May have to get in due course.
(video removed - as it was annoying me)
From Crackle:
Saturday, May 24, 2008
PixelJunk Eden - interesting!
This looks really quite interesting...
May have to get in due course.
(video removed - as it was annoying me)
May have to get in due course.
(video removed - as it was annoying me)
GTA IV - Complete
Yep - finished the main story missions, which is well timed as I'm off on holiday from tomorrow and will be away in the UK. I had hoped to finish the game before the release of MGS4 on 12 June.
Anyway, a few stats:
67.08% of the game complete
40:12:04 - Time played
747 - people killed.
What a game :)
Anyway, a few stats:
67.08% of the game complete
40:12:04 - Time played
747 - people killed.
What a game :)
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The news I've been waiting for...
Bioshock is official coming out on the PS3 and is due by the end of the year....
:)
That will be on my birthday / Christmas list then...
Link
:)
That will be on my birthday / Christmas list then...
Link
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Three 2, Planet Terror, and where’s Snake.
Films watched:
Three Extremes 2
Three Extremes 2
Inferior collection of short films, original was far better.
Film 1: Memories 6/10
Film 2: The Wheel 3/10
Film 3: Going Home 4.5/10
Planet Terror
Bats**t bonkers b-movie pretender. Go-go girls, zombies and gore.
8/10
I popped into HMV the other day and put a pre-order down for Metal Gear Solid 4, which after all is out in just over 3 weeks. I was surprised that the member of staff didn’t seem to know what the game was and had to look though her computer system for a minute before placing the pre-order. It then occurred to me that unlike the likes of GTA4, Wiifit, Rock Band etc., MGS4 has not been advertised at all in the shop.
Now I don’t tend to watch much in the TV these days, but it also occurs to me that I haven’t seen any other advertising for MGS4. Sure there have been articles in magazines a plenty, but nothing that would seem to reach out to a wider audience.
Now it could just be that the advertising will likely kick in soon, say a week or so before release, but if not this is utter madness. MGS4 is without a doubt the biggest exclusive game due out in 2008 for the PS3 and Sony should be shouting this from the rooftops. There should be offers in shops, the bundle being advertised ahead of release and just about everything to get the name of MGS4 out there in the wider domain. This should be advertised on a similar level as a summer blockbuster action movie.
If the online sign up for the MGO beta is an indication, then there is certainly a high level of interest out there for MGS4, but this is just the audience out there who would be buying it no matter what. Sony needs to attract more people to the PS3 and MGS4 should be the game to do this.
It also occurs to me that this is the first time in a Metal Gear game that you’ll be able to play as Solid Snake, since the prologue of Metal Gear Solid 2!
Everyone seems to go on and on about GTA4 these days… how many perfect 10/10 reviews has it had now? Whilst I will admit that GTA4 is a great game (not perfect, but great), MGS4 on the other hand, WILL BE EPIC! :)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
No More Heroes
A few weeks ago during a conversation with a friend, he pointed out that I mainly enjoy franchise games, namely all the game I tend to buy are game which are part of a franchise.
This is such as:
Final Fantasy series
Metal Gear series
Mario series
Zelda series
Etc etc…
As such I took a look at the games that I was likely getting for the remainder of the year and found that the majority of these are sequels of some sort (the only exception being Little Big Planet and possibly Mirrors Edge)
Now I’d like to think that the reason that I like franchise games is that they are all genuinely good franchises, which do not churn out the same game again and again on a yearly basis (FIFA and Tony Hawk, I’m looking at you), but all the same it made me think that I should probably give something out of my comfort zone a little bit of a chance.
As such, I bought No More Heroes the other day (Amazon had it at a reasonable £21.00) and had a quick go of this last night. It is clearly bonkers… but then again I wouldn’t expect anything less from the creators of Killer 7. Unfortunately I haven’t got a great amount of time to play it much at present as I’m trying to make my way through GTA4 before the release of MGS4 on 12 June – but all the same, I plan to put aside some time to enjoy this oddly unique game.
This is such as:
Final Fantasy series
Metal Gear series
Mario series
Zelda series
Etc etc…
As such I took a look at the games that I was likely getting for the remainder of the year and found that the majority of these are sequels of some sort (the only exception being Little Big Planet and possibly Mirrors Edge)
Now I’d like to think that the reason that I like franchise games is that they are all genuinely good franchises, which do not churn out the same game again and again on a yearly basis (FIFA and Tony Hawk, I’m looking at you), but all the same it made me think that I should probably give something out of my comfort zone a little bit of a chance.
