The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (HFR Imax)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was a film I've been looking forward to all year. I am a huge fan of the book, and The Lord of the Rings books as well. The films, while I have some problems with, are good representations of the books overall and I had high hopes for this film, the first of three based on The Hobbit.

Therein lays my first problem. All three books in The Lord of the Rings trilogy are massive and can easily be a film each, if not more. The prequel is much smaller and I could not understand how three films could be made of it. However, having some of the appendix items included and extended lore of Middle Earth seemed to make sense and this was apparent in the film.

Content wise, I can’t complain at what I saw. The story was well paced and the different story lines didn't interfere with the main story very much at all. If I hadn't read the book, I’d almost be convinced that all of what I saw in the film was in the book.

I found this film to be much more in line with an action film, such as Indiana Jones, than an epic fantasy visualisation, which is what I always called The Lord of the Rings films. It was an amazingly long film and it was comforting to once again immerse myself in Middle Earth but the pace was so quick I couldn't take a breath in any one scene. Some people will like that, and others won’t. I don’t dislike it but I was hoping for more of a feel like the last three films.

Radagast is a character I was looking forward to seeing on screen and I was not disappointed. Some of my colleagues at work were not overly impressed but for me, the tone was perfect and I had no problem in accepting him. As a writer, I find some characters can be very flat or hard to accept but not this time. The rabbits that pulled his sled looked awful but his mannerism and personality hit home for me.

I watched the film in High Frame Rate Imax. A lot has been made of this and I was excited to see what this would do to the film. Quite simply, it’s faster. It took about twenty minutes for my eyes to fully adjust and then I never noticed the difference. It is designed to be closer to the speed our eyes see things in reality and so after that initial adjustment; it didn't look weird or stand out at all. Interestingly, I noticed some of the music was faster as well but others did not seem to notice so if you watch this version, keep an ear open and let me know what you think on that!

Some of CGI was amazing. Absolutely stunning. The first view of Rivendell is one of my favourite shots of the entire film, and being able to see Erebor is also magnificent. On the other hand, the high frame rate does show some of the problems with some CGI shots. In particular, one scene where the company has left Rivendell and the backdrop of mountains looks so fake that it’s almost childish. There are several instances of this throughout the film and I hope it improves for the latter films in the trilogy.

This brings me to my last point, and biggest gripe about the film. With most of the Orcs and creatures and surroundings being computer generated, the film loses the realness that The Lord of the Rings films had. Scenery and items to the side of the main action were unruffled by movements of trolls or the actions of the characters. Combat especially, was very fake. There was no friction or contact with any strikes or blocks, making it very easy and effortless. There’s little sustained combat and I just felt disillusioned by this, especially in comparison with the last films. I understand it’s hard to fake a sword cutting through something that isn’t there, but with the time, effort and money being put into Middle Earth, I expected more. Cartoon style violence and combat should be in cartoons, not in films like this.

However, this is a fantastic film and while I plan to watch it in 2D, standard frame rate, I have no regrets about seeing it in HFR Imax. I recommend to anyone who hasn't seen this format to do so, just for the experience. It is a real eye opener and this is a great film to watch.

Keeping an Eye on: Kingdom Hearts HD, Iron Man 3 and Star Trek: Into Darkness

It’s been a while! I’ve been busy at work recently, and with the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey this week, it’s going to be even busier for me! Expect a fopcused post on that film as soon as I see it, however, there are a few things I’ve been keeping an eye on recently and will continue to do so.

Also, I hope to have one more book/author review done before Christmas. The Dark Tower series post will be up in the New Year. It is already massive, so I’m working on condensing it right now!

Kingdom Hearts HD Collection

When I first encountered Kingdom Hearts, I wasn’t particularly enthused. I was in that awkward stage where Disney wasn’t cool but I loved Final Fantasy. Now that I’m older (and I like to think wiser), Disney is cool again and the announcement of a HD collection for this series excited me greatly, possibly more than any other gaming announcement I’ve heard this year – yes, even that of Guild Wars 2’s launch!

The game, a fusion of Final Fantasy style RPG and Disney characters was much better than I thought. It was a game with depth and the story was well crafted. There were things to do beside the story, and while it seemed too young for me then, the sequel was much darker and seemed to grow as the gamer did. I loved every minute of playing it, even on replays.

The collection, called Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, is set for release on the PlayStation 3 in Japan only, but it won’t be long before it travels to other regions too, such is the popularity of the series. This collection will include Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories and Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days cutscenes. The 1.5 in the title implies a second collection will be released with the second game, and I hope Birth By Sleep!

I can only hope it lives up to the expectations we all seem to have. Now, if we can get a Final Fantasy VII remake, I’ll be even happier!

Movies in May

May 2013 should be a good one, if nothing else but for two films: Iron Man 3 and Star Trek: Into Darkness. Both appear to have taken a very dark tone, inspired by The Dark Knight Trilogy, I reckon. 

I am a fan of the Marvel franchise – Disney has done a superb job in the “parental” role and I hope this continues as the films keep going. The Iron Man films are my favourites (other than the crossover film, but I was always going to love that one!) and I have very high hopes for the third instalment. Talking to some colleagues at work has made me think about the casting choice for Mandarin, but it is not as big of an issue for me. It is done and I can’t say it’ll be good or bad until I see it…six months from now! 

When Star Trek was released in 2009, it was one of the few films I was prepared to pay to see in a cinema. I’m a bit spoiled in that, having worked in a cinema for so many years, I hate paying to go to one. In the end, I blagged my way in and enjoyed it for free! I was pleasantly surprised. I couldn’t have told you what I expected but it surpassed anything I could have expected. Zachary Quinto as Spock was probably the best choice in my opinion. I was probably biased from his role in Heroes, but he made the character his own. Simon Pegg as Scotty was also a brilliant choice, and the inclusion of Leonard Nimoy as the original Spock gave the continuity that the film was lacking, even though it’s a reboot.  

I suspect that closer to the time, I’ll go into more detail about each of these but I am already overly excited. Six months is a long time to wait and it’s been even longer since I was this excited about a film, let alone two coming out in the same month!

The Resurrection of 007

If you haven’t seen Skyfall yet, then don’t read this article. There are spoilers. You have been warned.

I won’t say I’m the biggest 007 fan around – I’m definitely not but I do enjoy the franchise. To the end of Pierce Brosnan’s stint as Bond, I was feeling a little put off. The films were fine as a standard action adventure flick, but it didn’t seem very Bond. There was too much emphasis on the stunts and explosions and gadgets and not enough to do with the story and the events around these aspects.

Casino Royale was the reset button and it was done brilliantly. Say what you will about Daniel Craig, he had this gritty and rough character down perfectly and as this was the beginning of 007’s career, it was an interesting way to see a much loved character.

Quantum of Solace destroyed that for me. There was a loose story that was going nowhere and I don’t consider it a Bond film. If I had the power to go back in time and stop it from happening altogether, I’d seriously consider it. As a result, I was sceptical of Skyfall and what it would bring. There was a lot of hype around it and that only put me off it even more, as if it was trying too hard to not be Quantum of Solace and that was just how it was going to end up.

How wrong I was.

This film was everything I wanted in a Bond film and more. There was a story relevant to the real world and a character that was still growing and developing to become the Bond we knew from past films. There are a lot of one-liners and inside jokes that fans of the franchise will know and appreciate while new viewers to Bond will appreciate the tone and context of the jokes within the film. No one is singled out here.

