As usual I'm late to the party in finally getting around to playing this 2014 gem.
A slightly cyberpunk twist on the familiar story sees you play as Passepartout in an effort to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days or less. After aborting an initial Russia route I have just completed my first game. From the title of the post you can probably guess that Fogg lost his wager this time round.
The main delays in my journey were an arrest in Vladivostok, a sad lack of funds that left Passepartout and Fogg sleeping rough for two nights in Hong Kong and two diversions when ships/aircraft decided to head off in the wrong direction (I eventually countered the first by masterminding a mutiny among the sailors).
High points were escaping from the Sultan's haram dressed as a dancing girl, meeting James Montgomery in his countervailing journey around the world and breezing up the African coast flush with trade cash while being informed about the activities of the anti-slaver West Africa Squadron of the Royal Navy.
In short this is a masterpiece. I suspect I bypassed at least half of the available cities and left mysteries behind in a number that I did visit (what the hell were all those opticians and gun-makers in Dubrovnik on about?). The tone is pitch perfect throughout allowing you to develop a real character for Passepartout and enjoy the ride even if victory seems unlikely.
Saturday, 27 February 2016
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
How old is atheism?
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/feb/17/atheism-has-ancient-roots-claims-new-study
Disclaimer: I have not actually read this book so am being snide about it solely on the basis of the Guardian article (a risky proposition given the general level of understanding in newspaper book reviews).
The argument does however seem to be lacking in nuance. Of course there were atheists in Ancient Greece. The intellectual proclivities of the pre-Roman Conquest Greeks are well documented and in some cases philosophers even received the backing of powerful tyrants with one eye on their reputations. As Paul Kennedy has argued in his examination of the rise of Europe from the 16th century, political pluralism is always a boost to thinkers since they can easily migrate away from central authorities that clamp down on originality to freer polities.
Spotting the kernels of modern ideas is a common pursuit of scholars of the ancient world. Just do a google search on fascism and Plato or on the musings of Democritus on atomic structure. However, without an overarching theory of how these ideas developed towards the modern day they merely highlight the intellectual curiosity of the society that they arose in rather than telling us anything interesting about the ideas themselves.
Further there is no mention of the common tactic of accusing rivals of atheism as a form of propaganda. In large swathes of the world atheist has been a term of abuse and discrimination for centuries. Even in Ancient Greece we are informed that one of the charges brought against Socrates at his trial was impiety. Christian thinkers lined up after the fall of the Roman Empire to exclude atheists from their models of just societies and to condemn them to hell or purgatory for their lack of belief.
Thus it is hard to distinguish genuine atheism from its use as a term of opprobrium. Openly stated atheism could have lethal consequences in Christendom and much of the Arabic world. Searching for signs and double meanings hidden in the works of great writers who may have harboured doubts is liable to lead only to false pattern finding.
Long story short, atheism has almost certainly existed throughout world history but it is difficult to locate solid evidence for its continuity and influence outside of a few already well-documented examples.
Disclaimer: I have not actually read this book so am being snide about it solely on the basis of the Guardian article (a risky proposition given the general level of understanding in newspaper book reviews).
The argument does however seem to be lacking in nuance. Of course there were atheists in Ancient Greece. The intellectual proclivities of the pre-Roman Conquest Greeks are well documented and in some cases philosophers even received the backing of powerful tyrants with one eye on their reputations. As Paul Kennedy has argued in his examination of the rise of Europe from the 16th century, political pluralism is always a boost to thinkers since they can easily migrate away from central authorities that clamp down on originality to freer polities.
Spotting the kernels of modern ideas is a common pursuit of scholars of the ancient world. Just do a google search on fascism and Plato or on the musings of Democritus on atomic structure. However, without an overarching theory of how these ideas developed towards the modern day they merely highlight the intellectual curiosity of the society that they arose in rather than telling us anything interesting about the ideas themselves.
Further there is no mention of the common tactic of accusing rivals of atheism as a form of propaganda. In large swathes of the world atheist has been a term of abuse and discrimination for centuries. Even in Ancient Greece we are informed that one of the charges brought against Socrates at his trial was impiety. Christian thinkers lined up after the fall of the Roman Empire to exclude atheists from their models of just societies and to condemn them to hell or purgatory for their lack of belief.