As such, I bought No More Heroes the other day (Amazon had it at a reasonable £21.00) and had a quick go of this last night. It is clearly bonkers… but then again I wouldn’t expect anything less from the creators of Killer 7. Unfortunately I haven’t got a great amount of time to play it much at present as I’m trying to make my way through GTA4 before the release of MGS4 on 12 June – but all the same, I plan to put aside some time to enjoy this oddly unique game.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Wiiware
Nintendo have just released the list of the Wiiware games due for the release of the service on 20 May (just one week away).
The list is surprisingly different to the launch list in Japan and America and is as follow:
• Dr. Mario & Germ Buster (Nintendo, Puzzle, 1–4 players, 3+ PEGI)
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (Square Enix, Simulation, 1 player, 7+)
• LostWinds (Frontier, Platform Adventure, 1–2 players, 7+)
• Pirates: The Key of Dreams (Oxygen Interactive, Action, 1-4 players, 3+)
• Pop (Nnooo, Puzzle/Shooter, 1-4 players, 3+)
• Star Soldier R (Hudson Soft, Shooter, 1 player, 7+)
• Toki Tori (Two Tribes, Puzzle / Platform, 1–2 players, 3+)
• TV Show King (Gameloft, Trivia, TV Quiz, 1–4 players, 3+)
I will likely be getting LostWinds from the above and at some stage Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (although not initially as I do not have enough time to play it at present).
There are also a couple of other games due out on Wiiware that I am interested in, namely Eternity’s Child and World of Goo, neither of which are on the launch list, but are hopefully due in the future. In addition to this there is also the Sam and Max game due later this year which is a must buy.
My only concern, which looking online is also shared, is that that the 512mb flash memory of the Wii will fill up at an alarming rate. I know that you can swap games back and forth between a SD card, but this is cumbersome way to manage your games. I’m betting that come E3 nintendo are going to announce a hard drive for the Wii, or maybe more likely a USB flash memory drive from which you can play Wiiware games.
Anyway, it’s good to see some original downloadable games coming to the Wii…
The list is surprisingly different to the launch list in Japan and America and is as follow:
• Dr. Mario & Germ Buster (Nintendo, Puzzle, 1–4 players, 3+ PEGI)
• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (Square Enix, Simulation, 1 player, 7+)
• LostWinds (Frontier, Platform Adventure, 1–2 players, 7+)
• Pirates: The Key of Dreams (Oxygen Interactive, Action, 1-4 players, 3+)
• Pop (Nnooo, Puzzle/Shooter, 1-4 players, 3+)
• Star Soldier R (Hudson Soft, Shooter, 1 player, 7+)
• Toki Tori (Two Tribes, Puzzle / Platform, 1–2 players, 3+)
• TV Show King (Gameloft, Trivia, TV Quiz, 1–4 players, 3+)
I will likely be getting LostWinds from the above and at some stage Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (although not initially as I do not have enough time to play it at present).
There are also a couple of other games due out on Wiiware that I am interested in, namely Eternity’s Child and World of Goo, neither of which are on the launch list, but are hopefully due in the future. In addition to this there is also the Sam and Max game due later this year which is a must buy.
My only concern, which looking online is also shared, is that that the 512mb flash memory of the Wii will fill up at an alarming rate. I know that you can swap games back and forth between a SD card, but this is cumbersome way to manage your games. I’m betting that come E3 nintendo are going to announce a hard drive for the Wii, or maybe more likely a USB flash memory drive from which you can play Wiiware games.
Anyway, it’s good to see some original downloadable games coming to the Wii…
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Black Book and Dark Knight
Film watched:
The Black Book
Old fashioned, but slightly steamy Dutch WWII espionage thriller
7.5/10
If you liked Batman Begins and are looking forward to The Dark Knight... You really do need to watch the second trailer...
Is it me, or did we just get our first glimpse of Two Face?
Friday, May 02, 2008
GTA IV
I’ve been meaning to blog about GTA IV for a couple of day now, but have been to busy. Even now, I just thought I’d jot down a few things…
First off…This is GTA through and through, there is no revolution here, the structure, gameplay and style is still very similar to GTA3. For anyone who didn’t like the previous games, they sure as hell won’t like this.
What GTA IV does is blind you with details. No other game out there has had so much crammed into it, this has the effect of bringing Liberty City to life, which is simply fantastic. You can waste a huge amount of time just cruising around, or watching TV in your apartment or browsing the internet. The attention to detail in the game is great, but this can only be appreciated more and more as you play the game.
