Category — Australia

Anyone with an XBox 360 or PS3 not played this yet? If not why not? OK, so maybe I’m being a little pushy in pushing my opinions on people, but I’ve loved the GTA games ever since playing the original ones on an old mac running Virtual PC (Yes, I’m a mac head).

But what is it about these games that keeps me coming back? I’ll be honest with you here. GTA 3, in my opinion, was the best of the GTA 3 series. There was something about it that was so good, and something that Vice City and San Andreas never managed to capture. There was something about this living, breathing city that is Liberty City. You could drive any car, do pretty much anything and the city was laid out in a fun way. The ones since have been bigger, with more to do, but somehow, they never captured that magazine.

And with GTA IV, I think Rockstar Games may have re-captured that original magic! Why? Liberty City is once again resurrected, but this time it’s got a lot more depth, a life of it own and feels like it might actually be based on something real! Cruising the streets, there’s people wandering the streets, and cars driving by, But now the people mingle and react to one another and you. Car drivers go about their business and crash into each other occasionally and apologise. There’s a real feeling of purpose and history to this place!

Liberty City feels like it’s been around for a long time and grown to what it is now. Some neighbourhoods are run down with graffiti and burnt out cars, with only a few cops to guard the streets. Other areas are very affluent, with nice modern cars, cobbled streets and lots of protection. There’s industry that might actually support the residents of the city. And the story covers a range of topics, letting you into bits of the city, and give you a hint at what’s happened to them over the years.

Weather is prominent too. On a sunny day, the streets are dry and cars handle well. Then the heavens open and cars start slipping and sliding, and - this is a simple but impressive touch - the people get their umbrellas out and put raincoats on. It’s such a little touch, but it really makes a difference. And one thing that impressed me no more was a thunderstorm! A thunderstorm that feels real! A crack of lighting illuminates the screen casting some amazing shadows, then the thunder comes making the controller rattle as if you were in the game with the character. I’m struggling to do how impressive this looks and feels but trust me, you’ll know it when you see it!

Then you move onto the vehicles. Lots of vehicles! And every one of them feels unique! That’s no mean feat. Jump in an American Hot Rod and your good for high speed in a straight line, but try to corner and you’ll struggle as the suspension wallows. Drive a big 4 x 4 and nothing gets in your way, but it’s a little slow but you can real feel the power. Jump in a sports car and it’ll weave through traffic. Fancy driving a lorry? Their slow, but somehow so much fun! And bikes… Well, they’re a struggle I find, but I’m sure some people love them.

Performing on foot has been improved immensely! I used to struggle with the old controls, but now it feels almost as good as Halo (nothing’s beaten that yet though). And the targeting system is improved through the simple act of letting you lock on fully (trigger depressed fully) or part-depress it, and you get free aim. It’s a simple thing but works so well! And combine that with the new duck and cover button, and you can’t go wrong.

What else can they do to improve the experience? Well… There’s the new physics engine that brings everything to life - knock the garbage bins over and they roll along and down hills. The graphics are a lot more comic book like - gone are the old simple textures of the old one. And the character animation is amazing! Some of the details you almost don’t notice, but crash your car and anyone in the car lurches. Corner too fast and their head rolls to the side. Jump out of a moving vehicle and your character - Nico - rolls along the street just like the movies.

Any faults? Well, sadly yes. Cover gets a little confused at times, but that I think is something very hard to get right. Even Gears of War got it wrong occasionally, and that’s an amazing game for the duck and cover idea! And being in Australia - and this is really upsetting - the game is censored. Come on Australia, WAKE UP!!! There’s no rating above 15 here, so the language has to be toned down. One example being how Nico thinks that Michelle is a “really good listener”, after he’s “Talk to me! Talk to me” in a rather enthusiastic way. It’s a little sad really.

But, that’s it. That game is simply amazing and damn near perfect in my eyes! The one thing that I’m concerned about is what happens when I’ve completed it… Just have to try and complete the myriad of micro-tasks within the game.

