Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone! Obviously I'm running around celebrating this long weekendwith my family and girl friend so I havent posted much, II'll be sure to put up something tomorrow. For my Canadians have a great long weekend filled with good food. For my Americans you just have to wait a month and then you'll be feasting.

M.

The Way of Shadows ~ Brent Weeks (Book 1 of the Night Angel Trilogy) (2)

The Way of Shadows will be my second book review. 

I find Brent Weeks has a simpler writing style but that does not take away from the fantastically imaginative story he has created surrounding the orphan turned assassin Azoth/Kylar Stern. Durzo Blint (such a bad ass name) takes Azoth under his wing to be his apprentice after much pleading from Azoth. It was never going to be an easy apprenticeship and Azoth knew that from the beginning and still begged to be under Durzo's tutelage. Blint is the best wetboy and to be the best you have to be hard and cold and harsh and all these aspects surround his training of Azoth. But Azoth, now Kylar, never adopts his master's disconnect, making him more a human than a simple weapon. (only touching on the beginning of the story)

Kylar finds love, befriends royalty, and spills the blood of those who would seek to harm those he loves.

Weeks has a perfect way of revealing a character's history, nature, and/or true identity throughout the story. No one is who they appear to be.




I read this trilogy while I was in France. Actually I believe I finished the first book before I left and ended up bringing the other two books and finishing both while there. One in Villefranche and the other in Paris. I never got used to the time difference so i was always up until 1 in the morning so I would read nearly three hours a night and ended up powering through both books. I have since read the trilogy again for a second time. It is a great story and one I would struggle to tire of.

All three are about 500 pages each and I found all three to be quite addictive. You start and if you get hooked, there's no letting go. You will finish the books in record time and neglect many things in your life in the process. 

"For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist. 

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death."

~ back cover of The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

Good Reads - A site I've found that I prefer to Amazon, it has the same sort of information but I like the suggestions better.
Amazon link to Look Inside - you can read the first ten pages or so

"King: 'You're...you're shit! You shitting, shitting shit!'

'Your Majesty,' Durzo said gravely. 'A man of your stature's cursing vocabulary ought to extend beyond a tedious reiteration of the excreta that fills the void between his ears.'"

Read books, collect them, share them, horde them

                                                                                    stay greedy 

                                                                                                           M.

Check Out the Gaming Page

On the Gaming Page I've posted a long list of video game release dates for the month of October and posted comments and trailers for a few of them. Check it out.        M.

My Video Game Fix It List

... Where I get to nitpick at the little glitches in games.

Far Cry 3
               I guarantee that some of you will be shocked by this and I'm disappointed it made this list but the save game feature failed to work on two separate occasions. I would save my game and it would bring me back to almost the beginning of the game. I thought it was because I had just been exploring the fantastically detailed world and collecting pelts and materials for upgrades so I played the main mission and it did the same thing. Great game with a poor save function (Far Cry you need Skyrim's save game layout! In fact every game does.) ... Maybe it was a glitch with my 360, definitely a sweet game but beware the saving.
Also you can kill sharks with a jet ski!

Sniper Elite V2
               Great game. I had a ton of fun watching kills in x-ray vision. I popped both a guy's kidneys in one shot once and it was fantastic! It's a game to play with friends and compete to see who can get the most creative kill in the campaign. Just a lot of fun.
                The problem I had with it was the movement and fighting when you weren't aiming down your scope or you were trying to fight in close quarters. It was difficult to aim. Not a smooth fluid motion like in Call of Duty. 
                Definitely a great game and worth the time and money. I hear V3 is even better and I can't wait to play it.
              
Skyrim 
             The holy grail of Elder Scrolls games and close to that of all time. Make it easier to climb mountains. Glitch jumping on Shadowmere to get to the tippy top of a mountain loses its appeal quite quickly. 

                         Left 4 Dead 2 

                      Another fun game. Gorey and grisly, scary at the witch parts and just all around violent. Dual wielding pistols while spinning around and hitting the trigger as fast as you possibly can while firing at a horde of zombies as they surround you has never been so fun. I really like the one to two shot kills. There are so many zombies to kill you don't even realize it! The thing I would add is the ability to look down your sights with more than the sniper rifles and when dual wielding pistols use both triggers to fire rather than just the right to shoot and to push zombies with the left.