I’ve noticed that GTA IV has been getting a slew of 10/10 review scores, and whilst this is great, I think that the game is being overhyped a little as the second coming. It isn’t, it has a ton a faults, but at the same time these can be easily ignored so long as you are enjoying the game. As started above, it isn’t a revolution, but more of an evolution to the series, but all the same, great fun.
I’ll give you two examples of things that I did last night.
1) Whilst leaving the internet café TW@ I bumped into a woman carrying a paper mug of coffee. She stumbled and dropped the mug to the ground. After mouthing off at me she started to walk away. As such, I picked up the mug of coffee from the pavement and proceeded to throw it at her. Hitting her directly on the back of the head and sending her sprawling on the floor. Unfortunately this annoyed a nearby policeman, and I was forced to make a quick exit from the scene.
2) My cousin phoned me and asked me if I wanted to have a game of bowling. I proceeded to steal a motorbike and picked him up. We rode to the bowling ally and enjoyed a few games, then on the way home we stopped off at a bar.
Before going into the bar he mentioned how the bar always reminded him of a colleague that we’d previously knew, who had died recently.
When we left the bar we were both utterly drunk and were stumbling all over the road. My vision was a mess and I could barely see where I was walking, but I managed to make my way back to my stolen bike, and my cousin also jumped on the back. Unfortunately a police car was passing at this point and saw us in this drunken state starting up the motorbike. Suddenly sirens started as the car began to give chase. I rode through the city, barely able to see where I was going, with my vision jumping around like I was on a cruise ship in a typhoon, whilst trying to evade the police.
I somehow found myself in a park and my cousin in his drunken state was babbling on about his childhood and really starting to annoy me, but somehow I manage to avoid the police. As such, I turned around and headed back to my cousins business premises to drop him off. On the way home (my vision still a mess), we crashed into a truck and went flying off the bike. We both laughed it off and got back onto the bike, ignoring the truckers shouts of protest and I dropped him to his business.
Just before getting home, I stopped off at a hot dog stand and grabbed a snack, before turning in for the night to sleep off my hangover.
It has to be said that both of the above were not missions in the game, just things that happened during the course of normal play. It is for this reason that GTA IV is a fantastic game.
First off…This is GTA through and through, there is no revolution here, the structure, gameplay and style is still very similar to GTA3. For anyone who didn’t like the previous games, they sure as hell won’t like this.
What GTA IV does is blind you with details. No other game out there has had so much crammed into it, this has the effect of bringing Liberty City to life, which is simply fantastic. You can waste a huge amount of time just cruising around, or watching TV in your apartment or browsing the internet. The attention to detail in the game is great, but this can only be appreciated more and more as you play the game.
I’ve noticed that GTA IV has been getting a slew of 10/10 review scores, and whilst this is great, I think that the game is being overhyped a little as the second coming. It isn’t, it has a ton a faults, but at the same time these can be easily ignored so long as you are enjoying the game. As started above, it isn’t a revolution, but more of an evolution to the series, but all the same, great fun.
I’ll give you two examples of things that I did last night.
1) Whilst leaving the internet café TW@ I bumped into a woman carrying a paper mug of coffee. She stumbled and dropped the mug to the ground. After mouthing off at me she started to walk away. As such, I picked up the mug of coffee from the pavement and proceeded to throw it at her. Hitting her directly on the back of the head and sending her sprawling on the floor. Unfortunately this annoyed a nearby policeman, and I was forced to make a quick exit from the scene.
2) My cousin phoned me and asked me if I wanted to have a game of bowling. I proceeded to steal a motorbike and picked him up. We rode to the bowling ally and enjoyed a few games, then on the way home we stopped off at a bar.
Before going into the bar he mentioned how the bar always reminded him of a colleague that we’d previously knew, who had died recently.
When we left the bar we were both utterly drunk and were stumbling all over the road. My vision was a mess and I could barely see where I was walking, but I managed to make my way back to my stolen bike, and my cousin also jumped on the back. Unfortunately a police car was passing at this point and saw us in this drunken state starting up the motorbike. Suddenly sirens started as the car began to give chase. I rode through the city, barely able to see where I was going, with my vision jumping around like I was on a cruise ship in a typhoon, whilst trying to evade the police.
