Fraser MacInnes - Jack of all tirades

Choice Cuts - March 09

 OK, so I know the point of maintaining a blog is that you are supposed to update it regularly, but 2009 has been an exceptionally busy year for me so far.

The podcast has been going from strength to strength, commanding ever more of my time, keeping me peering into this little screen into the small hours on many a winter's night. But spring is in the air, signalling a bit of a sea change in my work situation.

Some of my better games concepts are really starting to take shape and as I delve ever deeper into the beguiling mysteries of C-based programming languages, I have one in particular that's really beginning to shine. But all that's for another blog which I will be starting very soon. Not before I get out off this island (Orkney - long story) and go to New York to visit friends and take some time off though.

In the meantime, here is a snippet of work I have actually been paid for over the last few months of this fine year we call 2009. In fact, I have somehow found the time to start turning in written reviews of iPhone games and applications for both Pocket Gamer and Pocket Picks, the very best examples of which are listed below.

Pocket Picks
Review: Papers (iPhone)
Review: Photo fx (iPhone)
Review: AppSniper (iPhone)
Review: Air Mouse Pro (iPhone)

Pocket Gamer
Review: RastaMonkey (iPhone)
Review: Eliss (iPhone)
Review: Ancient Frog (iPhone)
iPhone gaming podcast: Episode 15
iPhone gaming podcast: Episode 16

Choice Cuts - December 08

Over the last two months I have been in no less than fifteen different airports and god knows how many different beds. Hopping between friends and family on this extended trip has been fantastic, if a little stressful at times, but as I write this, I’m sitting in the very comfortable attic room at my in-laws' house in Uelzen (just South of Hamburg, Germany).

It seems that due to a lucky dip of circumstances, Berlin is where my wife and I are ultimately going to end up in 2009. Nothing’s set in stone yet, but seeing as it’s my favourite city, I am determined to move there… We’ll see.

Besides circling the globe and claiming a serious advance on my carbon footprint allowance, I have been working on an iPhone gaming video podcast for Pocket Gamer and it’s finally out the door. We’re up to episode four now with episode five set to arrive early in the New Year.

But it’s Xmas eve and all that’s left to do for now is turn my laptop off and ignore it for at least a week while I set about inhaling heroic quantities of festive cheer - it’s going to be a very busy 2009.

Pocket Gamer

Pocket Gamer iPhone podcast Episode 1
Pocket Gamer iPhone podcast Episode 2
Pocket Gamer iPhone podcast Episode 3
Pocket Gamer iPhone podcast Episode 4
Loose Threads - What does the future hold for the N-Gage?
Loose Threads - How powerful does the next PSP have to be?
Loose Threads - Are tilt controls a fad?

Pocket Picks

Is the T-Mobile G2 set to land in January?
Nokia pulls flashy touchscreen UI out of its crystal ball
Nokia completes Symbian buyout

Stop Press! Nokia announces touchscreen N97
Will Nokia enter the laptop market in 2009?

Choice cuts - November 08

It’s from one extreme to another this month. One day I find myself grumbling unreasonably in Sydney about the absurdity of so much Christmas regalia in the midst of 30 degree heat and the next, I’m shivering in the wilds of the Scottish highlands. Oh for an anchor…

Despite my lack of a solid footing in one hemisphere or the other, I’m delighted to say that Pocket Gamer TV (PGTV) is out the door and ready for sale.

After much emailing back and forth between myself and the elder statesmen of Steel Media (who have been expertly managing this project), I managed to carve a demo PGTV reel out of Final Cut Express that I am very proud of. If any carriers out there decide to snap it up, I’ll be hammering out the same quantity of content every week (fingers crossed).

On top of that, we now have an iPhone video podcast in the works that I am very much at the helm of. If I have an ambition, it’s to be the Stanley Kubrick of editorial video content concerning interactive entertainment. Oh and I’d also like to swim with dolphins (or something).

Pocket Gamer

PGTV: Mobile gaming news round-up
PGTV: Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 mobile video review
PGTV: de Blob mobile video review
PGTV: Top 5 Mac titles that would make iPhone gaming gold
PGTV: Ghostbusters mobile video review
Pocket Gamer TV - PES 2009, Ghostbusters and de Blob reviewed, iPhone games, and more...

Loose Threads: Which handheld has the brightest future?
Loose Threads: Which genres are lacking on handhelds?
Loose Threads: Should iPhone games have a minimum charge?
Loose Threads: Is GTA on the DS really such a good idea?

Pocket Picks

N85 gets UK release
Microsoft and LG new best friends forever…
Sony Ericsson planing 20 megapixel camera phones for 2012…
Android catches Adobe Flash on the rebound from iPhone
Barack Obama to be forced into Crackberry withdrawal, cold turkey
Google launches voice activated search for iPhone - can’t understand British accents
Apple working on new iPhone battery saving measures
Microsoft and NVIDIA readying killer smartphone

Choice cuts - October 08

Well, I’m in Australia and amazingly it’s raining. I’ve been to the Sydney Opera House, I’ve eaten Venus clams by the sea and I’ve wondered at the bewildering size of the place. More than that however, I’ve sat glued to my laptop slaving over Pocket Gamer TV, or PGTV for punchiness’ sake (which I discovered after some armchair Googling is also the name of an outfit called Pure Groove TV).

