This weekend has been great and this week coming looks like it shall continue. I refer to the weather we've been enjoying of late, hot and sunny.
There are certain things that always help to make you feel summer is finally here. More than the hot weather, more than the monsoons, more than the countless movies of comic book adaptations and more than running about naked. For me I find the start of Wimbledon as heralding in summer.
The overdosing of tennis we all have during these two weeks is astonishing. People who never knew the sport existed become pundits for these two weeks each year. The BBC show us comprehensive coverage. We see John McEnroe and Boris Becker recalling past stories, Sue Barker flirt with some of the Andy Roddick et al and countless reminders to hit the red button and choose from a selection of matches. Then we get the hope of Henman winning the tournament, only to be knocked out in a surprise result.
So what have I spent my time doing? I enjoyed the sun as much as I could and the fine weather. The British weather gives us a week where we can sit and enjoy the tennis, eat strawberries with cream and go burn food over a fire. It then decides to spite us and give us raining periods and cold days which wouldn't look out of place in the winter (only we get these types of days more often in winter than we do days of snow).
With the forecast telling us we have a week of good weather coming, go make the most of it. It could be our one and only chance to wear the countless pair of shorts and flowery shirts we buy in hopes we get days we can wear them without being ridiculed.
Monday, June 20, 2005
Thursday, June 16, 2005
This week I have been mostly...
been driven insane by Animal Crossing.
After taking a long while away from the game, I got back into it. A charming and wonderful game where you idle time away doing nothing much but fish, garden and try catching insects. It's been infuriating as I've tried to obtain the Golden Axe (which I was close to doing before I left it) and this requires you to be meticulous for 15 days making sure trees you've planted don't die, no trash is left in town and weeds don't overrun.
Strangely enjoying this, my mind turns to the DS version of Animal Crossing. This will be an online game where we can share towns with others (quite how this works I am not sure) but it sure is intriguing having 2 others in town with you. We'll have those who love gardening, others who enjoy fishing and others who want to just run about trying to hit on NPCs but all within the same town interacting and making friends. I cannot wait, it's what AC was requiring all along and another feather in NCL's DS hat.
After taking a long while away from the game, I got back into it. A charming and wonderful game where you idle time away doing nothing much but fish, garden and try catching insects. It's been infuriating as I've tried to obtain the Golden Axe (which I was close to doing before I left it) and this requires you to be meticulous for 15 days making sure trees you've planted don't die, no trash is left in town and weeds don't overrun.
Strangely enjoying this, my mind turns to the DS version of Animal Crossing. This will be an online game where we can share towns with others (quite how this works I am not sure) but it sure is intriguing having 2 others in town with you. We'll have those who love gardening, others who enjoy fishing and others who want to just run about trying to hit on NPCs but all within the same town interacting and making friends. I cannot wait, it's what AC was requiring all along and another feather in NCL's DS hat.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Capturing the imagination
A few weeks back I noted on aesthetics and I made passing references to the PSP and the DS. I've long stayed in touch which this particular issue. For me handheld gaming has long been a great idea but it's not always lived up to what I imagined.
I own a few Game Boys and I've gone and played some of the bigger games but it's usually tended to be at home and not out and about which is what handheld gaming should be about. As handheld as they are, they don't seem to be so portable or playable when out. With E3 though, I noticed a few announcements which really caught my imagination.
Nintendo announced that they would be taking the DS online, playable against others across the world. Imagine yourself on the bus, you load up your DS, stick Mario Kart DS on and then participate for 10 minutes in a tournament against a Japanese businessman on his way home from work, an American lady winding down after a night out and someone else on the second deck of the bus you are on. This is gaming on the go as I've seen it. Playing with or against random people, without the need to use link cables nor bound by distances between you.
Nintendo also state they have a new version of the DS in the works, to refine it's look (I guess in direct response to the way the PSP looks, on which I'll talk about later) and a new version of the GBA, the GBA Micro.
The Micro really looks the business, it's tiny but playable and it's the sort of thing you could fit into any pocket. Granted it's got no wifi abilities to play online against others but it allows you to take your copy of Zelda and play on the go when you have a spare moment without worrying that you've no space to carry it.
So as I said, we have two announcements (well three but a redesigned DS is not really one of my main concerns at this juncture) that really caught my imagination. This is how I saw handheld gaming, we have two consoles which will be handy in different situations. One to take out and about with you to enjoy online with others, in addition to a control system which continues to innovate and show real progression in gaming. Another to take out with you when you are short of space to continue your gaming. So what is it about this that leaves me cold?
