Road to the IGF: Dawnspire: Prelude’s Henrik Öquist and Anders Hammervald
Gamasutra, November 27th

Henrik and Anders were particularly nice guys - they were also pretty funny - and had a real passion for what they’ve created, which, as I’ve said before, I really respect. I’m not into MMOs myself, but Dawnspire sounds like an interesting game nonetheless.

Road to the IGF: Aveyond’s Amanda Fitch
Gamasutra, November 24th

For one reason or another, I’ve not actually had the chance to put much time into Aveyond, though I have enjoyed what I’ve seen of it. I just think it’s particularly admirable that Amanda has taken on the RPG genre in the way that she has, and to such a degree: 250 pages of dialogue? That’s impressive.

Playing Catch Up: Night Trap’s Rob Fulop
Gamasutra, November 23rd

Playing Catch Up always throws out some interesting moments for me, and talking to Rob about the controversy that surrounded Night Trap back in the early ’90s was one of the most interesting so far. He’s done a lot more of note than that one infamous title, though, which I thought was important to focus on to some degree.

Q&A: Frozen Codebase’s Ben Geisler on the Indie Life
Gamasutra, November 22nd

Ben seems like a cool guy, and he’s certainly got some interesting views on indie gaming. I think it’s great that Frozen Codebase are now official Xbox 360 devs - if he’s serious about using this as an opportunity to create “new, fun gameplay”, then I can’t wait to see what they come out with.

Squarepusher Hello Everything CD Review
DB Magazine, issue #399, November 22nd

“…Hello Everything bears so many signs of being an album that Jenkinson is passionate about, it’s hard not to get caught up in the joy and energy of it all.”

I’ve had to review so many really, really average CDs lately that hearing something like the latest Squarepusher album made me unbearably excited. It’s very listenable, but it pushes enough boundaries to keep me interested, which is more than I can say for, say, The Datsuns latest album.

Interview with The Datsuns
DB Magazine, issue #399, November 22nd

I really dislike The Datsuns’ music – I was asked to review their latest album, but I thought it was awful, and I know there are actual fans of the band at DB Magazine who would give it a fairer review than me. Still, it was nice to talk to guitarist Phil Buscke, who seemed like a nice, albeit drunk, guy.

Media Consumption: Rare’s Justin Cook (Viva Piñata)
Gamasutra, November 21st

I haven’t played Viva, but I’m glad to see that the general consensus is that Rare have found their feet again. And, I realise that line about asking “about the confectionary that has been spilling from his media piñata of late” is really cheesy, but it made me laugh, so that’s good enough.

Q&A: Jo Cooke on amBX’s ‘Full Sensory’ Gaming Experience
Gamasutra, November 20th

I have mixed feelings about Philip’s amBX system. On the one hand, the idea of being able to experience games further through the use of fans and lights is a pretty cool one. But, on the other hand, the exorbitant price and lack of support from developers mean it probably won’t hit mass market any time soon – if ever. Jo Cooke is notably quiet on both of these issues, which I see as a sign of a major problem.

Road to the IGF: Cinemax’s Gumboy Crazy Adventures
Gamasutra, November 20th

Gumboy is the kind of game I could see being very successful. I didn’t really enjoy it myself, but it’s very polished, and well designed.

Road to the IGF: Eternal Silence’s Dan Menard and Rex Riepe
Gamasutra, November 17th

I was actually asked to be one of the judges for the mod competition section of the IGF, but my computer isn’t up to the task, and I don’t own any of the games that have been modded. Still, it was an honour to be asked.

Playing Catch Up: ToeJam & Earl’s Greg Johnson
Gamasutra, November 16th

I owe Greg a beer for getting back to me with some urgency – about eight hours before the column went up, actually. I’m looking forward to buying it for him, too, since he is a really great guy. I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next; he seems very excited about it, and it’s kind of infectious.

Q&A: Ubisoft Petz Executive Producer Tony Van
Gamasutra, November 16th

I’m happy with the way this turned out – focusing on how the Petz franchise can compete with the Nintendogs franchise, and why the series is still relevant after ten years made for some pretty interesting answers.

Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories PS2 Review
Strategy Informer, November 15th

“There’s plenty to do, but everything begins to feel the same after a time, and while most RPGs would be able to use their story to carry themselves through that, Disgaea 2’s narrative isn’t compelling enough to be able to rely on it in that fashion. Unless you’re a hardcore SRPG fan, you’d be better off spending your time on more deserving titles.”

So I guess I’m not cut out for stat-grinding SRPGs then. Disgaea 2 was fun for a time, but after a while I just couldn’t handle any more of it.

Media Consumption: Raven Software’s Dan Vondrak
Gamasutra, November 14th

I’m a huge Marvel fan, so it was pretty natural for me to get someone from the Ultimate Alliance team to do the column. I’ve also really enjoyed the previous games form Raven, so I’m looking forward to seeing what they come out with next – sounds like it could be big.

Road to the IGF: Mousechief Co.’s Keith Nemitz (Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!)
Gamasutra, November 13th

I really don’t think I’m the target audience for this game, because I just didn’t “get it”. I appreciate what Keith and Mousechief are trying to do with it though – I really hope the game does as well as they expect, because they’ve got some great ideas on the independent games industry.

Road to the IGF: Motorama’s Januar Tanzil
Gamasutra, November 10th

Motorama reminds me of a Game Boy motocross game that my cousins used to own – I forget the name of it. From memory, that was a pretty hard game, but I honestly believe that Motorama is harder. I keep going back to it, though, so take from that what you will.

Playing Catch Up: Traveller’s Tales’ Jon Burton
Gamasutra, November 9th

So, I didn’t like Lego Star Wars all that much. Nor Sonic 3D. I do like Jon Burton a great deal, though – he’s very passionate about what he does, and that rates highly with me. I really liked him talking about religion in games, too. I’m not religious myself, but I appreciate the feelings of devotion that would make someone want to express that in their work.

