NintendWho

Never noticed but I don't think I've paid any attention to them for ages, so kudos for spotting it! Have to say I'll be SO glad when I get home from work today, will be home about 4 and my girlfriend is off on holiday for a week with her auntie, cousins and granny. That's not what I'm looking forward to I now have every night this week free to finally get back to Samus :D Currently sitting on 80% pick-ups and something like 93% log book entries and I'm itching to get back to it after not being able to for over a week!

I'm sorry, was my agreeance offensive...? Wasn't meant to be, I just agreed with every they had said. Whether it's theft or copyright theft, it's still illegal, still theft and you're still stealing. There's no justification for illegally downloading someone else's copyrighted material.

Here, here! Eloquently put and I agree with every word. All my thoughts on this summed up in your one post

Happy birthday to each and every one of you :D

five gets viewers in the low millions, Sky gets viewers in the high hundreds of thousands, so the programme will get much more exposure if it stays on five. five is, after all, a terrestrial channel and available to everyone but Sky is subscription only. However, programmes that do prove popular are usually stolen by Sky unfortunately. five does pick winners a lot of the time, although the new Knight Rider (which was very enjoyable in the pilot movie and had bags of potential, but was then handed over to Gary Scott Thompson of the first Fast & The Furious film for the regular series and he butchered and raped it into a piece of shit ) has been picked up by five's Fiver channel and they're hyping it up well and advertising the hell out of it and it HAS been cancelled.

Hi guys, as you probably know I'm quite new so I'm still sniffing around the forum looking at the threads and this one seems interesting I traded in a whole bunch of GCN games when the Wii was coming out, I'd never traded before, hated the idea of not keeping all those boxes on my shelves for years to come but it helped hugely in buying my Wii and everything I needed/wanted with it. I've since traded in all my GCN games except two: Donkey Konga and Eternal Darkness. DK is simply because it's still fun at parties now and again, but I really wish I hadn't traded in Jungle Beat since the new version isn't compatible with the bongos That game may have wrecked but it was brill fun. Oh well, I've still got Konga and two sets of drums I'll never trade in ED as alongside Mario Sunshine it was the first game I had for my GCN and it blew me away! I still haven't played it through three times to see the full ending and may never do so, but it's staying with me Maybe if they do release a sequel for the Wii I'll play it through to catch up... Asides from that, my 30+ collection is no more, either traded in or given to my nephews, who still have my F-Zero GX and original Metroid Prime.

I have to laugh at Sky, they are constantly attacking the BBC as "having a monopoly", and that they shouldn't be allowed to have an HD channel that's free to broadcast, a free iPlayer or free whatever. Murdoch just wants us to pay for everything, that's what it's all about, it's nothing to do with the competitive marketplace, he wants the monopoly on special services through his subscription-only Sky tv services. You'll see "news"papers like The Sun and News of the World do this too, but that's because they're also owned by Murdoch. We've (I work at the Beeb) got BBC HD which is available free of charge (well, apres TV licence lol) on FreeSat and it's coming soon on Freeview. That's really pissed off Murdoch and I hope other channels like the "UK" brand follow suit and air their's on these free services. Even though they're owned by Virgin Media now, they have to move with the times, think about the revenue from advertising and with all the extra features Virgin already offers I'm sure they can add to these and come up with more that'll still attract paying customers without having to charge for HD.

Merlin (series 2, episode 2) "The Once and Future Queen" Wow! This episode was definitely a breath of fresh air after the (brilliantly) creepy episode we had last week. Mainly played for laughs, it worked on every level. The farmer they brought in to pretend to be Arthur was hilarious! I loved the way he barked orders at Merlin but then couldn't help a goofy laugh, and the scene where all the Knights are lined up in front of Uther and he's having trouble controlling his horse was a classic! Many laughs to be found with Colin Morgan's physical comedy this week, and with the interplay as usual between him and Arthur However, for something starting out as pure comedy this episode is a truly important one in the myth of Camelot, with the way things are unfolding between Arthur and Gwen, some truly masterful scenes there and probably THE most important screen kiss in a long time on TV in my opinion! On a final note.... the jousting! Fantastic! This just shows how much more gripping and dangerous-feeling the action in a series like this is when compared to cliched guns and fist fights. These duels looked awesome, the tension superb, and the stunt work beyond anything I've seen in a long time. The music just added to the whole experience too, brilliantly done all round! From not being fussed enough to watch the first series at all until recently, I've become a huge fan! Such is the quality of this production. 10/10

