Up late talking games & writing? You're...

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Tonight's the night for clearing up my cache of random odds and ends….

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Games: I happened upon this screenshot when surfing through some articles on game violence. According to the caption that came with it, this pic is from Postal 2 and the character is using a cat as a silencer.

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Funniest damn thing I've seen in a week. I think I may even frame it.

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Although I haven't had a ton of game time lately, I took advantage of the extended weekend and spent some time with two download titles, Lit and Flower.

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Lit is from WayForward (Shantae, Contra 4) and makes its home on the Wii. An intriguing mix of Puzzle and Horror genres, the game’s hook is that touching darkness or shadows is instantly fatal. Naturally, the player must make his way through twenty-five rooms (and five boss battles) by taking advantage of paths and safe zones created by lamps, televisions, broken windows, and so on. My review is in the can already and should be making an appearance soon, but in a nutshell I'd say buy it if the subject matter appeals to you, just be prepared for some frustration due to a few poor design choices.

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Flower seems to be on everyone's lips these days, and with good reason. Coming from ThatGameCompany (fl0w) it's no surprise that it's an extremely unconventional experience which defies most attempts at genre classification. For those who haven't played it, it's best described as something between an electronic poem and a brilliant deconstruction of what people expect from a videogame. I'm still sort of mulling over what I think of it, but without a doubt I am a fan.

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One last little games bit here: You may recall that The Maw released on XBLA a little while ago, and if you tried it, the odds are that you probably liked it. The folkss at Twisted Pixel put out word that the first of the three planned DLC add-ons (titled Brute Force) should be available tomorrow for the low, low price of $1.25. Be sure to check it out. I know I will.

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Comics: The Emerald City Comicon is coming up April 4 & 5, and it's happening at the Washington State Trade & Convention Center downtown. It's put on by Jim Demonakos, a real nice guy who used to be my regular dealer until I moved further south.

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Anyway, he put out a press release today stating that they will have a limited edition art book for sale (850 copies) with illustrations from a number of really sharp pencils like Howard Chaykin (!!!), Ben Templesmith and Frank Cho. Check it out HERE for more info.

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Food: Being in Seattle, I'm fortunate in that I have easy access to a very wide variety of Asian foods. Vietnamese in particular is something I'm rather partial to, and just before work I stopped into a little place up on the south edge of Lynnwood called Yeh Yeh’s Vietnamese Sandwiches.
Not quite sure how to pronounce that name, but I think it probably sounds a lot like “Holy sh!t, this is awesome!”

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I ordered the salmon sandwich (which was the first time I'd ever seen such a thing in a Vietnamese place) and it was probably the best salmon I've ever had in a restaurant in addition to being the best Vietnamese sandwich I've ever put in my mouth. Sliced thin and roasted (possibly braised) in a lightly sweet teriyaki sauce, the salmon was perfect. It was firm, had great flavor, and wasn't fishy at all. The sandwich itself was huge, and had tons of carrot and daikon. Jalapeno was optional.

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I've had tons of Vietnamese sandwiches, but this one was by far, nay -- by a mile the best one I've had. The place is practically on the campus of Edmonds Community College and hidden behind a fruit stand, to boot, so it's a little bit out of the way if you don't regularly travel north. That said, it’s certainly worth the drive.

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