SteelSkin.net – The Ramblings of Chris Nutt

These days I have to seriously wonder whether the gaming populous even wants high quality games any more. Apparently thinking and charming plots not count for crap. Games can do more than play themselves and put women back to the 50s, where the best they could aspire to is School teacher (not a bad job, but certainly should not the only option).

That’s why Gallia needs you! or rather Valkyria Chronicles does. If you have a PS3 try the demo, it gives you a flavour of the full game, but the full thing is amazing.

Oh well that’s it. I have left Emusic, I joined in August 2007 and I feel I have had my money’s worth. Going indy music only has forced me to try new things and has affected my musical tastes. The two key tastes that Emusic promoted in me was electronic and goth/heavy rock. I now listen to  Jean Michele Jarre, Future Prophets, Astral Projection and the like more. I liked the genre before, but buying from Emusic skewed me toward these lines. I also listen to a lot more Nightwish, Masterplan and Sonata Artica than I did before. I, like my sister, prefer real singing to just shouting so I am not quite a death mosher. Having said that I am not adverse to the odd head bounce or toe tap.

Times have changed, Amazon and the like offer affordable MP3 music now. Also I have gotten fatigue, I think I need a couple of months to saviour the music I have rather than get another 40 tracks to riffle through. Another reason I left is there isn’t anything left I wanted to buy.

I passed my driving test in March 2004, I quickly bought an old Citroen AX. I HATED IT. I had never quite grasped how having a decent reliable car can affect your driving confidence and enjoyment before. So the hunt was on for a better car and really a reboot of my ‘first’ car. Enter the Ford Ka!, I purchased mine with a trade in of the AX in September 2004, the car was sooo much better than that awful little AX. For a driver with little experience the Ka not only gave me confidence, but made me appreciate and enjoy driving. Now the Ka was far from new, it is in fact a 96 P reg. This month the Ka will turn over on 100,000 miles and it does feel older now. However like a much loved pet I am finding it hard (especially when I get behind the wheel) to move on. I know its days are numbered and that I should trade up whilst I can, but fear of the unknown gnaws at the back of my mind.

One of my regular rituals is checking the feeds on Friday for 1up Yours and the 1up show. Much like Buzz Out Load, it is great hearing a group of professionals with the limiters off. EGM was an institution, but unfortunately it was owned by the sick Ziff Davis and in a far less magazine friendly country. When I was over in Alaska in 2007 I noticed how poor access to computing and gaming magazines. They had maybe 3 magazines in Walmart versus 10 in my local ASDA (Walmart UK). My local ASDA is a 5th the size of that Walmart. In Dunfermline or Kirkcaldy’s WH Smith you can see almost 70 computing/gaming mags (including specials). It’s crazy. I am sure that if EGM existed in the UK it would not just be around, but in far fitter shape .

Anyway back OT, I wish the guys and gals that were laid off all the best and those survivors I have no ill will and I hope you can turn lemons into lemonade.