Xbox 360 owners should all be aware of the awesomeness that is the Xbox Achievements system. Microsoft managed to add a passive and competitive function to video gaming and, to steal a phrase from Apple, it just works – mainly as a result of seamless integration and its simple, speedy functionality. Comparing yourself against your mates is quick and easy – the bigger number wins – and the little flash up on screen to tell you that you’ve earned a new achievement is not too annoying, particularly because you immediately know how much this will affect your score. It just adds an overall sense of satisfaction to whatever awesome thing it is that you have just performed… In some cases, you might not have even realised you did something awesome – thanks Microsoft.
Sony, of course, has their own version of achievements, released some time after Microsoft debuted them on Xbox… They refer to them as PlayStation Trophies. At its most basic, the idea is sound – trophies of varying levels (bronze, silver, gold and platinum) are awarded for certain gaming events. Each trophy is worth a certain amount of points (based on the level of trophy), and after a certain amount of these points, you “level up”. It seems simple enough, and it’s not too far removed from the idea behind Xbox achievements… But why do I care so little when I score myself a trophy? Let’s investigation!
Continue reading 'Trophies could be more fun'»
In my youth, I was a big fan of comic books. I used to take a monthly trip into the city (not that I lived in the country or anything, I just didn’t like the city – and let’s face it… there are no local comic book stores in Melbourne – they’re all in the city) to buy a bunch of books. Over a period of about two years, I collected a good 200 books – and I still have all of them locked away in a closet somewhere… Some of them are prized possessions, others are just wasting space…
As I got older, though, I stopped reading – for whatever reason. I guess I was too cool for comics. Now, I have realised the error of my ways, and am getting back into it, but I’m totally not interested in collecting physical books – I’m all for digital. In fact, I’m all for digital EVERYTHING, not just comics. My music collection has been ripped in full to MP3 (that was a trial, let me tell you), many of my DVDs have been ripped to a HDD, and I’m a big fan of downloadable video games. I can not wait for everything to go digital, to be honest (although I do understand concerns around bandwidth, etc.).
Anyway – now that I’m back into comics, I’ve been looking into digital comics. Given that I am a bit of a geek, I’ve also looked over a few forums on the topic, and I often see the same phrase repeated over and over – that is, that "the digital ship has sailed". That is to say that the current market leaders in this space have won the market in full. And you know what? I couldn’t disagree more. In fact, I’m fairly unimpressed by what’s available so far – it’s obviously still in an embryonic stage, although there seem to be a lot of fans of the existing options… Which are really limiting. Let me explain.
Continue reading 'I want digital comics… but I want it done well'»
Since the dawn of time, humankind has argued over the merits of this versus that. In the mighty world of game, there was the Sega vs. Nintendo war of the early 90′s, the PSP vs. DS age, and more recently, the Xbox 360 vs. PS3 (and both vs. Wii) conundrum. However you may feel about any of these machines, one war that has waged in the background without waning is the war between the console and PC fans.
It’s an interesting one, really. Styles of gaming have always differed across these machine types, and there has always been a pervasive divider between the two. There has also, for as long as I can remember, been a consensus amongst console gamers that PC gaming is dead. Well, it hasn’t died yet, and let’s face it… it won’t die anytime soon. Regardless of how you feel (I’m a console gamer myself), I thought it pertinent to list the pros and cons of each, if only to help me understand why such a division exists.
Continue reading 'The pros and cons of console and PC gaming'»
Reports out of CES from all of my favourite tech sites are noting an influx of 3D-capable TVs and PCs. It seems that most manufacturers consider 3D to be “the next big thing”. Sure – 3D has always been a popular attraction at theme parks for both adults and children alike, but it’s always seemed to me to be a bit of a gimmick. However, with all the major vendors jumping on board, perhaps it will be the new form of home entertainment. But will it be? Will it really? Huh? Yes… this post is full of questions.
Continue reading 'Keep those glasses away from me! [UPDATED!]'»
