ECLECTIC ELECTRIC REVIEW

Thanks to readers old and new!

2017-06-27T20:50:00.000+01:00

A very short post out of the blue!

I just wanted to leave my thanks to readers of the blog through the years - this blog now has over 127,000 views!

As an update 5 years on, I now maintain my own website with funky some stuff on it.

I also write for a slightly different type of blog.

Feel free to pop over and have a look!

Thanks again to all my readers old and new!

- Matt

Blog Update - Semi-Permanent Hiatus

2012-09-06T18:37:00.000+01:00

JUST A QUICK GOODBYE

Writing today to say that, basically, I haven't really been able to devote any time to the site in several months now... and that doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon.

I was only going to carry on with this if I could give it the time to produce at least semi-decent stuff, and I cannot push other stuff aside to make extra time for the site.

So this is a goodbye!

I may post an occasional update, probably a yearly round-up or something, but I can't make any promises.

Thanks for the support over the past couple of years and I will start making some noise if I intend to start this back up.

See ya everyone! Stay Safe and Stay Eclectic!

- Brighton Games Trader

6 September 2012

Blog Update - 17/06/12 [DAILY DOSE]

2012-06-17T15:16:00.000+01:00

SUNDAY 17TH JUNE 2012 - DAILY DOSE

Hello, you.

Seems that it's been a little while since I posted any new content - 3 weeks in fact.

Basically I was writing up my last bunch of reviews, which are to follow in the near future, and found that they were being rushed out rather than thought out.

I wasn't really happy with them and so decided to give myself a week or so to write something better - then things got pretty busy. Between people coming to visit and various exams, work has been non-stop for the past 6 weeks now - so I've just not been able to give them any of my time.

I'm off work for a couple of weeks starting this Thursday and I'm planning on taking it a bit easy. The first full reviews will be posted on here at the end of my holiday - which is the 5th of July. I'll then start trickling out the dozens of half-written reviews that I'm tinkering with at the moment.

They range from albums to apps, games to books, TV shows to films, and everything else in between.

Hopefully the wait will be worth it.

At the same time, I'm toying with ideas for extra features like some sort of "rating" system, some guides and additional materials on here. Reviews will hopefully involve more multimedia content, such as video reviews, voice overs and plenty more screen caps. If anyone has any suggestions for things that could improve the experience, please feel free to comment below.

Otherwise, things will be back up to speed in a few weeks.

Bear with me. See you soon.

The Duke of York's Picturehouse Eurovision Party [BRIGHTON FRINGE 2012]

2012-05-27T22:02:00.000+01:00

HEARING THE BEST (AND WORST)
OF EUROPEAN POP IN A BIG
CAMP, SAUCY EXTRAVAGANZA?

OOOH HEAVEN IS A PLACE ON EARTH.

The stage, screen and our camp compère.

What's It All About Then?
Event held on Saturday 26th May at the Duke of York's Picturehouse, Preston Circus, Brighton in honour of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.

The event ran from 7:45pm until 11:00pm - with a compère providing humorous commentary and organising the activities during the show. These included an introductory song and dance number, some jokes, a raffle, games during the voting interlude and dancing on-stage throughout.

On each audience member's chair, there was a goody bag containing - a Union Jack flag, some Love Hearts, a glow stick, a Eurovision score card, a pen and a condom. I put the condom to good use, mind you - it made an excellent balloon.

The on-stage dancing for the Russian Grannies was joyous

So Was It Any Good?

+++ Big Fun Event +++

The show was fun-packed - although not a lot happened until about 15 minutes before the TV broadcast, there was a whole load of things going on in the theatre to get the crowd excited.

To begin with, there was a short dance with some gymnast ribbons (see picture - right) and the compère provided the vocals to Eurovision classic, Waterloo. This was vaguely Olympics-themed (the guys came out with Olympic rings and did athletic-type dancing, I suppose) and the compère had an Olympics-themed chair to boot - complete with the 5 rings and there was some laurel branches stuck on top.

The audience were really geared-up to participate too - there were 2 people dressed as Jedward, complete with twin matching shiny silver outfits - some dressed as the Turkish entry (complete with a rendition of the fabric boat scene) - one woman dressed as the Azerbaijani entry and "performed" on stage with a huge, inflatable microphone - one guy came dressed as the German pretty boy who did a live rendition during the real entry's performance!

It was all very good fun and interactive - audience members were actively encouraged to get down on stage and dance during their favourite entries - so the catchy dance tunes from Cyrpus, Greece, Sweden and Russia gathered huge crowds of fans cheering and boogieing on down!

+++ Toilet Humour +++
The main source of the toilet humour was the compère - a very confident and funny host who relied fairly heavily on insinuations about the acts' sexual preferences - which was entertaining enough for the most part.

As a side note, I went to the toilet at the same time as a guy in a full-over bodysuit who needed his friend to completely unzip him before he could use the urinal. From seeing the view from behind, I'd say that counts as toilet humour too.

Anyway, during the voting interval there was a round of audience participation - 4 lucky contestants got to play a round of "Penny in the Crack". In case you hadn't heard of it, Penny is a game where the contestants must take turns to hold a penny between their bottom cheeks and make their way across the stage - in front of 200+ people - and let it drop into a pint glass on the far end of the stage.

The four contestants made a damn good go of it - one guy perhaps being a bit overconfident and dropped it halfway - but most got the penny into the glass or near the glass. The audience roared with applause to congratulate these 4 brave souls for their embarrassingly-public show of arse strength.

So that was Round 1.

Next the host stepped things up a notch - now they were playing Picked Onion Up The Bum - where each contestant now has to (yes, you guessed it) carry a pickled onion fresh out of the jar and soaked in vinegar between their bum cheeks across the stage.

One guy's strategy here was to suck all the vinegar off to make it more bearable - but then just ate that onion instead. He was given another to make the stage crossing. I felt most sorry for the 2 women in skirts and tights who had to complete the tasks but neither shied away from the task at hand and got their onions in on just missing the glass.

So that was Round 2.

Finally - and I bet the contestants were glad this was finally - came the Raw Egg Up The Crack round. This was a show of arse cheek control rather than strength (obviously) but the 4 were all admirable contestants for the finale. Luckily, none of them experienced the problems that the host warned them about during the game - such issues as "getting the egg in your vag" and "making an omlette in your arsehole". These were very funny and the crowd was really involved - cheering everyone on as they completed the last round.

Through a vote by way of cheers, it was the guy who ate the pickled onion who was voted the overall winner - Ant from Abergavenny! Well done Sir!

The guys playing "Penny in the Crack" - brave, brave people....

--- Wouldn't want to be German ---

All the camp, silly, cheesy and dance acts got some great reception - but some countries didn't even get a chance before the big boos started. In particular, I wouldn't have wanted to have been German going along to support my country due to the loud booing from across the audience as soon as they were announced!

It was a shit act though - bored the pants off me so much that I may have chosen to boo - but to get such a vocal negative reaction from the mention of the country?

Surely there's more worthy "boo" recipients in the competition? A small smear on an otherwise amazing night.

The rush on the stage during the Swedish act's encore.

Conclusions

The Eurovision Event was as suitably big, fun and camp as you could wish for.

There was plenty of humour and energy throughout the show from both the host and the audience - seeing everyone get involved added to the evening's entertainment.

A brilliant show - I think I'll have to get dressed up for next year's party!

FULL EUROVISION 2012 RUNDOWN

#Eurovision2012 #Moldova
Weirdest dance of the evening but that mare me like them. That guy must've been on some STRONG drugs...

#Eurovision2012 #Ukraine
Cheesy dance tune plus men in pink skirts? I'm in love. Probably not a winner though

#Eurovision2012 #Serbia
Not quite sexy or quirky enough to work. Even ponytail pipe guy couldn't prevent the #yawn on this one. Next please

#Eurovision2012 #Ireland
Say what you will about #Jedward - they're in their element during #Eurovision. But they're still utterly shite.

