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Queen of Liars

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  1. Queen of Liars

    Computer Troubles

    By Queen of Liars,

    Well, my laptop might be screwed, which would be rather unfortunate. And just as I started to get a bit more back into gaming too.
     
    For those curious, basically I restarted it last night, and then it simply failed to boot up. It would get to the welcome screen, flash blue and restart again. If I try doing start up repair, it gets stuck on a black screen with a movable cursor and nothing else. After lots of Googling, didn't really find all that much. As you might be able to guess, start up repair isn't meant to do that.
    I went inside the latop to try reseating the RAM and whatnot, and none of the components are obviously damaged, as in nothing's on fire, but that doesn't mean much. Based on the information I've gathered, the hard drive is my main suspect, but right now I've got neither another laptop sized hard drive, nor anywhere else to stick this hard drive into, so I can't confirm it. The next step is to try and get it working with a Windows repair/install disc, which I am in the process of downloading and burning, but somehow I'm not feeling too optimistic.
     
    Fortunately I back up my stuff fairly regularly, though it has been a little while since the last time, so I would end up losing a bit of stuff in the worst case scenario. Nothing too important though. I'm more concerned with simply not having a computer for who knows how long if I can't fix it. Oh well, here's hoping, I guess.
  3. Queen of Liars
    Been a while since one of these music collection updates. Received the new Paradise Lost live album on vinyl + DVD today, and it's quite nice:
     

     

     
    Really looking forward to giving it a listen/watch later. The first half of it is done with an orchestra and seems fantastic from the teasers.
  4. Queen of Liars

    Refused

    By Queen of Liars,

    After two weeks of delays, I finally received my limited edition copy of the new Refused album.
    Protip: don't buy stuff from Kings Road Merch. I wouldn't have, since this isn't the first time I had problems with them, but it was the only place you could get the limited edition from.
     
    Anyway, the new Refused album. Freedom. 17 years after releasing what I consider to be the greatest album of all time, The Shape of Punk to Come, Refused have finally returned, and I couldn't be happier. I'm still not over the fact that this album actually exists. For 17 years, a new Refused album seemed like it would never happen. Yet, here it is:
     

     
    Such an excellent album too. It's no TSoPtC of course, but that's fine. Nothing is. And Freedom doesn't try to be anyway. Just like they used to do on their previous albums, Refused drastically changed their sound again, continuing to experiment with new things, while retaining the unmistakable Refused qualities.
     
    I guess it's time to show off my updated Refused collection, which are words I did not think I would get to say:
     

     
    On the left:
     
    This Just Might Be... The Truth
    Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent (limited edition digipak)
    The Shape of Punk to Come (2010 deluxe reissue)
    Freedom (limited edition book)
     
    On the right:
     
    This Album Contains Old Songs and Old Pictures Vol. 1 (Also Known as The EP Compilation)
    This Album Contains Old Songs and Old Pictures Vol. 2 (Also Known as The Demo Compilation)
    The New Noise Theology EP
     
    Hopefully this time around it won't be too long until there's another thing to be added to this collection.
    Long live the New Noise.
  5. Queen of Liars
    It's time for an updated Emilie Autumn collection post, since I recently made a few acquisitions:
     

     
    On the left we have the albums:
     
    Enchant
    Opheliac (The Deluxe Edition)
    Laced/Unlaced (Limited edition digibook, limited to 2000 copies)
    Fight Like a Girl
     
    And on the right we have the compilation and EPs:
     
    A Bit o' This & That (Limited edition digibook, limited to 3000 copies)
    Liar/Dead Is the New Alive EP (Limited edition digipak, limited to 3000 copies)
    4 o'Clock EP (Limited edition digipak, limited to 3000 copies)
    Girls Just Wanna Have Fun/Bohemian Rhapsody EP (Limited edition digipak, limited to 3000 copies)
     
    Which are all sitting on a signed copy of her book.
     
    And that's basically everything. I wouldn't mind getting the digibook edition of Enchant, but it's not a big deal, and otherwise I've got everything of hers I'd want. So that's nice.
     
     

    Don't mind that sound, that's just my bank account crying.