I somehow found myself in a park and my cousin in his drunken state was babbling on about his childhood and really starting to annoy me, but somehow I manage to avoid the police. As such, I turned around and headed back to my cousins business premises to drop him off. On the way home (my vision still a mess), we crashed into a truck and went flying off the bike. We both laughed it off and got back onto the bike, ignoring the truckers shouts of protest and I dropped him to his business.
Just before getting home, I stopped off at a hot dog stand and grabbed a snack, before turning in for the night to sleep off my hangover.
It has to be said that both of the above were not missions in the game, just things that happened during the course of normal play. It is for this reason that GTA IV is a fantastic game.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Wii Fit, MK Wii abd MGO
Games Played:
Metal Gear Online
The beta of this game finally came online on Friday (and I had the afternoon off after buying Wii Fit).
It has so far proven my main concern about the game. Whilst the Metal Gear Solid controls are fine in a single player game, in a multiplayer they feel overly complex and not very intuitive. Most of the games that I have played so far I have not felt in sufficient control of my character (Bazlurgan – surprise, surprise – btw).
I have, however been surprised at how well the game has been playing, considering the difficulties on getting it up and running in the first place.
I will persevere with it, but I don’t think that it will have the same multiplayer pull of the likes of COD4, Warhawk and Resistance.
Mario Kart Wii
I have now completed the game on every mode possible, 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and mirror. I have also beaten the Nintendo ghost records on every track and unlocked all but one of the characters and almost all of the vehicles. I just need to get a star rank on every circuit now, and hopefully I should be able to do this in the not too distant future.
My unbroken record online was broken the other day, but I have still be winning that majority of races and my online score is currently at around 8000 (it starts at 5000 and goes up or down depending on wins)
Overall, I’m still loving the game. I would even go on to say that it may even be the best Mario Kart to date. The only thing that lest it down is the online battle mode, which is lacking, with overly large areas and just a team deathmatch mode. Online racing on the other hand, is a blast.
Wii Fit
Nintendo are going to make a fortune with this. I predict that in America this is just going to sell and sell and sell.
The presentation of the game is great and it works in a similar fashion to Brain Age, but obviously keeps a track of your weight, BMI and Wii Fit age.
This, similar to Wii Sports, is the sort of game which you could easily cheat on, but by doing this you miss the whole point of the affair. In effect this is not too dissimilar to the type of fitness DVD’s you can pick up anywhere, the difference being that you get feedback from Wii Fit. In Wii Fit, if you are doing well, your trainer will tell you, similarly if you screw up, your trainer will point this out and give a few helpful tips.
What you get out of this, largely depends on the time and effort you put into it.
Both Roz and Elliot have also had a go, and both seem to also enjoy it, and I can see that Wii Fit will likely become a big family game for many households around Europe.
Overall, I’ve been very impressed.
On a side note, I’ve just discovered that I’m terrible at snowboarding… However, this doesn’t stop the fact that Nintendo should definitely think about bringing out an updated 1080 for the balance board,
Metal Gear Online
The beta of this game finally came online on Friday (and I had the afternoon off after buying Wii Fit).
It has so far proven my main concern about the game. Whilst the Metal Gear Solid controls are fine in a single player game, in a multiplayer they feel overly complex and not very intuitive. Most of the games that I have played so far I have not felt in sufficient control of my character (Bazlurgan – surprise, surprise – btw).
I have, however been surprised at how well the game has been playing, considering the difficulties on getting it up and running in the first place.
I will persevere with it, but I don’t think that it will have the same multiplayer pull of the likes of COD4, Warhawk and Resistance.
Mario Kart Wii
I have now completed the game on every mode possible, 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and mirror. I have also beaten the Nintendo ghost records on every track and unlocked all but one of the characters and almost all of the vehicles. I just need to get a star rank on every circuit now, and hopefully I should be able to do this in the not too distant future.
My unbroken record online was broken the other day, but I have still be winning that majority of races and my online score is currently at around 8000 (it starts at 5000 and goes up or down depending on wins)
Overall, I’m still loving the game. I would even go on to say that it may even be the best Mario Kart to date. The only thing that lest it down is the online battle mode, which is lacking, with overly large areas and just a team deathmatch mode. Online racing on the other hand, is a blast.
Wii Fit
Nintendo are going to make a fortune with this. I predict that in America this is just going to sell and sell and sell.
The presentation of the game is great and it works in a similar fashion to Brain Age, but obviously keeps a track of your weight, BMI and Wii Fit age.
