His Dark Materials

It’s Halloween! The number of costumes impresses me every year, even if they do turn into something else entirely unrelated to the occasion. I could do a post about it, or post something creative, or even talk about Thor 2, which I saw last night – but I’m not. I’ve had a lot of requests asking me to look at Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy and I’m only sorry it’s taken me this long to do it as I love these books!

I actually got to meet the man himself in 2012, and it was an incredible experience. I was working at the Manchester Children’s Book Festival that summer and he was one of the authors there, and he was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met – never mind one of the nicest writers! Despite it being an evening session, and a busy one at that, he made sure he didn’t leave until he had seen everyone who wanted to meet him. It must have been 10:30 or later before it was all done. We need more writers like that…and maybe even more people like that too!

One of the most obviously things for me was the lack of religion in the books. This might not seem like such a big issue, really, but I remember it being compared as a contrast to Narnia, and those books were massively heavy on religion, especially when you put each book together. This was the complete opposite – not anti-religious as such, and not pro. Rather, it just left out religion as much as possible. That didn’t make it overly science based either, as our protagonists, Lyra and Will, are children who do not understand everything being said to them. As readers, we are given a lot more information and our understanding is probably better than theirs.

Dust is a theme comes up often, and a lack of understanding, not just from our protagonists but also the adults of the world, makes it an interesting idea. It lends itself to so many things, theories and ideas that until we hear more from Pullman, it’s impossible to know the true purpose of Dust in that universe. We can speculate, and take what characters say but I’ve always felt there was more to Dust.

As a huge science-fiction and fantasy fan, I love new worlds, rules, creatures and all sorts. Having that element in the His Dark Materials books definitely played a big part in keeping me interested as a younger reader. However, they were not so “out there” that it detracted from the story. The worlds were carefully planned out with the right amount of detail that kept me interested and wanting more but still fully believing in that world and also wanting to return to safer ground at the same time. It was brilliant writing all around.

It was one of the earliest books I read that seem to stray away from the “happy ever after” mentality that a lot of children and teenage books had at that time. Things have changed since, and it’s not a sad ending as such, but it was heart wrenching. It’s one of the reasons why I want to know more about what happened later, to see how they coped with the events in their lives.

I love these books, and quite happily and often read them again and again. Each time, I notice something new or a new idea comes to me and that’s one of the best things about a good book – that no matter how often you read it, there’s always something more to gain, and in a lot of books and works I’ve seen being published over the last ten years or so, that just isn’t there. Looks like I’ve just set myself a goal!

What’s more exciting for me is that The Book of Dust is still underway – I’ve been looking forward to this ever since the rumours started. While not a direct sequel to the trilogy, it seems we will follow an older Lyra and Dust is going to play an important part, but with a name like The Book of Dust, I’d really hope so. Patience is a virtue I’m getting more of every year so I can wait, especially if the extra time will transform it from a good read to an extraordinary book (or two)!

India sees Vettel take his Fourth Consecutive Championship in 2013

So, this weekend we have seen Sebastian Vettel take his fourth consecutive world championship! It’s a fantastic result, even if the race didn’t live up to expectations. It was certainly more interesting than the other races in India, and it was an example of the tyres being chosen correctly – still safe but with more uncertainty. It was promising to be exciting but in the end, Vettel’s dominance showed through it all. That’s four in a row for the man and the team. Will it be the same next year? I don’t mind it happening, as long as there’s less dominance!

Webber’s Woes

I really feel for Mark Webber – he had a chance of a solid result this weekend, most likely second place. I don’t think he could have held off Vettel this time around, even if he was on the better strategy – the new champion just seemed to get everything right and the traffic was never too bad for him this time.

The speed Vettel had through the entire race was staggering, and I don’t think Webber could have responded, but now we’ll never know. It’s a shame, and of course, the conspiracy theories will start flying soon but the team were obviously concerned since they told Vettel to take it easy. I was highly amused at Kimi Raikkonen getting the fastest lap on the last lap of the race, just to prove a point on his soft tyres.

Impressive drives

Romain Grosjean had a stellar race – from 17^th to 3^rd is a great result and continues the excellent form he’s had in recent races. Gone seem to be the accident prone driver and replaced with a man who has consistent speed and the desire to get the best result possible. It seems his driving style combined with the Lotus car really allows him to get the most out of his tyres, and I hope he can pick up a win before the season ends.

