I'm Famous!

Well, ok, not really. But they did publish one of my comments on CBC. It may be a thousand clicks from the main page, but it's there! I guess my tireless nagging finally paid off!

Derek's Best Video Games of All Time

This tale of woe begins with some firends of mine heading home from the UK and needing to get rid of some stuff. With 'great reluctance' (and by that I mean exhuberance), Jane and I accepted a number of food items (all of it better than the stuff we usually get), some electronics and... wait for it... an N64, complete with games, controllers etc. I was inconsolable. Practically morose.
This got me nostalgic (which, as many of you know is very easy to do) for the great games of my youth. And with nostalgia comes the irripressible urge to make lists. Here is a countdown of the greatest video games ever according to me. Anyone is more than welcome to disagree with me. No doubt the prevalence of role playing games will be seen by some as being somewhat unfair.

12) Super mario bros.: I think I saw this game for the first time when I was about 7. Some kid named Brad had a Nintendo about a year before it's popularity exploded. I didn't like Brad much, but I liked his Nintendo, so we hung out alot.

11) FF1: Obviously almost any fan of RPGs (role playing games) is going to like the final fantasy series. FF1 was a contemporary of phantasy star and, to be honest, it wasn't as good, epecially in the graphics department. But it was still a very good RPG and the best one on the Nintendo. I borrowed this game from a friend and played it through in a couple of weeks.

10) Master of Orion II: The original master of orion was good too, but MOO II really was probably the last and greatest turn-based strategy game (yes, some CIVs came out after, but they don't make the grade in my opinion). I got this one just before I headed off to university. An excellent time waster in first year.

9) Dragon Warrior: By the time we (my sister and I) had managed to nag my parents into getting us a Nintendo (to this day, I have no idea how we managed it) it was 1989 and the thing was already starting it's decline. But my friend Daniel had one... and he had Dragon Warrior, the first role playing game I ever experienced. I loved this game so much that I memorized it as I played it. I spent hours on the phone with Daniel telling him - exactly (two squares up and one to the left) - where to go next.

8) Master of Magic: This computer game was a contemporary of the Sci-fi Micropose game Master of Orion. It was such an efficient time waster (you could get lost in this thing for hours) that the people wanted more. Unfortunately for all of us, Micropose was sold to Hasbro just after the release of thier final masterpiece (Mater of Orion II) and all was lost.

7) Pax Emperia II: This is probably the most underappreciated game on my list. It was particularly popular in my second year of university where Paul, Shawn and I would take on a couple of 'hard' computers in a 12 hour marathon. The game is cleverly set up like a turn-based game, but actually runs in real time. The only downside was the somewhat weak AI.

6) FF2 (american): This is possibly the biggest steps forward in role-playing games. It marked the switch in the FF series to a very story driven style, and boy was it a good story. Noble sacrifice, scary dancing dolls and sudden (fortuitous) reapearances of key characters. Brilliant stuff.

5) Warcrafts/Starcraft: Lest anyone think this is a 'role playing only' list, I also include this set of RTS (real time strategy) games. I'm putting them all together because, although each one improves on the last, it's still fundamentally the same game. Anyhow, Blizzard is a company that only akes good games. Everything they release is completely polished, well tested and fun. This is to be contrasted with EA who will release a game, ready or not, when they think it'll make them the most money.

4) Halo: I was pointed out to me by a kindly commentator that this game is missing from my list. He is absolutely right. Halo is the best shooter I have ever played. My first experience with this one was a five hour stint with Doug while Jane worked away happily (because she had just eaten Doug's chicken stir fry) on our wedding list. It was during this experience that I had the best in-game conversation of all time:
(I am in the 'gun position' on the warthog (truck), facing backwards. Doug is driving the thing facing forwards)
Doug: Is there anything coming towards us?
(there is a big &*$%!ing missle coming towards us)
Me: Yes
(a milisecond later)
**Bang!**
(the warthog blows up, we flip over several times and fall off a ledge)
Me: A missle

3) Phantasy Star: When I was younger, I actually liked the slogfest that is 'leveling'. To be honest, I still like it more than the average player. Phantasy star was the first 'Japanese style' (story driven) role playin game that I had ever played. And it was years ahead of it's time. Great sega master system graphics, an epic story spanning three planets and tricky dungeons.

