The truth is that I am the one with the Dentist problem; I haven’t been to the dentist since just before the first Precipice game. The experience was so traumatic that I decided to transform my mouth into a kind of reserve. It has a wild, untamed beauty. Occasionally my gums recede a bit, exposing the nerve. But this only makes me feel more alive.
Trauma is relative, of course; I imagine that biting into a Charleston Chew and having the lion’s share of my teeth remain lodged in the bar might leave an impression - on the bar, at the very least.
I was vibrating constantly yesterday, and it took me several hours to recognize the sensation as “joy.” I’m capable of it, certainly, but I rarely allow it; I can typically tamp it back down into mere bemusement. I can remember a previous joy, one that is more pure and less adulterated than this, and it generally serves to tarnish the current iteration.
I can’t even wrestle this thing down, though: it’s too strong, for one, but there are three distinct, sucker-laced tentacles to contend with. I’m just going to let it happen, I think. When I sit down to invest my leisure time, I rarely know where to start.
- The Witcher 2 works fine on my machine, which was literally my only concern about the game. That might be foolhardy, but I was left a psychic ruin by the Director’s Cut of the previous one, read every book that’s been translated into my language, and even considered (for five consecutive minutes) learning Polish. The art and technology here are simply different than what you might expect, “in a world” where games are made to ship on multiple platforms. What this thing is showing me is almost always amazing, and fully formed; occasionally, it’s shocking.
- L.A. Noire needs its own post, and it’ll get one. For now, let me say that the worldbuilding is as good as ever, the actual moving/shooting gameplay is as ambiguous and weird as it often is in their urban games, and it is much, much harder than you would think to interview their cagey, manipulative suspects. I’m obsessed with procedurals, and LA Noire is getting directly at a hard to scratch place. It’s like Phoenix Wright, with a big frown.
- World of Tanks is just... good. It reminds me very much of Think Tanks, the effervescent multiplayer battle game from Earth’s ancient past. That is to say, it can be very frantic for a game that has occasional tufts of simmy flair. It’s free to play, which is to say that it is as free as you want it to be. I have to strongly recommend the video tutorials they’ve cooked up, because from a UI perspective it can be a little daunting when you get in. It’s delicious, though; not a meal in itself, but you could certainly play it enough to satisfy. You can play one game or ten, and enjoy it; lose early in a game, and come back to your garage to roll out another tank while the other one is still soaking up experience. Each match is like a prosciutto-wrapped scallop, hissing on a grill. At least, if that sounds good to you. If not, it resembles whatever gross bullshit you think tastes good.
(CW)TB out.
