Canada's Healthcare System (Revisited)

Yay!


I'm finally out of that hell-hole they call a hospital. I had been stuck in there waiting for surgery since last wednesday, and I was getting a little tired of having a needle stuck into one of my veins for an eternity.

Because of the multitude of injuries sustained by very prudent Canadian citizens whilst skating on hard ice in -30 degree celcius weather, without any proper protection may I say, the hospitals were full of whining "adults" complaining about how much their muscles hurt, and how much their ears hurt from being outside in very cold weather for extended periods of time. There are also those people who have legitimate injuries, however stupid they may be. Like a broken knee for example. Now there are a few simple solutions to getting rid of these problems;
1. Kill all of these people,
2. Warn them that maybe they should dress for the weather,
3. Extradite them, or,
4. Make them sit in a hospital for six days at a time for a half hour procedure.

It would seem that all of us have chosen option 4. Yes, I did sit in a hospital for six days on iv, and yes I did sit around for 6 days waiting for a 30 minute procedure. And yes, my injury was a stupid one.

I don't know if this rant has any direction, and it certainly doesn't feel like it does, but I am just frustrated with the fact that normal people, however idiotic they may be, are made to suffer like this. I am one of the lucky ones, believe me, and I have certainly had an extremely short stay at the hospital compared to other people I met whilst I was there. Again, the conditions I was kept in were, terrible. There were flies making their rounds in my room! Flies! It's absolutely ridiculous, and there is no reason for this to happen.

Reptitiveness is my forte, so forgive me if I keep saying the same thing over again, but someone has to start doing something about this type of happening. Someone has to say something. I have been trying to do things about this, I have sent complaints to my MP, and that's only the beginning.

I wonder if people in Britain are doing the same thing. Is there anyone in the Isles who disagrees with their system of healthcare? Is there anyone doing something about that? I would honestly like to know.

Rant Over

Any comments, please leave them here, or email me at ian_forestell@hotmail.com

Civ IV: Teh Review

Format: PC
Publisher: 2K Games
Developer: Firaxis
Genre: 4X
Price: Variable, £30 new
Reviewer: Munki

Yeah, so this is about my third attempt to review Civilisation IV, I've actually had the game for ages, it's just been difficult for me to commit my thoughts to paper. Erm, E-paper. Yes. Civ IV is the latest in Firaxis' brilliant 4X series (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit & eXterminate) and manages to improve on the winning formula and easing the series into the third dimention.
I'm going to avoid the technical workings of the game, mostly because Simon "The Wang" Wang is paranoid I steal my reviews from PCGamer UK, and thats exactly what they did. Suffice to say, Civ IV continues much as the rest of the series, you start with a settler, create your first city, research some new technology, build new units etc amd eventually conquer the world. How you go about this is totally up to you, and the rewards for exploring new play styles are the numerous winning conditions, space race, diplomatic, military blah blah blah. Much of the boring old micro management has been stripped away in this game, but some remains if you like that sort of stuff, the rest of us will ignore it and lose nothing from the game. New features include the much demanded implementation of religeon, which I must say has been handled in a very subtle and fluid way, noice. The other big thing of course is the changing of civics to make them a bit more flexible, it's a good system and works well, allowing strange cross breeds of Communism and Universal Suffrage.
The game also benefits from it's spangly new engine. Some people will tell you that looks don't mean anything, that graphics aren't important. These people (my younger, more naive self included) are idiots. Graphics make things look pretty and can (shock horror) enhance the gameplay or even your game experience.Civ IV is achingly pretty, although until a lovely optimising patch I was running it on 7 fps, yum. Theres still a bit of lag in the late game when your screen is covered with lots of little railways and coal plants, but it is worth it, worth it so much [/drooling].
If I'm being honest I havent actually tried the multiplayer yet, we'll ignore the fact that thats actually because I'm scared of people and pretend that it's because the game is so damn replayable. Oh it really is that replayable? Again, noice. It's difficult to talk about this game without knowing in your head, that what your saying is a massive under statement, but then I am British so what do you expect? To be perfectly honest though if turn based games and 4X's really don't do it for you then theres not much here you'll enjoy, it certainally won't change your opnions about the genre. However if you are a fan of superior strategy then it would be a crime to miss out on one of the most rewarding games ever made ("omg I got a 6:1 kd ratio on dust the other day" "so what I nurtured a people from a tiny settlement to rulers of the earth in just over an hour"). There can be no praise great enough I can give this game to really put it in context for you, well, not until "The Wang" lets me give games a percentage score.

