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I'm currently attempting to write an essay that's due tomorrow. This game has come at a horrible time

I played it on PC last year, and while I eventually managed to get a satisfactory button layout on my 360 controller with some kind of mapping program (the game has no support for pads), there were a load of weird things with the graphics. Took me a long time to sort out, and I loved the game, but playing on console is probably advisable.

Apparently it'll be $99 before too long. I've been toying with the idea of an e-reader. It'd certainly be useful while I'm here in Sweden, save money and space. Come to think of it, this might be a good shout for Christmas

Yeah, I'm only 19 as well, which means I won't be going to too many clubs. It's mega lame after living here where the age for all alcohol and entry is 18. I've gone out a fucking lot this summer and I'm hoping to find some decent, reasonably cheap (as in less than 60 SEK a pint!) places. Thanks also

Max Ides: Death Cloud So dudes, I'm off to Stockholm on Monday(!) and it still hasn't yet sunk in. I'm not used to travelling at all and haven't really spent more than a week or two away from home, but I'll be there for most of the next year of my life. Pooping a bit but also super excited. Got a question and I'm fairly optimistic of an answer. I'm pretty amped for the trip, but I know jack all about electricity and it'd be pretty revolting if all my shit got fried as soon as I plugged it into the wall. I've bought some cheapish generic Euro adaptors and apparently the electric current that comes out of the walls (if that's what it is) in Sweden is the same as the UK. Does this mean I could, for example, use my netbook with the adaptors? Even some advice on what watts and hertz are would be nice so I could work it out for myself. Got numbers here if you need any. Don't get pissed at me for being an idiot, I tried to read about that stuff and had no idea what most of it even meant.

I have a bunch of games that I've done little more than "sample", so today I wheeled out Call of Juarez for a while and in the last hour I've continued with Cryostasis. The concept is obviously great, and despite the linearity it never feels terribly restrictive because, in that situation, you'd obviously just follow a route through the ship. Very film-like on the whole, but the interactivity adds so much scope. It's especially effective as all events are experienced through the player character's eyes (or mind) - basically, exactly how a horror game should be done. Remo was right about that annoying tooltip, but for the most part the UI is clean and suitable, with the touches like frosting around the screen and breath sucking you in. I actually felt cold whilst playing it. What's annoying is the lack of Russian voice acting. The "English language/Russian accent" stuff sounds fucking atrocious and totally breaks the illusion. I was disappointed that I couldn't find a patch or anything of the sort to change this. Anyone else played it?

Glad he relented somewhat and that we can stop putting words in his mouth, but he did seem to end up being completely unable to justify his position on any level. By the end of that piece he had practically admitted it was a faith-based assertion, which is to say it was utterly fatuous.

That's a pretty cool cool game, dude. Relaxing mood thanks to the music and visual design and a pretty rad concept. I did get stuck after a few minutes, and the display was too tall for my netbook's screen Pulling some of my own shit out and smothering it on your monitors, I just wrote a pretty hardcore defence of Killer 7.

For about ten weeks, all I listened to was Kraftwerk. First Minimum-Maximum, then The Man Machine and Trans-Europe Express on rotation. Radioactvity live is unbelievable, and Europe Endless may be the greatest song ever made. <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDKiPtBbBQY&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDKiPtBbBQY&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> I've also been listening to a load of Lil Wayne recently, mostly Tha Carter III. Fantastic album, when he's on his shit he's unbeatable but he needs to stop being so damned inconsistent. One of my favourites: <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RA-g2b3snI&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RA-g2b3snI&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> In other news I've been preparing for T in the Park with some Frightened Rabbit. Never given them a properly good listen before but I like what I'm hearing. First and second albums on Spotify, but I may grab The Winter of Mixed Drinks in the next couple of days.

My family loved Flower. They did very occasionally get lost, but the sensation of flight blew their minds sufficiently that they didn't need constant direction. I thought it was a great game, and I look forward to Journey. Nothing wrong with exploration and collaboration as ends in themselves, to be honest that's what I care about most in a lot of games.

That comments thread is great. He played it well, but I'm still surprised the troll was as successful as he was. "Adam Coate" is for the moment a meme (and a good one at that), even if Adam Coate isn't. He still seems to post on Gamasutra, which at least means he's got balls. Had I so embarrassed myself I'd have never gone near the internet again, or at least changed my name to something less tainted, like Josef Goebbels.

That stuff sounds great Nachimir! Actually motivating yourself to do anything remotely constructive and break out of the comfort zone is harder than it should be. Other than work, all I'll be doing for the next two months is scumming around the house, watching football and spending an inordinate amount of time on the internet. The only thing that really amuses me is going out at weekends, but I need to watch my spending. Should really get out on the bike or something and take advantage of the good weather.