Thus it is hard to distinguish genuine atheism from its use as a term of opprobrium. Openly stated atheism could have lethal consequences in Christendom and much of the Arabic world. Searching for signs and double meanings hidden in the works of great writers who may have harboured doubts is liable to lead only to false pattern finding.
Long story short, atheism has almost certainly existed throughout world history but it is difficult to locate solid evidence for its continuity and influence outside of a few already well-documented examples.
Saturday, 13 February 2016
Isaac: Rebirth
Just completed the newbie campaign on Isaac: Rebirth on my second run through. I'm just that good (and got a beneficial deal from the devil on infected baby sidekick and black hearts).
Although to be honest the fact that I bought it along with the original which I've logged about twenty hours in the last few weeks might have something to do with it as well!
Although to be honest the fact that I bought it along with the original which I've logged about twenty hours in the last few weeks might have something to do with it as well!
Thursday, 11 February 2016
Osborne's brother struck off
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/feb/11/george-osborne-brother-adam-struck-off-psychiatrist-affair-with-patient-medical-tribunal
I guess bullying and screwing over the vulnerable runs in the family then.
Sunday, 24 January 2016
Video games as a return to nature
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/11/why-sentimental-pastoral-themes-make-perfect-fodder-for-video-games
Some interesting points here about the use of video games to push the familiar 'Arcadia' view of the moral superiority of village life over modern city life. They have had to cherry pick their examples of course. As a medium for the young to early middle aged video games often glamorise the high tech and modern (think Halo, Portal or Elite).
However, it would have been nice to see the author consider some examples outside of the comfort zone epitomised by Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing. FPSs and RPGs especially often reverse this trope with the rural and frontier zones being dangerous and enemy-ridden while the towns and cities are relatively restful areas of safety, companionship and resupply.
Other games are more schizophrenic about the worth of city and rural life. You could write whole articles about the crumbling, plague ridden cityscape of Dishonored, which nevertheless is a place of substantial beauty and mystery, or the opportunities that Assassin's Creed offers for competent players while retaining pitfalls for those who are too unsubtle.
Some interesting points here about the use of video games to push the familiar 'Arcadia' view of the moral superiority of village life over modern city life. They have had to cherry pick their examples of course. As a medium for the young to early middle aged video games often glamorise the high tech and modern (think Halo, Portal or Elite).
However, it would have been nice to see the author consider some examples outside of the comfort zone epitomised by Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing. FPSs and RPGs especially often reverse this trope with the rural and frontier zones being dangerous and enemy-ridden while the towns and cities are relatively restful areas of safety, companionship and resupply.
Other games are more schizophrenic about the worth of city and rural life. You could write whole articles about the crumbling, plague ridden cityscape of Dishonored, which nevertheless is a place of substantial beauty and mystery, or the opportunities that Assassin's Creed offers for competent players while retaining pitfalls for those who are too unsubtle.
Saturday, 2 January 2016
A brilliant Sherlock special for 2016
This is an absolute gift. Treat yourself if you haven't done so already.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0390wnv/sherlock-the-abominable-bride
It's a pitch perfect case of Sherlock does the Arabian Nights with a few guest appearances from Moriarty playing Banquo's ghost. Preposterous but one of those occasions where that is kind of the point.
... and yes, I'm aware how pretentious that all sounds. There is a reason why I'm posting this on an unread blog rather than on Facebook!
But seriously, watch it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0390wnv/sherlock-the-abominable-bride
It's a pitch perfect case of Sherlock does the Arabian Nights with a few guest appearances from Moriarty playing Banquo's ghost. Preposterous but one of those occasions where that is kind of the point.
... and yes, I'm aware how pretentious that all sounds. There is a reason why I'm posting this on an unread blog rather than on Facebook!
But seriously, watch it.
Friday, 1 January 2016
Elite (and more dangerous than thou)
So Elite Dangerous.
Anybody who follows the computer gaming world will know that there has been some controversy over the decision to release (fairly massive) updates and content in expansion blocks that cost almost as much as the original game.
Personally I think this is a storm in a teacup. Frontier Developments have managed to produce a space simulator with ambition that may eventually rival EVE Online without going down the subscription route. So long as they continue to support the game the cost is worth it even for those who bought it for full whack originally.
It is something of a moot point for me since I picked the game up in one of the many recent £10.00 sales and don't plan to upgrade until Horizons is similarly cheap (or required to play the game).
