New Console

This is a big of a double edged Blog, but here goes...

My delightful Xbox 360 failed....again - first it was the 3 red rings of death issue that I talked about over here, then the DVD-ROM drive stopped working as well (not picking up that a game was in the drive). I looked at the possibility of switching to a new DVD drive is possible, but highly complicated (have a look at this *.pdf but it looks like a total mission).

Therefore I got a totally fresh console, with warranty etc. the Elite version with 120GB hard drive which looks much better in terms of overall aesthetics, but also the quality of gaming - it's pure HDMI & you can really see the difference. I think that in comparison to the old machine there's an improved graphics card & RAM& you can see the quality jump.

The great thing is the gaming upgrade - it really feels like a new console & has a smaller power pack & colour-coded accessories & better still it came bundled with Forza 3 & Mass Effect 2 (reviews coming soon).

There is unfortunately a however...when getting the current model, there is no HDMI cable bundled with it & the controller came with non-rechargeable batteries & will require further investment to get a chargeable powerpack. Also it does not come with built-in wireless, which would have been a very nice addition (although admittedly I prefer LAN as it's a better & truer connection).

All in all am very happy with my purchase & can now get on with my serious gaming!

Gaming....we continue

Blogs being misquoted

I just saw this from Dara O'Braiain's twitter account & it's definitely a warning to other bloggers out there to be careful what you write. Have a look at this article, where this blogger has been 'quoted' in a Mail on Sunday article.Then have a quick look at her response & the impact it's caused her. I sent her a comment:

I just saw this link from Dara O'Briain's twitter & am outraged for you - it's completely ridiculous. A blog is supposed to be our private thoughts & opinions which we bear to the internet because we choose to in our own method. To have it twisted & forced into a newspaper  article - especially for something as epically fail as the Mail on Sunday - is ridiculous to say the least. I urge you to pursue this  legally, because it's unacceptable, lazy journalism & puts you in a terrible position with your job - all without your knowledge. It misrepresents you in a public forum without your permission - I'd  start kicking ass & taking names...now!

Just because I think it was necessary to support a fellow blogger - unfair is an understatement methinks.

More gamer-ing

More gaming - surely not? Well surely yes!

Another well-rated game (by Xplay 4/5) Those of us who play shooters & I'm definitely a big fan myself sometime cross over into the darkside & combine realism with a little bit of serious fiction - the dreaded Zombies! (mmmmmmmm brains - Si)



This is not the first Zombie orientated game I have played recently (the classic Dead Rising & the legendary Nazi Zombie bonus levels from Call of Duty 5: World at War) but it has a very different feel from either. Although planning is almost impossible - I have no idea where I'm going on the map...till I get there, the key difference is the simplicity of teamwork. You really will have to work as a team to survive - it's not every man for himself & if you don't heal your teammates - they won't do the same for you. Equally if you decide to run off ahead of your crew you will get overrun very quickly.


So far I've only played with as a 2 player co-op, but there is the scope for 4 player co-op which could be rather awesomes. Also there is a lot more to the game when you go online - I've not tested this out yet, but I feel it's only a matter of time.


The gameplay (so far only tested on easy) is very much run, gun & evade the horde of undead trying to help relieve you of your brain & make it alive to the 'safe room' which is full of resupply ammo & med packs & can grant a well-needed rest-bite from the chaos.

When on easy the zombies are fairly easy to dispatch, but crank it up a gear or 2 & it starts to really challenge the player. I'm still very much at the early stages, but what this game loses in graphics (they're very Valve, but not amazingly realistic) it makes up for in fun & mania.

Overall then a 4/5 from me, but I think I will wait till I've played online & see if that tips the balance into making this an awesome game!

2010 exciting games

OK so here are some games franchises to watch out for in 2010/2011:



Splinter Cell: Conviction - everything I've seen about this game is making me very excited about the release day & might well be my next game purchase - so far away!


Crackdown 2 - I loved the first, but I think they will up the ante (graphically) & apparently have leveled the playing field with more challenging enemies & weapons - should be good fun.


Halo Reach - you can't put a good Master Chief down & this is the latest (& potentially last - maybe) from Bungie who will look to add more Spartans than ever before (i.e. more than 1) to a Halo game & should bring in something from Halo 3/ODST. Also compatibility/gamplay with Project Natal (motion controller - due out at the same time).


Fable 3 - I absolutely loved fable 2 & can't wait to see what Peter Moleneux comes up with & it will be interesting to see what happens with this - linking in with Project Natal.


Something new from the Call of Duty franchise - can they screw up all the good work done with CoD5 WaW/CoD6 MW2 - well hopefully not...but Treyarch did CoD3 - such fail! Maybe more futuristic or another side of war - we shall see.

Gears of War 3 - but that might just be me wishing! However I'd like to see what Cliff Bleszinski decides to do with the franchise - will he wait till after the proposed movie or keep going a la the Call of Duty series?!

