willpower [ˈwɪlˌpaʊə]
n
1. the ability to control oneself and determine one's actions
2. firmness of will
From today, from right now actually, I will be testing the extent of my own willpower. Willpower seems to be a rare commodity these days. It seems that as everyone has gotten used to getting whatever they want, whenever they want and without any repercussions, the need to exercise any level of self control has been eroded in all but the very best of us. Just like patience, willpower is a virtue and as such should be something we nurture and aspire towards improving. It all seems simple enough: Take a situation and balance the temptation or instant gains against the motivation to resist. For example, I want to eat a large chocolate cake (really I do, there's one downstairs calling to me right now) and it will taste good, but I know that if I don't eat the cake I'll not spoil my diet and might just start to lose some weight. The instant gains is a chocolaty sugar high but my motivation is losing my pot belly. As soon as my motivation seems less than the instant gains that's when my willpower kicks in and common sense says, "Leave the cake alone!"
As a Christian I was taught to not give in to temptation and every Lent I would give something up, usually sweets, for 40 days before Easter. While it's been nearly 17 years since I last followed religion that early indoctrination has left me with a will of iron. Or so I thought. I recent times I've noticed just how readily I give in to any urge to spend money, eat junk or otherwise do things I know I'd be better off not doing. So, this week I will not buy anything that is not essential, not eat anything that is not the minimum to not get ill and generally say no to the little version of myself who has red horns and a tail and perches on my shoulder demanding cake. If all goes well I'll brag about it next week.
cheers,
R.
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Monday, 28 June 2010
Music Monday - Week 2
Knowing how much I fail at regular updates I'm disproportionately proud that today marks week 2 of Music Monday! Wooo yay! I was a little unsure about this band. I found them in the basement of Rock City supporting Million Dead on their final tour. They were the second best support act I didn't previously know (The Cooper Temple Clause are number 1). They have enjoyed such critical acclaim as Men Only (yes the porn mag) saying, "Well, you could probably not like them if you don't like your bands to scream their heads off and play riotous rock music, and by King Dong's false dick do they scream!" I love them in a far more hetero way than they love Johnny Depp. Enjoy, or be repulsed by, Gay For Johnny Depp.
cheers,
R.
http://www.gayforjohnnydepp.com/
cheers,
R.
http://www.gayforjohnnydepp.com/
I'm no photographer but...
cheers,
R
Oh yeah! England lost 4 -1 to Germany today. Sooo, I have a suggestion for Fabio Capello and the F.A. - Tell those lazy, prima donna, over paid and under skilled shelf stackers but for being able to kick a ball (but not when it matters, they're playing for England on any other time they're not group f*****g slappers) to go and find another job. The fact is Wayne Rooney didn't play well or score a single goal in the dismal performances they put on in South Africa. That makes him distinctly average at best so pull your collective heads out his arse and play someone who might actually play with some pride and more importantly self respect.
Monday, 21 June 2010
Music Monday
In a probably failed attempt to provide at least some regular content to this blog I thought I'd use Monday nights to share some of my recommendations for bands and albums to light up your stereo and excite your ears. First up is cats:for:peru who hail from Sheffield. They recently release their debut album which I thoroughly recommend you pick up if you can. They have some great tracks on myspace my personal favourite being 'Love in a Lift' and they sound like "Perfect avant-pop that John Peel would undoubtedly be championing" according to Sandman Magazine. What more can I say except to suggest you also find out the story behind the name.
cheers,
R.
cheers,
R.
It's not just cinema....
...where it's the experience that counts. Today I had run out of squash. Considering how warm it is the lack of orange flavour beverage is an inconvenience sufficient to make me go and get more. So far so pointless. But in getting ready to go out I realised there's been something missing in my life for more than a year now, something that is most definitely one of the simple pleasures of life. In my usual ritual as I left the house I picked up my wallet and keys and pressed play on my phone's mp3 player. 'To Die For' by Hell is for Heroes started to play and swept me back to a memory of the day I'd bought the album, taken it home and slotted the cd into my stereo.