If you don’t have it, get it now!!! Why are you still reading… Get down the shops and buy it now!

So, this is the 2nd year I’ve been in Australia for Anzac day, and this year, I decided to do it properly. For those that don’t know about ANZAC day, I suggest you read the article on Wikipedia. In summary, it was the first major military action in the first world war by the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, and this day celebrates the pride of these countries in this corp. It’s celebrated all over the country, and the services start as early as 4am.

One of the games that was invented by them was 2-up and the only day you can legally play it in Australia is on Anzac day. The principal behind it is to flip 3 coins off a wooden paddle, and whichever 2 sides match is the winner, hence “two-up“. There are some rules though: You have to get a good flip on the coins - if they don’t spin enough when you through them up, it’s a no-throw. Likewise, they have to get a good height - but not too high or hit the ceiling. And on hitting the ground, they have to all stay with the defined boundaries.

Now that sounds pretty dull in essence, but it’s a actually a blast! The reason being that you bet other people in the audience, and everyone - I mean everyone - gets involved. You can shout out a bet of say $10 on heads, and someone will say I’ll call you tails. The person who calls heads looks after the bet until the result is known. Then if they win, they keep it, and if they lose - tails - they give the money to the other person. You’d think people would try to cheat the system, but they don’t. The spirit is absolutely amazing! Everybody has great fun and chats and laughs and you just can’t imagine how much fun it is. It’s just a shame that it only happens once a year.

We spent an impressive 5 hours in the Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel that afternoon, but not playing that all day. All in all it was a great day, and next year I’ll make sure I’m up for the dawn service.

I’ve finally started doing something that really makes me feel like I’m no longer living in London. I’ve started learning to Sail! It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and to my delight I found that there’s a sailing school round the corner from me in Rushcutters Bay. The Pacific Sailing School has been around for 30 years, and I also discovered that a couple of my friend’s have learnt there and spoke highly of it.

The first sailing lesson was a good test of my sea legs - I occasionally struggle. After a tour of the boat by our instructor, Brian, and running through a couple of drills like tacking - changing direction when sailing into the Wind - we set sail. I have to confess to being slightly nervous at first. Sydney Harbour is a busy place to be, being novices, and not knowing all the rules of the road, felt like it might be intimidating.

Within no time, we were sailing into the wind - clever trick that one. Tacking away, starting to work well. We were sailing on the International J/24 class boat. It’s a small easy to handle boat, that’s used for racing. But it’s characteristics make it a great training boat.

Unfortunately, just as we were getting into our flow, a storm appeared on the horizon. Being out on the open water, and seeing it rolling in was really intimidating. But it was also an amazing sight. It was really quite beautiful in that weird ‘oh my god’ kind of way. It was like seeing a wall of doom rolling in.

So, we returned to port, had the boat secured and were safely in the sailing club before the front hit. I never realised quite how social sailing is! Really. Everyone goes out after for a few beers and food. It’s really good! And Terry, the sailing school owner is always so happy to see his students in the bar, that he’s buys a few jugs to get everyone started.

I’m loving what I’ve done so far. I think I’ll be hooked on this one!

I had the pleasure of spending Saturday night at the Sydney Opera House watching a performance of the amazing John Williams movie music with Heather.

The music was led in by the host, Guy Noble. He introduced every piece, making them slightly more magical. He also added a light note to everything, highlighting the elements of humour in the films, and by enacting a day through pieces from Psycho and Jaws. He also came onto the stage in a Superman Outfit - of sorts, although I don’t remember Clark Kent wearing black shoes and socks with the ‘S’ on - and a Darth Vader costume - guess which music they were for…
Arnie Roth flew in from Los Angeles to conduct the piece. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing him for the Play, A Video Game Symphony.

The evening was led in with the music from the Olympic Fanfare, followed by other timeless classics such as Superman, ET and one of my favourites, Indiana Jones.

