Little Miss and Ice Tea

Hi,

I've have always, always, wanted to try ice tea... Don't know why, I just have.

Tried it for the first time tonight... The verdict???? Absolutely lovely... Does this make me odd? Or at least odder?

Film Watched:

Little Miss Sunshine.

This film will not win Best Picture.

It should, but it won't. That will more than likely go to The Departed.

Little Miss Sunshine, however, has to be the best film I have seen from last year out of Hollywood (Best film overall from last year would have to be Lady Vengeance). This is a touching, funny, smart and just damn enjoyable movie. What more can you ask for really?

At least I have something to support now in the Oscar race, even if it is the underdog, but what the hell, Crash won last year and nobody saw that one coming! Maybe, just maybe they'll give the Best Director nod to The Departed and look elsewhere for best Picture?

8/10

Zelda complete..........

Yep - just finished it... In just over 50 hours play. Phew.

Time to rest now!

Perverted gaming and Oscar noms

I really wasn’t planning on putting this on my blog, but after speaking to a friend last night, he persuaded me to add the link…

Before looking, I must warn you, this is about as perverted and explicit I have ever seen a computer game go to. It makes Dead or Alive Volleyball look like a Carry on Film in comparison. Only in Japan could you possibly find something like this!

It's from a japanese game called Sexy Beach 3 (I guess there must have been 2 games before!) I'm guessing it's for the PC, but to be frank - I don't have a clue. Bear in mind that this is actual gameplay footage!

I’m warning you again, do not look if you are easily offended… Also, this is definitely NSFW!

Perverted gaming to the extreme!

I also stumbled upon another clip of the game that is much MUCH worse... That I will not put on this blog

Well, it’s that time of year again… Oscar nominations.

This year is a little unusual in that, in my opinion, there are no standout films. There’s also no particular film that I feel like I can rally behind, then again, at present of the best film nominations, I have only actually seen one of the films (The Departed). Maybe if I get the chance to watch a couple more before the big date, my opinion will change.

I’m a little disappointed that United 93 wasn’t nominated as Best film, as this was probably one of the most powerful films I saw from last year. Oh well!

I know it’s been said time and time again, but I really think that this year may be the year for Scorsese. While I may not have liked The Departed as much as I’d anticipated, it’s still a good film. Nowhere near as good as the likes of Taxi Driver or Goodfellas, but it’s about time that little Marty got his Oscar.

I’ll probably make my predictions in the coming weeks and post them here. I anticipate that I may not be as successful as previous years, but we’ll see…

Anyway, here is the list in full:

Nominees!

Ex-boss, VC and Osu! Takake! Oendan!

Recently, my ex-supervisor (of about 5 years ago) has been assigned to me as my assistant. This is, to say the least, a little odd. I have to assign any lessor, or more menial tasks to her to deal with rather than me deal with them myself, and I tend to feel rather guilty asking her to do this. As I said, the situation is, well a little odd.

After a few boring weeks on the virtual console of late, today we have one of the greatest games of all time to download, none other than Street Fighter 2. Yes, that’s right, the best and only fighting game that you ever need to own.

I would download it myself, except for the fact that I already own it on my SNES.

Talking of great games, I just got a copy of Oendan through the post today. For those not in the know, this is the Japanese game released by Inis prior to Elite Beat Agents. It’s basically the same game mechanics, but with J-pop songs, even more bizarre stories, male cheerleaders and maybe a little less polish than Elite Beat Agents. The most fun is trying to figure out what the hell is going on (it’s in Japanese)… Tell me again why a race horse is trying to capture a burgler?????

I’ve only had a quick game so far, but it seems every bit as addictive as Elite Beat Agents, which is a good, good thing. I happened to beat Elite Beat Agents on the normal difficulty setting the other day, and I’m now playing through it on hard mode. I’d love to be able to get past this and unlock very hard and with it, the Elite Beat Divas.

You what!!! (2)

Okay, so I know that the DS has had it's fair share of odd games simulating strange occupations... Lawyer... Cook... Surgeon... Detective... Stock Market Trader...

Isn't this, however, a step too far?????