Now we all know how vinyl sounds better but I found my self missing something more than the crystal clear sounds that cheap headphones and low quality mp3 rips can't provide. I miss the very ritual of selecting a cd, lifting open the jewel case and placing the disc into the waiting mouth of my stereo. Playing music from a physical format, whether cd, vinyl or tape, provides an experience that only enhances the wondrous sounds that emanate from the speakers. Just like going to a cinema, paying ridiculous amounts for stale popcorn and choosing your favourite seat add to watching a movie no amount of clicking play on a mp3 player or on a media player will ever replicate that lovely mini ritual of using a physical cd, lowering the needle onto LP or the satisfying clunk click of pressing play on a tape deck.
cheers,
R.
Now we all know how vinyl sounds better but I found my self missing something more than the crystal clear sounds that cheap headphones and low quality mp3 rips can't provide. I miss the very ritual of selecting a cd, lifting open the jewel case and placing the disc into the waiting mouth of my stereo. Playing music from a physical format, whether cd, vinyl or tape, provides an experience that only enhances the wondrous sounds that emanate from the speakers. Just like going to a cinema, paying ridiculous amounts for stale popcorn and choosing your favourite seat add to watching a movie no amount of clicking play on a mp3 player or on a media player will ever replicate that lovely mini ritual of using a physical cd, lowering the needle onto LP or the satisfying clunk click of pressing play on a tape deck.
cheers,
R.
You know your job? I could do it better!!
I've been telling people I'd do this for a while, ever since I multi-tasked watching Pirates of the Caribbean while playing Red Dead Redemption, and finally got around to it. The following is an electronic communication I sent to Rockstar games via the mouthoff link on their website:
I'm writing for 2 reasons. Firstly to say thank you for making, and congratulations on the success of, the GTA series and Red Dead Redemption. Everytime a new game is released it devours my freetime like Cookie Monster does cookies.
Secondly, I had an idea not so long ago that I hope other people suggest too and you consider making into a game. In a nutshell the game would be similar to GTA or RDR in mechanic but would be set both on land and at sea in the heyday of pirates (the swashbuckling kind not internet thieves). I see a game mixing ship battles, treasure hunting, fighting off the good guys and generally making mischief while also providing a mix of watery shenanigans and the hunting gathering stuff from RDR. So that's my idea, GTA Black Beard! (I wouldn't use that title!)
Thanks again for the awesome games and hours of fun, and for reading this.
cheers,
R.
If I get a reply I will post it here too but I'm pretty sure they pay talented people to come up with ideas rather than listen to self important, deluded crazies like me. And while I'm doing other people's jobs...Oi! Capello play 4-4-1-1 Gerrard behind Rooney, if that doesn't work play Crouch with Defoe and hope for the best!
cheers,
R.
I'm writing for 2 reasons. Firstly to say thank you for making, and congratulations on the success of, the GTA series and Red Dead Redemption. Everytime a new game is released it devours my freetime like Cookie Monster does cookies.
Secondly, I had an idea not so long ago that I hope other people suggest too and you consider making into a game. In a nutshell the game would be similar to GTA or RDR in mechanic but would be set both on land and at sea in the heyday of pirates (the swashbuckling kind not internet thieves). I see a game mixing ship battles, treasure hunting, fighting off the good guys and generally making mischief while also providing a mix of watery shenanigans and the hunting gathering stuff from RDR. So that's my idea, GTA Black Beard! (I wouldn't use that title!)
Thanks again for the awesome games and hours of fun, and for reading this.
cheers,
R.
If I get a reply I will post it here too but I'm pretty sure they pay talented people to come up with ideas rather than listen to self important, deluded crazies like me. And while I'm doing other people's jobs...Oi! Capello play 4-4-1-1 Gerrard behind Rooney, if that doesn't work play Crouch with Defoe and hope for the best!
cheers,
R.