It was a good show from both Force India drivers to finish in the points, and nice to not have any complaints from them this weekend. You’ve got to give it to Sergio Perez as well, equalling McLaren’s best result of the season in 5^th (still doesn’t feel right to say, but hey). It’s a shame his teammate, Jenson Button, had such an unfortunate afternoon as the pace was there and it could have been 5^th and 6^th between them!

Another year and no title for Alonso

This has got to be getting to him now. In 3 out of the last 4 years, Alonso has been the closest, the runner up and the first loser to Vettel. How long will he stay at Ferrari if they keep this up? How long will they put up with his comments? With Raikkonen moving back to the team next year, will Alonso return to McLaren, or, just to stay in theme, how about Lotus, formerly Renaut? Interesting idea.

Summary

You’ve got to give it to Vettel, regardless of what you think of him as a driver. The team has come together for him perfectly. Will it last? Maybe, but the new rules will bring a lot of changes. One thing that did tickle me was the Raikkonen-Grosjean situation and the radio message to Raikkonen. It’s come to my attention that teams swear over the radio to prevent the messages being broadcast, but in this case, it was bleeped out and played. Lotus told Raikkonen to move over (but not so politely) and he responded in kind. It can be found on YouTube. Oh Kimi…

Results

1 – S. Vettel (Red Bull)

2 – N. Rosberg (Mercedes)

3 – R. Grosjean (Lotus)

4 – F. Massa (Ferrari)

5 – S. Perez (McLaren)

6 – L. Hamilton (Mercedes)

7 – K. Raikkonen (Lotus)

8 – P. Di Resta (Force India)

9 – A. Sutil (Force India)

10 – D. Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)

11 – F. Alonso (Ferrari)

12 – P. Maldonado (Williams)

13 – J. E. Vergne (Toro Rosso)

14 – J. Button (McLaren)

15 – E. Gutierrez (Sauber)

16 – V. Bottas (Williams)

17 – M. Chilton (Marussia)

18 – J. Bianchi (Marussia)

19 – N. Hulkenberg (Sauber) – DNF

20 – M. Webber (Red Bull) – DNF

21 – C. Pic (Caterham) – DNF

22 – G. van der Garde (Caterham) – DNF

Guild Wars 2: One Year Later

It’s been over a year since the launch of Guild Wars 2, and everything I posted about last year stands strong. This is still a remarkable game but there have been a number of changes since earlier in 2013 that have changed the attitudes, goals and dynamics of many players. I’m not just talking about skill balancing, bug fixes and world updates – although these do happen regularly – but bigger changes to keep interest, and it seems to be working.

Living Story

Each character you make has a personal story to follow. These change depending on the race you choose and the options during character creation. Further options are made to players as you progress until a point later in the story where paths converge and the story is largely the same for everyone, regardless of race or background. There are still choices to make but you can cover all the story options at this stage with the five character slots provided.

Upon completing this, there wasn’t much to do in terms of progression. The focus turned to alternate characters, dungeons and fractal zones, where you could get rare skins and items from much harder foes. Then the Living Story was introduced and new content is released for a period of time – sometimes leading on from the last update and other instalments making you do something else entirely. This shows the world changing and evolving, with limited edition items and events to access.

This is great for certain events – like now there is a Halloween makeover in places, with new events, challenges and items to complete. Next month, it will be something different. Each instalment lasts for four to six weeks.

World vs. World

While WvW has been around since the start of GW2, I’ve only really given it a few chances. I’ve enjoyed it, sure, but I’m not the biggest fan of Player vs. Player. This has changed with a recent update, which have different “seasons” for WvW and new prizes. This has grabbed my interest again, and that of my Guild, with more people heading to these battlegrounds on a regular basis. The armour skins are good too, and drop rates for rare items are still low, but slightly higher than other places. This could be a good thing for me, right?

I live in hope.

Working towards the…impossible?

Each type of weapon has a Legendary version – they are the hardest to get because of the items and levels required to get them. I’ve been playing for over a year and I’m about two thirds of the way there for ONE character. Even then, the final item needed for each of these weapons has a drop rate that’s one of the lowest in the game. You can buy them, but I can barely save 100 gold, never mind between 1000-2000 gold!

Some people have been lucky, and others have focused their entire efforts on this. I’d like one (specifically Kudzu, the longbow) but there’s more to do.

