Welcome to my profile. I usually just post a blog entry every once in a while to let everybody know what I have been up to, both gaming wise and in general.

• 4Dec 09

  One semester over, only one more to go.

  It feels weird only having one semester left until I finish uni and need to find myself a career. I'm still uncertain on what I want to do. I'll have to figure that out. So yeah, I finished this semester today. I handed my final essay in (which is due on Monday, but I did it early) and did a little exam in class today, which was just a close analysis of a clip from a film, which was chosen by my tutor. It went well, so all should be fine.

  Anyway, this means I have time to play games again and I have a lot of them to play: Left 4 Dead 2, Batman Arkham Asylum, Fallout 3, the rest of Fable 2, more Forza 3, the rest of Ballad of Gay Tony, Spore (which I got in the steam sales), the entire THQ collection (also from the steam sales), and, of course, more Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer with friends.

  And I still need to buy Assassin's Creed 2, Uncharted 2 and the new Ratchet and Clank.

  That's about it for now. I actually want to go and play these games that I have mentioned, so that I can actually talk about them at some point.

  • Posted Dec 4, 2009 9:03 am PT
  • Category: General
  • 16 Comments

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• 9Nov 09

  Modern Warfare 2

  Hey guys.

  Modern Warfare 2 was sitting waiting for me when I got home from class today, so I have spent all day playing it, and I just wanted to let you all know that it's a fantastic game.

  The single player campaign is short, like the first, but wow, it's amazing. Like the first, the game is just non-stop action and it's very immersive. It looks fantastic, the soundtrack is brilliant and, of course, it plays great too. In fact, if the campaign was 3-5 hours longer, it would be mind-blowing, but then, I wouldn't want that if the actual campaign was sacrificed. There are the spec-ops missions though, but I haven't checked them out yet, so I don't know what they are about.

  Also, there is one mission in the game that really hits you. It has been in the news a bit recently, but honestly, it's crazy. It's disturbing, scary and horrible all at once, but it's brilliant that a game can make you feel this way; literature has done it, music has done it and films have done it too, so it's great seeing games being able to get some real emotions out of you. There is an option to turn the mission off without ever playing it, but I don't recommend it unless you really get offended by stuff.

  And I quickly checked out the multiplayer for an hour, and it's fantastic. I was pretty nervous about all of the new stuff they were adding, but it all really works, or at least it does for the early section of the multiplayer portion. I hate not knowing the maps, but that will change quickly enough, I would imagine.

  There we go. I just wanted to leave some quick impressions from me, and it's likely I will be spending the next few days playing this game solidly. I am so lucky I don't have any essays due in for the next few weeks; it means I have a few days to spend playing games, before going back to writing all day again.

  • Posted Nov 9, 2009 2:19 pm PT
  • Category: Games
  • 27 Comments

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• 6Nov 09

  21, you say?

  So, first things first, I turned 21 today. It's not really a big deal over here in the UK, or at least it isn't for me. There is really nothing different about turning 21 over here. It just means that now if I do take a trip to the U.S, I can drink legally.

  Right now I wouldn't know it's my birthday though. I am currently toiling away writing an essay that is due on Monday. I am pretty much done (well, actually, I am over 1000 words over the word limit, but I still have things I want to write. Luckily my tutor gave me permission to go over the limit; his exact words were "Yeah, **** it, go over.") Anyway, the essay is a close analysis of a scene from any Tarkovsky film. I don't know how many of you are familiar with the work of Tarkovsky, but he's a hard nut to crack. I can appreciate some of the things he does in his films, but I just don't like his films. Anyway, I chose a scene from Andrei Rublev, my favourite of his films. You guys probably don't care though.

  And because I have been so busy with uni, I haven't been playing that many games. I bought Forza 3 and have been playing that when I get a chance, but let me tell you, that game is massive! It's good though. I just wish there were more tracks that were not already featured in Forza 2.

  I also bought Ballad of Gay Tony DLC for GTA4. I have only played a few missions, so I can't really talk about it that much. It's more GTA though, so that's cool. I also bought Fallout 3 GOTY as soon as it came out, but I haven't even opened it yet. I'll get round to that in the Winter break, I think. And I still have Fable 2 to play as well. And due to all of these games I have to play, with some other big games coming soon too, I have cancelled my rental service for a while, as that was just burning a hole in my pocket every month for games that I don't have time to play.

