Putting Things in Boxes (New Song)

Posted 25.02.2012 4 41094

Now Playing: my strat.
Now Listening to: Sultans of Swing
Now Watching: Archer.

I’ve wanted to get serious about recording more jams for awhile, about five months ago now I got hold of some great gear (iMac, a good audio interface, Logic Pro 9, MIDI keyboards and so on) and now I think I’m getting the hang of things. Was going for something mellow to jam over. I love playing over things like this, and never happier than when jamming on my Deluxe Fender Strat.

And this years resolution is to write an album. I think this is the first track I’d be happy to add. Please let me know what you think!

Also I get to use this as coursework for part of my degree it’s for a film lit module about adaptation, I have to adapt a scene from Romeo and Juliet to music. This is supposed to be the balcony scene between Romeo on guitar and Juliet as the keyboard. Haha. English degrees..

Still have that dissertation to write, with SSX on the way soon..

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Skyward Sword: Why Wii U Can't Come Soon Enough

Posted 20.12.2011 3 9876

Now Playing: Skyward Sword, LA Noire, Fifa 12
Now Listening to: RJD2, Belle and Sebastian, the XX
Now Watching: Bolton/Blackburn @ 8PM on Sky Sports

So a couple of days ago I picked up Skyward Sword for a tidy £25 online at Gamestation. I'm always on the look out for great bargains at this time of year, but I was surprised to find a practically brand new title (certainly the Wii's biggest holiday game) for cheap. This is especially true considering first party Nintendo games hardly ever seem to drop much bellow the RRP. But I suppose this year is different, what with the Wii U on the horizon and the PS3/360 sporting so many massive games for this festive period. The last hurrah (I don't really recall a first hurrah) it would seem.

I definitely think I've played enough to form a coherent opinion of Skyward Sword. Granted, there's still a lot of playing time ahead (I'm only three dungeons in) but already the key points for me are very clear. Skyward Sword, in my eyes, is definitely a bit of a paradox. It does so many things so well, at times using these new items with Motion Plus is a huge joy, and entire afternoons will be lost playing through dungeons, at the right moments that Nintendo charm hits the spot like no other.

But for everything is does right, there are glaring errors that are impossible to discard. How on earth could Nintendo over-look the camera angle problem? For a game that's all about adventuring, exploring and water-paint vistas - it seems absurd that it often seems to fix itself so high above Link that you can't really see ahead properly. And the dialogue, at times, is so unimaginative and atmosphere killing - in this game more than ever, I feel like there's no subtlety. On a few occasions so far, after collecting an item, a stream of text has actually directly told me where to go next or what to do with it.

Overall, while I am persevering through these annoyances and definitely enjoying the game, I think the biggest nuisance and downfall of the game highlights some important things about Nintendo of recent times:

While Motion Plus has added great depth to swordplay, I have been infuriated controlling Link on occasion. Approaching an edge wanting him to drop only to find he leaps and vice-versa are amongst some of the most frequent issues I have. There's no denying that certain terrain causes major issues, unnecessary leaps into lava, camera spasms misdirecting rolled bombs - in general I've found a lack of precision. But really, I think what it is, is after so many years of majestically flying about with Etzio and the Prince of Persia with Sony and Microsoft's current systems - you come to expect that sort of ergonomic flowing control from everything, regardless of what hardware it is. When I was collecting one of the last keys for the Earth Temple around Eldin Volcano, it took me an hour to figure out how to get across that un-drawn bridge because after inspecting the small ridge to it's side, and not being able to vault onto it and have Link grab on - I concluded that I couldn't pass through that way and started backtracking. It did not occur to me that I had to stand at the edge, press A and then shimmy across - maybe last generation it would have. But not now. Which is exactly my point:

For all the innovations the Wii has provided for its core series, not being able to keep up with the more practical advancements of much better hardware has cost them dearly. To play Skyward Sword, not only do I have to lug a TV out the attic that isn't HD - I have to constantly remind myself it needs to played like a game of last generation. It needs extra patience because of less than seamless controls, you have to supress the disappointment of no voice-acting, and of an over-world that serves only as a gateway to what seems to be a disappointingly un-connected and small lower-world, the music quality.

And that to me underlines why Nintendo cannot get into the HD game soon enough. The Wii U will finally raise the general bar for Nintendo to the level of its competitors: as great as it has been to see Nintendo push their games in new ways on the Wii - I do firmly believe, with few exceptions, that being so caught up in innovative features has stifled the evolution of other really basic yet important aspects of these games.

So for now, I'm putting up with Skyward Sword's failings - because in the grand scheme of things it seems to be a fantastic game so far. If it had come out during the Wii's prime it probably would have been even better received. But if the next home console Zelda is as clunky, and wreaking of Gamecube-esque physics, controls and mentality - I am most definitely opting out of Nintendo and their core franchises. I am tired of hardware-based innovations, once upon a time Nintendo were good enough to achieve that through game ideas alone.

Anyway, have a very Merry Christmas everyone!

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Back in my Day...

