deadmau5 & Wolfgang Gartner - Animal Rights

Looking forward to seeing the Deadmau5 in Manchester next Friday ftw!

Movember Results

So it's now the end of Movember, so I thought I would share my Mo with the world. Click on any of the below pictures & you can see it in all its glory (plus each picture is in fact 4 pictures in 1!)

Now I'm off for a shave...we continue

Speedflying in Wengen 2010

Adrenaline rush or what!

Movember

This year, I am taking part in a charity even designed to raise money for Prostate Cancer research. It's called Movember or sometimes No-Shave-November and encourages men to put down their razors/shavers & grow a healthy moustache. I think it's a very worthy cause as there does seem to be a general trend in focusing on breast cancer a massive issue, but less on one of biggest male cancers - Prostate (see the wiki link):


Now has been running since around 2003 over in Australia, but has become more & more prevalent, especially amongst rugby teams (e.g. Wasps whose team roster pictures are normally taken during the month of November hence the delightful moustaches on some of their players last year!)

There are a team of Mo Bro's in my office (called LTG), and I thought I would join, both because of what the charity is designed for & the impact on my own life with prostate issues, as well as the excuse to grow some facial fur!

So far there have been some cake sales to raise money and there is a campaign in the office to get one of the guys who has had a full beard for an estimated 30 years to shave it all off...if we can raise £500, but it's all done in good humour!

I will stick a pic up at the end of the month, but if you would like to sponsor me, please have a look at the following link which will take you to my Mo Space page.

Gamerinageifcation

So about not playing any new games...after Reach & Lego Harry Potter....well Fable 3 has come out...& so has the new Call of Duty (Black OsS)...so expect a couple of reviews in the next few days (or weeks, knowing me!)...when I can eventually find time to put down the controller & bloggerificate my brain ;)

We continue

Harry Potter + Lego = win?

So Travellers Tales have released another Lego game...which is nice! After the successes of Star Wars, Batman & Indiana Jones (I never actually played IJ, but I know a lot of people who loved it!) they have tried their hand at putting the hugely successful series of Harry Potter Lego models into a whole virtual world - inspired by the Warner Brothers films.

This is the first installment (it's based on the first 4 movies) so I'm sure there will be a second with the last 4 movies (& then another one with all the movies stuck together...a la Lego Star Wars). But leaving that aside, it's a new Lego universe & whole new set of tricks for your characters to master, but with similarly designed platforming & fun puzzles, collectibles & challenges
& it's a more fantasy-based experience - there's magic involved here!

Firstly this game is pretty vast - Hogwarts Castle & grounds are substantial enough for you to go get lost in easily, there's Diagon Alley & Gringotts Bank, it's all there for you to explore! You will quickly adapt to the myriad of spells you will need to learn (progressively) as you go through the school years.

There are a good number of levels for each year group, with a good variety of missions - all linked in closely with the movies (more than the books) & keep you interested enough to play through to the end & it'll take you a long time to play the whole game.

There's nothing really new or different from previous games, with the notable exception of a change to the coop mode, which now automatically cuts the screen which is a good change. But I'd still give this a good 4 out of  stars

.....we continue

New Footy Game

A long held game of cat & mouse, a game of 2 halves, etc. there are 2 football princes vying to be king, last year, apparently it was Fifa's year, hopefully this year will be different!

I've stuck with Pro Evo, since 2006 (when I first got my 360) & have bought it every year: 2008, 2009 & 2010, so now it's only natural to get the new 2011 version.


Therefore, I have decided to......not purchase a new football title this year. Now here's why:

1. Last years title was a little disappointing - lots of good things happened, champions league, etc. but the massive disappointment was the refereeing - which once again sucked!
2. I'm saving for a wedding - come on people - I can't save and spend out on 'luxuries' as well!
3. Football games are really a social tool - you need to play it with friends and you can't really play this on your own, which tends to be how I'm playing at the momento - hence why Fable, Halo: Reach, Lego and the CoD games work so well for me - you can do it without...backup!

So I'm not boycotting it, I'm just not planning on buying it, you know...unless the need  arises!

Halo: Reach [a.k.a. Halo 5]

Ahhh it seems to be the season of new games - this time it's back to the Halo universe, for the 5th (& arguably final) game that the developers Bungie are making involving Spartans/UNSC vs. Covenant.

The game is different to previous Halo games (ignoring ODST), because you are not controlling the Master Chief - this time you are another Spartan warrior called Noble 6, as part of an elite squad called 'Noble', on various missions on the doomed planet of Reach (we know it's doomed because it's set a couple of weeks before the original Halo: Combat Evolved game, which kick-starts after the fabled Fall of Reach).