I did find some things that bothered me, though; a few paradoxes that, as a writer, I can’t help noticing. They don’t detract too much from the film and if you simply want to enjoy a Bond film, then they probably won’t bother you at all. I did find them interesting though.

 

M

 

I think Judi Dench has done brilliant job as M, and I am little disappointed that her time in the role is finished but not surprised. This film was a bit of a shakeup to what’s been done before and her story, while it could have been developed more, was finished. There is no sensing in forcing an issue like this.

Her role as M brings me to the first paradox. This character was seen during Brosnan’s time as Bond, which is the end of the loose timeline we have. So how can she then appear as M again, years before she entered the franchise? These films are set before all other Bond films and there is no indication the character is a different M. Just M. She also has the attachment to the character. There was a little distance in Casino Royale but not enough for me to separate her into two different M’s.

The Aston Martin

I love how the car returned. It was a real piece of Bond history for us to relive. I’d have loved more to see a car chase with it and I was more than a little heart-broken at the damage and destruction it suffered.

It is the second paradox, though. Bond didn’t drive this car until the film Goldfinger. Franchise fans know this and while it’s great to see it again, the context is wrong. Bond didn’t own the car, as he mentions that company cars can be tracked, so why choose this one? He did win a DB5 in Casino Royale but there were no special gadgets involved and at no time has he shown competent enough to be able create and install such gadgets himself. It’s a fun and quirky idea but it didn’t work for me in terms of story.

Identity and History

As a kid, I never questioned that Bond’s appearance changed so much. He is meant to be the same person throughout, and that’s fine. It works for books but not so much for films when they take place over such a long time. As I got older, my natural reaction (helped by being a writer, I reckon) was to consider them all as James Bond but as different people who stepped into that role. It became an alias for me, that when one James Bond died, another agent stepped in to assume that identity.

This is thrown out of the window in Skyfall, where we are shown Bond’s childhood home and the grave of his parents. This gives him a history and identity beyond being 007. A set up for the future, I’m sure, but what spy would use their real name, knowing there is a link to the past no matter how small or vague. I could be reading too deeply into this, but that’s my nature as a writer.

Overall, it is a great film and brings to life the Bond franchise again. It’s undoubtedly worth watching and an Imax experience is also recommended if you can get to one!

NaNoWriMo, F1 in Abu Dhabi and Disney Conquering Star Wars

It’s been a while since my last review. I have a few more planned before I get into the Dark Tower series, which will be an epic post, but there’s some things I’m still getting to grips with from that series. Between that, working Skyfall’s release, job hunting and NaNoWriMo, it’s a busy time right now!

NaNoWriMo

Well, it’s November and that means it’s another National Novel Writing Month. I’ve done this many times in the past but I’ve never been able to complete it. In 2010, I finally completed it and still had more to write. After a break last year because of my dissertation, I’m back on it this year – but trailing far behind already!

The goal is to write at least 50,000 words (either as a novel or part of one) in the 30 days of November. It’s quite a feat, even if it is only to be a first draft. It is completely up to you how far you want to get involved. I used to sign up every year but now I just do it on my own. It suits me better. There are a lot of events all over the place to meet other participants and have some fun while you’re at it.

This year, I’m writing the sequel to the project from two years ago. I will try to post some extracts throughout the month!

F1 – Raikkonen Returns to the Top Step

I am a big fan of Kimi Raikkonen in F1. One of the ‘coolest’ drivers and I say that because he is very cold at times. It’s just his nature, and Mika Hakkinen was much the same. Kimi was almost gifted the race by another failure from the McLaren team as Lewis Hamilton dropped out.

It made the race much more exciting. Sebastian Vettel produced a brilliant drive, and with a bit of luck with the safety car, made it onto the podium himself alongside the predictable Fernando Alonso.

One of the highlights was Kimi’s race messages. He doesn’t like a lot of information and it showed this time. Many would say he snapped at his race engineer but it was the focus of his driving. The message was clear both times – ‘leave me alone; I know what I’m doing!’ I’m paraphrasing but I’m sure the radio messages can be found on Youtube if you want a laugh!

 

The only thing that was disappointing was the language by both Raikkonen and Vettel. These are world class drivers and the heat of the moment does not quite excuse those slips. Slips happen but they are an example to younger viewers and it was a shame this happened. That said, there are two very exciting races to go and the fight between Vettel and Alonso is nowhere near over.

Star Wars and Disney; A fairy-tale in the making…

The news that Disney has bought Star Wars rocked me. I thought that the films were done and that Star Wars would live on through the Expanded Universe, of which I am a fan. So many authors on one story and the same characters – it gives you a brilliant insight into how each writer thinks and writes. I find that fascinating and the stories are pretty good too!

I am dubious about what Disney will do in these new films, with the first release slated for 2015. I have hope because of what they’ve done with the Marvel films but I see two main options for them to take.

The first is to take the story in their own direction and the second is to follow the Expanded Universe and tell the stories already written down, creative license allowing. The first, I feel, has more chance of alienating current fans even more than the Prequel films did, and the franchise will not find that easy to survive. The second option will see a form of continuity and, if done correctly, bring those fans wandering away back into the fold. I hope for the second option.

Stories have surfaced that Lucas had plans for twelve films in total. Bearing in mind that he has controlled the majority of the Expanded Universe since its creation, these later six would logically fall into a story arc within that creation. If Disney takes that route, it will appeal the widest range of fans possible. Or so I feel.

It’s an interesting situation, as is who will star in the new films. Only time will tell us but I remain hopeful.

Play Expo 2012

On the 13^th and 14^th of October 2012, Play Expo took place for the first time in Event City, Manchester, moving from Blackpool Taking place over two days, there was plenty to see and do and the event was split into four sections; Now.play, Re.play, Pro.play and Cos.play. It is the first two sections I will be focusing on here, although the Pro.play was interesting to look at and evidence of the Cos.play arena could be seen throughout the day and was definitely worth a look.

Now.play

This arena was one of the most intriguing areas to explore. There were some big stands to look at, including Nintendo with the Wii-U, EA with Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Konami with Metal Gear Uprising: Revengeance and more.

The Wii-U was one of the biggest stand there and it is obvious as to why. The Wii was a great system when first launched and the innovative controls took gaming in a completely new direction. Personally, I don’t think the system lived up to its expectations. There was a lot they could have done to further that but that’s a story for another day. While the Motion Plus controllers will be compatible with the Wii-U, it’s the table I was interested in seeing. When the Xbox was first released, the controllers were bulky, heavy and not comfortable to use. I had concerns about the tablet too.

The tablet controller is very light and the screen of a very high quality. In Rayman: Legends, it is the multiplayer aspect which grabbed my attention. One player would use a controller to control one character and the tablet would be used to aid that character by attacking enemies and interacting with the game in ways the controller could not. It was fun and took some getting used to but I enjoyed the cooperative element of the game. The Wii-U version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 was less successful, in my opinion. The touch screen holds a list of combos and skills to use but selecting them would be hard and could cost you the battle. The new Mario game acts in much the same way as Rayman: Legends. The more adventure based RPG’s used the touch screen to primarily to show the inventory, removing the need to pause and go through menus to find what you want as it right there. It still means you must divert your attention from the main screen and this could be costly. Other functions involve using the screen as a device in the game for various functions.