At half time, as we wandered out, we were greeted by Storm Troopers and Tie Fighter pilots.

This led perfectly into the second half. The Star Wars pieces! I wasn’t expecting so much music from the trilogy, but I’m glad they did. The force and power that music envelops is simple staggering. It was truly amazing hearing the Main Star Wars Theme and Imperial March. But, as enjoyable as they were, the Duel of the Fates and Across the Stars from episodes 1 & 2 stole the show! I’ve always thought they were good, but being there with the Orchestra really bought the pieces to life.

When we thought it couldn’t get any better, a small band was put together to play the famous Cantina music from Episode 1. It was a delight and made such a change to the rest of the scores. The night ended with a piece from Harry Potter.

If you ever get the chance to see John William’s music performed by an Orchestra - especially one as good as the Sydney Symphony - do it. You won’t regret, even if you think it’s a little geeky or strange. Trust me!

Ok, I will confess to being slightly geeky at times. Ok, very geeky at times. But I’m also a big music fan, so games with top-notch soundtracks are naturally appealing to me. One of my favourite pieces of music is from the game Halo, written and composed my Martin O’Donnell. For those that have never heard it, you should try and check it out. It’s epic music for an epic game, eclipsing a lot of movie music, and is backed by a choir.

So, when I heard about Play, a Video Game Symphony was coming to Sydney Opera House, and would feature Halo, I jumped at the chance to hear such an amazing piece performed by one of the best Symphony Orchestras, the Sydney Symphony. It was conducted by Arnie Roth, who is also the director of the performances.

When the performance started, the first piece was Super Mario Bros. Now, you can imagine the laugh that went up when that famous tune started up. But the laughter was quickly replaced by awe as you realise what an amazing sound it was when performed this way.

It moved on through the pieces, many of which were great. But two pieces that really blew me away were from the Final Fantasy games, written by Nobuo Uematsu. One featured the entire Orchestra, a backing choir and the Grand Organ. The sound was just staggering. You were just pounded by the most powerful, wonderful music. The hair’s on the back of your neck standing on end. The organ player’s hands were a blur as he tried to keep up with the frantic pace of the music.

When Silent Hill was performed, the composer, Akira Yamaoka, came on stage with his Electric Guitar. Having already been treated to the Final Fantasy sound, we were then pummelled by this feast of auditory pleasure. That’s the only way I can describe it. It was so unexpected and so wonderful to hear this modern instrument played in perfect synergy with the Orchestra!

And then on to what was probably my favourite piece of the night. A suite of music from Castlevania - I’ve been trying to find out if it’s an actual piece, or one the conductor had put together for the show. Again, the Organ came into play, and again, the organ player was amazing. I only wish there’d been more pieces for him to have delighted our ears with!

I will however confess to being ever so slightly disappointed with the Halo performance. It was performed amazingly, apart from one key instrument. near the beginning there’s some bongo’s that are played softly, but in the performance, they were just too strong and over-powered the subtle sound that should have been there. But it was as good as I hoped other than that.

There were other classic songs, such as Sonic, and Zelda was kept until very near the end. Again raising chuckles from the crowd.

It was a simply awesome experience. And anyone who’s into their epic computer games, or thinks that hearing some of their childhood favourite games played live on stage would be something to behold, then go. If anyone else wants to hear something truly epic, and worthy of more attention, then go. I promise you will not regret it!

I’m writing this in some what of a daze. I just can’t believe it’s been a year already! I arrived in Sydney in mid April 2006, and was only meant to stay for 3 months. That just goes to show what a wonderful place this is and how easy it is to get stuck here.

In fact, it was just the other day that an Australian friend asked me why so many English want to come here, when so many Australians want to go to London. That’s a tough question to answer in all honesty, and I still find myself trying to come up with an answer. It’s not just Sydney that draws us with it’s amazing Harbour, Bridge and beaches. We seem to be drawn to other parts of the country too - on that note, I’ve decided Australia should be a continent, and the states countries, as they all do their own thing anyway and find it hard to talk. I think it’s a combination of the lifestyle, the weather and, well, as much as it pains me to say it, and as much as I’m proud of my country, it’s not the UK I was starting to get fed-up with. I won’t talk about that, but there’s a feeling I’m getting from a lot of people that they feel the same way as me.

