Spider-man is probably my favourite superhero, closely followed by Batman. Whilst Batman is the dark, brooding vigilante, brutal in his dealings with villains, yet possessing an incredible intellect, Spidey was always fun, always ready with the quip. Sure, he's had his dark moments over the years (why oh why, Marvel, did you have to split him and MJ up? Why I ask you!), most recently with the death of Ultimate Spider-man, but there's just something about a character who winds up his foes to take them off guard, that I love.
Yet in recent years, he's been done a disservice in the video game world. Whilst Batman has had two fantastic games in the form of Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, Spider-man has had Web of Shadows, Shattered Dimensions and Edge of Time, none of which I felt were more than above average. Admittedly, I can't talk about Edge of Time, having not played it, but I have played the others.
Web of Shadows had an awful story, with the most whiny Peter Parker I've ever seen. Yet despite that, the web swinging mechanics were on par with Spider-man 2 on the Xbox (though bizarrely didn't connect with anything, unlike the Xbox game), and the most fun I had in the entire game was found in web swinging across the city. Being able to catapult myself off one webline, fly through the air and continue on another was pure joy.
Shattered Dimensions had a better (if still silly) story, far better voice acting (what other spider-man game brought spidey voice actors together from the various tv-series?), and the web swinging was still excellent, and the combat much improved.
But it lacked something. One of the things I loved about Spider-man 2 and Web of Shadows, was the big, open city I could swing around in. Whilst Batman works brilliantly in confined areas, being a character better suited for creeping up on unsuspecting enemies and taking them down, Spidey belongs in the city.
So I'm quite thrilled to see that the new game, linked to the new movie, is returning to the big apple. I am also worried - let's face it, Spider-man 2 aside, games based on movies are rarely any good. My fingers shall remain firmly crossed that it be good.
I have but one request. Beenox, I doubt you'll ever read this, or dismiss it if you do, but don't over complicate the combat controls. That's one area that Arkham Asylum/City perfected. Don't rely on complex button combinations to activate moves. It gets in the way of the fun of playing a superhero. Give me a button for attack, a button for counter, and a button for a web stun attack. The other web attacks (like say, the ability to web an enemy and yank them toward you) could be activated by holding down a trigger or a bumper, and pressing X, Y or B.
Ps. if you can get Josh Keaton to voice Spidey again, that would be awesome.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
New Look
So, I got bored with the old look, and decided it was time to update. I think it looks quite nice, actually. Very futuristic and clean.
It's pretty dull outside here in Leicester, and I'm rather hoping it doesn't rain. The forecasters said it would, but let's face it, you can't trust them. They mean well, but half the time, they couldn't forecast their way out of a paper bag. It's not their fault; they can only work with the information they're given.
And this is where the rain that was forecasted does happen, and I get soaked on my way home.
Anyway, had a very productive day yesterday. Managed to hammer out nearly 1,400 words of Serial Psyence, during which, people were shot, subjected to explosive decompression, and a girl saw herself die. It sounds horrible I know, but considering the subject matter - a serial killer - what do you expect? I'm quite pleased with how it went, though after reading up on the effects of vacuum on the human body, I realise it needs a bit of work. Nevermind, I had lots of fun writing it. Which makes me sound a bit sick. Bugger.
On the plus side, the story is progressing very well, and I'm making much better progress than I was with the flashbacks. I don't know why, but I feel much more comfortable with a setting I'm completely unfamiliar with. whenever I try using a setting I know, I just seem to falter, as what I know about the place conflicts with what I'm trying to imagine. Using a setting that's wholly imaginary (like an arcology on Callisto) is so much easier.
Nine weeks into my new job now! That's gone quick. Only four more weeks until Christmas. Have I done my Christmas shopping yet? No. That's planned for this weekend, when I'm going shopping in Birmingham with Heather. She has decided she wants clothes for Christmas, and personally, I don't trust myself to buy the right ones. And so I'm off clothes shopping. Yay?
It's pretty dull outside here in Leicester, and I'm rather hoping it doesn't rain. The forecasters said it would, but let's face it, you can't trust them. They mean well, but half the time, they couldn't forecast their way out of a paper bag. It's not their fault; they can only work with the information they're given.
And this is where the rain that was forecasted does happen, and I get soaked on my way home.
Anyway, had a very productive day yesterday. Managed to hammer out nearly 1,400 words of Serial Psyence, during which, people were shot, subjected to explosive decompression, and a girl saw herself die. It sounds horrible I know, but considering the subject matter - a serial killer - what do you expect? I'm quite pleased with how it went, though after reading up on the effects of vacuum on the human body, I realise it needs a bit of work. Nevermind, I had lots of fun writing it. Which makes me sound a bit sick. Bugger.