  A couple of blogs ago I talked about pre-ordering Windows 7. I downloaded it and installed it when it was released and I love it. It's reliable. It's fast. It uses less resources than Vista. It looks great. It has a few nifty little features (my favourite being able to snap windows to each side of the screen, which makes it easy for me to watch a video while writing, which I have to do when writing about films ) Overall, Windows 7 is great, and getting it for only £30 was awesome!

  Also, Modern Warfare 2 is out in 4 days time and I don't have to do an essay immediately after it comes out, so I will have a couple of days where I can just sit and play that! Woohoo!

  

  • Posted Nov 6, 2009 6:16 am PT
  • Category: General
  • 34 Comments

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• 26Oct 09

  Tagged....again :(

  I don't know how this whole thing started up again, but I hate these things Both Justplainlucas and GTR2addict have tagged me now, so I'm not going to be a complete spoil sport -- just know that it makes me grumble.

  

  So, here are some facts about me:

  1. I love The Rolling Stones. Seriously, I don't think there has ever been a band that I have just completely and utterly loved, no matter what they produce. I would do anything to be able to see them. In fact, next time they play in the UK, I might end up just going, even if it's at the other side of the country and some of my friends might not want to come. I love them that much. And, they won't be around forever.

  2. I turn 21 next week! Over in the UK, it's not that big of a deal, and it's certainly not a big deal to me, but I'm looking forward to celebrating it none the less.

  3. I'm going to be getting a Nintendo Wii fairly soon. I wasn't going to bother with one, but there are games I really want to play....and I have nothing else to get with my birthday money.

  4. One of my modules for this semester is British Comic book writers. It has been a blast studying comics at uni. It means I get to read comics for uni, as opposed to books and poetry that I don't enjoy! Great fun.

  5. I have been a member of this site for over 4 years now! I didn't really notice a couple of weeks ago, and I don't really care, but I have to fill up this blog somehow.

  6. I hate Halloween. It's pointless. Nobody really knows what it's about. And people try to use it as an excuse to have a party....but I don't need an excuse!

  7. I might get a new PC monitor soon...for no real reason, I just want a bigger one. *shrugs*

  8. I have far too many games to play right now, with very little time to actually play them.

  9. I have written an editorial blog and a review in the past couple of weeks, but I haven't edited them yet, so they remain to be just sitting there...waiting.

  10. I hate these things.

  There you go. You have drawn all of the random facts that I will allow out of me. I hope you all are satisfied now.

  And I won't be tagging anybody as I want this thing to die out as soon as possible.

  

  • Posted Oct 26, 2009 1:43 pm PT
  • Category: General
  • 23 Comments

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• 1Oct 09

  Windows 7 Pre-Ordered

  When I bought my current PC, I bought Vista for it. Honestly, I have never had one major problem with it. I love the way it looks, and when you have the PC specs to allow it to run well, it works great. And, luckily, I never had any major driver or software problems with it. However, it's starting to annoy me now, simply because how much of a hog it has become. As my C drive has filled up a bit, it's getting a bit sluggish with Vista on it.

  Windows 7 comes out this month, and I was never interested in buying it, but Microsoft are offering UK students a great deal; you can upgrade for only £30. Great. Windows 7 seems like a version of Vista that is more reliable, and not anywhere near as much of a system hog, so I thought I might as well buy it for that price, and take advantage of being a student, since it is the last year of being able to do so. Now I am really looking forward to getting my hands on it. I will need to clean install it, since I am running Vista Home Premium, and I bought Windows 7 Professional, and you can't make an in-place upgrade between the two, but this is better in the long run anyway; it can do with a wipe.

  Besides ordering a new OS, I have not being doing much, just concentrating on keeping on top of university work. It's not too bad at the moment, but I have my first big essay due in just over a week. It shouldn't be too bad, because I love the films I am working with at the moment, but I do plan on getting that started this weekend.

  I haven't been playing too many games, so nothing much to talk about there.

  I would just like to mention my last blog, about me loving beer. I was trying out something different, which was just making a short blog about nothing much, and it seemed to be a success. I reckon people don't bother reading big blogs, but it seems a lot of people would read a short and rather pointless blog, and decide to comment on something that was already pointless. This interested me. It's also quite funny. I'll probably make more short blogs in the future, it might mean I actually blog often. Who knows.

  However, I just want to say that I still love beer. Good day.

