Fandamnation

When Fangirls Attack

Twitter is a relatively new weapon in the arsenal of the fangirl. 

With only 140 characters per entry, every 'tweet' by a 'twit' has got to count.

One of the interesting side effects of twitter (probably attracted by the brevity of each post) is the widespread celebrity involvement. Celebs can breeze in, write in 140 words How Much More Exciting Their Life Is Than Yours and breeze out. They follow each other and celeb bloggers, and can choose when and how to engage with the millions of fans who follow them.

Rarely have the worlds of fandom and the object of their affection become so closely intertwined.

Try Saying This Three Times Fast!

For those interested in games specifically, I have a new blog recommendation.

It's called Wagon Whale Weekly  and it's run by two awesome guys Mark and James. They review games for both PC and consoles, so fanboys keep your trousers on.

Check them out today! If you don't, I'll find out. Somehow.

Games

What? Hans Christian Anderson styled Hack 'N' Slash

Who? Playlogic

First Bite = The Evil Stepmother called and she wants her *bleeping* control system back

* Reviewed on PS3

You can ask my local game store to corroborate this story - over the course of three weeks I must have gone in and asked ten times whether this game had come out. 

I have always loved fairytales, so a game made of fairytale characters hacking at each other with mallets and big pointy candy canes? Forgettaboutit. I was all over that. Especially after seeing screenshots of one of the playable characters, The Naked Emperor. Talk about rock out with your.....axe out.

Alas, my little scantily clad anti-hero was the best thing about this game that I had waited so long for.

I think I've been spoilt lately by Games Made Of Win (I'm looking at you, Uncharted 2) but even standing way back and not comparing it to anything else, there are serious flaws with Fairytale Fights.

The most glaring would be the control system, followed closely by the gameplay (and camera angle, graphics, plot, dialogue etc etc)

Having never played a game where the analogue stick was the prime mode of attack (without the complimentary use of an 'X' button, for example) I felt like I had never picked up a controller before. It was a really alien concept, which would have been fine if I felt like it worked to some degree. But fighting an enemy close to an edge became a completely frustrating experience. Put a bit of cornflakes into your attack and your enthusiasm sees you both go shooting over the edge. Absolutely no breathing room for subtlety of movement, or kicking of bottoms.

Jumping became something of a crapshoot too - the shoddy camera giving you the worst possible view to make spatial judgements. I am convinced I have in fact invented 25 new swear words just from the jumping/missing alone.

The levels that you spend a lot of time dying are lllooooooooooonnng and extremely repetitive. A level in which you are trekking through a hedge maze puzzle sees you find your way out of one only to find yourself in another. Another boss fight has you fighting a gigantic, ugly beaver (no joke) and once you fell him once and think it's all over, back he comes. Another two times.

It all starts to seem rather lazy by the end - doing the same thing over and over for very little reward (apart from a statue of your character in 'Taleville'. Erm....thanks?)

Great concept. Very poorly done. Puddle-like in its shallowness.

The Naked Emperor is still cute though.

Yay For

The little Naked Emperor pwning all

Some good ideas

Pretty colours?

Nay For

Extreme repetition

Nerve-shreddingly frustrating control system

Plot, what plot?

No one online

Boss fights suck

No payoff

5.5/10

The Mary Sue Litmus Test

Ahh Mary Sue - so famous she has a Litmus Test in her honour.

Is there nothing this girl can't do??

Do You Mary Sue?

Games

What? Cel Shaded, RPG/FPS

Who? 2K Games

First Bite = Looks pretty but packs a punch.

* Reviewed on XBox360

There are three things that stand out when I first boot up Borderlands on the 360.

1) The cell shading affect is pretty cool

2) The combat / skill stacking reminds me a lot of both Fallout 3 and 2k's other dystopian pearler, Bioshock.

3) That shooting things with a shit-load of different weaponry is fun. Very fun.