New weapons were included in a recent update, requiring an increase in crafting levels and very hard materials to find (albeit, not as hard as the Legendary requirements). I’ll work on these eventually too, when I’ve finished my current to do list. By that point, there will be the same options for armour too. Then other items – there’s always more to do!

Guild missions

Another inclusion has been focused on guilds and keeping their members active and working together. The reduced party size compared to Guild Wars was a concern but these missions don’t need you to be in a party, and allow multiple parties at once. From hunting specialist bosses, tracking down locations, completing a circuit full of danger and more missions, they provide excellent rewards once a week to players and access to specialist equipment to improve your stats and in high level situations.

More routes, targets and challenges are always being added and new rewards will be introduced at an appropriate time (probably adding to my list of things to do and get).

Summary

Overall, Guild Wars 2 is a great game and it’s only getting better. How much content they have to run with, I’m not sure but I’d imagine there’s a lot. With increases to crafting levels and new items always being introduced, there’s plenty to play for and aim towards. I know I’ll be playing for a long time to get at least one character with some of the harder to obtain items. Will you?

Play Expo: Assassins Creed 4 and the PS4

After the success and enjoyment of last year’s Play Expo in Manchester, I have been eagerly anticipating the return – especially as it coincided with my birthday! What better way to celebrate turning 25 than to play retro games, make a few purchases and see what’s new in the gaming world? Exactly. However, it didn’t go as planned and unfortunately, I was only able to confirm my attendance a few days before the event. As such, this isn’t as inclusive as last year’s review but there is one key point I did want to focus on at the end.

Bigger and better

With a much bigger space to utilise, Play Expo has learnt a lot from its first venture to Manchester’s Event City. Each arena got a much bigger space to fulfil and organise according. Where last year it could be crowded and hard to move, this year there was ample space that was filled with consoles, stands, shops and spectators alike. It was less claustrophobic but a much better atmosphere.

The costumes seemed much better than last year. Having been to Manchester’s Comic-Con this year, it was nice to return to a gaming atmosphere. Full respect to those that dressed up and got in the spirit – something I may have try one day, you never know – because it was clear a lot of effort went into those costumes.

The pros were just as intense this year as last, and that’s an intensity that drains you just by watching. I think I’m a gamer, but against these guys I know I’d have no chance. I didn’t interrupt for fear of death but it was fun to watch for a while again.

Assassins Creed 4: Black Flag

Of all the stands I saw and visited, this was the biggest for me. It’s fair to say that Assassin’s Creed is not my favourite series. I enjoyed the first one a lot, and the second did improve on what was great but it got tedious and repetitive for me – something I know other people don’t agree with.

After the second, it was a disappointment and unfortunately, there wasn’t much improvement this time. It caught my eye because it was on the soon to be released PS4 – so I had to try it out. The graphics weren’t as great as I wanted for the new console, which is going to show the crossover period we have where games are released on current and next gen consoles. Only later will we start to see the real capabilities of the PS4 and Xbox One.

AC4’s demo started on a boat that was as responsive as a slug with a hangover. It took what felt like ten minutes to turn and there were no clear instructions on what to do. Button mashing aside, the guys were quick to explain and I did crash once or twice while trying to figure out what to do. There’s so much to keep on top of that it was more of a chore than enjoyable. With a real tutorial, this might be different. Movement afterwards was also a bit sluggish and I switched off at the point.

It lost me. This is not an improvement and I’m not going to be buying this one, unfortunately.

PS4 and the controller

However, moving on from a disappointing game to an impressive console (or what were the indications of such). Not much can be said of the console from this demo but I did get my first taste of the new controllers and honestly, I’m very impressed.

I remember back in the PlayStation days where the first version of these controllers was released. I didn’t like it but by PS2, I had no choice and adapted. The design has been fairly consisted throughout and I like that. Even now, on PS3, of my 3 controllers, one is lighter than the others and is the one I use the least (I like a bit of weight, but not too much).

This new version sees new materials which make the controller a lot better to handle and use, with indentations in the analog sticks to rest your thumbs in. Much better.

The biggest differences were the lower trigger buttons, which stick out more to be easier to press. That’ll take some getting used to but it’s going to be useful if there is so much to do in games like AC4. The last thing is the touch pad, which wasn’t usable in this demo, so not much to say but it threw a few people looking for the start and PS button found on the PS3 controllers. They’ll find this with time, I’m sure.