Both announcements came from one company, Nintendo. Nintendo seem to be the ones wanting to innovate and move the handheld area further, to cater for differing situations and needs. Sony on the other hand have not mentioned anything on this. Prior to launch they made a big song and dance about MP3 playing capabilities and movies you can watch. Great! I can spend £20 on a UMD of a movie I own and squint at it on a PSP. So what about the games or the innovations I can expect?
I have heard nothing, it's left to "hackers" to open up the system to some interesting ends but again nothing groundbreakingly different to anything that wouldn't be able to be done on the DS.
Regardless, Sony's PSP seems to be the must own thing of 2005. It looks sleek and stylish but it's rather souless. Nintendo could be readressing the balance but I'm not sure it'd make a difference. I feel that Sony have a certain cachet that holds amongst the "kidz".
It's a shame as it would force Sony into new ideas but they don't seem to be bothered about it in a way Nintendo seems to be. That might be due to the position Nintendo is in the market but they've tried to innovate constantly as well as produce great games. Sony on the other hand seemed to have taken the approach that if they make a console that looks nice and forget about anything else, it will all work out fine because the wider press will be orgasming on the MP3 and movie capabilities and the specialist press will be ignored highlighting Nintendo's ideas on moving handheld gaming forward.
Nintendo have made a console that really has moved gaming forward. If I give someone Ridge Racer and a PSP they will maybe say how nice it looks before going back to whatever they were doing. I give the same person a DS with Wario Ware and they'll be hooked blowing a car out of harms way, frantically unrolling a roll of toilet paper before the timer ends or slicing a pizza in half.
Nintendo have a system that is capable of bringing gamers and non-gamers together to play and moving games forward. Sony on the other hand, really need to sort their act out to catch up but the problem is they don't need to bother as everyone is lauding them for making a nice looking system.
I own a few Game Boys and I've gone and played some of the bigger games but it's usually tended to be at home and not out and about which is what handheld gaming should be about. As handheld as they are, they don't seem to be so portable or playable when out. With E3 though, I noticed a few announcements which really caught my imagination.
Nintendo announced that they would be taking the DS online, playable against others across the world. Imagine yourself on the bus, you load up your DS, stick Mario Kart DS on and then participate for 10 minutes in a tournament against a Japanese businessman on his way home from work, an American lady winding down after a night out and someone else on the second deck of the bus you are on. This is gaming on the go as I've seen it. Playing with or against random people, without the need to use link cables nor bound by distances between you.
Nintendo also state they have a new version of the DS in the works, to refine it's look (I guess in direct response to the way the PSP looks, on which I'll talk about later) and a new version of the GBA, the GBA Micro.
The Micro really looks the business, it's tiny but playable and it's the sort of thing you could fit into any pocket. Granted it's got no wifi abilities to play online against others but it allows you to take your copy of Zelda and play on the go when you have a spare moment without worrying that you've no space to carry it.
So as I said, we have two announcements (well three but a redesigned DS is not really one of my main concerns at this juncture) that really caught my imagination. This is how I saw handheld gaming, we have two consoles which will be handy in different situations. One to take out and about with you to enjoy online with others, in addition to a control system which continues to innovate and show real progression in gaming. Another to take out with you when you are short of space to continue your gaming. So what is it about this that leaves me cold?
Both announcements came from one company, Nintendo. Nintendo seem to be the ones wanting to innovate and move the handheld area further, to cater for differing situations and needs. Sony on the other hand have not mentioned anything on this. Prior to launch they made a big song and dance about MP3 playing capabilities and movies you can watch. Great! I can spend £20 on a UMD of a movie I own and squint at it on a PSP. So what about the games or the innovations I can expect?
I have heard nothing, it's left to "hackers" to open up the system to some interesting ends but again nothing groundbreakingly different to anything that wouldn't be able to be done on the DS.
Regardless, Sony's PSP seems to be the must own thing of 2005. It looks sleek and stylish but it's rather souless. Nintendo could be readressing the balance but I'm not sure it'd make a difference. I feel that Sony have a certain cachet that holds amongst the "kidz".
It's a shame as it would force Sony into new ideas but they don't seem to be bothered about it in a way Nintendo seems to be. That might be due to the position Nintendo is in the market but they've tried to innovate constantly as well as produce great games. Sony on the other hand seemed to have taken the approach that if they make a console that looks nice and forget about anything else, it will all work out fine because the wider press will be orgasming on the MP3 and movie capabilities and the specialist press will be ignored highlighting Nintendo's ideas on moving handheld gaming forward.
Nintendo have made a console that really has moved gaming forward. If I give someone Ridge Racer and a PSP they will maybe say how nice it looks before going back to whatever they were doing. I give the same person a DS with Wario Ware and they'll be hooked blowing a car out of harms way, frantically unrolling a roll of toilet paper before the timer ends or slicing a pizza in half.