#Eurovision2012 #Macedonia
Nightwish FTW! Pales in comparison to... yep.... here they come.... it's #Jedward

#Eurovision2012 #Malta
Generic catchy tune. Foot shuffle dance. Fingerless gloves & silly hair. Classic #Eurovision. Bit of a flip too. Nice

#Eurovision2012 #Germany
Has just led to a round of boos. Sexy man got some interest. Bland song and performance though. Major #yawn

#Eurovision2012 #Spain
Very intimate dancing on stage @DukeofYorks. Song reminds me of Leona Lewis' cover of Snow Patrol Run.
Nice finale though.

#Eurovision2012 #Turkey
Eurocamp gay fantasy meets Borat. More than a little turned on. Wave those capes, bitches! Boat with cloak scene recreated on stage by some drunk revellers @DukeofYorks. Amazing stuff - @DukeofYorks love it!

#Eurovision2012 #Sweden
The dance is bizarre (and why the boob grabbing?) but daaaamn that was catchy. Could be a winner #Eurovision

#Eurovision2012 #Greece
@DukeofYorks Crowd going wild for Greek Shakira. Booty shaking & bass normally goes down well. My booty is a-shaking

#Eurovision2012 #Denmark
Too much like a crap pop song. Bimbo meets Sgt Peppers look could take off though. Xylophone solo! Mind blown! :-)

#Eurovision2012 #Romania
This is more like it! Great outfits, dancing and a song you can boogie to! Love it! #Eurovision

#Eurovision2012 #Azerbaijan
We have a parody performance complete with giant inflatable microphone here @DukeofYorks. Crap otherwise

#Eurovision2012 #Norway
Justin Bieber will get a few votes. Totes thrown on for the gay crowd though. Shamefully love the campness :-)

#Eurovision2012 #Estonia
Gary Barlow's singing is pretty good. Loads of wolf whistles here @DukeofYorks. Can see why. Phwoar.

#Eurovision2012 #Italy
Not too bad. Now everyone quickly back to her dressing room for a quick line. Oh wait, that's NOT Winehouse.

#Eurovision2012 #France
Good gymnastic shite but song ain't too inspiring. Flailing dress FTW! Go #Gaultier!

#Eurovision2012 #Cyprus
At least you can dance to it. Live striptease here on stage @DukeofYorks! Could win points for sexy dancing ladies

#Eurovision2012 #Iceland
Not a great song or performance - still prefer #RussianGrannies and #thehump!

#Eurovision2012 #Russia
#RussianGrannies were AWESOME! #BakeMeACake for the grannies! @StarlightRu #DOUZEPOINTS for grannies or #thehump #Eurovision
#RussianGrannies have swarmed the stage. @DukeofYorks
Big support here!

#Eurovision2012 #BosniaHerzegovina
How's that piano still playing!?! No skirt ripping? Wind machines? #yawn #nilpoints

#Eurovision2012 #Lithuania
From blindfolded magician to Michael Jackson! Amazing! Loving that one! #Eurovision

#Eurovision2012 #Albania
Getting mocked here at @DukeofYorks but the girl's got some lungs on her! Love the Star Wars outfit!

#Eurovision2012 #Hungary
Leather-clad but bland. Nothing we haven't seen before on #Eurovision. Not a scratch on #thehump

#Eurovision2012 #United Kingdom
Gotta love #thehump!
Good singing but not too great a song or staging. May not get too many votes though.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any images in this review were taken by Brighton Games Trader.

Radiant Defense [ANDROID REVIEW]

2012-05-24T20:06:00.000+01:00

COLOURFUL SCI-FI STRATEGY GAME IS COMPLEX ENOUGH FOR A FEW PLAYTRHOUGHS - BUT EXPECT A HARD RIDE IF YOU'RE PLAYING THE FREE VERSION.

So What's It All About Then?
Free-to-play sci-fi tower defence (TD) game that has you defending humanity from waves of increasingly tough alien jelly thingies. The Radiant name has been used for a colourful side-scrolling shooter in the past and the developers, Hexage, have now made the action a bit more strategic but still just as visually-awesome.

The story goes that a series of "vortexes" have opened up in space. Through these vortexes lurks an alien warlord - the Supercreep - who has his evil eyes set on Earth! You play each level by placing walls to guide the alien hordes through the level - keeping them away from your base for as long as possible. You can then place and upgrade a whole bunch of offensive towers (gun, laser, rocket, missile, flamer), a number of support towers (damage-boosting spotlights, cash-boosting tower) and other defences (such as mines and "power blades" to place in the baddies' path).

A limited version of the game can be play for free - this allows you to play through all levels using a very small selection of the available weapons. I have played this version for a while before upgrading to premium weapons - the four weapon packs cost 69p each - so £2.76 for a fully-unlocked version. I will outline how I found each version below.

+++ Colourful Fun +++
The game is full of bright colours and charming humour - each enemy, weapon and environment has a distinctive colour and visual effects to clearly distinguish what exactly is going on during big battles. I really love it when developers take advantage of the range of colours available to them - too often do games only use a flushed-out pallete of different shades of brown. Not here - Radiant Defense makes good use of the entire rainbow - meaning that your phone's screen will light up with face-melting prettiness.

The game is also filled with moments of brilliant humour - most of the conversations between the alien boss and the human defenders genuinely funny - breaking up the waves of action to reduce the likelihood of the game becoming stale. Take a look at the conversation snapshots below for a little example of this - mild but still worth a giggle.

+++ Strategic Variety +++
Plenty of ways to wear down tough enemies - and plenty of different enemies to test out your strategies. The enemy offensives include huge armoured beasts that take major damage before dying, mass cannon fodder bombardment, shielded enemies that need energy weapons to expose and speedy buggers that have regenerative health.

This means that you need a good arrangement of towers to beat all of these types of enemies - and it takes a bit of practice to know where to place your towers and walls. Knowing when to save your cash, when to buy brand new towers and when to upgrade existing ones all have to be factored in - perhaps try each level a couple of times to see what works best for each situation.

The walls add another dimension too - you set these up at the start of each wave to guide the enemies along and can be used to form very long paths for those tough enemies or to make shorter routes of concentrated fire if facing enemies with regenerative health. This is one of my favourite types of TD game - I find having the power to sculpt the route that the enemies take much more enjoyable.

When combined with the VAST number of towers and tools at your disposal in the premium version - over 15 towers to tinker with and upgrade to your heart's content - there should be many hours of play available here.

Along with the weapons already mentioned, there are also "superweapons", which cost a great deal but can mean the difference between an overpowering alien invasion and large piles of dead space jelly. These are an extra little thrill to play with - finally getting the Omega Cannon after saving up for ten waves led to several cries of "Oh yes, Supercreep! Time to die!".

--- Unbalanced Difficulty ---
O.K. - let's make this clear - the free-to-play version is hard. Really bloody hard. The number of towers available is very small (only the gun, rocket and laser towers plus some support units), so only a near-perfect array of towers will stop the hordes from getting through.

If you make a mistake in your set-up in earlier waves, it is near impossible to rectify it later, meaning that you have to restart the mission entirely. The developers were good enough to let you retry a wave if you fail it - but realising that your strategy just isn't going to work on wave 37 out of 40 is still horrendously infuriating. The screenshot below shows the level that I gave up on (mission 3 out of 9), as I could not save up the resources to kill the final boss when the time came.

The harsh difficulty level isn't much of a problem in itself - many TD games make it their business to be as challenging as possible. The real issue is that when I finally caved in and paid for the upgraded weapon packs, the whole game became much too easy! There are even cash boosters - so you can earn extra cash along with having vastly more useful weaponry!

Using the mines and power blades to take down the harder enemies - plus the sheer range of offensive tools - meant that no enemy posed much of a challenge from that point onwards! In fact, I haven't lost a single life on almost all of the later missions thanks to the premium weaponry.

Perhaps if the mines and power blades could only be placed prior to battle - so once a power blade wears out, it cannot be replaced and so that you can't use mines as ad-hoc explosives placed in the middle of huge groups of baddies - then maybe there would be more of a challenge.

So, in summary:

if you like a really difficult TD game - get the free version.
if you like an easier TD game - fork out for the upgrades - it's still great fun but won't cause hair loss.

Oh, and if you were able to beat the game on the free version - I would love to know how. Seriously, just "how"?

