Yeah, It's a Lazy, Dog-Dangling Afternoon

Yeah, it's a lazy dog-dangling afternoon.

So I guess the word of the week here in New Hampshire is "Snow." I think it's finally stopped out there but we've just received another two feet or so to add to the three or four that are already blanketing the state. On the bright side, when it finally stops snowing it looks dang beautiful out in the sun. On the even brighter side, school was once again canceled today which means that it's been another lazy day of staying in my warm pajamas and breaking up homework with movies, TV, and video games.

There's something inherently exciting about finding a new TV show that is really interesting and being able to watch entire seasons. That is why I love you, Netflix. Recently I watched the first two seasons of the Animal Planet series River Monsters. If you haven't seen it and have any interest in insanely large or strange fish then I would highly suggest it (make sure you have a strong stomach too though because it can get gross). The host, Jeremy Wade, is just plain awesome. Not only is he a biologist and "extreme angler" but he's definitely entertaining to watch and most episodes play out in a sort of "CSI" was-this-fish-really-the-murderer sort of way.



Apart from that I haven't really been watching too much television because I've been caught up with a fair amount of reading for school and the release of LittleBigPlanet 2 and Dead Space 2. Starting with the reading - I was assigned a memoir called The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid for my nonfiction writing workshop course and I have to say that I definitely enjoyed it. The novel follows the hooligan escapades of the author, Bill Bryson's, childhood in Des Moines, Iowa. I always find it interesting reading up about life in a different time (1950s) from a personable source. The thing about Bryson's writing that bothers some but I found enjoyable is that everything is exaggerated in a humorous way. Personally, I felt like it made the novel move along very fast and was enjoyable to read.

Now what can I say about LittleBigPlanet 2 other than it is downright incredible. I think a common worry about the release was how Media Molecule would be able to expand upon such a great game. Well I can assure you that you needn't worry anymore. All of the minor improvements to an already brilliant formula work together seamlessly to create what will definitely be one of this year's game of the year contenders (in January no less!). It may not seem like much to just list them, but even the small additions of the bounce pad, grappling hook, grabinators, and controllinator, make a fun game that much more fun. And don't even get me started on the community content - I played an Aladdin themed level last night with my friend and it was mind-blowing. Believe me, I don't say this lightly, but it was comparable to Capcom's SNES Aladdin game (man, I love Aladdin).

Finally, as for Dead Space 2, I'm only about halfway through it but I can already say that it is also a fantastic sequel. While I'm actually not a huge fan of the gore and general gross-ness of necromorphs exploding all over the place, the game-play and story are too dang brilliant to resist. I think Dead Space 2's real claim to fame though is simply in it's genius HUD and inventory system. Everything you need to know (from health to ammo count) is displayed either on Isaac himself, on the weapon, or within the RIG (holographic display). Dead Space 2 is just one of those games you can't stop playing because you just need to get to the next part of solid gameplay.

And with that I think I'm going to go play some Dead Space 2 and then get back to my homework but please don't be afraid to leave me comments... about anything really. What have you been watching, reading, playing, laughing at, eating... or whatever?

~Ben Gentry