The first quarter-century is over. I spent the celebratory day working, followed by eating a nice pizza from a non-chain restaurant, and gorging myself on cheesecake. The unfortunate side effect was a new record weight, so we officially started dieting this morning with a bowl of Bran Flakes and All Bran.
The review wave hits with full force this Thursday. I’m still wrestling with my early month work, but should clear that out shortly. It’s harder for the online folk because we don’t have the luxury of lead time, though following statements from the editor this week, it sounds like we should.
Print media is dead, but the publishers refuse to acknowledge it, using the defibrillators of exclusives and long lead times to keep a weak pulse going.
Reviews
Soulcalibur IV (Xbox 360) at Games On Net
Braid Review (XBLA) at Games On Net
Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty (PSN) at Games On Net
Features
The Warp Pipe: Games of Q4, 2008 Part II at Games On Net
posted by Matthew Keller at 10:45 am
After 4 years, the 3200 was moved on, and the 8400 has slotted in in its place. New computers are fun, but backing up and transferring old data, and re-installing programs is a real drag, especially when there is work to be done.
Six reviews on the run now, plus Warp Pipes that need to be prepared in advance. The review backlog at GON must be insane, because only one review I published in August is live on the site.
Features
The Warp Pipe: Games of Q4, 2008 Part I
posted by Matthew Keller at 11:27 am
The Internode folks re-launched their site this week. Internode Games Network is now Games On Net, and it looks a lot more professional. Hopefully the improved look will be beneficial to all.
I have this problem where I start on a million different projects with all kinds of ambitions, and then drop them by the end of the week. Two projects keep recurring – the video games guide book (inspired by the Maltin movie guide), and a video game.
The former is easily doable – it’ll take 10 years, though. In that time I’d have to educate myself on about 15-20 years of “micro computers” such as the Sinclair range, Atari 8-bit and ST, Commodore 64 and Amiga, and so on.
The latter I could put together in under a year, but it’s really damn intimidating, even trying to use the most basic of tools. I’d love to do it all myself, but I suck at the art stuff (unless I use simplistic shapes). I have been looking at AGS as my first point of call – it’d be easy enough to get a game up and running with stick figures and simple backgrounds while learning more about the scripting side of things before moving onto anything ambitious.
I always have the worst timing with these little projects I want to work on. Right now we’re entering the thick of the review season; I’ve already got five on my plate, and need to make the most of the steady, high paying work flow that this time of the year grants. Yet I’m impatient and want everything now.
Features
The Warp Pipe – Most Wanted Remakes II at Games On Net
posted by Matthew Keller at 11:58 am
I did not realise that it had been 4 weeks since I made an entry. For some reason I think I’ve been busy, but I look at the amount of work I’ve done this month and start to think otherwise. Had I really been busy, I wouldn’t be rushing five reviews out the door today.
We haven’t done a whole lot over the last month. Charly and I watched the complete Dragon Ball series, I played a bunch of games, went to Queensland for my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary, and looked after a sick Charly when I got back.
From here on out, the gaming release schedule becomes ridiculous, and I get to do around 10-12 reviews a month. Good for the bottom line, bad for sanity and sleep.
I’ve decided to buy a new PC. My current one is now over four years old, and the extra opportunities for PC gaming freelancing are more than enough to justify the outlay. Phase one upgrades; a new monitor, new mouse and new keyboard, are now complete. Phase two is the box.
Reviews
Buzz: The Master Quiz (PSP) at Internode Games Network
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (XBLA) at Internode Games Network
Features
The Warp Pipe: Most Wanted Remakes at Internode Games Network
The Warp Pipe: Subsection Medley I at Internode Games Network
The Warp Pipe: Subsection Medley II at Internode Games Network
The Warp Pipe: Rescue Mission at Internode Games Network
posted by Matthew Keller at 9:57 am
The insane time of the year is fast approaching. I’ve got three reviews on my plate already, and am in the midst of stage 2 of About.com guide training. I find out if I have that gig on Saturday. If I get it, the monthly payment will help me save for the move at the end of the year.
Of course, I happened to miss the Thursday deadline for giving the editor my categories to check over, so I could be out of the running already, but I am beginning to hypothesise that I’m the only one in the training.
Up to Queensland in a little over two weeks. Scary to think that it’s almost been 6 months since I was up there last.
Been pricing parts for a new PC. It’s tough to decide when I should fork out the money for the machine, and how much I should cough up. I was aiming to get everything in under 2,500, but once I add the monitor and Windows Vista to the package (which I don’t really need but should have), it creeps past the mark. Prices will descend a lot more as the year goes by, though.
Reviews
Alone in the Dark (Xbox 360) at Internode Games Network
Features
The Warp Pipe – 25 Random Video Game Facts at Internode Games Network
posted by Matthew Keller at 10:10 am
The root of my back pain was discovered moments ago by Charly when she sat on my office chair. It appears that the padding inside has disappeared, and I’ve been sitting on leather covered metal for months. Ouch. A temporary cushion is in place.
Spent far too much time on Oblivion this week, but the deed is done – 1250/1250 GP. While I got the Warp Pipe in on time for the first time in months, my About.com work was not done, so I’ve got today and tomorrow to wrap it up before he announces who moves on to stage 2. I’m trying to get it all done today.
