Master Engineer of Sigmar's Realm

AVGN Treble

2009-06-14T18:51:00.004+01:00

Three more AVGN vids for you! X-Men and some Terminator material.

Why do LJN suck so much.....

X-MEN:

Video Games | ScrewAttack | Angry Video Game Nerd: X-Men

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

The Terminator:

Video Games | ScrewAttack | Angry Video Game Nerd: The Terminator

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Terminator 2:

Video Games | ScrewAttack | Angry Video Game Nerd: Terminator 2

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

inFamous review up tomorrow!

~The Damo

Guitar Hero: Metallica - Review

2009-06-06T16:42:00.004+01:00

Yes, it kicks serious ass. Guitar Hero: Metallica is the second iteration of the Guitar Hero franchise to be focused entirely on the career of one band. Rather than talk about the gameplay which for the most part is still the same as Guitar Hero: World Tour, I'm just gonna mention the improvements or changes to this game.

First and foremost the setlist is PHENOMENAL. With 28 Metallica songs and 20 other guest acts very few music rhythm games can boast such an excellent track list. Add in the Death Magnetic DLC with 10 extra tracks and it makes one meaty set of hard rockin' anthems. One difference I noticed is that the songs here are all fun to play, there were one or two moments in World Tour (the Tool songs come to mind) that were really boring to play. Also the motion capture is top notch, with really authentic animations and representations of the band. Not a huge step up from World Tour, but fans will appreciate it.

Other added bonuses include the Metallifacts videos after you complete a song, the lyrics sheets and photos and videos from the various tours. It really is a game for the fans, and any Metallica fan would be a fool to pass it up. The interface is mainly the same except this time the developers have added in the star performance meter above your score, and for the band mode it is now more clear how each member is performing.

Career mode has you as a member of band playing before Metallica at the various venues. This story is actually based on a real life band who followed Metallica round during the 80's. Progression is different from World Tour where you no longer need to complete all the songs in one show to proceed. You simply have to earn an overall number of stars from the various songs of your choice in that venue to move on.

I know this is a short review but there isn't much more to say than what's already been said in past reviews and previews. If you're a fan of Metallica and have any gaming system, buy this now! You won't regret it.

~The Damo

The Nostalgia Critic

2009-06-06T16:40:00.000+01:00

You may have noticed the update to the "My Links" area on the right. Along with Cinemassacre and Screwattack and Special1TV, I've now added in the Nostalgia Critic at ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com.

I came across the Nostalgia critic via a video on Youtube (something to do with commercialisation of the site or something like that) that made reference to him in the video description. He had been involved with the Angry Video Game Nerd at one point as well but I didn't pay too much attention to it. A decision I now regret...

At the stage of writing this blog I've now watched the majority of the "Nostalgia Critic" videos and I have to say I'm am both thoroughly impressed and satisfied. The Critic reviews movies and TV programmes, both good and bad ones. The contrasting style of appreciation and condemnation make for great viewing in the various videos.

He is remarkably witty in his videos at all times, and uses excellent editing techniques, as well as some much appreciated running jokes which you might be oblivious to if you don't watch the videos from the start of the series. What's also great is an evolution in the types of videos he posts, as well as standard reviews (which by the way can sometimes be up to 20-25mins) he also does Top 11's (why Top 11? You have to watch) and a new feature called "New Vs Old" where he compares an older film with a remake, or, as was done in the first item of this feature, compare two movies from seperate reimaginations of a franchise - Batman Vs The Dark Knight.

I wouldn't go as far as to say the Critic is for everyone, but if you like films and want to remember old TV shows (like Saved by the Bell) than certainly give him a look. The site has tonnes of other features as well, such as "Ask That Guy", "Sage Reviews" and the "Nostalgia Chick" to name but a few.

So head on over and check out www.thatguywiththeglasses.com !

I'm The Damo, I write it so you don't have to!

~The Damo

The Big 3 - Hardware Review

2009-05-20T17:00:00.003+01:00

Here it is. The Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii all in one blog, compared, contrasted and analysed as best as I possibly can to see which of the 3 is best value for money, i.e. the best piece of hardware.

Please remember this is a HARDWARE analysis, not software, and for the record I will never be comparing software as I feel this is totally to the taste of the consumer and realistically reviews in general mean jack shit to me when it comes to making a purchase. I should also point out that I won't be delving into the various different processors and so on (partly because I'm not fully enough educated in this regard and also because the quality of the processors and RAM can sometimes mean nothing, example being God of War 2 on PS2 - whoever thought the PS2 could do that!!), so the affair will be more focussed on a features and functions style idea as well as reviews of each console's controller.

So let's kick it off going from smallest to largest with the Nintendo Wii:

Aesthetically it's a nice looking machine, it's hard to fault it really. Compact, shiny white and functional. Personally I'm not a huge fan of the tray it sits in, both the 360 and PS3 can sit on their own, but hey, no biggy. My only problem as such with the machine is the sensor bar. Now I know this is essential to the how the Wiimote works, but seeing as the PS3 pulls off motion control without a sensor bar one has to wonder if it is 100% essential. It uses automatic disk feeding for the Wii Optic Disc and has a liftable flab to expose four gamecube Dolphin controller ports. It has no harddrive with storage carried out by internal flash memory and can use SD cards for storage aswell.

The Wiimote itself is a well designed piece of equipment, comfortable and it looks great. I'm not a fan of the speaker that's built in as most of the time it comes across as poor audio quality and I really don't think it's necessary, especially when the game's primary sound filters through the TV and/or speakers anyway. However, out of the 3 the Wiimote is my least favourite to use and it boils down to one solid fact. The Wiimote is not essential to play the majority of Wii games. Now before you stop me, I'm still not commenting on the quality of the games, this bit relates to the controllers functionality with the games. Besides the launch title WiiSports, very few (with a notable exception of BoomBlox) REQUIRE motion controls. Smash Bros - non existent. Mario Kart - tacked on. Mario Galaxy - tacked on. Zelda - imposed on a game that already came out on Gamecube. And that's just four games off the top of my head. The cold hard fact is that these games would still be top quality even without the motion ability.

This critical flaw was realised by many gamers very early on, and even now the casual audience is starting to look upon the Wii as more of a fad than anything else. With motion-plus on the horizon at an additional cost it's hard to know what the future holds. What we do know is that the Wii is a solid machine with as far as I know a non-existent hardware failure rate. The Mii service is great and adds to the party-style orientation of many of the Wii's games. The different channels are excellent additions but compared to XBL or PSN, the Wii's online service has to go a long way before it should even be in the same sentence as the other two. Damn, I put them in the same sentence!!!

The Xbox 360

First thing you'll notice looking an Xbox is its smooth concave design. This one at home is an Elite Model, so it's black, but the other two 360 models are white. The console uses a disk tray, has slots for memory cards and large power button. This button not only indicates whether the power is on but each quadrant of the outer ring represents a controller that is linked and switched on with the machine. This particular model comes with built in Wi-Fi and a 120GB harddrive and utilises wireless controllers. This isn't consistent with other models, as the Arcade has no harddrive at all, no Wi-Fi (which needs to be bought at an additional expense) and wire controllers (though I have heard to the contrary in this aspect). The other model comes with 60GB storage.

The 360 unfortunately is well known for one fatal flaw - The Red Ring of Death. This alone is a serious issue and requires you to return your console either to the retailer or Microsoft, depending on terms of the warrantee. To pile on the misery another error, the E74 has begun to crop up as well. If you haven't got it by now, the 360 is possibly one of the worst designed machines ever (from that perspective, it's cores perform rather well). This extends to motherfuckin' fan that sounds like a jet engine taking off, and trust me when I say you will be raising the volume on your TV a few notches just so you can hear it! Also, take a look at the power adaptor... :O

Having said that though, both the NXE (despite being half a rip-off of the PS3's XMB and half the Nintendo Miis) and XBL are terrific services despite the fee for Gold Membership. The additionof the bundled headset only adds to the multiplayer immersion and for the most part makes the experience all the more enjoyable.

The controller is excellently designed, with a very comfortable grip and layout. The triggers work well but the D-pad is less than stellar and the requirement of batteries isn't the greatest either, though a lithium battery can be gotten at, yes, you guessed it, an additional cost. The positioning of the left analog adds to the comfort as it predominantly controls movement in the games and both thumsticks have a concaved centre to improve grip.

Playstation 3

First thing you'll notice with the PS3 is just how large it is. It's a little bigger than the 360 but it compensates its size with its arching curves and piano black finish (look how shiny it is in the pic, you can see ME in it!!). I have a 60GB model, with inbuilt Wi-Fi and bluetooth connectivity. This is standard across all models except you can now only get a 40GB and 80GB model (and possibly a 160GB region depending). Like the Wii it has a disk feeder. All the buttons are touch sensitive. Below the disk is a flab which allows for portable storage units like SD cards or Memory Stick Duo. On the front are four USB ports and two at the rear. At this point I should point out the PS3 uses entirely USB2.0 for all connections.

Unlike the 360, there's no mother of a power adaptor and the fans are quiet enough, though the system can get quite warm after extended play. Also, all models have wireless controllers as standard which come with an in-built rechargable battery which is charged via a USB cable with the system. Also unlike the Wii and 360, the PS3 can sustain up to seven controllers at any one time and it is the only system of the 3 to support Blu-Ray and DVD. My particular model can play PS2 games but this feature is no longer available.

However, the PS3's online service PSN isn't quite up to XBL standards, though it is entirely free of charge. More than likely you'll notice this very early on when you have to download an update. For whatever reason the damn thing is RIDICULOUSLY slow, though I must say it IS getting better. Xbox games sometimes come with the update on the disk, and install rather quickly, why this hasn't happened for PS3 games yet I don't know. Also, because headsets aren't bundled with the console - though I believe it is compatible with a lot of bluetooth headsets - the online experience isn't always up to 360 standards, though again, it IS improving with each firware update. As it stands currently there isn't a huge amount between the two online services, but there IS a difference nonetheless.

What can be said about the controller? I'm sure most of the planet has held a Playstation controller before, the design hasn't changed much except for the removal of the wire, the inclusion of the PS button and swapping L2 and R2 for throttle like buttons as opposes to the 360's triggers.