Conclusions

IN MANY WAYS, RADIANT DEFENSE IS A MASTERCLASS IN "FREEMIUM" ANDROID GAMING - PLAYABLE FOR NOWT BUT WITH CLEAR BENEFITS IN UPGRADING.

IT'S WELL WORTH A PLAYTHROUGH TOO - IF YOU LIKE FUNNY, COLOURFUL STRATEGY THEN THIS SHOULD BE RIGHT UP YOUR STREET.

HOWEVER TO GET THE MOST OUT OF IT, YOU WILL HAVE TO CONSIDER PAYING A FEW QUID AND ACCEPT THAT IT MAY OFFER LESS OF A CHALLENGE.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any stock images in this review are subject to relevant copyrights and are kindly provided by: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.hexage.defense&hl=en
All in-game screenshots were taken by Brighton Games Trader.

St. Ann's Well Gardens Spring Festival [BRIGHTON FRINGE 2012]

2012-05-24T18:30:00.000+01:00

FANTASTIC FAMILY FUN DAY OUT.

ENOUGH SOUNDS, SHOWS AND STALLS TO KEEP MOST PEOPLE HAPPY FOR AN AFTERNOON.

What's It All About Then?

Free festival held on Saturday 19th May at St. Ann's Well Gardens as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival 2012.

The festival took over most of the park for the day, with a large variety of dance, music and activities on offer. Big thanks to Friends of St. Ann's Well Gardens for helping to put together such a fine assortment for the Spring Festival.

So Was It Any Good?

+++ Family Variety +++

Kids and families were clearly worked into the equation from the start - there was plenty to keep young children and adult children happy all day. With a "Kid's Rave" playing hits from the likes of Michael Jackson, a skate park with a few ramps to show off your skillz, a play park complete with climbing frames, plus plenty of stalls with face painting and kids toys.

All of the performances in the festival were child-friendly too - plenty of bright colours and cheery sounds to keep the young ones entertained. This left parents free to take in the glorious sunshine and the fine food and drink that was available.

+++ A Big Song and Dance +++
The music and dance at the festival were all brilliant. The majority of the photos in this post are of the Brighton School of Samba, who danced and paraded around to a drum company's beats. Both the wonderfully-colourful dancing and the pounding drums were amazing - I couldn't get enough of their vibrant energetic performance which lit up the park for around half an hour.

Towards the back of the park, there was a stage set up where several bands played. I was only able to stay and watch the band shown in the picture on the left - who had a slightly prog/rock sound that was very enjoyable. The singer had a nice voice too - except when she felt the need to scream wildly and flail around for a while. It seemed a bit noisy for the serene park atmosphere, but the rest of their set was good. To add to this, Brighton's resident dancing dude added some visuals to the music (see bottom picture).

+++ Stalls A-Plenty +++

The stalls and stands that dotted around the park were a credit as well. With foods ranging from falafel to waffles, from pakoras to pancakes, there was something for everyone. Veggies were catered for in the curries, stir fries, cakes and snacks - and meaties had some local cooked meats to be getting on with.

On top of that were plenty of things to buy - arts and crafts, books, clothes, cosmetic and loads more - I didn't have enough money on me to get all the stuff I wanted!

Then there were stands set up for fitness and martial arts - with some demonstrations that you could get involved with if you fancied running an assault course or getting in the ring with a karate expert! I didn't try these myself (strangely enough) but it was great to see so much going on - and the public certainly seemed to love it too.

This dancing dude really rounded off the festival nicely.

Conclusions

The Spring Festival was a bright and fun
day out - made even better by the wonderful sunshine!

With so much going on, my only complaint would be that I didn't have the time or money to enjoy it all!

Can't wait until next year!

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any images in this review were taken by Brighton Games Trader.

Barricade [BRIGHTON FESTIVAL 2012]

2012-05-22T20:18:00.000+01:00

BIZARRE AND INCOMPREHENSIBLE

ACROBATIC PERFORMANCE

FILLED WITH CRAZY STUNTS,

MADCAP HUMOUR AND SOME

INVENTIVE USES OF STAGING.

Image sourced from http://brightonfestival.org/event/584/barricade/

What's It All About Then?

Free dramatic performance held on Saturday 5th May at Hove Park as part of the Brighton Festival 2012. Barricade was created by NoFit State - a company that has performed in previous years at the Brighton Festival.

Description by the creators: "Two trucks block Hove Park. They disgorge their contents, creating an obstacle to normal paths and daily routines. Suddenly, the wind is rising. People are constructing defences to protect themselves from the storm. They hurry to bring tyres, ladders and other objects in impossible volumes. The barricade they build, a spectacular aerial playground, sets the scene for a maelstrom of breathtaking circus. Barricade invokes a glorious spirit of resistance to empower its people to fight for freedom. A freedom from their own fear, doubt and suspicion".

The stage used in Barricade was awesome in its own right.

So Is It Any Good?

+++ Big Thrills and Skills +++

The show was full of huge set pieces, with the entire stage turned into a giant playground for these very talented performers. They used the main floor, the wings, the rigging - and even had room to fit a full band in for musical accompaniment!

The action that took place was jaw-dropping - seeing the performers lifted into the air on ladders that are hoisted and lowered in alarmingly swift movements (see very bad picture - right). Later on, there was a terrifying trapeze section that included stunts which seemed virtually impossible - and ended up requiring the safety rope to keep the artist from falling to the floor! Fair play to that woman though, she got straight back into it and tried again - this time pulling off a violent swinging spin while raised 20 feet into the air.

It was clear that these were top-quality performers showing off some of the more creative uses of their talents - the whole show was a whirlwind of jumps, spins and flips - all showcasing some of the finest circus skills that Brighton has seen.

+++ Variety Show +++
Small segments of the show diverted our attention to specific areas - the section badly photographed here involved a guy stuck on a perch above the stage with another performer coaxing him down. Every time he jumped down though, he would land on a trampoline and bounce straight back up! The guy down below then joined in, so the two were leaping between perch and stage in all sorts of acrobatic fashions. It was some nice light relief to the tense, large-scale action in other parts of the show.

Then there was a middle "fight" scene that involved use of pyrotechnics - including flame staffs twirling through the night and bursts of flame shot into the air. This sensational spectacle lit up the entire park, leading to many "oohs" and "aahs" from the audience. The majority, myself included, were captivated by the brilliant visual drama that unfolded - I don't think my eyes turned from the stage once during the hour-long set.

--- Hard To Follow ---

The main problem I found with the show was the "story". There seemed to be a tale about an authoritarian regime and people rising up against it - but that was guesswork based on costumes really. The dialogue consisted of some guys with European accents shouting "We must fight!" before cartwheeling across the stage in crazed fashion.

Other sections had a multitude of performers talking about being "sorry for their sins" - with one woman seemingly repeating this in French. I wasn't quite sure why they were doing this and it was quite bewildering for everyone watching - all of the conversations I overheard on the way out of the Park generally went "That was good! No idea what was going on!". "Yep, same here. Looked great but was very confusing".

So the hard-to-understand story detract from the fantastic action being shown - it's just that no-one knew what it was all about. A small issue with a dazzling performance.

Conclusions

This show was very impressive -
each of the performers was showing off spectacular skills throughout.

The variety in scale and mood for the action was good to see - quiet, humorous sections broke up the big action.

If only I knew what the show was all about!
Looking forward to next year's production.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
All images in this review are taken by Brighton Games Trader (except otherwise stated).

Brighton Must-Sees [BRIGHTON FRINGE 2012]

2012-05-21T21:01:00.000+01:00

JUST A QUICK RUNDOWN OF THREE COMEDY ACTS THAT WERE SHOWN FOR FREE AS PART OF THE BRIGHTON FRINGE.

Host - Dec Munro
The Thursday 17th performance was warmed up by Dec from Test Tube Comedy, who tried to get the audience in the right mood by informing us that the plan for the night was to "Say 'Hi', high five and then start with the public sex". As I turned up for this event with my mum and brother, you would imagine that this would lead to embarrassment. Thankfully, my family aren't too shocked by humorous insinuations of incest - so a bit of incestuous banter made the room chuckle uncomfortably.

