Dr Horrible's Sing-along Blog

Joss Whedon, possible man-god has a new project, conceived during the writers strike and available to watch free this week. I will say no more but click along and enjoy. Part 1 is available now, part's 2 and 3 will be released later this week. Dr Horrible's Sing-along Blog If only he could be involved in every TV show...

The Bedlam Awaits

One of my favourite bands, The Mars Volta just released their new album, The Bedlam in Goliath. Following on from their previous records the groups unusual mix of rock, punk, jazz, prog along with their penchant for bizarre lyrics and 10 minute songs means that the new album in unlikely to bring them any new converts. However for those who love the group it is a fantastic album, heavier and more intense than before there is less filler here and new drummer Thomas Pridgen infuses the group with new found energy. Overall this is a complex, dense and coherent album that stands up there with the groups best and is well worth checking out for fans of alternative music and those who fancy something new. I am going to see them in London in a couple of weeks which should be excellent. For more on the group check out the official site and video for the latest single below.

The Mars Volta

Mass Defect

When it comes to the mainstream media the events of this past week have proven more than ever that as a medium there is a long way to go before video-games become acceptable and talked about with the same level of criticism and knowledge that movies and music currently enjoy. In case you missed it the whole furore involves the game Mass Effect, Bioware’s epic sci-fi role playing game which sees you create a character and move through a huge and detailed universe building relationships, solving puzzles and becoming immersed in one of the most well crafted and involving stories yet found in a videogame. Oh and yes there is a short two minute non-controllable sex scene which can be a part of the story. The horror. Never mind the fact that the scene in question is far more tasteful than 90% of even pre-watershed TV, or that it is a scene crucial to the plot and characters, or the mere fact that it is something that has to be worked towards through genuine affection and relationships between characters, the media has chosen to side with the usual uneducated ‘video-games are corrupting our children’ line of enquiry, the typical knee jerk reaction to something they have little experience of or understand, and which leads to these scare mongering stories. This little debacle started out a couple of weeks ago with an extremely uneducated and alarmist post from political blogger Kevin McCullough who posted an article on the net basically condemning mass effect as videogame porn and condemning videogames in general, his post containing so many inaccuracies it was almost laughable. He later posted an apology of sorts for the misinformation (after the massive gamer backlash) but never fully rescinded his position. Naturally such an inflammatory piece garnered much attention in the media and gaming sites, however things dies down a bit until the other night when a fox special news report was broadcast focusing once again on Mass Effect, the staggering fact being that this national news broadcaster chose to re-iterate many of Kevin McCullough’s inaccuracies in a fluff piece that soon become clear had no bearing on reality. Videogame expert Geoff Keighley was brought in to bring some facts to the proceedings but that the piece itself made it to air or warranted such attention boggles the mind. You can watch the whole exchange here and there is a much better analysis and transcript of the piece over at Bill Harris’s blog here, it’s an excellent read and sums up my feelings 100% (but in better words.) Thankfully today EA have issued a statement and a letter to Fox news stating their disappointment and seeking an apology, whilst they are often seen as the corporate baddies of the videogame world this time I am right behind them, this kind of misinformed tripe needs to be monitored and corrected and the people responsible held accountable. All such news pieces do are bring the industry into disrepute and add more stains to an already blotchy history, and of course peddle misinformation to the general public who, shockingly, rely on the national news for information. If such blatant untruths were spoken about a book or film there would be an outrage, but somehow gathering people who have played the game in question to host a debate on it is acceptable and normal? I am glad however at the storm that the games playing public has caused around this issue and can only hope that it leads to sensible and well reasoned discussion in the future, there may well need to be questions raised about targeting games to children and the content of such titles, but with more violence and sexuality than ever before available on the internet and on TV it seems mightily hypocritical, not to mention ironic, that the finger ends up pointing at one of the few modern games to really try and push the medium as an art form and whose structure and ambition should be lauded as one of the best example of recent years of videogames finally growing up.

Reviews, scores and sequels – far from perfect?

There has been a air of muttering and discussion in the gaming community recently with regards to game reviews and scores, in my opinion very welcome discussion as to whether the current model and system is effective and accurate and indeed a fair way of rating and judging the plethora of new releases that hit the shelves every week, some with every increasing hype and publicity surrounding them. Now that we are in November there are two months coming up packing to the gills with big releases, and that’s after such big titles as Halo 3, Bioshock, Metroid Prime 3, Heavenly Sword, Guitar Hero 3 and the Orange Box have already been released within the last couple of months. With all these titles competing for your hard earned money reviews will play a big part in many people’s purchasing decisions, so what exactly is the problem with the way things are at the moment? Well one of the big things people are quite rightly contesting is the scoring systems favoured throughout the industry. Typically games tend to be rated either out of 10 or 100 (as a percentage) but when it comes down to it who decides if a game is worth 86 or 58 or even quite how a 77 game is better than a 76 game? Personal choice? Along with these rather meaningless numbers that can be associated with a game, comes the belief that anything below 70-ish is rubbish. This comes from having too wide a spread of numbers, logically a 50 game should be average, not bad but not great either, however in reality these games are marked in the 60s or 70s. Very few games tend to score below 50, So why have these numbers as an option? Even the magazines and sites that score out of 10 don’t avoid this problem, naturally a game rated 5 will be seen as bad, and best avoided, so average games scores get a bump as a result. Then comes along the issue of perfection. Scoring on a numerical scale implies that a perfect score is possible, it also implies that a game that received this mark is therefore perfect. This is, of course, a load of old rubbish, there is no such quantifiable thing as a perfect game, no such measures exist to mark such a thing, even without such heavy weighing factors as personal opinions there are millions of variables which cannot be measures in such a way. I mean what in life can be? Have you ever had a perfect meal? A perfect date? The term can only exist in quantifiable situations, a perfect score on a maths test for example, a perfect score on the snooker table etc. But while games remain scored this way reviewers will be reluctant to hand out 10s, equally a scoring system out of 100 will never give out the 100 score, meaning that there are scores that will never be used as part of the rating system, it’s crazy. Logically a 10 game should be a rare occurrence, but not impossible. A game that stands head and shoulders above others, that represents the pinnacle of the genre or platform should be applauded as such. One solution is to adapt a similar rating to that used with relation to films, a scar system out of 5, as some have commented a pictorial system doesn’t imply perfection and therefore is less psychologically limiting. However many would argue that scoring at all does games a disservice, how often have you looked a review score first without paying attention to the writing of the review? After 500 words of carefully selected prose, all that matters to some is the number at the end, similarly after years of hard work and thousands of man hours poured into a 20+ hour gaming experience, for many people it boils down to the review score. In this respect I have sympathy, gaming has become such a lucrative hobby and with so many games vying for your attention often review scores are all they have. But equally this leads to rushed reviews, heavily weighted scores for the most hyped games and a general unbalancing of the system. Big magazines and websites fight to get their reviews of the big games out first scrambling to deadlines, are they giving the games a proper run through? How can you just such things as the online service and longevity of the ingame features when you have a couple of days to complete the game and get your review up? Yet these articles are so sought after, and so lucrative that the cycle continues. Unfortunately because of the nature of the beast review scores are here to stay, like them or not. Without a measurable way of rating a game the power would be lost. Central to much of this debate, and what certainly sparked these thoughts in my own mind was the subject of sequels. Unlike films, where sequels are often viewed as inferior and money driven, gaming suits itself to sequels and they have been, in one form or another, it’s backbone for many years now. Yet as new generations of games roll around there are cries to old days of innovation and creativeness, but what many fail to realise is that such a leap is not possible any more. How can any game simulate the jump from 2D to 3D. From pong to Mario? When any art form is in its infancy the leaps are huge and revolutionary, but become less as time progresses. Film critics do not criticise films because they fail to replicate the same sense of shock as the first time they saw Star Wars, or watching a film in colour, or with sound? So why do a lot of game reviews begrudge such a thing? A recent review of Mario Galaxy in Games TM magazine praises the game highly, in fact I spotted barely a negative comment, so why did it not garner a maximum score? What else would it have needed to do to make this jump? The review claims that it is more of an evolution than a revolution – similar claims were recently made of Halo 3 recently. But what else could the developers do? There may well have been justifiable reasons for the score the game received but they were not clear in the review. Sometimes it feels like sequels are actually punished for building on work established in their predecessors, especially if their predecessors are celebrated. No game can replicate what Mario 64 brought to the table, so why mark them down for this? If Galaxy can improve this, add new ideas and show genuine innovation and be celebrated as a better game in itself, why should it be marked down? Surely it should be marked up? I admit that games should be punished for not showing innovation and merely being carbon copies of what has gone before (many EA sports game spring to mind) but the notion that a game could never score as highly as Zelda Ocarina of Time or Mario 64 purely because they are not as revolutionary now is ridiculous and basically trips up all new games at the first hurdle by saying ‘no matter how good you are, you can’t match up to this’ which limits the reviewers opinion from the off. A game that is a sequel needs to be looked at in light of its place in a series, but also as a game in its own right. If the previous game had not existed, what would you think of it? Without the hype and the previews and the claims of the developer, how do you feel when you play the game? How does it compare to similar titles? If the bias of the familiar is clouding out your opinion, ask yourself whose fault that is, the games or your own expectations? This is not an issue that will go away any time soon, but in the future when looking at games, take time to read the reviews, read a few not just one and from a variety of sources. Ultimately games are to be enjoyed, worrying about which games are better than others, or certain games place in the all time rankings is missing the point, as I have said before the games are meant to be enjoyed, savoured and appreciated and with such rich picking this winter, there should be plenty out there for everyone, regardless of the reviews.

