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

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I've fallen into a routine of trying to update the blog at least once every two days, and I don't quite get how I end up having busy days and late nights every time I need to post something. Guess I gotta work on my timing. Still, the show must go on…
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Games: Started playing the new Tomb Raider: Underworld DLC today, titled “Lara’s Shadow”. In a neat twist, this time around players take control of the evil doppelgänger that's been causing Ms. Croft so much trouble, and I must say it's rather entertaining.
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I didn't have very much time to spend with it so I'm reserving final judgment, but in the little bits that I saw, I was really intrigued by the tweaks. For example, this “evil” Lara scrabbles up craggy rock like a lizard instead of the careful ascension we're used to. She also leaps further, and has much more physical strength, attacking enemies with punches and kicks instead of the usual “shoot and circle-strafe” routine that has been par for the course since Tomb Raider’s inception. It's pretty cool, really… the energy level seems higher, and there's more of an edge to the character.
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I hope this particular piece of content isn't over too soon because in all honesty, it's the most interesting thing about the entirely unimpressive Underworld experience.
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Games: I’ve been keeping an eye on Ninja Blade, and to be frank, it hasn't looked very interesting. Giving off sort of a cheesy, Ninja Gaiden-ish vibe, I wasn't sure what to make of it… until I played the demo today. Available on Live, I've got to say that it really knocked my socks off. The action was completely over-the-top and really cinematic, thanks to a very liberal application of Quick-Time Events.
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The playable segment starts with a group of ninjas jumping out of an aerial transport without parachutes, killing creatures on the way down. After a brief bit of straightforward swordplay, there's crazy wall running away from a gigantic monster, a completely vertical (heading downwards) section on the outside of a skyscraper, and the demo wraps up with a boss battle against a spider the size of a football field. I won't spoil the way it ends, but it certainly wasn't what I expected, and I mean that in the best possible sense. This demo really served its purpose and got me to sit up and pay attention in a way that I haven't been motivated to before, so kudos to FromSoft.
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One word, though: the character design flat-out sucks. That gimpy, goofy mask has got to go. I'm praying that there are some alternate costumes or something, because seriously… it's not cool.
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Books: Making a conscious effort to read more books lately, I've been leaving the handhelds at home and it hasn't been as painful as I thought it might be. In fact, I'm glad that I decided to do this, since it gave me an opportunity to finish a book I've been trying to get to for a long time: Devil’s Engine by Mark Sumner.
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I picked up the first book in the series, Devil’s Tower, on a whim one day when I was buying a stack of used books at one of my favorite local spots (Twice Sold Tales on Capitol Hill) and I fell in love with it by the time I finished the first page. The sequel doesn't disappoint.
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In Sumner’s book, certain people in the old West developed natural abilities called ‘Talents’, and the appearance of these powers radically changed the landscape. The main plot thread in the book is about Sheriff Jake Bird, his town called Medicine Rock, and the impending arrival of the first railroad to join the eastern and western halves of the continent together.
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To be honest, I'm not much of a straight Westerns fan, but there's something really interesting and engaging about it when supernatural or fantasy elements are added to the mix. In my opinion, Sumner’s attempt at this formula is probably the best one I've ever read. The book is very fast-paced and displays an extremely solid, workmanlike level of writing ability that doesn't waste time on anything that doesn't add to the action. Each sentence is surefooted and serves a purpose, but at the same time, Sumner has an uncanny knack for painting scenes and characters effortlessly. He does more with two sentences than some authors do with an entire paragraph, but at the same time, never losing the energy and flow that keeps the pages turning.
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I really respect an author that knows how to entertain without getting into self-indulgence and needless tangents. In this respect, Sumner totally delivers. I'm tracking down the rest of his stuff as soon as I can.
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