Do you vuvu? Or why the world cup sounds like angry bees
I'm watching Italy play New Zealand in their second group game. The part timers for New Zealand, affectionately known as "the all whites" and sponsored by Michael Barrymore's Strike It Lucky, are currently holding the defending champions to a 1 all draw and the noise of the vuvuzela is as constant and tuneless as ever. By now all that needs to be said about the world's most irritating bit of plastic, [insert Jordan joke here], has been. Unfortunately it seems they are here to stay, for this world cup at least and if nothing else they provide a talking point to distract from the woeful football on display from the seeded teams. Blame the ball, blame the altitude, blame the girlfriend reporting from behind the goal line or the fan looking for a toilet in the dressing room but whatever you do don't blame the players...they might cry.
cheers,
R.
[Edit] FT 1-1 Well done NZ!
[Edit Edit] had to repost due to my own ineptitude which makes this appear a day late
cheers,
R.
[Edit] FT 1-1 Well done NZ!
[Edit Edit] had to repost due to my own ineptitude which makes this appear a day late
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Batman: Arkham Asylum - Ps3 review
As I write this its 1:35am on 15/02/2010. About an hour ago I decide to start writing a review of the game that has consumed the vast majority of my free time over the last three weeks. I was full of praise and compliments for the game that has proven to be videogame smack for me and my PS3. The essence of this game is to beat a high score set so high by the game that merely being ok is not enough. Being good is also not good enough and quite frankly being employed, in a relationship or even thinking about other games is sufficient distraction to ensure those target scores mock you from their seemingly impossible lofty position. I was ready to heap praise on the addictive nature of the gameplay, the beautiful graphics and character animation that allow me to pre-empt the games next move in such a way that I appear to have Jedi style precognition. I say I was going to do this an hour ago because as my muscle memory hit retry again after what I promised myself was “just one more go” I remembered something. While I was thinking about how “great” this game is I remembered a conversation I had merely 2 days after buying the game. “A great game,” I said, “has to last me more than 2 days and this didn’t so I can only call it good.” It’s true that the story mode only took me 2 days to clear. Yes, this all consuming high-score fest actually has a story mode, a bloody good one at that. It’s also true that had Xbox not created achievements and PS3 not adopted trophies I may not have stuck with the masochistic task of reaching 100% completion. I beat the game on the hardest setting in a weekend. I watched the end credits role and sat back content with my success after less than 15 hours of play and, still hungry for more, launched the secondary game mode, you know, the one included just to make you feel like the game had reply value even after all the secrets of the story were out in the open. This was a game that I bought cheaply, second hand on a whim because it hadn’t excited me enough when it was first launched and friends who had bought it had been un-able to convince me to part with my cash. If you’re wondering why I haven’t named the game with opium rivalling addictive qualities it’s because I feel slightly embarrassed to have called the game merely “good” in the first place. While I do stand by my assertion that a game must last more than 2 days to be considered “great” I have learnt not to judge a game until I’ve tried every bit. I had fallen foul of the same mistake that the only person I know who owned and yet doesn’t adore Little Big Planet had by simply ignoring a large chunk of the available gameplay; a sinful omission I confess.
The game in question is: Batman Arkham Asylum. The secondary mode in question is, of course, the excellent Challenge Mode. As I said before I would have barely touched this mode were it not for the magpie like obsession I have with the shiny prizes that are PS3 trophies. By the end of my story play through and Riddler Challenge mop up session I had most of them already. Most; not some, not all, just most. To me there’s nothing worse than seeing my trophy list with games that have more than 50% trophies and not 100%. While I’m resigned to the fact I’ll never quite get 100% on everything, finding players online on Worms is like finding rocking horse faeces, I do strive to 100% any game that I enjoyed enough to earn over 50% on. So here I was, having just earned my Party Pooper trophy on Hard before going to beat the final boss in a triumphant flurry of button presses, loading the first challenge. Score 6000 point for one medal, 12000, for 2, 18000 for 3. “Easy” I thought as I pressed x and cracked my knuckles in preparation for yet another triumph. I failed. I scored about 3000 hard fought points and nearly died. Toys well and truly out of the pram and across the room I considered loading a new game on Easy just to mop up these trophies but after talking to a friend who hadn’t been man enough to play on Hard I discovered that Challenge mode is unaffected by the difficulty of Story mode. Back I went with a new respect for the leaders, and in all honesty everyone else, on the leader boards to give it another go. Soon I was able to press start, down, x, up, x quicker than I could think it (that’s the sequence to restart a challenge by the way) and also my scores were improving. I fought hard to achieve 1 medal on all the combat challenges will alternately breezing through the predator challenges, which are far closer to the way I chose to play through the story – by avoiding combat, only to find that I had to achieve all 3 medals on every challenge to earn my Perfect Knight 100% complete. Bugger!
