tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38826742011-04-22T05:20:08.309+10:00Watch me ollie!VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.comBlogger1121100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1151904666029590762006-07-03T15:31:00.000+10:002006-07-03T16:01:45.856+10:00

This game has been driving me nuts. I've been playing it more than anything else for a few weeks at least now, and I'm not even sure if I enjoy it.Geometry Wars first turned up as a neat Easter Egg in Bizarre's magnificent Project Gotham Racing 2. It's a bit like the genuine classic Robotron 2084 (which is still enormously playable today), except that you can shoot and move in every direction

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1151468729240927342006-06-28T12:08:00.000+10:002006-06-28T14:25:29.313+10:00

I've let this thing slide for ages, haven't I? Ah, well. It seems that about half the non-porn internet consists of pages like this. Sporadic nonsense, links to a bunch of crap you've already been forwarded more than you'd like, and periods of prolonged silence followed by excuses and promises. Bah.So let's continue this tiresomely formulaic exercise, eh?This time around, I'm mostly going to be

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1140567984788115122006-02-22T10:25:00.000+10:002006-02-22T10:26:24.806+10:00

But come on. This is pretty cool.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1140070089988782712006-02-16T16:06:00.000+10:002006-02-16T16:08:10.003+10:00

Most of you won't understand why this signifies the beginning of the end of civilisation.But it does.Don't forget where you first heard it.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1138928577994828032006-02-03T11:00:00.000+10:002006-02-03T11:02:58.006+10:00

This is apparently a Japanese ad for porn UMDs for Sony's PSP. It looks pretty innocuous at first glance, but look more closely at the bloke's crotch. Tent pole!

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1138863895027414772006-02-02T16:58:00.000+10:002006-02-02T17:04:55.040+10:00

Well, no posts for a while, etc. Head up my arse, busy busy. Yawn.I might fuck off this Game of the Year thing, actually - I'm not sure I can be bothered. To break the suspense, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow was going to be #1. It's really neat, and you should play it. It has awesome 2D graphics, and it taught me that I'll put up with any amount of backtracking and respawning-enemies in a game (

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1138171978085357432006-01-25T16:51:00.000+10:002006-01-25T16:52:58.096+10:00

Please shut up about Chuck Norris.We get it.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1137653169636303352006-01-19T16:46:00.000+10:002006-01-19T17:00:18.656+10:00

I feel a bit mixed about this one. Fahrenheit (a.k.a. "Indigo Prophecy") is the only truly original game in this list, and I feel a bit bad that it's only at #7. But with all of its flaws, and with "fun" being the primary factor in deciding Game of the Year honours, I can't in all conscience place it any higher, even though it's the most "worthy" game of the year, and I'd feel better about

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1137388309104719322006-01-16T14:56:00.000+10:002006-01-16T15:11:49.116+10:00

So I suck at picking the football results. Big deal.In other news, I'm again finding myself wondering what this damned thing is for. There's overly-personal shit that I shouldn't post, and there's work shit that I can't post, so all I'm left with is this crappy, boring, not-quite-revealing-enough-but-too-personal-to-be-of-general-interest rubbish. Ah well.I'll get back to the "Game of the Year"

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1136850429292227482006-01-10T09:44:00.000+10:002006-01-10T09:47:09.303+10:00

Well, three out of four isn't bad. Who would have guessed that Carolina could go to New York (well, New Jersey), and shut out the Giants? Not me, apparently. It was a boring game to watch - the poor old Giants were just completely outplayed. So much for that Manning vs. Manning Super Bowl, eh?Predictions for the Divisional Round:SeahawksBearsColtsPatriots

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1136769093791245332006-01-09T10:58:00.000+10:002006-01-09T11:11:33.800+10:00

Last year I enjoyed Burnout 3: Takedown a lot. This year, I enjoyed the only-very-slightly-different Burnout Revenge a lot, too... just not as much. You'll note it's lower on the list, and the overall quality of the games is also lower this year, but that's not to say that it's a worse game. Perhaps I've just grown a bit too used to the format now.Although, truth be told, it actually IS worse in