But, I digress… I’ve been here a year. Why? Well, to be honest, life’s been pretty good to me in a lot of ways. My original plan was to work for 3 months, then carry on my trip around the world. But, thanks to my friend Martin, I got a great job at Wiliam, which has seen me rise from the html guy, to a team leader, to Technical Director.

There’s also been the people I’ve met! I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of the most amazing, wonderful people, from all walks of life. The house I currently live in is very transient, and as a result I’ve lived with 14 different people in that time. 14 people! That’s a lot by any stretch of the imagination! But, as I say, some of them will be friends for life I think.

As I write those last paragraphs, it makes me wonder what else there is. Obviously friends and a job you enjoy are really important to you, but there’s got to more hasn’t there? I mean, what else is honestly keeping me here? My friends back home all miss me - although they seem to have forgotten how to write more than 3 lines in an email. What else do I have here that’s not back in England?

The culture here is a mish-mash of those that have emigrated here. The national food is Kangaroo I think, although most Australians don’t eat it. Drinking is quite prolific - and as everyone who knows me, knows that I’m a sucker for going out and drinking. It’s sunny here a lot - although not as much as you’d be led to believe by the brochures. It’s also beautiful here! That’s a vague comment worthy of a little justification. I live 20mins from the beach, or 1 hours walk. And the coast here is amazing!

And there’s other things to do. Most weekends there’s something cultural going on. And there’s the golf, although I fear that it’s lost some of it’s appeal due to people not knowing basic rules - such as playing in 4 balls and shouting “FORE” if a balls going flying towards someone! Instead they stand there looking stupid to the point where you almost feel sorry for them as they have no comprehension of what they’re meant to do in that situation.

But, I’ll say it again. I do love it here. The lifestyle is undeniably great, as is the weather and most of the people. There are a few things that were getting to me, but they’re now forgotten. So, come and live here, it’s not too expensive, but you’ll have a tought time stretching your dollars back in England - although the Dollar is getting stronger.

January 20th 2007 was the day that the magnificent QE2 and Queen Mary 2 ships sailed into Sydney Harbour. I was one of those mad people that was in the harbour by 5.30am to make sure I had a good vantage point - and I was still only just on time! There was a huge crowd down at Mrs Maquires Chair. Photo enthusiasts like myself, parents who’d been dragged out of bed by their kids and people who just wanted to see this floating behemoth.

When it came into the harbour, initially all you saw was the smoke from the funnels, high above everything else. Then it poked it’s nose round the corner. It was immense! It so large that the hills and treeline near the harbour mouth could only just conceal it from view. Accompanying it was a large floatila of Sydney’s boats, lead by the Fireboat that clears the way for larger vessels.

As it approached, you just couldn’t help but marvel at the scale of it. 61m above the waterline, and two thirds the length of the harbour bridge, the Queen Mary 2 just cannot help but impress. Watching it glide effortlessly round Fort Denison, before doing a pirouette to face it’s final berth.

But, as if bowing to the crowds, it started gliding backwards towards the bridge. It was making the most of one of it’s many moments in the spotlight, but setting itself up for some fantastic shots set against Sydney most famous landmarks, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. It didn’t seem in the least bit fazed by all the boats buzzing around it viing for attention, or the helicopters keeping a watchful eye on her as she performed effortlessly for the crowd.

In fact, the Queen Mary 2 was so into the moment, that it seemed not to care about the other ships in the harbour, making the - usually large - manly ferry wait until she’d finished what she was doing, and allowing no room to pass.

Then finally it glided past us. I was honestly amazed it could fit through the gap as it was only 10 metres from where I stood, and I was making use of the low tide to stand on rocks further out than normal.

