Favorite Games of the 00's

After listening to the New Year's episode of The Geekbox (currently my favorite podcast), I decided that I should reflect on the last decade with a list of my top videogames from the 2000's. I don't really play that many games, but looking back on the last 10 years, there were definitely quite a few awesome ones that I thoroughly enjoyed.

For clarification, this is a list of MY FAVORITES, based on MY ENJOYMENT. I am not trying to make a high-falutin' list of the most influential games or anything pretentious like that, simply because I KNOW that I am not any kind of authority on that. What I am an authority on however, is what I like.

So without further ado...

EMMA'S FAVORITE GAMES OF THE 2000's:

10. Viva Pinata, 2006 (Xbox 360)

This bright and beautiful game's mindlessly enjoyable gameplay is right up my alley. Not that I always just go for the brainless stuff, but I appreciate a game that just lets you play without requiring too much from you. I liked making strange breeds of pinatas, and tried hard to get the right number of pinatas to make everything work, but I also just enjoyed digging in my garden and watering the plants. (The fights between pinatas pissed me off though; could have done without those. I accidentally ended up beating some of my pinatas to death with my shovel in my attempts to get them to stop. Ooops) The colors and designs were so vibrant (not in an entirely gay way... but a little bit) that I actually watched the cartoon a couple times, which I also liked a lot.

"VIVA PINATA! Filled with fun, FILLED WITH FUN!"
"Shake-it-Shake-it-Shake-it LIKE A PARTY ANIMAL!"

Soooooo great.

9. Peggle, 2007 (PC, through Steam)

I will never hear Ode To Joy the same way. Now, I immediately have to throw both of my hands into the air and fist-pump in time with the chorus. Because that is how exciting it was when I beat a level and that music came on. This game is fabulous.

8. Mirror's Edge, 2008 (Xbox 360)

Although I didn't actually finish it, I spent a lot of time on this game. BECAUSE IT WAS HARD. I think I had one more level left when I sent it back to GameFly. I rage-stroked several times with this game, especially when I thought I was pressing the right buttons but I wasn't doing whatever move I wanted to do. When I get stressed I tend to flail around, which ultimately makes that kind of precise timing a tad more difficult. Still, even with my almost-paralyzing fits of rage, this game was just too cool to put down.

7. Professor Layton and the Curious Village, 2008 (Nintendo DS)

I finished this one! (I am so proud.) I love the puzzles in the Professor Layton games, and before I finished The Curious Village, I thought that that was all I was interested in. However, when you finish the game you can go back and solve the remaining puzzles, but I just wasn't into it anymore. For some reason, it just wasn't the same for me without the plot. Apparently I did enjoy sleuthing around and tapping for hint coins just as much as I enjoyed solving the puzzles. I have The Diabolical Box as well, but as I haven't finished it yet, I decided that it wouldn't get the privilege of placing on my list for this decade, even though I enjoy it as well.

6. Zelda: Windwaker, 2003 (GameCube)

One of the few games on my list from the early 2000's, this one definitely is a favorite of mine. This is also, officially, the ONLY Zelda game I have officially finished, even though I officially love Zelda, officially. My run-down of the other one's I have played:

• My sister and I jointly finished Ocarina of Time
• I didn't really like Majora's Mask and mostly just watched my sister play it
• I have (still) yet to finish Twilight Princess (ridiculous)
  
• I think I got stuck somewhere on Phantom Hourglass and haven't picked it back up yet
• I am currently whizzing through Spirit Tracks, and hope to add a second completion to my list soon
  

5. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, 2006 (Xbox 360)

Patrick was really trying to get me to sell this one back since I wasn't playing it very much, but I was serious- I really like this game! I'm not really into the whole magic stuff, and haven't done any of the potions or anything; I just like the quests and the melee. And that is the beautiful thing about Oblivion - You don't have to do anything you don't like. I'm sure some people don't like the side quests and just want to finish the game. I like those things: I like exploring the maps, I like talking to the people, I like changing my clothing and armor, I like training to be a gladiator, I like searching the crates. This is probably why I haven't actually finished the game yet...

4. Super Mario Galaxy, 2007 (Wii)

Yey, a wii game made it on my list!! Hahaha. This one was really really great though. Although sometimes I would get frustrated (what's new?), I was impressed with how natural it was to control Mario on the three-dimensional little planet orbs. This game fits into my category of fun-to-play/minimal-effort-to-succeed, although there certainly are levels that are tricky. Again, it was perfect for me though, because if I wasn't in the mood for a challenging level, this game didn't force you to botch your way through it anyway (like many games do... Mirror's Edge, I'm looking at you...). I could just choose a different level, and then when I felt a little more confident and up for a challenge, I could go back and try for those tougher stars. I finished this game as well (insert swell of pride), although I know there are a lot more stars to collect if I ever want to go back and get them.

