Adam’s Cerebral Spillage

I’m listening to Paul Simon’s Graceland and looking forward to the weekend, so I thought I’d have a go at writing an update for this. I’ve been at a bit of an impasse for the last couple of weeks where I’ve wanted to write something, but just haven’t been able to muster up the enthusiasm or subject matter. Not really writers’ block, more of a general brain block.

It’s only a week before the European Championships now, and I’m nervous and excited. More excited than nervous for the time being, but we’ll see how long that lasts. The big team sessions we’ve had lately have really helped pull the clubs together, and I think it’s going to feel like a really good, big family unit going u to compete. I’m confident in at least knowing the forms I’m going to be competing with, it’s just smartening them up and practising again and again for the next seven days that I need to do. I’ve always stuck to just sparring at previous competitions which has suited me just fine, but it’s a loooong day just waiting for your category to get called and I’ve never really tested myself with my forms in front of a high-ranking group of strangers. I really hope don’t let the chang bong slip out of my hand!

Before I even get as far as the competition though I need to get better. I’ve had colds and sniffles on and off for weeks now, literally weeks and weeks, and just as I seem to be getting over one another one comes along and kicks me in the ass – or more accurately the lungs. This latest one has made itself right at home unfortunately and has turned into a chest and sinus infection, and the most irritating cough I’ve ever had. It tickles and tickles and never clears, and it meant I got about 3 hours sleep last night. People who know me know I don’t do well without a good night’s sleep, I’m like a zombie, so I’m amazed I’ve even written this much today. It doesn’t bode well for poor Murphy who’s meant to be going back to dog agility tomorrow morning after two weeks off due to Crufts and a local competition. Sorry Murph, we’ll be back to dog school soon.

On the games front it’s been pretty quiet. I milked Batman Arkham Asylum for all it was worth and finally gave it back yesterday, but it’s been such a long time since I played a game I enjoyed as much as that that I’m itching for more. So much so that I went into town and made a random purchase yesterday thanks to a sale at the games shop and a new reward card so I could at last spend the points I’ve had saved on there for ages. I bought Dragon Age: Origins, despite the graphics really not looking that great (although my last few games have probably spoiled me), but mainly because it’s a Bioware game and they have a tendency to make very good role-players. I had a couple of hours on it last night and really enjoyed what I’ve seen so far, even though there’s an unusually small number of race and class choices. I’m still waiting to borrow Assassin’s Creed 2 too, it’s supposed to be very good. Oh, and Blazblue Calamity Trigger is out next week too, more 2D fighting goodness from Arc Systemworks, the genius behind the likes of Guilty Gear XX (which is still the pinnacle of that series if you ask me).

So yeah, that’s me. More inspiration and less boring updates next week with a bit of luck!

Technorati Tags EMTF, European Championships, games, ill, tang soo do

I’ve recently been playing through Batman: Arkham Asylum on the 360, and I’ve been surprised by just how much I’ve enjoyed it. I tried the demo way-back-when and liked the fighting system, but I was surprised by all the rave reviews it got when it was released. I suppose it always had a good chance as it was a stand-alone release, I mean, it didn’t have a stupid film tie-in to try to meet in terms of plot and release schedule. The simple fact is that it’s a fantastic game, full of atmosphere and some wonderful controls.

For the first time that I can think of, I really enjoyed the stealth aspects of the game too. Normally stealth games drive me to distraction; I hate having to hide somewhere for ages only to sneak out round a corner and get seen by someone. Batman seems to be the exception to the rule though; the ‘Predator Rooms’ are brilliant. You’re given a room full of armed guards and have to take them all out, but Batman, tough though he is, isn’t bullet-proof. Staying out of sight is the order of the day, so using gargoyles to survey the scene from above is the way to go. There are a load of different techniques to get the job done, including inverted takedowns from said gargoyles, sneaking up from underneath floor panels, smashing through glass ceilings or just plain creeping up on someone unseen. Great fun and a real sense of achievement when it all works.

The story is tied together with amazing visuals and a plot and back-history dripping with detail. Interview tapes hidden around the islands reveal insights into how the various bad guys came to be there, and there are all sorts of other hidden things to find. Not least of which being the Riddler’s… riddles. There are some which require you to ’scan’ particular objects in an area, and some are just trophies hidden which need finding. Add all of these little bits together and you’ve got a completionist’s dream, there’s plenty to come back for. Add in the challenge modes and DLC and there’s plenty to keep you playing long after the credits roll. That to me, is how I know this is a great game – not only have I completed it, I loved the stealth aspects and I’m still playing it now, just to try to find all of the hidden stuff. You can pick up a Game of the Year edition for less than 25 quid now, I’d really recommend doing so.

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Other than rotting my brain with video games, I’ve been concentrating on TSD again. This Sunday past I had the privilege to sit on the grading panel at our Spring grading. Having only very recently passed my own first Dan grading, I didn’t expect to be sat there for a long time, at least until I was teaching my own class, but the opportunity presented itself and I wasn’t about to say no. I was really surprised to find that just being in the grading hall made me nervous, even though all I was going to do was sit down and watch others going through it. It’s actually quite difficult to watch one or more people and look for all the things you know should be in a performance, while at the same time conferring with the rest of the panel and making notes, and I really felt the weight of responsibility for these students’ progression (or lack thereof).