Posted 24.07.2011 6 2512

Now Playing: Fifa 11, Black Ops
Now Listening to: Rebelution -
Now Watching: South Park, Archer

So, summer is here, for most people my age that starts a very particular process that I’m sure many students here will recognize. It’s called, fail to get a job and then spend all summer aimlessly hanging with friends and playing video games. I don’t really have an issue with that; it seems to be 'how it is' these days. Except for maybe that last bit… because recently I feel like video games have been white-washing my brain.

Is it just me, or were games just a hell of a lot more fun when we were younger? I know every generation says this, but in today’s HD ultra-realistic, series-happy, commercial minefield, I genuinely do feel like we’re missing the point of video games.

Take Mario 64, for example, lots of us remember it. Running about on bomb-omb battlefield for the first time was incredible. And maybe it’s just me, but was a big part of that experience not using your imagination to envisage this world alive? Beyond the confines of the game itself I mean, you were ten, you were having fun, and your imagination played a big part in making this Mario 64 world magic and memorable.

I wonder, really, whether a generation brought up on Modern Warfare will get the same thing. When I play those games, as fun as they can be, my mind is constantly thinking simulation. Therefore I don’t believe anything is going on unless it happens right before me. As emphasized by Modern Warfare 3’s big emphatic trailer featuring the destruction of New York, it seems to me that developers have to show us these things now, because our imaginations have become so useless. Did Perfect Dark not create that same feeling of a world engulfed by warfare? How did they achieve that without a set-piece scene where the statue of liberty’s head dunks into the sea and real-world water physics carry it off toward the atlantic ocean?

I want purer games. Simpler. Games that are just fun, again.

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Jobless, Bored Undergraduate Rant

Posted 14.06.2011 2 2331

Now Playing: Black Ops, FIFA 11, Smash Bros Brawl
Now Listening to: Kid Cudi, Pedro the Lion, Jay-Z
Now Watching: Archer, South Park

This blog essentially is just a random rant, just so you know. But anyway, yeah, I just got back to the UK two weeks ago after a year studying abroad in Colorado and although it has been fantastic to see friends and family; I’m bored as hell and as an apparently useless undergraduate student, I feel like I’m stuck in a rut.

Not even the scent of a possible summer job opportunity, and the general reports amongst friends aren’t good at all. Despite feeling reasonably qualified to wait on tables or work at a gas station, I’m getting the impression that nobody wants to hire snobby “sophisticated” students. And that’s a label I think we get stuck with all too easily.

Maybe I can’t get a job for other reasons, maybe there’s just nothing going but I’m quite suspicious that employers look at ongoing undergraduate students as leeches. They would much rather hire an 18 year old who is sticking around all year, somebody who they know straight away won’t disrupt the work environment at all.

But yeah. I feel bored. And useless. And everything I want to do (for those interested, get on the road, get an iMac for music, go some places) costs money. And, well, you see how the circle of boredom works.

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Input on a Song? (YouTube)

Posted 27.04.2011 6 2308

So I've been writing a hell of a lot recently, don't feel like delving into it but I've had a hard time recently; life really, but made much harder because home is on another continent for me right now. (I'm back in the UK in a month)

Anyway, I've always written songs but rarely conjure the confidence to sing them in front of people. Decided now is the time to "put myself out there" - so with that in mind, here is a song I wrote today:

Thought I'd share.

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I Love College YouTube Jam

Posted 05.09.2010 8 2207

Just another upload, I usual seem to keep you guys updated on my vids, so ye.

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A 10-month US C3er!

Posted 18.08.2010 4 2271

Thought I would do a blog as I may not get on C3 that much in the next few weeks. I’m so exhausted it’ll give me a chance to reflect on a few things too! I’m now officially on a year-long student exchange at Boulder in Colorado. I may have mentioned it in a few blogs, but probably only in theoretical sense as getting here relied on exam results from my 1st year of university back in the UK and I didn’t want to jinx it. But now I have safely arrived in Boulder, after 15 hours flight time (and a lot of grounded just before take-off time too) and a couple nights stopping at hotels.

These are just a few pictures I snapped whilst waiting for my hotel room to become available. I am absolutely stunned by the beauty of the place. Those mountains especially, driving in from Denver was absolutely incredible too. It’s going to be a real treat seeing this stuff every day, as well as the heat for the coming months, and the snow that will transform the place later down the line. It seems to be a really natural/green environment too. There are cyclists everywhere, soon I shall join them.

Feels pretty weird being on the other side of the world and its difficult getting my head around how far away I am from home. I don’t feel homesick though facebook is doing its best already to remind me of what I’m going to miss out on for a very long time. The biggest issue for me is the time difference. I just finished a video call to my parents which was great, but it felt strange that they were about to go to sleep. Right now, all of my friends are probably sleeping... for some reason that thought makes me feel a bit lonely. Though I can cope and I haven’t even met anyone yet so it’s probably just the three days of strangers and little conversation that’s getting to me.

