26 April 2007 - EXPLORING HOBBITON - DAY TWO

It's day two in Middle Earth. And my questing has taken me far from the safety of my starter area and into Hobbiton.

• Take a pie to the Green Dragon Tavern (avoiding hungry hobbits on the way).
• Save a farmer's chickens from ravenous wolves.
• Defend a hobbit from some hulking bears.
• Collect an old cooking recipe from a tavern.

I noticed the game has a transport system where you can swiftly travel from place to place through a stable master. This is a great idea as running is slow and the world is very large. However, you have to explore these places first, so you can't just race off to Bree in your first hour of playing the game.

I got some criticism yesterday for saying that WOW has more content than LOTRO. This may be true, but what I've seen so far of Middle Earth, it's quality over quantity any day of the week, and some of the quests have been a pleasure, where I felt quest grind in WOW quite early on - you got bombarded with the same kinds of quests, which didn't change at all through the life of your character.

So, from what I've learned of LOTRO, there's a whole plethora of quests to come, from kidnappings, ambushes, and a lot more. Yes, there's still the kill ten wolves quest here, but they're just one of many, and many of them have other aspects to them (like kill ten giant frogs to get Lobelia Sackville-Baggins to appear - she's terrified of frogs!). It's all good stuff and plays on the books very well indeed.

My Quest: While searching for Bree and the Prancing Pony, I got lost and found myself in the scary Frogmoors. While there, me and my trusty pet raven were ambushed by some huge frogs and I died.

Only I didn't really die, instead, I ran out of morale, which is this game's version of health. Morale is like your confidence, and attacks diminish it until you collapse, exhausted and have to retreat to a safer region. I like this idea a lot as it gets away from the endlessly resurrecting idea of other games.

So I abandoned the Frogmoors in search of Bree, only to fail dismally. The monsters got too tough and I lost my way entirely, so I had to go back and do more of the quests in Hobbiton. Oh what's a poor elf to do?

Here's me looking down at Celondrim

So, what did I learn in day two? That the game is a deceptive beastie. It plays great, it looks gorgeous, and that there's a whole load more to do under the surface than at first appears.

I don't think I'll ever love a game like I did with Asheron's Call. But The Lord of the Rings Online made me feel excited in a way I haven't since those early days. There's a lot to see and explore here, and while I know the Middle Earth map pretty well, the thrill of exploration is back.

Tomorrow I'll find Bree and I'll get to meet Aragorn and see what quests await me there. I'm hopeful that I'll even find myself a magical item one of these days.

The Nasgul are abroad and I know dark things are shifting in the shadows of Middle Earth.

So I'll be avoiding magic rings like the plague!

Watch this space!

I was given a trial account for the launch day of The Lord of the Rings Online. So, I thought I’d give you my opinion of my time in Middle Earth.

Disclaimer: Call me grumpy but I’m reasonably anti-Turbine. I’ll never forgive them for allowing my hard-earned motes to be stolen in Asheron’s Call and for doing nothing about it! I’m also pretty frownsome (not actually a word) about the endless bugs in (the now deceased) Asheron’s Call 2. And of course, I’ll gloss entirely over Dungeons & Dragons Online – words fail me – nothing to see there!

So Turbine isn’t doing so well in my eyes. But along comes The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, a meaty title for Turbine’s newest game and a chance to put all previous wrongs right! In a nutshell, this is a Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game set in J.R.R. Tolkein’s world famous setting of Middle Earth. 

Who hasn’t fantasized about romping through the Shire, getting a pint at the Prancing Pony, and facing up against the Nasgul at Weathertop?

Well, now you can…

It’s IMPOSSIBLE to write an article like this without comparing it to the other MMO currently in circulation, the BIG DADDY of gaming: World of Warcraft. World of Warcraft (WOW) currently has around eight million subscribers – all paying around nine pounds per month to quest in Blizzard’s virtual playground. So it’s only natural that Turbine wants a piece of the action.

