Any tips for a flutter on the GGs this Tuesday?

Well, we're almost at the end of another week. What's even better is that I'm headed for a 4-day weekend. One of the great things about living in Melbourne is that you get the first Tuesday in November as a day off for the Melbourne Cup. So, for the price of one annual leave day on the Monday, I can take a four-day break! Sweet!

If you're looking to waste time on the Internet (and, let's face it, if you weren't, then what the heck are you doing reading this?), take a look at The Bible, in Lego form. It's highly impressive.

I still kinda want to go and see Shaun of the Dead this weekend. Maybe I actually will, this time around. This weekend is also likely to see me drinking booze, and playing both Outrun 2 and Sly 2, which was a birthday present from my good lady wife, which I'm planning to pick up on the way home from work. Should be fun.

I should also try to get around to writing my AGDC presentation at some stage, I suppose.

Hobbits!

Goodness me, the Internet is an exciting place to be this morning.

I really hope that this is true. An island full of hobbits, miniature kangaroos and Komodo Dragons? Sign me up!

Sony PSP Launch

Well, it looks like Sony's actually serious about taking the fight to Nintendo. Look at this. I'm more interested in the DS as a bit of hardware, it has to be said, because of its potential for new experiences, but the PSP is a *very* tidy piece of kit in itself.

Here's what's impressive about today's PSP news.

1. The price. It's about half of what I thought it would be, and it is, in fact, very close to the price of Nintendo's DS. I think the PSP will have a great chance at mainstream success with this price point, as the enormous, high-quality screen with its PS2-looking visuals, not to mention the system's sleek design and multimedia capabilities make it an instantly desirable impulse buy.

2. It's actually coming out this year. I'd have lost a bet on this.

3. The launch lineup is actually significantly better than Nintendo's. Now this is the last thing I expected to say. I'm flabbergasted. Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Lumines looks awesome, Metal Gear Acid is a true "must have" (well, if you're a rabid fan of both the Metal Gear series and turn-based strategy, as I am), and then you've got stuff like Puyo Pop Fever (best puzzle game ever - I already have the Xbox version, but I wouldn't mind a nice handheld one), Puzzle Bobble, Everybody's Golf, Armored Core and Vampire Chronicles. A handheld system launching with a decent fighting game? Unheard of.

4. The battery life. Well, at 4-6 hours for games, it's still not great, but I can live with that.

To be honest, I think Sony have answered most of their critics. I'm still highly sceptical about using this thing to watch movies in UMD format, and its Memory Stick storage will never replace the iPod, but at that price, it can stand on its own as a games machine. I'll completely ignore its other features and still get value for money, by the looks of it. And hey - the other stuff's always there if you want it.

This should be a closer scrap than I thought, and should be a hoot to watch.

Nintendogs

Just try and tell me that this doesn't look like the best game ever.

Go on. Try. I dare you.

Welcome to the Fantasy Zone. Get Ready!

50 points to anyone who knows what game that's from.

Well, I still haven't heard from my mother. It's really not like her to miss a birthday. I'm not sure whether to be worried or ticked off. Hopefully she's having such a good time in Italy that she's forgotten about home and family entirely. I still wouldn't mind knowing that she's actually alive, however. She's due to get back on Sunday, so I guess I'll find out then. I don't even mind if she's decided to run away and join the circus - so long as she drops us a line first.

I had my performance review today at work, and it actually went pretty well. I was better prepared for it today (having not been out the night before for a boozy Greek banquet), but as it turns out, it was nothing to fear anyway.

Okay. Bizarrely, my dear old mum called while I was writing this. She's alive and well. And having a good time in Venice, by the sound of it.

So it's "phew" all around, then.

Phew.

Happy Birthday To Me!

1. It's my birthday today. I'm 29.

2. I'm feeling kinda tired and hungover.

3. There's every chance I might have my performance review today. Let's hope not.

4. Greek food is very tasty and good.

5. 29 year-olds don't bounce back so well from eating and drinking too much on a schoolnight, and having to get up early afterwards.

6. The missus got me a fully paid pre-order for Sly 2, and the second season of King of the Hill on DVD for my birthday. Oh, and a cow bookmark. Isn't she just the best?