Sam & Max: Culture Shock PS2 Review
DB Magazine, issue #398, November 8th

“…it’s been a long wait, but Culture Shock is without doubt one of the funniest and most consistently enjoyable games of the year - it’s what Sam & Max fans have been hoping for, but didn’t dare to expect.”

Not that I’m in any way suggesting the game was perfect, though. There’s a number of problems with the game – all of which are addressed in the review – but I think Culture Shock is about the best game Sam & Max fans, like myself, could have hoped for.

Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny PS2 Review
DB Magazine, issue #398, November 8th

“For the 40-odd hours involved in finishing the title, it remains a refreshingly enjoyable experience and that’s more than can be said for a lot of cut-scene heavy titles these days.”

Looking back, I’m not sure that Azoth of Destiny had quite the staying power I suggested. It’s probably a more glowing review than it should have bee, though it does detail a number of problems with the game.

Fionn Regan The End of History CD Review
DB Magazine, issue #398, November 8th

“…Regan weaves an almost hypnotic mood of pessimism, forlornness and just a tinge of light and hope. It’s certainly not the most positive, uplifting or cheerful album in recent memory, but it is one of the most heartbreakingly honest and beautiful.”

Sometimes an album just seems right for a certain time in your life. Without going into detail, The End of History was that album for me.

The Streamliners Under The Moondogs CD Review
DB Magazine, issue #398, November 8th

“…The Streamliners’ album is polished, technically proficient and passionless and forgettable. For all their maturity in years, The Streamliners’ Under The Moondogs is disappointingly derivative.”

As a result of the interview I did with them not making it to the actual print magazine, the band rang DB and abused the editor. So, I was asked to review the CD to appease them. That’s not to say what I wrote was vindictive; this is my honest opinion. It’s plastic blues and roots.

Road to the IGF: Armadillo Run’s Peter Stock
Gamasutra, November 7th

Armadillo Run is a very impressive piece of software, and enormously enjoyable, until the difficulty kicks in all too suddenly. Still, it’s interesting to see what people are doing with it – the solutions that can be downloaded from the website offer some very, very creative ideas on how to use the game’s physics.

Media Consumption: Majesco Entertainment’s Andy Luckett
Gamasutra, November 7th

This probably took more effort in editing and follow-ups than any other Media Consumption to date; Andy answered most things in single sentences, so I’m pretty happy with how it turned out with a little creative stapling together.

Kingdom Hearts II PS2 Review
Strategy Informer, November 7th

“…even if things do feel a little contrived at times, Kingdom Hearts II remains a high point in the action RPG genre – the exceptionally high production values and intensely complex story assure that much.”

I don’t think it’s possible to hate Kingdom Hearts II. It’s just so polished, and is so good at keeping the play experience fresh right throughout the game. If anything, I only wish I hadn’t had to put up with so much of the recent Disney material – the level set in the 1920s only makes me feel more strongly about that, too.

Road to the IGF: New Star Games’ Simon Read (New Star Soccer 3)
Gamasutra, November 5th

New Star Soccer 3 seems like the perfect soccer sim to me. It’s funny, smart, challenging and actually lets you play the games, though you’re restricted to playing as the character you’re developing.

Q&A: Allegorithmic’s Dr. Sebastien Deguy on ProFX Procedural Texturing
Gamasutra, November 3rd

Certainly one of the most demanding interviews I’ve done in terms of complex subject matter, but I think I asked the right questions, after researching the topic.

Playing Catch Up: Shadowrun’s Paul Kidd
Gamasutra, November 2nd

I remember reading about Shadowrun in the first (and last, I believe) issue of GamePro I bought. It sounded interesting, but I’d never have guessed that it was made by Beam. Paul’s a cool guy – it’s a pity he’s not involved in the industry any more, but he’s clearly been burnt by a few too many people.

Q&A: Krome Studios’ Robert Walsh on Melbourne House Acquisition
Gamasutra, November 2nd

An interview close to my heart, since Krome also picked up the pieces of Adelaide’s Ratbag Games when they were shut down by Midway in December 2005. Plus, every Australian kid who grew up in the ‘80s with even a passing interest in gaming loved Beam Software/Melbourne House, so it’s great to know that Krome’s Robert Walsh bought up the company for his own personal reasons. This story broke the news on the acquisition.

Q&A: Ubisoft’s Etienne-Charles Nobert on the Latin American Market
Gamasutra, November 2nd

I’d actually hoped this one would be a little more in depth on what’s happening in that market, as it’s one that doesn’t get much, if any, publicity. It gives a reasonable overview, but the Latin American market is certainly a topic that I’d like to revisit sometime in the future.

October

Media Consumption: Pandemic’s John Passfield (Destroy All Humans! 2)
Gamasutra, October 31st

I didn’t like Destroy All Humans! 2 as much as I wanted to, but I’m interested in immersing myself in the local industry more and speaking with John Passfield seemed like a good way to go about that.

Road to the IGF: Last Day of Work’s Virtual Villagers
Gamasutra, October 30th

Virtual Villagers seemed a bit closed to me. Once you’d solved all the puzzles, I found no real reason to keep going. It clearly has an audience, though.

Road to the IGF: Golf?’s Alex Austin and Luke Hetherington
Gamasutra, October 27th

I waited for weeks and weeks to hear back from Luke Hetherington, and then he sent me the weirdest and most hilariously funny interview I’ve put up for the “Road to the IGF” series. Aside from the fact that the game is described as “a not very fun computer golf game for jerks”, I love the fact that he attributes the mislabelling of the development team for the game on the IGF entry form to a “late night meth typo”.

Playing Catch Up: Spaceward Ho!’s Joe Williams
Gamasutra, October 26th

I have a lot of time for Joe Williams. Not only am I a huge fan of Spaceward Ho!, but Joe is just such an amazingly passionate and genuine person. He might not be the most famous person I’ve tackled for this column, but he certainly deserves the recognition.

