OK, so not really games yet again, but still very very important nontheless. Tomorrow night, my band, Hallowed Point is playing at Fibbers in York, UK. So if anyone out there reads this and wants to have a decent night of metal madness, its £5 entry, and that gets you 3 bands (Hallowed Point + Sworn Amongst + Pantheon) and also there's a metal nightclub on straight after. Can't say fairer than that!

I'm busy redesigning out website atm, and it should hopefully be up ready to coincide with our new demo which should be out in early September, providing all the recording goes well. In the meantime, please check us out on MYSPACE, even though it's an old, old, old lineup playing.

Cheers, and hopefully will see some of you tomorrow night (even though the chances are minimal :D)

Woohooo. I got Rock Band.

I'm so goddamn tired. Firstly, I didn't get in from my mates house til about 2AM, and I thought 'Hey, it'd be a good idea to check on the status of my imported Rock Band'. So I did. And I saw that it had arrived at the local depot. So I was understandably excited, and of course this led to a funting awful nights sleep. I woke up at 6, so I've had 4 hours sleep and am currently relying on coffee to keep me going. ParcelForce better hurry up because otherwise I'm going to fall asleep and miss them when they knock on the door REALLY lightly, as usual.

Its time for a musically themed blog post from me now. First up, it was my 21st birthday a couple of weeks ago, and with the money I got, I bought myself a new guitar. He is called Lemar. He is a Dean ML Hardtail model, and is most good, Newmand. Most good.

In other news, whilst listening to Rush the other day, I convinced myself that even if the rumours surrounding Dream Theaters appearance on Rock Band 2 turned out to be false, Tom Sawyer was enough of a draw for me, so I imported a Region 1 bundle of the game for £140. Which is £40 cheaper than what the price will be when the PS3 version makes an appearance in the UK later this year. So I saved money, and beat the release date.

Now I come on GS this morning, and find that Dream Theater are CONFIRMED for Rock Band 2. For those of you who don't know, Dream Theater are clearly the best band in the entire universe, and Panic Attack is definitely going to be one of, if not THE hardest song for all instruments on the game.

Peace and Funting...Believe.

Since PS3 FirmWare 2.4 is out now, I thought I'd be sneaky and get in a couple of trophies prety quickly by getting some Super Stardust on the go. So I've got 2 trophies now (both shameful Bronze), but I shall be picking up the pace.

With E3 a little over 3 weeks away, it's starting to hit me just how much potential this years event has. Out of the current consoles, I only have a PS3 and I can't afford a gaming PC atm so my focus is clearly going to be on Sonys plans for the year, and with some massive games (including several exclusives) rumoured to be making an appearance, I'm going to be keeping a close eye on the goings-on in LA this year.It's hard to decide what to place at the top of my 'Want-More-Than-A-Lottery-Win' list, so we'll start off with the PS3 exclusives, shall we?

Resistance 2

I have to admit that although I obviously had a keen interest in this game, nothing had really caught my attention until yesterday when some magazine scans appeared on progames.fr detailing some new locations, enemies (one in particular which is going to be epic), and other tit-bits of information.The promise of two different campaigns for single-player and co-op is nice, whilst the highly-anticipated 64 person online action can only improve upon the first installments (already fine) multiplayer action.

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift

Another PS3 launch title that granered enough praise to warrant a sequel, and a damn-fine looking one at that. Set primarily in tropical locations, MotorStorm 2 looks to be taking the 'drive anywhere' aspect of the original, and combining it with lush jungle backdrops, with plenty of tactics to be taken into account. Smaller vehicles will not be able to slice through the dense shrubbery as easily as the larger Big Rigs and Trucks, but alternative routes are just waiting to be found. Again, MotoStorm had a solid online world (eventually) and Pacific Rift will no doubt improve on this.

LittleBigPlanet

One of my most anticipated titles of the year (just behind MGS4), this little gem looks set to be the surprise hit of the year. Customisable characters that appeal to all genders and ages, and a focus on user created content (and the sharing of it) is hopefully going to get the PSN more alive. Here's hoping that E3 will bring news of a definite release date.

KillZone 2

KillZone 2 has been in the works for a fair while now, and while it's undoubtedly one of the PS3's most anticipated exclusives, I have a feeling that it is destined to fail. The mega-hype that numerous delays has created may come back to haunt it. However, with amazing new graphics, and a new-fangled cover system (the diet of a good FPS), KillZone 2 isn't going to go down without a fight. Expect Sony to make a lot of fuss over Killzone at E3.

OK, I've covered the exclusives, here's the rest of my most anticipated games for E3.

