That was the year it was: 2014

And so we reach the end of another year. So what can I say about 2014?

For me 2014 is defined by Elder Scrolls Online. It's the game I spent the most time on this year - although one could argue that the monthly subscription may have had something to do with it. I never thought I would return to MMORPGurs following my falling out with WoW and whilst ESO has never quite generated the same enthusiasm I had for WoW, it is still a lot fun to play and a great way to get together with some friends and have a bash.

Elsewhere, I did knock off more games off my Hall of Shame. And two of which I am particularly proud of beating: Jade Empire and Planescape Torment. Which goes to show that, in my book, RPGs still rule the roost. Also of note is that Jade Empire was a console game, thus proving that I haven't abandoned that field completely.

And speaking of consoles, the eighth generation has yet to make it's move. Nothing has reared it's head to pique my interest and pull me away from my PC. And considering that my PC is based largely around Steam and heavily modified PC games, that's a very tall order. Still, this generation has only begun and it would be interesting to see what happens next....

And with that, this is the end of Game Tumour for 2014. Okay so I may not have had much to talk about this year but I have no intention of abandoning this blog yet.
So thank you to everyone who has visited this blog over the past twelve months - and I look forward to speaking to you all again in 2015.

R.I.P. Ralph Baer

Today I was saddened by the news that Ralph Baer had passed away at the age of 92.

Who was Ralph Baer you may ask? He is largely credited as being the inventor of the game console, having worked on the first gaming console the Magnavox Odyessy. And at the time his passing, he had 150 patents in his name.

It's a funny thing with the gaming industry: We don't really recognize the efforts of the pioneers that came before us. Indeed, many of them are in their twilight years yet when one passes on, it usually goes unnoticed. Which is a shame as these were real people, like you and me, and they put in a lot of hard effort into the gaming industry and bring us where we are today. And that surely is worth more than some lines of text in some newspaper obituary column.

Still, you can't deny with the efforts of Ralph Baer, we wouldn't be using the gaming consoles as we know them - and gaming today would be a much different place.

And for that, Mr. Baer, I salute you

Fade to Black

Last weekend was the infamous 'Black Friday', where Steam enjoys it's biggest sale of the year. I'm not sure why it's called Black Friday or why that particular weekend is such a big deal but no matter: Any sale on Steam is as good as the next one.

Strangely I didn't buy a lot: I did buy Long Live the Queen (largely due to the hilarious trailer that promoted it) and Mysterious Cities of Gold Secret Paths (because if you were a kid who grew up in the eighties you watched the show that inspired it).

I did buy the Steam version of Elder Scrolls Online as well - that may seem pointless seeing as I already have it but it's nice having a game linked to your Steam account.

Not so super

Last weekend I was presented with an opportunity to play Superman 64 - a game infamous for being one of, if not THE, worst game ever made.

I tried it and.... yeah it was pretty crummy.

Why, I'm pretty sure Superman's ability to fly has never been THAT awkward.....