The Sunday Papers
Sundays are only Sundays because the clocks have gone back an hour today, so I better get a move on pulling together a compilation of the finest (mainly) videogame related reading from across the week, while trying not to slip in a pop-recording of some manner or another.
- Tim Edwards writes about why he signed the Modern Warfare 2 petition. He wrote this before their initial responses, but it's absolutely the core-level reasons why their position is something that's well worthwhile being a bit prickly over.
- Mike Fahey at Kotaku writes about his Everquest addiction. His actual writing about his experiences are brilliant, but the expert who's quoted reduced Walker to seething rage. He may get around to writing a piece taking what she says to task, so I don't want to paraphrase him too much, but the bulk of what she's saying is against the major thrust of all serious "games-addiction" related studies. Take it with a pinch of salt, but do read. His story is about as human as it gets.
- Tom Chick writes a character-diary of Majesty 2. Terribly funny turning oddly touching.
- Lewis interviews Roburky about Alice and Kev over at Game Set Watch.
- Windows 7 is out, apparently. Richard Cobbett gives you a few reasons to smile.
- Luc Martens pointed me at this IGN comedy piece on Borderlands. Well done IGN. Violence sometimes is the only civilized response.
- Ste from One Life Left has a little gush about One Life Left's win at GMAs last week. Well done he and he and she.
- Craig at Gaming Daily rolls his eyes at the Adventure Genre. To be honest, I'm in a similar boat. Even classics like Grim Fandango bore me rigid now. I would rather do pretty much anything than play with your ludicrous logic and shitty control systems.
- That said, Machinarium is out and is a modern classic according to the chattering reviewing classes, apparently. Gaming Daily also interview Amanita Design.
- I smirked at That Guy's A Maniac's job description for the Gamer Laureate. The queen does need a dedicated co-op partner.
- Quinns writes about Bushido Blade, the unique Playstation fighting game. One of the games which is just worth having on your internal reference radar when thinking about how fighting - as a general concept in videogames rather than a description of a specific genre - can work.
- I found this fascinating. Poll results from Guardian readers of what authors they thought posterity would remember. From the 1920s. They were, shall they say, well off.
- The Information-is-beautiful Left vs Right infographic is a thing of beauty.
- The Question Time National Front thing was quite the thing this week. John blogged about it before it happened, and it's mostly a fine and appropriately angry piece. (I mainly disagree on the characterisation of the Question Time audience as subhumans. There's a political party for people who enjoy considering entire groups as lesser than other groups, y'know?)
- Just been off at the MCM this weekend. Among my comrades who I've been sharing a few drinks with was the splendid writer Si Spurrier, who when not redefining action comics, does a column over on Bleeding cool. The latest one writing about evolution in the London Subways is a lot of fun.
- On a comic tip, Alan Moore's doing a magazine!
- At the Drive In really were quite the band.
Failed.