Weekend Playlist, 7/24/2009
alt="Chris Buecheler"/>
Chris Buecheler:
I finally finished Dead Space last weekend. Fun final boss battle, and the ending goes out with a nice jump moment, so that was fun. I'm not sure if they've announced a sequel yet, but it seems pretty inevitable. As for this weekend, I'm not sure -- need to pick a new game. I'm considering a bunch that I haven't gotten around to yet, including Gears of War 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV (though I wish the price of the latter would come down on Steam, the way it's come down in stores). I've also heard great things about <!-- clear -->
alt="Marc Saltzman"/>
Marc Saltzman:
I'll be playing a couple of casual/adventure games this weekend, including an Edgar Allan Poe-themed "hidden object game" from Mumbo Jumbo. I'm partial to the author/poet, so I want to finish this one. I'll also continue with the fun but flawed port of The Secret of Monkey Island on iPhone, and maybe a little Mini Ninjas with my kids as I got some early Xbox 360 debug code. Nothing hardcore for me this weekend, though. Preparing for a house party with 80 confirmed guests!
alt="Evan Narcisse"/>
Evan Narcisse:
There will be lots of barbecue in my weekend, so I don't anticipate a lot of couch-time. I managed to win a championship in Fight Night 4 last night, prevailing over James Toney by decision. What time I do spend button-mashing will probably be spent defending my title and trying to get my stats up to the point where I can confidently go for other belts. But, FNR4's gotten under my skin with the way that it allows me to be a woefully under-powered champion.
There's a weird inverse dynamic that's different from the way most video games make you feel empowered. In FNR4, I feel like the runt of the litter in the upper rankings. I feel endangered. And I don't like it. It doesn't feel like I can take all comers; it feels like they can take me. I wonder if that's intentional, to make holding a championship feel as embattled as climbing the ranks. However, nothing in the game's incidentals?the useless e-mails from trainers and managers or the fight commentary?makes it seem that way. So, yes, Evan "Bonecrusher" Narcisse may be a champion before he's really ready, given the current level of my avatar's skills. The problem now is that I want to stay on top.
Kyle Orland:
The iPod Touch will be keeping me company on a trip to Philadelphia this weekend. Maybe I'll finally beat Sector 15 of Eliss. Aw, who am I kidding... I'll just end up playing more Drop7 instead...
alt="Trow Goodfellow"/>
Troy Goodfellow:
Playing a lot of East India Company, which comes out next week. It's really a throwback, and not all in good ways, but it's just the right pace for a hot summer night. Also, we have our Out of the Park Baseball draft this weekend. Fingers crossed for a catcher that can hit.
alt="William Abner"/>
William Abner:
The Out of the Park Draft should be a blast. 20 team owners all in a chat room criticizing everyone else?s picks.
Troy: My father has ranked every player by position, 30 players deep. You're so screwed.
alt="James Fudge"/>
James Fudge:
My weekend will be less about games and more about taming an unruly lawn saturated by two weeks of torrential rains. Mother Nature: 1, James: 0. I've also been reading a lot of books about New York and New England folklore, which is pretty fascinating. My favorites so far: an ancient book penned by New York folklorist Louis C. Jones called "Things That Go Bump in the Night" (1959) and Marion Lowndes' "Ghosts That Still Walk: Real Ghosts of America" (1941). Great books, but expensive. Oh, and Champions Online is running all weekend, so there's that to look forward to!
alt="Gus Mastrapa"/>
Gus Mastrapa:
I'm going to Vegas for a bachelor party, so I'll be playing the Star Wars slot machine. The good news is that there are a bunch of geeks in the party so we'll all have our handhelds. I'm bringing a stack of games that have multiplayer like Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and Advance Wars. My roommate for the weekend is a board game geek so we'll be playing the new expansion for Race to the Galaxy whenever we can.
alt=" Stephen L. Kent "/>
Stephen L. Kent:
Watch out for Mike Tyson if you wake up with a missing tooth and a tiger.
What's on your own playlist this weekend? Inquiring Game Trusters want to know. Leave a comment below.
