Mark’s remarks left her speechless and less sure of herself, but more certain than ever that lecherous men, when confronted, will always speak well of each other.
Wolf Pact
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Author Archives: hermit
This Old Guy reviews: Frostpunk
This Old Guy’s first video game console was a Magnavox Odyssey and his first computer an Apple IIe. Last five games purchased: Frostpunk (PC), Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4), Anthem (PC), Civ VI DLC Rising Storm (PC), Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4).
Do you like a challenge?
Frostpunk asks players to manage a city in bitterly cold conditions that only seem to get worse. You’ll need to gather scarce resources, research tech advances and make interesting decisions about how your new city will operate. How many hunters do you send into the cold? Will children be part of your workforce? Will your medics be quick to amputate limbs to save lives? Will you start a cult of personality to guarantee your continued rule?
The city building experience is aided and improved (after you’ve researched the proper tech and built a dedicated facility) by scouts who roam the frozen wasteland. Scouts will return rare resources but pose moral and practical dilemmas of their own. Do you escort refugees back to the city, costing the scouts chances to explore, or let the strangers fend for themselves?
Interesting choices, all with consequences, make for solid gameplay. But I’ve always been fond of lush graphics, too, and Frostpunk delivers on that front. In a game that demands constant monitoring of resource inputs and consumption, I found myself upgrading all instances of a particular building because the new look was too adorable to resist. The visuals when temperatures rise and fall are also fun without being obtrusive.
No quibbles with the user interface design, with the caveat that I’ve played vaguely similar games in the past, including Sim City, Age of Empires and Caesar III, all of which rely upon roughly similar mental models for city building.
Old guy topline takeaway? Frostpunk delivers a challenging experience, framed by an apocalyptic storyline rich in detail and full of surprises. I’ve finished the main scenario (after three tries) and the Refugees scenario (on my second try.) I can’t wait to see what the Fall of Winterhome scenario has waiting for me.
Dubious: Dark Phoenix
I’m not excited by the new X-men film (me, the guy with Magneto tattooed on his back, and Wolverine, Colossus and Psylocke inked on my legs.) Why not? Well, I admire Sophie Turner’s acting skills, and Michael Fassbender’s Magneto is inspired, but the creators have either forgotten or never knew why the fundamental reason the Jean Gray/Phoenix storyline was special.
Comic book readers knew Jean Gray before the Phoenix saga, you see, for years and years. Jean arrived at the mansion back at the very beginning; she was Marvel Girl, and a source of adolescent jockeying between Cyclops, Ice Man and all the dudes (only dudes, of course!) present. She was a constant, a member of this alternative family who didn’t get great lines and who wasn’t well defined, but she was still a foundational element.
Her transformation into Phoenix (and her eventual fate) was shocking and fascinating and revolutionary, but that shock and fascination depended upon the familiarity the fan base had with Jean Grey. She wasn’t just some character trotted out for the purpose of a comic book (or a single movie), she was an intimate part of the X-men family (and Marvel universe.)
SPOILERS AHEAD
Turn back now if you’re not familiar with the Dark Phoenix saga, and how the threat is ultimately resolved.
When the first Dark Phoenix comics came out, it was not unusual for characters to die and then return. Professor X faked his own death at least once (sorry, adopted children, but it’s for your own good) but always came back. (Ha ha! I was in the basement all along!)
Having a foundational character die a permanent death, though? That was unheard-of, a total shock. The clear-eyed refusal on the part of Marvel’s editorial department to resurrect Jean Grey for decades elevated her demise into something more than just a parable about trying to control immense power. Jean Grey’s death was a genuine, human tragedy, and a sign at the time that comic book makers were ready to stop making excuses for the medium of comic book art and start trying to take full advantage of the form.
No matter how well-written the script, how talented the actors, or how clever the director, I’m skeptical that there’s time in a single movie to establish the bond between the audience and the Jean Grey character that the original comics leveraged. The easy point of comparison is the recent Avengers: Endgame film; the bonds between audience and characters were built and reaffirmed over more than twenty films. Jean Grey’s final fate should hit us as square as any of the deaths in Avengers: Endgame, but I’m dubious.
(And it doesn’t help that they’ve already tried to make a movie out of the Dark Phoenix saga, and X-men: the Last Stand was so terrible.)
