I've been enamored with space based flight combat games since I chased womp rats in my T-16 back home. (X-Wing on the PC is an old favorite). Project Sylpheed is unapologetic arcade style action. Missions end promptly with a (often arbitrary) timeout or when primary objective(s) are achieved/failed, whichever comes first.
Playability is a big factor; all cut-scenes can be skipped (yet still watched later as "Extras") and loading times are minimal. Mission briefings are simple, cleanly presented, yet informative affairs. The multi-layer missions are sometimes frustrating but can be skipped after three consecutive failures (which is such an obvious feature but one so often omitted - I'm undecided whether it's a design flaw that the feature exists at all or whether it's a carefully considered addition - I like it either way). A definite gripe is that secondary objectives are never obvious. They're invariably related to destroying *all* the bad guys but it would be helpful if the radio chatter was a little more explicit about them. Also the option to stick it out and attempt to complete them, after primary concerns are dealt with, would be welcome.
Combat and controls are solid except that one cannot automatically lock on (only) primary objective targets.
The roleplaying element is surprisingly addictive; developing and equipping different weapons and mixing combinations to try to find the perfect mashup is an interesting diversion between levels.
Sylpheed's storyline cherry picks the cheesiest moments from from Top Gun, Battlestar Galactica and Star Wars, adds a Square Enix coated veneer and is illustrated with pretty movies.
A varied soundtrack ranging from Orbital-esque beats to Square Enix midi-orchestral beaps, sometimes enhances sometime distracts.
[Spoiler] The final mission is sofa-king-wee-todd-ed (repeat aloud) and a disappointment but doesn't prevent this project delivering a high velocity payload of melodramatic space based action.
PS I haven't played it in high def yet. I might update this after I do...
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Alcatraz and San Francisco Bay Area races
I'm often asked about Alcatraz-based events. This post will serve as a list that I might even try to maintain. Feel free to point out any races you think are missing.
Some of the links are to the 2007 sites...in no particular order...here goes...
Swims:
Triathlons:
Aquathlons:
Organizers:
Some of the links are to the 2007 sites...in no particular order...here goes...
Swims:
- Alcatraz 100 "Swim of the Centurions" Swim
- Bridge to Bridge Swim
- SERC Alcatraz Invitational Swim (sells out early)
- Sharkfest (sells out early)
- Swim Around the Rock
Triathlons:
- Escape from Alcatraz (qualify or lottery only)
- Escape from the Rock
Aquathlons:
- Alcatraz Challenge (sells out early)
Organizers:
Wasting time...with Xbox Live demos
There are (at least) two demos currently available on Xbox Live for games that will ship this "US holiday season" where the primary mechanic is temporal manipulation.
If you want to play with time, play Stranglehold.
- Stranglehold (demo)
- Timeshift (demo)
Welcome toCity 17HazeTimeshift! Our bland NPCs are compelled to vocalize all their ridiculous internal monologue!
Timeshift looks reasonable but it suffers from barely legible text on standard definition TV. This is a a relatively common problem for Xbox 360 games however most titles avoid the issue on the frickin' HUD...Also friendly NPCs don't seem to cast shadows, giving them that extra edge on believability.
As already mentioned, the main gameplay mechanic is to pause or slow time. If you don't do this, you die, often instantly. Frequent checkpoints offset the resultant irritation but don't cure it.
Timeshift checks the requisite boxes on the (modern) FPS list; crate, barrel, physics, machine-gun/rifle, shotgun, sniper-rifle and grenade are all present. Unfortunately simply showing up, is not enough.
At one point an enemy NPC cried "Why don't you just give up?". Based on this demo I have.
Midway's origins are rooted in old-skool arcade games and this demo feels like you just fed a fistful of change into your console - the action is incessant, almost exhausting.
Some sources compare Stranglehold to Max Payne 2 and the primary game mechanic is almost identical - slow time and dive headlong into the violence, guns blazing. It's a tool that worked well for Remedy but Midway Chicago took it and added a large portion of environmental interaction; directed by Mr. John Woo the player can vault over, jump on, slide along or simply blast apart almost every part of every scene.
