A Game; A Book and an App

It's Friday, so time for a light post just about my "stuff" this week (copyright Paul and Spike Show). This last weekend and week have all but been consumed by Resident Evil 5. It is just awesome. The missus and I have been searching for a decent two player game and this really is it.

Most two player games are designed, basically, for the one lonely geek playing alone who can use the second player as backup. In Resident Evil 5 you can command the second player, Shiva to attack or hold back or give you her items. But when you play with a live person there is actually enough for TWO people to do in each level. Amazing. Asides from that it has an interesting storyline, some of the best in-game fight sequences I've ever seen outside of a John Woo movie and incredible replay value. In fact, after completing the game once we started up a new game. Straight away. I think I;d only ever done that before with Resident Evil 1, and that was because you played as a different character and had slightly different things to do.

There are some downsides. It has the same limitations as Resident 4 had (on the Wii) in that you can't move and shoot. This often results in getting stabbed by a zombie with a bottle in the face while you stand there reloading your shotgun. Also, you inventory is extremely limited and while this adds an extra challenge, it can sometimes just be stupid and annoying. Why can I carry 5 hand grenades in one space, but a flash grenade takes up a whole other space? Bah. Anyway, I can't promote this game enough.

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The book I have been *trying* to read for a couple of months now (shame on me) is James Patterson's "Violets are Blue". I had heard of it and read a later book of Patterson's but saw this at a yard sale and thought "why not for a $1?". Despite having lovely small chapters allowing for ample break time, it's a bit like moving through treacle reading the book. I don't really have an affinity for the hero and I feel like I know everything about the villains. So, I'm left just waiting for the inevitable to happen, a meeting of the two. There is little mystery, a ankle's depth of research, and characters that I can't bring myself to like. Perhaps it's just a slow third of the book and the rest will pick up.

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The app that I have been "rocking" the most recently is a classic. Pandora. I just can't get enough of it. I have an embarrassing collection of playlists on there but I'm getting to a point where I can choose a playlist depending on my mood and situation and Pandora delivers the goods. I have pop playlists, rock playlists, disco playlists, and even classical (I thoroughly recommend Haydn by the way). It's almost enough to make me fall in love with music all over again.

My reading list

After years of seeing the leaflets about I finally joined a book club. I think it's Mystery Guild, but I'm not entirely sure. The books don't seem to be out and out mysteries...they seem more like thrillers. So maybe it's Thriller (Michael Jackson-esque) "HEE HEE") Guild. Regardless, I think it's been pretty worthwhile. I have a steady stream of reading material at the moment and that keeps me happy and occupied. The first book I read (Ms. Allclick is reading them too, before me so we can review them after I finish) was Deep Storm by Lincoln Child. This was kinda sci-fi-y action-y rather than mystery. It's about a discovery deep under the Earth's crust and a facility this is built deep under the ocean. I won't say more than that but I enjoyed reading it. Child kept the pace going, the characters were very believable and the facility was easy to picture. They story had enough twists in it to keep you interested and it was researched very well.

My second book (which I'm currently reading) is The Vanishing. At the moment 70 pages in, I have no idea why it is called that, and what is going on. It is by Bentley Little (I think) and it's a very different reading style. A little too different for my liking. It jumps around a lot and a couple of incidences just seem a little far fetched...and I'm a sci-fi fan! anyhoo...

As Christmas approaches I'm reminded of one Christmas about 10 years ago when I read my first Stephen King book: "The Stand". I must have spent every single day of Christmas break reading that thing. It was huge and that had completely put me off it. But the more I read the more I couldn't put it down. I would sit on my mum's bed, listening to a light drizzle outside. Feeling safe and warm inside with my book. When I visited my Grandparent's I would read the book on the way, then upon arrival dash upstairs to get a few more chapters in before dinner. I still love that story today. I hope a few other kids take the time to read a good book this Christmas and use all that free time wisely.