Nevsky

The power of twitter! -- Wrestlevania: Everyone's playing Grand Thumb Auto except me. :'( toblix: @Wrestlevania Also, except me! Nevskyp: @Wrestlevania @toblix Me neither! toblix: Maybe everyone's not playing GTA! @Nevskyp @Wrestlevania ysbreker: @toblix @nevskyp @Wrestlevania I'm not playing either. So who /is/ playing then? -- For my part, I was working/getting angry at the internet. The girlfriend was playing Peggle, and saw there was some GTA going down, though. Was it fun? Was it? Eh?

I really doubt it. I'm sure they're just staggering it for marketing purposes. Got to admit releasing the directors and theatrical cuts on the same day is quite loopy in terms of consumer awareness, could create confusion. I know! I want my requisite Rodriguez extras, like the Cooking School!

Great write-up, James. Even though my experiences aren't exactly in line with yours, the reasons behind why I'm currently not a PC gamer are quite similar. I was primarily a PC gamer until the N64 generation, and even then I still played mostly PC games until university, when I downgraded to a laptop for convenience. Then I got in with the Gamecube, Wii, 360, and I never really felt the need to go back to the PC. And now it's incredibly daunting, from a price, space and choice issue. Listening to the Thumbs podcast doesn't help, because it's getting me thinking about PC games again - I'd love to give Anno a try, as a recent example - and my laptop groans when I play Spelunky, dammit. And there's nothing worse than loading up a game, then finding it glitching, stuttering, or crashing. That feeling of inadequacy is made even worse when it happens with New Star Soccer 4.

(There are downsides to living in Brighton?!) Aw, I want to see Moon too! There are loads of places in London showing it, but I'm not sure if I have the time this week. Might need some drastic planning. In other news, I saw the new Pedro Almodovar film the other day, Broken Embraces / Los abrazos rotos. Really wonderful, enjoyable film. Very eclectic and cheeky in its melding of genres and styles, but still consistent and masterful in its gelling of direction, cinematography and acting. Plus, wow, Penelope Cruz. Definitely recommended - just a joy to watch something so intelligently and artfully made, that isn't willfully obscure, difficult or abrasive.

If wet fart means 'the world didn't end, people still play games, read Eurogamer, and we got a great piece of gaming criticism out of it', then sure.

Not wishing to spam twitter. I might be going out to a film screening tonight, contingent on how much work I get done today. Er. So I'll let you know nearer the time - is this 9pm CJD?

Time for a resurrection. The second, Gillen-birthed review is up now. Not read through it all yet (it's 4 pages!)... [snip] OK, read it now. Good piece.

I ended up playing a mixture of Ikaruga and Eternal Sonata anyway. I messed up my eyes staring at black and white bullets, then learned little tidbits about Chopin. So that's marginally more painful, and educational, than Halo 3, I'm sure.

Good to hear things are going well. Re: Fight Club, wasn't there a little frame snippet of porn at the end? Can't remember if it's pre-, during, or post-credits. Maybe during that final shot. Not watched that film in a while, a midnight showing would be something special. Things are trundling along for me. Currently writing some video game-related articles - damn fun to work on, but I had to turn down payment for them, which was a bit of a shame in retrospect.

No worries. I managed to get online in the end, and saw you flash online for a moment - just thought it wasn't meant to be. Hope your son feels better.

I really liked the sniper match. I'd definitely be in support of doing that more often in the future. I enjoyed exploding everything in sight at the end of one of the early, story-based co-op games. Chucking a grenade under James' (?) car, just to see him pleasantly sitting in the charred remains a few seconds later.

Ooh, the smoothness.

I know, I've been there! Was only in Tallinn for a day, but I was very impressed.

Hm, I should try that out. I have an acute aversion to swimming in games, due to being (sort of) traumatised at a (relatively) young age by the (completely not scary) sewer creatures in (Star Wars: ) Dark Forces.

I'm guessing the draw is a fuller representation of the comic - as if the original cut wasn't slavish! Even though I liked the cuts they made, making it a baggy, but not-too-baggy monster, I'll still like to see how they tackled the supporting-supporting characters - the psychiatrist, the news vendor and the kid on the street. And, also, the spoiler bit that Toblix didn't see.

