Sunday 29 August 2010

Videogames on TV

Last week, a new, 24/7, gaming-only, cable/satellite channel was announced for the UK, to be called for reasons beyond me, Ginx.  Possibly HD at launch, possibly 3D at some point, definitely chockfull of repeats (fair enough if they are going to broadcast 24 hours a day), it will launch in November 2010. The channel is chaired, according to its website, by a former president of MTV Europe, Peter Epstein and MTV's success is what the CEO Michiel Bakker said is Ginx's aim, when announcing its launch at the Edinburgh Interactive conference 2010.


The range of programming will be, Ginx says, more casual in the daytime hours and then get "edgier" (I dread to think) after 10pm. Its website states it will be aiming at the 8-35-year old market  (so, not me!). Ginx already provides game programming on Bravo, with GameFace.  I've seen GameFace before and it is very (very) poor. A whole channel behind the makers of that?  Hmm, I'm not sure.

Gamers have, historically, been poorly served by  mainstream TV. I know that many people extol the virtues of Gamesmaster  but that was years ago and I truly do not believe that that style of programme would work in the Internet age. As humorous as seeing a digitally-enhanced Sir Patrick Moore giving out game advice was, the simple fact is that if you're stuck on a game these days, you'll look on the 'Net, not write to a stargazing knight of the realm.  Similarly, watching gamers play games is a pretty dull spectacle - any viewers of Sky One's Gamesville from a few years ago can vouch for that  - and that's something else that wouldn't work (to give credit to Bakker, he did say that if that didn't work, Ginx wouldn't do it).

What would work, I think, is talking about games in a sensible adult fashion and I hope that Ginx could find half an hour in its schedule for that (I'm not sure it will though). Review programmes on mainstream TV cover books, films and the theatre - why not a games version? The superb Games Night (like The Late Show/Late Review but for games) on little-lamented satellite channel (and Ginx precursor) x-league.tv, was just that - four industry professionals, seated on a static set, talking about games, with one (vaguely professional) host in the Mark Lawson role leading the discussion.  I'm surprised that no other channel has picked up on this concept as it would be cheap and sure to be supported by games companies.  I doubt it would want for  guests either -  I'm sure gaming professionals would love to break out of only being on internet-only video, as that would then prove to their collective mothers that they do, in fact,  have a 'proper' job!


Although instinctively wary of Ginx (I'm not a fan of MTV), I am quietly looking forward to it and will definitely be tuning in (and then blogging about it) when it starts broadcasting in a couple of months. 

Sunday 22 August 2010

We've all been on a, summer holiday

The blog has been quiet over the last couple of weeks as I've been on a family holiday to rural Suffolk, where, by my calculations, it is about 1987.  There was no internet connection and precious little mobile phone coverage, making it a holiday from my blog, as well as my job.

Although there were no home consoles around, as a true geek family we brought along a couple of DSs, a PSP and an iPad.   My daughter worked hard trying to pay off her mortgage to the usurious Tom Nook in Animal Crossing: Wild World on DS, my wife exhibited a hitherto only suspected desire for world domination in Civilisation Revolution on the iPad (the iPhone version, but expanded to full-screen) and I, as I always do when going away,  took a bunch of unplayed DS and PSP games from my Pile of Shame.

On holiday, I usually try a few different games to get a feel for ones that I want to spend more time with (which is how I whittle down my home console Pile of Shame) but, other than a few games of Lego Battles on DS and a few hours with Professor Layton and Pandora's Box, I concentrated on one game only, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon.  I love Fire Emblem games and, even though I returned home from my holiday yesterday, I still played the DS game in preference to my home consoles last night.  I'm about 16 hours into the game so far, which I think is about halfway and it is fantastic, as good as (indeed, not much different from) the GBA games.  I'll be reviewing it on here  when I've completed it, so I won't go into too much detail now.

I had a great holiday and aim to carry my post-holiday buzz as far into my first week back at work as I can (roll on the bank holiday next week).  Wish me luck :)

Thursday 5 August 2010

Alan Wake Collector's Limited Edition unboxing

Pretty much since I started this site, I've been using 'Statcounter' to monitor its traffic.  One of the tools that this application offers is the ability to see which of a site's pages are more popular than others.  I've noticed that  popular pages seem to be those that show an unboxing of a limited edition of game, presumably something that is interesting to those who, probably sensibly, opt for the vanilla version of a game (thereby saving them £5, £10 or more).

I've recently picked up the Alan Wake limited edition online, for a bargain price of £20 (new and delivered). The RRP of this version of the game was £50, so presumably it sold as badly as the main edition, hence the deep discount.

As it's been put for a few months now, I hadn't intended to blog about it but in the  interests of giving people what  they want, this is what is included in the package. 







Inside a cardboard slip file is a large box, fashioned to look like a doorstep-like hardback novel, tying in with the eponymous protagonist's in-game career as a Stephen King-esque novelist.


You can just about make out the 'Alan Wake' signature on the box


The 'book' is hinged and opening it reveals that it is a DVD boxset-style slip case, containing three items.



There's a slim hardback book ("The Alan Wake Files"), the DVD game case and a two-disc case containing the soundtrack CD and the 'bonus disk'.  The soundtrack to the game hasn't really grabbed me while playing (unlike, say, the Red Dead Redemption soundtrack, that I also own having been given the limited edition to that game for my birthday).  Still, it is a nice addition  to the package. 


