random ramblings

End of the weekend

It’s been a fantastic weekend and I’m wrapping it up by drinking an Amsterdam Boneshaker IPA; holy cow it’s amazing stuff. I’d rank it a very, very close second to Muskoka Brewery’s Twice As Mad Tom IPA - which has a more malty character and matches the insane amount of hops in a way that makes the bitterness more subtle. Basically it’s a 4.8/5 compared to a 5/5. I wasn’t a big fan of hoppy beers but the Twice as Mad Tom made me an instant convert when I had to fortune to sample it at the brewery itself.

So, a wonderful weekend. Jamming to Peter Schilling’s Major Tom (auf Englisch) and before that it was a live version of Frank Zappa’s Mr. Green Genes from the Hot Rats album (I like the live version and the studio rendition equally - awesome musicianship and killer music). Picked up a new Canon point-and-shoot this weekend (a black A3500IS); I have to say it’s quite a gem. I picked up an A350 a number of years ago and it was a great camera. After acquiring my iPhone 4 I mostly took pictures with it (5 megapixels versus 3.2) and didn’t use the older Canon again - though it would have been superior in many ways; what with optical zoom and various features. The other day there was a full moon and my iPhone camera was woefully inadequate - the moon would have been the size of a protozoa in the final shot. I was disappointed and that sparked my interest in purchasing a new, proper camera. So, on Saturday I went to a Henry’s location and the rest is history. Well, not really, but I like cliched sayings so there you go. I’ve got a proper camera that’s extremely portable and a good compliment to my iPhone’s camera. It’ll still be used for Instagram and all that, but I’ll upload the higher-quality pictures that my Canon takes to Flickr and such.

Weekends end too soon.

Craft beer

I’ve gone totally crazy over craft beer. The Oast House in Niagara-on-the-Lake really got the ball rolling; top quality beer made with expertise and by passionate people. I was able to visit both the Lake of Bays Brewery and Muskoka Brewery on Easter weekend and that sealed the deal. I enjoyed some Flying Monkeys Stereovision and Amsterdam Boneshaker last weekend and can’t wait to try other beers from other craft brewers in Ontario. My journey has just begun!

Tales of Ironwood the Bosmer

At Delphine’s request I met up with a fellow Bosmer, Malborn, in Solitude. After conferring with him about plans for my infiltration of the Thalmor embassy, and leaving the barest of essential weapons and other equipment in his care, I travelled down to the Solitude stables and left the remainder of my gear with Delphine. I would never choose to trust someone so much, but in this case I really had no choice. After donning simple clothes so not to arouse suspicion, I took my forged invitation and made my way to the embassy.

list redux

So, here’s what’s left on the list that I created a while back.

1. The Sword
2. The Walking Dead (Telltale Games game, toys, comic)
3. music in general
4. video games in general
5. Skyrim
6. Skyrim Dragonborn DLC
7. Fallout 3
8. The Economist
9. Linux

At this juncture my feelings on a few of these posts have changed from when I first composed this list; it’s funny how one’s attitudes can change so quickly. More for myself than anything else (isn’t that what most blogs are anyway?) I’m going to address a few of these things in more brief a manner than I had first anticipated.

The Sword:

I think The Sword is a fantastic band; I have all of their albums in iTunes. and hope to see them in concert some day. I just don’t think I have much to say about the band aside from the fact that I enjoy their music and appreciate how unique they are in the current musical landscape, where there’s a dearth of genuine talent. Hopefully they’ll be touring in my neck of the woods some time soon.

The Walking Dead:

Great comic; I’m about half-way through the second compendium. I really appreciate the way that Robert Kirkman really digs into the depths of human emotion and behaviour. Lots of what happens is quite shocking, but it’s great story telling and there’s no point in candy-coating it the way Hollywood does with things. The Telltale games point-and-click adventure is beyond amazing; so many times I’ve been completely blown away by the story and have often regretted some of the decisions that I’ve made. I have two of the toys from the second series of McFarlane figures: Deputy Grimes and one of the zombies (he has a screwdriver through his head). Great stuff. I’ve only watched the pilot of the TV series but will watch more episodes eventually. I’m not all that much of a horror fan but The Walking Dead has really struck a chord with me.

The Economist:

I’ve just cancelled my Economist subscription, but not because I no longer like it. I think it’s a fantastic publication, but it’s so packed with content that reading it cover to cover felt like a second job. My subscription began last July and I don’t think I’ve read a book since that time and really missed reading non-magazine material. The Economist is great and those who read it are amongst the most well-informed on the planet, but at too great a price in my opinion.

So, now that I’ve said what I have to say about those topics, I’ve got a new list (with Skyrim and its DLC as a single entity):

1. music
2. video games
3. Skyrim
4. Fallout 3
5. Linux

Stay tuned!

