That title can only mean one thing! Not quite as snappy as it could have been but hey, I don't get paid to write this. In fact I only do it to amuse myself and that title fulfilled that role for me. So I'm just going to bash them out like a thirteen year old home alone with the internet. Charming.
Top 10 Films
1. Where The Wild Things Are
2. (500) Days Of Summer
3. Up
4. Watchmen
5. Star Trek
6. Adventureland
7. Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince
8. Fantastic Mr Fox
9. Avatar
10. Drag Me To Hell
Top 10 Games
1. Fifa 10
2. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
3. Batman: Arkham Asylum
4. Left 4 Dead 2
5. Halo 3: ODST
6. Borderlands
7. Resident Evil 5
8. Red Faction: Guerrilla
9. Prototype
10. Halo Wars
Top 10 Artists/Albums/Songs (Via Last FM)
1. Radiohead (643)
2. Biffy Clyro (396)
3. Frightened Rabbit (336)
4. The Maccabees (331)
5. LCD Soundsystem (316)
6. Future Of The Left (315)
7. Dananananaykroyd (206)
8. Blur (169)
9. Bloc Party (151)
10. Tubelord (150)
1. The Maccabees - Wall Of Arms (256)
2. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight (241)
3. LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver (230)
4. Dananananaykroyd - Hey Everyone (188)
5. Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions (164)
6. Future Of The Left - Travels With Myself And Another (161)
7. Radiohead - Amnesiac B-Sides (133) *
8. Karen O + The Kids - Where The Wild Things Are Original Soundtrack (131)
9. The Dodos - Visiter (115)
9. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (115)
1. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends (77)
2. Frightened Rabbit - The Modern Leper (53)
3. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great (52)
4. Frightened Rabbit - My Backwards Walk (51)
5. The Maccabees - Young Lions (47)
6. Biffy Clyro - That Golden Rule (42)
7. Frightened Rabbit - Keep Yourself Warm (40)
8. Blur - The Universal (37)
8. LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum (37)
10. Radiohead - Worrywort (36) **
So there you have it. Amazing how little of my music is from this year, but that's the truth it seems. Good job there isn't a similar program for the 360. That one would be all out of whack too then. Bloody Blue Dragon would be in there too. Anyway, roll on 2010 and that.
*I made a compendium album of the b-sides and labelled it thus. Can't believe it made it to be honest.
** It was a three way tie but I went for the one that wasn't by Frightened Rabbit
Showing posts with label Batman Arkham Asylum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Batman Arkham Asylum. Show all posts
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
Saturday, 12 December 2009
Various Titbits #5
Been a busy week for for me, culminating in my last shift of the week in a couple of hours now. I'm officially nocturnal now, before I dabbled in insomnia. Occasionally not reaching slumber until the harsh rays of light and audible stumble of approaching school children (I live near a school, not by choice of course. Coincidence I assure you.). Anywho this leaves me with very little time for my usual habits of films and the like, but as ever I made time.
So cinematically speaking very little has happened. I did however get to re-watch Batman Begins last Sunday for the first time since I saw it at the multiplex. It seems strange that a film released about 5 years ago is only just having it's network premiere. I remember as a kid that network premieres were the most exciting thing about television. Another reason why Christmas was a magical time of year, Mum and Dad hadn't taken you to the cinema to see the film when it came out and now its on at 2pm on Boxing Day. Hurrah! But anyway, the film is better than I remember it being. Although there is no Ledger show-stopping performances there is just one long blockbuster that entertains from start to finish. Also making The Scarecrow scary is an achievement in itself. I always remember him being a bit lame in the cartoon but in the film he's realised as an element of true psychological horror. Something they also took to Arkham Asylum. Seemingly Batman can do no wrong these days. Here's hoping they do get round to making a third, even if The Dark Knight is going to be almost impossible to top I'm sure the Nolan brothers will conjure up a story which clamber near those dizzy heights.
