My wife and I are catching up on some TV, and started watching season three of Chuck tonight. In the first episode, they play Frightened Rabbit's "My Backwards Walk", from their stellar 2008 album The Midnight Organ Fight. The best thing is that the closing line of the song (which is sung several times) is "you're the shit and I'm knee-deep in it", and it slipped by the censors for millions of Americans' unsuspecting family-values-tweaked ears. I found that to be pretty funny. Also, they play a Pains of Being Pure At Heart song, so bonus points!
When tomorrow arrives, two important things happen in the UK: Silent Hill: Shattered Memories finally releases, and I, for the first time since No More Heroes, finally get a reason to play my Wii.
For anyone who doesn't know already, I'm a huge fan of the Silent Hill games, and replayed through the entire series (including Origins and Homecoming) around six months ago, in preparation for this game. As strange as it may seem though, it was only six months ago that I first played the original Silent Hill, and I'm really curious to see how the two games stack up against one another. I've heard that Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is completely different from the original, so I can't wait to play it to see what they've changed.
As the game has been out in North America for quite some time, have any of our readers had a chance to play it? If so, and you have anything you want to say about the game, then feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below -- just make sure to keep it spoiler-free though!
Just when he thought it had slipped quietly under the radar, we go and spoil everything. That's right folks, someone around here just had a birthday. However, to spare this person the pain of public humiliation, we have gone to great lengths to keep their identity a secret, with the exception of a few subtle hints. Nudge nudge, wink wink!
So readers, can you possibly guess who the lucky birthday boy is? Need another clue? Then hit the link below to read on!
I just finished your latest title in the Haloverse and I've got to say that it wasn't bad. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Of course it wasn't bad, it's a Halo game". Well, you need to chill out on all that "we did Halo" stuff. Look, your genre-redefining days are over. You handcrafted an FPS with a completely solid gameplay core, what was it, back in 2001? I'm not trying to be a dick. You did a great job, honestly. You carved into stone a fixed example for all other shooters to model themselves after. The problem is: they modeled themselves after it. You mainstreamed it and Battlefield and Call of Duty perfected it. It's okay - that's what happens. Sure your game is the poster boy for MLG but you're being lapped by the newer, younger generation. That's just the way it goes.
Now after playing ODST (which was really just Halo 3 again, but with better storytelling, right?) I have to say I'm feeling a bit nostalgic for the old "we kick ass, we're Bungie!" days when I awaited the next adventure. But you have to update, man! I just can't play your games when they stand mired in the same old formulas. I thought you'd break out of it with ODST; a story apart from the Master Chief. You didn't. The characters were really no good and the gameplay was identical to Halo 3 just with more backtracking. Really, only the plot kept me interested (that and it only took 6-7 hours to finish).
What I'm trying to say is this: I love you, Bungie. I really do. We've been together a long time. But the fact that we've shared a long past doesn't mean that I shouldn't be happy, does it? I just can't stay with you if you refuse to change. You need to look around and draw inspiration from those that you once inspired. Be a little more realistic; no one jumps 25 feet in the air! Hot pink glowing neon aliens!? What am I, in an episode of Jem? Just.... reel it in okay, B? I know you have so much talent. You've got me interested in Reach. Hopefully you can deliver on that one. Please don't make it Halo 3.1.
Harlem's Hippies is my first "favorite record" of the year. Harlem is a three-peice garage rock band from Austin, and this is their second album. Its 16 tracks finish in a little over 40 minutes, and it's an exhausting experience. Although the songs are only a minute or two long each, I have a hard time taking in more than half of them at once. As it stands, I've been cutting it up into halves just so I don't go crazy.
The issue is that each song is so potent, so full of energy and vigor, that it's draining. But trust me, this is a good thing. From the outset of track one, "Someday Soon", you know you're onto something big here; this opener has at least six subtle melodies that are hidden inside a back-to-the-basics rock and roll track. The album culminates early, in track six, "Gay Human Bones", which has my favorite chorus of 2010. This is an album created by kids that grew up listening to Nirvana, who then decided to be the next Beatles, without forgetting where they came from.
I'll be the first to admit that there isn't a ton of variety in this album, but that's what I find so engrossing. I love it when a band takes one sound, one style, and fills an album full of intricacies within these parameters. It's how The Strokes' debut clicked so well, and it's the reason why I'll be listening to Hippies all year long.
Congratulations Stephen Kielce! You won our first ever Game Giveaway for the Left 4 Dead 2 megafunsuperbonanza! I sent off your package today and you should be seeing it sometime within a week. There's only one stipulation: we have to get a game of L4D2 going in the near future.
Thanks again for taking part in the site.
And for everybody else, keep coming back for a chance to win big in our next giveaway.
In truth, I was probably never going to buy this car in the first place (I prefer the danger of a runaway Toyota any day), but Ford cemented the fact that I'm going to stay away from the Fusion Hybrid simply because of how much this commercial annoys me.
Suddenly video game players are a key demo (graphic - not topia), and we are being sold things other than the normal nerd shit that we are used to. I don't like it. Plus, as a current Ford owner myself, I know for a fact that after about 20,000 miles, that little leaf thing is going to break, your "Check Engine" light will come on, and that's how it's going to be for the rest of the vehicle's life.
I don't visit GamesRadar.com enough, but they have a piece going right now where they mix up one letter of game titles to moderately funny effect. Head over to their site for the whole list!
PopCap Games has quite an offer going right now. If you sign up for their newsletter, you can gift a copy of Peggle Nights (PC or Mac) to a friend. In other words, if you have two email addresses floating around, YOU can be that friend.
I read about this offer last night, and I didn't plan on writing about it, but then I played a bit of Peggle Nights and decided that everyone deserves to play it. For free. It usually costs $20.
The Easy Mode Podcast #5: This week is all about Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Heroes of Gaia, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, FEAR 2, and Prince of Persia.
Russ Crandall Senior Editor Mark Hill Associate Editor, Podcast Host Tyler Miller Associate Editor, Artistic Director Steve McKay Contributor, United Kingdom Giang Cao Contributor, Australia
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Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!