7. I haven't heard from the old dear yet. Let's hope she's okay.

Did I say "quick summary"?

I obviously meant "enormous boring ramble". Sorry about that. I always get those two mixed up.

Monday Arvo

Well, so that was the weekend. Not bad, all things considered. Here's a quick summary:

On Friday, I played a bit of Star Wars: Battlefront, which was good fun. I even managed to win a round on Hoth as the Rebels. Huzzah! They didn't even manage that in the film. Then I went out with the missus and our second-best mate Penni for a beer at the Rob Roy, on Brunswick St, Fitzroy. There was kind of a weird crowd there, but we had a good laugh anyway. I was probably a fair bit drunker than I would have let on at the time, if asked.

On Saturday, the missus and I bought loads of new undies and socks, and other boring essentials. I also bought a copy of Outrun2, and the third season of Black Books. These I'll consider early birthday presents to myself. We watched the Black Books DVD that night, and laughed like a couple of drains. It's highly recommended if you enjoy comedies like Spaced and Father Ted. Which you would, if you knew what was good for you.

I played a bit of Outrun2, and I'm enjoying it very much indeed. It's the only game that's seriously looked like challenging Burnout 3 for "Game of the Year" status so far. It's interesting that they're both "arcade"-style racing games, and that they're the only two decent arcade racers to have come along in absolute ages. I guess I've been dying for one, without really realising it. The last great one was probably Ridge Racer 4. Ouch.

Outrun2 isn't for everyone, though. It's goofy where Burnout 3 is 'hip'. It's over-the-top and a bit silly, but delightfully so. It's bursting with charm and sunshine, and manages to expand on the classic original it's a sequel to, without stomping all over it. The warm glow of nostalgia is still there. If you loved the cheesiness and unbridled joy of the original, the sequel is likely exactly what you're looking for. If you like serious, realistic racing, then you'll likely be disappointed. It's worth mentioning that the game (at first blush, at least) seems to be big and varied, but also bastard difficult, and quite eccentric, in its handling and overall 'feel'. I bet you already know whether you're going to like it or not. It's pretty much what you'd expect.

In Outrun2, for those who don't know, you basically drive fast, through traffic, in a Ferrari. But you also have your girlfriend next to you, who's really demanding, and wants you to do all sorts of ridiculous things to impress her. This is where most of the gameplay variation comes from. I won't go into all the details of the different modes here (partly because there are loads of review sites that've already done that, but mostly because nobody's actually reading this anyway), but let's just say that they're numerous, bizarre and varied. If you enjoyed the "Crazy Box" mode of Crazy Taxi, you'll know what I'm talking about. It's good stuff.

Oh, and on Sunday, as well as playing Outrun2, I also went to the zoo, and then did a bit of gardening with the missus. At the zoo, we saw loads of neat things (as per usual), but the highlights were probably the baby tree kangaroo (poking out of its mother's pouch) and the echidnas that we saw hoover up a bowl of food like you wouldn't believe. For creatures with mouths that small, they can really eat fast. Plus, they have freakishly long tongues. We didn't see any tapirs, which was a shame, since we were both looking forward to seeing them (and hearing them - they make a really unexpected noise), but we did both agree that the black and white colobus was our favourite monkey. Plus, it was a beautiful day.

It was our first visit to the zoo as "friends of the zoo" - I bought us a family membership for the missus' birthday last month. We were able to skip the queue and just walk straight in, which made us feel a little bit like VIPs. Tidy.

As for the gardening, well, it was kinda fun too, I have to admit. The courtyard is *really* tidy now, and there are three garbage bags and a sulo bin filled with leaves and bits of vine. This one vine has been slowly taking over the courtyard (having roughly quadrupled in size in the last six weeks or so), and I feel that we took the fight back to it yesterday. We may have even won a round. We also managed to repot our Happy Plant, which we've been feeling a bit sorry for lately, as it keeps blowing over.

I don't really know very much about gardening, so I hope I didn't irrreparably damage the monster vine when I hacked most of its limbs off. I'll admit that the process was strangely satisfying.

