[ added: 4:36 pm, 03.10.01: apologies for the lateness of this post. please forward all complaints here ]
well that pretty much summarizes my weekend, so… there you have it. maybe i can finally get some more work done on my case mod project…
wow.. so much little bits of news to inform you of. where to even bloody well start?!?!
okay here we go:
i legally acquired a copy of blade of darkness, having been tempted by a box i saw in a store with a barbarian with a hugeass sword. so, with this game installed, i loaded it up and got down to, as they say in the industry, business. i’ve only played for like 25 minutes, but here’s my quick so-far review. yes, there is a guy with a hugeass sword.. but it’s not that big. i mean, it’s pretty big, i guess.. but in the picture it’s like bigger than every other possible member of the team. anyway, having said that, the gameplay was your typical, third-person hack / slash “kill them bad guys” type deal, except for one gut-wrenching twist: you cannot strafe.
i say again, that is a negative on any lateral movement.
oh, sure, you can walk forward, and backward, and jump, and hack, and slash, and even turn left and right. but no sidestepping. this glaring omission is extremely disconcerting for me, and i found myself unable to deal with even the most basic of foes, as i would reactively try and circle strafe, only to find that i’d just turn and end up facing the wrong direction. in the game’s defence, there is a lock enemy option, where you face an enemy and all movements are in relation to the baddie. this mode includes strafing. this is great, until the enemies wise up and, realizing that you can only sidestep if you are directly facing them, bring a buddy to club you from behind. since you can’t turn when you can strafe, you can’t quickly hit the guy behind you. i’m gonna give the game another try… i guess… but suffice it to say i’m glad my copy of the game came on a cdrw. >;o)
continuing: yes, smackdown is this weekend. bigass lan in … london, i believe. … the same london where a certain girlfriend of mine may be going… can that be a coincidence? i don’t think so. something’s afoot here… yes, i did just realize this now. back on topic, i am not going to smackdown. lack of money / planning / a ride are preventing me. boo me.
want an alternative to hotmail that’s faster, hasn’t been caught sharing your email address, and gives you six megs of storage instead of two? and it will mail you at another account if you get mail? check out http://www.tnle.net. and hey- praetorian@tnle.net. finally, someone hasn’t grabbed praetorian on me (praetorian13@home.com and praetorian_arg@hotmail.com – yes, that’s why i picked “arg”).
the infastructure of the united states of america- its railways, bridges, waste management, power supply, roads, schools, etc ad nauseum- is in need of some serious cash flow to upgrade it to a “safe” grade. something to the tune of 1.3 trillion dollars. i’d be interested in hearing a similar report on canada…
rstevens, of dieselsweeties fame, just told me this: you are officially metal yourself
hear that, fuckers? i am officially metal. man, i’ll bet you are all *so* jealous. that metal comic has got to be some kind of comic genius, the likes of which mere mortals should not be permitted to see.
one last note: the american music institute (or something like that) has released its list of the top twentieth century american songs. i don’t really grasp why it’s called the list of american songs, since the beatles and the rolling stones, among others notable non-americans, are all charted on this list. check it out for yourself; me, it’s mostly a pretty unimpressive list. maybe it’s based on influence on the music scene or longevity or something- i don’t have that info. i just give you the juice.
oh hell one more thing:
this reporter has learned that peter molyneux’s upcoming and long-anticipated black and white will have the following interesting feature: the citizens that inhabit the world will be named after people in your outlook folder on your computer. if you get an email from someone while playing the game, the character in the game who uses their name will wave at you, and you can click on them to read your email. i want to have peter molyneaux’s children.
well… figuratively speaking, of course.