2005: The year Nintendo took over my brain (Wickedkitten)

This year has been pretty good overall. I've become even more of a food whore with loads of new recipes added to my repertoire. Actually, I think we have become a right couple of food snobs to be certain.

Ross has ended up getting addicted to WoW which isn't so bad now. I, on the other hand, instead of joining in the nonsense ended up buying a trojan horse in the shape of a gamecube. It made sense really considering that I could get one secondhand for the same price as Wow, the only thing is that once we got that it was "Oh if I'm playing Harvest Moon - Another Wonderful Life, it makes sense since I have the GBA version to get a link cable, as I can also use it for Four Swords and The Wind Waker", then it was "Oh our GBA really is quite dark so it makes sense to get a SP as it has a backlight".

Worse of all was to come however on boxing day when I ended up becoming the proud owner of a Mario Kart Ds Pack complete with King Kong thrown in free which ended up being traded away for Nintendogs - Lab and Friends.

Oh well, roll on 2006 which will be the year of the PS3.

Year End Awards 2005 (k3nshi)

The Kenshi Institute's Year End Awards 2005

Celebrating the sublime and the ridiculous:

• Man of the Year: Alan Kay


• Woman of the Year: Angelina Jolie


• Film of the Year: Batman Begins


• Game of the Year: God of War


• Book of the Year: "Freakonomics" by Levitt & Dubner


• Website of the Year: flickr


• Undead Website of the Year: smilingkenshi.net


• Technology of the Year: Paper


• Promised Legal Action of the Year: MPA vs Song Lyrics sites


• Anti-Technology of the Year: CSS + Web browsers (all of them)


• Phone of the Year: imate JAM


• Blog of the Year: What would Tyler Durden Do


• Application of the Year: Preview (Mac)


• Shape of the Year: Arch


• Place of the Year: Regents Park, London, UK


• Colour of the Year: Ruby red (##990000)


• Year of the Year: 2005

2005: Got Stuff Done, Got annoyed. (k3nshi)

After an arduous 2004, 2005 started with a bang: all positive energy and the will for action. And fortunately it didn't fizzle out either. I can look back on 2005 with a certain level of satisfaction, as I finally sorted out a fair few things. Let's break it down:

Physical

I lost some weight, gained some strength. Gym going combined with a disciplined diet paid off at the start of 2005. Things stalled towards the middle of the year, and I face 2006 with the need to find that old focus.

Something new

Running. I've never liked running. Never understood people who claimed to like running. This year I ran the Nike Run London 10K. When I started training, I didn't know if I would be able to do it. By the time the official run was over, not only did I know I could run 10K in a reasonably respectable time but I even got to a point where I can enjoy a good run. Who'd 'ave thunk it?

Something long overdue

I passed my driving test. And then I did my pass plus. At last. Fully licensed to drive. Now I just need to drive more.

Mental

I didn't do as much meditation as I should have. In fact it's something I really need to bring back into my life as I can probably attribute a lot of my positive attitude in 2005 to the meditation I started at the end of 2004.

I did a lot more writing this year than in the past. More blogs, more websites, more stuff (less forum posts though). I think its true when people say "writing helps strengthen your thoughts", if only in that it provides a useful tool for reflection.

Professional

Most of 2005 I spent embroiled in yet more political battles at a former employer, desperately trying to salvage my career. By the time more positive influences came into power at that firm (late in the year), it was too late: I had decided to move onto bigger and far better things. 2005 was the year I finally decided to pursue the dream I've held for a very, very long time: to start a company. It's scary, challenging, lots of work and at the moment I have no income.

Nothing great is easy.

"Maybe their dream isn't big enough,"

2005 ends with some sourness and annoyance. This is a very, very good thing.

At the end of 2005 I have to tolerate small thoughts from the small minds of much, much smaller men who think I should simply follow the status quo and Be Like Them. "Why all the effort? Just Be Like Us. It's Easy."

Roll on 2006. I've got scores to settle.

2005: Mostly rubbish (the_debaser)

Thought I'd try and do a review of 2005 and ended up just thinking about my own personal year. Worryingly, not much of note has happened at all. This year's just passed by - I mean, what the FUCK have I been doing? Go to work Monday-Friday, knackered in the evenings. Then go out at the weekend to get wasted and get lucky with some bird every so often. There must be more to existing than this monotonous shite, surely? But then I expect that pretty much sums up everyones life when they're 25.

However, nothing really bad has happened to me this year so I should be thankful for that. I just want to make sure I get back on track in 2006. Try and sort a flat, maybe a new job, and plan a few holidays because holidays are the best thing ever.

Anyway, highlights of the year:

No-one close to me has died this year. That's good.
Going on holiday to America. Wicked country, wicked people. Thought I'd hate the place but I fell in love with it.
Finally finishing all my exams - such a relief.
Er... thats about it.

Roll on 2006! \o/

I am One! (k3nshi)

One year of the hash edge blog. Today.

Some people said it wouldn't last a week, never mind a full year (In YOUR FACE corps).

So today is a CAKE day. You should eat a CAKE to celebrate. I was going to get one and post a picture of it and then eat it, but really I've been eating way too much junk food over the last week or so.

Viewtiful Hope (k3nshi)

[13:07]  corpsicle  =(
[13:08]  corpsicle  anyway, i think im getting the same first impression 
                             about VJ DS that everyone else got
[13:08]  corpsicle  its just _not quite_ the console version
[13:08]  corpsicle  but from what ive read theres a lot more puzzles and 
                              stuff making it a bit different but just as good
[13:08]  corpsicle  lets hope i'll think so too
[13:14]  FunkyDad   we can always hope :p
[13:14] *Kenshi crosses his fingers

Development Thoughts (k3nshi)

So the current gaming scene hold very, very little interest for me at the moment. The only thing of real interest is Geometry Wars 2. A lot of the appeal is that it looks kind of like a game concept I have had kicking around in my head for a couple of years (in fact I was meant to write it after BlastMonkeys). But looking at the videos for it, make me realise that I'd much rather play the game concept than Geometry Wars 2.

So these thoughts have got me thinking on how cool it would be to write another game. Obviously writing a little game would mean having a target platform, and 3 spring to mind: OSX (cos my main machine is a Mac these days), Xbox 360 Live Arcade or the Nintendo DS. The latter two just seem begging for a small dev team to make some amazing games for them. None of the DS stuff that is out really appeals to me, but I'm pretty sure I could have some fun coming up with something quite cool for it (I almost got round to writing some games for my imate JAM smartphone - it has a touchscreen - at one point).

Of course seeing as I have no time at the moment to do any of these things, its all idle speculation and rambling.

Food Porn Interlude (k3nshi)

[21:48]  Van123 "deep filled mince pies"
[21:48]  Van123 "deep filled"
[21:48]  Kenshi stop with the food porn
[21:48]  Kenshi STOP
[21:48]  Van123 they're SO GOOD

A Very Happy Gaming Christmas (Anonymous)

The final two of my holy trinity of DS gaming goodness have finally turned up (Phoenix Wright and Animal Crossing). Which to play first?

Mini Voglie (k3nshi)

Italian Biscuit Closeup
Originally uploaded by Kenshi.

Oh and these are the mini Italian biscuit things that are destroying my weight loss agenda at the moment.

They rock.

Food Terrorism (k3nshi)

Food Terrorism
Originally uploaded by Kenshi.

Just to give you an idea of what I am facing. I innocently opened the cupboard to see the two bars of Toblerone and the strategically positioned Green & Black's chocolate bisuits.

Nice. Real Nice.

...

360 blog (k3nshi)

360 blog
Originally uploaded by Kenshi.

Not So Stealth Gaming (k3nshi)

Image008
Originally uploaded by Kenshi.

The SP is way too big for a truly lightweight "gaming situation".

Shame the GB Micro is such a rip off though, eh?

(Also note the Nintendo games: who knew eh?)

Stealth Gaming Hardware (k3nshi)

So yesterday I went out for drinks with some ex-work colleagues. And unusually for me, I decided not to take a bag (usually full of a mix of gym stuff, notebooks, books, gaming hardware) with me. Hell, I would travel light for a change. So naturally I picked up my iPod Shuffle for audio stimulation, and then I figured I'd take the GBA SPastic as well. And The Spastic is all nice and everything but its still a bit too big and bulky. A GBA Micro on the other hand would have easily slipped into my coat pocket and not added any real bulk. Perfect to sneak some gaming action into situations where it would previously not be possible. So, I can see the point of a GBA Micro over a SPastic box. Doesnt mean I am going to pay the extortionate price for one though.

Oh Mobile phone games probably suck before anyone suggests I just play them.

Happy Birthday Mr Miyamoto (k3nshi)

Yes thats right, the "Nintendo hater" is saying Happy Birthday to Mr. Nintendo himself. Look he even has a shrine (click the link fools).

Clearly the man has a touch of games designing genius. Whilst I never have been fond of the Mario aesthetic, there is no denying that fact that the series has encompassed some of the greatest games made. Mario 64 is still untouchable as a 3D platformer, Mario Sunshine failing to get anywhere near its quality. And as for Mario World and the others in the 2D series, in a word: AMAZING.

In fact I am currently playing (on and off), one of my favourite games of this generation: Mario vs Donkey Kong on the spastic box. Whilst I dont think Mr Miyamoto had a hand in this one (actually I have no idea), his influence on this excellent little game is clear. In some ways a bit more limited than its GB forerunner (Donkey Kong), the newer game still features incredibly tightly designed levels and is fantastically playable. In fact it harks back to all the great things of Mario games, and the playability overcomes the retarded and incredibly annoying art direction. Sorry Mr Miyamoto, but the best character you designed was Donkey Kong.

Any way, the guy has created some amazing works and brought pleasure and frustration and delight to countless gimps around the world. And that's quite an achievement. So happy birthday, and I expect a guest editorial post by the end of the week. Do you hear me now?!!!

