crankyoldman (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
crankyoldman) wrote2011-01-13 02:18 pm
crankyoldman) wrote2011-01-13 02:18 pm
Entry tags:
Because I know my days of free time at work are about to become fewer
Let's talk about some games and books I've finished recently!
Pretty spoiler free, as in I will mention a tone of an ending or a random detail but not WHAT happens.
Professor Layton
So, I love this series because I am actually kind of a puzzle nut. This is how I keep from getting dumb, I think. Especially the math/number puzzles and the geometry ones. I don't know it just makes all the fucking math I had to take in school seem worth it. If I ever get to design a math game, I'm framing it as a mystery like the Layton series, for sure. Like you have no idea how much I desperately want to design this game, because even I kind of hate parts of mathematics and omg it would be the best way to teach it ever.
Anyway, some things I liked:
- They made the memo interface so much more awesome than the previous game. Being able to draw on top of the puzzle with multiple colors and thicknesses completely eliminated my need for scrap paper. It was wonderful and I'm surprised that it took this long for them to do that.
- The twist genuinely surprised me, though some of the details didn't. But maybe I was more focused on the puzzles than to speculate much about plot?
- I'm a little gay for Future Luke. I'm glad I solved all the puzzles and unlocked all the bonus materials so I could listen to Future Luke talk whenever I felt like it, because I am particularly fond of his voice. It's a very nice tone or something, and well, accent.
- Claire is really effing adorable. Though, Japan what is it with you and scientist girlfriendswho get into accidents with their experiments.
- THE ENDING OMG SO SAD.
Things I didn't like:
- Luke and Layton, you really need to stop telling Flora to stay home like a good girl. Like, I'm used to this attitude in adventure games/stories, but it was like half their dialog to her. Layton, just make her an apprentice for realz already before I have to write fanfiction or make my own fan game, srsly.
- Belle. Could have done without the "ha ha a fat person likes Luke!" plot thread. More cringe-y than funny.
- Far more sliding block puzzles than I would have liked. Seriously, I am over sliding block puzzles like so much.
- DID I MENTION THE ENDING WAS SAD? THIS IS ALSO A NEGATIVE.
Back to the Future Episode 1
So, I love the movies far too much and I've babbled about that before, so let's jump into it.
Likes:
- THE TONE. THE CHARACTERIZATION. THE HUMOR. It's basically perfectly matching with the movies with just enough nods to previous established canon without retreading too much. A particular bit that I appreciated was Marty talking to Doc about his family (so they didn't retcon Doc and Clara, which makes me happy because I thought they were adorable in the third movie).
- EDNA. STRICKLAND. God, I hope I see more of her in the other episodes, she is the BEST new character they have added and I LOVE HER A LOT. I also really hope that something happens in the past to change her future a tad (not that I mind her as an old cat lady, she's kind of a fabulous old cat lady, I just want her to do better with her journalistic aspirations).
- YOUNG DOC. Not only is he ridiculously adorable, but he really adds to a lot of older Doc's motivations and in particular it helps me at least understand how he'd become friends with someone like Marty (not because they met in the past, but because of his relationship with his dad, imo). I also hope to see more of him in the other episodes.
- The voice acting is pretty amazing.
- I also really like that it's set in the 1930s.
Dislikes:
- It's an incredibly easy game. I like hints, I really do, but it's a little on the "we know you're lazy, here, this is how you do it" side. I don't mind it as much because it's kind of like really good interactive fanfic for me, so I just turn off as many of the helper things as possible.
- I kind of almost wish the villain were someone other than a Tannen. XD Though his mooks are kind of fabulous. But the conflict with time travel has always trumped the actual human villains, so.
- I have to wait until February for the next Episode, and they ended on a cliffhanger. GUH.
So overall I'm willing to overlook it's flaws because I'm a nerd. Also, it's really worth it to click on as many things as it'll let you, that's where some of the funny random moments happen. XD
The Princess Series
So I was one of those kids that read a lot of Tamora Pierce back in the day, which is great when you're 14, but when you read it as older you can see a bajillion flaws. And this is largely my problem with most speculative fiction YA actually; as an older person, there are just some things I don't have patience for. I don't like heroines wangsting over boys forever and a day, I am over special powers that serve as deus ex machina or eternal angst without character growth (with or as an agent of character growth I am on board). And believe me, I understand that books like that are fabulous when you're 15 and a part of your emotional growth and hey at least they are about girls but I am kind of an old curmudgeon sometimes.