Conclusions

From a strictly hardware perspective, taking into account value for money, reliability, aesthetics there really is only one winner, and that's the PS3. The phrase "You pay for what you get" has never been more apt. The PS3 is the most expensive but with built in WiFi and a harddrive as standard, not to mention an internet browser built into the system with video support for most flash players, you simply can't go wrong. It uses all the latest technology, Blu-Ray, Bluetooth and USB for transfer and storage of data. The fact that PSN almost offers the same experience as XBL without any yearly subscription fee also weighs in Sony's favour. With its curving designs and piano black finish it looks well in any room with a TV and is the perfect hub for home entertainment in this modern era. It might cost a lot but I can guarantee you won't be a disappointed customer with the features and service on offer.

~The Damo

P.S. - Photos are poor quality as camera is on the blip

Jonathan Creek DVD Box Set

2009-05-19T13:08:00.003+01:00

When I was about 13 years old, I watched a programme called Jonathan Creek with my mother. She did her best to try and explain what it was about but I didn't really get what she was on about and it is only now that I can fully appreciate how difficult it was for her to explain what the programme was about. The particular episode, which I now know is entitled "The Scented Room", involved a painting being stolen from a sealed room, where the door had only been closed for 30 seconds and the hall outside was full of people. So how did the thief do it?

Rather than spoil it, I suggest you watch it, but what followed was an hour of brilliant mystery solving and unravelling that captured my fancy the moment the solution was revealed. This I knew was my kind of programme. The only problem? Jonathan Creek wasn't on all that frequently, even now with Sky Digital the problem wasn't wholly solved and the interwebs only has two-three episodes that are viewable. My solution - buy the DVD boxset.

Even though I had watched them all weeks ago, only now have I got the chance to share the experience. Jonathan is played by the brilliant Alan Davies, and for series 1-3 is accompanied by Crime-Investigative writer Madeleine (Maddie) Magellan played by Caroline Quentin and for series 4 is joined by journalist Carla Borrego whom Jonathan had a previous relationship with. There are guest characters in episodes including Anthony Head and Bill Bailey to name but two. Before even getting to the premise of the whole thing, I should point out that throughout all the series and specials the acting and characters are very believably, in particular Alan Davies. Once you become familiar with the character of Jonathan Creek from watching it, you find yourself hard pressed to imagine anyone else in the role. What's more is the line between Davies and Creek is very hard to define, thus adding to the performance and credibility of the character. His character also develops over the course of the episodes in a subtle yet noticable manner.

Creek himself works for illusionist Adam Klaus (played by Anthony Head in the first episode and later by Stuart Milligan. Creek's job description is probably best described as "Illusion-Maker", making the props and tricks for Klaus' show, fooling the audience. He's not much of a socialiser and struggles with women at points. However over the course of the series' he becomes more open and charming, likely due to his working relationship with Maddie that is started in the first episode.

In any particular episode, Creek is usually faced with an "impossible" crime or feat or mystery. More often than not, Creek is brought in my Maddie who usually is called upon in the first case as an investigative writer by the "client", to help her out. What's more, she also writes about Creek's endeavours, generating an unwanted fame meaning that in some and in particular later episodes he is "hired" to solve the mystery.

I should stress perhaps that it isn't always murder at the heart of the story, though I must admit some of the best ones DO relate to murder mysteries. The thing that makes the programme special and watchable is that like any crime/mystery series, like Inspector Morse for example, you want to solve it as well. Whilst you know the solution will be revealed by the shows end, you can't help but try and figure it out for yourself. Trust me when I say that what you think is the solution is very probably miles off the mark.

I guess in part my interest in the show is fuelled by my chosen profession of engineering, as the type of thinking I have to do is in many parts similar to what Creek has to do.

"Making the impossible possible" is an often cliched phrase thrown about in these kind of things, but the style of Creek is unique in the sense that it requires very lateral thinking, something that many people, myself included, simply cannot do off the bat. Unlike a crime series such as Inspector Morse that I mentioned above, where the crime is very motive based and a little piece of the focus is given to technique, the plots of Jonathan Creek give equal emphasis on both, almost doubling your value from the point of view of story-telling and mystery solving and I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed with the end results.

In an early episode Creek makes a statement regarding the "impossible, the improbable and what's practical/logical" as he is about to reveal how the particular crime occured. The ideas of "impossibility", "improbablity" and "logical" are the cornerstones of the series' brilliance and it's these set the tone for all the episodes to follow. In order to solve these mysteries, you need to separate what's impossible from what's unlikely, and then establish how the unlikely could've been done. I can guarantee that in each case you will be thoroughly satisfied with the end result, scratching your head at the ingenuinity of it all yet just how simplistic it all really was.

The DVDs themselves are what they are. All the episodes and specials minus "The Grinning Man" which was shown January 09. There are several bonuses available including documentaries, interviews, etc. Standard fare stuff.

On just a general note of the episodes all together, it seems as though the mysteries/quality of the episodes in series 4 wanes a bit. I'm not suggesting they're bad by any stretch of the imagination, but if you watched them in order as I did the "impossibility" shall we say of the mysteries isn't as grandiose as the earlier seasons, though the episode "Gorgon's Wood" - the last in series 4 - is certainly up there with the best of 'em.

Jonathan Creek has generated huge viewing numbers across England, and the success of the show is shown in the specials that are produced this year and for next. If you like a mystery this is certainly for you. I can guarantee a thoroughly enjoyable experience with the perfect blend of humour, mystery and drama. Just remember to bring your lateral-thinking-cap with you when you do.

~The Damo

P.S. I can't link to episodes, but if you want to find some online, google it and you should be fine.

inFamous - Preview

2009-05-18T16:10:00.004+01:00

In two weeks time PS3 owners will finally get their hands on Sucker Punch's eagerly anticipated inFamous. In it, players take control of Cole, a bike messenger who's latest delivery changes his future and the fate of Empire City. inFamous promises to bring new meaning to the word "electrifying" by juicing up Cole with electrical superpowers. The path the player chooses, i.e. good vs bad, will ultimately shape the way the character of Cole develops as well as Empire City.

Think Grand Theft Auto + Superpowers! If that doesn't take your fancy the videos below should:

Full Preview:

Superpowers:

Might have to give Prototype a look as well...

~The Damo

Relieved and Finished!

2009-05-17T18:58:00.004+01:00

Yep, I'm done as an undergraduate!! Well, assuming that I pass my exams but I'm going to assume that I will. Finally, after 6-7 months of solid work and pressure I can now for the first time say "I have nothing to do!". And I can't begin to describe just how great that feels. On the plus side I can now finally catch up on everything I've been meaning to do, which also includes updating this blog. Way too many cobwebs!

Anyway, before the influx of articles over the week, I figured I'd highlight a few points such as my access now to an Xbox 360, meaning the scope of my reviews once again expands into new regions. It also means I can now get around to doing a hardware review of the big 3 which I've wanted to do for a long time, so keep tuned for that.

In other news my U13 team has won the league and gained promotion to the "Premier" division as I believe it is called and at the moment the situation looks like I'll be taking over full management of the team.

As well as that the following matter needs to be accounted for.....

CHAMPIONS OF ENGLAND!!!!!

And I completely missed out on getting to write about Leinster whippin' Munster in the Heinekin Cup semi-final. With that in mind the end of the month is going to be a crackin' one with the Champions League final on the horizon as well.

I've also come across a new website which I'll be commenting/reviewing soon which I think a lot of people will enjoy.

That is all.

~The Damo (is back for serious this time)

Facial Hair

2009-04-28T20:45:00.004+01:00

I figured, since I have now harvested a successful goatee for 2 years, that I should perhaps write a blog about managing facial hair, and how to achieve the best results. As such, I've divided this piece into 3 main segments:

Making the choice

Cultivating your choice

Managing your choice

Making the Choice

The decision to embark in the world of facial hair is not easy one, until you've successfully completed step two in this guide, you will most likely face abuse from your peers as you attempt to change your image. Unlike, say a tatoo, facial hair isn't permanent, so you can alter your choice as I will illustrate later on. I've attached a picture which to my knowledge shows most variations on facial hair. There is of course nothing to stop you coming up with your own, but if you're new to this I suggest making a selection based on the below diagram. (You need to click HERE to enlarge).

After you've made your choice, I would suggesting consulting with a friend or loved one for their opinion. It IS a big step, and ridicule is a certain biproduct if you fail to succeed in your attempt. Facial hair is afterall a staple of your intent to stand out from the crowd. There are so many more clean shaven people out there and this is you making a change. I personally had the idea of growing a goatee for a Halloween costume, only later to find that people actually liked it and hence I kept it (also I found that it was great for stroking when I was in a pensieve mood). You, on the other hand, may not be so lucky. So think carefully before you proceed to the next step.

Cultivation

Perhaps the most important of all the steps, everything can go wrong with cultivating your choice. To make it clearer, I'm talking about actually GROWING your facial hair. All men after they reach that age realise that shaving can become a bit of a pain in the arse at times. We, unlike women, are fortunate enough to only have to shave above our necks on a regular basis.

The first, and certainly easiest step, is to simply not shave. How long you ask? Well I would suggest anywhere in the region of two-three weeks, depending on what you're going for. If say you're going for a tache of some sort I would wait until it is well grown in, shaving too early can make it look scrawny and will entice laughter and ridicule. If you're going for something around the chin, you don't need to wait as long. The main problem with not shaving however is that you can look like a right scruffy bastard, so sacrifices may need to be made on socialising fronts if necessary. If prompted, state that you intend to grow a (insert facial hair) rather than say you're just not shaving.

Once your face has reached maturity, it's time to slice and swipe. If you happen to be unfamiliar with the art of shaving, I will direct you now to a blog I wrote some time ago: The_Perfect_Shave

This stage is key. One slip here and all you're work will be for NOTHING. At this stage, you should have been day dreaming long and hard about your new facial hair, so you should have some idea of how to proceed in crafting it. When shaving at this point, a general word of advice is to start high on the cheeks. No one actually lets hair grow their so its good location to line-up your first motion. From there I can only advise that you keep a steady hand whilst you swing your razor. If you feel a little unsure, it might be helpful to perhaps draw a sketch, or jot down each movement you're going to make. Think of it like a game of chess, each stroke of your blade is setting up the check-mate, i.e. your finished product.

I would strongly recommend a blade that can be adjusted or has a single blade at the rear for any particular fine motions.

Management

If you've got this far, you've done well. By now you've likely braved the public opinion on your new facial enhancement and are now faced with the task of keeping it up to scratch. From her I would recommend some key purchases; a trimmer (I have a Philips one) and also an electric razor is a good investment, one with an accuracy enhancer (or in English, a flat head). If these aren't available, you'll have to make do with a scissors.