Beyond Hype and Syncophantary* (k3nshi)

(* may not be an actual word)

Yes I completed a game the other week. Ubisoft's critically acclaimied commercial flop: Beyond Good and Evil. You could read q's ridiculously sycophantic opinion of the game here or you could just read a review of it from Edge or something. The two are usually interchangeable (more or less).

The game itself is a pretty nice adventure game, the bulk of which consists of some sneaking around action. I actually liked this bit the best and so really enjoyed a lot of the game. The controls put MGS to shame, I might add. The difficulty curve for the most part is pitched on the easy side, and its a nice no-fuss kind of game to play. Its not all sneaking action though, there are some genuine surprises with some sections, which are done to a good standard. Yes thats vague, but any more and were deep into spoiler territory. AM I NOT MERCIFUL?!

Of course it all goes pear shaped on the end of game baddie level. I almost gave up at this point. From a primarily stealth based game, to a lame, stupidly boring boss level. Still the urge to complete the game (I want closure dammit!!!) meant I tried again later and managed to do it. Cue a cutscene or two for a lame ending to the story, and the hint of a sequel that will never be released. Nice.

Oh and I cant leave this blog post without talking about the atmosphere of the game. Qazimod might harp on about the emotional attachment he had to the characters, but you have to remember that he is emotionally stunted to begin with. I mean, he forms emotional bonds to his consoles, so what do you expect? God knows what would happen if he ever saw a Disney film - there would almost certainly be tears. The only game that I would say has had any kind of emotional resonance or impact on me was Ico. And BG&E is no Ico. Not even close.

The art style of BG&E is far too twee for my tastes, as are some of the characters. Its a kid's cartoon basically. There are some nice touches though, and it distinctly has a European flavour to it, which is a Good Thing. Maybe Ubisoft will do some kind of follow up but make Jade darker and give her some attitude (ie turn her into bikinni clad game slut with boobs at least three times bigger). They might sell more than 3 copies that way. Hey it worked for the Prince of Persia...

Icecream update (k3nshi)

Yes, I had icecream yesterday. I can now give you the definitive ice-cream rankings:

Waitrose Organic Icecream > Hagen Daas > Ben & Jerry's.

ICECREAMFACTS in YOUR FACE.

Halo 2: Heroic (k3nshi)

I completed Halo 2 on Heroic last night. So much better than playing in normal mode. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that Halo 2 in Heroic is a much closer gameplay experience to Halo (on Normal). Halo 2 in Normal mode is just totally boring.

Of course, now I want to play another Halo game. I want Halo 3 >now<.

Sleep Science (k3nshi)

More research into sleep:

"This process would allow cortical circuits to eliminate noisy synapses and renormalize in order to be ready for the next day," Massimini told LiveScience. The reduced activity might also help explain why performance in various tasks improves after sleep, he said.

Read more

Old Skool Terrorists? (k3nshi)

Amazing

Tin foil to block da transmissions man! (k3nshi)

So I received my Oyster card today. A quick google of the term revealed this amazing blog entry. Don't leave home without your tin foil - they could be listening...

Back to the Rumble Pit (k3nshi)

I booted up Halo 2 for the first time in ages the other day. It had been so long since I had last played it I still had two map packs and a game update to download. A side-effect of me not playing in such a long time was the fact my Halo 2 LIVE score had been reset to level 1. Rather than being a bad thing, this simply means I get to play a load of games with people who I can actually manage to, on occasion, shoot in the face and kill. This is infinitely more fun than working really hard and still being pwned by some motley collection of acne ridden game hermits.

Missionaries (the_debaser)

I went around town at lunchtime on my own today. I've been feeling pretty down recently, just pissed off with certain things and not happy with the way other things are going at the moment.

I was thinking the other day about how much time, money and energy I've wasted on things which in the great scheme of things do not matter one jot and things which do nothing to improve me as a person. Drink, drugs, sluts, clothes, dvds, games and so on. If I see some poor cunt into the street I'd rather spit in his face than give him a few quid to get some food.

Anyway, during my walk around town I went into Boots to get some hairgel and some Mach 3's. On the way out I was stopped by two people, a lad and a girl. I don't know why but I didn't carry on walking like I normally would. They explained to me that they were missionaries and offered to give me a little magazine to read. I said sure, and I was suprised when they didn't ask for any cash. They wished me on my merry way and I went off, back to work.

So with nothing better to do I've read this magazine. Its one of those religious things that try to help you live your life a 'better' way. Lots of the stuff in the magazine struck a chord with what I was thinking about a few days ago. How certain things can please one or more of your five senses, but which won't do anything to ease your mind, nor your soul.

Now I'm a seriously lapsed Catholic, and I'm not about to start up and Bible bash or none of that nonsense, but I reckon if I try and improve spiritually by being less selfish and thinking more of others, maybe (in a selfish way oddly enough) I'll be happier.

I'm going to give it a go anyway.

Revolution (k3nshi)

So they revelaed the controller at last. It sounds like a good idea - no, it sounds like a great idea. The concept video looks amazing. But anyone can knock up an amazing concept video. The proof will be in the games and the actual play experience. Until then, speculation about the merits of the controller are as pointless as the endless speculation of the power of the PS3 and the Xbox 360.

All hands: stay at DefCon 5.

In Training... (k3nshi)

I did my first official training run for the Run London event. Rather than keep posting about this stuff here, I have set up the RunLondon blog to keep all the painful details. Check it out motherbitches!

Ten Thousand Hits To Come (k3nshi)

So I signed up for the Nike Run London 10k run today.

People keep telling me I should find it easy, but I am not so sure. I guess I am really doing it because I see it as a challenge and I hope it will help me refocus on my dieting and excercie regime (hasnt worked so far: tonight I went to see a film - The Island - and then had pizza for dinner... It's been a bad week on the health regime front).

When will it end? (Van123)

You've all been kept up to date with my inane ramblings over the past few months, nay years, about a certain girl. You know the score - she loves me. She's a crazy one, though - I've lost count of how many times I've had to point this out to her.

So I got my GCSE results last week, and because I'm so cool, I got invited to two parties. Being the hip, swinging youth I am, I went to both. I called the second party to let them know I was on my way, but Weird Girl tried to stop me. She tried to persuade them not to let me come, because she'd feel awkward. That's right, 20 odd people who want me to go, and one who doesn't. The only thing for me to do, would be to head home for the night, to respect her feelings. But that's boring.

About two months ago, she confessed her undying love for me. Yay. But a month ago it got really interesting. She deleted me from her MSN list. Oh noes. Could this be the end of our relationship? This happened because I was a bit of a cock. She sent me email after email telling me how much she loves me. Eventually, I grew tired of reading the same old drivel, and decided to spice up our somewhat dead relationship - Because that's the type of lover I am. I replied to one of her many emails, with a mini Flash 'game' I made. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to open it (ooer), and replied explaining how she isn't scared of being shot down now. It was then I changed my approach. I told her how much I loved her, about how I was a cock because I was covering up my feelings yadda yadda yadda. Then came her reply, along the lines of "that's what I've always wanted to hear. You made me cry." I also slipped in that if she wasn't going out with someone, then I'd be there for her.

We're getting to why she delete me now. She deleted me, because I sent another email, in the same format. "I was a cock, because I was hiding my feelings" becomes "I was a cock, because I don't like you." Five or six well structured paragraphs putting her down. Then I got a reply. A single word reply, in an email. "Thanks." It was then I opened up MSN and said "You're welcome." So, then she deleted me.

Now, a week ago I went to the parties. I didn't speak to her at the second. Not because I had nothing to say, but because I could tell how upset she was. Couple that with her being drunk and in love. My mate gets a text after Weird Girl leaves. I don't get the text, because she doesn't have my number. Get in. It read something like "tell chris stpns its all about the chase." If there's one way to win me over, it's to shorten my name to something rediculous like that. But that got me thinking. The Chase? The chase is better than the catch, apparently, so the next day, I spoke to her on MSN (I didn't delete her). Now, remember, this is after a month of her not speaking to me.

She explained that because I made it impossible for her to 'get' me, she wants me even more. I suppose that's fair enough - Love's a complecated thing. But here's where it starts getting more interesting. I had a haircut, init, so I set it to my display picture on MSN. When I come back, I've got a message from Weird Girl. "WT! did u get ur haircut?" Oh here it is. She deleted me? Probably. But, she started a conversation with me, *and* could see my display picture. You can only do that, and see someone elses picture if they're on you MSN. SO I said that. Turns out she re-added me. For shame. She made such a big deal about not speaking to me, only to re-add me on the only thing I use to communicate with her.

We're coming to the end now, but before I leave, we have another interesting point. She brought up a party I went to a while ago. I say a while, I mean almost a year. I don't know why she chose that party, but she did. She said she was really upset when she found out I met a girl there and had a rather good time with her. I'll leave you with something from my MSN Log.

"ye, i wish it was me, but i cnt change wt happens or wt u feel, or feel like doing

so, u can do wteva u wnt, but i would always be there for u, more or less"

Unarmed (k3nshi)

So I have a GameBoy Spastic and a Pretty Shiny Plastic thing. I used to keep one of these devices in my bag for entertainment during my commute to and from work, but eventually stopped packing them when I realised that my time was better spent either reading something worthwhile or sleeping. Of course over the last three days I have found myself wanting to play a game, and searching my bag for a portable gaming device and found myself without the necessary equipment. As of tomorrow, a games machine gets added back to the Essential Equipment List.

Icecream Showdown (k3nshi)

Ok, so I didnt have an elaborate taste test set up in an amazing ICECREAM LAB (just imagine it though...), but I can proudly present to you the latest research in the exciting field of icecream science:

Waitrose Organic Icecream > Green & Black's Icecream.

It really is a lot better. Try it.