Q&A: Running With Scissors’ Vince Desi on Postal III Mayhem
Gamasutra, October 26th

Easily the most off-beat interview I’ve done for Gamasutra. Postal plays an interesting part in the industry; as easy as it is to deride it, there is a place for it, as the gaming world’s schlock pop-corn movie. Whether that’s necessary or not is another matter, of course.

Loren/Vorn Doolette Live Review
DB Magazine, issue #397, October 25th

For various reasons, I’ll do most anything asked of me by DB Magazine. It generally turns out okay. Sometimes, though, I end up watching something I’d rather not, like this evening of boring faux-hippy music. This is probably one of the more vicious pieces I’ve written, but I think it’s justified.

Uusitalo Tulenkantaja CD Review
DB Magazine, issue #397, October 25th

“…it’s such a complex, angled album, but segues effortlessly from track to track. Tulenkantaja is a focused, well-produced, very human album, too - intelligent tekno at its very best.”

I’m relatively picky when it comes to electronic music. I hate overly straightforward music at the best of times, but even more so when it comes to techno. Tulenkantaja is a pretty special album, simply because it pushes boundaries, but is still immensely listenable.

Interview with The Streamliners
DB Magazine, issue #397, October 25th

Dennis Kipridis from Adelaide band The Streamliners is, quite probably, the most boring, not to mention rude, musician I’ve ever spoken to. He wouldn’t stop referring to their album as their “product”, and seemed to have no actual passion for music, which is more or less reflected on the CD they released. Plus, anyone who talks about the Internet worrying record companies is kidding themselves.

Strategy Informer Halloween Month
Strategy Informer, October 25th

Just in time for Halloween, I was asked to write up this top ten list. I’m pretty wary about doing this sort of thing, simply because I’m worried about leaving out something important, but I feel like I hit all the important points. The line about Fatal Frame 2 being “Japanese horror cinema theory made manifest” is one of my favourites – and, yes, that game really does frighten me enough to call it “pants-wettingly bloodcurdling”.

Yakuza PS2 Review
Strategy Informer, October 25th

“It’s often irritatingly flawed, but the gripping storyline makes it worth the time it will take to finish. If you can see through its faults and appreciate the atmosphere, Yakuza is a particularly solid action adventure title.”

The loading times killed it for me in the end. I just can’t go back to it, because I remember spending so much of my time waiting. That said, I’d really love to play the sequel – I hear things are improved greatly.

Q&A: Interactive Studio Management’s Clyde Grossman
Gamasutra, October 25th

I’m proud of the questioning in this interview, and I’m glad that I was able to ask “the hard questions” without it sounding spiteful. ISM have obviously had a positive effect on the industry in some ways, but I think it’s important to look at things from both sides – otherwise it’s just a puff piece, and the games industry has far too many of those already.

Media Consumption: RedOctane’s John Tam (Guitar Hero)
Gamasutra, October 24th

This seemed like the obvious one to do as soon as I was asked to do the column. I think it turned out well, too, once I got a few follow-up answers from John.

Road to the IGF: Bit Blot’s Aquaria
Gamasutra, October 23rd

Aquaria is one hell of an impressive package. The graphics, the gameplay, the sound: all stunning. Derek Yu is a great guy, too. I’m really looking forward to big things from this game.

GameSetInterview: Shael Riley on I, Mario
GameSetWatch, October 21st

I wish I’d quizzed Shael Riley more on certain parts of this, but he wanted to plug his gig, so we ran short on time. It certainly got a lot more attention than I expected – people seem really touchy about the whole “mature” gaming thing, which I completely understand. I wouldn’t want to see this made, I just thought it was interesting.

Road to the IGF: Positech Computing’s Kudos
Gamasutra, October 20th

I couldn’t stop playing Cliffski’s life-sim Kudos for ages. In some ways, though, it really scares me – after playing for a few days, I was a friendless, poverty-stricken struggling journalist in his mid-20s. Which kind of depressed me.

Playing Catch Up: Stormfront Studios’ Don Daglow
Gamasutra, October 19th

I am more proud of this article than anything else I’ve written. As soon as I asked Don to take part in this, I knew I had to do it right – there was no point writing about his work and doing it half-heartedly. Don has been such an influence on so many aspects of the games industry, and was just fantastic to work with on this piece.

Q&A: Fredrik Liliegren on Red Jade Studios
Gamasutra, October 19th

Fredrik Liliegren started Red Jade just a few days after EA shut down his previous studio, DICE Canada, but it’s hardly the “dishing dirty” talk I’d expected. Actually, he’s already working with EA again, doing outsourced art, and it sounds like he was relatively happy about the way that everything had happened with DICE anyway.

Q&A: Get-Well Gamers Foundation’s Ryan Sharpe
Gamasutra, October 18th

This was one of my favourite interviews to conduct, because I’m really excited about people using their time to help others like this. Even more exciting is the fact that Get-Well Gamers have received a number of very big donations since then.

Media Consumption: The Chronicles of Spellborn’s Erik ‘t Sas
Gamasutra, October 17th

A few of the earlier columns were actually just a case of me emailing PR reps I know and asking whether they had any games they’d like promoted. This is one of them.

GameSetInterview: Constance Steinkuehler on MMOs as Third Places
GameSetWatch, October 16th

I really enjoy talking to academics about games, and I pride myself on my thorough research of their chosen speciality within the subject – in this case, how MMOs function as “third places”.

Road to the IGF: St. Diffusion’s SimTractor
Gamasutra, October 16th

I didn’t really enjoy SimTractor, but then, I’m probably not the target audience. At first, I actually thought it was a joke game, but after having a look at it, and interviewing Benoit Brabant, it’s obvious just how serious a simulation this is – and that’s pretty impressive.

Road to the IGF: Queasy Games’ Everyday Shooter
Gamasutra, October 13th

I’m an unashamed fan of shmups, so Jon Mak’s “collection of shooters” that takes its cues from Warning Forever and Every Extend was pretty sure to appeal to me. It’s polished, and fun, but there’s the added amazement that comes from the games “organic” feel. It’s pretty special.