Ten Out of Ten (and 98% if your not Si)

Twenty Years of Nintendo

It seems weird that In February of 1986 the NES was released in the USA... and in typical Chimpware fashion, we're to lazy to do a tribute ourselves, so we've got another site to do it for us. Although normally I would warn people to stray away from Gamespot's so-called 'features', this one is really quite good. Really. So have a look.

Gamespot 20 Years Flashback NES

Chimpware Podcast 6

The Sixth Chimpware podcast is now avaliable for download! We do a news roundup of the biggest Chimpware, Tech, Music and Political headlines in the fast two weeks.

Hosts: Simon Wang, Miles Coverdale, Sam Street
Playing Length: 42:20

*0:00 Intro

*0:46 Chimpware News:
Forum Launch – Nocash did great job,
Afflicates: Sheep2Ewe, Lik-Sang

*2:33 Tech News:
OS X Worm,
Amazon vs Apple,
New iPod?,
Skype/Intel limitations

*12:33 Interlude: The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny – Lemon Demon

*16:05 No Spam!
Gaming News:
DS Lite's Opera based Web browser,
DS Lite's TV Tuner,
ONM New Magazine UK,
S*x Workers against GTA,
PS3 Launch Details Released,
Xbox Live Success
Halo 2 Vista Only
Capcom Triple coming to PC

*32:47 Interlude: Mark My Words - Granian (Thanks to the Podsafe Music Network)

*36:06 Vote for us on Podcast Alley! And TPN!

*37:15 Political News:
Dick Cheney. Shooting Lawyer. In Face. With Shotgun.
UK Terrorism Bill

*42:10 Outro

DOWNLOAD:
[Direct Download] [Odeo] [iTunes] [Stream] [All Channels]

Importing?

Chimpware is now an official afflicate of Lik-Sang.com, the leading internet videogame, manga, anime and other Japanese and US items importer. Now, with every order from Lik-Sang directed from Chimpware, Chimpware recieves a percentage of the price of the item as a donation. Therefore, if you want to import, as well as support Chimpware, go Lik Sang!

Lik Sang main site
Nintendo DS
Sony PS2
Sony PSP
Nintendo Gamecube
Microsoft Xbox & Xbox 360

Therefore, every time you want to import (say, a Nintendo DS lite), then please link from Chimpware! Thanks!

The Thought Police...Everybody Run!

David John Cadwell Irving was imprisoned on the 20th of February in Austria for 3 years following his return to the country after he was exiled from Austria for denying the holocaust's existance. He was an out-spoken denier of the events for many years since his early publications in the late 60's such as 'Apocalypse 1945.' It is also claimed by other respected holocaust historians that he is an active anti-Semite and a racist. So what do our readers think? Was this imprisonment justified? Whilst denying the holocaust's existance may be an absurd thing to do both factually and for the insult to it's victim's relatives, is it right to imprison somebody simply for what they believe?

Post your thoughts at chimpware@gmail.com

Chimpware Forums Active

Just a quick post to inform everyone that the Chimpware Forums are now re-active. I hope all our readers take a moment to register with our forums and comment on a few threads.

You can access the forums here

Thanks

Sideath

Katamari Flash-amacy!

Namco has come out with a fun little flash version of the popular PS2 game, Katamari Damacy. It doesn't really play the same as the PS2 game, but that doesn't make it any less fun - and certainly not any less weird.

Katamari Damacy Flash Game

Canada's Healthcare System - Experienced first hand

There I was sitting in a stupid little wheelchair.

It was 0130 on Saturday morning, and I had just torn a ligament, cartilage, and many other things in my knee.

I had been in the Ottawa General Hospital's emergency room since 2030 the previous evening. Although a seemingly minor injury, it was the most painful thing in my life. My knee had literally cracked under me, the cap and moved one way, and then had (thankfully) returned to position. Of course accompanied by a ridiculously large amount of pain. I had just started my second weekend of Basic Military Qualifications for the Canadian Army when this had all happened. After a large deal of ridicule from my master corporal, I was finally brought to the hospital.