There are only 10 formal missions found within the main campaign, but these are really tough - even on normal difficulty setting. So far I'm only playing through on normal, but once completed it's game-on for Legendary (i.e. toughest mode). The story is packed with emotions, it's gripping and makes you want to keep going through to the end. In fact it's quite like the movie 300, because you know they're doomed to fail (eventually) & it's a futile fight, but that doesn't stop them going out all guns blazing!

However, the main element of this game is not simply the campaign, the level of extras is huge; there's online Multiplayer games aplenty, there's Forge (a level creator tool) & the return of Firefight 2.0 (building on the original from ODST) all fully editable.

What this game has done is to pick all the best parts from the franchise (guns are  new & improved, firefight is fully customisable, forge is an epic affair, multiplayer is expanded to be on a par with the greats...like Halo 3!) create an exciting storyline, then allow you to play to your hearts content.

I would describe it as a must buy a 5/5 for any Halo fan - it's better than ODST & arguably the best of the main games - go get it!

Update of Wedding Stuffs

So in the last week everything has gone into overdrive in the past week!

Over the bank holiday we managed to establish:

• Date
• Wedding Venue
• Reception Venue/plan
• Bridesmaids

Then this week spoke to every usher I had lined up, negotiated a friendly Photographer, started organising with the wedding planner, spoke to the best man, typed up a guest list, signed up for a wedding list registry, organised a person to help with all the stationary & even found time to establish some potential discount for Madds bridal dress & a contact with a jewellers, oh & asked my old man if he would get me & my baby brother a good suit for the occasion. Not too shabby for about 10 days!

Now it's onto budgets & more groundwork - it's all good fun, but all I'm talking about is weddings - boring to some, but not to most!

We most definitely continue...

Trails HD ftw!

This post is all about arguably the most addictive video game I have every played (yes, even more than Fable 2) & it's called Trials HD.

Originally just an Internet game, but envisioned to be something much more smooth & intuitive when using the xbox controller system. It's a an amazingly simple premise - guide a bike & rider though a series of tracks (platform style) using 4 controls only; power, brake, lean forwards & lean backwards.

But the tracks, that's the hard part - things start simply enough, but an impressively fast learning curve is the order of the day - things start to look more & more impossible - how is it possible to do a standing jump of 20 feet & not hit the floor - no idea!

So to help you...slightly, there are a series of unlockable bikes with more power (or in the case of my favourite monkey bike - silliness!) ratios which help you power of some chasms, etc.

Even if you manage to conquer the beginner, easy, medium tracks, then there's also hard & extreme to give you some nice impossible ones to try your hand at - overall there's 50 tracks. Then more, if necessary, in the shape of some DLC (more coming soon) so new tracks & challenges.

Oh yes, there are some challenges as well - as if the tracks weren't hard enough - there a load of specials designed to get you even more addicted: ski jumping (on a bike) ride a giant cage ball (inside & out) use your bike with a rocket pack on it, giant bike pinball, pull a wheelie with the front wheel falling off & many more.

It's 1200 MS points (about £10) but you can get a demo version for free of course! It's the best thing I've seen on Xbox Live so far & it's super addictive a well worthy addition to any gamer's collection & surprisingly the more alcohol content in your blood, the better you drive - super-epic-win!! Check it out here over on Xbox Live

PS  & if you feel really keen, you can do tournaments - multiple tracks where your overall time dictates how well you do - epic

Emulator for Traktor Pro running on big multitouch screen.

Bon Vacances

So once again I have not been blogerifying (am I ever going to get a regular blog going...probably not methinks!), but this time I've been away for the past 3 weeks - another trip to Poland (more dentistry - more to follow...) & then 2 weeks with Madd Thoughts & her extended family (13 of us all told.

I think this blog might well turn into a bit of an epic one, but hey ho - we continue.....

Firstly, Poland & more dentistry, after the exploits of the last time I was in Poland, I had a felling there will be a lot more fun/pain/work to be done...I was right! This time 12 hours were planned & more rebuilds, fillings & an epic 5.5 hour root canal happened & then to top it off an extraction - definitely the most trouble so far. So a big burly polish surgeon firstly drilling hard with what felt like a regular industrial drill, then using what I can only presume (I kept my eyes tightly shut) was a corkscrew, then opening my eyes he had a scalpel (to open my gums up to let my wisdom though). When it was all over, my jaw as swollen, I couldn't eat properly for days, I was bleeding for a long time, oh & I had some stitches as well....