Playing Catch Up: Habitat’s Chip Morningstar and Randy Farmer
Gamasutra, October 12th

I take every week’s Playing Catch Up very seriously, but it’s even more important to get it right when it’s about something as industry-defining as Habitat. Chip and Randy were really great to work with, and I’m immensely honoured to have been able to write this article.

Figurines Skeleton CD Review
DB Magazine, issue #396, October 11th

“…Skeleton is an earnest and passionate album, with the quirky feel of their obvious influences and a ton of soul.”

I’d heard very little of Danish group Figurines prior to doing this review, but I was blown away by how good an album Skeleton is. I listened to some of their debut while writing this review up, but it doesn’t have the same confidence that I found really enjoyable about Skeleton.

Ratatat Classics CD Review
DB Magazine, issue #396, October 11th

“…despite its similarities, Classics proves a very worthy follow up [to their self-titled debut] - an album not afraid to admit its quality lineage and embrace it.”

I loved Ratatat’s first album more than anything else in 2004, which made me a little concerned about whether my expectations for the follow-up, Classics, were too high. Fortunately, it’s a truly awesome album – while it doesn’t have the same feeling of blinding originality, it’s hard to resist.

Interview with SubAudible Hum
DB Magazine, issue #396, October 11th

I can’t say I’m a fan of Melbourne band SubAudible Hum at all really – they’re a bit plain - but I did enjoy chatting with singer Danny Griffith. He’s got some interesting views on how to approach mixing politics and music that I thought were pretty much spot on.

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy PS2 Review
DB Magazine, issue #396, October 11th

“…The Original Trilogy is still a good game, but with the benefit of hindsight following the first title, it should have been a great game. What could have been a real cross generational hit has ended up as another disappointingly standard licensed kid’s game.”

I liked the first game, but I didn’t play it after I finished it. The second game just didn’t learn from the first at all, despite claims from Traveller’s Tales that it would, and that seems like a complete waste to me.

Q&A: GestureTek Talks Xbox 360 Camera Innovation
Gamasutra, October 11th

It’s always exciting to talk to someone who is really passionate about their product. GestureTek’s Francis MacDougall seemed very proud of their camera for the Xbox 360, and was more than happy to talk about the ways he’d like to see it used, which was great.

Road to the IGF: Prairie Games’ Minions of Mirth
Gamasutra, October 9th

I can’t say I really enjoyed the game all that much – I’m not really into MMOs – but the idea of a free game of this sort running under the Torque engine is pretty cool. It’s pretty sure to get some sort of technical recognition at the IGF ceremony.

Media Consumption: Bad Day L.A.’s American McGee
Gamasutra, October 9th

American McGee is looked down on by a lot of fans, but he seems like a very genuine guy who is interested in making the best games he can. You can take what you want from that, but he was polite and friendly, at least.

The History of the Kirby Series
Nintendo Wii Europe, October 9th

The final article to date for Nintendo Wii Europe, which basically just comes down to the fact that they’re not paying for content anymore. That’s kind of a pity, because I really did enjoy putting these together.

Road to the IGF: Vision Videogames’ SpaceStationSim
Gamasutra, October 6th

I’ve not actually played SpaceStationSim, but I really like how seriously they’re taking the license, and its possibilities for learning. It’s going to be interesting to see how far they take this.

Q&A: Acacia Research on the Middleware Market
Gamasutra, October 6th

Despite having some background in programming, a number of the more technical concepts explored on Gamasutra can go over my head, which is why I tend to spend a long time researching topics thoroughly before I start asking questions. This is probably one of the better examples of where I have gone from having a basic understanding of the concept, to being able to understand what I’m questioning about to a level that Gamasutra readers would expect.

Playing Catch Up: The Fool’s Errand’s Cliff Johnson
Gamasutra, October 5th

Cliff Johnson is absolutely hilarious. More than that, though, he’s an absolute genius when it comes to game design. I didn’t grow up with his games, personally, but I know people who have, and they still rave about them.

Media Consumption: Bizarre Creations’ Gareth Wilson
Gamasutra, October 3rd

This is one of my favourite columns, both in terms of length and content. In fact, this is the one I send to PR reps to give them an idea of what I’m after – he’s talking a good deal about what he’s into, and he’s recommending things that have interested him.

Road to the IGF: Stephen Taylor (Plasma Pong)
Gamasutra, October 2nd

Plasma Pong is really impressive. Just the way that it revitalises the gameplay of Pong with something simple like introducing fluid dynamics would be enough to catch my eye, but the sandbox mode for playing with said dynamics is inexplicably huge amounts of fun.

September

Road to the IGF: Klei Entertainment’s Eets
Gamasutra, September 29th

Eets is going to walk away with a prize at the IGF awards ceremony this year without any doubt. The difficulty is a little unforgiving at times, but it’s not much worse than other puzzle games. But in terms of presentation, and pure professionalism, it’s up there with any game I’ve played in 2006.

Playing Catch Up: Darkseed’s Mike Dawson
Gamasutra, September 28th

Playing Catch Up is an amazing column to be in charge of. It’s such an honour to be writing up the career history of people I admire. Darkseed was a game that really got to me when it was released, so being able to talk to Mike Dawson about the game was really fantastic.

Q&A: Greg Costikyan’s Manifesto
Gamasutra, September 28th

Greg’s a really amazing person – he’s got some incredible ideas which he’s passionate about sharing, and he’s not afraid to really say what he believes is going to be best. It’s clear from talking to him that he cares a great deal about the games industry as a whole, which is thrilling.

Media Consumption: Hitman’s Jesper Kyd
Gamasutra, September 26th

I figured I’d have an easier time of getting Jesper Kyd to talk about his interests, but I guess he just doesn’t have a lot to say. In the end, there wasn’t enough time to get follow-up answers back from him, which is why the column is so short.