FIGURE SKATING DS

What's next? Porn Star DS.... No, don't even go there!

You what??????

Take a look at the link below (from Gameindustry.biz) from Tory MP Boris Johnson ...

"Just say no to Nintendo,"

Really... I'm at a loss for words...

Hell, get a kid to play Phoenix Wright and it will teach him or her how to read AND teach a little about the legal system... When will MP's realise that games are not just violent GTA clones and can actually stimulate the mind as well. Hell, Advance Wars and Disgaea give me no end of brain ache.

What. A. Prat.

EBA & RRR

Games Played:
Elite Beat Agents
A fantastic game for the DS, rhythm action and great fun to boot. I’m playing through on the easiest setting and even now on the later stages it’s damn difficult.

This game is exactly the reason that the DS is trouncing the completion. There is no way that this game could be played on anything other than the DS and it is also quirky and amusing as well.

I would highly recommend

Rayman Raving Rabbids
This is another game with Rhythm based elements and also great fun. This certainly makes good use of the Wiimote and has a fair amount a variety to it.

I’m a little concerned that the game itself may not last too long, but there may be some reply value here as well. We’ll see anyway.

Wii Opera

Well the web browser from Opera is now up and running and ready to download for the Wii, it may be a beta version, but it’s still very impressive. Simple and easy to use, it’s just perfect for those who are both used to the complexities of PC use and therefore, just perfect for Nintendo’s target audience, namely those out there who are less used to gaming.

The speed of the browser is just as good ad your average PC and the browser handles more complex sites such as Youtube, including streaming video, just perfectly. The only thing it lacks is a keyboard, but even then, typing isn’t as slow as you’d imagine.

For great flash games for the Wii try Wiicade:

Wiicade, just here…

Just finished the 3rd Dungeon in Zelda, which was right pain…. The boss on the other hand, was a complete breeze in comparison.

Forecast and slight Zelda Spoiler

The Wii Forcast channel is now up and running... Who would have thought that spinning the globe round and round like a basketball would be so much fun!

Sure it's limited (doesn't show Guernsey), but a fun little addition all the same.

Only a few more days now until the Beta Opera Browser. I'm looking forward to seeing how well the Wii handles the internet.

*** Zelda Spoiler ***

For those who have played Ocarina of Time, the words "Water Temple" bring about a shudder of fear... Well let me tell you, it's back... It's bad (as in difficult naturally - not bad, bad).

I'm ashamed to say that my other games really don't get much of a look in at the moment, Zelda pretty much monopolises my time. Although I did get a Fitness age of 27 on Wii Sports the other day, strangely enough, just as I was starting to come down with a cold... Fitness eh!

should be blogging

Hi,

Should really be blogging, stating how cool the Wii is. Just would rather spend my time playing, than writing at present.

I will say this however.... Zelda.... FANTASTIC...

There... back to Zelda then....

Wii (the verdict)

I’ll keep this short, many games to play, little time to play them!

Managed to nab myself a Wii, I think I was quite lucky by the sounds of things. Demand was high and supply low. I have some friends who also managed to get one, but also, some who didn’t.

I had a couple of friends round last night for a go and I have to say, the Wii make the perfect multiplaying console, an absolute blast.

It is a lovely, lovely little machine…

Games played:
Wii Sports
A great pick up and play game. Wii Tennis is a perfect introduction to the Wii and the other games, whilst varying in quality, also demonstrate how well the controller works. The graphics may be simplistic, but bright, simplistic graphics running in 480p at 60fps suit the Wii just perfectly (more some sometime than more detailed graphics).

Roz beat the living daylights out of me in boxing!

Wii Play
Another good introduction to the Wiimote and a godsend, as this includes a second Wiimote (BTW did I mention how small they are – no – well they’re tiny). Not much reply value for one player, but for 2 player games they are good fune.

Call of Duty 3
Picked this up because I couldn’t get hold of Monkey Ball. Have only had a quick go so far. A bit disappointed that this doesn’t support 480p, but I guess that’s just me bitching a bit.

Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
As I was saying… Popped into town later on in the day and Woolworths must have restocked, and had Monkey Ball! So naturally got that as well (ouch – bank balance cries out in pain).