On the plus side, the story is progressing very well, and I'm making much better progress than I was with the flashbacks. I don't know why, but I feel much more comfortable with a setting I'm completely unfamiliar with. whenever I try using a setting I know, I just seem to falter, as what I know about the place conflicts with what I'm trying to imagine. Using a setting that's wholly imaginary (like an arcology on Callisto) is so much easier.
Nine weeks into my new job now! That's gone quick. Only four more weeks until Christmas. Have I done my Christmas shopping yet? No. That's planned for this weekend, when I'm going shopping in Birmingham with Heather. She has decided she wants clothes for Christmas, and personally, I don't trust myself to buy the right ones. And so I'm off clothes shopping. Yay?
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Long time no see
Wow, it's been a while since my last post. Almost a month, even.
I'd like to say it's because I've been uber busy, having started a new job, and getting a major publishing deal ... but that would be a lie.
Okay, the new job thing isn't a lie. Still no publishing deal though. Ah well, what matters is people like Liberator's Ruin.
So what have I been doing? The truth is, not a lot. I've played games (Batman, Dark Souls and MW3 - all brilliant), and worried about lack of money. Which, considering I've bought three games in the past month, you might consider a little odd, but I have lots of credit with Blockbusters at the moment, so no actual money was spent on their purchase.
I've also been getting on with Serial Psyence. Now that the plan is finished, I've started writing the flashbacks which run over the course of the main story. I'm not sure how well it's going at the moment. I'm almost 11,000 words in, and it feels like 11,000 words of utter rubbish - that's what I get for having hardly written a word in 6 months - and it's highly likely that the first 15,000 or so will be trashed, but we'll see how I feel once it's all finished. I'm quite looking forward to writing the main story. I've never written a crime thriller before, so it should be interesting.
Depending on how things go, I may post some sketches in the future, detailing the arcology the story takes place in.
Oh, and anyone waiting for the next part of that piece I started a few months ago, you may have to wait a while longer. I will finish it, I promise!
Once I work out where it's going.
I'd like to say it's because I've been uber busy, having started a new job, and getting a major publishing deal ... but that would be a lie.
Okay, the new job thing isn't a lie. Still no publishing deal though. Ah well, what matters is people like Liberator's Ruin.
So what have I been doing? The truth is, not a lot. I've played games (Batman, Dark Souls and MW3 - all brilliant), and worried about lack of money. Which, considering I've bought three games in the past month, you might consider a little odd, but I have lots of credit with Blockbusters at the moment, so no actual money was spent on their purchase.
I've also been getting on with Serial Psyence. Now that the plan is finished, I've started writing the flashbacks which run over the course of the main story. I'm not sure how well it's going at the moment. I'm almost 11,000 words in, and it feels like 11,000 words of utter rubbish - that's what I get for having hardly written a word in 6 months - and it's highly likely that the first 15,000 or so will be trashed, but we'll see how I feel once it's all finished. I'm quite looking forward to writing the main story. I've never written a crime thriller before, so it should be interesting.
Depending on how things go, I may post some sketches in the future, detailing the arcology the story takes place in.
Oh, and anyone waiting for the next part of that piece I started a few months ago, you may have to wait a while longer. I will finish it, I promise!
Once I work out where it's going.
Friday, October 14, 2011
3D is so overrated
I'm quite good at backing the wrong horse. I had this shoved in my face in big, neon letters when I went to the dog races for Heather's Grandad's birthday (now there's an awkward sentence - moving on!).
I bet on about four or five races, and did I win a thing? No. There's a reason why I don't gamble: I never win.
Turns out, I do the same with tech, too. First it was the Gamecube. Not many games. Most were good - brilliant even, when you get things like Metroid Prime - but there weren't many. I bought one.
Then HD DVD. There I was, thinking the tech was just as good, if not better than blue ray, except Sony, being the (mostly) smart buggers they are, bunged a blue ray played in the PS3. So most people instantly had a HD drive. And voila, blue ray won (fortunately, I bought a blue ray player after the dust had settled).
Now it's the 3DS. When it came out, I was justifiably excited. Having played on one in game, I could see how amazing it was. Then I bought one, with ghost recon and pilotwings. After a while, I forgot the 3D was even there, so I wasn't getting much of a benefit. Every now and then, I'd go, 'oooh,' but they got less frequent. I got Zelda, and hardly played it. It's one of my favourite games, yet I can't be bothered. In seven months, I've barely touched my 3DS. I took it on holiday with me, then spent most of my time playing games on my iphone.
The problem is twofold. There aren't many games. Yes, I know it's only been out for seven months, and the DS took a good couple of years to pick ip (hell, even the xbox 360 only had a few games for a year), but there's hardly anything in development that I'm interested in. Then there's the price. 3DS games cost around £30 - £40 each. I could buy an xbox game for that! The great thing about DS games was that they at most cost £30, but you could always find them for £20 or less.