It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. And, it was made more impressive when her Sister Ship, the QE2 sailed in that evening. Although, to be honest, as impressive as the QE2 is, it had the limelight stolen by her bigger cousin, the Queen Mary 2.

If you ever get the chance to see either of these magnificent boats, do! They’re well worth it. And if you can see it somewhere like Sydney, even better!

My second Christmas away from home, and my first in Australia. I headed down to Melbourne to visit friends, but I didn’t expect it to be quite as Christmasy as it was. It snowed just outside the city on Christmas day, and we had a log fire lit all day.

In contrast, the first day I was there, I managed to get sunburnt. But Melbourne is a lovely city to just wander around. That first day I saw most of the city centre, and some of the parkland to the East.

But, the rest of the days down there were spent getting some much needed relaxation. Oh, and of course that habit of mine… Drinking. We did a fair bit of that.

Christmas Day, our former housemates, Roberto and Sabrina came round to have dinner with us. I was only there for a few days, but the time went so quickly. I’ll be heading back to Melbourne soon…

I think today it finally sunk in that I’ve been away from home for one year. But it wasn’t how I expected it to happen. It was actually in a dream that I saw one of my beloved cats, which got me thinking. And I think it’s actually given me my first taste of home sickness… I think it’ll pass, but I’m just surprised it’s taken this long to come on.

So, how’s it been. Well, I think that I’ve changed a fair bit. A little more confident, a little more outgoing, and a little more worldly wise - it’s amazing how people’s ears prick up when you mention you’ve spent some time backpacking.

I’ve met some great people along the way. But something that’s really getting to me at the moment is the way lots of my friends are leaving at the moment. It seems like I’m going to a leaving drink once a week at least. It’s not a nice feeling, I can assure you.

So what next? Do I intend to head home or perhaps carry on. Lets just say, that I think I’ll be in Sydney for quite a while yet, and after that… Well, we’ll see what happens. Perhaps I’ll finally get around to learning Spanish and head to South America. Or perhaps it’ll be the easier option of heading to the USA for a while. Who knows.

But I do know I’ve really enjoyed the last year, and I just hope the next year is just as good.

As many of you know, I’ve been is Sydney for over 7 months now, and for most of that time, I’ve been living in one place in what we’ve come to describe as a very ‘transient’ house. People usually only stay here for 2 to 3 months and move on. However, 2 of us have been here for a lot longer than that. Until now…

Unfortunately, Sarah has now gone back to her family in the USA, leaving me here, pondering my future in the Lavender House - that’s our other name for it. During her time here. we’ve become very good friends, and have made each other’s experience’s here something that we’ll remember forever.

I admit. we have had our ups and downs, but whenever we’ve needed someone to talk to, we’ve always turned to each other. It’s kind of strange not having her here now, and I half expect (hope) that she’ll walk through the door any day now. But, despite all my trying, I don’t think that will happen. You see, here experiences of Sydney have been slightly jaded by her university, that seems to have gone out of it’s way to take money from her, make it as difficult as possible for her to get anything done. Then there’s the fact that it’s an hour from the CBD - so 3 hours of traveling for her a day.

Then there’s the weather. I’m going to let out a little secret here… The weather in Sydney’s not as great as the brochure’s let on. It’s been very cold at times, with the biggest temperature swings) I’ve ever know. It can be 30 degrees one day, then 14 the next (it went to 8 once).

But, the times we’ve had here have been some of the best of my life. We’ve had many parties in the house - and it stayed intact. We started cooking together, and I think we’re now both much better in the kitchen for it - although there was my incident with chocolate powder re-decorating the kitchen, and she does still occasionally burn things. Our wanderings around town, and the close group of friends we’ve been lucky enough to make.

So, it’s with a tear in my eye that I finish this blog, and say farewell to a very close friend. I hope we’ll always stay close, and get the chance to live together again in the future. Thank you Sarah.

Links
Sarah’s leaving present