There I waited for a very long time until I was seen by a nurse. (Yes she was the cliché, blonde, stupid nurse who needed to call for the doctor whenever a patient started showing signs of humanity, like pain for example). She asked me the usual questions, "where does it hurt?" etc.

What really pissed me off though, were the conditions in which I was being treated. The doctor had to perform a minor operation on my knee (blood draining, because of the massive swelling), and at first just before I warned him, he wasn't wearing any gloves. No mask, nothing.

Talk about a great government facility. There I was waiting in line when someone with a dislocated thumb who had arrived a few hours after me, was shunned in front of me because they were "weaker" than me. Holy bejesus, if I hadn't been gritting my teeth in pain, I would've waiting an eternity.

Our healthcare system, borrowed from Great Britain's NHS, works on the exact same principals. The taxpayer pays for shitty care, while in the U.S., people get health care quickly, no questions asked, and have to pay afterwards. Personally, I would rather pay for good healthcare, than pay stupid taxes for terrible healthcare.

Our new PM though, has proposed a better plan. A two-tiered system, where people without the money benefit from a free healthcare system, and where people with the money also benefit from an efficient system. When there are less people in the waiting lines, there are less people becoming as negative and cynical about the system as I am.

Rant Over.

Official Nintendo Magazine

As another follow on, I got my issue of ONM yesterday. First impression is: very sexy cover, made of a nice matte paper. Inside is some very 'mature' layouts and design schemes. I'm currently on page 27, and so far it has been lacking in any of the character NOM posessed. I shall see how the rest of the magazine unfolds, and perhaps buy another few issues before I make my judgement, but at the moment I prefer NOM as a magazine, and ONM as a source of content.
It came with a rather nice free gift of sticky DS decals, so now I have the nice guitar dog from animal crossing strumming away inside my DS.
Also noteworthy is the subscription of £9.99 per 3 months, with a free Metroid Prime: Echoes, Donkey Konga (with bongos) or Pikmin 2. This is quite nifty, as I have been intending to purchase donkey konga, so Donkey Konga for £30 with 9 free issues of ONM is quite a bargain.
:)

pps NOM is officially discontinued.

Is this the end?

Following on from Simon's news about the new magazine 'The Official Nintendo Magazine,' I would like to hear some thoughts from readers about their opinions on the new mag and in particular, what people think will happen to the current officially affiliated magazine in the U.K. Nintendo Official Magazine (or NOM as it's know). Is it the end? Or has the team at NOM towers got some fight left in 'em?

Post your thoughts at chimpware@gmail.com

New Nintendo Magazine

For our readers in the UK and Europe (ie the majority of Team Chimpware), we're getting a brand new Nintendo Magazine from our friends in Future Publishing.

The real news though is that this magazine is apparently going to be brilliant. In the first issue they will have a developer interview with Capcom about its plans for the Revolution, DS lite and Revolution hands on time and some new (supposedly) Twilight Princess info. Their new website has launched and you can also subscribe online, even if you aren’t in the UK.

Official Nintendo Magazine Site
Online Subscription Site
GAF Interview
Further details over on 4colorrebellion

DS Web browser announced

Nintendo have announced a wi-fi web browser for the DS.
It is being developed by Opera, who created the firefox-like PC browser.
Pencilled in at an equivalent price of £25 in Japan, there are currently no plans for a US/UK release, although Reggie has hinted at it.

For more info:
Clicky

iPorn

Y'know I've been going on and on about my idea, the iPorn recently?

Well someone else got there before me... ;)

Oh yeah! (Click here!)

Thank you Wasted Network!

FAQ

1. How do I contact Chimpware?

You can contact chimpware at the email chimpware@gmail.com. If the question is related to Chimpware, then we may feature it on another mailbag.

2. How do I link direct chimpware articles?

Due to the nature of our domain hosting, you will always see http://www.chimpware.org on the top of your URL bar. However, if you wish to directly link to chimpware articles, simply type in http://chimpware.blogspot.com into the URL bar, then click to the link you want. The URL will then be a direct link to the specific chimpware article.


3. How can I join Chimpware?

Although chimpware has now stopped recruiting contributors, if you still wish to be a contributor for us, then simply send us an email with an example of your work, and send it to chimpware@gmail.com, then we'll see what we can do!