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1136504720099416902006-01-06T09:43:00.000+10:002006-01-06T09:45:20.106+10:00

Engage.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1136425533879120532006-01-05T11:34:00.000+10:002006-01-05T11:45:33.890+10:00

No, you didn't miss #10 - I really do think that only 9 good games came out this year, and 8 of those were derivative sequels. Ouch. It's the worst year for gaming since 2001, and would have been the worst in a lot longer, if it weren't for the humble DS, bless its soul.Resident Evil 4 gets the #9 spot, but only just. You've read in all the reviews how it's a wonderful reinvention of the series,

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1136424090415666282006-01-05T11:18:00.000+10:002006-01-05T11:21:30.416+10:00

I'm generally pretty happy with my mobile phone. But here is a list of the words that it thinks I want to use, when I'm attempting to enter the relatively common word "card", using predictive text:carecasebaseacrebardbarebarfcapeCome on. "Bard"? "Cape"? What are you trying to say about me, phone?!

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1136423534186500252006-01-05T11:08:00.000+10:002006-01-05T11:12:14.196+10:00

RedskinsPatriotsGiantsSteelers(Forgive me, I've been a bit football-obsessed this season. It'll be over soon. Bear with me.)

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1135207944731067782005-12-22T09:32:00.000+10:002005-12-22T09:32:24.786+10:00

Aww.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1134347166291449932005-12-12T10:17:00.000+10:002005-12-12T10:26:06.300+10:00

I recommend this one.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1133227658066864152005-11-29T11:27:00.000+10:002005-11-29T11:27:52.176+10:00

Here is a picture of a puppy.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1133227218677810242005-11-29T10:45:00.000+10:002005-11-29T11:23:11.416+10:00

Apparently 50 Cent's new game is too violent for us lily-white Australians. Boo wah.One of these days the OFLC is going to ban a good game, and then I'll be really ticked off. I've already got some small amount of sand in my vagina about the absence of an R rating for videogames, especially since they've gone and made a whole song and dance about using "the same system" for both films and

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1133223259527980332005-11-29T10:11:00.000+10:002005-11-29T10:14:19.526+10:00

I think I mentioned this before, so I may as well follow up on it - here is the report from the "Show and Tell" meeting we had a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty fun. I'm buying a copy of "Renegade RX" once it's out, by the way - it was a hoot.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1133223018678196752005-11-29T09:57:00.000+10:002005-11-29T10:10:18.686+10:00

At the risk of turning this blog into "stupid shit I find on the Internet each day", I can't help but comment on this apparently genuine piece of Idaho state legislature. It kind of makes me want to visit, whereas that other film about Idaho had the opposite effect.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1133133091062834582005-11-28T09:04:00.000+10:002005-11-28T09:11:31.073+10:00

Here's a message I received this morning:"sudden truly calling, beautiful busy completely evening familiar? word goodbye getting.side light next. pretty wife awhile between.comes corner his motor proud drew? end fly similar, gotten hard miles quietly degree,keeping idea keeping. wine respect planning possible longer.turn social convenient science,"Isn't that quite something? I'm used to being

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1132890095015043052005-11-25T13:37:00.000+10:002005-11-25T13:41:35.026+10:00

Google Desktop and its magical sidebar is a little wonder, but I'll be damned if it doesn't keep spoiling the football scores for me. Don't they know that we have to watch a delayed telecast here?!To other Google Desktop users who have to watch delayed telecasts of your favourite sports: please learn from my mistakes, and keep the "news" pane minimised on game day.Oh, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING all

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1132877050795528492005-11-25T10:03:00.000+10:002005-11-25T10:04:10.803+10:00

...this will make your day.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1132874569139268882005-11-25T09:16:00.000+10:002005-11-25T09:22:49.146+10:00