It’s a clever idea but seems more suited to multiple player games and party games at the moment. It is very light and easy to hold, even for younger gamers or people with smaller hands but with time and practise, it will be very playable. I still haven’t decided whether it’s a system I would enjoy playing much, however.

The Konami stand had demos of Metal Gear Uprising: Revengeance. I’ve always enjoyed the Metal Gear games and this one looks stunning. How it would play was the more important part. The key combat feature was the Blade mode. By holding down the L1 button (PS3 controls), you could move the right analog stick slice your blade in every direction in that rotation. I was unsure about this and whether it was a full 360 degree control but was surprised to find they had cut no corners on this element. The game itsel was actually fairly easily. As long as you could move and continue to press the two primary attack buttons, you could beat almost every opponent and this disappointed me. In the demo there was little tactical skill involved and I hope this is added later. Otherwise, it’s not a game I’ll buy as it will be too easy to complete. It was only the second time the demo had been available to play so I’m hopeful for a bit more to come from this game yet.

There was a stand for Halo 4 as well. I enjoy the Halo games but it has never been able to make me buy an Xbox (or the 360). The stand let you play a 12-person game for five minutes so you don’t get a complete overview of the game and as I’m not an expert on Halo, it didn’t feel overly different to the others. It was a smooth trial and a game I would thoroughly enjoy playing it if I had an Xbox 360.

The EA stand had two games to play. Medal of Honor: Warfighter continued the series of games but did nothing to impress me over the previous instalments. Honestly, I haven’t enjoyed that series as much as other FPS games and this is one that I will avoid too. The other game was a bit more fun.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted has the option of both single and multiple player modes. The idea is to become the most wanted driver while beating the opposition and this involves crashing into other cars and taking them out. An intriguing idea but more often than not at this stage, take downs of other cars also take out your own car. This wastes time and gives you no points. The details are realistic, including the speeds and damage done but the only take downs I could manage in the demo were luck and no amount of effort spent recreating the events worked out. Very enjoyable but I don’t see men enjoying it in a long session, with or without others, if every take down, as they emphasised as important in most modes, could not be done successfully. It could just take more time to get used to but I’m not convinced on this year either. It is one to watch out for, though.

Re.play

One of the biggest things that appealed to me about this event was the Re.play arena. Here, you would come across row upon row of retro game consoles with a variety of games to play. There was no charge for this, just find a seat and play a game that some people will have grown up with and others will be experiencing for the first time. The nostalgia in this arena was enormous. It doesn’t matter if the graphics aren’t as good, or the controls aren’t as sensitive as the modern gamer is used to. This is a trip down memory lane to see how we have arrived at the current level of gaming technology.

To one side of this arena were the multiplayer stations, featuring the original Halo on the Xbox and Super Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). There were free competitions of these games on both days that sparked an intense and fierce level of competition. The prize; pride. There might have been a few goodies thrown in their too, but it was pride that drove these guys forward. I can’t say I blame them; it was great to watch these guys show us that there is still a place for retro gaming and anyone who says otherwise should not be trusted! Other stations had Mario Kart on the N64, Unreal Tournament on Xbox, and many others.

The highlight for me, and many others, was GoldenEye on the N64. This game sparked a huge interested in multiplayer First Person Shooters and it is impossible not to figure out why. The station was hugely popular all weekend and the difficult controls took nothing away from the experience. If anything, it added to it. It became a testament to who could adapt to the luxurious controls of today’s games and seeing who would triumph as at times impossible to tell. I loved every minute of it.

Beyond the retro gaming stations was something that caught my attention and had me hooked for a lot of the weekend; Pinball machines. I have always been a big fan of these and it is no surprise why they are so popular. These addictive games could be found throughout the country (and probably still can in places) but here they were stacked in rows for you to play to your heart’s desire! An even bigger bonus was they were all free – otherwise it would have turned into a very expensive weekend for everyone unable to resist the lure to go back to a very popular pastime. I, for one, definitely could not have resisted.

To refresh myself after a stand or watching a competition, I would come here to relax and unwind for a few minutes, trying the different machines available. I could easily have spent the whole weekend in this small area but I would have missed out on so much more!

Pro.play

If I thought the free tournaments were competitive, then I was in for surprise when I had a look at the pro gamers! The tension created by the various games and competitions was incredible. I think of myself as a gamer, but I am under no illusions that I could keep up with these guys without serious practise. That was just on the Saturday – it got a whole lot tougher on the Sunday. I never could have imagined that, and I pride myself on an active imagination! I think it was much safer for me to observe and enjoy watching the precision with which these professional gamers performed.

Cos.play

On the other side of the Re.play arena was the Cos.play arena. Smaller in size but there was a lot of people who had come in the guise of their favourite game or anime characters and they had no fear of showing it to everyone at the event! Nor should they, some of the outfits were fantastic in their detail. It was clear that a lot of time and effort had gone into them and whenever I saw them, they were always happy to have pictures taken with anyone at the event. I have to admit, it’s not something I had considered doing but it was an interesting experience and the courage to do it, especially going to and from the event, is something I lack compared to these guys!

Overall

 

I have to say it was a great weekend. The atmosphere was incredible and the location easy to find. There was so much to see and do that it was impossible to get bored at any particular part. Queuing is unavoidable at an event like this, especially in the Now.play arena but not once did I hear any complaints about it and that just shows how keen gamers are to make the most of every opportunity they have.

The one thing that was a bit of a shame was on the Saturday. There was a delay in opening the event and no information was given to those waiting outside. It was a particularly chilly day and the queue structure wasn’t very organised. It would help if people were around to make sure things were organised and people were informed but that is the same of any large scale event and once inside, it quickly fell into the background as the wonders of Play Expo 2012 came to life.

It’s an event I would wholeheartedly recommend to any game fan of any level. Even for one day, the atmosphere you will find is incredible and I am already looking forward to next year!

A bit of motorsport!

British touring Cars Championship at Silverstone

So this weekend just gone, my dad and sister took me to the Silverstone round of the BTCC. All of our birthdays are within two weeks of each other so it became a joint birthday outing for us. I have never really gotten into Touring Cars before, mostly due to a lack of time and it always takes a backseat to F1 for me, but they like it and insisted I would too. In any case, it was something new and it got me away from the mundane cycle of work and job hunting for two days.

On the Saturday, we had brilliant weather. Sunday was colder but it was dry for the most part and the sheltered stand helped with the wind chill a little. Our seats were at the end of the track, through the Luffield corners and onto the old start/finish line, although it was that start/finish line being used for this event. The races at this event were on a shortened version of the track, just over half the length used for the F1 race. The races for this series are also much shorter, and this keeps the cars closer together and produces more action in the races. To make up for the shorter laps and races, there are three races for the Touring Cars alone on the Sunday, following the practise and qualifying sessions on Saturday. Add in the three support categories that go with the BTCC circuit and their races, qualifying and practise sessions, then you are in for a full weekend of racing!

The good thing about the Touring Cars is you can see the names on each car, meaning you know where they are in the field for the most part. Penalties can complicate matters but there are screens with the current positions at various points around the track. The starting grid for the first race is determined by the qualifying session on Saturday afternoon. The second race by the results from the first and the final race will have a mixed grid due to a lottery in the top ten from the second race. Add to this, the additional weight for winning the previous race and it keeps the field very close together. These cars are very sturdy and not afraid to give each other a nudge if they won’t get out of the way, as happened often in front of our stand. To the credit of the drivers, most can recover or keep their car going and re-join the race once the field has passed the incident.