Reflecting on all these for a moment - they're all sequels! I think some new original titles will appear as well. But whenever a game is successful the sequels often tend to be even better (e.g. Halo, Gears of War, Fable, Assassin's Creed, etc.)

We shall continue...

Growing old is getting old

Well I thought being 29 would change things...nope - still a very tall child. However, this year it's my (whisper it) 30th birthday & I'm not going to let it go by quietly like I did with my 18th, 21st etc. so I feel a silly party coming in the summer!!
I think that way it'll be better weather & trying to get people to party of Christmas Day is very unlikely, so big summer party with loads of friends & drag some family over & a smaller bash on Christmas Eve (or Eve-Eve like this year).


So far I've created a very extensive guest list & will need to be as realistic as possible & then work out the finer details - date, food & drink, workcrew, venue & theme - lots of fun to get this going though.

More to follow when I get my brain going....

Great moments in life?

OK so this is a random thought for a Saturday but here goes; pondering & reflecting on those great moments in life that you look back on & makes you smile. So I think I'm going to write a very random selection of those memories & who they were with.

I don't expect most people to understand but to be honest it is for my own benefit as a tool for reflection. Also I'm not sure where this has come from...at all - just an unexpected exercise.

Finally if an of them seem controversial I apologise in advance.


...we continue...thinking

T-Mobile/Fonesafe Rant

OK this is a mini irritation blog - courtesy of Fonesafe (the company who T-Mobile use as their insurance brokers).

So here's the story - when I had the chance to renew my phone contract last summer, I had just got a new payg phone so didn't need a new handset. Therefore I gave my upgrade to Madd Thoughts & decided to take out an insurance policy in case of loss/damage, etc.Well unfortunately Madds lost her phone this weekend & when I called up & game my honest account of what happened I was told that they couldn't accept my claim - why?

Well even though the insurance was sold on the basis that I would not be the primary user of the phone, when trying to claim for the loss I was advised - because I was not the user of the phone - my claim was invalid.So this means that after outlaying 6 months worth of insurance & had what looks like a perfectly valid claim  turned down because I was honest & told the story as accurately as possible, rather than just fake my claim.

So to get another phone for Madds I have to go out & buy a new one anyway - which has cost me about the same amount of money anyways. I've been really happy with T-Mobile for about 4 years, but this is not what I call fair & as such have emailed them with an official complaint.

We shall see what they will do - but I won't hold my breath. In short - grrrr

A morning lol from Ian M's: Youthblog

From Youthblog/Youtube & making me lol about the snow:

Gaming Blogger: Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter

Now this is the one game that Madd Thoughts actually likes playing on my 360 - it's a rehash of the old Serious Sam PC/XBox game but with a proper graphical overhaul & is available on Xbox Live for 1200MS Points. So far I have only played the demo version, but I shall be getting the full version...when I get my first pay pack of 2010! At first glance not a lot looks different - the enemies are still silly & numerous & the wisecracking hero Sam "Serious" Stone is still there causing inst-death to all manner of creature.
Basically he's a one-man doom-machine ready to kick some alien ass!!

I'll do a full blog on it later - but for now - excited!

Game bloggerage: Assassin's Creed 2

Another blog - another new game - ho hum! Assassins Creed 2 (AC2) - a well rated game (by Xplay 4/5) & here's my thoughts:

The premise is much the same as the original game, but is so much grander in scale, location & more epic in terms of sheer scale.

Originally I wasn't too sure about this as the first game passed me by & I couldn't really get my head around it. However having played Fable 2 (see herefor review) has certainly begun the concept of much more gametime & patience with RPG-style games. This is really key for AC2 - it's not an all-action stab-fest, it's far more subtle & interesting a game than that.

What first got me interested was seeing the mini movie Assassin's Creed: Lineage

"The story is a prequel to the video game Assassin's Creed II. It centres around the father of the game's main character Ezio Auditore da Firenze."

It leads very nicely to the beginning of the game & starts to build the plot of the game, but let's just say that it definitely whetted my appetite to both get the game & play it!

The time-line of the game takes place over the course of Ezio's lifetime & starts off as a easy-going teenager running around the streets of Firenze (Florence) getting used to the games mechanics, controls & gameplay. Very quickly though everything changes & Ezio must continue in his father's footsteps & become...an assassin (o rly, ya rly - Si).

It's a sandbox game (open world), with a strong main mission & many side missions & you can upgrade your Armour & weapons. There is also the town where your villa (i.e. base of operations) is based & it's falling to pieces & in desperate need of renovation & repaid. When you progress through the games you will earn credits (Florins) which you can use to rebuild/renovate the town, increasing its value & in turn earning you more Florins. What I thought was very interesting is that it's actually a real place - Monteriggioni...& I've been there when I went to Italy a few years ago! It's quite a famous completely-walled medieval town & provides a very realistic backdrop for your villa - I think seeing it in person & knowing it really does exist helped my immersion in the game & it's the same with Florence, Rome & Venice where they create a very beautiful cityscape.

