Eenuh

I agree! I got it as a Christmas game and started it at the start of January... finished it this week and absolutely loved it! I even managed to grab the platinum trophy for it, something I don't do too often (only happens with games I really enjoy). The storytelling in the game is great, the visuals are magnificent, the battles are fun... I just enjoyed it all. The different interactions between the characters are great, and I love the stories that they tell in the boat! I powered through the game in the evenings and on my lunch breaks, even grinded through Niflheim and Muspelheim to get the loot and trophies. One of the optional boss fights did give me some trouble though, I just could not do it at all, even with the top armour in the game (and being level 9, which I think is the top level you can be?). I just kept failing and failing, until I tried using a different talisman, then all of a sudden I managed to do it quite easily. So the game might appear like a bit of a button masher at times, but some strategy is required for the harder fights. Was sad to finish the game actually, I wanted more of it!

I went for a 5 year remortgage instead of a 2 year one only a few months ago, for exactly the same reasons. I do not trust the current climate and I expect things to get worse because of Brexit. The housing market has apparently been stagnating and slightly dropping recently because of all the insecurities surrounding Brexit. So at least my payments will be secure for the next few years... I am also not sure what is going to happen with travel once we leave the EU on the 29th... I have booked a trip to Belgium in March, coming back to the UK on the 30th. I'm not sure if they will just let me back in or if I will need a visum or proof that I live in the UK as an EU national.

That's a very fancy one! (and yes it does look very wrong haha) We only ever got the cheap ones from HEMA I think. But I liked them. Wish I had one for Sinterklaas. I miss the Sinterklaas treats.

It sounds like you are still very early in this "relationship", and putting a boyfriend/girlfriend label on it already might be a bit hasty. Things like these need time to grow, it's fine to take your time to try and figure out what you both want from it.

So I decided to bring my old N64 and NGC magazines back to the UK (they are heavy!) as I need to clear out my old room at mom's house. I kind of plan to sell them here (if that is something people even buy anymore?), but I am not sure what the best place is to sell them at. Should I put them on ebay? Or is there a better place? Never used ebay much to sell so am a bit hesitant to use it heh.

I've actually just walked past two big digital posters/ads for the game in Brussels train station. Bright red so very noticeable haha. I think it's better when not too much is shown from a game, but enough to get people interested. Too often trailers just show too much (same with movie trailers).

I actually watched this Friday night and really enjoyed it as well. Had no clue what it was about before I watched it, other than the fact it has Natalie Portman in it haha. Enjoyed it though.

So I've made a Fantasy Football team as well (I know nothing about football). I've joined the N-E league, I'll be managing The Waffle Squad. Here is my team: Goalkeepers: Ederson, Steele (cause I needed a cheap player, I have no clue who this is) Defenders: Shaw, Alonso, van Dijk, van Aanholt, Maguire Midfielders: Salah, Richarlison, Pereyra, Neves, Jorginho Forwards: Lukaku, Vardy, Wilson Let's wait and see how well I do. If I can beat @Fierce_LiNk then I will have achieved my goal haha.

We've done 3 escape rooms recently, always with a team of 4 (of which the 4th person was always someone different, so the group dynamic changes slightly, but that keeps it interesting!). Jim and I have so far managed to escape all of the rooms in time, though we have had times where a puzzle would take us ages to figure out! The theme's have been Time Travel Scientist stuff, Ace Ventura and Steampunk Circus. Really enjoying these escape rooms though, and we have our next one booked in October. I think it's a Hannibal themed one. Looking forward to it.

Haha thanks, I fixed it now.

