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Well, I can definitely say the book was better than the film(s). At only 160 pages, it’s an easy book to get through, which leads me to my one criticism…

I wish it had been a bit longer.

It is without doubt a refreshing twist on the traditional vampire tales. Although I wanted a different end for Neville, I still enjoyed the direction the story took and felt a slight chill reading the last three words of the book.

Where the recent Will Smith movie attempts to hold the character up as a hero figure who’s actions in life will go down in legend, the book shows the character as an actual legend. A thing of the past. Society has moved on without Robert Neville leaving him and the memory of his kind as much a legend as the vampire tales of old. Something to be feared and wary of.

I Am Legend: 5/5 – Great book. Would highly recommend giving it a try

Next up on my SF Masterworks challenge for 2010… Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?

The first I saw of VVVVVV was at the Eurogamer expo in Leeds last year. I only got to spend 5 minutes or so on the game before going to a talk, but the little time I had with this gravity-flipping, frustrating experience was enough to hook me on the concept.

Harking back to the glory days of my childhood, VVVVVV immediately reminds me of classic C64 games like Monty On The Run, and the Dizzy franchise. Back when difficult damn well meant difficult.

You will die playing VVVVVV, a lot.

But unlike the frustrating, 3 lives/no continues gameplay of the old C64 titles, VVVVVV instead opts for the Trials HD formula and succeeds in bringing a familiar sense of gameplay. Checkpoints come fast and furious meaning you are never more than a few steps away from your last failure, and continues are infinite. Death is merely a minor setback, a footnote of anti-achievement upon completion of the game, an incentive for replay and continuing honing of your gravity-flipping skills. This, coupled with the fact most puzzles tease you with the sight of your next checkpoint, keeps you coming back for more punishment. “Just one more try!” gaming at its best.

On my first completion my time stacked up at just over two hours, with slightly over 1 thousand deaths. I think “Doing Things The Hard Way” claimed at least a third of those deaths with over 300 on that single puzzle. A frustrating dive of death through a spiky hell is the best description of my time with this room. Needless to say, I moved on before crushing a section of my keyboard in frustration, but it’s a good frustration. I know I’ll go back and nail that room, and right there is one major reason I enjoy this game so much. From the look of the map, I still have some exploring to do and lots of trinkets to collect, never mind bringing that death count down to a more respectable number

VVVVVV is classic gaming done in a modern way, very fun, very challenging… and at £8 you simply cannot go wrong. Lots of replay value, and a great soundtrack, I highly recommend you try the demo and see for yourself.