Show and Tell

What with CES 2010 having come and gone before you can blink, the first electronic show that includes videogames is simply a memory. However, unlike Christmas, these shows happen more than once a year; whereas Santa Claus has only a solitary night to impress and deliver, games companies have to match that feat at least ten times. Santa doesn’t know how good he’s got it. With varying degrees of importance comes varying degrees of hype, expenditure and the symbolical annihilations that are the booth babes; where the visual delights of E3’s of the past have attracted huge industry interest and, up until 2008 at least, the LA-based expedition was undoubtedly the greatest (games) show on earth. In a chronologically arranged fashion, here’s an ‘essential guide’ to what’s on in the subsequent 326 days.

Victory is ours!

Sonic & Hackers Act 2

Technological advances are great things. They make computers run faster, build silly-tall buildings and let mad scientists play God (baguette-permitting). Most importantly, however, they afford intelligent hackers the ability to do Sega’s job, completing what the Jap giants never did and give us an idea what might have been. As promised, it’s  the second round of Sonic hackage, which may well stretch to a classic third act if the fun continues as it has. Minimising rambling for a refreshing change, let’s get on with it!

Consumer Electronics Show 2010, By The By…

On a totally unrelated, fairly irrelevant and almost forgotten note, but one that could not be ignored, Ron Jeremy made an appearance at CES for some reason and, while surrounded by hundreds of tech/videogame enthusiasts, he saw fit to ‘announce’ (try deflecting attention) his belief that violent videogames have ‘a much bigger negative influence on kids’, as reported by the BBC. Now, while in some cases it may be true where examples of explicit anti-social

Consumer Electronics Show 2010

Although not strictly a video gaming convention, it’s the first big expedition of technology of the year and a few note-worthy items cropped up during the show’s three-day stay in the Glitter Gulch. The show doesn’t receive the type of media coverage that behemoth conventions like E3 garner, however, it’s still an opportunity for CEOs to deliver a few tasters for the upcoming year, which Microsoft took advantage of, while Sony had a small word and Nintendo gave it the cold shoulder.

The bigger they are, the harder they sell

‘I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.’
~ Albert Einstein

As the old adage goes, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. If we can all agree that Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is indeed as massive as had been touted as soon as its daddy, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, was finally laid to rest, MW2 was primed for the biggest fall in videogame history. Garnering more interest than even Grand Theft Auto IV, Activision-Blizzard and Infinity Ward had a tough job on their hands of delivering the promises it’s 21st century-based shooter made before even an M16A4’s trigger had been squeezed for the first time.

Sky Player serves up a healthy slice of humble pie

Not the appropriate pie for this festive time of year, but  relevent in proving my previous doubts and criticisms firmly wrong, as I ‘kick back’ and ‘chillax’ on a sub-zero Saturday afternoon watching Portsmouth put troubled Liverpool down from the comfort of my bedroom, as opposed to the usual living room. I’ll never need leave my ‘office’ again.

Sonic & Hackers Act 1

See what I did there? In a feature with a twist, over the next few scroll-downs (or ‘pages’) you’ll find a summary and review of the most interesting ‘hacks’ of Sonic games found on teh interwebz. To those unfamiliar, a hack is when an unauthorised change is made to a game’s files, whether that be graphics, sound, level design etc, and are often produced by ‘hardcore’ fans to re-create a game as they envisioned how it was ‘meant’ to be. The hacking of games stretches far beyond the Sonic series, yet arguably no other series contains the same amount of mystery, controversy or speculation that Naoto Ōshima et al’s creation does, hence the focus on the spiny blue one. Resultingly, countless attempts, some serious, some not, have been created to plug any gaps, with varying success. Onwards you’ll see the best and appallingly worst of the array of interventions, picked and primed for your pleasure.

Disclaimer: I am no hacker and have little experience with the process (minor tamperings with Pro Evolution Soccer 4 aside), this is simply a critical overview of a handful of what’s out there, highlighting a few to try.

Sky’s the limit. And F.A.G.S.

After a mammoth overview and re-evaluation of the tear-inducing (in a good way) ShadowMan, it felt necessary to time warp back to the future to cover the happenings of contemporary gamage. In the last week an embarrassing failure occurred, CEOs uttered unusually meaningful monologue, awards were distributed (to Activision) and Modern Warfare 2’s now controversial release is imminent as we finally creep into the hotly anticipated month known to traditionalists as ‘November’.

A match made in Hell, apparently

ShadowMan: 10 Years On

‘The year 1999, seventh month,
From the sky will come a great King of Terror.
To bring back to life the great King of the Mongols,
Before and after Mars to reign by good luck.’
~ Nostradamus, 17th Century

When the year 1999 is mentioned, what do you remember about it most? Who topped the music charts? (He really did!) Where you were when the clock struck 12? Scary predictions? The Millennium Bug? Planes falling out of the sky? Your microwave not working in the morning? The end of the world? Or just where you were going to get your next pint from amidst huge queues in a packed venue?