One thing that astonished me was in the third race. Plato, one of the more well-known and established racers, came from the back of the grid having suffered an engine failure in the second race to win in a stunning drive. The sheer determination and precision in his driving allowed him to be at the front of the pack at the half way point before building a lead that could only be beaten by another mechanical failure. It wasn’t to be this time and he took his second win of the day. The MG team is new to the sport this year and they have a very powerful car and it leaves the championship at a very close point. There is one more circuit in this year’s championship and 75 points to be won from the three races.

I’d advise any motor sport fan to have a look on the 19^th October on ITV4 for the final stage of the championship. I am eagerly awaiting this programme.

Alonso’s bad luck

Fernando Alonso has undoubtedly been driving his greatest season so far. The Ferrari was so off the pace at the beginning of the season that it was impossible to imagine them leading either of the F1 championships. In 2 of the last 4 races, Alonso has not finished, due to no fault of his own that I can tell. He was taken out by Romain Grosjean and at this weekend’s race in Suzuka, Japan, by the second lotus of Kimi Raikkonen.

 

This allowed Sebastian Vettel to close within 4 points of the Ferrari driver. I have no doubt that Vettel will continue on from a strong result in the next races and could win his third successive championship. A remarkable feat, but there is still a chance for McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton and Raikkonen, should they win in the next few races.

At 42 points behind Alonso, it is still possible to win from there but he must start winning again to cut that lead down. After already announcing his move to Mercedes for next season, this could be his last chance for the next few years to realistically see himself winning the drivers’ championship. It it is the final quarter of the season but already it feels like we are coming to the end of one of the greatest season in recent years.

It is a shame, again, to hear about Schumacher’s retirement. The time is right, but I wish he had a bit more success and less bad luck. Some of the accidents have been down to him, yes, but others haven’t and this was certainly his best season in his return. He is still one of the greatest drivers of all time, in my opinion and I’m glad we got to see him race again. There are many questions about how good he is, and whether it was because of the team and equipment around him but the statistics still show a 7 time world champion and that will never be forgotten.

Kelley Armstrong

Unlike previous posts where I have looked at a specific series of books by an author, regardless of whether they have done more or not, this time I want to look at the author and the books and you'll see why as you read on. Armstrong’s main series so far is the Women of the Otherworld, with two trilogies and two more adventure novels which could expand into a series in the future.

The Women of the Otherworld series is what first alerted me to a terrific author who hadn’t seem to hit the mainstream market yet. When Bitten, the first book, was released it was put under the fantasy genre and sometimes moved into the horror genre. It wasn’t until sometime later when a new genre, Dark Fantasy, was recognised and Armstrong, along with many other authors, found a more suitable home for their tales.

One of the greatest lures about this series is that we are not constantly following one character. We are introduced to Elena first and through her we meet Paige, and then Eve and so on. Elena is probably the most popular character and makes a return as the protagonist multiple times as well as a supporting character even more. It is even possible to say that the whole series could have focused around her and her life as a werewolf but to fully comprehend this world Armstrong created, I cannot think of a better way than to move from character to character in a logical way. This is done brilliantly.

All of her stories have been done in the first person narrative, to completely immerse the reader in the story and surroundings. That all her protagonists are female is not as big a deterrent as it may seem. There is obviously some bias but not in a derogatory way, it is simply what Armstrong feels most comfortable doing. There are several short stories from the point of view of male characters that deepen the depth of this series.

They are compelling reads and once you start the series, it will be extremely difficult to stop reading. I have had to wait for each release and each time it seems to get longer between each book whereas now the whole series is available for future readers to enjoy whenever they are ready.

The world is realistic enough but much of the focus lies on the underground world of supernatural beings. It is a very dark, gritty and daunting setting that we are exposed to right from the start of the series and each novel in turn. There are some strong images and feelings but little in the way of strong language or swearing. I will point out that there are some explicit scenes in the books. I admit that it was unexpected but on reflection and further reading it seems to add another layer to the characters and tensions that run throughout each story. These could be left out but without a replacement of equal emotional value, something would be missing from the stories and it could change what genre readers would put it under.

The adventure books focus on Nadia, an ex-cop turned assassin and her relationship with her mentor, Jack. There is a distance between them and everything they do with an underlying urge to bridge that gap and explore what could happen in a more intimate and evolved setting. The conflict of their jobs and adventures prevents this and we are left rooting for something that by the characters own logic, could never happen. While the two books stand-alone right now, there is still potential for more in these series and I would greet these eagerly.

It is interesting that so much of Armstrong’s books focus on characters and relationships. With a background in Psychology, it is obvious why this would appeal to her in her writing and why the characters feel so real, even in a fantasy setting but the seamless blend of this with plot and setting is fantastic and anyone who reads her books will be left wondering why this author has not become as popular as J. K. Rowling or even Stephen King. Unfortunately, the niche genre she writers in still has a representatively small following. This is growing everyday but it will take some time to get close to science-fiction and fantasy genres.

On another note, I had the incredible pleasure of meeting Kelley Armstrong a couple of years ago and it is amazing how little ego she has! My time at university taught me that a good number of writers have massive egos, most likely to help them prepare for the huge number of rejections they face in trying to publish a book. Much like Philip Pullman, it is the opposite with Armstrong and she took so much time in talking and engaging with each fan that came to see her that is a huge inspiration for how to act despite doing something you love every day. It was a fantastic night and one of my fondest memories.

Chaos Walking Trilogy, Patrick Ness

To continue on this 'series' of my favourite books and series, I have decided on a trilogy I only discovered in the last year, and is one of the few gems I discovered through university - Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking trilogy.


I have to admit that when I first picked up this book, I was dubious. The first book of the trilogy was listed in one of my final year of university’s unit modules reading lists. The module was Writing for Children and while I was interested in a new aspect of writing, I had my doubts over most, if not all, of the books I was told I needed to read.

Some of those doubts, I can say, were valid. This one, however, was not.

The Knife of Never Letting Go is the first of the three books but the only required by my reading list. It follows the story of Todd, a young man on the verge of becoming a man in a town filled only with men. We are introduced to one of the biggest aspects of the story straight away – no one’s thoughts are their own. You can read them whenever close to someone or those thoughts are strong enough to cross great distances, usually in a heightened emotional state. This already seems to remove the ability to lie as the truth will run in your mind even if not spoken out loud and the reader will be forced to confront some questions that will surface often throughout the trilogy.

While most certainly a fantasy novel, there are some elements of science-fiction that creep in, mostly through the second protagonist, Viola. Her story unfolds slowly and in later books we are able to witness events through her eyes as her path deviates from Todd’s. There is a third narrative element, from an indigenous life form encountered by Todd that brings the severity of the issues to light again by the time we reach the third and final book.

It took me some time to get used to the language throughout the first book. It runs in a first person narrative and there is a lot of slang and errors in spelling that are all deliberate (and as an English student and writer, they drove me insane) but they give you a strong sense of who Todd is and even though he has some very ugly sides to his personality that Ness seems to emphasise, we do bond with him quickly. He is full of potential and the overwhelming desire to support and nurture that potential is drawn out of the reader at every point we might be close to deciding we really don’t like the kid.

