Back after however long, I bare news of things past in the gap between then and now. School is so varied it’s hard to tell if I care about it or not. The plan is that post Friday will see me taking my education more seriously in the lead up to end of year exams, if only for the ENTER that might take me somewhere. Trying to ground my though process, what with the responsibility I’ve been sidestepping looming uncontrollably with the end of this year. The subsequent job hunting, though not yet in full swing, hasn’t turned up anything as of yet. Before the end of last year I had decided that what I needed was perspective, now I’m thinking focus.

Did I say I was serious about my life? I must have been mistaken. Gaming looks to be getting interesting again, something of a bridge between the core and casual markets seems to be appearing, letting me stroll back into the market, if only to take a look at the setup on the other side. Mixed metaphor there. Action & stealth titles like Splinter Cell: Convition and of course Assassins Creed II seem to be shaping up nicely with some interesting new mechanics. Lionhead, creators of my much loved Fable, are delving further into realism and social interaction with a hardcore tamagotci entitled “Milo”. Milo will be taking advantage of Microsoft’s Project Natal, the 360′s answer to the Wii’s motion sensing success. Natal is not alone in the addition of motion sensing, PS3 has also crafted an addon to do same, both of these unveiled at E3 this year. With the Wii motion plus coming soon, it’ll be interesting to see how these three different ways of using motion sensing technology affect gaming and developers, and which succeeds at creating a unique experience. Golden Sun III, a long awaited sequel to my all time favourite game of all time made an appearance at E3 on the DS, and a slew of AAA Nintendo titles have been announced including Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M.

In more life like matters, my friends are everyday revealing themselves to be very dynamic, capable people. I feel really proud to know the people I do, and I learn a lot from them. And of course my life would be extremely dull without their wit and friendship and the outings we partake in. So I’d just like to say a big public ‘thanks’ for the stuff they do. THANKS GUYS!

To push the word count a little I’ll tackle a random topic as suggested by my client. Uh…”How far to go on your first date.” Oh, that reminds me. How I met your mother is hilarious, and the fact that I can already remember Ted, Marshal, Lily, Barney and Robyn’s names is testament to their effective and charming characterisation and even more so to the density of my veiwing (4 seasons in a week). That effectively covers the topic as well. Everything you need to know about dating you can learn from Ted. Just don’t do what he does and you’ll be fine.

If you were glad that I’d stopped posting, please direct any formal complaints to me, and any angry, hate filled ones to Ethan, whose fault it is I’m writing this on account of he suggested it. Even so there’ll likely be another break in broadcasting on account of I am, as most of you must be aware of by now, very very lazy. Until next time.

Doubledusk

Lord of the flame

I played Fable II, it was fun. I played Assassins Creed again, it was fun. I played Hexic HD and N+ LOTS. That kinda made my brain cry.

I’ve been bludging through year 12. Hurrah. Last minute assignments turn out to get better marks than well thought through ones. Slightly irritating but it saves me some time. I’ve had loads of work this week, set weeks ago. I haven’t done any of it until the night before, yay!

I’ve been analysing the social interaction circles at school for no adequately explored reason.

The Grey Spectrum is hanging in the balance!

Updates to come after this wave of work!

I can’t think of anything else to say!

The sentences are getting shorter!

We must stop it!

Oh no!

Help!

Also I’ve had a DeviantART account for a little while now, yes, another one. The first one I am glad to say is now lost to obscurity. I’ve posted some things and looked at some things and met some talented people. S’all good. And by god the layout is infinitely better than Faicpage.

Um…I might put the forum up tomorrow. I really dunno. Tonight I’ll probs be surfing and watch the TV what has been recommended by some people. Short post is short. I swear I’ll upload a REALLY big post in a couple of days.

-Later

Posts I mentioned previously are sitting scripted on my laptop at home, so you’ll have to wait a little longer ’till they’re up. Same with the forum and wiki, the corresponding (and unnecessary) skins are about done though. I’d appreciate commenters posting relevant stuff, but only cause I’m in a weird mood. Feel free to random until your eyes pop out your ears.

Yes, this post exists purely because I ceebs working on my website. Who even uses HTML anymore? Isn’t it all Flash embedded in blank pages? I’m just grouchy because my head is pounding from intense thinking and frowning. And stress due to the two SACs due tomorrow, which I’ll have to finish when I get home at 8:30. That puts my finishing schedule at…4 in the morning? Happy posts will happen on happy days. Preferably devoid of headaches.

Short post is short. H4H/DD out.

In order to facilitate discussion on matters most crucial to TGS, methinks it might be an idea to setup a forum, and perhaps an accompanying wiki. Whether I’ll even get around to it, still think it a sound idea when it isn’t 1 in the morning, and can generally be bothered, will determine when it’ll be up and running.