Get Corrupted

Just a quick one today with some impressions of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. I have been a huge fan of the series thoroughly enjoying the first two games in the series on the Gamecube and as such have been hotly anticipating this third game on the Wii. Having played through about the first hour or so I find myself in the position to make some initial impressions. Firstly this game starts very differently to the other Prime games, with a more obvious and involving story it draws you in nicely and makes a great change from the minimalist style of storytelling of the first two games. Immediately the thing you notice is that the game looks stunning, a definite step up from the first two games (Which both looks amazing also) Prime 3 has an amazing level of detail and architecture and the game benefits from the added grunt of the Wii. Now the Wii is never going to have Xbox 360 level graphics in purely technical terms but stylistically this is one of the best looking games I’ve seen. Added to this is the fact that it runs perfectly smoothly and the invisible loading once again helps the whole world feel connected. The controls are the biggest overhaul in the game and they work very well indeed. Utilising the Wii remote the controls are responsive and accurate, the at times frustrating slowness of the Gamecube game is gone and this is a much more fluid scheme. It does take a bit of getting used to (I’d recommend putting the sensitivity settings to advanced) but after just an hour I already much prefer it to the Cube layout and for that matter all other console FPS’s. Like I said the game starts very differently, there is a lot more interaction and team work with the Alliance which feels a bit odd, the Metroid series has always been about isolation, but it’s so well executed and feels so fresh that it really works in giving you something new. Along with the overhaul of the graphics some design elements have been re-jigged also, the visors are handily located on one button allowing you to quickly choose, and the new look to the power ups, doors and general items help the game feel new and not as cut as paste as the first two did at times. Still it is early days yet and the prospect of another giant game world to explore as Samus fills me with excitement. If you are a Wii owner who bemoans the lack of decent games you owe it to yourself to get this game, it is involving, beautiful and above all fun to play. As I have previously mentioned there is a distinct lack of advertising in relation to this game which is a massive shame, I hope that I can do my bit to spread the word and help this do well enough to justify more challenging hardcore games to be released on the Wii.

Five is the magic number

Well according to Sony it is anyway. With the announcement of a 40GB version of the Playstation 3 due for release in Europe this week, sans a couple of USB slots, memory card reader and backwards compatibility (more on that later) the console will go on sale for £299 and be the fifth SKU or version of the PS3 released so far into the wild. Along with this announcement was the news of a price drop on the existing 60GB model to £350, however along with this came the news that, like when a similar drop was announced in the US a couple of months ago, this is basically a clearance sale so that when all the consoles are sold they are gone, leaving the 40GB model as the only one available in Europe.

So if you are wanting to play any of your old PS2 games now is the time to get a PS3, of course it’s possible that a larger fully specc’d version of the console will replace the 60GB model (most like the 80GB version now on sale in the US) but as of now there are no plans. Obviously this is a move born from sluggish sales and poor yearly performance and to be fair to Sony they haven’t just sat back and watched the train-wreck that has been the PS3 this year, they have responded, but their decision making has been baffling at best leading to the aforementioned 5 models of the console, each slightly different, each in different territories. The message that simple, clear and transparent business is good for the customer has obviously been lost amongst the scramble to get the PS3 to sell.

I understand the concept of different models of a console, when the full package is too expensive then it makes sense, but the cheaper 20GB version that launched alongside the main 60GB in the US flopped massively, leading it to be canned within months. The proof was obvious; when faced with a choice between the full product, or a version that it cheaper but missing features, people will splash the extra cash. The difference between the new 40GB version and the existing one is now just £50, and you get 2 games with the 60GB one. Obviously Sony want to get rid of their 60GB stock by having this price but, but if consumers are willing to splash out that sort of money for something, they want to feel like they are getting what they pay for, rather than an almost version. Yes the price should make the PS3 more competitive this winter, but the consequences of this decision are more than sales oriented, in fact as some have commented it seems like a shift in their whole business strategy.

But first a little history, flash back to 2006 when Sony revealed the details about the PS3 to the world. There Phil Harrison proudly stated that: "backwards compatibility, as you know from PlayStation One and PlayStation 2, is a core value of what we believe we should offer. And access to the library of content people have created, bought for themselves, and accumulated over the years is necessary to create a format. PlayStation is a format meaning that it transcends many devices -- PSOne, PS2 and now PS3.".

