Grazza

Sorry ReZourcemen, only just seen this. I bloomin' LOVE Shooting Stars, especially since they brought it back a couple of years ago. The last three series (including this one) have been comedy gold. It's the only (intentional) comedy programme left on TV that makes me laugh out loud. Highlights this year: * Angelos: "Who's taller: Terry, or Lazy Barry?" * "True or False: Stephen Fry is so intelligent, he doesn't need to wear 3D glasses whilst watching 3D films." * (Approximation) Q: Who is Bottington Sodworthy? A: Charles Sodworthy's son. * Angelos' cabaret where he stripped and knocked a robin into a bowl of milk * 1970s Facebook * Tess Daley's "exorcism" * "True or False: Illiterate people meet once a week in the library to judge a book by its cover." * "True or False: If you sneeze, cough and fart at once, it's possible to reverse time." * "True or False: Zoe Ball and Stuart Bag are to star in a detective programme called Ball Bag." * Jack Dee's endgame where he had to find a pound and won a "Douglet" (a lamb with eyes on its rear). You know, I find it so funny, sometimes I wonder if I'm actually mad!

It does look as though they're trying to simulate the isometric look of the original. It doesn't look as good, but at least there does seem to be some sort of acknowledgement there. One thing I've just noticed that bothers me is that there is no track banking on that looping coaster. Imagine having unbanked turns with OTSRs - ouch! What I want to stress is that the original RollerCoaster Tycoon was a labour of love, that's why it was so brillliant. Without that keen desire to recreate real amusement parks (British ones, too, in RCT1) and roller coasters, this 3DS version may end up missing out the small details, and thus be unrealistic.

Nothing like that long, just a few minutes. I can only hope the reason it's taking so long is because of the accumulated updates you may need. The videos take quite a long time though.

Why's that, Serebii?

I thought it was very good, and I wouldn't call myself a big fan of Doctor Who at the moment at all. Matt Smith has really grown on me. I always liked him somewhat, but I've become especially fond of his portrayal of the Doctor as a kind person who leads by example. Inspiring and thought-provoking without being holier-than-though. It's impressive how they get the balance right. It's true I no longer understand Doctor Who, so I just switch off my brain and hope it's entertaining. This delivered, with lots of humour and eccentricity. I think it's indesputable that it's extremely complicated now. I do watch it properly, it's just that the half-season finale (which I also enjoyed) made it clear that you're not meant to understand it until all the pieces are in place (more so than before). It's just Steven Moffat's style. I could moan about my least favourite aspects, but there's no point. If they keep up this standard, Doctor Who is in sure-enough hands for now.

Like I said in the news comments thread, this combines my favourite-ever strategy series and my favourite-ever handheld. I have to echo what others are saying in that I hope it's like RCT 1 or 2. I just can't tell you what those two games meant to me on PC.

I finished this about a week ago. So, my verdict... It's a very fast, smooth-flowing game (going back to Dragon Quest IX afterwards felt like wading through treacle) with plenty of humour and charm. Often I would laugh out loud, sometimes it even brought a tear to my eye. I was most pleased this has got more "cheek" than IV, V or IX. It's slightly more like VIII, and so I hope the series continues in that direction. The sprite animation on the final boss is excellent. On the negative side, there does come a point where there is a lot of grinding, if you're OCD inclined. This is not particularly because the game is difficult (in fact, I didn't want to gain levels), but because it's hard to resist mastering all the vocations. Before that point, there are also some huge difficulty spikes and badly-designed sections. The main problem is that the game world is divided into two (like Link to the Past). Personally, I never quite knew where I was, and there is so much freedom it also made it easier to run into the aforementioned difficulty spikes. I beat the post-game boss in under 20 turns and got a fun ending for that. So, a decent game. It's now clear to me that V is by far the best of the Zenithia Trilogy. I would somewhat recommend VI, just be aware there is lots of grinding if you're a completionist.

Thanks Ike. I just need to do two Quests now (Borya's Boots. Grr...) and then I think I've "completed" it. The other thing is the Alchemy. I might not fill it 100%, but I would really like to get the full Alchemiracle armour... Onto Xenoblade now, which I actually got last Thursday, but I wanted to finish the Legacy Bosses first. Unlike most people, I don't actually like it so far. Very difficult to get into...

