Redwolf's Journal (continued)

If Yahtzee likes it, it has to be at least pretty good, right? Well, I don't think it would have been possible for Bioshock Infinite to live up to the hype, but it is good. It plays well. It looks gorgeous. You get an NPC along who is a boon rather than a burden (which is pretty awesome, but I don't feel it's as revolutionary as it was made out to be). Best of all, the story itself is good and executed well. Given the challenge involved even when not dealing with alternate realities and timelines, it's quite an achievement to pull that all together so well as they did. So what holds it back from perfection? Mostly the little things. The skylines are neat, but little more than a way to get around and an additional feature in a handful of combat areas. While there is some variety in weapons/vigors/gear, there's very little reason to do other than rely on the same set throughout the game. You might occasionally be forced to switch weapons by running out of ammo, bu

Our usual GM and primary motivator to roleplaying offline these days has said he and his family are planning to move out to the West Coast in the next few months. They've a lot to do to sell their home before they can go, but still, the die is cast, as they say. That probably means there won't be much gaming in general. The rest of us don't seem to be into things enough to get together in his absence. I could be wrong, but that's the way it seems to me. Most have other things going on in their lives in spite of expressed enjoyment of roleplaying and I know I don't have any particular impulse to take the mantle of GM/organizer back up at present. Sorta puts a damper on things for me in the meantime, too. Not sure I want to heavily invest in any group stories that aren't going to stand a chance of being finished...

I didn't read nearly as much as I thought I would while on vacation, so now I have a few books to work through slowly. I try not to get too invested in new series these days, but I picked up The Emperor's Blades for some fantasy reading after seeing it mentioned around. The story follows the two sons and one daughter of a recently assassinated emperor. There's a lot of good stuff here. The Kettral are a high point for me - essentially a fantasy special operations unit that mixes SEAL-like training with giant birds as squad transport and a dash of supernatural to give them an edge. Most of the characters are solid or better, and I especially liked the chemistry among the Kettral trainees. Valyn may not be the brightest character around, but his plotline was the most interesting to me. Of course, there's also some cliche stuff - not necessarily bad, but not particularly unique or novel, either. There's the Shin, a monk order that trains in esoteric arts connected

Since finishing Jade Empire, I've looked around without any particular luck for something I might want to play next in my spare time. Guild Wars 2 will have some measure of new content next week, but that usually doesn't take long to get through. Steam is running its summer sales, which have been largely misses so far - games I have no interest in or have already played. Today shows the first sign of promise. Arkham Origins and Bioshock Infinite are both up for around $8 a piece. That's a pretty good deal. The former sounded like it didn't quite live up to its predecessors, so I passed on it when new. And Bioshock Infinite was so ridiculously overhyped that it put me off even before I heard it plays more like a shooting gallery than an adventure. At that price, though, one or both might be worth trying out. The Secret World is also pretty cheap (for another hour or two), and without a monthly subscription that's a very slight temptation, but I think I'll sti

I picked up Jade Empire for a few dollars on Steam after my return from vacation. It's something I missed when it was new for some reason (probably playing something else at the time), but always had at least some interest in. Most strikingly, I find the feel of the game can be summed up remarkably well with a relatively simple tag line. Jade Empire is a single-player RPG in a Chinese-flavored fantasy setting produced by Bioware between SW: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect. There's a story that involves the personal journey of the main character uncovering their history and facing several twists. There are followers to pick up along the way with unique appearances and personalities, a few of which can be "romanced" (albeit very simply). Combat is real-time with one active follower - being able to switch between several martial arts techniques in combat does stand out, though. There are side missions to be found while pursuing the main character's d

After the dissolution of the Star Wars RP that was running online, it was suggested I perhaps make a character for Lords of Gossamer and Shadow. It seems to be tashiro 's latest RPG obsession. I've had a lot of difficulty with this. G&S is what I might call an "anything-goes, multiversal" game. It takes place in a setting of essentially-limitless worlds/realities connected by the Great Stair. So, at least as I understand it, a character can not only be from a Steampunk world, but that world can have totally different (meta)physics from the next one. Firearms may or may not work, magic may or may not be real, and so on. In any given "Gossamer World," what works just works. From one world to another, however, the only stuff guaranteed to work is that which is based on certain powers (and thus paid for with character points) that are fundamental to the meta-reality of the setting. There's a lot of freedom in that. Unfortunately, that trips me up. W

A little weird after three weeks off, but it hasn't been too difficult to get back into the swing of things. Biggest adjustment will be flip-flopping schedules starting tomorrow. Whee. Not too big a deal, but means I'll be working day shifts the rest of this week and alternating to nights next and so on...