  • Posted Oct 1, 2009 7:38 am PT
  • Category: General
  • 27 Comments

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• 26Sep 09

  I love beer!

  It's true, I love beer. That's pretty much all I have to say, and all that needs to be said, really.

  Good day.

  • Posted Sep 26, 2009 12:22 pm PT
  • Category: General
  • 45 Comments

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• 19Sep 09

  I have Halo 3 ODST!

  Halo 3 ODST arrived in the mail this morning, 3 full days before release. I've already finished it, and I can safely say this: it's totally halo. It's not a particularly long game, but it is also not full price, and if you don't have the Halo 3 multiplayer maps already, I think it's a complete bargain.

  So, you play as "The Rookie," and you crash land and get split up from your squad. You can wander around the open world at night, and look for clues to where your squad are, and when you find a clue, you go and play that mission. It's kind of weird at the start, but you get used to it, and it's actually pretty cool. Also, you aren't Master Chief, so you don't have fantasic armor and almost super-human strength, but you do have a very handy visor in your helmet that makes fighting in the dark much easier than it otherwise would be. The story itself is alright, nothing amazing, but it's halo, so that's to be expected. I really enjoyed it. I haven't tried the new mode yet, firefight, but I'm pretty sure I know what to expect with that.....more halo!

  I have really just been playing Guitar Hero 5 for the last few days, and I have been enjoying it. It has a massive set list, full of different kinds of bands, and while there are some weird choices, I generally like it. I really love the fact that you don't need to have 4 different instruments if you want to play with your friends, you can all play the same thing, which is fantastic, since nobody ever wants to sing.

  Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic came out on Steam, and I bought it. I played it a few years ago on the xbox, and I really loved it, which is why I have bought it again. I haven't played too much of it yet, but I really look forward to doing so.

  I also bought Fable 2 GOTY edition, simply because I have had it out on rental since the end of June, and it was just costing me money sitting there not getting played. I haven't actually played it since buying it, but I know it will be good. I won't do the DLC missions until later in the game, maybe even after I have finished the original game, but I'll see what happens with that.

  I also have Wheelman out on rental right now...but I haven't played it, and I don't even know when I will get round to playing it. I tried the demo when it first came out, and it was alright, but nothing special.

  That's it for games, for now. It will be the middle of October before I buy another game, and that's Fallout 3 GOTY edition. I started back at uni on Tuesday, and it's the same as always. I had to buy a lot of comics at the start of the week, for uni ( ), but I'm ok with that. It's pretty relaxed so far, but that's to be expected. I'm sure the work load will ramp up soon. Bring on 4th year!

  • Posted Sep 19, 2009 11:52 am PT
  • Category: Games
  • 35 Comments

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• 11Sep 09

  Oh noez! I am going back to uni :(

  My massively long summer break is coming to end. I've been off since the start of April, and that's me just going back now. It's a very long summer, sure, but then I didn't have any exams at the end of last semester, which is what gave me the extra month or two. So, the official Week 1 starts on Monday, but I start on Tuesday, and I'm only half excited for it. I'm doing some great modules this year (graphic novels for English, and then films by 3 great directors for Film), and I'm looking forward to actually doing something again, but I know as soon as the work starts hitting hard, I will miss doing nothing Ah well, this is my last year at uni now, since I'm going into 4th year of my honours degree. I should cherish it, I guess, before I start working full time for the rest of my life.

  So, in my last week off, I've been playing lots of games. I got Beatles Rock Band on Tuesday, and I have pretty much played it non-stop over the past few days. I love it. The songs are fun to play, even some of the songs that I don't really like that much, and the game looks fantastic. Also, the dream sequences are incredible to look at. The game is very easy, but that was to be expected, considering the beatles aren't known for their heavy riffs and face-melting solos. I'm not a massive beatles fan (I think they have some amazing songs, but then some other songs/albums that just aren't all that good), but this game is fantastic. There are some good songs missing e.g. Help!, but it's still a great game. DLC is coming out too, so that's something.

  I also got Guitar Hero 5 yesterday, but I haven't played it yet, simply due to the fact that I was playing Beatles Rock Band all day yesterday, but I think I'm pretty much finished playing that for a while, so I will start on Guitar Hero 5 today.

  I still have Fable 2 out on rental (I've had that since the end of June!) but I have played it a few times now, and really like what I have played. It's pretty addictive. The other night, I spent most of my time wondering around town, buying houses and shops, and tending to my wives and children. In fact, I played it for a couple of hours, and didn't even do any real quests. If I am still not finished it by the end of this month, it's getting sent back and I'm just going to buy it, because I've already had that game out for too long.

