CyberpunkCafe

So last weekend my good buddy Tamer came down to visit and this visit happened to coincide exactly with my copy of Mario Kart Wii arriving through the post. I got a couple of shots in before he got here just to check out what was new with the latest incarnation and I have to say my initial reaction was a little subdued.

On first impression the game didn’t seem to be radically different from the Gamecube’s MK: Double Dash. The multiplayer modes have also been changed from a straight up free for all to a team based affair, robbing me of what has traditionally been my favourite gameplay mode. It isn’t entirely negative however; the game has been considerably polished since the Gamecube version and has been noticeably increased in scale. There are more tracks, including a host of retro tracks from the previous versions, more cups in the single player grand prix mode, a huge choice of karts, bikes and characters to choose from as well as heaps more to unlock and the addition of tricks and a slightly tweaking drift and boost system. The single biggest improvement though, turning what might have been a fairly average sequel into a truly fantastic one, is the addition of online content and multiplayer play. Besides being able to download time trial ghost times from the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and compare your records with others online you can also enter into competitions and best of all; Play Mario Kart ONLINE!

Online play is where Mario Kart Wii really shines - it’s always been a great multiplayer party game and with each incarnation the racing aspect of multiplayer has become better and better. Tamer and I had a few shots of the multiplayer which was fine but it wasn’t until we loaded up the wireless mode that the game really came to life. The way it works is fast and simple - it looks for people around your rating and then organises you into a group of up to 12 and then allows you to vote for which circuit you want. Obviously you can play wireless on your own but you can also play with a guest, which is what we did. While the battle mode is fun - it’s nothing on the racing. We spent the entire afternoon and a large portion of the evening racing online, hi-fiving, whooping and immensely enjoying beating down fiery Spaniards Pedro and Ramon and challenging the technical efficiency of German Karters like Hans and Speigel. When we did finally go out that evening for some drinks we came back early specifically to get in more drunken Mario Kart fun. Although the alcohol did severely impact on our driving skills it should be said.

Anyway overall verdict is a huge win - I’ve been waiting a long time for Nintendo to make a great multiplayer experience and in Mario Kart Wii they seem to have gotten the mixture right - I only hope that unlike other versions of Mario Kart this is the first one which will receive a sequel on the same hardware as the multiplayer experience can only get better as the Wii progresses.

I heartlessly yoinked this quiz from Kainz

1. Was 2007 a good year for you?
Hmm, it started off filled with promise and I think that overall I had a pretty good first quarter but then it sort of detoriated and was gradually getting worse until the last few months where it started to get better again.

2. What was your best moment of the year?
Jeez I dunno there was quite a few highlights early on - my lovelife was certainly pretty active over the first 4 or 5 months. I guess on balance though it was moving into my current place after being stuck in a hellhole flat for almost 6 months.

3. What was your least favourite moment of the year?
I think probably the realisation that the flat I had just moved into was made from walls and ceilings of paper and that it was directly beneath a small time drug dealer who used it as party central. That or splitting up with a certain person because I just didn’t think it was going to work - despite really caring about them *cue sad face*.

4. What are your plans for 2008?
Well one was to stop smoking and so far so good - not had a single ciggy since boxing day. Others include getting back down to my ideal weight and getting fitter - which is also coming along. I guess it would be nice to find a gf and get out of freelance hell. I guess most of all it would be to make some films

5. What countries did you visit?
Scotland… I think that was it, pretty average year for travelling now I think about it :/ I think i will try and make up for that too this year.

6. What date in 2007 will remain etched in your memory?
hmm I guess the 1st of january 2007 was pretty wicked - I doubt I will forget that in a hurry 24th/25th of december weren’t bad either but not the same league.

7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I think I pretty massively underachieved last year. I think the only major work I finished was a couple of university related tings - and I didnt get my portfolio online until the new year. I suppose I moved into my own place for the first time and I had some important personal breakthroughs.

8. What was your biggest failure?
Hmm, I try not to fail - that’s my biggest fear. I guess I didnt get enough of my own work done last year - but I did some pretty impressive photomanips - I guess I should recognise my successes more - thats one of my failings sometimes.

9. Did you suffer any illness or injury?
A cold is about the only thing I remember.

10. What was the best thing you bought?
I guess I was whinging on about getting a Wii all year but I’ve not played it as much as I thought I would. It’s actually probably something small yet important that I can’t think of.

11. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
My own behaviour is usually the one which makes me most appalled and depressed but I guess my upstairs neighbour in my last flat had me on the brink of going postal so he wins that award.

12. Where did most of your money go?
The little I had went mainly on bills and food I’ll wager.

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving out of the shared house. Getting a Wii.

14. What songs will always remind you of 2007?
I think last year was probably owned by …and you will know us by the trail of the dead. I listened to a lot of music though - snow patrol have some tracks I guess i won’t forget.

15. Compared to this time last year are you:

1. Fatter or thinner? Probably slightly tubbier - I had lost tons of weight around christmas last year so I was super svelte by this time.
2. Happier or sadder? Probably Sadder - I was still on a high last year.
3. Richer or poorer? Probably about the same / slightly richer. Althoguh I have gotten rid of a few debts and sorted myself out a bit more now.

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Hard graft.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Video games.

18. How will you be spending Christmas?
This year will be back home again - I seem to have been doing it every other year for the last few.

19. Which MySpace users did you meet for the first time?
Stupid question - guess Kainzy stole this from myspace - though I think i met two people from myspace for the first time last year.

20. Did you fall in love in 2007?
I nearly did.

22. What was your favourite TV show?
Probably Lost or BSG - I watched all of 24 last year though.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Don’t think I hate anyone really, despite what I might say I aint got the spare time to think about people I dislike that much.

24. What was/were the best books you read?
I don’t recall being bowled over by anything - I did enjoy a couple of Ben Elton numbers at the start of the year and i reread a bunch of favs in the middle.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Hmm, Belle and Sebastian was the year before but I guess they got the most airplay again. I don’t recall tbh. I did a mad Scottish thing and downloaded tons of Scottish bands.

26. What did you want and get?
A Wii.

27. What did you want and not get?
A lovely gf!

28. What kept you sane?
A variety of friends intervening at the correct moments.

29. Which celebrity did you fancy the most?
I think in firefly’s Summer Glau (and The Sarah Connor Chronicles) I developed my first fantasy celebrity crush since I was a teenager and Salma Hayek was my number one woman. Sorry Salma, as hot as you are I think she just edges it too.

30. How mind numbingly boring was this quiz?
Well I managed to do it quicker than kainz…

Todays random messing around in Photoshop brings you this:

For those of you who are interested the image I started with looked like this:

Oh and as you may have noticed I have also finished the first draft of the new look Cyberpunkcafe portfolio site. Check it out.

In case anyone pops by I am in the middle of editing the cyberpunkcafe site to get my showreel and bio/portfolio up and I just wanted to test the embededding of stage 6 videos before I did: