Games
I’m catching up on the releases I missed while I was on vacation… Borderlands 2 is proving to be even better than the first game, and Torchlight 2 is proving to be not only better than the first game, but better than Diablo 3 as well. I’ll talk more about that one once I’m further along in the game, and can attest to whether or not TL2 has any sort of an endgame worth bothering with.
Books
I read a book while I was on vacation that I really enjoyed, called The Name of the Wind. It was actually recommended to me by a reader shortly before I left, and so when I was looking for a book for the trip, I decided to check it out. I really enjoyed it. I’m currently reading the sequel, and while the story doesn’t seem quite as… focused as it did in the first book, it’s still very entertaining. Worth picking up if you enjoy unique takes on fantasy and magic.
TV
I tend to watch a lot of TV, mostly because I put shows on while I work on the comic. I enjoy having something to listen to while I work. I also have a handful of shows that my wife and I watch together. One of these is Face/Off.
Face/Off is a reality show… and normally I’d be the first person to stand up and decry the disgusting horror that is reality television, but Face/Off is different, and I’ll tell you why. The format is familiar… I’m not sure which show did it first… perhaps America’s Next Top Model… I don’t really care either way. Basically the show starts with a bunch of contestants, each week there’s a challenge, and at the end of the episode, someone goes home.
However the subject of Face/Off is hollywood special effects makeup. Each week the contestants are given 3 days to design, sculpt and apply a costume/hollywood makeup based on a set of challenges. The subject matter is incredibly interesting, but what makes the show watchable/bearable, is that unlike most reality television, it focuses almost strictly on the craft on display. What I mean is, in the three seasons of the show, there has been little to no screentime paid to petty bickering and fighting amongst the “housemates”. They get up, they go to the studio, and the work on producing the best makeup they can. They help eachother, they’re friendly. There is almost no “let’s hang out in our bedroom and bitch about the other castmates”. It’s a relief.
One of the reasons it finally occurred to me that I needed to recommend this show to you, is this week’s challenge was based off Dishonored. The contestants had to make characters based on the exaggerated steampunk style of the game. Now obviously it’s a great way for Bethesda to get some exposure for their game, but it was a pretty neat crossover, and it made me realize I’ve been watching this show for three seasons and never mentioned it to you. Now that I have, you should find a way to watch this show. It’s on (and I hate that I have to type this because the way they changed their network name irritates me) SyFy on Wednesdays. I’m sure you can find it on Netflix or wherever.