Hey guys. It's been a pretty hectic week here at Dan Towers, what with essay deadlines coming in thick and fast. Nonetheless, I've still managed to break free from my busy schedule and write up a quick update on what's happening with me.
 
The main point of conversation right now with regards to what I've been playing is obviously Fallout 3. In between my excursions into the Capital Wasteland I've played some Rock Band and a little Geometry Wars, but for the most part Fallout 3 is where it's at. Things have really come along since my last update, so I'll do my best to fill you in on my adventures across the wastes. My character is currently at level 25, with a focus on both combat and social skills that seems to have served him pretty well so far. I'm a fair way through the main quest line, having just finished the quest The American Dream. I've also finished up quite a few of the side quests in the game and played through two of the DLC packs, namely Operation: Anchorage and The Pitt. I've just decided to break away from the main quest yet again and head over to Point Lookout. I'll be giving a much more thorough account of my opinion of Fallout 3 (including all the DLC) when I eventually finish with the game, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, I'm still having an awesome time with the game and can't wait to see what Point Lookout has to offer.
 
But it's not all Fallout 3 on the agenda as we come close to the end of the year. There are a few other games that I'd really like to spend some time with and hopefully finish before 2009 comes to a close. So, with a new year (and a new decade) on the horizon, I proudly bring you...
 

The Official To-Do List - 2009 Edition  

	1. Fallout 3 I received Fallout 3 as a Christmas present last year, and played the hell out of it back in January and February, but never actually finished the main quest line. Now armed to the teeth with all five DLC packs, I've returned to the game with hopes of clearing out everything I didn't manage to do first time round.
	2. Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City Actually this only refers to The Ballad of Gay Tony. I downloaded it on release day, and I intend to play through it before the year's up. Grand Theft Auto IV is my favourite game of all time, and I loved The Lost and Damned, so I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into this second piece of episodic content.
	3. Lost Odyssey As a huge Final Fantasy fan, Lost Odyssey delivers where Final Fantasy XII left me feeling a little short changed. I'm currently at the start of Disc 3 of this mammoth game, but I'm confident that it'll get finished before we see in 2010.
	4. Pokémon Crystal After playing through Pokemon Yellow earlier this year, I decided to give in to my nostalgic urges and finally picked up a second-generation Pokemon game in the form of Crystal. With seven badges under my belt right now, completing this before New Year shouldn't be a problem.
	5. The Secret of Monkey Island I've never played an adventure game before in my life. However, I've heard so many great things about this game (largely from that dear departed hustler, SuperMooseman) that I felt compelled to buy it on Steam. I intend to pop my point 'n' click cherry before the end of this decade with this little piece of history.

  
In other news not related to those video game things, I went out with my girlfriend last night to a comedy night on the University campus. This wasn't a spur of the moment decision, mind. I bought my ticket almost a month ago after finding out who was headlining the show - my favourite stand-up comedian, Jon Richardson. As a long-time listener of his BBC 6 Music podcast, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see him perform live for a mere four pounds. I think I identify with Jon because we have such similar outlooks on life - we're both grumpy young men who've adopted the philosophy: "The world is shit, so you might as well laugh about it". His set was ruthlessly funny, as he poked fun at relationships, student life and politics in his trademark fashion. At the end of the show, I even got to have a quick chat with him and shook his hand. To draw a comparison in the gaming industry, I suppose it'd kind of be like shaking hands with Gabe Newell. Or maybe even Jeff Gerstmann. All in all, it was an awesome night that I shan't soon forget.
 
I think on that note, it's about time I wrapped up this blog. I have a hungry girlfriend who I suspect is expecting me to cook dinner tonight. Thanks for reading guys. Take it easy, and I'll see you around.
 
 
Dan 
 
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Currently playing - Fallout 3 (X360)

If I had to pick one aspect of my life to define myself, I'd tell people that I was a writer. For a long time now, I've wanted nothing more than to become a published author. Not a popular author, mind - I have no interest in attaining the same status as people like Dan Brown or J. K. Rowling. The appeal lies more in the creation of something that other people can pick up and enjoy. The thought of putting something real and physical out there into shops and onto shelves is really appealing to me. Probably because it carries the notion that, even when I'm no longer a part of this world, I'll live on through the words I've written, and in the minds of people who've read those words. 
 
Over the last few years, I've been building up the backstory to what will most likely be my first attempt at a proper fantasy novel. I've been toying with the concept for quite some time now, and I finally think things are beginning to reach a point where they constitute a full plan for a book. Things have changed considerably since the initial idea began to take root in the back of my mind. Old plot ties have been severed to make way for new ones. New characters have emerged to take the place of their older counterparts. Locations have been built from the ground up, demolished and rebuilt in a completely different fashion. This constant evolution has formed the basis of my creative thought process over the last few years, often to the point where I start to eat, sleep and breathe the fruits of my own invention. What I'm doing is, by my understanding, not too dissimilar to the process of creating a story-driven video game. Just like a novel, a game that intends to spin an interesting yarn will rely on realising its characters and its setting, as well as conveying the plot itself.
 