These days I'm limited in my games buying, so I can only pick up a full price game once every couple of months. Inbetween, I might splash on an XBL Arcade game, or a pre-owned or sale game, but I can't justify paying out for a lot of games any more.
So that's it. I'm selling off my 3DS, and the money is going toward an iPad instead. It's got plenty of games, and there are often sales, where games go for dirt cheap (I recently picked up a couple of Gameloft games for £0.59 each). Plus, if I get a keyboard case, I can use the iPad for productivity.
I still have my Xbox 360, and that's my go-to machine for most of my gaming these days (Akham City next Friday!)
I think devices like the iPad are the future of mobile gaming - but what do I know? I always back the wrong horse!
I bet on about four or five races, and did I win a thing? No. There's a reason why I don't gamble: I never win.
Turns out, I do the same with tech, too. First it was the Gamecube. Not many games. Most were good - brilliant even, when you get things like Metroid Prime - but there weren't many. I bought one.
Then HD DVD. There I was, thinking the tech was just as good, if not better than blue ray, except Sony, being the (mostly) smart buggers they are, bunged a blue ray played in the PS3. So most people instantly had a HD drive. And voila, blue ray won (fortunately, I bought a blue ray player after the dust had settled).
Now it's the 3DS. When it came out, I was justifiably excited. Having played on one in game, I could see how amazing it was. Then I bought one, with ghost recon and pilotwings. After a while, I forgot the 3D was even there, so I wasn't getting much of a benefit. Every now and then, I'd go, 'oooh,' but they got less frequent. I got Zelda, and hardly played it. It's one of my favourite games, yet I can't be bothered. In seven months, I've barely touched my 3DS. I took it on holiday with me, then spent most of my time playing games on my iphone.
The problem is twofold. There aren't many games. Yes, I know it's only been out for seven months, and the DS took a good couple of years to pick ip (hell, even the xbox 360 only had a few games for a year), but there's hardly anything in development that I'm interested in. Then there's the price. 3DS games cost around £30 - £40 each. I could buy an xbox game for that! The great thing about DS games was that they at most cost £30, but you could always find them for £20 or less.
These days I'm limited in my games buying, so I can only pick up a full price game once every couple of months. Inbetween, I might splash on an XBL Arcade game, or a pre-owned or sale game, but I can't justify paying out for a lot of games any more.
So that's it. I'm selling off my 3DS, and the money is going toward an iPad instead. It's got plenty of games, and there are often sales, where games go for dirt cheap (I recently picked up a couple of Gameloft games for £0.59 each). Plus, if I get a keyboard case, I can use the iPad for productivity.
I still have my Xbox 360, and that's my go-to machine for most of my gaming these days (Akham City next Friday!)
I think devices like the iPad are the future of mobile gaming - but what do I know? I always back the wrong horse!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
A visionary has been lost
I was shocked to turn on the news this morning and learn that Steve Jobs had passed away, aged 56.
Say what you will about his business practices, his draconian ruling of Apple, but the man was a true visionary, and should be remembered for the technology he enabled. without him, would we have today's smartphones, or even tablets like the ipad?
I find it incredibly touching that even his greatest rival from the 80s and 90s, Bill Gates, passed on his condolences, saying that he was honoured to have known him.
My heartfelt condolences to his family for their loss.
Rest in peace, Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011.
Say what you will about his business practices, his draconian ruling of Apple, but the man was a true visionary, and should be remembered for the technology he enabled. without him, would we have today's smartphones, or even tablets like the ipad?
I find it incredibly touching that even his greatest rival from the 80s and 90s, Bill Gates, passed on his condolences, saying that he was honoured to have known him.
My heartfelt condolences to his family for their loss.
Rest in peace, Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011.
Monday, September 19, 2011
I just don't know
Do I want an iPad? Should I get one?
I don't know. The geek in me (read all of me, including that little fingernail that rolls its fictional eyes whenever I get stuck on the topic of geeky stuff) says yes. At the moment, I have a really underpowered netbook. I'm not kidding. If I try to do much more than writing on it, it has a fit and sits in the corner until I leave it alone. Browsing websites is a chore, and watching digital movies is a nausea-inducing exercise (ever been in a nightclub when the lights start blinking on and off rapidly, so that people look like they're moving jerkily? Yeah, bit like that).
I know what you'll say. Get a new laptop! Which is a good idea. My only problem is that the sort of new laptop I want, means spending upwards of £600 to get.
With the release of IOS5 later this year, an ipad is only getting more enticing. No more needing to tether the thing to a pc! Proper multi-tasking! I would still need a pc to do a lot of things with my book, especially when editing the file to get it ready to publish, though that's something I can use my current laptop for. And I could do a lot of writing on the ipad - as long as I got an external keyboard, essentially turning it into a netbook.
