PC Gamer Showdown/RPS Meetup
Tomorrow I head to Coventry for a day at the PC Gamer Showdown. I’d considered investing in a full weekend BYOC ticket way back when, but quickly realised that it’d be rather dull to go on my own (as I know no-one who’d come with). As luck would have it, however, Sean (DuBBle) from the RPS chatroom had won a pair of day tickets in a compo a couple of weeks ago, so a plan was hatched that will see myself, Dan (dartt), Sean and Steve (SteveTheBlack) in attendance.
It will be interesting to meet these fine gentlemen at long last. It’s been about a year now since the RPS chatroom was first spawned (14/9/07, fact-fans!), and we four (along with a handful of others) have been present from the start, so it seems somewhat fitting.
Of course, meeting my fellow RPSites isn’t the only reason for the trip; there’s also the chance to play a load of unreleased games, including Left 4 Dead, Dawn of War II and … Dead Space. Yes; I’ll finally get to see if all my hype is unfounded or not.
Some good stalkage will also be had; Jim, Kieron, John and several other Future bods will be there. Alas, no Tom Francis – I really wanted to hunt him down and set him on fire (and in the game).
Will have my camera with me, so expect a lenghty post or two next week, and plenty of pics to boot.
Anti-SAD?
The nights are drawing in, there’s a chill in the air and the leaves are falling; Autumn is officially here, and you know what? It makes me happy.
I always get nostalgic about Autumn. There’s my birthday, obviously, Halloween and a fast-approaching Christmas season. Not to mention the usual deluge of Triple-A games that are released to cash in on said period. But most of all, I love finally being able to bust out the winter clothes and start wrapping up warm.
Of course, the one down side is having to put the heating on; this has never been a problem in the past (living in halls as I was) but now I have to pay for it? That’s a different matter…
A Day in the Death…
…Of Sinarel, the Blood Elf Death Knight.
So, yes. As you may or may not have read in my previous entry, I decided to plunge into the Wrath of the Lich King demo beta and try out the new ‘hero’ class, the Death Knight. Unlike the Death Knights of old, these are not fallen Paladins, or the spirits of dead Orc Warlocks fused with the reanimated corpse of a human knight. Instead, seemingly, the Scourge is letting any Tom, Dick and Harry into their ranks; any race can become a Death Knight these days (the sight of a female gnome running around with Saronite armour and glowing blue eyes is rather… odd). Anyway, follow the cut for my thoughts on the first few hours of life as a member of the un-living.
Irony, Thy Name is Blizzard
Remember back when I had two WotLK keys available? Turns out I actually only had one; the code from the Blizzard WWI wasn’t a beta key in and of itself, it was just a code that would guarantee me a key in the next wave of invites. I didn’t discover this till after I’d bought a months worth of game time and decided to use it for myself. Having missed the last wave, I was left with a month paid for, and nowt to do.
That was all about 28 days ago now. My month of free time is just running up. But, once again, I woke up this morning to find a WotLK beta key in my mailbox. Seemingly, another wave has gone out and my WWI code has been redeemed. The question becomes, once again, what to do now. I want to play in the beta, but fear that I may burn out and not bother with levelling when the full game comes out. Alternativly, I could just dick about with a Death Knight or something. Will have to ruminate on it.
Edit: I ruminated long and hard:
Congratulations! You have successfully upgraded your World of Warcraft account. You are now ready to experience all the exciting new content that World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King™ has to offer…
Not that it matters, since the character copy queue is currently full, and the average wait to copy a character is 18 days. Looks like I’m never going to get a go in the beta, perhaps as the Fates intended?
PEGGLE!, Spore and Strong Badia the Free
I’ve opted to compile the following… well, they’re not reviews as such, just ‘game related things’ into one post as they are on their own, quite brief. Except for the Spore one. That turned into a bit of a ramble. Anyway, as ever, follow the cut for more wordthinks…
The First, Bitter Taste of That Terrible Illusion: Hype.
I was worried the other week when I started getting hyped about Dead Space. Hype is a Bad Thing (just look at Spore), and there is still a chance that it will disappoint especially as this is a new, untested IP, and a relatively under-developed genre. However, it just got worse; today I found myself reading an interview with Glen Schofield (Executive Producer for Dead Space) over on IGN, and he said this:
Soul Reaver! Bring back Soul Reaver!
Turns out he had previously worked at Crystal Dynamics, and had a hand in Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2 and Blood Omen 2. Now, the Legacy of Kain games are probably my most loved series, so this knowledge has just added more fuel to the hype machine. Frak!
As an aside, to this day I wish Crystal Dynamics would take a break from the rebooted Tomb Raider games and make a return to Nosgoth (though, given the death of Tony Jay and Amy Hennig’s resignation it’s really not likely). One day I might do some kind of retrospective piece on the Legacy of Kain series or somesuch. Also, I realise that none of you will get the title; it is a play on the final line of LoK: Defiance:
Kain: Most ironic of all, was the last gift that Raziel had given me. More powerful than the sword that now held his soul, more acute even than the vision that his sacrifice had accorded me. The first, bitter taste of that terrible illusion: hope.
Curiosity Killed The Cat
No, not Her; as if mere curiosity could kill a Great Old One.
I’m am, of course, referring to myself. Ever the inquisitive one, I got to thinking; who actually regularly reads this, and if there are any discernible patterns in my readership. So, indulge me, please, and simply post a comment on this entry (or send an email to si dot wharton at hotmail dot com), whether I know you or not. Don’t be shy, I wont bite. Nor will I in anyway alter my ramblings based on the audience any such comments might suggest.
Alternatively, just ignore this post and continue to stalk me. You weird stalker you.
