I think my distraction has become my addiction...Or brains are saturated in Cholesterol...

The Zombie Apocalypse is here, and hordes of mindless hungry flesh eaters are attempting to break into my home to eat my brains.  Intent on survival I have hunkered down with a like minded individual, a big shout out to fellow blogger: teapotrobot of Taking Life Advice From Rappers, to defend my white picket fenced yard.  To defeat the horde we thought we'd think outside the box. Rather than the typical armory of AK47's, double barrelled shotguns, and replica ninja swords, we have armed ourselves with a collection of wacky mutant plants that we have obtained from our neighbour, Crazy Dave. He's C-R-A-Z-Y.

Okay, so this isn't exactly my life, but it is the plot of the video game that is filling all of my free time at work these days.
PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES from POPCAP games.  This game is available for just about every platform imaginable, except the Wii, but since not even people who own Wii's use them anymore, no big loss there.  We downloaded it on the PSN, and have been playing it non-stop between shows for at least 6 weeks.
  The premise is fairly straight-forward. Its a tower defense style game with a funky twist.  You use a wacky collection of Flora to stop the advancing Zombie Horde from gaining access to your back door and thus keep them from snacking on your brains.

With zany plants like the pea shooter, cabbagepault, cat tail, and wall nut, you have plenty of amusing options for mounting your defense.  Collect coins, gems, and other bonus perks along the way to access upgrades and unlock new and exciting ways to decimate the zombie horde.
Game modes include traditional story, survival, puzzle, bowling, among others, and most have a co-op option for those of you who want to get your game on with a friend.  There is also a really engaging Zen Garden that will help you generate in game cash.

We've already completed story mode twice, unlocked 90% of the trophy's (We are going to tackle the endless survival mode for the last trophy tomorrow).
Over our two playthroughs we have come up with a solid plant selection for survival: from back to front: two rows of sunflowers - upgraded to double sun for later levels, a row of double shooters, upgraded to Gatling guns for later levels, a row of freezy shooters, a row of cornapaults, a row of melonpaults upgraded to freezy melonpaults for later levels, a mixed row of magnets, woken up with coffee beans, (1,3,5) and shooting stars (2,4), a row of chompers, and a row of Tall Nuts.  If you have the extra slots pick up both a squash, and a jalapeno as they come in handy for destroying any sneaky zombies that manage to tunnel under/float over/smash through your defenses.
 
For a good laugh, read through the almanac for the Bios on all of the plants and different Zombies you'll encounter.  Also the secret music video found at end of story mode: There's a Zombie on my lawn, is just as good as any Robin Sparkles video.  See for yourself:

All in all, Plants vs Zombies is a very amusing distraction for all of your brain consuming needs!

The first rule of Beer Club!

The origins:  For me Beer club started back when I was working for Stage West on The British Invasion back in 2002.  Every Sunday night after our last show of the week, a bunch of the cast and crew would make our way downtown to either The Wheatsheaf, or the James Joyce Pub to unwind with wings and beer.  Since moving to K/W I have been keeping the tradition alive.  I am now claiming my status as a founding member of a very select group.  This group of like minded comrades generally has one thing in common.  Some of us work together, some of us have known each other since childhood, some of us live in the region,  some of are married, some of us are parents, some of us are just along for the ride, but all of us like beer.
Over the years we have tried sampling a number of Kitchener/Waterloo's fine establishments: Falte, Morty's, Ethel's Lounge, The Fox & The Fiddle, The Duke of Wellington, Symposium, The Whale & Ale, and lately The Firkin at the Tannery, but there is one bar to which we always return.  The Heuther Hotel.  A staple of Downtown Waterloo for many years, the Heuther is a multi-faceted gem that holds a special place in my heart.  As one of the best of the local microbreweries, the Heuther offers something for everyone.  Looking for breakfast, or a hip place to study?  Then Cafe 1842 on the main level is for you.  Are sportsbars more your style?  The upper level has everything you'll need.  Attached to the sports bar you can find regions largest patio - The Barleyworks, perfect for a cold pint on a Summer evening.  Looking for pool tables?  They can be found on the Retro middle level along with throwback arcade games that predate Golden Tee.  For the Music buff, check out The Jazz Room on the main level.  But all of these treats pale in comparison to the treasure in the basement.  The Lion Brewery Restaurant is where we wind up week after week.  Featuring the beer of the onsite Lion Brewery, including special seasonal offerings like the ever popular weissbeer, the basement features low ceilings, dim ambient lighting, personable serving staff, and the best wings in town.  The other beautiful thing about the basement lounge is that it is always practically ignored by the massive student population here in Waterloo.  It is the best kept secret in a town full of watering holes that cater to the drunk & disorderly under 22 crowd.
  I love the fact that the wait staff knows my order by heart, and when we inevitably wind up with a new waiter, the bar tender takes care of us, simulateously schooling the new wait staff.   Also, the price is right!  2 beers and a pound of wings will set you back $18.50.  Hard to argue with that in these crappy economic times.
Really I think Beer Club has become my light at the end of the tunnel.  It is something constant in an ever-changing
world.  When my work week sucks, I always know that Thuraday night will make it better.  The revolving door policy of our members means that it may be a slightly different crowd each week, but Beer Club will always be there to welcome us back, regardless of venue.  Speaking of which, whenever we wind up back at the Heuther after a brief hiatus, the waitstaff always ask where we were, they know we stray, but they also know we'll always come crawling back.
I digress.  I am due at Beer Club in just under 3 hours and like always, I can hardly wait.
See you there!