These books seem to know this, and talk directly to me.
It's kind of freaky, actually. Jim C. Hines started writing this quartet because he wanted books that his daughter would read and enjoy. He's also got a background in helping out rape victims, which didn't surprise me after reading his books. In fact, each book addressing at least one kind of issue that ladyfolk face: loss of autonomy in particular is something that is downright horrific with magic and used quite wonderfully.
In a lot of ways, these books are about survivors--both positive and negative. The fact that both types are covered is something I'm impressed with, actually. Hell, how well some things are handled and how much depth the range of female characters have made me entirely surprised that this was written by a man (not that men can't, it's just typically not done all that well).
Anyway, this is gonna be long, so buckle up.
So, you take Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Cinderella and make them spies and active agents of The Kingdom, headed by the country's Queen (of awesome). I find that using those princesses to be ridiculously effective because their fairytale counterparts come from stories that tout their passivity has a positive thing... and kind of feed that into the bad parts of their backgrounds. Interestingly, the happy fuzzy Disney versions of their stories are what is typically known in their kingdoms, whereas the Grimm versions are much closer to the truth.
Danielle is Cinderella, and your primary character for the first book, which is good because she's just married her prince and is still adjusting to being royalty. Also, her stepsisters provide the impetus for much of the action too, it works well. After the first book it trades off between the main three (and even bits of the main antagonists) which is really nice. Danielle is the least cynical, incredibly trusting, and has the ability to talk to animals (even sharks and fun things like that), and has a magic glass sword. She grew on me quite a bit. She's kind of like the Team Mom with a sword.
Snow White actually goes by Snow, because her real name is rather fussy. She's the magic user of the group, though Talia made her some snowflake shuriken (SO CUTE). She channels her magic through her stepmom's old magic mirror via small mirrors she keeps around her neck (and hidden in her knife, which she keeps on hand cause blood is a common component in spells). She's actually my favorite (though barely edging out Talia). She's the youngest, the most promiscuous (and it's refreshingly played as just a part of her character and without slut-shaming). She's kind of a nerd (when given the chance she'll babble off about the history of something they come across and various other things unless told to stop), and a magical wunderkind. She comes close to being overpowered, but then reaches a point that actually makes things much more difficult for her to do (WHICH I REALLY LOVE). I'm just incredibly fond of her, for some reasons I can't even articulate. She loves raunchy bar songs, too.
Talia is Sleeping Beauty, in perhaps the most awesome interpretation of the fairytale I've ever seen. They take all the creepy implications from the original tale and bring them right to the surface and produce a fucking TANK. Talia's fairy gifts gave her grace for dancing, which she actually uses to kick your ass. She's sarcastic and blunt and fierce. She's also got the most pronounced vulnerabilities, but in a way that doesn't make her a liability. Did I also mention that her fantasy country is vaguely Middle Eastern (instead of vaguely European). Instead of just exoticizing her, it really does add to her character and motivations. The third book really goes into that, and it was lovely. She's also the only one not particularly feminine (Snow is VERY feminine, Danielle is unfussily so), which is great to see that one of them isn't and that not all of them are Amazonian stereotypes. Oh and Talia's a lesbian. I can count on one finger the number of lesbian princesses I've encountered in stories that weren't written for titillationand omg her old girlfriend. Yeah.
Also, I am five billion kinds of hearts over how Talia and Snow interact. Ship it (well I do NOT GONNA LIE), or not, seeing such a trusting (but bickering) relationship between two women in a story is just. Oh so much love. And it grows to include Danielle later on in the Triumvirate of Awesome.
Despite the sometimes dark subject matter contained in parts, the plot is fast and has some well deserved light moments. It's frank, doesn't gloss over things, and incredibly entertaining. Despite being very much PLOT, it's character-driven, which is some of my favorite kinds of stories.
There are supposed to be four books when it's all said and done, and the fourth comes out in June (GOD I HAVE TO WAIT). If you have a NOOK I would be incredibly willing to loan you any of them (if they aren't loaned out already, if so you have to wait :P).
Now to get back to the next Vorkosigan book, in which Miles is currently in a climate much like mine is right now (aka FREEZING)!
Pretty spoiler free, as in I will mention a tone of an ending or a random detail but not WHAT happens.