Tall Order Giantsy CD Review
DB Magazine, issue #395, September 26th

“…Giantsy isn’t the sound of a band who lack promise, rather one who lack focus on the big picture. Tall Order seem quite happy with their shed - it might be a while before they’re ready to face the outside world, though.”

It takes a lot of effort to be that nice when writing about something that makes your skin crawl with outright horribleness. Giantsy is the worst CD I’ve heard all year, but I’m happy that I was able to write something constructive, rather than something that was flat out vicious.

The Crayon Fields Animal Bells CD Review
DB Magazine, issue #395, September 26th

“Consider Animal Bells a declaration of intent - The Crayon Fields are out to prove that they are one of the best bands in the country, for those who don’t already know it.”

In actual fact, they’re not nearly aggressive enough to want to prove anything of the sort, so it’s fortunate that the album is brilliant enough to do it for them. I’m a fan of a lot of the same ‘60s pop bands they are, but I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t like this album.

The Drones Gala Mill CD Review
DB Magazine, issue #395, September 26th

“Gala Mill is an effortlessly confident album and a fitting and often exceptional evolution of the brilliance that won them the [Australian Music Prize] in the first place.”

At the time of writing, I’m yet to put together any required album of the year lists, but I know that this is going to be on there. It’s not only a great album musically, but an important one for what it achieves by showing a band who aren’t embarrassed to be Australian.

Let’s Make A Soccer Team! PS2 Review
DB Magazine, issue #395, September 26th

“…Soccer Team! proves to hold onto too many niche elements to be a mainstream success, but covets that success too much to be a successful simulation. Fans of the genre would be better off looking at Football Manager - fans of soccer should probably stick to FIFA.”

Sega’s soccer sim never really seems sure whether or not it wants to appeal to a mass audience or not, which is what makes it such a messy play experience. It’s fun for a time, but I haven’t felt compelled to go back to it, simply because there are games that do the same thing far, far better.

Interview with The Grates
DB Magazine, issue #395, September 26th

Interview with Brisbane band The Grates that was an interesting experience to transcribe and write up, due to vocalist Patience Hodgson’s hyperactive and digressive way of talking. She’s hilarious, but I think I only got in two questions over the half hour we spoke for.

Road to the IGF: Whirled Games’ Prime Time: Maths Adventure
Gamasutra, September 26th

I find myself fascinated with educational software, simply because it doesn’t seem to be anywhere near the standard of what was around 15 years ago. Aside from things like Brain Age, it doesn’t have the same feeling of intelligence it once did. That’s why I though it was great to see someone recognising this.

GameSetInterview: Lexaloffle’s Joseph White
GameSetWatch, September 25th

Lexaloffle’s Swarm Racer is one of the most amazingly polished indie games I’ve played in ages – it looks and sounds really great, though I’m not sure if I could play it for much longer than a few hours. Still, Joseph is an amazingly creative guy, and he does some really exciting stuff.

Q&A: Strange Agency on Analysing the RPG
Gamasutra, September 25th

Fascinating chat with Clive Fencott and Jo Clay from UK based research group Strange Agency on their attempts to find statistical patterns in an entire genre. From there, they believe they can give advice on what will and will not be successful, while still fostering creativity, which sounds great if it works.

Road to the IGF: Pixeljam’s Gamma Bros.
Gamasutra, September 22nd

Gamma Bros. is an excellent game – the art, in particular, is outstanding. There’s also some really cool stuff by Rich Grillotti for sale on their website, which I intend to purchase sooner or later.

Q&A: NHN USA on ijji.com’s Casual Portal Plans
Gamasutra, September 21st

Interesting talk with NHN USA Marketing Manager Richard Chae about how the Asian online juggernaut is planning on achieving the same level of success in the US. The site doesn’t seem to have taken off in a major way yet, but they’re clearly not naive.

Media Consumption: SilverBack Studios’ Jim Bottomley
Gamasutra, September 19th

Media Consumption is a consistently fun column to write; it’s always interesting to hear what people are into right now. Jim Bottomley and I seem to share a number of music interests, apparently.

Road to the IGF: Dan Marshall (Gibbage)
Gamasutra, September 18th

The first in a long twice-weekly series of interviews with entrants in the Independent Games Festival. I’m a huge fan of what the IGF stand for, so I was really happy to be asked to do the interviews for this year. Dan Marshall is hilariously funny, by the way: “I’ll see you in March when Gibbage wipes the floor with the rotting corpse of whatever that crappy little game it was you wrote”, indeed.

The History of the Pokémon Series
Nintendo Wii Europe, September 16th

The third “History of…” for Nintendo Wii Europe. Pokémon was never a game I really got into, though I was a massive fan of the cartoon. Admittedly, I was about to finish high school at that time, but that’s not important. I had a lot of fun writing this one.

Q&A: Chris George on IGN GamerMetrics Fall Retail Buyers Guide
Gamasutra, September 15th

I talked to Chris George, vice president of client solutions for Fox Interactive Media, about the Buyers Guide, which basically tells retailers what to buy plenty of for the upcoming months based on the “mindshare” a title has at IGN. The guide was actually a pretty interesting read.

Wii Price & Date – Gamers React
Gameworld Network, September 14th

This was the last piece I wrote for GWN, due to some immensely unsavoury business practices a number of hours beforehand which I’m more than willing to talk about if prompted. My credibility is worth a lot more to me than what they were paying, so I saw no reason to associate myself with a group of people that had already proven themselves untrustworthy.

Q&A: Exent on the ‘Long Tail’ For In-Game Ads
Gamasutra, September 14th

Yoav Tzruya, CEO of Exent Technologies, talked a lot about their in-game advertising plans, but couldn’t make it appear any more appealing. It patches onto existing programs, which seems a little dodgy, to say the least.

GameSetInterview: Slipstream Production’s Dispraiser on Halogen
GameSetWatch, September 14th

Short chat with the project lead from the cancelled Halo RTS. It’s a pity it was cancelled, but it looks like they’ll be bouncing back in no time, once they get rid of all the Halo references.

