I'd like you to say hello to Sam...

He's a bit tired now as he's had a busy day. Two strenuous walks, some general frolicking, learning how to sit and winning a gold cup in a Frisbee catching competition has taken it out of him a bit, and it is past 11 o'clock which is far too late for a young puppy.

Before I get too carried away let me explain, this is Nintendo's new attempt at a non-game, called Nintendogs. In it you interact with a puppy using the Nintendo DS touch screen and microphone with the general aim to keep him or her happy and to try to train the puppy to be a good and obedient young dog.

Frankly it terrifies me, partly from the lifelike behavior and animation of the dogs, but mainly because I'm scared of being investigated by the RSPCA if I forget to turn my DS on at least twice a day to feed the damn thing.

Makes a bit of a change from shooting things in the face...

just noticed I've had this drafted in Blogger but didn't post it for some reason, posting this Monday night...

I may have been a bit premature about the Doom film, a new trailer has been released which is starting to sway my opinion. Don't get me wrong, the film still looks like it will mainly suck, but this new trailer shows quite a few of the First Person Scenes (ie the bits that look just like the game) and you know, they look great! The part at the end of the trailer involving a pinky demon and (/takes a moment to compose himself) a chainsaw (eek!) is especially pleasing.

To compensate for the previous crappy post here's a link to a game that should take your mind off it...

The most exciting thing that has happened to me this week is I got home last night to find that someone has dug up the hedge that was outside the front of my house. OK, it was dead - and had been dead for about a year - just seems a bit odd that someone suddenly decided it had to go. Must be some sort of portent...

Another weekend, another step closer to some sort of mental breakdown I reckon...

Anyway, can't be bothered to write anything - just thought I'd point you in the direction of the page for my new phone. Just a few pictures of people in pubs, some mild vandalism on a train and a few pictures of The Streets at the Brixton Academy from Friday (verdict: they were OK I guess).

That is all.

End of an era, here are the last pictures from my old phone, as expected they are of drunk people - very very drunk people.

So, the new phone - the fancy pants Walkman Phone. How's it gone so far? Very well indeed, the music player works very well: let's you mess around with equaliser levels and create playlists on the fly and since it seems to be separated to the phone's main applications you can leave the music playing and mess around with the rest of the phones features without worrying about it. The camera is really good, quite like the panorama shooting mode that let's you join three pictures together, anyway here's a few average quality pictures to show off what it can do:

dicking around with effects
standard picture
even the box is cool
panorama at work
playing with the macro
panorama at home

Any bad points? Well, the games are shite considering this thing should be able to handle Java 3D applications - and I'm damned if I can get it to connect to my laptop via bluetooth (although that is more likely my laptops fault), those are the only ones I'm having problems with.

That's enough attempting to inject some meaning into my life with inanimate objects, back to the site. Anyone interested in videogame soundtracks? I've brought a few recently, samples and opinions over here...

Videogame soundtracks...

Killer7 Original Soundtrack
I haven't exactly hidden the fact that I love this game, I've mentioned the amazing visuals and the fact that it has a really deep storyline several times. Another thing that makes this game is the soundtrack, it really left an impression. It's pretty much all over the place, it has a strange dubby country soundtrack during the Cloudman levels, just before boss levels it leaps into Euro Disco of all things, and there is another level which uses cheesy music from a kids power ranger-esque show. My favorite bits though are the dark brooding cinematic moments though. This song is played whenever you enter a 'TV-room', this is Killer 7's equivalent of a save game menu; A dark room illuminated only by a TV set where you can talk to Iwazaru the friendly ethereal gimp and get Samantha the nurse to save your game (if she is feeling nice that is). This song really does make the atmosphere all the more creepy and dreamlike...

MP3: Multiple Personality

Lumines Remixes
So hands up who is getting a PSP next month, or hands up who has been impatient and already got one. Either way, one game you will want in your collection is Lumines - the PSP's Tetris if you will. It's a simple looking puzzle game where you arrange blocks of 4 squares into different patterns of 4 squares which are cleared from the level by a bar which constantly sweeps across the screen. The music plays quite an important part in this as the speed of the bar is directly linked to the tempo of the song playing for that level. It's not a game to show off the graphic capabilities of the machine, but it's easily one of the most additive games available for the PSP. Anyway, have a listen to this to see what you think. I have to admit the soundtrack is a bit empty on it's own, when playing the game you are constantly adding extra ambient noises by your actions, and some of the best songs aren't on this CD due to licensing restrictions (boo!), still someone may like this tune.

MP3: WORKING IN THE HOLE

Gamer's Guide To Rez
Rez was a fantastic game originally released for the Sega Dreamcast console. Essentially it's an on rails shooter, but the makers made a real point of synthesizing music and imagery with the gameplay. As you progressed through the level the scenery grew and the soundtrack became richer, when it came out on the Playstation 2 they introduced a further physical component with something called a 'Trance Vibrator' (ahem!), a rumble pack which you were meant to sit on to further immerse yourself in the game. And no, I didn't get one! The music was very much influenced by modern techno and electronica with artists such as Ken Ishii, Adam Freeland and Oval (they had a really odd level, it had no end and you couldn't die, the only aim was seemingly to induce a stroke or something) contributing. Mainly what you got was bounding beats as evidenced by this track:

MP3: Rock Is Sponge (Area04)

So, I just phoned up Vodafone to check when I'm allowed to upgrade my mobile phone. Trouble is I phoned up to check on exactly the same day that the fancy pants Sony Ericsson W800i walkman phone is being released, complete coincidence - honestly!