Why would we, the gamers, want Nintendo to stop making handhelds though? There has always been a general agreement that games need buttons and sticks, something the Wii was criticised for not having enough of (quite rightly, in my opinion). But smartphones don't have any! I'm not saying the games all control badly, but you couldn't have anything like, say, Wind Waker. It's just not possible. The only thing I'd be happy about would be if Nintendo made games for the Sony Vita instead of their own machine (as that does actually look perfect), but obviously that's not going to happen. The 3DS is here and it's a bloomin' good handheld. It's not perfect and they've stumbled initially, but the core guts of the machine are impressive enough for it to get through.

Baramos bashed Murdaw mauled Doulmagus duffed-up Dragonlord defeated Psaro slayed Nimzo nipped Malroth mashed Estark eradicated Mortamor mothballed Zoma zonked Orgodemir outed Rhapthorne repelled Nokturnus nobbled Yes, I've finally defeated all the Legacy Bosses at level 99! And they can stay that way too!

We all have arguments, but the main reason I'd break contact is if they tried to hurt my feelings. It doesn't matter what we were arguing about, if they actually wanted to upset me, that means they are a nasty person and I won't have anything to do with them. Either that or if I otherwise discovered they had very unpleasant values, such as cruelty etc. That's the one thing I can't stand - cruelty.

Personally, I don't want to play a Dragon Quest as long as IX again. Yes, it's great to have a lot of post-game content, but IX took it too far. The Grottoes were actually a good companion to me over the winter, but it was very frustrating trying to get the rare items, as it was a 2% chance for the clothing and just a 1% chance for the weapons or Metal Slime equipment. Cue much failure and repetition. It was also great to have so many post-game bosses, namely the Grotto and Legacy Bosses. The problem with the latter, though, was that instead of being a set, difficult challenge (ie. being at level 99 straight away), you had to level them up yourself, which meant fighting them 100 times! I never want to do that again - it's a waste of time. Having them make jumps of 10 (eg. 9, 19... all the way to 99) would have been better, but fighting them 100 times? No!! But then, who am I kidding? If DQX is indeed an MMO, it's time for me to upgrade my internet connection. See you online. I'll be the Paladin wearing the Metal King Armour...

Look, I want to apologise for my posts in this thread. My explanation: temporary insanity. I was literally angry out of my mind on seeing the riots, especially Monday's. I somewhat understood the disquiet on Saturday night after the shooting of Mark Duggan. I am never happy about someone being killed. To see such a huge group who hate their own country so much was a big shock to me. When something has gone that badly wrong in society, big change is needed. I do have anti-liberal views, however I am genuinely upset if I offended anyone. In particular, I can't tell you how gutted I am to have upset King V, who is clearly one of the most decent and impressive people we've ever had on here. Supergrunch is right: to have posted such things is a punishment of its own. Whilst I know I do not dislike other races, I believe my posts had a snarling tone that is similar to that of a racist's. Truly, I am ashamed to have turned so ugly. It just goes to show, you should always be on your guard not to lower yourself. If something positive can come of this, perhaps we can come together to sort the problems out. If in 10 years' time there is no gangsta culture, no chav culture, no real underclass and no racism either, I for one will be happy. I know the mods want an end to this, so that's all I'll say. Sorry.

Simon Schama is a good historian, but less politically interesting than David Starkey. Peter Hitchens is another favourite of mine, but I suppose it depends on whether you lean more to the left or right. What I like about David Starkey is that he's always radical and usually presents a solution (eg. taking lessons from Canada to deal with the financial crisis). He always looks at the issues, seemingly without bias or prejudice, and then comes to a conclusion regardless of how popular or unpopular it might be. It's really quite odd people are calling him racist when he went out of his way to praise the Tottenham MP David Lammy, for example. He doesn't appear to have an interest in being racist at all.

David Starkey is the most brilliant political mind in the country. I saw him on Newsnight and he was talking complete and utter common sense. Unfortunately, the subject is too sensitive for people to admit he's right. Either that or people can't grasp what he's saying, hence the "racist" tags already. We won't be able to solve this problem until we're able to talk about it honestly. When you see how sensitive people are about David Starkey's completely rational and perceptive comments, that may well be never.

