E-Z Mode

God dammit, I got suckered into the “if you want to play on Easy, why do you want to play at all?” debate again.

It usually goes something like this: I begin playing a game, but find it too difficult. I want to experience the rest of the game (for whatever reason), but the gameplay […]

An invisible choir sings, and you are bathed in radiance…

First NetHack ascension: Dez, the lawful dwarf archeologist.

Second NetHack ascension: Grundle, the neutral human caveman.

Now Rosa the chaotic elf priestess joins these illustrious ranks. This is her story.

(Warning: There are three spots in this account where NetHack veteran-purists will probably grit their teeth and seeth with rage. I’m a big fan of […]

The Binding of Isaac

First off, I really hate the aesthetic of this game. I’ve never been a fan of the “ugly on purpose” school of graphics design, and while I delight in a thick coat of black comedy, Tumorbaby’s Adventures in Poopgore Dungeon doesn’t exactly qualify. There are a few clever gags hidden away in here behind the […]

Survivor: South Pacific (week four)

Okay, now I’m sure of it: Jim is the best player this season. He skimmed by on Ozzy’s alliance just long enough to make sure the competition (Cochran, Dawn, etc.) couldn’t turn the tables without him, then started looking for ways to fracture the alliance to his benefit. In particular, he noted Ozzy’s tendancy to […]

DYWYPI?

My first NetHack ascension was a dwarven archeologist, after a couple hundred false starts. My second was a caveman who stumbled upon archeologist #217’s bones file, complete with some artifact weapons, a bag of holding and a charged wand of wishing. I don’t even want to think about how I lost that run, but I […]

Survivor: South Pacific (week three)

Sometimes Survivor is all shock and sizzle, but sometimes things just go exactly the way you expect. This episode was one of those.

First up is the Redemption Duel: Semhar vs. Christine. The order of the day is balancing a wooden statue on top of a long, thin pole. Semhar psyched herself up for the […]

Donkey Kong Country Returns

I received Donkey Kong Country Returns last year as a Christmas gift. It’s a game I wanted, and would have bought for myself, but there were two things preventing me from devouring the game immediately:

I started playing a two-player game with my brother (who purchased it for me) on Christmas Eve and completed three […]

Survivor: South Pacific (week two)

Episode 2:

Yes, I’m still determined to get caught up by Thanksgiving.

Episode two opens with Semhar crying on Redemption Island, wondering how people can be so cold-hearted as to vote her out. (Presumably she wouldn’t be cold-hearted if she’d stayed, and the person she voted for left instead. This little inconsistancy is never addressed.)

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