darksnowman

Destiny Blade, Id say get it because its probably the best SSX game there is out there, and barring the original Ten Eighty its almost probably the best snowboarding game out there. I too got it for a mere £20 so dont pass it up! And come back to us with your views and initial opinions on it when you pick it up because chances are you'll love it and you'll probably shoot all the arguments I presented down - which is maybe the kinda thing I needa here to get me into this game...?

I bought On Tour last week and I just had a go on it there for a wee while. I dont know what to make of it at all... So it seems to have a pretty good progression system - I managed to get to being an amateur (I think, Im in the rankings now anyway) and thats a pretty good step on from SSX 3 - which I loved. But with this one... I dunno, it hasnt captured me like I expected. The intro sequence wasnt very good I thought, it even seemed quite messy. And the menus and on screen stuff is quite hard to look at aswell. I think the style has been over done. Then from the intro, the create your boarder baffled me... but Ill stick with my created one cos they all looked a bit stupid anyway... Ive some long haired galoot who I gave a beard shadow. He needs new clothes so hopefully the shop will be as cool as SSX3. But its mainly the style I think thats keeping me from becoming immersed. I dont remember it being quite so MTV and sk8r in the last one. It seemed to have a nice blend. I did go into Quick Play to see if Mario, Luigi and the Princess were there or if I had to unlock them. They were there and I gave each of them a go The first time I saw Mario he looked really outta place and a bit stupid, but I got used to him being there and it was quite fun! Then I tried the Princess and that was great fun! If I ever get to play the game in two player Ill be using her, she was class on the ski's and I think Id like play through the main game as her! Then I tried out Luigi and that two was pretty good fun - I think if I could convince my sister to play it we could have a decent blast... but the controls would put her off... its a little complicated for the newbies... And speaking of controls, I keep pressing "z" while in mid air expecting to do a grab but instead it resets me onto the piste. All in all though, I give them credit for revamping the game somwhat to freshen it up because Id be having a wee rant if it was SSX 3 all over again. I hope I get into it and I hope that Radio Big makes a return later in the game...? Maybe when Im good enough Ill be able to tune into it, heres hoping.

Well its taken me a few weeks and quite a bit of thinking but I think this is as close to my top five as were gonna get - its soo hard to decide! 1) Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kongs Double Trouble This is the top for me. DKC was amazing and the second was great but a little too dark for my liking but then came this one to complete one of the best trilogies ever. It has everything, a great world map and great characters both to play as and to interact with not to mention some great fun baddies. The game also has one of the best sound tracks ever and some of the best graphics and replay value Ive ever known in a game. Ive completed it so many times, first to get the 103% then I got a NMS that had a cheat, TUFST or HARDR that you could enter and play again to earn 105%. What an achievement, and what made it even more of a joy was that MERRY cheat. What a game... and Im getting the GBA remake this Chrimbo so I can get some (watered down) DKC perfection anytime! 2) F-Zero Ill never forget this game or fall out of love with the series. This is the one that truly got me to where I am today gameswise. Id played on things like the Commodore 64 and NES before this and then stuff like Street Fighter 2 on the SNES but once I got a go on this... I was hooked to what was going on in the game... the graphics were/ are superb, the controls are perfect and the characters and vehicles and levels leave nothing to be desired. It was this game that kept me from getting into Super Mario World and it will forever hold a dear place in my memories, all the sequels have been amazing and everytime I hear the remixed music it gives me chills up my spine. What else can I say? 3) Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island This was the first ever game I reserved, and back in them days it was in the lowly gaming heaven of Woolworths that I did so. I remember being up the town and coming down with my parents and driving past Woolies. I looked up the sidestreet and saw a big lorry sitting there and I got a buzz of excitement inside - today would be the day I got a new game! Lo and behold, when we got home the phone rang and it was Woolies, my game was in. Ma went to get it and I waited for what seemed like hours... but what an experience once I got my little mitts on it. The intro story... and then the colours and crayon backgrounds, raocking soundtrack and throwing eggs and the Yoshi's had so much personality - they were real... Nintendo had done it again. This was back when DKC and Mario World reigned supreme and look what they had delivered! This is my second favourite platformer ever and as you can see by me placing it third here, its easily one of the best games ever. 4) Skies of Arcadia Legends Ok this is where the decisions get tough and I start over analysing my own selections. I have chosen this because its got a great story and characters and atmosphere from start to finish and wonderful tunes for everywhere you explore... what more could you want? Ok, no random battles and a battle system like Tales of Symphonia but get over it, this is an RPG and this is the mould that RPGs are made in. There are ship battles in this game and to end it all theres an onslaught of epic battles at the end each of which take forever to complete before you rescue the world and feel some of the warmest and proudest feelings you'll ever have while playing a computer game. 5) GoldenEye 007 Do I need to say anything to justify this? Its a game which is, no joke, still used as a bench mark in comparing others in the genre to today. Great controls, great Bondstyle music and a superbly superb and addictive 2player mode. Ill take you anytime, Bunker and Proximity Mines... your carcass shall be mine. That was difficult, where are the Mario Karts, Mario Platformers, Zelda games and countless others like Pikmin and Starfox...? I wish I could vote for them but these others have nudged them aside. What does make a game so dear to you anyway? For me it seems to be the experience, the characters and something that is very important in making a great great game is the soundtrack. I sure hope my top three feature highly up the list because they truly are benchmark games which I have some wonderful memories of.

