Pile Of Shame - Video Game Edition UPDATE

A quick update to my pile of shame. It has not shrunk. It has grown. Two months since I announced my grand plans and they have not happened yet. Shocking. I did spend a bit of time playing some random games as noted previously. I spent the majority of my gaming time playing Football Manager 2009 and World of Warcraft. In the few hours I didn't spend in those games, I was buying other games. Damn you internet and your sales. I did play some Pirates and Railroads, so those aren't really shame games. But I haven't touched Hitman, Hitman 2, Hitman 3, Drakensang or Vampire: The Masquerade at all.

This weekend I will endeavor to clear something from my pile of shame. My World Of Warcraft account is not active. Dragon Age comes out tuesday. So, I have three days to do something about my pile before Dragon Age arrives and consumes all my free time.

My September of Computer Gaming

I am typically a console gamer. These days almost exclusively on the xbox360. This year, I have started to devote some more of gaming time to playing games on the computer. I use a Mac, so gaming isn't that easy. Back in January I installed Windows Vista on a separate partition, so that i could join the rest of the world and play some PC games. It has been a pretty good year. September was particularly eventful, so I've decided to make a little list of the games I played last month.

Football Manager 2009 - Every other year or so, I become completely addicted to this game. I love it so much, but I really have to keep it out of sight or it would take over and not let me play any other games. So I played this and nothing else for about three weeks this year. Then I put it away and will probably return to it again in January.

Desktop Tower Defense - My first tower defense game. It is supposedly one of the better ones. I enjoyed it for thirty minutes or so. I will return periodically, but not something I want to play every day.

Tropico 3 Demo - I played a shit-ton of Tropico back in the day. There is a new version coming out next month that looks like a return to the excellence of the original Tropico. the demo was great. I will definitely be buying this game at some point.

Majesty 2 Demo - I am not a fan of RTSs (real-time strategy), so I was quite skeptical that would like this game which is sort of an RTS. It came highly recommended, so I gave it a shot. In this game you don't actually control any units, which is why I was interested. You build buildings which allow you to build different types of units, but once created the units just cruise around and do their own thing. You can lure them to certain areas. Place an exploration bounty on an area and some unit will want to cruise out there to collect the gold. Declare that you want the wolves cleared out of an area and will pay 500 gold and some hero will wander over to kill the wolves. A nifty idea. The first scenario in the demo was quite fun and short. The second was way to fucking hard. I can't see myself paying $40 for this, but if it goes on sale I will think about giving it a further look.

Prison Tycoon 4 Demo - I have never really played a Tycoon game and this one sounded like it could be fun. It was also on sale for $5, but instead of just buying it I checked out the demo. There was no real tutorial, so I spent about 45 minutes trying to figure out how the game worked. I never really got the hang of it and it didn't seem like it would be as fun as I had hoped. So, I didn't buy it.

Diablo 2 - I've never played Diablo and I keep hearing about its awesomeness, so it was time to try it out. My wife had a copy sitting around, so I installed it and jumped right in. Two hours of clicking the mouse button later, I quit the game. I didn't really have that much fun. If I had played Diablo back in the day I probably would have enjoyed it, but it isn't the type of gaming experience I am looking for right now.

Sid Meier's Pirates - Another update to a game I played a lot as a teenager. Pirates was awesome and this version is awesome too. It was on sale for $5 and I bought it and I love it.

Sid Meier's Railroads - I've never played the computer game version of Railroad Tycoon, so I dropped $5 on this to give it a try. I played it pretty obsessively for about three days and had a super great time. I will definitely be putting more hours into this.

Drakensang: The Dark Eye - An 80-hour, single-player RPG that has been getting solid reviews. I figured I would pick this up eventually. Then it went on sale for $5 and I bought it. Haven't tried it out yet, but it looks like it will be a good time.

World Of Warcraft - It looked like that would be the end of my computer gaming for September, but my son activated his World Of Warcraft account again recently. He was complaining about not having enough gold to get his flying training, so I activated my account to send him some gold. And since my account was now active for the first time in a year, I decided to check in on my characters. And now I've been back playing WOW for a couple weeks. It has been fun getting back in. My son and I spent the vast majority of last weekend cruising around together and we had a blast. I know I am not back in WOW for good, but I will give it a month and have some fun before Dragon Age comes out next month...

Mark's Box - October 2009

Holy crap. This was my biggest box ever. Chock full of awesome. I haven't been reading comics the last couple weeks because I've been reading some non-graphic novels. But this box is making me wish I wasn't in the middle of two books right now. I need to start reading these things as soon as possible.

