If it's in the game, it's in the game

This year's iteration in the FIFA franchise came out a few weeks ago. I bought it on the day of release and have been playing it, if not solidly then consistently, since then. It is an excellent game, far better than last year's more defence-minded game and as good, if not better, than FIFA10 (up until now my favourite football videogame ever).

But I'm not blogging about my silky FIFA skills (with my win percentage bumping along at around 20%, that wouldn't take long). Last Saturday, I went to see real football, West Ham United v Blackpool and thoroughly enjoyed a 4-0 saunter for the Cockney Boys. My seat for the day was in one of the stands to the side of the ground,  just below the TV gantry, almost in line with the centre circle. The view from my seat was very similar to the default camera option in this year's FIFA. Such is the realism of FIFA12 (graphically - at a distance, anyway - as well as in the gameplay), there were times during the West Ham game when I was watching the on-field action instinctively thinking 'finesse that shot' or 'pressing tackle!' and imagining the corresponding button press as I saw play develop. I'd then remember that this wasn't a virtual game of football, that it was an actual one.

These thoughts came like they do when playing the game - jumping into the 'twitch reflex' part of my brain, rather than the rational, thinking-monkey, bit (the rational bit then kicking in, rolling its eyes at 'twitch' and reminding Team Brain that its body wasn't holding a controller). I've had this feeling before - for example, when scanning the tops of flyovers for giant ants after a lengthy EDF 2017 session - but never from a sports game. I think this is testament to the immersive nature of this year's  FIFA and it is difficult to predict how EA can improve upon this sense of immersion  in the  future (not that that will stop them bringing out FIFA13, of course).  

RIP Funland

Last week I was in the Piccadilly area of London on my lunch break. As is usual when I'm over that way, I popped into the Trocadero to have a wander around Funland, which is probably the largest arcade in Central London (if not England). Or rather 'was' the largest arcade in London, as it has recently closed down.

I'd gone to Funland for years - as much as anywhere, it was 'my' arcade when in my twenties. I was never a frequent visitor - although comparatively wealthy next to students nowadays, even back in the mid-90s students didn't have spare cash to feed, in £1 coin increments, to Namco, Sega, Konami et al. I was a regular visitor though - probably dropping in every couple of months or so.

As with every arcade - except Segaworld - that I have ever been to (and I'm a gamer who grew up on the English South Coast, so I've been to quite a few), Funland was, even at its late 90s height, slightly seedy and down at heel. That has always been part of an arcade's charm, I think - the juxtaposition of the advanced gaming technology, with the sticky carpets, cigarette smoke (pre-ban, that is) and dingy lighting.

It had one of the best range of arcade games around - this was where I first played Daytona, in a fantastic 8-cabinet array - and used to get the latest cabinets, probably before anywhere else in the country. I've read that, at its height, gaming journalists would often visit to see the latest games in action (and then, no doubt, stay on them for ages for £1 with their mad gaming skillz).

As well as a great range of arcade games, there were a few other money-spinning entertainments in Funland. Dodgems, a mini bowling allay and, for a time, a range of games that you could win paper tokens on, that could then be exchanged (after amassing a huge number of them) for a range of tacky prizes, as at a funfair. I don't think I ever went on any of those - it was always all about the videogames for me - but I remember that, at one point, the dodgem circuit was lined with classic arcade cabinets that were nearly always empty and so good for a quick, wait-free game.

For a time Funland was co-located in the Trocadero with Segaworld London - a misguided attempt to create an interactive theme park by Sega in the years when they seemed to lumber from one massive mistake to another (blow your marketing budget for your new console on sponsoring a football team?). However, Funland was there before Segaworld opened in 1996 and it was there after Segaworld closed down in 2002 and, indeed, took over some of Segaworld's floorspace. This multi-floor expansion made Funland somewhat of a maze and, as I'd only go over every 6 months or so after I stopped being a student and had to get on with 'real life', I would frequently get lost while wandering around, wondering where the exit was. Fortunately, there was never a fire...

I checked the internets when I returned to work - it seems the arcade closed in July 2011. The official website (www.funland.co.uk) cites a 'power failure' (that has also knocked out their phones) but that is unlikely as the rest of (what's left) of the businesses in the Trocadero had electricity to burn on my visit. And 2 months to fix a power failure? The power was back on in Baghdad quicker than that. There are reports on the internet that the real reason was somewhat different but, what is definitely true is that the upper levels of the 7-storey Trocadero complex are being redeveloped as a hotel and I wonder if the landlords were all that keen on what was, by the end, quite a seedy arcade occupying the levels of the building below their shiny new hotel. Whatever the real reason for the closure was, the arcade docent look like re-opening.