Surely there's the 'Like it? Donate some cash' button on the right hand of the page?

Hm. I suppose you can applaud the attention given to the design? Seems like they spent more time looking at pictures of intestines than reading the poem, to be honest. As I recall, Canto V is mostly about pain, heartbreak, and the story of Francesca and Paolo. I mean, check it out (from Cary's early 19th century translation) Canto V FROM the first circle I descended thus Down to the second, which, a lesser space Embracing, so much more of grief contains Provoking bitter moans. There, Minos stands Grinning with ghastly feature: he, of all Who enter, strict examining the crimes, Gives sentence, and dismisses them beneath, According as he foldeth him around: For when before him comes th' ill fated soul, It all confesses; and that judge severe Of sins, considering what place in hell Suits the transgression, with his 'tail' so oft Himself encircles, as degrees beneath He dooms it to descend. Before him stand Always a num'rous throng; and in his turn Each one to judgment passing, speaks, and hears His fate, thence downward to his dwelling hurl'd. And so, with my be-powered scythe I lung'd, Tearing free th'intestines of Minos foul, Like some kick-ass deity of war, or Some shit like that. Twirling like airborne leaves I chained a sweet combo of ten kills or More, uncovering an achievement once hidden, Bolstering gamerscore with true finesse. Ploughing through dread Inferno's hellspawn, I reach'd save-point. Into a place I came Where light was silent all. Bellowing there groan'd A noise as of a sea in tempest torn By warring winds. Just like a hurricane, In a tornado, with naked bodies and overtones most sexual, but sick. There mark'd I Helen, for whose sake so long The time was fraught with evil; there the great Achilles, who with love fought to the end. Paris I saw, and Tristan; and they all Had extra members, orifices more, Like H. R. Giger, but fucking extreme. Wasting little time, aim on highest score, I drove through them with unwavering haste. Until faced, unholy of unholies, By Cleopatra, hind'ring my progress. Unfaz'd, I pressed buttons, flicked joysticks in Time with on-screen guidelines; heav'n-sent magic Infused my body, granting me power And skill, far beyond my other in-game Actions. To my eye, it was disturbing, And repulsive, but at the same time quite Compelling. My powers of verse fail me, But my trial, my adventure was brutal, And pushed all boundaries. I slay'd the Nile's Lustful Queen, paused to savour sweet vict'ry, To be taken, to my next stage, level, Circle. Only after a loading screen.

WHO'S THIS DOUCHE? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Nevsky

I downloaded the trial. Really like the look, feel, depth of the game. Teetering on getting it - then I see all these issues with the servers, so maybe I'll pass for the time being. If we can wrangle some thumbs for an en masse Pacific Expedition, then I'll reassess.

Good listening as always. The 'Remember when we used to write songs?' break bit was like Idle-Thumbs-do-White-Album, with the studio chatter + snippet of music hall cheekiness. Great.

Looks like fun! Only ever played Halo 3 deathmatch-style, and then mostly local.

I do realise that, but it wasn't working very well at all. Then I started doubting my vague memory of the one time I'd climbed a ladder in the game, and started doing a jig instead. Also, I heard running with a ladder is dangerous. An adult told me so.

I agree, that different setting for Cops 'n Crooks gives it more potential - for tension, humour, slurs-from-beyond-the-grave. Enjoyable evening, mostly. I thought for a change I got 'stuck in' with the GTA Races, don't know if that's because I'm getting used to it, or what. The previous weeks, I'd be cruising for most of the race without seeing anyone. Plus, that airport track has some great choke points. There were quite a few bits of note, but most are overwhelmed in my mind by traumatic images of ladders stretching up into the infinite sky, and giant QTE-flashing Y buttons mocking me in a mixture of English (and one Canadian) accents. ...I think my favourite bit was Toblix's off-road, stunt driving flourish of the week, somehow managing to vertically climb a chain-link fence in a car.

Emphasis on the 'stud'?