Q&A: In-Stat on the PSP, DS Handheld Wars
Gamasutra, September 13th

Interview with Brian O’Rourke, Senior Analyst at In-Stat about the handheld market, as of that date. He paints a rosier picture than many would, though I suspect a lot more is actually said in the report that the company sells.

The Ribbon Device Saturation Day CD Review
DB Magazine, issue #394, September 12th

“…at their best, The Ribbon Device show themselves to be a dazzling blend of Pavement’s twisted pop sensibilities with Beck’s swagger.”

Listening to it now, there’s something about it that leaves a slightly bitter taste in my mouth, so it was probably a better review than it deserved. I’m still looking forward to dragging Saturation Day out over summer, though.

V8 Supercars 3 PS2 Review
DB Magazine, issue #394, September 12th

“…it’s not the best racing sim out there, but V8 Supercars 3 is a competent, enjoyable game, with some very welcome local additions.”

It’s hard to understand just how extraordinary a cultural experience it is to be able to drive around Bathurst’s Mt. Panorama circuit unless you’re actually Australian, but it’s very easily the most enjoyable thing about this race sim, which is known as TOCA Race Driver 3 elsewhere. It’s just not Gran Turismo 4, which, ultimately, is why I’m not playing it anymore.

The Da Vinci Code PS2 Review
DB Magazine, issue #394, September 12th

Edited re-write of the previous Da Vinci Code review, with permission from The Gaming Shack Network. As far as I’m concerned, this is the definitive version.

Interview with The Crayon Fields
DB Magazine, issue #394, September 12th

The Crayon Fields are, in my opinion, one of the best bands in Australia. They’re just one of the groups that you know are special as soon as you hear or see them. Their singer, Geoff O’Connor, is a fairly nervy guy, but it comes across as one of the more endearing aspects of the band.

Interview with The Drones
DB Magazine, issue #394, September 12th

I was pretty excited to get this interview with my favourite live band. Well, okay – I was excited to the point of choking up with fanboy nervousness during the first minute of the interview. I calmed down pretty quickly after that, though, simply because singer and guitarist Gareth Liddiard is so laid back.

10 Reasons Not To Sell Your PS2 Just Yet
Gameworld Network, September 7th

Simple top ten list that details the big-name games that were yet to come out on the PS2 at the time of writing. A number of the titles included turned out not to be all that great, but the article made its point all the same.

GameSetInterview: DELTAHEAD’s James Howell on SegaGaga Translation
GameSetWatch, September 6th

Interview with James Howell, head of translation company DELTAHEAD on their fan-translation of Dreamcast swan-song SegaGaga. It sounds like a lot of work ahead of them, but it’s an important game in many ways, and deserves the kind of care that Howell and co. are putting into it.

Q&A: NaturalPoint on TrackIR’s Head Motion Tracker
Gamasutra, September 4th

Interesting talk with NaturalPoint’s developer relations manager Warren Blythe about their motion tracking unit for the PC. The best thing is just how passionate about the unit he is, and how much he wants to see developers doing interesting things with it, which I think is great.

GameSetInterview: David Kazim on GO3 Electronic Expo 2007
GameSetWatch, September 1st

GO3 is an Australian event that may or may not be as important as David Kazim believes, but it was interesting to talk to someone setting up an event like this in the aftermath of the E3 downsizing affair.

The Greatest Wii Rumour Compilation Ever – August Edition
Gameworld Network, September 1st

Update of the Wii rumour compilation for the month of August, which mostly deals with talk of the console’s price point.

August

Q&A: Cai Looks Beyond ‘Hardcore vs. Casual’
Gamasutra, August 31st

Interview with Yuanzhe “Michael” Cai, a researcher for Parks Associates, who believes that the games industry needs to understand that the market is not just “casual” and “hardcore” gamers. It’s interesting thinking, and should be taken on board, if the industry really wants to “grow up”.

Interview with Okkervil River
DB Magazine, issue #393, August 30th

Really weird interview with Will Sheff, singer from the Texan alt-country band Okkervil River. He was not in a great mood, due to the fact that he was trying, with no luck, to get his bed out of a storage warehouse at the time. After attempting to cancel the interview a number of times in the first five minutes, he eventually ranted about his hatred for the music industry, before apologising profusely for being a “jerk”.

Interview with Meanwell College
DB Magazine, issue #393, August 30th

Local band Meanwell College talk about their about-to-be-released 7”. Odd interview – one of the guys was great, but the other was outrageously arrogant and kept trying to give me tips on “proper interviewing technique”.

GameSetInterview: Twin Galaxies’ Walter Day
GameSetWatch, August 30th

Walter Day has been keeping score of games since mid-1981, and his organisation, Twin Galaxies, is still the authority on gaming. So it was a bit of an honour to speak to him about what he remembers of the early days, and how it contrasts to what’s happening now.

GameSetInterview: Martin Bell On Carrier Command Remake
GameSetWatch, August 23rd

Interview with Martin Bell, who is remaking 1988 Amiga, Atari ST, PC, ZX Spectrum, Apple Macintosh, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC game Carrier Command. That game took hours of my time as a child, and it’s great to see that other people hold it in the same high regard as I do.

The History of the Metroid Series
Nintendo Wii Europe, August 22nd

Like the Zelda article before it, this was a look at what has been and what is still to come for the Metroid franchise. At 3,000 words, it hits a pretty decent level of detail on each of the games, and gives more than a few interesting bits of trivia on the series too.

Little Mathletics Mini-Interview: Sonic Preservation
Little Mathletics, August 17th

Bizarre, rambling chat with Alex Prins-Stairs, which seemed a little too niche to post anywhere else. As much as it is overlong, and borderline unreadable at times, it impressed me to see just how passionate he was about it.