I think that my admission that I only went every 6 months in its latter years, is probably indicative of why arcades are thought to be a dying business. I would go on a weekday lunchtime in the heart of tourist London and it was never all that busy. Given the overheads attached to such a venture, in that high-rent location (the electricity bill alone must have been astronomical), it is difficult to see how it lasted as long as it did. With the massive advances in console entertainment in the near 20 years I'd been going to Funland, gamers simply do not need to shovel pound coins into arcade machines to get high quality gaming fixes. Put simply, you can't run a large-floorspace business in Central London based on hardcore dance gamers (Funland was something of a shrine for dancing games, apparently) and nostalgic twice-yearly gamers like me. I am slightly disappointed that I never got the opportunity to take my daughter (who loves arcades) along to Funland (my wife, on the other hand, is probably quite relieved).

Holiday Casualty

I've just been on a great fortnight's holiday in Suffolk - very relaxing, reasonably clement weather  and plenty to do.  As is usual for me, I took my DS Lite, my PSP (which went untouched) and my iPad, in order to head off gaming withdrawal.  Unfortunately, my DS bought the farm while I was away (coincidentally, on a farm) - one of the hinges snapped off as I opened it up for another game of imported zombie RTS Zombie Daisuki (to be reviewed soon).

Something missing?

I wasn't particularly rough with it but the housing for the power lights completely sheared off.  I bought the DS Lite when it came out, upgrading from my DS Chunky, so I've had it for over four years (in which time I've played it a lot).  Even so, a physical failure like this seems poor.

Fortunately, the DS still works OK, though some balancing (or changing grip, so that the left hand is supporting the top screen as well using the D-pad) is required to prevent the top screen from becoming wonky while playing.  I think that this means it is no longer a portable console - playing it on the sofa at home is fine but I think bumpy train journeys are a thing of the past!

I will be replacing it shortly, probably with a DSi.  I did consider a 3DS given the recent price drop but I'm not that interested in any of the current 3DS games and, if I got one, it would be for the DS backwards compatibility.  However, there is very little difference in price between the two at the moment (which is faintly ridiculous), so I might end up taking the 3D plunge or (most likely) checking the condition/price of  a second hand DSi

Official Wireless Xbox 360 controller (silver) - review

Unless you're relentlessly anti-social (or fixated with online play only), you'll need to buy additional controllers to complement the one packaged with your console. You may have an annoying sibling to take on at FIFA, a guest who wants to 'see how much games have changed since my Atari ST', or a child to grind Lego collecathons with. However you arrive there, you will almost certainly be looking to buy a second controller at some point.  I bought a second official MS Xbox controller when I bought my 360 in 2007. Recently one of them became faulty, continually becoming disconnected from the console despite fully juiced-up batteries or battery packs. As I often play 360 with my daughter, a second controller is essential and so I was in the market for a new one.

Third-party pads are nearly always awful (Power A Pro Elite on PS3 being a notable exception), so I looked to Microsoft for a replacement pad. As I've written on here before, I think that the 360 controller is the best controller that I have ever used over my thirty years of gaming. Other than the d-pad, which is a bit sucky, there is nothing that I would seek to improve about the pad that I wanted to replace.

Pretty

Never one to miss a trick, improving the d-pad is exactly what Microsoft has done in the latest version of the pad. The d-pad switches between a disc (as in the original pad) and, with a slight twist, a cross. The cross is undoubtedly better than the disc but most games that I play don't use the d-pad all that much - weapon selection, choice of tactics and similar functions. While it's a neat trick, I don't think it is that much of a killer feature to warrant a purchase on its own.

As an 'innie'

As an 'outie'

As the pictures show, my new controller is silver which, as the pictures don't quite show, is a matt effect (a shiny finish would not have done much for its gripability). I thought that this would run the risk of scuffing like a cheap plastic toy - of the metal effect rubbing off after repeated use to show the black plastic underneath. So far, however, that has not happened, even under the part of the controller under my wedding ring.

Another new 'feature' is a recolouring of the buttons, presumably to echo the silver colour of the pad itself. I think that this is a poor design choice as far as its primary purpose - as a game controller - is concerned. while it might make sense aesthetically, the 'normal' colours of the buttons are important when playing games. Screen prompts, particularly in tutorials, will flash up the colour, as well as the letters (which are unchanged in this pad). I instinctively know that 'green' means the 'A' button. There have been occasions playing with the new pad where I've seen a green, blue, red or yellow coloured screen prompt and had to think 'is that white, light grey, middle grey or dark grey?'. Many games rely on split-second timing and that fraction of a second additional thinking time may be the difference between success or failure.

The buttons in all their monochrome glory

The pad is slightly heavier than the normal pad. Without batteries it is 226gm (compared to the normal pad's 209gm) and with the standard rechargeable battery pack, it is 297gm (compared to a normal pad's 280gm). 17gm difference seems very little indeed but it does make a difference. I often have stiff wrists the day following a lengthy gaming session (30-years' gaming experience, ftw) and that was noticeably worse with the new pad. The day after a long session with this pad on high octane shooter Vanquish, my wrists were aching like those of a 14-year old boy with unmonitored internet access.