Don't expect this to happen for a lloonngg time yet. The uptake just isn't there yet, not in the way it happened quite quickly with DVD's. And the big players in the industry just won't take the risk of alienating people, they can't afford to lose sales, not when DVD's are selling so well and at such low prices are still profitable.

I'm not going to make the jump for a long time yet, I just don't see it being worthwhile as I don't believe the quality of picture is worth that kind of money. I've researched it by watching HD movies and don't feel it's the "big leap" it's advertised as. Plus, with the way things are going, CD's as a storage medium for movies will be gone in about 10 years, so if I'm going to make the move to HD for the next few years I don't want to be paying the price they are right now. Be warned about Sky HD too! It only outputs at 720, something they fail to mention, so buying a top of the line TV to go with it is pretty much a waste of money when a cheaper HD set will do. Also, I think Sky are up to their old tricks again in trying to convince everyone to upgrade. I remember when they were making the switch to Sky Digital, we had the old Sky dish and as Digital was coming in more and more the picture quality on the old satellite worsened, grains appearing on the screen and sometimes breaking up completely. Some friends who had made the switch early told me that was because the old satellite system was crap and digital was so much better by comparison, but I hadn't watched any of the digital signals so had nothing to compare it to. I was convinced Sky were decreasing the signal strength very slowly over a period of time to try to get people to make the switch. Now I think they're doing it again. I watched the new series of Knight Rider on Sci-Fi on my Virgin box and I was very happy with the picture quality. However, one week I was in my girlfriend's house where they've two Sky set-ups. One is HD for two rooms, while upstairs there's a regular Sky box. I began watching Knight Rider on the regular box and the picture was awful!! I mean REALLY awful!! It was blocky as hell and you'd have sworn it was being streamed on an old out-of-date PC if it weren't on the big TV screen! A quick look downstairs and there's the same program on the HD version of the channel looking all pretty, but identical to the quality of picture I received every other week on my standard Virgin cable box. (Virgin own Sci-Fi, which is strange too.) I honestly believe Sky are doing this again and a few friends of mine have noticed as well that if a program is available on one of their supposed "HD" channels, then the picture quality from a standard Sky Digital satellite will be rubbish! But just you watch, when the next program comes on and it hasn't got an HD version on another channel then the picture quality will go back to being very good.

I envy you Noku, playing thorugh the first Prime and exploring Tallon IV for the first time Although saying that, it's just as much fun to rediscover the game all these years later with the brilliant controls and all the little touches! I'm loving it! Had to leave Samus stranded for a week while I was in Liverpool but I'm gonna get back there and help her out in a few days.... can't wait! We hold the remote the same way, but I've no difficulty in this at all. You don't need to move the pointer much at all, and I find running, dodging, jumping etc while changing beams effortless and doesn't affect my line of vision at all. Feels more natural than a joypad and I find it much easier than using the Cube's d-pad and c-stick, which at the time I thought rocked!

I like Merlin's old-fashioned style, but I disagree that there's no overall arcs. Last year Nimueh provided our season-long villian and the secret behind Uther's hatred of magic and I enjoyed seeing this played out. However, it seems the programme is (rightly) sticking to a bigger gameplan than just a cliched season-by-season style of storytelling. This is the set-up for the legend of King Arthur and I think working its way towards that this show is one huge arc, with the individual characters providing the growth from season-to-season. I love it and can't wait for Saturday night! Last week's was a brilliant season opener,the climax with MacKenzie Crook was fantastically spooky! 10/10