This, similar to Wii Sports, is the sort of game which you could easily cheat on, but by doing this you miss the whole point of the affair. In effect this is not too dissimilar to the type of fitness DVD’s you can pick up anywhere, the difference being that you get feedback from Wii Fit. In Wii Fit, if you are doing well, your trainer will tell you, similarly if you screw up, your trainer will point this out and give a few helpful tips.
What you get out of this, largely depends on the time and effort you put into it.
Both Roz and Elliot have also had a go, and both seem to also enjoy it, and I can see that Wii Fit will likely become a big family game for many households around Europe.
Overall, I’ve been very impressed.
On a side note, I’ve just discovered that I’m terrible at snowboarding… However, this doesn’t stop the fact that Nintendo should definitely think about bringing out an updated 1080 for the balance board,
Monday, April 21, 2008
MK god-like, Lovefilm & MGO beta
I think I may have attained a God like status on Mario Kart…
On Friday evening I had a go online and ended up playing 12 races in total. I was surprised when I won not just the first game, but the second, third, forth etc. It got to the point that I was telling myself that I would keep on playing until I didn’t get first place. Eventually I gave up after 12 games, not because I didn’t become first, just because I was starting to feel guilty for winning all the time.
On Saturday I had another go. 5 Races, 5 1st places…
On Sunday evening I had a go again. 6 races, 6 1st places…
So, by my count that is 23 races where I have attained nothing short of 1st place! These races have also been largely full games, comprising of 8-12 players, also whilst not everyone I have raced against have been ranked as high as me, there have been some which are of a similar ranking. It also has to be said that I haven’t completely aced every race (i.e. I haven’t been miles ahead all the time), there have also been some very close races, where I have edged ahead at the very end
My conclusion?
Me + Mario Kart Wii + online = very good.
As can be seen from my blog, I have been watching a fair few films recently, all of which I have not see previously and as such have been reviewed here. Instead of buying tons of DVD’s as I’ve done in the past, instead I have joined Lovefilm.
So far I have found them to be very good and very fairly priced. They are slightly different to a normal DVD rental establishment in that you don’t choose the exact DVD that you want to rent. Instead you create a list of films that you would like to see and rank them by priority and they then send you these films as and when they are available. This is perfect for me as I have numerous films, both old and new, which I would like to see, but for some reason or another have not got around to watching. At present I have 34 titles on my list and can have up to 3 DVD’s a month at just £5.99 a month.
Over the weekend I have signed up for the Metal Gear Online beta. So far this has been a far from easy experience. The initial download of the beta wasn’t bad, but the patch took forever to download (had to keep it going overnight on a peer to peer network). Following that I needed to obtain both a Konami ID and also a game ID before I could play. The website was so busy, however, that these were a struggle to obtain.
I have now just found out that the beta has been delayed. It was meant to start today but has now been pushed back a day or two… Darn, I was really looking forward to having a go tonight!
On Friday evening I had a go online and ended up playing 12 races in total. I was surprised when I won not just the first game, but the second, third, forth etc. It got to the point that I was telling myself that I would keep on playing until I didn’t get first place. Eventually I gave up after 12 games, not because I didn’t become first, just because I was starting to feel guilty for winning all the time.
On Saturday I had another go. 5 Races, 5 1st places…
On Sunday evening I had a go again. 6 races, 6 1st places…
So, by my count that is 23 races where I have attained nothing short of 1st place! These races have also been largely full games, comprising of 8-12 players, also whilst not everyone I have raced against have been ranked as high as me, there have been some which are of a similar ranking. It also has to be said that I haven’t completely aced every race (i.e. I haven’t been miles ahead all the time), there have also been some very close races, where I have edged ahead at the very end
My conclusion?
Me + Mario Kart Wii + online = very good.
As can be seen from my blog, I have been watching a fair few films recently, all of which I have not see previously and as such have been reviewed here. Instead of buying tons of DVD’s as I’ve done in the past, instead I have joined Lovefilm.
So far I have found them to be very good and very fairly priced. They are slightly different to a normal DVD rental establishment in that you don’t choose the exact DVD that you want to rent. Instead you create a list of films that you would like to see and rank them by priority and they then send you these films as and when they are available. This is perfect for me as I have numerous films, both old and new, which I would like to see, but for some reason or another have not got around to watching. At present I have 34 titles on my list and can have up to 3 DVD’s a month at just £5.99 a month.
