S.C.G

I have to get back into playing this game online... literally only played a few matches when the game first came out and I now feel like I'm missing out on something special just like I did with Uncharted 2's multi. I'll be on at some point today or tomorrow with any luck.

Looks nice Eddie minus the mushrooms - I have a dislike for them - still though Ramen = om nom nom. btw what is 'natto'? [/curious]

So in summary, the 'important' bits from what I've read... Nintendo 3DS demos today? (probably for Japan) Release dates for 3DS games mentioned Kid Icarus definitely features online play A new game for Wii named 'Kiki Trick' created by the Wario Ware team I didn't really get my hopes up for this so I'm not really let down but still... I can't help but feel that announcing a couple more things wouldn't have a gone a miss but I suppose Nintendo don't want to 'blow their load' before E3 2012... ... which is half a year away. Still, gotta love Nintendo.

I'm truly sorry to hear that Serebii nothing I can say will be of much consolation but at least I'm sure that your nan knows that you all love and care about her even if she can't communicate back to you, that counts for more than you think. Still... it can't be easy, especially today of all days. :/

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Happy Brtihday Ramar! and... Happy Birthday Retro_Link! I hope you enjoy your cake, cake, cake, cake, cake, cake, cake...

Are HMV allowed to break the street date on the game by nearly a week purely because 'it's nearly Christmas' and that there isn't a huge lot else 'new' out on the Wii? Obviosuly I would have done the same and bought it anyway, you did the right thing H-o-T. Regardless of legality I too am interested in this intruiging title so I await your impressions.

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-took-an-arrow-in-the-knee

I used to be a Skyrim player like you... ...then I took an arrow in the knee. So I'm hoping to get back into playing Skyrim again over Christmas as I really haven't been giving it the attention that it surely deserves, I've played less than fifteen hours most of which has just been messing around which apparently is completely fine because everyone plays the game differently. What I'd like though is perhaps a few suggestions of 'fun' non-spoilerish (storyline wise) things to do in the game and so I ask... what have you all been up to within this wonderful virtual world?

Arrrrgh! that's one of the worst things to breathe in if you have asthma I hope you're ok. I have asthma though it's much milder than when I was younger but I still find it annoying if say I'm at work and I happen to be in the vicinity of anyone wearing too much perfume as it makes it hard to breathe. :/ I haven't had an asthma attack in years but I'm aware that it's always a possibility so I tend to take both inhalers with me whenever I leave the house.

Meh @ those reductions, Bastion is worth it obviously but I already have it... ----------------------- Re: Sonic CD... I don't think it deserves all of the hate its getting, some of course but I for one still found the game to be enjoyable. The pricepoint of 400 was a good move by Sega as while it's partially there to encourage more people to pick it up - people who may not have played it before - they also know that Sonic CD is basically Sonic at its most experimental. I wouldn't go as far to say that it's as 'bad' as a ROM hack but that feeling is certainly implied... it's as if they had all these rather random ideas to put into a Sonic game and decided to use the Mega CD hardware as a test for it all, yes they managed to add in a story to bring it all together but it's more of an excuse really. Level design is never consistent but then this does allow for some rather weird and sometimes wonderful moments so it's not exactly all bad but it's by no means one of Sonic's best outings. The element of Time-Travel is actually quite clever but it's just executed poorly because there are very few locations where you are 'guaranteed' to be able to travel through time which is why we see these areas which shoot you back and forth between two springs which actually reminded me of the time-travel mechanic used in Ecco the Dolphin 2 but just not as good. Aesthetically everything is really well conceived or at the very least it's well intentioned, the colour palettes work really well making for some rather bizarre levels not quite like any other seen in any Sonic game since though most do look like Sonic 1 Zones on acid which is not necessarilly a bad thing. Some of the boss battles are actually rather good as well, take the first boss for example which you'd expect to be able to just jump on instantly but instead you get batted back by a shield, it's almost as if at times Sega is trolling us which I've always found quite amusing. If I were to change the game for the better though I would start with the level design, making it a bit more coherent, maybe having two different paths instead of between three and five meaning that the destructable objects in the past would be easier to find and not require a map to locate, then the time travel should employ the 'special stage' entry mechanic from Sonic 2 where you hit the post and then just jump into the stars if you want to travel... the special stage could still be accessed by collecting 50 rings before the end of the stage but the actual special stage itself could do with an overhaul because while it does work it's all to easy to miss your target and end up in the 'death liquid' which almost instantly saps away your time. Aside from that though Sonic CD has a good few moments which I wouldn't change, most specifically the race against Metal Sonic which is one of the best 'boss battles' I've played in a Sonic game though I was always secretly dissappointed that Metal Sonic doesn't return at the very end for a 'proper' pre-final boss battle just like his fore-runner which you faced in Sonic 2... perhaps they could have added this as an extra for getting all the Time Stones which would turn you into some kind of Super Sonic variant rather then just contributing to a small change in the ending. Overall I would say that Sonic CD is most defintiely worth playing if you haven't done so already and at a mere 400msp I think any Sonic fan owes it to themselves to buy it, especially with all the extra stuff thats been added to it - most notably Tails as a bonus playable character - as it may not be the best Sonic game but it's certainly one of the most memorable. I also hope for a future release of Knuckles Chaotix in a similar manner some time in the future because that's another spin-off game that while nowhere near perfect is actually really fun to play and is something of a spectacle even more so than Sonic CD.