I’ve embarked on a lengthy Word Doc entitled “THE GREY SPECTRUM: WORLD DEVELOPMENT.” It’s full of headings and subheadings and footnotes for me to fill out, and when the formatting is complete, a blank copy is to be sent to my counterpart to get an idea of what he envisaged the world of TGS to be like also, and then an amalgam with be discussed.

Extra content is being squeezed in, but nothing will be finalised until we decide previously debated issues: format, tone, length etc. Actual script writing is progressing at a pathetic pace, and I can believe the previous timeframe I set. Actually the timeframe was perfectly reasonable, I’m just very very lazy.

As a side note to all this TGS-ness, Fable II is full of funzies. Can’t wait to go get me some Moneysoft points to purchase the DLC expansion. Should be good for a few extra hours. Here’s hoping for true multiplayer in Fable III, and mayhaps randomly generated quests in an infinite supply + higher goals. And MAYBE it’ll be hard to make money next time around.

Other updates may appear soon with a detailed examination of Next Gen Gaming Difficulty, and another entry: The Ultimate Lightweight Freeware Utility Guide For The Discerning Windows-Based Internet Junkie, or something in that vein. I wonder what adding the tags “busty” and “teens” to this post would do for my viewing figures. I guess I’ll find out when I’m feeling more gutsy.

S’all for now. And no, I doubt I’ll ever change this Blogs address or my WP Username. Ceebs.

DoubleDusk

In fact I wrote this up immediately after the dentist thing, but I thought I’d save it for a day that would otherwise be postless. Actually my opinion on said topic changed drastically following prolonged exposure to focus of topic, which really exposes previous response for the pathetic purist knee-jerk reaction it was. Put simply, it’s better this way. And now the post will be longer with more reviews of various. Anywho. I admit I’m a little addicted to spilling my guts. Not that anyone is interested in me moping. Fundamentals state that no one pays any attention to whingeing as everyone else to too busy doing same. I believe I’ve said that before. Anywho mk II.
Platforming has come a long way in the past few years. I’ve never seen such a sharp decline. And the sparse few trickling from the teat of gaming are so pathetic I’d rather set myself the galling task of beating Battletoads. I’m sure many can see where this is headed. Oh yes. That’s right. The bear and the bird are back, and I’m a fanboy.
Being something of a gaming purist it takes me some time to accept change, even when it sounds fantastically fun and wonderful. Far be it for me to fork out on a console to play one blasted game, I got my brother to pay for it. And of course got some other good games, shooters and fantastic RPGs. The art overhaul in Banjo was quite confronting, but in game the camera is so far back you can hardly tell they’ve done anything but add polygons and use actual textures so I’m cool with that.

Vehicles are fun and necessary to traverse the absolutely MASSIVE levels. In fact, it could very easily have been made into a fantastic, enormous platform in the vein of the greats it’s predecessors were on such a grand scale reviewers would have no choice but to shower it with perfect 10s. Needless to say they didn’t, and it isn’t. At its core, it’s a sandbox vehicle builder. Not Banjo. It has aesthetic and slight atmospheric similarities to a Banjo game, but change its face to a new franchise and no-one would say “Hey! This is like a rip off of a Banjo game!”

Begin edit.

In fact, now I’m cool with most of the game. The “Acts” for the levels are unnecessary, but bearable (see what I did thar?). The challenges are all timed, evidently what had to replace the lack of platforming, although it’s not so much about the immediate time limit, but the T.T. times you have to get in order to collect every Jiggy in the game. Actually it strikes me as a reference to Diddy King Racing; “T.T.”.

The challenges would be very derivative and generic and tedious and dare I say, and I do, boring, if it weren’t for the games mechanics. You will be faced with an enormous number of fetch quests and races. Of course the ability to play the game by your rules, with your own user created content, makes it very enjoyable. Classic platforming does make a small appearance now and then, most notably in the HUB world, Showdown Town.

Collecting vehicle parts feels very rewarding, and enabling, and platform-y. Rather than everything be handed to you as you complete things, it provides what you provide. I’d like to liken it to RPGs where player stats increase as the player utilises the skills they correspond to, ala Elder Scrolls. The classic Rare humor is still there, and the breaking of the fourth wall is a refreshing addition, though it does make some of the jokes aimed at pop culture and Rare itself a little less…special. Anyway, I could go on, but there’s other subjects to cover and really long posts make people switch off so I’ll wrap up. Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts is fun, but like Super Mario 64 and Mario Tennis, well, you get the idea. I’d be happy to see life breathed into a dying genre, so heres hoping Banjo Fourie will be a playforming title. Onto the next bit! (Oh yeah, seamless.

