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Big Bombing Beef

By sweep September 16, 2008 11 Comments

I HAVE AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO THE USERS OF GIANTBOMB

Stop continually whining about terrible forum mods. Its so pathetically trivial. Go play some video games.

IN OTHER NEWS

Sweep attempts to raise company morale!

Stupid Machines

Happy!!

I work in a factory, sweeping floors. It sucks, but I need the money. Well today I got sick of watching the miserable bastards shuffling around their rows of machinery, and I decided to raise morale in the only way I know how.

Makes sense to me...

By painting faces on inflated rubber gloves and then sticking them to the walls.
The people that oompa-loompa their way around this factory of spiritual doom seemed happy, if a little confused to see my little monsters at work.
What can I say. I'm a caring kinda guy.

Thanks for reading
Love Sweep

11 Comments

HULK SMASH?!

By sweep September 14, 2008 6 Comments

I don't really like futuristic space games

I found Metroid to be almost unplayable, and Mass Effect was just about saved by its conversation trees and character relationship networks. However the future in general is something that fascinates me (in a geeky kind of Back To The Future sort of way). I cant decide if I prefer the post-apocalyptic shabbiness of Star Wars and Blade Runner - or if I would prefer the geometric perfection of the clean Mass Effect universe.

There's something about blowing shit up that's really appealing. Maybe its just a way of channelling human aggression on a basic subconscious level, but I think its more than that. There is a strong sense of satisfaction at being able to reduce something magnificent to a pile of rubble. Maybe its just a power-trip for geeky kids that get bullied at school. Maybe its searching for a sense of realism in computer games to add meaning to what would otherwise be a waste of time. Who knows? I don't...

But one thing for certain is that dudes who play games like destroying stuff. "Fully destructible environments" tags are presented with such pride by developers, as though they have tapped into the holy grail of great videogame mechanics. And to a lot of people, the ability to smash stuff up is great. But does it really add the level of depth which games so thoroughly believe it does?

This was all brought about by the recent Bombcast (9th September)

Tacky voice acting in Infinite Undiscovery is dismissed by Brad as a "convention of the genre". For some reason, this pissed me off quite a lot. I love video games, to the extent that I am actually proud to be part of this culture when a great game is spawned. But it has dawned on me that gaming needs to move to the next step. Instead of hundreds of shooters revolutionising the genre with "fully destructible environments" I would prefer to see something groundbreaking.

I find myself in a situation where I am actually going to stick up for the Wii. I'm sure you are all sick of hearing about how great it is - but it deserves a lot of praise. Its a shame it receives such poor support from it's developers. I salute the Wii because of the initiative to look at a gaming genre, take a step back and say "how do we make this different?" That's what I want. It may not be better, but the nerve to take that chance was amazing. I remember playing Timesplitters 1 on my PS2 for the first time, and how strange it felt shooting with the R2 button. Before that I had only been using face buttons on my Sega Mega Drive. But now its no natural! And that happened... about 10 years ago. There is much to be said for the "If it aint broke dont fix it" method of design, but its slightly depressing that we cannot see further than simply remapping the controls of a game pad.

I'm feeling kind of weird right now, like I have a big gaming hole which needs to be filled by something which doesn't yet exist. Gaming culture needs to find the 'next step', as soon as possible. Simply upping the graphics for each new console feels so basic. I want someone to revolutionise my gaming experience. Gaming seems to be defined by the chains of design that we have drawn around ourselves by consistently demanding unimaginative content - apparent in the releases of so many sequels of existing franchises. Gaming is being held back in a way that alternative forms of entertainment are not. Music has branched out in infinite directions to accommodate every desirable enjoyable wavelength. Gaming remains stuck in such a narrow channel. The first step is simply realising there is a problem...

That's my blog for today. Its a bit intense and a bit depressing I suppose, but I really feel like something needs to happen to give gaming the wake-up-call it so desperately needs.