Dec got the audience is a cheeky, positive mood and made us feel engaged in proceedings - setting the stage for the first act to really knock us out, yeah? Hmmm...

Mike Sheer
The first act was a young Canadian guy who begun with more crude and controversial jokes to make the audience a little uncomfortable. These focused on hatred of Jewish people (the comedian describing himself as Jewish - and hating Jewish people too), jokes about Canadians and Americans and hints at darker jokes as well.

Sadly, the room didn't warm to these themes - I don't think anyone was happy laughing along too much about Jew hatred and the Canadian/American stuff was a little lost on us (is there some sort of tension there?).

The set wasn't helped by a Brightonian heckler with an Irish accent - so the comedian tried to make jokes based on his accent - to which the heckler kept knocking him back with "I'm from Brighton, you jack ass". Yeesh.

Nick Purves
The second comedian described himself as a boarding school kid and sported a very posh accent. Luckily, he was able to joke about his upbringing in a way that made the crowd laugh - his anecdote about a schoolyard disagreement over "Lord of the Flies" that turned to fisticuffs made the majority of the tough room giggle.

He managed to hold his own through the fifteen minute set, going through other events in his life in a lighthearted fashion - including overcoming his speech impediment which he described in humorous scenes which were very amusing to watch. A good performance.

Sajeela Kershi
The final comedian was a woman who described herself as coming from a posh town in Surrey but was raised with Asian Muslim traditional values. Her humour was quite centred on issues surrounding the Islam faith, such as her dirty fantasies about Allah sucking on a pork sausage and her experiences as a child... with Elton John.

Sajeela was a confident and talented performer - she took charge of the room as she walked on and got plenty of laughs with her outrageous humour. Getting the audience involved too - she accused one gentleman of coming to her home town solely for dogging purposes. Niiiiice.

She was possibly the most popular act of the show - providing laughs throughout and showing off her skills as a great comedy storyteller. Highly entertaining.

A nice sneak preview of some of the acts who have bigger shows during the Fringe - I'm not sure how many of the audience would have paid to go and see the full acts but they were certainly a good laugh in fifteen minute slots.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!

Eccentronic: We Won't Rock You [BRIGHTON FRINGE 2012]

2012-05-21T20:18:00.000+01:00

CHEESY SPECTACULAR WITH
BUNDLES OF CREATIVITY AND
TONS OF GEEKY CHARM.

ALTHOUGH NOT THE HIGHEST QUALITY
PRODUCTION YOU'LL EVER SEE
THE ABSURD ENERGY CARRIED IT OFF.

This is John making and handing out cheese toasties during the show. Yes he did.

What's It All About Then?

Free comedy show held on Saturday 19th May at the Caroline of Brunswick pub as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival 2012. Eccentronic are made up of John Callaghan and Ms Hypnotique.

Described as "a zesty melee of electronic musical mash-ups and oddball humour" featuring songs about "...time-wasting, socks and visiting the Welsh town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch".

They moved around so much that it was very difficult to get any decent photos of them!

So Is It Any Good?

+++ Geeky Thrills +++

This was an exceptionally geeky show - and that is meant as a MASSIVE compliment. Starring a guy who quotes one of his biggest influences as Timmy Mallett and a gal who rocks out in a corset playing the theremin, this show is a stadium-filling show-stopping musical masterpiece... condensed into an hour-long slightly-corny pub-back-room show.

Featuring musical nods to Queen (obvs), N.W.A., Electric Light Orchestra, Pet Shop Boys, Sisqo, Pulp and Black Lace - all worked into songs concerning cheffing, coming "Straight Outta Trumpton" and the overwhelming desire to make cheese toasties. Which they then did while on stage. And passed round to the audience. Totally awesome.

The song about the Welsh town - Llanfair-whatsit - was equally brilliant. While sounding like a gimmick, they did actually manage to write a chorus that featured the name broken up into chunks in a sort of Kraftwerk fashion (something like Llan, Llanfair, Llanfairpwyllgwyngyll etc.). To round that off, there was a Welsh guy in the audience who gave us a fluid demonstration of how the name sounds in the native accent - to a huge round of cheers from everyone else!

The subtitles for the song about that Welsh town - maybe as a prompt for the band?

+++ Fun-Filled Blitz +++

The show was energetic from start to finish - the performers "bigged themselves up" in such a humorous and bombastic fashion that the audience came round to them very quickly. They then broke into a song about frying that involved a frying pan to the face (nice!). Before the show was finished, there had been several costume changes, a variety of styles and instruments, an in-depth analysis of the workings of musical comedy and just the right level of audience participation so as to make it enjoyable inclusive.

They had down moments, the slow-tempo version of Thong Song played with a minuature hand barrel piano added a nice change in pace while still being hilariously funny. The last few songs were a middle class rap - with some very bad ("bad" bad - not "good" bad) street dance moves - and a audience-based version of Agadoo/Itsy-Bitsy-Teeny-Weeny-Yellow-Polka-Dot-Bikini that rounded off the evening well.

We were then asked what final number we would like: a cleverly worded piece by John that artistically wraps up the show or a Queen-based number from Ms Hypnotique that has a grand-finale feel to it?

We actually went for the first one - obviously the audience was like me - they actually really got into the witty, geeky parody writing and wanted one last cheeky, cheesy tune to close things. It was indeed satisfactorily cheesy and it was fun to watch as they performed a fairly complicated canon piece... fairly badly. We all laughed our socks off because of that though.

--- Slightly Quality Issues ---

So just to offer some constructive feedback on where I think it could have been improved - the volume in the room was a bit offset so that the electronic backing tracks often drowned out whatever jokes were being made by the performers. People near the front laughed a lot but maybe they could hear the performers directly. Further back you could hear faint mumbling and a lot of synth for some numbers.

Another point is that some of the singing and theremin playing was a little too crap to be funny at points - big long notes wailed off-key and theremin floating loosely near the tune they were trying to emulate (so during one song I had to guess where we were in the tune because it was nowhere near). When they asked a member of the audience to try the theremin - and a randomer just fancied giving it a go - the noise produced was actually slightly better! Ah well, this may have been that on the tracks where Ms Hypnotique was playing the theremin that the speakers setup made it difficult to hear her part - but it was often distinctly wobbly at points.

The rap numbers were good... I think.... but very hard to hear.

Conclusions

This show was great fun -
they cheated me out of my entry fee though:
they did, in fact, rock me.

The atmosphere was spot-on but perhaps the sound system could be improved upon.

The show didn't take itself seriously and the guys just went all out to provide a jolly good laugh. Nice work.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any images in this review are taken by Brighton Games Trader.

Trolleys [BRIGHTON FESTIVAL 2012]

2012-05-21T20:09:00.000+01:00

THIS REVIEW IS GOING TO SOUND
AWFULLY STRANGE
BUT BEAR WITH IT.

THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE PIECE
THAT WAS A JOY TO WATCH.....

AND WAS ACTED OUT
WITH SHOPPING TROLLEYS.

What's It All About Then?

A dance performance held on Saturday 19th May at Marina Square, Brighton Marina.

Trolleys was created by Australian choreographer Shaun Parker and London’s C-12 Dance Theatre.

Described as "a new street ballet for five supermarket trolleys… Five shopping trolleys randomly appear in a public space. Two meet and fall in love. One grapples to find a friend. Three others revolt and ignite a dance of anarchy. Part street dance, part ballet, part acrobatic spectacle, Trolleys is a high-octane, highly physical and humorous outdoor performance – on wheels!".

So Is It Any Good?

+++ Dramatic Performance +++

The tagline of "new street ballet for... trolleys" is perfectly fitting. This is a dramatically-acted piece about five trolleys which interact with each other in weird and wonderful ways. The performers move themselves in perfect co-ordination and make the trolleys spin in beautiful patterns.

At points, two trolleys will take centre stage - playing off one-another and featuring some tense, spectacular moments - which all revolve around these cages of metal on wheels.

The performers show some fantastic acrobatic skills during the course of the show - such as flips, cartwheels and twists - all over the trolleys. The pictures here show some of the moves being performed and there was a lot more where that came from.