But next  fun (actual, much more real, fun) in France! So after the pains of Poland, I drove about 500 miles with Madds to northern France - a small village in rural Brittany, called Le Gouray. It was a long old journey, & so needed a couple of days rest, but it was all well worth it, when we eventually got to the house. It was simply huge, 7 bedrooms on 2 stories a massive garden & drive, all in the picturesque locale.

The beaches were no closer than 30 minutes, but were really good, sandy & not (completely freezing cold), but I was quickly struck with an idea - snorkeling! So after a great deal of searching, we found a pair of snorkels each, which just happened to come with some flippers as well - Madds got the hang of it very quickly - me, not so much! It was great to do not too much for 2 whole weeks & spending some quality time with Madds & her family. We swam nearly every day, went round great markets, had a hog roast, Nerf wars & I learned how to swim with flippers...underwater!

The only slight issue was my Kodak camera broke, which was expensive to replace, but a new Panasonic Lumix DMC ZX1 (here it is on Amazon) was acquired, which was a far superior machine & took some much better photos.



OK now onto other (arguably more boring) things - my whole department has moved into a new office - for the first time in it's short history (since 2002/3). It's a totally different environment - more professional & office-based & much less like a call centre - much better if you ask me. The only issue is that it's rather quiet, but when everyone comes back from holiday/training I'm sure it will get a little bit busier & more...homely.


I seem not let too many blogs go, without some form of wedding update...therefore: The Wedding has not really formed much of conversation recently, because of certain things getting in the way - my 30th birthday party, Madd's birthday, the holidays, etc. so not much has happened.

However, discussions have begun again - we might well bring the date forward & the budget may well become a little smaller was well - there is the possibility of ditching a formal reception, in favour of a much less formal affair - inviting all guests, rather than just the preferred selected dignitaries/necessaries. I think the reality is that because neither Madds or myself have a massive budget & I know that my family do not have the capacity to help in a financial way - therefore the budget is going to be seriously linked to what I can save myself.

From the beginning, my attitude was that I wanted not too much fuss, not too much pomp & ceremony & definitely not too much esxp- I am most interested in getting married to Madds - not in how good a party we can throw for people!


The final bit of this blog update has to relate to my plans to visit New Zealand next year. My good friends Doodles & Alan are due to be married in early March 2011 & I feel that I really need to be there for my friends, as does Madds (who is to be a bridesmaid...proved we can get there). The plan is to not go on another holiday till then - a long old time, but totally worth it methinks - skiing vs. New Zealand = no contest really!! But the big question that surrounds this whole idea is how on earth am I gonna pay for that?!

Even thinking as laterally as possible - £1k for flights another (conservative) £1k for spending, then £500 on car hire & then accomodation on top, unless I can do something like crash at various places/camp in places. That coupled with saving up for the wedding makes it look almost impossible...however, I think some deals will need to be done to try to fix it all up - seeking help wherever I can get it - say if flights/car hire could be taken care of that would take a serious amount away & speaking to some of the locals to see how much I really need when I'm out there & which sofa I might be able to blag - we shall see, or even could I do without a car. Finally - how are me & Madds gonna both be able to afford it - it's not going to be an easy ask/task methinks - expect updates...if things get going!

We continue.....

CoD6 MW2 DLC & Prestiging

OK a little random geekery for a Monday Tuesday - there have now been 2 lots of  downloadable content (DLC) for Call of Duty 6: Modern Warfare 2 & let's be honest - it's not been the most cost effective waste of my time I have ever know - 1200 Microsoft (MS) points for 5 maps, followed by another 1200 MS points for another 5 maps! Total 2400 MS points, at 85p/MS point = £21.25 for just 10 'new' maps. The most irritating part...the maps aren't even new - half of them are re-hashed versions of CoD4 MW! However, attempting (bitterly) to put this aside for a minute to concentrate on the gameplay - what do the new maps add? Variance, simply put, which is not necessarily a bad thing!

What I (& TC + Sparky, etc.) have all done is to 'prestige' - this is where you reset all unlocks (weapons/perks/equipment) in multiplayer, to progress further & unlock different badges. There is no real advantage (no new guns/perks are unlocked) but you get some new badges & the pleasure of starting from the beginning & using more basic weaponry & learning to love going back to the start, but this time with skills! All in all this has all lead to a little added value to the game & has kept people playing.

However, I think many people want to see either some new weapons or spec-ops/single-player missions - that would lead to some actual replayability.