On the technology side of it, a good idea is to start at the maximum depth with the trimmer, and then work your way down the settings until you reach the desired substance of depth. Remember that the fullness and strength of your facial hair is highly important to its social success, so make sure that you don't trim it down too much. This is of course facial hair dependent. Having the electric razor flat head can help control those hard to reach areas, and help define the curves if there are any - which there usually are. Additionally, if you're going a bit bushy with your choice, regular combing is a must if you want to avoid unwanted outward growing and just general untidyness.

Using a scissors is quite an undertaking, and one slip up with the dual blades could ruin all your hard work up to this point. My advice is to take it one snip at a time, being careful not to take too much off. You really should strive to own a trimmer as soon as possible. Controlled shaving with a regular blade should be undertaken at your own preferred intervals, and should only be used to manage large areas of your face that are to remain clean shaven.

Ultimately, if it all goes wrong, all the damage to your face can be rectified with a few swipes of a razor. What can't be repaired so easily is the damage that will be done to your image in the public domain. FAILING at facial hair is one of the worst things any man can experience, almost as bad as being left at the altar and just worse that drinking a warm beer. Remember, the success of your facial hair is directly proportional to your the care and attention you give it, and inversely proportional to your looks on a bad day, i.e. if you can still look smashing on a bad day, then facial hair is not for you, but with facial hair, you can still look great if you look like shit on a bad day. Trust me, that's how it is.

~The Damo

Guitar Hero: Metallica - Preview

2009-04-27T20:03:00.002+01:00

Metallica + Guitar Hero = Epic WIN!

Yes, needless to say my decision to buy Guitar Hero: World Tour for Christmas was ultimately determined by the inevitable release of this very game. Finally, a whole month and a bit after the Americans, we Europeans are going to give our hands, voices and feet a solid work out in Guitar Hero: Metallica.

The routine of Guitar Hero is well known, so rather than waffle on about what to expect, which I'll waffle about come the review, here's some videos from Youtube of people beating certain songs on expert mode with 100%....

Fight Fire with Fire

Creeping Death

Master of Puppets

Part of me suspects I'm going to suck at it greatly....

~The Damo

Damien Facts

2009-04-27T20:00:00.001+01:00

The Damo is fantastic.

The Damo is a champion manager… of sorts.

When under pressure, The Damo can be seen to accumulate spots on his forehead; the number of spots is a direct proportion to stress level:

One spot: anxious over something
Two spots: exceptionally nervous about an upcoming event
Three spots: “Stress Stage 1” – The Damo can often be found staring into space aimlessly, likely postulating constantly about event which incurred two spots.
Four spots: anxious over a lady
Five spots: “Stress Stage 2” – The Damo is almost completey quiet and inanimated over four spots issue
Six spots: Immenent Meltdown – The Damo shuts down, and tries to suss out getting rid of the spots.

The Damo is a Man Utd fan.

You know The Damo is thinking for real (for serious like) when he is rubbing his chin.

The Damo grew a beard to accommodate his thinking habits.

The Damo is said to look like Paul O’Grady when he wears glasses (and when clean shaven).

You know The Damo is not thinking for real when he makes clicking noises with his mouth, cheeks, and tongue thing.

The Damo at present is only a Guitar Hero of the hard mode variety.

The Damo can cook.

The Damo has 2 Theme Tunes: “One Winged Angel” and “Hell March 3”

The Damo is a PS3 owner of the 60GB model variety. He has 19 games. The Damo also owns a PSP and a Sony Ericsson phone. One could argue that The Damo is a Sonyslut, or a Playslave or whatever fanboyish term you wish to label me with.

The Damo is a certified coach.

The Damo is a level 7 PSN user.

The Damo is a Vodafone customer. The reasoning behind this comes from a traumatic first experience with Meteor, where The Damo was screwed out of £60 approx. Since switching to Vodafone, The Damo has had 3 different phones over 7 years, and is a satisfied customer.

The Damo was born in Holles Street, but actually spent his early days in Malahide. He now resides in Lucan.

The Damo used to collect Warhammer, he is currently on hiatus from the hobby.

The Damo was an avid Lego collector and has plans to restore some of the older sets this summer.

The Damo is a fan of Metallica, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Lacuna Coil, Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stoneage, Motorhead, Dream Theater, Slipknot, Trivium, AC/DC, Apocalyptica, Bowie, The Police, Lordi, Muse, Queen, Rammstein, System of a Down, Thin Lizzy, Yngwie Malmsteen amongst others.

The Damo has a four year old computer, Dell Dimension 5000 series.

The Damo is a man.

In the four year lifetime of this computer, The Damo has battled 2 major viruses and won.

The Damo is a Screwattack g1.

The Damo has been asked to write reviews for a website (like a proper one).

The Damo is a UCD Student of the Engineering discipline of the Structural kind with an appreciation for architecture.

The Damo’s achilles heal are Terry’s Chocolate Oranges, Flapjacks and another unnameable thing.

The Damo is often mistaken for Stan from South Park.

The Damo can consume vast quantities of alcohol before succumbing to the divine liquors’ potent effect.

The Damo is a Leinster fan.

The Damo prefers the Metro over the Herald AM. Well who doesn’t really?

The Damo is a fan of BOTH Star Wars AND Star Trek. As a Star Trek character, he would most likely be either Data or Geordi from Next Generation or one of the non-descript red-shirts from the Original Series.

The Damo is no longer an Undergraduate.

The Damo can’t breathe.

The Damo’s local is The Long Mile Inn, despite the fact that he lives in Lucan.
More to come....

~The Damo (wrote this blog)

Resistance: Retribution - Review

2009-04-27T19:32:00.004+01:00

ALL THAT REMAINS….

…is retribution. Resistance: Retribution takes place between Fall of Man and Resistance 2 on PS3. You play as James Grayson, a former British soldier who, after having to execute his own brother who was in the process of being converted into a Chimera, deserts his post and goes on a rampage across Britain blowing up more than 20 conversion centres and becoming somewhat of a folk hero to what remains of the British population. Grayson is then captured and faces the firing squad for desertion in a time of war until he is recruited by the Maquis – the French Resistance who want to take back a conquered Europe from the Chimera – who seek his experience in dealing with conversion centres. So begins Operation Overstrike.

Grayson as a character has a very strong personality, and greatly contrasts the “get-the-job-done” silent attitude of Nathan Hale, the protagonist of Fall of Man and R2. The trauma of having to execute his own brother has left him with a thirst for Chimeran blood – an attitude which surprisingly is re-evaluated throughout the game – and a chip on his shoulder. He may not like his new employers, particularly Colonel Mallery or “Molly” as Grayson prefers to call him but he knows his duty nonetheless. Whilst Operation Overstrike is the encompassing military mission being carried out, Grayson is really in Europe to help Raine Bouchard (also a Maquis member) in researching and later administering a virus which would stop the conversion process altogether. Unlike Fall of Man and R2, there is a much bigger influence on the plot, with plenty of distractions to the main objective which keep the game interesting throughout. The story is told via pre-rendered cut-scenes, still images and diary entries. The diary entries help give an insight to character motivations, something that was lacking in Resistance 2.

One thing is certain about Retribution and that is it’s a hell of a lot of fun to play. Retribution switches to a 3rd person perspective with a clever lock-on system and cover system which helps keep the action fluid and paced despite the limitations of the PSP. Move with the analog, aim with the face buttons. It works surprisingly well, and focuses the emphasis on not taking hits rather than aiming. Levels are also diverse enough to include some verticality, crawling and swimming, resulting in nice and timely changes of pace to the enjoyable gun play. The levels, on the whole, are fantastic. The game certainly feels more like Fall of Man than Resistance 2, so expect to see those mines again as well as a few Slipskulls on the way. You’ll find yourself fighting for the cause in Rotterdam, Bonn, Luxembourg to name a few and a some other locations which help set the scene for Resistance 2.

Ultimately Retribution seeks to fill in any gaps, and indeed create a few of its own, in the Resistance Universe. For the first time ever in the series the player finally meets the Cloven face to face, and if your patient enough to collect the hidden intel about them aswell I can assure you that fans won’t be disappointed. Every level in the game has hidden intel, which when all found can unlock some bonus weapons for replay of previous levels. Traditional weapons like the Carbine, Auger and Fareye appear with a few nice additions typical of the Resistance universe such as the Razor (which replaces the Bullseye) whose alternate fire is an energy blade which ricochet off surfaces and a chaingun with a regenerate shield.

Intel and skill points (like achievements) help to add to the replay of the game which lasts about 12 hours on a first play through. Resistance 2 owners get a few bonuses in the form of Infected Mode and Retribution+, which can be activated by connecting your PSP to a PS3 with Resistance 2 running. Infected Mode infects Grayson with the Chimera virus, giving him regenerative health, the ability to indefinitely breathe underwater and the Magnum from Resistance 2. Additionally his appearance changes to that of a SRPA operative. The only downside of this mode is that it doesn’t change the pre-rendered cut scenes and is deactivated once you quit the game or power down the PSP. It does however alter some encounters with other characters in the game, as well as their reactions to Grayson.

Retribution + allows you to play the game using your Dualshock 3, but it disables the auto-lock on system and the game becomes a little bit harder. Plus mode isn’t game changing like Infected mode but it is nevertheless a nice addition to a portable system game that already has more content than most console games.

When you throw in a standard, yet welcome, multiplayer component, Retribution ticks all the boxes for a top-notch game. The graphics, for handheld standards are mightily impressive with clever lighting and texture design and a butter-smooth framerate throughout. Add in a brilliant soundtrack that changes to coincide with the action on screen and voice acting on par with the console games and you have one helluva package for €40 that you can keep in your pocket. Here’s hoping for a sequel in the years to come.

Presentation: 9.5

As far as portable games go, they don't get much better than this.

Gameplay: 9.4

Fast and intense, the way I like it.

Story: 9.3

Probably the single best Resistance plot yet, great focus and an engaging experience.

Design: 10

Experience with the PSP shows, well made from framerate to sound.

Content: 10

It has more content than a console game. That's all I need to say.

Overall: 9.6

~The Damo

AVGN Quadruple - Atari, SNAKE!!! and an Odyssey

2009-04-27T19:29:00.002+01:00

WOAH!! A whole month since my last appearance here, well that'll have to change, total blowout today! Startin' with a NERDY foursome!

Atari Jaguar Part 1:

Atari Jaguar Part 2:

Metal Gear:

Magna Vox Odyssey:

~The Damo

MGS4 Spoof Video

2009-03-30T17:36:00.001+01:00

...featuring Hideo Kojima and Cliffy B!!!