So I been picking up quite alot of games recently and with the oncoming of Chrimbo and the few games Ill get then, well I really wont have time to play them all. I have Kid Icarus and SSX On Tour that I have yet to have a go on aswell as this one - Doshin The Giant. Anyway, last Friday I was just looking to see if there were any decent bargains and what I found was Doshin. I will admit that I did think twice about buying it but that was because Pikmin was there aswell and Id love to pick it up at some point (I have the second) but I opted this time for Doshin because its new to me, although I have played Black and White. Anyway, at the till the guy mutters something to me and I said What? He repeated but I had to ask him a third time what he was saying. In fact he was asking me if I was buying it for myself or for a child! I was raging inside. Why would someone who runs a game shop be so narrow minded like that? I dont think he was trying just to strike up casual conversation as I handed him the cash because he was quite taken aback when I didnt hesitate in saying it was for myself. Then I asked him if he'd played it and he put his head down, fumbled for my change and said no. I was ready to get into a big speel about Nintendo games being about fun and not about the picture on the front of the box but I bit my tongue and left. The encounter did play on my mind the rest of the afternoon though. Sheesh, the world needs to start thinking again and realise that just because its a big yellow giant doesnt mean its for three year olds to play, who in fact wouldnt have two clues what to do with a console controller. I dont think Ive picked up any FPS' this gen (notice how I dont include Metroid: Prime in the FPS bracket), so sue me. I had GoldenEye, PD and Duke Nukem last gen so its not like Im some poof who cant bare the sight of blood. Its time to get over the fact that people think that a game needs blood and guts.

Yeah Ive got the first two for GBA but Ive lost interest for the minute with it cos of doing and playing other stuff. I will however have to get em sorted before the third one and the rest are available, busy RPGing times ahead my children.

I think I made about one transfer in September and since then it looks like ive done ok, eighth isnt too bad is it for just letting my team do its own thing? Come on you EMPATHICA!!

I usually like to get out the SNES and play through DKC III with the MERRY cheat on. Then once i get used to it again and where the bonuses are to be found I fire in the TUFST cheat and sprint through it again to get 105% and the best time I can in order to be top of the rankings. Plus yeah, OoT is a good one but for Chrimbo memories and I like to get it out and play through the first three dungeons or that, up until the cutscene where its Links dream coming true and then Ive seen enough. One other one thats great for Chrimbo, Diddy Kong Racing! Ill see you's down in Frosty Village...

Y! Like Ty said up there, I got used to using c up on the N64. I think as well y seems logical like c up did because its above the punch and kick buttons...?