After a long-ish Sunday out in the sun, walking around the zoo and then tidying up and pruning in the courtyard, I was pretty knackered, and the missus and I had a Parmy and a pint down at the local. I then slept like a log. Not a bad weekend, all up. Even though we didn't get to see Shaun of the Dead.

We were meant to be going to dinner tonight, for my birthday, but we've put it off until Thursday night instead. My birthday's actually tomorrow, but Monday and Thursday are the only nights the missus has off this week, sadly. I'm not sure what we'll do tonight - grab a quiet pint, perhaps. My sister might pop over for a bit tomorrow night, but as the missus is working until midnight, I'll likely spend most of the evening on my lonesome. Ah, well. I didn't want to make a fuss out of this birthday anyway - in fact, it's totally snuck up on me, since I've been trying to avoid thinking about it.

Next year I'll be 30 - that's something I'm not quite ready for just yet. Ouch.

Anyway, I'll probably have a night out on the sauce next weekend, and can probably deal with a big Greek banquet or something on Thursday night. It should be alright.

My dear old mother is away in Italy, and she hasn't been in contact at all since she's been away, which is most unlike her. I really hope she calls me tomorrow for my birthday, just so I know she's still alive and well. Of course, she hasn't been very happy lately, so perhaps she's run off to start a new life. I'd be happy for her, if she did, but I'd also just like to know that she's still alive. Fingers crossed, eh?

Enter The Weekend

Well, it's almost here. Woo hoo!

What's on the agenda, you might ask? Well, a whole lotta nothing, hopefully. The missus and I both have the weekend off for once, so we're going to take it *real* easy.

I want to go and see Shaun of the Dead.
I need to buy some new socks and underwear.
I should probably work on my AGDC presentation.

There will also likely be beer. And possibly skittles.

Mmm. Skittlebrau.

But first, I'm going to play some Star Wars: Battlefront. I'm still not convinced that it's actually a good game, but luckily it's so much fun that you usually don't notice that while you're playing.

You're twisting my melon, man.

Take a look at this website.

Pretty neat, eh?

Neat Software

I can heartily recommend Google Desktop. Seriously, this thing works like a dream - well worth the download.

Those of you using Gmail - I also heartily recommend installing the Gmail Notifier.

If you're not using Gmail and would like to, then you can email me - I've got a few invitations to give away.

Seriously, Google really seems to be the little company that could, these days. What I like about these programs (and the webmail service) is how lean they are. They do what they ought to without any bloat or unnecessary crap, and without trying to trick you into anything. They're fast, efficient, and unfussy. I also love the fact that Blogger is both free and ad-free now. Huzzah for Google!

Oh, and I've been quite won over by Mozilla, as a browser and regular email client. It's even got a decent IRC client built in. Seriously, if you're still using IE, you don't know what you're missing. Give Mozilla (or Firefox or Opera or one of the others) a shot. IE will seem positively retro by comparison.

Is Google working on its own browser? I hope so. World domination should be next on the list after that, I suppose.

[I'm speaking exclusively to Windows users here, I suppose. Sorry about that, in case any Linux or Mac people are reading this.]

Here's Charlie again, after a haircut. Looks much neater, doesn't he?

Pointless Ephemera

Here's what's on my mind at the moment:

1. Donnie Darko. I watched this movie again the other day. I have mixed feelings about it. It's nicely paced, well put together, and quite beautiful, in and of itself. It's also sort of perplexing and ambiguous. But then you've got all this 'extra material' (both on the DVD and online) that systematically spells out what's going on in the film and answers all of your questions. So - on the one hand, it's kinda neat to see that it all fits together within this set of rules that the author has invented, but it's also a bit like the magician showing you the secret compartment in his hat where the rabbit lives. I guess I'm pleased that beneath it all, the events of the film make sense, and I'm pleased that the author has thought all this through, but I'd almost be happier if he were content and confident enough to let us sense that, through what he's shown us, rather than have to separately lay it all out. Would a David Lynch film have the same impact or allure if he spelled out his devices in this way? I'm not sure.

