Curmudgeon Gamer
07 March 2008
Time for a break
I'm due for a much needed holiday next week. I just grabbed a copy of God of War for the PSP and I have to say that it looks a lot better than I remember. I'll have to dig out my demo and see if there are noticeable improvements.
I also downloaded the PSP version of flOw, the relaxing game that previously had been a Flash game and later a downloadable PS3 game. Despite all the kvetching by the press about graphical slowdowns, this is really a very clean port. I recommend it for PSP owners, especially if you haven't played the PS3 version.
Meanwhile, I've not been blogging because my writing agreement with Next-Gen was extended from a monthly NPD column to include a weekly column. So, since late January I've been pouring my weekend free time into that work. For the curious:
Anyway, I've got next week's column in the bag and I'm hoping for a day or two of just pure gaming while I'm on holiday. Between my real job, time with family, caring for sick kids, being sick myself, and writing on the side I've had practically no time for games, much less writing about playing games.
I also downloaded the PSP version of flOw, the relaxing game that previously had been a Flash game and later a downloadable PS3 game. Despite all the kvetching by the press about graphical slowdowns, this is really a very clean port. I recommend it for PSP owners, especially if you haven't played the PS3 version.
Meanwhile, I've not been blogging because my writing agreement with Next-Gen was extended from a monthly NPD column to include a weekly column. So, since late January I've been pouring my weekend free time into that work. For the curious:
Anyway, I've got next week's column in the bag and I'm hoping for a day or two of just pure gaming while I'm on holiday. Between my real job, time with family, caring for sick kids, being sick myself, and writing on the side I've had practically no time for games, much less writing about playing games.
--jvm at 15:14
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[ 1 ]
10 May 2007
Videogaming as physical therapy
I've just got back from my first visit to a physical therapist to rehabilitate my left thumb after my knuckleheaded accident last month. Along with various exercises, I've been given the green light to use my PlayStation 2 (and presumably other consoles). In fact, the therapist referred to it as "good exercise", but cautioned me to take ample breaks so as not to stress the healing tendons too much.
Now if I can just keep myself from buying God of War 2 on the way home tonight. After all, I was going to finish Beyond Good & Evil before I dug into another game, and Tomb Raider Anniversary is due out soon and...
Ahhh. It's good to be back.
Now if I can just keep myself from buying God of War 2 on the way home tonight. After all, I was going to finish Beyond Good & Evil before I dug into another game, and Tomb Raider Anniversary is due out soon and...
Ahhh. It's good to be back.
Labels: meta
--jvm at 13:06
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[ 1 ]
10 April 2007
One-handed gaming
It's not what you think.
I sliced up my hand while sharpening a knife and cut two tendons to my left thumb, one completely and the other about 20%. I've had surgery to repair them, and I'm expected to get full functionality back in a couple of months, but until then I'm not going to be doing much console gaming. Provided all goes well, I expect to reward myself with a play through Tomb Raider Anniversary sometime in June. (PS2 or PSP? Jury's still out on that one...)
My options for gaming in the near term, as I see them:
I sliced up my hand while sharpening a knife and cut two tendons to my left thumb, one completely and the other about 20%. I've had surgery to repair them, and I'm expected to get full functionality back in a couple of months, but until then I'm not going to be doing much console gaming. Provided all goes well, I expect to reward myself with a play through Tomb Raider Anniversary sometime in June. (PS2 or PSP? Jury's still out on that one...)
My options for gaming in the near term, as I see them:
- Stylus-only games on the Nintendo DS like Elite Beat Agents and Brain Age.
- Light gun games like Area 51 (PSOne), Virtua Cop (Saturn), and The House of the Dead (Saturn). Also I now have a good reason to buy a GunCon to go with my copy of Time Crisis and a copy of The House of the Dead 2 to go with my Dreamcast light gun.
- Keyboard games like Angband that I can theoretically play with my right hand.
- Paddle-only games using this Atari Direct-to-TV device I picked up recently.
Labels: meta
--jvm at 22:20
Comment
[ 14 ]
09 April 2007
On blogging and responsibility
This isn't about games, but it does affect this blog. Sorry for the interruption.
Tim O'Reilly and Jimmy Wales are proposing a sort of blogger's code of conduct according to the NY Times. This quote ties me in knots:
There is a contradiction here, unfortunately. If I disavow ownership of and responsibility for your comments, anonymous or not, then how am I empowered to remove them? That is, power over your speech implies some responsibility, does it not?
I will read the proposed guidelines and think about them as they might apply to this site. If the admins decide that there should be changes, we'll let you know. Feel free to sound off in the comments with your own take.
Tim O'Reilly and Jimmy Wales are proposing a sort of blogger's code of conduct according to the NY Times. This quote ties me in knots:
A subtext of both sets of rules is that bloggers are responsible for everything that appears on their own pages, including comments left by visitors. They say that bloggers should also have the right to delete such comments if they find them profane or abusive.Comments are deleted from this blog from time to time. I -- and the other admins -- reserve the right to do so, and use the power sparingly. I clearly don't agree with everyone who comments here, nor even my co-bloggers, and I hope that we've let critics have their say practically unfettered. I can live with some salty language, if you have a point, although I confess that Ruffin sometimes has to make me see past the profanity to get the point. Such is the value of honest friends. My weakness is that I tend to tune out completely if you are too enamoured of four letter words, especially if I feel they're unduly inflammatory.
There is a contradiction here, unfortunately. If I disavow ownership of and responsibility for your comments, anonymous or not, then how am I empowered to remove them? That is, power over your speech implies some responsibility, does it not?
I will read the proposed guidelines and think about them as they might apply to this site. If the admins decide that there should be changes, we'll let you know. Feel free to sound off in the comments with your own take.
Labels: meta
--jvm at 12:45
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