The Imaginarium

Good luck; it floats about like a gas and me and Hannah have stumbled through a motherload recently.

Not only was it Hannahs 22nd birthday recently and we got to see her parents (which is actually pretty cool), but Hannah also got offered an Arts Internship at South Hill Park which is excellent. She accepted it and then got offered a Gallery Assitant Job as well for extra coolness.

In other news, I’m still assembling the feature I talked about last and really getting into it, though Tim has suggested we delay it and try to get Marc Laidlaw involved.

We’ve also spent some time brainstorming how to reinvigorate the forums, and I suggested a games club of some description which may hopefully become a reality in the future.

Theres probably more to say, but Hannah and I have a big weekend planned (our first alone in a long time since we’ve either been with Hiren, Dom, Maddy and Tim or Hannahs parent.

Got to go now, Hirens giving me a lift.

Out, Joe.

Stuff at bit-tech is going good and I’ve been lucky enough to bag some interviews with some top people. Top people. Rob Yescombe, David Cage and Doug Lombardi to name a few.

I’m actually working on a feature right now which is about writing in computer games. My idea is to do one 3-4 page piece, with excerpts from an interview with Rob Yescombe who is writing Haze, on how stories are told in FPS computer games. I want to discuss problems like whether to have a silent protaganist or not, though it’s a bit hard to do and is taking longer than I hoped.

After that, the feature could continue into a look at similar themes in Adventure games, which is why I’ve lined up an interview with David Cage, who wrote Fahrenheit and is in the process of writing Heavy Rain. I’m actually playing through Fahrenheit again at the moment and it’s very good, despite a few flaws to do with the games supposed shift from episodic (about which I have writtena column this week) to a retail model.

It’ll all depend on the feedback I get from readers I guess, if they want more then I’ll give it. If not, then I’ll sell the idea to The Escapist and live like a king off the profit, mwhahah.

Got to go now, Hannahs parents are coming over and I’m only online to download some Fallout 2 patches, which is why I’ve not bothered to spell check or litter the post with links.

In other news, The Darkness for 360 is actually quite good.

Joe, out.

Got a competition I’m running over at bill-payer Bit-tech.net, so jump in and have a go. It’s easy and you stand a high chance of getting some goodies. 

Joe, out.

No More Need Be Said.

I just got some of the best news of my life. No, I haven’t been given a pay rise. No, Hannah isn’t pregnant. No, I’ve not been offered the chance to complete that trait-based RPG I have planned out.

No, it’s a film.  

Watch the trailer and imagine some of the details tweaked and you’ll come up with one of the best books ever written. Granted, in the book it’s set in LA and Neville is white and lives in the suburbs and no doubt isn’t initially the science genius/perpetrator he will be in the film, but these differences happen.

The book is on the SF Masterworks list and is available cheaply, so theres no reason not to pick it up. It’s at least my third, if not second favourite book ever - ranking up there with The Demolished Man and The Watchmen.

Pwnage, at least if Will Smith doesn’t fuck it up.

Joe, out.

So, my new column is up at bit-tech.net and it deals with the issues of smack-talk in gaming culture. It had a fairly positive response on the forums I think, but feel free to lob critiscism at it if you want.

I finished playing F.E.A.R: Extraction Point recently and have to admit I wasn’t that plussed with it. Kind of horror-by-numbers, without the cinematic excitement of the full game. I played Lego Star Wars too and thats shortlived fun at best on PC.

What I do like at the moment is Tomb Raider, both Legend, which I played through recently and thought was very fantastic, and the new one which looks awesome. The review code for the new one should be waiting for me back at the office on Monday, hopefully.

I got a chance to talk to Todd Hollenshead and Paul Wedgwood from id Software and Splash Damage recently and go hands on with Quake Wars: Enemy Territory. I wrote an article on it, but I’m still waiting for the NDA to be lifted before we can post it. It’s a shame as the article has a juicy rumour or two in it, plus Quake Wars was really quite fun. At the same event I met the PR Transformers so I should be getting some stuff for that soon, plus doing a feature on Haze and screenwriting for games when I get some time.

In other news, I…well, ok there isn’t any other news. Not since my trip to France has much really happened that I haven’t mentioned above. Apparently a girl who used to be in my form recently had three children though, which I found both surprising given my own situation and unsurprising knowing the girl. Shows how long ago school was though.

I’ve been reading the new Walking Dead comics though by Kirkby et al. Gripping stuff.

Things that piss me off this week; that the G7’s forward/back functions don’t work with Firefox.

Oh, and I’m still looking for a DS emulation thing. I have more games and hardware to trade, so if anybody wants to make an offer then they can contact me on Joe.martin@bit-tech.net.

Out, Joe

So, not much to talk about as of late because I’ve been busy with work. On Tuesday I’ll be off to my first proper event, a games show for Ubisoft, and it’s pretty intimidating. Theres going to be girls there and everything! OMG!

Still, apart from that I’ve had troubles with my PC (dead laser, meaning I can’t play my games until I get a new DVD drive) and had to do a completere-install of windows. Ugh.

Speaking of which, if anybody wants to send me a DVD drive, or any Nintendo DS Homebrew hardware, then please send all emails to joe.martin@bit-tech.net. I have a skateboard, a few PC games and a Sierra notebook that I’d be willing to trade for the latter. Email me, let’s talk.

Oh, and check out the additions to the blogroll. Hiren, Tim, and Rich are now on there. It’s all cool ‘n the gang, dawg.

That is all, Joe

My new, and first, column is up at bit-tech.net, where I am now fully employed as Staff Writer for the last month.

It’s been an odd but great experience getting to grips with full time work that I actually enjoy (fuck you Uppertown Tools, Bakewell!). I don’t have to wear a suit to work and I get to turn up, fiddle with computers and games, and then tell people about them. It’s like I died and went to heaven, but they sent me back because it wasn’t my time and instead I got a job at bit-tech.net. (I think thats how it goes on Family Guy)

So, yeah, work is great and I’m not just saying that because my boss has bookmarked every single page on the interweb and is thus bound to read this eventually.

In other news, I’ve taken up Skateboarding. Well, no, actually I found a skateboard and have fallen off it a few times. Today I made pizza which was exciting also.

There will probably be more updates in the future, but bit-tech is my homepage at the moment and, since we have a lot of exciting plans in store for it, thats going to be be one of my main concerns for a bit.

Joe.

Corrections regarding previous post:

BEST MOVIE EVAR!

Still busy.

Joe.

Best movie evar?

 Yes.

Been and still am very busy with work. Too busy to talk to you scum.

Out, Joe.