lost in games

Yesterday i went to what we Cypriots sometimes call the National Guard (but usually just call it a complete waste of time), what outsiders would call a fiasco and what i’d like to call the black hole that just sucks taxpayers’ money.

Whenever i go to these “meetings” it is as if i am in a world like the one in F.E.A.R or Timeshift where time just slows down. It feels like i am there for an eternity mainly because there is rarely anything interesting to do. Most reservists just sit around for small talk, use their mobiles non-stop, read the sports section of the newspapers or just smoke their cigarettes thinking (about nothing) and staring (into nothingness).

Those are things that i don’t do in my “civilian” life and therefore could never do even if i wanted to. My best option is of course portable gaming which would have been ideal. But in all honesty although i don’t usually give a damn about other people’s opinion on gaming this is too much. Sitting in a room or area full of reservists playing games on my PSP or DS on my own is just suicide. If you have seen About a Boy, it is like that kid getting on the stage to sing with his tambourine before Hugh Grant appears to save him from being socially slaughtered.

What i need to do is locate another gamer. There has to be a gamer in my company (army term) who is a nerd like me. There has to be. Then it would make it tolerable. Less of a loner, outcast. Ok, maybe we would still be outcasts but at least we would be an Army of Two. We would agree beforehand on which console to bring and what multiplayer game to play. Advance Wars and Mario Kart on the DS or Warhammer 40k and Lumines on the PSP? Then time would surely fly.

I have to find him. I need to find that soulmate who will help me speed up time because I can’t take it anymore….

Once again duty calls. I will be away tomorrow for the entire day on army service. I can not give you any more details as this is very highly classified information………

As i will be away there will be no update on my blog. On Wednesday i will be back.

I am too tired, too sleepy and too angry that it’s Monday that i am not in the mood for writing anything worth reading……Instead i found this for you. No need to explain anything as the geek on the clip does a good job at that.

To: Mr Christofias, Mr Tassos and Mr Kassoulides

Dear Sirs,

I am writing this letter to all three of you after years of suffering and because I don’t see any attempt to actually resolve the issue.

It is not because it takes me an hour to get from the Kalispera area to Santa Roza. It is not because on the way I have to avoid at least 10-15 lunatics who either don’t stop at the traffic lights, don’t use their indicators when changing lanes, create their own lanes or cut off the road in order to make a u-turn. It’s not because pavements are used as parking space or as roads. It’s not because the noise and environmental pollution has skyrocketed. And it’s certainly not because of the drunk drivers and the fatal car accidents.

No, it seems that none of the above is a good enough reason for you to take any action. I demand decent and clean buses so that I can listen to podcasts on my ipod. I demand trams so that I can play my PSP and DS games. I demand regular and punctual buses so that I can read my books.

I demand a promise right here, right now. And I don’t mean your usual ones. I mean a real promise!

A disgruntled voter

Who doesn’t miss point and click adventures? Whether it was Monkey Island, Indiana Jones, King’s Quest or Future Wars we just couldn’t get enough of them. And then they were gone.

Fortunately there are some freeware adventures that can take us back even for just a while. Yesterday i managed to play the first two episodes of such a game. Cover Front is a freeware episodic spy thriller. It is more of a puzzle, escape from room/situation with attention needed to find that crucial pixel. I loved it. Great atmosphere and artwork and the story which is set in the early 1900s is engaging.

Point and click here for episode 1
Point and click here for episode 2

This is not an absolute list as there are sites missing from this list but the most well known ones are here. The numbers represent total unique visitors per month. To be honest i never realised that IGN and Gamespot were so ahead of the rest of the sites.

Company Dec. 2007 Dec. 2006

ign.com 8,502,000 8,738,000

gamespot.com 7,524,000 7,206,000

gamespy.com 1,595,000 1,568,000

1up.com 1,415,000 1,257,000

kotaku.com 982,000 1,134,000

joystiq.com 721,000 790,000

gamepro.com 518,000 721,000

As you may or may not be aware, Microsoft is compensating Xbox Live members for the problems the service had over the christmas period with a free XBLA game. The game is Undertow and is available for free download from XBLA as of today until this Sunday.

360 owners do not forget to download your free game!

Burnout: Paradise (X360 and PS3)

For PS3 and/or X360 owners the biggest and worthiest January release is of course Burnout: Paradise. The new game in the series features an open world with a great emphasis given to the online aspect but also making the offline more interesting as well. If you want to have a look just download the demo on Xbox Live or Playstation Network which is already available. The game’s release date is 25 January.

Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure (Wii)

Wii owners should not be disheartened from Burnout not being released on their console. Instead they have Zack & Wiki, a puzzle based adventure which received critical acclaim in the US at the end of last year. Now this sleeper game is receiving good reviews in the UK too. It’s fun, making great use of the wiimote’s motion sensors and it is challenging, very challenging. The game was released on the 18th of January.

Gametrailers Video Review

Advance Wars: Dark Conflict (DS)

The best turn based strategy title, and arguably one of the best titles in general, on the DS is back with a sequel. The idea is the same but apart from the addition of new units the game also has a more darker look to it compared with the bright cartoony look the previous games in the series had. The new game will have a darker but still cartoony look…..Being released on the 25th of January.

It’s no secret that Music has been facing a crisis with declining song and album sales in the past few years due to the advent of piracy. As the record companies are continuously searching for a solution to their problems through itunes type of services it seems that the answer lies elsewhere.

The videogames industry has been booming in contrast with the US expanding by 43% in revenues last year alone. MTV has spotted this trend and also that its own viewers are regular gamers. That is why they collaborated with Harmonix and Electronic Arts to develop Rock Band to rival Red Octane’s Guitar Hero which is published by Activision.

The latest figures show that as both Rock Band and Guitar Hero made more songs available to play via download gamers have been actively purchasing them. In two months Rock Band sold 2.5million additional songs via download. What makes this even more remarkable is the fact that the game has only been released in the US so far with a European release in spring. The Metallica three-pack of “Ride the Lightning”, “Blackened” and “And Justice for All” is the best selling “Rock Band” download. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on the other hand which was a worldwide release has sold 5million songs since it began adding downloadable content in early November.

There is no reason to restrict the music-games link to just Rock Band and Guitar Hero and it is very likely that record companies will try to include downloadable music in games such as FIFA, GTA or Skate.

Games may just be the Hero of music,

Isn’t there a white knight upon a fiery steed?
Late at night I toss and I turn and I dream of what I need

I need a hero
I’m holding out for at hero ’till the end of the night
He’s gotta be strong
And he’s gotta be fast
And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight

I need a hero
I’m holding out for a hero ’till the morning light
He’s gotta be sure
And it’s gotta be soon
And he’s gotta be larger than life
Larger than life

One of the best games you’ve never played. Fortunately for all you sinners out there is a chance for redemption. PS2’s Okami is being ported to the Wii and will be released on the 25th of March 2008 in the US. The PAL version for Europe is expected soon after.

Even if you are remotely interested in videogames this is one which should not be ignored a second time.