August 21st, 2006Previous Entry | Archive Index | Current Blog | Next Entry Hitman: Bloody Money 
 Some would call it a marathon, but I think as far as my personality is concerned, "binge" would be a better word. I binged on Hitman: Blood Money this weekend, almost to the exclusion of all else. I did not sleep much, or eat very well, or engage in those activities that have been saving me from video game addiction for a few years now. I fell off the wagon, hit the skids, all those other colorful phrases for "went back to the needle." And I loved it. And I am glad it's over.Hitman is a very compelling game since it allows a player's personal style to be a component in the play. You are a paid assassin, and you can take on your assignments with guns blazing, loud explosions, and the world's enmity as a badge of honor. Or you can sneak in quietly, make nary a ripple in the water, and sneak out cleaner than in. For me, at last, it was justification for the ways I used to play Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark, back when the N64 was the hot machine. I like to go slow, hit from a distant, nary a shell casing nor a gram of TNT wasted. Hitman ads another dimension to this by allowing you to arrange "accidents" in order to eliminate some target. Substitute the prop gun for a real one and watch the doomed Opera singer take his final bow, literally. Poison a cake so that the groom, who should know better ends, up dying at his own hands. Almost every level has this option. And of course, since I was playing it on the Xbox 360, the biggest reason I was glommed to it was for the achievements. 70% of the game is finishable in Rookie Mode, and that's all I played-- I have 7 achievements left to obtain, at the different difficulty levels, which I'll save for another rental period. There's a significant backstory to Hitman, but I barely paid attention, as this was the first in the series I had ever played. Something about clones going rogue, vaguely Blade-Runnerish, but not futuristic at all. (Interested folks can check it out Wikipedia: Hitman). Lots of cut scenes between levels, but not enough to make me feel the Final Fantasy-it is. And the voice acting was not so bad. Oh, but the soundtrack is really amazing. It features a lot of classical material, and enhances the mood of the various levels expertly. This title delivers if you've got the time for it, and so I very much recommend it for aficionados of the genre. Pass it if you're looking for a quick Mario diversion, or if you want to get in some multiplayer. Unless the other players are happy being observers. It's a fun game to watch too.
Let's Talk About Addiction And I began to think, maybe that's what it's like for addicts. I know it was like that (sometimes still is) when I get hungry, and I find it difficult to think of genuinely good reason not to eat chocolate cake. I know, of course, that it's bad for me; I just can't remember why. Of course with food, its "easy" to keep this from happening-- but eating a little bit all the time, I don't have time to feel empty. But how would you do that with alcohol? It's not as if alcoholics can stay a little bit drunk all the time. Even though they may want too. Here's what I'm counting on: the videogame brainage will fade, and things will return to normal. Now, since I was at it hard-hard-core, I expect this to take a few hours. Thankfully I had kickball last evening, which helped. And today there is no hangover; I am back work and blogging and reading up for class and so forth. This is how it is for everyone with most things. We indulge, but the good feelings fade and they don't motivate us to prioritize. Except for addicts. You could say addicts have incredible imaginations. I remember that I got drunk, and I can remember just bit what it felt like. But addicts can't forget what it felt like. For a long long time. And that's why they call it a handicap-- it literally keeps them from functioning like everyone else. Anyway, that's what I got out of binging. Hope you get something out of your next overindulgence too.
Kickball--Loser Bowl
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Yeah, we lost, but it was close. I scored a few runs, and would've scored more if the Ump knew how to protect his runners (here's a tip-- when an infielder runs across the base line to try and knock the player over, don't give him the out). Otherwise it was fun, though we where short on girls and so could not filed all ten players-- only 8. Ah well. So that's the end of the Sunday night Ballard league, and as you know, the Thursday night Greenlake league has already started, so hurray for that. Go 3rd Grade bad-Asses!