Videogames and violence. (Anonymous)

The "violent videogames cause violence" debate is back in the news again. And, as usual, the moral majority and games industry blame or slippery shoulder respectively. I’m in two minds on this issue - on the one hand I think that censoring or banning violent games is ridiculous scare-mongering on the part of the “anti-gaming” groups. On the other I think that games companies and the majority of gamers are sticking their heads in the sand and need to take a bit more responsibility for their output. Take 2, despite public denial, do want kids to play the likes of GTA and Manhunt because it makes them money. And todays parents are too lazy and irresposible to actively ensure their kids are playing games that are suitable.

The majority of non-gamers I speak to think that these modern ultra-violent games are just retarded fantasies for the socially inept, and I think these games do a lot to damage our pastime in the eyes of those people. My father’s opinion of games is the “it’s just childish zapping little green men and robots… grow up and do something useful” - one I’m sure a lot of you encounter.

The outcome is that nobody wins. Publishers may make short-term profits from blockbusters but are probably limiting long-term market size, kids are exposed to images they really shouldn’t see, and parents continue to be bloody useless.

Health and stuff (the_debaser)

After a particularly heavy session this weekend, I felt like complete shit on Sunday. And Monday. Chest pains. Sick stomach. That sort of thing. I'm OK today though.

2 of my uncles have died with heart problems before reaching retirement age, so its probably something which runs in the family. Luckily I'm not a smoker, nor do I just sit on my arse every day. However, I do eat an awful lot of crap. And I do drink to excess.

So, I'm giving up the beer for a bit. No doubt I'll miss it. But it'll help me save money. It'll stop me from forgetting what I did the previous night. It'll stop me staying in the house on Saturday afternoons nursing a hangover. And it'll also make me appreciate beer more as more than just a crutch which gets me through another relentless week of 'work-eat-sleep'.

To paraphrase the great Homer J, 'Lemonade will be my beer and feeling good will be my hangover'.

Paper Game Boy Micro (Wickedkitten)

Paper Game Boy Micro:

We’re never ever gonna get tired of paper

models of gadgets—especially unreleased gadgets. Apparently the same goes for the Japanese, who’ve been all up in

that scene since day one. Their latest target: the Game Boy Micro. Get your (fake) game on before any of the other kids

on the block, and in whichever colors and designs you bother digitally appliqueing to the thing.

[Download PDF]


[Thanks, SoDesu]

Attract Mode: Critical Failure (k3nshi) (k3nshi)

Earlier today me and a friend were in the arcade at London's Trocadero tourist and school kid ghetto. If it is a fair representation of arcades today, then the scene is in a truly dismal state. So many old, or old looking games: Daytona is still there and going strong. Daytona 2 was not being played at all. Spazmania and their ilk were going strong. Everything just seemed uninspired and lacking any appeal.

We spotted a Star Wars Pod Racing arcade game. Two people were playing it, and my friend thought it looked pretty cool. I thought it was a perfect example of where arcades have gone wrong. In an arcade I expect to see games that I would not imagine to be able to play on home hardware. A Star Wars Pod Racing game should have graphics comparable to the films, not to other 3D racing games which can be reasonably reproduced on home consoles. Remember the days you walked into an arcade and could only DREAM of playing those games at home? Thats what is missing - at the Trocadero at least.

Ok the costs... THINK OF THE COSTS of all that mega-hardware and software. I understand. But why not produce arcade hardware around high end PCs and mega gfx cards? This would be a lot better than filling the arcades with aging Model 2 and Model 3 arcade hardware. You could also cut software costs by building on top of APIs like OpenGL and DirectX. Surely this is the only way forward for the arcade industry?

Mistakes (Wickedkitten)

As we all know, a certain forumite has had their porn past exposed on the forum at the moment, and regardless of whether it was right or wrong to make what was public knowledge by virtue of being on the internet, public knowledge by posting it on the forum, what mistakes have you made?


Personally for myself, the biggest one has been getting married at the age of 21, it was so horrid it's put me off the idea for life. What about you?

Yahoo acquires Konfabulator (Wickedkitten)

Konfabulator Now Free:
Plus: An illustrated history of how that came to be. (via Daring Fireball)

Bonsai Tree (k3nshi)

The latest addition to Kenshi HQ.

Selling Out (k3nshi)

The profound realisation of the time/reward ratio of gaming, has made me decide its time to sell a load of games and stuff. Here is what I am considering pimping:

PS2

• PlayStation 2 (Big box version: original and the best innit), + 2 controllers (official), Scart lead
  
• Devil May Cry
  
• Maximo
  
• Disgaea
  
• Jax & Dexter 2
  
• Metal Gear Solid
  
• Silent Hill 2
  
• Pro Evo Soccer
  
• Timesplitters
  
• Prince of Persia (dont get upset now...)
  
• Viewtiful Joe
  
• Freak Out
  
• Kengo
  
• Fantavision
  
• SSX
  
• Gran Turismo 3 + Steering + pedals

Nintendo Gamecube

• Black Gamecube: Jap and US region (mod switch in the back) + RGB Scart cable +
  
• Resident Evil 4 (US)
  
• Metroid Prime (US)
  
• F-Zero (JPN)
  
• Super Monkey Ball (US)
  
• Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (JPN)
  
• Pikmin (UK - note: doesnt actually work properly on above cube)

Phew, thats a lot of stuff. In retrospect I shouldnt have bought half of it anyway. C'est la vie, I was bored and in a high paying job at the time.

Into the wonderful (k3nshi)

I just completed God of War. I bought it on a whim on Friday. Initial impressions were underwhelming - sure it looked great and very, very slick, but the combat just wasnt clicking for me. Fast forward five hours later. I'm still there playing. It fact this game has consumed my entire weekend, a near unprecedented achievement. Sure it mocked me by somewhere along the line downgrading the difficulty from Hero (normal) to Mortal (easy), but I just shrugged it off. It was just too damned compelling - CANT STOP PLAYING UNTIL I FINISH.

But is it utterly AMAZING? No. Its good, very good but not quite the Ultimate Arcade Adventure I was hoping for. I cant really pin down why it wasnt amazing, it has no discernable faults as it were, it just doesnt have anything that really raises it and the genre to exceptional levels. Its probably the best arcade adventure game of the generation, but not the Perfect Theatre Of Violence I was hoping for. But it is part of my formula for Arcade Adventure Perfection. Pay attention, games designers:

Ultimate Arcade Adventure = fuseAndEnhance(Halo, God of War, Devil May Cry, Ico) + SprinkleOfMagic

Oh and Greek Mythology as a game setting is such a no brainer - I'm surprised we dont see more of it. The Making Of features at the end drop some heavy hints about a sequel for "more powerful hardware". The potential for something awesome is certainly there. Hmm... my weekend appears to be over. Maybe its the perfect swan song for my gaming habit.

PS: Amongst the many, MANY things I should have done today but didnt because I was busy playing God of War, was going for a run. I feel like a complete LAMER now. Games are bad for you: QUIT THE HABIT.

Slowly joining the bunch (Anonymous)

Ahah so i've joined the hash edge band wagon after talking to Mr K3nshi this morning about things :)

I'f i can write longggg posts for my live journal i'm shure i can do something here

Sadly this will be very short as i haven't got *much* to talk about now as i've said alot on my lj and cause im also in work.. i thought i would be more tired though as i went to bed at about 4 ish, woke up at 7, been in the office since 8, so a maximum of 3hrs sleep, but it doubt it was...

Women eh :(

That is all

~ Kammy

"I'll punch as many mans as it takes to get the job done"

Woo-sa, Daniel-san! Woo-sa! (k3nshi)

After that pleasantness, I can reveal the newest addition to Kenshi HQ: a bonsai tree.

A pepper tree to be precise. I'll post images up on Flickr at some point - I'd do it now but its a bit dark.

Also you lamers, when did this become my personal blog? Blog!

It Just Works (k3nshi)

...or rather IT DOESNT.

Considering so much is made of the iPod's "Halo effect" for driving sales of Macs to PC users, you'd think it would be simple to just switch your iPod to your Mac. No such joy here, as I have wasted HOURS trying to get the bloody thing to work. I even got some classic error messages such as "The iPod Disk does not have the correct structure" (hold that comment your pedantic geekspastics - I was using the iPod Updater at the time, before you tell me "No n00b, you need to format the iPod in MAC format!!!!111oneoneonefuckingone") and... brace yourself:

"An unexpected error occurred."

Oh we just hit Windows territory, just when spanx was telling me "at least its not some fucking lame windows error message shit like 'unknown error'. Be thankful Our Glorious and Wise Leader Steve Jobs is too Compassionate for that kind of rubbish - he loves us. I intend to kill a random stranger to receive a phone call from him..." (actual quote).

So now I am going to have to return the iPox (fortunately its under warranty). Ah yes, the warranty service process. You have to fill in a DEFECT REPORT to get your warranty service. Nice. All in all a complete waste of time and another layer of gloss removed from the Apple image. I cant wait for Sony to get a clue and kick Apple's media giant pretentions ass all over the shop. Get to it Stringer.

Is this the card you chose? (k3nshi)

For the past week I have been trying to recall the name of a domain specific (ie specialized) programming language. Sure I tried smacking up my twin sniff bitches Google and Yahoo with related terms (ok, ok snoopist: "graphical programming language"). This yielded lots of irrelevant links. I tried checking out websites where I was sure I had first heard of said language. Nada.

Of course, I gave up at this point. It wasnt a super critical thing, just something I might have been able to use to knock up some fun designs. With that in mind, I just shrugged it off - walked away the Bigger Man.

This morning I received a number of books, some geeky, some (ok one) not geeky. 10 minutes ago I picked up the book "Best Software Writing 1: Selected and Introduced by Joel Spolsky". Its a nice book, a collection of essays about software (no really, its fun). One of the best things about the book is that most of the essays are short; web article/blog post size because 99% of the content is available for free on the web, in exactly that form (the last 1% being Spolsky's intro to each essay). So I flipped open the book just now, and lo and behold, the essay I flipped to talks about the precisely the graphics language I was looking for and has the URL for it.