  6. Queen of Liars
    10 - Party Hard
     

     
    A fun little stealth game which plays a bit like a top-down Hitman.
    It's 3 AM and you're simply trying to sleep, but the house next door is having an obnoxiously loud party. The most rational course of action is of course to put on a hockey mask and murder everyone at the party, so that's exactly what you do.
     
     
    9 - The Consuming Shadow
     

     
    A procedurally generated, Lovecraftian-themed survival horror game by Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw, of Zero Punctuation fame. It's quirky, and more than a bit janky, but it is also very engrossing and enjoyable. The world is being invaded by an ancient evil, and you have 60 hours to figure out exactly which of the evil aspects is invading, how to perform the ritual to banish it, and get to the location in one piece to perform said ritual. Piecing together the evidence and clues is really fun, and all the while there's a lot of tension as both the timer and your sanity tick down, the latter of which causes some very subtle and clever changes as it depletes.
     
     
    8 - Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
     

     
    Certainly a very creative way to do multiplayer. One person looks at a bomb, while the other person (or people) look at the diffusal manual, with neither being able to see the other, and try to diffuse the bomb before it explodes. It's all in how well players can communicate with each other, and gets very tense very quickly. Some of the most fun I've had with a multiplayer game.
     
     
    7 - Sunless Sea
     

     
    Continuing with the Lovecraftian themes, we have Sunless Sea. Rarely do I see a game with such a totally engrossing world. You're the captain of a ship in some sort of Victorian Gothic London setting, and you explore this strange and dark world, trying to not go insane in the process.
    Now, the combat in this game is something I'm not a fan of at all, but its presence on this list regardless is only testament to the incredible world-building and narrative Sunless Sea accomplishes.
     
     
    6 - Crypt of the NecroDancer
     

     
    A challenging, but incredibly enjoyable roguelike rhythm game. Perhaps even the best rhythm I've played.
    In standard roguelike fashion, you explore dungeons and fight various enemies, but have to do everything to the beat of the music, which can lead to some very hectic moments when you try to figure out how to defeat a group of enemies while not missing a beat.
    Of course any rhythm game needs a good soundtrack, and this one sure has an amazing one, courtesy of Danny Baranowsky.
     
     
    5 - Volume
     

     
    I've been looking forward to this one pretty much since it was announced, and was not disappointed. Mike Bithell delivers a fantastic stealth game with this cyberpunk retelling of Robin Hood, and shows that Thomas Was Alone wasn't a fluke.
     
     
    4 - Her Story
     

     
    Very interesting and well executed idea for a game. Without going into spoilers, Her Story provides a gripping narrative, and an engaging way of uncovering it. It really makes you feel like a detective piecing together a mystery.
     
     
    3 - Black Closet
     

     
    Speaking of detectives, we have this game from the developer of Long Live The Queen. Probably best described as a strategy game with a visual novel presentation, Black Closet is a very engaging and unique title. You take on the role of the president of the student council in a highly prestigious school, and are tasked with solving various cases in order to prevent scandals and thus preserve the school's reputation. You command the other five members of the council in your investigations, taking into account their strengths and weaknesses, trying to solve the cases as fast as possible, but not acting too rashly, as the reputation of the council itself is also something you have to worry about, and thus you don't want to go around harassing innocent people.
    Oh, and all the while one of the council members is actually a traitor trying to sabotage you, there's some sort of secret society within the school, and there may be something sinister going on with the teachers you work for, which are all things you might want to look out for.
     
     
    2 - Invisible, Inc.
     

     
    Klei Entertainment deliver once again with this fantastic cyberpunk stealth strategy game. It plays a lot like XCOM: Enemy Unknown, but purely focusing on stealth. You command your agents through the offices of various mega corporations, utilising their unique abilities and tools to remain undetected as you accomplish your objectives. All the while the level of security increases as the corporations realise that someone has infiltrated, so your time is short. You can try to hack and empty that one extra safe, but more guards will arrive by the time you're done. Whether that's worth the risk is up to you.
     