This was all weaved in with little sections where different scenes were acted out - one trolley being singled out and isolated from the others (which presented in a sheep/sheepdog type movement) - others where serenity would be shattered by the sudden flipping, spinning and swerving of a few of the group. Each was placed for maximum effect - so that a slow section would suddenly burst into action all around. It was wonderful to watch and really breathtaking.

Almost captured him doing a back flip off the trolley.

+++ Enjoyable Entertainment +++

The playful way that the performers weaved around each other was great to see - they had smiles on their faces for the majority of the show and as a result I found myself smiling too.

The careful precision, along with some daring moves while standing on the trolleys and a little smile to show they were enjoying themselves, meant that I thoroughly enjoyed watching these five trolley/human hybrids elegantly working their way around the square.

During some of the sections, when all of the performers picked up the trolleys and swung them wildly around in the air, there was the added element of danger for the crowd. There was no barrier between the dancers and the audience - so one slip of a hand could have led to a trolley flying into the onlookers. It was an added thrill that made the performance all the more intense!

I had serious health concerns for shoppers at the Asda down the road though - the amount of trolley-related injuries through amateur dancing must have skyrocketed following this show!

+++ Violin Complement +++

To round it all off, the violin soundtrack which accompanied the piece perfectly matched the movements being shown. The violin was used in slow, drawn notes during the peaceful sections and rose to sharp, short notes that increased in intensity as the action built to a climax.

It fitted the tone and feeling of the show so well that it almost faded into the background as I became more absorbed with the performance - just washing over me as I let the flowing patterns formed by these everyday items hold my attention.

As such, every part of the show worked well together - there is virtually nothing that I can complain about. I can only praise the idea, choreography and execution of the performance - and hope to see more from these fantastic dancers/writers in the future.

Conclusions

I found this to be the most interesting thing I have seen so far at the Brighton Festival 2012.

It had personality, flair and showed off some incredible skill. The dancers seemed to enjoy performing the piece and I loved watching it.

Seriously amazing stuff - I really recommend seeing these guys perform if you get the chance.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any images in this review are taken by Brighton Games Trader.

Push [BRIGHTON FESTIVAL 2012]

2012-05-20T21:00:00.000+01:00

A CAPTIVATING DANCE PERFORMANCE
WITH NOTHING EXCEPT
TWO GUYS PUSHING EACH OTHER.

THIS NEAR-VIOLENT LOOK AT
THE COMPLEX DYNAMICS OF RELATIONSHIPS
WAS A TRULY INTENSE SPECTACLE.

What's It All About Then?

Free performance held in Marina Square, Brighton Marina on Saturday 19th May as part of the Brighton Festival 2012. Choreographed and performed by Company Chameleon, also known as Kevin Edward Turner and Anthony Missen.

With no props or staging, minimal musical input and not a word of dialogue, this piece is described by the creators as "....look[ing] at the different stances we take when we relate to one another, and how the complex nature of our psychology means at times we push to exert our dominance and control, and at others we submit and yield".

So Was It Any Good?

+++ Powerful Expression +++

With such stripped back tools at their disposal, these guys manage to convey a vast and deep set of feelings.

To begin with, one actor will take control. He will grab the other - quite violently at times - and positions his counter into a pose. He may then force the pose to change. He may step back for a second and look at how the other is positioned. They will then come back together into an embrace before finally control is balanced - the other actor moves freely again.

After this the other actor may take the lead, again moving his counter to his will and directing the flow of motion. The serene expression of one is matched with a fierce glare from the other - and at times they gaze at each other as if in love.

The piece for me invoked the ebb and flow of a dysfunctional relationship - I couldn't pinpoint if the guys were showing a romantic relationship or something akin to a broken sibling relationship - but the trademark signs were there. They would be together for a while, make peaceful collaborative efforts before a tense, sinister scene ensues - a fight - an argument - or maybe just a confrontation - where both will come away separately, injured and upset. This won't last long however - sooner or later they will rejoin, intertwine their lives and start the whole hostile cycle once more.

+++ Such Strength +++

The positions held by these two guys - for ten seconds at a time or more - are feats of incredible strength. Their bodies held rigid and still even while in the most awkward of poses. At times, the crowd gasped in incredulity at the impressive lifts and rolls shown by these talented performers.

They were well timed, well executed and gobsmacking to see in real life. The pictures shown here are just a small selection of the dozens of carefully woven holds that they showed during their thirty minute show. There was no need for acrobatic flips or equipment - just these two slowly floating around the stage, spinning and holding each other beautifully.

--- Noise Complaints ---

My only real gripe with the performance was the sound. The music which accompanied was fairly minimal - light electronic chords chimed in and out with the movement.

It worked very well - in principle - and helped convey the troubled and jagged emotions behind the scenes.

The problem was that the discordant notes that emphasised key points were slightly unpleasant on the ears - this would have been a bit of a negative point on its own - but in addition to this the small speaker set was turned up way too high.

It couldn't handle the high notes along with the low bass notes and so came out as a screeching noise during these peaks. If the performance has taken more account of the speakers that were being used - and made sure to turn them down slightly or edit the music so that these parts were less painfully amplified - then I wouldn't have been distracted from the utterly amazing visuals. A small issue with a great performance.

Conclusions

Push was a fantastic display of what these two guys can do - create a powerful, moving piece that is both carefully acted and skilfully danced.

The visuals were absolutely spot on -
the sound was a minor issue that I may not have experienced if I was sitting much further away from the speakers -
but I wanted the best view for this beautiful artistic performance.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any images in this review were taken by Brighton Games Trader.

Special - Sunday, Monday, Happy Days - 20/05/12 [DAILY DOSE]

2012-05-20T19:25:00.000+01:00

SUNDAY 20TH MAY 2012 - DAILY DOSE

Today's DAILY DOSE is a bit of an update on what's been going on recently and what is coming up very soon.

There's been so much going on that I've got plenty of stuff that I want to review, with virtually no time to actually review it all!

As mentioned in earlier posts, at this time of year in Brighton - where I currently live - the BRIGHTON FESTIVAL and BRIGHTON FRINGE take place. There are literally hundreds of acts taking place all across the city for the majority of May - so far I have seen: several bands, comedians and sketch acts, dance acts, circus skill performances and dramatic pieces... and there's loads left to come!

As this is a special time of year - and as I love to hype up this wonderful festival season - I am devoting the next week or two to mainly festival reviews. There won't be any daily doses for this coming week - as I just want to get reviews of these great contemporary acts posted.

I've still got plenty of game, TV and music reviews coming up too - so to make things easier I've got a rough schedule for the next few days here (more details to follow).

TODAY - 9PM ONWARDS
PUSH [FESTIVAL]
WE WON'T ROCK YOU [FRINGE]
JACK WHITE - BLUNDERBUSS [CD]

MONDAY 21ST - 8PM
TROLLEYS [FESTIVAL]
BRIGHTON MUST-SEES [FRINGE]

TUESDAY 22ND - 8PM
BARRICADE [FESTIVAL]
ST. ANN'S WELL GARDENS SPRING FESTIVAL

WEDNESDAY 23RD - 8PM
OTHER VARIOUS LITTLE ACTS

THURSDAY 24TH - 8PM
WORLD OF GOO [ANDROID]
RADIANT DEFENSE [ANDROID]
GAME OF THRONES - SERIES 1 [TV]
BRUNO MARS - DOO-WOPS AND HOOLIGANS [CD]

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!

Special - Super Sunday! - 17/05/12 [DAILY DOSE]

2012-05-17T21:19:00.000+01:00

THURSDAY 17TH MAY 2012 - DAILY DOSE

Hi everyone!

Not a proper DAILY DOSE today as I've been majorly busy with work, study and enjoying eclectic entertainments.

So I'm just giving a little heads up -

COME BACK ON SUNDAY.

I've got this weeks' reviews and some special features due to be released -

they just need some fine tuning before I post them!

Got reviews coming up for:

- a CD or 2 (time-dependent)

- a PS3 game

- 2 Android games

- a comedy event [Brighton Fringe]

- a live gig review [Brighton Fringe]

AND a theatrical performance! [Brighton Festival]

So - see you on Sunday!