  I also have Scene It: Box Office Smash out on rental. I've played a few games of it, and I'll say this: it's scene it! I love trivia, I watch a lot of quiz shows, so I really liked the last scene it game on the 360, and I think I will really like this one too. It's just the same stuff, with a few new games thrown in, and avatar support. I like it.

  That's pretty much it for now. There are plenty of games coming soon, the next one being Halo 3 ODST on the 22nd of this month, and then multiple games next month and the month after. I don't know how I'm going to find the time to play everything that I am buying, being back at uni and all, so I'm sure many of the games are going to have to wait until winter break.

  • Posted Sep 11, 2009 5:27 am PT
  • Category: Games
  • 24 Comments

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• 5Aug 09

  New review!

  I know, crazy right?

  I finished Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and decided I should write a review for it. It's been a long time since I wrote my last one, and the small choice of games that I have decided to review has been very selective, and a little strange. I don't know the reasons behind that. Anyway, I decided to review it because I've been meaning to write reviews for a while, and I better start doing it now before I go back to uni in a few weeks, when my time is sucked away again

  I liked Uncharted, I really did, but there are problems with it I couldn't shake off while playing it. It's a shame it isn't more original, but there you go. If you're interested, the review can be found here.

  As for other games, I still haven't started Fable 2. I've had it out for over a month now. I'll start it soon now I am done with Uncharted. I am about 18 hours into Persona 4 and enjoying it. A long way to go on that one yet though.

  I finally got round to pre-ordering some of my most anticipated games coming out this year, and there are a few of them. I ordered Rock Band Beatles, Guitar Hero 5, Forza Motorsport 3, Fallout 3 GOTY, Modern Warfare 2, and Left 4 Dead 2. Then, just today, I decided to order Halo 3: ODST. I haven't really been bothered about this game before, but I have played Halo 3 a few times recently and it's still a really fun game. ODST should give me and a few friends some multiplayer fun before Modern Warfare 2 and L4D2 come out.

  There are other games coming out that I want, such as Uncharted 2 and Assassins Creed 2, but they can wait until I have finished all of the other games. Hopefully by then the prices will have fallen a little bit too, since those other pre-ordered games are costing quite a few pennies. Autumn is great for sucking away money.

  • Posted Aug 5, 2009 8:20 am PT
  • Category: Games
  • 26 Comments

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• 25Jul 09

  New TV...

  I've mentioned it a couple of times on the boards, but I ordered a new TV last week. It arrived this morning, and I have it all set up now. I can safely say that I'm glad I did decide to upgrade. My last TV was only 2 years old, but it was starting to break. It's not awful, but there are some faint vertical lines that appear sometimes, and for an anal person like me, I noticed them instantly. So, that, coupled with the fact that I have wanted a bigger one for a while, made me decide to get a new one.

  I got a 40" Samsung 1080p LCD, and it's totally sweet. Here are some incredibly bad quality pictures from my phone (just don't mind the mess of cables, I don't really care about them ):

  Before (Samsung 32" 720p) -

  

  After (Samsung 40" 1080p) -

  

  OK, it doesn't look that much bigger in the picture, but sitting here, it's massive and much better quality!

  Oh, and these pictures have made me realise that I really need throw out all of those VHS tapes there, I don't have a VHS player anymore.

  • Posted Jul 25, 2009 4:14 am PT
  • Category: TV
  • 46 Comments

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• 14Jul 09

  I bought a PS2 game....

  It's weird, after all this time only buying 360, PC, and PS3 games, I never thought I would go back to buying another PS2 game, considering I never even look at it now. However, I ordered a new PS2 game the other night, Persona 4. I have been watching the Endurance Run of the game on Giantbomb and it looks good. I usually hate JRPGs, but seeing this one getting played only made me want to play it myself, and I finally cracked and ordered the game. It should be here in a couple of days, with any luck. Hopefully I will like it as much as I like watching it on Giantbomb.

  Since my last blog, I have been playing Spiderman Web of Shadows, which I completed the other night. It's actually really quite fun, especially for a spiderman game. Sure, it does get repeatitive, as you do just mash x a whole lot, but it wasn't awful. It is certainly better than Spiderman 3.

