S.C.G

That sucks Josh, I'm really sorry to hear that you're not able to settle into any jobs at the moment. It sounds to me like the latest role wasn't helping your anxiety much though, I can relate to those feelings as I've been experiencing similar shifts where I've just felt like going home early, I mean it's nothing quite as bad as having abuse hurled at me but still, working with the public can be as tough as it is rewarding at times. Though I have been in my job for quite a while now, so I've built up quite a few customers who like to come to me specifically every week and I... guess that's what keeps me going, for instance I know that at some point I'll almost certainly be serving a customer who has been coming to me at the same time every week for months now because I do "such a good job" and "everything just falls into place" in their words, so that's nice; I mean, if I'm ever not there then I know that they'll still get decent enough service but they certainly seem to prefer the way I do things in my line of work... just talking and packing items really but it's nice to be appreciated. So I can understand that it must be hard to keep going with a job if you haven't built up much investment in it, especially with those awful shifts you've detailed above. I find it hard to read that you're unhappy as you're really worth so much more than that Josh, you deserve to be happy in work and life so I really do hope that you'll find something you can enjoy, be appreciated in and not have it make you even more anxious; I know it's not easy but I really do wish the best for you, if you ever want to talk then you know where I am too. In the meantime, if you are going to have a bit of free time between jobs then why not focus on enjoying the things that you like in life, anything that will help you forget your worries at least in the short-term has got to be good, maybe play an old Sega game that you've not played for Ages, listen to some Akmu or bust out the Dreamcast and your copy of Sega Marine Fishing... do whatever makes you happy.

I'm sorry to hear that martinist.

Yeah, the Tutorial section seems to last for a few hours it seems... I didn't mind it quite as much but it does drag on a bit, especially if you're a Monster Hunter Veteran. I must say that my experiences after that initial first play have been better and better to the point that this evening I've just been tackling non-essential quests at the same time as handling Bounties, Investigations and Deliveries; all of which aid you in progressing in the game even without furthering the story if you don't want to right away, it's a break from the cutscenes at least. The cutscenes are pretty cool though, even if you feel like you've maybe seen enough of them in the intro section, they do get better. Anyway, I really hope that this hasn't completely put you off playing the game as there are so many improvements which really do make the game worthwhile, plus I'm still only scratching the surface I'm sure at HR3 and only what... 10 hours in now probably. Let me know if you still want to play online maybe tomorrow night if you're about as I reckon if we got a team of four together then it'll still prove to be as fun as the previous entries, if not moreso in some ways, especially with OS level voice chat. It has got to be worth a shot at least.

Excellent news. As it happens, I ended up not playing as much as I'd hoped - mostly work getting in the way - so I've only put in around seven hours, which means I've barely started really with only my basic Dual Blades upgraded once or twice and I'm wearing the dlc armour I got from pre-ordering with ShopTo, which is only a little bit above the basic armour. So, I'd like to join you both in some hunts tonight, if I may? Just let me know what kind of time you were thinking of, I have today/tomorrow off so I can probably play from 8PM onwards until 2AM absolute latest so that gives some scope for a few online hunts. (providing PSN is working of course because it wasn't the other night and I almost had to forgo my login bonus... again) Also, if we can't find a fourth player then I have a friend who I've been playing online games with for years on and off, he's a keen Monster Hunter so it's possible he might join us, I'll find out how far along he is in the game though.

Oh damn... I forgot that you don't own a PS4. Yeah I think pretty much everyone on here has bought the game on PS4 rather than Xbox One mostly because it's more of a natural fit I suppose with the series history. And of course on the Playstation 4 it just seems a lot easier to organise online sessions thanks to the U.I plus the group features though I think Xbox One has something similar now. Who knows... maybe I'll double-dip and use Dual Blades on the PS4 version while getting to grips with other weapons on the Xbox One version... that could prove interesting. I'm half-tempted, even though I shouldn't be with all the other games waiting to be played but damn, Monster Hunter World really is pretty damn good.

Started playing this way too late last night, 2:30am or something... so it was only on for half an hour as I was tired. I went looking for Pukei-Pukei but couldn't find it so I just quit the quest and called it a night. Hopefully I'll make up for it this weekend though, well after work today anyway.

I've got a Sony STR DG910 AV system paired with a set of KEF speakers and a sub-woofer. I use it every day and I've never looked back. So you could get a modern version of that I guess? I've seen some of the newer Sony amps and they look great, in fact the only thing which mine doesn't have is as many HDMI ports as it has three - still pretty good considering the unit is a decade old I guess? - but I'm adding in a HDMI switch box soon, plus I don't have some of the newer sound standards though Dolby Pro Logix II X seems perfectly fine and in addition it supports up to 7.1 channel Linear PCM. I suppose there are other considerations, mine will only pass through up to 1080p but I don't need 4K so... the newer amps will likely support that though if that's something you're even after. Lots to consider obviously but I would certainly recommend the Sony STR line from personal experience.