Scored a bunch of cheap PSX games from Charly’s work, including an almost mint condition Metal Gear Solid to complete my collection. Well, technically I don’t have an original Sons of Liberty, but that is easily rectified.
Reviews
Secret Agent Clank (PSP) at Internode Games Network
Beijing 2008: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games (Xbox 360) at Internode Games Network
Features
The Warp Pipe – Building a Better Sports Game at Internode Games Network
posted by Matthew Keller at 11:59 am
Completely forgot last week’s entry.
Been busy keeping an eye on things for E3. Didn’t actually write anything more than an editorial in the end, but it did help me plan for review coverage. At this stage, I’m looking at over 50 reviews to write before the year is over. In comparison, I did 40 in the first 6 months, though I only started full paced reviewing for Internode in March.
Currently in training with About.com to take over the Nintendo DS guide. It’s tougher than I thought writing for a less informed audience; shorter reviews and simpler, clearer language. Feedback has been positive, so let’s hope it all works out.
Been struggling with an Alone in the Dark review for over two weeks now. I do not know why this is, but I’m doing my best to wrap it up today, come hell or high water.
Going to see The Dark Knight tomorrow, don’t have my hopes up for it.
Reviews
Top Spin 3 (Xbox 360) at Strategy Informer
Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (Xbox Live Arcade) at Internode Games Network
The Incredible Hulk (Xbox 360) at Internode Games Network
Previews
Super Street Fighter II HD Remix (Xbox Live Arcade) at Internode Games Network
Features
The Warp Pipe – History of Batman Video Games at Internode Games Network
The Warp Pipe – E3 2008: The Aftermath at Internode Games Network
posted by Matthew Keller at 1:58 pm
Next week is the E3 show, so it’ll be back to newswriting for a week or so for me. Decent money, but no sleep since everything seems to happen around 2-3am.
Trying to finish Alone in the Dark at the moment for a review early this week. Also coming is a review on Beijing 2008, a game that will cause more injuries/lawsuits than the original Mario Party. Secret Agent Clank also has to be done, woo. Everything needs to be done early in the week so I can take a short breather and bum around for a bit. Haven’t been taking weekends lately.
Spent Thursday running around the Eastern Suburbs like a headless chook trying to find games on sale at Dick Smith. Unfortunately for Charly, some little shit bought up every copy of Harvest Moon DS to trade at JB before we got there (JB don’t take multiples of the one game from the one person, so maybe that story was wrong). We ended up heading back and forth between stores, but eventually got just about everything we were looking for. Some of the games I bought were marked down by as much as 75-95%.
I’m hoping to see more Wii games at this year’s E3. When the system was revealed, there was a lot of hooplah about new game concepts, blah blah, but very few studios delivered. I think that there will need to be an injection of new blood before the Wii’s potential is fully realised in the West – current developers are too set in their “pretty graphics, big worlds and bald space marines” design ways to try and think about developing something smaller and more gameplay-centric. I had a good idea for a small Wii project, though that’ll be shelved alongside every other creative idea I’ve had this year.
Reviews
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Xbox 360) review at Internode Games Network
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) review at Internode Games Network
Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy (Xbox 360/PS3) review at Internode Games Network
Features
The Warp Pipe – Games of Q3, 2008 at Internode Games Network
posted by Matthew Keller at 10:53 am
I spent the majority of this week stressing over a rather lengthy Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots review for Internode, to the point where I got virtually no other work done. So that means that today and tomorrow, I’ve got to complete the following:
– Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (360) Review
– Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 (XBLA) Review x 2
– The Incredible Hulk (360) Review
– Secret Agent Clank (PSP) Review
– Super Street Fighter 2 HD (XBLA) Preview
A copy of Top Spin 3 I’m meant to be reviewing hasn’t turned up yet.
Once this is all done, I can finally sit down and play something – seems like ages since I’ve done that. I’m planning to take a week off from the 7-14th of July to recouperate before the E3 madness.
In other news, Charly and I celebrate one year together tomorrow, go us.
While struggling with the review for Quake Wars yesterday, my mind started to drift and conceive an action game – nothing new or revolutionary, just a nice straightforward action/maze game with some modern conveniences.
Reviews
NBA Ballers: Chosen One (Xbox 360) at Internode Games Network
Okami (Wii) at Internode Games Network
Features
The Warp Pipe – Half Year Retrospective at Internode Games Network
posted by Matthew Keller at 9:07 am
This has been a trying week. I had some six reviews to do; I got only four done, and they’re still piling up. There’s a certain level of pressure that comes with that amount of work, and it caught up with me somewhere around Thursday. The boss over at Internode went down with appendicitis, so he’s going to be out of action for a while, which will make things trickier.
Just looking at the whiteboard, I’ve got Metal Gear Solid 4, Quake Wars, The Incredible Hulk and Wolf of the Battlefield to review for Internode, and Wolf of the Battlefield and Top Spin 3 to cover for Strategy Informer. I need to get started on pre-prepared content for Q4 as well.
Reviews
Mario Kart Wii (Wii) at Internode Games Network
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3) at Strategy Informer
Aces of the Galaxy (XBLA) at Strategy Informer
Novastrike (PSN) at Strategy Informer
Features
The Warp Pipe at Internode Games Network
posted by Matthew Keller at 3:57 pm