A Gaming Diary
Archive for October, 2006
MAC Vs. Mac
Oct 30th
Just for the record, I know it’s normally Mac, not MAC, but I’m using capitals in my titles for everything. When it arrives, Wii games will be marked (WII), for example.
So I’m not just being a wronghead.
Football Manager 2007 (MAC)
Oct 30th
So, to recap, after failing to save Bishops Stortford from relegation, I found myself jobless. Eventually Gateshead offered me a short-term contract asking me to get them promoted from the Conference North. Wasn’t too hopeful, but took the job anyway…
And, gosh, what a difference! For one thing, they’ve got some players worth more than £2,000. Somehow, just before I arrived, they even managed to buy someone worth £20,000 from a League Two side. He is amazing. I’ve played two games with Gateshead so far and he’s scored four times and the media are falling over themselves to praise him. If he stays free of injury we’re home free… but that’s hardly likely over the whole season. At Stortford I was fairly lucky with the injuries until the end of the season, where three key players were out for a couple of months.
Just the quality of the footie on display is amazing. I’m seeing runs and teamwork and pace that I never, ever saw while managing football. It’s like the match engine’s been upgraded between seasons.
Anyway, this is the best (C/F)M game ever, I’m confident in saying.
Contact (DS)
Oct 27th
I’ve played this for a couple of hours now in total, at a guess, with quick sessions grabbed here and there over the last few days.
My considered reaction so far is: hmmmmmm.
I like it, I’m enjoying it, but I really can’t quite understand why. In terms of combat (click enemy once and relax, unless you want to use a special move) and general buggering about collecting stuff (enemies and trees drop cooking ingredients) it feels rather like an MMORPG. But it’s definitely a traditional single player game when it comes to the level and quest structure. But it’s all skinned in a new, interesting and stylish way and it looks absolutely gorgeous.
I think I fell in love when I first worked out how to interact with the game at the beginning. One of those moments where you’re not quite sure what to do and idly try something, which has a very satisfying and surprising effect.
(Trying to avoid spoilers. Hopefully you’ll know what I mean if you’ve played it.)
Overall, that based one what I’ve seen, it’s a lovely handheld game to pull out for odd moments here and there. It’s fairly undemanding and simple – after the initial hour or so of confusion as you’re tutored in things after you first see them. (Or, at least, I kept being told about things after I’d already tried to use them and had given up in confusion.) And the sound isn’t great or rubbish, so if you’re someone who plays handhelds with the sound off – as I’m sure a great many people do – it’s no great loss.
Really needs a better save system, though. Suspend save’s no good if you’re trying to conserve battery or want to pop into your Animal Crossing town for a couple of minutes after playing.
Six Word Stories
Oct 27th
Inspired by that Wired link doing the rounds, stories that are six words long. Here are mine -
America defeated! Maple syrup for all!
He speaks softly to the dead.
Years unloved. He jumped. Squashed soulmate.
Doctor lost TARDIS, eternity in Hull.
Star Wars fan tries force, nothing.
Star Wars fan tries force, something…
Phone battery dead, kidnappers killed child.
No parachute! What now? Grow wings!
Fan forcibly shaved, Shearer was culprit.
Redundant, he lay down, awaited bisection.
Adventure booked, chute failed, God found.
Footsteps in empty flat, I moved.
Moon, howling, teeth, blood… cycle repeats.
Time stopped, we kissed, walked forever.
Dangerous plan leads to graveyard plot.
Garden swing, secrets, smiles, memories forged.
And now, working on a theme -
Bear steals picnic basket; ranger annoyed.
Dog nominal hero; cat catches criminal.
Dog sniggers, but plan backfires ironically.
Pigeon in danger? No, not really.
Cat has gang, lives in dustbin.
And more so -
Dog runs away, makes tall sandwich.
It was the amusement park’s janitor!
“Puppy power!” Quick change the channel!
Lesbian in glasses longs for redhead.
The movie was actually quite good.
Football Manager 2007 (MAC)
Oct 26th
Gateshead have offered my a short-term contract, based on me managing to get them promoted. Ha!
I doubt I’ll have any luck, but it’s something to do until I inevitably get sacked again.
I even applied for a job managing Maesteg before Gateshead stepped in. Maesteg!
Football Manager 2007 (MAC)
Oct 26th
That’s it.
Failure.
Injuy piled upon injury and the season came to a terrible end.
Relegated out of the Conference South.
Oh.
Invert Y
Oct 26th
Yes, this is the old blog known as My Secret Game and – very briefly – Die Sony Die. I got myself a brand new domain – inverty.com, if you’ve just woken up – and I’ve promoted the blog to the front page. It’s not like there was anything much on the old front page of mysecretshame.co.uk, anyway.
Anyway, should be mostly the same old stuff. A list of games I’ve been playing that’s of no interest to anyone except myself. I may – may – branch out a little and make some posts that aren’t just a record of what I’ve recently done in video games, but no promises.
Anyway, welcome. Different URL, but the same old rubbish.
(I don’t know who I think I’m talking to. Nobody read this diary at the old site and if they did then they’d just think I’d stopped updating it because I didn’t put a notice up before I moved.)
Football Manager 2007 (MAC)
Oct 25th
We’re now bottom and the injuries are ridiculous. I was down to ten men after three – three! – players had to go off in my last game.
I don’t honestly think I can turn this around in the time left.
There aren’t any decent players available to loan, my players aren’t performing and all seems completely hopeless right now.
Just when everything needed to go right things got even worse.
If I hadn’t vowed to stay to the end of the season I’d be resigning right now. Mind you, the board are putting out so many press releases saying that my job’s safe that I’ve started to get nervous.
Football Manager 2007 (MAC)
Oct 25th
I’m losing hope at Bishops Stortford. I’m keeping the players’ morale up, but mine’s on the floor. We’re twenty-seven matches in now and sitting firmly in 21st place in the Conference South. Our last match was a real killer – we went 1-0 up, but then our opponents got two penalties and ran away with the points.
Looking at the stats, it seems Jack Midson is the second highest scorer in the league this season, but we’re very high up in the goals conceded list. That’s getting better now I’ve brought in Foster on loan to sit back on the right – he’s only a solid 7, but that’s better than anyone else I’ve got there – but I’m still not doing well enough.
I really, really want to save the club and my job now; if we can just scrape through this season then I can use my experience next season to take us further up the table – and hopefully take me into a better job. I’m aiming to be a Premiership manager within a few seasons, but that’s not looking likely right now.
We’ve just got to improve. Not a lot, but just enough so we edge these close matches. We’ve got to do it for the club, for the 352 people who come to see us play each week and, most of all, for me, so I don’t have to start a new game at the end of this season.
Naked War (PC)
Oct 24th
A lunchtime turn and another game won.
I started pretty badly, but pulled it back in the end, mainly thanks to Sidious managing to run halfway across the map one turn to blow up a turret just before my opponent could reach it. That was my favourite turn ever.
I really love this game.
