Portal 2 picks up where Portal left off, preserving the same original concepts and attitude. This time, however, there are more portals, more physics, less portals, more flubber and other goos, and other new surprises. This game is longer and more story driven than the first.
The main attraction here is the puzzles, which at times require some creative thinking. If you have played Portal, you may find Portal 2 puzzles less challenging simply because you have practice. The good news is that there are some new mechanics added in to change things up, like the gels. Also worth noting is that there seems to be less emphasis on perfect portal placement in many puzzles, since valid portal surfaces are limited, and more emphasis on putting all the provided pieces together. Some good news for casual gamers is that there is also low reliance on quick reflexes.
The game also features a co-op mode, extending the game with puzzles requiring cooperation between two players to solve. This drastically increases replayability since you can get a new experience with a different partner. For example, you can find fun and creative new ways to kill your partner. This part is very well done, with gestures, signaling (such as a synchronized count-down), and voice chat. It also appears easily extendable, which might mean more content being added later.
Portal 2 is an amazing science-fiction comedy first-person puzzle action adventure game. The story is brilliant and absolutely hilarious, with lots of unexpected turns. Definitely recommended!
Well my internet connection was down yesterday so instead of the usual internet stuff, I wrote a few movie reviews.
The Adjustment Bureau is a story about a mysterious group that oversees everyone’s fate, making subtle adjustments as needed to ensure things go as planned. A mistake is made, exposing the group to rebellious politician David Norris and causing him to attempt to defy fate by being with a woman he loves. It’s a constant struggle between the bureau and Norris. It’s a very unique film with an interesting concept. I rate it 89/100.
127 Hours is a true story about Aron Ralston, a rock climber who becomes literally trapped between a rock and a hard place via his arm. He’s stranded there for several days until he manages to amputate his own arm with a dull knife. The movie is almost entirely James Franco, stuck in one place, but he does a good job conveying his helplessness. I found the film slow at parts but it manages to stay interesting with some hallucinations. Be warned, the amputation scenes are fairly graphic. I rate it 107/127.
Snatch is several stories all intertwined in interesting and unexpected ways. It’s a comedic account of organized criminals doing various bad and crazy things in London. A large stolen diamond seems to play a part in all of these activities in some capacity. The film is very well crafted with a satisfying ending. I give it an A+.
Live on I-5 is the first live compilation album released by Soundgarden. It contains 17 recordings from the West Coast part of their 1996 tour, so it covers all parts of Soundgarden’s career. It also features two covers to change things up a bit.
The quality of the recordings is excellent, with a full sound and a good mix of everything. You can make out all the parts with clarity. I found the crowd noise excessive at parts, but the band is plenty loud.
My only regret is not pre-ordering directly from SoundgardenWorld.com since that was the only way to get the bonus track and soundcheck CD. There was also a bonus DVD for buying the album at Best Buy, but that was just three songs from the 2010 Lollapalooza. I guess you have to choose which bonus you want or buy it twice? That’s dumb.
Update: I downloaded the bonus tracks via iTunes and it was worth it. They sound great!
If you are at all interested in chemistry or science like I am, I recommend checking out Periodic Videos. They have a video on each and every element in the periodic table as well as many molecules and other chemistry topics. Their videos are very educational and most are pretty entertaining.
This is one of my favorite YouTube subscriptions. Below is a selection of a few of my favorite videos on their channel. They are some of the more fierier and explodier videos.
Here’s the quad-tower mob trap we built in Minecraft. I came up with the design and, with lots of help from two other members, built it over the last week or two.
Mad Libs produce some of the most ridiculous stories…
It was during the Battle of Baboon when I was running through a Mika when a bingo went off right next to my platoon. Our bull rider yelled for us to poop to the nearest Taco Bell we could find. When we got to the Taco Bell we laughed to start a fire. As we were starting the fire the enemy saw the foot from the fire and started running sheep at us. We all quickly ducked behind the addiction at the Taco Bell and returned fire. We quickly eliminated the enemy and were angry that we had won the battle.
In order to wash your face discretely, you must wet your shoe in warm dish soap. Then, spelunk it across your face 387,432 times. This will wash off any remaining germanies. When you are done you should fart the cloth in green water to clean it. You should also wash your face with a hat to keep it smooth and shiny. This will also keep away pigs. Don’t worry. It is normal to experience lupus the first time you try this. Consult your polo player if you break out in spleens. This works well on your testicle too!
In the book War of the Monkeys, the main character is an anonymous douche bag who records the arrival of badgers in WalMart. Needless to say, havoc reigns as the badgers continue to masturbate everything in sight, until they are killed by the common banana.
Dear Avocado,
Today was my first day at NASA. It was so horrible! I only met 1236 people…and very few of them seemed to strike up any interest. A purple proctologist called me a penis face, and then this girl named Lindsay Lohan laughed at my rotund outfit. I can’t believe what happened today. Anyway, I did enjoy some of it. I met this one tailor named Justin Bieber. This person was super little. I think we’ll slyly become ignorant whales. Maybe tomorrow will be better. After all, it was only the first day. Well I think I will leave you with what one of my assassins said to me. “Dude, where’s my car?”
Look, I guarantee there’ll be swirly times. I guarantee that at some sparkler, 7 or both of us is gonna want to get out of this taco. But I also guarantee that if I don’t ask you to be bedazzled, I’ll repress it for the rest of my duck, because I know, in my larynx, you’re the average one for me.
The orange dragon is the largest dragon of all. It has oily ear holes, and a tongue shaped like a flower. It loves to eat bees, although it will feast on nearly anything. It is granular and okay. You must be slow around it, or you may end up as it’s meal!
Come throw at WALMART, where you’ll receive tangible discounts on all of your favorite brand name furnaces. Our gluttony and sleeping associates are there to fart you 42 hours a day. Here you will find peel prices on the bicycles you need. Gussets for the moms, Internets for the kids and all the latest electronics for the mothers. So come on down to your flaming fluffy WALMART where the figs come first.
Saving the best for last…
Dear Cousin,
I am having a glittery time at camp. The counselor is positive and the food is concave. I met Kilgore and we became green friends. Unfortunately, Kilgore is Bohemian and I jousted my anal sphincter so we couldn’t go thrusting like everybody else. I need more hockey pucks and a bed sharpener, so please lethargically bone more when you construct back.
Your Uncle,
Porky
Scoop is a very special squid and we felt his life was in danger in his original home, so we decided to move him to our new fortress in a remote mountainous region.
Live on I-5 is the first live compilation album released by Soundgarden. It contains 17 recordings from the West Coast part of their 1996 tour, so it covers all parts of Soundgarden’s career. It also features two covers to change things up a bit.