3. Rock Band 2, 2008 (Xbox 360)

I couldn't ignore the music genre games- I sure play them enough. I think I jumped on the bandwagon at Guitar Hero II, played GHIII, Rock Band, Beatles RB, and even Rock Band Unplugged (for the PSP), but I settled on RBII for my favorites list. (Beatles is up there too, but since the song list isn't that long, I went with this one instead) What can I say, I thoroughly enjoy face-melting solos and wicked awesome bass lines. I'm not actually as good as I like to think I am, but in my head I AM A ROCK GOD on the guitar/bass, and sometimes a girl's just gotta belt out some vocals. Thank you Rock Band for making this possible.

2. Bioshock, 2007 (Xbox 360)

Ahhhhhhh here we go! THIS was an amazing game. I don't even care that there was huge hype and that people have already named Bioshock in several of your most whatever games of the decade... I TOTALLY AGREE! Hahaha. This game was fan-freaking-tastic. The art design: so beautiful in the scariest and creepiest way! I still get shivers when I replay the beginning, with the flashing lights in the beautifully dark and dank art-deco building, and the comforting sounds of "Somewhere Beyond the Sea" playing in sharp contrast.... Ahhhhhhh. Such beautiful tension.

1. Portal, 2007 (Xbox 360)

And my number one pick for the 2000's: This gem of a game. I can't even say enough about it. I love all of its components: spatial reasoning puzzles, witty narrative, imaginative yet ingeniously simple mechanics, a suspense driven twist, and the perfect length. Also, the best end credits song ever. Thank you Portal. You win.


Honorable mentions:

• Left 4 Dead- I only played twice, but liked it a lot! More of a Patrick game, but is awesome.
• Lego Star Wars- Didn't take seriously enough to list, but I had some good times with it.
• The Beatles: Rock Band- Couldn't justify 2 music genre games, but this one is great too.
• Zelda: Twilight Princess- Haven't finished it yet, and already listed a Zelda, but I do like it.
• Tetris DS- Shut up. I have beaten it twice, bitches. Best plane ride game ever.
• Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box- Again, don't want duplicates and haven't finished.

Oh god I'm full

Wow. Just wow. Patrick and I just made Zuppa Toscana.

And it was ridiculous.



Yeah. It was awesome. I am very full. And I am very much going to be running tomorrow.

I made roasted garlic breadsticks (with my cutie stand-mixer) too, which were fannnnnnnntastic.



Since I'm in the mood (and not in the mood to work on my damn paper that's due in a week), here is the other stuff I've been up to lately:

A while back, Patrick bought this awesome print of Husky Stadium, which promptly sat in its tube for a good year-and-a-half (at least) without a frame. So, I got a coupon for 60% off custom framing at Michaels (they always have those sales) and got it done! I got a black frame with a white mat and Husky purple mat accent. Actually, the Husky purple just ends up looking black against all of the black and white, but whatevs.



I also framed the AWESOME present Steve got Patrick from PAX



For those of you who aren't dorks, these guys wrote video game reviews for Computer Gaming World and Games for Windows magazines (before they went under) and hosted the podcast "The Brodeo," under the pretense of talking about videogames. They are hillarious, smart, and awesome dudes, and now that they don't do The Brodeo anymore I follow their twitters and blogs pretty religiously and sometimes listen to their podcast off-shoots.



Yep, Steve got that poster SIGNED by all of The Brodeo members. Super badass.



I've also been working on getting our apartment up to our standards for the much-anticipated event which I love.... CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I have a problem. I love the holidays. It's going to be especially awesome for me because the WHOLE FAMILY is coming out here for it! Yep, that's right. My mom, dad, and sister are coming out all the way from Seattle; my new bro and sis in-law are coming out and bringing my new niece and nephew; my cousins are coming out to visit their parents (my aunt and uncle who live in Baltimore); and of course we already have Patrick's parents over here as well. Serious family-fest. It's going to be spectacular.

So, I finally got around to fixing something that we've had on the to-do list for a long long time: replacing the cushions in our furniture. This furniture was handed down to us from Patrick's parents, and I don't think I'm exaggerating by saying that it is 30 years old, foam cushions and all. Yeah, I knew it was probably gross and filled with pounds and pounds of dust mites, but I really had no idea. We've been dragging our feet on this because foam is surprisingly expensive. However, once I opened up one of the covers, I knew it couldn't wait any longer. That shit was GROSS! It was all deteriorating and discolored (I'm assuming) and turning into a fine powder, which was working its way through the covers.

I've finished replacing the covers on the loveseat and ottoman, but the foam I got (on sale from JoAnns) was much firmer than what we were used to, so I'm going to splurge a little more on comfortable foam for Patrick and my chairs. Actually I started putting that foam on my chair, but after realizing how firm it was, switched over to the loveseat option.