I used to download music illegally but once I got my iPod that stopped. I put all my CD's etc on to the iPod and have used iTunes ever since. I'm not a big fan of modern music however, so for me iTunes is perfect for getting a lot of older music legally and in great quality. The only CD's I buy now are the monthly Doctor Who Audios from Big Finish, even though the physical copy is a pound of two more than the iTunes version I'm a collector and like to have them sitting with my DVD's etc. I never did, and never will, download movies (the only TV show I downloaded was the recent Knight Rider - the pilot movie and a couple of episodes - just to see what it was like and then I watched it on Sci-Fi when it was broadcast in the UK several months later) as I do believe that hurts the industry and DVD's are that cheap nowadays anyway. And if it's a film that's yet to be released in the cinema, well it goes without saying it's better on the big screen anyway.

Ah right, yeah that makes sense I find that because I'm pointing where I'd basically like to be moving I kinda naturally point towards the middle of the screen anyway, I don't think about it, it just kinda happens as I've gotten so used to the controls.

Watched last night's double bill on iPlayer (I'm addicted to that thing, can't wait for the Wii-specific one!) and really enjoyed it, I wonder if Michel Roux Jnr is the permanent second judge now of if it's just because this is the series for professional chefs, really enjoying this run. 8/10 Ironiocally, that's why I like Michel Roux Jnr, he seems very down to earth and just a great lover of food. But he's worked hard to get where he is and with the winner possibly going to work for him I'm not surprised he has exacting standards. The judge they've replaced was always the shouty one, the one who made you think your testicles would be cut off and served with lettuce and tomatos if you dared get something wrong. I'm not sure if you've watched the new run, but I find it a lot more relaxing than before and for the first time I'm going to watch the entire series. (Also makes me want to try new food. Anyone ever tried rabbit...?) Have to say I was disappointed by Shooting Stars' return. I remember watching it religiously at Friday tea-times when I was a teenager and I found the repeated jokes and scenarios hilarious week-after-week. It did get stale though after a few seasons and I was disappointed with the first episode of the new series as it just didn't live up to the expectations of those early episodes of the original run, not for me anyway. 4/10

Anybody watching Masterchef? Yes, I know this is a bit different from the shows being discussed, but I just love it. I hate reality shows, but this is more of a classic competition programme, with its origins harking back to decades ago. I also like the fact they've replaced the loud, rather annoying judge with a Michelin star chef (whose name I forget), he's been on the show before and adds an element of class to the proceedings. Always makes me hungry this show. 8/10 I'm also looking forward to the second season of Merlin beginning this Saturday evening! I never watched it last year, but when Doctor Who stopped being repeated on BBC THREE recently I had to have something to fill the iPlayer void on my new Virgin box and Merlin it was (I'd give season one 9/10)... and I wasn't disappointed at all. When watched as a full series instead of an occasional episode it's absolutely brilliant, with great characters and a superb cast who help you feel like you "know" and care about the characters within an episode or two - which is very quick for a new series. It's also very funny and just when you think it's going down a cliched route it shifts to something unexpected. It's also doing very well, being sold to over 180 channels worldwide and it's the first BBC show to be shown on a major American network in 30 years! (NBC). Not too shabby. I'm not advertising, I just think it's very very good, and a lot better than Robin Hood, which started off very well but it's final year left a lot to be desired.

With the installed userbase I think the Wii will own Christmas thanks to the likes of Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort. They're two huge franchises for the Wii and with the advertising campaign that no doubt will be all over our screens come November/December time I think Nintendo are on to a winner with both. I, too, am not too sure about NSMBW as after playing the previous game on the DS I much prefer the 3D Mario games these days, but I'm sure it'll go down well and sell a ton and if I get to try it I may end up really liking it and changing my mind. As it is though, I can tell the multiplayer will be absolutely great but I'm not convinced on the single-player game as the DS one didn't grab me as Galaxy or Sunshine did.

