18th August, 2008 (9:31 pm)
The Day I Possibly Went Crazy (9)
There’s something within me, something buried down deep beneath the cynicism and sarcasm, that
secretly covets Singstar.
I know. I’m ashamed of me too.
Comments: (9)
18th August, 2008 (9:53 am)
The Day I Was Back. No, REALLY (7)
Apologies for being MIA? Promises that I won’t do it again? Lather, rinse, repeat the last fifty-nine billion times I’ve said this and then move on.
In my defense, I came back to the UK with a chest infection that I carried around with me in excess of a week, and I’ve been trying to occupy my son during my stint of the childcare over the summer holidays. That said, I AM now back, and will updated accordingly over the next few days. Scouts Honour.
The reason I can be so certain of this pledge? We’re fucking skint and I cannot afford to leave the house until payday on Friday. Heh.
Comments: (7)
8th August, 2008 (1:34 pm)
The Day With Dead Space (8)
So. Dead Space.
When this opportunity first came about, I posted over at SHHF, asking for questions, suggestions, ideas etc. on what to ask when I got there. The response I got to my plea? ‘Varied’ barely covers it. EA isn’t typically a studio survival horror fans have much time for, so scraping past the barely-contained hostility (”What the hell is EA doing, touching survival horror?” “Why the fuck are they interested in SHHF anyway?”) I did discover a reluctant interest in the new title. As a collective the Silent Hill Community can be a humourless, hyper-sensitive and hyper-critical bunch who often slate the games they love never mind the ones they loathe (no offense, guys - I love you and I’m one of you, but you know it’s true), but it was clear that many fans have been following the development of the game from when it first hit our consciousness. And whilst others had only possessed a mild interest to date, they were prepared to hear more nonetheless. Enter Vixx.
I had two things in the front of my mind when I accepted the invitation to head off to the EA studio in Redwood City, CA: 1) it’s going to suck if I’m the only female there and 2) I’m not going to say it’s good if it turns out to be crap, even if they are flying me out. I can’t be bought cheaply (well, I can, but not when it comes to gaming) and if I’m going to say that it rocks, it’s really going to have to rock - completely, utterly and equivocally. This meant that I spent much of the flight over in a blind, sweaty panic, wondering how the hell I could phrase OMG THIS GAME SUCKS DONKEY BALLS politely enough not to sever my newly-formed links with EA forever.
I needn’t have worried. Dead Space rocked. (And I was one of two females in the thirty-two strong crowd. Awesome.)
It was hard to know what to expect initially. DS had been touted to me as a Silent-Hill-Meets-Event-Horizon extravaganza, and while that sounded cool enough . . . well, I think I’m the only person on the planet who was bored stupid of Event Horizon. You know I’m a horror girl - I’m all about the jumps and the bumps and the gore. Sc-Fi’s okay but it’s never been my genre of choice, so it was hard for me to imagine being as scared shitless running through a shiny, clean futuristic environment as I am stomping through a dark, abandoned hospital or creepy-ass school. Silent Hill works because it twists every day normality, so how can a game set 500 years in the future possibly engage me in the same way?
It does. It does because whilst the environment is new, what you’re fighting isn’t (check this amazing trailer to find out more). Much like the enemies of SH2, the fact that you’re fighting creatures that, despite their deformities, are of human origin is a truly horrific twist - and there’s something so sad, so pitiful about that. I was drenched in dismay right up until I had my torso sliced in half by one of the necromorphs - funnily enough, I’m now no longer so humanitarian about it all. :p I tell you though, it has been some time since I died THAT MUCH and THAT OFTEN in a game. The enemies are bloody FAST and it doesn’t take much before you’re nothing but a pile of chopped meat.
A full write up, including details of my interview with the development team (they’re all big fans of Silent Hill, and are clean and open about the fact that if they want to make the most frightening game to date, they know that it’s Silent Hill they need to top) and my gameplay experience will be posted on SHHF shortly - along with the TRULY nerdy stuff that I tried to suppress here - but suffice to say, it was badass. The lack of HUD didn’t bother me - survival horror is all about being immersed into the gameplay anyways - but the fact you can’t pause the action when you’re in your inventory or map (i.e. no respite from getting your ass kicked) is pure revolution, as is the holographic ammo display when you arm a gun (essential: ammo is SCARCE) and your protagonist, Issac Clark’s, life metre, which runs up his spine. There are no cut scenes or movies - that’s right, all the screenshots you’ve seen to date are in-game - so NOTHING takes you out of the game and the player retains control of the character for 99% of the time. Strategic dismemberment means that you not only need to shoot sparingly but also accurately, and learn as much as you can about the enemies in order to dispatch them quickly and effectively. There’s no point holding the gun up and firing randomly; if you don’t shoot smartly, taking out limbs and tentacles strategically, you’re going to do nothing but to piss off some of these bad boys . . . and you really don’t want that.