I've also been watching a fair bit of TV but nothing out of the ordinary. All I will say is I'm very thankful for the BBC's comedic output. Something good to watch almost every night before work on the iPlayer. Still, saving True Blood and Misfits for the weekend. Going to get home at 12 today after my shift, whack on Score and have a few beers. Then start the catch up. Good times. I have also progressed quite far in Borderlands. I do find myself getting a little bored with the quests, lots of fetching and shooting and the like. Unfortunately no-one on my friends list is playing it or even owns it by the look of it and I don't really fancy diving in to the pre-pubescent, expletive ridden land of Xbox Live alone. Oh well, sparing plays for short periods have made this less of a worry but I can't help but feel I'm missing out on the majority of the fun of the game. If it's anything like that seen in Left 4 Dead its probably going to be a fair whack of it. Right best be off, got to make a sandwich for work. Now that I live in GMT+13. So I imagine this is what its like to be Russian, starting your day when everyone else has finished theirs. How very depressing.
So cinematically speaking very little has happened. I did however get to re-watch Batman Begins last Sunday for the first time since I saw it at the multiplex. It seems strange that a film released about 5 years ago is only just having it's network premiere. I remember as a kid that network premieres were the most exciting thing about television. Another reason why Christmas was a magical time of year, Mum and Dad hadn't taken you to the cinema to see the film when it came out and now its on at 2pm on Boxing Day. Hurrah! But anyway, the film is better than I remember it being. Although there is no Ledger show-stopping performances there is just one long blockbuster that entertains from start to finish. Also making The Scarecrow scary is an achievement in itself. I always remember him being a bit lame in the cartoon but in the film he's realised as an element of true psychological horror. Something they also took to Arkham Asylum. Seemingly Batman can do no wrong these days. Here's hoping they do get round to making a third, even if The Dark Knight is going to be almost impossible to top I'm sure the Nolan brothers will conjure up a story which clamber near those dizzy heights.
I've also been watching a fair bit of TV but nothing out of the ordinary. All I will say is I'm very thankful for the BBC's comedic output. Something good to watch almost every night before work on the iPlayer. Still, saving True Blood and Misfits for the weekend. Going to get home at 12 today after my shift, whack on Score and have a few beers. Then start the catch up. Good times. I have also progressed quite far in Borderlands. I do find myself getting a little bored with the quests, lots of fetching and shooting and the like. Unfortunately no-one on my friends list is playing it or even owns it by the look of it and I don't really fancy diving in to the pre-pubescent, expletive ridden land of Xbox Live alone. Oh well, sparing plays for short periods have made this less of a worry but I can't help but feel I'm missing out on the majority of the fun of the game. If it's anything like that seen in Left 4 Dead its probably going to be a fair whack of it. Right best be off, got to make a sandwich for work. Now that I live in GMT+13. So I imagine this is what its like to be Russian, starting your day when everyone else has finished theirs. How very depressing.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Gaming Tuesday (On Wednesday)
So its been out a week now, well for those who didn't get it delivered early and Modern Warfare 2 has has the majority share of my disc drive. I polished off the single player campaign on the day I got it, not a massive achievement as such as it was only on regular difficulty. I'll wait until next year to tackle Veteran mode I think, it worked with COD:4 anyway. Apart from that damn aeroplane level. Never even got close on that one. Brrrr. In the time since then I've dabbled both in Spec-Ops and online multiplayer, with mixed results. Spec-Ops is a pretty addictive little pack of bonus missions based around levels from both Modern Warfare games. They work much better when played with a buddy too, as me and mine found out when our desperate calls of "Juggernaut!!!" before our demise after 7 constant failures on "Snatch and Grab" grew too much. Online multiplayer is a different kettle of fish. I've always been a Halo man myself, been playing them covenant since I was yay high. Not that much shorter actually. I'm a little bit older than the Halo franchise. This is why I never really got in to Call Of Duty multiplayer. Its all stealth, one shot and skill. Where Halo is mainly madness, beat downs and sticky grenades. I played a few rounds but I grew frustrated quickly. Getting thrown in with people 40 levels higher than you is not fun for a start and then being killed by campers as well did not help. I did ok for a first timer, generally one or two places from the bottom. I'll need to give it a lot more time to get any good. Something I may or may not do depending on what Swapgame send me next (No time for Batman's challenges I'm afraid).
