So Joystiq asked for a whole lot of shit. Why are you awesome, review this game, write two news posts for us, improvements you’d suggest for our site AND your game of 2010. That isn’t what’s important about this application though. In fact what’s important about this application isn’t even on this page. It’s what I wrote the second time I applied for exactly the same position that’s important. That’s waiting for you in Part The Second.
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City/State: Glasgow, Scotland
e-mail: therealchaossmurf at gmail dot com
Phone Number: [redacted]
AIM: ChaosSmurf, above e-mail
Consoles: PC, DS, access to a PS3 (a flatmate’s)
Other Work:
StarCraft: Legacy – Content Staff (http://www.sclegacy.com/)
Gaming Daily – Staff/Freelance Writer (http://www.gamingdaily.co.uk/)
PC Gamer UK – Freelance Writer/Disc Editor (http://www.pcgamer.com/)
Why I’m just the best:
I believe I am the right choice for this position because of my experience and style. The majority of my early writing was news reporting for the front page of StarCraft: Legacy, where I learned how to translate a press release or screenshot shower into a readable news post that provided both the information and relevant commentary, expansion or explanation. The importance of speed within that environment meant that I became expert at doing this quickly – whoever had the news first would get the most views, but a post containing nothing but the release and a short introductory sentence was of no worth. Joystiq’s comparitively wide reaching sphere of interest will not be a problem for me as I am already in the habit of scouring a large number of gaming websites for news and am proficient at quickly determining the vital information within a story.
I am also a life-long gamer who has been playing solidly, mostly on PC but with experiences elsewhere too, for the past ten years. Writing seemed a natural progression of that and how much I enjoy being listened to. I believe that Joystiq is the right place for me because of the informal and humourous style I employ. I enjoy being positive about games and news writing (which is, in many cases, very short previews focusing on a particular piece of news or video) is a good place to do that. I believe I am able to post news in such a way that it will generate healthy, intelligent discussion from Joystiq’s comment threads and always welcome partaking in such.
Music Catch review:
Audiosurf, the from-nowhere 2008 hit that’s still the best five pounds I’ve ever spent, started a trend I can’t help but approve of – creation of game levels and experiences based on music. Music Catch is a new part of this ever expanding genre and a fine example to boot.
As with many of its peers, it selects that difficulty curve that is so common and yet still so satisfying of being easy to learn and hard to master. Easy may be an understatement; this is absolutely effortless. If you understand how to use a mouse, you understand how to control Music Catch’s shape-gobbling, point-spewing crosshair. Colour recognition comes next: get the yellow, avoid the red. By virtue of a well selected example track, this starts simply – grab everything you see, yellow’s expand your radius and make it easier. But as the music gets faster and your crosshair becomes bloated, accidental reds are inevitable. Every “power up” drops a message onto the screen upon collection, congratulating or comiserating as is appropriate, giving a friendly feel to what could be rage-inducing failures.
A note on the example track: it is very well selected. Opinions on music differ wildly from person to person but classical is very difficult to out-right hate, and provides exactly the mix of slow and fast portions that a game such as this can exploit for maximum enjoyment. As either a paid-for, more laid back alternative to other music games or five minutes taken out of a lunch hour for browser-based distraction, Music Catch is entertainment worth the investment.
Four stars.
Two Articles:
Title: Just Cause 2 beautiful, deadly
[some image from the video ala http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/11/may/jcdeath.jpg]
Here’s one you won’t see every day – the deaths of eleven million players mapping out a game world from the tallest building to the country roads. The game in question is Just Cause 2 and it’s quite the sight below.
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The dots were created by “impact events”, players colliding with objects and the world itself causing their untimely demise. Can you find your own foolish missteps or overzealous acceleration within?
via: RPS (link to VG247)
source: youtube (link to youtube)
Title: Brink gets bigger, better, statier
[http://static.zenimax.com/bethblog/upload/2011/05/stats_site.jpg]
Bethesda’s blog brings word (link to article) of upcoming changes to recent multiplayer-focused FPS Brink. First, as seen above, the stats site is to go live for XBOX 360 and PS3 players on Tuesday, whereas PC gamers can expect it “very soon”. The sneak peak screenshot reveals details on matches played and xp earned as well as an interactive map to see who is “winning” that week.
In addition, Bethesda talk about the Agents of Change DLC that will be be released next month. The full changelist is after the break but the long and short of it is “new maps, abilities, character customization options and weapon attachments, while also raising the level cap to 24.”
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New Maps
- Founders’ Tower – The revolution finally reaches the island’s iconic spire and takes the battle for the Ark to dizzying heights.
- Labs – Venture into the depths of the Ark’s original research and development laboratories, a submerged high-tech facility so far untouched by the civil war.
New Player Abilities
- UAV – This stealthy and lethal device allows Operatives to automatically mark nearby enemies on their radar. For more explosive fun, they can even take direct control of the UAV and detonate it near unsuspecting foes.
- Napalm Grenade – Soldiers can use this new grenade to cover an area in a sea of deadly flames.
- Pyro Mine – Engineers can plant these mines and leave enemies in the epicenter of a massive napalm explosion.
- Field Regen Unit – Medics can deploy these units to increase the health regeneration of any nearby teammates.
- Tactical Scanner – This universal ability allows players to reveal the active buffs of their opponents, allowing them to pick off enemies more strategically.
New Weapon Attachments
- Bayonets – Gain the edge in melee combat and cause extra damage with these deadly blades.
- Weapon Shields – Take cover from enemy fire and prevent headshot bonus damage behind riot-style shields.
New Character Outfits
- The Sad Punk – Add a touch of Steampunk to your Resistance character.
- The Limey – Bring order to the Ark with this outfit inspired by traditional European police.
source: Bethesda (link to Bethesda)
Improvements to Joystiq:
Regular weekend “slots”. For example PCGamer’s “Crap Shoot” or Rock Paper Shotgun’s “Bargain Bucket” – a reason for readers to look at the website during the normally news-light weekend. This could be as simple as a round up of interesting but minor stories from the week that never made the front page or a regular feature examining some particular area of gaming.
More explanation or expansion on some posts. For example this (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/05/28/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-teaser-shoots-its-way-onto-the-i/) could have some short discussion about what this could mean for the series, assuming the writer is familiar. If s/he is not, a question posed to the reader can generate discussion in the comment thread and thus more views.
Game of 2010:
For me it was, and was always going to be, StarCraft II. I’m a helpless fanboy and I know it, but at least my faith was not misplaced. There have been arguments that the story was subpar or classic or unfaithful to the spirit of the original, but the actual gameplay of the campaign was an utter joy, far and away the best singleplayer RTS experience I’ve ever had. Every mission was different and original, challenging and fun. Then there’s what it did for e-sports – bringing it to the front of people’s minds, getting focus from mainstream sites, Korea’s gaming culture seeping through. I’m very excited to see where it leads.