You don't need to tell me I'm crazy. I already know.
Thanks for reading
Sweep

6 Comments

Addiction

By sweep September 14, 2008 7 Comments

Its fun getting addicted to computer games

There are no real physical restrainsts other than sleep (which I can last a fairly long time without, apparently) and food (toast?), which leaves you free to perfect your art as you see fit. My addictions have included

Age Of empires II
Call Of Duty 1
World Of Warcraft
Resident Evil 4
Super Smash Bro's Melee
Timesplitters II
Crash Team Racing

Quite a good mix I think. Its awesome knowing you are the best, and even better being able to prove it.
What's slightly worrying me is that I am already kind of addicted to Street Fighter 4. I had a dream about it last night. Considering I have never played it, thats not a good sign is it?

So, to wrap up, I am looking forward to being addicted to Street Fighter 4. Thats quite a worrying concept.

Anyway thanks for reading (my increasingly strange blog posts?)
Love Sweep

7 Comments

STOP! (Hammertime?)

By sweep September 12, 2008 6 Comments

I would like to begin with an extract from my favorite book in the world - "The Beach" by Alex Garland.

"Streetfighter II - an oldie but a goldie - with Leo controlling Ryu. Ryu's his best character because he's a good all-rounder - great defensive moves, pretty quick, and once he's on an offensive roll he's unstoppable. Theo's controlling Blanka. Blanka's faster than Ryu, but he's only really good on attack. The way to win with Blanka is to get in the other players face and just never let up. Flying kick, leg-sweep, spin attack, head bite. Daze them into submission.
Both players are down to the end of their energy bars. One more hit and they're down, so they're both being cagey. They're hanging back at opposite ends of the screen, waiting for the other guy to make the first move. Leo takes the initiative. He sends off a fireball to force Theo into blocking, then jumps in with a flying kick to knock Blanka's green head off. But as he's moving through the air he hears a soft tapping. Theo's tapping the punch button on his control pad. He's charging up an electricity defence so when Ryu's foot makes contact with Blanka's head its going to Ryu who gets KO'd with 10,000 volts charging through his system.
     This is the split second before game over.
     Leo's heard the noise. He knows he's fucked. He has time to blurt, 'I'm toast,' before Ryu is lit up and thrown backwards across the screen, flashing like a christmas tree, a charred skeleton. Toast.
     The split second is the moment you comprehend you're about to die. Different people react to it in different ways. Some swear and rage. Some sigh or gasp. Some scream. I've heard a lot of screams over the twelve years I've been addicted to video games.
     I'm sure that this moment provides a rare insight into the way people react just before they really do die. The game taps into something pure and beyond affectations. As Leo hears the tapping he blurts, 'I'm toast.' He says it quickly, with resignation and understanding. If he were driving down the M1 and saw a car spinning into his path I think he'd react in the same way."

It's an interesting concept, complicated by the detached surrealism of computer games in general. Our empathy is not perfect, but it's strange how involved we can become in computer games, to the extent that our reactions could be considered extreme.

The "split second before game over" idea is one that I love. My favorite ever moment of any computer game probably comes from Resident Evil 4. When you have been dropped off at the Island by Ada and eventually arrive in the prison cells.