Borderlands is billed as a highly stylise, Mad Max-like RPG/FPS set in a dystopian wasteland called Pandora. Players are given a choice between four thrillseekers/fortune hunters/mercenaries - each of a different class and equipped with unique abilities - but each basically a blank slate ripe for skill upgrading. In this way, it is most like Fallout 3 - completing objectives, finding and fencing loot and taking out enemies all reward experience points and money, both which are used to improve the players chosen character.

The map is a barren wasteland (see what I did there?) that rewards exploration by gradually giving up secured areas and secrets. In much the same way as Fallout 3's instant transportation and the Rapture Metro System in Bioshock, once a player opens up the different environments of Pandora, the player can then teleport between the areas with ease.

Apart from the main quest involving the search for the mysterious 'Vault' (told you it was like Fallout 3) there are many other side objectives throughout Pandora, some of which compliment and further your primary objective and others that are done to win friends, influence people and earn money. These range from collection / search and rescue to good old fashioned gun-for-hire nastiness.

Speaking of combat, the combat system is fairly straight-forward, and the controls are intuitive. As well as the player ranking up, so to do NPC enemies, meaning some are naturally more difficult to kill and much more immune to your attacks.

While the combat was easy to get used to, I have to admit to having trouble getting the hang of the driving mechanics on Scooter's vehicles, but once I did they were a lot of fun and very useful. You could paint them pretty colours and even run over things.

Probably 2Ks big selling point with this game is the split screen / online multiplayer and co-op. And fair enough to - games like this were born for the mayhem of shank and rank online.

I've yet to play all areas and modes online, but my first foray took me back to the start of the game with two others, so I assume this mode of online means friends/associates/strangers can help (or hinder) each other's progression through the story (ie. you are able to challenge your teammates to duels if they piss you off, take all the ammo and health before they get to it, plunder all the loot for yourself etc). This adds an interesting dynamic to the online game. There is some talk that the people attempting to play online via the PS3 system are having problems, but apparently this is currently being fixed by Gearbox

Overall I really liked my time with Borderlands. Like Fallout 3 it is very much a game that rewards patience and exploration but for those not fussed with either there is a solid combat mode with a large array of arsenals and enemies. Something for everyone then!

Yay For Mad Max-esque dystopian shoot-em-up, gorgeously unique visuals, shank and rank online, Bioshock - like vending machines, getting chased by mutant psycho midgets

Nay For some repetition, uneven boss battles, requires patience which is bad if you have none, some weird online launch issues, getting chased by mutant psycho midgets

7.8/10

Games

What? Stylish Vengeance Shooter

Who? Bethesda Softworks

First Bite = Wet is only a little bit soggy 

* Game reviewed on XBox360

 

Visually, there is definitely not another game like "Wet".

Taking cues from grindhouse films of the 70s, this Tarantino-esque tale of revenge is gritty and the graphics serve to further this idea. Film grain crackles over the screen while the 'levels' are interspersed with vintage cinema-style commercials. (For those not fussed about the 'authentic' experience, the film grain overlay can be removed via the options menu)

But as we all know, games can't rest on their graphics alone, and while Wet is incredibly stylish, the storyline elements feel secondary and are no where near as polished. The editing feels wrong, and the story jumps all over the place without a solid throughline to guide the player along.

Rubi's pissed and wants to kill a lot of people. That's what story I took away from the game, and while I know it's deeper than that, it isn't a memorable enough plot to stand out.

The gameplay has some amazing parts but ultimately also falls short. The control system itself is quite good, and when you can chain moves together it is both solid and fluid. But too often it feels as though everything has been done before.

Rubi is given points for chaining moves and performing acrobatic kills. These 'style points' let you upgrade abilities and arsenal. This is all fine, but the game seems to become more about earning these points in lieu of driving an actual story. Rubi is dropped into one arena after another, and instructed to take out all enemies and respawn points. Which is fun - when you learn all the moves and for the first couple of times. But after the 5th time you've done it, maybe not so fun.

There are even training/challenge sections (usually encountered after earning a new weapon) but instead of being an interesting diversion to be attempted at your leisure, you are forced to pass these before you are allowed to continue the main 'storyline'. Even when the story has Rubi halfway across the globe, we are still dropped back into the Texas boneyard where Rubi hangs out and asked to pass these challenges. It is this kind of inconsistency which prevents a game from being completely immersive.

