The Lair of the Monkey

I’ve managed to have a bit of a second go on FORZA 2 - which has been sadly lacking due to a weird TV setup I have. Nonetheless, here are some new cars I’ve managed to get going:

Nissan GTR Vspec.

Maza RX-8.

 TO

Now as you can see, I’ve added a picture of a Nintendo DS and a picture of an original Game Boy.  Now, why is that?  Well to show how things have changed of course!  The original Game Boy was a revelation.  It was a huge piece of news.  The DS?  The same.  In fact, it’s still selling more than every other piece of hardware (Xbox360, PSP, PS3 included) out there - the Wii excepted.

So how come it’s been such a success when the GC was a bit - well - lacklustre?  The Nintendo DS is original.  Whatever the Sony fanboys tell you, that’s one of the biggest reasons for the success of the Wii and the DS.  It does something different.  Not only that, but it does it in a way that is intuitive and responsive.

Of course, that’s not the only thing.  The Nintendo DS is made in such a way that it is desirable to a variety of consumers.  Everyone from the younger child wanting to play Pokemon to the 20-something executive playing Hotel Dusk on the train to a meeting.  This means that the DS will sell to the widest audience and unlike the Wii will actually appeal to the hardcore as well as the more casual amongst us.  It is also open to the market of the non-gamer.

No doubt you’re asking Mr B, have you got one?  The answer is at the moment no.  But I’m moving house soon and I think I need to get myself a house warming present beyond a new cooker…

I’ve taken a step away from multiplayer gaming for a while, without even realising it.  The most I do in that arena is splitscreen gaming maybe once a week.  This is because a) of the games I’m playing and b) my awkward setup giving me grief for Live access.  This should change soon so I’ll be back on Xbox Live and ripping up the island of Oahu on Test Drive Unlimited.  I might even get in some Gears of War.  Don’t worry dears, I’ll keep you informed as and when I get back on it!

A mate of mine has got much more into gaming recently, not least with the purchase of Fight Night Round 3.  He originally played in on the PS3, but of course they’re so damn expensive that he wasn’t going to buy one of those.  He got it for the 360 and loves the analogue controls and the graphics.  He also likes to whup his flatmates on it.  Anyway, I’m quite taken by his review so I’ve gone and ordered it.  At £17.99 from play.com it’s a veritable bargain!

Someone from work got a Wii for their birthday.  I’m surprised that he’s managed to get one, given the fact that they are still sold out.  I guess if you’re determined though it’s possible.  On principle only though I always wait until something is easily available before making the decision to purchase.  But that’s just me I guess.  Well, more updates on the way but I’m a bit busy tonight so they’ll have to be saved for tomorrow!

The Halo 3 beta opens on May 16th until June 16th.  Computer and Videogames has a breakdown on the video we’ve seen so far - go there to see what they think.

GamaSutra has some excellent coverage of a study by the University of Bolton on how MMO’s are addictive - and indeed on how addictive they really are.  It seems that some previous studies somewhat overestimated this.  In my opinion it would be easy to proselytise on this subject (especially as a few cousins of mine were addicted to the things) but on the other hand is it really as harmful as going out and getting mashed every weekend, or getting high on some weed?  Is playing World of Warcraft any more harmful than sitting in front of the TV, vegetable-like as the latest Coronation Street drama plays out in front of your eyes?  Well yes and no.  In both cases you’re getting no exercise and some severely limited stimulation.  Both have become some people’s lives.  I guess that’s the point.  Everything in moderation.  If anything keeps you up at night or even stops you eating (as the study suggests) you should really examine very carefully whether it’s worth the effort you’re expending.

I still can’t quite get used to speaking to people online.  Don’t get me wrong - it is a fantastic feature.  However, it is quite odd to hear team-talk and games discussion throughout the play experience.  It’s kind of like breaking down the fourth wall of gaming and I’m still hung up on it.  It is an impressive feature that something like GOW runs with voice whilst suffering from barely any noticeable lag (one moment in an hour’s play) - but I still frequently turned my microphone off.  I hope the ‘weird’ feeling goes after a while, but I’ll keep you informed.  It doesn’t help that I feel like the only non-American on there at times…

Well, I finally made the jump people, I’m out there and using my free month of Xbox Live Gold.  Ironically, given how busy I am at the moment that means probably no online play at all.  Especially given that Gears of War and GRAW don’t seem especially inspiring online - but that’s just me.  I’m just really desperate to play a racing game such as Test Drive Unlimited.  I do hear that’s particularly good online so I’m looking forward to having that.

On another note, I’m really impressed with Live.  It seems to be very similar to Steam as I recently covered it, in that you can get demos, pictures, games (via purchase of Xbox Live Points and then using those to purchase the games and stuff). It seems to work very well - in fact I was gobsmacked at the smoothness of it.  Not jarring at all!  Anyway, overall a joy to use.  I’m up pretty late as I’m intending to have a lot of work time tomorrow so I’m enjoying the 360 till bed soon.

In my download list so far I have Ninety Nine Nights, Test Drive and of course the demo of Geometry Wars.  Right now, Live is satiating my gaming desires, along with Oblivion (update to follow) on the PC.  Strangely, now that it is out, I’m just not that compelled to play a Wii right now, though I was with the 360 release.  Hmmm.  Nonetheless, I hope to have my hands on a controller tommorow, but we’ll see how it goes.

I came across a particularly funny story of one guy’s encounter online with a rather ‘odd’ opponent.  Have a read here, it’s very funny.  This was whilst trying to find a particular solution to my Hammer editor (Half Life 2 level mapper) problem.  I seem to lose textures after a few seconds in game running my own map.  Doesn’t happen when playing a Valve created one though.  Any ideas anyone?

You’ll notice that I haven’t reviewed Battlefield 2142 yet - nor am I going to.  There’s a few reasons for that, including the fact that I simply have no time to play it at the moment (I’ll tell you what I am playing in a couple of days).  Another reason is how totally buggy the game seems to be, including the various problems it has had with a windows security update.  Anyway, take a look at Heartless Gamer for more info.