I Review Everything: Day 190 – Fixing My Desk

About a week after I built my desk, I broke it. Built is kind of incorrect anyway, bought is the truth. I have a tendency to rest my feet on the support beam, which prematurely snapped from the pressure. I then spent the rest of the year with a broken beam, and an insanely wobbly desk. Today that changed.

Max decided he wanted to fix it. I mean it was partly spurred on by my own annoyance of it’so wobbling, but he was the one who actually did it. I helped, when I could, which means I didn’the help much. He did basically all the work, while I just held some wood up.

The entire process caused me to marvel at humans a little, as I thought about how great of a grip we have over manipulating our environment from our needs. It’seems amazing to think that anyone can do it as well, it’s not really restricted. As long as you have the money for tools, the patience for failure, and the desire to learn, you can build and fix things. Which is cool. It’s cool that we figured that out. It’s pretty amazing really.

The wobbles have now left my desk, and I have a renewed respect for human beings.

8/10

I Review Everything: Day 185 – The Line

At my friend’s birthday dinner tonight, my patience was tested. There were many, many people there. And they were all loud. Every. Single. One.

Constant yelling, badgering, and all-around sucking was going on as they made their way through the all-you-can-eat line. Luckily I had already eaten, and wasn’t all to interested in getting more. But it was still horrendously annoying. I couldn’t hear any of my friends above the senseless yelling, it was basically pointless to talk.

We left not long after they all arrived, but to no ease. There were so many of them in the food line that they were actually blocking the way out. This reminds me of why I don’t like eating out.

2/10

I Review Everything: Day 168 – That DJ At That Bar

The music was fantastic. When we entered the floor was shaking, the lights were blaring, and many drinks were spilling.

So we decided to get our own drinks, because that’s what you do at bars. All I really wanted to do was dance, but alcohol is always necessary in case someone tries to talk to me. The music was still fantastic, thick and juicy with the pristine amount of groove, it was getting time to begin my dance. I lathered my throat in alcohol, moseyed on to the dancefloor, and the DJ changed.

Gone were the brilliant fusions of dubstep and house, replaced with dreadful pop mechanisations. It was horrific. My body began to seize up, it became bored by the overly familiar rhythms and progressions. I was lost. Lost in disappointment. Lost in frustration. Lost in a bar full of people I would probably hate, and music that really wasn’t enjoyable to listen to.

But I tried. I did my best to allow the music to flow through me, I told my body to make do. It was hard, but I was doing it. I was dancing fairly well I guess, but the passion just wasn’t there. The music just wasn’t right. Then the song ended. I begun to speculate as to what would arrive next, I wondered whether the sick tunes of five minutes ago would return, but nothing came. The absence was surprising, the flow had disappeared. The DJ was still standing there, looking at his macbook with dumbfounded confusion, as he tried to find the next song, but he wasn’t putting anything on. I was worried he might hurt himself as he put so much effort into thinking. The bar became annoyed, people were confused, looking to the DJ for answers. But he didn’t have them. The questions were too hard. Near on twenty seconds of silence ensued as we waited for him to put on the final track. Twenty goddamn seconds.

And then when he finally found it, when the music returned and life sprung back into the bar: the music still sucked.

2/10

I Review Everything: Day 165 – Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

More free time means more MGS to watch. At over an hour longer this time, I didn’t even manage to finish it in one sitting. Yet that doesn’t speak to the quality of the game as a video at all, because frankly, MGS 2 blew me away.

Not only are the visuals more aesthetically pleasing to watch, but the story took an interesting turn, delving even deeper into characters than the last game. The rainy bridge in the opening credits paved way for a story filled with reachable twists, characters so realistic I hate some of them, and cinematics that astound for their time. As a film, MGS 2 is a big step up from its predecessor.

Firstly the visuals. Being on the PS2, the visuals are of course improved over MGS, but the amount they improved is simply astonishing. Characters actually have faces now, and some of them move. I know that doesn’t sound like a big deal now, but back in 2001 it was a really big deal. I can’t think of many games that looked that good back then. The cinematic elements of MGS continue in MGS 2 as well, producing an enjoyable watch when condensed into a video. MGS 2 has aged yes, but it has done so gracefully, and this is coming from someone who has never seen footage of it before.

The characters were again a highlight, due to the awesome talent behind their voices. The story primarily follows a new group of characters, both heroes and villains, but the cast does a great job nonetheless. They again breathe life into characters that still look and move fairly clunkily. I was far more engaged with the plot of this game, even though it was far more confusing then the first. It delves deeper into the political landscape of their world, and the true reasons for the creation of the Metal Gears. It basically does what every good sequel should; it branches the world out through a cohesive narrative that utilizes quality character arcs to drive it. Okay maybe not every sequel should do that, but it’s exactly what the Metal Gear Solid franchise needed.

