While most people were working hard, or hardly working in some cases, I was, of course, making it a top priority of mine to man up and enjoy the summer, which means staying indoors and enjoying some sort of entertainment.


First up:
I watched Waltz with Bashir.

This was an animated documentary of sorts. It's weird to talk about this movie as if it were a documentary, because it has a tendency to be fantastic at times while being realistic most of time. The graphic (a term that gets thrown around too often) quality of the film is what makes Bashir work. It's the recollection of reality that is often times the most jarring or fantastic. It's in our vivid minds that dreams and reality mingle, fantasy and fiction coalesce. Though in this case, one might not be discernible from the other. I enjoyed this film and although the low key dream like animation lulled me to sleep in some parts, it certainly jarred me a wake in others. If you have the chance, see it.

Next: (these aren't really chronological) I beat Resident Evil 5.
In previous podcasts I was particularly harsh when it came to this game. So what compelled me to finish it? I really just wanted to get over stubbornness. I was frustrated at the beginning and actually quit playing for a whole month. But I stuck with it and in the conquered my RE5 controller phobia. I still don't understand why you can't reload while moving. Perhaps Capcom angled for a new genre. Survival Frustration, or Control Horror? Joking aside the last level looked amazing as well as most of the game. Though there were a lot of buggy A.I. issues. And some design choices didn't exactly float my boat, albeit, inevitably this is really a moot point.



Lastly:
I ended up playing some good old fashion Coin-Op at my local arcade. I played a bit of Sega Rally 3. So, even if I wasn't enjoying the blue skies outside, I at least got to see them inside. I lost every match and over-compensated my steering. But toward the end I got the hang of it. Still Andy creamed me. And by the way, this game on these monitors looks amazing.

I also got the chance to beat Rambo co-op with Andy. The shooting felt really accurate and the Rage audio was priceless. It was a quick pleasant experience, except for the boulders. The quick targeting was a snap, and I actually Got a good commendation in the end! I've got what it takes. By the way, Adam wrote a review of this at Blast Heroes.



Oh yeah and I played about 50 rounds of Street Fighter 4 with Andy last night. We have an ongoing debate about whether or not one of the kids in the background is sporting a cap turned backwards on his head or if his head is shaved with a tuft of hair up front.

Click image to see larger.
We're still waiting for conformation from Capcom.

RIP MJ