Coming Soon:

Resistance: Retribution Review
Damo Facts
College Update
AVGN Atari Double

~The Damo

The Kraken Awakes...

2009-03-18T10:55:00.000Z

Yeah, I'm back. After a long slumber, or more accurately too much work and not enough slumber, I finally have the time to log back on and post some stuff. First and foremost the main thing that was keeping me back is done (a week now) and that was my final report/thesis/thing that we apparently set a new record in for early hand up. After months of work at it I'm very pleased with the final result and I think we've got some really good results. The only crap thing about the whole lot was that it cost us about €60 to get the damn thing printed!!

It doesn't really end there unfortunately, as now that the report half of the module is done (and yeah "half" is somewhat of an understatement) we now have to start our "Design Project". It's not as major as report, but it is approximately another 4-6 hours a week. Basically we've been given a set of architectural drawings for a building in NUI Galway, and we have to come up with the structural system. No problem.

On the other college front I've been getting pain in the balls assignments and essays that have just been a total inconvenience - which also contributed to my lack of posting. They, for the most part, are now under wraps, though I do have an essay hand-up the second week of April and two exams next week when I go back. Analysis of Structures is also becoming somewhat of a pain, but that's for another time.

On a more brighter note the promotion exams are over in the St. John Ambulance aswell, and while they weren't too stressful they did contribute to the overall stress as they coincided with all the assignments I was doing as well as the report. I'll know by the 10th April if I was successful in getting enough marks to earn a promotion so keep your eyes glued to this spot to find out.

As an aside I've also elevated to the level of a "Hard Mode" Guitar Hero player, YAY!!

Finally, the scope of gaming articles on the blog will be expanding, as I have recently invested in a new piece of hardware as you may have seen from the post below...

~The Damo (rocks!)

Resistance: Retribution - Preview

2009-03-18T10:40:00.005Z

There's probably only one franchise that would get me to fork out for a PSP, and since that franchise has now made its way to the PS2 & PS3's brother/cousin, I have in fact bought one.

That franchise is of course "Resistance". Those who frequent my blog know how high I hold Resistance in esteem, and this Friday the latest entry entitled Retribution makes it way to the PSP.

Retribution takes place in between its older brothers on the PS3, namely Resistance: Fall of Man, and Resistance 2. The game will take place on continental Europe as the Maquis (or French Resistance) attempt to recapture the continent. What transpires is said to be far more than a typical wiping out of the Chimera, including players finally getting to meet the mysterious Cloven face to face, as well as investigating how the Chimera changed from conversion centres in the first game to the method of conversion in the second. Also up for exploration is the construction of the Chimeran fleet that invaded the United States in Resistance 2.

You will play as James Grayson, a British soldier who becomes somewhat of a folk hero in England (more on his story in the final review). From what we've heard Grayson is a far more dynamic character than Hale, and there is a much stronger emphasis on story and motivation in this installment.

One of the games biggest touted features is the ability to connect it to Resistance 2 on PS3 and "Infect" the game with the Chimeran virus which will alter several things in the game (see final review for details). Also there is the ability to connect the game to your Dualshock 3 and play it like a PS3 game.

Retribution is a 3rd person shooter and from the videos below its easy to see that its one of the best looking PSP games out there. Stay blogged for the full review some time over the next week or two.

Official Trailer:

Infecting your PSP with Resistance 2:

Gameplay Montage:

~The Damo

Killzone 2 - Review

2009-03-08T14:01:00.004Z

War. Perfected.

Killzone 2 is the first major PS3 exclusive of 2009. With years of hype and expectation on its shoulders, much pressure has been on Guerilla Games to deliver after a less than impressive showing with Killzone on Playstation 2. Can the sequel banish the demons of its older brother and deliver a truly defining first person shooter experience for this generation of consoles?

Killzone 2 begins as the ISA (Interplanetary Strategic Alliance) invasion of Helghast – the home planet of the Helghan – begins. In the previous game, the Helghast, led by Scholar Visari (and voiced by the brilliant Brian Cox) invaded the ISA planet of Vekta, and the counter invasion is an attempt by the ISA to arrest Visari and put an end to the bloody conflict. The game’s intro begins in a Starship Troopers style narrated telecast, crossing over from an ISA narrator to Visari, as the starships of the ISA enter Helghast space and the first troops begin landing.

INTRO VIDEO:

You play as Sergeant Tomas Sevchenko (or “Sev” to his squad mates), a member of Alpha Squad led by the hardened vetern Rico and joined by Corporals Garza and Natko. The game’s early story involves setting a foothold in the capital city of Pyyrhus, before other events occur which lead you on to the story’s conclusion. The story itself is nothing that hasn’t been done before, but what is done is done exceptionally well, with fantastic set pieces and tense action moments, which when all brought together is more than enough to get you through. The odd emotional moment doesn’t hurt either.

Voice acting at times does feel a little strained, but is believable and in my opinion is done very well for the most part. The characters do feel real, and the sense of comradery between squad mates – despite the occasional bickering – only adds to the atmosphere.

If there is one thing that Killzone 2 does better than any other game I’ve played it’s the atmosphere. Guerilla Games have created was is without a doubt one of the best looking (if not THE best looking) console games ever. Everything is detailed from atmospheric environments to weather patterns and even the shell casings from the bullets. The attention to detail is just incredible and the screenshots in this review can’t do it justice as you need to see it in motion to believe it. Every surface reflects light like it really would, all light sources are independent and respond accordingly, everything! You will find yourself fighting across close quarters alleyways, open cliff side deserts and even on moving trains. The last level is really something to behold from a visual and technical standpoint.

This attention to detail also translates to the weapons, which reflect appropriately depending on light and shadows and respond like real weapons with insanely accurate kick back of the weapon as you unload a full clip. Coupled with this is the sense of inertia that they have managed to implement into the controls. The weapons feel like they should in real life, despite the fact that the weight of the controller in your hands never changes. When using a pistol or light submachine gun you can turn and aim more quickly than say when you’re using a heavier weapon like a rocket launcher or one of the games unique weapons. This “weightiness” translates into other movements like climbing ladders, jumping and sprinting.

The weapons are fun to use and most have ironsight aiming for nailing quick headshots. In fact, thanks to the widening of the reticule from going full auto the game requires you to shoot like a real soldier – in short bursts – to make sure your shots are accurate enough. The reloads are also beautiful, with unique variations for each weapon. I find myself wanting to reload as often as possible; not jusy because I should have a full clip but also because it looks so freakin’ good! Initially you’ll find it difficult to part with the standard ISA rifle as its helpful dot sight and all round suitability means it has no real downsides. But once you start to experiment with all the different weapons you’ll quickly come to appreciate the variety and will be hard pressed to find a favourite. Certainly one of the best features is the aiming on the sniper rifle. The game requires you to hold the SIXAXIS steady whilst aiming, otherwise the crosshairs will move around. This is meant to simulate holding a real weapon in your hands. It works great, and can be used for small adjustments in aiming. But what makes it even better is that when a grenade goes off near you, the controller will vibrate, causing the crosshairs to move. It is a truly incredible sense of realism that has been implemented.

SIXAXIS also features when placing explosives and turning valves. It’s quite intuitive and is ultimately a clever yet simple implementation of the oft forgotten feature of the PS3 controller. The game also uses surround sound brilliantly in a pivotal part of the game.

Killzone 2’s shooting mechanics are great and in my opinion are a breath of fresh air from arcade shooters like Resistance and Halo. Killzone 2’s slow placing, accurate firing and innovative cover system ultimately results in a more methodical progression, which is just like the way real gun fights occur. You can’t take many hits, even on the easy difficultly levels, and heroic bursts into open space will get you killed. The harder difficulty levels are quite a challenge, and this is only enhanced with the removal of the HUD (heads up display) and cross hairs from the Elite difficulty, meaning you don’t know how many grenades/ammo you have left and practically forces you to always aim down the iron sights… again like real life!

This sense of immersion is what sets Killzone 2 apart from any other shooter. The graphics and presentation compliment the gameplay and realism and vice-vearsa. This extends to your squad mates and enemies who – thanks to the voice acting and graphics – feel like real people that you are fighting with and against. A.I. on both sides is great, with enemies and friends cleverly using covering fire to allow advances and grenades to flush you out if you dig in. The Helghast know how to flank you and your squad mates, and it’s up to you to lead the charge and press on in the level. Mastering the cover system is required at the higher difficulty levels, and only with that, an understanding of the weapons and enemies and a sense of awareness have you any hope of completing the game on the hardest mode. The last level on the game even on normal mode is something to behold. It is this intensity that helps make Killzone 2 different. That last level will for some be unlike anything you will have played before and there are genuine moments of panic as you feel the Helghast closing in around you. Every battle responds with advances and retreats and ultimately it is up to you – the player – to make sure the ISA gets through it.

The brilliance of the game’s design extends to multiplayer which sacrifices the cover system from the single player in favour of a more fast paced and deep progression system of badges and classes. Like any other shooter you gain experience from matches – for kills, completing objectives, anything – and all this helps to level you up. As you progress you unlock new classes and weapons which have specific class-unique abilities, like the Engineer being able to place and repair turrents or the Scout being able to cloak and then tag enemies with his scanner.

This progression and the great game modes like Warzone make for a truly great online experience, with team play a necessity to succeed. Once you start playing with all the varying classes you’ll be hard pressed to give your PS3 a break and cool down as it is highly (and I mean HIGHLY) addicitive. All this and still the jaw-dropping visuals of the single player and it all runs with a butter smooth framerate. Throw in voice chat and excellent level design to suit all players and game types, Killzone 2’s multiplayer alone is worthy of the €50 price tag.

Killzone 2 is exceptional on all fronts, with amazing visuals, intense and satisfying gameplay, fantastic multiplayer and an all round great immersive experience unlike anything that has come before it. It’s been nearly half a decade in the works, but the wait has been worth it. Guerilla Games have been venerated as the top quality developers many believed they really were, Sony have a huge grin on their face for silencing all the doubters and PS3 owners have a game, or rather an experience, that they and only they can enjoy knowing that at the end they have played one of the best FPS games of all time.

Presentation: 10

Flawless in every sense of the word, definitely the best looking game I've ever seen from enviroments to all the little details.

Gameplay: 10

Intense, methodical, rewarding. Killzone 2 gives you a bit of everything every step of the way.

Story: 10

It might not be new, but what's done is done well, with plenty of memorable moments and great storytelling.