I'm not accepting your invites to any more social networking websites. It's nothing personal.I've signed up for Friendster and Orkut, and about six others that may or may not still exist. I am bombarded with reminders each time every one of you has a birthday, moves, changes your phone number, or says something to each other. It's not that I don't love you - I still have room in my heart... just

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1132622977089257432005-11-22T11:28:00.000+10:002005-11-22T11:29:37.090+10:00

Are you interested in what I'm listening to? Didn't think so.But you should check out Audioscrobbler / Last.fm all the same. It's pretty neat. By all means add me as a "friend", even if I'm not.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1132553503916511002005-11-21T15:39:00.000+10:002005-11-21T16:13:33.276+10:00

It's been a good year for football.I won some money in the AFL tipping competition this year, and missed picking the grand final margin by a single point, despite the fact that it was my first year being involved in it, and that I have absolutely no idea about Aussie Rules. Beginner's luck can be a beautiful thing.What's more, in proper football, Australia qualified for the World Cup for the

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1132542597908507262005-11-21T13:08:00.000+10:002005-11-21T13:13:14.963+10:00

Okay, well, that's sorted out. I suppose when you leave something alone for long enough, it's bound to fall apart on you. The blog seems to be working properly again now, though I've had to use a new template, and I don't think I like it as much as the old one. It's a shame that:a) There aren't a few more to choose from, andb) I can't be bothered learning a bit of HTML.Ah well, them's the breaks,

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1132541176188221872005-11-21T12:45:00.000+10:002005-11-21T12:46:16.186+10:00

Why is there a big bloody space before that last post? Dagnammit.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1132536960358780182005-11-21T11:07:00.000+10:002005-11-21T11:42:59.943+10:00

Well, what do you know? Here we are again.I'm going to have another go at this, but with a few differences. See if you can spot them.First thing I want to say: I've no idea where this year has gone.Actually, that's a complete lie. I know exactly where most of it has gone - I spent most of it in the office, working on a SpongeBob SquarePants game for the Nintendo DS. Since emerging from that death

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1113786110818090532005-04-18T10:39:00.000+10:002005-04-18T11:01:50.820+10:00

Allow me to regale you with a tale from real life. Specifically: "what I did with my Sunday".The missus and I met up with a couple of mates of ours, one of whom tried to trick me into wearing the same shirt as him, so he could claim to waitresses and other passers-by that we were twin brothers. I'm not sure why.We went to eat breakfast, which took far too long, but was tasty when it arrived. We

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1113547391528788862005-04-15T16:41:00.000+10:002005-04-15T16:43:11.530+10:00

Okay, so this has been the week from hell, on so many levels. Rather than discuss it, I'll simply direct you to somewhere more cheerful.Na. Na nana nana nana na Katamari Damacy.Etc.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1113265372203458952005-04-12T10:21:00.000+10:002005-04-12T10:22:52.203+10:00

EA really aren't taking any chances these days, are they? This worries me.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1112580221034302722005-04-04T11:51:00.000+10:002005-04-04T12:03:41.036+10:00

... is officially awesome. I spent a bit more time playing it on the weekend, and I'm dying to get back to it. I stopped playing late last night once it all got a bit intense for my tired brain - I was trying to winch this cannon up to the top of a tower, and some giant horned religious fanatic bastard lobbed a steaming great big ball of flaming pitch at me out of a catapult. That's hardly

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1112579476433457932005-04-04T11:48:00.000+10:002005-04-04T11:51:16.433+10:00

Okay, so apparently everyone else hates it.So what? I'm loving it. It takes a bit of getting into, just like both their previous records did, but once you click into the right mindset, it's a real winner. It's clever, playful and coherent. Sure, it's not exactly emotionally charged, but I'm not sure every record needs to be. If it had an overarching emotional tone, I'd say it was something like "

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1112577371815389192005-04-04T11:14:00.000+10:002005-04-04T11:16:11.816+10:00