AMAZING.

(The card you picked was the Ace of Spades).

NiN (k3nshi)

lame Lame LAME.

I think I liked about two songs. As for the show, some ok lighting effects and hilarious wrecking the stage (or trying to) antics. Pathetic.

so bored I almost left early/10

Sun Hardware (k3nshi)

Apple computers? Toys.

Linux? Junk.

Real men use super expensive Sun Hardware. Kenshi HQ is fully loaded.

Reap the whirlwind...

Free nintendo bullshit (k3nshi)

I cant be bothered with Nintendo spastic points, but maybe you can. Enjoy:

13H4837RBBDFN

That was from the GBA WarioWare, in case you need to know that too. Talk about an overrated game.

Homeostasis (k3nshi)

"Homeostasis or homoeostasis is the property of an open system, especially living organisms, to regulate its internal environment so as to maintain a stable condition, by means of multiple dynamic equilibrium adjustments controlled by interrelated regulation mechanisms."

Science. Wcked innit.

Game Over 2? (Anonymous)

The Sequel!

Kenshi and I were chatting about this last night.

Gaming has lost its attraction. It now feels like a waste of time rather than a pastime. A habit rather than a hobby. There are other things now that I find more entertaining. Movies, reading, working, photography, playing. I'm just too *busy* for games.

I suppose it is a cyclical thing. Something in the next-gen will bring me back in to the fold. Amaze me again. But for now... naaaahh

Game over? (k3nshi)

Its been a month (at least) since I've played any game (the last being a brief go on Wipeout Pure on a tube journey). Any motivation to complete RE4 has now disappeared. I rarely pack my PSP in my bag these days. God of War, a game I had previously been desperate to play is out next week, and its no longer a definitie purchase. I might buy it. I might not.

What's led to this gaming malaise?

Perhaps its summer. Perhaps its because I am busy geeking out over my new Mac (Unix innit). Perhaps I'm just too damned busy doing stuff that has a tangible return on the investment of time. Who knows?

Come Friday we'll know if God of War is enough to bring me back to the gaming fold.

Rise of the Machines (k3nshi)

Time to get your geek on. Some cool and fun resources about AI in games. Check it:

• How they did Halo's AI - a great read
  
• OpenSteer - download the cool demo app (for Windows | OSX | Linux)
  
• Halo 2 AI and networking info
  

Barbie Fashion Show (Van123)

My friend sent me the link to this torrent, right. So I downloaded it. "Barbie.Fasion.Show.iso.torrent." Yeah, ok, why the Hell not? So I tell him I'll download it the next day. I thought it'd be funny material to watch while drunk or whatever.

It only took an hour to download; only 500MB. Rayn told me about Deamon Tools, so I downloaded that, and installed it. I had no idea why the movie wasn't playing. Did I install it wrong? Did I open it wrong? VLC wouldn't play it, WMP wouldn't play it. So I burnt it to a CD to see if that would make a difference. "No autoplay? What's going on here?"

Of course there's no bloody autoplay, I have autoplay for games turned off. What they Hell? It's a game, not a film. I have no use for a Barbie game! You'd think that'd be it, but nooo. I decide to install it, for shits and giggles. Spanish. The game's in Spanish. Not only do I have a game instead of a film, I have it in a language I can't understand.

All I wanted to do was watch a Barbie Fashion Show.

Experience: 1G

Something gaming related (Anonymous)

Paper Mario turned up the other day. A game I've been meaning to play for a long time. A simple fun little game. RPG-lite for the kids?

It's... good. Not earth-shattering, but typical Nintendo. Polished, fun, bright and enjoyable. The RPG elements are very simple - this is not WoW (thank the lord) and relies more on button timing to improve "hits" than any stats. The story is inoffensive banal tat, although it is told with a nice touch of humour. The graphics are basic, but the style is wonderful with some lovingly "paper-rendered" models. Everything is crisp and clear, and the game regularly throws seemingly hundreds of characters on screen at a time.

And the game itself is fun. I'm only at the second chapter, and the puzzles are starting to shine, the drive to "do one more section" is there, the controls are nice. It's the perfect antidote to the misery and grime of most modern games. It is a bit childish. it is a bit daft. But it is also fun. Play it, you might like it.

Life changing events... (Anonymous)

Well, after 7 months in France it seems this good thing is coming to an end. I will be made redundant in the coming weeks and returned to blighty. I will return with a different view about England - living for a prolonged period of time does that. I will also return with a big bag of motivation and desire to achieve something.

Things are looking good. Some ideas that have been banging around for a while are 'coming together' in to something good. I won't need to work for a good while. Summer's almost here. I feel optimistic.

Living in France has been a nice experience, but boy am I looking forward to coming back.

Just looking forward to San Andreas a *bit* (Wickedkitten)

Maybe it is a bit excessive to pretty much download every San Andreas official video on the net and keep them on repeat in VLC as well as listen to the entire game soundtrack on shuffle, not to mention having a group of fansites in their own bookmark, but is anyone else looking forward to San Andreas being released on xbox or pc as much as I am?

I Can Make You Dance from the album "GTA SA Bounce FM" by Zapp

Getting Hicks done (Wickedkitten)

Getting Hicks done:


I’ve finally found the tool I want to use as my collection bucket, and like the geek I am, I feel the need to tell you about it.

Like a lot of people, I’ve been sucked in to the whole Getting Things Done cult, and all cult members need a ‘collection bucket’. The bucket is a place to put ‘open loops’ (all those tasks that are rolling around in your head, bothering the hell of you at times when you can do nothing about it), and into a place where they can be listed, reviewed regularly and actioned. For some this tool is a Hipster PDA, for others it could a PIM application like Entourage.

My dilemma was this – I love the organic ‘analog’ feeling of pencil on notebook, but prefer the ease of editing and reordering that a ‘digital’ application would give me.

Here are some of the solutions I’ve tried:

• 
  Backpack
  Moleskine notebooks
  OmniOutliner
  GTDTiddlyWiki
  Sidenote (if this was easy to sync, it’d be fantastic, and I still use this for all my notes/reference)
  xPad
  VoodooPad
  Hipster PDA
  

Everyone has to find the one that works best for them. You have to feel comfortable with it, but that doesn’t mean that there is one solution that works for everyone.

So what was the winner? I had the idea of setting up a ‘Getting things done’ project in Basecamp and suddenly everything fell into place.

Here are some of the reasons why:

• 
  Mainly using the to-do list section, I created lists for ‘Work’, ‘Home’ and ‘Long Term Goals’. I can view these lists individually, as well as all together on one page. The milestones section becomes a reminders section, for everything from small projects to remembering to do things like a find a plumber.
  No issues syncing between macs – the information is always there – up to date and correct.
  I really like the to-do list functionality (also used in Tada-lists and Backpack). Tick the checkbox and it drops down beneath, greyed out, but still there. This is great for projects that are ‘waiting’ but you’re not finished with yet. It also allows for lists to be reordered, to show task priorities.
  By creating a distant milestone (which I call ‘Marker’), I can attach all my to-do lists to this, and have them show up in iCal’s to-do lists.
  An ‘in the browser’ solution – I’m really keen on the idea of having as few apps around as possible, and doing as much as possible within a tabbed browser.
• All my notes go into the ‘messages’ area, with categories such as ‘code snippets’.
  I’ve already got a Basecamp account. There wasn’t a need to buy a Backpack account, as I didn’t need its unique features, such as sharing pages, or emailing information to a page. Backpack did come very close to being the one, but Basecamp won out.
  

The result of this organisation is that I now have a bucket that I can access from anywhere with a internet connection (and yes, I’m rarely without one!), When I do need a copy on my mac, I just save a pdf, but usually I’m connected, and just have my ‘bucket’ open in a tab. It works for me, and its helped me feel more relaxed about my workload.

I’d be interested to hear what ‘devices’ you use. What’s worked for you?

Shadow of the Colossus: PS3 Destiny? (k3nshi)

Sorry spanx, but I really think its going to end up on the PS3.

Spore: The official website (k3nshi)

Spore

Blatant.

A tracker site showed more than 16,000 people were downloading the film. (Wickedkitten)

Makers Lucasfilm Ltd and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) were not available for comment.

Hopefully none of you lot were stupid enough to go trying to download Revenge of the Sith.

The problem with age (Wickedkitten)

_41159839_elvispriscilla3body_pa.jpg


No matter how much plastic surgery you get done, there is always a tell-tale sign of how old you are.

Shadow of the Colossus (Anonymous)

In all of the bluster of E3, the successor to the most beautiful and atmospheric of the last few years has been missed. Shadow of the Colossus is only a few months away, and it looks good. A somewhat intriguing premise pits you against a succession of enormous "colossi" - seemingly these huge mechanical creatures hold something you need to free a loved one. The creatures are entire levels in themselves. Each one a puzzle that must be solved.

It's nice to see that they've stuck with the amazing graphical style from Ico. Ico was SO well realised it actually made you feel warm when you stepped out in to a sunny courtyard. Nothing has come close to Ico in terms of evoking a feeling of truly being somewhere else.

To say I'm looking forward to Shadow of the Colossus is an understatement. I'm really hoping it's finally going to topple Super Mario World from it's "favourite game ever" position. Fingers crossed eh?

PR Ninja (k3nshi)

Itagaki (big cheese of Tecmo & Team Ninja) in typical fashion, unleashes on his competition in an interview at 1up.com. Slaughtering sacred cows such as Capcom, game difficulty levels suitable for mere mortals and anything resembling competition to his game seems to have achieved the desired affect: games forums full of discussion about Tecmo and their games.