More questions? Then contact chimpware@gmail.com, and if they're relavent, then they will be added into this FAQ.

Chimpware Podcast 5

Welcome to the long awaited fifth Chimpware Podcast!

Hosts: Simon Wang, Miles Coverdale, Sam Street, Joe Marks

*0:00 Intro
*0:07 News: Chimpware, New Members, E3, DS, Tech
*6:31 Fine Crystal: Storm
*10:19 Discussion: Evil Videogames
*26:02 Interview: Fine Crystal
*31:40 Outro

[Direct Download] [Odeo] [iTunes] [Stream] [All Channels]

Chimpware Mailbag 1

That's right people! WE GOT FANMAIL! Or three, anyway.

Please can I remind all fans that fanmail should be addressed to chimpware@gmail.com, NOT my personal email! Thanks.

1. DS Lite

Hi Chimpware!

Great Website! Anyway, I was interested in your DS Lite news. I was wondering what your opinion was on it? I mean, surely it's just another version of the Nintendo DS?

Phil (Osaka, Japan)

Sideath Yes, that really is it. I'm still getting one though.
Sam Well, the DS lite is just the current version of the DS, but lighter, hence 'lite'...
Miles Yes...

2. Release Dates

Do you think the Revolution will be released before the PS3?

Ricochet

Sideath Reggie did say that the Revolution would arrive by Thanksgiving this year in a press release, I think...
Sam But didn't Sony say that the PS3 would be released before June?
Sideath Really?
Sam Yeah.
Sideath Oh, fair enough
Miles So that's a no then.
Sideath Yes... I mean no? [laughs].

3. Websites

What websites do you guys (and gals?) visit regularly?

Dave

LoneWookie
http://www.megatokyo.com <----- Great web comic series http://www.pennyarcade.com <--------- Hilarious webcomic http://www.n-next.com <---------- Fantastic Nintendo news http://www.4colorrebellion.com <----------- My favorite gaming blog ever http://www.thinkgeek.com <--------- Fantastic shopping website http://glowingmuffin.forumup.com <--------- My forums, I spend alot of time here http://www.woot.com <--------- Another great shopping website and of course http://www.gmail.com
Sideath Yeah, 4cr's great...
Sideath I'll think I'll go w**k

To send us mail, please send it to chimpware@gmail.com

Thank You!

Haggis

The Haggis. To most of you, a delcious (or not so delicous) dish made using various bits of various animals that only the Scots would think of putting into food. However, to some, the Haggis is in fact a rare living creature - and everyone who thinks overwise is just kidding themselves.

This excellent website contains full details of the Haggis species, Haggis hunting jargon, and even Haggis Cam - webcams to allow 24/7 Haggis searching. It also has a range of Haggis games and a Haggis shop. Enjoy.


http://haggishunt.scotsman.com/

Canada's New PM

(Part 1 was written the day after Stephen Harper was elected into parliament. Part 2 was written on Feb 10)

Part I

Finally a change for Canada. Finally someone who will (hopefully) be able to start fixing all the crap the liberals have done to our country.

First off, in my opinion, Harper is more capable of understanding parents in the childcare issue than Paul Martin was. Harper has young kids, is young himself, and i think that this could help him in the childcare issue.

Second, I believe that it shoudl be a priority to Harper to get back onto the good side of the Americans. We absolutely need them. Without them we would be a complete and utter third world country.

Third, I would be extremely happy if Harper could resolve the Quebec issue. Because Martin was completely ignoring them, Quebec wanted nothing more than to separate. But when they saw that a prime minister would be willing to listen to them, and actually do something about their issues, they won Harper 10 seats in that province. That's pretty good.

I just wish that the liberal supporters would actually open their eyes, and watch some news, and not forget the countless amount of things Paul Martin's government did to undermine the very foundations of this country. I just wish people would stop being so cowardly, and face up to the fact that a conservative government will most likely boost our global standing, our economy (lowering of GST), and just raise the standard of living for everyone, not just the select few Paul Martin chose to give dirty money to.

Part II

I would just like to say how freaking stupid the Canadian people, including myself, were in electing this new Prime Minister. As previously stated, I have been happy with the election of a minority conservative government in Canada, because I thought that they would be able to uphold the true Canadian values of honesty and integrity.