I walk into the dimly lit room, cautiously, jaded by recent experience. There is a desk to the right, with a few small cabinets. An empty doorway straight ahead, and a dark passage leading off to the left. I scavenge the room for useful items, saving my progress at the typewriter and picking up some herbs and handgun ammo. Turning to face the long shadowed hallway, I notice some bins pushed against the wall on the left, so saunter towards them looking for ammo to fill up my treasured shotgun. Upon flipping open the lid however, a cloth sack is revealed. The sack starts groaning and moving. Instantly I am poised to fire, gun pointed firmly at the sack with the laser-sight resting where I imagine the head to be. The sack continues to flounder inside the dumpster, the groaning rising in volume. My trigger finger itches but I refrain from firing. As the sack continues to shake, I panic. We can ask questions later. I shoot the sack twice and a red blotch soaks into the cloth. The sack goes limp, the groaning fades into silence. I remain motionless for several seconds, then relax. Panic over. I turn away, and meander slowly down the dark empty hallway. I notice there are prison cells lining the walls, their bars brown with rust. Pausing to investigate, turning slightly to the right and looking into the room reveals a metal table and dark stains littering the floor. My interest is peaked. I'm about to try the cell door when I hear a slow groan, unlike anything I have ever heard in Resident Evil before. The sound is of a slow intake of breath. I freeze, eyes wide. Leon stands motionless, waiting.
   Outside the game, I turn to my brother who is sitting on the sofa beside me, watching in silence. "I'm so fucked aren't I?" He nods and grins nervously. Fuck.
   I turn back to my Gamecube. Twisting Leon to the right reveals a still-empty hallway. I take a tentative step forward. Then another. Suddenly the breathing increases. I can hear a frantic shuffling of malformed feet slithering across the floor. Fuck! What do I do! I turn, and ambling towards me is a gangly formless grey figure. There is a worrying sense of lethal simplicity to the figure. It doesn't bode well. Raising my pistol I unload several rounds into the head of the creature. There is the soft splat of bullets hitting meat, but not even the impact of my beautiful Red9 creates any hindrance to the progress of this monster. After firing extensively at several limbs I manage to knock off a leg. Just in time, the creature nearly upon me. Triumphant, I turn to my brother. "That wasn't so hard!". The grey figure on the floor however clearly has other plans. With a spasm it leapt from a prone position to an assault, clamping its huge hidden jaw full of savage yellow teeth into Leon's neck. My face is a mask of horror. Blank. Leon drops to the floor.

No shit...

My brother sighs, and turns back to playing his DS. I ramain motionless whilst the "You are dead" screen is splattered in front of my face. Continue?

Hell yes.

Thats the second I love. For one split second when I head that groan drift towards me, everything felt so real. The connection is heightened so much between player and game. You freeze and think "I'm so screwed." That split second of understanding transcends the simple concept of allowing a character ingame to reflect the personality of the player. This moment is shared, and the result is a much more genuine gaming experiance. This is where gaming should be going if it wants to move beyond being shallow stereotypes.
Resident Evil 4 deserves your attention if it has not recieved a sizable chunk of it already.

Anyways I hope you guys dont think i'm crazy.

Just quickly before I sign off, I wanted to let peeps know that - I ordered Medieval II Total War for my PC. I got a new laptop about 2 months ago and havent really pushed it to the limit yet. I wanted some sort of RTS game, seeing as they are so hard to find on the Xbox 360. I will let you know when I get it and what I think of it.
In other news I met some of my housemates that I will be sharing with next year at university and one guy has a PS3. I'm sure we are going to get along like a house on fire.
The behemoth are still posting stupidly irrelevant dev blogs - I want patch info!
And... thats about it.

Anyways, thanks for reading
Love Sweep

6 Comments

Some Sort Of Giant Bomb??

By sweep September 10, 2008 8 Comments

The End Is Neigh!

Apparently

You guys have probably all heard about this attempted recreation of the Big Bang. I think its very interesting, especially seeing as some people are convinced it will destroy the Earth. I dont see what all the fuss is about to be honest. If we create a black hole and all die then none of us are going to know about it. Also - life is boring. Thats why we play computer games as entertainment. And if Steven Hawking says its ok then, hell - its safe enough for me. Read about it here.
I think its happening suspiciously close to the release of Spore. Could it simply be the best PR in the world EVER? Think about it...

ANYWAYS on the offchance that this is the Apocalypse I would like to point out that I REGRET NOTHING!!

In Gaming News

Hilary Goldstien Acts Like A Jackass!!

