Back In Business

For the last few days, my temporarily cold and joyless room has restored to its former glory as the low hum of a new PS3 bounced against the walls and I have returned to my normally scheduled activity of playing video games forever. I actually haven't done much else but play PS3 since I set it back up. Before that I was spending a lot of my time playing Minecraft (blog post incoming) with some pals. Now I'm just trying to cram as many hours of worry-free playtime before I have to go back to school in about 28 hours.

In particular I have been playing 2 games- and what do you know, they're from the same development team! 

After I got through setting everything up PSN-wise and reinstalling my downloadable titles, I popped in GTAIV per my best buddy Alex's request and we both hopped into an online free roam of Liberty City- a sort of past time of ours. For hours we wrecked cars, ran over civilians, drove helicopters into the ground, committed suicide. Really fun and wholesome stuff. After we called it a night I considered replaying the game through it's entirety. Now that my saved data was kaput it was time to re-log some hours into my library just to prove that I've given them all a run. Then I decided against it. I love GTAIV but I needed something more. Something deeper. Something more perfect. I decided that game is Red Dead Redemption. But get this, I'm not actually replaying RDR. This would actually count more as my first real play through. I picked that game up first day and I never even got close to finishing it and I fucking love this game. 

It's pretty shameful but it was just a bad time for me. I was going through an identity crisis during the first half of 2010. I've sorted it all out and now almost a year later I feel like I'm really playing this game for the first time. This game is just dripping with personality and style and life! The whole game really feels like a living and breathing world. The characters are convincing, their back stories are intricate and interesting. And I'm not usually a big history buff but anything set in the early years of the 20th century really draws me in. I feel more cultured and intelligent just playing a game set in the middle of Americas' industrial developments. I don't think there has ever been a more immersive title. Everything is fun and carries a very rugged but adventurous spirit of the old west. Even playing poker makes me feel like a badass vigilante relaxing after a big bust. Turn off the lights and I could swear I am John Marston, if just for a moment. 

I must have played for like 15 hours or so last night. I think that might be a personal record. I can't be sure but record or not it's more than half a day. I'm actually playing right now. I think I'll go back to Dead Space 2 after this. I was able to beat the game right before I lost the PS3 but I don't mind replaying. Besides that we've got some big titles coming in over the next few months. Portal 2, L.A. Noire, InFamous 2, Shadows of the Damned, Catherine... ah, it's good to be back.