Nintendo have a system that is capable of bringing gamers and non-gamers together to play and moving games forward. Sony on the other hand, really need to sort their act out to catch up but the problem is they don't need to bother as everyone is lauding them for making a nice looking system.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Football: a big thumbs up
In my time I've seen lots of odd (and sometimes disturbing) things. Sonic appearing on a Nintendo console, Man-Faye (definitely disturbing) and courtesy of last night, women playing football (kinda odd).
What may be odder is how good it was and how much I enjoyed it. The match that kicked off the BBC's coverage was England vs Finland and what drama it was. A 2-0 English lead that slipped to 2-2 in the 89th minute. There I am sitting thinking, this is just how England always perform in a major championship when up strides Karen Carney to chip the ball home and win the game 3-2.
I found myself cheering and shouting during the game as I did last year during the men's European Championship. I was nervous when Finland pulled one back and we missed a few great chances. I became deflated when Finland equalised and then elated when we scored to win. At the end of the game, I'm left there sitting and admiring a good game of football with my interest peaked for the rest of the Championship and my mind opened to watching more of women's football outside of major tournaments like this.
Another thought on this whole affair. Whilst discussing this, the subject came up of women watching men's football and discussing Beckham's legs or Lampard's arse. We can finally get our own back and enjoy a game as well as the lovely ladies on show, perfect.
What may be odder is how good it was and how much I enjoyed it. The match that kicked off the BBC's coverage was England vs Finland and what drama it was. A 2-0 English lead that slipped to 2-2 in the 89th minute. There I am sitting thinking, this is just how England always perform in a major championship when up strides Karen Carney to chip the ball home and win the game 3-2.
I found myself cheering and shouting during the game as I did last year during the men's European Championship. I was nervous when Finland pulled one back and we missed a few great chances. I became deflated when Finland equalised and then elated when we scored to win. At the end of the game, I'm left there sitting and admiring a good game of football with my interest peaked for the rest of the Championship and my mind opened to watching more of women's football outside of major tournaments like this.
Another thought on this whole affair. Whilst discussing this, the subject came up of women watching men's football and discussing Beckham's legs or Lampard's arse. We can finally get our own back and enjoy a game as well as the lovely ladies on show, perfect.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Thursday, June 02, 2005
No One Else
I've developed a love for something that may be considered off. One of those guilty secrets you keep as best as you can such as wearing women's underwear or liking the Playstation (I assure you I don't do either).
No this guilty secret is something that some may consider puerile, however the fact of the matter is, those people are uninitiated.
These past two weeks I have started to grow very fond of a new show on Cartoon Network, the Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Show. It started with curiosity from loving the Teen Titans theme tune which led to the love of the theme tune of this very show. It then became watching the hyperactive and crazy dealings of the protagonists transfering to the insanity of the cartoon itself. For anyone who has not caught this show, just seeing a quick snippet of the colour and the style of the show will make you dismiss it. You need to sit down and watch it to realise there is something special going on.
I'm not sure what it is, the actual duo's insanity coming through or the silliness of it all but it's got me hooked.
No this guilty secret is something that some may consider puerile, however the fact of the matter is, those people are uninitiated.
These past two weeks I have started to grow very fond of a new show on Cartoon Network, the Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Show. It started with curiosity from loving the Teen Titans theme tune which led to the love of the theme tune of this very show. It then became watching the hyperactive and crazy dealings of the protagonists transfering to the insanity of the cartoon itself. For anyone who has not caught this show, just seeing a quick snippet of the colour and the style of the show will make you dismiss it. You need to sit down and watch it to realise there is something special going on.
I'm not sure what it is, the actual duo's insanity coming through or the silliness of it all but it's got me hooked.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Across the Sea
Finally, got the Star Wars thing published late yesterday (I had it saved as a draft for more days than necessary although another viewing of it made me push through).
Now it'll be back to a regular thing, I've yet to mention finally seeing Ong Bak on the big screen (really something you must do as it comes alive on the grander stage) as well as continue the E3 thoughts I had.
In other news, I've listened to the new Weezer album many, many times now. I love it and possibly my second favourite (Pinkerton being my favourite album by them). Eels were good on Later with Jools Holland, definitely need to get their latest album. Still no Audioslave.
Now it'll be back to a regular thing, I've yet to mention finally seeing Ong Bak on the big screen (really something you must do as it comes alive on the grander stage) as well as continue the E3 thoughts I had.
In other news, I've listened to the new Weezer album many, many times now. I love it and possibly my second favourite (Pinkerton being my favourite album by them). Eels were good on Later with Jools Holland, definitely need to get their latest album. Still no Audioslave.
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