In between all the face shooting and airports I've managed to knock in a bit of virtual lego 'em up (kind of) Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Its a sweet and fun little game basically. The humour isn't as sharp as good old Conker's Bad Fur Day but it brings a smile to your face. The difficulty isn't overly hard yet although I've only been messing about in the first two or three zones so far. My own problem is that I really cannot be bothered to try to build vehicles yet. I know this is essentially the whole game, but I'd rather just do the little challenges. My heart genuinely sinks when I realise its a "build it yourself challenge". Still, it was a cheap purchase off eBay so I'll keep it for the down time in between Swapgames I think.
Finally I come to temptation that's been knocking on the door. Part of me is referring to Left 4 Dead 2, which I'm going to forward to Santa I think. But no, its Football Manager 2010. It is the most addicting game of all time. I caved in and got the demo from Steam and I've already got to November. Its been one day. I have of course made a bit of a shit up already with my Newcastle team. We're only third. I've signed Danny Simpson, Jack Wilshire and Nathan Delfounso. Delfounso has played two games and been awful (good recommendation there coaches), Wilshire has been good though. Anyway, £29.99 off Steam. Its really tempting and considering my disc drive is buggered I can't shop around either. We'll see how long I can last. I give it one to two days.
In between all the face shooting and airports I've managed to knock in a bit of virtual lego 'em up (kind of) Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. Its a sweet and fun little game basically. The humour isn't as sharp as good old Conker's Bad Fur Day but it brings a smile to your face. The difficulty isn't overly hard yet although I've only been messing about in the first two or three zones so far. My own problem is that I really cannot be bothered to try to build vehicles yet. I know this is essentially the whole game, but I'd rather just do the little challenges. My heart genuinely sinks when I realise its a "build it yourself challenge". Still, it was a cheap purchase off eBay so I'll keep it for the down time in between Swapgames I think.
Finally I come to temptation that's been knocking on the door. Part of me is referring to Left 4 Dead 2, which I'm going to forward to Santa I think. But no, its Football Manager 2010. It is the most addicting game of all time. I caved in and got the demo from Steam and I've already got to November. Its been one day. I have of course made a bit of a shit up already with my Newcastle team. We're only third. I've signed Danny Simpson, Jack Wilshire and Nathan Delfounso. Delfounso has played two games and been awful (good recommendation there coaches), Wilshire has been good though. Anyway, £29.99 off Steam. Its really tempting and considering my disc drive is buggered I can't shop around either. We'll see how long I can last. I give it one to two days.
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Gaming Tuesday (On Thursday)
Not fitted an awful lot of gaming in recently, but I have been playing what will probably turn out to be a few of my favourite games of the year. I managed to polish off Batman Arkham Asylum a couple of days ago and I must say I was thoroughly impressed with the game as a whole. Everything about the game is just very solid, all the gameplay works brilliantly, the voice acting is superb and while the plot is not revolutionary for a video game it is entertaining enough to make you persevere. The stealth sections of the game were my personal favourite, sloping around atop gargoyles and under floors picking off guards one by one provided ample opportunity for improvisation and nail-biting tension. Whether or not the game is a solid purchase though is a different matter, I'm yet to attempt the challenges, scout out the hidden extras or tackle hard mode but I'm also not really encouraged to. I would however say its one of the few next gen games that everyone should at least rent. You'll struggle to find a campaign with the diversity to keep you on your toes the whole time.
Its somewhat strange that the two games I happen to complete within a couple of days of each other also happen to be the best I've played (and most likely will play) all year. I am of course referring to Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. With a single player campaign rather short in comparison to Batman (I completed it within one day) it may not have the same depth of single player. But the immersion, and again fantastic gameplay more than alleviate these detractors. With plot so ridiculous even Steven Segal would wince the game plays with its mind closer to the latter Bronsan James Bond films more than Generation Kill. This however does stand at odds with the now infamous "airport" level, which I personally found rather horrible to play. The pace you're forced to walk at encourages you to stare at the screaming, bleeding civilians on the floor. This level of course also stands in very close proximity to one in which you escape from an air base in a hectic snow-mobile chase. Hmmmm. Well the campaign is enjoyable enough, with more twists than a Cheesestring a fair bit of variation as well to keep you interesting. Spec Ops is also a welcome addition, letting you (and a friend if you wish) tackle a few challenges based on both Modern Warfare games. A friend and I spent a good few hours powering through a couple of them and I was very impressed. Great fun and a welcome bit of extra gameplay when you're fed up of feeling depressed in the airport. Its going to be everyone's game of the year, so why not mine as well.