Whatever my reasons for sticking with Challenge mode, sheer determination or unrepentant trophy whoring, I have to say that I would have given up by now were the combat system not so beautifully constructed. Batman has one button for striking, one for QTE counter attacks, one for stunning opponents and 2 specials which can only be triggered once you have achieved a sufficient combo. Add to that the ability to vault over an enemy, daze them with batarangs and drag them towards you Scorpion from Mortal Combat style with the advanced batclaw and on you have a simple to pick up yet fiendishly difficult to master combat system capable of reducing the worst of Arkham’s population to quivering heaps of broken bones and spinning heads. As I played I began to notice when an enemy was about to attack before the flashing indicator appeared above his head I also began to realise that simply surviving the 4 waves in each round was not enough to achieve those lofty targets needed to earn my 3 medals. And so I played on learning to plan my attacks as I went to maximise both my combo and the score it would bring. I can still press start, down, x, up, x quicker than I could think it but now it will be because I’ve lost my combo in round 4 not because I’m dying in Round 2.
My word processor tells me with authority that the above contains 1114 words within which I have barely touched upon the reason you’ll have bought Batman Arkham Asylum in the first place; the story. The game begins with Batman delivering The Joker to Arkham one dark and stormy night (aren’t they always?) only for Joker to promptly escape and.... That’s all I’ll say. Written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini and including the vocal talents of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and The Joker among an excellent vocal cast the story is great. Releasing any Batman game after The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger’s iconic turn as the joker was always going to draw comparison and Arkham Asylum performs so well that by the end of the game you’ll be in no doubt that, while Ledger’s Joker is awesome, Hamill’s Joker is a true icon in his own right. Gameplay in the main story is a blend of puzzle solving, stealth and hand to hand brawling which is mixed so thoroughly it never gets stale and while you are always free to roam wherever you please the story compels to forward in your task. Aside from the main story there is a wealth of extras within the main game that help flesh out the experience for hardcore Batman fans and casual Caped Crusaders alike. The Riddler Challenges hidden throughout each area could lead to a nod to key inhabitants of Batman’s universe, often unlocking an accompanying biography too, or and audio diary for one of Arkham’s more infamous prisoners, which help explain the motivations of many central figures in the plot. There are more secrets to be found by hunting down all the Riddler Challenges but I’ll not spoil the fun. It is a pity that, in a game that offers so much originality and depth, that the boss battles do tend too often to be variations on a theme rather than a unique challenge in their own right, but this is a minor let down in an otherwise excellent game. Reading this now you’ll already be aware that there is a sequel coming and frankly I’m glad to admit I’ve gone from being distinctly un-interested to lining up a pre-order as soon as possible. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m still only at 98%, back to battle I go.
9/10
Good –
Gorgeous graphics, excellent story, addictive Challenger mode
Bad –
Samey bosses, Main game not quite long enough
The game in question is: Batman Arkham Asylum. The secondary mode in question is, of course, the excellent Challenge Mode. As I said before I would have barely touched this mode were it not for the magpie like obsession I have with the shiny prizes that are PS3 trophies. By the end of my story play through and Riddler Challenge mop up session I had most of them already. Most; not some, not all, just most. To me there’s nothing worse than seeing my trophy list with games that have more than 50% trophies and not 100%. While I’m resigned to the fact I’ll never quite get 100% on everything, finding players online on Worms is like finding rocking horse faeces, I do strive to 100% any game that I enjoyed enough to earn over 50% on. So here I was, having just earned my Party Pooper trophy on Hard before going to beat the final boss in a triumphant flurry of button presses, loading the first challenge. Score 6000 point for one medal, 12000, for 2, 18000 for 3. “Easy” I thought as I pressed x and cracked my knuckles in preparation for yet another triumph. I failed. I scored about 3000 hard fought points and nearly died. Toys well and truly out of the pram and across the room I considered loading a new game on Easy just to mop up these trophies but after talking to a friend who hadn’t been man enough to play on Hard I discovered that Challenge mode is unaffected by the difficulty of Story mode. Back I went with a new respect for the leaders, and in all honesty everyone else, on the leader boards to give it another go. Soon I was able to press start, down, x, up, x quicker than I could think it (that’s the sequence to restart a challenge by the way) and also my scores were improving. I fought hard to achieve 1 medal on all the combat challenges will alternately breezing through the predator challenges, which are far closer to the way I chose to play through the story – by avoiding combat, only to find that I had to achieve all 3 medals on every challenge to earn my Perfect Knight 100% complete. Bugger!