Upon close scrutiny his latest blog entry states that Fallout 3 is essential for anyone who cares about maintaining some sort of ridiculous hardcore gaming reputation. I quote: "You must play Fallout 3 if you are in any way a true gamer. Ouch."
I dont think I really need to point out what a fucking ridiculously moronic comment this is. Trying to intimidate people into playing a computer game by questioning their status as a "true gamer" is patheticly immature. Especially concerning a game that has not even been released yet. If anything this makes me resent Fallout 3 as I do not want to be associated with this idiocy.

"Ouch"??

Hilary Goldstien - your stock just went down.

Gears Of War 2 Multiplayer

I was browsing some old GOW2 hands-on stuff from a while back and some things caught my eye which I didn't notice beforehand.

Sniper Active Reload - No longer downs people in one shot
Chainsaw - You are no longer invincible whilst cutting some dude in half.
Ranked matches - now have a party functionality enabled.

These things all sound appropriately awesome. I can't wait for Gears 2!!

Stuff Regarding The Word "Broke"

Pictures In Blogs Are Broken

Trying to post pictures is a pain in the ass. It sometimes screws up the entry box so you cant type below the first picture you post. I have noticed this also when editing my profile. I sent a PM to Brad about this, we will see if anything happens. Whats the usual protocol when something goes busted? Is there a forum I can visit? (I dont like forums).

Castle Crashers is still broken

The latest Behemoth blog hints that the patch is still underway, but focusses mainly on fan-art that people have sent in. I cant help but feel a little frustrated at this lack of respect for MY BROKEN GAME! I dont want to look at crummy JPEGS of the Red Knight, I want more news on what you are doing to fix the game I just bought!

I'm not broke anymore!

I managed to earn enough money working shifts in a factory to bring myself out of my -£200 debt and back up to zero. Now all the money I earn over the next two weeks is being saved for the gaming rush thats happening in October. It's going to blow your mind out've your goddamn nose!

Thanks For Reading
Lots Of Love, Sweep

8 Comments

Keeping It Simple #02

By sweep September 9, 2008 7 Comments

YES

Intelligent Gaming Discussions - Fuckin' A
Student Loans - How else am I going to afford all these great games?
Tuesday Nights - Its bombcast time!!
Life Outside Computer Games - An epic gaming experiance is meaningless without context (see point 1)

No

Unoriginal Character Design - Another game with orcs in it? Great...
Release Clusters - Dont rush it just so you can get it out before christmas!
Fanboys - One day we will look back and laugh. Well... I will laugh. You will just feel like an idiot.
Cheaters In Multiplayer - I hope someone smashes all your teeth in with a brick

Thanks For Reading
Love Sweep

7 Comments

Why Do You Game??

By sweep September 8, 2008 12 Comments

To some people games are meaningless procrastinations.

This is fine, and most of these people would dub this the Casual Gamers segment. But for some, computer games mean something more. Not in any sort of pretentious meaningful way, but just as an understanding of quality substance. We can apprecciate a good game, just as with everything else in life. The people who fall into this category include most of you, as members of such a niche gaming website, and of course - myself. I like to believe that there is an understanding of quality which I can use to distinguish between the games that I play.

GTA4

I dont like it when people tell me games are for kids. I dont like it even more when people tell me that computer games are the source of promlems with today's youth. Computer games have become the scapegoat for the violence and agression with youth culture for too long. I am the first person to jump up and defend Computer Games when someone claims that a game like GTA4 encourages or desensatises people to violence. We can retain our humanity despite exposure to the potential depths of morality. People need to grow up and mind their own damn business.