Assassin's Creed 3 
                             Get a better voice actor for Connor, his emotionlessness rivals that of Anakin. Also thank you for having better combat programming for Black Flag. The change n combat flow, attacks, and movement from AC Revelations to AC III was quite noticeable and i found it was disruptive and difficult to manage. I found myself running away from even the smallest fights. If you're a Assassin's Creed fan like I am you'll notice the change. If you're not I'd suggest picking up Black Flag and try your luck as an assassin-pirate hybrid. Loads of fun and you'll know the words to all the sea shanties by the end of the game.

All great games that need a little tweaking ... in my personal opinion it doesn't make or break any of the games.

M.

Letters From Whitechapel - Walk the streets as Jack the Ripper

Well it's been a while and I would like to lay the blame for my busyness at the feet of life.

In the spirit of Halloween  and all the controversy floating around the supposed discovery of who Jack the Ripper really was, I present to you the board game Letters From Whitechapel.

The game is played by at least two people. One plays Jack the Ripper and the other plays the police officers attempting to catch the illusive killer.

Jack moves by numbers on the board and secretly tracks his/her movements on a sheet of paper. The board is laid out in a map of London, streets running every which way and in 8 spots on the board there are red numbers, symbolizing a location for a potential murder. At the start the round (4 rounds, the four nights Jack the Ripper killed) Jack decides which of the wretched will die and where. He must then out maneuver the officers as best he/she can and get home before being caught or the night is done.

The charm and stress of playing Jack is that you could be a space away from a police officer and they might never know you were there but they could also make a move that completely reveals your location.

The other role in the game is the police. You play as Detective Inspectors Edmund Reid, Frederick Abberline, Henry Moore, and Walter Andrews, famous for their investigation of the real Ripper murders. Your objective is to search the map for Jack's trail and eventually, once he's been cornered, his arrest.

Playing the police can be difficult and frustrating at times but you definitely earn your way to a victory if you are lucky and strategic enough to catch Saucy Jack.

Whitechapel is a very entertaining game and it doesn't take long to understand the rules. There is no greed in this game sadly but a merry goose chase is certainly in store.

Hint for Jack: pick murder scenes all over the board and never kill too close to your home
Hint for the Detectives: Always start at the murder with a pawn or two and find Jack's trail right away. Even if you don't catch him in the first or second night you'll get a sense of his direction and will be able to narrow in on his hideout location.

Stay greedy,

M.



You can also find more info on the game at http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/59959/letters-whitechapel

The Name of the Wind

Over the weekend, between my long work hours and those spent doing homework I realized I hadn't written on my blog in a while.

I was thinking of a book to review but I was trying to answer the question: how do I possibly tell you what I enjoyed about a book without ruining the reading experience for you? My answer is I'll try my best to speak in generalities as opposed going into the plot. It will be difficult and in the end you might have to put your trust in my brief review without knowing as much of the story as you would like to. If you don't trust me enough to buy the book and start reading, go to a bookstore or amazon and read the first few pages. For this book that will be enough to hook you.

The fabled author himself

I have never read a book quite as magnificent as Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind and its sequel The Wise Man's Fear (I am unpatiently waiting for the final day of the Kingkiller Chronicle to be released). It is a tremendous fantasy novel(s) and I have never read or felt such a connection with any other story in the genre. The story revolves around the maturing of a young man named Kvothe. It begins with his family in a travelling troupe of entertainers and the difficult road that leads him to his acceptance into the university where he is taught magic. (As close to Harry Potter as this might seem it is a very different tale, I can only tell so much without uncovering pivotal events). My review has not nearly exemplified the excellence of this book but I promise you its worth the read.

"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

My name is Kvothe.You may have heard of me."
 ~ The back cover of The Name of the Wind

                                   
I don't condone advertising for Amazon, I personally prefer a book store and the feel of a physical book in my hand when trying to find new stories to explore but Amazon's look inside feature gives you the prologue and the first few pages of the first chapter which should give you some idea of the feel of the book.