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!

Trailer - Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II - 16/05/12 [DAILY DOSE]

2012-05-16T13:48:00.000+01:00

WEDNESDAY 16TH MAY 2012 - DAILY DOSE

Today's DAILY DOSE is a look at the launch trailer for -

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 4: EPISODE 2.

Sonic is a game series that has struggled over recent years - most major releases were utterly terrible, cheap shite that just devalued the franchise further and further.

Then recently I got the chance to play a bit of Sonic 4: Ep. 1 and was amazed to find that it was actually quite good. Fun, colourful, intense platforming - just how Sonic should be!

So when I find that the next instalment is out right now - I had to take a look.

The game looks like it's following the same formula - no fancy 3D crap, no newfangled side characters to bring that "cutesy" edge - just classic Sonic action.

It's out today on PSN and XBLA -

expect a review in the near future.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any videos in this review are from Youtube and are subject to relevant copyrights. They are kindly provided by: http://www.youtube.com/user/gametrailers

Video - 'Dubstep Toyz' and 'Genitals' - 15/05/12 [DAILY DOSE]

2012-05-15T13:50:00.000+01:00

TUESDAY 15TH MAY 2012 - DAILY DOSE

Some DAILY DOSEs are just videos for the hell of it.
On that note, here's

DUBSTEP TOYS.

I know - cool but a bit freaky.

There's a few other 'stop motion with toy' videos out there - if you like what you see go search Youtube.

And then, thanks to friends for bringing this amazing song to my attention:

Now you've watched it,
you can't unwatch it!

Video - Minecraft Rap - 14/05/12 [DAILY DOSE]

2012-05-14T21:21:00.000+01:00

MONDAY 14TH MAY 2012 - DAILY DOSE

Today's DAILY DOSE is a shameful look at -

THE MINECRAFT RAP.

People get waaaay to obsessive over Minecraft.
Like, seriously.

Given how I often get with games like this,
it's probably not a good idea for me to start playing.

So to that end -
I got Minecraft Pocket Edition!

Lots of crafting, mining and building -
all on the go!

Here's a few pics of my very first Minecraft house - awwwwww.....

Yes it's sad - but not quite as sad as writing a rap about Minecraft.
(except I thought the rap was really cool - especially the old guy miner's verse!).

My house - at night.

My house - during the day.

My bedroom - plus luxurious double bed.

The pantry under the stairs - plenty of storage shelves (ladders).

The lounge - 2 sofas and a TV.

Another view of the lounge.

My kitchen - breakfast bar in the bottom right.

Another view of the kitchen and diner.

The bath - as good as I could get it.

The all important - toilet.

The stairs leading up to the bedroom plus doors leading to the pantry and bathroom.

The view as you walk in the front door - home sweet home!

Video - One Minute Physics - 13/05/12 [DAILY DOSE]

2012-05-13T18:13:00.000+01:00

SUNDAY 13TH MAY 2012 - DAILY DOSE

Today's DAILY DOSE is a mention of some great videos on Youtube -

ONE MINUTE PHYSICS.

Above is a VERY quick run-through of how Einstein came to the equation "E=mc²".

The videos take some of the biggest concepts in physics, maths and astronomy, condense them into a short video.

Now some of the videos don't actually help - some topics I *thought* I understood were totally baffling when I tried to follow these videos - but in most cases they are fun, quirky and educational.

Give all of their videos a watch at their Youtube channel -
MINUTE PHYSICS.

You may just learn something!

Video - Perpetual Testing Initiative - 12/05/12 [DAILY DOSE]

2012-05-12T10:45:00.000+01:00

SATURDAY 12TH MAY 2012 - DAILY DOSE

Today's DAILY DOSE is a look at -

THE PERPETUAL TESTING INITIATIVE.

This is a huge level-editing kit that has just been released for Portal 2. Fully integrated with the Steam workshop, this kit allows players to make their own devious test chambers.

Sadly, I am currently lacking a PC (or PC copy of Portal 2) - or else I would be wasting many happy hours creating tricky light bridge challenges for my friends.

The trailer above (presented by the great Cave Johnson) got me excited at the prospect of user-generated test chamber fun - but the full explanatory video by Gamespot shows off how easy-to-use and feature-rich the P.T.I. really is.

Can't wait to get my hands on this....
Let the testing commence.

Homeland - Series 1 [TV REVIEW]

2012-05-12T00:28:00.001+01:00

Shocking, thought-provoking and genuinely gripping television - this is one of the best things to have been beamed across the airwaves in years.

What's It All About Then?

One of the biggest series on television at the moment - Homeland follows an American prisoner of war, Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), who has been held by Al-Qaeda for eight years. During his capture, Brody is tortured, beaten and isolated for long periods of time - so when a rescue operation frees him, he is obviously quite seriously traumatised.

The American people see the freed marine as a hero and begin to lay out celebratory parades for him. One CIA agent believes differently - Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) - who has received reliable intelligence that an American POW has been turned by Al-Qaeda.

Mathison has to go against the CIA to secretly spy on Brody when he returns, looking for that vital evidence that Brody is planning to carry out a terrorist attack on US soil. She lets her feelings get caught up in the moment though, and ends up becoming closely involved with Brody. This does not help Carrie's existing mental health problems - and as she gets sucked into the case she neglects her mental health more and more.

Slowly, the details of what is really going on here come to light - and the revelations in store are truly shocking.

So Is It Any Good?

+++ Big, Tense Plot +++

Outlined briefly above, the plot is very tense and hugely controversial. As you get drawn into the story by the big and gripping concepts (the possibility of a turned US marine carrying out a terrorist attack is always fun) but then you start to get caught up in the sub-plots.

Brody's family life is a complex and difficult affair - his wife and children believed him to be dead for the eight years he was captured. Although not admitting it publicly, Brody's wife and his best friend - another marine - have been sleeping with each other for several years. His friend, Mike Faber, has almost started to take over the "father" role for Brody's son - then in walks Brody again.

On finding out about this, Brody's inhibition about his behaviour seems to slip - he drinks, messes around with Carrie and ends up punching Faber in the face while they are at a house party.

This is just an overview of this thread running through Brody's life - he has already been brought back in for questioning by the CIA about his knowledge and seems to know that Carrie is suspicious of him.

Then we also look at things from Carrie's perspective - through the use of secret video cameras around his house and tracking him down at both social and professional meetings. Her absolute insistence that Brody has defected is her only motivator - there is nothing to suspect that Brody has been corrupted, he has just come back from years of abuse and so will need some time to re-adjust. But she keeps at it.

Finally we have the lives of the secondary characters - other CIA agents and members of Brody's family - and their actions play a key part in goings on and have motivations that take some time to understand.

+++ Perfect Performances +++

So the crucial thing if you have something that needs to be moving, gripping and believable if you are trying to write something so controversial is to have perfect acting. This is spot on.

Really, really good - mainly Lewis and Danes - who are present in most scenes and whose fluctuating mood, state of mental health and anxiety come across in the acting absolutely perfectly - right up to the nail-biting finale. The twitches in their face, gritting of teeth, hands, sweaty brow, neat appearance or lax appearance - all performed beautifully.

These just have to be seen to be appreciated - never overplayed, always intense but realistic - truly sensational. The whole series was an absolute joy to watch - I was desperate for the next instalment right after the last one aired. The way the details are played out as the series progresses onwards to the mind-blowing climax is just extraordinary. You make guesses about what is going on - but then by the next episode you start to believe that someone's not telling the truth and that we're being made to think something else.

It's gripping, amazing television and some of the best I've seen in years.

-+- The End? -+-

Then I just want to add a little bit about the finale - which does not disappoint - but I'll avoid any spoilers so everyone else can try it out.

It didn't pan out how I thought - at all. Not just that I thought the characters would have done something different - and moreover that I thought the series was being geared up to end in a much different way. The last half an hour was radically different from what I expected - and I suppose it was very good all the same - but it was a bit odd, and not how I thought the characters would have ended things. Particularly what Carrie agrees to have done - still very real and I know people who have done that - but it was harsh and unsettling to watch. It does set up the next series well though - so maybe it is just that it shocked me quite a lot rather than being in any way "bad".