With two failed releases under their belt, Turbine’s developers clearly sat down and took a different approach to this new game: they designed LOTRO to be as close to WOW as possible. In fact, the two games are eerily similar. A friend came in while I was playing today to note “Ooh the interface is just like WOW!”

And indeed it is. Turbine has copied the winning formula all the way, not just from the interface, but to every aspect of the game.

And that’d not a bad thing. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

But, rather than reel off all the similarities between the two games, it’s best to say what’s different. There isn’t much, but one thing Turbine does better than anyone else, is story. Right from the outset, you are immersed into Tolkein’s world. Characters, script, story – LOTRO has it all! Defend Dwalin (remember him from The Hobbit?) as he faces off against a cult of wicked goblins, or as a hobbit, encounter some nefarious characters and even a terrifying Nasgul – all before you’ve learned your first skill!

It’s the story and attention to detail that makes this game such a fantastic tribute to Tolkein’s work.

So how did I find my time in Middle Earth, and did Turbine win me over?

Well. I wasn’t drawn into the game at first. I just kept seeing how much like WOW it was. And to be honest, that’s a bit of a turnoff. I’d have liked to have seen a game that pushes forward the industry by being at least a little innovative, but there’s nothing like that here. 

Yet once you move past that, you start to see what the game has to offer.

While most of LOTRO is standard MMO fare, there are some lovely touches, like titles. As your character performs actions in the world, they gain titles. For example, if you survive to level 5 without being slain, you gain the title "Wary”. There are countless titles, from Warg Slayer, to, I hope, Vanquisher of Nasgul! 

Exploration:  I’m three hours in and I still haven’t found the Prancing Pony, or sampled Monster Play (which is this game's version of Player Versus Player (PVP) combat). I reckon I've barely scratched the surface. There’s a lot of regions to explore and each one fits perfectly into the setting.

Interface: The interface is easy to pick up. You can be going in minutes, and even a novice gamer will soon be effortlessly roaming Middle Earth. The interface is fully configurable, so you can change it as much as you like to your own standards.

Quests: Quests are make or break for me, and the majority of quests were disappointing. I had three: one to collect a horn from a giant Auroch, another to kill 6 lesser Aurochs and collect their meat, and a last one to kill 6 creatures. Hmm. Kill and collect quests. So nothing new there, either.

But what I found was that unlike WOW (whose quests remain duller than dishwater throughout) there are some truly cracking quests here. The “Defend Dwalin” quest was truly exciting, and there are others that are equally well scripted. There’s really nothing like this in any other game and if it continues to be as exciting, that alone will keep me playing just to see what happens next.

In summary, LOTRO is well worth a closer look. It really is. With such an engrossing story, so visually appealing a world, and all those disenfranchised WOW players looking for the next big fix, how can it fail?

Only time will tell.

If you’re coming from WOW and want a refreshing change of pace, this is a tiny hop toward something new and fun. Just remember: it’s practically the same game you’ve been playing, only with no PVP combat, and substantially less content. But it's early days, and a with Turbine's track record at producing excellent content, the future for Middle Earth seems bright indeed.

However, with a game that’s almost nothing new, how long will it be continue to be entertaining when WOW has so much more to offer?

Come back in a few days and find out.

Find out about World of Warcraft here.

Find out about The Lord of the Rings Online here.

24 April - FEEL THE POWER OF THIS FULLY FUNCTIONAL... HOT AIR BALLOON?

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23 April 2007 - IMAGES OF SPACE FROM THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE

This is a genuine, untouched image of the universe taken by the Hubble Telescope.

It makes me feel very small and humble. There is such beauty out there beyond our tiny Earth. 

You really cannot imagine how mind-bogglingly vast the universe is. These things are so far away that I find it incredible to try and imagine how far away they really are. It's impossible, of course; the distances (in terms of linear length) are unimaginable.

And this. It's like something from Star Wars:

These were all taken from the NASA website. 

Visit NASA's image archive here

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22 April 2007 - THE RULES OF ATTRACTION

I recently conducted an experiment: I signed up to a dating website with false details and the most attractive fake picture I could find.