Its somewhat strange that the two games I happen to complete within a couple of days of each other also happen to be the best I've played (and most likely will play) all year. I am of course referring to Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. With a single player campaign rather short in comparison to Batman (I completed it within one day) it may not have the same depth of single player. But the immersion, and again fantastic gameplay more than alleviate these detractors. With plot so ridiculous even Steven Segal would wince the game plays with its mind closer to the latter Bronsan James Bond films more than Generation Kill. This however does stand at odds with the now infamous "airport" level, which I personally found rather horrible to play. The pace you're forced to walk at encourages you to stare at the screaming, bleeding civilians on the floor. This level of course also stands in very close proximity to one in which you escape from an air base in a hectic snow-mobile chase. Hmmmm. Well the campaign is enjoyable enough, with more twists than a Cheesestring a fair bit of variation as well to keep you interesting. Spec Ops is also a welcome addition, letting you (and a friend if you wish) tackle a few challenges based on both Modern Warfare games. A friend and I spent a good few hours powering through a couple of them and I was very impressed. Great fun and a welcome bit of extra gameplay when you're fed up of feeling depressed in the airport. Its going to be everyone's game of the year, so why not mine as well.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
FlashForward, Batman Arkham Asylum, The Beatles & Biffy Clyro
I've been following FlashForward rather eagerly since it started, like a magpie chasing the Silver Surfer. The premise is so simple yet can offer so many possibilities. I've watched up until episode 5. I could have watched episode 6 too but I thought I should save it. Or more truthfully I was itching to clamber into the Bat-cape. Things have moved on quite nicely, with whether the flashforwards themselves are visions of the future or imagined nonsense still hanging in the balance. There was one cheapening factor in which to keep people interested it brought in hot lesbians. Now as a male I obviously love the idea of hot lesbians. We all do. I imagine lesbians themselves do as well. But it felt like it may have been a bit overplayed. Especially since the whole African tangent is hotting up. I'll watch episode 6 tonight or tomorrow to see what's happening.
So I dived in a bit further to Batman today. Its giving me that same vibe I got from Bioshock which is very exciting. So far everything works well, the combat, the detective mode and the fantastic voice acting. If I was to criticise one thing it would be that when Batman decides there needs to be a "crime scene" (he's like a goth Sherlock) there is always something conspicuously lying around. Not like a hair or a bit of clothing, more like his hip-flask or a pipe. Admittedly the pipe was left deliberately as said in the story. This is how much I'm struggling to get annoyed with it. I'm going to savour this one, I've got that GOTY feeling for it. We shall see.
I don't want to review The Beatles really. What's the point? They're awesome. Fact. If you say they're not its just to be edgy. Everyone likes at least one of their songs if not most of them. Which leads me to mention that today they are suing BlueBeat for selling their MP3's. Which firstly is fair doos really. But begs the question why not sell the MP3's? You can talk shit about people not appreciating the albums anymore when they can hear individual songs but does that even matter? Cd's have allowed skipping since they began so that's hardly a new issue. It just seems like a massive disservice to the greatest band of all time to not let everyone have the chance to hear them. Even if you just sell them through one website it'll do. We're almost a tenth of the way through the 00's, its about time they caught up.