I came to a realisation today. It was somewhat shocking, but I knew it for the truth as soon as the thought came into my mind – I am not a ’real’ blogger.
For some time now, I’ve been deluding myself. I’ve kept a blog for two years now, and I’ve written quite a few posts, but while this does make me a blogger by definition, it doesn’t make me one by trade.
Of course, at it’s most literal, the previous sentence is a moot point – blogging is not my prime source of income, so of course it’s not my trade; in fact, I don’t earn anything by blogging. What I mean is (unfortunately, or at least it seemed like an unfortunate realisation at first), I’m a hobby blogger. Not that it’s such a bad thing.
Continue reading 'Where I’m at – Dec ‘09'»
Social networking has boomed in recent years – indeed, it is virtually the very definition of "Web 2.0" – yet not all social networking tools are as popular as others. Some of them, such as Facebook and Twitter, are quite common topics of conversation. However, they don’t receive the same attention for the same reasons – while "everyone" has a Facebook account and has tried at achieving the Bejeweled Blitz high score, society is divided on the usefulness of Twitter.
In fact, go ask someone what they think of Twitter. Invariably, they will tell you that they "don’t see the point" or "that’s what Facebook is for". Others will brush it off as a marketing tool, and still others will complain about it as a "way for nerds to talk about what they have for lunch". As a result of my own personal investigations, I’ve received all of these responses in the past week – and more. But why is that? Is Twitter really all that crap, or is it just misunderstood?
Before I take the hard line, I will add a little disclaimer to say that it is what it is – if it’s not something that sounds like it works for you, then it’s not going to be something you enjoy – much like anything else. However – I am firm in my assertion that Twitter is misunderstood.
Continue reading 'Twitter – misunderstood, or just crap?'»
I was reading a transcript at Kotaku of a discussion about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on a morning show recently, and my blood began to boil – mainly because the host asking the questions displayed the same ignorance and triviality of the subject as we gamers are now used to seeing. At first, I was upset about the situation – the host seemed to simply keep repeating that you could ‘play as a terrorist’ and that it was ‘interactive violence’, without displaying any further understanding of the topic at hand. And to some degree, it still does irk me – but it made me realise that – regardless of the facts at hand – we will always be on the back foot here… But we gamers need to make some changes, too.
Continue reading 'Violence and ignorance'»
A few years back, I was bopping about the Internet, as I am wont to do, and I came across an invitation on Gaijin Pot, or somewhere similar. It was an invitation to what was being dubbed the "Yamanote Halloween Party" – basically a group of foreigners were planning to dress up in costumes and travel around the Yamanote line. At its most basic, it seemed an innocent and playful idea, and at first, even I thought it would be fun to join.
Continue reading 'Halloween craziness'»
When Junglist, the popular co-host of ABC’s “Good Game” did not show up on Monday, it was evident something was amiss. The show was quick to introduce a new host, Hex (Stephanie Bendixsen), to accompany Bajo – the other, also quite popular permanent host. The Good Game forums flared, and Junglist fans screamed blue murder, whilst others generally supported the new host. It was a sudden and unexpected move. But the reasoning behind it seems extremely convoluted.
At this point, I’d like to point you to this PALGN post, which details the back story far better than I could wish to (and let’s face it – I don’t have the time), so I will not go over it all again, The previous link is a highly recommended read, as it forms the basis of my post. So… how do I feel, as a long-time supporter of the show (I’ve watched it since it began 3 years ago)? Continue reading 'Good Game shakeup'»
This week, Sony’s PSPgo was released upon the world. Opting for a system based on downloads alone, it could prove to be a bit of a risk for Sony. At first, I was excited by the idea – finally someone was going balls-out and diving head-first in to the deep, dark (and largely unknown) waters of digital distribution. But after some careful consideration, I’m not so sure. I think Sony might have overestimated the demand, and underestimated the needs of consumers.
Continue reading 'PSPgo away, come again another day (when you’re done cooking)'»
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