Overall: very good and a good indication of things to come!

Final thoughts

Throughout the day, switching between new and retro games, I found myself thinking about sensitivity in game controls. Are we so used to sensitivity that the slightest touch for that fractional movement is so important? Going from a Sega Megadrive to a PS4 was so strange because I had to hammer the controls to move on the former console, whereas now I barely need to press anything. I really had a sore thumb at the end of the day.

Has anyone else thought about this? I mean, it’s good we’ve made so many steps but has that changed the focus of our games and the difficulty? I still find these older games harder than a lot of titles released today. Just some food for thought!

Not Quite a Classic Race in Suzuka, 2013

I do love Suzuka, it’s one of my favourite races of the year and it rarely disappoints. Yet again, there was no disappointment this year but it has to be said, it wasn’t the most exciting race ever – a pattern that has been consistent throughout this season. We were teased with the possibility of a winner other than Sebastian Vettel, which was nice while it lasted.

The right, or wrong, strategy

A lot of talk has been about Red Bull’s strategy, and once again the conspiracy theorists have come out of hiding and said the team sabotaged Mark Webber’s race so that Vettel could win. That’s rubbish.

At the point of the first stops, it wasn’t clear if Vettel could beat both Webber and Romain Grosjean, and to get past the Lotus driver, Red Bull pitted early, forcing Grosjean to respond. Ultimately, this would allow Vettel to take the lead and win but he’s good with tyres and can manage his race well. It was excellent driving and if Webber had gotten past Grosjean quicker, it might have been different. Besides, Mark is leaving this year, if he really thought something was going on, don’t you think he’d say so? He’s normally very honest, anyway.

Stand out drivers

Throughout the last couple of races there have been some great drivers, most notably Grosjean and Nico Hulkenberg.

Like most people, I wasn’t sure Grosjean would be around this year, and quite rightly so. He was a danger to himself and other drivers and that carried on, albeit to a lesser degree, this year. The latter half of the season has seen someone completely new arrive and it couldn’t have happened at a better time, as he can prove himself to be a lead driver.

Hulkenberg has had flashes of brilliance before, but the last two races have shown a step up for Sauber and himself. If this continues for the rest of the season, it’s hard to imagine him not finding a better drive – although I don’t see why he’d move back to Force India at this stage, as some believe.

The Williams fall out

The last lap incident with Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas was a very interesting one. Maldonado reminds me a lot of Puan Pablo Montoya, quick racing driver but ruthless in his driving style. This works well but there should still be a level of respect between drivers – especially teammates.

How the stewards viewed it as a racing incident is beyond me, but they do have more information and views than me, so it’s hard to argue. From every view I saw, there was nowhere else for Bottas to go, and was essentially run off the road. If that had been Monaco, it would have been nasty – and let’s not forget, we’ve seen Maldonado do this before. Like a lot of rumours, I don’t believe he’ll be at the Williams team next year.

The driver market

This leaves a few questions about where some drivers will be next year. Felipe Massa, Hulkenberg, Paul Di Resta, Maldonado and even Fernando Alonso are all rumoured to want to, and potentially are, moving. There’s even talk about Rubens Barrichello returning – which would be fantastic but not very likely.

I hope Hulkenberg gets a seat at a top team, like Lotus. He’s done wonders in a car that isn’t up to scratch and would do very well, I think. He’s proven it before and will do so again. I’d like Di Resta to get a better drive, as I think he has a lot of talent but he needs to stop complaining about the team every time something goes wrong. It’s not good for morale and won’t make him an attractive prospect. As for Alonso going to McLaren, I can see it, but not until next year so he can see if they improve.

Summary

Not a bad race overall, with some interesting talking points but it does seem Vettel will get his fourth title next time out in India. Hats off to him, he does deserve it but as a fan, I want more variety. Well done to Max Chilton for being the only driver so far to finish every race this season, as it was announced at the weekend!

