My first working week of 2013 included working up until nearly the last minute of 2012, as well as a lot of games. A whole lot of games.The end-of-2012 work related to a last-minute phone interview with ABC 720 Perth’s Drive program, covering the wackiest and weirdest apps of 2012, and why people buy them. Along the way, I think I managed to get myself labelled as a crazy cat person.
The larger part of my week was taken up with guest editing the Australian version of Kotaku, while regular editor Mark Serrels is off enjoying paternity leave. That included a lot of news “snippet” style stories, as well as a few longer articles. It’s been a while since I’ve really been able to sink my teeth into games journalism — really, the last time was waaay back when I somewhat-ran the local version of GameSpot (quite a different proposition to the current Au GameSpot, it should be noted). It’s been a fun week, in other words.
A Unexpected Video Game Franchise: How Many Hobbit Games Are There, Anyway?
“I haven’t had the chance to see The Hobbit (or, The Hobbit Part One, anyway) as yet, although I’m not too fussed by spoilers. I’ve read the books far too many times — but they pale compared to the sheer quantity of hobbit-centric video games. It’s a pity, then, that such a classic setting has seen so many terrible games.”
R18+: Won’t Somebody Think Of The Children?
“R18+ is now a real rating for video games in Australia, although it’ll probably be a while before we see any R18+ rated games on store shelves. R18+ should impart knowledge, and knowledge is power. Why shouldn’t we make use of that power in a positive way?”
(this one stirred things up quite a bit; it turns out getting people to step outside their comfort zones is a challenging thing)
New Super Mario Bros U: Why Isn’t This Lauded As The Best Mario Game Ever?
“NSMB U takes everything in the existing Mario franchise and adds another layer of gloss to an already finely polished experience. Yet look around, and it’s rather constantly put down as “yet another Mario game”. Why?”
What Will 2013 Do To Aussie Games Retail?
“Australia’s not exactly blessed with lots of competing video game retail chains. What’s the story likely to be in 2013, and does physical retail matter any more in any case?”
Image: Sam Howzit