Ah Biffy Clyro. One of my favourite bands. You even released "Mountains" and therefore put the gauntlet down for the next Meatloaf and I still stood by. But now you have released Only Revolutions, an album that has a lot riding on it. Puzzle didn't necessarily divide the hardcore Team Biffy like myself but it made us question. The set-lists in the following gigs certainly did though, I walked out of the Reading 2008 gig after hearing Puzzle live for what felt like the millionth time. This new album though has again left me unsure though, on my first listen it just feels alright. Acoustic tracks like "God & Satan" are a welcome addition to the Biffy arsenal. But the twisted, frantic rock of yore is lost and replaced with polished, pop rock everywhere else. It'll obviously take time to get into and I'm sure in time it'll be deep in my affections but Biffy do like to leave me hanging these days. I know they've got a great album left in them. But who knows when or if they'll deliver it.
So I dived in a bit further to Batman today. Its giving me that same vibe I got from Bioshock which is very exciting. So far everything works well, the combat, the detective mode and the fantastic voice acting. If I was to criticise one thing it would be that when Batman decides there needs to be a "crime scene" (he's like a goth Sherlock) there is always something conspicuously lying around. Not like a hair or a bit of clothing, more like his hip-flask or a pipe. Admittedly the pipe was left deliberately as said in the story. This is how much I'm struggling to get annoyed with it. I'm going to savour this one, I've got that GOTY feeling for it. We shall see.
I don't want to review The Beatles really. What's the point? They're awesome. Fact. If you say they're not its just to be edgy. Everyone likes at least one of their songs if not most of them. Which leads me to mention that today they are suing BlueBeat for selling their MP3's. Which firstly is fair doos really. But begs the question why not sell the MP3's? You can talk shit about people not appreciating the albums anymore when they can hear individual songs but does that even matter? Cd's have allowed skipping since they began so that's hardly a new issue. It just seems like a massive disservice to the greatest band of all time to not let everyone have the chance to hear them. Even if you just sell them through one website it'll do. We're almost a tenth of the way through the 00's, its about time they caught up.
Ah Biffy Clyro. One of my favourite bands. You even released "Mountains" and therefore put the gauntlet down for the next Meatloaf and I still stood by. But now you have released Only Revolutions, an album that has a lot riding on it. Puzzle didn't necessarily divide the hardcore Team Biffy like myself but it made us question. The set-lists in the following gigs certainly did though, I walked out of the Reading 2008 gig after hearing Puzzle live for what felt like the millionth time. This new album though has again left me unsure though, on my first listen it just feels alright. Acoustic tracks like "God & Satan" are a welcome addition to the Biffy arsenal. But the twisted, frantic rock of yore is lost and replaced with polished, pop rock everywhere else. It'll obviously take time to get into and I'm sure in time it'll be deep in my affections but Biffy do like to leave me hanging these days. I know they've got a great album left in them. But who knows when or if they'll deliver it.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Various Titbits #3
Been away for a little while, everyone needs a holiday every now and again. Of course a holiday for me usually entails doing things I usually do in a different place with different people. This was not to dissimilar. Aside from the copious amounts of drinking I managed to catch a few films at the the multiplexes. By a few I mean two. Although for me that's usually 6 months of cinema trips. The first film I traveled to witness was Fantastic Mr Fox. Although before that I saw the trailer for the new Alvin & The Chipmunks picture. I mention this because it was simply the worst thing I have ever had the unfortunate blessing to witness. I only hope no one else has to suffer my pain. Actually you should watch it. It'll make anything seem good in comparison. I mean anything as well. Anyway, the main feature is what could be described as standard Wes Anderson affair. That is of course understating the wonder of that label. The film is gloriously uplifting in a subtle, deadpan and touching way which you rarely see outside of the Anderson canon. I pretty much cackled my way through it, not many of the kids in the cinema did though. Overall, Anderson is an acquired taste but once you like it you're rarely disappointed.
The second film I went to see was post-apocalyptic hessian adventure 9 (or nine if you're a stickler). For fans of Burton (who produced this along with Nightwatch director Timur Bekmambetov) you'll probably enjoy the surreal monsters and heroes in a nicely animated world. Personally I couldn't shake an over-hanging deja vu. I'm not sure if its entirely intentional but a lot of the things felt very recycled if you've played any video games this generation. LittleBigPlanet for the heroes, Half Life 2 for the robot, even an overlying feeling of Fallout 3 in the setting. These played on my mind a lot while I was watching the film and more than anything couldn't help but think that it was just one long cut-scene and eventually it was going to chuck me, controller in hand, into play. The plot even felt more like that of a video game than one from a film. All this aside though, the people I went with enjoyed it on its own merit so I may just be being picky.
