February 21, 2013

 “I have two dogs. They're out of hand.” - A kindergartener.

Today was a snow day and they made a good call. We got a bunch of snow. I don't think we made it to a foot but the drifts were over a foot. I can't remember the last time we got this much snow and it is kind of great. I would have liked to go out and go for a walk or make a snowman but I am a grown man that lacks suitable clothing for snow. So I stayed inside.

I really wanted to play Black Ops 2 but my wrist was beginning me not to pick up a controller. Instead, I played computer games. Typing tends to aggravate my wrist, as well as too much Xbox, but playing games with the mouse and keyboard seem to go alright for the most part. Thank goodness for that. Today I finally jumped into Hitman: Absolution and Max Payne 3. I was patient and managed to get both games at over 75% off. Well, at least one of them was more, one may have just been 75%. Either way, I saved a whole bunch of money and that makes the games that much better.

For Hitman: Absolution I started with the sniper challenge and have yet to finish it completely. The ultimate goal is to kill the target as well as all the bodyguards. The closest I got was all but two of the bodyguards. So close. On top of that ultimate goal, one of the challenges is to take everyone out with headshots. That one is deserving of the name because it is challenging as hell. And its completion is required to unlock the last challenge. Which means I am two challenges short. With each challenge completed you get a percentage bonus to your overall score, so you have to finish all the challenges to get the maximum bonus so you can get the maximum score. Needless to say, I am not ranked very well in the global hierarchy.

As for the actual game, I am liking it. It reminds me of both Assassin's Creed and the latest Batman games. It's got the stealthy stuff and crowd blending thing going on which is fun and challenging. I think I might start watching some playthroughs of levels I have completed to see how other people get through the levels. There are so many different ways to finish each level which would lead to a lot of replayability if I actually had the time to replay games. As it is, I barely have the time or attention span to finish a game.

Max Payne 3 was also a lot of fun. I'm still trying to get used to the controls because some of the buttons feel a little weird to reach for. This as lead to me not utilizing bullet-time to it's full potential. Bullet-time is freaking awesome and I definitely need to use it more often. My main complaint about the game, which is more of an annoyance than a complaint, is the random words that will pop up on while the characters are talking. I don't get it. It seems pointless and it takes me out of the experience a bit. Other than that, and getting used to the controls, I am liking the game.

Tonight I called the new volunteer kid's foster dad to let him know I wouldn't be coming tonight because I didn't feel comfortable driving on the highway and interstate. Not worth digging my car out and risking all the idiots and potentially disastrous conditions for a most likely short visit. Wasn't going to happen. We should be good for next week though.

Tomorrow is another snow day and I think I might try out Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Another game that looks cool and can't suck too much because I got it for at least 75% off. I think we might be getting more snow but I'm not sure. Regardless I will have to go to work at the theater. Unless we do in fact get more snow and the roads suck. If that happens I'll just call in because I rarely do anything work related while at the theater. I don't want to risk horrible drivers against my new car just to go to a job, where I get crappy pay, and watch DVDs or read books. That is ridiculous.