Look at this. Go on.I'm not sure it requires any particular explanation.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1112235097849280212005-03-31T12:02:00.000+10:002005-03-31T12:11:37.850+10:00

I forgot to mention this, for some reason, but I saw The Life Aquatic over the Easter weekend, and I reckon it was bloody brilliant.Bill Murray is a genius, this much should be obvious by now. And Wes Anderson continues to do things, visually, with his films that we've never seen before. Every shot seems to have been genuinely composed - sure, there's a lot to be said for his eye for excruciating

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1112155211197804552005-03-30T13:57:00.000+10:002005-03-30T14:00:11.196+10:00

I dearly hope that this isn't true.If it is, I'm going to go on the record now as saying that this is the stupidest decision Nintendo's ever made, Virtual Boy included. I mean, it'd be even stupider than anything Sega ever did as a hardware company. Yeah. That stupid.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1112076418753757492005-03-29T16:02:00.000+10:002005-03-29T16:06:58.756+10:00

The Emily Dickinson Game Design Challenge was one of the best things ever. I won't give you a travel diary of my GDC adventures, as it would be completely tedious, but that was the best hour of the whole trip. I'll endeavour to track down some resources from it, and make with the linkage, because it really does deserve to be shared.In other news, I had some holidays and stuff, and they were

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1112075965819369572005-03-29T15:51:00.000+10:002005-03-29T15:59:25.820+10:00

I'm keen to found a task force, with the aim of creating and enforcing an international standard of potato crisp (or "chip") packet colours.My recent trip to the US was made unnecessarily difficult and alienating due to inconsistencies in potato crisp packet colouring. Driving on the right; calling everything from chilies to capsicums simply "peppers"; the stubborn insistence on measuring things

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1112075412090705902005-03-29T15:48:00.000+10:002005-03-29T15:50:12.090+10:00

...that the little bits of Easter Eggs that fall down into the middle of the egg while you're taking your first few bites taste so much better than the intact walls of the egg itself?Eh?

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1109806227144950252005-03-03T09:28:00.000+10:002005-03-03T09:30:27.146+10:00

Alright. This has got to be the toughest decision ever.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1109639170960132072005-03-01T10:54:00.000+10:002005-03-01T11:06:10.963+10:00

Okay, that was crap. Look at the title of that last post. I was going to talk about this conference, but then I just ended up with a great big heaping serve of "wah wah wah, look at me".Apologies.Here's something to think about: Could you design a game based around the poetry of Emily Dickinson? Some game design legends are going to take a crack at it, and I get to watch 'em. Peter Molyneux and

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1109638320837286422005-03-01T10:29:00.000+10:002005-03-01T10:52:00.843+10:00

Well, I'm a bit weary, but I think my plans for this year are so far going quite well, with two months down.Firstly, I did that little talk at Game Loading a while back, and despite a few hurdles, I think it went okay. I was a bit distracted because my mother woke me up early that morning by phoning to tell me that she was in hospital (don't worry, she's fine, and back at home now). Being

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1109224860244875772005-02-24T16:00:00.000+10:002005-02-24T16:01:00.246+10:00

As if this isn't going to be awesome.I can't wait.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1108968637706849932005-02-21T16:16:00.000+10:002005-02-21T16:50:37.710+10:00

I really don't want this to become one of those blogs that's simply full of explanations for the long gaps between each post. Honest.Work, flu, laziness and the telly. That about covers it.Are you all watching Little Britain? You ought to be.I've recently been playing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. So far, it's pretty great, despite having a title, a subtitle, and a

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1108091341373948882005-02-11T13:08:00.000+10:002005-02-11T13:09:01.373+10:00

Okay, so now I look like even more of a tit.The lost post appeared along with the replacement. So, er, you get two very similar updates for the price of one. Let's look for the silver lining here, eh?