Whatever my reasons for sticking with Challenge mode, sheer determination or unrepentant trophy whoring, I have to say that I would have given up by now were the combat system not so beautifully constructed. Batman has one button for striking, one for QTE counter attacks, one for stunning opponents and 2 specials which can only be triggered once you have achieved a sufficient combo. Add to that the ability to vault over an enemy, daze them with batarangs and drag them towards you Scorpion from Mortal Combat style with the advanced batclaw and on you have a simple to pick up yet fiendishly difficult to master combat system capable of reducing the worst of Arkham’s population to quivering heaps of broken bones and spinning heads. As I played I began to notice when an enemy was about to attack before the flashing indicator appeared above his head I also began to realise that simply surviving the 4 waves in each round was not enough to achieve those lofty targets needed to earn my 3 medals. And so I played on learning to plan my attacks as I went to maximise both my combo and the score it would bring. I can still press start, down, x, up, x quicker than I could think it but now it will be because I’ve lost my combo in round 4 not because I’m dying in Round 2.
My word processor tells me with authority that the above contains 1114 words within which I have barely touched upon the reason you’ll have bought Batman Arkham Asylum in the first place; the story. The game begins with Batman delivering The Joker to Arkham one dark and stormy night (aren’t they always?) only for Joker to promptly escape and.... That’s all I’ll say. Written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini and including the vocal talents of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and The Joker among an excellent vocal cast the story is great. Releasing any Batman game after The Dark Knight and Heath Ledger’s iconic turn as the joker was always going to draw comparison and Arkham Asylum performs so well that by the end of the game you’ll be in no doubt that, while Ledger’s Joker is awesome, Hamill’s Joker is a true icon in his own right. Gameplay in the main story is a blend of puzzle solving, stealth and hand to hand brawling which is mixed so thoroughly it never gets stale and while you are always free to roam wherever you please the story compels to forward in your task. Aside from the main story there is a wealth of extras within the main game that help flesh out the experience for hardcore Batman fans and casual Caped Crusaders alike. The Riddler Challenges hidden throughout each area could lead to a nod to key inhabitants of Batman’s universe, often unlocking an accompanying biography too, or and audio diary for one of Arkham’s more infamous prisoners, which help explain the motivations of many central figures in the plot. There are more secrets to be found by hunting down all the Riddler Challenges but I’ll not spoil the fun. It is a pity that, in a game that offers so much originality and depth, that the boss battles do tend too often to be variations on a theme rather than a unique challenge in their own right, but this is a minor let down in an otherwise excellent game. Reading this now you’ll already be aware that there is a sequel coming and frankly I’m glad to admit I’ve gone from being distinctly un-interested to lining up a pre-order as soon as possible. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m still only at 98%, back to battle I go.
