goteamorendame

Why the digital download revolution will suck From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (3 days old)

For a minute there, I was Charlie Bucket. My usual miasma of gloom and disillusionment was swept aside by an unexpected beta test invitation - a golden ticket for Realtime Worlds' forthcoming onli… more

Horror games give me the fear From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (10 days old)

Once again it's that time of year. The time of year when mutilated pumpkins appear on doorsteps, black plastic bats hang in windows and I sit in the living room with the lights off, hiding from tr… more

How self-aware computers will change video gaming From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (17 days old)

If religion is like a warm campfire that rewards the faithful with a soothing glow of comforting ignorance, then science is the equivalent of a bucket of freezing cold water. Tuesday night's editi… more

Beaten by Bomberman From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (24 days old)

In the sad goldfish bowl that is my workaday life, there are few things more exciting than the arrival of a new parcel from Japan. The latest box of delights to appear on the doorstep contained co… more

Derren Brown's unexpected balls up From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (36 days old)

In the past few weeks, mentalist Derren Brown's been pulling in audiences by apparently predicting the lottery, sticking viewers to their seats and 'projecting' psychic images into people's minds.… more

Smash TV - video games on the box From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (38 days old)

Video games have always endured a tortured relationship with television, in the UK at least; but for the occasional documentary on the industry or a news item on their corrupting influence, games pro… more

Parasol Stars - a forgotten masterpiece From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (42 days old)

Of all the games in Taito's Bubble Bobble lineage, Parasol Stars is among the least known. While Rainbow Islands has been ported to almost every computer, console and mobile phone imaginable, and … more

Why pressing one button can be fun From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (44 days old)

So this is what it feels like to be old. Gripped by a mysterious virus, I've been reduced to a shuddering, barely moving wreck, with the faintest beam of light leaving my eyes screwed up like a mo… more

Gaming's greatest aliens From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (49 days old)

It's been another weird gaming week. Following last time's encounter with the harsh realities of import gaming (my newly purchased PC Engine could only display a black and white image), this week … more

How I lost my heart - and my wallet - to a PC Engine From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (59 days old)

It's been a strange gaming week. My initial excitement at receiving yet another addition to my console collection was short lived; the system in question was an original Japanese PC Engine (with the n… more

Five more weirdest games ever From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (66 days old)

Readers with keen memories may remember my previous top five weird games from last year. And just to prove that mildly interesting ideas are worth recycling, here's a further five games that perpl… more

Hard labour: Gradius Rebirth From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (72 days old)

Few shoot-em-ups did as much to define the genre as Konami's Gradius. Taking the side scrolling gameplay of Scramble and Defender, Gradius established most of genre trappings we now regard as clic… more

Avatar - a video game unplugged? From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (73 days old)

By now we've all seen the trailers for Avatar, and a lucky few of us have seen the fifteen minute preview footage at 3D cinemas. While I can't say I was wholly unimpressed by what I've seen so far… more

Mega Drive shooting classic: Fire Shark From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (74 days old)

Now this really is a classic from that hangar of classic shooters, Toaplan. Fire Shark, or (brilliantly) Same! Same! Same!, as it's known in Japan, is a WWII top-down shooter filtered through the … more

Five retro game compilations I'd like to see From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (80 days old)

As I've mentioned before (see The great drunken retro game challenge of a couple of weeks back), game compilations are a fantastically compact, convenient way to enjoy an evening's gaming. The nat… more

X-Multiply - the shooting genre's forgotten masterpiece From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (86 days old)

R-Type changed shoot-em-ups forever. It took the core gameplay of Scramble and Gradius - fly from left to right, collect power ups and kill things - and blasted the genre into new, previously unim… more

Look what came from Japan... From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (87 days old)

The population of my Japanese import Megadrive games increased by three today, as this rather marvelous package arrived in the post. First out of the box is Darwin 4081, a largely forgotten sh… more

The all time best and worst gun games From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (94 days old)

If you've ever fired a plastic gun at a screen, you'll know precisely the type of game I'm on about: the on-rails shooters where you fire at the digital equivalent of tin ducks as they shuffle to … more

Video games and SF literature From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (101 days old)

"Terra's fate depended on the one man who could not be killed - because he had mastered the secret of borrowing life from the future." So reads the rather misleading (and very long) tagline on … more

Back through the Berlin Wall From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (107 days old)

I know, I know. It's been a long time since my last post. I've been busy elsewhere (writing, drinking, DIY, that kind of thing), but I've promised myself that I'll now update this here blog more o… more

Boylemania: the cult of Susan Boyle From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (202 days old)

Take a look at that face. Are you sick of it yet? I know I am - in every newspaper, on the television and all over the internet, Susan Boyle's visage has become the most ubiquitous picture of the … more

Put your hands flat on the table - David Peace's Red Riding Quartet From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (206 days old)

It's highly unusual for me to buy a book just because I liked its television/film adaptation, but that's precisely what I did after watching Channel 4's excellent trio of Red Riding dramas. Bef… more

Resident Evil 5: first play From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (334 days old)

Thanks to the vagaries of geography, Japan Xbox owners were able to download a playable demo of Resident Evil 5 about four days ago - and it doesn't look like Resi fans in Europe or America will b… more

Prince of Persia From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (345 days old)

This week, I've been lucky enough to get a review copy of the new Prince of Persia, and I've been playing it incessantly for the last few days. To say any more about it would be very naughty - che… more

I've been painting... pt2 From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (375 days old)

… more

I've been painting From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (381 days old)

As a change of pace to my usual writing nonsense and video game geekery, I've been playing with my paint set for the first time in.. ooh, ages. It's shown here at roughly life size (the original's… more

Look what came from Japan! From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (398 days old)

Here's a genuine Megadrive rarity - perhaps not the most rare game on the MD, but not far off - Musha Aleste. I managed to get it from eBay for a surprisingly reasonable price (particularly when c… more

The genius of Japanese advertising From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (411 days old)

The Japanese churn out some amazing videogames - and in their spare time they make some wacky commercials too. I stumbled upon the site sega-16.com while wandering the internet, and most important… more

Alien Hominid toy joy! From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (454 days old)

Hardly the most riveting of news, but these fantastic Alien Hominid toys are heading my way from America. They're made by the game's developers, The Behemoth, and they're available from their onli… more

Back from Burma with an XBox 360 From kestrel1977 in 10 IF RYAN=NERD THEN PRINT "get out more often" (458 days old)

Crikey, has it really been over eight weeks since my last post? Regrettably, it's true - but I have an excuse. I've been abroad, called away unexpectedly to Myanmar where I had to rescue a group o… more