One of the highlights of the viewing was finally hearing the theme in context. I am a pretty big fan of game soundtracks, and often listen to them even when I haven’t played the game. Due to my friends love for the series, I have been listening to the theme for many years, simply because it is fantastic. It is a beautiful piece, and now that I’ve seen it in context, brilliantly fitting as well.

Overall MGS2 was a far more engaging game to watch, leaving me excited for the future games, which will all have a far greater use of modern technology. If there’s anything I can say about watching Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, it’s that you should watch it, even if you don’t like the series. I could even imagine splitting it up into a series of shorts, as the story rivals even some of my favourite anime.

I can’t wait until the faces begin to show emotion.

9/10

I Review Everything: Day 164 – Metal Gear Solid

All the free time I have in Levin has opened up the possibility of finally witnessing the beauty of Hideo Kojima’s storytelling in the Metal Gear Solid franchise.

I have never played any of the games bar Ground Zeroes, and my friend told me he wouldn’t let me borrow the latest in the series until I at least watched the story of all the previous games. My free time beckoned this event.

Born in the ripe age of 1998, MGS has not aged well at all. As in my dreams,  no characters had detailed or even moving faces, textures were messy and stretched, and character models were as disproportionate as 80s action figures. Of course I realise that for the time this game was groundbreaking for its visuals, and it is cool to watch it and imagine witnessing in 1998, but that didn’t make it any more engaging.

The lacking visuals didn’t translate all that well to film, presenting a rather bland visual story. As most video games of the fifth generation, story was told by dialogue, and thankfully this time with voice over. Yes I do love reading, but the video was four hours long, and frankly audio made it that much easier to endure, and far more immersive.

That’s where MGS really shone; in its characters. All fully voiced, with real emotion and drive, the characters told the most interesting stories to be beheld. Each character was interesting, for the most part due to the amazing work of the actors. In fact, the poor visuals of the game turned the dialogue into almost complete personifications of the characters, planting seeds in my mind that will eventually grow as the series goes on.

It was interesting to see the unintentional sexism that would no longer be accepted today, being quite humourous at times. It was also nostalgic seeing the trends of the PS1 again, such as the lack of any real curves, the use of fog to cover poor visuals, and long winded sections of bland faces talking for ten minutes (In all fairness Bethesda still does this).

It was also funny seeing the resemblance to Manga and Anime, such as the horribly sad back stories for every single character, or the use of excessively large weapons. In fact it reminded me in part why I enjoy japanese storytelling; the fact that they don’t take themselves so seriously.

I always knew that MGS was good, I just never played it. Likely due to my dislike for stealth games, or games that use the military as a primary plot device. But seeing the game now has somewhat inspired me. It was tedious sitting there for four hours, but I’m glad I did it, and I look forward to seeing more of the series.

9/10

I Review Everything: Day 139 – Playing Overwatch until 4am

Oh wow, it’s 4am. I swear it was midnight just a while ago. Overwatch is beginning to take over.

I took a risk and tried a new character. Lucio. I’ve loved playing him. Actually getting to effectively contribute to eliminations is an awesome change of pace, but I still get to heal, I still get to do what I love doing. Sure he may not be as strong as some offence characters, but actually defending myself is a big draw.

The tricky part has been getting his ultimate down. Knowing when to use it is tough, and it takes so long to generate that it’s always a risk to use it. So I end up holding on to it, barely making use of the fantastic shields.

I wasn’t expecting to stay up this late. But it doesn’t matter, I don’t have plans tomorrow. Apart from more Overwatch.

8/10

I Review Everything: Day 135 – Community

I’ve started watching Community again. I think it’s like my seventh time now. Well I say started, but it’s actually been a week since I started. I mainly watch it when I’m eating a meal. But I sometimes watch more than one.

I thought it might be stale this time. I thought, maybe I’ll get bored of it. I haven’t. I’m not even close. Every episode is still a joy to watch. Favourites are only becoming stronger. It is still as perfect as it was the first time around.

Especially season 2. Dear god season 2 is absolutely amazing. Every episode is ridiculously good. They begun to finally hone in on what every character’s role was, creating some of the best interactions the show ever sees. D&D, conspiracy’s, blanket forts, stolen pens, season 2 has it all, and does it all exceptionally well.