GTA4 is a great game. People will argue and disagree, because hey - no game will ever appeal to everyone. But its a great example of a game that can communicate to a wide audience and connect with all types of gamers universally. Which is a reason it recieved such negativity from the public. GTA4 has come and gone and, surprise surprise, its presence has not bought about a crime spree of brainwashed teens marauding the streets and terrorising old ladies. GTA4 was complex enough to imply a sense of understanding towards morality - despite the ambiguity of its violence the game retained a sense of human decency that was present in the character of Niko - and more emphatically in Roman and Kate. It had its action-flash moments but GTA4 left room for "right" and "wrong", and as such in the context of the game itself, I think deserves praise beyond that of being a "fun computer game".

Saints Row 2

I'm going to put my Beef right out where everyone can see it. I dont like Saints Row. I dont like the concept. I find it insulting to the intelligence of gamers. I can sympathise with the attempts to separate Saints Row from GTA4 by taking the Pimps And Hoes culture to the extreme - but in my eyes the game ramins tacky. If this was a film, the lead would be played by Steven Seagal. I dont understand how people can take away anything worthwhile at all from this game, other than some cheap thrills. I'm not suggesting that this game will pervert minds in the way that our parents believe, but I still think that Saints Row is a deplorable attempt to cash in intelligent game ideas for cheap gimmicks and gang affiliated colloquialisms.

I'm in no way suggesting that a game need be meaningful or revolutionary to qualify as a worthwhile experiance. But Saints Row seems such a crude and glorified representation of a culture that we should not be celebrating. The game is a mess. Annoyingly the creators would probly say that this was their very intention - to create a "wacky" sense of gang violence and freedom with no physical or ethical consequences. And that annoys me. The game is simply, too shallow. A game can be worthwhile without depth, but in the context of gang warfare I find the notion slightly insulting.

This is a slightly negative rant I know, but I just wanted to put my feelings out there and see if anyone else agrees. Frustratingly Saints Row 2 will probably end up on top of the sales charts...

Anyways thanks for reading
Love Sweep

12 Comments

The Next 2 Months Will Be Insane

By sweep September 7, 2008 12 Comments

I just read Hilary Goldstiens blog on IGN and it reminded me just how many great games there are being released in such a short distance of time. I have had to update my list of wanted games - and whats scary is, I might actually find myself in a position where I cant afford all the games that I want. I dont know about you guys, but that has never really happened to me before. I have never felt so spoilt for choice.

And it feels AWESOME.

So lets have a quick peek at whats in store. In October and November -

Gears Of War 2

Fallout 3

Fable 2

BK: Nuts and Bolts

Mirror's Edge

Far Cry 2

Dead Space

Prince Of Persia

Left 4 Dead

12 Comments

Left 4 Dead = Zombies?

By sweep September 5, 2008 5 Comments

Firstly thanks to everyone

who gave honest feedback on the first episode of AFTERMATH, even those which werent so positive - its all constructive. I am going to do a few more episodes - but this time I'm going to create some of my own images and actually think about what i'm going to write instead of the first thing that comes into my head. If anyone has any suggestions then please feel free to send me a PM. My sense of humour is kinda goofy and not to everyones taste, another perspective would be great =D

More importantly, I have been scanning through the PAX interviews from various sources and I cant seem to find any info on playable Zombie Characters in Left 4 Dead. I know its possible, because I remember being super stoked when I first heard about it. Also there is a video here =

But after watching all the PAX interviews and scoping out the Valve site - everyone is just shouting mess about 4 player online. Does that mean 4 vs 4? Humans vs zombies? Or have the zombies been scrapped? I really hope not because its looks completely playable, as well as fucking awesome, and that would be such a kick in the teeth... That was for me one of the highlights of the game. Does anyone have any updated info on Playable Zombies?

Thanks for reading.
Love Sweep

EDIT

Oh yeah. The Pure demo is awesome. Stoked.

5 Comments

GiantBomb Web Comic - Episode 001

By sweep September 4, 2008 18 Comments

Considering the Giant Bomb team have all these great web-pictures lying around I figured it couldnt hurt to try something out. These images werent drawn by me, they were just stolen from review pages, but if this is a success then I might start making my own... Let me know what you think

18 Comments

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