2) FF7: The final fantasy series took another great leap with this PSone game. The graphics utilized a very well implimented 3D on 2D style that would almost hold up today. When I first saw it, I was flabbergasted. Anyhow, FF7 featured the best story since FF2 and characters that people could get attached to. Plus an important one actually dies, close to the end, which, trust me, really pisses you off. I know this because my friend Paul and I played this for almost 48hrs straight. Good times.

And...

1) WoW: World of Warcraft is the greatest MMORG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) and, for me, the greatest game ever. Like many people, I played this game until I wanted my life back. Then I quit cold turkey. Which was hard. Some people really get addicted to this thing and I can see why. It is fun and it doesn't stop being fun - ever -.

Jane

In my third year at Trent University, I met a 'very tall' (and by that I mean somewhat short) girl named Jane. She introduced herself to me by inviting herself over for dinner. We had a TV, you see and that's why she wanted to make friends... for access. At least that is her version of the story. I like to think that she was drawn to the attractive man who lived with the TV. Well, that is, one of the three attractive men who shared the apartment that contained the TV. Well, ok, my version is that somehow she was drawn to the least attractive man who lived in the apartment with the TV. Yep, I think thats the more likely!
In any case, this meeting was extremely fortunate for me in every respect but one: Jane is also the name of my mother. So that was an obstacle that needed overcoming... But overcome it we did and after a three year whirlwind romance, we were married. So that you can all see just how much I am punching above my weight, here's a picture:

Places I've been: Brussels

So this year, I officially crossed the threshold. Yes, I am now an expat in the UK. What does an expat do? Well, I put Canadian flags everywhere someone might see them. One in the hall window, one on my (beater) car and many on my t-shirts. I also take advantage of the fact that I am close to places tha are much more interesting than where I am now. Like Belgium, for example (yeah! smooth tie in!), specifically: Brussels.

OK, the first thing I noticed about Brussels was that it was dirty. The whole city isn't dirty, mind you, just the 'depressed, poor imigrant quarter' in which we had sagely decided to book a cheap hotel (Ibis; actually quite nice on the inside). Dirt asside, there are a few things of which brussels is, justafiably or not, proud. First: A big empty square in the center of town called 'Grand Place'. Around the square are various important buildings including Town Hall, which looks like this:

Second: Brussels hosted Expo '58 and so, obviously, they built a prototype for what building would look like in the future. Witness, the atomium:

Third: It was decided in 1883 that brussels needed a building that was big enough to make massive look small. After building it, they decided they should probably use it for something. It turned out to be well suited to scaring criminals, so they called it the 'Palace of Justice':

Fourth, fifth, sixth etc.: A little statue of a peeing boy (manequin pis), mussels (they tasted pretty average to me, but I got a whole bowl full), the cathedral, waffles (bad. I could make a better belgan waffle), Jean-Claude Van Damme (we saw some Jean Claude haircuts which are actually the belgian military doo), cartoons (smurfs, tintin, asterix and obelix, lucky luke... all belgian).

So there's alot to see if you head over there. Here are a few pointers:
1) Everything is very expensive
2) The subway seems free... but it isn't
3) Avoid cheap hotels in the poor imigrant quarter
4) There is a female version of the manequin pis hidden in the restaurant district

Happy trails :)

It begins!

I have been sucked into the great blog nexus. I want you all to know that I fought this with every ounce of will in me. But, I have failed. And now, my friends, there is nothing left but for me to subject you to every tedious thought that disturbs the still waters of my diminutive brain. I can only hope that there might be some entertainment in all of this for you. For my part I will try to keep it as interesting as possible...