[old blog import] My Life As A ScamLord

So, pottering around with the Wii at the weekend (and refusing outright to make that particular pun), I find that the shop channel as at long last started to catch up with the modern age and has some FREE DEMO'S!!!

Let the joy bells ring.

Anyway, the lack of any demo content has always been a little puzzling to me, so it's nice to see them taking even a tentative step in the right direction. There's only a handful of demo's on offer, but at least there's a couple I actually want to try. So I download the demos for World Of Goo and Final Fantasy My Life As A Darklord.

Now, My Life As A Darklord in particular has interested me for a very long time, so actually getting an opportunity to try it out is awesome. And it's a fun game. In fact I enjoy playing it so much I decide to actually buy it.

Now, here I must pause in my narrative to address the one niggling issue I have with the demo service (aside of course from the fact that you can't set it to download in the background and do something else). Simply the fact that, once you complete a demo you taken immediately into the shop, rather than just exiting back to the main screen. I find this to be rather obnoxious. If I want to buy the damn game then I'll do it in my own time, thanks.

Anyway, so despite having the shop pushed in my face I pay's my money and I takes my choice. 1000 points, or £7.00 in earth monies. After all, seven quid for a fun little game is a pretty good deal, right?

Well, yes. I think so. The game is fun, and I'm happy with my purchase.

But then you see this additional content menu. And this is where things start to get a bit dodgy. There's all this extra content you can buy for the game. New costumes, new monsters, items, that kind of thing.  Mostly it looks like you can just buy yourself some extra stuff to make things a bit easier. And, since I have some random left over points I do that myself.

Then, I decide to have a look at what all this stuff actually costs in real money. I mean, I'm liking this game, so obviously I'd like to experience as much of the available content as possible. So I go through and add it up.

Now, it is worth bearing in mind that none of this is REQUIRED to play the game. It would just be nice to have. But the full total for the additional content for a £7 game comes to...

£39.90

Which somehow strikes me as pretty shocking. If you want the whole shebang it'll end up costing you more than buying a big new release. Indeed, just getting the extra's that interest me (which is extra levels, monsters and artifacts) will cost about another £20.

This is undoubtedly the sort of thing it would be easy to spend to much money on, particularly with the actual values obfuscated by this whole points nonsense.

Exactly how I feel about all this is still a little undecided, as I am only partway through the game. Exactly how much unlockable content exists in game without paying and the games final length will impact quite severely. After all, it just feels like a set up to get you to buy more then I'll be quite dissapointed. On the other hand if it manages to stand alone satisfactorly then the additional content will be more like the icing on the cake.

Only time will tell.

[old blog import] Should Have Worn A Hat Really

A somewhat inauspicous day in general really.

Just before I'm set to leave work there's last minute problems, my lift down to the station forgets completely, the trains are delayed anyway, and above all else, PISSING BLOODY RAIN.

I pity the fool who decided to be at the front of the Queue for Abingdon Boys School. Must have been like a race between Hypothermia and Drowning. I mean, I was pretty far around from the front, and I'm only just about dried out now.

Anyway, a remarkably civilised affair. There was a queue for the merchandise stand. A nice, polite queue. No, fighting your way through a heaving mass of flesh to see how much the CDs are. No standing there for hours desperatly trying to catch the merch minions attention. Just get in line, make your purchase and leave.

BLISS.

Moving on, I must say I've never seen that many Japanese women at a concert before. And I do mean women. As in possibly as old as me. Scary. Though looking at the boys in the band I guess I can see the attraction. The singer, in his glasses and uniform? I'd give him a good solid "mothering". IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.

Seriously though, I am going so gay for Japanese men lately it's not funny. Are there ANY ugly people in Japan?

So, desperatly trying to stay on topic, the place is pretty damn packed. Not quite sure if it's sold out, but it must be close. Judging by the bands set up they really ought to be playing somewhere bigger, what with all the equipment and roadies and such. For the moment I'm glad they're not, as it's nice seeing a band up close. But I'm pretty sure next time they should be. We'll see.

I wasn't really familiar with them before tonight, only really knowing the one song, but then that's as good a reason as any to come. To get the full experience. They play really well, very energetically, and seem really pleased to be here, which is nice. Though I'm starting to see a pattern of basically every single band I've seen this year asking me if I'm having fun. SEVERAL TIMES. Frankly it's just getting creepy.

But yeah, a good fun gig. Most enjoyable, and it gave me a chance to finally pick up one of their CD's. Which is handy as I'd been contemplating getting some singles on ebay. And of course, despite all the delays and such I'm back early, which considering the amount of work I have waiting for me is a very good thing.

Sleep now, for torment awaits.