Somewhere on Maine Street

I'm on the road for the week, so reasonably I won't have a review. Unfortunately, from the state of my school work, it's starting to look like I won't have time to review a game for next week either. My tentative plan is to review Prince of Persia (which I played through last weekend) so that I have something to show, but I don't have to find time to play through another game. This is unless anyone feels like writing my LTP for me.

Anyone?

Damn.

Moving on then. I do actually have something to write for this week. On a whim, I decided I would try my hand at reviewing a restaurant, just to keep you guessing on what this blog is actually about. I recognize that this is going to be written for a rather more limited audience, and that I have absolutely experience reviewing food, but I felt it would be a disservice not to try and spread the word to my followers (all four of you).

So if any of you happen to be driving through the Hudson River Valley area for any reason, you might find your way to the town of Rhinebeck, where there is a restaurant called Tarrapin. Twice my tireless college search has led me there, and both times I was impressed. The terra cotta colored building suggests a tendency toward Spanish or Mexican  cuisine, and while that's true to a degree, it by no means encompasses the entirety of the menu. There's a wide selection of gourmet food available from specialty salads to a variety of sandwiches to pasta to some of the most interesting quesadillas you can find. In addition, there are a number of interesting tapas items, and some well portioned, delicious deserts. Not only is the food delicious, but the portions are small enough that you won't feel overwhelmed at the end of the meal. Throw in a friendly staff and a quaint, small town setting, and you've got a really remarkable place to relax for an hour or so with some friends and some food. Even if you're not in the mood for a meal, you can have a seat on the patio and grab an iced tea and some great tapas, like duck liver quesadillas, goat cheese wantons, mini burgers, and small pieces of lamb chop with chimichurri.

And that's my first restaurant review. Another item of note is that I've discovered that the buildings in Manhattan are tall enough that they apparently interfere with my GPS. Yet another reason the city is best observed from a distance.

I'll throw in my latest musical obssession for good measure. I insist on continuing to embed videos, even if they sometimes don't fit into the blog's format, because it looks better than a hyperlink.

I admire this band for Craig Mabbit's ability to sing and scream with equal intensity and skill. Also who can help but love his creepy antics?

H.A.W.X.

Review of Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. on anyButton.

Like WoW, but Free.

How many of you out there play MMORPGs?

How many of you are resentful that companies charge you a monthly fee for a game you've already paid for?

How many of you are angry that Blizzard is spending all of its energy on World of Warcraft, instead of advancing the plot through a game that doesn't require an internet connection and monthly subscription?

I'm afraid I can't do anything about that last problem. However, if you're looking for the MMO experience without the cost, I may have a suggestion. Elliot of the Woods, who has written for anyButton under the name Bolt Action, has a new blog called Real Live Events. RLE is a sort of alternate reality game inspired by the MMO's live event. Elliot's plan is to release live events for real life. He comes up with quests, arranges objectives and rewards, and asks participants to leave comments with their success (or, presumably, failure) stories.

The first event was posted yesterday, and it looks like the site may be shaping up to be an interesting experience for those who partake. I encourage you to check it out, especially any D&D players, LARPers or jaded MMO-players.

Resident Evil 5

Review of Resident Evil 5 on anyButton.

Foresight

It's been a while since I posted anything here, so I decided it was time for some filler. Since I doubt any of you care much about my school work, I suppose I'll talk about my plans for the near future.

I still have a plan for something interesting on Abnormality, but my schedule allows little free time, and what time there is I tend to spend playing guitar, and playing the games I have to review every week. Some time in the near future, however, I plan to release something thought provoking. I also still have another piece planned for aB that's waiting for a week without a review. I'm not sure when that will be, since there actually seems to be a lot coming out soon. I have a Resident Evil 5 review finished that just needs some proofreading, and I should have that up later today, once I decide whether or not I want to include a video. Next week I was hoping to play the Wanted game, (I hated the movie, but it does lend itself to some cool gameplay) but I doubt Gamefly will get it to me by this weekend. Frankly, I'm not sure what I have to play this weekend. I suppose I might give the H.A.W.X. demo a try, and maybe finally finish Saints Row 2, or put some more time into Silent Hill 2. (I actually just checked, and Gamefly can't get Wanted right now, so they're sending the newest Prince of Persia. Maybe I'll just review it, depending on how much a care about it.)

After Wanted, I've got The Godfather 2 and Velvet Assassin on my list for the next of the week, and then for May I'm looking at the Wolverine game, Damnation, and the Terminator game. Frankly, I've rather looking forward to the new Terminator movie too. Unfortunately, I'm not terribly interested in any of those games. June, however, brings the new Batman game, (eh, I'll give it a shot) Infamous, Prototype, and Overlord II, most of which I'm pretty pumped for, especially Infamous.

I've assuaged my guilt for ignoring Abnormality for so long, so I'll stop ranting about games that aren't out yet. Here, have some music:

I don't know why there are three minutes of silence at the end of this, but whatever.

The video isn't synced here, but it's the best song I could find, and they do some crazy improvisation at the beginning.