Well what an idiot I was believe this. Stephen Harper has now done exactly the same thing as Paul Martin (our previous PM). He preached to us about accountability, then he turns around and appoints a corrupt ex-liberal onto his new cabinet. This guy name Emerson was part of the Liberal money laundering scandal, and Harper used to his advantage Canadian ignorance to appoint a stupid idiot as a minister. WTF.

Now Harper has made all his supporters look like complete and utter idiots, and this infuriates me. I, among many others, fought to have this man elected into parliament, and now all the Liberal supporters are laughing at us. I am pissed off at being made to look this way, and I don't know about England, but I hope that politicians don't employ the same tactics to ridicule their supporters.

Rant Over.

Donate and Support Chimpware!

Chimpware is a free and non-profit organisation, which we gather for all the love of videogaming, technology and everything else we do. However, there are still domain and bandwidth costs to keeping Chimpware up and running, therefore I would be grateful if anyone would donate to Chimpware to help us keep our website running.

[Donate]

[Donate to Paypal Account]




[Donate via Visa/Mastercard/Solo]




[Donate via Cash]

If you see me around, contact freeyourmindsqw@gmail.com

Donators: Sideath, Miles, Sam, Munki

[Support]

On the other hand, if you don't want to just simply donate to Chimpware, you can always bid of the Chimpware Team's eBay auctions, or visit our supporter and afflicate's website, Lik-Sang, the leading internet videogame, manga, anime and other Japanese and US items importer, via Chimpware! ;)

[eBay Auctions]

Sideath
LoneWookie

[Lik-Sang]

Lik Sang main site
Nintendo DS
Sony PS2
Sony PSP
Nintendo Gamecube
Microsoft Xbox & Xbox 360

Chimpware Mailbag Archive

To send Chimpware an email, simply contact chimpware@gmail.com.

[Mailbag Archive]

Mailbag 1 (11/2/06)

Metroid Prime: Hunters voice chat

Earlier today, Reggie announced that Metroid Prime: Hunters will support voice chat with the DS' microphone before and after games, over Wi-Fi. Unfortunatley (perhaps fortunatley for some :p), it won't be avaliable during games.

Source: Totalvideogames.com

Satoru Iwata At GDC 2006

Last year at the 2005 Game Developers Conference, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced his company's next-generation console, the Revolution, would have wireless functionality. Last month, he told a Japanese newspaper that his company is planning to launch the Revolution in November 2006.

Next Month we can expect Iwata to divulge further information about the Revolution. His lecture titled "Disrupting Development," Iwata will "inspire developers to take risks and mine the depths of their imaginations to create innovative games regardless of the size of teams or budgets," according to the organisers of GDC.

"We are extremely honored to feature an experienced platform leader such as Satoru Iwata as a keynote speaker," said GDC director Jamil Moledina in a statement. "As Nintendo reinvents the scope of what games can be, it is ever more crucial to share their creative and market-growing philosophies with the other leaders of the game creation industry."

Chimpware Flickr 2

Due to popular demand (ie none), here's another flickr set, or er... my desk in its various forms...
Flickr 2 Set
Flickr 2 Slideshow

Flickr Archive

News Related Articles Archive

[Political]

State Of The Union
State Of The Union Followup
Androgynous Arabic Activists

[Technology]

Podcast Alley blacklisted by Microsoft
Pope gets an iPod
China Censoring The Internet

[Videogaming]

DS Lite launch
Twenty Years of Nintendo
Satoru Iwata at GDC 2006
Zelda's 20th
DS Lite Announced
Official Nintendo Magazine - Lead Up - Comment

[Sport]

New badminton scoring system

[Chimpware]

Chimpware Shares
v.1.5 Update
v.1.4 Update
v.1.3 Update
v.1.2 Update

Review: Avast! Antivirus

Hopefully this review will prove a little useful to those looking to escape the pitfall that is Norton Antivirus, or even just those that want to try a different antivirus.

Firstly, I shall give you a link to the site of this wonderful (and free for home license) antivirus.

You will find it at the nice short url of

http://www.avast.com/

You’ll want to click downloads, then Avast 4 Home edition. You should get to this page

It should be very straightforward from there. One thing to note is that the free version of Avast requires a registration key, which is easily obtainable via email. However, the form filling does take up a few valuable seconds that could be spent on virus zapping or gaming, and you have to go through the ardor of opening your inbox.