     
    1 - Darkest Dungeon
     

     
    Not only the best game I've played this year, but one which ranks amongst the best games I've played ever.
    So, what is Darkest Dungeon? According to the store page, it "is a challenging gothic roguelike turn-based RPG about the psychological stresses of adventuring". That is indeed what it is, but oh it is also so much more.
    The game has an absolutely gorgeous, yet dark aesthetic, an amazing atmosphere, and probably the best narrator I've ever heard in a game in the form of Wayne June, along with a great soundtrack from Stuart Chatwood (also responsible for the amazing soundtracks to the Prince of Persia games). It has incredibly engaging and challenging gameplay, as you recruit heroes, make your party, and descend into dungeons to fight eldritch monstrosities, using strategy and tactics to overcome their strength.
    And yet, those are not the best parts of Darkest Dungeon. Those would be the quirk and stress mechanics, which I will now gush over. They are just so well implemented and add so much depth to the game, and a rarely seen level of agency possessed by characters.
    So the quirk mechanic is pretty simple. All heroes start with, and then develop additional quirks, some positive, some negative. Some of these merely affect their stats and abilities - a hero might be sickly and thus more susceptible to diseases, or perhaps they're a known cheat and aren't allowed to gamble in the town. That sort of thing. But the really interesting quirks are the more insidious ones. For example, a hero might be a kleptomaniac. And if you had said hero in your party, you might find that some chests are mysteriously rather light on loot. Or sometimes they may just steal the loot for themselves right in front of you before you can collect it, and not even try to hide it. And there's lots of quirks like that.
    Stress on the other hand, is a little more complicated. The mental health of your heroes is a very important part of the game, and to put it simply, as they explore dungeons, their stress levels will rise by various means. Once it gets to a certain point, their resolve will be tested. Sometimes, a hero will overcome the stress and display newfound courage. But more often than not, they will break, and gain an affliction. Apart from stat penalties, afflictions will change how the hero behaves. For example, a hero may become selfish when their resolve breaks, and move back in the formation, putting your other heroes in harm's way. Alternatively, you may try to have the selfish one heal another hero, only to have them refuse and heal themselves instead. One time I had a hero become paranoid after their resolve broke, which at first didn't manifest itself in an obvious way. But then my healer missed an attack, and the paranoid hero muttered something along the lines of "how could she possibly miss...", and from there on they refused to be healed by her, being convinced that the healer was in league with the enemy.
    I could keep going on about how much I love these mechanics, but you get the picture. It's just so cool to see characters have this degree of their own agency.
    So yes, Darkest Dungeon is phenomenal, and is my game of the year.
     
     
     
    So there we go, that's my list. Ended up being all indie games, but hey, they're that good.
    You may also notice that my list doesn't contain a certain indie game which generated a rather large amount of hype and acclaim this year, taking many by surprise with its writing and treatment of player choice. Yes, I'm indeed afraid that HuniePop did very narrowly miss out on being on the list, but you can consider it to be at the 11th spot if it makes you feel better.
  7. Queen of Liars
    Classic Bethesda.
     
     
    Tried all the fixes and whatnot, so I'm just stuck here waiting for them to hopefully fix it, and by the looks of various forums I'm not alone. Thankfully Steam refunds now exist, so I'll be getting one of those if this isn't addressed soon.
     
    Disappointing, but not unexpected. I'm not one to purchase games at release, precisely because of things like this, but Fallout is one of the few exceptions I'm willing to make.
     
    Granted, the game is not looking great, especially for someone whose idea of a perfect Fallout game is New Vegas. From what I've read and seen, a lot of it is dumbed down compared to the previous games, with things like the new dialogue wheel looking especially terrible, along with a smörgåsbord of other issues to give modders a ton of work to do. The story and writing are also apparently typical Bethesda, which is to say they're trash.
    Hopefully once I can actually play it I'll be pleasantly surprised, but I've played enough Bethesda games to not set my expectations too high. Oh well, we'll see.
  8. Queen of Liars

    Paris

    By Queen of Liars,

    Hey, something that actually merits a blog entry. Gonna have a bit of a spontaneous trip to Paris for New Year, because why not I guess.
     