Design: 10

Butter smooth, intuitive implementation of SIXAXIS and a nice trohpy set, not to mention excellent level design.

Content: 10

Once you put it into the PS3 you won't want to take it out. A rewarding multiplayer coupled with a single player game that takes on new tactical measures with increasing difficulty, you couldn't ask for more.

Overall: 10

~The Damo (I'm BACK!!!)

AVGN Double

2009-02-28T11:24:00.003Z

Hey all, long time no post, I've just been crazy busy and normal service will be resumed next weekend. In the meantime here's two new AVGN videos:

Michael Jackson's Moonwalker:

Milon's Secret Castle:

That moonwalker video practically inspired me to learn it....

~The Damo

Killzone 2 - Preview

2009-02-07T15:25:00.003Z

Welcome to Helghan Soldier!

Boy oh boy! I have been waiting a LONG time to do this preview. Since...late 2007 I think. Well the time is almost upon us, Killzone 2 is set to hit store shelves on the 27th of February and with pre-orders in Europe alone at 1.1million units, what is it about Killzone 2 that has people going crazy???

Well ladies and gentlemen, let me take you back to 2005. 4 years ago, the PS3 was still in development, and Sony began advertising new games for the PS2's younger brother. One of the games that got a trailer was Killzone 2, sequel to the love-it-or-hate-it Killzone on PS2. Killzone tried to push the PS2 to its limits, but in fact went beyond it, and the console could barely play the game. It sits with an average of 70/100 on most aggregate websites to this day and it was any wonder why Sony decided to give a sequel the light of day. At E3 2005, this now famous trailer hit the scene:

I suggest watching in "High Quality" using the toolbar in the bottom right.

This trailer is quite obviously CGI, but the important point was that it was built to PS3 specs, meaning, theoretically the game could look like this upon release. When it emerged that it was in fact CGI but it was in fact what the developers hoped the game would look like, the shitstorm that hit the media was unreal, with unthinkable abuse being thrown around by fanboys on all sides. I mean look at it! How could any game look that good?

Well Killzone 2 sat quietly until 2007, when at E3 it was revealed that actual gameplay footage would be on show. Following the trend from 05, media publications were quick to criticise saying how people would be fooled again, and that Guerilla Games and Sony would never even come close to the target render. Well in 2007 those critics were left with a bitter taste....

Now this is in fact gameplay footage, but there were still doubters saying that there was no way this could be actual gameplay. It looked good, but still wasn't close to the CGI and as had been the custom they came under for heavy criticism again.

However, all that changed in 2008, when the pre-alpha code was on display at E3 2008, where people could actually play the game. Suddenly perception started to change, this game was becoming remarkably close to this CG footage. There were still doubters, but they were now few and far between, with most realising that Guerilla had in fact pulled off what was once deemed to be the impossible.

Multiplayer Trailer:

As anticipation grew, it was revealed mid-Novemember 2008 that media outlets had received a "Preview Code", meaning the game must be close to the final product. The improvements in visuals were incredible, with many now realising that the game may just have surpassed the CGI. How could a game look better than CGI??

Just when anticpation had reached an all time high, it was suddenly revealed in January 2009 that reviewers had received the FINAL CODE. The release date was set, reviewers were ready. But was the internet and all gamers across the world ready?

Gametrailers Full Preview:

Killzone 2 will continue the story from Killzone and Killzone: Liberation, with the ISA launching a counter-invasion to the Helghast on their home world of Helghan. Killzone 2 plans to give gamers the most immersive experience ever seen in a game. With visuals unlike anything seen on consoles before, and gameplay to match according to most reviews and a healthy average score of 93/100 based on 40 reviews with all the major publications having their scores counted, means Killzone 2 looks set to be a strong contender for Game of the Year 2009...and it's only February....

~The Damo

I Rarely Do This....

2009-02-01T17:10:00.003Z

But this video somes up better than anyone can do in words what is going to happen over the next month or so in the video gaming world.... even Hitler is screwed....

The Beginning of The End....

~The Damo

How men think?

2009-01-25T15:55:00.005Z

What are you thinking about??

That's the question most women seem to think men struggle with. Truth of the matter is, we don't struggle with it, in fact, we absorb it. So much so that in the seconds between the question being asked and giving an answer, a man's mind is working it's hardest, not because it's difficult, it's because we think about it a lot. Hopefully the comic below will explain....

I suggest you click on this link to view it full size:

Credit goes to.... you know who you are!

~The Damo

Jose Punks the World!!!!

2009-01-19T19:38:00.001Z

Brilliant....just...brilliant!!!!

Jose Quits Setanta Sports:

Jose Packs His Bags:

~The Damo

Guitar Hero: World Tour - Review

2009-01-18T12:52:00.004Z

GH: WT is the fourth installment in the Guitar Hero franchise. What sets this game apart from its predecessors is the inclusion of the drum kit and microphone, transforming the Guitar Hero experience from a single player game to a party one. Rockband and its sequel have proven that the ability to play as a band is an incredible selling point and so the Guitar Hero franchise has had to reinvent itself to keep up with the competition, but the question is, has it worked?

World Tour sees you take the role of a rockstar and has you performing across a whole host of venues. The game allows you to create your own rockstar, and dress him/her in whatever way you like, as well as customising whatever instrument you play. You have the option of playing guitar, bass, drums or vocals.

The features five difficulty modes; Beginner, Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert. Not being a particularly well versed music person I started out on easy mode. Well in actual fact I started on beginner but it's totally insulting so I recommend you go to easy mode. Putting it simply, Guitar Hero is a helluvalotta fun!! It's such a different experience to play a game like it after hours spent in Resistance and Fallout. The Guitar Hero gameplay is well known, even by those who haven't played it. The discs on the screen are associated to the music that is being played, you play the note when it hits the strike line by pressing the appropriate fret button and strumming at the right time. I'm gonna avoid the technicality of explaining hammer-ons and fret tapping and just say that the game is very easy to play. And even though it is easy, it's still very enjoyable, as you are very conscious of how well you're playing, given the "Rock meter" on the left as well as the combo indicator and note counter.

To compliment the difficulty levels, there is naturally a great range of songs which vary in difficulty as you progress, i.e. the songs you play in the first performance are a lot easier than those in the last one. The setlist available is great, and you'll be hard pressed to find a song that you don't like. Yeah, sure, you may not like a certain band or whatever, but the quality of the songs on show is fantastic - all of which are master tracks and no covers. There is also a host of cameo appearances of familiar faces in the music industry like Ozzy Osbourne, Sting and Jimi Hendrix to name a few.

The game is tied together by points and cash. Points earned are determined by how well you play, including high combos, obtaining star power, long strings of successfully hit notes and so on. The cash you earn is based on your overall performance and other particulars like a "Hot start" and "Never going red on the rock meter". The points are uploaded to a worldwide leader board and the cash is used to buy more venues and gear for your rockstar. What you're wearing or how your instrument is decorated doesn't influence the level of your performance, at least I don't think it does. What adds to the GH experience is the on screen performance of the virtual band members. All the actions are beautifully rendered in the 3d cartoony like style of the series and are accurately portrayed according to the actions/notes you're playing, as well as set pieces that may indeed imitate the bands from which the songs were taken.

I've only too complaints when it comes to World Tour. Firstly, there are times when it feels like the notes your striking either don't represent or don't coinicide with the music that is being played. This is definitely more evident in the lower difficulties but you don't really know it on the higher ones. This then leads to my second problem: it feels as though the step up between difficulty levels is sometimes too difficult. For example, on easy mode you're only ever required to hit Green, Red and Yellow. Medium is Green, Red, Yellow and Blue. And finally orange is introduced on hard mode. Now on first glance that's ok, but the transition to hard mode is more significant as you have to start changing your hand position, whereas in medium or easy you can just leave your hand as it is and strike the notes as required. I would suggest that a better difficulty progression would involve all the notes from the start, but having to strike them less frequently, so you get used to moving your hand.

It is a minor complaint when you consider that the difficulty progresses as you work your way through the gigs. And what's great about the game is that you actually DO feel yourself progressing, be it a higher score or a longer string of successful notes or whatever. You CAN see your progression! And playing through a song that you've mastered is still as fun as it was the first time you played.

Guitar Hero: World Tour has a lot to offer, and is certainly one to break out when you're having a party. Then you can be like a real band where you kick the crap out of someone for a rubbish performance, as well as all the coke and booze.

Presentation: 8.5
Yeah it looks good for what it offers, but you never feel WOW-ed by the visuals at any point. We all know they could get more out of the 360 and PS3.

Gameplay: 9.3
Plays great even if it is a little hard at time. Once you get motorin' it'll be hard to drop the guitar, drum sticks or mic.

Design: 9.0
One of my cymbals doesn't work, and as I said sometimes the notes seem out of sync, but it doesn't distract too much from the overall experience.

Content: 9.0
Great set list and tonnes of replay value. I would prefer if they gave more of the treatment Rockband gets with the worthwhile updates.

Overall: 8.7

Bring on Guitar Hero: Metallica!!!!!

~The Damo

PS3 2009 Line-Up - Preview

2009-01-14T15:20:00.005Z

2008 was the PS3's best software line-up yet, with all the big guns such as Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet and Resistance 2 garnering top scores, not to mention multiplatform beauties like Fallout 3, Bioshock, Mirror's Edge and Far Cry 2. 2009 looks set to raise the bar even higher....

The following on this list are those games expected to be released by the end of 2009, which I share an interest in. Though some are without an official release date as of yet, they haven't been confirmed to be pushed back to 2010.

Killzone 2
Release date: 27th Feb 2009

Killzone 2 is without a doubt one of the best, if not the best looking console game ever. Period. Four years in the making, the hype train has been gaining momentum ever since the now famous 2005 CGI trailer (below). Guerilla Games look to have learned from their mistakes with the "love-it-or-hate-it" Killzone on PS2, with what looks to be incredibly immersive gameplay and cinematic experience like no other. This February, for PS3 gamers, the wait is finally over, as myself and millions of others across the globe will once more get to enter the killzone.

inFamous
Release date: Spring 2009

From my current understanding of the game, inFamous is GTA style open world gameplay, with free-climbing mechanics, played out in the eyes of a superhero and his experience in learning his new powers and how his new found abilities can influence the future of the city and those around him, as well as the development of his own powers. If IGN's preview (found here: Infamous Preview ) is anything to go by, this is Day 1 must for anyone and everyone....

Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Release date: Sometime in 2009

What can I say about Final Fantasy that people already don't know about?? The next iteration is the first Final Fantasy of this generation of consoles and is also the first to appear on the Xbox 360. However, PS3 owners have the added joy of being able to purchase the exclusive additonal game Versus XIII trailered below. Awesomeness can't even sum it up....

Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams
Release date: Sometime in 2009

The first Bioshock kicked some serious ass. It managed to re-invigorate the FPS genre which was becoming repetitive and generic. The developers behind the sequel have promised something that is "part sequel, part prequel". It'll be hard to deliver a better experience given the first game, but I know Bioshock 2 is an absolute must for me.

God of War III
Release date: Winter 2009

In the end, there will be only chaos!!! God of War 1 & 2 are two of the best games available for the PS2, and that's quite an accolade to have considering the dozens of top quality games available on the PS3's older sibling. Santa Monica Studios have a lot of pressure on their shoulders to deliver, but when the trailer and test gameplay looks as good as this (below), its hard to imagine how they could get it wrong!

Quantum Theory
Release date: Winter 2009

Think: Gears of War gameplay plus Final Fantasy art style gothicised (is that even a word) plus kick ass developers that are Tecmo and you get Quantum Theory. While little is known about the game except that it combines what I've outlined above, the prospect of a game similar to Gears exclusively PS3 is tantalising.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Release date: Winter 2009

The first Uncharted was awesome, and you think to yourself, "How could they make a sequel look any more beautiful than the first?". Well, it seems they have, if the in-game screenshots HERE are anything to go by.....

Heavy Rain
Release date: Sometime in 2009

The greatest movie you'll ever play. At least that's how it's described. Heavy Rain will be unlike anything most people will have played before, you play a film, with the option to interact with characters and locations in the story whatever way you see fit. I'll let you judge by the videos below, it's a strange one alright, but in this case, strange = good!

Other mentions:
Call of Duty 5 (or 6): Modern Warfare 2
Grand Turismo 5 ....just maybe
Guitar Hero: Metallica
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Ultimate Edition (for serious, that's what it's called!)
M.A.G.
Street Fighter IV

Looks like the wallet is gonna get raped real good in 2009...

~The Damo

Top Ten - I'm on Setanta Sports!!

2009-01-06T12:22:00.007Z

I'm on Setanta Sports is, as you may have guessed, a Setanta Sports programme voiced by Mario Rosenstock of Gift Grub fame, which has puppet representations of Jose Mourinho, Sven Goran Eriksson, Wayne Rooney and Fabio Capello hosting a football phone-in review show. The show began shortly after Jose was sacked from his job at Chelsea, with the idea in mind that this was his new job. As of now there are 40 episodes online, with a new episode usually each week on Saturdays after the weekends Premiership fixtures. I had originally read about it in the Metro, but without a subscription to Setanta Sports I couldn't watch it. However, as faith would have it I stumbled across a video on Youtube to find that the whole back catalogue of episodes was available.

Over the months, the show has undergone minor changes such as different featurettes like "My thoughts for this week..." or "Wayne's Word", with the addition of Sven (aka "It"), Wayne (aka "The Boy") and Fabio (aka "Cabbage Man Capello") to the roster being the only significant changes.

With 40 episodes to choose from, it's been rather difficult to come up with a Top Ten of the best, especially given that the quality of the episodes is very subjective.

Nevertheless, I have a list, but first, some special honourable mentions....

Episode 1: Jose is Back!

Episode 8: Jose's first signing

Episode 14: Shock new signing!

AND NOW TO THE LIST!!!

10. Episode 30: Jose Makes a Shock Revelation

9. Episode 21: Roman Taps Up The Boy

8. Episode 32: Halloween Party

7. Episode 34: Jose accuses the Voyeur of Spying

6. Episode 35: Jose Investigates the Mysterious Illnesses

5. Episode 31: Jose and Fabio: The Great Debate

4. Episode 18: Jose's Got Talent

3. Episode 26: The Battle for Berba

2. Episode 15: The Boy is Gifted

1. Episode 6: Jose on Keegan's Return

Be Champions!!

~The Damo

Fallout 3 - Review

2009-01-05T14:42:00.005Z

Fallout 3 is an action adventure RPG set in 2277, in a post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. You play as, well, yourself, a resident of Vault 101. The basic premise of the story has you following your father out into the Capital Wasteland, after he mysteriously abandons the Vault. The catch is, no one leaves the Vault, you are brought up believing people are born and then die in the Vault. And that’s where the story takes off…

Now I won’t be discussing the main story as I would otherwise be spewing spoiler after spoiler out like no ones business, but I will say that it is awesome. Fallout 3 is developed by Bethesda, the same crowd that brought the excellent Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and one could argue that Fallout 3 is “Oblivion with guns”. Certainly that’s how I felt early on, and treated the game as such. You are by no means required to follow the main story under any circumstances, you’re free to explore the Wasteland at your will, though I would suggest you play a bit of the main quest. If there was to be one flaw with Fallout 3, it would be that everything can seem very overwhelming. The second you step out of the vault you can go anywhere you want and do anything you want. Unlike Oblivion, where there was a judicial system, law as we know it does not exist in the Capital Wasteland, so if you decide to break into someones house or steal something you only have to deal with them, usually by killing them. There’s no jail and the worst thing that might happen is you lose some karma.

Karma is an indication of how moral a player you are, i.e. do something to help someone or the morally right thing and your karma increases, do something that would otherwise be against the law or anything that is “wrong” and you lose karma. Your karma level can influence how people respond to you and can also dictate whether an individual is likely to come to your aid in an encounter. Gaining or losing karma extends to conversation choices as well as how you decide to tackle a quest. Many quests have alternate approaches and perspectives. For example, a quest called “Tenpenny Tower” has you enlisted to exterminate a group of ghouls who are allegedly planning an assault on the Tower. When you reach the ghouls – and after hearing their side of the story – you may decide that you are then going to help them instead, or, as the case may be you may want to find a non-violent compromise which suits both sides. The game has been excellently designed to allow for personal interpretation and appropriate execution of our own moral understandings of the situations. Quests that you undertake may also have a significant impact on other characters or locations. Very early on in the game you are given the option to wipe an entire town off the map with a nuke, and you must ask yourself if you deem that to be the best idea – morals as opposed to money.

Thankfully there are appropriate awards depending on your handling of a quest, and these could range from a person lowering their prices in their stall for you to schematics for a weapon or a permanent increase in your attributes. The versatility of the system and the array of choices and permutations available provides huge replay value. Many people, myself included, can happily confess to simply wandering the Wasteland, exploring. Exploring is rewarded in a sense, but the world is so beautifully created that you’ll find it hard not to wander at times, especially when you might see something interesting in the distance. Speaking of the graphics, there far from the best I’ve ever seen, but they are quite good, particularly given the scope of the game. Every area – particularly those relating to quests – is well designed and coloured, especially considering that the concept of a post-apocalyptic wasteland doesn’t allow for a huge variety in colour or setting. Locations are plausable, and the odd repeated feature (like similar corridors) can be forgiven. Fallout 3 has the added effect that many sources are radiated, meaning that you can’t interact with water (swim, drink) or any area that suffered recent or permanent nuclear activity without increasing your RAD count. The higher this is, the more likely you are to suffer from some degree of radiation sickness. When you’re sick, your attributes are usually negatively effected.

Fallout 3 however is not Oblivion with guns. The levelling up system and character progression are more refined, i.e. no more jumping on the spot to elevate your atheltics ability. Instead, everything you do nets you XP, be it killing someone, or picking a lock or completing a quest. Almost everything you do nets you some XP. When you level up, you can then upgrade your S.P.E.C.I.A.L., which is your skills with guns, your speech, your medicine skills etc. Each level up also lets you choose a perk, which could be anything, such as a higher resistance to radiation, or an increased chance of successfully picking a lock.

What also makes Fallout 3 unique is the V.A.T.S. system. This is related to your AP or Action Points. V.A.T.S. allows you to freeze the game and target enemies in a particular order and their particular body parts. Strategic targeting can have you knock the weapon out of their hand or make them move slower. When I first saw this in the trailers I wasn’t overly impressed, and I didn’t use it early on, but now I’ve come to appreciate it and almost use it whenever I can. The huge variety of weapons available in the game means you’ll be hard pressed to find a favourite, especially when you can make your own. You won’t understand why there’s so many bits lying around until you start collecting weapon schematics and start building.

And you’ll need plenty of weapons and to keep them in good condition if you plan to survive in the Capital Wasteland. Everywhere is frought with danger, and rarely will you avoid an encounter when travelling from one place to the next. The range of enemies changes from location to location, for example Super Mutants will be all over the Capital, particularly in the center, and the further out you go into the Wasteland the more likely you are to encounter wild animals and such. Raiders are a constant threat whereever you go and as you make a bigger name for yourself, you may just find that someone has put a bounty on your head, making travelling that extra bit dangerous.

Fallout 3 is an incredible game with tonnes of game time and a thoroughly satisfying experience. While it can seem very slow at the beginning, it won’t be long till you find yourself wanting to enter the Wasteland for just a couple of more minutes (or hours) to visit every far reaching corner and uncover the secrets hidden beneath the Earth. Not to mention the opportunities to earn all the Trophies and Achievements for your profile. The atmosphere and the world Bethesda have created is truly something that must be experienced, and once that disk is put into your console, it’ll be hard to take it back out.

Presentation: 9.5

The game looks great, though not as good as the PC version. The limit of the colour palette seems non-existent, and each area is beautifully detailed and living.

Gameplay: 9.7

The game is fun, no doubt about it, but it can seem a little slow at times or even uneventful in places you might expect to be. Nevertheless, the way the game allows you to choose how to play is certainly a plus.

Story: 9.8

Really, really good and once you get into it, you won't want to put the controller down till you've seen it through to the end.

Design: 9.3

While everything looks great, the same can't be said for overall performance. There are strange glitches at times involving NPCs there's times when I've felt the game didn't feel as good as it looked. Much of it can be forgiven given the scale of the game.

Content: 9.9

Given that you can play that game in anyway at any pace you want, and the freedom to explore the Wasteland at your leisure, there's hours and hours to be spent wandering aimlessly uncovering the secrets of the Capital.

Overall: 9.6

~The Damo

It's 2009.....

2009-01-05T14:38:00.002Z

...since a few days ago, but it doesn't matter, 'cause I'm back in action. There'll be blog a plenty over the next week or so when I'm taking time out from the thesis, and I'm kicking off 2009 with the Fallout 3 review.