Tomb Raider Underground

Lets be honest with ourselves here. Lara's last few outings haven't been spectacular by any standards (even those of a non-spectacular Jaguar), so we'll have to see if Eidos' decision to add some more acrobatics, and steal the title from a vampire film can help revive this once proud series.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

So if you haven't seen the trailers, leave this place now and go and watch them!! The combination of three physics engines is the real draw for me here, I can't wait to see what great carnage can be had flinging Stormtroopers around, into steel beams, windows and other things. Honestly, if the physics engine thing had just been any other game then this would have drawn me in anyway, but setting in the wonderful Star Wars universe gives it limitless potential. Keep an eye on this.

Soul Calbur IV

K, so I might not be as interested as I would be if Yoda was coming to the PS3 version, but there isn't any sign of Tekken 6 yet, so I'll undoubtedly stick my head in the door of Soul Calibur. SC has always been a great series, peaking at SC2, which still remains one of the greatest fighting games ever. Soul Calibur 3 was a bit of a step backwards overrall, but the create-a-character mode was very expansive. If they can nail the CAC and keep the gameplay standards high, then there's no reason why this can't win over a whole new generation of fans.

Resident Evil 5

So now Micro$oft has got its greedy little hooks into Capcom and Resi is going truly multiplat. If you don't know what to expect then you probably shouldnt be buying it. Chris Redfield returns to star in the follow up to the phenomenally successful RE4, and has found himself isolated in a sub-Saharan African village, where the villagers have become somewhat greedy themselves. Unlike Micro$oft, however, it's their fellow villagers blood that they're after, and Chris isn't going to let himself get eaten. Try not to get caught up in all the completely ridiculous cries of racism being hurled towards the game (apparently shooting black zombies is racist, but shooting white zombies is not).

Fallout 3

It'll be nice to have a decent, strong RPG (albeit a hybrid FPS/RPG) on the PS3, that isn't Oblivion. To be honest, I've not heard a whole load about it, so here's hoping that E3 will be packed with information on this little beauty.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

Westwoods Cold War series has probably being the biggest selling of the C&C games, and Red Alert 3 will undoubtedly follow that trend. From a PS3 users perspective, the biggest thing they could possibly announce would be the support of Bluetooth/USB keyboard and mouse, because, as everyone should know, RTS' don't work on controllers.

Well that covers it pretty much. I'll be writing a bit more about these as E3 gets closer.

Well this is the last week that I'm going to be living in Leeds for at least 3 years. It's been great living here, and meeting all the wonderful people that I was so lucky to meet, and who have helped me have some of the best times of my life here. I'm leaving at the end of the week to go back home, and in September will start a course in Digital Music and Computer Games Deisgn at the University of Teesside, which should be funting awesome.

New games this week: Lego Indiana Jones, The Original Adventures, and Civilization Revolution.

Haven't had too much chance to play Lego Indy, partially because of being obsessed with MGS4 still (which I finally completed last night, and will now have to do on Extreme difficulty), but Civ has provided me with a few nice quick games every now and then, and has generally impressed me quite a bit. Might tempt me into doing my second proper review, you never know.

Stay safe,

T

So, I haven't been playing a whole load of games recently, which is quite unlike me, but I've got other things keeping me occupied.

I don't tink I've mentioned this in a blog, but I've joined a metal band called Hallowed Point, and I've been hammering my guitar trying to get ready for a gig which is only a week away now. So I've been learning, and if I haven't, I've been practicing it in Huddersfield. To complement this new found rockingness, I'm getting a new guitar. I'm not fully decided on what yet, but it looks like being a Dean Razorback that looks a bit like this

Nice.

And I've also just had a random woman stab a piece of metal through my tongue. I'll get some pics when the swelling goes down and I can actually talk.

Whilst Ive been having a bit of a time-out from most GS related activities, I've been thinking about what I'd write about in my next blog. Now about 2 weeks ago, I got hold of a second-hand Time Crisis 4 on PS3 (which seems to be quite rare here in the UK) and started thinking about the possibilities for my newly acquired GCon3, combined with the PS1 back catalogue. The natural answer is, of course, Point Blank - the greatest light-gun games ever released on the Playstation systems. Back in the day, I had Point Blank and Point Blank 2 on the PS1, and I loved them. Absolutely perfect for when you had your mates over, and you could always pick it up for just a quick blast. For instance, this was the time when I was at school, and so I could pick it up and have a quick shoot about for 10 minutes before I had to set off in the mornings. So, I thought 'Right, I'll get on eBay and find myself a cheap copy of PB1/2', and I did. It would of ended up costing me around about £4 delivered. But alas, the GCon3 doesn't process the data from the gun at a level where any game can be played. I don't really understand the technical ins and outs of it, but basically the data that allows the game to recognize when you've hit or missed is interpreted in the actual game, which basically means that you can ONLY use the GCon3 on Time Crisis 4. So if another light-gun game comes out for the PS3, you have to buy the full package of the gun plus the game. Now, obviously companies need to make money in order to stay alive, but the majority of companies who partake in this fleecing of customers are big names in the industry, and allowing their peripherals to be used with other franchises will not harm their sales in a significant way. Most people who buy video games cannot afford to purchase game upon game upon game, as is evidenced by the popularity of the Wii, so by over-pricing and being quite over-protective of their own assets the same companies are risking alienating their core demographics.

