I’ve always been a fan of “Diablo” and “Diablo 2″, and late last year a game was released called “Torchlight” that had a large number of the development team from the first two Diablo games working on it, as well as the creator of another popular action RPG in the same vein called “Fate”. Earlier this year Torchlight was on sale, and being the Diablo fan I am, I just had to pick it up. With “Diablo 3″ not coming out anytime soon, this seemed like a great opportunity to get back in to one of the funner genres out there.
Now first I want to say to the people that just put the game down as “ripping off” “Diablo”, you guys should really grow up and get over it. This game is very similar to the “Diablo” series, certainly, but I find it hard to say someone is ripping off something that they themselves designed. The same people that made this game made those games, so I can’t really accuse them for using game mechanics that were their creation in the first place. As far as I’m concerned, the people responsible for the game are more relevant than the company that they worked for. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Runic Games, Torchlight, Video Games
So I will be too busy this week to get my weekly Shakespeare read in. I could probably find the time to do it, but with how much of my spare time will be eaten up by other things, I really don’t want to spend another 2 to 3 hours for the weekly read. But, at least I’m remembering my monday musing about competition in sports. This week I’ll be talking about Soccer, which is well timed due to the FIFA World Cup that has started this week.
Now don’t get upset at me for calling it Soccer first of all. Remember, I am from the US, and we call it Soccer here. To me Football is a completely unrelated sport, so show a little tolerance to differences between cultures, it’s just the way terminology works here in North America. Soccer is huge in the rest of the world, but here Soccer is pretty much a lesser sport. It’s no less of a game, it just doesn’t have much of a following. Now interest has been increasing over the past decade or so, but it is still far from reaching the level of the big four. Heck, I’d say professional Lacrosse is more popular still. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Monday Musings, Sports
What a slacker I am for having missed last weeks read. It was a busy week though, so unfortunately I really felt that taking a short break from a few minor obligations would be for the best. I hated skipping the read for the week though, since it would have seen me at the end of the comedies. So my conclusion of this part of the book was postponed for a week, but here I am and the play is read, and next week I’ll be moving on to the histories.
This play, like the previous two, is another of Shakespeares “problem plays”. The first of these problem plays is definitely the worst play I’d read from this book so far, but luckily the second one at least proved to be an improvement. So with the record being 1 and 1, this play presents something of a 50/50 shot at being good or bad. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Barnes and Noble, Comedy, Shakespeare, The Yale Shakespeare, William Shakespeare
Alright, I’ll admit first off that I missed this weeks Shakespeare read. I had a busy round of days off, which involved waking up early and lacking sleep for two days straight. When the time came to sit down and read the next play, I knew I wouldn’t really be able to take it in and stay awake if I tried. I decided simply to put that off until next week when I won’t be quite as busy and tired. Sadly working third shift means that if there’s anything I need to do during the day on my days off, then I have to throw off my sleep schedule in order to be up and do it. Becomes a problem when that happens two days straight.
Anyways, I’ve been taking the time this weekend to do some digging for possible new themes and plugins, and have not been having the best of luck in this process. I set up this blog some time ago, and the current theme and its variants were set up not long after. Unfortunately I’ve found this theme is very recognizable and not very customizable, and there are a lot of other blogs out there using it. On top of that, it’s no longer being actively worked on or supported, and with WordPress 3 coming out soon that might be a problem. So I decided to look around and see if I can find some new alternates that are more up to date. I also have a number of plugins that are also no longer being worked on, so I’m also looking for newer equivalents. Read the rest of this entry »
Now we’re getting in to the more obscure sports that get much less attention from the media and the fans, but are no less deserving of it. Unfortunately it’s just a reality that 4 major sports is about all the audience can support, and so it’s really an uphill battle for the rest. Many of them reach niche audiences, such as racing and boxing (wrestling as it exists professionally in the US is NOT a sport).
Lacrosse is something of a newcomer on the professional scene with the NLL still a fairly young organization. While the sport itself isn’t exactly new, its rise in popularity most certainly is. Lacrosse has had something of a renaissance this past decade or decade and a half. It’s still far from being as popular as the other major sports, but it is certainly one that you could consider an up and comer. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Monday Musings, Sports
Well, after last weeks amazingly disappointing read I definitely have high hopes for this weeks. It wasn’t even that last weeks was a tragedy in the comedy section, but also that it was just such an awful tragedy with two extremely crappy and independent storylines in an equally crappy setting. If the tragedy had flowed more effectively and focused on one piece or the other to develop them and the character properly, I might have at least enjoyed it more, although I think the story itself was inherently flawed to the point it would have been hard to save it, at least to the point I’d have enjoyed it. The excessive length didn’t help, particularly when all those extra pages really amounted to nothing, and the story felt poorly developed in spite of all that extra text.