The first thing you will have no doubt noticed by now is the name.

Avast sounds very pirate like, and we all know how good pirates are. Ninjas, however are better, but that argument is for another place or time.

Image of pirate for interest:

How swashbuckling.

However, the piratey goodness stops there unfortunately, sacrificed for a very sleek gui.

(Please ignore Kristin Kreuk’s nose, it is highly irrelevant, but rather nice <3)

How very sleek.

Avast can also be skinned into whatever theme you fancy.

It is also rather easy to use, like a chrome toaster, only inside a computer and having nothing to do with toast.

To begin a scan, I just have to click the top right button as seen above. This selects local drives. Then I press the play button that would possibly be more at home on a chrome Hi-Fi, as opposed to a chrome toaster. However I like toasters more than I could ever like a Hi-Fi, so we will get back on topic and I will attempt to stop referring to kitchen appliances.

And whee, the lovely not-so piratey thing is scanning through my hard drive for all those nasty virus types, who are very un-shipshape.

Avast can also scan removable media such as CD’s, DVD’s, Floppy disks, etc. This is done by pushing the button below that that selects your hard drive, so the button middle rightish.

Another easy thing is selecting the sensitivity of the scanner. Before pressing play, a tab pops out, with a slider on it, allowing you to dictate the level of sensitivity it searches for nasties with.

Avast also comes with its ‘On-Access Scanner’.

This is very very nifty, and runs in the background all the time, updating Avast (automatically or otherwise, if you choose) and monitoring. At the mere sniff of a virus, one of the best features of Avast happens.

It shouts at you.

Well, less shouts as sirens and robot voices you, informing you that:- “Warning, Warning, there is a virus on your computer!”. But the voice is a nice female robot voice, so it isn’t too scary. I sometimes wonder if, on the rare occasion I do manage to acquire a virus (see article on Firefox), she is actually a real person, merely talking in that rather odd fashion, or very heavily edited because people may not like their computer talking to them in a normal voice. And then I wonder if, indeed this person is a real person, whether it could be Kiera Knightley or the aforementioned Kristin Kreuk, but then I realize I have a virus and I get rid of it.

However, this getting rid of process is no more than a click of a button.

Avast catches the virus in some kind of no doubt piratey net, my imagination tells me. Then the nice lady tells you about it, and then you get a little popup telling you what virus it is, what type of virus it is, and details on the virus. It has a dismiss button, and the all important virus chest archivey button. A click of the latter locks the virus up in the chest, where it is no doubt keelhauled. Virus over, your precious ‘documents’ are safe.

I do realize I am rambling considerably here, so I will stop, and sum up.

Pros:

- Piratelike name

- Slick GUI

- Foolproof, easy use interface.

- On-Access protection negates the need for a scan, catching virii before they even get into your computer

- Loud noises

- Regular Updates

- Robot lady

Cons:

- Requires email validation

- Free license must be renewed in a year

And so, it comes to the final score.

I shall give Avast! A grand

Nine out of Ten

It also deserves a

Chimpware award.
(:

Cheers for reading- Nocash

ps: edit my post again and i will kill you wang

Battlefield 2 :)

Format: PC
Publisher: EA Games
Developer: Dice
Genre: FPS
Price: Variable, £30 new
Reviewer: Munki

I don't like this game. I don't actually have fun whilst playing it. That's not actually a bad thing, I don't enjoy playing cs:s, but I've still racked up hundreds of hours playing it, it's an addiction thing. However I only take part in a few bits of the game, only experience a tiny part of the game. I do two things in BF2, I heal people and I drive up and down hills. Healing people gets me ranks and driving cars up and down hills gives me ammusement.

[I'm pretty sure Munki was drunk when writing this - Ed]

Seven out of Ten

Thievery Review

Thievery

This excellent, if now aged, multiplayer mod for the original Unreal Tournament builds upon the stunning PC series, Thief (from the now sadly deceased Looking Glass Studios). Thievery allows you to play as either the Thieves, where the experience is very like the original games(sneaking around in the dark, nicking stuff) or as the Guards. Playing as the Guards is a very different, but equally enjoyable, experience - where the Thieves use stealth to break into the levels, the Guards team have to do their best to defend the levels valuables - using traps and far heavier weaponry than the Thieves have available to them. The ingenious part of the mod is the stealth system - based around the visibility gem, the core of the Thief series. Thieves can see each other glowing red anywhere on the level - but what Guards see is linked to the light levels. Pitch black shadows make Thieves invisible, in full light, they are fully visible. Between these two, the level of shadow affects whether the Guards see a only vague outline, or a fuzzy but clearly visible Thief.

