The little free time that I had this week was spent in Borderlands, a co-op FPS/RPG I got on Steam. I preordered it with some friends last week and since Monday – when it came out – we’ve been visiting it’s arid landscapes, armed to the teeth.

I can’t say much about it’s singleplayer – probably plays a bit like Fallout 3, but more boring – but the co-op multiplayer is definitely a lot of fun. It has the adrenaline-filled action of a FPS combined with the obsessive-compulsiveness of Diablo loot (or WoW, for that matter). The weapons are procedurally generated, meaning that you can get really exotic combinations (like a shotgun that fires rockets that deal lightning damage on impact) and the world is pretty interesting, with a post-apocalyptic, Mad Max theme.

But the most important aspect is that it’s just… fun. It’s been a while since my last LAN party (or multiplayer StarCraft, after work ) so this brings back all the good memories. Nothing builds teamwork like yelling expletives while running for your life, shooting at some huge monster poised on turning you into rice pudding. Then the blasted sniper rifle reloads, you aim, score a headshot and the whole screen lights up: LEVEL UP. Good game.

On Friday night we celebrated Renee’s 27th birthday at her and Bogdi’s place in Astoria. I provided the party food (burgers from Shake Shack), Osalis made the drinks (strawberry margaritas) and Bogdi brought the entertainment: Rock Band 2 and RB: The Beatles. It was a fun night, with lots of playing and singing until way over 2am.

After the party Suzette drove Ethan home, so I joined to keep her company. We were both craving some bubble-tea so we spent half an hour cruising through Flushing trying to find a place open that would sell it. Sadly, at 3am, there wasn’t a single one.

Pictures can be found here. Looks like I’m sticking with SmugMug for now, so love it or hate it, it’s here to stay. Feel free to play with the Style button on the top, especially the Journal mode for a nice viewing experience.

In other news, I’m trying out a new photo storage service: SmugMug. I already uploaded a few pics from Friday night, when Linh, Helena, Danny and Paula stopped by for some Wii Sports Resort time. I’m still experimenting with my camera, so some of the pics might look a bit weird. Photography advice is always welcome.