A Gaming Diary
Mac
Spore Creature Creator (Mac)
Jun 20th
My creations so far.
If you want to see any of them in greater detail, just save them into your “My Spore Creations\Creatures” folder or just drag the PNG files into the editing window of the Creature Creator software.
Spore Creature Creator Trial (Mac)
Jun 17th
Let’s get this straight. EA are releasing – for money – the creature creation part of the game Spore, that’s coming out at the end of the summer. But they’ve also released a demo of this small part of the game, for free. Right.
You drag and drop eyes and limbs and things to make a weird-looking monster, then watch it wander around. And that’s about it. Somehow, despite being quite pointless, it’s great fun and I’ve already ordered the full version. Well, it’s only a fiver.
Kept me away from World of Warcraft at lunchtime, anyway.
Civilization IV Demo (Mac)
Jun 11th
Unexpectedly, the game runs fine on this Mac.
I wish I didn’t know that.
NetHack (Mac)
Apr 9th
Sometimes, this game is just awful.
I was continuing a game from yesterday lunchtime, where I’d got down to level nine in the dungeons, much, much better than normal. I had some good equipment and was doing well. I attacked a floating eye (I think) and suddenly I was dead. The message history just had “The Tengu bites” all down it and I couldn’t scroll back any further.
I guess that the floating eye had frozen me or something and the tengu had come up behind me and killed me while I was helpless, but it would have been nice to have been able to see what happened. Boo.
NetHack (Mac)
Apr 7th
No stupid deaths today, really, just lots of being beaten to death by monsters while wearing cursed gear. Yeah, I know I should identify things before wearing them, but identity scrolls are few and far between in the game. I’ve never managed to uncurse items in NetHack, either. Not because I don’t know how, just because I’ve never had the stuff to do it.
Sigh.
NetHack (Mac)
Mar 19th
Inspired by Shiren I decided to play NetHack. I’ve played enough ZAngbandTk to make it easy enough to step into, but it’s quite different. No town, for starters. And you start with a pet – which inevitably dies or goes missing, leaving you feeling guilt-ridden and sad for the rest of the game. Hooray? I’ve also been killed twice for kicking down doors – once by some watchmen and once by an irate shop keeper. I didn’t know it was a shop door! Harumph.
Great fun, anyway – even it did take me about fifteen minutes of Google searching just to work out how to blow a whistle.
Best Games Ever – Previous Lists
Jan 2nd
For reference, previous top tens of mine -
2007
10. (NE) Dragon Quest VIII (PS2)
9. (NE) OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast (XBOX/PSP)
8. (7) World of Warcraft (PC)
7. (9) Mr Driller: Drill Spirits (DS)
6. (10) Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS)
5. (6) ICO (PS2)
4. (3) GTA: San Andreas (PS2)
3. (4) Mario 64 (N64)
2. (NE) Elder Scrolls: Oblivion (360/PC)
1. (1) Doom (PC/360)
2006
10. (NE) Animal Crossing: Wild World (DS)
9. (6) Mr Driller: Drill Spirits (DS)
8. (10) Resident Evil 4 (GC)
7. (NE) World of Warcraft (PC)
6. (5) ICO (PS2)
5. (7) OutRun 2 (XBOX)
4. (2) Mario 64 (N64)
3. (8) GTA: San Andreas (PS2)
2. (3) Elder Scrolls: Morrowind GOTY (PC)
1. (1) Doom (PC)
2005
10. (NE) Resident Evil 4 (GC)
9. (5) Giga Wing (DC/PC/MAC)
8. (NE) GTA: San Andreas (PS2)
7. (NE) OutRun 2 (Xbox)
6. (NE) Mr Driller Drill Spirits (DS)
5. (4) ICO (PS2)
4. (NE) Disgaea (PS2)
3. (NE) Morrowind: GOTY (PC/Xbox)
2. (3) Mario 64 (N64/DS)
1. (1) Doom (PC)
2004
10. Advance Wars 2 (GBA)
9. Rez (Playstation 2)
8. Halo (Xbox)
7. Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (Playstation)
6. Super Monkey Ball (Gamecube)
5. Giga Wing (Dreamcast)
4. ICO (Playstation 2)
3. Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)
2. Grand Theft Auto 3 (Playstation 2)
1. Doom (PC)
Seems I didn’t do one in 2003, but in 2002 I did. Only two of those are in the top ten now.
2002
10. Sam & Max
9. Lode Runner
8. Suikoden 2
7. Rollercoaster Tycoon
6. Giga Wing
5. Rez
4. ICO
3. Mario 64
2. GTA3
1. Doom
Passage (Mac)
Dec 12th
I’ve just played this and you should, too.
I’m not going to say any more, as you need to play it yourself, without knowing anything about it at all before you do.
It’s a small download, only lasts five minutes and is available for Windows, OSX and Linux.
Download here -
http://hcsoftware.sourceforge.net/passage/
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.
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.