While designed as single player, the game is surprisingly fun to play as a group. Thoose not holding the controller seem compelled to point out objects that are yet to be shot to pieces and once a few of the special moves aka "Tequila Bombs", are unlocked, the groans/cheers as bullets-eye-view shots miss/strike hapless targets, soon follow.
It might not change your life but Sergeant Tequila promises some over-the-top fun.
If you want to play with time, play Stranglehold.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Folsom Triathlon - August 12th 2007
The Folsom International Triathlon was my first time racing on consecutive weekends. I spent the intermediate week recovering from a head cold after my jaunt in The Bay. (Bay swimming is like a box of chocolates...). I also replaced my running shoes and had some physical repair and maintenance work done; a massage by Jennifer Lightstone at Psoas Bodywork and a haircut - Folsom was forecast to be HOT - highs of 92 Fahrenheit (33 Celsius). My wave start was scheduled for 7:06AM so the plan was to be done long before conditions became too uncomfortable! Folsom was a first in another respect too; I didn't train on any part of the course before the race - friends assured me that it was "flat and fast"...
Swim & T1: Clear, blue skies and little or no wind (on the lake) made for a much more enjoyable experience than my recent Challenge swim. However sighting on the way out was a little difficult as we were staring straight into the rising sun. I struggled at transition to get my wetsuit off (over my timing chip on my right ankle).
Bike & T2: The advice proved accurate - the bike leg was relatively flat. The section with the most significant climbs was at the turnaround. There were also plenty of aero-bar opportunities and a breeze from the south-east provided further encouragement to stay streamlined.
I was about two thirds done, holding my own in terms of passing and being passed, and feeling full of myself when a disc-wheeler blew by me...and my rear tire blew with him. I pleaded with my bike for a few hundred yards but it was pretty insistent so I found myself on the edge of the road, putting my words into practice. The tube change cost me about seven minutes or more. Luckily, I found the metal shard responsible, which looked not unlike a decapitated thumbtack, and avoided a re-occurrence.
Run: The run course was pretty; an out (east) and back trip along the south shore of Lake Natoma. Trees provided welcome cover from the strengthening sun.
I need to do (more) brick workouts. I should not have been as uncomfortable as I was, or as surprised as I was at how bad my legs and stomach felt, after the bike. However my pace was faster than it seemed at the time in spite of terrible form due (in part) to shin pain. It's time to see Dr. Taylor Rabbetz again...I should have replaced my running shoes earlier...
Results: My splits were very close to those for the Treasure Island triathlon in 2006.
Racers at Folsom said that the course at San Jose is even flatter and faster - based on the 2007 results, the field seems a lot less competitive too! Maybe I'll try it in 2008. :-) In the meantime, preparing for the Big Kahuna Half Ironman on September 9th, is going to be a challenge...
Photos.
Pop triva: Nick Diaz raced and kicked ass...it's what he does.
Tri trivia: Ben Collins, one of America's top triathletes, also raced and blogged his experience.
This race featured Head Music from:
Swim & T1: Clear, blue skies and little or no wind (on the lake) made for a much more enjoyable experience than my recent Challenge swim. However sighting on the way out was a little difficult as we were staring straight into the rising sun. I struggled at transition to get my wetsuit off (over my timing chip on my right ankle).
Bike & T2: The advice proved accurate - the bike leg was relatively flat. The section with the most significant climbs was at the turnaround. There were also plenty of aero-bar opportunities and a breeze from the south-east provided further encouragement to stay streamlined.
I was about two thirds done, holding my own in terms of passing and being passed, and feeling full of myself when a disc-wheeler blew by me...and my rear tire blew with him. I pleaded with my bike for a few hundred yards but it was pretty insistent so I found myself on the edge of the road, putting my words into practice. The tube change cost me about seven minutes or more. Luckily, I found the metal shard responsible, which looked not unlike a decapitated thumbtack, and avoided a re-occurrence.