These remarks were echoed by Sony Head honcho Ken Kutaragi who went on to say that: "the PS3 will feature backwards compatibility with PS and PS2 games from day one. I'm emphasizing this because, from what I hear, there are some platforms that haven't been able to completely do this. It's costly in terms of hardware, but we'd rather invest firmly on compatibility from the beginning, rather than to have issues later on.". The message to those listening was clear, the Playstation 3 is about the brand, it is about rewarding loyalty and consistency from one generation to the next. In fact Sony were subtly mocking Microsoft who’s Xbox 360 had limited backwards compatibility. I wrote an article for my old website a while back that complained against companies misleading and treating customers unfairly and this kind of doublespeak and going back on ‘core principles’ is at the heart of what got me riled up. The trouble is that Sony are stuck, trying to promote all these new developments as positive, when everyone knows what is really going on. When talking about the new model Sony Europe president Nick Sharples said: "We have made clear on many occasions that our priority is on developing innovative new features and services for PS3 and not on backwards compatibility." Many occasions? I’d like to see one!

What frustrates me is not necessarily the decisions made, but the naïve business talk that accompanies them. Everyone knows that if the PS3 were selling like hotcakes and had been since launch we would not be in this situation. There would be no other models, no gimped backwards compatibility, so spilling some spiel about how it has always been Sony’s interest just doesn’t cut it. Thanks to the internet now people can easily keep track of everything your company executives say, and more than a few times this year that has come back to bite Sony.

When I talked about a new business strategy this is what I meant. Sony are shifting their focus and trying to leave the PS2 behind. It’s immense success this year has been a stone around the PS3s neck, and whilst it was probably bringing Sony some much needed income the truth is that as long as the PS2 kept selling, the PS3 wouldn’t. By supporting the PS2, allowing people to play cheaper PS2 games on their PS3 Sony were handicapping themselves; no-one was buying PS3 games. Sony boast about having 65 titles available at Christmas for people to choose from, somehow implying this is better than a catalogue of thousands. As Bill Harris, in his excellent weekly console post, rightly points out the price and the PS2 have been holding Sony back, this new SKU is their attempt to correct that, and it may, just may, work. But it’s a heck of a risk, the risk of alienating PS2 owners, frustrating fans and gamers alike. What this move more than anything sends out is a lack of confidence in the product, tweaking it and re-releasing it in the way that film companies do with DVDs these days. The only company to be worried about this is Microsoft, at £299 the PS3 is very close the Xbox price and with a Blu-ray drive included, if Microsoft want to keep their lead and attract the tech-savvy consumers they need some good PR, Halo 3 will have helped them recently but persistent problems with consoles failing do not help, especially against the PS3 which, in this regard at least, has been flawless.

It will be interesting to see how things pan out in the short term future, Sony’s real hope will be that when the dust settles people will forget all the fuss and with some more software and the new lower price the PS3 can move forward in its own right, no longer dwarfed by the success of its younger brother.

Oh and what about Nintendo you might ask, what to make of them with this whole business? Well right now they are that little spec in the distance, riding high atop the sales charts wondering what all the fuss is about.

Relient K - The Videos

Following on from my Relient K post from the other day I have tracked down a bunch of their vidoes for your viewing pleasure below starting with their newest single: Must have done something right Who I am Hates Who I've Been Be My escape Pressing On

Relient K – Five Score and Seven Years Ago

Back in 2001 I was introduced by a friend to this band called Relient K, they were a Christian rock band of sorts with a penchant for catchy tunes, pithy lyrics and some really great tunes. Their current album at the time, The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek, became a frequent resident of my CD player and I was hooked. Since then Relient K have gained quite a reputation in America, their constant touring and devotion to their fans and their music have quietly gained them a following and it was only with 2004’s ‘Mmhmm’ that they approached the mainstream. With that album came not only success but a new maturity in their sound and song writing, unlike some bands that stagnate over time Relient K have never been afraid to mix things up and a combination of heavier and more emotional tracks was neatly balanced with the lighter catchier songs more akin to their early days. What always separated them for me was the blend of great music, with meaningful and interesting lyrics. Whilst they have a similar style to many other bands I have liked in the past, Blink 182, New Found glory et al. they have always attempted to put a fresh spin on pop/punk tracks, and applying subtle and interesting reminders and messages about their faith in relation to everyday life has made their songs relevant and meaningful So often Christian music is all lumped into a specific type and it’s nice to see someone breaking the mould and talking about these issues in a real way, rather than repeating worn out idioms and mantras.

This week I purchased a copy of their latest album Five Score and Seven Years Ago, their fifth album (in seven years, hence the title) and after a few listens I already love it. It is another step forward for the band, sound wise it remains close to Mmhmm, but the songs seem to come even easier now, each is great and in terms of variety, consistency and pacing this album already stands out from their others. Of all the bands I like Relient K have had probably the biggest impact on my personally, a combination of the right music at the right time I guess and in fact it’s from a Relient K song that I found the title for this blog, Forward Motion was a track that resonated strongly with me and I think it sums up my attitude to life and the approach I take day by day.

So if you’ve never heard of Relient K I recommend you check them out, unfortunately they are relatively unknown in the UK but check out their website here and thanks to the internet it’s easy enough to buy or download their albums from the likes of Amazon and iTunes. Well now that this shameless plugging is over with I’ll get back to my flurry of movie reviews, apologies that they have been rather flooding the blog ahead of other stories lately but I want to keep up to date with my movie viewings. Anyway I’ll have some more of them soon but also a piece on Super Paper Mario, the latest news on No Saints my five-a-side football team and maybe, just maybe, some original writing - you never know…

A Sunbeam in the Abyss

The House Next Door's Matt Zoller Seitz posted a great reactive piece about Owen Wilson yesterday. I too was saddened to hear the news and it's heartening to see a piece that echo's many of my own veiws on Wilson as a performer and that treats him with the dignity and respect all people deserve, famous or not and I join Matt in wishing Owen a speedy and successful recovery and peace for whatever it is he is dealing with at the moment:

His specialty is feather-light comedy spiked with unselfconscious yearning. He's at once knowing and sincere -- an almost impossible trick. To paraphrase Pauline Kael's review of E.T., he clears the bad thoughts out of your head. When I saw Meet the Parents in a lower Manhattan movie theater on opening weekend, I didn't know that Wilson had a small part in it, and I was surprised and glad to see him up there, unbalancing his soon-to-be inseparable screen partner, Ben Stiller, by casually referring to Jesus Christ as "J.C." I was even more gratified when the audience applauded his first appearance, then clapped again when he showed up presiding over the wedding ceremony. The character's hippie cleric robes seemed appropriate. Wilson's a good-time shaman; when he appears, you smile, because know you're about to have fun. He makes good films better and bad films tolerable. Onscreen, he's a human sunbeam.