Professor Layton
So, I love this series because I am actually kind of a puzzle nut. This is how I keep from getting dumb, I think. Especially the math/number puzzles and the geometry ones. I don't know it just makes all the fucking math I had to take in school seem worth it. If I ever get to design a math game, I'm framing it as a mystery like the Layton series, for sure. Like you have no idea how much I desperately want to design this game, because even I kind of hate parts of mathematics and omg it would be the best way to teach it ever.
Anyway, some things I liked:
- They made the memo interface so much more awesome than the previous game. Being able to draw on top of the puzzle with multiple colors and thicknesses completely eliminated my need for scrap paper. It was wonderful and I'm surprised that it took this long for them to do that.
- The twist genuinely surprised me, though some of the details didn't. But maybe I was more focused on the puzzles than to speculate much about plot?
- I'm a little gay for Future Luke. I'm glad I solved all the puzzles and unlocked all the bonus materials so I could listen to Future Luke talk whenever I felt like it, because I am particularly fond of his voice. It's a very nice tone or something, and well, accent.
- Claire is really effing adorable. Though, Japan what is it with you and scientist girlfriends
- THE ENDING OMG SO SAD.
Things I didn't like:
- Luke and Layton, you really need to stop telling Flora to stay home like a good girl. Like, I'm used to this attitude in adventure games/stories, but it was like half their dialog to her. Layton, just make her an apprentice for realz already before I have to write fanfiction or make my own fan game, srsly.
- Belle. Could have done without the "ha ha a fat person likes Luke!" plot thread. More cringe-y than funny.
- Far more sliding block puzzles than I would have liked. Seriously, I am over sliding block puzzles like so much.
- DID I MENTION THE ENDING WAS SAD? THIS IS ALSO A NEGATIVE.
Back to the Future Episode 1
So, I love the movies far too much and I've babbled about that before, so let's jump into it.
Likes:
- THE TONE. THE CHARACTERIZATION. THE HUMOR. It's basically perfectly matching with the movies with just enough nods to previous established canon without retreading too much. A particular bit that I appreciated was Marty talking to Doc about his family (so they didn't retcon Doc and Clara, which makes me happy because I thought they were adorable in the third movie).
- EDNA. STRICKLAND. God, I hope I see more of her in the other episodes, she is the BEST new character they have added and I LOVE HER A LOT. I also really hope that something happens in the past to change her future a tad (not that I mind her as an old cat lady, she's kind of a fabulous old cat lady, I just want her to do better with her journalistic aspirations).
- YOUNG DOC. Not only is he ridiculously adorable, but he really adds to a lot of older Doc's motivations and in particular it helps me at least understand how he'd become friends with someone like Marty (not because they met in the past, but because of his relationship with his dad, imo). I also hope to see more of him in the other episodes.
- The voice acting is pretty amazing.
- I also really like that it's set in the 1930s.
Dislikes:
- It's an incredibly easy game. I like hints, I really do, but it's a little on the "we know you're lazy, here, this is how you do it" side. I don't mind it as much because it's kind of like really good interactive fanfic for me, so I just turn off as many of the helper things as possible.
- I kind of almost wish the villain were someone other than a Tannen. XD Though his mooks are kind of fabulous. But the conflict with time travel has always trumped the actual human villains, so.
- I have to wait until February for the next Episode, and they ended on a cliffhanger. GUH.
So overall I'm willing to overlook it's flaws because I'm a nerd. Also, it's really worth it to click on as many things as it'll let you, that's where some of the funny random moments happen. XD
The Princess Series
So I was one of those kids that read a lot of Tamora Pierce back in the day, which is great when you're 14, but when you read it as older you can see a bajillion flaws. And this is largely my problem with most speculative fiction YA actually; as an older person, there are just some things I don't have patience for. I don't like heroines wangsting over boys forever and a day, I am over special powers that serve as deus ex machina or eternal angst without character growth (with or as an agent of character growth I am on board). And believe me, I understand that books like that are fabulous when you're 15 and a part of your emotional growth and hey at least they are about girls but I am kind of an old curmudgeon sometimes.
These books seem to know this, and talk directly to me.
It's kind of freaky, actually. Jim C. Hines started writing this quartet because he wanted books that his daughter would read and enjoy. He's also got a background in helping out rape victims, which didn't surprise me after reading his books. In fact, each book addressing at least one kind of issue that ladyfolk face: loss of autonomy in particular is something that is downright horrific with magic and used quite wonderfully.
