Once again, Tea Leaves is proud to be one of the few sites on the web that doesn’t have a stupid and irritating April Fools’ joke.
I say “Bah, humbug!” and I’m proud to do so.
Archive for March, 2006
No Sense of Humor '06
March 31st, 2006 by peterbRed Hot and Blue
March 30th, 2006 by psuFor two years in graduate school, I lived in North Carolina. One of the things you learn about when you live in North Carlina is what good pulled pork tastes like. Good pulled pork is pork shoulder, or the whole pig, cooked over a low smokey fire for many many hours. In the part of North Carolina where we lived, the meat is also marinated in a vinegar and pepper sauce. The result is meat that is textured but tender, and is infused with the flavor of the smoke.
I moved from North Carolina to Pittsburgh almost 15 years ago, and have never had passable pulled pork in the city limits until tonight.
(more…)
To Oblivion, And Beyond!
March 29th, 2006 by peterbThere are a few funny things about my craving to play Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
(more…)
Sloth, Ignorance and Denial
March 28th, 2006 by psuOver the weekend, the New York Times published this depressing profile of a growing service in the food industry where you pay someone to be your prep cook. Apparently, the way this works is that for a nominal fee, you are given use of an industrial kitchen space and told how to “assemble” your dishes from the vats of ingredients that are given to you. This article is just the latest indication when it comes to food, certain Americans suffer from three pathologies: sloth, ignorance and denial.
(more…)
Retrograde
March 27th, 2006 by peterbMy new column, Retrograde, appears in the latest issue of Played To Death. Feel free to check it out (PDF, 42 Mb).
This issue’s topic: everyone’s favorite Playable Classic, Ultima IV.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Ineptitude
March 23rd, 2006 by psuI picked up the new Metal Gear Solid 3 special edition because the promise of playing the game with a real third person camera intrigued me. You have to give Kojima credit. If nothing else, he has a sense of style, and he does not take himself too seriosuly. Things happen in the latest Metal Gear game that you just can’t imagine happening in, say, Splinter Cell because the latter game puts up a pretense of being a serious take on the action/stealth genre.
(more…)
Loving the Alien
March 22nd, 2006 by peterbIt was, quite arguably, the best game of its era: X-Com: UFO Defense. It had everything. A gripping plot. An approachable, iconic art style. Furious, deadly combat. An easily-learned user interface.
It spawned a number of official sequels, and a few imitators, but none of them had the impact of the original. And you can understand why: if you want to play X-Com, you can play X-Com. It’s a game that comes so close to perfection that it’s hard to argue that you even need a sequel.
I could probably write a long article on why X-Com is such a wonderful game. I’m not going to write that today. Today, I’m writing a review of X-Com’s spiritual sequel, UFO: Aftershock. UFO: Aftershock both is and is not a sequel to X-Com. The developers clearly want to tread the line of enjoying the aura of the earlier product, while not actually getting sued for it. Judged as a substitute for X-Com, UFO: Aftershock (inevitably) comes up short. But judged on its own terms, it brings some intriguing things to the table. Let’s take a look at what they are.
(more…)
When I Think About You, I Quote Myself
March 21st, 2006 by peterb“With an iSight, some chlorine bleach, and two pairs of latex surgical gloves, nothing is impossible.”
More context would just ruin it, I think.
From the New World
March 20th, 2006 by psuI’m 4 or 5 hours into the new Shadow Hearts. Currently, I am breaking Al Capone out of Alcatraz, only Alcatraz is in Chicago and I’m with Al Capone’s bodyguard, who is a gigantic talking white cat. Who knows Drunken Master Kung Fu. Did I mention the talking cat? I can’t really say any more without spoiling the more unique aspects of the plot.
Arsenic and Old Saves
March 17th, 2006 by peterbHi. Glad you could drop by so we could have this little chat. Have a seat. Yes, that one there, right next to the Playstation 2 console. Here, have a cup of coffee. It’s my special blend.
(more…)