I made a thread about this t'other year and it died out pretty flipping quickly. Ive read the series over many years. Followed Roland on his cycle from the Mohaine Desert more than once and I love it every time. Everytime something different stands out. A great great series, although Im not stupid enough to say its perfect. The Crimson King then. Might be some spoilers here for anyone whos worried. He basically went mad. There are many theories on him and well the final battle wast really that great but thats not what the stories about. Sure he went crazy, killed everyone in his court and headed for the Tower. Insane. If he had remained sane he woulda fought Roland at his Castle and taken his guns as the sigul to enter. I dont have the time to get into it all now but like I said, and this applies to Mordred too, the story was never about the ending, its about Roland and how he changes, opens his heart again, can ya not see it? If you want to know more about the Crimson King read Insomnia.

Thanks for all the kind words guys and gals. Im just looking at train times to get from the airport tomorrow afternoon. Should be a blast putting my french to he test after a summers speaking English. Might needa scoot on and pack my gear here.

Muse is amazing for your ears and imagination. Its the kind of music you listen to and it makes you want to start learning guitar and piano yourself.

Theyre supposed to be "trustworthy"... but I wouldnt really think that the IRA are turning all goody goody on us. If they were turning away from being a terrorist organisation then what are they needed for? Its all to look good and to see what the Loyalists will do.

Time for a soppy thread, try to hold yourselves together guys and gals. :aww: I put a thread up in the summer about my plans for the near future and it would appear these plans have come to fruition and are coming together nicely. On Tuesday 27th September Im heading to France to spend the year teaching English. An Ulsterman teaching English? If you hear any Frenchies (ah, werent the Frenchies in Conkers Bad Fur Day great to kill on the Beach?) speaking with a Norn Irish (Ballymena-hey) accent well then you've me to thank for that, so in years to come Ill be keeping an eye out for any such threads. I dont think this is goodbye, but I dont know if Ill be able to be online as often over the next months :unsure: I only been on so much this past fortnight cos I finished my summer job (Argos, yawn) and have been taking it easy/ being super lazy. Anytime I get online Ill pay this place a visit to see whats happening with Nintendo and see if the forums are still thriving. Ill try to pick up the releases I can when Im over there, but we gotta see how tight the cash is. Anyway, its a happy birthday to me and a happy birthday to Twilight_Link. I think its that one anyway, there are so many Links around this place. It appears we were both born on the same fateful day, alas years apart. Im 21 tomorrow and Linky's still but a mere teenager. Well keep the place alive guys, and unlock the Chrimbo thread. Go on, grant me my parting wish wouldya

Sounds like Twazzock? Is that a good thing? And your not sure about your gender, crazy! 6/10... if you tell us how you thought up your name I could reevaluate the score.

Has anyone voted? I dont know what to vote and Im scared to look at the poll results incase it nulls my vote! Its a really diff decision... I dont know if I can bare to bring myself to choose one over t'other... I might advise Skies? It has more side quests and freedom... and a bit less cheese. Both are superb though! Read the threads for both!

Aye, it cant be easy for the ladies- Im even intimidated by these sicko's. Where's the mods to clean things up when you need em? Wait :no: its them that are doing it!

What about DKC II? When you complete it with everything down in the Lost World. It was nice with them looking out over the ocean. Mario 64 aswell, the Princess coming down from the stain glass window and all. "Thank you so much for t'playing my game!" And Majora's Mask. Great game, great ending.

/nando/ a cool name, because I like Liverpool and I thoght Mori was a great player at Madrid etc. I give the name 7/10. I dont like the slashes and nando's a bit childish. Fernando's cooler. As for the comments, come on like, hiyaz is a nice cheery name and kiet, well its probably his/her name, cant fault em for that you galoot.

Locky, reminds me of a character that used to be in Home and Away. 5/10 Superb thread, btw.