As many have said, it is quite difficult to narrow it down to 10 games, because there have been so many great games over the last few decades! I think a lot of my picks will be due to good memories/nostalgia, but that's usually how these lists go I guess. The Witcher 3 (PS4) This game just blew me away in terms of scale, graphics, storytelling, characters... It is an amazing game that just keeps offering something new with every road you follow, every corner you turn. The views in this were breathtaking as well. I spent so many hours on this game, finishing very sidequest, finding all the Gwent cards, going to every question mark for the treasure there... Loved it. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64) Now for the longest time this was my top game ever (often switching places with OoT, as I rate them similarly). MM was a great sequel to OoT, using the same characters but putting them in this dark and twisted alternate dimension. It had such a great atmosphere, and that looming moon overhead really did freak me out. I think they really nailed it in this game in terms of character development and storylines. The Anju & Kafei quest was just great, getting to swim through the water as a Zora, or roll around the field as a Goron... Or defeating enemies as Fierce Deity Link, it all felt fun and new and exciting. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) This is the game that got me into the Zelda series and properly into videogames altogether I think. I had been playing games before that of course, but this one felt like something completely different to the other games that were out there. I had also played some of Link's Awakening before this but didn't realise it was part of a game series (no internet and no video game magazines yet at that point). I spent ages at the start just going through the Kokiri village and the Lost Woods, thinking that this game felt huge... and then I ended up in Hyrule field and was blown away by the size of it all haha. It's nothing compared to games of today, but at the time it felt huge. As with many, this game defined gaming for me, it had everything: good graphics, great storyline, memorable characters, fun gameplay, an amazing soundtrack. Bloodborne (PS4) So this game was my first experience with the Souls type of games... and it was a very frustrating experience at the start! I had seen @Fierce_LiNk play through this and struggle at the start so thought I knew what I was getting into, but I still wasn't prepared for it! I almost gave up at the start, but persevered and in the end this game is one of the few games I've got a Platinum trophy for. The monsters and bosses in this are scary and deadly, the whole Victorian gothic style looks amazing too. It's a creepy game, but I loved all of it. Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 (PC) This game might be a weird one to put on a top 10 list, but I absolutely love(d) Rollercoaster Tycoon. I spent so many hours building my theme parks and designing rides, and this second game in the series just perfected what was already there in the first one. I recently installed it again on my laptop and I had just as much fun going through it now as I had back then. Overwatch (PS4) Overwatch has been one of my first online shooter experiences (apart from Star Wars Battlefront). I've sunk in over 400 hours on the game (I have no life) and am still not tired of it. They keep adding maps and heroes to the game which keeps it interesting. It's just a very fun game and I love playing it. I imagine I'll still be playing it for a while to come too. Age of Empires 3 (PC) God I spent so many hours on this game too! I played it loads as a student, often playing well into the night. The skirmish games were just fun, and I enjoyed creating a base and slowly building up my army. It just felt very satisfying to beat your enemy with your massive army haha. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (GBA) This game and the previous GBA one got me into the series, which I absolutely love. I've not really ventured into the latest ones due to a lack of time (and fading interest in handheld gaming), but I loved all the other games I played. I seem to have a thing for tactical games, and this one was different in that your characters can actually die. It brings a new level of play to the game, making you more cautious about your next move. Super Smash Bros. Melee I think that this one and Brawl are my favourites in the series. The pacing and characters in it are perfect, and I had a lot of fun playing it. I also got to play it with other people at the time (rare for me as my family is not into gaming), so it meant I got to enjoy it more than for example the N64 one. Still a fun fighting game and a must have for any Nintendo fan. Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS) Again a tactical game, I really enjoy them. The Advance Wars series made war seem fun heh. It's sort of like an advanced chess game, where you have to plan out the next few moves in your head, and try to think what the enemy might do. I really loved it and wish they would make a new game in the series, but it seems they are only focusing on Fire Emblem these days. Honourable mentions: Animal Crossing: Wild World, Mario Galaxy, Golden Sun, Tetris, Horizon, The Last Guardian, Journey, Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow, Kirby's Dreamland...

That is a good rate! We have an LTV of 85% still so sadly can't find great deals yet. Found a 5 year fixed rate at First Direct for 2.19% (£490 fee) though, which I might try and apply for. We haven't overpaid on our mortgage yet (well, I paid in £50 extra once haha) as we simply haven't saved enough yet. Though if I can get this mortgage, our monthly payments would be about £30 lower per month, so that would help!

Well there has been significant slowdown whenever there is some fog around, or a small group of enemies. I found it quite noticeable, but hopefully it won't become too distracting. The weapon breaking thing is just annoying though to be honest, I really don't get the point of it. Three hits and your weapon breaks, great. And switching weapons is cumbersome as well, which is probably down to the horrible button layout on the controller (god I hate those buttons...). Keep pressing jump when I want to use my weapon for example, urgh. Really dislike the WiiU controllers. Anyway, apart from the horrible controller, I've just been having fun exploring the plateau, trying to find food/treasure etc. Only done two shrines so far so haven't really done much yet in regards to progress/story. Also, I'm not sure if I am missing something, but is there no way on the WiiU game to have the locking stay on an enemy without having to hold down the shoulder button?

If you don't mind me asking, what lender is that with and what rate are you getting? Though I guess of course the rate will depend on your LTV, and ours is still very high. Feels like we barely paid off anything on our mortgage!

Congrats! It's such a stressful time before you get your keys, because most of it is not something you have any control over. Hope it all goes well! I remember it being such a pain in our case as well, with the sellers taking ages to sort out their house purchase (6 months!), and their online solicitors just being useless in general (for example not notifying them that our funds had been transferred). D: We are currently in the process of remortgaging. I am going to try to do it myself rather than using a broker, but we'll see if I can manage to do it or not. Not sure if I should go for a 2, 3 or 5 year fixed rate though! 5 years is more stability, but we would be paying a bit more. But then if we go for 2 or 3 years, the rates might have risen lots after that time. So yeah, fun times.

Well done to France for winning! Croatia played well but sadly France were just a bit better (and had some more luck on their side). It's been a great World Cup this year. I'm not a massive football fan myself (unless Belgium are playing), but I watched almost all of the games and really enjoyed it. Some great shock results.

Booooooh.

Whuuuuuuuuuuuuuut?! Never thought we could go through against Brazil! That was so tense! We played shit the second half, but still somehow managed to hold on! Amazing!

Thanks, now I'm gonna have that song stuck in my head again all day haha!

Ooooooooh you got so lucky there! Tense at the very end!

Yessssssssss!!!! No way we can beat Brazil, but at least we got this far haha.

Yes, go home Japan!

Fuck yes Fellainiiiiiiii.

That goal was a complete fluke... don't know if they can get another one as they are just not good enough right now. They can't get the ball or keep it when they do get it.