MicMacs, To The Moon and The Wise Man's Fear

[lathany]

bateleur was roleplaying on the south coast this weekend, so I have been on twins duty. This has become easier with every year they get older. Friday night was just their tea and bedtime. Yesterday featured the cakeshop, some Ryan-Mummy Terraria and then family-minus-bateleur dinner (prawn and pea risotto). Today Ryan and I headed over to the local hall where, about every four months, I give blood. Apparently it was my eighteenth donation (I hadn't counted, but that sounds right) and, for once, there was no problem with my iron count (usually the first test fails and the second one shows me just over the line and able to give). Ryan took photos for his newsbook (just of me) and shared my packet of biscuits at the end. Bea stayed home and read (she's started my Diana Wynne Jones collection).

It has not been that long since I last posted, but I'm gearing up for my usual December (which is when I try to post every day with the titles being advent windows) so I thought I would produce a post.

• To The Moon - This is an indie PC game which I got as part of the Indie Royale package with The Blackwell Deception. It has caused a great deal of controversy over the question of whether it is a game. Having played it, I'd go with "not really" although I would also enthusiastically recommend it. This is because it is an excellent story which is something of a cross between Total Recall, Memento and The Butterfly Effect, but with indie-standard (ie. cartoony) graphics rather than special effects and headline actors. The premise is that a dying man wants his wish to go to the moon granted and a couple of scientists are contracted to fulfill this. The rest is wonderful. The main problem is the "gameplay". The put-the-memories-together puzzle is fine, but it's just one simple puzzle that you do rather a lot. What other gameplay bits exist feel incredibly tacked-on. However, so long as you aren't looking for the "game" bit, then this is beautiful and heartrending.
• MicMacs - The full French title is MicMacs à tire-larigot ('Non-stop shenanigans'). Its director/writer is also the director/writer of Amélie and the two films have a similar feel to them. However, I didn't think MicMacs was quite as good as Amélie which was my joint favourite film of those I had first seen in 2009. With MicMacs, I didn't like the lead nearly as much and I felt that while the premise was good (a bunch of misfits take on two giants from the arms trade), many of those misfits did not really add their expertise into the resulting scenarios except by forced circumstances (eg. the Human Cannonball guy) and instead the contortionist was the answer to most problems.
• The Wise Man's Fear - My favourite book of 2010 was The Name of the Wind, a fantasy book that was the first of a trilogy and I really loved it. The Wise Man's Fear is the second book, also really interesting, a really gripping read and... well, too much like the first book. The problem is that the main plot is still moving along at a snail's pace (I can't help feeling that this isn't going to be a trilogy just on the basis of what's left to tell) and events I expected to appear in the first book (because most of the series is a retelling of someone's life and you know some of the punchlines and roughly when they appear) still have not emerged in the second one. So, still a good read, but a little frustrating that it hasn't advanced things more.

Tomorrow I planning to meet some former work colleagues for a drink and lots of chat. We usually have our late year meet-up in December and exchange Xmas cards, but I reckon it's a little too early this time.