console game
Oh yeah! Another Aussie Rules game on the cards.
And this time it’ll be on my console of choice – the Xbox 360!
There’s an article here in The Age about the development of a new Australian Football League game.
One of the problem about being interested in relatively obscure things is that you’re not well catered for. AFL football isn’t obscure in Melbourne, but it certainly is in a global sense and now that video games are big business, the chances of anyone taking the punt (ho ho) on a relatively minor sport reduces.
A similar situation exists for the new music games – Rock Band and Guitar Hero. Rock Band has made serious money: US$1 billion in downloadable track sales. And exactly how many of those are from my favourite genre of music? None – absolutely none. There’s some that come close (Bad Religion, Against Me!, SpongeBob SquarePants) but no Converge, Terror, Kill Your Idols or Ceremony. Not even any Dropkick Murphys and they’re pretty big! I can’t fault the business decision here, but I’d love to play some of those bands.
I like the stuff I’m into – nerdy games, hardcore and AFL all included – and wouldn’t change it. But it’s nice every once in a while when something catering to my interests gets out.
Resolution update!
Whew. It’s March already and I’ve only just managed to do any of my 2009 geek resolutions.
- I finished Fable II this morning when Abbie took Felix to the markets with her. This was a good fun, if a bit too casual, RPG. I didn’t adore it but I certainly enjoyed it. I’ll try to write a proper review in the coming week.
- I’m running a game of Dark Heresy next weekend, all going according to plan, while Ciaran is here.
- I’ve also been playing in Dan’s Mythic Senguko Japan game as a sort of Buddhist mystic. Only 2 sessions for me so far but good fun and a very well realised campaign world. I’ve been meaning to write up some character notes and stuff about the game as well.
That’s it so far – 5 video games left to finish and 3 RPGs left to try, but progress at least!
Some nice links
Chris Pramas announces that the A Song of Ice & Fire RPG has finally been given approval by George R. R. Martin.
According to Kotaku, the Chicago Tribune has asked if GTAIV contains the century’s best writing. Clearly the answer is no – I can think of 30 or so things that are better written from the last 8 years, including some other video games. But interesting the question is being asked.
It’s either fun culture jamming or annoying viral marketing, but they have some funny road signs in Austin.
And continuing on from the other day’s theme, the Guardian has some commentary on the unrepresentativeness of a lot of SFF. This was sparked by a post by Elizabeth Bear on how to produce more representative genre writing. All good stuff and thanks to Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist for the heads up.
Xbox WiFi how-to
I’m posting this, at least in part, because I want to remember how to do it! But Gizmodo have posted a how-to guide to get your Xbox wirelessly networked without shelling out for the rather expensive official adapter.
Geek Resolutions for 2009
Most of us make new year resolutions of one sort or another, and most of them don’t last through January. I suspect that’s because most resolutions are thinks we don’t want to do, but think we should – exercise more often, diet, drink less, stop sleeping around, yadda yadda yadda (for the record, mine is a perfect example – quit drinking coke).
But I thought it would be nice to have some new year resolutions that I actually do want to achieve so here they are:
RPGs
1. Play in a regular campaign, work allowing. This should happen as I’m supposed to play in my friend Dan’s ‘Mythic Japan’ game, using the World of Darkness rules.
2. Run/Play at least one of the following games that are on my shelf but have never been opened in anger:
- D&D Rules Cyclopedia
- GURPS 4e (preferably using the complete collection of Transhuman Space books I have)
- Dark Heresy – the Warhammer 40k RPG.
- Angel – I had a great idea for a game set in Hong Kong in the lead up to the handover. Hong Kong is a city I know fairly well, having lived there as a kid and having visited at least once a year for the last three years as well, but no one I’m likely to play with really knows it at all.
3. Work on the campaign world I’ve got kicking around in my head – a grim, dark fantasy world with lots of malevolent faeries.
Video Games -
1. Finish at least three of the following:
- Grand Theft Auto 4 – I’m on the last bloody mission and can’t manage to finish it. Bah!
- Rainbow 6: Vegas – similarly, I’ve got one level to go. I refuse to buy the next one until I’ve finished this.
- Call of Duty 4 – I’m roughly half way through, and being annoyed by a sneaky level.
- Bioshock & Mass Effect - barely started these, but I was enjoying them both and with the sequels due either this year or next, I’d better get onto them!
- Fable II – again, barely started, but it’s a loaner so better get on with it!
As there’s nothing I’m actually looking forward to coming out on the 360 any time soon, I hope this resolution isn’t too hard.
2. Play online more – I have a Xbox Live Gold account which I’ve used next to never (OliveTheMage is anyone is looking to play). Currently it’s a waste of $100 a year so I’d like to either use it or drop it entirely.
Books
1. Read a bit more!
2. Read more of the Fantasy/Sci-fi classics that Gollancz publish. I’ve been working my way through some good stuff in 2008 – finally read Elric and some Gene Wolfe for example – but I’d like to make a concerted effort to read some of the origins of these genres.
3. Review. One thing I’ve like to do on here is review some of these books. These won’t be major reviews, but hopefully they’d be a good way of organising some thoughts on the books I read and perhaps even generate soem discussion.
Board Games
Once my friend Duncan gets back to Melbourne, I’d like to do at least one serious, all day, board gaming session. Perhaps a return to Axis and Allies?
So there you have it. Check back in 12 months and I’ll go through what I achieved!
Here I am, thank you Ma’am
Thanks Soph.
As I became a father for the second time only a few months ago, my ability to keep up with table-top RPGs has been pretty limited. But I still come across interesting things from time to time and I’m going to be playing a new game in the New Year, so I’m intending to post occasionally on matters relating to all kinds of geek subjects – comics, books, and games of all sorts: board, electronic and table-top.
As an introduction, I thought I’d do a slight best of. It’s not actually a best of, as I haven’t played enough of anything to really judge, but it’s probably the things I’ve enjoyed most in 2008 across a number of categories.