And there is one major case of this that I think most people (especially in the UK) will be very aware of. Of course I'm talking about Rock Band. There are a few MAJOR problems with the (eventual) UK release of the PS3 version. Firstly, the pricing. Now, at the time of writing (14:34 GMT 26/05) amazon.com, is listing the PS3 Special Edition at $149.99, which works out at approximately £76. The latest news on the UK pricing is that the instruments will cost £130 and then to buy the game separately (who is going to buy either the instruments or the game seperately?) will cost another £50 so that's a total of $356 which is the best part of being 3 times the price in the US. Secondly, getting back to compatibility issues, why can't the Guitar Hero controller be allowed to be used with Rock Band as a second instrument, especially taking into consideration the amount of money we are already being asked to fork out for RB in the first place. I've already shelled out £75 on GHIII, the devs and all the execs at the companies have already got their money from me, so what's it going to cost them to save us relatively poor people a bit of money?

Now Guitar Hero 4 has been announced, and includes a drum kit as well. But again, another peripheral has been produced (albeit with slight differences) and so people will once again have to shell out what will probably be a ridiculous amounts of money in order to play what will likely be a pretty good game. Us consumers are being forced into making a choice between the two franchises, and the majority of people in an ideal world would like to have the option of having both, without the need to take out a bank loan. Why can't the companies involved in games that require extra peripherals just come to some sort of agreement that will allow this? It will surely only be profitable for them in the long run, as people won't be made to choose where to place their loyalties, and more importantly for everyone involved, their hard earned cash.

After reading a blog posted by maggamuffin concerning whether you should 'hate the casual gamer', I felt compelled to write this. I was originally going to post it as a comment on the blog, but then decided to post it as a blog of my own, because it's quite long, and I feel that my point should be made more aware of. I'm not bragging, but I honestly feel that it is a good argument.

So here it is;

I don't think that people 'hate' casual gamers - more the idea of one. Nintendo have really pissed me off with the Wii, and all its needless accessories, and endless mini-game compilations. For instance - WiiFit, the epitome of casual gaming, is not even a game. It is a way of getting people to drop £70 on a board that will help them get fit. Now, I'm not hating on any obese/overweight people here, but if the only way you're going to make an effort to lose weight is to play a video game (which is more often than not associated with 'couch-potatoes), then you need to take a long hard look at yourself. I work in a game store, and had a large woman come in last week, look at the weight-limit for the board, and say 'OOOOH, half a stone under - that's good!' If you want to get fit, go for a run you ignorant thing. I've played games since I was 4 and haven't ever had a need to keep fit, I can do that in my own, non-expensive way. Why is there a need to bring games into the mainstream? All the best games came out in a time when if you played games, you were a geek. Now that this casual gamer market has come about, companies are just looking to make a quick buck (yes, you Ninty) with as little effort as possible. So, in retrospect, I think that casual gaming is actually hurting the hardcore gamers market. Can you name me a game that has come out this generation (aimed at the hardcore gamer) that has fully lived up to its expectations??

People look at the Wii, and think 'ah, a games console that is cheap, and will help me get fit, encourage the kids to do exercise etc.', but don't realise that it isn't cheap at all, when a set of controllers will cost you £51 a pop. That doesn't seem a lot, until you take into account the fact that the Wii is most definitely not designed for single-player games. Yes, you can play by yourself, but you feel a lot less stupid waving your limbs about if there's someone else doing it aswell. Then there's the controller attatchments. I am absolutely gobsmacked that peopl actually pay for a piece of plastic that doesn't actually do anything. If I went onto Dragons Den and pitched an idea for a pen attatchment that 'makes your pen look like a sunflower' for instance, that retailed for £7 - I'd be laughed at all the way to the harbour. But people think nothing of dropping the same amount of money on something that makes your Wiimote (worst portmanteau of the century btw) look like a golf club (and a **** one at that). The Wii Wheel, I can admit, is the best way to play Mario Kart, but it isn't essential, it's yet another gimmick that is being aimed at people who have more money than sense, and I feel that this may be the definition of a casual gamer.

Thank god I'm hardcore.