I had no idea how long this was going to take - 250 comments a day?! My eyes!
So I'm a day late, and this is very short, but, if you didn't dip into Chatterbox this week, here's what you missed...
Friday saw the construction of a bloated hate list covering everyone from Peter Molyneux to Hugh Jackman. Oh and as it was filled with celebrities, naturally, Peaches Geldof turned up. Monday was about Linux, Tuesday about story-telling in games - Ico and Shadow of Colossus came out as leading examples, and Naboomagnoli made this good point:
It says a lot that the best games for instilling empathy or compassion into the player have been Ico and SotC (IMO). They leave so much to the imagination and do away with voiceovers, and rather than forcing a NPC with a huge backstory and witty one-liners on you, give you a frail young girl to look after (which brings out your paternal/maternal instinct to protect the young) or a faithful and obedient horse as your only companion in an otherwise dead world. When game designers try to use dialogue or backstory, the result is often Sixth-form standard at best.
The good news, just in case you weren't aware, Team Ico is working on another Ico title - the bad news for good story fans: it won't be out for ages. Anyway, yesterday was about worst gaming moments, thanks to a question along those lines posted by OfficePest. There was also a brief foray into games for girls and a surprisingly heated discussion about the consumer rights involved in returning a videogame, especially if you've taken the wrapping off.
Just to clear that up - if the game is faulty, you just need proof of purchase (that can even be a plastic bag). They must exchange or offer a refund. If the product isn't faulty (whether you've removed the wrapping or not), you can usually return within 28 days for an exchange, but it's up to the shop whether they offer you a refund - there's no legal compulsion. If you buy online you have a seven day get-out clause allowing you to return the item for a full refund.
Ta da!
Favourite remarks/questions "Roast beef, chips, Yorkie and onion gravy. £2.20 Happy days!" Tenancy enjoys his dinner.
"Just waiting for the cleaner to go before sticking MGS4 on." NickT provides a masterclass in middle-class gaming etiquette.
"Can I just shock you. I like wine." Tony Hayers on cultured gaming nicking quotes from Alan Partridge.
"Does anyone have games that they're too scared to play?" DMT2 looks for more scaredy cats.
"What's the shittest tattoo anyone's ever seen?" Codenamehardhat should possibly put that one to Hadley Freeman.
"Does anybody else like a 'blonde' beer?" More drinking revelations, this time from Shewrog2.
Favourite music of the week Fleet Foxes Gabriella Cilmi Sigur Ros The National Band of Horses RadioHead
Favourite games of the week Crisis Core MGS 4 Battlefield Bad Company Mass effect Black Smash Bros Brawl Uncharted The World Ends with You GTA IV
Cultural concerns of the week The failings of Dexter series 2 Giving up smoking Linux - and why it's not as simple as people seem to think Anti-depressants and alternatives Tokyo - and how to do it properly
Now I'm going to have a long lie down.
