It's been a little while since my last post, but there hasn't been a ton of stuff going on here. First of all, the Omaha Literary Festival is coming up on the 19th. If any of you are in the area, you can come enjoy some bookish goodness. My panel will be "Vampires (heart) Zombies: the art and language of horror” and will be held on Saturday, Sept 19, at 3 pm. There's going to be a good mix of authors there and I assume we'll be talking about everyone's favorite blood suckers and brain eaters. Should be a good time and while I will be talking up my Nymar brethren, I will most definitely be representing the shape shifters as well. Can't let the pretty boys hog the spotlight all the time. There's more info on the link at the top of the page where I list my upcoming appearances.
Another bit of excitement for me has been the release of The Beatles Rock Band. A local store had a midnight release for preorders, so I preordered it that day and went back at midnight to pick it up. I swore the price on those replica guitars was too high and I simply wouldn't pay it (no matter how cool they looked). Even though this store knocked $15 off, they were still in the "too expensive" range. Megan, being the coolest wife ever, got me the Rickenbacker for an early anniversary gift. So, awesome replica guitar in hand, I played some Beatles last night.
First of all, I'd like to mention how great it was to see a line at the store for the midnight release. I knew this game was a big deal, but have also heard plenty of Rock Band fans griping about how "easy" the Beatles songs are. They're basically looking at this as just a gaming challenge instead of an interaction with Beatlemania. In short, they're not Beatles fans. Fine. Fandom is the most subjective thing in the world. I respect that. Also, the hardcore gamers are the ones who line up at midnight to get advance releases so I figured I'd be the only one (or possibly one of three or so) to show up for my copy. Folks my age and above are more likely to be Beatles fans and we're also more likely to say, "Yes I want the game, but I also want to sleep. They'll be there tomorrow." So I show up to get my copy and there's a line of like-minded night owls backing all the way out to the street. Did my heart some good.
Back to the game. It's great. Plain and simple. It looks great, plays great, SOUNDS great. I'm a major Rock Band / Guitar Hero fan and I knew the songs wouldn't be Dragonforce-level shredding, but I was pleasantly surprised to find Expert level kept me on my toes. Did I fail out, humbled by the rock devils? No. Did I find myself doing the "John Bounce" while playing? Yes. It's extra cool to hear the 60's-era girls in thick plastic-framed glasses scream louder when you hit star power. Topped off my evening with Paperback Writer before getting to bed. Hey, I'm old. Plus, it'll be there in the morning.
Another bit of excitement for me has been the release of The Beatles Rock Band. A local store had a midnight release for preorders, so I preordered it that day and went back at midnight to pick it up. I swore the price on those replica guitars was too high and I simply wouldn't pay it (no matter how cool they looked). Even though this store knocked $15 off, they were still in the "too expensive" range. Megan, being the coolest wife ever, got me the Rickenbacker for an early anniversary gift. So, awesome replica guitar in hand, I played some Beatles last night.
First of all, I'd like to mention how great it was to see a line at the store for the midnight release. I knew this game was a big deal, but have also heard plenty of Rock Band fans griping about how "easy" the Beatles songs are. They're basically looking at this as just a gaming challenge instead of an interaction with Beatlemania. In short, they're not Beatles fans. Fine. Fandom is the most subjective thing in the world. I respect that. Also, the hardcore gamers are the ones who line up at midnight to get advance releases so I figured I'd be the only one (or possibly one of three or so) to show up for my copy. Folks my age and above are more likely to be Beatles fans and we're also more likely to say, "Yes I want the game, but I also want to sleep. They'll be there tomorrow." So I show up to get my copy and there's a line of like-minded night owls backing all the way out to the street. Did my heart some good.
Back to the game. It's great. Plain and simple. It looks great, plays great, SOUNDS great. I'm a major Rock Band / Guitar Hero fan and I knew the songs wouldn't be Dragonforce-level shredding, but I was pleasantly surprised to find Expert level kept me on my toes. Did I fail out, humbled by the rock devils? No. Did I find myself doing the "John Bounce" while playing? Yes. It's extra cool to hear the 60's-era girls in thick plastic-framed glasses scream louder when you hit star power. Topped off my evening with Paperback Writer before getting to bed. Hey, I'm old. Plus, it'll be there in the morning.
