A Gaming Diary
Archive for May, 2006
Brain Age
May 6th
My brain is 41 today. Better.
I unlocked a new game, too. Low to High, which is very hard indeed.
I really don’t know my times tables any more.
Goldeneye
May 6th
Tried this on the N64 for the first time in manay, many years. Didn’t look as bad as I’d feared it might, but I could not control the damn thing. Partly due to dodgy analogue stick, partly due to the fact that my brain is now wired for twin sticks. I was on my through the dam, though, and determined to stick with it when a group of enemies advancing on me suddenly started twisting in mid-air… and then the game crashed.
I don’t remember it doing that in the old days.
Super Mario World
May 6th
Dug out the GBA version of this. I’d got to the Forest of Illusion. I’m still there now. I seem to have found the secret way out, but not the “normal” way out, which is a secret in itself. Being a forest full of illusions… or something. I know which level there’s another exit from, but I can’t find it… yet. I will do it! And without help, too. No GameFAQs for me.
Hardwoord Hearts Demo
May 5th
Well, Live Arcade suddenly sped up for me so I downloaded the trial version of Hardwood Hearts.
It does what it says on the tin. Took too long to get used to the graphics – distinguishing suits was hard, which is incredibly rubbish for a card game – but apart from that it was fine.
I’ll probably buy it at some point, though even 400 points seems a touch expensive.
FIFA World Cup Demo
May 5th
Played it twice. Didn’t come close to scoring either time. Bah.
Found myself liking it less the more I played, actually. Thought it seemed decent at first and then I just got frustrated with it.
I want an arcade footie game. Give me SWOS on Live Arcade, please.
Top Spin 2 Demo
May 5th
Something weird’s still going on with my connection to Live. When it’s downloading lists of downloads (Arcade, Marketplace) and sending messages, it’s horribly slow. Sometimes even timing out. Trying to download Live Arcade games doesn’t work. The downloads just come down the pipe in tiny scraps long, long seconds apart.
But when I download demos they absolutely fly. Basically max out my connection.
Very strange. They seem to have upgraded some servers and downgraded others. Or maybe switched some servers to Marketplace downloads from serving up menus and Arcade games. I dunno.
Anyway, Top Spin 2. Seemed okay, but then put me on the top of the screen. I hate tennis games that do that. It’s rubbish and shouldn’t be allowed. So I turned it off.
Brain Age
May 5th
Fifty-one today.
I have no real excuses. It thought a few of my threes were fives again. It did recognise my voice one hundred percent of the time, but I didn’t have many input problems at all.
Oh well.
PopCap Word Games
May 5th
Gah!
Why do the PopCap word games have such stupid rules on what words are allowed? The two word games I’ve tried – Bookworm and Bonnie’s Bookstore – use different dictionaries, but they’re united by not allowing rude words.
So I’m playing Bookworm and I can’t have CUNT. Why? Because it’s offensive, presumably. (It’s taboo but it’s not slang, according to Chambers.) But , you know, I’m the one making it. I can understand them making sure it doesn’t come up as a game-generated word you have to make for bonus points, but it’s still a real word that should be allowed, damn it!
And moving on over to Bonnie’s Bookstore, I find ORGY is disallowed. Eh? What? Orgy? Actually, that was a case where it refused to use a wildcard tile as the R. I guess it’s got ORGY down as an “offensive” word to not bring up in those situations. Be interesting to see if I would be allowed it if I could make it without wildcards, actually. But still, ORGY seems a pretty normal word to me.
And it doesn’t do British English. That’s the only reason I can think of for not allowing PONCE, anyway. I guess it just can’t be an American word, or something. Well, I suppose it is kind of slang, but still, I should be allowed it.
Because I say so, that’s why!
Also:
Now allowing that could have meant I lost the game and everything! (As it happens I didn’t – I won on the very last turn – but still…)
I mean, I’d still love to see Bookworm or Bonnie’s Bookstore on the Xbox Live Arcade, but only with bigger dictionaries that allowed all real words, whether offensive or not.
At least it let me have PENIS. It would have been very odd if that hadn’t been allowed.
Football Manager Handheld
May 5th
I decided not to apply for the Southampton job and was rewarded with a win against Bournemouth and a draw against Hull. In both matches the opposition goalkeeper won Man of the Match. Bastards.
Football Manager Handheld
May 5th
First two matches of the season this morning. League One now, remember, so I wasn’t hoping for much. Came away with an unlucky draw and a lucky win, which isn’t bad for starters.
However, Southampton have sacked their manager. I’ve got all morning to decide whether or not to apply for the job. (Er, while I write some PHP code to talk to a Microsoft SQL database. I’m not just going to be sitting around pondering.) It would take me up to the Championship, but Southampton’s finances are insecure so I might be stuck with a rubbish squad and no money. I had told myself I’d apply for any job just to get away from Torquay, but after two half-decent games this morning I’m thinking that maybe I should stick with them.
Hmm… chin stroking time and no mistake.
