Gaming event at University

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Heres some images I took at the "University Experience Week" gaming event (on the 22nd of April). I'm really happy with the feedback from university students and the support I found from fellow CVG students and my course leader Umran Ali / student union president Usman Ali. We still have another day tomorrow :)

Christopher

Finally a website to call my own

So I've finally took the plunge and paid for my own website. Its early days (well day one) but I'm hoping to expand the site to include downloads for my university work in the coming weeks. In the mean time feel free to take a gander at my currently "basic to say the least" looking site.

http://www.christopher-begley.co.uk

Laters

Micro Review: Nintendo DSi

First came the DS Fat (Yes even Nintendo of America's vice president of marketing Cammie Dunnaway calls it that!) then the DS Lite. Sure the DS Fat looked like a prototype but the DS Lite really launched the system into hyper-space. Now we have the DSi, essentially a DS Lite with several newly implemented features for a 4 year old platform.

The first major additions to the DSi come in the form of two built in camera's (One located on the inside and one on the outside of the DSi). These camera's allow gamers to take photographs and use them to play in specific games such as a new Warioware DSi title. Now back to the other major improvements, SD card support and Dsiware.

The system now has an SD card slot which is handy for saving photographs or playing music files via the built in music player. Hopefully it wont be too long until some hacks the DSi for homebrew applications via the SD card slot (I mean seriously Nintendo! your just asking for it this time!). The final major addition if a shopping channel. Using any available wifi connection allows for paid and free downloads of software. This software ranges from micro versions of already existing DS games (Such as Brain Training or Planet Puzzle League) to new titles such as Warioware Snapped and Azurio. These games require Nintendo points just like on the Wii's shopping channel.

Other improvements include as a new menu navigation system, slightly larger screens and a new plastic matt finish making the DSi a fantastic evolution of the brand. Currently in the UK a store that rhymes with "lame" are offering big discounts when gamers trade in a DS Lite against the DSi.

Happy Easter everyone and go easy on those eggs!

Killzone 2 - Someday I wanna be an engineer!

Finally I've had the time to put some real time into the multiplayer component on Killzone 2. Since the games release I've occasionally dipped my toes into the pool that is Killzone 2's impressive multiplayer mode. I believe I've found the must addictive online multiplayer FPS game. I know that sounds a bit crazy but I've come to this conclusion based on the multiplayer game classes.

Killzone 2 makes players work for unlocks that upgrade their online abilities. The game gives XP for kills etc like in Call Of Duty 4 that over time gives unlocks. Unlike Call Of Duty 4 the game takes a while to unlock a new class (each class has unique abilities). I have to say that playing for 3 hours at a time for a new class sounds daunting but the rewards are well worth it. Take the Engineer class, once players unlock this guy they unlock sentry bot's that can be deployed almost anywhere. Setting up a few bot's in a good location is really a thrill to watch them mow down opposing players. The class later unlocks the ability to repair bot's and other equipment adding a further reason to stick with the Engineer. Other classes include the medic, who can revive fallen players. Overall each class greatly effects how players interact in multiplayer which has only a positive effect overall.

Viva Pokemon

I've recently gone back to playing Pokemon, usually on the bus. One gameplay feature that has always concerned me is how the human characters treat Pokemon. In the game players are a "Pokemon trainer" who catches Pokemon creatures by attacking them with other previously caught Pokemon. Then they are stored in small containers named "pokeballs". To make things worse the player then fights other trainers with the now enslaved Pokemon. Ok so enslaved sounds a bit extreme but what about the poor innocent critters?

Pokemon has clearly influenced another creature catch em all type adventure. Viva Pinata released in 2006 is a garden simulator where players interact with paper, candy filled Pinata. In 2008 its successor Viva Pinata: Trouble In Paradise took the Pokemon aim of catching critters to a new darker level. The game introduces hunting grounds where Pinata can be trapped using bait Heres my own personal account of a Pinata "hunt".

First, I laid down a trap on the floor, then placed the correct bait on top (apparently Pinata have different tastes, weird ones at that). Then I wait...

...aha! the penguin Pinata, named Pengum (all the Pinata have candy related names) walks upto the trap. Learning that the trap activates automatically I wait for the Pengum to eat its bait. Bingo, the Pengum eats the bait, but jumps away before the trap transforms into a FedEx like box (to be posted back to my garden, via the local neighborhood postal service). So essentially I tried to catch a wild animal, then take it back to my garden away from its friends, Is this a bad example of how not to treat animals?

I was glad I didn't catch the poor thing! I felt sympathy for the innocent Pinata! I must be getting soft? That or Rare (Viva Pinata's developer has done an amazing job!).