Run: The run course was pretty; an out (east) and back trip along the south shore of Lake Natoma. Trees provided welcome cover from the strengthening sun.
I need to do (more) brick workouts. I should not have been as uncomfortable as I was, or as surprised as I was at how bad my legs and stomach felt, after the bike. However my pace was faster than it seemed at the time in spite of terrible form due (in part) to shin pain. It's time to see Dr. Taylor Rabbetz again...I should have replaced my running shoes earlier...
Results: My splits were very close to those for the Treasure Island triathlon in 2006.
Racers at Folsom said that the course at San Jose is even flatter and faster - based on the 2007 results, the field seems a lot less competitive too! Maybe I'll try it in 2008. :-) In the meantime, preparing for the Big Kahuna Half Ironman on September 9th, is going to be a challenge...
Photos.
Pop triva: Nick Diaz raced and kicked ass...it's what he does.
Tri trivia: Ben Collins, one of America's top triathletes, also raced and blogged his experience.
This race featured Head Music from:
- Waterboys "The New Life"
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Enchanted Arms (last of the dull RPGs?)
Being a launch title for a new console is not an enviable task. Such games rarely stand the light of day, let alone review in retrospect. (Critic-developer-publisher-consoleVendor circle-jerking frequently clouds collective judgment initially).
Enchanted Arms is a by-the-numbers Japanese turn-based-battle RPG. That, in itself, is not a bad thing. Unfortunately it fails to deliver on most levels.
The "characters" are all irritating. In fact, sometimes they seem to vie to be the *most* irritating. The dialog is terrible. ("..." alone is not a sentence. Using it in every interaction does not make it more enlightening). While the English voice acting is entertainingly bad at first, the more characters are introduced, the more grating it all becomes. (It seemed to drive most critics crazy too). There's a slightly more tolerable original-spoken-Japanese option but even that cannot prevent the high pitched screeching of many of the characters...
The storyline is predictable and uninteresting. I've been waiting many hours (more than I'd like to admit) for the hook that will make me give a s**t about what's going on. I have yet to find one.
Enchanted Arms does try something a little different in its grid-based, turn-based battle system. Unfortunately battles soon begin to feel more like repetitive time-filling chores than fun.
I am officially over the standard fare from the Japanese turn-based battle RPG genre.
I'm not interested unless
For some time I've considered the approach taken by most Eastern RPGs to be a (poor) excuse that was permissible only because of the limitations of the last console set i.e. PS2. With the advent of the Xbox 360 (and PS3) those excuses are no longer good enough. Strictly turn-based battles, "random" encounters with invisible enemies, party members becoming invisible while navigating dull environments and being "rewarded" for exploring every dead-end in said environments, need to become part of gaming history.
Fortunately games such as Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata do away with some of these jaded traditions and I hope spell the end of their use in the genre. Both games allow you to see the enemies you encounter and avoid them if you choose. Also, Eternal Sonata's battles, while still turn-based, have a countdown that begins as soon as a character moves, leaving you seconds to decide what action to take - this makes them refreshingly engrossing and exciting.
Roll on Two Worlds, BioShock, Mass Effect, Too Human and Fable 2...(unfortunately several of those titles risk being trapped in Uncanny Valley...but that's a topic for another day...).
Enchanted Arms is a by-the-numbers Japanese turn-based-battle RPG. That, in itself, is not a bad thing. Unfortunately it fails to deliver on most levels.
The "characters" are all irritating. In fact, sometimes they seem to vie to be the *most* irritating. The dialog is terrible. ("..." alone is not a sentence. Using it in every interaction does not make it more enlightening). While the English voice acting is entertainingly bad at first, the more characters are introduced, the more grating it all becomes. (It seemed to drive most critics crazy too). There's a slightly more tolerable original-spoken-Japanese option but even that cannot prevent the high pitched screeching of many of the characters...
The storyline is predictable and uninteresting. I've been waiting many hours (more than I'd like to admit) for the hook that will make me give a s**t about what's going on. I have yet to find one.
