Rome. As in, For The Glory Of. I have discovered Rome Total War. It's superb, and I am currently enetering the final stages - It's just me (the Julli) and the Egyptians facing off against those back stabbing Scippi and Brutii familys. Every battle is like some form of twenty minute-long orgasm, as my seemingly suicidal legion charge heither and neither at my bidding, my judgement always clouded by the drink of power. With so many once proud nations long since put to the sword of war, it's left to the remaining titans to duel it out for worls supremacy. Word to the wise - if the senate starts asking for your leaders suicide, like, every day, expect trouble.

Elsewhere, I'm rather gatified to see the very first Revolution shots, the rather sexy looking Red Steel. It serves as a nice reasurence that Revolution really will be able to offer nice graphics along side siperb gameplay and unparrlelled innovation in games. With E3 06, the Revos big comming-out bash, less then a few weeks away it's proving hard on my already excited lower-digestive tracts and reproduction organs to maintain control.

PS - I'm going to start at least try updating these more often, if anyone is actually reading. I promise. To TRY anyway.

Well I give up. My college network has suddenly decided to let online games connect in my room, albeit to play rather laggy games, so if you see someone on the DoD OC clan server lagging like crazy, it's nice to meet you. Still, my connection is fuctional enough for decent Dawn of War scraps. Why games suddenly work on it, I have no idea.

In the mean time I have been playing Resi 4. A lot of Resi 4 - I'm practically gorged on it, and I think I need to stop. I have finally come into possesion of both the Infinite Launcher and the Chicago typewriter, and have been playing for those 5 stars on all maps, all characters on merceneries. I'm still seeing  Ganodos when I go to sleep.

Hunk rules. Scratch that, Hunk 'effing rocks. If you can snap it's kneck, Hunk will snap it's kneck. there is nothing sweeter then scoring a 20+ combo just with kneck snapping. I also happen to find Hunk a strangely alluring character. Maybe it's that black all-over leather body armour. Maybe it's that dashing gas mask. Maybe it's the attraction of knowing so little about this charasmatic individual, just an ordinary special forces soldier in a bad situation. With Capcom likely denying the upcomming Nintendo Revolution (will it come with Ak47s bundled?) of Resi5, most likely in favour of more secretive, exclusive, Nunchucku-based treats I can only pray to the great pixellated heathen gods of old that it will involve a lot of Hunk, with some requisite un-dead zombie knecks for good measure. Oh yes...

I must I'm rather enjoying my year in college so far. As a work-shy drama student, I am currently enjoying the many fruits that unemployment in a desolate, blasted town such as the one my college (and subsequently I) reside in; time, space, peace and intellectual oppertunity, if only through the process of thinking, dreaming and taking mental notes for future reference. I'm not rich by any means, but thanks to a rather generous welfare state, which I would give to life to defend, along with contributions I at least have enough money to keep myself reasonable well fed, with a roof over my head and a new CD every now and again and my own room on campus. My already prodigious game collection helps me resist the many and varied temptations of my local game store.

As far as rooms go, it's not a bad room. Bare, it closely resembles a high-quality prison cell minus bars, with a simple steel bed and matress, bare-brick whitewash walls and (for an extra £15 per week) an en-suit shower room about the size of a standard Ikea wardrobe, also included along with an undersized desk and shelves, as well as a small bed-side table. However, a couple of posters on the walls, fresh sheets on the bed, my trusty Half-Life 2 running PC squeesed onto the desk, 12" TV with attached GC on the bedside table, the curtains pulled back to reveal the stunning view (see bottom) and I feel almost as if I've lived here for years.

There is one problem with this room though, and it strangely enough lies with it's graetest asset - the broadband. Built into every room is a free broadband service. A FAST broadband service. I don't know it's exact speed, but at it's worst, it's usually at least twice as fast as my 2mb Wanadoo service back home. It sounds fantastic, doesn't it? Well, there is one problem with it - due to a quirk in local-area-network technology (which I won't go into here) online gaming is out. As in, not going to happen. Which is somewhat of a blow for someone, anyone, who has actually played Counter Strike Source. Many happy hours of running, gunning and declaring that there was "No way" I could've been hit by that weapon from that distance, have been canceled. Dawn of War now doesn't seem quite the same without someone complaining about me using Space Marine dreadnaughts, while the Battlefield 2 bots aren not the greatest conversationists. Additionally, The Lost Coast remains lost to me, while vulnearable wizards and heroic swordsmen must struggle on in the face of adversity without the valuable healing skills of my Lv.16 cleric.
I love online gaming, because i know I'm playing agains real people. Real people are a great game element - a new challenge. They're more likely to react to gunfire, make silly mistakes and yet still pull something out the hat to lead them to a victory you can't begrudge them. Better then the best AI. With friends the experience goes up a notch, allowing you to get immensily competitive but still keep it all in the realms of good, clean fun. This is one of the reasons I deserately wanted to be on the online gaming scene this year - my friends are all a considerable distance away, but without gaming I miss the thrill of either quoting sniper films at each other, screaming Japanese obscenities at the screen, or teaming up together and having the most fun anyone can have getting completely hammered by the opposition. I've been thinking about challenging the Liverpudlian fitness freak across the hall to a game of Smash Bros., but somehow he doesn't seem the type. Ah well, at least I can dream.


Lovely view, isn't it?

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First, a quick rant about cleaners. (don't read this)

*RANT*Arrgh! I hate cleaners. I mean honestly, I realise they have to clean the stairs, but unless they expect me to ABSAIL to my room, I'll go up and down them as much as I need, thank you very much. While we're on it, why they hell does somebody leaving a few cereal bowls and some cereal bowls in the sink in the morning reneder them incapable of wiping the table? **** if it's so much **** bother, I'll do it. I realise they have pretty crappy jobs, but there's no need to take it out on the rest of humanity. I swear, the one hovering the hall outside my room right now is the Basil Fawlty of the cleaning world.*RANT*

(Ok, you can look now if you want.)

Anyway, in my gaming related life, I seem to aproaching the end of Skies of Arcadia Legends. It's been fantastic - it's one of the few RPGs that's really sucked me in. Sure, the Final Fantasy series is good, but I think that became a parody of itself about half-way through FFVIII. Skies of Arcadia is just a little bit different - actually it'd a lot different. Yes, there is a big, campy, evil empire, yes, there are bad guys running around in giant airships and yes, so God help us, only plucky young group of teenagers can save us. However, it's still different. The characters share some similarities with generic RPG fair, but are individual enough to let you love them. The main hero, Vyse, for example, gets to kick ass but also gets put in his place when he gets ahead of himself. The story, while obviously metaphorical, isn't so contrived and is actually well crafted enough to get you at least a little bi involved in it as it progresses, albeit in a slightly cheesy, japanimation kind of way. It's just great.

PS. Metroid Prime Echos is rock 'ard. Also brilliant.