Backlog
Backlog: The Gang’s All Here Edition
Aug 29th
We’re baaaaaaaaaaaack. Aaron’s returned from a summer sojourn spent in the woods, and we felt “hey, we haven’t done a real good Backlog in a while” — nevermind one with the full crew. So though Nick has been criss-crossing the Pacific Northwest, Aaron has just come back to civilization, and Doug has been tangling with the local wildlife, there’s still plenty to talk about. Aaron needs some more time coming to grips with working Internet and electricity, but we do have a contribution from Tyler, our contributor and friend of the site who’s currently living la vida Nippon in Japan.
Backlog agents! Are! GO!
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Backlog: Silicon Sasquatch’s Finest Hour edition
Jul 23rd
Scott's a rocker. He rocks out.
So this book called Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour came out this week. You might not have read the series yet, but you’ve probably heard about the comics, or the upcoming game, or the movie starring Michael Cera. The reason it bears mentioning is that it’s a spot-on representation of the minds and memories of all of us children of the ’80s who grew up on Nintendo and Sega. If that sounds like something you can relate to, you’re probably going to love the comics.
It really has been a good week for us, too. This is our fifth post in seven days, which is almost a record for us. It’s even more impressive when you recall that we’re only running at two-thirds of our normal capacity because Aaron’s working a summer job in the wilds of Oregon. But while he’s no doubt been perfecting his mountain-man beard and learning to forage for roots or something, Doug and I have been holding down the fort by playing our fair share of games. Check out what we’ve been up to after the jump, and if you’re feeling generous, why not let us know what you’ve been playing in the comments section? Consider it your one charitable act of the day.
Backlog: Summer Vacation Edition
Jul 17th
It's summertime in the Northwest, which means it's time to come out from under cover and enjoy the scenery, like Crater Lake (photo by D. Bonham).
Much like a bad sunburn, we’re back after a little mid-summer hibernation. Aaron is still out in the Oregon woods getting his camp counselor act on, but Nick and Doug have been snug in civilization and playing games. Doug, now properly equipped with a TV from the 21st century, has been building cities and breaking tackles, while Nick has been matching three, hitting apexes and staring down a worthy opponent. All very thrilling.
But enough of that, let’s get on to the gaming.
The Backlog: Welcome to Bright Falls, Sponsored by Energizer Batteries edition
Jun 6th
What’s scarier: Fending off legions of possessed townsfolk while armed only with a flashlight? Or witnessing a Pacific Northwest polluted with countless billboards promoting batteries and a cell phone carrier?
In my experience, neither one is too frightening, but you’ll probably be sick of both of them by the end of Alan Wake.
Our gaming exploits have taken us from the soccer pitches of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 and the wilds of the turn-of-the-century American West to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest and the, uh, Mario-shaped planetoid-turned-spaceship that Mario used to travel the universe to make Bowser regurgitate the power stars he’d eaten (!?). In other words, it’s been a long week.
The Backlog: Call a Plumber, the Great Plains are Flooded edition
May 31st
The new Mario game is out, though we’re all still playing Red Dead Redemption. Alan Wake is also mentioned in this week’s edition, and Nick even played a real board game. Like, one that has pieces and tiles and you have to have a large, flat surface to play it on.
What an interesting year for games, and what a fantastic year for consumers. We have new iterations of old franchises (Mario), revamped sequels (Red Dead) and fresh concepts from established developers (Alan Wake). The most amazing fact about that previous sentence is every one those games came out during the month of May, which further means we’re only halfway through 2010.
Oh hell yes.
The Backlog: Red Dead Way of Life edition
May 22nd
Some might deride it as simply GTA: Old West, some are praising it as one of the best games of the year (Metacritic has its issues but just look at that aggregate score right now), but however you structure it, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption is out and is the hot topic of the week. Aaron and Nick have started to sink their teeth into Rockstar San Diego’s western tale, while Doug is still struggling with the wild grizzly bear that is graduate school.
Enough about that nonsense, though. Let’s get on with the show.
The Backlog: Hey Ken, can I borrow that lawnmower? edition
May 15th
Street Fighter season is officially back in full swing, and you know what that means: Ken jokes are in vogue once again. Whether you’re poring over exhaustive guides to master Ken’s deeply nuanced fighting style or just enjoying a brain-dead pun, there’s no time like the present to dig into Capcom’s latest fighter.
Of course, there are a whole lot of other great games you could be playing too, whether you’re gaming on-the-go or squeezing every last ounce of enjoyment from a couple of recent big-name console games like a certain site editor. Anyone who can finish Mass Effect 2 on insanity is a stronger person than I.
Anyway, let’s get down to it.
The Backlog: Final Collision Fantasy with Friends edition
May 7th
Our Backlog is full of Awesome Sauce this week. Don’t believe me? Good. You shouldn’t.
But click the link anyway, please. We know when you don’t!
The Backlog: We Are The World Warriors Edition
May 1st
Plenty to discuss this week — racing games, zombies, spaaaaaaaaaaace! (warning: funny, but spoilers!), and world warriors.
Oh, the world warriors!
Enough of this nonsense, on to the backlog!
The Backlog: Go Get Some Sun edition
Apr 24th
This is how I spent my last weekend in Seattle: taking a ferry to Bainbridge Island. Walking around I got the impression I'd stumbled onto the village belonging to The Others from Lost. I later discovered that the actor who plays Juliet actually lives there, so…there you go.
Can you believe it? A third post in a single week. You’d almost get the impression that we like writing about games.
There’s no tongue-in-cheek theme this week. Just…c’mon. Have you looked outside? It’s supposed to be sunny and almost 70 degrees. This probably isn’t gonna happen again until July, so put down that controller, call off that Icecrown Citadel raid, and grab your iPhone so you can experience the great outdoors…with a bit of an insurance policy in tow, of course.