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1108091202038318002005-02-11T12:55:00.000+10:002005-02-11T13:06:42.043+10:00

Hmph. I just typed a whole bunch of shit into this here window, and now it's floating around in the ether somewhere, dammit.Here's a summary:1. Sweet Raxxx (sexy Adelaide band) rule. We saw them last weekend.2. The Shins (less sexy Albequerque band) rule also. We saw them last night. My personal favourite track (Gone For Good) appeared in a rocked-out version, which was a particular highlight.3.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1108090394090382322005-02-11T11:10:00.000+10:002005-02-11T12:53:14.090+10:00

Erm, apologies for the lack of updates. I've really had my head up my arse this week. Very briefly, here's some stuff that's been happening. 1. I went to see Sweet Raxxx on Saturday night, an Adelaide band. They rule. They look like they're from the future, or something, and managed to be both highly abusive and delightfully charming at the same time. They're also an extremely good-looking band

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1107754618550490852005-02-07T15:24:00.000+10:002005-02-07T15:39:17.883+10:00

Hmm. Tim Burton. Johnny Depp. Animated movie that looks a little bit like The Nightmare Before Christmas? Sign me up. In other, related news, I'm kinda tired and cranky today, because I stayed up quite late last night watching Ed Wood on the telly, and it didn't finish until 2:30am. Dammit. It's a great movie - I'd actually forgotten how good it was. Aside from Johnny Depp, you've also got

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1106809187164656542005-01-27T16:58:00.000+10:002005-01-27T16:59:47.166+10:00

If you've got a decent connection speed, this really brings the funny. Honest.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1106809083757014022005-01-27T16:11:00.000+10:002005-01-27T16:58:03.756+10:00

Alright. So I'm planning on getting some shit done this year. Work's work. I can't really talk about what I'm working on at the moment without getting into trouble, so I won't. Just on the off chance, you know? But I think I'm getting better at working a little bit smarter, and the many little bumps along the way are rolling off my back more easily than ever. I also feel like I'm developing a

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1106806260974614842005-01-27T16:05:00.000+10:002005-01-27T17:00:18.666+10:00

Man, everyone's doing better than me at this whole blogging thing. My second-best mate Ian (for whom I have no link at present, sadly) has actually written a blog good enough that someone's publishing it as a book. He's also now got two other books on the go, as a result. Dammit. My other second-best mate Honey is doing a bang-up job on her blog, dealing with the big issues in a serious,

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1106193546720779232005-01-20T13:39:00.000+10:002005-01-20T13:59:06.720+10:00

Just between you, me and the lamp-post, I'm kinda pleased that Top Ten thing is over. For one thing, I've wanted to post other stuff here, but haven't wanted to break the continuity. Plus, I've had to wait until I'm in the mood to rave about a particular game before I can post it, so this whole process has taken longer than I thought it would, even though I've only spent about 10 minutes or so

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1106192288975236832005-01-20T13:22:00.000+10:002005-01-20T13:38:08.976+10:00

Alright. Now we're talking. I've had little luck explaining the appeal of this game to people. So I won't waste too many keystrokes attempting to do so here. But pretty much everyone (with the exception of the missus, I have to admit) who plays it is pretty much blown away. It even appeals to those who claim to hate racing games. Because most of it isn't one. There's something truly inspired

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1106104820371333242005-01-19T13:11:00.000+10:002005-01-19T13:20:20.370+10:00

Well, I've already talked about this game a little bit here. I'm not sure how much more I really ought to say. Halo 2 is just the complete package, as far as I'm concerned. I don't buy into criticisms that it's not innovative enough, or not significantly different to other, similar titles. Fact is, no other game combines all the things that make Halo 2 great into such a comprehensive, fun,

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1105589956576168712005-01-13T13:59:00.000+10:002005-01-13T14:34:35.456+10:00