Aw no way! Oh well, I'll just settle for some horror this Christmas

I've found the visor/beam swapping incredibly easy. There's no need to have it affect your viewing angle, even on the Advanced setting that I use. The Wii's motion sensors are a lot more subtle than people generally give them credit for, and I find a slight movement up/left/right followed by the press of the correct button switches these very quickly. It only takes the slightest of movements, before the screen even begins to move in Advanced, and a quick press of '+' or '-', and I know the 'A' button can be used to swap the beam back to the original one but I find the '+' button better for this, not sure why lol! Also feels more natural to be doing this instead of hitting a 'D-pad' or 'C-stick' because you're meant to be holding a gun, and it feels more suited to the game to have the power over these in the one hand, the arm cannon hand. I couldn't go back to a joypad now, feels too unnatural, too forced and my hands are too close together - just doesn't feel right and distances me from my games now. Why do you rest it on your knee...? I've been playing the game in 4-hour bursts (on average) and apart from a coffee and cheesecake break somewhere in the middle I'm fine pointing at the screen the entire time, with my arm on my knee (I played curled up on the chair) but with my wrist and hand beyond that, free to move about.

It's around this time of the year when my girlfriend asks me for my games wish-list for Christmas. Not just for her to choose from, but for my family too as they always say they don't know what to buy me and a game is a safe bet The wish-list so far includes: Cursed Mountain - I know it's out but I'm leaving it alone until Christmas, Metroid will be keeping me busy for a while and I've enough to buy for everyone else without buying more games for myself at the mo. Silent Hill: Shattered Memories - Even though I loved Resi4, Eternal Darkness was always the scarier game for me, and this reminds me of it in so many ways. With horror films these days being crap, I'm relying on my Wii for scares Endless Ocean 2 - Loved the first one and the real ocean fascinates me anyway, one of my real-life loves! Wii Fit Plus - This looks better at tailoring a fitness regime around what I actual want so it's on my list too, but can be dropped to sacrifice for any of the above. And on the DS: Professor Layton & Pandora's Box Also, these look intriguing from flicking through ONM but I still need to read the actual previews and look them up online: The Calling Spyborgs

WW was my first true Zelda experience and I adored every last second of it, it felt so alive and like a living cartoon and it simply blew me away. I loved the sailing sections so I enjoyed the TriForce hunt but I can understand why some would find it frustrating or too slow. The highlight for me though, was the story, to have this beautifully-told myth acted out for the first time and in a new age after Hyrule has been long forgotten beneath the waves. Magical!

As you move her arm about you can see the cannon move and shift and the lighting and shadows look lovely when doing so The lighting throughout the game is superb, especially underwater with the scan visor on, that was a "Wow" moment with me and that's after I've already played it a lot on the Cube! I just feel generally a lot has been tweaked as it just feels a lot more vibrant and engrossing, which is a feat in itself after the superb original version. As for changing beams and visors, after about half an hour it felt completely natural and I couldn't go back to the old way now. In addition, this may sound daft, but I actually put my Wii glove on to my remote for playing Metroid Prime. It's the only game I use it with and it's not for the reason Nintendo supplied them (safety etc) but rather it just feels more comfortable when pointing at the screen for a long time while also making it feel chunkier and more like a big arm cannon in your hand

"Here, here!" Captain Falcon, David and SCG Again, I never noticed the water until it was pointed out, and I'm having difficulty in remembering if I even noticed it when playing it on the Cube, but I'm guessing I did. The widescreen thing, the only other option is to have two big black bars appear either side of the screen when it goes to a cut scene and that would probably have them complaining too. Personally, MP1 is my fave game of all time on any system through any stage of my life and for me this is the definitive version! :)

There's a list on here of exactly how they've UPgraded the graphics, the only thing missing is the ice forming on Samus' weapon when powering up the Ice Beam, or the floaty bits of energy above her cannon when in Wave Beam form. Since her cannon is no longer only in one of two basic positions, now being completely controllable freely with the Wii Remote I can understand why they're not there anymore, to make use of the cannon as fast and agile as possible. I didn't even notice those before someone pointed it out. But to bitch about two such small things when other areas of graphics have been upgraded, along with all the other fixes and tweaks and new controls... well, it's sad in my opinion to be griping! Plus, I've seen the so-called "proof" videos and stills that other areas have been downdraded and it's bull. Anyone can "prove" anything on the internet, doesn't even have to be true.