It was also particularly inspring to see the wealth of comments added to the article and the goodwill poured out from fellow fans, and to see an intenet story with comments that hasn't descended into bickering or childish arguing. So I encourage you to read the article but also check out the whole site, it has a wealth of fascinating film and TV criticism and theory and is one of the best places for educated and thought provoking debate on the interweb. - A Sunbeam in the Abyss

A Casual Problem

One of my most anticipated games of year has just been released in the US, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, the sequel to two of the best games on the GameCube and a game aimed squarely at the more experienced gamers. For months there has been increasing speculation that Nintendo is moving further and further away from traditional game players towards the new casual market with games such as Brain Training and Nintendogs, so far that Wii Sports and Wii Play have become the best selling games for the Wii consoles. But can they have their cake and eat it? Is it possible to attract these new gamers and different demographics without alienating their original fans? Or will the Wii end up pleasing only those after short, unique experiences rather than those who like the more complex and challenging nature of traditional games. Well the problem lies in that very notion, that there are two camps of gamers, and therefore two types of games now. The industry has been going through massive change, with the Wii proving so popular and the more traditional tech heavy consoles struggling, the whole nature of the industry could be seeming to change. The problem comes when the traditional gamers see the casual ones as invading their hobby, and enjoying games that aren’t even really games. Is Brain Training a game? Sure, but there are no levels, bosses, you can’t die and some would argue it’s not even fun. Same with Wii sports, whilst it more resembles a game there are no real levels or challenges with it and the simplistic (but fun) controls leave many gamers baffled. Similarly those who love these games frown upon the complicated and impenetrable hardcore games, sci-fi shooters, RPG’s and first person shooters. My point is why can’t these games simply exist and people play whatever they want to. The simplistic notion that casual gamers who may never have played before only want a certain type of game is unfair and elitist, what if they are intrigued by other games, or styles of play, surely this is what expanding the market is all about? Similarly surely experienced gamers should be allowed to try out these new types of games and, heaven forbid, actually enjoy them. The two are not mutually exclusive; you do not have to fall into one camp or another. Nintendo’s philosophy is not to abandon the traditional gamer but to simply add to their numbers. Just like with other mediums such as TV or cinema you need different genres, different games for different people without preconceived notions of who is going to enjoy it. Take music for example, I am happy to say that I love both classical music and film scores, and acts such as Linkin Park or the Mars Volta. Or Jazz music, or dance music or even some pop music, so why can’t gamers like allsorts too, why must they be classified down into specific types and advised about what they will or won’t like? What really sparked this debate off, at least with myself, was variety’s review of Metroid prime 3. You can read the article here, but this excerpt highlights the point I am trying to make:

In addition to being borderline nonsensical, "Metroid Prime 3" is also difficult. It has the audacity to say, "Welcome to this strange place. Now go figure it out." … Too much of the time, though, "Metroid Prime 3" is more tedious than epic. This is particularly true of the boss battles, which are exhaustive affairs requiring dedication, patience, and most importantly, a familiarity with the vocabulary of videogames: double jumping, circle strafing, shooting weak points for massive damage, etc. Those who previously used the Wii only for party games will need a 13 year-old boy to explain it all.

The audacity of Retro studios! Goodness knows what they were thinking making a game that requires skill, patience and a familiarity of the vocabulary of videogames! Ridiculous as these remarks are they raise an interesting point, is the nature of the console influencing opinions of the games on it? If the same game had been released on the Xbox 360 or the PS3 then the elements that are criticized here would surely be praised instead, the complex controls, the focus on exploration and freedom of movement, the cleverly designed boss battles and the challenging nature of the game itself. Now the sad fact is that this magazine is obviously not aimed primarily at typical gamers, so it only serves to further these bonds between the two rather than valuing the game on its own merits and allowing the readers to make up their own minds. Going back to the music analogy from before this review is akin to reviewing the latest Oasis album and criticising it for being full of guitars.

If the Wii is really to appeal to all types of people then surely it has to take all sorts of games. In the same way that mainstream reviews may look down their noses at the latest party game these casual fans should not feel the same about games like Metroid. With the release of this, Mario and Smash Brothers Nintendo is proving to its hardcore fans that it still caters for their needs, but they have to also be aware also that they are not the only players any more. There are 10 million people out there with a Wii and if this expansion in gamers can be fruitfully harnessed and some kind of unity be accomplished then there is no reason why this situation can’t be good all round. But whilst publications and gamers alike continue with these labels and stereotypes then the harmony of new and old gamers, could easily turn into bitter contempt. Ultimately it is down to our individual attitude, are we willing to try something new and see where it takes us, or stick with the old and fight tooth and claw to have everything our way?

A Console Retrospective

So we are now in August and the long barren early months of the year are about to yield for the oncoming flood of titles that populate the gaming horizons between now and the new year. Whatever console you own there is plenty to look forward to, and so I will have a brief look at what to look forward to in the coming months mixed with some reflection on the current state of play.

The year so far has been surprising in many ways with a current situation few would have predicted a couple of years ago. Struggling Nintendo have bounced back to dominate this generation so far and sales of the Wii are set to pass those of the Xbox 360 in a couple of weeks despite the fact that the latter console was released over a year beforehand. Such is the popularity of the console all over the world, and yet for many it has yet to truly prove its worth, the big holiday release of titles will come as a big relief for those (like me) whose consoles have been scarcely used these past months.

Europe gets Super Paper Mario next month (the US got it in April) with Metroid Prime 3 seeing a US release in the next couple of weeks, it arrived here at the end of October. As well as this Super Mario Galaxy should ship to all regions by the end of the year and the US will get Smash Brothers Brawl as well, a stellar line up to be sure and it should ensure that the Wii tops the best seller list this Christmas, ensuring Nintendo manage to supply enough consoles to meet demand. While the over abundance of lazy ports and party games has been a shame the truth is that the Wii has surprised everyone and so a lot of companies, EA in particular, have been late to the game and are only now developing stand alone software, so expect this problem to be less of an issue next year with more games making use of the unique controls and audience. The Xbox 360 sees a slew of big releases as well, however the delay of GTA IV has dented both theirs and Sony’s end of year line up,. Still of the two Microsoft have the big guns with developers able to get more out of the console than ever the line up of Mass Effect, Halo 3, Bioshock and many more make it a good choice for the hardcore gamer this Christmas. However constant talk about the Xbox’s reliability has hit Microsoft hard with them having to fork up over $1 billion to extend all current consoles warranties, word is that improved consoles are making their way to the market but first Microsoft need to get rid of all the old stock, this coupled with falling sales and a lack of a price cut (they have only just announced one for the US now after 20 months at the same price) coupled with the fact that they have failed to capitalise on Sony’s PS3 has rather left them afloat.

Truthfully with the line up they have, the head start and the online capabilities of Xbox live the 360 should be far ahead of where it is, and the general apathy amongst consumers to both it and the PS3 may be an indicator that their strategies are not totally in line with what the public want. A couple of recent surveys have highlighted this point and whiles some may be amazed by the findings I am not at all surprised. Just because those of us who follow the games industry and are fairly tech savvy know the capabilities of these machines does in no way mean the mass market do. The whole HD situation is in flux at the moment and a bit of a mess as I have talked about, and frankly I think a lot of people just don’t care. They want to sit down and play games and don’t worry about HD graphics, Blu-Ray players or the online marketplace. Still with the price cut and some good bundles in stores Microsoft should have a strong second half of the year, but until their reliability problems are sorted and their message to the consumers clearer (seriously, 3 versions of the same console? Really?) they will fall short of what they should be achieving.