It’s been a hard slog but I’ve been working with some great people and things are really starting to take shape. We’ve (read: Steel Media) got templates, we’ve got content, we even have a smattering of personality - all we need now is for someone to buy what we are selling.

Maybe next month’s choice cuts will be presented exclusively in glorious technicolour, for the time being however, everything is still very much under wraps. At any rate, I still managed to find time to do some regulars and some blogging which can be found below:

Pocket Picks

Nokia officially unveils its first touchscreen handset, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
fring brings VoIP calls to the iPhone (and this time with Apple’s blessing)
Nokia exploring wooden devices, media players…
T-mobile G1 sales figures somewhat exaggerated
iPhone sales surpass Blackberrys in fourth quarter figures
Motorola readies the AURA luxury phone (try not to laugh)

Pocket Gamer

Loose Threads: What online services do handhelds need?
Loose Threads: What will TGS have in store for handhelds?
Loose Threads: Is there space for another handheld?
Loose Threads: Should Apple have a first-party game studio?

Choice cuts - September 08

A famous Scotsman once said, ‘the best laid plans o' mice an' men aft gang agley’ and I am finding it a very useful platitude to fall back on these days.

So, Japan is no longer happening (boo hiss etc.) but in just under two weeks I will be flying out to Australia with my wife to visit some friends and explore for about six weeks. It’s not really my first choice of destination and it is going to be a working holiday, but it’s a whole other hemisphere all the same and I am really quite excited.

This month has been all about the video, and it seems that if things keep going the way they are, things work wise are going to continue to be about video for quite a while. Mr One Thumb might yet prove to be a tad impractical as a regular, but there are all sorts of other projects ramping up behind the scenes that could be just as much fun… Fingers crossed, in the meantime, here’s a thin sliver of this month’s clippings:

Mr One Thumb: Handheld redesigns

Loose Threads: Handheld game music...
Loose Threads: Will handhelds ever replace home consoles?
Loose Threads: Tying up loose ends

Choice cuts - August 08

Well, I am sorry to say that I no longer live in beautiful sunny Munich. At the moment I am sitting in my in-laws' living room in their grand house in Uelzen, about 45 mins south of Hamburg. It's only a temporary situation of course, but I have to say, I am really looking forward to my impending move to Bristol (but not before I bugger off to Berlin for a weekend and then maybe Japan, it's a long story that I'll leave for another post for the time being).

Anyway, before Christmas, I should be settled in the bosom of Steel Media's homeland in the South West of the UK, which will be fantastic. So what with the move and the Leipzig GC, this month has been one of serious upheaval, but it yeilded some great bits and pieces which you can read about below.

GC08: Hands on with Chrono Trigger DS
GC08: Hands on with Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood on DS
GC08: Hands on with Unsolved Crimes DS
GC08: Hands on with Spore Creatures DS
GC08: Hands on with Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on DS and PSP
GC08: It's shoveltime for the DS
GC 2008: Pocket Gamer vs Konami PES 2009 multiplayer mobile showdown
GC 2008: Sony unveils PSP 3000
Leipzig GC 2008: Pocket Gamer's handheld showreel

Choice cuts - July 08

It's sort of the end of an era for me this month. By the time I write my next choice cuts blog update, I'll be doing it from another city. Living in Munich has probably been the best two years of my life, but it's time to move on - duty calls!

Speaking of which my duties at the good ship Steel Media have taken a bit of a turn for the different this month. Having fancied myself as some sort of Kubrik-esq genius for a while (in my mind), I decided to finally get my ass in the seat and make some videos. Turns out, the results are pretty decent. So decent in fact that my boss let me off the hook with lots of my writing duties so I could soldier on with putting together some interesting new video features. They are all about the wonderful world of handheld games as you might expect though at the moment the majority of them are still in the production phase.

It's a behind the scenes thing at the moment then really, but hopefully next month, sitting at my new desk in a location that I am not quite sure of yet, I will be posting a choice cuts blog all about Mr One Thumb, video game reviews and of course loads of video coverage of the Leizig GC (can't wait).

Until next time...

Mr One Thumb: iPhone Games

Loose Threads: Which flash games should get a handheld release?
Loose Threads: Which of E3's handheld revelations has you the most excited?
Loose Threads: What would you like to see in Loose Threads in the future?

Choice cuts - June 08

After May's excitements, I have had plenty of time to knuckle down and get on with some hard graft throughout this month. I hate to harp on about the weather but it really is one notch above el scorchio here at the moment not that that's a bad thing. It's just that my hardy Scottish blood is ultimately too thick for this climate (all that porridge really did stick to my ribs it seems) and most of the hours spent in front of my laptop are a bit clammy. If any of my chums in Edinburgh could hear me now...