I love the simply bright graphics, which suit the game perfectly, also runs at a smooth 60fps and looks beautiful. I didn’t have too much difficultly getting used to the controller in the main game and so far, I’m really enjoying it. Does seem to have the random elements of MB2 so far (fingers crossed).

The Mini games are a bit of a mixed bag, some work well, others don’t. Have played these as much so far, but some do show promise (most of them based on older games).

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The BIG one.

At first, I was a little unsure about this, it took me a little while to get used to playing Zelda the new way and also, it starts very slow. Also, most annoyingly, there is a damn difficult fishing challenge at the beginning of the game that makes you want to throw the controller down in frustration and walk away from the game. Once you get passed this, however, things brighten up considerably.

I’m a couple of hours into the game so far and have just entered the twilight realm and I’m now absolutely loving every second

itrip & cable tracking

The tape adaptor that I used in our car for my ipod bust the other day – as such we purchased an “itrip” which is basically a FM transmitter. You set a frequency on the little device and tune in your car radio to the same frequency. It works pretty damn well, and I’m must impressed. The quality of the signal is also much improved over my now knackered tape adaptor.

My component cable for the Wii is currently on it’s way to me from Hong Kong, courtesy from Play Asia. I have to admit that I’m rather sad. I tend to get very excited about courier services where you can track exactly where your delivery is in the world. I just can’t help but take a look every few hours just to see whether it has moved and if so, exactly what has happened to it and where it is. The cables are now in the UK and should be with me very shortly. This will be the first part of my Wii which I’ll be getting.

On 5 more day to the BIG day.

Wii advert & Medusa

Just saw my first Wii advert on TV before (please bear in mind, I do not watch much TV). Only just over a week to go now. I’m a little concerned by the news of a huge demand for the Wii in Europe, but hopefully since I preordered early, I should get one on launch. Also I’m a little concerned that component cables may be hard to get hold of from day one. In America they are currently selling for $150+, Luckily I have 3 sets of cables preordered from 3 separate places – including Hong Kong (I was expecting high demand).

I really, really must play Zelda in all its 480p glory…

I really am very sad…

I really don’t care…

Film watched:
The Medusa Touch
A DVD that I got for my birthday and a great horror film from the late 70’s. I can’t believe it’s just a PG. I know that there’s next to no blood, sex or violence in the film, but jeez, it’s still a little scary!

What surprised me watching the DVD was the quality of the print… It’s fantastic. Taken from a newly remastered HD print, it’s better quality than most current DVD’s film in the last 2 years. Really rather spectacular.

I remember this film gave me nightmares after watching it when I was younger – hopefully the same won’t happen again tonight.

8/10

Console Wars and Bond

Well this last weekend has seen the release (in the US at least) of the PS3 on Friday and the Wii on Sunday and so to mark this occasion, in the voice of Yoda, I have five words to utter…

Begun the console wars have

Film watched:
Casino Royale

An apt sub-title for this should be “Bond Begins”, because in much the same way that Batman Begins was a reboot of the Batman franchise, Casino Royale is a much needed reboot of the Bond franchise.

As much as I love Bond films, and as much as I enjoyed Pierce Brosnon, it got to the point during Die Another Day, that the Bond films were almost as silly as the bond parodies (I’m thinking Austin Powers and the like). As such, Casino Royale is back to basics, with no over the top effect, no gadgets or plans or world domination. In fact a large portion of the film is based around the poker table.

Stand out moments for me are the chase through a construction site and the torture scene.

Daniel Craig does a fine job as Bond, he may lack the charisma of Brosnan, but instead has a more rugged charm, similar in some respect to Connery. As Bond’s go he’d pretty damn ruthless and also, definitely not invulnerable (I pity his balls, I really do).

My main complain would be the finale in Venice was a bit of a let down, especially if on a pure action level, it is compared to the opening chase.

Overall, a good solid Bond film, but not up there with the best of them yet.

7.5/10

Expert opinion?

Want an experts opinion on which controller is best, namely PS3, XBox360 or Wii?????

Why not ask a 5 year old....

Take a look!