Just went to see How to Train Your Dragon 2 . I didn't see the original until it aired on TV, at which time it hit the right notes for me. Not a super-unique story, overall, but it was told well with attitude and character. The sequel is about what I expected. Early trailers blew the only real big "reveal," so it's hard to say if that would have had more impact. It's a fun ride, bright and full of action. The character arc lacks the punch of the first, though. Hiccup is sort of said to have found his place in things, but very little change in him is actually shown. That's a problem with sequels in general. Toothless rocks. Not enough Astrid. Good, but not as good as the original. I also read Skin Game on my trip. It matches the pitch: a Dresden Files heist story. Trying to avoid spoilers straight-up, I have to say I felt this one worked better than the last couple - I've sort of started to expect a downward trend, but this one doesn't go that way.

Getting There and Back Again: Long days in either direction. The Albuquerque to Chicago leg in both directions was aboard an Embraer 175 - an aircraft company I hadn't heard of. 2x2 seating and around a hundred people. Not much legroom. The flights between Chicago and Dublin were Boeing 767 variants with some odd refits. Flying out it was apparent the monitors over the center rows had been put in later, and I ended up sitting where there wasn't an air nozzle and my overhead reading light actually focused on the row in front of me. Heh. Flew overnight, and I managed a little sleep going on. The flight back had controllers in the arm rest that could serve for TV's or game consoles, but no individual screens in the seat backs, so that was sort of a pointless addition. Our flights out of Chicago both ways were delayed. Going out, they reported a "mechanical problem" about a half hour before flight time, delayed things, gave us dinner vouchers, and finally got anot

Around eleven hour flying, nine waiting, and seven time zones later... *flop*

We walked into downtown - a mile or two. We went to check out a Georgian house, but that was closed. Instead we wandered so!e parks and hit the Little Dublin Museum, a spot more focused on the city history but with an exhibit on Brian Boru as this year marks the thousand year anniversary of the battle at Clontark. We bummed around shopping areas, saw some street performers (as well as people apparently living on the street), and caught lunch at a place that once served as a theater with some beautiful stained glass. Thai for dinner and time to pack up for an early morning.

Well, we hit all our main point of interest in town today, which leaves some question for tomorrow. We saw the archaeology museum with heavy displays on Vikings and gold, including a cross said to have been made to encase a fragment of the true cross since removed. We visited an art museum as well with a few big names. And we went to Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells displaydisplay, a very old gospel book. We walked around downtown some, too, seeing a music performance outside with a crowd filling a side street at one point. Very big city-like, including the somewhat forboading alleys. One more day in the city figuring out what to see, then starting the journey back with a flight scheduled to leave Monday morning.

We set out to visit Castle Coole early, really more of a huge estate than castle in my book, but impressive never the less. Then, along our way, we stopped and toured Castle Trim, a more castle-y structure from around the time of 1200 AD. Then we stopped for dinner in Swords just north of Dublin, came in to the hotel, and turned in the rental car. We have a couple days of walking and bussing in Dublin before the return flight homeward...

Less planned today. We visited some caves, a pottery plant, and walked a good bit around the town center. Plans are to visit Castle Coole tomorrow on our way back to Dublin, where we have a few nights before flying back.

Long day starting at the Bishmill's whiskey distillery, then on to Dunluce castle and off on a scenic back road drive to Omagh and the "American Folk Park" there - relocated and reproduced displays of homes, shops, and some conditions of life over the centuries for a family the traveled from Ireland to the US. Neat blacksmithing demo, too. Got to the B&B at Enniskillen where we left a little car paint on a wall. That's what insurance is for, heh.

Visited the castle walls in Londonderry and murals/museum in Derry (same place), then the Mussenden TempleTemple. Had dinner with kin in Portrush, then swung by Portstewart for a good walk and view of the sunset on the ocean. Some cold rain and wind today, but it was all fairly brief, coming and going. Some sun too, and clear enough to view Scotland at times.

Night two of three in the small beach resort town of Portrush. Didn't have WiFi working last night, so catching up. Lovely drive along the coastal highway. Visited a forest site yesterday and the waterfall trail there. Met or distant cousin Tommy McCoole and he showed us some sights. Today met with him again, seeing McCoole Road and the oooold family home - not much left now, though. Then saw this the Giant's causeway on the coast. Several thing planned as maybes tomorrow. Is the any part of this island that isn't beautiful?