As I near the end of this preliminary stage and begin to think about the transition from concept into product, one thing in particular has been bothering me. I can only describe it as a by-product of being the over-protective parent of such a piece of work - a worry that I might send the result of my labour out into the world unprepared. The way I see it, with fantasy writing in particular, the success of what one writes is determined by its believability relative to our own world. The world that a fantasy writer creates has to be cohesive, and compliant with its own laws. Suspension of disbelief is a necessary aspect of fantasy, but it can only be relied on up to a point. To put it in simpler terms, it's ok to create a world where lemonade is a fuel source, as long as you back it up by adapting your world to fit - it's not going to be quite as plausible if your world doesn't have any means of sustainable lemon production. My biggest concern is that the world I've created around the story I want to tell might not be cohesive enough.
 
So, over the last year or so I've been looking at the books I've read as a reference point. I've gone back to writers like Philip Pullman and J.R.R. Tolkien, writers who've created worlds that I've been both lost in and inspired by. I've also taken great care when reading new books to see how authors succeed in creating a believable, working reality different from our own. But, it's not just books that have to do this (here comes that video gamey relevance again!). Game developers also have to ensure that the worlds they create are believable - maybe even more so, considering we are not just a spectator of their reality, but an inhabitant and participant in it.With the release of games like BioShock, Grand Theft Auto IV and Metal Gear Solid 4, we're starting to see more and more games succeed in portraying believable worlds with their own mechanics, politics and history.
 
Story-telling in games has had a profound effect on me. Arguably more so than the vast majority of people who play games, I'd go as far as to say. The big one, however controversial it may prove, was Final Fantasy VII. To this day, FFVII remains one of my favourite games, and that's predominantly due to the influence it had on me when I first played it nine years ago. Before being exposed to FFVII, my experiences in the world of video games had been limited to the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog and Crash Bandicoot. These games featured slivers of narratives, but their stories were essentially only there to validate the actual gameplay. By contrast, FFVII's story and characters were the focus of the game. It completely changed my perspective on games in general, showing me the potential of the medium as a storyteller. What impressed me most, though, was the canon and history surrounding the game's main story that diligent players could unearth as they played through the game. It's the presence of this parerga within the game that really gave the world of FFVII a sense of credibility and made the events that unfolded throughout the story's progression even more believable (for me, anyway).

If you keep up with what I've been playing recently, you'll notice that the list is currently dominated by three sizeable RPGs - namely Fallout 3, Lost Odyssey, and Pok émon Crystal. Each of these three games contains a multitude of auxiliary content that helps to flesh out their world and make it more cohesive, and thus more believable. Fallout 3's backstory is arguably more interesting than the plot of its main quest, giving an insight into life before the bombs fell. Fabricated brands like Nuka Cola and the Ford Nucleon-inspired car skeletons littered around the Capital Wasteland convey the history of a world that was heavily reliant on nuclear power before it was destroyed by it. Lost Odyssey's world can be drawn on a parallel with our own thanks to the comparative energy crisis it experiences, and this is all thanks to the careful attention writers must have paid to the concept of Magic Energy. The fantasy world of the Pok émon games is made more plausible by the inclusion of related paraphernalia such as Poké Balls, not to mention the presence of fictional authority systems like the Pokémon League. It's the attention to detail in each of these examples that makes the game worlds feel "complete".  
 
To take one final example, let's have a look at a recent promotional video for the new Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable content, The Ballad of Gay Tony.  

 
The ad makes liberal use of an in-game brand, which in itself is a parody of a real world brand. The 'Sprunk' name is a tiny part of what makes GTAIV's Liberty City so believable as a parody of the real-world New York City. I think it's pretty safe to say that if Rockstar didn't build up all this supporting content in the form of consumer brands, television programmes and radio shows (to name just a few examples), GTAIV as a game would feel like a very hollow experience.

The last year and a half has been a truly enlightening experience from an authorial perspective. Playing games like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Dead Space, and the first two Oddworld titles has provided me with an insight into how to make my world more believable by creating supporting content and integrating it into the world. In tandem, reading books like Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and Thomas More's Utopia has given me a great insight into how to integrate that supporting content into the narrative I'll be writing. I've reached a point where I'm feeling more comfortable with the way my concept is shaping up than I've ever done before, and I think that I'll be ready to actually start working on the novel itself in the very near future.
 
