Roderick

Not at all, Vimes. Reading what you wrote made me long greatly again to grapple designing a game that tackles some of those very difficult things. Damn, this is a great night for quality discussions!

Well, 'new' stuff can and will inevitably come from designers. But it won't be anything that couldn't have already been done on the current generation. It'll look prettier though.

Has it occurred to you that games are entertainment? They don't have any specific obligation or duty to do anything more than entertain you. This doesn't mean they can't become more than that, but it's not something that is asked of them. It would be nice to see more done with the medium, but as is much discussed; it is still in its infancy from a culturally contexted point of view.

I don't think my writing had anything to do with how games are made. I personally wouldn't know if what Steakflavoured gum said held any truth, maybe the next generation will have greatly improved development kits that make making creative games easier, but that's really not what I was pointing at. The 'irrelevant' banner is obviously a ploy to get the fires going, but it's really from a 'game' point of view. Like I said, the games inherently won't be any different if all that's changing is an improvement in graphics. Note that I didn't call this either a good or a bad thing, I just implied the games would not really change. Change could always be a good thing, but as you said, Jake, this generation has held some of the best made games ever. I'm certainly not complaining if this would continue. As for the Naked Running Artists, I think the industry is already quite balanced as it is. You've got people with naught but a vision throwing everything at their baby on one side without really knowing if what they're doing will work, and on the other extreme you've already got the teams churning out aptly made games following a strict code. I think both sides and everything in between have made games that I liked at one point, so I wouldn't advocate any one as better than the rest.

http://www.gamingreport.com/article.php?sid=18249 Do they want our souls?! I quit collecting cards of any game years ago when I realised it cost me thousands and didn't actually get me... anything, so I doubt I'd go further than buying an odd booster here and there for yucks. Visit Penny Arcade for an amusing strip about it.

I started with a whole stream of generic MSX games that I played al mishmash. So I didn't really have one single game that got me into the hobby. I was, however, introduced to bigbudget contemporary games with Toonstruck. I guess that was the first game I really owned that was, well... putting a definitive stamp on me.

BG&E is relatively simple. It may have a complex control scheme, but it's not like, Prince of Persia, which will require your all in handling it.

I heard Mr. Driller was a tough game. I love it's cutesy appeal but will have to play it before I buy it. Maybe if it's cheaper. Also, I've taken your advice by heart and will quit the industry immediately.

I really liked Sin. Good mindless blaster with levels that seemed actally plausible. It had the bad fortune of going up against Half-life and it got obliterated as a result. Nevertheless, I really liked it. I even saw the anime @_@ and made a music video of it featuring Rammstein's excellent 'Mein Herz Brennt'.

My roommate swears by his NGage. That is, as a phone. The games seem like bollocks, but there IS a certain appeal of making a call with The Taco.

Early Another Code opinion: Lush atmosphere, inventive outside-the-box puzzles making use of the DS's every feature amnesia-themed, apparantly being very short Puzzles can be too obscure and contrived Age of Empires 2: I want to play it again! Timber hochwandi Edinburgh wanted a ridiculous 25 quid for it

Desperately late, still'd like to call upon the excellence of the guide. BG&E was better though.

Okay, I'm going to put my recounts of Edinburgh in this topic since I seem to have invaded it anyway. I went into the local Edinburgh HMV (a media chainstore), and stumbled onto THE ENTIRE CREW OF FIREFLY. Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, they were all right there, behind an enormous queue at a panel. Incredible! So I rushed to the end of the line, only to find that the queue was closed and a semi-imposing bouncer blocked my way! ARGH! Even after repeated pleading I was denied access. The horror! So I only managed to catch a distant glimps of Whedon, and got a good view on Nathan as he rose from the table and looked around, turning his stunningly piratey unshaven face. Now I assumed they'd be here for a reason greater than sitting in the back of a mediastore, so I gathered there would be a Serenity screening somewhere. But try to find ANYTHING in Edinburgh at festivalseason. Fricking impossible. So after some investigation, I couldn't get the intelligence I wanted and had to give up. Today I read there was indeed a big UK premiere of Serenity that day, but I wouldn't have been able to get a ticket to it anyway. Tough luck. If only I had known beforehand. Still nice to happen upon the whole crew by accident, even if I didn't get the chance to give 'em all a hand. All in all, a cool holiday. Now get that movie in theatres here in the Netherlands!

Don't take it as an attack. It's just, I never mused that Nintendo would not be able to get it right

I think we actually could tell that from the movies, images and everything.

Well, I guess it'll be LONELY for ME in EDINBURGH. See you all in a week!

By the way, are there any Thumbsters in or around Edinburgh? I'm going to be there next week. I'm leaving tomorrow. Could be nice to do something if there's interest.

Okay, when did Marek get such a tan? As far as my corner of the Netherlands is concerned, it has been raining all summer. This isn't right. The photo is fraudulous!

I'm not against 3D, but against translating something inherently 2D into it.

I'd like to see some pictures of the three of them in a woolly sweater.

Such an obvious attempt! I'd always pump in at least two BA's.

I'm going to enjoy playing it, but I couldn't care less that it's postponed. I've got so many great games to play and buy still, I don't care anymore whether things come half a year later. It's quite good for the nerves

Moulin Rouge was a chickflick?

Wot a bargain! I'd buy it if they'd have that here. We only have a flimsy DVD-box with the game and expansions.

I just watched an episode of Absolute Power on the BBC with Stephen Fry, where the Brits were swept up to a foodboycot of American fastfood. Fun. Just wanted a hook.