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Gaming starvation (and why are our arcades so pants)

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    Gaming starvation (and why are our arcades so pants)

    I just got back from 2 weeks mountain biking in France. I used the internet once, and that was to check the weather. At no point did I play a videogame. Not through lack of availability mind.

    The first campsite I stayed at had Winding Heat twincab and Virtua Striker amongst many others - it was like a mini--retro-arcade. The 2nd had Ivan Ironman's Off Road Challenge (!) and a Terminator Pinball machine.

    Firstly, I had to try fairly hard to avoid these. The prospect of 2 weeks without games was exciting but a little weird. As my bloc title suggests, I don't do as much gaming as many of you, since I spend far too much of my time chatting about games on a forum and organising (allegedly) the provision of new reviews and content for your delectation. But, compared to a lot of people, I spend a lot of time playing games (Nanostray being a recent fave). So 2 weeks starvation was supposed to be easy since I was camping in the middle of nowhere. I didn't take any portable gaming, although considered sneaking a GBAsp into the baggage. And then these tiny campsites at the top of mountains go and spoil it all by offering me easy access to aracade goodness(ish). I left the loose change with my wife for safety.

    So I return and I think two things:

    1) Yeah! Let the gaming commence.
    2) Why the hell has the service station at Clacket's on the M25 got Initial D stage2 and there's nothing near me at all. Gah. Why have French campsites for 100 pitches (=small) got arcade overload? Gah.

    So, day holidayend+1 and I've failed miserably to play a game all day. Looks like the 2 week gap has weened me off a bit. Wonder how long it will last. I'm quite happily browsing the forums for too long though to catch up. I'll see if I can get a few minutes of Rallisport Challenge 2 on Live in before I hit the sack.

    And as for the second thought, I'm wondering how I can justify heading round to the bottom of the M25. Who do I know over in Kent? Parents. That'll do nicely.

    #2
    Glad you had a good time mate. Whereabouts did you go as me and her indoors want to go camping in the South early next year?
    Did you blast down there on the bike? Dont know how you resisted the GBA though!

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      #3
      I went to the middle of France. First the Massif Central and then the Cantal Mountains a bit further south. For the best scenery, you want the Pyrenees. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help, like recommending a campsite or whatever. Went down in the car (shoved the bikes where the back seats are and put a tent in the boot). 500 miles of 70+mph empty backroads (minor D roads) on the way there!

      Here's some pics

      It was a bit like Beyond Good and Evil. I took pictures of strange creatures. Unfortunately, didn't get any pearls for them
      Check out the one of the stick insect sucking a spider's brains out. Gruesome!

      A cricket got caught in the airducts in the dash and spent 2 days making cricket noises whenever the engine heated up.... Poor thing. Very annoying noise after a bit. Heheh.

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        #4
        Wow. Looks amazing mate.

        I may well pick your brains in the near future. That cricket almost made me bring up my Special K!

        Toying with the idea of hiring a motorbike and blasting down that way.

        Bit of a pipe dream at the moment!

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          #5
          K, make sure you check in with me before you leave for advice on roads and stuff. The motorways and N roads are extremely dull.

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            #6
            Originally posted by charlesr
            Check out the one of the stick insect sucking a spider's brains out. Gruesome!
            That's no stick insect (they're herbivores). That there my friend is a Praying Mantis!

            Which is cool, but I wasn't sure that they are native to France.... [goes away to google] but apparently so! In fact that subspecies was introduced from Europe to the Americas.... So now you know.

            Great pics, BTW.

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              #7
              Gah! If only they had brought out a French to English version before my holiday. Could have taken the DS legit!

              Touch Dictionary for Nintendo DSKorean - English dictionary application for the Nintendo DS™.


              Surely the killer App?

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