As a long-time and avid gamer, one thing I’ve become accustomed to over the years is observing repeated sideways attacks by ill-informed politicians and press regarding the morality and safety of games. Whenever a high school shooting occurs or an act of extreme road rage or other isolated boiling point event, the eyes of a few immediately turn towards gaming, once more seeing an opportunity to further their agendas. (more…)
A few weeks ago David Cage, head of game developer Quantic Dream and creative lead on fascinating-if-flawed games Fahrenheit (aka Indigo Prophecy) and Heavy Rain, gave a talk at the DICE summit in Vegas in which he lamented the games industry’s “Peter Pan syndrome” and unwillingness to mature as an art form/entertainment medium. (more…)
November 10 2012, eh? That’s the last time I wrote a blog post here, apparently. Turns out having a baby is quite time consuming. Now there’s some never-before-observed insight. In the time when I’ve not been looking after the rather Read more…
Back at the start of the year I remember a conversation which noted how good 2011 had been for games, while 2012 looked like it was going to be a quieter, less interesting year. Turns out that was an entirely incorrect prediction, as this has been one of the most exciting 12 months for gaming in quite some time. Without any further faffing, here are my top games of the year… (more…)
After over a year of work, It’s A Trap have released episode 1 of Arms Race: Escalation! It’s been a hugely challenging and lengthy project to work on and I’m thrilled to see it finally out the door and into Read more…
Though I’ve barely played past the first proper mission, I feel compelled to write about Dishonored. Or Dishonoured, to spell it correctly.
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When I say ‘render farm’, I do of course mean my one and only computer. So while it valiantly chugs through the rendering of VFX shots for Arms Race I’m left unable to use it for much else.
So, here I am on my S3 finding out just how painful it is to type a blog post on my mobile phone. As it turns out, the combination of the S3’s absurdly massive screen and the stunning SwiftKey keyboard makes it rather pleasant and easy. This is the first time typing on a portable device hasn’t irritated me. It’s almost productive! (more…)
My grandmother died while I was in Amsterdam at the IBC show. Her funeral was held on Friday in Kingsclere, where she had lived for many years. All the family were there, of course, and it was a wonderful service Read more…
If you’ve been ignoring Spec Ops: The Line because of its lamely generic title, leave your prejudices at the door and read on.
I’ve written enthusiastically about both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. Despite flaws, they were both games that fired my imagination and lingered in memory long after the end credits rolled. (more…)