We Fly Spitfires – MMORPG Blog

I was very skeptical about Google Buzz when it first launched last week. Yes, I was that guy saying “do we really need another social networking tool?”. Of course, I was also that guy who didn’t like the idea of Twitter either… but now totally adores it. After getting into it for a few days now, I’m starting to feel the same way about Buzz too.

Google Buzz: Making Twitter Seem Less Good

Buzz comes across as being exceedingly similar in concept and execution as Twitter, the only difference being that it doesn’t fall over every 5 minutes. In fact, it strikes me as a better implementation of an identical thing except now I can hook up everything I read, see and do into a single account as opposed to micro-blogging it in 140 words or less. Honestly, I feel a little sad for Twitter and can’t but wonder if Buzz is going to be the Facebook to their MySpace and eradicate them completely (albeit Twitter doesn’t look like a dog vomited on your screen). Poor Twitter hasn’t even had a chance to monetize itself yet. And does anyone even still use MySpace these days? It’s just so 20th century.

So Buzz is pretty cool although it does make me concerned about my privacy in a way that Twitter never did. I don’t really know if that concern is justified (I went into my account and turned off a lot of stuff) but just the fact that it links into my GMail account and Google profile is a little… disconcerting. Using it on my iPhone also gives me the creepy feature to be able to activate GPS and not only tell people my current location but also read all nearby “buzzers” (take note Internet! I coined the phrase first here!). I now know what Random Guy X is up to 3 blocks down the road from where I work. For some reason that just gives me the chills. I guess I’m reminded of the fact that it only takes one madman with a pick-axe to ruin my day.

I also feel like my brain is going to explode from information overload at some point. Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Buzz… so much to read, so much to say, so many random people to stalk. At least I don’t have to worry about MySpace any more.

Anyhoo, if you fancy hooking up with me on G’Buzz (as they say on the street) then you can find my profile here. More than likely I’ll just ask annoying questions or make sarcastic comments every so often but then what else is social networking for?

Last Friday I picked up Dragon Age: Origins for my PS3 (dunno why but it was delayed on the PS3 in the UK) and thought I’d share my first impressions of it with everyone. To summarise: ’tis gud.

I won’t bore everyone with the ins and outs of the game as there are plenty of other blogs and articles out that cover all of the nitty gritty of it. If you’re looking for a couple of good, thorough and insightful reviews, I’d recommend both Tobold’s review and Tipa’s over at West Karana.  Their reviews are for the PC version of the game though whereas I bought the Playstation 3 one.

As I said, even though I’ve only played Dragon Age for a handful of hours (pesky real life and work keep getting in the way), it’s an enjoyable game and pretty much everything you’d expect from a mature, high fantasty RPG by Bioware. In saying that, however, there are two things that really ticked me of. One is due to poor game design and the other to console limitations.

The first thing that really bugged me, and then actually became comical, was the fact that I designed my Human Warrior to be a bald, feeble old man with a big bushy white moustache. He looks about 60 years old and I even planned a whole backstory for him and was looking forward to playing it out. Then, of course, I started the game and everyone started calling me “pup”. Turns out the game actually forces you to follow a predetermined storyline in which you’re a young man, completing contradicting the way my character looked. Irritating at first, it actually become funny after a while as I was running around the castle with my “mother”, a woman who looked about 10 years my junior (if I’d been 10 years younger, I would’ve been all over her). If the game is going to let me create an old looking man, don’t force me to play a young character. That’s bad design.

The second thing that ticked me of (and still does a bit although I’m getting used to it) are the PS3 controls. Yeah, I know, I should’ve bought the PC version. Dragon Age is just begging to played with a mouse and keyboard and I find it an absolute drag to go through my inventory or issue orders in battle. I should’ve seen this coming and it’s my own fault for going with the PS3. Oh well, live and learn.

At the end of the day, Dragon Age: Origins is a lot of fun and I’m enjoying playing it. Still, it makes me look forward to Mass Effect 2 more than ever because I feel that it’s a stronger license, more exciting, and a lot more innovative. Dragon Age feels a bit like your cliché fantasy RPG that I’ve seen a hundred times before.