But first, a quick update on last month's featured titles. Pax Romana = Awesome. Essex County = Still unread. Unknown Soldier = Mildly intriguing, but not for me.

This month's titles that did not make the top three or have been previously mentioned: Pluto Vol 5, Black Jack Vol 6, Black Jack Vol 7, Marvel 1602 (by Neil Gaiman), Marvel Masterworks Avengers Vol 2, Ythaq Vol 2, and more...

Anyone who can spot the connection between this month's featured titles and posts a comment is entered in a contest to win my copy of Unknown Soldier trade paperback volume one.

V For Vendetta by Alan Moore & David Lloyd - A little known early work from an up-and coming talent. Well, maybe not. Alan Moore. Heard of him? He wrote a little book called Watchmen that got a bit of press recently. This is probably his second most 'famous' book and I've never read it. That will change soon. Really looking forward to this one. Amazon link

Promethea by Alan Moore, JH Williams III, & Mick Gray - To kind of quote the wikipedia article: 'Promethea explored Moore's ideas about consciousness, mysticism, magic, écriture féminine and the Kabbalah.' I am not even sure what all those words mean, but it sounds highfalutin and possibly awesome. If anyone can make that awesome, I trust Alan Moore to do it. Amazon link

Tom Strong by Alan Moore & Chris Sprouse - It's got a gorilla, so it must be good. Tom Strong is a tribute to the old-timey pulp comics from Alan Moore. Tom Strong is a 'science-hero' who lives forever or something like that. Should be a groovy read. Amazon link

Mark's Box - September 2009

October's box should be here very soon and I still haven't told you about September's box. The reason? Football Manager. I have been seriously addicted to this game. So, that is why I am getting this post up so late.

Update on August's box: Echo by Terry Moore - I have read the first two trades and I really like what I have seen so far. A great foundation that hints at awesome stuff to come. Prince Valiant by Harold Foster - I was secretly hoping this book would be boring, so that I didn't have to buy all the rest of them. (Un) fortunately, it was far from boring. It was quite fun and I am looking forward to reading and buying the next twenty-something volumes.

On first glance, this month's box wasn't quite as awesome as last month's, but still plenty of great stuff. I've mentioned these titles before: The Walking Dead Vol 10, 20th Century Boys Vol 4, The Sword Vol 2, & Ikigami Vol 2. And now on to the new featured items.

Pax Romana by Jonathan Hickman - If you were to design the perfect comic book for me, this book would meet eight of the ten things I love most about comics. I don't really know what those ten things are, but I do know the two things it lacks. What is not lacking is truly amazing story and art. In the near future, scientists working for the Catholic Church develop time travel. So, they decide to send some people back to Constantinian era Rome in order to help the Church and humanity develop a bit differently. Hilarity ensues. Actually, no hilarity, but plenty of awesomeness. The one thing this book really needs is more pages, more volumes, more, more, more. Amazon link.

Collected Essex County by Jeff Lemire - I don't know much about the story in this book, but I have heard from 742 sources that Jeff Lemire's Essex County trilogy is amazing. So, when they announced this one volume collection, I figured I should get it. Haven't read it yet. Amazon link.

Unknown Soldier by Joshua Dysart & Alberto Ponticelli - I am not sure about this book. I am halfway through reading it, but it hasn't grabbed me yet. The setting is what caught my interest. It takes place in Uganda and concerns the Lord's Resistance Army, night commuters and child soldiers. I am not sure about the execution of the story though. I will finish it today and hopefully have something better to say then. Amazon link.

Pile Of Shame - Video Game Edition

I became aware of the term 'Pile of Shame' through the excellent Gamers With Jobs podcast/website/forums. I do believe the term originated elsewhere, perhaps over at 1up as some have suggested. In my definition, the pile of shame refers to the stack of media I have spent money on, but haven't consumed yet. In these tough economic times, I am going to endeavor to shrink my piles of shame. It makes sense to go back and play games I have already spent money on before spending money on new games. This is partly motivated by a lack of games coming out that really interest me. The only game scheduled for this year that I am dying to play is Dragon Age Origins. My plan is to make that my only video game purchase for myself for the rest of the year. At the same time, I am going to attempt to keep playing the games I already own. So, let's take a look at what games I own, haven't finished, and might possibly play. If you see one of your favorites here, be sure to mention it and I will maybe move it to the top of the stack.

Xbox 360

Fallout 3 Downloadable Content (I have played about 100 hours of Fallout 3, but haven't touched any of the FOUR expansions.)

