Let's Play Two Worlds II, Part 3: Burns, Bridges, and Baffling Brassieres

So, yeah, I felt a little bad about giving up on Two Worlds II just because I was too dumb to save my game, so I decided to give it another shot.  To my surprise, I'm actually starting to find things to like! The magic system is kinda nifty, and... well, actually, most of the cool stuff I learn comes in the next episode.  Spoilers.

Anyway, in this twenty minute section, we have a mysteriously de-synced "Yakety Sax" sequence (seriously don't know why there's a pause at the beginning), a collapsed bridge, fireballs, and another arcane spellcaster chick in impractical and revealing clothing, complete with nipple bumps.

Enjoy!

Let's Play The Ballad of Gay Tony, Part 1: Practice Swing

That's right, it's time for another Let's Play series! This time, I'm dusting off a game I've purchased twice but never really gotten around to playing: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony.

And no, this isn't replacing Two Worlds II.  I actually went ahead and gave it another shot, and to my surprise, the magic system is actually kind of cool once you get to play around with it.  There'll be a new episode posted tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Fridays are Magic: The Comic

The Friendship is Magic comic is so much cooler than it needs to be.

Now, I'm not going to say that it's the best comic ever, or that it belongs in the same conversation as Watchmen or... well, okay, nothing belongs in the same conversation as Watchmen, but you get what I mean. It's not going to go down as one of the Legendary and Important to the Industry as a Whole comics.

But it's still really frickin' fun.

The comic is, in essence, "by bronies, for bronies." Though never going off into truly "adult" humor, it's definitely written with the show's older fanbase in mind. The first story arc, spanning the first four issues, was basically a Lord of the Rings parody with references to David Bowie, Indiana Jones, and Miami Vice thrown in. It was funny and entertaining, though I have to admit that if the series had kept going permanently in that direction, I probably wouldn't have kept reading for long.

The second arc, however, has me absolutely hooked. Everything about the comic seems to have stepped up a notch or two, from the writing to the art. What's more, the team is actually telling a real story this time. A serious story, in fact, one that makes sense within the setting and adds a lot to it, but which isn't something you'd ever see on the show. And considering that, like I said last week, one of my favorite things about the show is the setting and the way it hints at darker things lurking just outside of this peaceful realm, this comic is hitting me right in the Geek Spot.

(Yeah, take a second to process that pun's mental image. I'll be over here.)

The story involves the return of the Nightmare, the strange force that corrupted Princess Luna a millenium ago and turned her into the evil Nightmare Moon. Unfortunately, while Luna was freed from its power way back in the show's first episode, the Nightmare itself survived, and now it needs a new host. Being an intelligent and rational eldritch monstrosity with an appreciation for complex characterization and subtle humor, it decides that the only appropriate vessel for its power is the Best Pony herself, Rarity.

Behold, the savage beastmaster.

I mean, come on, who else is it going to pick? Twilight Sparkle, the most powerful and potentially destructive mage in Equestria? Rainbow Dash, a flier so fast she can shatter the sound barrier and to create massive explosions? Fluttershy, who commands the loyalty of an army of woodland creatures and who can bend cockatrices to her will? Screw that, what the Nightmare wants is fabulousness.

And so, Rarity is abducted, the the rest of the Mane Six, plus Spike and Princess Luna, travel to the moon to save her. (By having Applejack lasso the moon so everypony can tightrope walk across to it. It makes sense in context.) There, they encounter an army of shapeless, shadowy horrors twisted eons ago into the Nightmare's service. Mostly, they look sort of like bunnies. After the vampiric jackalopes in the first arc, I'm starting to suspect this series is co-written by Anya from Buffy.

As you might have guessed from all the panels I keep posting, I think the art is gorgeous. The moon and its inhabitants all have this cool, dark color scheme that nonetheless pops right off the page. The characters look great--definitely better than they did in the first few issues--and everything has a vaguely ephemeral, dreamlike quality to it. It's really friggin' purdy.

The writing's been strong, too, with a good mix of serious storytelling--particularly, Luna's murky relationship with the Nightmare--and humor. Pinkie's the primary source of laughs, as should be expected, but the interplay between the Nightmare's minions is fun as well, and Spike's quest to save Lady Rarity with the Power of Interspecies Statutory Infatuation has actually been pretty touching. Poor li'l Spikey-Wikey.

