The Wall - January '11

Late to make a change, but anyway - here's a look at the Sci-Fi stuff I was into last month. This was actually quite a slow month for me Sci-fi wise so there's not a great amount here.


1. Kinect







Ok, not exactly Sci-Fi, but a decade ago, a device like this would have been borderline Sci-Fi, to control an interface and even a game with nothing more than the movements of your own body was something only dreamed of. And ok, the medium may still be in it's infancy where we can play mostly gimmicky fun games like the sports and adventure titles currently on offer. But think about it, I can control something by my voice or simple gestures. How long before this technology gets refined to the point where I can use it to play a shooter, or use it to type on a keyboard that isn't there or is represented by a hologram, like in Mass Effect? Yeah this thing is a toy, but come on - it's also a vision of the future.

2. Halo 2








OK, so nothing new here - like I say it was a slow month. But I've been replaying Halo 2 with my girlfriend and introducing her to the story. It's been a fascinating process, both rediscovering all the bits of the story I'd forgotten while introducing the story to her. She no Halo novice, having played Halo 3 and the first game as well as reading the Halo Encyclopaedia, but it's a different thing knowing the story to being in it, and we're really enjoying our play through.

3. Abstergo Industries Hoodie








I was really chuffed with this and I'd like to make a plug for Ubi Workshop, a division of Ubisoft that makes promotional items from their games. This is an 'official' Abstergo employee hoodie, the kind that an employee of the evil corporation might wear. It's so great to have something from a videogame that is authentic, not just with a logo slapped across the front or a picture of Ezion or something, this is part of the game world, something tangible and I love this hoodie! This is just the kind of thing that has me completely suckered - i don't go for cosplay or anything like that or spend money on game related wear, but this thing - it had me and there's so much more to come, such as the hoodie and t-shirt that Desmond wears in-game. The Abstergo hoodie is sold out, but there are more items available and I'm hooked and certainly going to spend more at this place!!

More soon!