Scott Bakula Day
As you’re most likely already aware, I am a mashooive Star Trek fan and almost had a meltdown when I discovered that there was conference down in London later this year that featured not one, not two, but all five of the actors that played the main captains in the numerous series. Tickets went on sale yesterday, so of course I got a ticket.
I plumped for the three day pass (although I would have loved the ticket which lets you sample everything on offer for a measly £3,000), which included a free autograph with one of the captains. Of course, I’d have to meet Scott Bakula i.e. Captain Archer in Enterprise. He’s my favourite of all the captains: he’s the first Starfleet captain to properly explore the final frontier, doing his best and winging it in uncertain situations and isn’t afraid to tell how others what needs to be said, a refreshing lack of restraint compared to the officers that came after him.
As a result of this excitement at meeting one of my favourite actors – but mostly out of sheer boredom – I declared the 30th of May Scott Bakula Day, a celebration to commemorate one of the finest actors that ever lived. I posted updates on Facebook and Twitter to spread the word and stimulate conversation about The Bak. Check out the hashtag #ScottBakulaDay I set up for the event.
“Can’t be afraid of the wind, Ensign. Take us to warp 4. “
Sonnet The Hedgehog – The Nuclear Wasteland
Originally published on Ready Up on 4th April 2012.
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I venture alone in the vast devastation,
the remnants of what was once a great nation.
A prosperous land that has since been left hollow
where the wretched remains of the past now wallow.
It’s warm midday as the harsh sun beats down,
charring the skin on my uncovered crown.
Inside of my armour, all dusty and brown,
the sweat starts to pool and I feel I could drown.
Amidst this discomfort, I remain calm,
even as my gun starts to slip from my palm.
These are conditions to which you never acclimatise
from the day of your birth to that of your demise.
Top of the Flops
Originally published on Ready Up on 27th February 2012.
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The stench of sweat in the dark and musty room is overpowering, pervading my nostrils with every breath I take. It’s difficult to tell what time it was: we’ve been doing this for so long in the dingy, windowless club that time’s seemed to stop and congeal into an unrecognisable, indecipherable blob.
Opposite me at the table, my opponents stare at me, anticipating my next move. They’re a weird bunch of ‘people’, to say the least. On my left is a smiling rabbit who spouts surrealities like an ornery tomtom in heat, punctuating the fact that he seems to have no idea what he’s actually doing.
Beside him is a strange little man adorned in Luchadore garb and boxing gloves, which he insists are his actual hands. If that’s the case, then how the hell does he manage to so adeptly manipulate the cards he’s been given?
A Stocking Full of Coal
Originally published on Ready Up on 1st February 2012.
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Christmas time is always a joyous time for PC gamers. During the festive season, the good people at Valve go bonkers and drastically reduce the price of selected games as part of the Christmas Sale.
And don’t go thinking that it’s only mediocre games getting a price slash. Last year, quality titles including, but not limited to, Skyrim, Dead Island, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Portal 2 and Batman: Arkham City all had their entry fees cut by up to an astonishing 75%. As a result, gamers could play the best games of the year at a fraction of the cost of their console counterparts.
Because of my increasing passion for the PC gaming scene, I also partook in bagging myself a few bargains. But I wasn’t interested in any of these new games: I already had them and have completed them (at least I think I’ve finished Skyrim – it’s hard to tell). No, for me it was the older games on offer that appealed to me.
The 12 Games of Christmas
Originally published on Ready Up on 31st December 2011.
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On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me;
free DLC for Battlefield 3.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me;
two psycho loons;
and free DLC for Battlefield 3.
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me;
three red lights;
two psycho loons;
and free DLC for Battlefield 3.
Prophets of Continuity
Originally published on Ready Up on 26th November 2011.
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Continuity is a fantastic thing.
Defined as ‘the unbroken and consistent existence or operation of something over a period of time’, in fiction this relates to events that have already happened in a story arc being remembered and playing their part in the current tale. Some series do fine without bothering with it: the Final Fantasy games always contain different stories set in vastly disparate worlds and Glee contains a whole host of continuity problems and errors (or so I’ve read from its Wiki, anyway – I personally avoid the programme like the plague).
For the most part, missing continuity doesn’t really matter, but for me, it’s what makes a good story a great one. It shows that the story’s creators have an obvious love for what they’re writing and a passion for what they’re doing. It’s why I love Star Trek with its different incarnations all overlapping with one another and why I adore Doctor Who, its references to episodes that have been produced over its fifty year history being a delight to look out for. It always makes me smile when I catch a reference to something that has gone before.
Spoils of War
Originally published on Ready Up on 12th November 2011.
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Warning: this blog contains heavy spoilers for Gears of War 3. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Gears of War 3 is a fantastic game. It’s not a perfect title (for reasons detailed in David Houghton’s fantastic article for Games Radar) but it’s still undoubtedly one of the highlights of this year. It has the same brutal, fast and fun gameplay of its predecessors with enough new features to make it seem familiar yet fresh. The multiplayer mode is more comprehensive than ever, combining competitive and co-operative modes into a single package that’s a joy to play. To this day, there’s still little that’s more satisfying than hearing that crunch as you pop an enemy’s head like a balloon.
The main crux of the game lies in the campaign mode, however. Being the third in the trilogy, it promises to tie up many loose ends left by the first two in the series and bring some irrevocable changes to the universe. Its tagline of ‘Brothers to the End’ more or less confirms that someone will die somewhere along the way.
Re(tro)cycling
Originally published on Ready Up on 6th October 2011.
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I’m clearing out my room.
In a bid to sort the house out, I’m going through all the stuff that’s currently in my bedroom and tossing away all the crap I don’t need anymore. It’s weird seeing all the things that I’ve owned that used to mean a lot to me that I’ve forgotten about over the years: books I’d made with my mum when I was learning to write, boxes stuffed to the brim with Beanie Babies, even a couple of Neopets plushies (collectors’ editions, supposedly. They’ll be going on eBay). I’ll be keeping all the sentimental stuff, binning all the rubbish and punting all the stuff I no longer want.
Midway through my clearout, I stumbled upon these bad boys.
A Week in the Life of a Halo Reach Credit Addict
Originally published on Ready Up on 21st September 2011.
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Getting such medals isn’t too difficult: all you need to do is kill the player that was responsible for your last death. It’s not a common occurrence, but not so rare that you hardly see it. This weekly challenge is perfect: it’s not so difficult that you won’t bother attempting it, but requires a fair degree of playtime to achieve. The healthy 7777 credits only serve to make it more tempting.
Being the Halo nut that I am, I immediately delve into it. I suit up with a couple of Halo buddies and jump into Team Slayer. We play for a couple of hours and I manage to rack up about 20 Revenge medals. Not bad for a night’s worth of playing.
Dumbfounding Premonition
Originally published on Ready Up on 10th September 2011.
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The week I was banned from Xbox Live was a bloody boring one. Upon turning on my Xbox 360, I discovered that I was disconnected from the service completely, meaning that I basically had a useless, noisy white box under my television. I couldn’t play any games; I couldn’t download any DLC for single player games to play offline; I couldn’t even access the Zune service to watch a movie or two. Without being able to play my beloved Halo and being unable to make a start with Deus Ex: Human Revolution thanks to weird international release dates, I had to find something else to pass the time.
So I went to town and popped into HMV to see if I could grab any bargains. I had no idea what to look for, so I scanned the shelves for something cheap and cheerful to last me the week. I looked at row after row of titles, not really being pulled in by any of them…