Now, I put the most insanely boring information into my profile. I didn’t make any attempt to stand out or be deep or insightful or interesting.

And I was astonished by the responses I received. 

People messaged me from all parts of the country to say what an awesome body I had, how sexy I was, and generally wanting to meet.

My real profile is full of information about myself, with positive messages about life. Yet it doesn’t get a fraction of the hits my fake one got.

So that got me to thinking: Would a person rather be miserable in an empty relationship with a gorgeous partner than one filled with the potential rewards a compatible mate might bring?

Are people simply attracted to beauty at a cost of all else?

While we can all admire a pretty face, isn’t it about time we looked a bit deeper? For the literally hundreds of people who checked out my profile, most of them couldn’t even be bothered to do more than send me a message saying: “Hi, how r u?”

Not an auspicious start.

Looks fade with the years. If people can’t look beyond the surface, beyond their physical desires, no wonder their relationships fail. They’re searching for instant physical gratification and to hell with the personality beneath the looks.

Not the best foundation for any long-term relationship.

From my research, I’ve discovered there’s a hierarchy to appearance. An attractive person often considers it beneath them to communicate with someone they consider less attractive than they are. They may totally ignore a person they consider unattractive. Certainly, a vast majority make no effort to get to know a person before making a judgement about them – one based entirely on appearance. 

So, do we live in a world where looks breed exclusivity?

Is it the case that the more attractive you are, the higher your own personal standards? The more you feel you deserve an equally attractive partner (regardless of their personal qualities).

I find this all rather disappointing. This is the twenty first century, surely we should be moving past an emphasis on looks and into something more spiritual or at least less hedonistic. Surely the qualities of personality should be far more important than the firmness of someone's breasts or six pack!

In a Vogue world where everything is centered on beauty, it seems increasingly unlikely that a person’s inner beauty will be made the centre of attention any time soon.

While I think attraction is an important part of relationships, far too much emphasis is placed on it.

The point of this article is not to go out and have charity sex with someone less attractive than yourself, but this: there’s a whole world of people out there, and we are all created more or less equally. We all have our strengths and they’re not all about how you look or what you do in the bedroom.

Possibilities are everywhere. Take time to look more closely at the people you encounter every day.

If you dismiss a person simply on looks, you could be drastically reducing your chance of relationship bliss. 

21 April 2007 - TIME WASTING #2

20 April 2007 - WHAT THE BUCK!

What the Buck quite literally defies definition...  Currently number one on You Tube and Myspace, this guy is such an evil genius, he totally deserved a mention on my website - purely for making me laugh at 2:00am when I should be asleep!

I hope we'll be seeing Buck on UK TV screens in the VERY near future.

20 April 2007 - TIME WASTING #1

OK, so it's crude, mean, and anti puddy tats... It's also damn addicting!

19th April 2007 - HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE

Another movie review, this time of the breathtakingly spectacular Howl’s Moving Castle.

Yes this is a Japanese animated movie, but before you start complaining about subtitles, incomprehensible stories, and chesty teenage girls in various states of undress, fear not, for it’s been completely reworked in English with top stars like Lauren Bacall and Christian Bale doing the voices.

Howl's Moving Castle is a romance set in a world of magic and mystery. It's got everything: magic, wars, strong characters, and a story that really pulls on your emotions. It's just beautiful.

I particularly loved the way the way the magic of the world blends in with the story. The world is filled with magical scarecrows, strange demons, and flying cars, but the most impressive animation is that of the home of Howl, his strange walking castle (reminiscent of Baba Yaga's Hut from Russian legend).

But what’s best about Howl’s Moving Castle is Calcifer, the fire demon. He gets all the best one-liners and is just about the cutest demon ever (quite like Abrax from the Summoner Chronicles).

Of course, as with many Japanese stories, not too much is explained and everything feels rather vague and undefined, but it really is a gorgeous two hours as the main character, Sophie, is aged seventy years by a curse from the Wicked Witch of the Waste (that's right, you heard me!). So Sophie seeks out the wizard Howl, who, she believes, can help remove her curse.

