Time out

After the Castlevania series managed to completely kill off my interest in video games, I found myself staring at the Summer Sale page on PC gaming download site, gamersgate.com. There I noticed a game I've had my eye on for a while, Borderlands, on sale at 66% off, or $12. It didn't take me too long to register an account and PayPal over the bucks.

The game is very cool. A sci-fi/comedy/RPG/FPS. I've read a postmortem of the game in Game Developer Magazine, which made me curious about the technical back end, I've seen screenshots and character designs which made me appreciate the art style, and just prior to hitting the "Confirm" button I read a quick comment about the music, which made me even more interested. I'm very pleased to see that the game more than lives up to the praise it received on all fronts. The action is fast, the skills and stats count for a lot, and the music is very moody and atmospheric. Gearbox Software hit this one out of the park. The first game I got on sale, Borderlands 2 is getting bought at full price on launch day. Provided they don't turn it into a fucking MMO.

That same night I also downloaded the demo for Mafia II. This is another huge surprise, not the least of which since I didn't even know there was a Mafia II in development. Not only is there a sequel to a game I actively couldn't give a shit about, it's fucking amazing. This is GTA 1950. Old timey cars, fedoras, Elvis on the radio, gang wars, B-list actors doing the voice overs. It's also fun, something the last few GTA games themselves lacked. The vibe I got from this one almost immediately was GTA III, but in the 50's. It's a smaller, slower paced more concentrated world where you can just get lost driving around the city, stopping by shops to buy hats or over coats. It doesn't hurt any that this game looks fantastic. The photo realistic textures on the buildings and trees are almost literally out of my own back yard. As someone who recently found an appreciation for the era gone by, I'll be picking up this game primarily for the city and atmosphere it recreates. (Doubly impressive, since the developer is based in the Czech Republic. A little bit aways from Brooklyn.) Oh and so I can kill some dudes, maybe, if I feel like it.

As a life-long console gamer, recently burned out on console gaming inability to not suck huge balls, the PC has found a new friend. I hear they sort of need it, too. I'm here to help.