What I’ve learned since last week is that the three final plays in the comedies segment of my book (including last weeks) are what are called his problem plays. They are given this name because they aren’t full comedies, but are hard to categorize as comedies or tragedies. So unfortunately that means that this weeks play, and next weeks play will both be similar to “Troilus and Cressida” in this respect. It is my hope that at least the stories will be better to the point they don’t suffer the same response. This weeks play is “All’s Well that Ends Well”, which is another play I’m familiar with only by the commonality of the saying that its title is derived from, and not as a result of its content. Hopefully this does end well, which I guess we’ll now see. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Barnes and Noble, Comedy, Shakespeare, The Yale Shakespeare, William Shakespeare
So I am actually coming close to the end of the comedies in my book. I don’t have the book with me, but I did look when I was reading and know that I have only 2 or 3 left. It’s been a fairly positive ride so far, and I’ve rather enjoyed Shakespeare’s comedies, in spite of some redundancy issues. Since I’m less of a fan of tragedies, I am concerned that my perception of his works may become a bit more negative when I reach them. I still have the histories to read before that though, so it’ll be a bit.
Oddly, in my book this title was referred to as “The Tragedy of Troilus and Cressida”, which I found strange since this was in the comedies in spite of the name clearly indicating it is a tragedy. I’ve come to understand that it’s actually just called “Troilus and Cressida”, and I guess the publisher added the tragedy part to clear any confusion. Many circles consider this play to not be a tragedy since the main character does not die at the end, as apparently only death can be tragic. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Barnes and Noble, Shakespeare, The Yale Shakespeare, Tragedy, William Shakespeare
I’m not a big TV watcher, but I still try to get in to a few shows now and then. Television can offer some things that cinema simply is not able to provide, and so it still has its purpose in the modern world. Films are restricted to about 3 hours at most, and only the most epic of films could get a studio to break past that mark, and some films are even cut down to a mere 90 minutes. An hour show provides more content after several episodes, and a half hour show doesn’t take too long either. There’s also greater risk taking with television since the investment is cheaper, so you get more diversity as opposed to film where rehashes are common and studios are always trying to capitalize off of recent trends by producing more of the same. There’s also more variety in the talent both in front and behind the camera in television, and less focus on a small stable of superstars and big name directors.
Unfortunately what TV gains from its diversity, it also loses as a result of its frailty. When a film is made then it’s made, and it’s done, even if it flops. The only time things feel unfinished is when a film is made with the obvious intent of being a series, but fails too miserably to warrant the production of the rest. Television is not so lucky, and we unfortunately get loads of incomplete shows and rushed endings on a yearly basis, as well as plenty of shows that resonate well with some audiences but get the plug pulled anyways because the mainstream sheep aren’t as impressed. While television has so much going for it in providing stories that film can not, it unfortunately falls victim to ratings and board room decisions, and a lot of potential is lost every year to the point it becomes downright frustrating. Well, today I got the final word on what the networks pulled the plug on this year, and I’ve decided to comment on some of those shows that mattered to me in one way or another. To view the list, go here. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Cancellations, Television
Well, not surprisingly I’ve run in to yet another Shakespeare play that I haven’t even so much as heard of until now. Apparently this play has served as inspiration for many other works, including the recent romantic comedy flop “She’s the Man”. While that doesn’t speak too kindly of the play considering the film wasn’t too well received, it does indicate that the play is somewhat well known. I will admit that I haven’t actually seen the film, but I also have no desire to since it’s not really a genre I care for in cinema, and nothing I’ve heard about it is very positive.
Considering the plays association with a film flop, I wasn’t sure what to think going in to it. While it’s true that the film is based off the play, it’s also a modernized adaptation, so you know a lot of liberties were taken. One thing that did come to mind immediately upon hearing of the association is that the films central plot revolves around a woman dressing up as a man. This is a common story element that Shakespeare employs, so I at least went in expecting this once again. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Barnes and Noble, Comedy, Shakespeare, The Yale Shakespeare, William Shakespeare
I’m a slacker, I’ll admit it. I kept forgetting to do these posts the past two weeks, remembering only after midnight and it was Tuesday. Well, this week I remembered at least, though with only a little time to spare. Luckily the major sports are done with, and I’m on to the more minor sports, which brings us today to Golf.
Golf is a unique sport compared to the rest I’ve discussed since it’s focused on individuals. Sure, racing is focused on the driver, but a race team that doesn’t have a good pit crew, pit chief and spotters aren’t going to win any races regardless of the drivers talent. Golf, on the other hand, requires nothing more than a caddy with the golfer, who might offer advice that the golfer will be happy to ignore. This makes an assessment of the sports competitive value a bit tougher, but I enjoy a challenge. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Monday Musings, Sports
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