    I'll be leaving tomorrow morning, and staying for about five days. It'll be really nice to get away from everything for a short while before my January exams start. Really not looking forward to those, I'll admit.
     
    Not sure what the internet situation will be like, but hopefully I'll get some access. I'd like not to be too late with my albums of the year list, as this time I've actually gone through my entire backlog already.
     
    It'd be nice to catch the remainder of the Steam sale too, even though it's been really underwhelming so far. Picked up The Wolf Among Us and Transistor (+ soundtrack), and that's it.
    I'm actually really disappointed that Invisible, Inc didn't win the last community vote. It's one of the games that I'm the most excited for, and while it is still in early access, it's by one of the few developers who actually do early access right. That it didn't even lose to a noteworthy game just rubs salt in the wound.
  9. Queen of Liars

    And I'm back

    By Queen of Liars,

    I got a new monitor, so I can use the computer again =D
    And I ended up not having to spend any money because my dad kindly bought it for me in return for me doing some accounting for him. So that's good. It's also vastly superior to my previous monitor (even if my previous monitor still worked), although it's gonna take a while to get used to the wider screen.
     
    Didn't do too much during my two days without a monitor, although that was where buying CDs really payed off as I could still listen to all my music without a computer, otherwise I might have gone crazy... -er.
  10. Queen of Liars
    Decided to finally spend some of the money I got for my birthday and got all this stuff in the last couple of days.
    You know, just to make sure I have things to distract me from doing university assignments and revising for exams.
  11. Queen of Liars
    Recently acquired a copy of the second volume of the Ghost in the Shell manga, so now I have this little collection:
     

     
    DVDs: Ghost in the Shell and Innocence boxset (plus the Ghost in the Shell 2.0 remaster of the original movie); Stand Alone Complex 1st GIG boxset; Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG boxset; Stand Alone Complex: The Laughing Man; Stand Alone Complex: Individual Eleven; Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society
    Manga: Ghost in the Shell; Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface; Ghost in the Shell 1.5: Human Error Processor
     
    Which - apart from the soundtracks - is pretty much everything that I think is worth owning. There's also a Stand Alone Complex manga, but from what I understand it's basically the equivalent of a novelisation of the anime series rather than something unique, so I'm not really interested in it.
     
    Now I'm just waiting for Ghost in the Shell: Arise to get DVD releases over here. The first two parts will be released on the 24th of November, but I don't believe parts 3 and 4 have a release date yet.
  12. Queen of Liars
    Well, had my first exam today. English Language and Literature, and it went fairly good. Although it turns out mild insomnia and exams don't go together too well in terms of how you feel. Who would have thought?
     
    The Hamlet bit was interesting, as our teacher assured us that there is very little chance that we would be given a scene that doesn't have Hamlet in it. Well lo and behold, we got the scene where Claudius and Laertes were crafting their plan to kill Hamlet, and we had to talk about how Claudius manipulates Laertes. Which was actually quite a nice question, and went pretty good.
    The talk in life and literature part wasn't as great. We get two unseen texts, one a transcript of a real-life conversation and the other an extract of talk in literature, and to my dismay, the second unseen text was a poem. Those really suck when you have to compare them to real talk. However, I think I did alright.
    Overall, I'm feeling a strong B to a light A on this one, which is exactly what I need for English.
     
    Tomorrow is history, which should be a piece of cake.
  13. Queen of Liars
    Just finished my last exam, and so my first year at university comes to an end.
    It's been a fun year and I enjoyed it. Met lots of new people and made some new friends, although with us all being from different parts of the country, I probably won't see many of them over the summer.
    Not sure when I'll go back home to London, but I'll probably stay here for another week or so. My lease doesn't end until the 23rd, so might as well make some use of it.
     
    I'm not entirely sure if School's Out by Alice Cooper still fits, but I'll be listening to it today regardless. It's become somewhat of a habit now.
  15. Queen of Liars

    Björk

    By Queen of Liars,

    Well, here is my recently completed Björk collection:
     

    ^Click for a bigger picture
     
    Debut
    Post
    Homogenic
    Selmasongs: Music from Dancer in the Dark
    Vespertine
    Medúlla
    The Music from Drawing Restraint 9
    Volta
    Biophilia
    Vulnicura
     
    Got to say I'm not overly fond her newest album, but I love pretty much all of the other main albums, especially Post and Debut.
  17. Queen of Liars
    Note that the friend in question is the guitar, not the cat. Cat's been here for a few years already. She does love the guitar bag though.
     
