watching that video, all I could think was, first the dude gets pile driven for a ton o points, then the little dog nips at his heels. Suddenly I had the wicked witch of the west "and your little dog Toto too!" cackle in my head.

ION, Pete. Help. I'm at a point in Orange Box. Stuck. Room of barrels and ladders and big pipe/conduits. I suspect I got to go through the little HVAC hole up high in the wall, but can't seem to jump to it. When ever I try to move a barrel, it lands on the side and rolls around, not so good for the climbing on. In the other room, is just a big drop down 20-30 feet to water with pipes and schtuff, and a view to another chamber. any idea what I'm talking about? Any tips would be welcome. Did I say 50 hours? Make that 75.

Omnis, I have no clue. I even played the early part of the game a couple of months back but the game is so sprawling that I can't place where you are.

I recommend Gamefaqs.com as they will probably have an in-depth breakdown for you.

... Wait. Is this immediately after you're attacked by a veritable fuckton of Manhacks?

Pete, I swear I'm making you use the phrase "veritable fuckton" in a sentence the next time I see you, which I will record and turn into a ring tone.

Yeah, the "room" had about a dozen of them. I was afraid to shoot with all the flammable barrels.

• ETA: a dozen on the easy setting.

Sean, I've said that in real life quite often, FWIW. I don't suppose you're coming to F2F are you?

Omnis, I tried it on the hardest setting. Hilarity. Actually, ducking into a recessed corner and shooting one of the central barrels sets off a chain reaction which'll deal with 80% of the manhacks.

What you do is climb the ladder attached to the vertical pipes until you are above some horizontal pipes. Jump onto those pipes and follow them left. There will come a point where you have to crouch to clear some overhead pipes. Then you can jump onto the walkway and into the next room where you'll have to find a valve to flood the rooms.

Ahhh, a valve. Ya, that makes sense. I'll give that a whirl when I get home tonight.

I was afraid of blowing my self up, so I crawled into a corner and wacked at the manhunts with the crowbar. Not too much damage. They seem to shred you more than shoot.

Pete, my plan was to attend F2F, but I'm now working that weekend. Sadly.

BUMMER.

Still, can't argue with paying the bills.

*Eyes large list of 'Shit to get done'*

:: nods with Pete regarding Sean ::

Pete, I'm so glad I followed your advice to buy Orange Box! Pretty cool game. And it might sound hokey, but the coolest feature is you can save at any time!! I like how you need to think to get past obstacles (wash machine counter weight!).

Last night we had a card game night over a Drew & Kristin's (Kristin was, unfortunately, out of town, but other firends were over).

We played Apples to Apples, which is fun, despite the fact that it's about the most arbitrary game ever.

Then we played a couple of games of Zombie Fluxx. I have decided that Fluxx (especially Zombie Fluxx) is just a stupid ridiculous amount of fun.

For those who don't know, Fluxx is a card game where every single card changes the game somehow. It's very silly and fun. And it's a game that can sometimes feel like it's NEVER going to end, and then suddenly someone has won.