Here's the link, see for yourself 
http://www.amazon.com/The-Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle/dp/0756404746#reader_B0010SKUYM

GRead (pronounced greed)

I feel as though I should explain the name of my blog.

Its a simple combination of Game + Read = GRead. I suppose it should have had more of the word game than the word read because I will be talking about board and video games more than books but I'll stick with GRead ... or possibly Gread.

GRead ... not G(gee)-Read but pronounced greed which is a perfect Segway into my explaining the second meaning of this blog's name. Greed, the perfect mentality for almost any video game. Scour the corners, collect as much gold as you can, loot houses to the point of dilapidation, search bodies, sell, steal, and pickpocket your way through a game. I disagree with the Robin Hood-ian slogan "steal from the rich and give to the poor", in a video game steal from everyone and give to those who will keep you prospering (pay off guards, buy ammunition, armour, and upgrades).

In Bethesda's Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion I remember searching a bundle by a sleeping peasant and finding jewels inside. In Gearbox and 2K's Borderlands even cardboard boxes and piles of skag droppings have money, ammo, or eridium in them just waiting to be uncovered.

In other games the loot isn't lying around, it's achieved in side quests, bringing you to places all over the map. In addition to the lucrative and experience raising nature of side quests they also increase your exploration of the map, taking you to places you didn't even know existed and heightening your gaming experience. I have found this to be the case in Red Dead Redemption and Skyrim.

I finished my Skyrim play through with over 100,000 gold and my house was filled with weaponry, potions, jewels, armour, artifacts, and jewelry that was so expense that to sell it was nearly impossible, the shopkeepers had the funds to buy one or two items (if that). In Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Diablo III my friend R and I swept the map so much, searching everything that my other buddy M started to get frustrated ... we let him get angry and didn't stop searching every nook and cranny.

Its worth it, it lets you buy the upgrades and find the weaponry you want, and it makes you get more involved in a game. Work to gain money. Follow side quests. Loot. Steal.

and stay greedy,

M.

Age of Empires Review

For my first game review and holding a position of the highest acclaim is the PC game from 1999 Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings and The Conquerers Expansion. Don't worry I'm not going to review games often that are covered in dust and long since passed their peak but this is a game that has kept me entertained since I started playing it as a little kid.

We've always had a computer in my house and I remember watching my dad play this one when I was 6 or 7 and then starting to play it when I turned 9. The entire Age of Empires series (they're at III now) are real time strategy games. The campaign, where you are taught to play and eventually playing in harder and harder scenarios features famous warriors and generals of the Middle Ages. You play as Joan of Arc, William Wallace, Genghis Khan, and Attila the Hun (to name a few) each trying to complete different objectives. In most of the campaign levels and in custom battles you attempt to build and protect a city and conquer your enemies at the same time. You use villagers to collect food, gold, wood, and stone resources to build both human units, buildings, upgrades, and advance from one age to the next. As you build your own civilization your enemies (and allies) are doing the same, skirmishes break out once the enemy scouts have found your town and eventually total war is unleashed in waves of soldiers.

Further into the campaigns (and most certainly in custom games) you begin to gain more control over your people and what they can do, in the first few scenarios you're sometimes unable to advance or upgrade certain things based on the nature of the scenario. In a custom game there are about two dozen nations to choose from, each with different strengths and special units, there are a wide selection of maps and game modes to make match different. You can also change the difficulty and number of allies and enemies in each game.

Despite having the old version I never find my game lagging or causing me any gameplay hindrances although the water is purple rather than blue. A buddy of mine bought the remastered version for his Mac and it looks great. It is a really fantastic game to play and one I find myself still playing from time to time twelve years after my first play through.

Most stores don't carry it but Amazon still has copies that are quite cheap. If you like strategy games it wont disappoint. Its a 10/10 for me without a doubt. Build castles and enjoy. (Britons are my favourite civilization for a custom game)

- GRead [as always]

I have posted a link below, it is from youtube, it is not my video. I don't own the rights or anything, but it is a good view of the type of gameplay that will occur. He/she plays in a more zoomed out screen than I do but you do get to see some game play. (Note how many villagers he has allocated to farming, be greedy and collect as many resources as you can, you'll need them)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPNaWwKbElA