Been needing a new backpack as of late. Getting tired of the messenger bags and decided I’d go back to the good ol’ backpack. But I really loathed my last pack. It was huge, ugly, and just not comfortable. So wanting a nice little excellent quality backpack I went to the TimBuk2 site since they made some awesome messengers. Sadly though, while they do look pretty tough yet still comfortable, their whole line of backpacks looked.. ugly. Just not to my aesthetics. So I had to head onto a different company. After some scrounging of the internets I stumbled upon Crumpler. Was looking around the site and really developed a liking to the Yee Ross, especially in green. Wasn’t that bad of a price at $85 either. Everything was going swell until I saw the dimensions. Damn that thing is tiny. So I looked at the next step up, the Salary Sacrifice. Instantly loved it, but at $50 more, a little hefty on my wallet. Eventually I convinced myself it’d be worth the investment in the long run and purchased it.

Got it a few days ago and must say it’s definitely the most comfortable (and sexy) pack I’ve ever had. Tried it with a huge college text book, 3 workbooks, a binder, and my Dell Mini9. Lemme just say I was surprised that they all fit in there. Now hopefully when the time comes I won’t have to lug around that much stuff but it’s good to know it’ll fit. Overall my initial impressions were great. Quality seemed good, design was just as awesome in person, and seems like it’ll last me quite a while. I’ll post again after 6 months or a year of use to see how it’s held up. Till next time! (more…)

Microsoft has been trying to relieve some of the summer games drought by releasing a slew of XLBA games. ‘Splosion Man, a game I talked about before was one of them. Well their last game release and definitely the biggest is called Shadow Complex. Developed by Chair, this game is basically a modern reboot of the classic Metroid and Castlevania side scrolling type game. What makes the game even more special is that it’s fully rendered in 3D but you’re restricted to only 2D movement. This breathes a new life into the genre making things seem less crowded and much grander.

I never really got into Metroid or Castlevania when I was younger. Mainly due to the fact that I was pretty much too young and just bought box art that looked cool and stuck with Mario. Did give them a try when they came to the GBA and had a lot of fun with them. But really I think the culmination of the genre has hit with Shadow Complex. Well at least for me. I always felt daunted with item collecting and finding secret passages in Metroid. But in Shadow Complex everything felt.. right. Yeah horrible way to put it but it just did. Nothing felt too easy or too hard. It was all just so much fun. I haven’t experience this much joy in a game since well maybe Yoshi’s Island (greatest game of all time). And that was well over 10 years ago for me. I’ve just been wanting to play it so bad but sadly I just haven’t had the time. Plus I gotta play Arkham Asylum and Layton still.

So yeah Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade was pretty awesome this year. ‘Splosion Man was a blast (pun semi-intended), almost got Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Turtles in Time but wanted to save my money, and they saved the best for last, Shadow Complex. Definitely worth the $15 they charge. Hell I’d pay regular game price for it. It’s just that good.

Was lucky to go to a screening of this while up in New York thanks to my sister. In case you don’t know, yeah I’m a big Zooey fan so sue me. Ever since Elf, blah blah blah. Anyway wasn’t really sure what to expect from the movie when I first saw it. Heard a little here and there, but nothing major. All I know was as the trailer said, “This is not a love story. It’s a story about love.” So as I was sitting in the theater I was pretty much shaking with anticipation.

First thing that stood out in the movie was how it was told. It didn’t progress in a linear fashion. It pretty much skipped around to various big moments in Tom and Summer’s relationship. For example, it’d go from their first meeting to them arguing to Tom sulking to their first kiss, etc. While you’d think that it would be confusing, it actually isn’t thanks to clever storytelling. Second thing that I loved was how funny it actually was. Most romantic comedies these days rely on embarrassment humor. Toss the male lead into a weird situation and see how he reacts. Hilarity ensues! This one actually had some genuine humor which was awesome. My favorite part involved a Tom’s reaction from their first night together. I must say, best Harrison Ford cameo EVER. Thirdly was how relatable the movie was. All of the various stages Tom went through will probably remind you of one of your past experiences. It just feels so good to watch a movie about a relationship that isn’t perfect ’cause life just isn’t. Lastly the acting. The relationship between Tom and Summer feels so genuine. Most romantic comedies have an odd stiffness about them, but 500 didn’t. Zooey had the charm and Jason played the love struck guy wonderfully. I really hope to see this pair together in a future movie.

So yeah I pretty much adored this movie. I’d say it’s in my top 2 of romantic comedies; right up there with 10 Things I Hate About You (oddly enough also starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Definite must see for EVERYONE. Can’t wait till it comes out on DVD/Blu-ray so I can make it my new monthly watch.
(more…)

Not many people know this about me but I adore point and click adventure games. Sure I was introduced late to the game /coughjustafewyearsago, but that doesn’t mean I can’t love the shit out of ‘em. It all basically started with some extremely old adventure games that were packed into our first Hewlett Packard. Played those games hundreds of times from beginning to end. But as FPSs, RTSs, and the like were introduced to my life I eventually forgot about those types of games. It wasn’t until the recent release of the Sam and Max series by Telltale Games that I was reminded about the genre. Got all the episodes of both seasons and loved them to pieces. The humor, the wit, and the genuinely fun puzzles just kept my interest all the way through. I absolutely cannot wait for the next season to start, which won’t be for a while.

But luckily Telltale Games is rebooting another adventure classic and that is the Monkey Island series. Having no background in the series I felt like I had to at least give The Curse of Monkey Island a try. Oddly enough, the game had been released on the Xbox Live Arcade with a brand new graphic face lift, so I got it right away and immediately fell in love with it. Played the entire game in a few days and was just stunned at how much fun it was. Really hope they release the sequels on XBLA also. Armed with some back story to the universe I went ahead and downloaded the first episode of The Tales of Monkey Island.

I was surprised to find that the game retained the MK sense of humor quite well. “Those socks need a good darning. DARN YOU SOCKS!” Also the puzzles were quite fun. Not too easy or difficult as long as you thought them through, much like Sam and Max. My only gripe, which shouldn’t even count, is that they’re too short. But when the episodes are delivered monthly it’s hard to take offense to that. I just get so into the story and characters that the wait between episodes is just so depressing. So yeah check out this series.
(more…)