  I have also just started playing Red Alert 3 on the PC, again. I only played a few missions when I first got it, and then I just never went back to it, but yesterday I felt like playing it...so I sat and played through the entire Russian campaign in one go. It's really awesome. The cutscenes are so cheesy and funny, the missions are quite fun (for the most part), and the gameplay is just as good as it always was. Also, I love the art style that RA3 has. It also looks great running on Ultra High at my maximum resolution. I started the Allied campaign today, and got a few missions into it. I am looking forward to the Empire of the rising sun campaign too, they look like quite a different experience compared with the other two.

  That's really about it for games. I am getting Rock Band AC/DC sent out to me from the rental site, which should be good. I have had it on my list since release, but they never had it in stock until a few weeks ago, and they have sent it out already. Good times.

  EDIT: And apparently I went up to level 60 today. I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing though...

  • Posted Jul 14, 2009 1:46 pm PT
  • Category: Games
  • 25 Comments

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• 30Jun 09

  Got Fable 2!

  But I didn't buy it!

  Yeah, I have had Fable 2 on my rental list for quite some time and it arrived this morning. To be fair, it's a game I probably could justify buying, but I just never got round to it. Anyway, I haven't played it yet, but from all the praise I keep hearing about it, I look forward to it. However, I am going to complete Spiderman: Web of Shadows first, which is the other game I have out at the moment, and have had it for quite a few weeks.

  It's been quite some time since I have blogged about any games I have been playing, and because of that, I don't think I ever mentioned that I got Guitar Hero Metallica, which I love. It's a guitar hero game, with lots of Metallica songs, so it's perfect for me I also bought Rocket Riot on XBLA, which is the first XBLA game I have bought in quite some time. I really like it. It's a quirky little dual stick shooter, and I am partial to a good dual stick shooter. I really love the style of it, and while it does get really hard towards the end, it's really quite fun. I should probably start buying other XBLA games that I have been missing out on for months, namely Castle Crashers.

  Also, like Fable 2, I have been wanting to play Fallout 3 for quite some time now, although again I have never got round to buying it. However, I have never wanted to bother renting it, due to it's length and DLC, so I ordered the game two nights ago. I am going to wait for the Game of the Year version, which comes with all 5 DLC packs, for only £25! Looks like a total bargain to me, and I can't wait to get it whenever it does come out.

  I would like to be able to talk about other stuff, but nothing really comes to mind. I have just been chilling, playing some games and reading some books. You know, just enjoying the long summer break.

  Oh, I feel like I should mention that I can't seem to stop listening to Pink Floyd. I have always liked them, but recently I am really liking them. Like I mentioned on my twitter a couple of weeks ago, 'Wish You Were Here' could be the best song ever.

  EDIT: I forgot to mention that I bought Super Stardust HD on the PSN. It's on offer at the moment for £1.59! I haven't played it yet though.

  • Posted Jun 30, 2009 2:29 pm PT
  • Category: Games
  • 23 Comments

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• 1Jun 09

  Thanks to Jody!

  So in my last blog, I was complaining about the decision to remove the subscriber chat for E3. Due to Jody being a trooper, she has set up a subscriber chat for the subscribers, just like normal.

  The only difference is, there won't be an official link on the E3 page, like normal, instead you will need to get the URL link to have access (and of course, you have to be a subscriber.)

  So, here it is: http://uk.gamespot.com/pages/event/uberpop/chat.php?chat=y&event=e3_live_show_day_120090602

  Make sure you are logged into your subscriber account before trying to join. It won't work otherwise.

  Again, the person we need to thank here is Jody. She has been amazing in trying to get a chat for us. She knows want the people of this site wants. I also want to share my major disappointment for the staff who decided to pull the chat, and then refuse to listen to the people of this site. I am very disappointed at them. Jody makes up for them though

  So, chat regulars, make sure to get in that chat for E3 madness! Woohoo!

  • Posted Jun 1, 2009 8:47 am PT
  • Category: General
  • 21 Comments

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• 28May 09

  E3 without chat?!

  There is going to be no subscriber chat for E3 this year, and while I have already posted a feedback thread detailing my thoughts, I just want to write a quick blog about it.

  I don't know how many of you reading this actually use the subscriber chats, but I definitely know some of you do, so you will understand.

  I personally find this decision to be a terrible one, that will directly affect my enjoyment of E3. Aside from it being one of the last things that subscribers are actually getting on the site, chatting with other subscribers about the video you are all watching is one of the best things about E3.