Level design is generally good - and very in keeping with the themes in the original games. Abandoned mines, ancient temples, secret cultists sites, strange experiments - each level oozes character, and the chance to play as the Guards as well as the Thieves gives you a chance to really live in the world of Thief. Each level has its own backstory and its own reason for existing. Some elements really are genuinely scary and disturbing (the asylum...) - others comic (look out for the discarded can of Dr Pepper in the shadows at the Thieves exit point on one level).

The range of gadgets and weaponry is also excellent, and most should be familiar to fans of the original Thief games. The modders have managed to shoehorn rope arrows, water arrows, etc. - and the familiar Thief equipment into the game, but have also given the Guards some fun toys - tag bolts which stick in fleeing theives, lighting them up like a Christmas tree, and the essential flares - the only way of rooting Thieves out of dark corners. Again, atmosphere is everything - while handling a flare, you're weapons are stowed away. It is a tense experience creeping forward, illuminated only by the green flare, while behind you your buddy covers you with his crossbow - and both of you pray the Thieves don't have any flashbombs.

The community for this mod is understandably small - especially compared to major games such as CS. However, it is also the friendliest, most welcoming community I have yet met. Other players will happily welcome you into games, give you tips and advice on how to play (whether you are on their team or not) and generally help you have a good experience - even if your not very good (e.g. me!). Occasionally someone might throw a hissy fit when you do something really stupid, like moving away from an objective as a Guard, but generally people are happy to forgive your errors and simply encourage you to do better next time.

To conclude - Thievery is not the best looking game ever, but level design is generally excellent and the gameplay and atmosphere is pure Thief. This game is not for everyone by any means - the learning curve is steep, especially with a core of very skilled players already out there. However, it is a refreshingly different online gaming experience - while the singleplayer versions of the levels are excellent additions to the extra levels already out there for Thief 1 and Thief 2.

I really hope more people download and play this mod - it has certainly been my favourite online gaming experience so far. Have fun - and watch out for the Spiders!

Check out Thievery at: http://www.thieveryut.com/

(Seriously about those Spiders - 10 o'clock at night on Th-Mensch...)

State of the Union Follow Up

It would seem Mr Bush's words are already having an impact across the world. In response to Bush's "Freedom Corps" - basically volunteers who pledge their assistance to the USA in times of crisis (because normally in a time of crisis, everyone juts sits around hugging their guns - cough, New Orleans) - the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, has announced that Venezuela needs more guns (the 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles already on order from Russia are, it would seem, not enough) to defend itself from invasion. Freedom Corp? Try "one million well-equipped and well-armed men and women" ready to "defend our fatherland" against the man Hugo Chavez described thus - "I think Hitler would be like a suckling baby next to George W Bush". This - and the 12 military planes Spain recently said it would still sell to the country, despite American protests - can only make getting at Chavez's much-valued oil that little bit harder.

One more reasons for the US to try and find an alternative. Nice move for the safety of the planet, President Chavez

Chimpware Flickr 1

Yes. Here's Team Chimpware and Company showing off their muscles. Yes.

Flickr Set
Flickr Slideshow

Resident Evil 4 on PC

Capcom and Ubisoft have ganged up to bring three top console action games to PC, beginning in February with Onimusha 3: Demon Seige. Resident Evil 4 (voted Best Videogame of 2005 by Gamesradar and Edge) and Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Special Edition will follow later this year.

The three titles are easily among our favourite games, from Onimusha 3's spectacular time shifting sword action to the breakneck terror of Resi 4, and the idea of seeing them in glorious PC pin-sharp detail has us sweating with anticipation.

Unfortunately, we've yet to see any images. But as soon as we do, you'll know about it.