The original Pirates! was one of the best games ever. No question. It was lightyears ahead of its time, with free-roaming, non-linear gameplay, the ability to pick and choose your allegiances, and a simple but dynamic system of economics and diplomacy that kept the simulated Caribbean in a constant state of flux. You could make your influence felt, certainly, but there was always the sense of a

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1105320531614397372005-01-10T10:54:00.000+10:002005-01-10T11:31:54.526+10:00

Alright, so this one also wins an additional bonus award for "most cumbersome title". But hey - it's still a superb game. This game is the very definition of a dark horse. A game based on a film, for one thing. And a film that nobody liked, for another. Plus, most of us hadn't heard of the developer (Starbreeze). There was no way that this was going to be a good game. But somehow, it came out of

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1104981843390810262005-01-06T13:15:00.000+10:002005-01-06T14:33:11.173+10:00

It's perhaps somewhat telling that I feel that I need to explain - not why this game is worthy of inclusion on this list, but why it's only at #5. That's the sort of regard in which Half-Life 2 is held. So, obviously, it's a great game, by any sensible measure. Play it. Technically, it's without peer. It features some stunning scripted gameplay sequences, the most convincing characters in any

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1104981320279013412005-01-06T13:08:00.000+10:002005-01-06T13:16:48.163+10:00

A triumph of style and personality. Though it's technically impressive and beautifully designed, it's the art direction and character design of Sly 2 that really makes it a winner. The game is simply a joy to play from beginning to end, and although it won't last you forever, and mightn't be something that you keep coming back to, it's a ride you ought to experience. It's the best character

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1104909119929154572005-01-05T17:07:00.000+10:002005-01-05T17:11:59.930+10:00

Yet another game that's not getting nearly enough love. Sega's sequel to perhaps the most seminal arcade racer of all time is one of the best games of the year, and no fooling. Those that didn't think so simply didn't "get" the game. There's no realism on offer here, but there is speed, and beauty, and fun. Oh, and variety, challenge and longevity. And an arse-kickingly good soundtrack. Just try

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1104908790994446682005-01-05T17:00:00.000+10:002005-01-05T17:06:30.996+10:00

Now here's an absolute gem. It came out near the start of the year, and has been getting very little love in the "Game of the Year" stakes, but it's an absolute pearler. It's the best puzzle game ever, in fact. The addition of "Fever" both improves on the previous best puzzle game ever (Puyo Pop), and completely alters the strategy. But don't fret - you can still play "Classic" Puyo Pop as well.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1104908421405746592005-01-05T16:41:00.000+10:002005-01-05T17:00:21.406+10:00

Now, I haven't actually had that much time to spend with this game, but I couldn't not put it on the list. It's thoroughly original, has an astoundingly good soundtrack (seriously - get hold of the CD, if you can), and it's a whole lotta fun. It's impossible not to smile while playing this game. Sensational stuff. Now, we just need to cross our fingers for a PAL release. (Fat chance.)

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1104814745667906802005-01-04T14:54:00.000+10:002005-01-04T14:59:05.666+10:00

But I would like to use the #10 slot to give out a special award. #1 Most played of last year's games during 2004: Top Spin (Xbox). This has got to be one of the best games ever. Yes, it's a tennis game. You don't care much for tennis? That's cool, neither do I. But play this game, and just try to find something to dislike about it. I dare you. This game has brought on more intense rivalries

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1104814454688521172005-01-04T14:50:00.000+10:002005-01-04T14:54:14.690+10:00

I'm going to do a list of my Top Ten games of 2004 now. Please indulge me. A few things to note: 1. This is based entirely on how much I enjoyed the games in question, not on anything scientific or objective. So please don't be cranky with me. 2. I haven't played Ratchet and Clank 3, Metal Gear Solid 3 or Knight of the Old Republic 2 yet, and they all look like they'll be superb. Metal Gear

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1104814071583087112005-01-04T14:39:00.000+10:002005-01-04T14:49:15.750+10:00