Three Sixty (k3nshi)

Yeah so MS unveiled the Xbox 360 is some almightily shit MTV spectacular. I gave up after the first part. Of course that bollocks wasnt aimed at anyone with a brain, so I checked out the our colony video instead which I thought was pretty good. I dont understand the Allard hate that seems to be going around, so *shrug*.

Anyway I didnt really pay much attention to the launch as there didnt seem to be any particularly interesting games announced. Then I got wind of Neon, and suddenly the Xbox 360 became interesting. Anyway, lets see what Sony's response is...

The Making of Rez... (k3nshi)

Well not quite, but:

"Mizuguchi has explained his rationale behind Rez's development a number of times, and provides the compelling viewpoint on its construction, as the game's primary creator. But a little-known fact is that, despite its Japanese origination, there was at least one Westerner working on Rez, and his story is a fascinating one. Jake Kazdal was the only American to work directly on the game as an animator and designer, and he spoke to Gamasutra about his game development background, as well as his time working on Rez and his experiences as a foreigner working at Sega Japan."

Read the full thing on Gamasutra (registration required. BLATANT).

add me bitch (k3nshi)

add me bitch
add me bitch
add me bitch

Pod people & Shattered Illusions (k3nshi)

The Location: The Apple Store, Regent Street.

I wanted to pick up an iPod Shuffle, thinking it would be good for the running I will (honest) start doing regularly (no really). So, obviously I needed some kind of holder for the Shuffle for when I take it running. There were two options: the "sports case" (a flimsy looking plastic sheath on a string) and the arm band holder. The cost of each of these items? £19. Nineteen pounds.

I did a double take. "This is ridiculous," I thought. So I took a quick browse through the shop (lots of shiny things to gawp at), and then for some reason decided, sod it - I'm here now, I'll just buy it. The Reality Distortion Field had won over my reservations. Strike One for Team Apple.

So with the arm band in hand I started to queue up. When I had entered the store it was surprisingly quiet. Unfortunately by the time the RDF had taken hold over me, a sizeable queue had formed. But no worries. This is the Apple flagship store. A queue isnt going to be that much of a problem for these guys. Or so I thought.

When I was younger I worked in retail and did a pretty damned good job, going by the feedback from the owners of the shop and the customers. I understand the basics of retail work. Really, it's not that hard. But I was about to be AMAZED by what I would see in this retailling "mecca".

Firstly, there was an Apple Store employee just idly chatting away with his friend, standing behind the counter area. He even came over to have a quick chat to his other friend who was in the queue behind me. Nice touch. There were about 15-20 people in the queue. Secondly, I was stunned to see that there was no seperation of service for the purchase of big ticket items or even for people returning goods. Everyone was being dealt with by the same 3 manned counters (a couple were unmmaned, clearly Apple Store staff need to chat with their mates, rather than serve customers). "All" I wanted to do was buy a iPod Shuffle and a heinously overpriced bit of plastic, and yet I was having to wait whilst some bint complained about a problem with her iPod mini and a old couple happily chatted to the Apple Spodperson as they bought their printer and new iMac (note to J5: they pack it nicely to make it a doddle to carry). And yet I continued to wait. No urgency from any of the Apple Store staff.

I took the opportunity to survey the people in the queue. Most seemed to be holding small ticket items. All were patiently waiting. Not a sign of disquiet upon a single face. All of the people in the queue were smartly dressed, striking me as affluent and confident. As I surveyed them, I made them out to be the kind of smug motherfuckers who would no doubt throw an absolute fit if they had to wait at any other store or if someone had died in front of them on a tube platform. "Get out of my way you selfish loser, I have to get to work!". And yet, here they were. Looking smug. Waiting patiently. Strangely docile and almost pleased to simply be standing there in The House that Jobs Built.

And this led to reflection on my part. I asked myself: "If I had to wait 10 mins in any other store due to poor organisation, what would I do?". I mentally transposed the situation to Argos. And with that Steve's beautifully constructed RDF shattered. I left the queue, dumped the arm band on the stand of Tiger boxes (no doubt ruining the Feng Shui of the place - this act of "littering" pleased me greatly) as I walked past a security guard. The expression on the faces of The Faithful in the queue screamed: "OMG! Is he mad? Why is he leaving?" as I strutted out the store.

As I walked out, two thoughts crossed my mind:

• "You lose Apple,"
  
• "Steve Jobs is a fucking genius for managing to get normally smart people to behave like this. I must learn his secrets,"
  

And with that I went off to track down a copy of iCon.

Stalking (the_debaser)

I went out last night to give thanks for the bank holiday. Whilst out I got chatting to my brothers friend who has the hottest sister in the entire world. So I told him this and he gave me her mobile number.

So I'm wondering what to do. I can't just call her up and say 'I love you and I got your number from your brother, and by the way I'm the_debaser and we used to go to school together remember?' She would be scared.

So I've decided that maybe the best way to approach this situation is to stalk her for a while.

Think Different (k3nshi)

AMAZING. I was incredulous reading the insane rantings of qazimod.

Let's break it down and strike a victory for Free Speech, Open Mindedness and the notion of being able to cope with opinions that differ from your own.

Things open with a bang, the worldview of an insane genius who forgot to do the genius part:
"Fewer things are more welcome to see in an online community than a uniform opinion."

Surely nothing is as boring as the kind of circle jerk that most gaming forums are. For some reason the gaming press and certain gamers are obsessed with establishing a heinous level of Group Think: Ico is good. EA is Evil. Wario Ware is AMAZING. Sony is bad. Nintendo is saving gaming. I'm sure you can all think of many more examples of the correct opinions you are expected to have. Gaming discussion? Forget about it - fall in line with the CORRECT OPINION or STFU. We dont want to hear you if you dont agree. Want to express your opinion? Just "piss off" as qazimod so eloquently puts it.

Fortunately this kind of Games Opinion Fascism hasn't totally taken over. There are some places where people value and actively want to engage in actual discussion - including all those annoying, contrary and often just plain wrong opinions that people want to express. If anything I think hash edge is the pefect example of such a place.

I know that the chances of someone on hash edge agreeing with what I have to say about games is less than 10%. We have people who: like the DS to the point of worshipping it as their new god, think Halo is rubbish ("the controls are broken innit - why can't I invert the x-axis?!" ) or - horrors of horrors - think Nintendo have lost it. And yet we can all disagree with each other and cope with this level of (wrong!) contrary opinion. But that's not the kind of forum or debate qazimod wants. And of course, he's not alone - far from it. Which is precisely the reason why the level of gaming "discussion" is so coarse, so binary and ultimately so banal: "I expect you to hear and accept my Truth. I won't hear your LIES - I'll silence you first!!". Draw your own comparisons to the kind of PATRIOTIC FERVER that takes place in the US.

So here's to hash edge, gaming dissidence and all the crazy ones out there: long may free thought and free speech defy the tyranny of the qazimods of the world.

Make Acrobat Reader Start Faster... (k3nshi)

Its all a question of moving some plug-in files around, and voila - it starts up much faster. Full details here. Check it, innit.

If only he knew (the_debaser)

So some guy who I was auditing with today started telling me about this bird who he's just started seeing. Anyway, he kept on talking about her to me, as if I was i) interested, and ii) a bird. He showed me a pic of her off his phone, and my God, she is one ugly munter. However, he's convinced she's gorgeous.

So he starts asking me for advice and stuff about their relationship. He asked ME. If only he knew that in the past I've been so rubbish that I've had to get advice off some random internet witch, namely Wickedkit, who, at the time, could have been some bloke for all I knew.

Anyway, I gave him some seriously rubbish advice, like 'take her to a resteraunt - she'll love that, it's definitely not gay AT ALL'. I expect he'll be crying on my shoulder by the end of the week, asking where it all went wrong.

Currently Playing... (k3nshi) (k3nshi)

• Lumines has taken over my PSP to the point where Wipeout Pure doesnt get much of a look in these days. Hmm I suppose I should blog about the PSP at some point (in short: it's AMAZING).
  
• Wario Ware took over from Donkey Kong vs Mario on my GBA for about 2 weeks. But I completed it the other day, so it will be back to DK vs Mario (also almost complete). Wario Ware is fun, but too short and massively overrated.
  
• Speaking of massively overrated, I've been playing more RE4 lately. It's fun but hardly the best game of the year. Halo 2 > RE4. Anyone who says otherwise is a retro gamer.
  
• Halo 2 - I had to update my credit card details for LIVE, just as Bungie did their update. So I had a quick go on the Rumble Pit last night. New maps tomorrow too. I forsee Halo 2 in my future gaming plans.
  

So what have you lot been playing then?

Wright's Spore (k3nshi)

"Putting two and two together, Wright concluded that there had to be some way where users could create content, instead of armies of developers, and a way to make a game craft itself around the user's contribution.

For inspiration, Wright looked to the "demo scene," a group of (mostly European) coders who specialized in doing a whole lot with a little bit of code. Their procedural programming methods were able to, for example, fit an entire 3D game in 64K, using mathematics to generate textures and music, etc. "I just found this incredibly exciting," Wright confesses, describing the kinds of work that he saw come out of the demo scene.

So here's what he did: he recruited an elite strike team of coders (who, if you were to believe his slideshow, dressed like ninjas) and put them in a "hidden facility" to experiment with new ways of giving the user powerful tools and generating tons of dynamic content without armies of content creators. Best of all, he fired up a demo and showed his audience the results..."

Will Wright shows off the AMAZING sounding Spore, details here.

I went out tonight! (Van123)

So check it. I left the house for social reasons. Went to a gig, with some local bands playing.

The first band, I'm not sure what I can say. It was a cross of nu-metal, emo, and shit. So anyway, I was in this Church Hall, right, with all these nu-metal gimps, emo-fag pussies, and wanabe h@rdcore metallers. I stood at the side, cos I'm not really a big fan of pits, and theses here pits were lame! If I go pitting, it's got to be to decent music. Yeah, so I stood at the side right, and this guy walked passed me and brushed my shoulder. I was about to have a go at him, but saw he had blood dripping down the side of his head, and his hair was all maroon and shit. "OWNED" I shouted, really loud. It was funny, slipping a geek thing in there.