  I'm always in the subscriber chats for any live video GS put on, and E3 is like the Holy Grail when it comes to subscriber chats on GS. It's always filled with subscribers chatting all day for the three or four days of video, and that's fantastic. I don't know if I can really watch several hours on end of video without chatting to some of my peers through a chat, and even if I do manage to watch it all, it certainly will not be as much fun as years gone by.

  I'm so disappointed at this decision to remove the chat, and I can safely say that I am not looking forward to the show as much as I was before. This might sound a bit too far for anybody that is never in the chat, but for those of you that do take part in the chats, you know how much fun they usually are, and E3 chat is the best of them all, or used to be anyway.

  

  • Posted May 28, 2009 2:04 am PT
  • Category: General
  • 26 Comments

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• 15May 09

  Game of the year - Revision

  Back in December, I wrote up a blog detailing my favourite games of 2008. I knew that I hadn't played all the games that I wanted to, but I really didn't want to wait until now before writing up my first list. I was happy with that list at the time, and I don't regret it. However, as of May 2009, I have played a few more games that replace some of the ones on the older list, so I thought it was only fair to do so now. So, my previous top 5 were:

  5. Rock Band
  4. Burnout Paradise
  3. Rock Band 2
  2. Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2
  1. Grand Theft Auto 4

  My GOTY, GTA4, has not changed. I still think that is the best game that came out last year, and one that I loved. However, I have to re-shuffle the rest of them into a new appropriate order (I have extended the list from 5 to 10):

  10. LittleBigPlanet
  9. Resistance 2
  8. Rock Band
  7. Burnout Paradise
  6. Rock Band 2
  5. Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2
  4. Left 4 Dead
  3. Dead Space
  2. Metal Gear Solid 4
  1. Grand Theft Auto 4

  I want to talk a little about each of the new entries that I have played after writing that blog in December:

  LittleBigPlanet - It's not an amazing platformer, but it's a pretty amazing game. The level of creation in the game is astounding. I haven't even tried to mess about with the creation tools that much, simply because I don't have the thought of what the hell I could do. Some of the user created levels are fantastic though. Plus, the game is just so much fun.
  
  Resistance 2 - I only finished this the other day, but it deserves the spot. It's different from the first game, but I still liked it. I love the new graphics in the game, and the general gameplay has improved since the first in the series, although the story was a little lacking, which is why it is only 9th.

  Left 4 Dead - Wow, what a blast this game is. Shooting endless zombies never really gets old, especially with a few friends online. Even though the game is nowhere near as fun playing on your own, I still enjoy running through a campaign now and again on my own, which given that there are only 4 campaigns and I have played them all countless times, is one hell of a feat for any game. I really love this game, I just wish more campaigns would be released by DLC.

  Dead Space - I just finished this yesterday and I really love it (So much so that right after I finished it, I started a new game and am now over half way through it). The best thing about it is the atmosphere. When you are walking about in this abandonded ship, you always feel like something could jump out at you -- You hear movements in the vents and see shadows, not to mention the lights like to go out occasionally. The graphics are outstanding, as is the gameplay and story. All in all, a fantastic game.

  Metal Gear Solid 4 - Well, I wrote a blog saying how much I loved this game when I finished it, and that is still true. The story is incredible, as is the graphics. The gameplay is refined from previous Metal Gear games and it just works so well. You never have to be completely stealthy, which suits me. The music is fantastic. The characters are great. I can go on and on, but the truth is, you have probably heard all of this before, and probably are getting fed up of it.

  
  So there we have it. I would have just left the previous list as my top 5 if there weren't so many other fantastic games that I have played afterwards. It might seem a bit 'obvious' to have MGS4 and GTA4 as my top two, but honestly, both those games are outstanding enough that the choice is completely valid. Those games rock!

  I will say it again, 2008 was one hell of a year. The best thing is, I still want to play Fallout 3 and Fable 2 at some point.

  • Posted May 15, 2009 4:09 am PT
  • Category: Games
  • 18 Comments

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• 12May 09

  Update on 360 and PC

  Just to let you all know, I have everything sorted again. I'll start with the 360. The other one is, of course, still broken, but my new arcade model arrived today, which means I have been playing Dead Space again. One thing I have noticed about having a new model 360 is that it actually keeps a lot cooler than my old one, which should be good. Let's just hope it lasts a few years.