I think that's all I've got to say at this moment in time. For anybody who might be interested, I'm setting up a separate blog where I intend to pour out all my more authorial ramblings as I get well and truly stuck into the writing process which can be found here. I know it's devoid of content right now, but I expect it to get pretty active as we head into 2010 and the writing gets underway proper. For those of you who read my Giant Bomb blog, fear not - I won't be leaving the GB Blogosphere, and you'll still be able to find regular games-related updates here. Those of you who couldn't care less probably stopped reading about halfway into the second chapter, so I shan't offer you any parting words. To all you others, thanks a lot for taking the time to read this pretty sizeable (and probably largely nonsensical) blog post. If you have any recommendations regarding games that go a great job of realising their worlds, let me know - I'd love to investigate more of them. Take care, and I'll see you around. 
 
 
DanK 
 
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Currently playing - Fallout 3 (X360)

Hey guys. Just another quick update for now. I'm sorry this blog isn't more substantial, I promise some pretty lengthy, interesting entries are on their way. I've just been a little busy with University over the last week, and a nasty bout of head cold didn't exactly help matters either. Next week will bring more meaningful content, I promise.
 
So, on to what I've been playing lately: 
 

Now Playing

	1. Fallout 3 I decided to return to the Capital Wasteland earlier this week. A major factor in this was my coming into a nice helping of Microsoft Points, which I used to flesh out my collection of Fallout 3 downloadable content. Now I have all five add-ons, I think this is the best possible time to jump back into Bethesda's post-apocalyptic open-world RPG. I'm steering clear of the main quest line for now in favour of finishing up some of the side quests early on. My speech-focused character is currently Level 8, and I'm endeavouring to stay at the good end of the Karma spectrum. I'm just about to embark on the quest 'Blood Ties'.
	2. Lost Odyssey Just because I'm diving into yet another lengthy RPG doesn't mean I've forgotten about this one. Lost Odyssey is still seeing a fair amount of playtime. I've just emerged from the Ice Canyon at the start of Disc 3. My party's average level is about 32.
	3. Pokémon Crystal Rounding off this RPG-heavy list is this second-gen Pokemon title. I've just won my sixth badge in Olivine City and I'm now heading off to the Lake of Rage. My party's average level is 38.

 
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Along with the Fallout 3 DLC, I also bought a few Arcade titles off Xbox Live Marketplace. For anybody who's interested, they are: 
 

Arcade Titles I Bought This Week

	1. DrumKit A pretty cool "game" that converts your Rock Band drums into a more conventional digital drum kit. You can configure the kit in any way you fancy, and even play along to the songs on your 360's hard drive. This should ensure I keep on top of my drumming, and at 80 Points, it was a steal.
	2. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved I've always had a soft spot for retro arcade shooters, although I don't play them very often. Geometry Wars cost me 400 Points and offers a fiendishly difficult (and fiendishly addictive) dual stick shooter.
	3. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Despite already owning a copy of this as part of the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection, I went ahead and spent 400 Points on a second version of what I deem to be the best 2D platformer I've ever played.
	4. Worms I've always been a big fan of the Worms franchise, and a remake of the game that started it all for a mere 400 points isn't something I could pass up.

 
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In other news, my mum sent me some pictures of our new dog earlier today. Longtime readers may remember that we lost our last dog back in March to a sudden and aggressive illness. Well, my parents got a new dog just after I moved into my new flat in August. Her name is Mya, and she's seventeen weeks old. She's half border collie and half Alaskan malamute, so she's going to get pretty big. For now, though, she's one of the cutest little bundles of fluff I've ever set eyes on. Here are some photos. Anyone who disagrees clearly isn't human.   
 
 Once again, sorry for the lack of any real content to this blog. As I said, expect some compensation next week. Take it easy, and I'll see you around. 
 
 
DanK 
 
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Currently playing - Fallout 3 (X360)

So let's get down to business. I've been playing loads of games lately. I mean loads. I don't think I've had this many on the go for quite a while. Usually, I would go to the trouble of paragraphing this kind of information, but I've just noticed that lists can be imported into blog posts, and I'm quite curious to see how that works. Let's see how this pans out... 
 

Now Playing

...Wow, it worked! Ok, here's what I'm playing right now:

	1. Forza Motorsport 2 For a more detailed explanation on why Forza 2 continues to occupy my 360's disc drive, I'd recommend checking out this blog. It's starting to get a little laborious now, but at present my stats sheet indicates I'm at Driver Level 48, with a career completion percentage of 89% All that's left to take care of are two Factory Spec championships, five Professional Series championships, and four Endurance Races. To be honest, though, I'm kinda burned out on Forza. I think I'll be steering clear of it in favour of...
	2. Gran Turismo I'm not entirely sure why, but I impulse-downloaded Gran Turismo for my PSP yesterday. After some extensive playtime last night and earlier today during a two-hour gap in my university schedule, I've formulated enough of an opinion on the game to write this review of it. As I've only just started, I currently only own seven of the game's database of 830 cars. From what I've played so far, I like it, and I think it's the best way GT could have possibly gone portable.
	3. Lost Odyssey To be honest this is the only game on the list that I haven't played much of recently. I'm still really enjoying it, it's just gotten a little lost at the bottom of this monstrous pile. On the off chance you're looking for a more detailed account of my opinion of Lost Odyssey, you'll find in the blog linked above. I'm at pretty much the start of Disc 3, working my way through the Ice Canyon, with a party at the average level of 32. I'm hoping to put a little more time into this over the weekend while my girlfriend's away.
	4. Pokémon Crystal I played Pok émon Yellow earlier this year and loved the hit of nostalgia it gave me. Inspired to continue on the Pok émon train, I picked up a copy of Crystal and began my journey through Johto. Right now I'm training my team before I take on the Gym Leader at Olivine City. I have five badges, and according to my Pok édex I've caught 92 different kinds of Pok émon.
	5. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 This is probably the most on-and-off game on this list. I've opted not to pick up a copy of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 just yet, preferring to spend some extra time with PES2009 and actually complete the Master League. The plan's not going too smoothly though - I'm playing it so sparingly that I'm still in my first season, about halfway up the table in Division 2.
	6. Rock Band I bought this along with a drum controller in a bid to keep drumming while I'm at university, so I don't completely forget myself the next time I'm behind a drum kit. It looks like it's going to serve that purpose. Being a big rock fan, the song list is great and features a lot of awesome tracks, including some that my band covers, so I feel right at home playing them. The drums are surprisingly similar to the real thing, despite the limitations of four pads. As long as it prevents me from losing my sense of timing and keeps my arms loose, It'll have served its purpose. The huge amount of fun is a definite bonus.
	7. Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise This is probably the game I've spent most time playing over the last week or so. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it's taking over my life. The quirky characters and cute characters have an uncanny ability to draw you in, and the gardening gameplay is surprisingly addictive. It even managed to grip my girlfriend, so much so that I had to convince her to buy the DS version so I could get my 360 back. I think I'm going to be contending with Professor Pester for quite a long time to come.

So that's what's been going on game-wise. In other news... 
 

• I'm back at university proper now, studying for my second year of an English Language and Literature course. I'm studying some really awesome texts this year for the literature component, some of which I really can't wait to read. Right now I'm reading Thomas More's Utopia (as referenced in the title of this blog), and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Later in the year I'll be looking at texts like John Milton's Paradise Lost, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, and (this is the one I'm looking forward to most) Italo Calvino's If On A Winter's Night A Traveller. The language component is looking pretty interesting too; I've chosen to focus on phonology and semantics this year.
• On Tuesday I bumped into a guy from my hometown on campus. This would be shocking enough on its own, given I was the only person from my hometown at Essex last year, but it's made even more freaky by the fact that I used to be pretty good friends with this guy. Very scary stuff.
• My girlfriend continues to be awesome. On Monday (my busiest day), I came home to find the flat clean. She then cooked me dinner, did all the washing up, and encouraged me to spend the evening on my 360. I genuinely believe I'm the luckiest guy on the planet.  If you're reading this, Karen, you need to stop being so amazing. You're making me look bad.
• I got The Black Crowes' new album, Before The Frost.../...Until The Freeze, last week, and I think it's safe to say that my award for Album of the Year is signed, sealed and delivered. Also of note were The Enemy's Music For The People and Kasabian's West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. To be honest, a lot of the music I was looking forward to this year has disappointed me greatly (here's looking at you, Muse and Editors), so it's nice to have something solid by one of my favourite bands to restore some of my faith in modern music.

 
 
DanK 
 
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Currently playing - Gran Turismo (PSP)

My Xbox 360 has been stolen by my girlfriend. After watching me play Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise, she asked me if she could have a go last night. In the last twenty-four hours, she's assumed total control of the console, has obtained a bigger garden than I have, attracted more types of pinata than I have, and even earned more Achievement points than I have. This morning she told me she even dreamt she was a pinata last night. Meanwhile I'm in bed, playing Pok émon Crystal and watching her get almost literally sucked into the game as she moves closer and closer to the screen. I'm just praying that I can persuade her to give up the controller for half an hour so I can watch Harry Hill's TV Burp before she gets back to the landscaping and breeding. My girlfriend always thought she'd lose me to games. I never anticipated it could happen the other way round. 
 
Also, for those of you who aren't aware, Giant Bomb now has a spoiler button integrated into its text editor. You can use it to hide spoilers from view. I can't divulge my opinion of the new feature, in case I reveal any spoilers. 
 

Thanks for reading, guys. See you around. 
 
 
DanK 
 
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Currently playing - Pokémon Crystal (GBC)