Iun

Let it snow. The rhythm is syncopated enough. @EEVILMURRAY: I've only got my iPad, so I can either do my bits over Skype or send you the files via the crappy recording program I've got. Can you send me the backing track?

There was no Band Aid 20. It didn't happen. You have all clearly remembered wrong.

Count on me. Let me handle the harmonies as well this time.

There's going to be a price drop...

HoweverfullstopthatmyiPadmissed.

Yes, that was VERY annoying, but it forced you to think a little bit more. True, there were definite "aw, come ON!" moments, however

Oblivion is the black sheep of the recent 3 games: as everybody sense said, it feels empty relative to Morrowind and Skyrim, there's less to do and the characters feel one-dimensional. I hated the parallel levelling of enemies - at level 30 with an amazingly powerful sword, it should be unthinkable that a Scamp can offer you a life-threatening challenge.

Gaming has always been a mostly single-player experience for me. As such, my choices stand.

I toyed with adding the originals to my list, Red/Blue are still the best.

As a man who often fantasizes about being marooned on a desert island in order to be LEFT THE FUCK ALONE, this is something I've thought about a lot. 1: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. This is a no-brainer for me, as it is undoubtedly my favourite game of all time and the game I have poured most time into. The simple truth of Morrowind is that there is a RIDICULOUS amount to do: there are maybe ten factions to join - three "Great Houses", the Temple, the Imperial Cult, Fighters Guild, Thieves Guild, Morag Tong, Twin Lamps, Blades.... they all individually run to more quests than the main questline in Oblivion and Skyrim (the lack of fast travel probably extends the length a great deal). But around every corner, over every hill and in every valley there is something to do: characters who are essential to certain quests in one play-through are victims in another or just non-entities. Every named NPC serves at least one quest function, sometimes even two or three and to meet every single one of them within one game run is unthinkable. I have only ever finished this game once, and given the fact that I've poured several hundred (perhaps even more than a thousand) hours into this makes it a game that is really about the journey and not the destination. The two expansion packs add extra difficulty and story, and I certainly never finished those either. A truly great game, and I could actually spend the rest of my life only playing THIS game and I'd be happy. 2: Final Fantay Tactics Advance 2 This was another game that never really needed to end for me: played and played this game for about 30 minutes every night before bed and it was just glorious. So many quests, so many different character classes and items to master. Another game that I never finished but got way, way more than my money's worth just meandering along at a happy pace. 3: Timesplitters 2 I was devastated when Free Radical folded and it was announced that Timesplitters 4 would never see the light of day. While I enjoyed TS3, TS2 really felt like the spiritual sequel to Goldeneye that everybody had been craving. The single player was long, fun and challenging and the multiplayer was just sublime. The extras such as time trials, challenge levels and even your own level editor rounded this out to be a fantastic and enjoyable package with masses of replay value. 4: Fallout: New Vegas Something about the universe really "clicks" for me: this wonderful divergence from the real world and the way that vacuum tubes, reel-to-reel tapes and 40s music never disappeared is simply fantastic. I absolutely and categorically did NOT get on with Fallout 3 - too much time spent in subway tunnels, but New Vegas was a smarter and more logical progression of the series - you could really interact with the wasteland, and the decisions you made had a genuine impact on the endings. This game is actually one of the few I do enjoy finishing - already played through perhaps five or six times. Genuinely interesting characters, quests with several options and an immersive world. 5: Disgaea Another one that I've spent hours on but only finished twice at most: funny characters, huge variety of items and challenging missions. The addition of geo panels makes you really consider how to approach each level rather than just rushing to defeat the enemy through tank-like characters. Level progression and changing abilities of your party members (who you get to create yourselves!) only adds to the depth.

I have no idea aout those two titles, but let's be honest, they don't often appear in the top seller's lists. I can't find figures but it looks like Panzer Dragoon had a less than stellar sales run. Skies of Arcadia and Legends sold a combined total of 300,000. My point in all this is that none of SEGA's supposedly "killer" IPs have delivered amazing sales figures in years: it would have been Mario Galaxy selling 200,000 units worldwide, Halo 4 being discounted to £19.99 a week after launch... (I can't think of anything negative to say aout the PS3 or its games... I'm not even sure it exists any more)

Christ, when the rest of us get a freebie it's like a 10% off next purchase voucher, or a keyring. Anyway: SEGA haven't set the world on fire in years. As much as I love House of the Dead: Overkill, it just wasn't a system-seller and Football Manager might be the best sim out there, but it's really only of interest to a few. In fact, SEGA has pretty much been trading on the Megadrive/Genesis era for the last 20 years: Sonic 2 was the last absolute world-beater they delivered internally and Shenmue was really an extremely niche product. I'm discounting second-party titles from my thinking, however. This is not a good track record.

Ooh, Sherlock is in it! Also: does anyone else think that the music in the trailer is very reminiscent of the Avengers trailer? "Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuunh. Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunh." Additionally, I'd like to echo @Cube and his DS9 love: I feel it's a massively underappreciated series. It was very much the fore-runner to Battlestar Galactica - especially with RDM doing some of the stories. It pushed the Star Trek universe to a slightly darker, more morally ambiguous place with episodes such as "In The Pale Moonlight" and "Inter Arma". TNG and Voyager never really had the courage to show the protagonists as flawed human beings with any consistency. Loved the fact that there was a real feeling of continuity with DS9 as well. Incorrect! I recently "won" on the internet by making someone completely lose his rag over a shitty article his wife wrote. http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/shanghai/articles/blogs-shanghai/family-matters-shanghai/overcoming-shyness-how-to-help-your-child-cultivate-social-skills/ Try to guess who I am.

RIP. There will never be another one like him.

200 quid? Fuck off, you stupid cocks. /end of discussion.

Well, big plans include: seeing friends I've not seen in the UK for five years; eating a full English; eating gypsy tart; eating a Cornish pastie; eating Wine Gums; buying a years' worth of clothes in MacArthur Glen in Ashford; buying books and DVDs that can't be found in China; plenty of long walks through the countryside; spending time with my sisters; playing with the cats; opefully have a father-son talk with my dad... ...basically all the stuff I can't do during the rest of the year in China.

Shame, I need some cash. And remember: I'll be back in the UK from next Sunday - why not "surprise" someone you hate and give yourself an early Christmas present?

Meh, don't think anyone wants you dead, so we're cool.

Considering I'd kill most people I know for enough money, no, this wouldn't bother me.

My love for you transcends sexuality, you know that.

Self-loathing. And sexual attraction to @bob. And @Dannyboy\-the\-Dane can go.

Rural for the peace, urban for the convenience. My family lives in Ringwould, a blink-and-you-miss-it village with three streets and an A Road going through the middle of it. It's absolutely beautiful there. But yes, you need a car to get to the nearest town, and the nearest town is Deal and there's very little there. Then Dover is close, but that's even more of a shit hole. The only decent place is Canterbury, but that's a 90 minute round trip on a good day. Plus, my eyesight disqualifies me from driving, so I guess I'm stuck in Shanghai for the rest of my life. :/

Terribly sorry to hear that, Cube. Cats are man's Nemesis: they are here to remind us that no matter how proud, how powerful, how smart and how mighty we believe ourselves to be, that there is a creature out there who will, somehow, someway SHRED THE GODDAMN SOFA WHEN WE ARE NOT LOOKING. I love cats, they're a little bundle of love, indifference and trouble wrapped up in whiskers and a tail.

Positive consistency is what we need. We've been consistent.....ly bad so far.