Finally in game related news I returned home to find Batman Arkham Asylum (finally!), Eternal Sonata and two copies of Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts on my door mat (well on my bed, I don't live alone). Fired up Batman for a quick 10 minutes and had a little play, not got any further than the expeditions of the demo yet though so no new opinion upon it. No doubt it'll be the one I plough the most time into though over the next few days. Going to get properly stuck into it tomorrow. Can't wait.
The second film I went to see was post-apocalyptic hessian adventure 9 (or nine if you're a stickler). For fans of Burton (who produced this along with Nightwatch director Timur Bekmambetov) you'll probably enjoy the surreal monsters and heroes in a nicely animated world. Personally I couldn't shake an over-hanging deja vu. I'm not sure if its entirely intentional but a lot of the things felt very recycled if you've played any video games this generation. LittleBigPlanet for the heroes, Half Life 2 for the robot, even an overlying feeling of Fallout 3 in the setting. These played on my mind a lot while I was watching the film and more than anything couldn't help but think that it was just one long cut-scene and eventually it was going to chuck me, controller in hand, into play. The plot even felt more like that of a video game than one from a film. All this aside though, the people I went with enjoyed it on its own merit so I may just be being picky.
Finally in game related news I returned home to find Batman Arkham Asylum (finally!), Eternal Sonata and two copies of Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts on my door mat (well on my bed, I don't live alone). Fired up Batman for a quick 10 minutes and had a little play, not got any further than the expeditions of the demo yet though so no new opinion upon it. No doubt it'll be the one I plough the most time into though over the next few days. Going to get properly stuck into it tomorrow. Can't wait.
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Nathan Barley (yeah?) & Blue Dragon
I remember watching Nathan Barley when it was first on telly in 2005. I didn't really get it to be honest, I was 15. I was loving Coldplay's X&Y album. I really wasn't ready for it. I watched it all again the other day on 4OD. I really need to remember about 4OD more often, literally years of television available to stream for free. Its brilliant to say the least. As is Nathan Barley. Its got Brooker written all over it as well with the fashionista cunts being made to look and sound like the dicks they are. What struck a chord with me most was the constant searching for a new word to describe anything. "That's so Jackson" being one that perhaps would be less "ironic" now than it was then. Witty, funny and also worrying how little has changed in 4 years. Young people are still wankers and not even just in London now. They're fucking everywhere. I'm probably one. I have shit hair and a penchant for drinking and swearing. Still worth watching, its free after all. Yeah?
Going from one end of the spectrum to the other. Blue Dragon is a nerdy as hell JRPG about saving the world from a robot shark controlled by an old purple guy. Or something. So I figured that if I can't find anything useful to do with all the time on my hands I may as well find a good time sponge. A Bounty for my wasted life. JRPGs are good for this, people can sit in their pants and play them for 200+ hours. I'm good at sitting in my pants and I have the time. I think I'm qualified. I'm about 1 hour into the game. Well probably more like half an hour. But I pissed about fighting a load of robots. Then I went to town to meet someone and couldn't find a save point first so left it on. So my game timer is actually about 3 and a half hours. Its alright so far. The characters are lame and annoying but the graphics are pleasingly bright and cartoony. A refreshing change from brown and grey shooters and the constant green and weird faces of Fifa. I'll see how long I can put up with it. Considering there's a mail strike now as well I'm going to be stuck with it for a while waiting for the next treat from Swapgame. It'll probably be something I regret having on the list anyway. I'll die before they send me Batman.