It didn’t take me long to find and read the following two books. They are just as gripping as the first, if not more so because of the multiple narratives. In The Knife of Never Letting Go we follow the story through the eyes of Todd only but Viola’s account of things begins in The Ask and the Answer while Monsters of Men brings the third and final narrative which completes the story. In many ways, this narrative could be ignored completely and we would still have a thrilling story full of twists and shocks and arguments but the one thing that a first person narrative could be lacking is the overall view of the situation. We are limited to the views, thoughts and understandings of the character(s) we can see through. The third element is Ness’ answer to that and gives an imminent sense of doom and destruction, of morality, justice and revenge. More than that, I won’t say so that it doesn’t spoil it for you!

Overall, these are great books. Originally aimed at a teenage audience, I think there is a lot older readers can take from this, even if it simply enjoying the narrative changes and the twist of having no secrets from anyone. There are frequent uses of strong language; nowhere near to the same extent or used in the same context as in Brent Weeks’ books, but worth keeping in mind. These are large books but don’t let that put you off, they are very gripping and you’ll never want to stop reading.

I have taken extra care to hide details of the plot, as it will spoil a lot of the shocks and surprises to come, so please forgive me if parts seem vague. Unlike Weeks’ books, the suspense is different here – more to do with the original mystery on your first reading than the tense, dark and gritty situations presented to us in The Night Angel Trilogy.

The Night Angel Trilogy, Brent Weeks

So, I’m 100 pages into the last book of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series and I have realised that not only are they brilliant books, but they have probably become my favourite series of books, over Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Sergei Lukyanenko’s The Night Watch quadrilogy. I haven’t read A Song of Fire and Ice yet but I’m expecting great things from it. Whether it can knock King from my top spot, I’m not. Anyhow, I thought it was time to review some of the more notable books/series that I’ve come across and I haven’t touched literature much in this blog yet.

First up, is Brent Weeks’ The Night Angel Trilogy.

When I first picked up the first book of the trilogy, The Way of Shadows, I honestly wasn’t expecting much. At the time, I was looking for a book that would tide me over until what I really wanted was released. It had been reviewed at the local bookstore and it intrigued me, so I bought a copy.

I was told then that it was a fast read, and that put me off somewhat. While I didn’t want an epic, I didn’t want to finish reading it in a couple of days. I was assured then and there that if I liked the fantasy genre, especially dark, gritty and brutal fantasy, that I wouldn’t be disappointed. I definitely wasn’t.

It’s not a short novel but it gripped me from the very first page. Weeks pulls the reader straight into his world and the graphic details immerse you in that world. The descriptions are so vivid and they’re things the reader can connect to, you could almost convince yourself you were there, watching everything unfold rather than simply reading it. That is a sign of a good writer.

A few days later, I returned to the store and bought the other two books. They are also short reads but thoroughly enjoyable. There was no disappointment other than the story ending. As with any good story, you can never be satisfied and always want more. It’s an open ending, allowing you to make your own mind up about what comes next, where the characters go.

The trilogy covers a lot of growth and emotion. There’s love, betrayal, sin, greed, immortality, magic, demons, morality and ethics. Some are obvious while others require more thought and deeper reading. In a more conventional story, our heroes would be the villains. There is a gradual shift in their attitudes as the world changes and our eyes are opened the wider plan and it is clear this story was not crafted on a whim. Some hard thought has been put into this, and the small threads that connect at various stages are planned. There are clues throughout as to what could or will happen, if you have the eye to see it. So gripped I was on my first reading of it, that I caught none of it.

There is a lot of strong language, so if you are offended easily, these may not be the books for you but it none of it feels out of place. The world we are shown is dark, violent, brutal and not always a pleasant place to be. This is a refreshing change from the more civilised worlds and fantasy stories that have been so popular in the past. Things don’t always work out, there aren’t always happy endings but life goes on. That’s an important aspect of this trilogy.

Everything operates in shades of grey throughout, there is very little presented to us in the white and black, good and bad. The reader has to decide for themselves how good a character really is and there is a lot to consider. Despite the depth and the bulk, nothing is wasted.

These are very enjoyable reads and Weeks has the gritty, dark fantasy story worked out. I can read these books over and over again with no hesitation and I’d advise anyone to give them a shot. It may not be your normal reading, but it will be an experience and an eye-opener. I look forward to reading his following books!

Guild Wars 2: So far

Well, it’s been over a week since those who pre-purchased the game have been able to log on and play properly. While the Beta Weekend Events and Stress Tests have been enjoyable and enlightening, they are nothing compared to the launch of the game. Knowing that your characters and progress will not be erased after a few hours or days is a much better feeling, no matter how early you got to play. So I decided to go through some aspects of the game. Enjoy!

Basics

Guild Wars 2 is an online MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing game) with no monthly subscription fee. The original Guild Wars and follow ups were of the same genre and this latest instalment has taken the best parts of Guild Wars and combined it with proven elements of the best other MMO’s around. The world is huge, the choices vast and the story is tailored to you. The guild system allows you to play with friends from the previous games as well as new ones, and your account can be linked to multiple guilds although your characters can only represent one at a time.

Professions

There are eight professions to choose from, with some continuing on from Guild Wars and some new ones. Any future releases may well contain new professions as with the previous game. There are three armour types, heavy, medium and light and each profession can only use certain weapons. There are no secondary professions in this game. Your profession is chosen at the start and at present, there is no way to change it!

·         Warrior (heavy armour) – Continuing from GW1, the warrior is a staple of any RPG and provides a good damage source as well as blocking enemy attacks. They can use a wide array of melee weapons.

·         Guardian (heavy armour) – A new class that is a combination of warrior and healer. They can cast a lot of buffs on themselves and allies, making them extremely valuable but this is not a healer class!

·         Ranger (medium armour) – As opposed to GW1, a pet will always accompany you this time. Pets can be found throughout Tyria and different pets will fight in different ways. It is down to the player to utilise them the best way possible, both on land and underwater.

·         Thief (medium armour) – A new class that takes some influence from the Assassin from Guild Wars: Factions. You can sneak and shadowstep while dealing damage to the enemy’s blind spot.

·         Engineer (medium armour) - Another new class that focuses on mechanical inventions to turn the tide of battle, including turrets and specialised skill sets like grenades and flamethrowers. They can use all types of guns, unlike other classes.

·         Elementalist – (light armour) – One of the biggest damager dealers in both versions of the game. The biggest change is that you can change which element you use in battle, rather than always returning to an outpost. There is a recharge time on doing this but it can turn the tide in those tricky situations.

·         Necromancer (light armour) – Returning from GW1, the master of life beyond death is still a popular choice in Tyria. The number of minions may have been reduced but they are stronger and you have much more control than in the past.

·         Mesmer (light armour) – I was never a big fan of Mesmer’s in GW1; they were too indirect for my style of play. That has been taken into account and they can provide a steady constant source of damage through illusion skills, including a clone of yourself!

Races

There is a choice of five races in GW2, and each race have their own specific skills, regardless of which profession you choose. While there is no obvious advantage to race/profession combinations, it is something to consider when creating your character, beyond the aesthetic considerations.

·         Human – The basic and most obvious race for any player. In GW1, you could only be a human and they have a big part to play in the story. Two out of the six big cities are also in Human territory.

·         Charr – Any GW1 player will recognise one of the first enemies encounter in the original game. This time, they seem to be less evil but still occupy Ascalon and are no longer in a direct confrontation with the Humans.

