DiRT 2 / Colin McRae Tribute

Before I begin, there may be a game spoiler or two in this entry.  If you're playing the game you may wish to forego reading further.
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Alas, it's been a great run so far playing DiRT2!  So much thought to game design, details and the late Colin McRae is clearly evident.

As I continue up the DiRT Tour, the Colin McRae event became available.  Upon completing it, I unlocked the "For Colin" achievement - which I thought was a nice touch.

The screen quickly blackened and I could tell the usual game graphics and audio were on stand-still.  A picture of Mr. McRae appeared followed by a nice tribute video of him and his racing.  Truly a nice tribute showing the man that was synonymous with Rally racing.

I'll admit, before DiRT (the original), I had no idea who this man was.  The day the news spread of his death, I was saddened.  Years later, after DiRT2 is released, and after receiving said achievement and watching the video, a tear ran down my face.  This marks the first time ever that playing a game would cause such an emotional response.

Codemasters did Dirt2 right.  Not only in game design and execution, but, by tastefully heralding the man responsible for the franchise.

Much thought went into the game, and to have a gamer experience such emotion during gameplay, I believe the results expected were achieved.

Thanks Codemasters and Thank you, Colin!

Yay!

The blog gets some life.  Aside from changing the original blog name, I figured even though I enjoy Twitter, the post limitations left me with no option but to spill my verbose diatribes into another medium.  Alas, "TweetAnnex" is born. - Welcome.

So what occupies my thoughts right now?

1vs100 LIVE (XBL)
It's been a few weeks, and I do miss playing 1vs100 LIVE.  The game was great, yes, but I miss the interaction I had with my party of friends.  The 2 hours were fun to play solo, but, with friends - there's just no comparison.  I miss those good times.  The hours just flew.

One of my best moments was playing and chatting with one of the 1vs100 devs.  Poor soul, I kept rambling on how great the game was, how the team did a great job, and so forth, and he probably felt extremely uncomfortable - we never played a session again! LOL....  Ah, but such is how it is.

This game really exposed how community and fans and developers can intermingle and I'm hoping this concept takes off.  We're not just clients and cash cows.  We're people that enjoy your game offerings.

By the same token, this game showed me that devs aren't usually people locked up in offices programming all day being non-social.  Lots of things learned and misconceptions tossed aside.

What 1vs100 fan wouldn't want this?

1vs100 returns this winter.  Time to brush up on trivia, and new jokes!

DiRT 2
What can I say?  Codemasters hit it right on the nose.  Enjoying this game immensely and it's simply surreal how realistic, fluid and engaging game play can be. For the first time in a while, I'm really taking my time absorbing all the game has to offer.  No rushing needed or required.  DiRT2 is a gem and deserves quality time spent to experience it all.

Frankly, I was surprised with this game, and I'm glad it's part of my gaming library.

So, what now?
Well, as the blog title says..  this blog serves as an extension of tweets.  Frequent postings aren't guaranteed, but should a particular tweet tangent need embellishment - check here!

Thanks for reading, and hope you visit often.

Oh ya, to those that celebrate it.  Happy 16 de Septiembre.