LTTP: The West Wing - Part 2

Immediate disclaimer: this will contain spoilers; proceed at your own risk.

Last time I wrote about The West Wing I was barely through the second season and loved every second. I just finished season five and feel compelled to write a follow up before finishing the series—which will likely inspire a third write-up. I am still as in love with the show as I was in the beginning and the final two episodes of both season four and five have been brilliant and suspenseful. My only fault is that I somewhat spoiled myself by checking IMDb at some point and inevitably saw each actor's episode count. For example, season five ends with Donna in a life or death situation after a complication from injuries caused by a car bombing, but I already know she's going to survive because she's in almost every episode of the series.

Speaking of Donna, her character, relationship with Josh, and the character of Josh continue to be my favorite part. I am admittedly a sucker for that "will they or won't they" aspect in any series or film and their bit of tension works so well because of their chemistry—which is thanks in large part to the writing and the realistic portrayal by each actor. The dialogue they share is always entertaining and there is even joy to be had when Donna chooses to stop talking to Josh for a brief period of time. If you've already watched the entire series and remember it well, you know that I am dying to continue the story after the way season five ended and I will never stop hoping that "they will" already.

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Hard Lines: The Comic - 'Angry Lines'

Based off Hard Lines, available now on iTunes (iPhone/iPod Touch - $2.99)

Review: Marvel Pinball: Captain America (Multi)

I am admittedly a huge fan of Marvel, pinball, and whenever Zen Studios throws them into a blender, so Marvel Pinball: Captain America is a delicious smoothie of many things I love. Not only does Captain America keep up Zen Studio's great track record, it may be the best Marvel table to date. Part of my love is due to my affinity towards the character—as a young kid with asthma who kept on fighting, I always had a special bond with the Mr. Rogers who didn't live in the neighborhood—but when it comes down to it, this table is a wonderful time and delivers a feeling I hope I receive from the upcoming film—a feeling of bliss and excitement.

It's hard to review a pinball table when I've reviewed previous tables and I'd be shocked to meet someone who has never heard of pinball, not to mention part of the fun is experiencing a table fresh. The table seems to be reflective of the upcoming film as it includes Red Skull and the cosmic cube, but Baron Zemo, a Sleeper robot, and the Howlers also have a presence. The audio is great as always and the music in particular inspires continued play. There's not much left to say other than fans of pinball should be grabbing every table Zen Studios releases because even their worst is worthy of play.

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Hard Lines: The Comic - 'Naked Lines'

Full comic with clickage of linkage or clickage of picture... age.

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Galloping Ghost Arcade: A tad unimpressed

As scheduled, I hung out with my Pixelated Radio co-host and his better half at the Galloping Ghost Arcade earlier today and if I'm being honest, I left a little unimpressed. The concept is wonderful—an arcade full of classic to current machines, with a one-time fee for the day—but its execution was subpar. While the arcade claims to have two hundred and thirty-five working machines, they never specify if the machines work at one-hundred percent.

From my experience, many machines had an unresponsive button or a control pad that didn't want to move in a specific direction—apparently Marge Simpson is only interested in going left, right, and down (that's what she said). Other issues included flickering screens that never returned to their correct orientation and the awesome Silent Scope without a working scope. It's not all bad; however, as the arcade contains many fighters—including Mortal Kombat on a custom rig with a beautiful display—and most of them are in pretty good condition.

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Hard Lines: The Broken Update

Full comic with clickage of linkage or clickage of picture... age.

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Why is Duke Nukem Forever so great?

This is the ultimate question—why is Duke Nukem Forever so great? Well, no one calls me the answer man, so I don't know why I'm still here, but that's really more of Joaquin Phoenix problem. Why is Duke Nukem Forever so great? I have some answers below and they may just surprise you with how unsurprising they are...

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Review: Stem Stumper (iPhone/iPod Touch)

How many games are user-friendly for someone who is blind? I have no idea—it definitely isn't a high number—but Stem Stumper is a blind-accessible game that can be played by what I was originally going to say 'everyone,' but then I remembered the existence of amputees. This blind-accessible gameplay is possible due to the game's use of sound—the game uses sound cues to show an item's location, allowing someone to play the game without the need of sight. A visual mode exists for those with the ability to see and/or those uninterested in a challenge.

From a design standpoint, this is a great idea, but in its execution, I found the sound effects, music, and visuals off-putting. This kills any potential for enjoyment, but these complaints are the epitome of subjective thought. What I find ugly may be appealing to you, but I cannot speak for anyone but myself. The fundamental gameplay is fun in theory, but my audio and visual preferences leave me unable to find any joy, which disappoints me more than anyone.

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Review: Invincible #80

Invincible #80 is the first issue I have ever waited for; that's right, I am fairly new to the Invincible universe. While the issue delivered on my anticipation, it felt far too crowded—so much happens in so little time and it all seems forced. It is impossible to discuss the issue without spoilers, so let this be a warning that everything past this point is meant for those who already read #80, or simply don't care.

The issue opens with Debbie and Nolan choosing to attempt reconciliation, which they plan to attempt on another planet. It was a great opening, if tad anti-climactic, but was immediately followed by a second curveball—the reveal that William is gay. I have no problem with a gay character or a longtime character coming out, but this seemed random and as if it was obvious and expected. I never suspected William of being anything but a whiner and of little importance to the overall story, so I was rather surprised. My curiosities also question if this was purposefully revealed in June.

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Review: Hard Lines (iPhone/iPod Touch)

Do you remember playing Snake on your old school idiot phone—with no internet connection, no color display, a no touch controls? I do and may be one of the few who has fond memories of those days. I don't know how rare a Snake fan is, but regardless of rarity, I'm as big a fan as you'll ever meet. Well, Hard Lines is basically Snake with a lot of deviations and the presence of personality. It may be my love of Snake, but Hard Lines is one of the best iPhone games I've played in quite some time.

There are many modes to choose from—Survival, Deadline, Time Attack, Piñata, Gauntlet, and classic Snake—and each mode adds its own flavor. All modes other than 'Snake' feature A.I. lines in need of destroying—comparative to Tron's light cycles—but sometimes their dialogue makes them hard to kill. That's right, the lines talk and I loved every second of it. The dialogue holds the potential to distract, but I found it entertaining and different in a genre that hasn't seen much change in countless decades. Seeing a line say, "I thought you were my friend," makes me cry on the inside because he or she is right; what kind of person would kill their friends without a second thought? Apparently me, I guess.

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