The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett

I came across this book whilst out this evening and it has immediately grabbed my interest.

The genre and plot of this book appeal to me. Terry Pratchett has been best known for his tales focused on the Discworld over the last few decades, and this particular book appears to be a slight step away from that world. I feel this may bring new life into his work and will be a welcome change.

Excited to begin reading this one!

New Character in Guild Wars 2.

My new character in Guild Wars 2..

Gran Turismo 5. To buy or not to buy? Is it still worthwhile amongst all the competition.

Is it worth it? I've debated over it for quite some time but ultimately, can it live up to its competition these days. With games such as Grid and Forza (amongst others), does this game still have a unique selling point?

The Casual Gamer vs The Hardcore Gamer

When I say casual gamer, I don't particularly mean the gamer that plays games on easy, nor the gamer that only plays games every so often. I mean the gamer that plays casual games.

You know the ones, the oddly addicting ones, yet minimal skill or even attention is required for the most part. Games like FarmVille and Hay Day, amongst many others.

These games are becoming more and more popular and so more variations of the games themselves are joining the shelves. These micro-management, micro-transaction games seem to be opening up a whole new market to people who would otherwise not game at all.

My concern is simple. As there is so much money to be made in these games and they are a 'safe bet' (due to minimal development/creation costs) with maximum rewards. Does this foresee a bleak future for gaming as a whole?

From the onslaught of casual games a few years ago, we have also seen an onslaught of different factors being introduced to our mainstream (more hardcore) games. Things such as DLC and arcade games. The games themselves seem to be a little easier these days too.

The concern is, will the casual gaming market (with its high consumer volumes) have a negative effect on the core of the very gaming industry and 'dumb down' some of the games of the future. For the time being, it's great that gaming is spreading beyond the tight community it once was, but what does the future hold?

What Is A Hero?

What defines a hero? Is it somebody who has done something significant for mankind? Perhaps somebody who has led in their field of expertise or achieved a great feat, or is it somebody in your personal life? Maybe all of the above.

Whatever your personal opinion may be, a hero can be defined rather differently, sometimes entirely differently, dependant on your own perspective.

Personally, i think a hero cannot be defined in mere words and is more something determined on a very personal level.

For instance, a hero to one person may be a sporting personality (to which I cannot relate), whereby a hero to others could be a leading business mind, historical character, relative or soldier maybe. The list is endless.

Rift: Free To Play Model Coming Soon

So it's been announced recently that Rift will be coming onto the free to play format, much like almost all other MMOs after a certain amount of time (exceptions including Eve and WoW).

This needs to be a very careful undertaking however as we have seen the free to play model crash and burn for games in the past. Yes, there's no subscription, but how is it best to implement factors into the game so the developer can still earn money?

A personal no no for me is buying quest packs, we saw this in LOTRO and I don't think it works too well. Ultimately this kind of DLC means you can't progress without investing (much like paying to be able to go into different parts of the world, or to be able to level up).

I hope Rift does adopt a winning scheme (Guild Wars 2 is testament that it can be done, but I guess that was made from the ground up as a non-subscription game, that could make a difference).

Going free to play can either make or break a game. I guess we'll find out (I'm sure it'll be fine!)

Xbox One: No 'always online' requirement.. for now.

So the Xbox One has been officially announced (from inside a tent) and it has brought with it some predictable expectations, but nothing too radical or game changing.

The main point to me was with the possibility of an 'always online' requirement. I'm glad they have taken the decision to not include this in their new console (maybe they had seen the roaring feedback following the release of SimCity and had changed their minds.. perhaps).

Personally however, isn't this merely postponing the inevitable? With the onslaught of DLC and continual game updates we receive whenever we don't play a game for a week or two. Plus the fact we can now buy full games online, without the need for a disc, it only seems like natural progression that 'always online' will one day be the norm. Whether this be your console, your mobile or perhaps even your touch screen coffee table..

It may not be a requirement now, but in the next generation it may well be. The Xbox Two and PS5 will likely adopt this, just as soon as the public comes around to the idea.

MMO's: Getting back into it.. but there's too much choice?!

Once again, I'm feeling that unmistakable itch within the gaming cortex of my brain (yes, ofcourse it exists..). The itch that continually nags at me to start playing an MMO again, until the inevitable happens and I give in.