Finally we get on to Sony, who to be honest have had a pretty tough year. Currently the PS3 has sales of just over 4 million units, not bad but les than 40% of the sales of the Xbox and the Wii. The thing is, again, this should have been expected, I mean they released a very advanced piece of kit, but at far to high a price. Sony focused far to much on the tech rather than the consumer and just arrogantly assumed people would follow. Now the problem lies in that they can’t afford to drop the price any more, their recent price cut in the US may only be temporary, to get rid of the 60GB models from the shelves before returning to the $600 price point with the new 80GB consoles. Notice a pattern here? Like Microsoft Sony have made a complete pigs ear of marketing their console to consumers, what is wrong with having one version of a console and having that same console everywhere? Why have both Sony and Microsoft seen fit to firstly release 2 versions, one essentially a stripped back version of the ‘proper’ more expensive version? Well again this backfired as just a few months after launch Sony announced they had stopped making the smaller 20GB models of the PS3, but now they go and put another version out there, as have Microsoft with the Elite Xbox 360. If this is confusing to you reading this then I rest my case, something can only achieve mass-market success by being at a popular price point ($200 is the usual) and by being simple and not confusing. If you wanted to get an Xbox and were faced with 3 models at 3 different prices you may well feel overwhelmed and confused, not empowered.

As for games Sony have some good looking stuff for the rest of the year, Heavenly Sword looks very impressive visually for example, but a lot of their big guns are scheduled for next year, MGS4, GT5 and now GTA IV but with some decent software on the shelves (another reason the PS3 has failed to ignite sales-wise so far) it could see an improvement to the end of the year. Still as long as that price remains so high the PS3 will remain a high-end electronics device rather than a mass market product and frankly the damage done this generation so far has made it impossible for Sony to reclaim its position at the top that it claimed so well last generation. It shall be interesting to see what the future holds and whether there is any way of saving the PS3 from anything but being seen as a failure in the long term.

Personally I am looking forward to dusting off my Wii-motes and spending some time with Mario and Samus this holiday, and if I could afford it (or had the time) the Xbox 360 makes a very tempting proposition for the future, but as for the wider world? Who knows, all I know is that we have an almost unprecedented slew of top quality games coming in the next 5 or 6 months and no matter what the politics behind the consoles themselves, it has always been the games that count, to forget that is to forget why we play in the first place.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

So it all comes to an end. After 10 years, 7 books and thousands of words JK Rowling’s saga has been completed, and as my eyes took in those final pages the enormity of it sank in. Like millions of others I’ve lived with Harry for many years now and despite the popularity of the series it has still felt personal, a quality I believe that has greatly contributed to the aforementioned success. The Harry Potter books were not products of some great corporate machine, they were not money spinning sequels, nor have they been specifically crafted for an audience, they are one woman’s vision, her story shared with the world with themes, characters and ideals that have somehow woven themselves into the public consciousness, into modern society itself. Such a phenomenon does not occur often and it may well be only looking back that we realise what it was we were a part of, and what an unusual and magical situation to world found itself in on July 21st 2007, the day the world paused to read a book.

Now what I won’t do is detail the book with a critical in depth review, firstly plenty of people haven’t read it yet, and secondly it doesn’t need it. The book was a perfect end to the series, achieving the seemingly impossible task of providing a satisfactory conclusion, answering questions and defining the series as a whole It is epic, emotional, fast paced, inventive and full of heart, those qualities that have best suited Rowling’s writing so far. What I took away from it more than anything though was Harry as a character, and his journey and how, quite uniquely, we have been able to follow his growth from an 11 year old boy unaware of his place in the world to a fully fledged leader, who has overcome so much to face up to what he knows was his destiny. The qualities Harry possesses and the depth of courage he displays, along with the way that he shows it, affected me greatly, and more importantly inspired me greatly. You see that is what separates these books for me from other fiction, the inspiration I have found in the actions and deeds of these characters, the understanding and application of self, who we are and how the choices we make are what define us.

If the best fiction in any form is to work it must tell us something about ourselves as people, if it is to last then it must exemplify and inspire that behaviour in those who sample it. I know I can't wait to share these stories with my children in the future and they will remain for me something I will return to over and over again, as bizarre as it sounds the truth that is felt behind Harry gives him strength, and his true gift to the world will be to share with generations to come the value of bravery, courage, determination and friendship in even the most hopeless of situations.

No thanks Nigel

Yesterday, whilst at the local cinema an advert was shown that linked in many ways with themes that I had been wanting to write about here on the site for a while. The advert in question was in fact a trailer for Pixar’s Ratatouille, well it seemed like a trailer, until the point where Remy (the hero of the film) started talking about movies, specifically how a good movie is like good food (tenuous link but I went with it) and how pirated DVDs lessen the quality and experience, like eating garbage. He then uttered the phrase ‘don’t be a knock off Nigel’, accompanied by the phrase on screen.

Now in case you are unaware (maybe blissfully so) the ‘knock-off Nigel’ campaign is the latest effort by the BBFC to try and discourage pirating, especially that if DVD’s, the current TV advert can be seen here and consists of someone singing about how a guy is basically cheap, mainly because he buys pirated DVDs. Now barring the quality of the advert itself, what gets to me about this is that, as a consumer, it seems to me that every campaign of this nature misses the point completely. Pirated DVDs are illegal, but contrary to dodgy film ads they are often of a much higher quality than they are seen, add to that the expansion of peer-to-peer downloading on programs such as BitTorrent and these adverts seem strangely out of date. You’re average pirater isn’t going to care about supposedly being seen as cheap, or scared of any legal repercussions because, and there’s the kicker, it all seems like scare tactics with very little to back it up.

The nature of digital media nowadays makes it more common than you might think, and therefore nearly impossible to police or monitor. So what can be done? Well personally I don’t have a concrete answer, but my initial thought comes down to improving the service of the actual product. Most people are happy to pay for films in all forms, very few I would say choose pirating because it saves money. In fact I’d wager more people choose pirating in any form because it is easier and saves time and sometimes is better than facing the hassles that come with wanting to watch a film these days. For example how annoying is it to legally buy a DVD only to try and play it and be faced with a 2 minute advert about how bad it is to pirate DVDs, surely the legal consumers should be spared this? And then there’s the key question, that of timing.