Not Stargate. It goes at least as far back as Erich Von Daniken. Unless our DNA came here on asteroids. That could mean there are aliens very much like us. Stonehenge too. If you visit it, there really is no mystery as to how it was built, and very little mystery as to why it was built (clock/calendar). Hmm, you really think we won't see it? A disappointing, but quite possible prediction. Personally, I think it's due to money. If the economy recovers greatly, I suspect NASA will be onto it quite soon.

I think so, yes. The flipside is that people who have seen ghosts seem to be more reliable witnesses than people who have seen aliens (actual aliens, not UFOs). There are exceptions, such as the Yorkshire policeman Alan Godfrey. That's an amazing case. However, my peers tend to generally think the witnesses for ghosts are more reliable, because amongst them are people they know well. I have to admit, if someone told me they had seen an alien, I'd be very doubtful. I agree, it should primarily be considered entertainment - something to sell books and DVDs. Conspiracy theories are a little bit different, and more sinister. I'm not sure anyone is saying there is a cover-up about "ancient aliens", it's just a mystery.

LMAO! That means I only need one piece and I'll have completed all of them. Ah, great. You can't beat a ferry trip. If you make a Mii, put it into StreetPass Plaza and activate all the StreetPass modes (I forget exactly what you have to do, but it's not difficult). Then, when you go out and walk past someone with a 3DS, if you have StreetPass and Wi-Fi activated, you will obtain their Mii and vice versa. Their Mii can be used as a fighter in StreetPass Quest and to collect puzzle pieces off of in Puzzle Quest. However, you have to use them straight away. You can also swap data for other games, such as fighting their figurines in Street Fighter IV.

It's weird, I've still not got a Level 7 Mii. I used to be able to get one regularly from GameStation, GAME and HMV. For various different reasons, they all disappeared around Level 6. Also, I can't find anyone with a piece of the 8th jigsaw. I don't even know what it is.

It does, yes, but I don't usually have it turned on.

StreetPass Diary 12 August 2011 Went to GAME. They had two machines running, Wi-Fi on, but StreetPass didn't work for some reason. Went to HMV. They had their "demo" 3DS turned completely off. Went to the other GAME. No luck. 3DS is now £159.99 with Ocarina of Time. Not bad, but I was expecting better offers than that. Perhaps they sold all the cheaper bundles. Overheard two kids playing on the demo units: Kid 1: "I don't like Nintendo 3D DSes." Kid 2: "I don't like them either." Oh dear. Got home, didn't get any StreetPasses at all. Got a SpotPass. We're getting the Dead or Alive costumes again. Yay!!! Every cloud...

Ah, I'm with you, Mokong. This stuff makes life more interesting. Unlike cults, it's not about brainwashing or trying to control people. It's just trying to solve mysteries that are genuinely there. I think it's worth pointing out how opposed some people are to the idea of aliens. Sometimes I ask people if they believe in ghosts and they say "yes" (let's not get into that again though!) When I ask them if they believe aliens have ever visited us, or even if aliens exist at all, they scoff at the thought, as if it's a totally ridiculous idea. So, whilst there is the stereotype of the "I want to believe" person, there are also those who really hate the idea so much they reject it outright. Why is this the case? I can only assume they don't like entertaining the idea that human earthlings may not be the most advanced species. I concede that there is no conclusive evidence. On the other hand, there is enough data to make it a valid theory. After all, theories don't have to be correct!

Pilotwings Resort is really divided into two modes: one is about challenges, the other is about exploration. I suppose the latter is mildly similar to the Airplane mode in Wii Sports results, but with better controls and sharper visuals. For what it's worth, I found it much more enjoyable. As for the fighters, I felt a little bit cheated on missing out on the DLC for DOA. However, now it's starting again on Monday, I can recommend it more. Regarding the Street Fighter debate, of course it's not as hardcore as the console versions, but I feel any dedicated fans of the series would have had it ages ago on Xbox 360 with an arcade stick anyway. The 3DS version is very accessible. You can use the touchscreen controls until you're good at it (or keep using them if you find it more fun). At the end of the day, I'm never going to understand all the technicalities of fighting games, but I can still enjoy them on 3DS, using the StreetPass features etc.

As the iPad isn't widescreen, it's a complicated matter. However, I still think it needs more wow factor. According to Wikipedia, the iPad has a PPI of 132, whereas the iPhone 4 has a PPI of 326, which is more the sort that I think it needs. What the PPI of a 10", 720p tablet would be, I don't know.