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Tim

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Timothy C. Best sometimes seems away with the fairies, but the truth of the matter is far more math-e-magical. With all the 3D-accelerated musings grinding around in his head, pixies are plum out of luck. He’s where we shake him and see what falls out.

PIXEL DUST

Back to Our Regular Programming

Sat, 5 Aug 2006
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: Paint your wagon | thanks: Deadlines

And we're back. For the past week a certain magazine has kept me completely rushed off my keyboard. It feels like weeks since I've actually played a game for fun and I've got a hankering. I need to play something satisfying.

Even trying to type this my mind is wandering. Right now I'm thinking about Dawn of War. I want to play the campaign, I want to rush through the missions and see some cut scenes. Since I've interviewed Relic about a certain WWII RTS I've been stuck on that game. I should have been thinking about any number of things but instead I get Space Orcs, Marines and Chaos.

The weird thing is that this game has been on my radar for a while, but a little down my list. I'm still half way through Oblivion, I'm lagging behind my friends at World of WarCraft, but after game deprivation there's something about those colourful characters and stomping dreadnaught that my brain keeps catching on. Go figure.

PIXEL DUST

Playing My Computer is like Talking to Zuzu Petals...

Mon, 24 July 2006
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: Zuzu riot | thanks: diabolical returns policies, Andrew Dice Clay and double exp weekends.

Zuzu Petals in all her glory.

... slightly amusing but mostly painful. Ma RAM!

So, I'm waiting for my burnt out RAM kit to be replaced by the nice online shop from whence it came. Naturally, it was impossible to just replace the stick that died, oh no, the entire 2GB kit had to go back - something about matching bioses and lower planes' contract law.

With 2GB of RAM stuffed in a padded envelope, I was down to the 512MB of unmarked stuff that I found under a draw in the office. Not good. Throw in a little misguided optimism and you have a real problem on your hands. Here's the thing: a decent videocard can get you going even with truly crappy RAM.

PIXEL DUST

Victory of the Mooks

Mon, 20 July 2006
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: Clash of the Titans | thanks: The little guys with more pluck than sense.

Titan Quest. I'm playing it. It's simple, fast and brainless enough to qualify as a guilty pleasure on at least a couple of scales. Shag that. Look for layers and innovation if you want, but where you find them you'll probably be disappointed: they're all about making things easy for the player. Healing potions are cheap and plentiful, you can go back to town to sell gear and restock the cheap and plentiful healing potions whenever you like, and you seem to always have so much gold you might as well have a Platinum Rome Express card.

You rock along like an avalanche and you only really tend to die fighting the waves of the crappiest guys. As soon as big guys stomps onto screen you're switched on, you're swigging liquid hit points, you're using special skills ... otherwise you're just revelling in swatting mooks and watching them explode or sail off screen en masse.

PIXEL DUST

Hang Up Your Hoodies

Tues, 18 July 2006
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: Yo, Yo-Yo Ma. | thanks: Ma posse.

According to a story on Gamasutra Midway's chief marketing officer says they killed their Snoop Dog game, Fear and Respect, because data nodes - I love these guys … just don’t take 'em to a party - indicated the "hood" vide was dead.

Here I was thinking that the quality, gameplay, innovation and a little pimping made a game a long-term success — not it’s cheap cash-in setting.

PIXEL DUST

Crossing Boundaries of Time and Jockstraps

Mon, 17 July 2006
by: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it | vaguely related link: Balboa Instruments | thanks: One too many sides of beef to the head.

A few years ago we were astounded by any mention on gaming in mainstream media - beyond controversy generated by pixeled boobs or blood, of course. In recent years we’ve seen games get more and more coverage. There are reports on World of WarCraft or id’s latest in mainstream papers and in TV shows and movies people sit around playing games – looking natural and even holding controllers the right way around.

Now, however, games culture is even reaching fictional characters. Fictional characters who would classically be thought of as the last guys to fire up a round of Zork or Temple of Elemental Evil.

Yes, of course, I’m talking about Rocky.