Also coming up we've got:

Far Cry 2 Review
Resistance 2 Post Release Analysis
2009 PS3 Preview
Grinds My Gears: Issue 18
Postulations Cubed
My Movies Preview
Interesting Damien Facts

Did you know: The more stressed I am, the more spots I get on my forehead? - Just a sample of the facts to come....

~The Damo

2008 In Review

2008-12-31T11:10:00.000Z

Much like I did this time last year, I'm going to cap off the year's worth of blogs with my Top Five Best and Worst Moments of the year, these can be anything from Sport, to Politics, Gossip whatever, let's go!

Top Five Worst Moments of 2008

5. Ronaldo to Madrid?

Not necessarily the idea of Ronaldo leaving, but the behaviour of Real Madrid and anyone associated with the club was very disappointing, and has severly tarnished the reputation of a great club.

4. Ahhh Lisbon

Bad enough that most people supported Sinn Fein on this one, but now we have to vote again...

3. Football and Racism

If you know me, you know what happened here....

2. Managers Getting the Sack

I think this year has quite possibly been the worst year for managers in football, off the top of my head right now, in 2008, Avram Grant, Kevin Keegan, Roy Keane, Paul Jewell, Sven Goran Eriksson, Bernard Schuster, Gary McAllister, Juande Ramos have all got the sack. And even though some of them are now back in management, the fact that they were sacked so readily in the first place is a bad sign for the future.

1. Money, Money, Money

Got no money, in this recession world. Yeah, a bit cliche making this one the number 1 but its true. Most are suffering in some way shape or form, and by "most" I'm talking about everyone. Be it jobs, finances, lifestyle, whatever, we all know its bad (and indeed it could be worse) and we all knew it was coming, except now it's here, and we have to deal with it.

Top Five Best Moments of 2008

5. Getting the grant...again

Almost thought I didn't have it this year, but the relief I felt that afternoon when it dropped in the post, knowing that I had maintained my standard from last year was just brilliant for me.

4. America is a little bit cooler again

Without a doubt the coolest American politician I've seen in my lifetime (all 20 years of it), seeing Barack Obama win the US Presidential Election is without a doubt one of the best moments of the year. The historic significance alone makes it a great thing but the fact that its Barack just makes it cooler.

3. Games, Games, Games

I don't think I've ever been able to afford the amount of games I bought this year, but the majority of them were quality through and through. MGS4, LBP, R2, Bioshock, Fallout 3, Uncharted, just all savage. That €600 for the PS3 was well worth it.

2. Metallica

I knew the new album would be good, but not THAT good. Add in one of the best experiences in my life at Marlay Park on August 20th this year, I really can't think of anything better that happened....except for number 1 below of course....

1. Man Utd Kings of Football

Man Utd kicked anyone and everyones ass this year when it comes to trophies. Premiership, Champions League and now the World Club Cup. Nothing can be better than having infinite bragging rights....

So what's to look forward to next year??? Well, unlike my blog this time last year, I really have much to write this time round. No, serious. I'll - hopefully - get my degree and start my Masters. Loads more kickass games next year. Obama will be sworn in as President, another Lisbon referendum, probably a war in the Gaza strip, hopefully I pass the Cadet Leader exam, Megadeth's new album, the Lions Tour of South Africa and probably a whole host of other crap I just can't think of.

Here's to 2009!!

~The Damo

AVGN: CDi Parts 2 and 3 + Christmas Special

2008-12-27T12:18:00.003Z

No long time no Angry Video Game Nerd....

You would think you couldn't make a bad Zelda game....but Philips did, 3 in fact!

And did you ever think there would be so many games about Jesus???

~The Damo

LittleBigMetalGear!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-19T15:18:00.005Z

OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!

5 New costumes: Old Snake, Meryl, Raiden, Screaming Mantis and Gurlukovic Solider

Plus tons of new stickers (72), materials (12), decorations (10), and objects (18).

Media Molecule teamed with Konami to create 5 new Story Levels and 1 new Challenge Level for you to enjoy.

Plus:1 new background music track3 new interactive music tracks1 new Metal Gear Solid themed 'sound object'New Plasma Ball 'danger element'New Laser Sight 'gadget'New functioning Searchlight lamp - for those special 'exclamation mark' momentsand finally, the piece de resistance THE PAINTINATOR (and Paint Switch) Add to all that, there are 12 new Trophies to unlock (and if you pay attention to the story at all, we're not a big fan of Trophy Levels).Tons of new gameplay, tons of new game-changing objects, and tons of create materials all for just $5.99

Metal Gear Solid 4 + LittleBigPlanet = AWESOMENESS!!!!

~The Damo

Resistance 2 - Review

2008-12-12T18:20:00.000Z

This is how to finish the fight!

Resistance 2 is the sequel to 2006's best selling PS3 title Resistance: Fall of Man. R2 continues the story of Nathan Hale who is infected but resistant to the Chimeran virus. The game takes place across the United States (the last free area in the world) over 7 chapters and a prologue. It begins immediately with the last cut-scene from Fall of Man and makes a seamless transition into R2. Hale is brought to Iceland by Major Richard Blake, head of tactical ops at SRPA (Special Research Projects Agency) and from there Hale joins the Sentinels, a group of soldiers like himself who are also resistant to the Chimeran virus.

The story then picks up two years later in San Francisco and from there the game transports you to select locations in the U.S. such as Twin Falls Idaho, Chicago and Louisiana. The story is quite good overall and unlike the first game it is centered entirely on Hale with no narration. Focusing the story strictly from Hale's perspective works fine but there are instances where you wish you understood character motivations and thoughts. The progression of the events is well paced and much like the first game you certainly feel as though you are fighting a losing battle. However, R2 succeeds in driving home just how large a conflict the war with the Chimera is. There are moments in every level where you will just pause and go "Wow...". Be it a scene of utter chaos or a confrontation with a swirling swarm ripping the flesh of anyone foolish enough to step near it.

A moment that comes to mind is in Twin Falls, Idaho, where you land in a residential estate and find it completely covered in Grim cocoons. Unlike the first game, the Chimera no longer need to send humans to conversion centers to turn them into Chimera. Instead, they send in Spinners, tiny creatures - about the size of a large rat - that spin people into a cocoon and bake them into mindless Grims. The scale of just how many cocoons are in the area is gruesome, not helped by the fact that in some places you will find a "baby" sized cocoon as well. When one of your comrades comments "Makes you miss when they needed conversion centers...", you can only nod to yourself and agree. The scene over San Francisco is unlike anything I've seen before (below) and I found myself just staring aimlessly around the area, watching the fleet tear the city apart. The shear scale and ambition of the game is incredible to behold.

To compliment the incredible atmosphere, in several points of the game you can listen in to the broadcast of Henry Stillman, the last man alive in Philadelphia. Your story, as you progress through the game is mirrored events of Henry's means of trying to survive. We learn he watched a Spinner wrap his wife in a cocoon and watched on helplessly as grims devoured a young boy and his father. I found myself wanting to listen to what Henry had to say, as though I was experiencing the war from another persons perspective. While you never truly envelope yourself in the 50's setting, as you are constantly under fire and so on, the game succeeds in creating a sense of urgency about everything you do and everything that is happening around you. For instance, there is a moment in Chicago (which is entirely flooded by the way) where you jump over an embankment and as you hit the otherside you knock a beam which bursts the barricade holding back the water. You suddenly find yourself frantically running from high points to the next high points to stay out of the water. Why you ask? Well it's not that you'll drown, it's the fact that there are Chimera, called Furies, which infest the waters and if you're down there too long, BANG, your dead, instantly. What's more, you can't shoot or kill them either. You don't want to die, and there is a genuine sense of fear everytime you have to step into water that a Fury will pop out of nowhere and mince you. Fortunately for you, the Chameleon, which can also kill you with one hit is much easier to take down. They make strange noises, almost like an owl or a pigeon, when they're near you and as they approach you will hear a rumble and your controller will shake before they become visible and try to land the killing blow.

The gameplay in R2 is a step above its predecessor. Gunplay is more fluid and controlled and there is an overall reinfinement of the shooter mechanics to bring the game in line with modern shooter standards. The 4 part regenerating health bar is gone replaced by the now common red blurry ring fully replenshing health system. This also works well into plot, as now that Hale has been infected with the Chimeran virus for so long, it seems only natural that he can now replenish all his health, as opposed to just a quarter. The weapon system is now strictly down to a pair replacing the weapon ring from Fall of Man. Sometimes you will find carefully placed weapons, like the Rossmore before you go near some Chameleons or a LAARK in an area where you face a Titan. Nevertheless the weapons feel fantastic, with added tweaks to some originals from the first game such as the Auger's new heat vision ability aswell as the Rossmore now using a clip of ammo as opposed to single rounds. Insomniac have also thrown in a heap of new weapons which fit well into the Resistance universe and are equally fun to use. Be it the magnum with explosive rounds, the Marksman battle rifle or the Wraith mini-gun, you'll find plenty of new toys to play with as you blast through the single player campaign - which is about 10 hours I might add.

The Chimera feel as bad ass as ever and a bump up in the visual department is welcome. The inclusion of Daedalus - effectively the Chimeran leader - gives a sense of a more organised Chimeran force. While I'm disappointed to see that Angels, Widowmakers and Howlers didn't make it into this game, the challenge the Chimera put to you more than makes up for it. Resistance: Fall of Man was hard, Normal mode felt like Hard mode, and Hard mode was...well....VERY hard. That hasn't changed here, and it's one of the reasons I love the Resistance games. Even on easy mode there were times where I was genuinely challenged, and the Chimera don't make it any easier by attacking strategically in packs and exploiting your own cover when they can. Many reviews I've read have commented on there being too many "cheap deaths", and while I feel that the statement is fair to an extent (I'm looking at you - the 3 Titans in Twin Falls and your surrounded by cars that when they explode they've a 90% chance of killing you section.) this shouldn't be used an excuse for people finding the game too hard. No pussies allowed is how it is. If your going to play R2 you better be freakin' good.

And that's why it's great. Resistance 2 pushes you.... HARD. There are far too many games coming out now that cater for the casual audience and are simply too easy. This only partly extends to the boss fights in R2 which were one of the main advertising points. Let me get one thing clear - there are boss fights, and they are BIG. Some boss fights are disappointingly easy, but some are a genuine challenge. I'll be discussing them in a future post as right now I don't want to talk about spoilers or anything.

Normally this is where the review would end, but guess what??

That's only a THIRD of the whole game!!!!!