Now the advert that hangs all this together was for Ratatouille, as I have said, a film with a real stake in the heart of the matter. Ratatouille you see has been released in America for a good few weeks now to rave reviews and popularity. However the film is not released over here until September. In creating this advert, using the characters from the film, the makers are stating loud and clear that a big reason people pirate is to see something early. To get the jump on everyone else, and to get there first. Personally I am really looking forward to the film and a 3 month wait seems agonizing, if someone came up to me with a copy of the film on DVD it could be hard to say no. However were the film out already, there would be no temptation, and no reason to accept. With our globalised culture now it seems silly that Europe is continually left behind in terms of movies and games. In fact recently movies have made significant improvements in this area with more and more films launching simultaneously, gaming though lags behind. Frequently games are released months before release here, first in Japan then the US, decisions like this frustrate, especially now with the internet where for months we can read about our neighbours across the pond enjoying the games without us. Similarly with television, global blogging meant that with the final episode of the Soprano’s aired in the US last month everyone was talking about, I dread to think what it was like being a British Soprano’s fan desperately trying not to have everything spoiled before the last series shown later this year on Channel 4.

Pirated goods hold their worth primarily whilst there is no alternative, hence the films found on pirate DVD are those at the cinemas, as soon as a film is released officially there is little demand. The gap between formats and locations is what feeds the market, I believe to stop people using it as an option you need to convince them why they should wait. Why the product is worth their money. The adverts against piracy in the cinema’s proudly proclaim that ‘it’s the experience that counts’ but on my recent visits to the cinema, with rising prices to boot, I am yet to be convinced of that. Paying nearly £7 for half an hour of adverts mish-mashed with trailers before a film to overpriced food and quite often rude and noisy patrons is hardly a great experience, and yet is commonly one people find. Now this is not always the case, and the whole feel of going to the movies still excites me, but it seems that this is hardly a priority any more.

Even so for a family of 4 to go to a film and buy food will cost in excess of £30, now give the same family the option of a knock-off DVD of the same film to watch at home on their big-TV with home made popcorn for a couple of quid, and you have a decision that is a lot tougher than it should be. For as long as we see these faceless corporations as profit driven multinationals we will have no specific loyalty to their products, or therefore respecting their rules. The point of films, and games for that matter, is to entertain, to be an enjoyable experience, be it by yourself or as part of a group. However again audience perception of film companies, fuelled by an abundance of commercial tie-ins and sequels, can be rightly cynical at the moment, with the feeling that the executive board room’s collective eyes are on profit margins, as opposed to creative output or quality. Maybe this is why it is a canny move to have a Pixar film promote this cause as they are one of the few studios to prioritise quality and individuality within projects, and yet have created films that are both sequels and that have had creative tie-ins, without losing audience favour or box office receipts. There is something reassuring and pleasing about a company as passionate about films as their audience, and it is this goodwill that the public should feel if piracy really is to be dealt with.

But like I said before, the problem is not that the majority of people don’t want to pay for things, the problem is convincing them what they get is worth the price of admission and until the root of the problem is sorted and the companies listen to the consumers rather than trying to scare them, expect more of these adverts, unfortunately, directed at entirely the wrong crowd.

E3 2007 Round Up

So E3 is here again, and whilst the conference has been massively scaled down from previous years (and delayed by a couple of months) there is still plenty of activity with the big three companies still giving press conferences and loads of publishers on hand to show off their latest games. However this year has seen a lack of huge announcements with companies seeking to do such things on their own time and as such the week has fallen slightly from the centrepiece is used to be.

First up on Tuesday were Microsoft who chose to focus solely on their 2007 line up, while this showcased some impressive looking games including Mass Effect, Halo 3 and Bioshock it showed very little that people didn’t already know about and so any real big shock announcements were not to be found. Also unusually a lot of games shown were multiplatform, a fact that was emphasised when Sony went on to repeat many of the clips later in their own conference. The only real new announcement from Microsoft was a Halo themes Xbox 360 to a rather muted reception and one thinks this will appeal to hardcore users only. Even so it is the games that count and for the traditional gamer Microsoft have a very impressive line up for the second half of the year, but will it be enough to separate themselves from Sony or increase their market share siginifantly? 360 sales have been dropping throughout the year and with the recent news about Microsoft having to splash out nearly $1 billion on 3 year warranties for all machines due to high failure rates, it could be tough for Microsoft to significantly change the way things currently stand.

Nintendo were up next and with the runaway success of the Wii had a lot to prove to try and keep the momentum going. However like Microsoft there was not a lot on show that was new, despite a couple of key announcements. Videos of Metroid, Mario and Zelda DS were nice but familiar and it was only the revealing of Mario Kart that was new, but even that has long been speculated and was hardly a shock. The online announcements were welcome and it’s good to see the service picking up some speed, but it still pales compared to Xbox live and the absence of Smash Bros from the talk could imply that online functionality has been removed from the title.

They finished the show with a new game, but again one that had been known about in one form or another for a while, and one that technically may not count as a game. Wii Fit features a new control device, the balance board and sees you performing fitness routines and activities whilst tracking your progress over time in the form of BMI, height and weight. Whilst technically very impressive and something that seems perfectly pitched at the mainstream casual audience it was not the kind of ‘game’ that was best suited to E3 and may have left many gamers with the feeling they have been rather ignored in favour of Nintendo’s new much wide target market. However with solid release dates for Mario and Smash Brothers this year Nintendo have done enough for now, but how they treat the hardcore audience and find the right balance will really be seen next year, some new titles and 3rd party support will be vital if the Wii is to continue its success and not become something the traditional gaming audience start to turn their backs on.

Sony were up last and after last years rather famously disastrous E3 were eager to make amends, focusing on the games rather than the figures. They did show plenty of impressive looking games, and announced a few news ones but the lack of actual hands on demos (except Killzone) was a disappointment. Sony also announced the new upgraded PSP, nothing major is different except it is lighter and slimmer with a couple of new features, but it is a welcome change but it unlikely to turn things around in relation to the DS. In fact Sony’s show was solid and with some quality software coming up it could be starting to turn things around, however unlike the other conferences release dates were scarce and it could well be a long wait for games such as MGS4 and GTA 5. However again a lack of brand new announcements left this feeling less than it could have been and you get the feeling that Sony needs more than just a few showy games to turn the current market situation in it’s favour.

So that was the press conferences, the lack of new announcements may well be in keeping with the low-key nature of this years show with all parties having their own scheduled shows later this year (Nintendo will attend the Tokyo Game Show for the first time in years) meaning that big new game announcements and playable demos may well have to wait a few weeks. That said what was clear was the abundance of good looking games and a great all round line up for the rest of the year ion all platforms. That said watching the trailers they did start to blur together, how many grey and bleak futuristic first person shooters can one industry take? And while they all looked good I had trouble distinguishing them by the end. Nintendo continue to innovate but even they failed to show off any truly new game franchises instead sticking to the usual sequels. As one comment I read recently put it: out of all the forthcoming shooters only Halo 3 seems to have remembered the colour green. Let’s just hope some more alternative and unique software continues to be developed on all platforms before the next generation stops truly moving forward.