In a lot of ways, these books are about survivors--both positive and negative. The fact that both types are covered is something I'm impressed with, actually. Hell, how well some things are handled and how much depth the range of female characters have made me entirely surprised that this was written by a man (not that men can't, it's just typically not done all that well).
Anyway, this is gonna be long, so buckle up.
So, you take Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Cinderella and make them spies and active agents of The Kingdom, headed by the country's Queen (of awesome). I find that using those princesses to be ridiculously effective because their fairytale counterparts come from stories that tout their passivity has a positive thing... and kind of feed that into the bad parts of their backgrounds. Interestingly, the happy fuzzy Disney versions of their stories are what is typically known in their kingdoms, whereas the Grimm versions are much closer to the truth.
Danielle is Cinderella, and your primary character for the first book, which is good because she's just married her prince and is still adjusting to being royalty. Also, her stepsisters provide the impetus for much of the action too, it works well. After the first book it trades off between the main three (and even bits of the main antagonists) which is really nice. Danielle is the least cynical, incredibly trusting, and has the ability to talk to animals (even sharks and fun things like that), and has a magic glass sword. She grew on me quite a bit. She's kind of like the Team Mom with a sword.
Snow White actually goes by Snow, because her real name is rather fussy. She's the magic user of the group, though Talia made her some snowflake shuriken (SO CUTE). She channels her magic through her stepmom's old magic mirror via small mirrors she keeps around her neck (and hidden in her knife, which she keeps on hand cause blood is a common component in spells). She's actually my favorite (though barely edging out Talia). She's the youngest, the most promiscuous (and it's refreshingly played as just a part of her character and without slut-shaming). She's kind of a nerd (when given the chance she'll babble off about the history of something they come across and various other things unless told to stop), and a magical wunderkind. She comes close to being overpowered, but then reaches a point that actually makes things much more difficult for her to do (WHICH I REALLY LOVE). I'm just incredibly fond of her, for some reasons I can't even articulate. She loves raunchy bar songs, too.
Talia is Sleeping Beauty, in perhaps the most awesome interpretation of the fairytale I've ever seen. They take all the creepy implications from the original tale and bring them right to the surface and produce a fucking TANK. Talia's fairy gifts gave her grace for dancing, which she actually uses to kick your ass. She's sarcastic and blunt and fierce. She's also got the most pronounced vulnerabilities, but in a way that doesn't make her a liability. Did I also mention that her fantasy country is vaguely Middle Eastern (instead of vaguely European). Instead of just exoticizing her, it really does add to her character and motivations. The third book really goes into that, and it was lovely. She's also the only one not particularly feminine (Snow is VERY feminine, Danielle is unfussily so), which is great to see that one of them isn't and that not all of them are Amazonian stereotypes. Oh and Talia's a lesbian. I can count on one finger the number of lesbian princesses I've encountered in stories that weren't written for titillation
Also, I am five billion kinds of hearts over how Talia and Snow interact. Ship it (well I do NOT GONNA LIE), or not, seeing such a trusting (but bickering) relationship between two women in a story is just. Oh so much love. And it grows to include Danielle later on in the Triumvirate of Awesome.
Despite the sometimes dark subject matter contained in parts, the plot is fast and has some well deserved light moments. It's frank, doesn't gloss over things, and incredibly entertaining. Despite being very much PLOT, it's character-driven, which is some of my favorite kinds of stories.
There are supposed to be four books when it's all said and done, and the fourth comes out in June (GOD I HAVE TO WAIT). If you have a NOOK I would be incredibly willing to loan you any of them (if they aren't loaned out already, if so you have to wait :P).
Now to get back to the next Vorkosigan book, in which Miles is currently in a climate much like mine is right now (aka FREEZING)!
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How does Nook loaning work anyway? /NookNoob
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The only catch is you can only loan it to them for two weeks, and once. But for quick read books I assume friends will read immediately upon getting them means it would work out. And it is a loan for realz; if you've loaned out an ebook you can't view it yourself. It's nifty, if a little short.
Failing that, I know how to un-DRM things. XD I have nothing morally against sending certain people ebooks as long as they promise to buy a book later (any book really). I like ebooks, I want them to make authors money (though publishers can suck it sometimes).
And Jim Hines really is, and you can tell in his writing.
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