Anyway, to cut a long story short: mines arriving on Monday and yes I did have to pay a bit for the upgrade, but like pr0n if you want quality it's better to pay that little bit extra...

Got a link to a game for you, it's called Golf?

It's a golf game (quelle surprise) with Dali-esque wireframe artwork, it has a golf cart that handles like the buggy in HalfLife 2, and for some reason: alcoholic floating caddies.

I quite like it, doesn't run on my lap top very well, but my work PC seems to handle it - not that I'm playing games at work - no sirree, that would be wrong...

I don't think we need to dwell on the football this weekend do we? I'm talking of the Leicester result of course. *sigh*

I spent a lot of this weekend finishing off Killer 7 so I thought I'd post a few comments as it's quite an important game IMHO. Gameplay wise I'm in two minds, part of me is impressed with the bold decisions they made by stripping the usual action adventure controls to a uniquely minimal set (you move by pressing one button to run - the only other control you have over the character is when you get to a junction and get to choose a direction to move), however I think the first person shooting bits could have been better. You are rooted to the spot when shooting, so the usual circle strafing associated with first person shooting games is thrown out of the window, in fact these bits play more like an old lightgun game - which begs the question why not throw in lightgun support?

As for design you can't help but admire it. From the strange graphics engine with it's unique cel-shading, the way enemies explode in a shower of blood droplets, the bold colours and minimal texturing to the manga sequence which intercut each level - you can see a lot of thought has been put into the visual presentation of the game. The soundtrack is just as well thought out, I'll write about that later though as I've ordered the CD soundtrack from Play-Asia, and I think it warrants consideration on it's own.

Then there is the story, intriguing and clever are two words that come to mind. On the surface it's a surreal tale about an assassin with 7 personalities (each of which can take on a physical form) hunting down a cult of terrorists called Heaven's Smile. But it's so much more than that, there is a whole subtle and clever critique of Japanese American relations since the end of World War II (made even more poignant with the anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima) lurking in cut scenes , conversations and symbolism buried within the game. It's the sort of thing that I'm not capable of analysis by myself, luckily someone else already has over here - makes a very interesting read if you have completed the game.

Don't think I'll play a game like that for sometime - next one on the list: Nintendogs... It's a puppy simulator *gulp*

The picture of Kinga is troubling me a bit (a whole wine bottle?!), so here's a picture of the new Kid606 album which is less scary:

more details and an mp3 over here...

for his mum...

Kid606 - Resilience
Hurrah! A new Kid606 album, I've been hearing rumours of this album for quite some time, a Kid606 album with proper tunes? Surely not? Well, it's true! This album (dedicated to his Mum - all together now: ahhh!) is full of cute little tunes which sort of swing between selected ambient works era Aphex Twin and modern RnB. There's still plenty of 'Kid606'-ness in here, but it's much less abrasive than some of the things he's done, and it has strings! Strings I tell you! Never thought I'd here anything like that on one of his albums. Anyway, very nice CD - completely pain in the ass to get hold of so it will be criminally ignored as usual. *sigh*

MP3: Spanish Song

Well... it's a hobby I guess. What next? A spot of light fisting maybe?

Something different to the normal "I watched/played/read product x today, it's really good/shit, I think you should buy/avoid it"-post I think.

If you only know me from this site you may not know that I've got a maths degree - I don't mention it too much, what with the games, comic books and career in IT I'm geeky enough I think!

Not wanting to sound too big headed but when I was at school doing my GCSE's, and later on at college during my painfully metal phase when I was doing my A-Levels, I found Maths to be something I was pretty good at. I ended up with two Maths A-Levels at grade A, so naturally I chose a straight Maths degree at university - the trouble is degree level Mathematics is pretty dull: mainly learning very dry fundamental theorems that don't seem to have much practical application. It wasn't until my third year when things got interesting: fractal geometry, fluid dynamics, topology and (the fashionable at the time) chaos theory - all sorts of fun filled stuff which I had great fun teasing philosophy students with. Anyway, after three years I ended up with a fairly mediocre level degree (mainly down to learning how to drink very hard), but I still find I have the odd moment when I have an interest in the subject.

So where's this going? Well I have a couple of links for you. First one is the most unfortunately named mathematical theorem ever (fnar fnar), and the second is this flash game based on an idea by a maths graduate - it's driving me insane!

I got an album today by a band who look like this:

Now let's take a moment to examine the scene...

He appears to be playing a guitar with a broken hand whilst flicking his middle finger at the world in general and with what could quite possibly be a mains lead in his mouth. The band are called Wolf Eyes and they could very well be responsible for the noisiest CD I've bought this year.

For that feat alone they should be congratulated.

*edit* Plus that picture sums up my current attitude to Mondays, work, Microsoft Sharepoint, Sainsbury's Be Good To Yourself Cup-a-Soups, and anyone who dares invade my personal space very nicely indeed...

cry wolf...

Wolf Eyes - Burned Mind
I've been holding off buying this album for quite some time as frankly it scares me a bit: it's got a drawing of a crow pecking at a couple of decapitated heads on the front cover, and from what I gathered from various reviews it was meant to be pretty unlistenable. Well, I say unlistenable, but it still got very good reviews in things like The Wire and Pitchfork - so I thought its about time I gave it a go. Well, I quite like it! It's definitely not for a lot of people, but if you like the really (and I mean REALLY) noisy bits in some Sonic Youth songs, have a bit of a soft spot for Grindcore and can have a chuckle along to most of Kid 606's Down with the scene album then I think you'll like this too.

MP3: Village Oblivia