It's just shocking, OK?
I'm a sensitive soul.

Conclusions

Top-quality entertainment that has enough depth to captivate for many hours at a time. The 12 part series was a thrilling ride from start to finish - I loved it.

On top of that, the performances delivered by Lewis and Danes are some of the best I have seen on television - complex, confused, emotional and utterly absorbing.

Really stands out above most other TV out there - and I may even enjoy the second series.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any images in this review are subject to relevant copyrights and are kindly provided by: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/homeland

TV - Antikythera Mechanism - 11/05/12 [DAILY DOSE]

2012-05-11T23:47:00.005+01:00

FRIDAY 11TH MAY 2012 - DAILY DOSE

Today's DAILY DOSE is quick mention of a great TV show on at the moment -

THE TWO-THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD COMPUTER.

This TV series is probing the secrets of a mysterious device found in what is believed to be a Roman shipwreck - nearly lost for thousands of years.

When the divers found the fragments of this device, they noticed small cogs and inscriptions in the rusted metal - vastly more intricate and complicated than any other contemporary artefact.

Due to the island near where the artefact was found, this is now known as the Antikythera Mechanism - one of the earliest mechanised calculation devices ever discovered.

Scientists, physicists, astronomers and mathematicians have spent years studying the fragments of the device - and through X-Ray imaging, 3D photography and other digital techniques they start to build some understanding of what the mechanism was for - and the findings are astounding.

It's on BBC 4 this week and next week -
so will be on the BBC iPlayer for the next fortnight.

Temple Run [ANDROID REVIEW]

2012-05-11T22:30:00.000+01:00

The big mobile action sensation is great for a bit of fun - if only the control issues didn't prevent me from getting my teeth into it.

What's It All About?

Action game based on that scene from Indiana Jones - you know, where he's running out of that temple - only this time it's not a big boulder and instead you're being chased by a pack of demon monkeys.

While escaping these satanic simians, you have to dodge various obstacles. Swipe up to jump over tree roots, swipe down to slide under fallen trees, swipe left/right to turn. Tilt your phone left and right to fine aim where you are running.

As you speed away through an increasingly-cluttered environment, you can pick up bonuses which make things a bit easier. These have effects such as boosting through a section of the level or removing all obstacles.

If your reflexes are about you, there is the opportunity to collect floating coins - these unlock extra characters or can improve your bonuses - and it'll take quite a few runs to earn enough to make a difference.

The levels you run through each time are randomly-generated, meaning that every run is slightly different - there's plenty of challenge and playability on offer here.

Bolting out of the temple at top speed - here's the ginger hero.

So Is It Any Good Then?

+++ Intense +++

I'm not sure exactly what it is - whether I find the crazed monkeys genuinely scary, or whether the action is just really intense - but I am really running for my life when I pick up Temple Run. The feeling of non-stop danger is really quite a motivator - when you start a game you see your explorer guy running out of the temple with the monkeys hot on his heels - and that's it. There doesn't need to be a big backstory - no need to characterise the character or the villains - just a simple task: run for your fucking life.

When I got to the youlater stages, with obstacles coming thick and fast, the pressure to keep going and beat my previous highscore meant that I was really getting into the action. I let out a loud sigh of disappointment every time I collided with a sneaky tree (so often that the neighbours must have thought it was fairly downbeat sex) - and that goes to show how successful the game is. When you unconsciously vocalise your annoyance with a game - just because you were 1000 points off your top score - then the addiction has very much set in. Well done, Temple Run.

Your path starts off simple - as shown above - but soon gets really tough.

+++ Lots of Appeal +++

The game wasn't just built for a few intense bursts though - the random landscape and real challenge on offer means that perfecting your Indy act can be a real time-sink. Beating your best score is good - beating your best distance run is another bit of fun - but upgrading the bonuses and going for that MASSIVE run is the big dream.

When you spend coins on the bonuses, you normally just get to boost a few hundred metres further or to unlock bigger coin pick-ups - but in making use of them while playing, you can turn a quick jog into a big-scoring marathon.

There's also some extra character models to unlock (and wallpapers and shit) but really it's improving the run that matters in the game - and that was my main motivator throughout. Just as it should be.

There's very little time between jumping, turning and sliding when you get to later levels -
but that's where I get stuck :-(

--- Lack of Control ---

But then at later stages in the game I found a gameplay barrier that I could not get past. When I got to about 2000 metres, the lack of sensitivity in my phone's touch screen changed from being " a bit annoying" to actually stopping me from getting any further.

The problem is this - as my phone's screen is slightly insensitive (it needs a bit of pressure in order to register a press) then to get the character to move I need to give a big, hard swipe right across the screen. At slower speeds, this isn't a problem - I just casually swipe left/right/up/down to progress. When it gets to the later stages, where you need to jump, dodge and slide a couple of times a second - then it gets to the point where I just can't make those exaggerated movements and I quickly lose.

Small nudges to jump etc. (which I have seen other people using to beat the game) just do not work on older/crapper touchscreens. Now that could be used as a reason to look for a new phone - so really, as not all phones are brand new/top-of-the-range, this should have been planned for. When you make a game for mobiles, it should suit all mobiles.

Perhaps some extra control settings to tailor the experience for older phones (NOT the "sensitivity" setting as this only changes the motion-sensitive controls).

Really, with some small tweaks then this would have been a near-perfect action game. As it stands, I can only get around 2,500 metres and no further - so I stopped playing. Shame.

Conclusions

Without a doubt - one of the most intense experiences on a handheld.

I accept that some of my complaints relate to issues with my phone - but as that is the hardware the game was built for the developers really should have accounted for that.

With a few tweaks to the control system - or maybe a new phone - then this could easily have kept me going for many weeks.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any stock images in this review are subject to relevant copyrights and are kindly provided by: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.imangi.templerun&hl=en
All game screenshots were taken in-game using a HTC Nexus One and were taken by Brighton Games Trader.

Angry Birds Space [ANDROID REVIEW]

2012-05-11T21:19:00.000+01:00

The birds are back in town!

But sadly this extra-terrestrial adventure leaves a lot to be desired.

What's It All About Then?

Latest instalment of the Angry Birds franchise, launched at the end of March 2012, takes the series' usual formula of "Put bird in slingshot - Aim at pig in building - Let loose and *ka-blam*" and moves it into outer space.

The story goes that some very mean piggies stole the nice birds' precious eggs. Ergo - kill them all and smash their homes to pieces. Capisce?

The greater the destruction you cause - plus the fewer birds flung in order to achieve total piggie massacre - will give you a higher star rating at the end of each level. For an acceptable serial porcicide, you'll earn 1 star. If you totally demolish the place, destroying a couple of nearby piggie schools just for good measure, you'll earn the maximum of 3 stars.

The series always uses a variety of birds, and this set it unique in order to deal with the additional factors of being in space - with all the variable gravity fun that nearby asteroids (or lack thereof) may lead to. You are given a level-specific selection of birds in a particular order, which must be used to completely wipe out the level's pigs.

The types of birds used in Space are as follows:

RED ROUND - flies straight and does a bit of damage
LITTLE BLUE - after launching, another tap to the screen causes the bird to split in 3 (only causing a small amount of damage)
PURPLE TRIANGLE - after launching, another tap to the screen at a specific point will redirect the bird to do medium damage to that point
BOMB BIRDS - shaped like a bomb (weirdly) - these detonate after a few seconds (or after another tap)
BIG GREENS - huge but heavy birds that don't fly too far but caused massive damage if aimed correctly
FREEZE BIRDS - these guys explode into a ball of ice, with all surfaces hit by the cold becoming vulnerable and brittle. Careful use of the birds that follow leads to major gravitational destruction.

There are 76 levels in total - meaning 228 stars to collect in total (at time of writing, I've collected just over 190). They are broken up into the following chapters:

PIG BANG - 30 introductory levels - easy basics. Showing you the ropes with set-ups involving most types of bird in easy configurations. There's a boss level at the end on the ground.
COLD CUTS - then there's a set of 30 tactical levels involving freeze birds and more complicated gravity systems. The boss at the end flies around and defends itself.
FRY ME TO THE MOON - 10 slightly more challenging levels that involve a lot of stone structures - difficult to knock down without clever use of destruction - and piggies that fly around in orbit.
EGGSTEROIDS - 6 bonus levels that generally pay homage to other videogames. There's a Pong level and a Space Invaders level that are both fun. These are less of a challenge to beat - but to unlock them you need to fire at hidden black holes spread across the other campaign levels.