The soundtrack/bonus disk case.   

The bonus disk includes a few videos about the game and its developer, Remedy and some slideshows of artwork (I haven't looked at these too closely as I don't want any spoilers).  It also unlocks some in-game content  - a commentary for the game (like a director's commentary on a DVD), that can be switched on when you next play the game itself.  Switching this commentary on (in the 'Options' on the main game menu) unlocks an avatar award for your Xbox 360 avatar.  

Two Xbox 360 dashboard themes can also be unlocked through the bonus disk too, allowing you to turn your dashboard into Bright Falls or Elderwood (basically, the same place at daytime and nighttime.  This is the first theme I've ever had, so I don't know if it is a particularly good one but it looked nice enough to me.

The photo below shows Bright Falls and also shows my avatar modelling the game's sole award (jacket & scarf combo).







Cowboy hat model's own


The book is a collection of 'fiction' and 'non-fiction' (though all, of course, fiction) and compliments the characters and action of the game.  The 'author' of the book is a character in the game and the whole authentic-looking (down to review quotes on the dust-jacket) package treats the game as 'real'.

Alan Wake's first published work, apparently


The final item in the package is a code to download the game's first DLC, only released a week or so ago.  This is included in the game case, along with the instruction manual.





Alan Wake is one of the most impressive limited editions I've seen, even at the full RRP.  For £20 it was an absolute bargain.  As for the game, I've played a couple of episodes (the action is divided into a number of 'episodes', like a TV series) and I'm enjoying it so far.  It reminds me a bit of PS1 game Silent Hill and TV programme Twin Peaks (and, continuing the David Lynch theme, the film Blue Velvet).  There's also a 'HP Lovecraft' feel to it, underlined by one of the trees in a forest being signposted 'Great Old One'!  


The complete package




EDIT 13/9/10: I've now played through the game and my review is here.

Wednesday 4 August 2010

Fable III

As I've said elsewhere on here, I love the two Fable games and am looking forward to the third later on this year. Many games with a fantasy setting can be po-faced and up themselves but  Fable can rarely be accused of that, being a far more bawdy experience -  like a videogame version of The Canterbury Tales (compared to, say, Dragon Age being like Beowulf ).  I like both types of game and I'm glad that there's room for both in the market (though I wish there were a few more that went for humour like Fable does).

Yesterday, Lionhead, the Fable developer, released a cinematic trailer for Fable III to further stoke up my excitement levels (though that might not have been their main reason) and it can be viewed, in all its loveliness, here.

Earlier this week, Lionhead released a 'Villager Maker' wherein you could, by answering a series of on-screen multiple choice questions, create a Fable III character.  If you pre-order the game, you will receive a code to unlock this character in the game.  I'll probably do this - I'm certainly going to buy the game as soon as it comes out, so I might as well pre-order - and I'll probably go for the rather lovely Collector's Edition.

Monday 2 August 2010

Chris Redfield's toughest challenge yet

Chris Redfield has had some bad experiences in his time.  Fighting zombies, fighting things that aren't zombies but, really, *are* zombies and, going by his appearance in Resident Evil 5, some serious steroid abuse.

What he hadn't done - until now - was jump out of a first (second, if you're American) floor window, with only a parachute made from a  child's t-shirt and 8 strands of wool.

Yesterday, I bought this book - 



An alternative title could have been 'Excuses for Dad to act like a kid'

One of which's  chapters explains how to make a parachute from some cloth, thread and some sort of action figure.  A challenge  that my daughter and I picked up yesterday afternoon (after first having made a 'cloud' in a plastic bottle, with just hot water and a lit match - this book rocks).

I was given a 4" figurine (not, as my daughter would have it, a 'doll') of Chris Redfield when I bought Resident Evil 5 (I'm not sure why - I hadn't pre-ordered, or bought a limited edition but I did buy the game on the day of its release). It is in an ideal pose, unluckily for him, for being tied to a parachute, as its arms are raised up and holding a pistol. Unlike when Chris is in this pose in-game, however, this Chris would not be immobile...        



Little does he know what is to come


We then cut out a circle (well, it's roundish) from a promo t-shirt for Monkey Bizness (motto - I kid you not - "Where kids can be kidz".  No, I don't know what it means either) given to my daughter a while ago.  Together with some evenly-cut lengths of wool, we now had the makings of a parachute.   

This must be what it's like to be a Blue Peter presenter


We then poked the thread through the cloth and tied the ends to Chris. 



With MoD cuts, this may well be how the Parachute Regiment equips itself in future



A short trip upstairs to scope out the dropzone later....


Please ignore the dirty windowsill



Jill !!!!!!!!!!!


One small step for man, one giant leap for a hand-painted action figure later...






The parachute worked quite well but Chris was probably a bit too heavy for complete success (an action figure of Chris based on his appearance in the first Resident Evil would have been fine).  Unfortunately, Chris did not survive the experience unscathed - he lost part of his foot (see photo above).  Fortunately, I had a green herb (aka polystyrene cement) to hand and, as you can see, he is now fully recovered (and presumably wanting to get back to the zombie hordes for an easy life).