The last couple months have been pretty busy for me, so I've kept off the grid as far as blogging is concerned. Between my real job, reviews, moving, and trying to have some semblence of a social life I've just had a lot going on.
My blogging situation isn't going to be improving in the near future, but if you're in need of your Lark fix (for some reason), one thing that I have found the time to do is Twitter fairly frequently, and you can follow me here if you want to opt into that. Be warned: unlike this blog I don't bother censoring myself, so if you like creative swearing you may occasionally see some new phrases to add to your personal dictionary. Also, I tend to make sweeping generalizations completely baselessly. But at least I don't talk endlessly about sandwiches!
Anyway, lately I've found myself playing the following games:
Dead Space
Dead Space has displaced Metal Gear Solid 4 as my favorite game of the year. I could type like 2000 words about this but I totally already did. You should go read it.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
My opinion of this game has evolved over time but I now see it as my favorite Castlevania yet. Overall, I think that Aria of Sorrows is a superior game because it had a better story and there isn't as good of an actual sense of progression in Order. But I love the artwork, the new combat system, the difficulty, and that you can explore beyond the castle walls.
Gears of War 2
So when I was at Comic-Con and Cliff announced that there'd be a full-sized Lancer I thought about how cool that was. Then I saw it on Amazon and said DO WANT and one-click bought it, then immediately regretted it. But since I can't one-click-cancel-an-order I just let it be (4+ clicks is way too much). Now I have it at my desk and don't regret being able to annoy my coworkers with it at all. Oh yeah, Gears of War 2 is super fun--much better than Gears 1.
Mirror's Edge
So back when this was everyone's critical darling around E3 I was interested. Then I saw it a couple weeks ago and decided I didn't like it. Then I played it for a bit and wasn't impressed. Now that I've played it for more than 10 minutes though, I can say that I hate it with all my being. It's a great idea and while I love some of the stuff it does (like running through doors, which is awesome), but it doesn't deliver at all as far as I'm concerned. I hate how it looks, I hate how it tries to tell a story, I hate how I can't turn 5 degrees without visual tearing in several places on screen at once, I hate how the "where do I go?" button simply points you in the right direction even when that's two floors above, and I also hate puppies and rainbows.
Time Hollow
As a fan of "visual novel" games for the DS like Phoenix Wright and Hotel Dusk, I picked this title up. I didn't beat it--quickly ditched it actually for Castlevania--but from what I played it's not something I'd be interested in. Linearity is something that games like this are all about, granted, but when you've got like 12 places to go and only one of those places has what you need (and it's hidden, of course), it gets frustrating fast.
Left 4 Dead
I totally haven't played this but I want to. I should download the demo. That said, I finally ended up taking a sweet "Dead Air" promo poster we were sent and turning it into a profile theme like I've been meaning to for a while. Shaun would be proud.
Chrono Trigger
Half my lifetime ago I first played this game on the SNES, and the years and transition to the DS have not soured it at all. I'm working on the playing it for the review now, so check back later for my final word. One thing though--I'm quite amazed at how much I remember of this game.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
I've only played this for about a half hour but I'm already liking it better than Persona 3. The intro is still slow, but it makes a lot more sense. I'm also reviewing this so look for this later as well.