    But yes, I have this guitar now. Which is exciting. I've still got a couple pieces of equipment to arrive in the post in the next couple of days, but then I'll be all good to go and start failing at playing it.
     
    Here's a slightly better picture as well. As it turns out, black guitars are not great for taking pictures of in the night with a phone.
     

  18. Queen of Liars
    It's been a while since my last music collection post, so here's my recently completed collection of Rage Against the Machine related stuff:
     

    ^Click for a slightly bigger picture
     
    So, here's what we have, going left to right:
     
    The special edition 20th anniversary reissue of the self-titled album.
     
    Rage Against the Machine stuff consisting of:
    Rage Against the Machine
    Evil Empire
    The Battle of Los Angeles
    Renegades
    Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium
    Bulls on Parade single
    Guerrilla Radio single
     
    Tom Morello's solo project, The Nightwatchman:
    One Man Revolution
    The Fabled City
    Union Town EP
    World Wide Rebel Songs
     
    No Spiritual Surrender by Inside Out, which was Zack de la Rocha's pre-RAtM hardcore punk band
     
    The self-titled One Day as a Lion EP, which is a project Zack formed after RAtM
     
    ...and that's it. With the B-sides from the singles and the bonus tracks from the self-titled reissue, I think I have every song RAtM have recorded, as well as the band members' other worthwhile projects.
     
    What's that? 'Audioslave'? You must be mistaken. I don't think such a band exists, and if they did I probably wouldn't be a fan.
  19. Queen of Liars

    Ihsahn

    By Queen of Liars,

    It's time for my biggest music collection post thus far: Ihsahn.
     

    ^Click for a bigger picture
     
    Terrible quality picture, but I don't even know how I would get all those in a single picture and keep it good.
     
    Anyway, yes Ihsahn. This collection includes basically everything he's ever been on, and it's a collection that is particularly close to my heart, as Ihsahn is currently my favourite musician. At least as far as individual people are concerned. Refused are still my favourite band, but as far as individuals go, Ihsahn is second to none.
     
    Now then, let's tackle this bunch of CDs, starting on the left:
     
    Thou Shalt Suffer, which is essentially the earliest incarnation of Emperor. They originally released one death metal/black metal EP in 1991 - Into the Woods of Belial - before the band split up, with Ihsahn and Samoth forming Emperor immediately afterwards. However, Ihsahn used the name again in 2000 to release his solo album Somnium, this time it being a neoclassical/darkwave/ambient album. Both releases are pictured.
     
    Next up, the legendary Emperor, one of the most influential and well regarded black metal bands in the history of the genre (and for very good reason, I might add). The releases are:
     
    Emperor/Wrath of the Tyrant (a compilation including the self-titled EP and the first demo)
    In the Nightside Eclipse
    Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk
    IX Equilibrium (Special Edition)
    Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire & Demise
    Scattered Ashes: A Decade of Emperial Wrath
    In the Nightside Eclipse (20th Anniversary Edition)
     
    Following this, we have Peccatum, an avant-garde band which Ihsahn formed with his wife Ihriel (aka Starofash) as Emperor was coming to an end. Here we have:
     
    Strangling from Within
    Amor Fati
    Lost in Reverie
    Oh, My Regrets EP
    The Moribund People EP
     
    Now we get to my favourite of these: Ihsahn's solo work which is what he primarily occupies himself with these days. Included here are:
     
    The Adversary
    angL
    After (Limited Edition)
    Eremita (Limited Edition)
    Das Seelenbrechen (Limited Edition)
     
    Before we get to the stack all the way on the right, let's look at the three at the bottom:
     
    Blood Must Be Shed - a one-of EP by members of Emperor, Satyricon and Dodheimsgard.
    Grimen by Hardingrock - an experimental folk project by Ihsahn and Ihriel, joined by Norwegian folk musician Knut Buen.
    Fjelltronen by Wongraven - the dark folk/ambient/medieval project by Satyr of Satyricon, on which Ihsahn plays the grand piano and synths.
     