Besides being ungrateful about Munich's quite literally sunny disposition, I have been feeling very grateful for the new phone that work sent me. It's a smashing Nokia N81 8GB which is great, not least because I can now while away several hours on the new N-Gage service and call it research. Life is good, if only I wasn't currently trying to find a new place to live...

Pocket Gamer Reviews

PS1 Classics - Rayman

Pocket Gamer Features

Loose Threads: Which third-party licenses does the PSP need?
Top five ways to trash your PSP (or DS, or iPhone...)
Loose Threads: Which is the best handheld console of all time?
Loose Threads: How much is too much for an iPhone game?
Loose Threads: What's the ideal lifespan for a handheld console?
The ten best PSP web browser friendly sites
Friday Freebie: Freeloading so you don't have to...

Pocket Gamer News

Sony struggling to convince publishers to support PSP, admits PlayStation executive
Analyst claims DS is past its peak
Einstein's Brain Game headed for mobiles

Pocket Picks Blogs

Nvidia readies smartphone super chip
Vodafone accused of spying on former board members
The wait for the 3G iPhone is almost over but what else will the WWDC bring?
Insidious mobile popcorn rumours spread on YouTube
CNET creates mobile phone radiation league tables
US Government officials exempt from early termination fees
Google Android facing delays?
O2 PAYG iPhone 3G details let out of the bag by mistake

Choice cuts - May 08

Well it's official, I am now a married man and the beautiful girl to the right there is my wife and I don't mind saying that I am the luckiest man alive. After the big day (more about that here) we went swanning off to the South of France for ten days or so (more about that here). All in all it's been a thoroughly excellent month, I'd even hazard that it was one of the best of my life *goes misty eyed*.

As you can imagine, it has left me with little time for writing, but I still managed to squeeze out a fair few words, some of which are listed below.

Pocket Gamer Reviews

PS1 Classics - Crash Bandicoot
PS1 Classics - Command & Conquer
PS1 Classics - Kula World
PS1 Classics - Destruction Derby

Pocket Gamer Features

Friday Freebie - The DS finally has its day
Loose Threads - What is it about porn and portable games?
Ten TV shows that should be made into pocket games
Loose Threads - Should HOME come to the PSP?
Friday Freebie - It's a meat and potatoes week

Pocket Gamer News

Fancy adding an iControlPad to your iPhone?
Konami has big multiplayer ambitions for Dance Dance Revolution Mobile
Guitar Hero III Mobile breaks records
Professor Layton goes mobile
Sony Ericsson making a Wii push into motion gaming

Pocket Picks Blogs

2nd Gen iPhone rumour round-up - 3G, GPS, iChat camera, boosted graphics chip, new colours...
Scented text messages only two years away
Is this the 3G iPhone?
Touchscreen Blackberry incoming
Nokia going after Google
Deutsche Telekom under investigation for spying on employees

Choice cuts - April 08

Much as I miss Salt and Vinegar Squares (the crisp of the gods), Munich is a great city to live in and never more so than when you realise that there is a world outdoors (which is usually thought of as a treacherous place for most Scotsmen).

So in anticipation of my forthcoming wedding (which will feature an outdoor party), I have started making good use of the smashing weather we are having by taking up running, something I have every intention of sticking to (or at least, good intentions of sticking to).

Anyway, when I haven't been gasping my last in the streets of Munich, having hoofed it for a good fifty meters, I have been writing. Read on for some of the more noteworthy bits.

Pocket Gamer Reviews

Cafe Hangman - Mobile
PS1 Classics - Jumping Flash
PS1 Classics - Fade to Black
PK Phantom Duck - Mobile
PS1 Classics - MediEvil

Pocket Gamer Features

Loose Threads: Which Film/TV licenses deserve their own portable game?
Loose Threads: Will Google's Android be a real competitor in mobile gaming?
Friday Freebie: The 'realising the obvious' edition
Opinion: Five reasons why Grand Theft Auto mobile makes sense
Loose Threads: Will Zune gaming be any good?
Friday Freebie: It cam all the way from Greece, but it's godly and it's here at last...
Loose Threads: Is the DS in trouble?

Pocket Gamer News

Crystal Maze mobile game set to land soon
iPhone to get haptic feedback?
Console royalty NES goes portable
SkyZone unveils its 2008 line-up

Pocket Picks Blogs

Free pink Nokia 6630 with every copy of Girl Talk
Sony Ericsson P5i pic turns up - boggers struggle to believe it's real
3G iPhone pic leaked?
Is the HTC Dream the first Android handset?
Nokia Tube rumour round-up
Recycled phones still years away says Nokia, but the future is green
Nokia et al to throw and LTE cat among the Wimax pigeons
Samsung to release water powered phone. No, seriously...
Linux based mobile OS market set to get bigger, much bigger
8GB iPhone goes 'end of life' in the UK