My freshly polished chair:


(now it's just sitting all sad and bare without a cushion until I can get the nicer foam for it)

The foam I got:



Can you tell which one just had its cover washed?



Here's what it actually ended up looking like on the loveseat:



I sewed the buttons on it and everything myself!!! Not bad, if I do say so myself. (Of course, as I said, it is SUPER firm compared to how it used to be, so that kind of sucks, but at least I have the peace of mind knowing it's completely clean and will last a while now, and was done relatively cheaply.)

All of my other Christmas-related activities have been in purchasing decorations (I got these sweet icicle lights from Costco, and have been periodically using my 40-50% off Michaels coupons for Christmas garland) and planning out how to rearrange our place so that we can actually use our dinner table and have room to make Hilma a bedroom area.

Time Flies Like an Arrow

Fruit Flies Like Bananas.

This semester is already going by way too quickly. Here's an update on the happenings. Or, as my blog calls them, the Goings On.

First, a frog attended my Facilities Management course a few weeks ago. We took a break to free it from the building, but still haven't quite decided where it came from:

We also went to the awesome Sounders at DC United game, where we (Sounders) won 2 to 1:

A very sad Redskins helmet:

My friend Katie came too, and brought her friend Nicole:

DC United fans were pretty intimidating, but no comparison to what it would have been like at a Sounders home game:

We got some awesome Sounders scarfs:

Non-Sounders:
We had an awesome Beatles Rock Band session with Steve in Seattle. Skype + Rock Band is the future of gaming:

I've been a bread-baking fool lately. With Patrick's awesome cooking skills and my baking skills, we created.... BREAD BOWLS! Or as we have lovingly named them, Bread Bowels. don't ask, it doesn't make sense.

I played in my quintet for the International Children's Festival at Wolf Trap this weekend, which was pretty neat. There were all sorts of tents up for the thousands of kids to go to, and I was providing musical entertainment with my brass quintet at the Instrument Petting Zoo, where the kids got to actually play on the instruments and such. Even though I've never been inclined to be a Music-Ed person, it was cute to see all of the little kids that were intrigued by the instruments, and I took every opportunity to engender an early interest in the Trombone. If a kid looked over my way with interest, I'd go up to them and show them my Trombone up close and show them how it worked and what it sounded like. They liked it a lot. It was very fun for me too.

Today Patrick and I went up to Baltimore to see my relatives. I forgot to take pictures, but it was fun, and they made us deeeeeelicious food. My cousin Sadie who lives in Oklahoma with her husband Steve and new little baby Edward came to visit her parents, so it was neat getting to see her again. I haven't seen her in forever, and had never met her husband, even though they've been married for five years. We also got to see my other cousins, Dave (with his baby boy Tanner), and Mary (with her husband Bob and new doggie Ziek). 'Twas good times.

That's it for the Goings On for now! This week is going to be extremely busy at work as we're ramping up for ARTS by George!, which is this Saturday. I hope it all goes smoothly.

VIDEO GAMES LIVE!!!!

Last Friday, Patrick, Me, my friend Dani, her boyfriend, and one of his friends (whew long list) went to Video Games Live! at Wolf Trap. It was my first Wolf Trap experience, and it was AWESOME!

We tried out the second-newest of our electronic devices (toys, as my mom would call them), Creative's "Vado HD." I was a pretty crappy video camera operator, due to my shaky hands and annoying talking, but I will get better.

http://www.youtube.com/user/emmuhwilla

Patrick videoed this one, which explains the better quality.



We brought a cooler (purchased at Five Below, the $5 store here, where everything is $5 or less) filled with beer, and a backpack of snacks and a ginormous sub sandwich from Wegmans. Joey's Old Fashioned Sandwich For the Whhhhhiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnn!

It was such a good time. It reminded me a lot of the drive in, which was nice, because I was missing that, and the closest one to here is basically in West Virginia. It was obviously much better than a drive in (c'mon, the National Symphony Orchestra playing live video game music?!), but it was similar in that it was casual and you could lay back with a blanket and talk to your friends and eat your own food. Plus the big projector screen, and being outside for all of this at night in the summer.

I'm looking forward to seeing The Two Towers at the end of August in the same format!!!!

Ah yes, Summer

Image by Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton via Flickr

Summer is so nice. It'll be weird when I actually have a real job and have to work through summer. I mean, I'm technically working, but the part time stuff I'm doing is still basically vacation.

So far, I've spent my 4th of July weekend reading, playing Oblivion, playing Magic (for the 1st time- Patrick downloaded it for the 360), playing Flight Control (so awesome- On Patrick's iPod touch), baking bread (tried out a french bread recipe this time), going for walks with Patrick, and drinking delicious tom collinses. Well all that and wedding planning, which is pretty much non-stop at this point.