·         Norn – These towering characters hail from the Shiverpeaks and dedicate themselves to one of four sacred animals, determining their beliefs and story. Introduced in Guild Wars: Eye of the North, they have become much more involved in what is going on in other parts of Tyria.

·         Asura – Introduced at the same time as the Norn, these smart and arrogant creatures have been forced to live on the surface of Tyria and have more interactions with other races, much to their annoyance. They have constructed portals to transport players to different parts of Tyria instantly. The Waypoints that can be found are also of Asuran design.

·         Sylvari – The newest race to emerge in Tyria. They are a cross of Human and plant and are mainly a peaceful race, but the rise of the undead and Elder Dragon has brought them to take action. They believe they were created to defeat this threat. All are brown from the Pale Tree and have all the memories needed when they awaken to complete whatever task they see in their ‘Dream.’

Story

While you only have five character slots to choose from, there are too many options for each race to make this feasible, if you want to experience every branch of the story on offer. There are three options to choose from during character creation and then more branches appear throughout the game. This allows you a more personal story that is matched towards the options you choose. You can buy more character slots but in reality, you will have to complete the story, delete the character and start over, choosing different options every time.

This is all a theory on how to do it, but most people will choose an option that involves friends and other players, following them through their stories to experience as many as possible, should that be their driving force in Guild Wars 2.

Skills

Instead of the eight skill slots available in GW1, there are now ten but they have specific uses to prevent builds being made to make the game too easy and reduce Player versus Player advantages.

·         Weapon skills – A two handed weapon will give you 5 skills. A one-handed weapon gives you 3, and an off-hand gives you 2. These skills depend on weapon and profession and are not changeable without changing weapons.

·         Healing skill – A dedicated skill to keep you alive. This has replaced the need for a healer class in the game.

·         Utility skills – These three skills are unlocked as you level up. They have skills that you can change to suit your specific needs, environment, weapon and playing style.

·         Elite skill – Unlock at level 30. Like GW1, only one Elite skill may be used at a time. They take a long time to recharge but are very valuable and can turn the tide of battle instantly.

Crafting

There are several crafting options in GW2. You can learn and use any of them at any time but only two can be active at any one time and the higher the skill, the more it costs to reactivate it. One good method is to find out which skills are good for your profession, or what you will use the most. You can also use other guild members to make things for you but the higher level items are said to be bound to the crafter so you may have to learn them all eventually.

Items are not exactly easy to come by but with some common sense and little exploring, you can find what you need. Gathering points can provide base materials such as metals, wood and some foods, but you will need to salvage items to get a good amount of other materials. The Trading post will be another option, should you be willing to part with your gold.

Different levels of the items are found in corresponding zones and higher level items. You cannot use higher level materials without using the lower level ones first, and the rarer crafting items do tend to improve certain stats on the items in question. There are a lot of guides online for this and more experience players can help you get to grips with this. It can be confusing at first.

Exploring

Each map zone is split into a different level range. No matter how strong your character becomes, each area in a map has its own level cap. A level 80 character in a starter area will still show up as a level 5 character and have the stats to go with it. It will not affect what weapons and armour you can use but those will be weakened as well. This means you can join low level characters in events or searching for materials without it being too easy.

In each map zone, there are a certain number of Waypoints (used to travel to various places for a fee), Renown quests (to gain karma, gold and experience), Points of Interest, Skill challenges and Vistas (special cut scenes for that map). To gain complete exploration of Tyria, every single one of these must be found and completed. This is quite a task, especially when you first play the game and realise the size of the world you have to explore.

Jump Puzzles

In the map zones and cities are jump puzzles, where characters can earn account medals and exploration points, as well as special loot and experience by completing various puzzles, usually involving a lot of jumping (and a lot of dying if you miss!). These are extremely fun and very annoying but when attempting with friends, can provide a lot of laughs. It’s something different that doesn’t always require fighting and can be a good distraction from other elements of the game.

I remember falling off one jump puzzle at the same place for over three hours! It was driving me crazy, giving my fellow guildies plenty of laughs and keeping me going much longer than I would have thought. I finished that level and found another straight after. I could have cried right there and then!

WvW

World versus World is the latest version Player versus Player. In this realm, players of one world/server will face off against another to earn bonuses for their world. Arena Net has taken measures to keep the worlds balanced as much as possible but this is a new way to fight other players in a way that affects everyone, raising the stakes substantially, should you have the courage to join them.

It’s definitely kept me busy since it went live and while there have been problems since launch; it has been one of the smoothest launches I’ve played, with all the issues being fixed as soon as possible. Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, players can keep up-to-date with any issues that do arise and while there will be plenty to come, there is more than enough to do right now that does work to keep the community at large happy.

The timing of the release is also good. Last week I quit smoking and I admit, I’ve used GW2 as a distraction from the cravings. It’s been a week since I quit and I’ve had no cigarettes at all. It’s not been easy but hopefully the game will keep me hooked until the desire to smoke decreases to almost minimal levels!

A few branches to follow on...

It’s been a busy couple of weeks at work since The Dark Knight Rises was released. It has kept me very busy and been an exhausting time but the film itself is very good, but not quite as good as The Dark Knight, I believe. There are reasons for this but I will go into that at a later time, in a separate post.

New writing project

Well, I’ve finally decided to try and start some writing again. It wasn’t a total success but it did get me a little closer. I still haven’t found a way to inspire myself on anything I’ve been working on recently but I did go through some of the pieces I did for university and found a few things that I began to merge and expand on that I think could turn into a really nice little project.

It’s already standing out to me as something different to my favoured genres and styles. One of the pieces that I’ve selected was specifically written for a much younger audience and while that age group might change again, it doesn’t feel like a story an adult would read. This could all change, as I don’t write to a certain age or with an intended audience in mind. I write to tell a story, and as the story evolves and is put to paper, it will inevitably find its own audience. There will always be editing to be done to touch up on issues or loose ends and this project will be no different. I am quite excited and feel closer than ever to start writing again.

Birthday surprise!

My birthday is surrounded by my father’s and older sister’s birthday. IT’s an expensive time of the year for the family, having all three within twelve days. F1 is something we all enjoy but being at Silverstone has shown me I also enjoy the other races going on. My father is also a fan of the Touring Cars and as they are at Silverstone the weekend of his birthday, the three of us will be going down. I’ve never had the time to really get into it, but the small parts I have seen I’ve enjoyed and now I have a reason to make sure I get it sorted before October.

I really enjoy going to Silverstone – it’s a fantastic circuit and there’s always a great atmosphere no matter what the weather. I’ll walk around the circuit again, as I have done both times I’ve been before and I may even see if I can get some good pictures and put them up here. I’m always experimenting with things online. Photo’s in my blog, from a writer? This should be interesting!

Stephen King

Over the last few years, I’ve slowly been getting through Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. I’ve just finished book five and have started book six, The Song of Susannah. They’re fantastically intricate reads and it can be confusing as to what is happening and where but they have kept me interested far better than any other books have recently. When I finish the last two, I think I will do a post looking at the series in its entirety. It will be interesting for me, if nothing else!

Stephen King is a fantastic writer, although I have found some of his stories can be repetitive. I suppose when you rule a genre like he does, this can be an easy trap to fall into. Each story is very well written and I hope I can branch out to other genres and stories to avoid this pitfall.