Results

1 – S. Vettel (Red Bull)

2 – M. Webber (Red Bull)

3 – R. Grosjean (Lotus)

4 – F. Alonso (Ferrari)

5 – K. Raikonnen (Lotus)

6 – N. Hulkenberg (Sauber)

7 – E. Gutierrez (Sauber)

8 – N. Rosberg (Mercedes)

9 – J. Button (McLaren)

10 – F. Massa (Ferrari)

11 – P. Di Resta (Force India)

12 – J. E. Vergne (Toro Rosso)

13 – D. Ricciardo (Toro Rosso)

14 – A. Sutil (Force India)

15 – S. Perez (McLaren)

16 – P. Maldonado (Williams)

17 – V. Bottas (Williams)

18 – C. Pic (Caterham)

19 – M. Chilton (Marussia)

20 – L. Hamilton (Mercedes) – DNF

21 – G. van der Garde (Caterham) – DNF

22 – J. Bianchi (Marussia) – DNF

Plenty Going on in Korea, 2013

Okay, so it’s taken me a bit longer than usual to get Korea’s post done – sorry! New job distracted. It’s not a great excuse, but it’s all I’ve got, and it does allow me to mention some things which have come to light since the last race – and just in time for Suzuka! I love Suzuka, it’s up there as one of my favourites. Hopefully, we’ll get some close and exciting racing.

A step up for Sauber

Since the tyre changes earlier this season, Sauber have been pulling back up the ranks. A lot of that is down to Nico Hulkenberg, who still seems to miss out on the bigger drives unfortunately. It was a stellar result for him, and once again proved what he can do.

That being said, it has emerged this week he is a serious contender for the Lotus seat, and I really hope he gets it. He’d be a brilliant replacement for Kimi Raikkonen, and if you put him with Romain Grosjean, you’re going to have an exciting line-up! 

The turning point

Two safety cars in Korea, and both changed the race. What was probably going to be a three stop strategy for most teams turned into two! It was an interesting turn of events and made for some exciting racing in the final laps.

I feel a bit sorry for Grosjean, with a few more laps, he might have passed Raikkonen. I’m a fan of the Finn, and he took his chance and it worked, but Grosjean was trying so hard and that extra step would have done him wonders.

Even more tyre concerns?

Back at it again, eh? Pirelli have had a bit of a nightmare this season but I do feel for them. They are restricted in what they can do testing wise, and that needs to change if we really want to get the right tyres for the sport. Some people disagree the current style works or is good, but it’s the way it is. So, let’s give them the resources and time to get it right – surely that’s the right idea?

Next year will be even more interesting, and hopefully they’ll get it right but I have little doubt of this, as testing is limited and no one knows what’s going to happen.

Sombre news

I’d normally talk about Vettel’s chances in Japan, but I think it’s important to mention two things that have happened this last week in the world of motorsport.

Last week’s IndyCar race saw a huge crash involving Dario Franchitti in Texas. There are clips online and it is a shocking incident to see and reminded me of the accident involving Dan Wheldon last year in Las Vegas. Thankfully, Frnachitti survived, and while he suffered some severe injuries, he seems to be stable. I’m hoping for a speedy recovery.

My next part isn’t so good. This morning, Maria De Villota was found dead. The news emerged towards the end of the second practise second in Suzuka and this is a devastating announcement. After her life threatening crash last year where she lost her right eye, it had seemed De Villota was recovering. Tributes have been coming in from all corners in a unifying sight, and I’d like to add my own to them. A real role model and big part of F1 and the motorsport world, my thoughts also go out to her friends and family.

Summary

It was an interesting race, livened up to the end. This week has been a mixed one – excitement about Suzuka and sadness about the accident and loss. I’m hoping next week brings better news.

Results

1 – S. Vettel (Red Bull)

2 – K. Raikkonen (Lotus)

3 – R. Grosjean (Lotus)

4 – N. Hulkenberg (Sauber)

5 – L. Hamilton (Mercedes)

6 – F. Alonso (Ferrari)

7 – N. Rosberg (Mercedes)

8 – J. Button (McLaren)

9 – F. Massa (Ferrari)

10 – S. Perez (McLaren)

11 – E. Gutierrez (Sauber)

12 – V. Bottas (Williams)

13 – P. Maldonado (Williams)

14 – C. Pic (Caterham)

15 – G. van der Garde (Caterham)

16 – J. Bianchi (Marussia)

17 – M. Chilton (Marussia)

18 – J. E. Vergne (Toro Rosso) – DNF

19 – D. Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) – DNF

20 – A. Sutil (Force India) – DNF

21 – M. Webber (Red Bull) – DNF

22 – P. Di Resta (Force India) – DNF