Going from one end of the spectrum to the other. Blue Dragon is a nerdy as hell JRPG about saving the world from a robot shark controlled by an old purple guy. Or something. So I figured that if I can't find anything useful to do with all the time on my hands I may as well find a good time sponge. A Bounty for my wasted life. JRPGs are good for this, people can sit in their pants and play them for 200+ hours. I'm good at sitting in my pants and I have the time. I think I'm qualified. I'm about 1 hour into the game. Well probably more like half an hour. But I pissed about fighting a load of robots. Then I went to town to meet someone and couldn't find a save point first so left it on. So my game timer is actually about 3 and a half hours. Its alright so far. The characters are lame and annoying but the graphics are pleasingly bright and cartoony. A refreshing change from brown and grey shooters and the constant green and weird faces of Fifa. I'll see how long I can put up with it. Considering there's a mail strike now as well I'm going to be stuck with it for a while waiting for the next treat from Swapgame. It'll probably be something I regret having on the list anyway. I'll die before they send me Batman.
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Gaming Tuesday & Noah And The Whale
My life is slowly being consumed by Fifa 10 in gaming terms. In fact maybe not just in gaming terms. Its only a matter of time before I close my eyes and Andy Gray starts waxing lyrical about how Newcastle have had a tumultuous few years. I'd go as far as saying its my game of the year so far. So far being the case in point obviously, there's a great many games still to be released and Swapgame may actually send me Arkham Asylum soon you never know. In the mean time however I'll have to enjoy Guitar Hero 2 which is what I've received this month. Its not great. Admittedly I've only played through on Easy so far, I'll have a fairer idea when I tackle it on the harder difficulties. But having no licensed songs. Well two that I've played so far, one by Primus and one by My Chemical Romance. Wonderful, right up my street. In fact the track-listing is worse than that of Guitar Hero 3 let alone the more recent releases. It'll be returned in a week I'm sure. I gave the Brutal Legend demo a whirl today as well. For someone who chose to watch Conor Oberst over Tenacious D at a festival once a game with Jack Black probably wasn't for me. But I enjoyed it somewhat, that hack 'n slash genre being an under appreciated one for me. The humour was also a nice surprise, not laugh out loud but definitely endearing. Its on the Swapgame list. I'll probably get it before Batman.
One final point, I mentioned Noah and The Whale fleeting the other day as the lesser to new band Mumford & Sons. I managed to catch Noah & co in Falmouth after a friend got me in. I enjoyed it a lot to be honest. The new material sounds good live, very sweepingly epic in places. Its a shame the mostly freshers comprised crowd only wanted to hear the one hit of "Five Years Time" which they performed begrudgingly in an encore. It may sound rather harsh, but I hope this band lose some of their fame and end up in small rooms of pubs again, because with a good crowd and the same songs it could have been an amazing experience. One to look out for if they come near you, but remember to give the rest of their stuff a chance at least. They do deserve it.
One final point, I mentioned Noah and The Whale fleeting the other day as the lesser to new band Mumford & Sons. I managed to catch Noah & co in Falmouth after a friend got me in. I enjoyed it a lot to be honest. The new material sounds good live, very sweepingly epic in places. Its a shame the mostly freshers comprised crowd only wanted to hear the one hit of "Five Years Time" which they performed begrudgingly in an encore. It may sound rather harsh, but I hope this band lose some of their fame and end up in small rooms of pubs again, because with a good crowd and the same songs it could have been an amazing experience. One to look out for if they come near you, but remember to give the rest of their stuff a chance at least. They do deserve it.
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Gaming Tuesday (On Wednesday)
Been a quiet week's gaming for me this week. Which is not a common occurence for me, I'd go as far as saying its been under 10 hours. Which more says how much I usually squeeze into the average week. Anyway, did manage to finish ODST in that amount of time though. Which goes some way to agree with most people's sentiment that's been floating round the net. It really is too short. Although the single player is still fantastic. Its usual Halo fare, only this time from a different angle. Kind of like re-watching your favourite film to show it to a friend, they see all the little things that you take for granted in your repeated viewings. I'm aware of the stretching on that metaphor but the point is there. Playing as an ODST feels so similar to the old MC yet so different. There's the health packs although if you're good enough you won't lose your shields and you can't dual wield but I personally stopped that after Halo 2 anyway. In many ways its just a greatest hits of Halo set-pieces but who wouldn't want that? A fool that's who. Multiplayer wise Firefight is awesome, although no match-making (!) and also if you didn't already have the maps, you'd be in luck with the bonus disc. Still, its managed to distract me from Riddick (which I feel I have to complete before I can return it to get Arkham Asylum) so that counts as a thumbs up for me.