There are some other gems I have recently added to my book collection again thanks to a book voucher from MMU for receiving the Programme Leader’s Award. I spent £94 and still have £6 left, with another £10 card to spend, so a few more books are coming my way. I finally bought The Hunger Games books and the first A Song of Fire and Ice (or more commonly known as The Game of Thrones books). I have a lot of reading ahead of me!

Commitment

It's weird to think I haven't been to a seminar at university for over four months now. Weirder that my last exam was in May and more than that, it's been two weeks since I graduated. That one will take a long time to sink, I reckon.

All in all, life as a graduate hasn't been too different. I'm working full time now but the lack of funding from Student Finance means I don't get to go out as much as I used to and I'm still not completely ready to jump back into writing again. More on that later.

So, I'm going to put more time and effort into this blog. I'll be following up my RPG genre post and exploring tangents from it, maybe so movie and book reviews, as well as things I find interesting throughout the week. Consistency is the key, I hope.

Job hunting

One thing I've never been a fan of is job hunting. It's something that my friends and I, along with almost every other graduate out there, are going through right now. The problem I'm having is that there are very few entry level jobs, and all the things I've done in university seems to count for very little so far. In time, I hope that will change but I'm under no illusions that my current state of mind is still enjoying the freedom of not having a "real" job right now. I do have plans, and I don't want to be in my 30's/40's by the time they start to happen.

Those plans keep me tied to Manchester. I'm not complaining too much about this, as I love the place and want to stay here for the foreseeable future, providing the work is here. I think a lot of it now is who you know, not what you know, and being lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.

Hungary Grand Prix

It's no secret that I'm a massive F1 fan and this season has been fantastic so far. My only complaint is that I can't watch every race live, and through no fault of work (for once). I cannot afford Sky, let alone the sports package needed to watch every race on their channel. The BBC coverage is good but watching highlights is not the same, especially as I usually hear the result from someone or somewhere before I get to see the highlights for myself.

This weekend should provide an interesting race; a week after Fernando Alonso's third win of the season, the rule changes from the Red Bull engine mapping incident, and from today's practise sessions, the improved McLaren pace. While Friday practise is no evidence of pure pace, it is good to see the British drivers having a good start to the weekend, and hopefully they can carry on throughout the event. It will be even more interesting to see how much pace the Red Bull cars have actually lost, with the team saying it makes very little difference. If this is true, we could have five or six cars fighting for the victory on Sunday.

Safe to say I'm a little excited!

Writing again...almost

Ever since handing my dissertation in earlier this year, I've had very little motivation and inspiration to do any writing. It's annoying because I have a few projects on the go that I want to get back into but my random working hours and huge amounts of energy spent on job hunting has just stopped me from feeling any enthusiasm to any of them.

So, not only do I have a novel to redraft and a sequel to write in this year's National Novel Writing Month in November, I want to continue and finish the first draft of my dissertation by the end of the year as well as working on a sci-fi story too. Lots of projects and that's not even all of them. I also have an idea for another fantasy story and I'm pulling together ideas and pieces of information for that in the hope it will encourage me to write something - anything. I also hope this blog will help with this too. I'm going to post some pieces of writing here too, just to get it out there and maybe find some feedback!

Guild Wars 2

Less than a month before release!!! I'm going to spend a lot of time on this, but with enough will power, it won't interfere with the more important goals of doing some writing. I played the first two Beta Weekend Events but unfortunately I missed the final event due to the release of The Dark Knight Rises (an epic film that you should watch if you haven't already!). It just so happened to coincide with the release of the Sylvari and Asruan races, both of which I have been waiting to play since the BWE's began!

Then again, nothing will be spoiled for me on release, so there is a silver lining, and one I'm very much looking forward to!

Busy busy busy

It's been a bit longer than I had hoped since my last post, but I had to move at the beginning of the month and only just got Internet access back on my laptop - I didn't fancy writing a blog post from my phone!

I've set up a new e-mail address as well, and I do wish Google just had an option to change e-mail addresses or transfer control over easily, but that doesn't seem to be the case (unless I completely missed it and if so, I'm going to feel like an idiot...).

Other than moving, the big thing that's been going on for me has been the second Manchester Children's Book Festival, organised by MMU. The first festival took place in 2010 and it was a fantastic achievement and I was proud to be a part of it but this year has taken it to a whole new level for its second year. I missed most of the Family Fun Day on Saturday 30th June due top moving, which happened two years ago as well - I'm hoping to make sure this does not happen in two years time - but in the last hour, I managed to talk to a lot of the families attending and everyone had a great day with the zombie make-up being a big big hit!

Last night, Thursday 5th July, I volunteered at the Philip Pullman event and that was a fantastic evening with some interesting insights into his work and themes inside his writing, as well as a good way to get a bit closer to the author himself1 I'm a big fan of Philip Pullman's work, especially the His Dark Materials trilogy, which I did manage to get signed at the end. Hopefully there will be a photo to follow!

The man himself is a great role model for any writer, as he seems to be devoid of ego. He writes because he wants to, it's his passion and that's something I can really relate to as I feel the same way. There is nothing that I found I could dislike about him, even if I wanted to. He may have differing views on things from me but so do a lot of people and that has never stopped me from respecting or getting along with anyone. One day, I'd like to have a longer talk with him and go into further detail about things I found curious in his writing but there is hopefully plenty of time for that!

This afternoon I attended an event at the Museum of Science and Industry, here in Manchester. This was to announce the winner of the Midland Future Manchester competition, of which I helped judge the entries and create the shortlist that the winner was chosen from. The standard of the writing from these young people is astounding and very scary for someone like me, who can already see that in a few years, they will be at my level or even better. It shows that I can't stop writing for too long or risk missing out completely!

I do want to mention something else, on a much sadder note. Earlier this week, one of the F1 test drivers, Maria de Villota was involved in an accident during a straight line test and suffered serious injuries. It was her first time in the current F1 car and she has lost her right eye as a result of the accident, which is an awful thing to happen to anyone. Thankfully, while her condition is described as critical, it is also stable and anyone who reads this, I hope you join me and many other people all over the world in wishing her a speedy recovery. My thoughts also go to her family who must be suffering as well. It is a great thing that so many names in the F1 paddock are offering their support and wishes to someone who is new to this formula and it shows that even though each team is competing against each other, they are also part of a larger body that works together to help in the hard times.

A lot of people over the world can learn from this. Hopefully when they see communities and organisations doing this, it will happen more often and reach more people.

Guild Wars 2

There haven’t been many games recently that have excited me as much as Guild Wars 2, and in all honesty, there isn’t much coming up that can knock it from the top spot in games I want to play right now.

For those of you in the know, GW2 isn’t ready yet but we have had two Beta Weekend Events so far and these have given people who have pre purchased one of the three editions of the game an idea of what is to come on the official release. I have to admit, I did go all out and buy the Collector’s Edition of the game, something my bank balance and wallet have not quite forgiven me for yet, but come the official release, I have no doubt I will spend more time playing the game than doing anything else, including spending money!

I admit, one of the biggest concerns I had about GW2 was this massive free world where everyone would play together. It just screamed World of Warcraft to me, and all the issues I had with that game came with it. However, the BWEs convinced me most, if not all my concerns had been addressed.

Before I go any further, I haven’t played WoW for a very long time now, so some of these issues may well have been resolved, but I also don’t like paying monthly for a game and that’s where Guild Wars stood out.

