Duke Nukem Forever: A Cautionary Tale

Duke Nukem Forever was r

eleased on June 14, 2011 by 2K Games.

 

Until very recently, Duke Nukem Forever had become a creature of legend in the video game world. The game proved itself to be an elusive mythical beast in the vein of Bigfoot or Daniel Day-Lewis, spending years at a time in seclusion while emerging once every so often to remind society that it was still at large. Sadly, instead of a blurry picture in a local newspaper or Oscar-caliber performance in a new movie, all we got when Duke resurfaced was a half-hearted release date and a screenshot of what seemed to be an amazing game we would never get to play. Then, this year, Duke Nuken Forever's creators apparently got serious. A firm release date was set: June 14th, 2011. There were in-store displays, TV commercials, the whole nine yards, all bearing 6/14 as a firm release date. Some, like myself, were skeptical. Around Summer 2009, I had come to terms with the fact that Forever was never coming out. When I was proven wrong, I lined up to buy a copy only to find out that I really wish it hadn't.

The Sims 3 Expansion Pack "Generations"

The Generations expansion pack was
released May 31st, 2011

The Sims 3: Generations is latest expansion pack in the 22-title Sims empire. Released on May 31st, 2011, the expansion focused on bringing the social experience of your Sims more to the forefront of game play. The tagline is "Live your life to the fullest," which is exactly what the game is designed to help your Sims do. This expansion pack expands social options for every generation, from imaginative play for children to cane-shaking anger at the world as an elder. There are a few other upgrades that come with it as well, such as the ability to adjust Sim's body hair in the Sim creator, new sliders that specifically adjust the life cycle length, the return of the "memories" system that more or less gets in the way and, of course, a myriad of new objects.

Television: AMC Releases Teaser for Season 4 of Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad returns to AMC on July 17th, 2011

In case you'd forgotten, Breaking Bad is one of the greatest cable television dramas in the history of the medium and it is returning to your living room on July 17th. AMC figured they'd remind you of the drama and excitement that you'd been missing in this far-too-long interim between seasons by releasing a teaser trailer. Though there is no new footage from the season, this is a nice minute long reminder of the ways the previous three seasons have chronicled the fall of Walter White, the meek science teacher, and the rise of Heisenberg, the sociopath meth dealer. Myxem will spend the remaining weeks between now and the new season glued to AMC's website for any new developments, and also do season and important episode recaps. The video (from AMC) is after the jump.

"Weird Al" Yankovic Releases "Alpocalypse"

The Alpocalypse arrives bearing accordions and Hawaiian shirts
on June 21st, 2011.

"Weird Al" Yankovic returns today with his latest effort, Alpocalypse. This is his first release in almost five years, preceded by 2006's Straight Outta Lynwood and rhe associated hit "White & Nerdy." Alpocalypse is exactly the music we've come to expect from the parody legend; it is the master of his craft adroitly mixing a dry cocktail of witticisms, parody and polka. In other words: Ray Manzarek plays the organ and Yankovic provides a surprisingly convincing Jim Morrison in a satirical look at Craigslist, Taylor Hanson guests on a Hanson style parody about a person who obviously knows nothing of love, "Whatever You Like" plays on T.I.'s hit of the same name with a cheerful recession-based theme, and about a million instances when the album is delightfully predictable. No, there is nothing new on this album other than the songs Yankovic chooses to lambaste but, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. While comprised mostly of top 40 hits, Yankovic pays tribute to deserving bands via style parody, tackling the White Stripes, Queen and Meatloaf, as well as the Doors (and for some reason, Hanson). I would not call this album remarkable, though I can't find anything bad to say about it.  It's the sort of album that people who enjoy listening to Weird Al will enjoy listening to. For people who are ambivalent, I recommend trying it. For those who entirely dislike Weird Al, I don't assume you've read this post.