9/10
Good –
Gorgeous graphics, excellent story, addictive Challenger mode
Bad –
Samey bosses, Main game not quite long enough
Dante's Inferno - Ps3 review
Let’s get something out of the way from the start. Dante’s Inferno is an adult game. Based loosely on Dante Alighieri’s epic The Devine Comedy the game charts Dante’s journey into hell. So not exactly Viva Piñata then. The imagery in the game is, as you may expect in a depiction of hell, in turns grotesque and disturbing throughout. The first circle, Lust, is full of phallic imagery and culminates in a battle against a naked female demon dispensing mutant babies from her nipples; so, really, not for kids. Why then did Visceral think their adult audience would accept light weight unoriginal gameplay? The gameplay is traditional hack ‘n’ slash platforming fare which requires you to battle through waves of demons and lost souls as you chase after Beatrice, you’re beloved, who has fallen foul of Lucifer’s trickery. There’s nothing here that hasn’t been seen before; Dante’s cobbles together the climbing and rope swinging of Prince of Persia, puzzles and block moving from the simplest parts of Uncharted and combat not a million miles from Beyonetta or Arkham Asylum. The thing is imitating the best bits from some great games loses the originality that helped make those other games great.
The combat requires a balance between physical, spiritual and magic attacks to be most effective and the platforming sections often require some skilled timing in jumps and some lateral thinking in the puzzles but there’s nothing here that will really test the grey matter. As you vanquish the demons of hell and punish or absolve the lost souls you find along the way you earn xp which unlocks further attacks and upgrades and collect souls which act as currency for purchasing said upgrades. This adds some tactical depth to the combat as you can choose which whether to add an extra move or improve your health or magic abilities. Aside from these upgrades you can equip relics that you find along the way which can be changed on the fly and again have tactical advantages depending on the situation. All too often though, you find yourself bashing repeatedly on O (or B on Xbox). Need to open a door? Mash O. Absolving a soul? Mash O. Restoring health or mana, searching for relics, solving puzzles? Mash O! The least they could have done is change the button for some things!
While the gameplay is strictly linear and your viewpoint hampered by a fixed camera the different circles of hell all appear to stretch on forever in vast and unforgiving landscapes. Each circle has its own unique character and is beautifully realised as are the character models and animations. In a way it’s a shame there is so little opportunity to explore or even stop to take a look around but the linear nature if progression through the game only helps keep a sense of urgency in your quest.
In the end Dante’s Inferno is a game that you will take from what you put into it. I found myself enjoying every moment, even the latter half which feels cheap and rushed in comparison to the grandeur of the first circles, because I expected hell and was given nothing less. In looking back I could criticise so much of the game for not being “as good as ...” but in the end the experience was greater than the sum of its parts.
7/10
The combat requires a balance between physical, spiritual and magic attacks to be most effective and the platforming sections often require some skilled timing in jumps and some lateral thinking in the puzzles but there’s nothing here that will really test the grey matter. As you vanquish the demons of hell and punish or absolve the lost souls you find along the way you earn xp which unlocks further attacks and upgrades and collect souls which act as currency for purchasing said upgrades. This adds some tactical depth to the combat as you can choose which whether to add an extra move or improve your health or magic abilities. Aside from these upgrades you can equip relics that you find along the way which can be changed on the fly and again have tactical advantages depending on the situation. All too often though, you find yourself bashing repeatedly on O (or B on Xbox). Need to open a door? Mash O. Absolving a soul? Mash O. Restoring health or mana, searching for relics, solving puzzles? Mash O! The least they could have done is change the button for some things!
While the gameplay is strictly linear and your viewpoint hampered by a fixed camera the different circles of hell all appear to stretch on forever in vast and unforgiving landscapes. Each circle has its own unique character and is beautifully realised as are the character models and animations. In a way it’s a shame there is so little opportunity to explore or even stop to take a look around but the linear nature if progression through the game only helps keep a sense of urgency in your quest.
In the end Dante’s Inferno is a game that you will take from what you put into it. I found myself enjoying every moment, even the latter half which feels cheap and rushed in comparison to the grandeur of the first circles, because I expected hell and was given nothing less. In looking back I could criticise so much of the game for not being “as good as ...” but in the end the experience was greater than the sum of its parts.
7/10
Welcome to Cracking Glass
Greetings traveller! Welcome to my blog. You know how sometimes you find yourself shouting at the TV or wishing everyone could discover that great book or band you know about? Well I've decided to dispense such outpourings here. Topics will range from the serious to the pointless and all that's in between.
cheers,
R.
cheers,
R.
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