For those who don’t yet know, the increasingly popular expression “jumping the shark” refers to the moment at which something good peaks and goes downhill from there. It comes from the episode of Happy Days where Fonzie jumped over a shark with his bike. Some fans consider that that’s when the show definitely died.

Well, I’ve been thinking for a few months (since E3, really), that this is the year when the good game franchises jump the shark.

Cases in point:

SSX On Tour - Yes, I’ve spent a relatively large amount of time playing it, but in many ways it is very inferior to its predecessor, SSX3. The only innovation to gameplay is that you can now be a skier, but it feels like shit. The graphic design is supposed to be cool and grungy, but 3 was so much slicker. The soundtrack is repetitive and includes Scorpions and Iron Maiden, while the soundtrack for 3 made me discover Royksopp and Fischerspooner.

JakX Combat Racing - Come. On. The Jak and Daxter series has traditionally been a platformer with great vehicles to drive, fun combat moves, well-tweaked platforming (jumps, climbs etc), and projectile weapons. All that stuff takes a lot of effort to balance and get right, and they did a pretty good job of it on the first three iterations.

In this one, it’s now a RACING game! They took their well-polished vehicle physics and simply created a bunch of racing tracks, and voilà. A game made with little effort. I’m not impressed. Bad dog!!!

Finally, and most heartbreakingly:
Ratchet Deadlocked - The beauty of the previous three games was in the platforming (jumping, climbing, and other ways of getting around environments without vehicles) and the fantastic weapons and gadgets you used to get around beautiful and diverse worlds. In a similar scenario to Jak, the fourth in the series has taken their well-tweaked combat code, and plunked our hero in a bunch of deathmatch arenas where all he has to do is shoot, shoot, shoot. Aren’t there enough shooters around? Plus, Clank is no more.

I’m finally posting about this because today I actually bought Ratchet Deadlocked. It’s the last time I can say “It will suck” before being (please please please) proven wrong.

Ratchet 4 came out last week and I just realized this today. Shame, shame, shaaaaaame on me.

(oh, and it’s been nice knowing you)

Enjoyed some pumpkin soup, pumpkin carving and XBOX with cool peoples tonight. Sweet way to close a sweet Halloween weekend.

Thanks Matthew and Garrett for the pumpkin, you guys rock

I just finished watching the fourth season of Six Feet Under. I found it to be slow at first, with so much happening in the second half as to make it hard to suspend disbelief (even for a really good audience like me). Still, I couldn’t stop watching it.

I’m really glad I’m done with it. Although SFU isn’t particularly graphic, watching it gives me the worst nightmares, stuff I can’t believe comes from my own subconscious. Amputations, severed heads crying and talking, concentration camp stuff. Usually starring beautiful people.

Here’s to watching fluff.

It’s 9 PM on Saturday night, I’m wearing a black dress, long satin gloves and black cloak, and masquerade mask. I pass the mirror on my way out, and have a moment’s hesitation. For a moment the couch, Comet and my pajamas beckon. Maybe there’s still some of the game left.

“Get out, you”, I tell myself and fly out the door.

I arrive at the Swinging Air Force’s masquerade ball only to find all lights out and the door locked. Perplexed, I feel eyes on me. I turn and see a man peeping from between the brim of his fedora and the upturned collar of his trenchcoat. “Closed”, the shady stranger says, “the authorities closed it down. Too many strange goings on”.

-At swing? I say, incredulous.
- Indeed. But perhaps if you’re quiet. Maybe if you’re quiet, and go round the back, you can find a way in… Keep your mask on, do not show yourself.

Oh, I get it. This is like those hidden swing nights of the thirties. Nice effect. I wrap my large cloak about me and check out the back to find a metallic door without a knob at the top of a disused staircase. I climb up and knock. It opens just a bit and a masked, phantom-of-the-opera type in a tuxedo and top hat greets me and gives me a once over. He then opens it widely and hands me a glass of champagne. I walk down corridors filled with masked revelers in tuxes and elegant formal dresses. I feel like I’m at an orgy. In the main hall, balloons are falling from the ceiling while Harlequin-dressed waifs hang acrobatically from dramatic red sashes above the dancefloor, twirling Cirque-du-Soleil style. A big band plays a familiar tune.

I drink the champagne and happily lose myself in the sea of masks, dancing with one mysterious partner after another. To think I was looking forward to just watching the game tonight. Montreal loves to surprise me with special gifts like this.

Happy Halloween weekend, speed readers.

- Hello?
- Salut, j’te dérange-tu?
- Non, j’étais en train d’écouter la quatrième de Six Feet Under.
- Ah… faque je te laisse finir, te tirer une balle, pis j’te rappelle?

Me: So, you think I can ask a guy over to play video games and he won’t get the wrong idea?
Gord: Jo, he’s a guy. You’ll say “you wanna come over and play video games?” and he’ll hear “you wanna come ov-KSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHT (static)”.

Everyone around me is depressed today. I must be a happiness black hole, sucking it all up and letting none escape.

Can’t help it, it’s been an amazing week. Got to see the movie my current game is based on, even though it’s more than a year before the movie comes out. Seeing the characters I’ve been working with come to life was a huge thrill, and I floated home on a little cloud. It happens a lot these days. Stopped by the music store and bought a new guitar. Sadly, I don’t really play any better on it than on the old one.

The weekend was pretty good too. Dinner and swing on Friday, went out for brunch both days, and took part in my first ever pub crawl on Saturday night. Also soaked up pretty much all the rays on the only nice October day so far. Finally, got my costume made for next weekend.

Now if everyone else can just cheer up. It’s free candy season after all!

Last night, while waiting for some friends, I decided to go into a random bar to escape the cold. The place was reasonably packed with people attentively watching the game on a big screen. I propped myself up onto a stool and became immediately immersed in it myself. I was surprised at how into it I got, despite the fact that I know none of the players in this year’s lineup. Hockey’s a very ingrained habit to a Montrealer.

This morning at brunch, my friend and I were bitching about how, despite the fact that the Canadiens have been on a winning streak, they’ll probably choke when it actually counts. It felt like something we’d said all our lives, but I realized it had been a while since we actually had.

I didn’t miss it while it was gone, but I really appreciate having it back. Montreal actually feels more like home this way.