Sailing the Blue Ocean

Nintendo today announced that the front of their new European advertising campaign will be… Nicole Kidman. No really. In fact once the disbelief passes you should be able to see what a shrewd move this is. Firstly she is a big star, secondly she is woman, and thirdly she is a mother, hardly the typical videogame stereotype, but that is exactly why Nintendo have done this. They have been the only company recently stating that the stereotype needs to change and it’s a strategy that is clearly paying off in terms of sales and reputation. A couple of years ago everyone was writing them off but with the DS and the Wii they have stuck to their guns and it is paying off. Especially as within the casual / non-gamer consumers they have no real competition with Sony and Microsoft still primarily focused on the hardcore typical gamers. Still the long term effectiveness of the strategy has been brought into question and I have no doubt when the big games come that the PS3 will wake itself from its current sales slumber, but if the DS is any indication then the Wii will continue to from strength to strength. Just for comparision here are some facts and figures on the current console performance, take from it what you will:

(source VGChartz)

Definition: Confusion

I am a technology geek. It’s ok, I admit it. However whilst I am interested and fairly up to date with new technology, I am not a geek in the sense that I have to buy each new advancement, the consumer commonly known as the early-adopter. Now there are a few reasons for this, firstly a distinct lack of spare cash can hinder such ventures, but even if I did have the money I am not the kind of person to pay through the nose for something purely because it is shiny and new, in fact I’d much rather wait, see how things pan out and make a more informed decision down the line. Because fact of the matter is that early adopters often get a rough deal. Just ask those that buy a piece of kit for £1000 just to see it slashed to £500 months later, or see a better, improved version released. Because the early adopters will always lose out, I mean sure they get to wave their fancy new gadget in their friends and families face for a few weeks, but ultimately in terms of quality and value they know they aren’t getting the best deal. . So why am I blustering on about this? Well really it’s because of the rise of High Definition. You know, the new technology that is (supposedly) sweeping the nation. Basically, in case you don’t know, High Definition is a picture format that gives better quality sound and audio for films, TV and games. You see whilst DVDs are fantastic and look pretty amazing as they are you can only fit approx. 9GB of data on DVD (and there we go, I’ve lost some of you with funny technical speak… please stay it won’t be that bad) whereas with the HD you can fit a lot more meaning the picture and audio are not so compressed and so look better. Ok easy, you think, where do I sign up? Well it’s not that simple. You see unlike DVDs there is not one format of these High Definition products. Because movie studios refuse to agree on anything we have ended up with an absurd situation of two warring factions, in one corner you have HD-DVD backed by Microsoft and Universal. These discs can store up to 30GB of information and the players you need to watch them currently cost around £300. In the other corner you have Blu-Ray technology being pushed by Sony and many of the other movie studios. Now Blu-Ray discs can store 50GB of information but the players cost a lot more at around £800-£1000. These Blu-Ray discs are also what the PlayStation 3 uses for games and it can play Blu-Ray films too (so technically the cheapest Blu-Ray player you can get is the PS3 at a measly £425). Still with me? Good. Now not only do you have to buy a new player for these new formats but they also require a HD Television to work properly. You see the current types of TVs (the big bulky ones) cannot display the required quality of picture, so a new HD-DVD played on your old TV would not look any better. Now flat screen TVs are all the rage and you need either a LCD or Plasma TV that is HD ready in order to view the content in this new way. Ok so that’s enough technical stuff but you see what I’m saying… this is a silly situation. In fact this is an entire format war that has been pushed upon us by the movie studios who are, of course, releasing all their old films again in High Definition, meaning that in theory people who a few years ago started buying DVDs to replace their videos, will now repeat the process buying the same films for the 3rd or 4th time. Add to this the fact that because different studios back each of the technologies different films come out for each,. For example Jurassic Park would only come out on HD-DVD. But Spiderman would only come out on Blu-Ray. It’s just a ridiculous situation where in order to get all the films you want you may have to splash out on two machines and whilst there is talk of players can play both they will be even more expensive! For these reasons especially this is something I am staying away from until either some kind of truce is made or one format dominates. Right now those who stand to lose are the consumers who are having to spend money on formats that may not even be around in a few years and the cost of ‘upgrading’ for is essentially a slightly better looking and more detailed picture is simply not worth it for the majority of people. Yes the TVs look great and you can see a difference but for your average man on the street this means nothing, they haven’t sat down, watched a DVD and thought ‘if only I could see this with a slightly better picture quality’. Basically people don’t care. DVD is still popular and cheap and will continue to outsell either of the new formats for years to come. When video was replaced by DVD there was so much to gain, they had extra features, commentaries, scene selection and subtitles. They were a huge leap forward; whereas these new technologies are maybe a small step ahead. The trouble is technology that is confusing and expensive will never hit the mainstream, if you have never heard about all this before there is a reason for that, it is not ready. So like I said at the top of the article, I am interested in the possibilities for these technologies but until the bugs are ironed out, the cost comes down and some kind of winner is clear there is no way I am investing money into it. Fortunately both sets of players are backwards compatible and will play your old DVDs, so there is a lot less need to re-purchase your back catalogue of films again. Overall the whole situation is a mess. The market is not ready for HD, not the mass market anyway. One day all our TV will be HD not just a couple of channels and everyone will have a nice flat screen TV (if mine dies I know that’s what I have my eye on) but what bugs me the most is that this was a commercial decision. It did not arise out of a need for better technology but as a rather cynical way of re-selling us the same things, but slightly better. So while this article may not have meant a great deal to you now, in a couple of years things could be very different and it’s only when the mass market has spoken, that we will start getting the best deals and the widest choice rather than the current situation of picking a side and hoping it doesn’t lose.

Trambopoline!!

I have always been a fan of the Simpsons, much to the grievance of Martha but one thing that they have never really gotten right was a decent game of the series. I remember enjoying the old movie studio they released yeard ago but nothing since has done the series justice. Well yesterday EA announced a new game to tie in with the movie, based on a story written by writers of the show and featuring over 8,000 lines of dialogue by the cast members. The game sees the characters embark on a series of episodes, each based on various video game styles and the whole game will be playable co-operatively. So far what I have read and seen of the game make me cautiously optimistic and whilst EA do not have the best reputation the time and effort that have already gone into the game make me think it could actually be pretty decent. There is a video below so have a look and see what you think:

The Idiot Box

tras OK I admit it, as well as games and movies I love TV. Well I love some TV, and at the moment it seems to be American. No insult to British drama but aside from a few programs they just can’t compete with the stuff coming out of the states at the moment, the fact that they produce 20 odd episodes a series, as opposed to the British standard of 6 at a much higher level of quality all round is amazing enough. So from time to time I thought I would chip in here with my thoughts on a few programs I’m watching at the moment and how they are doing…

Lost

What started out as one of the most intriguing shows on television frustrated me in its first season teasing with questions but withholding answers, and randomly dropping storylines. However the show picked up for a great second series and so far despite a weak start the third season is keeping me hooked. Maybe because now I am used to the fact that concrete answers are about as hard to come by as a hot shower on the island that it doesn’t bother me any more but I am enjoying where the series is heading and appreciate the amount of time we have spent with the ‘others’ so far this year considering how secretive they have been in the past about showing them at all. While the program can still be frustratingly obtuse and the possibilities of an overarching explanation are becoming slimmer, I feel they have found a good way of keeping the plot unpredictable and allowing the viewers to feel they are being enough to go on whilst keeping them asking questions. But regardless of its flaws Lost is still one of the best shows on TV if only for its lush cinematography and the fact that it is so out there and different from the other shows on TV that it still feels like a breath of fresh air. As the second half of season 3 continues we shall have to see if the momentum they seem to be gaining now will pay off.