2. Beyond Good and Evil. I stayed up far too late playing this game last night. Aside from some clever puzzles and Zelda-inspired gameplay (which is well implemented, for the most part, and good fun), there's just something really satisfying about the characters and setting of this game. The fact that you play a confident, competent female character who's not simply all about boobs and midriff is a big part of this. Sure, she wears green lipstick, but she's otherwise a solid, non-cringeworthy female character who's centre stage for the whole game. I'm struggling to think of another example of this. Also, it's no Ico, but I have been feeling like I want the characters to succeed for their own reasons, rather than mine. It's rare that a game generates that level of empathy, and I think it's got a lot to do with the reality (though not the realism - there's a bit difference in games) with which the characters are portrayed. It's surprising and worrying, perhaps, that more games don't achieve this, since that's what many of them are going for. It's also a bit of a worry that this game was so unpopular, and likely won't get a sequel - it's an absolute pearler thus far.

3. Dune. Still reading, still enjoying. I wonder if I'll make it through the sequels this time?

4. Work. Well, I've got a lot of work to do on a project that I think could turn into a fun game, and should have a reasonably high profile, but it's not really what I want to be doing with myself. I've been thinking more and more about turning back to writing, which I've sort of drifted away from these last few years in the games industry. The amazing thing about writing is that you can do it all yourself, and there's no budgeting or scheduling constraints as to what you can put in there - if you can describe it, it's yours. I never used to appreciate how powerful that is until I had to work on massively collaborative and massively compromised creative endeavours. Sometimes I feel more like a hostage negotiator than a designer, and sometimes it feels like the only real creativity in what I do gets doodled in the margins, so to speak. Most of my work is problem solving and diplomacy. Those are creative arts in themselves, but it's more like keeping goal than being a striker - you're measured by your mistakes and fumbles, and not given the chance to take a risk, probe ahead, and stick one in the back of the net.

[This form of communication seems to bring out absolutely shithouse metaphors, for some reason. Sorry.]

5. Self Improvement. Well, I always seem to feel like I have to turn over a new leaf. It's a sort of restlessness, I suppose. Having improved my diet and gotten off the fags, I think the next step is to exercise a little bit, and get some writing done. Wish me luck. Perhaps the exercise of talking to nobody in this space will help me get back in the habit. Or maybe it's another way to avoid it. Who knows?

6. Money. I've been obsessed with it since I've owed it to people. It's a horrible feeling. Thankfully, this situation should only last another year. I never used to think about money at all when I had it - I guess that was part of the problem. I'm telling myself that this 'rough patch' (that's lasted more than two years already) is some sort of learning experience, that'll stand me in good stead. True enough, I've learned a lot about managing money, and I've already started planning what to do with investments and all that, once I've turned the corner. What I'm looking forward to most of all, however, is simply not having to think about the filthy stuff all the time.

The Nintendo DS is region free!

According to this article, the Nintendo DS is going to be region free. Which means that I can import one for Christmas. Hmm. How's my willpower?

Speaking of willpower, I'm still off the fags, and going strong. I even managed to deal with two nights of drinking beer this weekend without caving in. Go me.

Aww.

Here's Charlie - my hairy little nephew. What a handsome lad he is.

Sorry if the photo quality isn't all it could be. I took this photo with the little camera that's built into my phone.

Plans within plans

Oh yeah. Tonight. After the Tetsuya Mizuguchi thing, I'm going to meet up with the missus and a couple of her mates for dinner. Vietnamese, I think. Then we're going to go home and play EyeToy for a bit. And probably have too much to drink. Good times.

Tomorrow, I think we're also going to be drinking with some mates. Online ones, this time, from here. I do hope, however, that I can spend at least some of the weekend simply sitting around on my arse. I'm in my 12th straight day at work at the moment, and I'm a bit sick of it. More than anything, I really just need a rest.

At the moment I'm playing Rainbow Six 3 for the Xbox, and Beyond Good and Evil for the PS2. I'd like to spend some time with them, partly because I enjoy them, but partly because I just want to finish them off - I've got a huge backlog of games to play, and there's a staggering amount of 'must play' stuff coming out over the next little while. I won't bore you with an enormous wishlist - let's just say it's considerable.