    As for the stack on the right, that one is for all the albums Ihsahn has appeared on as a guest:
     
    The Sham Mirrors by Arcturus
    Deconstruction by Devin Townsend Project
    Plains of Oblivion by Jeff Loomis
    Bilateral by Leprous
    Coal by Leprous
    Iter.Viator by Starofash
    Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and **** by Ulver
     
    And there you have it, my Ihsahn collection. Truly an incredible musician, going with ease from black metal, to classical, to the avant-garde and experimental, and doing it all flawlessly. He has an album in the works which is expected to come out this year, and I am very excited to see where he goes next.
  20. Queen of Liars

    Vinyl

    By Queen of Liars,

    I have now begun my quest to get around 10-15 of my favourite albums on vinyl, to go alongside the CDs.
     
    The first such acquisition is either my second or third favourite album - Das Seelenbrechen by Ihsahn, in lovely limited edition coloured vinyl. Here it is next to the digibook CD version:
     

     

     
    Bloody gorgeous.
  21. Queen of Liars
    Well, university starts soon and I visited today to collect my keys and check out the place where I'll spend the next three years of studying. It's actually pretty nice, about the same size as my room now, so that's great. No wi-fi though, and the internet provided is probably going to be fairly slow, so I'll have to look into getting better internet for myself.
    I came to the conclusion that I am the second to visit my floor/hall, as there was some milk in one of the fridges, however I did not come into contact with its owner.
     
    Now I just have until Sunday to figure out what I need that I don't have and buy it, and then I'll be moving in. Actually can't wait, although I'll miss this summer of not doing anything.
  22. Queen of Liars
    Seriously, life would be so much easier.
    Revising for my final Sociology exam tomorrow and decided to refresh a bit on phenomenology, which is not in the book, just somewhere in my notes. Good luck to me in trying to find it.
     
    But yeah, last exam tomorrow, and feeling pretty nervous. I need to get an A in it, and I think I know everything I need to, and extra stuff from my additional reading, but still pretty stressful. I just hope the big questions allow to discuss Marxism in detail, as that is right in my comfort zone more than any other theory or approach.
     
    But I am looking forward to having it done and just having the rest of the summer off with no worries about education at all, maybe except for finding books for university. Almost there...
  23. Queen of Liars
    Well, after a couple of days of unpacking we're starting to settle into the new house. My room is pretty much done now, although not that it matters much anyway, since in just over a month I'll be packing my things up again for university.
    Still, just need to unpack a few more things and hang up some posters and it'll be set. It's a fair bit smaller than my room in the old house, but again it doesn't really matter as I won't be spending much time here once I'm back at university.
     
    Took some pictures (which are of poor quality because it's 11:30 pm and thus there's no natural light... and maybe I'm no longer as good with a camera as I like to think): [1] [2] [3] [4]
     
    My desk and bookshelf are a lot smaller than the old ones so a lot of my stuff will have to stay in boxes and be stored under my bed or on top of my wardrobe. Only have enough room for half of my CDs on the shelf Also not enough room for a chair, so I have to awkwardly sit on the edge of my bed when I want to use the computer.
  24. Queen of Liars

    Arktis.

    By Queen of Liars,

    Finally received my copy of the new Ihsahn album the other day, after there being some delays with the limited editions.
     

     
    An excellent album which was well worth the wait. Not quite as good as his previous three, but I'd still be surprised if it isn't my album of the year.
     
    Perhaps I'll do an updated post of my entire Ihsahn collection later, when I'm not busy listening to Arktis.
  25. Queen of Liars
    These bloody stickers on the top of the case.
     

     
    I don't know if it's just me, but I can never take them off without them tearing and they always leave marks on the case.
    It's becoming my biggest pet peeve in terms of CDs. I mean, why are they even there, other than to be annoying? The bar code is already on the back of the CD, and new CDs are wrapped anyway
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