The latest issue (#7) came out this week, at least on Comixology. Assuming the writers are sticking with four-issue arcs, next month should mark the finale of the Nightmare Rarity storyline. After that, who knows what mysterious part of Equestria we'll get to see next? Maybe we'll learn more about the griffons. Or journey to the gates of Tartarus. Or learn a bit more about the legendary archmage, Star Swirl the Bearded. Or maybe something else entirely.

Whatever the case, I'm on board. This comic rocks.

Here, have some more random panels below the break!

Let's Play Battlefield 3 - Part Three: Clear the area of enemies!

At some point, I hope, I'm going to be part of a huge group of soldiers, driving tanks and APCs and whatnot to capture and hold important locations within a warzone.  When I think of Battlefield games, that's my mental image: huge battles, tanks and mortar shells thundering in the distance, dogfighting planes roaring by overhead.  I do not think of crawling through a bombed-out city, alone, and being solely tasked with responsibility for killing every living thing I see.

I didn't install a Call of Duty game by accident, did I?

Let's Play Two Worlds II - Part 2: Can I stop playing yet?

So.  In this section, the game taught me how to fire multiple arrows at once to kill my enemies from range.  It did not teach me how to switch weapons when my puny little bow failed to incapacitate my enemies and they ran up to hack me apart with swords that apparently they can use but which are too advanced for me.  It also did not teach me how to dodge, if in fact this ability even exists.

I heard a lot of good things about this game.  I really did.  Sure, I put off playing it, but that was mostly because I bought it around the same time as Skyrim, and come on.  Skyrim.  But now that I was actually playing it, even in the context of a Let's Play which, by its nature, means making fun of the game to some degree, I was looking forward to seeing why a lot of people really seemed to love it.

I think I know, now: they are masochists, and they hate joy.

Weekend Reviews!

Another thing that's going to be happening 'round here is me talking about the shows I watch.  There aren't very many of them, even during the "busy" seasons, though it's really slow right now.  In fact, the only two shows I'm regularly following at the moment are Doctor Who and Game of Thrones.

Where's everything else?  Let's see...

Breaking Bad: Still on hiatus until August 11th, 2013.

The Walking Dead: Currently shooting, due to return in the fall.

Sherlock: Who the hell knows?

Community: I have sadly fallen several weeks behind.  I love this show, to quote a great man, "super huggy much," but I just haven't been able to keep up with this season.  On the bright side, there is definitely going to be another season!  Saved from the brink of oblivion once again, this show.

Big Bang Theory: Pretty much ditto, though I'll be honest, I don't love it nearly as much as Community.

King of the Nerds: Oh, hey, I need to send in my submission...

Young Justice: Canceled, along with Green Lantern, because Cartoon Network hates money, good story telling, me, you, and God Himself.

Avatar: The Legend of Korra: Expected to return before the year's end.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Will probably be back in late fall/early winter.  But the Equestria Girls movie will be out on June 15th!  Because Hasbro responded to the legions of fans who wanted to see their beloved cast of interesting, funny, non-objectified heroines turned into knockoff Bratz dolls and shoved into a generic high school "running for prom queen" movie!

... I may be going into this with some prejudiced opinions.

Adventure Time!: Still has a few episodes left in the season, but I'm not actually caught up with the show.  I was really excited to see it on Netflix, but they've only got the first season of it.  (And of The Venture Brothers.  I am disappoint.)

Archer: Gone until next January, most likely.  Though they're definitely getting a fifth season.

And that's about it.  I don't watch a ton of TV, and most of it that I do, I watch with friends.  Ah well.  At least I've got the Big Two to talk about.

So, without further ado...

Let's Play Battlefield 3 - Part 2: Man the LMG!

I'm not kidding when I say I'm a terrible shot.  I really am, at least when compared to people who play shooters regularly.  Ironically, among my friends I'm considered a highly skilled Halo player, but that's mostly just because they're all sort of terrible.

Sorry, guys.  Just because I learned how to circle strafe in high school doesn't make me pro.  This video should be all the proof of that you need.