Grazza

I am incredibly chilled, laid back and nice, always thinking of other people's feelings, not aggressive or unfriendly at all. That said, the moment someone wrongs me I will come down on them like a ton of bricks, not like a psychopath - I just don't like people taking advantage of me.

For me, getting up at 6 or 8am is early. I wouldn't drink a beer before 6pm ish, and that's not a strict rule, but I only drink alcohol when I'm winding down for the day. I wouldn't drink at lunchtime because there's still so much to do.

Yep, that's what I meant. It's not about believing in mythological creatures like trolls or dragons, but this troll hunter film still appeals to me as a sort of "monster expedition" documentary.

My image of trolls comes from The Billy Goats' Gruff, ie. twice as tall as a person with a long nose. They are unfriendly and will eat you, even if they're not quite as aggressive as those in Lord of the Rings. Personally, I'm really into cryptozoology, which is the study of unknown animals - not mythological ones, more like surviving prehistoric creatures - so this is right up my alley. I'd love to watch it with subtitles.

That does actually sound brilliant!

It is, because I was talking about the vertical resolution. Operating system or not, they both have a 3.5" widescreen. The iPhone was always 480 x 320, now it packs in an amazing 960 x 640, whereas the 3DS is a modest 800 x 240 (really 400 x 240). So yes, the 3DS will be much better than the iPhone because of the games and controls, but I'm not going to overestimate the technical specifications.

Quite. I always thought the 3DS wouldn't have much processing "grunt", especially since the vertical resolution is so low compared to an iPhone - it's more like a low-powered machine with clever graphical effects. Also, I still say the DS was incredibly underpowered - definitely the worst graphics ever for a 3D machine - so the 3DS will be a massive improvement.

RedShell, that's very cool armour. If I'm not mistaken, you can alchemise that into one of the most iconic Dragon Quest outfits... (although I don't know if it looks as cool). If only I could remember which Grotto I got the Rusty Sword and Helm in, as I need to complete Erdrick's set. Last night I revocated my Paladin, Gladiator, Armamentalist and Sage, so hopefully the Grottoes will get better now. EDIT - Apparently the Rusty gear is from Quests.

The first two are simple kids' books, and that's why they're so brilliant. As the series went on, it tried to be too serious and to tackle too many important issues (not in a subtle way either), completely ruining the fun and storytelling. I felt JK Rowling got too wrapped up in her own Voldemort mythology. At the end of the day, he's an evil wizard who waits seven books doing almost nothing, only to eventually have a quick-draw with Harry Potter. If anything, Harry Potter reminds me of The Worst Witch. It's incredibly similar, although I don't know if the Discworld one came before that or not. Oh, as for the films, there's one truly excellent thing about them - Alan Rickman.

I never went for the "cool" bands, but if I've outgrown anything it's the whole Britpop scene - Blur, Oasis, Shed Seven (LOL). I must admit, I did get caught up in that when I was 19 or so.

That's my take on it too. It became too "epic" and the fun went out of it. Order of the Phoenix was incredibly dull and, if anything, Deathly Hallows was even worse. However, I really, really loved the first four.

The credits on the PS2 were set to an animation by the developers, Clover. As far as I'm aware, Capcom weren't allowed to use this for the Wii version.

Oh, I totally agree. Some of my pals know I'm playing it and ask me about it, but I still don't know anyone in real life who's actually playing it themselves. Yeah, Paladins really need the agility boost of a Meteorite Bracer. As for Thunder Thrust and Hatchet Man, in Dragon Quest VIII, that was the only way I'd even dream of taking on a Metal King Slime. In that game, the success rate was 50%, but I don't know if it's the same in DQ IX. It seems it, but then again I've had 7 or 8 misses in a row sometimes, which obviously is much less than 50%, but sometimes you get that many success in a row too - usually when you've defeated the Metal enemy and you don't need it anymore. Grr!

Just recipes for me, but that includes ones from GameFAQs. At the end of the day, I'm never going to be able to guess them or link up with anyone so I can access the better recipes. Agility, agility, agility + Thunder Thrust and Hatchet Man!

