I'm in the process of playing Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. This game was well received when it came out. And I can definitely see the appeal. But gripe gripe gripe it has some of the same port problems that so many other console->PC conversion games have. Mainly, some really bad camera controls, much like Beyond Good and Evil (which I still haven't finished). The problem is that console controllers are not precise and are aided by the game "helping" the player by deciding on camera movement. The mouse is a precision instrument and does not need the game to extrapolate where it thinks the player needs the camera. The player (me) is quite capable of deciding that on his own, thank you very much.

Whoever ports these games just doesn't seem to get that, unfortunately. So you end up with areas where the camera won't go to where you need because it intersects with a wall and instead of zooming closer to the character, it shuffles you back to where you didn't want the camera in the first place (with a loud "wooshing" sound). Or you're running along by holding the Forward key and you charge through a doorway, only to have the camera position unexpectedly change to one of those "cinematic" angles and now "forward" is in the opposite direction, so your character slides to a stop and sprints off right back out the door you just ran through.

At least the save points are close enough together to alieviate any frustration caused by having save points to begin with. And I like that my progress is shown to me on the save/load screens, giving me an idea of how much of the game is left to see. I've never felt lost for long, nor have I had to resort to a walk-through or strategy guide, thanks to an innovative "foreshadowing" vision shown at every save point. It really just offers brief glimpses of what needs to be done in the next area without giving too much away. A nice touch.

Update: Okay, all done. So, plenty more camera and control issues. In addition, there are plenty of uninteresting 3 or 4 opponent fights throughout the game where each enemy you kill is immediately replaced. These combats go on way too long before monsters start staying dead. And there's one railroad spot where a bridge crumbles beneath you, dropping you into a chasm. Err, except I control the Sands of Time, so why wouldn't I reverse time to undo it? You know, like all the other times I fell to my death. Of course later on, after I lose the dagger, there are jump puzzles that require multiple perfectly-timed jumps and a single mistake is instantly fatal.

Probably worth playing through if you can get it in the bargain bin.

Last night my friends and I went to see Serenity last night. As a Firefly fan, I really enjoyed this movie. Joss Whedon truly knows how to manipulate the audience with alternating waves of drama, humor, tension, and action. Not to mention surprises. I can't guarantee that people who have never seen the series Firefly will love the movie, considering my own perspective, but I've heard from a number who did anyway.

So, yeah, 2 thumbs up on Serenity.

And check out my new wallpaper.

Says idiot Senator Chuck Schumer of the recent Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, "Now that he is nominated for a position where he can overturn precedent and make law, it is even more important that he answers a broad range of questions." I don't know which is scarier: that a United States Senator has forgotten that it's only the job of the legislature (not the judiciary) to make laws, or that he actually believes that the Supreme Court is supposed to make law and doesn't see anything wrong with it.

I have a lot more to say about the state of the Supreme Court and the judiciary in general, just not right now. In a pretty shitty mood today.

What effect did expiring the assault weapons ban have? Did it actually reduce crime? You mean gun-control advocates were wrong once again? Inconceivable!

(Apparently the LA Times shuffles its article off to an archive, meaning that the above link no longer works. Sorry, all.)