Been There Done That. Literally got the T-Shirt.

Tuesday November 8th, marked one of the biggest gaming days of the year with the launch of the latest title in the very popular Call of Duty franchise:  Call of Duty - Modern Warfare 3.
As a gamer, I felt it was my duty to enlist my close gamer friends to trek out to the big midnight release for this game.  As a sidebar, I love midnight releases.  Whether it is for a movie (Transformers 3, X-Men Origins - Wolverine), a novel (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) or a video game (MW3) there is something about standing in line for a few hours with a horde of like-minded individuals, waiting to sink your teeth into the as of yet undiscovered content that the retailer is dangling so tantalizingly in front of you.  I love the idea that you can bask in the knowledge that you will be one of the first people in the world to delve into this sweet new content. 
I had planned on us arriving at Best Buy about an hour before the doors opened at 12:01am, not sure what to expect for a turnout as there were plenty of locations in K/W (and across the world) that were participating in the midnight release.  We were not disappointed!  The lineup stretched around the side of the building,  with many of the people at the front of the line reclining in lawn chairs or under blankets in the chilly November air.  There was a tangible excitement in the air as people of all ages shared in the pre -  release festivities.  We chatted back and forth with a few of the gamers around us inline, swapping gamer stories of killing douche waffles in the last COD offering, and the various other games that we devote so much of our free time (read: lives) to. 
One of my friends joked that he felt pretty sad to be standing in line at midnight to buy a video game, but no one had twisted his arm to be there, and when he eventually had his copy in hand, he didn't waste any time tearing into the packaging to check out the liner notes on his sweet new acquisition.
I was shocked to discover that neither of the two gamer friends attending the event with me had ever been to a midnight release.  I hope I have opened their eyes to the awesomeness involved.
Ultimately, we stood in line for about an hour and a half, and we all obtained a copy of the much anticipated title.  On top of that, we each got a sweet MW3 T-shirt to commemorate the event.  Proof, that we the few, the proud, had withstood the ravages of weather, and time, to be a part of history.  And more importantly, come early 2012, we will be ready to pwn some Christmas noobs!
So hows the game?  That's a discussion for another time!

Uncharted 3: Buy This Game!

Another Grand Slam from Naughty Dog!

If you own a PS3, odds are that you have heard of the Uncharted franchise.  If you own an Xbox 360 or a Wii, I am sorry.  Really and truly sorry.  These games are only available as a PS3 exclusive.  Better luck next time.
Featuring Nathan Drake, a direct descendant of Sir Francis Drake, renown English explorer, Nate is a wise-ass, skull cracking treasure hunter, who has a penchant for finding himself in some very  remarable situations. The result is that this series becomes a combination of Indiana Jones and some cracked out 3D version of Pitfall.  The Uncharted Franchise has won Naughty Dog several Game of the Year awards for their past efforts.  Renown for their incredible attention to detail, remarkable motion capture based graphics, and Hollywood worthy soundtracks, the Uncharted games have been hailed as being closer to feature films than standard video games, and with good reason.
  The latest offering from developer Naughty Dog Studios is true to the franchise.
  Drake, along with a motley cast of characters, some returning from previous games, some new to the series, are once again on a hunt for a fabled lost city, The Atlantis of the Sands, and find themselves in a race against time, surrounded on all sides by the minions of a modern day secret society who has its own designs on the secrets contained in the lost city.
To call the single player campaign story mode of this game immersive is like calling the Gobi desert a sand box.  It just doesn't do it justice.

  Yes the graphics (3D for those of you lucky bastards with the right toys) are incredibly detailed. Breathtaking in-fact.
People, water, everything looks real.  The motion capture is especially well done.

Yes the game play is remarkably fluid, with clearly defined, easy to access controls.  Move, swim, take cover, climb drain pipes, hang from ledges, sneak attack like a mo-fo master ninja, snipe like a gilley suit wearing Navy Seal, it is all super simple to do.

Yes it the soundtrack sounds like it is scored by John Williams or Danny Elfman, pure adventure film.

Yes the puzzles are difficult!  Like any good fortune hunter, Nate must work his way through a number of intricate puzzles to proceed on his journey.  Most of them will stump the uninniated, but with a little in-game research all  are eventually solvable.

Yes the story is engaging.  Even if you are new to the franchise, Nate and the relationships he has built with the other characters make them people you can care about.  This is not just another hack and slash - blast everything you see dungeon crawl.  Sure, the story is linear, but it will keep you on the edge of your seat, needing to know what happens next.

Yes it will pull you up out of your seat by your ears, and make you squeal in a combination of unthinking terror and giddy excitement.  There is a sequence later in the game where Nate is sucked from a flaming cargo plane at 20,000 feet without a parachute.  The following sequence is the most jaw dropping, heart stopping, adrenaline pumping thing I have ever experienced in a video game.  When the sequence ended,  a non-gamer friend who was watching it unfold turned to me, breathless, and exclaimed 'Holy shit!  That was intense!"

Without giving away too much else about the story, all I can say is that this game is pretty friggin' incredible.

Oh!  And it has a multitude of amazing multi-player online elements that will keep it fresh for months to come.

Like I said earlier, BUY THIS GAME!  Unless you don't like fun.  In that case, go back to your Xbox.