) Dragon Age: Origins
Much as I generally like Bioware Role-Play Games (as evidenced by KotOR's inclusion), this one kind of annoyed me. I'm always fine with the standard elves and dwarves fantasy, but there's a large section in the Realm of the Sloth Demon where being a dwarf makes it almost impossible. So yeah, decided against liking it too much. Maybe I'll give it another go sometime soon.


I should probably play more games... anyway.


EPISODES


Have you been watching Episodes? It's brilliant, trust me. The basis is one that taps into a British mindset, why do the Americans keep remaking our shows? I mean, it's not like they can't come up with good stuff, I mean, Stargate SG-1 alone...


Anyway, a pair of Bafta-winning comedy writers are swept off their feet to go to Hollywood and transform their quaint public school based sitcom about an erudite and portly teacher into an Americanised sitcom about a hockey coach.


Starring Matt LeBlanc.

While Sean and Beverly, our two transatlantic writers, slowly watch their lives and work fall apart, the show goes from shaky starts to even shakier middles. The whole production appears to be a disaster fuelled by the incompetence of the US network system.

The strange thing about this show is that it's a sitcom, but it's serialised, rather than episodic. It's not a done-in-one as all sitcoms are. The story is developing much more like a drama, despite the intrinsic comedy.

The cast is pretty awesome, our three leads are Stephen Mangan, Tamsin Grieg and Matt LeBlanc, who is playing a fictionalised version of himself.


The relationship between these three is pivotal to the series and is the highlight, really. It's very well acted and very engaging. Especially LeBlanc.


Is there more to say about it? Probably, there's a fair amount of commentary about how the US TV networks actually make their shows, which is all very interesting, as well as how it feels to be a Brit living among colonials (as we like to call them).


Is it worth watching?


Of course is it, fool.


Next up: PROMETHEUS