But anyway, this band were all like screaming and stuff. Think Avenged Sevenfold vs Three Inches of Blood. Now think of that gone badly, badly wrong, that's what this was. They were jumping around, and swinging their guitars like monkeys on speed, and I said to my friend, I said "Jesus, they're gonna take each other's eyes out".

Yeah, so at the end of their set, this band smashed their guitars onto the stage (idiots), but the spacker bassist only went and clocked himself in the head! What a n00b! Well, the ambulance came, and took him to hospital to get patched up.

Then I spent the rest of the night out side in a bloody mood. I have my reasons.

2Gs, Daz.

Ah home again (Wickedkitten)

And so, Tuesday night we got back from Scotland, that being the first time I've really been away from the flat since we've moved in (bar the overnight at the York Meet which isn't really the same). To say the least, it was damned odd being back in Arbroath in that I wonder how the hell did I stay there so long without losing the plot. Ross' parents live way out in the country where it is a good 30-45 minute walk to the Morrisons and you can actually go for weeks at a time without seeing another person if you choose to do so.

As bad as it sounds, although I did enjoy seeing everyone again, I was very happy to get home.

Tempted by the spaz side (k3nshi)

So I've had a couple of incredibly tedious days at work. And when that kind of crap happens the urge for some games related retail therapy usually kicks in HARD (never mind the fact I recently got RE4). So what has been tempting me for 2 days solids? The Nintendo DS - the most spastic piece of hardware released since the original GBA. Yes yes yes... "the games are so fun", "the touch screen opens it up to non-gamers". Shut up. I've read it all over the last two days. Fortunately due to various stock shortages (be it for the DS or for Polarium) in shops where I work, I have managed to avoid buying one. Long may my reign of sanity continue.

The KOMPLIKHAYTA (Anonymous)

This week at work has been spent tracking down and profiling some software I''ve been maintaining for a few months. Why? Because the original author was "A Komplikhayta". What does this odd term mean? Read it back. Yes. The scourge of the software development world - the coder who can make even the simple eternally complicated.

These people probably exist in all walks of life. They are people to be distrusted, avoided. However, they are also people who need schooling. It is my experience that truly great people boil a problem down to it's simplest level and solve it from there. Of course, not all problems are simple. However, the Komplikhayta could not be let near a complex problem because they would turn it in to an impossible problem. There is a large movement within software development circles lead by the XP people striving for simplicity and openness, but the Komplikhayta detests this. The Komplikhayta likes bespoke solutions, hand-crafted (by themselves of course) and regards pretty much everything else written as inferior. This superiority complex drives them to produce more outlandish, complicated solutions to the very simple. The Komplikhayta likes complex. It keeps him employed.

Can anyone give me examples of The Komplikhayta in other circles? Do they exist? Are they always wrong? Comments please...

Oh, and the bizarre spelling is courtesy of an MSN convo between Kenshi and myself. It started as complicatah in true Wu-Tang stylee, and descended from there. I believe the final masterstroke was mine, managing to get HATER in there, albeit spelled wrongly. Sorry.

Mind like a razor blade. (Anonymous)

Aging is bad. As I approach the end of my twenties I find myself losing the edge that youth gave me. Whereas I used to solve problems for breakfast, now they whizz around in my brain confusing me, frustrating me, taunting me. This is a phenomenon I call "fatherhood". Now I'm sure the Bill Joy's of this world have 10 children and still get time to knock out a couple of revolutionary file-sharing protocols in their tea-break, but us mere mortals can not compete with this. I am always tired; at work, at home, even when I'm asleep. Relentless never-ending tiredness. Now I'm not complaining, my daughter is the best thing to happen to me since I met my wife, and is 20 times more rewarding than any solved problem, completed level or smug moment on #edge.

BUT...

When I'm sitting here at 11pm trying to start a simple little hobby coding project and I can't even start something is wrong. Seriously wrong. I have a mind like a razor blade, it's just old and rusty and over-used. And a bit chipped.

Coder's block is a horrible affliction. Ideas? Check. Inclination? Check. Tools? Check. Brain?... brain?.... BRAAAAAAAIIIINNNNNN?.... nothing. I am thinking of ways of remedying the situation. A week of good sleep and a 2 week holiday might be a good start, which is lucky seeing as I go on holiday next week. Maybe just stepping away from coding for a month would be a plan. Or maybe MORE coding? Maybe a different language - Kenshi alluding to Ruby Rails has set my mind on web-apps again. So we'll see. If I could just shake off this tiredness...

Forums, Boredom (k3nshi)

I see Bored People.

Seeing as a certain web forum is down, and other people are incredibly bored, I thought people might find some inspiration at 43things.com.

Who says I dont care?

Game Completion - PoP: Sands of Time (k3nshi)

I finally completed Prince of Persia: Sands of Time today. I had previously left it at a highly annoying level which simply consisted of lots and lots of combat. The combat in PoP isn't bad but its not exactly amazing either. Today I finally bothered to persevere enough to get past that section. The game ending is a bit of an anti-climax (a really lame end of game boss encounter). Overall though the game is pretty good, a really nice art direction and pretty satisfying to play. I'm even slightly curious about the sequel Warrior Within - I wouldn't mind playing it just to see what they've changed and how well or badly the end result is.

Of course, the nice thing about completing games is that it gets rid of the annoying guilty feeling you (well I at least) get when I buy yet another new game. Of course, I still have loads of games which are pretty much unplayed and so far from completion its quite silly.

The DS. Why is it so good? (Anonymous)

I've gone from utterly underwhelmed, to completely disinterested, to strangely intrigued and now to totally charmed by the Nintendo DS since it's unveiling last summer. It's a strange beast that's for sure, something that feels completely fresh yet dated, ugly and poorly designed but a joy to use and built to appeal to hardcore and non gamers in equal measure. Now I'm no hardcore gamer, but I'm not a non-gamer. I bought Ikaruga, true, but never played beyond the third level because it was too hard. I never bought Wario Ware for the GBA. I am am the very definition of middlecore. Could this be my ideal console?

Yes. The DS is perfect. Now before I receive the full wrath of Nintendo anti fan-boys, let me qualify that. It's perfect for me. Sure, the thing was obviously designed by a retarded Iowan farm-boy on a bad day - it's too big, it looks and feels cheap (although still adheres to Nintendo's bulletproof hardware ethos - Sony, take note PLEASE) and looks stupid next to a PSP. But the GAMES....

Wario Ware is brilliant of course. It starts slowly, but within 10 minutes it kicks in, punches you in the face and shouts FUN at you over and over again. Mario 64 is good, although I have yet to feel comfortable with it (bad point no 4 - the bulk of the console means the touchscreen can be uncomfortable to use). But Polarium is the big hitter. A game SOOO good even my wife is addicted. Insanely simple, insanely addictive and basically the perfect handheld game. It's immediate, tactile, intelligent gaming following in the Tetris school of simplicity.

With Meteos, Yoshi Touch N Go, Mario Kart and others on the horizon the future looks bright for the DS. I hope people see past the frankly disgraceful design and pick it up and play games like Polarium and see that this thing might just provide them with some much needed fun.

Currently Playing (k3nshi)

k3nshi: Mr Driller on GBA. More stuff here when I can actually decide what to play this weekend.

+++ Promised Update +++

Today I bothered to slam Donkey Kong vs Mario back into the GBA. I took the easy route through the level which had been bugging me and am now enjoying the game again. Maximo is locked into the PS2, haven't played it yet... maybe later tonight. Easter is wicked - more games playing will ensue over the next day or two.

What about you motherbitches?

God of War Blog (k3nshi)

Issue 148 (April 2005) of Edge has a nice article about God of War (PS2) in it. They mention that the designer of the game has a blog, but fail to provide the URL. Fortunately search engines exists, so I can point you here. Wicked innit?

Boredom takes hold (Van123)

It's the Easter holidays, two weeks off school. I've just finished my first week off. Not done much at all. Watched a bit of the TV I've downloaded. Played around with Photoshop a lot. That's pretty fun. I admit I'm not the best at it, not by any means. But I think I'm getting pretty good at it. I like art, not just complex stuff, but really simple stuff too. I uploaded a bit of stuff to deviantART, and that's kept me busy for a few days. With the forum being down, I need something else to do.

I'm kind of glad that the forum's down, cos it means I have to find new stuff to do. Unfortunately, the new stuff still involves me sitting infront of a screen. It's a sad life. Youths these days, we have no real direction. Gone are the days of street football, and cricket in the park. In this digital era, teenagers have no incentive to do anything but stay in and play videogames, or go to the park to smoke. That's depressing, isn't it? Relying on machines and drugs for fun? I'd like the say that I'm opposed, becuase I am, but at the same time, I like it. I've decided to stop the 'nabis now. I've come to realise it's stupid. You smell. You get tired. And it makes me feel a bit ill. Not to mention the money wasted and the time taken thinking up excuses of why I smell of smoke. There's no point. I'll pick it up again in Uni, maybe.

So I got invited to a mainstream party. Everyone's going, and it's just up the road. But i'm not sure I can handle 4 hours of RnB blasting into my skull. And the garage. Oh dear Lord the garage. But I might bring a few people back to my house to sleep afterwards, that'll be fun. I can easily accomodate for them, but not if they all want to stay in the same room. That'll be a tight squeeze, but it's all fun. Specially cos I like to sleep naked.

I've hardly left the house, and I'm not sure I really want to. It's sad. It's very sad indeed. Sure, I want to leave the house, but I don't want to go anywhere. I don't want to go smoke with people, because I'm giving up, remember? And I don't want to go shopping becuase I know I'll spend all my money - and I've not got a lot. I'm going to do something next week, though. I don't know what, but I'm going to leave the house.