The problem is, I've been getting a bit annoyed with my iphone of late. Admittedly, a lot of that has to do with the fact that it's so damn slow, being a 3GS. It's put me off having another iphone (that and the signal issue, of course).
The question is, what do I use my laptop for?
Internet browsing (reading the latest news, writing to this blog, making online purchases)
Watching videos
Writing
That's about it, really. And I can do all of that on an ipad, only switching back to the pc when it's time to edit. Hell, I already use my phone to browse the internet and watch videos, due to the aforementioned reasons.
My phone is due for an upgrade sometime over the next 6 months, so when I get rid of the iphone, maybe I'll put some of the money toward an ipad.
We'll see.
I don't know. The geek in me (read all of me, including that little fingernail that rolls its fictional eyes whenever I get stuck on the topic of geeky stuff) says yes. At the moment, I have a really underpowered netbook. I'm not kidding. If I try to do much more than writing on it, it has a fit and sits in the corner until I leave it alone. Browsing websites is a chore, and watching digital movies is a nausea-inducing exercise (ever been in a nightclub when the lights start blinking on and off rapidly, so that people look like they're moving jerkily? Yeah, bit like that).
I know what you'll say. Get a new laptop! Which is a good idea. My only problem is that the sort of new laptop I want, means spending upwards of £600 to get.
With the release of IOS5 later this year, an ipad is only getting more enticing. No more needing to tether the thing to a pc! Proper multi-tasking! I would still need a pc to do a lot of things with my book, especially when editing the file to get it ready to publish, though that's something I can use my current laptop for. And I could do a lot of writing on the ipad - as long as I got an external keyboard, essentially turning it into a netbook.
The problem is, I've been getting a bit annoyed with my iphone of late. Admittedly, a lot of that has to do with the fact that it's so damn slow, being a 3GS. It's put me off having another iphone (that and the signal issue, of course).
The question is, what do I use my laptop for?
Internet browsing (reading the latest news, writing to this blog, making online purchases)
Watching videos
Writing
That's about it, really. And I can do all of that on an ipad, only switching back to the pc when it's time to edit. Hell, I already use my phone to browse the internet and watch videos, due to the aforementioned reasons.
My phone is due for an upgrade sometime over the next 6 months, so when I get rid of the iphone, maybe I'll put some of the money toward an ipad.
We'll see.
Friday, September 16, 2011
No time like the present
Well! The final edition of Liberator's Ruin has finally been submitted to Amazon and Smashwords, and should now be live.
What's so different about this edition I hear you ask? It turns out my editing wasn't quite as good as I thought it was. Whilst the edit itself is fine, I missed an awful lot of typos. Far more than I thought I had. But with the help of some very kind people on Goodreads, I should have got them all now! I'm ashamed that I let such a shoddy copy get published, but at least that's one thing I can finally let go.
Mosey on over to Amazon or Smashwords to download a copy. Samples are free!
I'm working hard on the plan for Serial Psyence at the moment, so hoping to starting writing it by the end of October. It's going well. I think I finally passed the halfway mark today, so the main plot is starting to heat up (there are two plots running parallel in the story).
We've almost finished moving out now. After over a month since we first got the keys to the new flat. We're having to downsize from a 3-bed maisonette to a 2-bed flat, so some things are going to be stored in a parent's loft for a while. And here I was thinking I'd moved out of my mum's house. Ha!
Maybe one day.
What I'm listening to at the moment: Deus Ex: Human Revolution Soundtrack. Believe it or not, it's very good. Nice bit of music to listen to whilst planning Serial Psyence.
PS. Anyone waiting for the next update to We Should Have Run, it's coming. I just have to sit and write it ...
What's so different about this edition I hear you ask? It turns out my editing wasn't quite as good as I thought it was. Whilst the edit itself is fine, I missed an awful lot of typos. Far more than I thought I had. But with the help of some very kind people on Goodreads, I should have got them all now! I'm ashamed that I let such a shoddy copy get published, but at least that's one thing I can finally let go.
Mosey on over to Amazon or Smashwords to download a copy. Samples are free!
I'm working hard on the plan for Serial Psyence at the moment, so hoping to starting writing it by the end of October. It's going well. I think I finally passed the halfway mark today, so the main plot is starting to heat up (there are two plots running parallel in the story).
We've almost finished moving out now. After over a month since we first got the keys to the new flat. We're having to downsize from a 3-bed maisonette to a 2-bed flat, so some things are going to be stored in a parent's loft for a while. And here I was thinking I'd moved out of my mum's house. Ha!
Maybe one day.
What I'm listening to at the moment: Deus Ex: Human Revolution Soundtrack. Believe it or not, it's very good. Nice bit of music to listen to whilst planning Serial Psyence.
PS. Anyone waiting for the next update to We Should Have Run, it's coming. I just have to sit and write it ...
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