S.C.G

For me it's just "Online" because it's always there. If I'm asked at work about signing up to anything I seem to use the phrase "It's all online these days..." usually followed by "Or you can phone or text" then people usually say "Online's probably easier isn't it?" to which I just confirm that it is. Phrases like "I'm just going on the internet" seemed to be more previlent in the late Nineties or early Noughties when we had a 56K dial-up connection you needed to connect to, then disconnect when you'd finished so as to not waste minutes because it was metered access and it rendered the landline phone unusable while someone was online; you could have one or the other, not both. The internet is such a commonly used tool these days though that it's frightening at just how reliant we have become upon it in some ways... Of course when I'm at home, I have access to the internet all the time but when out and about, I don't even attempt to access it, neither do I really have the capability upon my person to do so; while I understand the use of having access to the internet via a smartphone, I still value face-to-face conversation... a lot of which has been lost as I always see people on their smartphones because they can. There's nothing wrong with that if that's really what people want, I just choose not to partake in it personally out of choice. But that's a whole different sub-section I suppose revolving around etiquette, when it comes to just the internet, it's there and I'm glad of it - I wouldn't be typing this if it weren't for its existence - I certainly make use of it though I don't feel like I require it everywhere I go; having grown up with it though I can say that using it now compared to how it was in the early days, it's a lot more natural a place to use as a resource and communication tool then it used to be.

Well, that was my main reasoning for buying it back then, to support the series but I also haven't gotten around to playing it either... then again, I suppose it's the same principle for a lot of the physical PS4 games I've purchased as well, I really need to make more of an effort to play/finish games. Yes, I too am glad that Yakuza 0 is coming out, didn't Japan also get a HD remaster - or are getting one soon - for the first game? Which for some reason isn't confirmed for release over here... I only ask because I essentially have the whole series to play and I would wait for the remake/remaster of the first game to begin the foray into the series if it's likely to be released over here. Or maybe I should just play my PS2 versions of the game and be happy with those, I don't know... :p

Why did I even buy Yakuza 5 when it first came out? Yeah I know, because it's a good game and all that but still... is it a Plus game because it was planned or because of the price screw-up recently which made it free I wonder. Meh... it's good news for those who don't own it or didn't get it when the price glitched I guess. Now I'm in two minds whether or not to bother buying Yakuza 0 straight away which just got announced, though being that it's getting a physical release, I think I already know I'm going to buy it. :p Ah well, I do well enough out of Plus as it is so it's not that bad really, enjoy Yakuza 5 everyone.

@Deathjam @Vileplume2000 @RedShell Thank you all for the hunts this evening. Sorry to Red & Deathjam as I just got dc'd at the end of that last quest I think that's it for me tonight though as I haven't been feeling my greatest - I think it's the heat - but I was really glad to have at least got a few hunts in and I'm glad that I was able to be of some help. We really hammered that Giant Enemy Crab in the end by attacking its weak point for... Massive Damage! sorry I had to :p I hope to hunt with you all again soon. : peace:

I watched this last night from start to finish on the iPlayer and I enjoyed it all from Razer going from overconfident to not so much which was simultaneously enjoyable and disappointing to the absolute terror of Carbide, that is one scary robot! Anyway I don't want to say too much in case anyone else hasn't seen it yet but the format works well, it's pretty much all killer with no filler, the show is edited really well so you're only ever moments from a battle; Dara O Briain still works well as a presenter I thought adding some fun humour in parts "Do you like jigsaw puzzles?" so while he might not have the same kind of appeal as Craig Charles who was excellent in his day, I don't think we have a "Top Gear" situation here plus Angela Scanlon works well as do the rest of the original cast, I loved the fact that they had returning judges including Professor Noel Sharky and voiceovers from Jonathan Pearce for it too. House Robots were excellent, it was entertaining and it still had that same great feeling that the series had in the late-Nineties/early Noughties so it gets a thumbs-up from me and I will definitely carry on watching, I dodn't even watch that many TV programmes these days either so it's nice to have something of pure geek-like entertainment value with the bonus of seeing plenty of destruction for good measure. : peace:

This is an interesting development, at the time of review I recall Shin'en empathically stating that there would be no DLC for FAST Racing NEO... So in the review I included the following paragraph... I suppose it's all in the wording though... Regardless I am officially very happy at the news of there being another eight tracks coming for the game at the end of September. Being that I reviewed the game and so already have a digital copy, I would be going for just the NEO Future DLC pack and judging that the game is only £10.99 on the eShop, the fact that the original game has Sixteen tracks then I would have thought that because the new tracks are effectively half of the existing game - though the combined total would mean this is a third of the newer package - then surely it won't cost much more than £5.99 I would have guessed, which means the price of the retail release has got to be £17.99 or thereabouts. Personally I think the borders on these releases are certainly NOT aesthetically pleasing to say the least, why not just have orange cases instead with the original artwork and a smaller eShop Selects logo down at the bottom of the case? Anyway, more DLC for FAST and another way to own the acclaimed SteamWorld titles, so this is still excellent news! : peace:

@Glen\-i, @Ugh first aid, @RedShell & @Deathjam Thank you all for an excellent evening of hunting, I enjoyed tagging along and helping out with the quests, I think there were even a few I needed as well so that's a bonus. Aside from me getting disconnected near the end, it all went pretty well, quests were smashed, monsters were bashed and general hilarity ensued thanks to various gestures including Red's patented "Oh Yeah!-Kick Back"™ craze which is quickly sweeping through Monster Hunter Generations. Good times. : peace:

I've just got in from work, but I'm grabbing a meal which has a one of a kind flavour but I should be ready to hunt in an hour or so if anyone is still about.

Well after a delayed start due to some oddity causing no one to show up as online, the hunts got well and truly under way with super-effectiveness! Thanks to @Hero\-of\-Time and @RedShell for powering through the remaining HR1 quests I had, now I'm finally HR2! Also, I've never seen so many different recipes... so naturally I went straight for the one on the sixth page which I'd never heard of and... my character promptly keeled over, it must have been just too intense a dish for poor Edge to handle! :p Though aside from that, it all went really well and I appreciate the help, it was fun too seeing all those beasties butchered in a matter of seconds. On with the rest of the quests! : peace:

Ah shoot! I would have been there sooner but I went off to grab a Hot Drink but I'm ready now. Hmm, you don't seem to be showing up as online on my list.

OK Red, you're on! Just finishing a quest and I'll join you. ----------------------------------- All finished, ready to hunt when you are.

If anyone is playing this tonight and wants to hunt, let me know. I'm still only HR1 though mind. :wink: In any case I'll be questing solo until then, still got loads to do, especially as I haven't played since Thursday night! : peace:

N-Europe Presents VC Weekly #383 Contra III The Alien Wars Does the great Contra III still pack a punch on the small screen? Check inside for the verdict. Enjoy! : peace:

Apparently it reached over £190,000 in the end and they've confirmed that we will be getting that glorious lenticular slipcase! Also, that new shmup Xydonia - top of the page - got funded as well! They have insane stretch-goals to reach other format forts but I'm happy enough that it's just getting made.

I'm sorry to hear that Cube my condolences to you and your family.

I might just stick around for the rest of the music and call it a night... we'll see.

The stream goes on until 6am? If there's going to be a new 3D Sonic game announced, I want to see it but, I also kind of want to sleep. :P Yeah, the audio was glitched but it's a bit better now.

Glorious! I watched the live stream for this as well, over an hour of waiting but the announcement was worth it. This looks like the Sonic game we've been wanting for long time. : peace:

For what it's worth, my gut feeling is that on some level Monster Hunter Generations is easier to a degree and that's just from me having not even played fifteen hours of it, so I do understand where you're coming from. To me, it's still challenging though and enjoyable but even at this point I've started to feel the grind and not in a good way when it comes to the single player. Multiplayer though? Still good, great, fantastic as ever! This is what saves the game as it's just so damn enjoyable, you are right, it's the players and the experiences which make Monster Hunter special; I can honestly say that I've had some really special memories thanks to the series, right from MH3U in which it was an honour to fight alongside you Hero and everyone else who I got to hunt with as well... those high level Alatreon battles were intense! MH4U though... still very good, I could feel the series evolving while at the same time becoming more familiar in places, still great though plus it introduced many genuinely brilliant features such as the enhanced climbing which feels more natural. MHG feels like a culmination of it all, expanding the series further with added elements while celebrating the series from the PS2 era which I missed out on, right up to present day and it's glorious in its own way. But there is certainly an element of, this is my third Monster Hunter game now, so some of it is due to having the previous experience but even then I can't deny that it feels easier in places, I'm kind of OK with this for the moment as I am enjoying the game so I don't know what else to say. If the series was to return to home console or become a game which gets released on both though and with a heavier focus on more challenging quests in its next entry, I certainly would be all for that. For now though, at least we are all enjoying the game on some level, so I think that's something we can all agree on. : peace:

Just a heads-up, it's Friday which means I won't be on in time to hunt this evening but I do hope that whoever is hunting this evening and whatever Monsters you're hunting for, that you all have fun. Probably not Saturday either, but back to normal from Sunday onwards! Just those two days every week which I work long hours.

I'm just grabbing a Cool Drink and I'll be ready to hunt!

N-Europe Review : peace:

Happy Birthday Mr-Paul! I hope you have an inktastic day. And that your cake staaaays fresh!