This has been a boring week, I have to make the effor to change things.

In conclusion: Bring back the forum.

Official hash edge opinion (k3nshi)

I jokingly asked about the official hash edge position on Gwyneth Paltrow. Of course the whole notion of a unified hash edge opinion is a complete joke. With people like corps and Meh whose judgement abilities are completely broken, there is no way there could ever be one single voice, or definitive judgement by hash edge. Hell, some people even liked Super Mario Sunshine.

Contrast this with Edge, and their need to muster the One True Voice of Gaming Judgement upon everything.

I'm a MAN, not a troll (Anonymous)

This blog entry comes courtesy of Kenshi, WoW hater...

I've stopped playing World of Warcraft. After just 3 weeks I decided enough was enough, logged in to wow-europe.com and cancelled my subscription. "Why?" I hear our 2 loyal readers scream. Because it's not a game. It's a job, a lifestyle and the biggest waste of time I have ever invested in. It's also brilliantly designed, beautifully realised and a lot of the people playing are decent. But it's not for me. Here, in a handy bullet point list, is why.

• It's really really made for people with too much time on their hands who should probably go out and have sex with someone else.


• The only indicator of character progression is a level. A number.


• You start to gel with a couple of players, do some quests and have a laugh. Then you don't play for three days, return to the game and they're 10 levels beyond you and doing a loads of quests the game won't let you do.


• It's too linear. There's a big world out there to explore, but artificial boundaries are everywhere (high level enemies basically) meaning casual players can't see most of the map.


• It's actually very shallow. What is boils down to is clicking on enemies to find stuff to sell to buy new stuff to enable you to kill more things to get to better areas to get better stuff.... blah, blah, blah.


• Orcs and goblins are a bit boring.

The MMORPG genre is intriguing but ultimately lacks something. Something to break it out of the levelling, clicking, buying, selling rut to appeal to a non-geeky male audience. WoW is undeniably a great "game" (for want of a better word) with an amazing gameworld to explore. But it is not fun.

I'm going to stick to my DS for a while. Polarium is wonderful. And fun.

Just when you think you're out... (k3nshi)

So resisting Darwinia was pretty easy. All I had to do was look at the pile of unplayed games on my shelf (including Warcraft 3). And then I thought I was truly out of the gaming loop - I mean, unlike others I was smart enough to see WoW for what it was and easily DENIED it any dominion over me (wait for spunz's AMAZING "I'm a Man, not a Troll" forthcoming blog entry to see what I mean). Nintendo DS? Too ugly and the games are too expensive. DENIED. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater? Hahahaha - no chance. GT4? Zzzzzzzzzzz....

But of course, its never *that* easy. Resident Evil 4. As pimped by just about every mofo gamer I know. "You need to play this game!". "It's exCellent K3nshi! Get it - you wont regret it!". And so in a moment of boredom and weakness I placed the order. Capcom pwn me yet again and drag me back into the gaming fold. God of War and Wipeout Pure on the PSP look set to pwn me in the future too. Oh and I suppose I really should get Wario Ware on the GBA or the new Wario Ware Twist thing when it comes out.

And I almost made it. Almost...

Background Movies (k3nshi)

Background movies: movies you can happily play in the background whilst you get on with something else. What makes a good background movie? I think there is a complex interplay between the actual quality of the film and its pacing. A good film with a pretty fast pace makes a poor background movie (BGM): you'll find yourself watching the film, not doing the tasks you were meant to be doing. But you cant rule out good films for background movie material, good films with the right pacing can be perfect BGMs. A really crap film is no good either: you wont watch it at all, and might as well have nothing on in the background. But a crap film with the odd entertaining scene could be perfect a BGM.

Some films that have proved to be good BGMs:

• Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow
  
• X-Men 2
  
• The Mask
  
• Blade 2
  
• Bad Boys 2

Contrast with some films that serve as poor BGMs:

• Any of the Lord of the Rings films
  
• Blade
  
• Bad Boys
  
• Terminator 1 & 2
  

Daddy got smacked down? (k3nshi)

"The real news isn't Stringer's rise, but Ken Kutaragi's fall.

Ken Kutaragi is the so-called 'father of the PlayStation' -- an engineer who rose nearly to the top at Sony by being brash and taking risks. Kutaragi, a lifer like everyone else at Sony (except Stringer). made his name inside the company through his unique ability to fire his boss. That's right, fire his boss, and sometimes, his boss's boss."

Robert X Cringely says Ken was set up and has no friends!

Why democracy is a BAD thing. Sometimes. (the_debaser)

This terror bill that that Blair's lot are trying to put through, which allows people to be incarcerated in their homes for an indefinite amount of time without ever being put to trial or even knowing what they are supposed to have done, is a morally reprehensible piece of legislation, as any level headed person would agree.

Its quite clearly something designed to cover Tony's back should any terrorist attack ever occur over here. If something happens we'll get: 'Well we did everything we could, with locking up all these Muslims. What else could we have done?'. And if it doesn't get passed as legislation, that smarmy twat will simply say 'Told you so - should've listened to me'.

Anyway, fair play to our peers for rejecting the bill, and thank God for a second house of non-elected toffs. They seem to have more sense that the buffoons that we put into the commons most of the time. Yes.

Lets just hope the Commons doesn't end up forcing it through.

Multiplayer Configuration: Social Gaming Redux (k3nshi)

This picture seems all too wrong. A load of people playing a MMORPG game (Tibia in this case), in the same room. You can imagine the disparaging statements non-gamers would make looking at this picture - I know I laughed when I saw it. Even the slightly more conventional layout of many players around one one console and TV can seem anti-social to non-gaming eyes.

But what if the layout was that of a central, lowered display, with players sat around it and facing each other. In other words the standard board game kind of layout. Suddenly this "geeky hobby" is socially acceptable, family fun.

Unless its an RPG with lead figures and 20 sided dice of course. That's just wrong no matter the configuration of the players and board.

Half-Life 2 sweeps Bafta awards (Wickedkitten)

Half-Life 2 sweeps Bafta awards:
PC first person shooter Half-Life 2 wins six Bafta Awards, including best game and best online.

Jef Raskin, March 9, 1943 - February 26, 2005 (k3nshi)

"At that time, Raskin had fallen out with Steve Jobs, and was shortly to be eased out of his job with Apple. His job there had been to design the Mac, something his break with Jobs meant was not credited to him - they even left his signature off the inside of the Mac case, which supposedly had everybody's name who was associated with the project. Only years later was he recognised as 'the father of the Mac' and I think it was the millionth Macintosh which was presented to him to honour that achievement."

Obituary by Guy Kewney

More information about a genius:

• The Jef Raskin Center


• Articles from Jef Raskin about the history of the Macintosh


• Jef Raskin entries at Folklore.org

Let me introduce my new persona... (Anonymous)

Spanx. The Troll Shaman.

Yes, I have joined the ranks of the MMORPG afficionado. I am playing World of Warcraft. I am a sad geeky loser with no.... wait a minute. I'm married. I have a life. Phew.

MMORPG's are a lot like work. You don't so much play as grind away, killing 47 pigs to scrap together some leather to make a pair of shoes out of that give you 3+ armour power. However, with World of Warcraft, Blizzard have taken this rather bog-standard gameplay and placed it in to a wonderfully huge, consistent and often breathtaking world of hills, meadows, forests and mountains that compells you to play. And once you reach a certain level of proficiency with the myriad spells, weapons, controls and lingo that makes up the experience, teaming up with people to go "questing" together is a fantastic feeling. Marching across the landscape slaying poor NPC's (non-player characters) with 4 mates in toe is very very cool.

My only concern is that once you've seen the whole world, what next? I'm sure Blizzard will use my £9 per month (!!!) subscription fee to provide new content, but will that be enough? Blizzard will be responsible for many hours of lost time - I just hope I don't regret it in six month's time.

P.S. I'll probably post some little entries about my exploits in the game, possibly even with some pictures! Lucky readers...

Lost (k3nshi)

For the uninitiated: Lost is TV programme currently airing in the US.

Yes yes yes. I'm probably last to the Lost party but after Kit (+ the Rest of the World) kept going on about it and how I should watch it, I finally did. And it is very good indeed(4Gs Daz).

I also noticed that Paul Dini is the writer. Good to see a great writer escaping from the comics & cartoon ghetto and start putting his talents to use in a medium that: 1. will get him the kind of greater exposure he deserves; 2. desperately needs some good writing.

A parent's primer to computer slang (k3nshi)

'..."pwn": A typo-deliberate version of own, a slang term that means to dominate. This could also be spelled "0\/\/n3d" or "pwn3d," among other variations. Online video game bullies or "griefers" often use this term...'

Read the rest here.

Resistance is Futile: DOA U drags me back into the fold (k3nshi)

As predicted earlier this year, it was almost inevitable that I would succumb and buy a game. And sure enough, the temptation to play a 3D beat-em-up online was what pushed me over the edge.

DOA Ultimate is pretty much the same game as DOA3, but of course it has an online component. An online component that has a terrible lobby system and can suffer from heinous lag when someone from another continent decides to join your game. Sometimes you are presented with a blank screen and all you can do is either wait or reset the Xbox. Hardly the kind of LIVE standard gamers have come to expect. On the other hand, when it does work you get to play a beat-em-up online and trash talk to your buddies. I spent a good few hours playing online with Meh this weekend. I kicked his sorry ass in a thoroughly comprehensive manner, of course.

The single player game has a few annoyances. The Tengu end of game boss is still appalling and annoying, although there are some nice gfx effects on his level. The real annoyance is that to unlock one of the characters in the game (Hitomi) you need to have a save game from another Tecmo game on your hard disk. I could forgive this if the unlockable in question was merely a costume or small mini-game - but a whole character? Someone is taking the piss.

