Blogging on Meds

Continuing with the Grand Theft Auto IV theme, but avoiding any mention of the actual game play itself, the soundtrack (made up of car radio stations) looks great; varied and slightly ridiculous. Quick rundown of the stations:

• Contemporary Hip-Hop (w/ Lil Wayne, Ghostface, Nas…)
• Old School Hip-Hop
• Electro Dance/Rock
• Funk/Jazz Fusion
• Funk & Afrobeat (hosted by Femi Kuti)
• Jazz (hosted by Roy Haynes)
• Ambient/Chillout
• Disco (hosted by Karl Lagerfield!)
• NY Hardcore (hosted by Jimmy Gestapo)
• Classic Rock (hosted by Iggy Pop)
• Dancehall
• Alternative Rock (hosted by Juliette Lewis)
• Latin/Reggaeton (hosted by Daddy Yankee)
• Reggae/Dub
• Soul/R&B
• Eastern European Music
• 3 talk radio stations

While I question some of the songs listed as “Classic Rock” (I must be old if Smashing Pumpkins and REM legitimately deserve this moniker), and would like something besides Bob Marley on the Reggae/Dub station (no Barrington Levy?!), I can’t think of a better soundtrack for running over innocent pedestrians than Cro-Mags‘ “It’s The Limit”.

As to the game itself, the LA Times gave it an A+ on Tuesday, calling it “one of the best gaming experiences of all time.” Recently, I’ve been giving thought to purchasing a game system as I’m moving to a small island in the middle of the ocean and need something besides cheap island-brewed beer to occupy my nights. Perhaps this is the answer.

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Review of Grand Theft Auto IV, based on it’s audience, not the video game itself.

9pm - I was walking to meet a friend on Monday night in Union Square, Manhattan, New York. And there’s a video game store on 14th St. between Irving Place & 4th Ave. It was raining aka pouring - raining enough to make a wet mess of your clothes. All these “kids” but not really “kids” standing in line, they were more like adulty types, sitting in lawn chairs and wearing sweat pants and were all pretty big (in size) guys. Not so much college or high school guys, but like guys who were in their late twenties to some even in their forties. I walked past these dudes, turned around and asked what they were waiting for. A couple of them who looked least annoyed at my question yelled, “Grand Theft Auto!” Then they said they had been waiting since the store closed at 8pm and would have to wait until midnight. I gave them a thumbs up, turned around and walked away and they actually put a smile on my face. I wish I had that much passion about something to stand in the rain for hours on end.

But why do people wait in these lines to buy these kinds of games at midnight? When all they’d have to do is go get it at 9am the following morning? Are these games that amazing? How do they make people feel? Are they experiencing euphorically induced feeling?

I don’t understand.

NY Times Review of the game itself…

It dawned on me…video game people are freakin die hards. Duh, did my Super Mario Brothers and Metroid cravings ever die? Those games for me in the late 80s/early 90s ran my life, but I was a kid. I’m still a kid…but I still don’t see how someone’s life can revolve around a video game console. Am I crazy? These dudes are as die hard as NASCAR fans, or Boston Red Sox fans (I’m kidding guys), or WWF fans. Is video game culture the new Dungeons and Dragons?

WEIRD!!

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