In terms of culture-shock, in the little time I’ve spent in New York, Denver and Boulder, I’ve noticed a few things. The fake commercial friendliness for one thing, but you know what- I like that. In Britain customer service is crap in most standard food joints or whatever, isn’t it much nicer to be friendly even if it’s a bit of an act than be cold and dejected? And anyway I’m a believer that if you act happy enough, it’ll start to seep into you eventually. I’ve also noticed how unbelievably unhealthy the entire place is. I wanted to grab a bite at my first airport, couldn’t see anything decent so I had to get a Burger King. The second was the same. Even now walking round Boulder looking for dinner, I struggled to see anything mildly healthy and ended up with a Dominos pizza. I’m sure I just didn’t look hard enough, but there’s a definitely a whole other echelon of forcing fast food on people here. The catered food at university here is supposed to have some good healthy options thankfully, so looking forward to that. The last thing I’ve noticed is just, well, everything that’s basic is pretty cheap and you can’t walk far without finding a Wal-Mart.

Well anyway. That’s my blog for now. Didn’t really get into the deep thinking I’d hoped for, but ah well. I'm very much looking forward to the year ahead. Tomorrow I check-in to the university and things will really start. I'm really looking forward to starting my courses.

Oh and perhaps I can look forward to getting a 3DS in March!

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Life Update/Wii Bumming

Posted 20.06.2010 3 2268

Now Playing: Mario Galaxy 2, Wind Waker, MW2
Now Listening to: To The Sea, Jack Johnson
Now Watching: ...

Now that I’m a free man again, although admittedly my last exam didn’t stop me hanging about C3 checking out the E3 related gossip, I’m back on C3 for awhile. Most probably the duration of the summer. Seeing as it’s been awhile I thought I’d do a blog talking a bit about what’s new with me, and if you’re lucky, a little about games (largely my rekindled interest in the Wii). I know nobody likes or does read massive blogs so I’ll try to keep it brief.
So I’ve finished my first year at University and it was pretty good. There were definitely some high points and lows but overall it was fantastic. I’ve made a load of close new friends, gained a fair amount of independence, learnt a lot and so on. I’ve been studying English Literature and Creative Writing, which I wasn’t sure was right for me at the start of the year, but now I’m 100% certain. I also took Music Technology as an extra subject to satisfy the musical side of me, which through a spanner in the works in a number of ways but still overall was well worth it. The only downside of it I see now is that I’m pretty sure at some point in the near-future I’m going to have to buy Pro Tools and an iMac so I can continue to write/record/remix music.

The only other general update I can give you I suppose is that I’m hopefully going to be spending the next academic year abroad at the University of Colorado in Boulder, USA. My university offers an exchange scheme and I figured I’d go for it. It’s a very daunting prospect (and I don’t go unless my exams turned out well) but it’s something I think I’ll be able to look back on and feel very proud of. I feel like I need a big challenge, something to push me out of the comfort zone more often. The downside is that I may not get those really close University friends with one year here, one year abroad, one year back �" but if that’s a sacrifice I have to make. I think I’m willing to take it.

So yeah, that ends the life of the Strat Man update. Now for the gaming part.

Basically, I have finally started to bum the Wii. For years on end I’ve been toying with the idea of selling it, slagging it off and so on but now I finally feel as though those quality games are here in abundance. No more casual rubbish. I suppose in the first few years there were some strong proper titles such as Smash Bros Melee, Twilight Princess and Okami, but unfortunately none of those were titles that really interested me. I think because I stopped looking for hardcore titles for a very long time, a load of impressive titles have hit me in one go.

Before my little delve into play.com, I pretty much thought of Galaxy 1 as the only decent proper game out there. Now I’m lusting after Mario Bros Wii, Metroid Corruption, Mario Kart Wii, Super Paper Mario and several others. Not to mention the awesome E3 showing of Donkey Kong Country Returns (pant-jizzingly good), Skyward Sword and Kirby Wii.

Of course, the main reason is Galaxy 2. Which I have been enjoying so much I’d go as far as saying that I rate it better than Mario 64. It’s just absolutely awesome.

Oh and er, also a quick mention of the 3DS. I want one. That is all.

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Should be Revising, Instead Remixing.

Posted 05.06.2010 1 2089

Indeedio. There are plenty of the musical type here on C3 so I thought I'd post this remix I made over the last few days. I don't actually like this band very much (Nine Inch Nails) but I had fun messing with this song. I added quite a bit of my own guitar and bass parts. Let me know what you think!

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Strat Man's Shameless Self-Promotion

Posted 28.02.2010 7 2252

Uploaded a new vid of myself jamming to a backing track earlier today, figured I'd do the rounds and post it on C3. Hardly relevent to the site, but it's a ritual I can't shake.

Have been shadowing C3 for awhile now, still not posting very often. Every other week I log on just to see what's what. I haven't really been playing much games really, kind of difficult at Uni, unless its Fifa with a few mates.

But I am looking forward to Sonic & Sega All Star Racing (probably will get it on the 360) and Mario Bros Wii, which I have promised I will get myself at Easter.

Hope everyone is well!

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