Rant over...we continue

Crackdown 2

I love the original game - it was different to most of the other games of its genre (open sandbox/3rd person shooter). Several things set it apart - the cell shading look of the game &  he power-ups.

The cell shading made the game look like a comic-book or a cartoon-is, but not childish. It was a very accessible game & not unreasonably difficult to complete. 

This was aided by the power-ups (skills) which quickly gave the Agent's super-human traits: 

• "Agility", which increases the Agent's ability to jump, run, and swim;
• "Driving", affecting how well he can handle a vehicle; 
• "Explosives", which affects the power and range of explosive weapons; 
• "Strength" that increases the Agent's strength, namely by increasing his ability to lift and throw, as well as how hard he can strike an opponent;
• "Firearms", which improves the character's aptitude with weapons.

It really was an immensly satisfying game, with few limitations - mostly repitition & enemies (even bosses) which could be defeated in a few seconds (if you ignore the 30-40 guys guarding them & go stright for the boss) - where you could literally leap over a building in a single bound (Superman) or punch a car & spin it over your head (Hellboy) or smash/throw everything (Hulk). So imaging my gratitude for one of my young people from North Leigh 'borrowing it'...forever - fail!

But now there is a second game...Crackdown 2! Here's the low-down on this game:

A trailer was unveiled at E3 2009 revealing that the player-controlled Agent roams over Pacific City, which has become infested with urban-gang warfare, assisting the Agency in the battle for Pacific City against numerous crime lords who control the city. A recent article from Game Informer magazine stated that Pacific City is infested with mutants from the research facility in the first Crackdown. These mutants have over run most of the former Shai-Gen territory and completely over run the city at night. The remaining civilians, forming a group called The Cell, revolted against the Agency and the mutants. The Agents are tasked with sabotaging key Cell structures and raiding underground mutant tunnels."

Now I have had my hands on the game for a few weeks,  & it is not too dissimilar to the first game, but they have done what the best games do - add to the original, rather than reinvent the wheel (Gears of War, Call of Duty, Halo - we're looking at you!). It's a joy to play, but much more of a challenge - because this time the enemies get more tough - as tough as you when you begin to level up your character.

It's not a 5* game, but it's a load of fun - I would give it a strong 4* out of 5 - good times

How to make a Daft Punk helmet in 17 months

World Cup Reflection

So it's over for another 4 years, but it's the first World Cup where I've paid so much attention, & one which I have followed almost every game & as such enjoyed it most of all.

Firstly let's get over the disappointing teams: France & Italy - said about Italy, but they have just been limp & France were just terrible (a fiasco!)

However, as an Englishman (well I consider myself an Earthling/European in all honesty) the disappointment of watching my national squad of highly paid professionals play like a Sunday league pub football team was very frustrating. So a huge, epic, frankly pathetic 3 goal tally was not what was needed or expected by the nation (Australia scored the same amount ffs!) who were so behind the team & hopeful of progress with the likes of Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Stevie Gerrard, Frank Lampard, & the on-fire Jermaine Defoe, & the in-the-form-of-his-life Rooney.


However, here's what happened; the first game against the USA was blotted by an unforced error by Bobby Green, which left a 1-1 draw. But this was nothing, in comparison to the second game which was the worst I have ever seen England play - resulting in a 0-0 draw with Algeria?...yes Algeria! I have never felt so let down, especially against the lowest ranked team in the group - we all expected a wooping...but it never came! Then finally a win in the final group game, but it was still not exactly impressive. The final game for England in the 2010 world cup was a serious wooping...by Germany! All-in-all the most forgettable tournament (apart from Euro 2008, which they didn't even qualify for!), but they were not the only ones.


So Brazil & Argentina - although they didn't get that far, for former champions on multiple occasions, were still very exciting to watch & every match I saw, I did want them to score & some great goals they scored. I really did respect their efforts, with some of the greatest stars around at the moment & both managed by former world champions (Maradona & Dunga of course). They both scored really great goals, but were disappointing after the group stage & were knocked out by the Dutch & the Germans. But the excitement when Elano, Kaka, Messi, Higuain & Tevez got the ball was palpable.

The jabulani ball has been full of controversy, but for me, it's just a newly designed football. Therefore, (surely) sportsmen who are paid often millions of pounds annually should be able to cope with any ball, as the principals should apply to any ball, regardless of design changes - I think they're just making excuses!


But it has not exactly all been disappointing, there have been some serious success stories, namely the squads from Australia & especially New Zealand who drew all their games & were only 1 point from going into the next round. The most impressive displays have been from Germany, but for sheer heart & belief - it has to be the host nation - South Africa - they may not have the best squad, but they gave it everything they had & only went out on goal difference, but they were great value to watch.