But despite these quirks, I enjoyed playing Wet for the most part. I was drawn to the style and the music, and when you are able to chain Rubi's acrobatic moves together it was a very cool gaming experience.

Sadly however, most will probably say it is all style and no substance, and sadder still is the fact that this would be a fair call.

Yay For stylish graphics, cool music, acrobatic assassination, Rubi's Rage Mode

Nay For another arena? Nonsensical pacing and story, too many QTE's, weak boss fight, rushed feeling

6.5 / 10

Fandom Around The Web

Tasty snippets from Fandom on teh internets

"Most of the fanboy's chief tactics revolve around refusing to engage in intellectual debate. This ensures you can never be proven wrong, as no logical person is able to argue with those to whom logic makes no sense. With that in mind, never, EVER defend your stance with a well-reasoned response. Just attack, attack, attack, and you will ultimately triumph in a war of attrition."

('Ten Golden Rules of Videogame Fanboyism' // by Jim Stirling, 'Destructoid.com')

Postcards From the Edge: Or How I Learnt to Stop Worrying And Hate The Media

Call me crazy.

Got that out of your system? Good.

I write a blog about Fandom because I love it/hate it/have been in it. But unfortunately, once you align yourself with one group (especially a well known fandom or a fandom of a well known show/person/etc) you are subject to all the misunderstandings brought about by the media.

I was very heavily involved in the Moonlight fandom. Those who follow such things will know that this in particular is one fandom that has had a lot of attention. When Moonlight was cancelled in 2008, there was a huge outcry and an even bigger campaign to try to get the show reinstated. The story is a lot deeper than that (remind me to tell you one time, it's a corker) but basically, for about six months, it was the Moonlight Fandom versus CBS, Nina Tesslar, Media Journalists and Television Critics. Because of the somewhat fervent nature of many of these clashes, the Moonlight fans became a shining example of all that was crazy and scary in fandom culture itself, and the media happily trotted it out (and still do) as a punchline, cautionary tale and spook story.

Take this very recent comment on a popular media blog dedicated to critiquing new shows and discussing the cancellation of others:

Bill, looks like the fans of these cancelled shows are out in force today. After they bombarded TVBTN after Moonlight’s cancellation and the Ex-List cancellation, The cry of ‘I’ll never watch CBS again’ and ‘CBS have made a big mistake cancelling Moonlight’ failed to make a dent on the network.

Bear in mind, this comment was made two days ago. The heavy-going Moonlight campaigning was last year. But heaven forbid, if you were among those fans who wanted the show to continue, you are deemed a cross-section of crazy and the very definition of a one-eyed fan freak.

But maybe it's a vampire thing? It is well known that Twilight fans are among the most rabid in all of fandom. Indeed, I use them as an example on this blog. Moonlight came before the Twilight / True Blood / Vampire Diaries trend, but it seems that if you like one fang show, you're a rabid fangbanger.

Vampirism is not synonymous with blood, torch bearing mobs and stakes through the heart anymore. It's about gratuitous graveyard sex and that dude from Home and Away, emo teenage angst and sparkles. Poor Stoker must be rolling in his grave.

I just couldn't get over the fact that here we are, over a year out of Moonlight's cancellation and tv bloggers are still using the fandom as a parody, and even insinuating that these same fans (who, remember, are the very picture of 'futility' when trying to campaign for their show) somehow have the power to make new shows fail out of nothing but sheer spite. That's some trick!

If these guys don't have anything better to do than incite fandom passion on their blogs that's their business.

I guess I'd be bored shitless just writing about today's television climate too. 

I'm talking to you, Sir. Not the monkey.

Uncharted 2 // First Print Review in Playstation Magazine

Although this is a Playstation magazine reviewing a Playstation-exclusive game, I think it's fairly safe to say Uncharted 2 is already a strong contender for Game Of The Year status.

First UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves Review — PlayStation: The Official Magazine

Posted by Arne Meyer // Senior Manager of Marketing Communications, Naughty Dog

We’re less than a month out from the launch of UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves and we’re starting to see reviews come in. We just received the November issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine in the studio which has the first world review of UNCHARTED 2. Subscribers should have this issue in the mail any time now and, if you don’t have a subscription, you can pick up a copy from newsstands in the next couple of weeks.

Cracking open the issue, which features UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves as its cover, we were totally thrilled to see that our game received a perfect 5/5 AND the Editors’ Choice award for the month! We’ve been working incredibly hard over the past two years to make UNCHARTED 2 the best game we’ve made yet and we’re all smiles to hear that we’re not the only ones who think we’ve got something really great on our hands.

You’ll have to pick up your own copy to read the ten full pages of UNCHARTED 2 details, but in the meantime here’s an image of the cover to serve as a preview:

I’m pretty sure just reading reviews of our game won’t be enough to hold you over until we launch on October 13, so be sure to check out our Multiplayer Demo. If you pre-ordered UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves through GameStop, then your early access to the demo starts tomorrow and runs up until just prior to the launch of our game. If you haven’t pre-ordered, the Multiplayer Demo opens up to everyone via a PlayStation Network download on September 29.

We’ll be back on the PlayStation.Blog tomorrow with more details about the multiplayer demo and an associated contest you’ll definitely want to know about!

Taken from the Playstation.com blog here

Since When Does Life Come With A Seven Second Delay?

Sorry, I'm going to have a rant now about Kyle Sandilands.

For those who don't know of him, Kyle Sandilands is a 'shock-jock' on a popular radio program here in Australia called The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

Now I have admit two things.

a) Jackie O was told of EmsCharityKiss and was interested in helping me out until all the stuff happened with Kyle

but...

b) I have always hated Kyle Sandilands.

Two months ago, he was involved in a radio stunt that went horribly wrong when a teenage girl admitted while taking a lie detector test that she had been assaulted. Admittedly, there was a lot more to it and the girl's mother (who was also on air with her daughter) had previously known about the assault but pushed her daughter to talk about it on national radio. Unfortunately, you can't be fired for being a crap Mum.

So poor Kyle was sacked, and dumped from his lucrative judging gig on Australian Idol. Apparently now heading for bankruptcy, it looked like his career was over. But, Austero took him back after his suspension, with the promise that the controversial show would now run with a 'seven second delay' kill switch, which would mean that potentially flamable on-air stunts could be 'killed' before they went to air.

So he was back, albeit a little bit castrated from his former limit-free position. But a few days ago, another stupendously stupid on-air stunt has left Kyle Sandilands again faced with suspension.

I can't be arsed giving typing space to his latest round of idiocy (you can read it here http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,,26051969-7582,00.html) but suffice it to say he managed to make light of concentration camps and also make fun of a famous Australian comedienne who has recently lost a lot of weight after a life-long struggle with obesity (this despite being a portly gent himself. Pot, meet Kettle)

Reading articles and responses to this whole situation has me reeling. Are people actually really going to go into bat for this guy? Saying that he was 'speaking the truth' because this woman is 'not skinny'? WTF?? Are we really going to go down that route and make her out to be the one who should be shamed?

And people keep talking about this 'seven second delay' that would have saved him.

Fair enough in the context of the first situation with the young girl and her mother (which I still believe to be mainly the mother's fault). In that case, it is an unpredictable event that would have been saved with the delay.

But in life we don't get a seven second delay. His kill switch for his big fat mouth should be his own brain. We do actually have the ability to consider what we say before we say it. You pull up your big-person's trousers and shut your mouth.

And to make fun of people who are overweight, or to make light of horrendous episodes of history isn't exercising 'free speech' or being 'non-hypocritical' and shouldn't be lauded.

You can have an opinion, fine. As long as your comfortable with that opinion making you look like a complete douche by the majority, go ahead.

For all those people saying 'leave Kyle alone' etc etc. Maybe this wouldn't be such an issue if he wasn't suspended for doing something else stupid less than a month ago.

I think he's had his time, and if he had any shred of decency and humility, he'd bow out now. And he shouldn't be banking on US audiences warming to him either.