I’m really glad I decided to watch it again. It’s so inspiring to watch again and again, only for it to get better. It’s the kind of quality I strive for in everything I do. I don’t reach their level yet, but one day hopefully I will.

10/10

I Review Everything: Day 132 -Traffic

Traffic always seems to hit when you don’t want it. Murphy’s law I believe it is called.

It happened today on a short drive with Max. Oh whoops, not short. Long. It was – no, became – a long drive, sue to all the traffic.

I shouldn’t complain though, we do live in a city. Not a big one, but big enough for people to drive everywhere because of their over-reliance on loud death boxes. Of course I was in a car too. So again why am I complaining?

I complain too much.

2/10

I Review Everything: Day 131 – New Dungeons & Dragons 1

We left Effion’s castle ready for adventure. Ready to pummel the forces of evil and keep balance among the land. We left happy, good-hearted, and courageous.

Then we set a plain of dry grass on fire, lost one of our teammates to the fear of a horse, and destroyed an entire town because we were worried they were against us. Typical D&D.

It was the magic beans that caused the true problems. As soon as the dungeon master uttered the words, we just had to buy some. It didn’t matter what they did, we just had to have them.

It was then that I noticed the well. The towns only water supply, open for anyone to take. Or give. After seeing the effects of the bean on my teammate Reverend Rooseberry, I decided to grind one up and put it into the well. Just to see what would happen. What I didn’t notice was two townsfolk setting their gaze upon me doing so, and leaving quickly. Luckily for me Gwendolyn quickly took one down with a series of roguish maneuvers, dropping his body into the grate below. We lost the other one though. We had no idea what would come of him.

At this point we grew hungry, seeking a meal from the tavern. Disappointed at the poor quality of the food they had, Reverend Rooseberry told the tavern keep of his brilliant skill as a chef for Effion’s palace. Delighted to hear it, the tavern keep asked him to prepare a meal, using the ingredients they had. Rooseberry agreed, and the beginning of our plan was set.

While preparing the meal, we used water from the well to cook the vegetables, and various beans were planted through the pork. I also mashed more beans into a baste that we spread across the cooked pig. A delicious meal, for an unsuspecting town.

The tavern was completely full when we brought out the food, and there was enough for everyone. Within a few short moments the hall started eating. And we watched.

The large Kingpin-like mayor was the first to succumb. He was overly enthusiastic about the food, scarily so. His excitement consistently grew, until rage befell his eyes, and he grabbed the head of the patron beside him, crushing the poor skull between his fingers.

A large fight ensued, with blood splattering everywhere as the townsfolk destroyed their very friends, all because of us. We used this opportunity to escape and find our way back to the mayors office. Ready to collect our spoils.

The office wasn’t as dead as we had planned. A man was there, desperate to find the mayor. But it was too late. The mayor was probably gone by now. To make sure, Gwendolyn through a flaming vial of oil at the tavern, lighting the oil-covered tavern aflame. They were sure to be gone now.

The man at the office revealed himself, only to be caught by our monk. Rooseberry then tortured the man, demanding answers he didn’t have, to questions he couldn’t understand. That man died at our hands. It was too late to regret anything.

But regret was felt when we heard the thunder. Up the stairs of the mayors building, a large thundering could be heard. It was coming closer. Closer. It became too much to bear.

The door flew open with massive force. Standing behind, was a brain and guts covered man, thundering his way down the steps towards us. He escaped the tavern alive. Angrier than ever before, his massive body towered above us as we realised what we had done. We turned the mayor into a monster. A rage filled, gigantic monster.

Now we must fight.

I Review Everything: Day 130 – New Couch

I bought a new couch for my room. I have decided to get rid of my bed, opening up my space for more activities. I actually decided this a couple of months ago, it just took a long time to find a couch.

It is a relatively small couch, which is why Max and I decided to carry it home. With two people it was an easy move, but the pressure on my arms built up quickly, and I know that they’re going to hurt tomorrow.

The walk took roughly ten minutes, with the hardest section being the hill. Walking was jolting as our movement was severely restricted. The sun was annoying too, constantly glaring into eyes I couldn’t cover. I could feel my skin drying underneath its brutal rays. Overall it went well though, with us only stopping a couple of times. Only to readjust as well.

I have to thank Max for offering to help me carry it. It was time he could have spent on himself, but chose to spend helping me. I don’t know if I could have even bought a couch if it wasn’t for him helping me.

My arms may be sore tomorrow, but at least I finally have a couch. I can open my room up, allowing more space for anything I want. But primarily? VR of course.

8/10