Raining_again, its a cool name. Very appropriate, though rain in my opinion is quite ok as weather. It can be nice to walk through a drizzle, and its pretty class to be out in it when its pure chucking it down. A thought and memory provoking user name, 8/10. Some info on mine then. I didnt want to use my own name back in the day when I was a internet n00b and I was making my first hotmail account. I like winter and I like snow. It took me ages to think up something, I remember snowprince being one of the things I tried but it was already in use and I woulda had to add numbers to make mine original. That wasnt on like, I wanted a name with no numbers. So alot of minutes thought later I thought of this, darksnowman. I like it, do you?

Raining_again, them shem fellows can be pretty tough going. Not too many round my estate these days, just a few but theyre young enough (14-15 maybe) for me to handle. Well, plus I know one o em so were cool. As for Galgorm, its a pretty posh we spot. People who dont wanna live in the town live out there... sure theres the Crispy Cod! Its better than the Fish and Chicken and Maureens! Id say its Gallaghers attracts em. They likely hang round in the streets then break in for some smokes. Here or even they venture down to Ahoghill and have been having a hand in burning out some o them catholic ones the past few weeks.

You know, when I read this rant last night I wasnt struck by it. I thought (and think) the last one was better but it hardly got any response. This one has got a discussion going which is good so Ill add what I think. Well first off, reading it, I felt it was very forced by fiercy. I know what you mean kinda with bits like it being like football and yeah I think that all the die Microsoft and all can be childish. We are meant to be Pro Nintendo like you said. Its important to remember who we are supporting and show our support in a productive way... ie buying the products and evangalising! (Haha, sometimes I think supporting Nintendo can be alot like being a Christian) Personally, I only buy Nintendo. I dont mean Nintendo games... there are a few Ive missed this gen (tennis, golf) and a few EA games Ive got :shock: I only buy Nintendo in the sense that I only buy their consoles. I have considered buying an xbox for Conker and probably would have to buy Halo to see if its any use outside multi. I have also considered buying a Playstation for RPGs, Pro Evo and Ico to see what its like. These thoughts were in my darkest moments. When I think about buying these there are two things that make me get over the idea without buying. Well ok, three things: One is money. Two is that I think of all the games for Cube and GBA and DS that are coming out and games already out that I have to buy. Third is that it would kill my conscience. The following week Id be on here and the software and hardware sales would be posted up. Playstation would be killing GameCube and Xbox probably would be too. Id look at that and instead of thinking about why does everyone buy them and not come to Nintendo, itd be a case of me being in that bracket and me contributing to Nintendo's unsuccess. Hmm, anyway, I dont wanna really get caught up in the other part of your rant about the controller innovations. Everyone here knows that its Nintendo who are pushing things. I wouldnt say they are constantly pushing the boat out because they arent that radical with change (up until Revolution!) and well nothing theyve really done is gonna make em bankrupt, you know? I was gonna say, Microsoft and Sony can push along with their own visions because they have plenty to fall back on. I know Nintendo are loaded but they arent selling TVs and all aswell as games stuff. And we all know Microsoft and Sony are running their consoles at a loss. My main thought concerning all this is more of a question so Ive kept it to close with. You say its all fine and dandy for everyone to copy. I opine that when they copy Nintendo it shows we (Nintendo) are doing the right thing, however I wish all Nintendos great ideas would still remain exclusive to them! Anyway, so if everyone has their own individual visions for what they want to be and create in the games industry then why do they feel the need to copy? Shouldnt they all be trying to set themselves apart fromn each other and capturing their own audiences?

Pikachu! He was my favourite in the N64 one so he carried through into the Cube one for me. Nice and fast, nimble, small, good at jumping... some good moves like thunder and his throw is quality. However, Ive never even touched the c-stick while playing this. Well all I thought it did was make the menu's tilt, cant think of anything else I used it for. What you ones talking about, cheats??

Ah, that makes sense. I never did rebuild Luin. I spose there were things I missed then! Thanks for the info. Ill go back and continue into a second quest some day!

Actually theres something that had me stumped, near the beginning someone gives you a letter and I never got it delivered! I thought I was thorough in my going to each town, going from house to house and talking to everyone... but obviously not because I never spoke to anyone (was it an Alfred?) that took the letter from me.