A Few Things That Are Making Me Happy Right Now

I've been a little bummed the last couple days, so I figured today I'd write briefly about a few different things that I've liked lately in an effort to cheer up.

First up, Muse has a new album coming out in just a week.  I love this band!  I was able to see them perform twice the last time they toured and I'm hoping they'll announce the dates for the US part of their upcoming tour soon.  Right now you can listen to all of The 2nd Law online, just go here and click on the link to be directed to the local stream.

In other music news, another band I really like, Billy Talent, released their fourth album earlier this month.  Titled Dead Silence, I think this might be their best album yet.  A little before the album came out, the band had it streaming on their Facebook page, but I think that's been taken down.  However, you can still stream a few of their songs from the audio player on their website here, including the first single off of the album, Viking Death Match, as well as some songs from earlier albums.

Turning to the local music scene, an area band that I think is pretty great is Kaboombox.  Check out their Facebook page and click on their band profile to hear a few of their songs. 

Moving on from music, I've gotten totally hooked on the tv show Fringe.  This show's pretty fantastic.  I had tried watching it when it first started to air, but the pilot episode really grossed me out.  A friend eventually convinced me to give it another shot and I'm glad he did!  The pilot still grossed me out on rewatch, but I stuck with it and have been rewarded with a show with a complex and engaging plot and interesting characters.  I just wish that Netflix had the episodes streaming, rather than having to wait for the discs one at a time.

A couple weeks ago I finished reading China Mieville's newest book, Railsea.  This is his second novel targeted toward young adults and has parallels to Moby Dick, except with a giant ivory mole and trains rather than a white whale and ships.  Kind of awesome.

Finally, I'll be heading up to Central New York for about a week starting this Saturday.  Technically it's for work, but since I'm driving myself, there will be a lot of fun wedged in there as well.  So far plans include a trip to the Thousand Islands and a visit to Boldt Castle, a hike around Ausable Chasm, a visit with the grandfolks, picking up some cider from Burrville, and at least one trip to Stefano's Pizzeria.  And, if there's time, maybe a winery or two (or maybe even more).  Plus, New York in the beginning of October?  Soooooooo pretty!  I'll have to bring my camera.

Well, I feel better now.  Stay tuned for pictures of the wonderfulness that is NNY in the fall!  (at least if I remember my camera and then remember to actually take pictures)

Limbo

Since it's still been ridiculously hot and humid out, I finally made my way through a third game that I got through the Humble Indie Bundle.  This time, I played through a puzzle platformer game called Limbo, by the company Playdead. 

Seems peaceful enough.  I'm sure nothing bad will happen...

In Limbo, you control a boy who is trying to find his sister in a world where everything and everyone is trying to kill him.  You start out in a forest, which seems peaceful enough until you start coming across bear traps, spikes, and.... this:

I sure do hope those are just oddly shaped tree branches!

Just in case what that is isn't entirely clear, here's a shot from just a little further on:

Gaaaaaah!

But it's not like it could get any worse, like, say, the spider wraps you up in silk and then you have to try and bounce away from it on a rolling boulder that could crush you if you make a wrong move.

Nonononononononononono!!!

Eventually, you travel out of the forest and into more industrial-type zones that have machines, saws, and guns that all, of course, are out to kill you.

Every single one of those letters wants me dead.

As you could probably have guessed from the screenshots up there, the game is entirely in black and white, which is surprisingly effective.  It leaves things to the imagination which really enhances the creepiness of the game.  There's also a distinct lack of music; there are a few musical cues (which you really only notice if you're really listening for them), but most of the sound comes from whatever is taking place on screen. 

Limbo is definitely an interesting game, and one I definitely recommend to people who like puzzle games, with a couple of caveats.  If you only like games that have clear stories, you might not appreciate this one very much.  That first sentence in the second paragraph above is really the only plot you ever get.  Also, if you don't like puzzles that require precise timing, you'll become really frustrated with this game around halfway through.  I haaaaaaate timing puzzles since I'm so bad at them, and they become more common as you progress.  One of the really nice things about Limbo, though, is it saves your progress as soon as you get through a puzzle, so you never have to go back too far if you die.  And you will die.  Lots and lots and lots of times.  The boy has no special powers to survive this world.  Fall too far?  Dead.  Get into water that's too deep?  Dead (guess he never learned how to swim).  Step in a bear trap, crushed by a box, cut into bits by a buzzsaw, electrocuted, impaled by a spider leg, forced by a mind-controlling slug to walk off a cliff... it goes on and on (and is another reason to appreciate the monochrome nature of the game).

If you're interested in checking the game out, you can buy it for $9.99 for the PC or Mac directly from the game's website, from Steam, the XBox 360, or the Playstation 3.  And if you're someone who likes special editions of things, you can pick that up from Amazon for $24.99.