The maps themselves, whilst they are all open, you need to climb tall structures & sync up your map (basically getting a birds-eye view of the area). Ahhh the climbing! Other games - most notably Crackdown (& for some reason Transformers) allow the player to climb building, to reach those troublesome locations on top of buildings. In AC2, it's more like the free-running/climbing of Mirrors Edge. The game is realistic enough to pretty much give me vertigo whilst climbing really high! However, this does have some seriously good platforming puzzles - trying to find the impossible jump/handhold can be a challenge.

Although you start off with no weapons (other than your fists) you quickly progress & can unlock all manner of weaponry to both defend yourself, as well as learning the assassination trade well. I quickly found that you could dispatch your targets (often with one hit) when you start to improve your technique. Also because it's open world & quite open ended, you can chose your line of attack - will you blend into the crowd & sneak up to them & get a one-hit kill, or attack them openly & directly & risk all the guards coming dunning with hammers & swords? The missions vary from simple(?) assassinations, to escorting or straight up group fights. The beauty of the attack is that when you get your timing right your opponent will be struck down fast.

The challenge of this game isn't set by the user - therefore you don't set easy/normal/epic - instead because of the user-driven gameplay, the difficulty of the game depends on what you choose to do. SO do you try to complete all missions & side missions, or just stick to the bare essentials? Do you try to solve all puzzles & explore everything you can...or not? I think this works really well, as you don't only need to progress, but you really want to - to better yourself & become a more deadly assassin.

I've only been playing for probably 10-12 hours so far, but there is so much left to do - it's even distracted me from CoD6 for a while! Overall I think that although this game isn't for everyone, if you like RPG's & a bit of stealth - then you're going to absolutely love it! The only slightly annoying part is the camera which can drive you a little crazy sometimes - but only sometimes. A well deserved 4/5 from me!

Skiing blog

For this years ski trip we accompanied some families of my home church (Kidlington Baptist Church) to visit the very friendly resort of Les Gets. It's about an hour from Geneva & just down the road from where my aunt had a chalet - Morzine & Avoriaz.

It was a bit of an epic drive - we left bright & breezy at 2am on New Year's Day & arrived about 6:30pm at our stop off hotel (free interwebs was most important of course!). Next day we headed off to the resort early, to get out boots & ski's & then had our warm-up avo on the slopes.

It took a little while to get back into the swing of things & I think a lot had to be with being stuck & under-rested in the car. I think flying is defiantly the preferred method of transportation to anywhere further away than like...Devon!

The Madd Thoughts fell over a couple of times on the first day & laughed the first few off, but gut a little too hurt on the final run down of the day - helmet has been a very useful addition to her ski gear - but it was properly icy & rocky & her first experience of the mogul's was not the greatest in the history of the world.

So far then the skiing has been good, but I think I'm getting a little old…tiredness seems to be happening rather fast & so am not really skiing for a whole day. My most epic fail for me has been the chair-lift fail, I managed to take out PC & throw David B from the chair - it was tragic! The skiing has definitely improved from the iciness, there was a good 24 hours of snowing so fresh powder then a great day - lots of sun & fantastic views so out came the camera of course.

Having said all that, I think that the beauty of this type of skiing holiday - with friends, over say family only, is that he social element is as much a part of he experience, as being on the slopes. So communal meals, sharing rooms, visiting bars & shops, as well as the obvious skiing as a group idea.

The only real issue we've had has once again been financial. I thought that with some serious savings we should be ok. However, even when taking into account the ski passes & trying to over-budget for meals, etc. we still find ourselves running short on funds. The killer has been the ski hire - which runs to basically half of all of our budget.

Wednesday is a rest day, where Madd Thoughts needs to do some serious essay work done & I shall be bloggering more!

2010 - we begin

So anyways there is a very good reason for that - I have actually been out of the country for once - skiing in Les Gets in the French alps (just down the valley from Morzine & Avoriaz which I have visited before many times). But more on that when I actually remember to upload the blog I wrote when I was away lol.

So what else has been happening - well gaming wise: (cue more reviews coming methinks) Assassin's Creed 2 & Left 4 Dead 2 have been purchased & am currently enjoying each immensely. Also Serious Sam has been released on XBox Live in full HD & I might well have to get that as well - to keep Maddie happy!

Also had a couple of parties - a Christmas-Eve-Eve party celebrating my birthday, then another one a New Years-Eve-Eve which was a little bit more impromptu, but equally fun. Also got some awesome presents for Christmas (photos on my Facebook page) but on top of all that rad pile - a Blu Ray player from my old man - it is the Panasonic DMPBD60 MR DVD & it definitely is worth it - Star Trek was the first played & it did rock hard. The only think I need to do is get some good speakers with it for some super sound!

Musically much Deadmau5 & another in the look of DJ Zinc - fun & expect more soon.

.....we continue