Enchanted Arms does try something a little different in its grid-based, turn-based battle system. Unfortunately battles soon begin to feel more like repetitive time-filling chores than fun.
I am officially over the standard fare from the Japanese turn-based battle RPG genre.
I'm not interested unless
- I can customize my character appearance
- my actions make an appreciable difference to battle outcome(s)
- those battles are fun and not just filler/the necessary means to increase stats
- I have some *role* in the decisions my character makes
- those decisions make a noticeable difference to the story outcome.
For some time I've considered the approach taken by most Eastern RPGs to be a (poor) excuse that was permissible only because of the limitations of the last console set i.e. PS2. With the advent of the Xbox 360 (and PS3) those excuses are no longer good enough. Strictly turn-based battles, "random" encounters with invisible enemies, party members becoming invisible while navigating dull environments and being "rewarded" for exploring every dead-end in said environments, need to become part of gaming history.
Fortunately games such as Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonata do away with some of these jaded traditions and I hope spell the end of their use in the genre. Both games allow you to see the enemies you encounter and avoid them if you choose. Also, Eternal Sonata's battles, while still turn-based, have a countdown that begins as soon as a character moves, leaving you seconds to decide what action to take - this makes them refreshingly engrossing and exciting.
Roll on Two Worlds, BioShock, Mass Effect, Too Human and Fable 2...(unfortunately several of those titles risk being trapped in Uncanny Valley...but that's a topic for another day...).
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Alcatraz Challenge - August 5th 2007
Oh San Francisco Bay Swim,
How I hate to love thee.
Most fickle of watery wenches,
Next time, be easy, I plea.
Swim or Die. So says the Alcatraz Challenge mantra. Overcast, damp, breezy conditions onshore foreshadowed what was to come...
Swim: There are many Alcatraz swims and they finish at various points along the San Francisco coastline. However they share a common distance - about 1.5 miles. This is achieved by starting the swim at different points around The Rock. This race should have begun off the south west corner of the isle for the swim to the east beach at Chrissy Field and for some competitors, it did. It took about five minutes to get us all in the water. Within that time, in spite of keeping the engines running, a stiff breeze and strong currents around the island forced the ferry (in the wrong direction) all the way to the south east side. (This put it nearer the start point for Escape from the Rock which swims to Aquatic Park - over a mile west of Chrissy Field...). Being close to last off the rapidly drifting boat didn't help. This was my toughest Alcatraz swim experience to date.
Even after fighting clear of the island currents, the rougher than expected conditions persisted for most of the swim. Waves big enough to overturn the safety kayaks encouraged us to get to land quickly. However speed was not part of nature's plan. My swim split was about 20 minutes (approximately 50%) slower than previous crossings...
Transition & Run: After a sandy exit, a time check, some resultant swearing, and shedding my neoprene swim-skin, I trekked toward the bridge, chasing this guy. The early start and poor weather helped in one significant respect, they kept the bridge and surrounding trails mercifully free of meandering tourists. As common sense might suggest, a segue from swim to run is much less physically onerous than bike to run; the bridge leg (my first time running across) was surprisingly enjoyable. The most notable event was narrowly avoiding a collision while rounding one of the bridge towers (sincere apologies bearded front runner). This guy passed me on the bridge return leg; I even managed to keep up for about a mile. :P
So my first aquathlon (not to be confused with biathlon or duathlon) was an interesting experience. Highs and lows like any other event but without the hassle of bike and bike equipment. Maybe next time The Bay will be a little kinder. :-)
Results. Male 25 - 29 age group.
Photos: Swim: start, exit. Run finish: #1, #2.
PS This week I finally identified the single biggest contributor to my knee issues - flying. Four (short) flights in three days did more damage than six weeks of swim-bike-run training. I wonder, would business class help? :-)
PPS This race featured the following Head Music
How I hate to love thee.
Most fickle of watery wenches,
Next time, be easy, I plea.
Swim or Die. So says the Alcatraz Challenge mantra. Overcast, damp, breezy conditions onshore foreshadowed what was to come...