GameSetInterview: Tom ‘Tsquared’ Taylor On Gaming-Lessons
GameSetWatch, August 17th

Short chat with super-star competitive gamer ‘Tsquared’ Taylor about his latest business venture, Gaming-Lessons, which offers tutoring in gaming from other big names, like Alfonso “Fonzi” Chartier, and 7 year old Victor “LiL Poison” De Leon III.

The Failings of Midway
Gameworld Network, August 17th

An opinion piece for GWN - which was, in retrospect, entirely the wrong place for it - that criticises the current management of Midway, and suggests that the company should be “viewing the Wii as more than a dumping ground for past failures”. Rampage, anyone?

Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires PS2 Review
DB Magazine, issue #392, August 15th

“Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires isn’t a bad game; it’s just wearyingly similar to every other game in the series. The addition of strategy elements goes some way to refreshing the tired and repetitive action components, but, even then, we’ve seen it all before in Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires.”

Dynasty Warriors games are funny beasts. I’ll often get hooked on them for hours at a time, and then just never want to see them again. That’s pretty much the case with this game - I played the hell out of it, but I can’t even imagine wanting to return to it.

GameSetInterview: Spencer Putt On Zelda For TI-83+ Graphical Calculators
GameSetWatch, August 12th

Interview with prodigiously talented programmer Spencer Putt, who managed to develop a homebrew Zelda title for the kind of graphical calculator used in high school maths classes. It’s mind boggling just how well it actually runs - especially given his declaration that “it isn’t hard” to do.

The History of The Legend of Zelda Series
Nintendo Wii Europe, August 6th

Super-lengthy history of the Nintendo franchise. It doesn’t go in depth on the titles as much as I would have liked, but at 5,000 words, it does give a pretty good overview of where the series began, and where it’s going.

GameSetInterview: Game Architecture Preservationist Mario Gerosa
GameSetWatch, August 2nd

Mario Gerosa essentially believes in the archiving of virtual architecture, which is a pretty cool idea. It’s easy to forget just how disposable information has become with the internet - I’m constantly finding dead links while researching things. So, as ridiculous as it initially sounds, a virtual museum for this sort of thing is can’t be a bad thing.

The Ultimate Wii Rumour Compilation: Part 1
Gameworld Network, August 1st

Part one of an exhaustive 7,000 word listing of every rumour (up until that date) regarding the Wii. Took days upon days to write, but I wasn’t about to write something that claimed to be the “ultimate” if it wasn’t. Oddly, the editors at GWN found it necessary to add exclamation marks to a number of sentences for me - I’ve no idea why. Nor do I have any idea why I’m not credited anywhere in the article.

The Ultimate Wii Rumour Compilation: Part 2
Gameworld Network, August 1st

Part two, in which I am actually credited. Odd website to work with, that one.

July

GameSetInterview: Adventure International’s Scott Adams
GameSetWatch, July 19th

Adventure game pioneer Scott Adams talks about his career and his current interest in MMOs, while I try and find out as much about Marvel in the ’80s as possible without seeming weird. Scott’s Marvel games were easily the best games for the licenses until Spider-Man, for the record.

Street Fighter Alpha Anthology PS2 Review
DB Magazine, issue #390, July 19th

“If you missed the series first time around, the anthology’s faultless emulation and reasonable price mark a great chance to play some of the best 2D fighting games ever.”

I am horrible at fighting games. Absolutely pathetically bad. Reviewing Alpha Anthology was hard for me, since I found it hard to enjoy something I find so utterly frustrating, but there’s no question that the problem stems from my own ineptitude, rather than from the games themselves.

GameSetInterview: Richard Meurling On ‘Homebrew’ Zelda Mobile
GameSetWatch, July 17th

Interview with Richard Meurling, who is working on an unofficial Minsh Cap-styled remake of the first Zelda title for mobile phones. Because of the keypad, it’s not the most playable game ever, but it looks great.

Little Mathletics Mini-interview: Tetris 1D
Little Mathletics, July 14th

Pedantic question that is immediately, and hilariously, thrown back in my face by the creator of Flash game Tetris 1D. I still maintain the title of the game should reflect its actual dimensional representation though.

GameSetInterview: Halo Screenwriter DB Weiss
GameSetWatch, July 13th

Accidental scoop, as Halo scribe DB Weiss talks about writing for the movie - I only knew him as the author of the book Lucky Wander Boy. He also let slip that Neill Blomkamp would be directing - unfortunately, this didn’t make it to the article after he quickly realised he shouldn’t have said anything.

GameSetInterview: Barrie Ellis @ OneSwitch On Accessible Gaming
GameSetWatch, July 10th

Lengthy and fascinating talk with Barrie Ellis, accessible gaming advocate, on disabled gaming, and why it’s not supported as much as it could and should be. I think Barrie’s amazing - it’s just a pity more people aren’t listening to what he’s saying, yet.

GameSetInterview: OCReMix’s DJ Pretzel
GameSetWatch, July 5th

Quick chat with David Lloyd of OverClocked ReMix about the site, and videogame music in general. There’s some cool stuff on OCR amidst the millions of Final Fantasy VII mixes - Neskvartetten’s Zelda jazz tracks are personal favourites of mine.

The Incredibles: The Rise of the Underminer PS2 Review
DB Magazine, issue #389, July 5th

“…a wasted licence. It’s a fun couple of hours for its intended younger audience, especially in two-player mode, but not much more - there’s certainly no joy to be found in the storyline. As an extension of the movie, especially with the involvement of Pixar, it’s hard not to be disappointed.”

I understand that kid’s games aren’t necessarily aimed at me, but I have very little patience for titles that don’t at least attempt some semblance of gross-generational appeal. It just seems lazy, especially when there are plenty of Disney licensed games in the past that have done it so well.

June

Interview with The Bovines
DB Magazine, issue #388, June 21st

Interview with local Adelaide group The Bovines, who proved very easy to talk to, if somewhat unconvinced about their abilities. I went to see them play a few days later, and broke my glasses from dancing too hard.