Over the weekend I have signed up for the Metal Gear Online beta. So far this has been a far from easy experience. The initial download of the beta wasn’t bad, but the patch took forever to download (had to keep it going overnight on a peer to peer network). Following that I needed to obtain both a Konami ID and also a game ID before I could play. The website was so busy, however, that these were a struggle to obtain.
I have now just found out that the beta has been delayed. It was meant to start today but has now been pushed back a day or two… Darn, I was really looking forward to having a go tonight!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Scanner & Bourne
Films watched:
The Bourne Ultimatum
Jerky camerawork aside, a gripping and entertaining thriller.
7.5/10
A Scanner Darkly 
Animated drug fuelled sci-fi drama. Odd but slightly engaging.
6/10
The Bourne Ultimatum
Jerky camerawork aside, a gripping and entertaining thriller.
7.5/10
A Scanner Darkly
Animated drug fuelled sci-fi drama. Odd but slightly engaging.
6/10
Monday, April 14, 2008
TV show predictions
TV show predictions…
Okay, I like to think that I’m pretty darn good at predicting the ways in which the storyline of a TV show is going to go and therefore, I’m generally very pleased when I’m genuinely surprised by plot turns. However, here are my predictions for some of he TV shows that I am watching at the moment.
Note: Although these are obviously not spoilers (as they are predictions), unless you are up to speed with the shows in question… Do not read.
1) Battlestar Galactica
The final Cylon (as 4 of the last five were revealed at the end of series 3) will be President Rosalin. My reasoning for this being that she has been having the same shared dream/vision with both number 6 and also Sharon (boomer – can’t remember her new name). As such, I point the finger and shout CYLON!
2) Doctor Who
For the last few series an old adversary has been added to the rejuvenated series, namely (in order of the series so far): Daleks, Cybermen and the Master. I think that for this series it will be slightly different. In actual fact I believe that it will be the Doctor himself who becomes to main villain.
My reasoning behind this is as follows:
For the last few series the doctor has been referred to at times as almost god like, with powers way beyond what someone should wield. This was driven home somewhat with the most recent episode. Therefore, I believe that for some reason something along these lines will turn the Doctor bad.
Also, it is a known fact that many of the previous assistants will be coming back towards the end of the series, namely Rose, Martha, Sarah Jane and Donna. Rather than assisting the Doctor, however, I believe that they may get together to try and stop him.
3) Lost
The final member of the Oceanic 6 will be: Locke.
It will also be Locke that was in the coffin at the end of series 3. I know that Locke is quite likely the least likely to leave the island, but I think that something will prompt him to do so.
4) 24
The next series (when completed) will:
a) Involve terrorists
b) Involve Jack almost dying on countless occasions
c) Will be only slight less inane than the last series.
Well that’s it from me today…
Okay, I like to think that I’m pretty darn good at predicting the ways in which the storyline of a TV show is going to go and therefore, I’m generally very pleased when I’m genuinely surprised by plot turns. However, here are my predictions for some of he TV shows that I am watching at the moment.
Note: Although these are obviously not spoilers (as they are predictions), unless you are up to speed with the shows in question… Do not read.
1) Battlestar Galactica
The final Cylon (as 4 of the last five were revealed at the end of series 3) will be President Rosalin. My reasoning for this being that she has been having the same shared dream/vision with both number 6 and also Sharon (boomer – can’t remember her new name). As such, I point the finger and shout CYLON!
2) Doctor Who
For the last few series an old adversary has been added to the rejuvenated series, namely (in order of the series so far): Daleks, Cybermen and the Master. I think that for this series it will be slightly different. In actual fact I believe that it will be the Doctor himself who becomes to main villain.
My reasoning behind this is as follows:
For the last few series the doctor has been referred to at times as almost god like, with powers way beyond what someone should wield. This was driven home somewhat with the most recent episode. Therefore, I believe that for some reason something along these lines will turn the Doctor bad.
Also, it is a known fact that many of the previous assistants will be coming back towards the end of the series, namely Rose, Martha, Sarah Jane and Donna. Rather than assisting the Doctor, however, I believe that they may get together to try and stop him.
3) Lost
The final member of the Oceanic 6 will be: Locke.
It will also be Locke that was in the coffin at the end of series 3. I know that Locke is quite likely the least likely to leave the island, but I think that something will prompt him to do so.
4) 24
The next series (when completed) will:
a) Involve terrorists
b) Involve Jack almost dying on countless occasions
c) Will be only slight less inane than the last series.
Well that’s it from me today…
Friday, April 11, 2008
Mario Kart Wii Review
Okay, this can’t really be a review since I’ve only had the game for 1 day, so more like first impressions.