I use GIMP 2.8 for making graphics up for reviews etc here and there, it's great. I don't know about re-duplicating images but you can copy and duplicate layers... stuff like that, if that's what you meant, or you can have a copy of it in another tab. It has an infinite undo button as well I think, so you can easily go back if you mess up. Give it a go anyway I'd say, it's a fantastic program, especially as it's free as well.

I got as far as seeing a Pukei-Pukei last night in the story I believe and I hunted a Kula Ya Ku... the one that carries Rocks and tries to smash you to death with them, fun. I'm enjoying it so far, I also spent a decent amount of time in the character creation, in case anyone can't guess, I went with a Dual Sword wielding Male Hunter named Edge because... tradition. I may get to play some more of this tonight for an hour or so I hope, but first... *sigh* the call of work must come before the call of the hunting horn.

I put four hours into Monster Hunter World this evening, this is after not really playing anything for weeks and I've only been playing in Single Player mode so far but... ...easily my Game of the Year so far and while it might only be January, I can see myself playing this nearly every day for the duration of the year. Monster Hunter is back and this time, it means business.

Well, at least we can say that the new league has officially begun now.

My copy arrived... ...and now I have to go to work. #TheUpsAndDownsOfGettingAnEarlyGameOnThursday

Add me to the "shipped" squad. There's every chance that I'll be playing this at 9PM after Mario Kart 8 tomorrow. Possibly even before...

Wow, that's a lot! I'm glad I went for a physical copy with Doom and will only be playing the Single Player mode. LA Noire is a write-off from the start for me, will possibly pick up the PS4 version, when it's cheap if I feel like playing it again.

How many retail titles have you got downloaded on it? I gather it must be a few if you're running out of space already.

I'm still really glad that I picked up that 200GB Micro SD card when it was £50... at this rate it should last me years.

Now, that should either be a selling point for the game or a warning with regards to the content... depending on your outlook.

*sigh* I feel your pain, I keep a LOT of boxes, too many really but, well... especially when it comes to the older stuff you kind of need to as it can amount to half of the collectable value. And they are nice to look at, they also represent the era they were produced in, just the design differences between the Wii U and Switch era boxes are worlds apart. But I can also see how they would be "just boxes" to some, plus if you're fighting for space inside the house then I can understand it from that perspective... only a bit though. Did you comepletely get rid of them yet? it may have been possible to put some of the smaller boxes inside the larger boxes for instance... I'm happy to share any box storing tips if it helps. Even if we're talking pure monetary value at the moment, empty Wii U and Switch console boxes are worth £10 a piece it seems. (people are buying them for £15 including postage) It's an issue long-term though I suppose and I know they are "only boxes" ultimately but damn... I hope you don't have to end up chucking any old console boxes like GC/N64/SNES/NES etc because you're talking about a whole higher bracket of value there.

It's a third pillar... ...made of cardboard.

Well, Nintendo have manufactured things out of card before - Hanafuda Cards - plus they have had a fair few products which were either toys or full instruments - Nintendo Eleconga - and they've been in the videogame market for a while now. I see this as them utilising many of their previous strengths along with the technology within the Switch and making something which kids can enjoy while also showing off the console as much more than just a gaming machine. It's an interesting approach, I can understand enthusiasm and scepticism towards it on both sides but ultimately even though it's possibly not something I'll invest in myself I can't deny that fun will be had with it which can only be a good thing. Though it does lead to more interesting questions about just what can be done with the Joy-Cons in the future for other games as well.

Was this link always there at the bottom of the page on the Nintendo site? https://microsite.nintendo-europe.com/nintendokidsclub/en_GB/ If not then I may have found out what it is, a minute before it's going live anyway.

Of course, the other angle on this event is... what if it's all a massive troll by Nintendo? The whole thing is going live at 10PM UK time, just made me think it's odd to have something go live that's supposedly for kids at a time which might be deemed to late for them to be up. Or it's just an odd way the timings worked out but before when there's been a Direct at after 10PM there have been 18 rated titles. Meh, probably a completely off the wall last minute prediction but I just thought it would be worth making it noted... just in case. That and the thought of parents tuning in to it thinking "Oh there's a new thing for kids from Nintendo coming out, let's check it out..." *10PM* *Footage starts* "Pegi 18" "What is this?!?" *Gunshots fired, police siren, helicopter noises* Rockstar Presents.... GTA V Kill-Switch edition! Anyway... not long now to find out either way.