Guess What Is Going On At My House?

Yep.  It came out yesterday, so father and son took a trip to the local Gamestop.  Not only did they get the Lego Lord of the Rings game, Zane got a t-shirt, and a poster, AND a Lego Elrond minifigure.  I am trying really, really hard not to fondle the mini-figure, because it is Zane's.  It has been difficult.  I lurves me some mini-figures.

The game seems to be following the movie, with vignettes that seem directly pulled from the film.  Larry and Zane had to play the second they arrived home, and of course I had to watch them play.  The game starts with that battle between Sauron and everyone else, with Larry and Zane playing as Elrond and Isildur.  I thought that that was pretty snazzy. 

So first glance at this latest incarnation of Lego gaming is positive.  If you have a child who is a Lego fan, this might be a good choice for a Christmas gift.  If you have a person in your family who is a Tolkien fan, this might be a good choice for a Christmas gift.  And if you have a person in your family who is a Tolkien fan AND a Lego fan, then this definitely would be a great choice for Christmas present. 

Whew!  That's ONE present checked off the list.  You're welcome. 

Xbox Kinect Brings Out Competitive Natures

My husband is a gamer. Video games, computer games, phone apps, it doesn't matter; Larry would play them all 24/7 if given the opportunity. And if he got paid for it, I would let him indulge himself about 22/5. Sometimes Larry would very much like for ME to play a particular game or two with him, and he pesters me until I agree to at least try. The problem with a husband who is an avid gamer is that he tends to be automatically better at every game than me. He wins practically every game we ever play.

Now, a very smart man would know that a spouse is not going to continue to play a game they keep losing horrifically. But my husband's natural competitiveness prevents him from even pretending to make mistakes that might result in Happy Wife Syndrome(a combination of symptoms which make said wife feel somewhat romantic toward her spouse). As a result of this, it's a BIG deal when I beat my husband at any game. When I checkmated Larry at computer chess, for instance, I actually had to call my dad(who taught me how to play) and tell him the good news, conveniently forgetting to mention the 372 games that Larry had won prior to that.

Now we have a Kinect. For those of you living under a rock, the Kinect is Microsoft's answer to the Wii, except there is nothing to hold in your hand and accidentally hurl at the television set. The whole reason that we got the Kinect was for the exercise programs, since we both need to get off our backsides and move around a lot more. One of the games has bowling, and you can play against the computer or against an opponent. Larry suggested a game, I agreed, and selected bowling because I thought this game offered the least embarrassment potential. I can sort of bowl in real life, after all.

To my surprise, I started off getting four strikes in a row during the first game, then five strikes in a row during the second. I actually whomped my husband at this game! Larry was a bit upset, so I didn't make too big a deal about it, but inside I was doing a serious victory dance, cartwheels, backflips, and anything else I could think of to celebrate. It was as if, for the very first time in the history of our relationship, it was a even playing field.

I think I am going to like this Kinect.