Well, I was on holidays for a couple of weeks, and it seems like I took a break from the Internet as well. Sorry about that - I didn't mean for that to happen. I'm feeling more or less refreshed and re-invigorated now, after two weeks of doing not very much at all. Which is a good thing. I won't go into any great detail with what I got up to, as there's nothing more boring than someone rattling

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1103243004557136052004-12-17T10:23:00.000+10:002004-12-17T11:34:23.576+10:00

The Katamari Damashii website has some fantastic wallpapers, and some paper cut out thingies that you can print out and make. Highly recommended.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1103242459234802442004-12-17T10:12:00.000+10:002004-12-17T10:14:19.233+10:00

Even if, like me, you can't read it; you should still be excited by this.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1103008492316991822004-12-14T17:14:00.000+10:002004-12-14T17:15:41.496+10:00

You've gotta love the expression on this guy's face.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1102983069518495242004-12-14T10:03:00.000+10:002004-12-14T10:11:09.516+10:00

Now, this is probably going to interest an even smaller subset of you than even my usual brand of rubbish, but here goes. Personally, I think this is really bad news. I loved the Madden NFL games back on the old Sega MegaDrive (the Genesis, for you seppos), but since the Dreamcast came into my life, I've only had eyes for Sega's 2K (and latterly ESPN) series. But now they can't use real teams,

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1102898165648751102004-12-13T09:49:00.000+10:002004-12-13T11:06:24.773+10:00

Alright. We're almost there. It's the last Monday morning of the working year. Just the next few days to get through, the office Christmas party on Friday, and then I get to enjoy two glorious weeks off. Ahh. So, what's on the agenda? Well, firstly, I'm having a holiday at home, since the missus works retail, so will have to be within spitting distance of work throughout the festive season this

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1102657329742056892004-12-10T14:59:00.000+10:002004-12-10T16:01:08.273+10:00

Gaming on a computer has always been a bit hit and miss with me. My first experiences were with the VIC 20 and the Commodore 64. Great games, for their time, but you either had to physically type in the game code, or load from a casette drive, which would take hours, and often fail. Plus, you had to type some gibberish at the command line to get it to work. But one machine was much like another,

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1102550523199909962004-12-09T10:00:00.000+10:002004-12-09T10:02:03.200+10:00

I'm not sure that words can do justice to this image. I count at least eighteen different kinds of wrong, and around five flavours of hilarious. See if you can do better.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1102480064647814242004-12-08T14:27:00.000+10:002004-12-08T14:29:36.676+10:00

I'm loving Half-Life 2, still, sure. But really, I'd rather be plundering the Spanish Main, like I used to in the bad old days. Well, 1987, to be precise. The remake of Sid Meier's Pirates! (one of the best games of all time - no question) is a balls-out success. You should all be playing it right now. I insist. Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1102479689101482732004-12-08T14:17:00.000+10:002004-12-08T14:21:59.320+10:00

Last weekend was the Australian Game Developers Conference. It all went pretty well, I reckon. Most of the audience seemed to be awake by the end of my lecture, and a few of them even asked questions. I was worried that I didn’t have enough material, but in the end I actually ended up going over time, and not getting through everything I wanted to cover. Which is actually a positive result, I

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1101447924379662062004-11-26T15:45:00.000+10:002004-11-26T15:45:24.380+10:00

Well, after an initial binge, and then a bit of a gameplaying famine, I finally found a bit of time to finish off Halo 2. It's hard to think of what to say about it, since so much has been said elsewhere. Let me run through a couple of points quickly, however: 1. Some people thought the plot was shit. These people were not paying attention. 2. Some people didn't like the ending. It's clearly

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1101362500722649082004-11-25T16:01:00.000+10:002004-11-25T16:03:33.083+10:00

A baby tapir. Just because.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1101361906469832722004-11-25T15:44:00.000+10:002004-11-25T15:57:42.286+10:00