As cocky as…
A tow truck sitting in front of a ‘No Parking’ sign.
4-20 Impressions
I’ve been cleaning out my phone, prepping for a switch to a new model. Moving images, contacts, and all that stuff should be easy, but over the years I also created over 250 text memos, some fanciful (see the previous post) and some more sober. This particular snippet captures my impressions of the celebration of 4-20 in Chicago this year.
A crowd of more than a hundred people. Ages, gender, apparent socio-economic status, all diverse. Maybe the most diverse event I’ve ever attended in Chicago.
Let us give thanks the day is warm.
Activists are active. A man has stood rock still beside a concrete flower bed for half an hour. His shoes are nice. Now he tilts his head forward. Now back. Now, he puts his hands in the planter. He could have my chair, but he doesn’t want a chair. He wants to hunch over the planter, fingers in the dirt, repotting himself on 4-20.
Based on the rate of customers processed during my wait so far, I’m guessing that inside customers are treated to a slide show and oral history of weed throughout the ages before being allowed to purchase product.
Smoking weed is strictly forbidden at the street festival. A wasted man sits opposite me, basking in the sun and warmth of the edibles consumed (he whispers to those of us in the vicinity) an hour ago.
What a strange new holiday this is.
Wanting (with Flowers)
I wanted something and I came up wanting. I came down with a condition, and I came back with something missing, and if I could do it all over, I’d do it all the same, except harder. I’m sorry, that’s true, partner, I’m not on a mission but I could never be true, not to you. I’m not your man of the hour, I’m a man having a moment or a momentary fit. Except (saying it!) with flowers.
Here we are now
We’ve reached the point in American history when an elected leader sides with a lunatic Korean dictator who murders his enemies in brutal fashion… over a Democrat who has spent much of his life in public service.
If you voted for the guy in the White House, you’re responsible for what he does. Is this the America in which you want to live?
This Old Guy reviews: Mortal Kombat 11
This Old Guy’s first video game console was a Magnavox Odyssey and his first computer an Apple IIe. Last five games purchased: Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4), Anthem (PC), Civ VI DLC Rising Storm (PC), Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4), Dragon Quest XI (PS4).
Do you like fighting games?
I’m not the first person to express admiration for the tutorial system for Mortal Kombat 11, or to believe that this infamously messy franchise is left in a fun place by the close of the story mode.
Before buying, the game’s gore gave me pause, just for a second. I shouldn’t have worried. Despite amazingly realistic modeling, the designers are not trying to scare or seriously creep anyone out. The goal is the squick, the oh no they didn’t! moments. Those are in abundance. Yay?
I’m not sure if anyone called out the beautiful way the game managed the download and installation process. The file was big, but on my PS4, as chunks of code downloaded, pieces of functionality became available. The game also gave me a guess as to when other stuff would became available. Download and installation practically by definition is a miserable process, but instead of feeling impatient, I felt engaged. Magical UX design, only possible when your management, testing, creative and technology teams collaborate.
More good stuff when it comes to the game structure and the art of labeling. Of the four main menu options, the labels Kustomize and Learn are distinct and transparent; I guessed right away what kinds of content and functionality I would find. Konquer and Fight were a little less intuitive, but all the labels are supplemented by help text. Once you’ve explored the game a little, everything at this level makes plenty of sense.
I’m reserving judgement on the Krypt and the weapon/augment/upgrade dynamic until I’ve invested more hours into the game, but right now the augment drops are very rare and the overall game impact minimal. Crafting is a mortal pain in the ass, mostly because you can’t look up recipes while standing at the forge. I like all these systems in theory, but hoo boy are they grinding-intensive! The UI in this area could use help, but if you’re the kind of person interested in refining your character, you’re hooked. You’ll figure it out.
Old guy topline takeaway? Beneath the buckets of blood, the flensed torsos, extruded intestines and BRUTALITY! is a game that cares about the people playing. Once again: do you like fighting games? If you do, this old guy says the game is worth the purchase price.
Pier down
One more cup of coffee
Actually, a latte. Before I slurped it down, the drink looked AMAZING. I’m always looking for pleasant places to get work done; Ellipsis Coffeehouse is definitely on that list.