While we're talking games - game of the year so far is Burnout 3. If you haven't played it yet, please do. It'll remind you why you liked games in the first place. And I'll give you a hint: realism, non-linearity and narrative had nothing to do with it.

I'm re-reading Dune at the moment. I still find it really compelling, despite the fact that I feel like an enormous nerd pulling it out on the tram. Still, it's no worse than pulling out my GBA SP, I suppose. But anyway, there's just something about Dune. I think it's the sense that what's going on extends so far beyond what's covered in the actual text - it really does give you a sense of coherence that's more effective than even that in, say, Lord of the Rings. It doesn't quite have the charm of that book, but it's actually even more impressive, in some respects. There's just something about the scope of the thing.

I'm tempted to take another look at the film. It's a failure, but at least it's a beautiful and fascinating one.

Speaking of films, I saw Steamboy the other night. Not bad. Not bad at all. The plot's predictably crappy, but it's a whole heap of fun. And about the best animation I've ever seen. It's no Miyazaki film, in terms of its content, but it's actually even better presented, if anything. Four stars.

Linkage

Okay, it seems we have links happening now. Except they're not really sitting where they should.

I have no idea why.

In any case, if you happen to be reading this, check out Matthew Chapman's artwork. Go on.

Left, Right, Up, Down, Chu Chu Chu!

Tonight, I'm going to see Tetsuya Mizuguchi speak at ACMI. Should be a hoot. I've even brought along my copy of Space Channel 5 for him to sign, should the opportunity present itself.

As a game designer, he seems to be interested in experimenting and trying new things, bringing gameplay, visuals and sound together in occasionally confusing, but mostly interesting and satisfying ways. He's a bit of a maverick, and one of the designers who really still seem to have the spirit that made Sega such an exciting and innovative company. Along with Yu Suzuki, who's a bit of a personal hero of mine, and Yuji Naka, who seems to have lost his touch lately. Oh, and Toshihiro Nagoshi, who's still doing his thing, but has also flown the Sega coop, like Tetsuya Mizuguchi.

I hope I've got all of these names right, spelling-wise.

ACMI is somewhere I've spoken myself, as a game designer, so it'll be interesting and maybe a bit weird to see a designer I admire speaking in the same place. I'm also supposed to be submitting an abstract for another talk today, this time for the Australian Game Developer's Conference. I had previously submitted an abstract for a motivational talk that I wanted to do, but got knocked back on the grounds that they already had a talk on a similar topic lined up. But now I've been asked to do a talk about developing for Nintendo platforms. I'm going to talk about the transition from developing for GBA to developing for DS, I think, but I have to come up with a decent angle. Wish me luck.

I'm probably not supposed to say too much about the DS at this stage, in a public forum such as this. But, just between you and me and the lamppost - I think it's pretty damned cool.

Titles, eh?

Apologies. This is going to be some tedious shit. I'm just trying to figure out how all this stuff works. Bear with me.

I need to figure out how to put some links on this page next. Stay tuned. Or, you know, read something more interesting. Or look at this.

So, I'm quitting smoking.

I'd cut down to about 8-10 a day, and then on Sunday I decided to simply stop. Which was weird, because I was in the throes of a really nasty deadline (huge document due by COB Monday) - a situation in which I'd normally be sucking the things down eighteen to the dozen. On the Saturday night, I'd been babysitting for my sister's dog (a cocker spaniel named Charlie - lovely, hairy little chap), and my allergies to the little mite were flaring up intensely. So by the time I woke up on Sunday morning, I was more mucus than man. Ew. Maybe that had something to do with my decision.

In any case, I mentioned this to a friend at work, who suggested that I read this book. I bought and read it in a sitting last night - it was a bit repetitive, but it did make me feel a little more confident about the whole thing. I was already off the gaspers for a few days, but feeling pretty cranky and miserable - after reading the book, I'm at least feeling a little more cheerful and optimistic about the whole thing.

Wow. It seems I can post pictures now. How about that?

Well? Are you?

Alright, let's have another crack at this. Forget Opera. Does Blogger work alright with Mozilla? I guess there's only one way to find out.