It’s been awhile since I had some time off. I took an extra day (May 21^st) so I could just do nothing.

I wish I had a weekend project to work on but the one thing I want to work on (new home server) isn’t possible at the moment. So what will I do? I already spent a day at a wedding and I suspect one of these days will be spent charring meats.

The game(s) of the weekend will probably be God of War: Ascension and Mechwarrior: Online sprinkled with some Luigi’s Mansion 2.

I guess I’ll continue working on my Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon review and perhaps that Unreal Engine 3 feature.

You know what? It may also just be filled with Star Trek: TNG episodes. The important thing is I’m earning money and not working.

I finally got around to trying the Fuse demo last night. It didn’t meet my expectations but not for typical reasons.

Fuse would have been far more amusing with four players chatting over the headset; they would have filled the void of noise or notable audio stimuli. I found Fuse to be muted with its audio. Visually it was fine but the lack of audio punch in nearly everything I was involved with left me underwhelmed.

I was also disappointed by the lack of flair from the characters. They too felt restrained and simply weren’t as funny or witty as I thought they could be. Maybe it’s too early in the campaign and they were not accustomed to each other yet. Or maybe — just maybe — developers should divulge a bit more than what we’re given here.

On the bright side, switching between the different characters worked just as well as switching weapons. I appreciated the fact that I could leave a character in a precarious situation and they would find their way to cover. The A.I was actually competent based on what I witnessed. They set up shields, revived and did kept themselves out of unnecessary trouble.

I’m not going to pick up Fuse. I felt like I got all I wanted out of that demo. The final game could end up being amazing but I can’t help shake the feeling that it would be better played as a 4 player co-operative game.

Also this game probably has the ugliest fire effect on this side of the PlayStation 1.

Fuse will debut on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on May 28^th, 2013

Now that’s not the end of it. Polyphony Digital have already mentioned they have the PlayStation 4 version of the game “in mind“. And with that tacit confirmation, I will be skipping the PlayStation 3 version.

Even if the PlayStation 4 version is nothing more than a cleaned up version of the PlayStation 3 release, I’d be more than okay with it.

But enough about the game’s platforms and release dates, what of the game itself?

It looks fine but all they showed was the racing itself which was fine in Gran Turismo 5 as well. It was everything else surrounding Gran Turismo 5 that was lacking. They claimed an improved interface but that’s one of those “I’ll believe it when I see it” situations.

That’s $100 more than a PlayStation Vita and $150 more than a Nintendo 3DS. It is cheaper than a spec comparable smartphone or tablet but that’s not something I would want to bring out in public.

So what does $349.99 get you? A handheld that can play the “hottest” Android games powered by one of the fastest (if not the fastest) SoC on the market today. If Android games doesn’t float your boat, there’s always a plethora of PC games that you can stream via your NVIDIA GeForce GTX video card.

This is one hell of a niche product for that price.

For those who have cash burning in their wallets, pre-orders open May 20^th.

The XCOM shooter is now a third person squad based tactical game reminiscent of Mass Effect. Instead of reading my recounts of what I watched, why not watch this little walkthrough instead:

I love the aesthetic but it does appear more restrained than the earlier first person shooter rendition. There was a sense of mystery and uneasiness with the blobs of goo masquerading as everyday citizens. The Bureau is undeniably XCOM and I’m fine with that but I also wish 2K Marin will have the opportunity to revisit their original idea and flesh it out. It doesn’t even have to be XCOM related.

Here’s a developer diary detailing The Bureau’s evolution:

I’m finding a lot of enjoyment from NetFlix — even in the so called “limited” Canadian version. I have not even considered looking into changing IPs and connecting to the U.S repository yet.

The shows I’m currently watching and re-watching include:

• Arrested Development
• Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Twin Peaks

NetFlix’s gamble with original content like “House of Cards” worked; they lured me in with fantastic original programming and now I’m continuing to give them a monthly rate. I’m going to continue paying for it until I’ve exhausted all that they have.

I don’t think that’s going to happen any time soon though. I still have the often praised Mad Men to watch and much more “shows” that I’ve been skipping on because I was too lazy to invest in. As it turns out, I will gladly consume content if it’s as easy as watching a YouTube clip.

My latest muse is Twin Peaks. I’ve heard many good things about it but I had my reservations. I finished House of Cards UK but there were signs from its time that were a bit jarring. Twin Peaks, on the other hand, holds up remarkably well. I’ve only watched the first episode but I can see all the cultural influences at work here. I look forward to watching more of it.

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I’m nearing the end of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon and I’m glad there’s not much more than this because I’m already Far Cry-ed out. There’s a lot of dumb fun to be had thanks to the aesthetics and tone but that core game is so played out.

I’m also working my way through Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon which I find a bit disappointing. There’s too much hand holding and every time I get a whiff of freedom, I’m drawn back into a load screen and cutscene. Why can’t this game be more open?

Who knows? Maybe I’ll actually pick this release up.

I doubt it.