  Moving on to the PC. I got my PC back on Saturday night, and it wasn't a moment too soon. My laptop is fine, but it's so slow compared to this PC and I was taking bad. The PC did get a clean install of windows, and it's running fine now. However, it was found out that one of my RAM sticks was faulty, which might have been the root of the problem. So, I currently only have 3GB of RAM in my PC, and because the RAM I bought with the PC only came in dual kits, I can't find a single GB of the same RAM (I need the same RAM to run in Dual Channel), so I have ordered another dual kit of the same RAM, and I will then have a spare stick in case another one decides to become faulty at any point. The new RAM hasn't arrived yet, but it should be any day. No major rush anyway, the PC runs pretty good with 3GB.

  So I am back to normal, which is great. To celebrate that, I got two new rentals through the door this morning: 50 Cent Blood on the Sand and Wanted. Both games I have been wanting to play for a while, but obviously not wanting to buy.

  I also should mention that I played and finished Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty on the same day that I bought it. It's a good game, like Tools of Destruction, but it is short, but then I guess that is why they only made it a PSN game. It was worth the money though. I also started Resistance 2 that night, and I just finished that this morning while waiting on my new 360 to arrive. I liked the campaign of Resistance 2, although it is surprisingly different from the first. The graphics look fantastic, I think, but two guns at a time is a bit restricting, because there are so many cool guns that people might miss out on simply because the default weapons are so good. The story is pretty generic and pretty boring, but the gameplay is good. I did like the campaign, overall, but I have yet to try the multiplayer, which is apparently better.

  Goodbye!

  • Posted May 12, 2009 11:06 am PT
  • Category: Games
  • 16 Comments

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• 9May 09

  Update on 360

  My 360 is broken! My new component cable came today, and it's the same problem so there was nothing wrong with my cable. That means my 360 has packed it. Well, it's working, I just can't see it working. I have already ordered myself a new arcade model, and that *should* get here on Tuesday. I could get it repaired for slightly less money, but at this point, it's much easier and better to get a new 360 with a new warranty.

  And my PC got real messed up, and the repair guy I go to can't find out the exact reason why it went like that, but it's getting a fresh install of windows. He has backed up both my hard drives though, so it will be like nothing ever happened. With any luck, I should be getting it back in a few hours time, and that won't be a moment too soon. I have my laptop connected up to my monitor right now, and that is fine as a back up, but it's so slow compared to my PC that I take bad to it. Oh well, least it will be over soon.

  In the last few days, I've been playing lots of Ratchet and Clank on the PS3. I completed Tools of Destruction last night, and I have to say, I loved it. It's a really fun game, and surprisingly longer than I thought it would be. There are plenty of variations of weapons, and some of them are really great fun to use. I liked it so much, that as soon as I finished the game, I bought Quest for Booty on the Playstation Store and just started playing that this morning, and so far it's much the same, which I really like.

  That's all for now folks.

  • Posted May 9, 2009 4:25 am PT
  • Category: Games
  • 27 Comments

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• 5May 09

  I also hate Xbox 360s!

  If your read yesterdays blog, then you know I already hate computers, but now I hate Xbox 360s. I don't have the red lights flashing at me, I just have no picture coming up on the TV. So, there are two things it could be. It could just be the component cable I have is fried and I need a new one, or it could be the 360 itself and I can either pay £80 for repair, or buy a new one. I found this out last night, while I was still angry at my PC. Yesterday was an amazing day, full of things I use everyday breaking on me. Fantastic!

  So, I ordered a new component cable that is estimated to arrive in 2-3 days time, so I just hope that is the problem. If that isn't the problem, then I have to go and buy a new 360, arcade model. I guess this way works out the best since the arcade models don't come with component cables anyway, so I definitely would need a new cable anyway, and I don't need another hard drive, so this looks to be the best option.

  So now I just wait, for both my component cable and then maybe a new 360, and also my PC. Right, hopefully my laptop and PS3 manage to stay alive for another few days, at least.

  On a slightly better note, I got a new graphic novel today, Alan Moore's From Hell. I thought it was quite expensive when ordering it, but it's a massive book, so it's well worth it. I forgot to say that my university is offering a graphic novel module next year, which I am going to take, so I am going to be buying lots more in the few weeks to come to read them over the summer break.

  • Posted May 5, 2009 3:35 am PT
  • Category: General
  • 37 Comments

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• 4May 09

  I hate computers!