Putting that elephant in the room to one side, my initial experience of the game was patchy. I put up with the initial frustration of having to watch a youtube video to learn how to do anything as my dad had the original game when I was a kid and I know that the difficulty of docking and managing craft systems was part of its nostalgic charm. You're not a proper Elite player until you've wrapped a couple of ships round the docking towers.
The first few courier missions I did had a certain satisfaction to them as the constant repetition of basic gameplay tasks quickly makes you at least semi-proficient. I then spent my small savings on mining equipment. This was a mistake.
No disrespect meant to any miners out there but it was so dull that I wanted to saw my own arms off with a chisel. Chipping elements from the asteroids and managing the hopper is fine if not especially fun. However, the lining up of your craft to pick up ore in your scoop is a nightmare. A 'Freelancer'-esque tractor beam would have made it bearable. As it was I was put off the game for a couple of weeks.
Thankfully when I returned a fellow miner became infuriated by my ineffectual pawing at one of his space rocks and performed the interstellar combat equivalent of beating me to death with a nearby boulder. I didn't even consider paying to reclaim the equipment from my mining Sidewinder and took a new off the shelf model.
After a serendipitous combination of slave-running and multi-part spy courier missions I had the money to buy a new craft. I considered but skipped past the more spacious Hauler and Adder models and went straight for a combat Viper. This was not a mistake.
Bounty hunting is easily my favourite part of the game so far. I've collected three or four bounties now, including the coveted Anaconda kill. I've also had two exciting near-deaths; limping into port with an empty fuel tank and a shattered canopy respectively. On the latter occasion I zoomed through the access port with a minute on the asphyxiation clock shouting 'They must have a system for this!' at the screen before I discovered that the hangar bays are kept oxygenated.
It also helps that bounties are crazy lucrative. I imagine I'll be up to a Cobra within a couple of days and then the universe will be my salty, aquatic delicacy of choice!
Anybody who follows the computer gaming world will know that there has been some controversy over the decision to release (fairly massive) updates and content in expansion blocks that cost almost as much as the original game.
Personally I think this is a storm in a teacup. Frontier Developments have managed to produce a space simulator with ambition that may eventually rival EVE Online without going down the subscription route. So long as they continue to support the game the cost is worth it even for those who bought it for full whack originally.
It is something of a moot point for me since I picked the game up in one of the many recent £10.00 sales and don't plan to upgrade until Horizons is similarly cheap (or required to play the game).
Putting that elephant in the room to one side, my initial experience of the game was patchy. I put up with the initial frustration of having to watch a youtube video to learn how to do anything as my dad had the original game when I was a kid and I know that the difficulty of docking and managing craft systems was part of its nostalgic charm. You're not a proper Elite player until you've wrapped a couple of ships round the docking towers.
The first few courier missions I did had a certain satisfaction to them as the constant repetition of basic gameplay tasks quickly makes you at least semi-proficient. I then spent my small savings on mining equipment. This was a mistake.
No disrespect meant to any miners out there but it was so dull that I wanted to saw my own arms off with a chisel. Chipping elements from the asteroids and managing the hopper is fine if not especially fun. However, the lining up of your craft to pick up ore in your scoop is a nightmare. A 'Freelancer'-esque tractor beam would have made it bearable. As it was I was put off the game for a couple of weeks.
Thankfully when I returned a fellow miner became infuriated by my ineffectual pawing at one of his space rocks and performed the interstellar combat equivalent of beating me to death with a nearby boulder. I didn't even consider paying to reclaim the equipment from my mining Sidewinder and took a new off the shelf model.
After a serendipitous combination of slave-running and multi-part spy courier missions I had the money to buy a new craft. I considered but skipped past the more spacious Hauler and Adder models and went straight for a combat Viper. This was not a mistake.
Bounty hunting is easily my favourite part of the game so far. I've collected three or four bounties now, including the coveted Anaconda kill. I've also had two exciting near-deaths; limping into port with an empty fuel tank and a shattered canopy respectively. On the latter occasion I zoomed through the access port with a minute on the asphyxiation clock shouting 'They must have a system for this!' at the screen before I discovered that the hangar bays are kept oxygenated.
It also helps that bounties are crazy lucrative. I imagine I'll be up to a Cobra within a couple of days and then the universe will be my salty, aquatic delicacy of choice!
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