I decided that, since Igor lives at the office now (to stare down a coworker’s superhero action figure collection), he should have a costume for halloween. I was going for Steampunk but didn’t really have anything to give it the edge needed, so we’ll settle for Dapper Victorian.

A Dapper Dinosaur is a post from: becd.net

TACO SEASONING

Makes enough for over 6 lbs of meat.

Ingredients:

• 6 T (3/8 c) Chili Powder
• 4 T (1/4 c) Garlic Powder
• 6 T (3/8 c) Dried Minced Onion
• 4 T (1/4 c) Oregano
• 2 T (1/8 c) Paprika
• 16 T (1 c) Cumin
• 12 T (3/4 c) Salt
• 6 T (3/8 c) Black Pepper
• 6 T (3/8 c) Onion Powder

Directions:

In the crockpot, use 3/8 c of mix and 1/2 c of water for every lb of meat you’re cooking. See the Chicken Taco post for more information. You made need to adjust the amount of water if cooking on the stove.

Store your leftover seasoning in an airtight jar. I use an old plastic peanut butter jar with proportions for different amounts of meat written on it.

Homemade Taco Seasoning is a post from: becd.net

Buzz Buzz Buzz is a post from: becd.net

Bonus picture:

A Timmy for Thinkgeek is a post from: becd.net

Copyright Valve

Half-Life

Platform: PC-Steam

Ratings:

• Story: 4/5 (I couldn’t hear a lot of what the scientists were telling me, making me miss a lot of plot.)
• Environment: 5/5
• Game Play: 4/5 (Some minor but annoying glitching.)

Review:

Half-Life is a fun mix of FPS and puzzler, and the first FPS I’ve ever finished on my own. I enjoyed the game a lot but found it somewhat hindered by its glitches: I could not adjust the voice levels any higher than the environment, so I repeatedly missed what the scientists were saying to me; more than once I found myself jammed into the wall, unable to move; and ladders SUCK. For the second glitch, at least, F6 (Auto-Save) is your friend. Actually, F6 is always your friend: I pretty much hit the button after every jump by the end of the game. I also spent a good portion of my time with 4 HP, so I’m not so sure that I played this game so much as survived it.

Half-Life (PC – Steam) is a post from: becd.net

I wasn’t expecting to like this movie as much as I did. Pogle and I have already watched it two times, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we watch it again soon. While I wasn’t terribly impressed with the supporting characters, Megamind himself is just awesome. Highly recommended (and highly quotable).

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Megamind is a post from: becd.net

I put off watching the newest reboot because I was afraid it couldn’t live up to its namesakes. I was wrong, and should have watched this film a year ago. I found some parts very distressful, but pogle talked me into giving it a chance. It was very strange for me to find myself rooting for Kirk, as he has never been my favorite character in the canon. I did thoroughly enjoy watching him get his arse kicked, repeatedly, so perhaps that colored my view of him in the new film. The new Bones nailed it, totally. Scotty’s appearance was brief but enjoyable. If you’re noticing a name not mentioned here, now you know where my conflicts lie, and if you’ve seen the film you’ll understand why. The best reboot I’ve ever seen, and I really hope they continue with these actors for more films or a series. Pleeeeeease.

Oh, and did I mention it’s hilarious?

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Star Trek is a post from: becd.net

Copyright Sony Entertainment

Heavy Rain [SPOILER ALERT]

PS3

Story Rating: 3.5/5 – Essentially a giant “Choose your own adventure” story: every decision you make determines the path your plot will take.

Environment Rating: 5/5 – One of the most realistic environments you’ll find yourself in (although there’s naturally a bit of uncanny valley going on)

Game Play Rating: 3/5 – It’s pretty much entirely walking + quicktime events. The walking gets old very quickly as the controls get very convoluted due to automated camera angles. At times the quicktime events feel like you’re playing twister with your fingers.

Review:

Overall, I found this to be a stressful and infuriating game. If I had to pin it to a genre, I’d say it’s somewhere between a Die Hard: With a Vengence and Saw. Yeah, you heard me. Amusingly enough, I somehow ended up with the happiest ending possible (as far as I can tell). I’m thankful, and I’ll leave the other, less happy endings for pogle to explore. I was both thoroughly freaked out and somewhat impressed with how well the developers captured primal female fears, though.

Never.Playing.Again.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

Heavy Rain (PS3) is a post from: becd.net

Copyright Warner Bros

Lego Harry Potter

Nintendo DS

Story Rating: 3/5 – Seems disjointed at times, unplayable really if you haven’t read books or seen movies.

Environment Rating: 4/5 – The Potterverse has been translated into lego very well.

Game Play Rating: Fun, but I really don’t want to replay it to get all of the hidden items to 100% the game.

Review:

I’m not sure I’m cut out for Lego games, if only because I’m not a completionist. Give me the story, not-too-difficult gameplay, and a satisfactory ending and I’m usually happy. Lego Harry Potter elicited a few chuckles as I played through the well-known story and was certainly an enjoyable bedtime game. However, upon completing the story I discovered I was only 60% completed with the game. Argh! I tried to go back and gather all of the trinkets and gewgaws as required, but honestly by Book III it was more of a chore than something that was enjoyable. I have many other games to play, so I’m calling it quits at 91%.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Nintendo DS) is a post from: becd.net

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Enslaved (Xbox 360)

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Legendary (Xbox 360)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 

*All played by pogle but reviewed by me; he may have slightly different opinions on game mechanics.

Mini Game Reviews* is a post from: becd.net