  I do hate computers, well, I hate them when they don't work. My PC crapped out on me today. I don't really want to get into it, because I don't know all of the little details, but there are several problems with it at the moment and I think it all stemmed from a registry problem. Needless to say, I don't know how to fix it, so I am handing it in to my local repair guy tomorrow, and hopefully he can have some luck with it. It has been working perfectly for a long time now, and this problem has come out of the blue. I love it when it's working, and completely hate it when it does something like this for no reason. Although, this has been the first major problem with this PC that I haven't been able to fix myself.

  I realise it has been a long time since my last blog, but I haven't really been up to much to justify blogging. Sure, I've been playing games, but I have nothing I really want to say about them, to be honest.

  Although, I have finally started playing Dead Space and I really love it so far. It's not a scary game in the sense that it makes you jump a lot, but the atmoshpere is terrific and it makes you think that anything can happen at any time, and that is great. I am not too far into it, the fourth mission, but it's really good so far.

  I also played Lego Batman, and really enjoyed that. I can say that I completely disagree with the GS review, and score, because I thought it was a great little lego game. It's longer than the others, it has completely different character types from before, and I found it to be funny. Plus, the GS review lists the AI as being terrible, but I never had a problem with it. I thought it was solid. I am not saying it's an amazing game, by any means, but it's a lot better than the GS review made it out to be.

  I also got round to finishing Killzone 2. I haven't played any multiplayer yet, so I can't comment on that, but I enjoyed the single player game. It's not amazing, but it does look fantastic and it does play pretty well. I jsut found most of the storyline to be a "meh" moment, and I still don't know why they made the design choice to make the controls feel heavy. They aren't awful, but they are a bit lacking, but that is coming from a massive Call of Duty fan.

  Anyway. That's enough from me...for now.

  • Posted May 4, 2009 12:27 pm PT
  • Category: General
  • 26 Comments

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• 29Mar 09

  Oh yes, I'm done!

  It has been a while since my last blog. I've been around on the site, as usual, but not really as much for the past six weeks. This is because I have had a whole bunch of uni assignments to do, and pretty much all had to be done for tomorrow. So, instead of rushing them at the last minute, I have been making sure to do bit by bit over the course of the last month and a half and it has paid off. While I have been busy for the last couple of weeks, it's not been completely stressful. Anyway, I got all my assignments finished today, and I have to hand them in tomorrow and that is me done. I don't have any exams for these modules so I don't have to go back in a few weeks. It's going to be a very long summer, but that isn't such a bad thing

  While I have been around on the forums here, I haven't played an awful lot of games in those weeks. My last blog was about me completing Metal Gear Solid 4, and that feels like an age ago now. I have bought two games since then, Killzone 2 and Resident Evil 5. I have only played a few missions of Killzone 2, so can't comment too much. As for Resident Evil 5, I really like the game. It's not as amazing as RE4, but it does a really good job of extending the gameplay. It is an action game now, but I don't think that is a bad thing, just different. I'm currently going through veteran mode with somebody from the site (Dave - aka MC old David), and co-op is a lot better than single player, although single player wasn't exactly bad.

  Aside from that, I have been playing Saints Row 2 over the past few weeks. That game is a hell of a lot of fun, a big improvement over the first one. I completed all of the missions a couple of weeks ago but I have just been doing a few of the activities since then, some of which are fun and then some others are veryfrustrating. I think I'm done with Saints Row 2 now though.

  Also, I got back into Call of Duty 4 online last week and that game is still amazing. I've been playing with Dave and Joe (The previously mentioned MC old David, and Young Joseph). We went on an RPG run the other night, just firing rockets at everybody, and it was very funny. I expect to be spending a lot of time over the next few weeks/months with this game.

  I still have a few games I need to play and complete though - Far Cry 2, Dead Space, Resistance 2, Ratchet and Clank and Uncharted. And they are all games I own, I still have 2 rentals out that I haven't played much of, if at all (Prince of Persia and Bourne Conspiracy). I've had them both out since February 13th, and have only played a very small amount of Prince of Persia. I need to get them finished and get some new games out.

  It's all good though, because I have plenty of time to be playing games, and to try and find a summer job but I am going to take a few weeks break to just relax.

  I think that just about covers everything, and if not, I don't care.

  • Posted Mar 29, 2009 10:48 am PT
  • Category: General
  • 23 Comments

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