I paid £45 for the pad, which came packaged with a play and charge kit. As I needed a play and charge kit anyway, I thought that this was a good price. However, in my opinion this pad is not as good as the original pad. The chief 'good' point - the new D-pad - does not outweigh the 'bad' ones - the weight and the different coloured buttons. When/if I next need to pick up another new pad, I will be going for the original one.

Resident Evil 'Umbrella Corporation' Cuff Links

I often wear cufflinks for work and have a reasonably large collection of them. I recently purchased a pair of 'Umbrella Corporation' cufflinks from UK-based etsy seller Deadly Pretty.

Y'know - evil

The Umbrella Corporation insignia is made from acrylic (possibly a little too thin for everyday use or I may just be used to weightier links) and exactly the right the surface area.  Not too small as to barely cover the link hole but not too large that it looks like it's fallen from a Las Vegas-era Elvis jumpsuit.

The link-y bit is my preferred shape - a t-bar that snaps open/shut (much preferable to capstan-style cuff links).

My day job sometimes requires interaction with politicians and I find the possibility of meeting politicos wearing the symbol of a sinister, conspiracy-riddled organisation that is  committed to developing hideous biological weapons, quite amusing...

Burnout M25

Videogames are linked negatively with many aspects of today's society in the more knee-jerk areas of the media. The findings of small-scale research reports are often taken out of context by the tabloid press, whose underlying agenda boils down to 'new things that we don't understand, we don't like'. As you can probably guess, I don't think that the problems in society can be laid at the feet of Grand Theft Auto but I do wonder if games have had an effect on certain drivers' driving style.

Last night I drove around the M25 from Surrey to Hertfordshire having visited family. Even though it was late, the road was very busy and some of the driving tactics, erratic. I passed my driving test in 1989 (three years after the M25 was completed) and have noticed that questionable driving manoeuvres, particularly weaving in and out of traffic, have increased greatly over those 22 years. I wonder if a generation of drivers have been influenced by playing Burnout, PGR, Ridge Racer et al in how they tackle the roads. Obviously, it isn't all drivers (the roads would be strewn with wreckage and the hospitals full of crash victims if it were) but it only takes a small percentage to have a noticeable effect on other road users.

There are undoubtedly other influences on driving and this piece is just my own anecdotal experience (written the morning following a drive) and having no scientific basis. I also think the increased safety features and driving assistance devices in cars make drivers more prepared to take risks (I can't imagine what it would be like to drive the car I passed my test in - an Austin Metro mk1 - now). There are far more cars on the road now too.

I also haven't ruled out the possibility that, now I've turned 40, I've turned into a Grumpy Old Man!

Guiness World Records 2011 - Gamer's Edition

Over the past few years, the Guinness World Record publishing imprint has brought out a videogame edition. The 2011 edition was released a couple of months ago and, thanks to a 50% discount in Waterstone's, I recently picked up a copy.

Guinness's main tome, originally published to settle pub arguments (instead of, say, fisticuffs) has been around since the fifties. Looking at a copy from those olden days (the one shown in these photos is a copy I have from 1961), there is a stark design contrast between it and those of today. Obviously methods of production, use of photos and colour have changed greatly over the years but the original Guinness Book of Records was a tweedy concern, written by (and, frankly, for) sensible, pedantic  readers.  And kids - kids love that stuff (the Record Breakers TV show ran for thirty years).

Facts and Booze - together at last

The olden days edition was about *facts* - cold, hard, facts - set out in column format, one under another. Just the type of ordered presentation that I imagine would have been beloved by founding editors - and right-wing nutcases - Norris and Ross McWhirter. Rows and rows of ordered facts.

Some facts, yesterday

The videogame edition is less ordered - the McWhirters' shades splutter into their ghostly gin & tonics - and facts jump about all over the page. The basic business of the new book is still, of course, records - in the  Gamer's Edition, shots at geek immortality for high scores, speedruns and the like. Part of the appeal of this book - as with the main volume - lies in the fact that, while some rely on skill and are clearly out of the reach of normal people, there are plenty that you think "hmm, I could have a bash at that". Of course, most people don't do that - I mean, I like Red Dead Redemption but do I really want to play it for 50 hours in a row* - but some readers will do so and then be in following year's edition, starting the whole cycle again.

50 hours to win €1000, between 6

The book itself is 216 pages long and in full colour, with plenty of illustrations. The quality of the printing isn't that great - the finish of the pages is matt rather than glossy, which doesn't help the reproduction of screenshots (something we are only used to seeing 'glossy' be that on TV, monitor or in magazines).  The layout is akin to that used in videogame magazines, with box-outs, lots of photos and text built around them.

Old school scores - pass the gin, Norris 

In a nod to the fact-marshalled past, there are twenty pages of Twin Galaxies scoreboards at the back of the volume, listing high scores and speedruns across a variety of platforms, from the current gen to as far back as old school arcade games (see Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell's duel from King of Kong reduced to simple numbers).

It is a very geeky book but a great one to have lying around to be picked up if you feel like a quick fact blitz.  OK, yes - in the bathroom....

* p103 of the book