Oddball Update – Page 5 – Chief Oddball writes about tech, games, cars and family life

Online Poker Site Offers Facetime with the Enemy

September 28, 2012August 13, 2013 Chief Oddball

Playing Dead or Alive 5 the other night, it occurred to me that if we don’t get a new Xtreme Beach Whatever game based on its engine, despite the perv factor, I will be very disappointed. Because as I’ve said before, my favorite electronic poker simulation is that of Dead or Alive Xtreme 2.

Amped and Enjoying the Spoils

September 25, 2012September 26, 2012 Chief Oddball

It’s been an…interesting few days. Our son Connor went through quite an ordeal last week, coming down with a case of what we later realized was roseola. And with our trip to Michigan coming up soon, I’ve got a lot of work to finish in a short amount of time.

Face Value: Borderlands 2

September 24, 2012October 4, 2012 Chief Oddball

Gearbox Software has outdone themselves with their first follow-up to their 2009 sleeper hit, delivering a game disguised as a non-stop carousel of every action movie trope imaginable. Combining some of the most addictive aspects of modern shooters, RPGs and dungeon crawlers (think: loot farming), Borderlands 2 offers a ridiculous amount of things to do and somehow makes them all incredibly addictive.

The One True Wish, And Other Goodies

September 23, 2012September 23, 2012 Chief Oddball 1 Comment

After the hell that was Friday, today was a near-complete turnaround. Not only did I score the very iPhone 5 that I’d wanted, my “one true wish” from yesterday also came true: our son Connor woke up with no fever, smiling and happy and mostly back to his old self again.

What True Worry Really Is

September 21, 2012September 21, 2012 Chief Oddball 1 Comment

I thought worrying about whether my necktie was lopsided in high school was serious. No. Forget that. Worrying about the health of your sick 10-month old baby is serious — about as serious as it gets. I feel like crap, because I wish I could do something more, something like cure him with the snap of my fingers.

iPhone 5, iOS 6 and Mapplegate

September 20, 2012September 21, 2012 Chief Oddball 2 Comments

The iPhone 5 is finally here (well, it will be in about another eight hours here in the U.S.). The hour of reckoning is at hand for me, as I find that holding $500 cash and a 2007 iPhone 2G are a powerful motivator to buy a new smartphone.

Nerdgasm

September 18, 2012September 19, 2012 Chief Oddball

Today was definitely a day for geektastic news. In addition to the arrival of a much-anticipated new video game, I also finally received some very good news on the smartphone front (hint: it has something to do with an iPhone trade-in and a shitload of money from same).

Sentinels of the Multiverse

September 17, 2012September 18, 2012 Chief Oddball

Today's lunchtime game was Sentinels of the Multiverse, a cooperative game in which the players take on the roles of comic book superheroes and unite to fight against one seriously evil overlord. Update: Now with thoughts from a second playthrough, including a warning about the dreaded balance issues.

The Finer Things

September 16, 2012September 16, 2012 Chief Oddball

“I like how helpful you are when you’re not busy with sidework,” my wife remarked with a smile this evening, after I had finished washing and storing all of the pots and pans while she was feeding our son his bedtime bottle.

Random Machinations

September 15, 2012September 15, 2012 Chief Oddball

I needed some catch-up sleep this weekend. It was a pretty harried week, what with the all-nighter I pulled on Monday when I suddenly decided it was time to revamp this blog, and the late-night iPhone 5 launch preorder at Thursday’s end.