The whole situation regarding the Kane and Lynch review and of Jeffs undignified send-off has pierced me to the core. Not only have I cancelled my subscription but will be checking this site a whole lot less. I guess kotaku gets the hits now. Doesn't the management of gamespot understand the reason that I am here in the first place it to hear HONEST reviews? To get an idea of what the game is like from an actual person's perspective. Not some editorial/marketing symbiotic multiheaded hydra.

The reason that gamespot has done so well that it has fostered a trust with the reader. A trust that has been breeched now.I do not expect sites like playstation insider to give unbiased reviews but I certainly do here. Well I used to anyway. I personally did not see the tone of the video review as being offensive and am extremely shocked to see the response of cnet to one of its most respected editors.

If you happen to read this Jeff... were all with you brotha.

Your GameSpot Plus subscription has been successfully cancelled, and your membership will not be renewed.

'nuff said

Well apparently geometry wars just got dropped on steam. And for less than five dollars I couldn't resist. I needed to see what all the fuss was about.

Ok... buying game... downloading game... alright lets give this a go. (2 min's later) "Is that it?"

I was under whelmed for a game that got so much press. Then I gave it a few more tries and now I can't stop playing it. I like the fact you can just play for 10 min's and then take off. It is pretty much the polar opposite of the Myst series for me. All of which incidentally I own. Which all looks very impressive sitting magisterially on my bookshelf. But here's the thing I have to admit to anyone who see's these proud specimens.


Usually the conversation goes something like this.

Someone else: "Wow, you own every myst game"

Me: "Yep, even got the collectors edition of riveren."

Someone else: "How do you like them?"

Me: "They are beautiful games, the music is enthralling and really gives you a sense of being somewhere otherworldly."

Someone else: "Have you beaten all of them?"

Me: "Not a single one."

I think I just like the idea of liking Myst. I get really into them at the outset, but eventually just get so fed up I just quit. I don't like the idea that game guides should be required reading. Myst is like one of those things you buy as window dressing. Sort of like how my parents own loads of leather bound books from important authors, war and peace, othello, Ulysses. When really.... the last book i read was "The Deathly Hallows". Has there ever been a game you really wanted to like but just couldn't for whatever reason?

Do tell...

Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go blow up some squares.

Let me just say this is not a post endorsing piracy . I am talking of course about digital distribution. I have used steam, Gametap and ealink which are all varying shades of awesome. Steam and Gametap being the best of the bunch. My thoughts on this have gone through 3 distinct stages. Skepticism, acceptance, and lastly embracing it. It all started out with steam who offered it free to any game you have already purchased from them. Letting the service grow on you like a friendly moss. Finally i dipped my toe into the murky depths of digital download's with psyconauts. A game almost impossible to find anywhere else.

It all just worked. I love it that i can let anyone play my games by just installing the client on there computer and have the game stream on. No more lost keys or scratched cd's(a big deal for me). I almost find it archaic now when I use a cd to install something.

Then I gave Gametap a go. It still has its flaws but does a brilliant job of streaming multiple games onto your computer. Many stream as you are playing them minimizing the download time. If you haven't tried zork grand inquisitor you must give it a go, its brilliant. Since i had such great experiences with both i used EA link for C&C 3 which is less awesome. Download game, uncompress, uncompress (again?), install and THEN play. Once you go through that it is smooth sailing, in fact many problems people have with the physical version don't exist with the CDless version.

So why bother with buying them in stores anyway? The only argument I can think of is the bargain bin, and people without broadband. In the age of nearly infinitely large hard drives we can avoid allot of problems. I have to be honest i do miss the manual and the shiny box a little but in the grand scheme the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.

PS. The weather was really nice a couple days ago  so i decided to take my motorbike out. All of a sudden a giant wall of clouds came rushing towards me. Decided to take a couple pics on my phone. Both ominious and beautifull.

When I play games online I expect a certain level of discourse. Let's take counterstrike or Tiberium Wars as an example. Of the people you deal with they probably break down into these categories.

30% The rational human being who can hold a civil, interesting conversation.

50% A tolerable mix whose grasp of the English language tends to be a little suspect. Fairly benign.

20% The raving psychopath. These people yell and bark and scream at the slightest provocation. Letting loose a string of expletives like they were in a Quinten Terantino movie.

I have become rather numbed to it so dealing with this lot just seems like standard online fair. Probably sounds familiar to allot of you. That is until i tried the game URU live. In case you don't know this is a Massively Multiplayer game offered through Gametap which is based on the myst series of games. Anyway, the moment I entered the game i noticed a quite shocking difference. Everyone was civil. Not only were they friendly but would go out of there way to help you. Conversations I have had range from the philosophical underpinnings of our society to farting underwater. Everywhere you would explore there was always someone there to lend a hand or have an interesting conversation with. During the time that i have played it I have run into maybe 2-3 tools. Considering I have probably talked to about 60-80 different people these are quite astonishing statistics.

I didn't' notice these differences so much until i played this game. It was like stepping into a pool of warm water if all you have ever taken was cold baths.  

Now there is the question of why. Well, firstly the game is (in typical myst fashion) one of the least confrontational games ever. You work cooperatively on puzzles rather than against each other. There is no us vs. them mentality.  In my case i tend to get stuck easily so asking people for help just comes naturally. 

It is also one of the most calming games ever. Almost on the verge of comatose. The music is ambient and relaxing and the environments are breathtaking.

This leads to an interesting revelation. It is that games can affect your demeanor. Weather it permeates into real life is a question up for debate but it certainly does online. Of course you have the bias that maybe naturally calm and helpful people are drawn to the game but i think something different is happening. It is unfortunate now that I have played it because every time I load up counterstrike now i want to cry.

That was fun, if you listen to this weeks hotspot you can hear me singing about my wii woes. I am getting so frustrated in not being able to pick one up. I suppose I could try camping before the store opens but

1)Its Cold outside.

2)I like sleep.

Just felt like venting... and singing-off key. Maybe I will try out for canadian idol.

But seriously, what the hell? I guess we are in a better position in Canada than Europians so I shouldnt complain that much. I just want to play some tennis and botch some surgeries... is that to much to ask?