24

One of my all time favourite TV shows 24 is a masterclass in technical excellence, tight plotting and acting and exciting tension filled television. That said whilst I have been enjoying the latest series, it feels like something is missing, or maybe that the formula is starting to wear a little thin. After 6 years there is only so far they can escalate up the stakes of the day before we enter a series when the entire world ends up destroyed by nuclear arms. However the series is still one of the most compulsively watchable shows on TV and the writing is as tight as ever finding new ways to escalate the threats and involve older characters. Another factor in the enjoyment of this current series is the fact that it is the first for a while I am watching week to week, most of the series I have watched in the course of a week or two on DVD and more than any other series the format of 24 really suits this style of watching, having a week between episodes lets the tension fade and stops you getting so involved. So still a great show, and we are only half way through this season, but one that is perhaps better watched on DVD.

Heroes

Heroes is a new program that me and Martha recently got hooked on, it has just started on Sci-Fi and already has a great premise, ordinary people discovering they have super abilities, and enough mystery to sustain it for a good while. The characters are all interesting, though my favourite by far is Hiro the Japanese guy who find he can stop time. The show is really coming into its stride now and the word is it only gets better so keep an eye out Monday nights for this. My only criticism of the program would be that it tries to feature all the main characters in every show meaning that their storylines progress very slowly, which can be painful when the episodes are a week apart! Lets hope they break up the formula in the future to keep it fresh and that they keep the surprises coming!

Ugly Betty

I would blame Martha for me watching this, but I have to admit I enjoy it. Silly, camp and superficial it may be at times, but it also a remarkably sweet and enjoyable. Betty herself is fantastic character, naïve and nervous, but resourceful and inventive I can see her being in many ways a great role model and the blatant digs at the fashion industry are never too deep, the makers obviously have a love for the industry in all its bluff and that shows too and it stops the show becoming to cynical or lumbered with a purpose of exposing the fashion industry. These people are stereotypes, but they play to them so well it’s okay. It’s also nice to see Ashley Jenson from Extras in the show playing Betty’s best friend and while I have a few issues with the generally lightness of the show (even when it tries to do dark it never quite manages to get anywhere near) and the background storyline that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere involving Daniel’s father and a woman who may or may not be dead, this is still enjoyable TV all round and a pleasant surprise. Also the portrayal of family life in the show with Betty’s family is really well done, and though they are Mexican rather than Peruvian, I see a lot of similarities with them and Martha’s family and the warmth and love they seem to have is genuine and touching. So if you haven’t seen Ugly Betty, give it a go, you never know, it might just surprise you.

The O.C

Another show that I did not used to watch at all, but that I really got into on DVD. There is definitely something about watching a show over a short period of time that makes you really get into it and watching the existing three series of the O.C over the winter left me eager for the final series which started a couple of months ago on Channel 4. Now the series is not perfect, it does however have strong characters and it seems that in this final series they have abandoned a lot of the more serious elements of the show in favour of a more frivolous unrealistic attitude that has made this series really fun to watch, but has impacted on a lot of the things built up over the years. So it’s a bit of a mixed bag, more entertaining but less dramatic and despite hints of a real darkness at the start of the year things have more or less returned to normal, something I’m pleased about but that has really prevented any real growth or change amongst its core characters. Even so it will be sad to see the series end in a month or so, I just hope it goes out with a bang!

This is living

So the PlayStation 3 is here, Spiderman font and all. The console was launched in Europe at midnight ushering in the final transition between the next-generation and the current generation. Now all three consoles are available throughout the major territories in the world, and the focus can one more switch back to what is really important – the games.

Sony have had a lot of bad press lately, starting from the initial delay of the console to the price and recently the decision to change the European model of the console so that it runs old PS2 games through software emulation, meaning that many of the most popular PS2 games are not guaranteed to even play on the machine, or will play but with technical issues. Now usually I am one to gloat a bit, I admit I am not Sony’s biggest fan. In fact I admit that deep down it’s hard sometimes to fight my inner fanboy. You see I think a bit like with football teams everyone who is a gamer has a bias to one party or another, whether this is due to their first exposure to the medium (as with me, my first console was an N64) or just a drifting towards the machine that best somehow represented their attitudes. Now of course the industry is a multi-billion pound behemoth, a far cry from the likes of Sonic vs. Mario and yet the competition between companies and machines, especially amongst the so-called hardcore gamers is as strong as ever.

Now whilst I know in my head this is all rather ridiculous, most games are multi-platform now and the market can easily sustain three machines without any needing to crash and burn to the others delight, I still can’t help but feel an odd sense of smug satisfaction to see Sony seemingly miss stepping. Now I don’t happen to fall in with the doom-mongers who somehow see Sony losing this round of the fight, they have had a rocky start but have way too much momentum to let that happen. Though what it has hopefully done is even the playing field a bit more, which can only be good for the consumer. Many of Sony’s mistakes have been synonymous with a company full of confidence and ego trying to dictate the future of a market they believe they control and failing, and regardless of your bias, there is something satisfying about such a large corporation being taken down a peg or two. As I have stated before regardless of company I dislike misleading tactics and cheating companies and Sony have frequently been unable to live up to their promises of recent years.

Now though I think things will get better, for the first time in a while we have three fairly even machines in terms of potential market share and popularity. The Xbox 360 has a big lead and some great games, but the name is still an emerging one for many people and they have utterly failed once again to crack the Japanese market. The Wii is selling more than I think most people could have predicted and has the possibility to become as popular as the DS is proving to be, however the lack of big name games at the moment and reliance on ports and lazily transferred games could hinder it and developers need to make their games on the console really stand out, as its unique control method and way of playing is what will make people choose it over the graphically more impressive alternatives. And now the PS3 which will be popular I can guarantee it, but hopefully the lessons of the past year or so will serve to humble Sony a little to once again think of the consumer first rather than the technology. Recent announcements like the PlayStation Home service or Little Big World seem to be heading in the right direction and I for one hope this continues.

These new machines all offer the potential for groundbreaking games, though immersion and interaction or sheer size and scope but developers need to be willing to take the risk and there is a real danger that with the cost of making games skyrocketing and the market becoming so competitive that the actual innovative and unique games are overshadowed by the sheer volume of movie tie-ins, sequels and yearly updates that flood the market and will continue to do so. Games are getting stale in many respects and that is one reason that I hope Nintendo’s gamble on the Wii pays off and people start to innovate and experiment and create games that provide something new, but retain the fun that should lie at the heart of the industry. People play because they like to, because it is enjoyable, whether it is becoming immersed in another world, or fighting through breathless and exhilarating action sequences, or solving puzzles or playing sports. This is what draws people to gaming, it’s what attracted me and as long as publishers and developers keep this at the heart of whatever games they are producing then the consumers will always come out on top of the console wars.