I've been really enjoying Night of Hunters by Tori Amos recently, one of my favourite albums of the year; one thing is slightly bugging me though... @Paj\! who is that sings on many of the tracks alongside Tori? For whoever it is sounds very talented for such a young age - I assume by the voice - and seems to work really quite well especially on a certain track. 'Cyactus Pryuacticccccce'

Just create a completely seperate profile... e.g. one not attached to your existing gamertag, that'll probably be easier especially if they aren't bothered about Live and if they are I believe you can get Xbox Live subs for multiple linked accounts but it's probably a load of hassle/easier to keep them seperate. Note: I don't really have any experience in the above as I just use the one profile, I'm just going on what limited knowledge I have on the situation, good luck.

I remember staying up to watch Braveheart the night before going on holiday when I was a kid, it's weird because I remember watching it but I don't remember much about it aside from 'Freedom!', mooning, execution, End. [/ohno16yearoldspoilers]

That reminds me... I was getting a mug the other day to make a cuppa not realising there was another mug on top which fell and landed completely upright on the side... ... it surprised me because I was expecting it to land on its handle and break. Again nothing Goafer level - or even heroicjanitor level - but still, a small unintentional victory of sorts for 'mugkind'. :p

Crackers, because it's nearly Christmas... ... Ritz crackers, naturally :wink: awwww yeah!

R.I.P Christopher Hitchens... a sad day indeed.

I've been playing Sonic CD most of today and I'm loving it all over again played through the game twice over - once as Sonic and once as Tails - and I'm now blitzing through Time Attack mode. The achievements are actually pretty fun to get and I can see at least one or two of them being a challenge, I have 70G in it so far but I'm just enjoying it atm.

Only on the website sadly, it's not up on the actual marketplace on the Xbox yet but this should mean that it'll be up there soon. I'd download it via the website but I tired to get a couple of free avatar items that way - like the star wars dual light-sabers thanks to H-o-T - and when I tried to use them on the Xbox it just said that it was tied to another account or something so ever since then I only download via the Xbox 360 Marketplace. Plus I'm downloading RAAM's Shadow for GoW3 right now using the season pass so there's not much I can do atm. *Edit* It's up now! *cancels RAAM's Shadow and starts downloading Sonic CD!* Joe Danger : Special Edition is up there now too for anyone interested, it's supposed to be a really good game previously released on PSN but at 1200 points I think I'll just wait until it's cheaper.

@Paj\! I would have to agree with you on Biophillia as it is something rather precious as a whole but not in the same way as one of her more 'conventional' - I use the word very loosely in Bjork's case - albums such as Homogenic or Post which are pure bliss to listen to but it's still unique and for that reason I really do love it for not just exceeding my expectations by rather completely defying them - and probably everyone elses - so for that I think it deserves a great deal of praise.

Cannot wait for this, strong GOTY 2012 contender I reckon next to Mass Effect 3 of course... :wink: I have a feeling that it will be a year to remember for games.

I did exactly the same... Hero Mode does intrigue me so but I don't feel like tackling it just yet, plus side-quests to clear etc plus I blatantly want to play the final boss battle again.

Wait... this is being developed by Platinum Games? ... Day 1 purchase!

I've been aware of these stock shortages for a while now and have been trying to acquire a copy but to no avail... it's a long-shot but if anyone happens to have the game - or a second copy of it - then I'd be willing to trade my second copy of Xenoblade Chronicles for it. No big deal if not, I'll just keep checking online until I manage to get one.