Swim: There are many Alcatraz swims and they finish at various points along the San Francisco coastline. However they share a common distance - about 1.5 miles. This is achieved by starting the swim at different points around The Rock. This race should have begun off the south west corner of the isle for the swim to the east beach at Chrissy Field and for some competitors, it did. It took about five minutes to get us all in the water. Within that time, in spite of keeping the engines running, a stiff breeze and strong currents around the island forced the ferry (in the wrong direction) all the way to the south east side. (This put it nearer the start point for Escape from the Rock which swims to Aquatic Park - over a mile west of Chrissy Field...). Being close to last off the rapidly drifting boat didn't help. This was my toughest Alcatraz swim experience to date.
Even after fighting clear of the island currents, the rougher than expected conditions persisted for most of the swim. Waves big enough to overturn the safety kayaks encouraged us to get to land quickly. However speed was not part of nature's plan. My swim split was about 20 minutes (approximately 50%) slower than previous crossings...
Transition & Run: After a sandy exit, a time check, some resultant swearing, and shedding my neoprene swim-skin, I trekked toward the bridge, chasing this guy. The early start and poor weather helped in one significant respect, they kept the bridge and surrounding trails mercifully free of meandering tourists. As common sense might suggest, a segue from swim to run is much less physically onerous than bike to run; the bridge leg (my first time running across) was surprisingly enjoyable. The most notable event was narrowly avoiding a collision while rounding one of the bridge towers (sincere apologies bearded front runner). This guy passed me on the bridge return leg; I even managed to keep up for about a mile. :P
So my first aquathlon (not to be confused with biathlon or duathlon) was an interesting experience. Highs and lows like any other event but without the hassle of bike and bike equipment. Maybe next time The Bay will be a little kinder. :-)
Results. Male 25 - 29 age group.
Photos: Swim: start, exit. Run finish: #1, #2.
PS This week I finally identified the single biggest contributor to my knee issues - flying. Four (short) flights in three days did more damage than six weeks of swim-bike-run training. I wonder, would business class help? :-)
PPS This race featured the following Head Music
- Digitalism "Idealistic"
- The Prodigy "Breathe"
- Monster Magnet "Look To Your Orb For The Warning"
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Transformers (live action movie)
Watching a Michael Bay movie can be like watching a fireworks display without the deep, intricate plot and clever, well delivered dialog. It helps if you've had a few drinks, are warmly wrapped up and are safe in the knowledge that your good parking spot will allow you a fast escape should the fog roll in or the screaming (agony) become unbearable.
Pearl Harbor, Armageddon and The Rock are some of my least favorite flicks (I concede that millions of punters and dollars disagree) but MB had some prolific, highly paid "acting talent" to aid his efforts to churn those out. (I admit Scarlett and Ewan somehow saved The Island for me). Thankfully, the stars of his latest big budget venture are stompy robots from Cybertron and even MB cannot prevent the polished genius of Industrial Light & Magic shining through.
The attempts at comedy become grating, the plot is frequently laughable, the incessant product placement is (literally) rammed down your throat with a truck, but I could still watch Autobots and Decepticons transform and/or fight all day long.
PS I still think Michael Bay should not be allowed to work with humans...
PPS I do not condone drinking and driving...
Pearl Harbor, Armageddon and The Rock are some of my least favorite flicks (I concede that millions of punters and dollars disagree) but MB had some prolific, highly paid "acting talent" to aid his efforts to churn those out. (I admit Scarlett and Ewan somehow saved The Island for me). Thankfully, the stars of his latest big budget venture are stompy robots from Cybertron and even MB cannot prevent the polished genius of Industrial Light & Magic shining through.
The attempts at comedy become grating, the plot is frequently laughable, the incessant product placement is (literally) rammed down your throat with a truck, but I could still watch Autobots and Decepticons transform and/or fight all day long.
PS I still think Michael Bay should not be allowed to work with humans...
PPS I do not condone drinking and driving...
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