Hitman: Blood Money PS2 Review
DB Magazine, issue #388, June 21st

“There’s a lot to like and recommend about Blood Money - it’s a well made game with a lot of character and class, but it’s the replay factor that pushes it above many recent releases.”

I liked the first Hitman, but it had a lot of problems - then I stopped caring about the series after I didn’t find any of them fixed in the second title. That’s why it was such a surprise to find that Blood Money had finally addressed so many of them. It’s not game of the year, by any stretch, but it’s solid and enjoyable, even months later.

The Da Vinci Code PS2 Review
The Gaming Shack Network, June 19th

“There’s simply nothing to recommend about this game to anyone, as it consistently falls well below average right throughout. Even fans of the book would be better off avoiding this.”

I hated The Da Vinci Code novel, which immediately makes me the wrong sort of person to be reviewing the game, but lazy work is lazy work, even from a non-fan’s perspective. It’s broken on so many levels that I can’t even imagine myself giving it to a relative for a Christmas present.

GameSetInterview: John Gillotte On DSQuake
GameSetWatch, June 15th

Interview with John Gillotte, homebrew DS programmer, on his efforts to port the legendary FPS to the handheld device. There’s lots of talk about exactly what can and can’t be done with the DS, which makes for some interesting reading.

GameSetInterview: Telltale Games Talk Sam & Max
GameSetWatch, June 13th

A chat with Dan Connors and Dave Grossman of Telltale Games about their then-upcoming Sam & Max titles. Cue fanboy breakdown when I realised I’d scored an interview with Grossman, who worked on Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacl for LucasArts.

GameSetInterview: Henry Jenkins on The Responsibility Of Games
GameSetWatch, June 5th

A “tremendously lengthy but equally fascinating talk” with Henry Jenkins, Director of Comparative Media Studies Program and Full Professor of Literature at MIT on gaming in academia, amongst other things.

Rogue Trooper PS2 Review
The Gaming Shack Network, June 6th

“It’s certainly competent, but that’s probably the best you could say. Disappointingly average on all levels.”

Shooters aren’t my genre, but I can tell what I do and don’t like, and this game was boring as anything. Part of that is probably the fault of the license, which doesn’t really seem as tongue-in-cheek as it should be - the story didn’t even hold my interest enough to even touch the game after the review was written up.

May

Hizoka T Ohkuba Interview
Little Mathletics, May 23rd

I was, and still am, absolutely obsessed with Hizoka T Ohkuba’s Warning Forever. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only interview with him in English. It was a bit of a pain translating everything – my skills in translation are rudimentary, at best – but it was definitely worth it.

Joseph Hatcher Interview
Little Mathletics, May 18th

As much as I’d like to see a Bob Ross game made, I’m not sure Joseph Hatcher’s AGFRAG are the company to do it. I’m yet to be convinced that they actually have the drive and ability to get a game on the Wii.

Cristopher Boyer Interview
Little Mathletics, May 6th

I suppose being told by GameSetWatch’s Simon Carless that he wished I’d “asked the harder questions” opened my eyes to a lot following this interview. I’m not sure where I stand on the whole Cristopher Boyer issue now – he’s a pleasant guy, but I really don’t know about the way he does business.

April

Joel Yliluoma Interview
Little Mathletics, April 30th

I was really into watching tool assisted runs at the time I approached Joel for this interview. It’s actually always irritated me that people don’t seem to understand the difference between tool assisted runs as entertainment vs. tool assisted runs as cheating.

Kenta Cho Interview
Little Mathletics, April 18th

So, I’m something of a shmups fan. Therefore, it was a pretty obvious move for me to talk to probably the best known PC doujin shmup developer – his games are stunning, and I’m always looking forward to what he comes up with next.

Jay Moore Interview
Little Mathletics, April 8th

I would have liked this to be a lot longer, but I suppose I was lucky that Jay give his time to an unknown site like Little Mathletics at all. I think this represents a big step in interview technique.

Jamie Smart Interview
Little Mathletics, April 7th

I really like Jamie Smart’s Bear comic – I think his sense of timing is wonderful, and so is the art. I’m looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next, but I have a feeling it could go either way, really. I would like to write more on comics in the future, though.

Myfanwy Ashmore Interview
Little Mathletics, April 2nd

I’m still reasonably happy with this interview – I don’t think it’s as pretentious as it could have been, at least. I liked Myfanwy a lot – she’s very genuine, and her work is really exciting.

March

8-Bit Artist Interview
Little Mathletics, March 22nd

Reading it now, it’s a good deal more “highbrow” than it needs to be, especially given the interview subject. I think the questions about how he does his paintings are a lot more interesting than those that focus on art.

Xoc Interview
Little Mathletics, March 15th

I really enjoyed this interview, though the stupid volume of text links bothers me now. I think, in many ways, it’s a little bit too focused on things other than Xoc’s recordings – like the bands he likes, and so on. Still, it hits most of the points you would want it to, I suppose.

fur Interview
Little Mathletics, March 13th

A fun interview, about the PainStation; a game of Pong that would whip, shock, or burn the loser. They’re odd guys, I’ll say that much – apparently, their aims are “world domination, legalize marijuana and make Shigeru Miyamoto president!”

February

Fred Basset: A Postmodernist Reading of the Work of Alex Graham
Little Mathletics, February 22nd

I sold out of the first two pressings of this when it was in zine form for the Adelaide Fringe Festival Zine Fair. It is, in so many ways, not much good as an academic essay, but it makes me laugh a lot, even now, and it clearly struck a nerve with people.

Yu-Chen Shih Interview
Little Mathletics, February 10th

I must say, I actually find this a far more interesting piece than the accompanying interview with Brandon Cobb. Localisation is a topic I’d really like to re-visit in some detail sometime in the future.

Brandon Cobb Interview
Little Mathletics, February 10th

I think I’ve learnt a lot about interviewing since this – I certainly hope so, at least. It’s not that the questions asked were particularly bad, it’s the fact that there are things that I would like to have seen answered that weren’t. Still, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I’m just glad that I have grown since this went up.