With a mass environment, I was worried that anyone could come along and steal my kills, and the loot that came with it. If I’m going to spend time doing quests or finding items, I don’t want that time increased almost infinitely by people coming along at the last minute and stealing the kill, and the subsequent loot, and I’m sure this is true of most gamers. GW2’s answer is a simple one; no matter who is involved in the kill, you will all get the experience depending on how involved you were in the fight. The loot is personalised to each player as well, so no one else can even SEE my loot, let alone take it. This was clear early on in the first BWE and it gave me a good first impression.

A break away from Guild Wars is the lack of heroes and henchmen. It is quite feasible to wander around on your own or to team up with people in a more organised fashion but even those in a party don’t have to be in the exact same spot and with the vast areas available, it is easy to come and go as you please, as long as you’re considerate of the party’s goals!

It’s good to see people around the game outside of towns and outposts. It took some getting used to, but it gives the game a more real feel to it. GW1 was about socialising in outposts and guild halls but in GW2, that element is removed and the whole world becomes a social encounter. Random world events draw random strangers together in a PUG-like fashion but without having to commit yourself to an entire mission or area. The freedom almost encourages more cooperation. Throughout both BWEs, I have seen very little in terms of flaming or trolling. This might, and probably will change come release but it’s encouraging to see at the moment.

I haven’t spent too much time looking at crafting skills yet, but from what I understand, GW2 requires materials and recipies to create new items to use, but only two types of crafting skill can be active at one time. You can still find items and weapons from events and combat but I’m guessing that this is not only a money maker but will have some of the stronger weapons available. Unique weapons, in whatever form they’ll take, I have absolutely no idea about. I’m hoping they have better looking skins and the collector’s value, just like the unique weapons in GW1.

Guild functions haven’t been too prominent so far in my gameplay experience so far. Considering the game is called “Guild Wars 2” this is a bit of a surprise but I’m hoping there are some surprises for the release. Influence gained from quests seem to have a role in unlocking things but the full extent of what these features are, I’m waiting to see. Any of the people in my guild who see this, may well educate me and cause a subsequent update or edit to this post but I’ll cross that bridge later. My guild is up and running and hopefully the official release of GW2 will bring an even bigger resurgence of the people I have been playing GW1 with for the last seven years.

The Auction House is an interesting addition. The idea of being able to buy or sell anything, anywhere in the game means you don’t have to be in an outpost like in the past. In theory, it also keeps chat channels free of people trying to sell or buy things and focus more on the social and gaming events going on. Granted, you have to go to a trading post to actually get the items, but that doesn’t seem like a bad trade off in the larger scale of how the world is set up.

Like many, many others, the Sylvari are a huge point of interest that we haven’t seen yet. Whether there will be another BWE before release where this race will be available to play or we’ll have to wait until release is unknown and the same question needs to be asked of the Asura. I have had a look at the Charr and the Norn but so far, the human areas and stories are appealing to me more. Perhaps I have a grudge against the Charr for their part in GW1 and as for the Norn…well, they’re big, brutish and usually drunk so I SHOULD be happy with them unless I’m seeing a reflection of myself in their environments. Hopefully, we will be able to make more than five characters when the game is released.

Overall, I’m very excited for the official release of GW2 and the additional bonuses to come from the Hall of Monuments from GW1 will still keep me playing right up until release. Any free time will be spent in Tyria for the foreseeable future on the games release and I’m looking forward to seeing all the rest of the features the game has to offer!

The RPG Genre

Sometimes I find myself thinking that offline RPG's are getting too easy and are just not the value for money they once were, especially since they're more expensive with every generation of console released! I won't pretend I'm not biased - I'm a Playstation guy. I had the PSOne, PS2 and now the PS3, as well as currently owning a PSP. The original Xbox controller didn't sit well with me, it felt awkward and it was heavy! I could've used them as weightlifting tools. However, while they got better for the Xbox360, I still wasn't sold. That, however, is a discussion for another day.

My favourite RPG series is the Final Fantasy series by Square Enix (or at the time, Squaresoft). The stories were long and extensive, keeping me interested even if I deviated from the main story plot. FFVII and FFVIII are probably my favourite games of the series. Three and four discs respectively, there was so much going on in that world that by the time I had done it all and completed the game, I had no problems with going back to the start and playing it again, changing my choices to unlock new things. Add to that that each game had new characters and gameplay features; it stopped them from being boring when the next one came along.

Even now, two consoles and many years later, I find these games to be much more of a challenge than their more recent counterparts. FFXIII and FXIII-2 are both good games in their own rights but I can't help feeling like the longevity isn't there anymore.

FFXIII is almost a completely linear game. You will follow the story and the maps give you almost no choice in that. When you reach a later point in the game, you can deviate a little but such is the level differences that any journey will require a lot of grinding and effort. After the game, you can return and complete what you missed, which is fine but that then makes restarting the game defunct, except to experience the very linear story again, and even that wasn't a great story in my opinion.

FFXIII-2 is the second attempt at a sequel to a Final Fantasy game, the first being FFX-2 (which I'm currently pretending did not happen). It takes almost the opposite approach and goes for a game that almost encourages non-linear play. It's almost as if Square Enix can't make up their minds as to where the balance lies in this respect and have gone from one extreme to the other. Continuity is there though, with a very similar battle and gameplay system and the same characters but it's the freedom to do what I want, when I want, how I want and to change it whenever I want that appeals more to me than FFXIII.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, is probably one of the best games I've played offline even if it's not my favourite. Its predecessor, Oblivion, was also very non-linear and I found it hard to even find the story arc. It was supposed to be a free roaming RPG and it was, but very daunting. Skyrim rectified that problem and started you down the story and gave you the basics of how to play before letting you decide what to do – and there is so much to do! I’d be lying if I said it was so vast that it was impossible to complete but it is, and again, the story arc is relatively short in comparison to the size of the game.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is another game I really enjoyed but again, found it very short. Once the story was finished – that’s it! There’s nothing else except to go back through the game and do it again, differently. That’s fine, but while I got the game towards the latter end of 2011, it’s now been over six months since then and I still have little interest to play it again. I give it points for being vivid enough to remember, but it loses those and more by not inspiring me to play again.

It seems that graphics are becoming more and more important to game designers as opposed to story, difficulty, content and gameplay. I’m still drawn back to games such as FFVII and FFVIII, despite their graphics being a lot less advanced because the games are more enjoyable to play opposed to looking at. Further to that, even earlier games such as FFVI using 2D sprite images still have a strong appeal – they’re harder to play and that’s a lot more fun, at least to me.

The PS2 will always hold a special place in my heart because it seems to have found the best balance between gameplay and graphics. Games such as FFX or the Kingdom Hearts series looked good and played better. If I could rule the big companies in charge of these games, this is what I’d tell them to look at for inspiration.

I’ve not spoken about online RPG’s, two of the biggest examples being World of Warcraft and Guild Wars. I’ve been a GW fan and player for almost seven years (partly because I can’t afford to pay a monthly fee for that long at the moment) and there were things about WoW that didn’t engage with me but one thing for online RPG’s is the constant updating of content and gameplay to keep their audiences interested. Of course, overcrowding can detract from story arcs onto the people and that’s not for everyone but on the other hand, not enough players can make it hard to do certain things in the game. I enjoy online gaming but you have to pick your time, whereas you don’t with offline or console gaming.

Then again, with Guild Wars 2 and the new WoW content coming over the summer, a fresh surge will be introduced into both audiences and it will be interesting to see what each side has come up with to beat the other!