Guides
The London Games Festival kicks off on October 24th bringing a series of events to the my home city that celebrate the wonderful world of videogames. I always look forward to it each year as there is always loads of cool stuff to check out around the city with all my gaming friends in London. I hook up with friends I play with online and that adds a little something to the proceedings. It's always fun and sometimes a lttle wild as last year was when I initated the rabble into the wonders of combining Absinthe and arcade gaming lol.
Last year I did some cool stuff which included playing the very latest Q4 games that had not even been released yet. I also got the opportunity to play some of the very first video games ever created, and some of the most iconic, many of which I had never had the chance to play before. It was of course very cool for a lover of retro gaming.
http://www.londongamesfestival.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacewar!
They also had a series of lectures on videogame production and the history of them. Normally I find lectures very dull affairs, as I am sure many others do. I can barely stand the lectures I attend at the National Gallery for my private study, yet these on the other hand were a revelation as I have never been to lectures and listened so attentively and not wanted them to end. I found it all fascinating, I learnt so much about the industry and the design processes involved in making videogames. It made me think about games in a way that I had never done previously. As a result I now have greater appreciation of them as a creative mediium and hold many more in high regard.
I currently have no intention of entering the industry as I am perfectly content with what I do, but one day I would certainly like to have a creative role in the development of a videogame. This years festival will see a careers fair for those wanting to get advice from professionals already deep within the industry, it will have representatives from the big development houses attending. I am going, not in order to snag a job, but instead to network with other artists that have a appreciation of gaming in the hope that someday it might lead to a bit role. My first ever job was actually at a games company amazingly, it was my work experience during secondary school at the age of 17. I recall stating to my tutor that if he did not find something suitable I would not bother to even turn up. I listed videogames twice in the three boxes available on the request form, and cartooning in the one remaining lol. I spent far too many lessons day dreaming while scribbling onto table tops, some of it very vulgar and well detailed featuring teachers lol. Anyway, in the end I found a place at Ocean Software, the peeps that made the early Robocop games on the C64. I cannot remember much from my experience then due to they years of substance abuse since then but I do remember being what was in effect a well worked slave for two weeks. They had me running out to the shops in Covent Garden to buy them white chocolate muffins and latte's. They did however give me some Rayban shades as a leaving prezzie so that kinda made up for the temporary slave stuff. I felt so grown up heading home from work wearing my Rayban shades on the London underground lol.
In line with the past two years yet again Video Games Live will be part of the London festival also. I have been lucky enough to attend everyone that has been held in London so far and this year will be no exception as I have already booked my tickets. For those that do not know what VGL is, it's basically a high quality stage show with w 32 piece orchestra playing all the great music from all the great games including MGS and Halo, Zelda and Mario, Final Fantasy and many other ****cs. I adore videogame music and have found the two previous events actually very moving. It really is something special hearing the melodies we love being played live in such a awesome fashion.
Video Games Live
http://www.videogameslive.com/index.php?s=home
Final Fantasy-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8loSwkZjWDw
Metal Gear Solid-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_6LG8dyE0U
Zelda-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJMdFHE90iI&feature=related
I will be attending the Golden Joystick Awards at the end of the festival for the first time this year after getting a press pass. I cannot wait, this years event should be equally awesome :D
Call of Duty World at War CoOp Gameplay
I do not care if the game was made by Treyarch as others are, many are dismissing the game as a result and I think that's stupid. Treyarch are aware of the criticisms leveled at them in the past and are going to prove people wrong with this game. They have had 2 years, ample time to develop this game without interference, unlike past projects, in turn expect a great game. Apparently it feels just like CoD4 but the tactics you have to employ are totally different because the Japanese soldier tactics are so unique. They will jump out of cover in groups trying to Bayonette you not caring about whether they will die in the process. It's got **** awesome fire propagation effects, as good as FarCry2!. The Flamethrower weapon looks excellent and all the destruction that happens via it's use looks cool. The competitive CoOp is going to be awesome by the looks of things.I bought a new graphics card for my PC yesterday. I got a XFX 1Gig DDR3 9800GX2. I am amazed by the performance so far. On the PC front I cannot wait till Crysis Warhead and Far Cry 2 are released next month, they should run fine with my new card. I am also really looking forward to a patch of all things, that patch being a mod to the existing PC game The Witcher which currently has bad technical and gameplay issues that will be rectified when a new Enhanced edition is released at retail next month, existing owners such as me will get a free patch tol boost the game which is great news as I love that game but have held off completing it. Right now I am playing this really awesome DS game called Soul Bubbles. It's such a charming well crafted game I have fallen completely in love with it, sadly so has my GF who has it locked into the baby blue DS I bought her.
Currently Playing: Samurai Shodown 2 Neo Geo and Soul Bubbles DS
Samurai Shodown 2 - Neo Geo - Wii Virtual Console
A awesome fighting game, with bags of style.
Thankfully I am playing with this baby and not a lame Classic Controller, as that would not be anywhere near as good.
Soul Bubbles
I will be trying to get past a few more levels today. Enjoy your day of rest also 
So wrong it's right
