Visual clues in computer games

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

One aspect of Mario Kart Wii that I noticed and appreciate is how there are tyre tracks or skid marks leading off the road to extra sections of track or to show that it's possible to jump off certain sections. Rather than having to guess at the extra track ...

Mario Kart Wii random frustrations

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

Scott 'VG Cats' Ramsoomair, he who draws the lovely Aeris, is not terribly impressed with the single player Mario Kart Wii game either. It seems that the focus on randomness with power-ups over player skill is frustrating many people, and Scott links to a comic of an artist's impression ...

Weekend gaming

Monday, May 12th, 2008

I had a lazy weekend, just idling over and keeping myself entertained. Normally, keeping myself entertained will involve playing computer games but it didn't look like I'd be doing much of that this weekend. I was keen to play some more City of Heroes, even though the game ...

Mario Kart bleurgh

Wednesday, May 7th, 2008

I played some more Mario Kart Wii over the Bank Holiday weekend, after I'd recovered some sleep from the film festival. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much more I'll end up playing. I've been relatively positive about the game with my initial impressions, but with some reservations about ...

Diddy Kong Racing retrospective

Thursday, April 24th, 2008

Having played some Mario Kart Wii recently I was mulling over other racing games I've played. I remember Diddy Kong Racing from the N64 fondly. I don't recall whether the game was released before Mario Kart 64 or not, but I had both of those two games and ...

More Mario Kart Wii

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

I couldn't drag myself back in to Azeroth last night. A problem with playing on a US server from the UK is that weekday evenings coincide with when US friends are still at work. Without any friends to team up with I didn't have the will to run ...

Mario Kart Wii racing start

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

I have found that starting to accelerate about half-way through the '2' count gives your kart or bike a boost at the start of Mario Kart Wii races. Edit: the maximum boost may be achieved by starting to accelerate just after the '2' count zooms in from the front of the ...

100 cc Mario Kart Wii

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

I completed the first two cups of the 100 cc Grand Prix in Mario Kart Wii last night, although the second cup was only bronze. This unlocked the third cup for competition but I wasn't able to win that cup on my only attempt. I need more practice, that's ...

Mario Kart Wii

Monday, April 14th, 2008

I popped in to London on Saturday to pick up a ticket for Blitzen Trapper, as well as a bunch of tickets for this year's Sci Fi London film festival, which thankfully looks far better than last year's disappointing schedule. I was able to get all the tickets that ...