Fable II (I played quite a bit, but I was mildly disappointed in the game. I need to play it some more.)

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (i have put tons of hours in, but still haven't finished the expansion)

Overlord (half finished)

Banjo Kazooie: Nuts And Bolts (10% finished)

Enchanted Arms (never played)

Just Cause (60% finished)

The Orange Box: Portal (never played)

The Orange Box: Half Life (barely started)

Viva Pinata (not played nearly enough)

Xbox Live Arcade

Peggle

Magic The Gathering

Xbox

Armed and Dangerous

Beyond Good and Evil

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas (60% finished)

Oddworld Munch's Oddysee

Oddworld Strangers Wrath

Panzer Dragoon Orta

Shenmue II

XIII (50% finished)

Playstation 2

The Bard's Tale (10% finished)

Bully (50% finshed)

Final Fantasy X

The Getaway

God Of War

Ico

Jak II

Jak 3

Katamari Damacy

Kingdom Hearts II

Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil

Shadow Of The Colossus

Sly 2: Band of Thieves

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves

Suikoden IV

Viewtiful Joe 2

Playstation

Final Fantasy I

Final Fantasy II

Final Fantasy IX

The Legend of Dragoon

Oddworld Abe's Exoddus

Oddworld Abe's Oddysee

The X-Files

Gamecube

iNinja

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (50% finished)

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

Tales Of Symphonia (60% finished)

Viewtiful Joe

Gameboy

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney

Metal Gear Solid

PC

Mount & Blade

King's Bounty: The Legend

Far Cry

World Of Goo

Dark Messiah Might & Magic

Tomb Raider: Anniversary

Mark's Box - August 2009

Has it really been a month since I have posted anything? I have had lots of posts in mind, but I've been too lazy to sit and post them. Or perhaps I was too engrossed in other things...

An update on last month's box: Ythaq was pretty interesting. The story took a bit of time to hook me, but I was drawn into it by the end. The art is quite wonderful. I look forward to more. Low Moon by Jason was quite excellent too. Jason ended up winning another Eisner this year and Low Moon will probably be nominated next year. He really is one of the best in the business right now. I haven't gotten around to Sleeper yet.

This month's box may be one of the best boxes I have ever gotten. There is so much good stuff in it, I really don't know where to start. I don't feature items on here that I have listed in the past, but I will list the stuff I got this week that I can't wait to read. Mouse Guard: Winter 1152, Northlanders Vol 2, Pluto Vol 4, and Red Sonja Vol 6. I really should start reading them all right now. Aside from all that awesomeness there are some new books that look quite cool. Here is the top three:

Echo by Terry Moore - I have no idea what this book is about. Terry Moore wrote Strangers In Paradise for years and I have loved the first few books of that series. He has also done some writing for Marvel that I will be picking up soon. I had a brief chat with him at Comic-Con and he was very nice considering the stuff I was babbling wasn't making much sense. Check this book out on Amazon here.

The Nobody by Jeff Lemire - Jeff Lemire is one of the most celebrated indie comic creators of the last few years. His Essex County trilogy has won tons of awards. I haven't read it, but it should be showing up in a box sometime soon. This story takes the classic character the Invisible Man and drops him into a modern town. Sounds quite cool. Check it out on Amazon here.

Prince Valiant, Vol. 1: 1937-1938 by Hal Foster - Super old school comic strips from the newspapers. This book is huge. I don't think it will fit on my shelves. I love reading comics from way back when and this one looks awesome. The strip lasted for something like 35 years. I am looking forward to an epic tale. Check out a cool review of it here. And it is on Amazon here.

Mark's Box - July 2009

Low Moon by Jason - Quite a hefty box this month. It was tough picking my three favorites. Up first we have the new book from Jason. He won the Eisner award in 2007 and 2008 for Best US Edition of International Material (Non-Japan) and is nominated again this year. Low Moon will probably be nominated next year. So, you know the industry types love him and so do I. This will be the next book I start reading. Check it out on Amazon here.Sleeper, Season One by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips - I read a couple issues of Sleeper, Season Two awhile back and it was quite excellent. So, I decided to wait until all the trades were released to get the whole story. This story spins off from Point Blank and then moves to Sleeper, Season Two which should be here soon. I can't wait to dig in to the whole thing. Amazon has it here.
Ythaq: The Forsaken World by Christophe Arleston & Adrien Floch - Marvel has struck a deal with a French comic company called Soleil. Marvel is bringing several of Soleil's titles to the US and Ythaq is the second I have picked up. The art looks amazing and I am really looking forward to reading this science fiction epic. Check it out at Amazon here.