My one problem? Which one do I choose? Do I do the unthinkable and re-subscribe to WoW (maybe not). Perhaps Rift, but then again, with the new Star Trek film that has just come out, I also feel drawn to a dabble in Star Trek Online.

This is amongst many other options I could take. Is there just too much choice these days? If so, is this nessacerily a bad thing?

One thing is decided though, I may as well not go back to Rift until the free to play model is put in place in June.

'Silver Linings PlayBook' Thoughts.

The life of a character living with a condition. A condition made apparent from a highly traumatic event which will forever leave its mark.

I think almost all of us can relate in one way or another. A singular event that we will remember for some reason or another, and that has somehow changed us for the worse or the better.

Following the relationship between two characters that have (what can be), aggressive conditions and how they work together in spite of this can be heart-warming. You feel almost as if such a relationship could not work between any other two.

New developments and subplots present themselves at points (the father having a superstitious gambling problem for instance), lend well and compliment the overall story.

Although the end is predictable, it still comes as a welcome and pleasing end. Fantastic acting on all parts, especially Bradley Cooper who handles his role and its challenges well. Making it believable and involved.

Quartet Thoughts.

I have recently watched a film by the name of 'Quartet'. A film centred around the goings on of a country retirement home for retired musicians.

Yes I know, this concept hardly sounds riveting, however, there is a surprising lot to offer.

Firstly, the scenes and the home itself lend well to providing a wonderfully rich atmosphere. This, put together with each character having their own unique characteristics, makes the film addicting to watch to the end (Maggie Smith stands out once again).

You find yourself developing empathy, delight and sorrow at times. The film addresses the well known condition of dementia rather well. It also reminds us all of how fragile life can be and also not to take life so seriously.

Without giving anything away, the ending is happy, yet sad. A 'bitter-sweet' scenario which leaves you thinking; the sign of a good film.

Is Playstation Plus Worth It?

I've been pondering over the Playstation Store recently and have gained an interest in Playstation Plus.

For £39.99 a year, you gain a subscription to play upwards of 30 games a year (changing each month) for free. Some of these are highly rated and popular, whilst others appear to be standard arcade-like games. You also gain 2gb (1gb each on the Vita and the PS3), where you can save game data.

All in all, it doesn't seem like a bad little package and its certainly tempting. Considering you pay near enough the same price just to play online on the Xbox, it seems justified.

Maybe, maybe not, room for thought.

'The Complaints' by Ian Rankin

I have recently finished reading The Complaints by Ian Rankin. A detective thriller, following the path of one Malcolm Fox as he overcomes one obstacle after the next in his hunt for truth and justice.

Ian Rankin really does know how to emphasise the power of the scene. He provides excellent descriptions of the surroundings, without over-encumbering you with too much detail, or heaven forbid, telling the reader what they should be seeing.

Each character is given their own set of distinguished unique personalities, however the reader can hardly trust any one of these characters, even up until the very last few page turns. Questions are asked throughout the book, each one begging to be answered and ultimately ensuring that I personally remained swept up in all the drama.

Recommended read.

Your Preferred Public Writing Hub.

Not all of us have one, some of us only choose to write within the walls of our own homes. There is, however, advantages to writing in a public place.

Not only does it give us new inspiration, as we see life going on all about us. We can also find inspiration in the sounds, smells and characters we may find. It can create added focus and renewed excitement to your writing.

Do you have your own public writing hub, are you that person with the laptop or pen and paper at your local coffee shop?

Perhaps it's Starbucks or Costa perhaps? Maybe it's a quaint little coffee shop or local bookstore around the corner. Either way, it's very much worthwhile, especially if suffering from a lack of new ideas.

Losing Your Handwriting Skill.

With the continued onslaught of technology, making its place into every foreseeable aspect of our current and future life's, where is the place/need for handwriting?

I grew up and learnt to write using a pen and paper and nothing else, however I now see that children are adapting themselves to writing via their technology, negating any need to use the 'old fashioned' pen and paper route. This appears to be happening at an increasingly younger age as time goes forward.

I noticed this myself when having to put pen to paper (on that rare occasion) recently. I had to give the task that tiny but more thought than I really should of needed to, and that's a real shame. The art and the majesty of the written word should not be lost but I fear soon enough we will be so accustomed to tapping rather than writing, that any need to write with a pen will be made exclusively for signatures and the like.