Author: Robert Gomez

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (9/10)

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The Hero of Ages picks up a year or so after the events of The Well of Ascension. This final volume of the Mistborn series is very similar to its predecessor in that much of the book deals with a city under siege (only seen from the other side). Also, like the previous books, chapters begin with a bit of text from an unnamed document. However, in this case, the blurbs refer directly to the event you are reading about in a way that sort of deflated my anticipation of the series’ climax. Despite this, the conclusion is satisfying even though it leans more towards the mystical, fantasy side of things (as opposed to the science-y way that alamancy is handled up to that point).

Dead Space on PC (8/10)

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Aim for the arms! Aim for the arms, dammit! Ever since I installed my completely unnecessary 5.1 surround audio speakers to my PC, I have been looking for a game that would really take advantage of this set up. Dead Space has some really great sound design and what better way to have creepy sounds erupt behind you than with a dark, creepy horror game. Through the game I was, for lack of a better term, surrounded with the creaking, groaning and buzzing sounds of the spaceship Ichimura and would occasionally start at the sound of something scuttling behind me.

The gameplay itself is a bit repetitive. It alternates between pure point-and-click shooting and a handful of zero-gravity platforming environments. The latter was fresh and new, but the majority of the game is just picking off the limbs of necromorphs with your plasma cutter. That’s not a bad thing, but even Resident Evil 4 mixed things up a bit.

When I bought this on Steam (for a measly ten bucks) I was expecting a first-person shooter—an off-rails version of Dead Space: Extraction which I had enjoyed on the Wii. Alas, the game uses a clumsy third-person perspective with sluggish controls that take about a half dozen levels to get used to.

Thankfully, the story is pretty good and has a great ending cinematic that made me glad I finished the game. It is billed as a horror game and it has its fair share of creepy rooms and monsters, but I wasn’t really scared in the way I am currently being creeped out by F.E.A.R. This game relies more on jump scares with grating music cues just at the right moment. Oh and, spoiler alert: add this game to the long list of games that use an ally’s betrayal as a key plot twist at the end. Sigh.

The Green Slime (6/10)

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This is a late sixties Japanese monster movie but it stars mostly Western actors. The rubber-suit monsters, space ships and other effects are cheesy, ridiculous and are probably the main reason a bad movie aficionado would watch this. However, the acting seems sincere and there is actually a decent attempt at story and character development. The title song is a great little blast of prog-rock psychedelica that is completely out of place with the film.

Bosa Nova by Pixies - CD (6/10)

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And so begins the steady demise of Pixies. This is where the band completely lost hold of any punk roots it may have had and succumbed to the pop mind-control gods. I think I like about four of the fourteen tracks on this record, and one of those is a cover. I remember the follow up record was better, but after Bosa Nova I didn’t have the heart to buy another Pixies record.

Doolittle by Pixies - CD (9/10)

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Like most non-hipsters in the late eighties, this was my introduction to the Pixies. I think majority of people consider this their best album, but I find it gets a little boring on the second side. Still, the high points on this record are probably the best tracks the band ever recorded. I tend to prefer Surfer Rosa for its punk edge, but this one almost as good.

Surfer Rosa by Pixies - CD (10/10)

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The Pixies finest recording. Great raw, live-sounding production by Abini. Many people like Dolittle better than this, but I prefer this one because it is much more punk-sounding a feels a bit more consistent to me.

Usabilty Testing - Digital Image

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This is a relatively quick illustration I just did for document on design usability testing. I thought it turned out pretty well. I am probably breaking some sort of nondisclosure agreement by posting this, so don’t talk about Fight Club, okay?

Puzzle Agent on ipad (7/10)

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Puzzle Agent

This is one of the first games I bought for my new iPad tablet. Puzzle Agent is essentially a clone of Professor Layton from the Nintendo DS. Like that game, it is a collection of puzzles thinly veiled as a point-and-click adventure. Also, both games sport a unique art styles and interesting storylines. However, the puzzles, which I would consider the meat of this type of game, are pretty weak. With only one or two exceptions, they are just too easy. Too often the puzzles are literal jigsaw-type puzzles that stick themselves together making solving them just a matter of shaking the pieces around. The only times I got a puzzle wrong was when the instructions were unclear on important details and, even in those cases, I could guess my way through. In Layton, the puzzles challenge assumptions and really try to trick you. That said, the Fargo meets Twin Peaks story made the game worth the 99¢ I spent on it.

A lot of people are touting the iPhone and iOS as a Nintendo DS killer. This is a bunch of baloney. This type of point-and-click adventure suits the platform okay, but just about every other genre of game is mediocre at best on iOS. The touch screen and tilt controls are just plain bad compared to a d-pad or even the stylus. If Nintendo can make their DS make phone calls they would be untouchable.

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on Nintendo Wii (9/10)

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I have written about The Ocarina of Time on this Web site before. That game is considered one of the best games ever, and I don’t dispute that assertion. Twilight Princess is nearly as good. In fact, it is practically the same game… or at least that’s what it feels like. Now, lack of originality isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this case. Nintendo has been able to play with the zany Zelda mechanics in their DS versions of the series, and quite frankly, they don’t work quite as well as the tried and true format laid out back on the N64.

On the Wii the formula is kept fresh with improved controls (for the most part), better visuals and a brand new story line. This isn’t Mass Effect in terms of narrative, but at least the designers took the time to develop a few primary characters and keep your over-arching goals clear. The whole Twilight dark world schtick has been done before (Metroid Prime: Echoes) but it works here too. Your ability to become a wolf and use its enhanced senses is one of the highlights of gameplay.

If I have any complaints about the game they would have to be my general dislike of the Wii waggle controls for fighting, some really ugly character designs (especially the human characters) and a lack of variation in the design of the later dungeons (they are not bad, I would have like to see the mechanics change more drastically from dungeon to dungeon. Think Super Mario Galaxy). Otherwise, it was an engaging and fun game from beginning to end. One of the best I played all year.