A little more gaming, then we can move on to TV. You can tell I’ve had a productive holiday can’t you? A quick word about Oblivion. Elder Scrolls IV is huge in ever possible aspect. This means the following. More walking. More getting lost. More stuff. It’s tutorial was way too long, and had me wanting to power down. The first city I went into, I got lost within seconds. The city is massive and corridor like, and all the walls reach high up than I can see. It’s a maze, and everywhere looked the same. Mind you, it is a BEAUTIFUL game. I only played for a few minutes, but I think I’d have more fun replaying Morrowind. Time will tell.

Okay, those of you who know of my Life on Mars obsession, will not be surprised by my seeking out Ashes to Ashes, it’s spin off. Spin offs seem to be popular in the BBC these days. *Looks pointedly at Dr. Who* It was a little less charming, and the actor that portrays Drake is just not as good as John Simm. I don’t care about her character, and the mother daughter thing is tired. It also reuses the same themes, and I’ve seen it before. Only this time it feels like a knock off. Okay, I was going to write more but I’m getting sleepy and have things to do tomorrow so if you don’t mind, I’ll be off. Later.

So it’s been two years since I last went, and writing this I have just returned from my most recent visit. I’ve been going to the same one since it was small. Why? It certainly isn’t cheap. I can feel places in my mouth they missed. So…it’s because looking for a new dentist isn’t something worth my time. Oh and it’s like, right around the corner.

I walk in, the receptionist recognises me. I smile and wave then bury myself in an ancient copy of Time magazine before she starts on about how old I’ve gotten and whether my mum is dying yet. It’s not my fault she couldn’t get out of her dead-end job in the last 15 years. With bureaucratic precision the dentist springs up out of an emergence hole at 9:30 exactly. I am a little disheartened he didn’t make me wait, I could have complained. He beckons me into his lair with both hands. He’s not allowed to speak until I’m strapped to a chair.

I enter, he closes the door behind me. “Hello, I’m *static noise*. I will be your dentist today.” I almost left then, sheer force of will kept me in. By force of will, I mean he was blocking the only exit. “Sit down. This is my dentist’s hand.” He gestures at some woman who was to stick two tubes in my mouth for the next 45 minutes. One to pour liquid into my mouth, the other to suck liquid out of my mouth. “She’s my extra pair of hands.” He gives a nervous giggle. I look forlornly at the door.

I sit back and put on those oversized plastic glasses with the extreme tinting. And a bib, which didn’t get a speck of anything on it in the whole procedure. The motorised chair kicks in and I’m sudden horizontal and racing toward a bright light. Then a dark shadow looms over and blocks out the light. “Open wide.” “Bigger, I mean deeper.” “Close it a bit.”How could you not do something with it wide open that you can do almost closed? That makes no bloody sense. “A little to the left.” “Up.” “Right.” He ‘asked’ as he pushes my head from side to side with his mirror inside my mouth and a heavy hand on my face.

He stands up, I strain to look at his face through the light. The goggles do nothing. “How often do you floss?” Every word laced with poison. I aim to please of course. This guy cares too much about teeth, I figure I should too. “Not as often as I’d like. Fairly often…” “Not everyday then?” “Well. Maybe once or twice…” “Only once or twice a week?” he whispers. I say nothing and look awkwardly into the corner. And he looked at me, with his big blue eyes, and says “surely not…a month?”. And I just didn’t have the heart to tell him. Annually. “I was only joking; I do it about 5 times a week.”

20 minutes in. He’s been digging around my mouth with an automated killing machine, tearing my gums apart. He withdraws and I snap my jaw shut. “Now I’m going to X-ray your teeth to see if you have any cavities developing.” Cavities filled with money. “Is there anything to suggest I might have some?” “Well it’s best to be sure. You haven’t been to the dentists in quite a while.” We haven’t dug in this goldmine for some time.

“Actually, I requested no X-rays.” Actually, I didn’t, but I can’t bear to sit in this chair for an extra hour while he shows me EXACTLY what I’m doing wrong and the devastating consequences there-in. He needs something to do for the rest of the session. “I’ll just give your teeth a bit of a polish.” He makes a selection from his miniature angle grinder collection and grinds away the remaining minutes. He loses interest “Rinse.” He commands. I rinse. “Spit.” Because I was planning on keeping it in my mouth for another few years. I spit. He hands me the bill. It has X-rays expenses on it, obviously they planned this ahead of time. I don’t argue, I can’t wait to get out. I return home, constantly running my tongue over the bits he missed. I couldn’t tell it was there when they were ALL covered in the stuff. I sit down at my laptop and begin typing furiously.