Now, I've had this game pre-ordered for a while. I've been looking forward to it ever since it was announced, having thoroughly enjoyed the prequel. It was one of the best games of last year. But now IGN's review has me a bit worried. 1. Why is it that when you make a sequel to a good game, it always has to be "darker" and more "moody" than the original? Nintendo figured out that it didn't have

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1101361437005920052004-11-25T15:42:00.000+10:002004-11-25T15:43:57.006+10:00

Go on, post a comment. It'll make my day. Seriously.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1101361263066125922004-11-25T15:30:00.000+10:002004-11-25T15:41:03.066+10:00

Have you seen that episode of Black Books where Manny stays up all night drinking espresso and watching The Sweeney? That's kind of what I've been like the last couple of weeks. I've fallen into the habit of drinking three cups of coffee from our new coffee machine each day at work, which has become something of a problem. Now, I'm not some sort of coffee lightweight - the trick is that I'm

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1101171221471171302004-11-23T10:29:00.000+10:002004-11-23T10:56:56.050+10:00

It's been a while. I actually got really disheartened with this whole blogging thing when I installed a hit counter on this site that actually tells me if people are looking at it. Big mistake. Nobody was, at all, so I kind of gave up on it. But I happened to check back again today, and I see that a few people have looked, and it seems that they've looked because of two lovely lasses who've

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1099631944037284522004-11-05T14:29:00.001+10:002004-11-05T15:27:56.830+10:00

Mmm. Suggestive song titles. Gotta love 'em. Sorry for the interruption to what had become a good little run of regular posts. There was a 4-day weekend, and then our Internet connection was down for a couple of days. I doubt anyone missed me. I lost money on the Melbourne Cup, sadly. I put $20 on Mamool, who came dead motherless last in 2003, believing that the horse had something to prove. I

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1099031288935635572004-10-29T16:18:00.000+10:002004-10-29T16:28:08.936+10:00

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

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098925038039388562004-10-28T10:56:00.000+10:002004-10-28T10:57:18.040+10:00

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!

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098923922355599162004-10-28T10:30:00.000+10:002004-10-28T10:38:42.356+10:00

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,

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098922588673106252004-10-28T10:15:00.000+10:002004-10-28T10:16:28.673+10:00

Just try and tell me that this doesn't look like the best game ever. Go on. Try. I dare you.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098858235487735152004-10-27T16:05:00.000+10:002004-10-27T16:23:55.486+10:00

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

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098756518702488452004-10-26T13:03:00.000+10:002004-10-26T12:08:38.703+10:00

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

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098691289001929542004-10-25T18:01:00.000+10:002004-10-25T18:01:29.000+10:00

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

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098691190192653772004-10-25T17:20:00.000+10:002004-10-25T17:59:50.193+10:00

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

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098428339720619502004-10-22T16:47:00.000+10:002004-10-22T16:58:59.723+10:00

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.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098406641174484992004-10-22T10:56:00.000+10:002004-10-22T10:57:21.176+10:00

Take a look at this website. Pretty neat, eh?

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098167511450411842004-10-19T16:19:00.000+10:002004-10-19T16:36:07.700+10:00

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

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098152776267882392004-10-19T13:26:00.000+10:002004-10-19T12:27:15.196+10:00

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

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098151948389838802004-10-19T11:34:00.000+10:002004-10-19T12:12:28.390+10:00

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

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1098059941681660472004-10-18T10:34:00.000+10:002004-10-18T10:39:01.680+10:00

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.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1097819943270509572004-10-15T15:59:00.000+10:002004-10-15T16:01:03.466+10:00

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.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1097818398610282412004-10-15T15:16:00.000+10:002004-10-15T15:36:45.130+10:00

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

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1097816843682992622004-10-15T15:07:00.000+10:002004-10-15T15:07:23.683+10:00

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.

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3882674.post-1097814776203412002004-10-15T14:15:00.000+10:002004-10-15T14:34:08.886+10:00

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

VFDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18145736624388012926noreply@blogger.com0