It has to be said that I can’t remember the last time I put so many hours into a new game on the first day that I got it. Looking at my Wii diary it is frightening how long I have played it today, and that my friends is a good sign.
I think that first of all, I think that I should address the control of the game. Very much like SSBB you have a variety of controller options, however, what you also get is the Wii Wheel. I must admit that I was a bit dubious of the Wii Wheel, being a die hard old school Mario Kart fan, however, when I first started playing I gave the Wii Wheel a swirl, and found that I kept on using it for some time, completing all the initial 4 50cc cups using it. It works rather well for a piece of plastic and for novice Mario Kart gamers it is ideal (which is likely the idea of the thing), however, I then tried the Gamecube pad and since then haven’t looked back. Control of the game using the Wii Wheel is very, very good, much better than I had expected, but when I use the Gamecube controller I find that I perform much better, and for that reason alone, I am remaining “old school” when it comes to Mario Kart control.
There are a couple of points I want to make, however. It is very evident that Nintendo would prefer you to use the Wii Wheel. The game keeps a track of how long you use the Wheel and shows the players online who are using it. I have also seen people online with golden Wheel symbols (whatever the hell those mean). However, the most telling indication of this is the button layout for the Gamecube controller. To put it frankly, I could have come up with a better button layout. For some reason they have changed the Double Dash configuration and more annoyingly, assigned the tricks to the D pad. This means, whenever you want to perform a trick, or pull a wheelie, you need to let go of the control stick, which is both unnatural and frankly dumb. I have managed to get used to it, but I can think of better ways in which the pad could be configured and it is shame that you cannot change this. However, I still believe that I do much better with the Gamecube pad, despite these annoyances.
The main bulk of the game isn’t too far removed from Mario Kart DS, some new tracks, some old tracks, but then again I’ve never been one to complain about more Mario Kart. Saying that however, there is no denying that I am loving every second of it. Of the new tracks it is a varied bunch, some are great, others less so.
Next we come onto online. The Wii tends to pick up a lot of flack from the 360 and PS3 camps due to its basic online capabilities. Yes the friend codes are a pain, but I’m normally happy just to jump into a multiplayer game without having to worry about friend codes and for that Mario Kart does admirably. There is not lag, plenty of people to play against, be it racing or battles and the game has run flawlessly so far online for me. There are also a few neat touches, such as the fact that before a race it shows the Mii of who you are racing against, and also where they are based on a globe. Also, if the race is still in progress, you get to watch this.
The match making is also good. Everyone starts with a score of 5000 and depending on wins and losses, this score will increase or decrease. You are then matched against players similar to your score, ensuring that you are equally matched. This also gives you incentive to increase your score. There are also other neat online touches such as being able to race against other players ghost data, matching your time attack time against other people in the world (boy am I good at Bowsers Castle) and also online challenges (which are not active yet – but sound fun).
So overall I have been enjoying Mario Kart Wii just as much as I had hoped. As a Mario Kart Fanatic (which I guess I am) it is everything that I could have hoped for, apart from some slight niggles. It is also a game which is well suited to both casual and more hardcore gamers, now that snaking has been removed there isn’t the gap in skill that there once was, but at the same time, practice does make perfect.
Overall, two big thumbs up.
It has to be said that I can’t remember the last time I put so many hours into a new game on the first day that I got it. Looking at my Wii diary it is frightening how long I have played it today, and that my friends is a good sign.
I think that first of all, I think that I should address the control of the game. Very much like SSBB you have a variety of controller options, however, what you also get is the Wii Wheel. I must admit that I was a bit dubious of the Wii Wheel, being a die hard old school Mario Kart fan, however, when I first started playing I gave the Wii Wheel a swirl, and found that I kept on using it for some time, completing all the initial 4 50cc cups using it. It works rather well for a piece of plastic and for novice Mario Kart gamers it is ideal (which is likely the idea of the thing), however, I then tried the Gamecube pad and since then haven’t looked back. Control of the game using the Wii Wheel is very, very good, much better than I had expected, but when I use the Gamecube controller I find that I perform much better, and for that reason alone, I am remaining “old school” when it comes to Mario Kart control.