Source: Gamesradar

Forums Down

Because noone goes on them. :(

Links of Interest Archive

LoI 1 (03/03/06)

State Of the Union

On the evening of January 31st, George W. Bush delivered his annual state of the Union Address - basically, his report to the US on what has happened in the US over the last year, because Congress and the rest of the US's population is far too busy doing other things to err, see what's been going on in their own country. In reality, the State of the Union is the President putting his own spin on event past and setting out what he wants doing in the future.

Bush's Presidency has been flagging somewhat recently - as a result of political scandals at home and the small matter of Iraq abroad. The State of the Union address was Bush's chance to try and make the last year of his Presidency a positive one, and perhaps try and leave a legacy that isn't a world destabilised by war - and in dire environment striates. Recent reports by many eminent scientists suggest that the world is nearing, or has already passed, the point of no return when it comes to global warming. This means that Bush can no longer ignore the alarm bells over the environment. With Tony Blair under attack in Prime Ministers Question Time today for not going far enough with the UK's efforts to help tackle this growing problem, and Al Gore producing a film highlighting the dangers facing America if they continue to burn resources like no tomorrow, it comes as something of a relief to see Bush finally facing up to the fact if he doesn't act there many very well be just that - no tomorrow. The presidents promise to develop new technology might just become a reality - when you consider it, it is in the interest of Bush to find an alternative to oil not just for the good of the environment, but for the good of his own pocket. A source of fuel that doesn't come from the conflict regions of the middle east, Nigeria etc. would not only ensure power security for the West, but also make it's inventor one rich man. Big business has got us into the position we are in now - perhaps it can pull us out again.

Unfortunately, the environment was somewhat drowned out by the key focus of Bush's State of the Union - war. According to Bush, the US is fighting two wars now - the war on terror and the war on Iraq. However, it is hard to see how the two are really separated - what is the difference between counter terrorism and counter insurgency (or for that matter, a terrorist and an insurgent)? Again, Bush is standing strong against the forces of evil in the world - at home and abroad. The question is can the USA take the pressure? Today, the US government announced it is making plans to fight a new kind of war. In the past, US strategy had been to be able to fight two large-scale wars at once. Now, the plan is that they will be able to fight one of these wars, as well as a more long-term conflict - a war on terror. How long could such a conflict go on for? As long as the Cold War at least, according to one spokesman. Such a "war" (if it can really be called one) does seem very close to the idea of America acting as an international police force. This seems a very negative, and very scary prospect at first - but wouldn't a far more scary one be where the US simply pulls out of all international action - and leaves the world to fend for itself? Perhaps we need America to step up its international presence, to give aid workers and other people the security to go in and fix the damage the USA has done.

However, if the USA really is going to prepare itself for such a "war", then it first needs to radically alter its attitude concerning war. In the modern world, where positive media coverage of a war effort is almost more valuable than the guns, bombs, planes etc. being used, the public in the USA (and in it's allies in any long term conflict) need to realise that in a war there will be casualties. Bush may have taken a step in the right direction by bracing the US for casualties, and presenting American with the reality they will have to "tough it out" - but if the West really does want to win the hearts and minds of those people are fighting - not just in Iraq, but in all other modern conflicts, then we are going to have to start putting more soldiers on the ground, more effort into protecting civilians - rather than relying on hugely powerful air strikes to wipe out the enemy before the ground troops get anywhere near.

So what will the world be like when the next President delivers his (or her) first State of the Union address? Will we be living in a more stable world? A world at war? A world under water? The State of the Union may sound like Bush is setting out what will happen in the coming months, but in reality it is only what he would like to happen - a action plan not a post action report. What we need now is for Bush to stick to his guns in bringing about a change in America's policy towards resources, and in his efforts to really make the USA a safer place. Whether this is indeed the end result, we will just have to wait and see.

For a full transcript and video of Bush's speech, see the link below:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020129-11.html /2002/01/20020129-11.html

Or if the sight of so much pro-bushism offends you:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3415361.stm

God Bless America. God Bless us all.

Happy Birthday Zelda!

The Legend of Zelda franchise reaches it's 20th year today, although Nintendo have been putting out some awesome gear such as shirts, prints, and toy collectables to celebrate the Zelda and Link's 20th, however not as much over here in the UK, or the US. Ah well, still, Chimpware would like to wish Zelda a happy 20th!

Legend of Zelda 20th annivesary [site]