Time: 197:21 Battle Victories: 5629 Times Alchemy Performed: 360 Accolades Earnt: 184 Quests Completed: 83 Grottoes Completed: 51 Guests Canvassed: 0 Defeated Monster List Completion: 81% Wardrobe Completion: 43% Item List Completion: 68% Alchenomicon Completion: 44% First Completion: "Exterminator"

Actually, this game is particularly good in that area. I simply did not get stuck once. Quick Saves are very useful, but I didn't need them until the longer Grottoes (post-game). The main game dungeons are well-designed, with clever shortcuts. If you take a Magic Water to replenish your healer's MP, there shouldn't be a problem. I've been honest about this game about how the graphics, music and atmosphere aren't all that, but trust me, the gameplay is flawless. You can't go wrong. When you two say theme, you don't mean a theme tune, do you? Just sets of clothes? Ah, OK, thanks. Thankfully I've been doing that. Whilst I'm waiting for my Paladin to turn 99, I turned my Gladiator into a Warrior, my Armamentalist into a Mage and my Sage into a Priest (which is what they were before I unlocked the "better" vocations).

Has anyone done many revocations yet? I'm getting to the stage where I will be able to revocate my Paladin, Gladiator, Armamentalist and Sage. The only trouble is, they are basically the vocations I intended to use as my main party, in boss fights etc. What I'm getting at is this: If there's a character I intend to be a Gladiator, should I revocate him as a Gladiator or build him up to Level 99 in a vocation not suited to his purpose (eg. Mage) and then revocate him as that?

You've got this far without maxing-out everyone's Shield skill? Just turn them into a vocation they're Level 1 at, defeat Liquid Metal Slimes in the Bowhole until you're all Level 38, then pour all 100 points into Shields and they become Omnivocational. Doesn't take much time at all.

OK, I got my Armamentalist up to level 99 last night, which is great, but I'm disappointed she still gets EXP from battles (considering she doesn't need it). I thought it'd be shared out between the remaining three. Still no Metal King Slimes!

The honest answer is that it has the same feel as Chapters of the Chosen, in terms of villages, shops etc, but it has the far superior gameplay of Dragon Quest VIII (Journey of the Cursed King). In fact, it's even more developed. It isn't as immersive as Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, nor are the graphics or music as good, but on the other hand, the RPG gameplay is unbeatable. It's not as complicated as the monster collecting gameplay of DQM, but it has just as much longevity. Sorry, I don't know what WPA or WEP are. You can't actually play this game online - I must admit though, whilst I could do without the extra Quests, the online shopping is a bonus.

The DSi is awesome, but I bought it knowing full well the 3DS is on its way. The screens are so much better than the Lite and it has more RAM, which has got to help the games run smoothly. Having played about 200 hours on Dragon Quest IX (which is the only reason I bought one), I have to say it was well worth it, although it wouldn't be if you don't intend to play any more DS games.

Good online shopping today. I bought Saint's Ashes and a Ruinous Shield, so I can make a 2nd Goddess Shield.

It's always been Cindy Crawford and Elizabeth Hurley for me. Oh, and Elle McPherson. Not sure if they're all mothers or not.

I did make the Great Helm, but I don't use it as I'm pretty sure the Minotaur Helm is better. This is my line-up for Hero and No.2 at the moment: Paladin - Erdrick's Helm, Sacrosanct Armour Gladiator - Minotaur Helm, Gigante Armour It feels right, because Hero is the only one with "Egg On", so my Hero Paladin needs top class defence, whereas my Gladiator is the main attacker. Oh, I completed the Level 72 Grotto and received... a Level 55 map. Groan!

Ike, you're mega hardcore getting all the old games! I think so, yes, if only for the fun of it. My Hero is a Paladin at the moment and I've given him Erdrick's Helm and Erdrick's Sword (can't make the others yet). My policy is to make the special armour out of any "cursed" or "rusty" items I get, just to see what they're like. My one reservation is that Erdricks' equipment doesn't seem to have any elemental defence, but hey, it's worth it for the fun of it.