There are a couple of points I want to make, however. It is very evident that Nintendo would prefer you to use the Wii Wheel. The game keeps a track of how long you use the Wheel and shows the players online who are using it. I have also seen people online with golden Wheel symbols (whatever the hell those mean). However, the most telling indication of this is the button layout for the Gamecube controller. To put it frankly, I could have come up with a better button layout. For some reason they have changed the Double Dash configuration and more annoyingly, assigned the tricks to the D pad. This means, whenever you want to perform a trick, or pull a wheelie, you need to let go of the control stick, which is both unnatural and frankly dumb. I have managed to get used to it, but I can think of better ways in which the pad could be configured and it is shame that you cannot change this. However, I still believe that I do much better with the Gamecube pad, despite these annoyances.
The main bulk of the game isn’t too far removed from Mario Kart DS, some new tracks, some old tracks, but then again I’ve never been one to complain about more Mario Kart. Saying that however, there is no denying that I am loving every second of it. Of the new tracks it is a varied bunch, some are great, others less so.
Next we come onto online. The Wii tends to pick up a lot of flack from the 360 and PS3 camps due to its basic online capabilities. Yes the friend codes are a pain, but I’m normally happy just to jump into a multiplayer game without having to worry about friend codes and for that Mario Kart does admirably. There is not lag, plenty of people to play against, be it racing or battles and the game has run flawlessly so far online for me. There are also a few neat touches, such as the fact that before a race it shows the Mii of who you are racing against, and also where they are based on a globe. Also, if the race is still in progress, you get to watch this.
The match making is also good. Everyone starts with a score of 5000 and depending on wins and losses, this score will increase or decrease. You are then matched against players similar to your score, ensuring that you are equally matched. This also gives you incentive to increase your score. There are also other neat online touches such as being able to race against other players ghost data, matching your time attack time against other people in the world (boy am I good at Bowsers Castle) and also online challenges (which are not active yet – but sound fun).
So overall I have been enjoying Mario Kart Wii just as much as I had hoped. As a Mario Kart Fanatic (which I guess I am) it is everything that I could have hoped for, apart from some slight niggles. It is also a game which is well suited to both casual and more hardcore gamers, now that snaking has been removed there isn’t the gap in skill that there once was, but at the same time, practice does make perfect.
Overall, two big thumbs up.
Delayed :(
Dear LEE HARRIS,This email is to inform you that one or more products listed below from your order has been delayed from shipping. At this time, we do not have a ship date, but your backordered product(s) should be available again within the next 30 days.
Order Contents:
Rock Band Bundle
Bummer...
On a lighter note I have Mario Kart Wii and am enjoying this no end... Will likely blog about it in the not too distant future.
Order Contents:
Rock Band Bundle
Bummer...
On a lighter note I have Mario Kart Wii and am enjoying this no end... Will likely blog about it in the not too distant future.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Rock band incoming…
Okay, hands up… I folded.
I’ve ordered Rock Band on import.
The reason for this is that I actually managed to find somewhere where it could be imported at a reasonable price. Most online retailers are either sold out or are charging an absolute fortune for the Rock Band bundle. Ebay is worse, where you will have to pay in the region of £170-£200+ for the bundle, and even then not be guaranteed that it is a quality product.
Luckily I stumbled across Barnes and Noble, from a recommendation on a forum. There site is here:
Barnes & Noble
It seems like a really good site actually.
From here I have managed to get the Rock Band bundle including postage for just under £104.00! A pretty good deal in my book. So hopefully should be getting this in the post in the not too distant future :)
My only concern now is DLC. I know that there is a way around this using online credit cards and also the fact that PSN cards may be out in the not too distant future, however, I expect that I won’t be too concerned about DLC initially, I’m sure that I’ll have plenty to keep me occupied.
I will likely blog with my report on the game when I get it through.
I’ve ordered Rock Band on import.
The reason for this is that I actually managed to find somewhere where it could be imported at a reasonable price. Most online retailers are either sold out or are charging an absolute fortune for the Rock Band bundle. Ebay is worse, where you will have to pay in the region of £170-£200+ for the bundle, and even then not be guaranteed that it is a quality product.
Luckily I stumbled across Barnes and Noble, from a recommendation on a forum. There site is here:
Barnes & Noble
It seems like a really good site actually.
From here I have managed to get the Rock Band bundle including postage for just under £104.00! A pretty good deal in my book. So hopefully should be getting this in the post in the not too distant future :)
My only concern now is DLC. I know that there is a way around this using online credit cards and also the fact that PSN cards may be out in the not too distant future, however, I expect that I won’t be too concerned about DLC initially, I’m sure that I’ll have plenty to keep me occupied.
I will likely blog with my report on the game when I get it through.
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