Beyond these annoyances, the biggest one is the fact the combat system is so simple. This is of course a strength - some people cant handle the amazing (and accessible) complexity of VF4Evo, but once you've played on that level its hard to go back. I keep asking myself during play: "Why cant I reverse this throw that is being executed on me and then launch straight into a devastating counter attack?".

I'm not sure if I'll keep it to be honest. Its certainly fun (I've played it for hours), and the unlocking content thing is strangely compulsive, but ultimately not compulsive enough. Oh and I dont even bother playing the DOA1 disc - it just looks so old and ropey - something for the fans only.

Dipping the toe (Anonymous)

I've played a few online games, but the murky, slightly (!) geeky and obsessive world of the MMORPG has evaded me. But now I find myself in the position of seriously considering World of Warcraft. It could provide an accessible introduction to this, the scariest of gaming genres in the world. I'm hoping it's going to provide something a bit different from Halo 2, something a bit more civilised and laid-back. The fact that the European servers are separated from the US one, thus removing *that* problem from the game is a plus-point. My only worry is the old "spending hours chopping trees down to build your strength" image of MMORPG's in my head, that and the monthly charge, but I'm going to try it.

It's only available in French here, so I'll have to wait. But I'm looking forward to it.

Oh, and I might join a "guilg". How exciting!

Never. Give. Up. (k3nshi)

"In a move born of sheer desperation, Snipes hurled the ball across the court as the final buzzer sounded.

The ball traveled some 87 feet, the full length of the court and connected with the basket..."

• Story


• Game video

Via Ned Batchelder's blog.

My Weekend (Van123)

Amazing. One word says it all. But I'll write a few more.

I went out with Kenshi on Friday. Not something I do very often, but fun none-the-less. We went to Brixton. To the ghetto. And in this ghetto, is this building, with the most amazing Germans in it. Rammstein. Rammstein are definately in my top 5 bands, so this was an amazing experience, which I would gladly pay £30 for again. Apocalyptica were supporting. They're alright, I'm listening to them now. They mainly do Metallica covers, but with cellos and stuff.

So then they went off, and Teh 'Stein came on. My God I've only seen that much energy from Iron Maiden. These guys were on fire, literally. There was fire everywhere. Every other song had pyrotechnics involved. Not only that, but the crazy Germans played with fire while playing their instruments. They had these sort of gask masks, with foot long noses. And when they sang, flames burst 20 foot into the air. Till had a flamethrower, which he played with for a bit, firing it at an oversized cooking pot with the keyboardist in. There was lots of fire.

The highlight of the concert was Rammstein, though. Obviously the theme song, and it was performed so well. Live always sounds so different to the album versions, and you could really feel the heat *ba-doom tish* from Rammstein's performance.

Then, I left Kenshi and his mate and set off for the train ride home. I popped a squat next to a 50 year old rocker with a mullet, his gang was cool. We got to talking. The'd been on Thursday and Friday. Hardcore. Anyway, when I got back to my home station, I stood at the top of my road and looked down it. Two minute walk home, or 15 minute walk to a mates house for a party. The latter, clearly, was the better option. So I ran half the way, turning up at his at about 00:05. Rock on. I was all partied out by the time I got there, and only the cool people were left. That was great. Meant I didn'[t have to spend hours pretending to like the people who were talking to me. There was about 15 people left, msot were drunk. "Want a drink, Chris?" You know I did. First drink in six hours! A bottle of Sainsbury's lemonade. Best drink ever. No alcohol for me, I'm clean for the next few months, until my exams are over. I'm kind glad I missed the mass party stage, and got there at the social stage. That was cool.

That was a great night. I left my mates house 7ish, and a few mates came back to mine to watch Team America before they went home. I fell asleep before the main Dicks and Pussies speech. Amazing fun. That girl was there. The one that's obsessed with me. My mate told me today that when she was drunk, she blurted out that she was only staying the night to see me. Ok... As long as she doesn't come on to me, then it's all good. But what's this? She does? Queue Ride Of The Valkyries. I manage to dodge that bullet though, by simply explaining that I've got my heart set on someone else, which is the truth really. And telling's the truth's for winners. That's why I told her that I don't like her. It's better that she hears it from me, again, than everyone else... again. Two of my mates also tried smoking that night. I told them they were stupid, and only to smoke drugs, cos cigarettes taste like shit. Pipes and cigars are allowed, though.

Sunday, I did some coursework. Meh

5Gs, Daz.

Resident Evil 4. (Anonymous)

Although owning at one time or another Resident Evil , Resident Evil 2, RE : Code Veronica and REmake I have never got further than a few hours into any of those games, why?

Despite the (at the time) cutting edge graphics the early games had and my undieing love for Zombies the Hammy acting and the jump out of your seat moments. Incredible apathy swept me away, my heart was saying "Zombies man, living abhorrations " My brain "Oh man the controls are so shit, oh man I hate typewriters/emblem keys/red key cards/half moons/ruby tiger eyes...." even writing about it bores me. By REmake it was agreed the Resident Evil formulae was rancid.

Some of you may not know but Resident Evil 4 went through a complete overhaul during it's development this led to the Camera now being directly behind Leon, the tempo was upped and the zombies turbocharged (think 28 days later) the result is a much more action packed game with often 10s of lurching "zombies" coming at you from all angles , in some ways the combat is like Halo where thanks to decent AI scripting every encounter is different, and thanks to some visceral weaponry always a bloody joy.

Don't be a hater like me , feel the itchy .. scratchy mmmmm brains.

Inspiration (k3nshi)

• Chris Crawford interview on the Guardian's Game Blog


• Will Wright & Howard Scott Warshaw interview at Onion AV Club

Ruminations on Gaming Temptation (k3nshi)

At the dawn of this year I proclaimed my intention to avoid buying any games for at least 6 months. This would be a prudent thing to do, going by the number of games I have bought in the past versus the number I have played to any real degree. Of course this bold proclamation was doomed from the moment it was uttered.

The first temptation was PC Darwinina. Written by UK indy outfit, Introversion, I was always looking forward to this title. However playing the recently released demo, which failed to run properly on my (admittedly underpowered laptop) kind of put me off. Yes, yes, yes - I should try the demo out on my more powerful PC. But the fact is, the demo has been deemed confusing from some quarters. To their credit Introversion say they will release an updated demo with a tutorial. I can't help wondering how many people will have been put off by the initial demo and won't give it another go. Hopefully not many - I sincerely hope Introversion have a big hit. The Industry needs some fresh, independent talent. Regardless of this, the lustre of Darwinia has been reduced for me.

The current Game du Jour seems to be Resident Evil 4, for the Gamecube. The amount of excitement this game seems to have generated seems a bit unprecedented to me. But then I have studiously been avoiding reading about it. It's only word of mouth recommendations from other gamers that make it a blip on my gaming radar. I almost bought it out of sheer boredom (my typical games buying modus operandi), but resisted somehow. I think the thought of having to drag the Gamecube out of my drawer and set it up, kind of put me off.

So far, so good. 2 contenders, seemingly seen off. But its always the sucker punch that gets you the hardest. In this case, the long forgotten Dead or Alive Ultimate. I was never a huge fan of the DOA game mechanics (VF4EVO4LIFEYO!) but they seemed entertaining enough. And, of course, its one hell of a pretty game. But the lure of an online 3D beat em up? We may have a winner...

Oh, and another potential contender: Wipeout Pure for the PSP. If this manages to capture the fun of the original Wip3out, then Sony have the killer app to sell me a PSP. Portable Gaming might not be dead for me in 2005 after all.

PlayStation Portable music 'this summer' (Wickedkitten)

PlayStation Portable music 'this summer':
Sony looks set to hit back at the iPod and iTunes with a music download service specifically for the PlayStation Portable.

Apple edges Google as top brand: "Apple has been named the most influential brand in a survey of branding professionals, beating out search engine Google, which held the top spot last year..."

(Via MacMinute.)

Decent Games Blogs (k3nshi)

Some new contendahs:

• Edge Online - some games magazine or something. Never heard of it before...


• Guardian Games blog - for commies and bleeding heart students and liberals

Obviously interesting and stuff, but hardly the kind of hedonistic, ecletic mix that hash edge blog provides. Obviously.

Peacecraft... (k3nshi)

"The interesting thing about war games is that the default state of a war game is peace. Think about it: what if you started up a multiplayer game of WarCraft III and none of the players built anything but workers and buildings? The natural state of the world is for the races of WarCraft to peacefully coexist (although you would eventually run out of resources), and this tranquility is shattered by player actions.

So the way you make a peace game is to create a world where the default state is conflict, and the player must act to calm the violence through a variety of means. That's the trick: you've got to show peace as something that's challenging to achieve, not a default state."

Peacecraft via Game Girl Advance

Sick of yellow sticky tags? Tada! (Wickedkitten)

Sick of yellow sticky tags? Tada!:

"From the fine folks that brought you Basecamp, the almost revolutionary web-based project management application that gave birth to Ruby on Rails, comes Tada — a simple yet powerful way to get rid of randomly placed files or tags or knots in your handkerchief to make you remember something you truly have to get done.
Tada is based on an extracted feature-set from Basecamp albeit building on some of the recently added features in Ruby on Rails 0.9. It comes with an impressive sharing feature that allows you to either selectively or publicly share your todo items (or impress someone with an empty todo list! ha!) so that colleagues and co-workers may collaborate on a single list.
Following Google’s Suggest Beta on the path of making extensive use of XMLHttpRequest, Tada makes use of this technique to resemble certain desktop applications in that it doesn’t throw a boatload of reloads and submit buttons at you while you’re maintaining your tasks. As such, working with Tada is a pretty convenient experience, given that it’s web-only.
Using the service is free, you’re limited to 10 separate todo lists though. Get signed up while your favorite user account is still vacant!
[Update 20/01: David posted a few more technical details over at Riding Rails"]