Far Cry 3

Time to continue my list. (Possible spoilers lie ahead.) 

Far Cry 3 is a lot of fun; I’m over half-way through the game and have enjoyed nearly every bit of it save one part, which I will get to later. Going back in time a bit; I also enjoyed Far Cry 2; but one aspect of the game led me to put it aside and leave it on the shelf, unfinished. Clearing an enemy outpost only to have new enemies spawn there over and over again was quite frustrating. I very much appreciate how you can capture a base in Far Cry 3 and never have to worry about enemies emerging from that point ever again. The fact that you unlock new quests and such by taking over a base adds that much more to the sense of accomplishment and adventure. For those who’d rather have the extra challenge: I don’t think you have much to worry about, as dangerous animals still wander the area and are an ever-present threat.

The best element of Far Cry 3 is one which is present in nearly all the games that I enjoy the most: an open world. You can do what you want, where you want, when you want, though Far Cry 3 does have a limit; both islands aren’t open from the start, though it never feels like a detriment. Ignoring the main story and exploring, reclaiming cell towers, capturing outposts is half the fun and allows you to upgrade in a fun way that doesn’t limit your options. One of the first things I did was to get the best pouches etc. that I could as quickly as possible; the way that hunting works made this a challenge but didn’t make it any less enjoyable than other aspects of the game. Options for weapons, customization etc. are great.

The story is fairly good, though I think that too much swearing is in some of the dialogue; I can handle the f-word but too much is too much. The otherworldly boss fight that occurs after Citra tells you a legend story is a bit wonky but isn’t all that bad.

Far Cry 3 is a fun game with interesting characters and a great setting. The freedom it gives the player to go chart their own course through the game is outstanding and what makes it an outstanding title.

Perl love program

Just a silly little program that I wrote. My wife likes it :)

(Names removed for privacy)

The music of Skyrim

Time for the second item on my list: the music of Skyrim. One of the first things that I did after purchasing the game was to order the soundtrack on-line. It’s a four-disc set that’s actually autographed by Jeremy Soule himself. In the roughly 15 months that have passed since I received it; I’m sure that I’ve listened through each disc, in its entirety, at least two-dozen times. The music itself is marvellous, and even on its own would stand out as an example of great composition. Combined with the scenery and events in the game itself it triumphs on an even greater level; Skyrim wouldn’t be the wonder that it is without that glorious score.

A good amount of thematic material has been recycled from the Oblivion score, which itself used much of the music composed for Morrowind. Some would say there’s a lack of inventiveness here but I heartily disagree; would they say the same of Wagner and his four-opera Ring of the Nibelungen cycle? Or even that of Howard Shore’s incredible scores for The Lord of the Rings? That’s one of the bits that I like most about Mr. Soule’s score: leitmotif. Various themes make multiple appearances, as it were, and make the music that much more incredible.

The variety within the music is also quite striking: varying from music for the taverns and inns, to very Norse music for the main theme and some of the battle music, and all the way to that of the atmospheres; which comprises the entirety of disc four. My personal favourites are as follows:

1. Dragonborn (main theme)
2. From Past to Present
3. The Jerall Mountains
4. Standing Stones
5. Wind Guide You

Dragonborn is great in that it mixes the Morrowind and Oblivion themes so wonderfully, while being its own “person” at the same time.

The Jerall Mountains reminds me very much of Bruma from Oblivion, as it is located on the southern edge of that range. Bruma is one of my favourite places from Oblivion as that’s where a statue is raised in your character’s honour once you’ve closed the Oblivion gate there.

Standing Stones is simply a delightful melange of music.

Wind Guide You stirs my emotions, from the uplifting choral part to the end, with its elegiac chanting. When I listen to it I reminisce about the adventures of my Nord, Varlen, from his very beginning and near-execution to the vanquishing of Alduin, and the cleansing of Solstheim. The elegy at the end brings to mind a slow descent into a vast and austere crypt, where come across our hero’s tomb.

I have to say that music plays a very important role in the games; Skyrim certainly wouldn’t be what it is without its score. There’s so much to game music, from the Super Mario Brothers through Final Fantasy to Skyrim and beyond. Many would simply dismiss video game music outright considering its source, but that would be a great mistake. Greater achievements are attained in the realm of video game scores than in popular music these days and you’d have great difficulty convincing me that the opposite is true. It’s my opinion that video games enjoy greater freedom; publishers have certain expectations and not everything is a great artistic achievement; far from it. I still think the game industry trumps what the recording industry has to offer, musically speaking, by a wide margin. 

Getting back to Skyrim’s score: it’s a marvellous achievement and that has had a profound influence on me. It, along with the music of Oblivion and that of Fallout 3 (both the score and Galaxy News Radio), will be etched in my mind forever. Those games got it right.