That turned out to be less of a rant and more of a retelling. Ah well. It might seem fantastical, but that’s exactly how it happened. Or at least, how it was happening in my head. It’s kind of ironic that I’m writing all this when I have writers block, and the last post was fairly lengthy too. Weird. If you read all that, well done. If you didn’t, I never liked you anyway.

/cynicism

DoubleDusk out.

(The following paragraph has been written with potential viewers in mind. Minimal spoilers.)

Life on Mars is the best TV drama ever made, and quite possibly my favourite TV program ever. I missed the last ep when it was screened here, and recently purchased (yes, PAYED FOR) series two, just to watch it. Mixed reactions. I want to like it. I think I do like it. I’m not sure if it’s satisfying. I think the problem is…there is the final choice moment, and all very fun and awesome and if it was any other episode I’d be fine with it, and would probably be one of my favourite eps. The problem (as I failed to get round to saying in the previous sentence and will in this one also if I don’t finish these brackets soon) is that questions certainly weren’t answered. It didn’t feel enough like an end. I’ll refrain from commenting further so I don’t spoil anything, but people who’ve seen it should know what I’m talking about.

I found FF CC RoF, that is to say, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, for DS in EB for 20 bucks second hand so I picked it up. Fun game, very short. And not just for an FF game, I mean short in the general sense of the word. Other problems: The story was hollow and the puzzles were simple. The fact that you could stack your entire party in a four person high chain was a little ridiculous although very rarely useful. Pre-rendered cinematics were short and sparse, it seemed like they were an afterthought and really should have been a)prominent b)left out c)beginning and end things. All that aside, it is pretty fun real time fighting, and the voice acting, while also sparse, adds some atmosphere. It’s fun and engaging despite a childish feel for half the game, and was certainly more than my monies worth, but don’t grab a copy for more than…$60 Aussie bucks.

Went to some sort of party thing (childhood friends joint-birthday) and didn’t get hammered. They stopped serving shots and cocktails early. The tab ran out. Because I’m responsible (and because I like LLBs) I started filling up on watery fluids early to balance the alcohol, so I had 5 lemon lime et bitters. I only managed to get two beers in before they stopped serving. Lame. Also I knew very few people, which was typical. Two people started up conversations with me at the bar. Male in case you’re wondering, just banter not pickup talk. Though just before I left some girl (who’d obviously emptied the tab) declared her undying love for me. Anyways, the two people. One, a teacher who hated books. Go figure. The other, who hung around with me and people I knew for a while (as he knew some of my people), was pleasant enough. That’s enough of that, I make it sound more boring than it was.

Oh yeah, a few blog stats. Rugers are attracting the most hits from search engines STILL and increasingly. Erm…we got the most hits last month, with just under 100, which is pretty good for something no-one knows about. One day when TGS is really taking off I’ll start telling people and we might see real traffic. And other things I can’t be bothered mentioning and would be expressed in an inexplicably illegible fashion due to said writers block. Hopeful the rest of this isn’t so indecipherable. Good luck.

Cheers, DoubleDusk (having second thoughts about the name too. yay.)

Now I’m going to go reclock DK64. Because I can.

Oh yeah, and now Sonic has a sword, wtf?

Oh yeah, finished exams, so now just an orientation week and we’re off for the holidays. I say off. I’ll be trapped in front of my computer trying to fulfill my promise to myself to finish at least most of TGS before the start of the “all important” year twelve. The results of my exams are a testament to my foresight and not so much a testament to my study-ethic.

A bit of Fry and Laurie is hilarious, but occasionally dull. Theres one sketch in particular that goes for ages and it generally not very funny. And it isn’t the one with “Control” and the other guy. Anyway…other stuff.

DotaStrategy…whilst not my preferred gaming afternoon by any sense of the word, has played host to a small TGS thread as posted by “Ghost” (without asking me OR Ven I might add). Ghost is an alt of Threads, or rather the original Threads. I am a little disheartened that some think TGS is for nubs, but I guess it was never going to appeal to every demographic now was it? We’ve had four visitors from there so far, none of which dropped a line. I will therefore be killing their children with their own kitchen knives.

Oh yeah, reading some stuff. More Oscar Wilde, which is getting weird, and The Gormenghast Trilogy. I’m starting to feel really literary for some reason. Fun though.

Lastly, I send good luck to Arkatufus who is working on what looks to be a fabulous project as of late, and hope that production runs smoothly up until it’s release. Good luck Ark.

Until next time, it’s goodbye from me. And it’s goodbye from me. Now we’ll leave you with tonights cocktail, straight vodka. You’ll need some vodka, and a glass. Please Mister Music, will you play. *dances* Soupy twist. Or was it Soapy twist?