My final tip? Stamp on every motherfucking body you see, alien or not. Trust nothing and no-one, as anyone of them could be infected and bite you on the ass the moment you turn your back. Literally.
Comments: (8)
3rd August, 2008 (10:14 pm)
The Day With the Brevity (7)
ARRGH. Updating this place has replaced my Japanese homework as my must-put-off-for-as-long-as-possible thing. Sorry. My bad.
In the interest of brevity (it’s late, I’ve got work tomorrow, I had a late one last night, a long day looming and have shitloads to do) here’s a bullet list to assure you that I’m neither dead nor, um, dying.
- France: REMIND ME TO UPDATE PROPERLY ABOUT THIS. We went to France for three days to visit one of my BFFs. It was all kinds of good, so much so that we’ve all been in something of a post-visit blues since returning Thursday. Sob.
- San Francisco: I know, I know - I haven’t updated you properly and now, you’ll have to wait until I come back to get the details. But the crux is, I’ve been invited by EA games on an all expenses visit to their HQ in San Francisco and give their latest survival horror title, Dead Space, a try. That’s right - ALL EXPENSES PAID.
Like I said, I’ll fill you in properly on the hows and whys and wheres when I get back Thursday, but I’m excited and scared and worried (could be elaborate grooming process and I’m going to end up in some sick bloke’s steak pie by the end of Tuesday) but . . . it’s just too good an opportunity, isn’t it? How can I not go? So yes, I’m a little concerned that I won’t be a good enough gamer (read: SHIT) and I’m pretty sure I’m the only contributor with tits.
If it makes you feel better, I’m only going for one night. Yes - I’m travelling zillions of miles to play a video game and stay ONE NIGHT. It’s stupid, but I’m having to come back a day early in order to ensure I’m here for little S’s birthday. (am bad mother for going?!). On the plus side, I don’t think I’m there long enough to even drum up jetlag. Heh.
- 5th Birthday: S turns five on Thursday - can you believe it? Today was his birthday party. (mental note: also write this up, V, before you forget). It all went to plan - yay - and it meant that my very best (non-French) friend had to cart herself, her man and her kiddies - including her newborn daughter - up to stay with us. I spent most of the weekend smelling baby E’s head (there’s something about the smell of a newborn scalp that makes my uterus simultaneously sigh and contract) and making plans to kidnap her. My plans were thwarted when I was asked to be her godmother. As no-one has ever deigned to entrust me with their offspring before (I have no nieces and my one nephew - M’s sister’s son - has yet to be Christened, although I quite frankly I don’t think I’m going to make the cut anyway) I promptly burst into tears and then had to abandon my plans to steal her. Bugger.
- Work: Got payrise. Have scandalous salary now. Tis awesome. Ironically still think am very poor though (we were broke so badly for so long) and agonise over everything I buy. Bought myself a Time Capsule today, but only after long argument with myself as I had also recently upgraded my XBox 360 and and Rockband etc, and so was being frivolous. M pointed out that the latter was a gift funded 90% by birthday donations and that I was being an arse. I agreed and hit ‘order’. Now feel sick with guilt.
- M’s work: M been promoted! He’s switching to shifts, which is hard, but am so, so proud of him - this is only the second job he’s ever gone for in ten years, and he was so anxious about it all. Will also update properly next weekend.
- Online Stuff: I’m lagging on blogs, LJ and forums of late. Eep. Sorry if I seem absent and I haven’t commented. Normal service will resume when I’m back on Thursday. I’m on leave for a fortnight then, so will probably veg around the house for two days and then pronounce that I’m bored. At that point you’ll probably be sick of my 27 updates a day. Apologies in advance.
- Misc.: There’s more. I’m certain of it. Only now it’s even later than when I started and I have to go to bed before I crash on my Mighty Mouse, so I probably need to leave it there. Can’t be bothered to proofread, either . . . hmm, that can’t be good - but I’m sure you kind souls will point out my numerous errors. In the meantime . . . how are you? Good? What have you been up to? Tell me all.
Comments: (7)
20th July, 2008 (9:46 pm)
The Day With the Love (9)
I love ya, baby.
And yeah,I know you love mes too. Tisn othing to do with alcolhol, don’t you know.
Comments: (9)
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