It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

The months of April and May were entirely consumed by insane hours at work, and then recovering from said work. I generally feel like I don’t have time for anything, but it’s not until you seriously do not have even a moment for anything else that you realize how liberating the usual routine can be. I’m finally starting to get back into the rhythm of a normal life. Part of getting back to that routine has been the launch of the Star Trek: The Animated Series Re-Watch, which formally began today with “Beyond the Farthest Star.” I’m really excited about this one, mostly because I don’t know what to expect.

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If it ain’t broke…: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

An effect of the holidays, I have three new games to toy around with, and coincidentally they all happen to be the third installments of their franchises.

First, there’s Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, which I’ve poked around in but am not attached to. It’s a good, solid game, and it’s always nice to have more of the Ezio storyline, but it just doesn’t compare to AC2. The story is serviceable but unexceptional and combat is the same. The sim-like city improvements are mainly irritating here, as you have to shamble around trying to figure out what you’ve already purchased and what you haven’t. The hireling baby assassin gameplay is neat but not critical, and the multiplayer seems designed for the kind of internet jerks that love to kill n00bs in Halo (i.e. not me). It’s mostly the same game as AC2, which is pretty much what I was hoping for, but the less interesting storyline and already familiar characters leave something to be desired.

As much as I love Ezio, I’m ready for them to move on to other characters and places. My personal request: that they put Lucy in the animus. Rumored locales of future games range from thrilling (feudal Japan!) to completely uninspired (World War I). I have no interest in the game once guns are ubiquitous–there are enough shooters in the world already. But I guess there’s nothing to do but wait and see…