Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Metal World

I haven' t had a ton of time to play video games lately, but I've been spending what I do have on two games in particular. One is Mad World, which is simply one of the best games in the action / shooting / fighting/ catharsis genres. It's a simple arcadey bloodfest that is unapologetically over the top. You don't just kill guys. You throw an old tire over their head, pick them up, head butt them, dump them into a flaming barrel, pick up the barrel, knock it against a spiked wall, and then rattle them around on the wall five or six times. Let me tell you, there's something special about using your cute little Wii remote to chainsaw someone while they're on the ground. Oh yeah! It's on the Wii. What could make this game better? How about announcers doing a play-by-play while you hold someone under a rotary saw? Oh, wait. Those are in there too!! Sounds kind of gruesome, doesn't it? Well, it is in a stupid, comic book sort of way. Maybe something's wrong with me, but I found myself laughing more than cringing. It's those announcers that really pull it together with lines like, "Why would the city set up so many saw blades in the middle of the street?" or "How come nobody else found that crate full of weapons before? Oh well."

The next obsession is proving to be Guitar Hero: Metallica. This game is simply freaking awesome. Granted, I may be biased because I'm a Guitar Hero fan AND a Metallica fan. Even so, this game just feels metal from start to finish. It's so metal that I somehow DON'T feel dorky striking a tough guy stance while banging out Sanitarium and Master of Puppets on a toy guitar. Now why, oh why, can't this unlock some cool concert t-shirts for my Avatar??

This is what happens without editors

I'm Marcus Pelegrimas, author of the SKINNERS series. Here you'll find various ramblings about movies, video games, TV, and...oh yeah...those books I write. If there's anything you'd like to discuss, just let me know. I try to update whenever the mood strikes me, so feel free to leave comments. There may be some occasional foul language, but anyone who's too easily offended probably doesn't read my stuff anyway.

Free Stuff

Here's how it goes. As usual, I've got my truckload of promo covers from EOS Books. I'll be going to some conventions, so I hope to see you there and I'll gladly sign your books. If you can't make it to a con, just email me your name, address and any inscription so I can send you a signed cover.


BONUS ---> If you would be so kind as to write up a review for any or all Skinners books and publish it on a site like Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Borders, or any other major review site, I can send you something extra. I made up some bookmarks (which I'll sign) and I've even put together some Shimmy's VIP passes (which I'll also sign). Can't guarantee the passes will get you into a real strip club, but I think they look pretty cool. Send me a link to your review along with your name, address and inscription, and I'll get these out to you as well.