Probably a good job I posted this today as yesterday saw the release of that knee jerk piece of DLC for Left 4 Dead. Crash Course is only two chapters long (albeit action packed) for a start. This is for shortened games of Versus apparently, which I believe although I haven't got round to playing it on that mode yet. I tried to play through it online with whoever Live paired me up with. This proved a bad idea when none of us knew where we going and spent 10 minutes wandering round the the same area looking for the way through. Twice. We then got slaughtered at the finale, I can proudly say I was the last to die though. For the price of 560 points (just over £4) I'm happy to get more Left 4 Dead as its easily one of the games of the generation. Here's hoping Left 4 Dead 2 can carry on the trend.
Probably a good job I posted this today as yesterday saw the release of that knee jerk piece of DLC for Left 4 Dead. Crash Course is only two chapters long (albeit action packed) for a start. This is for shortened games of Versus apparently, which I believe although I haven't got round to playing it on that mode yet. I tried to play through it online with whoever Live paired me up with. This proved a bad idea when none of us knew where we going and spent 10 minutes wandering round the the same area looking for the way through. Twice. We then got slaughtered at the finale, I can proudly say I was the last to die though. For the price of 560 points (just over £4) I'm happy to get more Left 4 Dead as its easily one of the games of the generation. Here's hoping Left 4 Dead 2 can carry on the trend.
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
Gaming Tuesday
Had about a month away from the 360 so came back quite excited about gaming. Especially as I thought Swapgame were going to send me Batman Arkham Asylum. But, alas, on my doorstep was Chronicles Of Riddick. I gave it a few spins, playing through the original Butcher Bay game. Quite enjoyable in fact, although doing mini missions in the prison was a chore. The game does give a good sense of tension, lingering in the shadows, doing a quick neck-break and then hiding in a corner palpitating as some massive robot juggernaut wanders around blindly calling your name. I haven't finished Butcher Bay, but I have a feeling I'm about three quarters of the way through. Still got the extra Dark Athena game to go through yet but so far it's a good laugh. I'll make sure I take my time over it.
Apart from that I've squeezed in a few rounds of Left 4 Dead, still as great fun as when I first picked it up. Which was around 9 months ago I think? Crazy. Fair bit of Fifa 09 as well, although I rarely dabble online in that. My concentration can never last the full 90 minutes and I'll roll the ball out to their oncoming striker gifting victory. I prefer just playing alone, at least the AI isn't as wise to these mistakes. Picked up ODST at midnight launch as well. Got my Sgt. Johnson character pre-order and all. Haven't had much time with it but gave Firefight a roll with my brother and I was suitably impressed. Although no matchmaking for it? Seems a missed opportunity. The single player is good too, great soundtrack so far. Very eerie. Probably finish it up before next week and get a full idea of it but so far I'm impressed. Although I feel a little bit short-changed for £34.99. Maybe a little gift for those of us who had already splashed out on the Mythic map pack? Na, its Microsoft isn't it.
Apart from that I've squeezed in a few rounds of Left 4 Dead, still as great fun as when I first picked it up. Which was around 9 months ago I think? Crazy. Fair bit of Fifa 09 as well, although I rarely dabble online in that. My concentration can never last the full 90 minutes and I'll roll the ball out to their oncoming striker gifting victory. I prefer just playing alone, at least the AI isn't as wise to these mistakes. Picked up ODST at midnight launch as well. Got my Sgt. Johnson character pre-order and all. Haven't had much time with it but gave Firefight a roll with my brother and I was suitably impressed. Although no matchmaking for it? Seems a missed opportunity. The single player is good too, great soundtrack so far. Very eerie. Probably finish it up before next week and get a full idea of it but so far I'm impressed. Although I feel a little bit short-changed for £34.99. Maybe a little gift for those of us who had already splashed out on the Mythic map pack? Na, its Microsoft isn't it.
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