Yeah… I’m Still Here…

Still alive, still kicking, and still in New Orleans

I was aware that I haven’t posted to my blog in quite awhile, but I had no idea just how long it’s been. Isn’t it amazing how easily we can lose track of the time, while deeply mired in the day-to-day chaos? Well, there’s nothing that can be done about that now. Let’s get started, shall we?

It is now July, which means I’ve been working here in the “Big Easy” for 12 months. I’ve seen New Orleans through all four seasons and every major holiday, with the exception of Christmas and New Years (which were spent in California with my wonderful wife). I’ve lived among the “Who Dats” through football season and Mardi Gras. I’ve been stuck or redirected at road closures due to countless parades that have no apparent purpose.

It also means I’ve been living on the road for 14 months, reducing my entire Louisville experience to little more than a pit-stop. Half-way through the third construction project in the area, making this a 4-game road trip (including Kentucky), I am more than ready to sleep in my own bed and spend quality time with my wife without having to operate out of a suitcase. I am thrilled at the possibility of being able to commute on my motorcycle and lounge in my man cave once again.

With one more month to go before my dream becomes reality, I have a confession to make. I have a very strong love/hate relationship with New Orleans. On the one hand I hate being in New Orleans, but on the other hand I love leaving New Orleans. Unfortunately, to fully experience the exquisite joy of leaving New Orleans, you first have to be there. I could write extensively concerning my feelings about the region, but in the off-chance that someone who lives here just happens to stumble upon my blog… I wouldn’t want to cause any hurt feelings. I know what it’s like to be in the room where others were speaking ill of my home, where I grew up, the backdrop of so many childhood memories. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody. Just so we’re clear, I’m fully aware that my opinions are just that, my opinions. I’m open to the possibility that the people who are from here may very well see something that I don’t see. It may just come down to personal taste. Maybe (likely, I think) the characteristics of where we grew up have nothing to do with it, and the fondness we hold dear for the specific locale is simply what we associate with those formative and individually sacred experiences.

What I’ve Been Up To…

You probably think I’ve conquered dozens of different games since last we met, racking up hundreds of trophies and making a serious dent in my sizeable backlog, don’t you? It has been 5 months since my last post, after all. Actually, apart from the remakes of “The Secret of Monkey Island” and “Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge” (which took all of a weekend, combined), I’ve mainly been working on only one game… “Demon’s Souls”.


If you didn’t just get goose bumps after reading that, you are obviously not familiar with the game. And chances are pretty good that if you are familiar with the game, you are tempted to say, “Don’t tell me you actually finished Demon’s Souls?!”

Demon’s Souls is easily and by far the hardest game  I have ever experienced. I firmly believe it is the most difficult game ever made, and if it isn’t (after all, I haven’t played every game ever made) I guarantee it’s very close to the top of the list. Unforgiving and punishingly brutal, you don’t play Demon’s Souls, Demon’s Souls plays you. However, with all of the frustration, endless beatings and all too frequent death, it never feels cheap or faulty. Demon’s Souls excels at reinforcing the number one rule of video games: Only you can save the world. You are always in full control of the situation… you’re simply not good enough for most of the game. 

The game world is meticulously detailed and lit to evoke the intended suspense that is unique to each level, a suspense that is only heightened by the excellent use of the environmental sounds and enemies that feel completely natural for the areas they appear in. Ask anyone who’s braved the Tower of Latria about their first trip through the prison’s dark, claustrophobia inducing corridors and I’d be surprised if you didn’t see at least a hint of “fight or flight” evident in their body language. The folks at From Software have truly mastered their craft.

Surprisingly, there is nothing taken away by the fact that there is little to no music throughout the entire game, a design choice that would be disastrous in almost any other project.

Long story short, after 241 hours of game time, 3.5 complete playthroughs and overcoming a huge learning curve, I finally earned the platinum “Toughest Soul Trophy” and returned the disc to its case, never to be removed again. And what a liberating feeling that was!

It took me almost 4 months to get all the trophies for this game, and yes, that is much longer than it should be. Let me explain, I learned long ago that I am incapable of playing more than one game at a time. I end up jumping from game to game, having a great time, but never finishing anything. When I would return to a game I had previously been working on, I completely forgot where I was and couldn’t even remember the controls. I would have to start all over. On top of that, Demon’s Souls beats on you at every opportunity. Coming home after 12 hours of sun, heat, equipment problems, etc. beating on me, all day long (if it was a particularly tough day) I would be physically, mentally and emotionally unable to even pick up the controller, knowing that Demon’s Souls only offered more beatings. So it’s not like I played the same game everyday for four months. I just knew it could only be counter productive to play anything else on those days I was unable to face the madness.

By way of disclaimer, I did not take the above pictures. They were collected from various places around the world wide internet webs. I thought about trying to capture some cool screenshots myself, but that would require taking the disc back out of the case, and that is forbidden.

Contrary to the popular belief held among many of my acquaintances, I do more than just play video games and drink Mt. Dew during my free time. I also drink Mt. Dew while reading books! In fact, during my absence from the blog I put my Nook e-reader to work as well, finishing both parts of Louisa Alcott’s “Little Women” (yes, I accurately predicted who both Amy and Jo would marry), Alan Jacobson’s “The 7th Victim”, Timothy Hallinan’s “A Nail Through the Heart” and devoured all 788 pages of George R. R. Martin’s “A Game of Thrones”. Additionally, I also completely re-read my hardcover copy of Christopher Paolini’s “Eldest” and thoroughly enjoyed the unabridged audiobook version of the brilliant David Baldacci’s “Split Second” (while making a trip into Texas for a meeting). As you can clearly see, I’m not nearly as predictable as some might think.

Hmm… that was quite a bit more lengthy than I intended. If I was more consistent with my posts, I wouldn’t have to spend so much time catching up. Rather than try your patience with a much longer post, I’ll go ahead and save the rest for next time. Keep an eye out for “Innocence Lost” in the coming days.

In closing, it came free with my Nook and is also a literary classic, so don’t hassle me. You know what I’m referring to. Thanks for stopping by!