Let it be known that Tim Schafer and his colleagues at Double Fine are funny people. In addition to serving up a veritable banquet of humor, they took excellent advantage of the liberties afforded by making a game about the crazy worlds inside peoples’ heads. This resulted in some very memorable and clever level designs. The platforming itself was pretty good, but didn’t rub me quite as rightly as, say, Sly Cooper, which is a much fairer comparison than pulling out the big yardstick they call Mario. I look forward to more juicy fruit from their creative tree.

This keyboard is mind-bogglingly cool.

The film contains a stunning combination of modeled machinery, painted backdrops and good old fashioned anime characters. The plot on the other hand was more appropriate for a comic book, not surprising given that it’s an animated film, but a bit of a disappointment coming from one of the directors that has demonstrated an ability to rise to the task of creating animation that stands toe to toe with its live action brethren.

I was frequently annoyed with cheaply melodramatic nature of the mountain training, but all told it was pretty good for comic book inspired fare.

Russel wrote long enough ago that the predjudices of the time show sorely through, but if you happen to be an affluent white male, he provides sound recommendations on how to steer clear of the obstacles modern life lays on the path of happiness. And damnit if it isn’t still difficult to get good help.

Juicy and delicious turn-based strategy action.