Later on, there are complex gravitational fields to work with.

So Is It Any Good Then?
+++ Fun New Setting +++
The new space setting is well-realised and all-in-all is pretty good fun. The menus, birds and levels have all been tailored to fit the theme, with a lot of thought put into the graphical design and style of the game. Not a lot has changed since the last one - they've just been given a sci-fi overhaul - but each level certainly feels like it's in space.

The use of gravitational fields is brilliant - meaning that a lot of thought has to go into later levels and that there are often some less-obvious solutions to tough levels that can be found with clever/flukey "hookshots" around asteroids. Think Red Dwarf, where Lister has to block the black hole with a planet in a space-snooker-esque affair - you may sound all smart when you line it up and then look daft when your bird spins wildly around a nearby planet - but with a bit of luck it can collide in just the right way to lead to big points.

This means that every level is definitely worth a couple of playthroughs - trying out both different firing angles and different tactics - honing your skills and high scores until you've aced each and every one of them.

Special mention goes out to the bonus levels - they're all great fun and it's good to have some levels that are there for fun/variety rather than just for challenge. Mixing it up a bit was part of what made the original great - with a few simple gameplay concepts they made like 250 enjoyable levels.

This is the Pong-themed bonus level -
not necessarily mind-blowing but quite sweet.

--- Short and Limited ---
And that leads neatly on to my first big criticism - it's too damn short! The 70 main levels are quite enjoyable and have a good progression in difficulty and elements (static targets to begin - moving and protected targets later on). The issue is that I was just getting going at that point - expecting a whole bunch more after that and it just.... stopped.

Is this a case of "expansion pack sickness"? Are they giving us a taster of the new setting but leaving all of the content for additional, paid packages?

Therefore, the difficulty level was a bit lacking - I sort of expected there to be further challenges to play around with the gravity stuff but it just finished really early!

Even the Rio expansion pack for the original game had around 160 levels in total - and that was just made to advertise a film! Admittedly, these were released bit-by-bit too - so perhaps I just need to sit tight and wait for the rest of levels to be released.

Now I'm playing the free version - so I surely I shouldn't really complain much about the small level selection?

Well that really doesn't make me want to pay to upgrade now, does it?

And how can I recommend the paid version to people when it feels half-finished? Well the problems don't end at the number of levels...

In this shot, the adverts are actually preventing me from seeing the game -
and you can't zoom out on this level either!

--- Badly Built and Lucky ---
The game also has a looooooot of issues. The screenshot above shows the big problem with the adverts - they get in the bloody way! Steve Jobs' big ugly face is constantly blocking my view - adverts for Wonga offering me cash loans (I'd imagine so that I can afford the next expansion pack).

If you could move the advert to the other side of the screen when necessary - or if they just buggered off altogether - then I'd actually be able to see what I was shooting and I'd have a lot more fun with the game.

Then there's the numerous occasions where the game actually cocks up. See below for an example of this - where the gravity is meant to topple unsteady towers but parts of it just hang in mid-air.

So - the game prevents me from winning in a quite annoying way.

Then the next major issue is the complete opposite: that due to the gravity systems you can regularly demolish towers with flukey shots! Bounce a bird off an asteroid - it will often spin round and round until it eventually crashes into a piggie tower. Just launching your birds in random directions can sometimes lead to a 3 star score - requiring no skill whatsoever.

That's the biggest problem of them all to me - when the pig killing was taking place back on Earth, if you missed a shot then you had to start the level again. There was a very rational pattern to proceedings - only one or two angles to launch birds at in order to get the big scores. In Space, there are dozens - if not hundreds - of different angles and shot power that will win you a big highscore. I liked that you could try out complex shots around planets - I just don't like a bird I fired five minutes ago to swing back around and smash everything to pieces.

Perhaps some changes to the way the birds work in the long-term? (disappearing after a few seconds to prevent these ridiculous fluke shots).

WTF is going on with the arrow-shaped block - how is it still floating there?
You can clearly see the gravitational field all around it!

Conclusions

The game is still great fun for absolutely zero pounds - if you don't mind infuriating advertising splashed all across your screen - but in terms of substance this game falls well short of its predecessor.

If this was a space-themed expansion pack then it may have been less disappointing - as the full sequel to one of the most popular mobile games of all time then they just haven't put the effort in. A true shame.

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!
Any stock images in this review are subject to relevant copyrights and are kindly provided by:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gdeheemdbabpjapkmbpiocpjinickpcl?utm_source=chrome-ntp-icon
All game screenshots were taken in-game using a HTC Nexus One and were taken by Brighton Games Trader.

Video - Life and Death According to Zelda - 10/05/12 [DAILY DOSE]

2012-05-10T12:54:00.000+01:00

THURSDAY 10TH MAY - DAILY DOSE

The mini DAILY DOSE for the day is this -

TIMTIMFED'S VIDEOGAME VIDEOS.

There's plenty of funny Youtube vids about showing off a funnier side of gaming.

The one above is great - both me and my girlfriend really enjoyed it - and then there's "How I Play Skyrim" below.

And if anyone was interested -
yes, that is how I play Skyrim.
Even got my precious items organised into chests in various houses - but still end up with too much on me at all times!

Take a look at the Youtube channel -
link here.

Trailer - Quantum Conundrum - 09/05/12 [DAILY DOSE]

2012-05-09T13:53:00.002+01:00

WEDNESDAY 9TH MAY 2012 - DAILY DOSE

Today's DAILY DOSE is a look at the trailer for this -

QUANTUM CONUNDRUM.

The game is not dissimilar to Portal, and was penned by Kim Swift - who used to work for Valve before moving over to join Airtight Games and develop this beauty.

The idea here is that you are a young boy trapped in your scientist uncle's mansion - and the only way to get out is to make use of special batteries - each having a different effect on the environment (such as making everything super-light).

The game looks fun, is written to be accessible - but most of all has that charming physics puzzler atmosphere that I love.

The game was announced a while ago (originally due for release towards the end of 2012) but now rumours are swirling that we may see the game released sometime this Summer.

Just to whet your appetite further, I've added a 7 minute gameplay demo - narrated by Kim Swift - to give you a feel for the puzzles on offer here.

I'll see you guys in the fluffy dimension.

Gameplay Demo - with Kim Swift

Feel free to post comments or contributions to improve the experience!

Any videos in this review are from Youtube and are subject to relevant copyrights. They are kindly provided by: http://www.youtube.com/user/gamespot

TV - Game of Thrones - 08/05/12 [DAILY DOSE]

2012-05-08T14:29:00.002+01:00

TUESDAY 8TH MAY 2012 - DAILY DOSE

Today's DAILY DOSE is a look at this -

GAME OF THRONES.

Now into it's second season - and a third season was in the bag from the word 'go' too - so there's plenty of beheadings, graphic incestuous sex and murder to get stuck into here.

Oh - by the way -
THIS SHOW IS NOT FOR ANYONE WHO DISLIKES GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, NUDITY OR ADULT THEMES (such as incest, child murder, dog maulings, beheadings aplenty and lots more in-between).

So... not one for the kids.
Or... most other people.

It's all very well designed and staged though, with a good pace to the series (even though I'm still watching series one!).

Just look at that intro ^^^ -
doesn't that just get you interested already?
It lays out the land, you get a feel for the climate and architecture - all in a two-minute segment!

Though.... why does the show need to have regional British accents?
Really? Why?
All the accents of the "Northern" folk are Northern English accents - and this is a fantasy land with nothing to do with Britain (except for it's probably ripped from Tolkein who wrote his stuff in England).

It's not a gripe - the show is brilliant to watch and it all works well - just make sure not to watch it with younger viewers around.
Say... under 25.

Looking to pick up the books soon too - heard they are equally amazing.

Anyone have any experience of that?
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