My progress on the wedding planning has been pretty good. A few things still worry me, but I know that I just have to trust that people will pull through, and hope that they pull through sooner rather than later so that I don't get ridiculously anxious. And in the meantime work on what I can, cause there is still a lot to do.

Happy 4th of July! I will be eating a hot dog in honor of the birth of our great nation.

Hooray Summer

Image via Wikipedia

So my summer class is over, and Summer has officially started! (even though it has been pretty warm/muggy over here already...)

I welcomed in the new season by busting out Oblivion and playing about 6 hours of it yesterday. It was one of the first games we got when Patrick got the xBox 360 and I really liked it, but I pretty much stopped playing it, oh, like 3 years ago. He tried to sell it back a few times, but I kept dragging my feet and saying, "Oh but I like that game! I'll play it again, I swear!"

Well, I proved myself not-a-liar and dusted it off. I had no idea where I was in the main story of it, but I figured it out after a little bit.

I also remembered (the hard way) how annoying it is when you accidentally stab one of your dudes and they think that you're attacking them. I know, I know, "don't stab your dudes," but seriously, it was super annoying.

One of the Oblivion gate levels has a bunch of douche-bag knights that are supposed to "help" you close the Oblivion gates, but really they just swarm in front of you when you're trying to kill the daedra and run into your sword repeatedly, then get pissed at you for stabbing them, then don't stop trying to kill you, even when you're all chill and put your sword away, and are like "it's cool dude, I just want to talk," all while more daedra are coming to kill all of you.

I reverted to my last save and tried again, and basically the only way to get around it was to let them have at the bad guys on their own (the caves are waaay too small for multiple people to hack at the same bad guy!), which eventually gets them killed because they are teh suk. It didn't really matter because I still got what I wanted as far as the mission of closing the Oblivion gate went, but it was annoying that the count guy was all trying to make me feel guilty for his son dying. Whatever man, first that guy was a total twat, then he goes and runs into my sword, then, when I'm all polite and get out of his way instead of hacking through him, he gets all killed and shit. Ya, whatevs man.

That was the only part that I got super frustrated at. I guess it just reinforces the rule of save often, and save under many different files. I think I had to do the same thing when I accidentally turned into a vampire playing this all those years ago. I didn't realize that I was infected and all of a sudden things got all weird.

But ya, Oblivion is still fun, and still looks pretty darn gorgeous. I expect that I'll play a bunch more this week, and hopefully will actually finish it finally.

Speaking of which, I still need to finish a lot of games, including Twilight Princess. GOT to get going on that one again.

The Happenings

Image via WikipediaSo I was almost finished writing this blog, then accidentally closed the window without saving, so I will try to make it even better this time.

Originally, I bitched and moaned about this unfair B+ that I received on a group project in my Seminar in Arts Management course. Seriously, if you hear the whole story you would totally sympathize with me. We turned in a final product that went so above and beyond the criteria that we were sure it was an A+ project. I'm meeting with the prof Wednesday to argue it, and have many valid points, so hopefully she'll change it a bit, cause... ok, I've been extremely pissed since we got the grade, so I won't get into too many more details to bore you with. Seriously though, total bullshit grade. Very upsetting.

Onto happier topics: My new laptop is kickass. For serial. It's been so nice to be able to get work done at school and in my down time where I can't go home, without having to use a school computer and email it to myself. The whole concept of having everything (plus more) that used to be on my desktop on this dinky laptop, and be able to take it all anywhere... well, it's pretty sweet.

Speaking of laptops, Patrick totally lucked out with a sweet deal on a very cute 9" netbook. He very nearly bought a new desktop because it had a deal where it was very cheap and included this netbook, but after originally ordering it, he decided to cancel because the power supply and graphics card were not ideal. Fortunately for him, they never cancelled the netbook, and never jacked it up to the original price. He seriously ended up getting about a $500 netbook for like $160.

Also, Patrick got me Banjo and Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, which came with a deal where you got the original Banjo (which I've missed so much ever since some kid stole it from me and my sister way back when) as a free download. Played Banjo for a while- very nostalgic. Love that game. Am playing Nuts and Bolts quite a bit- it is really fun. I wasn't sure I would like the vehicle building aspect, but I've actually gotten into it; it's really fun to try to invent something that will get the job done for each different challenge.

That's about all that's been going on here. I've got to get work done on a presentation I'm giving tomorrow. I did a paper on videogames and their impact on the art world. Pretty sweet paper. I think the class is going to like my presentation a lot too, especially compared to the last presentation, where we got to watch a DVD of some liturgical dance group... super boring. I'm going to be talking about and showing clips from games like Mirror's Edge, Bioshock, Fallout 3, and others. Soooooo much more interesting. And suprisingly relevant to the class, which is obviously what I'll be spending most of the presentation on.

Aight, pieces.