The Sunday Papers

Sundays are recovering from the aging-celebration of Ex-PC Zone Ed Will Porter, watching the last part of the Corner and compiling a list of the fine (mostly) games related reading that has crossed my path this week while trying to resist linking to whatever piece of pop music is on repeat on my PC right now. I've got to manage to do it eventually, eh?

• This is interesting. Savygamer get a little militant about the Ubisoft situation, and is trying to organise a mass-order-and-return from a retailer who currently doesn't have it on their listing that it requires a connection. Do go read, because it's a fascinating example of how strong the response is to this one.
• I think this is my favourite interview I've seen about Bioshock 2, over at Fidgit where Chick speaks to Zak McClendon. Just lots of good stuff.
• While we're all going bioshocky, Leigh Alexander points at a point/counterpoint. Point: Michael Abbot at Brainygamer thinks Bioshock 2 is just like being a Dad. Counter-point: Chris Dahlen... well, he does too, but in a different way. Both of these are good stuff. Frankly, the longer Bioshock 2 sits in my head after completing it, the more I like it. I suspect people would have been initially down on Thief 2 if it were released today too.
• Sarcasm is the best. Magical Wasteland on the latest controversy: Are games ert?
• The -TheBlackBandit- pointed me at this - Metagamers and containers. Clever formalism.
• Tale of Tales on thinking about games as rock and roll.
• I meant to link to this last week, but forgot. Here's Simon Parkin Interviewing James Kay and others about the fall of Japan as a gaming power. Really strong stuff.
• How did Quinns' become a games journalist? His secret origin.
• At Gamasutra, Phill Cameron interviews Vic Davis about Solium Infernum and all things Cryptic Comet.
• You been following the "Alan Wake is for the couch" debate, Jason Perini does some splendid Eyerolling over at Gamecrashers.
• I swear I've read at least Elroy's rules before, but the Guardian did this series of rules about writing by famous writing. Funny and useful in about equal measures. Elroy: "Keep your exclamation points ­under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.". Which reminds me of Fitzgerald's note that they're like laughing at your own joke. Or my first production editor's guideline, written on the wall of the office: EXCLAMATION MARKS ARE FOR ("TOMMY-TANKERS!" - Ed). Me? Exclamation marks are my own shorthand for "Heavy-Handed Irony".
• Akira the Don's Guide to Death's Head. Just because.
• Oh - I've a new comic out next week. Thor 607, wherein I catch up with the Siege cross-over splendidosity. 5 page preview here.
• Lucky Soul's title track from the new album is available if you sign up to their mailing list. It's cute and is making the early afternoon all the better.

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