And Sophie, naturally finds more than she bargains for when she decides to meddle in the affairs of wizards.

Howl's Moving Castle is a gorgeous story and beautiful animation, so check it out.

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18th April 2007 - THE THREE HUNDRED

17th April 2007 - LONDON BOOK FAIR

15th April 2007 - A DIM VIEW OF SUNSHINE

Just as I posted about how much I loved The Queen last week, I felt I HAD to comment on the movie Sunshine, the latest flick by 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle.

11th April 2007 - DARKNESS RISES - THE GREAT WAR

Not a slow news day, or anything, but I thought I'd let you all know that I'm going to start Darkness Rises: The Great War over the next few days.

I might even start it tonight! I'm feeling that whimsical.

Actually, this story is kinda newsworthy as it's been a long time coming. I know I put the outline together 13 months ago, but for some reason, it just didn't feel like the right time to start it.

But I've procrastinated for more than long enough. Now it's time to finish the story.

Watch this space as I report LIVE from Vale as the Children of Vangual destroy the city and reduce humanity to slaves and cattle.

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8th April 2007 - EASTER

It’s Easter, but does anyone wonder what that means any more?

Chocolate eggs and four days off work, that's what!

People look forward to our holidays with just as much enthusiasm as they ever did, yet is it religious fervour? Absolutely not! Take Christmas for example. Christmas is all about time off work, the presents and the trimmings, but who thinks about the birth of Christ and the actual meaning behind the celebration – not many of us, I’d warrant.

So, have our celebrations lost their meaning? Has what they originally stood for been lost in our fast-paced world?

And does it really matter anyway?

If you look back through history, Christmas was just one of many holidays stolen from previous religions, so it’s all pretty much pointless to argue about their origins. 

Shouldn't we just accept them for what they have become and move on, safe in the knowledge that our holidays have become utterly devoid of meaning.

As the religious aspect of our holidays has been lost, shouldn’t we abandon them all together in favour of non-denominational celebrations? It makes sense in a country where a vast majority of the population celebrate festivals other than the Christian ones.

In a world of waning religion, basing our holidays on religious festivals seems hopelessly outdated.

If people want to celebrate Easter, then let them! No one should be denied their holidays or their beliefs. 

So let’s just scrap them all. Let’s forget about the resurrection of Christ and focus on holidays that do exactly what they say on the tin: Spring Holiday – a three day holiday to replace Easter that has no religious significance whatsoever and represents nothing more than a spring holiday

Of course, then people will say we are losing our heritage, and I’d never want to denounce anyone’s religion, but I feel that religion has no little, or place in today’s society.

Would losing our religious festivals really mean losing our heritage (as some people have claimed)?

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Saturday 7th April 2007 - THE QUEEN

I’ve just watched the movie: The Queen, starring Helen Mirren. Never has a film touched me for such beautiful acting. Mirren utterly deserved the Oscar for best actress; she is wonderful as the Queen; distant, alone, aloof.

This movie was a ninety minute insight into the world of the Queen, the election of the new Labor Prime Minster, and the death of Diana: Princess of Wales. It portrayed Tony Blair in a very positive light and at first, I thought the movie was going to be anti-monarchy, yet in the end, it skillfully carried across the trials and difficulties encountered by the current Queen of England and set her character in a very intriguing light.

I always compare Oscar winners to The Silence of the Lambs. I think you can tell the sign of a good performance if you can see the role reflected in the actor’s eyes. It was there with Hopkins and Foster, and it was there again in The Queen, that stoic resolution carried by Mirren as the head of the British monarchy.

And with all the current speculation: was Diana Wales killed or was it all merely a terrible accident? I certainly have no way to know whether the events portrayed in The Queen were accurate, but it was a wonderful movie that really made me think about the monarchy and the lives of people who’s existences we cannot begin to comprehend.

And in this day and age, anything that makes you think cannot be a bad thing at all.

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