Being the BBC Parliament watching mutant that I am I had been wondering if he'd bring it up whilst watching it and wasn't surprised when he did. In the context it was laughably hypocritical, that's the kind of thing the Tory bastard should have been right behind and he basically said as much in the speech.

This thread makes me depressed. All I've done so far is blunder along without any real problems, but you guys make the age 25+ seem ridiculously crap and scary.

Wow, this thread is four years old. In other news, Futurama is ace and I'm looking forward to seeing the new episodes when I can. Thought the movie things were pretty decent.

Noyb, that's a fascinating observation on the whole single button press vs. DVD argument. It always seemed fallacious but I couldn't never - excuse the pun - put my finger on why. I thought it was fairly generally accepted now that to be a video game did not entail having any strong ludic component. It seems weird not to classify them as such. Furthermore, there's such a broad spectrum of gameness and narrative, I'd say that to not acknowledge Freedom Bridge as a video game would be somewhat disingenuous. It's not really a game at all, though it has a layer of rules that a film wouldn't have, but the wide-ranging definition of what a modern video game is would encompass it. "Digital interactive narrative" doesn't really have the same ring This sounds a bit like the tree falling in the forest. I'd also say that by entering the game's world or interface, you are engaging with it. Thus a choice not to cross the barbed wire or even contemplate crossing, decide not to and close the tab would be a perfectly valid response that still arises from its interactive and inherently non-linear nature. This bit is most definitely mostly conjecture and speculation and possibly whiffs of bullshit, but it's at least open for more debate. Although there are doubtless great minimalist animations etc., video games (as I've sort of defined them above) do have a unique ability to be effective with the barest of artistic direction and context because of the way someone naturally projects his or herself onto the protagonist (if it's that kind of game). Finally, you seem to suggest that this should be classified as existing in an entirely new medium. That would entail, though, that something like Stalker shouldn't be considered a movie compared to, say, Iron Man 2. They may be poles apart in terms of content, direction and myriad other things, but they're still both films. When you think about it, the terms "film" and "motion picture" are out of date just as badly or to an even greater extent than "video game". We don't insist that something shot using entirely digital means and thus absent of the visual side effects of a spool of film is not a film. Perhaps I'm defining my media based on the way it is consumed, rather than technicalities and the semantic implications therein. The approach however, seems more sensible so as to avoid creating so many categories that we can't even keep track of them. This allows the definitions to expand as developments are made, rather than being rigid this = fun this = art or whatever. It's perfectly fine to only consume video games with the goal of fun or entertainment in mind - ninety per cent of cinemagoers are after this and would probably get bored and turn off a Tarkovsky after five minutes - but that doesn't necessarily mean that Freedom Bridge et al aren't video games. [That maybe sounds more insulting than it should, it's not meant to sound as authoritative and rest assured there's no ill intent if you perceive any! It may be a case of what Remo described about voicing way stronger opinions than you necessarily have.]

I think you're exactly right on all counts. Interaction is what gives it its value, that makes it a great video game, however antiquated that term is in itself. On the last point, I got my mum to play it, almost at gunpoint. The same unexpected non-gamer approach was evident even in something as simple as this: she tried to go off of the screen and around the barbed wire. Again, though, I still think it's very effective. She was visibly uncomfortable emerging from the last row of wire and gasped when the ending came. Had I just said "watch me play this thing" she would have been far less affected.

If nothing else, he has balls like fucking watermelons. Hopefully EA can put this issue to bed, this has strong whiffs of the turkey voting for Christmas.

Freedom Bridge Play it. (Also, take that Ebert)

Two all. Hope one of them grabs a winner now to make life difficult for England.

@ brkl/Hermie I got an email yesterday and have secured myself some student accommodation through the University. Electricity, water, internet etc. etc. all included, but it's self-catered which I was actually kind of hoping for secretly, I can spend a year eating pasta every day! Going to be living a five minute walk away from the campus, and it's about 15000 Kronor per semester, which works out around £300 a month for the time I'm there. Not too bad at all, couldn't have hoped for much better than that. Need to get down the first 6000 by mid-July though, yikes.

I find it quite telling that, Brutal Legend aside, Rock Band is becoming more and more of a sim and Guitar Hero is going the douchey, desperate final attempt route.

If they can pull it off it'll be pretty incredible.

My first impressions were "damn, that looks like Love". Then I read the bit about it. Damn, that sounds like Love. In typical internet jumping to conclusions manner, SUE THEM ESKIL.

My parents, my grandmother, my sister and my sister's friends know the baboo. Not Idle Thumbs, but certainly the baboo, my dad has even perfected the burp version and perfect comic timing of several varieties of baboo.