In terms of extra curricular activities, I have already blogged about the fail of ITV's website, but the Fifa website had a really complete fantasy world cup league & a brilliant virtual sticker album. This has kept my department both entertained, but also engrossed in all the matches - not just rooting for  England.

Finally, looking forward to the wake of the final between Netherlands & Spain, Spain having never progressed to a final, but on the back of a Euro victory, meet a team they have never faced before, with neither of them having been crowned world champions before - an epic match should be ahead!





My reflection is simply that it has been full of great moments & superb goals, frustration that some world-class players didn't live up to their expectation (Ronaldo, Torres, Rooney, Kaka & Messi a little bit) but utterly exhillarating overall.

...we continue

Polish Reflection

So this is a post which I should have written as soon as I came back from Poland, but in reality life (well my party really!) seems to have got in the way a little.

So then what happened in Poland? It was definitely an experience, the city we went to was Kracow which was a surprisingly nice place to visit, witha  big population (getting on for a million) & a very tourist-heavy place. We flew from Luton > Kracow directly via cheesyjet...sorry Easy Jet & got to the hotel (guest house really) in good time to then unpack & head to the dentist.

The dentist itself was seriously state-of-the-art - everything was clinically clean & hygenic, the staff spoke brilliant english (superior to my polish by a very long way) & were serious professionals. The work involved was a large scale restoration job - repairing what could be repaired & fixing where fillings had gone bad, following on from a consult & a 3D electronic X-Ray which they then gave me a burn of [helpful].

So they did 3 cosmetic [but completely essential] fillings on the front, then 4 rebuilds (layered fillings, as far as I understand), in a seriously fast time & I definitely would recommend them - they were brilliant!

I'm going back & will report on that at the end of July, but for now - so far, so good!

Here's the before Xray  :)

Why I love cycling

So here's a very random post about my love for cycling. This reflection has come from my recent pedaling resurgence, as part of my fitness [& transport!] changes.

So I've literally got back on on my bike [that Trek 1200 which had been collecting dust over the winter] and been tearing around the streets of Oxford. I don't think I'm the best or fastest cyclist - I just love pushing myself to keep going faster - if I see any bikes in front of me - it is my raison d'être to catch them...all of them!


But where does this insanity stupidity awesomeness madness come from?



Well personally I like to blame the parents - no seriously, it's actually their fault this time! to be precise, it's actually my old man's fault - he taught me how to cycle when I was about 4 or 5 [I think, not too sure, as I was rather young!]  in the car park of Temple Cowley swimming pool on a hot summers day - first with stabilisers, then not so much! But it's not just that simple - he was also a gifted cyclist himself - having raced for several clubs in Cycle Speedway.

For those not au fait with this sport,  it's a pretty intense and gritty [yes, pun intended] form of cycling, where you ride round a short gravel track [in a similar way to motorcycle speedway - but with more human power, less petrol] on some crazy bikes - my old man's bike having sandpaper pedals (for grip - this was well before shoes with plates in them connecting to cleats) no brakes & only one gear! Originally him & a couple of his cousins made their own track and created a team - Headley Hawks [which sadly closed a couple of years ago, but was visible on Google Earth! now track destroyed] and later, more when I remember as a kid, for Horspath Hammers - who are still going strong - there are even still picture of the old man [with current team manager Robin Carter with his 'stache] on their website http://horspathcsc.co.uk/default.aspx.

But how has this affected me & my cycling? Well after learning how to cycle, I've progressed through a load of really not great bikes - all mountain bikes pretty much, until back in 2006 when I got a Trek1200 with my old man up in Leeds I've discovered a love of speed on a bike. It took a little while to get used to different handlebars, brakes and gears, but the amount of raw speed you can get on a roadbike is brilliant! It is really quite fun to try to catch up with & stick with cars/buses whilst riding through Oxford, quite literally tearing up the tarmac - rather exhilarating!

I think the big think that helps me is to have the appropriate tracks to keep the momentum, but also the blood that flows in my veins - cycling blood! I've got some of the old man's old cycling gear (trousers & zippy-top) & I think the emulation is quite apparent, so thanks RKH!

PENDULUM - The Island part 1 - 2

After such an appalling match last night, & to get rid of the English [football] depression - we need some special music - here it is, with a riff that will stick in your head all week, then a sting in the tail that "sounds like Deadmau5's twisted cousin"

...play it, enjoy it, get over it!