I needn’t have worried too much though, on the whole everyone grading did themselves and the club proud. There were a few standout performances and you can really tell which people have been putting in the extra time and training. Sitting less than a couple of feet from them when they went through their kyok pa (breaking) you could hear the nerves in a lot of their breathing. Breaks are normally my favourite part of a grading; it means you’re nearly at the finish line. The day also helped me realise that I’m not getting any younger in terms of competing, and that I’d really like to be able to pass on what I’ve learned so far, and what I’ll continue to learn as the years go on. It actually feels like quite a responsibility, as I’ve always had teachers of a very high standard and I want to be able to pass that high standard on to anyone I end up teaching. Our Kwan has earned itself a very good and well-deserved reputation now, it lies with me and other future instructors coming up through the ranks to make sure it stays that way.

Technorati Tags 360, Batman: Arkham Asylum, grading, tang soo do

I’ve spent the last couple of days at home worshipping the white porcelain god in my bathroom with a nasty stomach bug. It’s not been pretty, but I seem to be on the mend now. I knew there was something up after Sunday’s training when I felt like death, even though (warmup aside) it wasn’t a particularly tough lesson. It gave me a chance to plough some more hours into what’s been my favourite game in a long time though, Quantic Dream’s magnum opus, Heavy Rain.

Heavy Rain was on my pre-order list as soon as I found out it was being developed by the same team and producer as the criminally under-rated Fahrenheit, which I loved on the PS2. That style of game doesn’t appeal to everyone, as it’s pretty much an interactive story with limited choices available, and a series of QTEs (Quick Time Event – reflex tests, first really shown in the likes of the laserdisc classics Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace, but only really given its new moniker when Shenmue came along), but I love it. I actually finished Heavy Rain yesterday for the first time, and I have to say I loved every minute. This game does a LOT of things right, namely story-telling and presentation, and you can tell that it’s been a real labour of love. Nothing’s been left to chance, and it’s got the same polish and feel as a tense movie thriller. I realise a lot of people haven’t played it yet, and may want to in the future, so for those people, avoid the section below as there are some pretty big spoilers

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Firstly there are a few things that still seem unexplained to me, which a bit of backstory would’ve helped with at times. For example, why are there intruders at Madison’s place the first time you meet her? I thought it was going to be related to the story, but it never comes up again, it just felt like an unnecessary mechanic to get her into the motel. Also, where did Norman’s ‘Tripto’ addiction come from? It feels like we were dropped into their storylines a few chapters late.

I didn’t see the twist at the end coming at all, they did really well at keeping the suspicion of guilt moving from one person to another. I’m still not sure how mentally unstable Shelby was supposed to be though. He was obviously very aware of what he was doing, and meticulous in his preparation and execution, so why risk his own life in gunfights trying to get to people he would then accuse of his own crimes? I can only assume he was meant to have pretty stark split personalities, but it was never eluded to, not even when it came to light that he was the guilty party.

Ethan’s own foible’s were never properly explained either. Why was he getting the blackouts? Why would he wake up somewhere completely different? Why was he holding an origami animal each time? Are we to assume Shelby was somehow drugging him and leaving the origami with him? It doesn’t make much sense. I’m hoping a lot of the questions I raised above can be answered with a second or even third playthrough, but with a different direction taken at certain points.

There are a few things that make me wonder what would have been different if I’d done it differently. Does taking the Tripto whenever given the opportunity do anything to Norman? What difference did it make when I accidentally (yes accidentally!) shot the religious nut? Was there any way to save the girl from the car underwater? What if I’d shot the man in the fourth trial? What if I’d rejected Madison instead of forgiving her, or never found out she was a journalist in the first place? I guess it’s these questions which are the genius of the game, it makes you want to play again to see what other things could’ve happened and how the game would’ve ended.

My own ending was one where Norman died (I guess I missed an important QTE during his final fight), Shelby got away (he’s seen walking in the rain at the end), and Ethan and Madison end up in a lovely new studio apartment with Shaun. Carter takes Norman’s ARI glasses and is haunted by Norman in the virtual world (again, WTF??).

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If you’ve resisted reading the spoilers, and are even the slightest bit curious about it – Hell, even if you aren’t! – I implore you to get the game. There really is something for everyone in it. The story-telling is masterful, the presentation and graphics are second to none (and that’s saying something), and the soundtrack is great. Norman’s ARI glasses, crime scene investigation and clue analysis are a Minority Report fan’s wet dream. I can almost guarantee you won’t end up seeing the same story as I did, and you might even have a completely different ending. It asks a lot of very difficult moral questions during the course of the game, and several times I found myself pausing the game and thinking ‘Should I do what I would do, or what I think the character would do?’, and it’s being made to think that way that lifts this game above the rest of the crowd. The sense of panic and tension it can generate, messing around with people’s fears (claustrophobics will love one section of the game ), and making you actually give a damn about the characters is pretty unique.

Go and buy it, or at the very least borrow it. Set yourself a few hours aside and enjoy. I can only hope David Cage and the rest of QD are working on a Sequel.

Technorati Tags games, Heavy Rain, PS3, spoilers