Even before I had finished the single player, I had already stabbed at the online Co-op campaign. Initially I was slightly disappointed to find that you couldn't play the story mode co-op style, but once I stared playing the online co-op I almost forgot the game had a single player to begin with. Put simply, the Cooperative is phenomenal, and is unlike anything I have ever played before. In fact, I'll go on the record right now and say it is probably the best online experience I've had to date.

The campaign runs a parallel story to what is going on in the single player. There are several locations such as Chicago, Axbridge, Holar Tower and unlike the single player they make reference to the fight against the Chimera in Europe, from none other than Rachel Parker, the female narrator from the first game. You play as a member of Spectre - like the Sentinels - and fight through a heap load of missions with up to 8 players. Each map is modularised, and each time you play a certain map, the mission objectives will be different and you will experience different sections of the maps in different orders. This adds greatly to the variety and replay value of this mode. Furthermore, at the beginning of each mission you get your intel story - there could be anything up to 12 parts for each map, meaning that at the very minimum you need to play each location that number of times. And with several locations that means a lot of hours spent online.

To add to the diversity the number and types of enemies you face depends on the number of players playing and the various levels of those players. Even after starting the co-op after a lot of people, I have yet to feel like I'm out of my depth in these missions. (Or that could be a testament to just how damn good I am at the game - ignore the vanity). When playing, you have a choice of 3 troop types: Soldier, Special Ops, Medic. The Soldier is your damage sponge, and he can also dish out tonnes of damage. His special ability is to bring up force barriers which can protect the rest of your team members. The Spec Ops can deal out a lot of damage with the Marksman but can't take much, and he is the only team member who can supply the others with ammo. The Medic, uses the Phoenix weapon to sap energy from enemies and then convert it into health for other team members. It is absolutely 100% essential that you have at least one of each type of class and that you all work together to get through this mode. What's more, you gain experience points for everything you do, meaning you're constantly progressing. Levelling up unlocks new weapons, new equipment and new berzerks which all improve the Cooperative experience. It is just amazing how much depth and player support this mode offers.

Finally, we have the competitive online multiplayer. While there are typical modes like Team Deathmatch and so on, it's Skirmish mode you want to look out for. In case you didn't know, Resistance 2 is capable of having up to 60 players on one map at any one time, and Skirmish mode takes full advantage of this. The game splits the 30 Vs 30 teams into 5 man squads, and these squads are then given objectives across the map which will often have one squad vs another competing for the same objective. The maps are so huge that at times you wouldn't realise that there are another couple of dozen players on the map. As the timer counts down, the game then funnels all the squads to a certain location and all hell breaks out. Like Co-op, there is XP to be obtained for kills and so on and all this adds to the development of your character, but XP can only be earned in ranked games.

Presentation: 9.9

The game looks and runs great and is leaps and bounds above the original in every department. The only thing keeping it from a perfect score is minor low-res textures in places and a bit of screen tearing.

Gameplay: 10

Solid through and through and more importantly a hell of a lot of fun. Weapons are creative and it'll be tough to find a favourite. The Chimera put up an ample challenge.

Story: 9.8

A little weaker than the original but not much, and still very good by modern standards.

Design: 10

Bigger is better. Everything about the game is well made and runs great, with no lag whatsoever online either.

Content: 10
If I could give it an 11 I would, a 10 hour single player, unthinkable replay-ability in online coop and competitive it's hard to imagine what else they could've put in and still only charge €50!

Overall: 9.9

Resistance 2 is a top quality production with tonnes of replayability and player support. It successfully continues a gripping plot moulded in the first game and compliments it with impressive performance and gameplay. With multiple difficulties, great trophies and all that XP to earn you really couldn't ask for a more complete package. Kotaku reports it will take on average 420 hours to complete! Let's hope the sequel can somehow do even better....

~The Damo

All Nightmare Long

2008-12-12T16:00:00.001Z

Zombies. Soviets. Spores. Oh yeah!

~The Damo

LittleBigPlanet - Review

2008-12-03T20:45:00.000Z

There comes a time when something new and fresh hits the scene. Sometimes it's a new twist on established genres, or a completely new genre altogther. But then you have something else. Something which revisits most of our own precious beginnings in gaming, expands on it, makes it better, and then lets you do it yourself. That game, is LittleBigPlanet.

What I'm talking about is platforming. All the classics were platforming - Mario, Metroid, Sonic etc. and LBP is the first game in a long to time to revisit this almost forgotten genre and reinvent it in a whole new way. You play as Sackboy (or indeed Sackgirl) and inhabit the LittleBigPlanet. Your adventures thoughout the story mode take you all across the globe, to a greeny/castle themed Eurozone, to the African Savannah, across the Altantic to the haunted South American section, up north to the bustling metropolis, then west to oriental Japan and a quick stop off in India before you make your way to the Tundra wastelands. Each area has its own unique feel and theme, all beautifully created using the LBP tools, and each section starts you off with a little costume zone to dress for the occasion. The story-mode in itself is rather good, though I can't say the game really has a story and really, the story mode levels are there to inspire you, the real creator of the LittleBigPlanet.

As Sackboy, you can do a couple of things. The controls are basic and can easily be taken up by anyone - I'm sure my 6 year old sister could even play it - X is jump, R1 is grab, move with the Left stick and change your emotions with the D-Pad: Up = Happy, Down = Sad, Right = Tough, Left = Scared. While the emotions don't change how you play the game, they can make the online mulitplayer experience more enjoyable and funny. If you hold L2 and move the left analog you control Sackboy's right arm, the R2 button and the right stick control his left hand. Combining these and tilting the SIXAXIS/DUALSHOCK 3 you can animate Sackboy by dancing, waving to other players, pointing to a direction or whatever. The default tilt controls Sackboy's head, while clicking L3 then changes the tilt to control his hips. It's remarkably intuitive and clever. By pressing SQUARE you can open your Pop-It, from here you can dress your Sackboy in all manner of things (too many to name, but at one stage I was a half Roman Centurion-Ninja type guy with a lions tail). You can open your sticker collection and decorate the levels or indeed decorate your pod. The pod is where you enter LBP, it hovers above the planet in the stars and online acts as the waiting room while you (or indeed whoever is the host) picks the next level.

While you don't have to play the story mode, I can see no reason why you wouldn't. Playing through the story unlocks costume elements, materials for contruction, level elements (as in pre-built stuff) and bonus levels. And like I said, you can get incredible inspiration from playing. You need to play through the story to unlock trophies and it is absolutely essential you play online or with friends if you want to get the illusive Platinum trophy. Speaking briefly on the trophies, many are rather straight forward and encourage community interaction as well as playthough of the story. Some also encourage creation and others are approriately graded for the challenge, example: you earn a gold trophy if you complete each level without dying once. Take it from me, that is NOT an easy thing to do. Any preconception you may have of this game being kiddy or childish or not for hardcore gamers is ridiculous. LBP is surprisingly challenging at times, and also frustrating it might be said. A shallow review would comment the difficulty at points being a flaw, and I will admit I planned to include it as a flaw when I first began this review (some weeks back I might add) but it isn't unfair difficult, it is challenging. I think many of us in this modern gaming generation have forgotten that games should challenge us, just because we keep dying does not mean the game is unfair!

Anyway, back on track here, LBP is intended to be used online. If you only plan to play the game offline you are cutting yourself off from an incredible experience. LBP allows you to make your own LEVELS!!! In this respect the game can never end. Each level in the story is made using these tools, and that is why playing through them is essential for inspiration and additionally in understanding how the tools work.

Before you begin you have to sit through tutorials which teach you how to build. Stephen Fry's narration can seem a little slow at times (we're not idiots) but it's a nice touch. The tools themselves are easy to use but difficult to master. I would recommend simply messing around and playing with different machines and objects before setting out to make a level. Some tools require a fair amount of understanding to nail perfectly, and it is highly recommended that you plan out what you're going to do, rather than jump in and see what happens. Doing that can lead to frustration and broken controllers. From my experience the building is a hell of a lot of fun, especially being an engineering student. The thermometer limit on the left really isn't a hindrance at all. Assuming you played through the story well you will have a whole host of objects, materials and stickers available to make your level as brilliant as possible. Expanding what's in your "Goodies Bag" is all the incentive you should need to collect everything in the story. What's great as well is you can make your own objects, then save it (like a car, or a bike, or a catapult - whatever!) and place it as a prize that other people can win when they play your level.

You don't have to upload your level, but as I mentioned earlier there are trophies to be earned when you do - for simply publishing a level, getting a certain number of people to play it, getting hearted and so on. Hearting a level is simple and quick to do. You can access other people's levels from the pod. All these levels are original content created by other LBP players from across the globe. Much like Youtube, the levels on "Planet 1" are either very new or the cream of the crop and you will often find that they have been played in the thousands of times. Pressing R1 leads you to "Planet 2", then 3 and so on. The idea is that the better levels are kept closer to the top while the bad ones sink to the bottom. It works well and hasn't met any hitches yet. There are already tonnes of levels online, and I must say at times I was blown away by the quality. While the story levels are still the most polished, I have no doubt that we will start seeing better levels over the holidays as people master the tools more.

The community experience is simply brilliant. Completing a level, even on your own, ends with a scoreboard, and your score is uploaded to the worldwide rankings. Playing with more players makes it into a competition. As Media Molecule call it "Co-opetition". Whilst you're still competing, you need each other to complete the level. It makes for a great experience all round. After you play someone's level you can heart it and leave a description tag. Naturally the more hearts a level has the higher it will be up on the "Planet" rankings. You can even leave comments and like I said, there are trophies rewarding good community interaction.

What makes LittleBigPlanet special is its innovation. Not to mention top notch graphics and physics. Just because it looks simple doesn't mean the overall presentation should be, LBP is a beautifully crafted world, full of colour and animation. I can't even do it justice in my review; LBP is something you simply have to experience. I can assure you there will be laughs, smiles, tears and above all FUN. How can you not love that face???

Presentation: 10
It is a beautiful game with vibrant colours and environments and excellent fire and electricity effects. And let's not forget excellently programmed physics and material interaction.

Gameplay: 10
What more could you want, platforming with simple yet entertaining puzzles and innovation the industry hasn't seen in years. And don't forget the creation tools.

Design: 9.8
Surprisingly no major technical issues and perfect frame rate throughout, jumping mechanics could be a tad better.

Content: 10
A MASSIVE amount for a game that doesn't know if it's little or big, potentially infinite play time and the ability to craft your own world and play online, I don't think you could have anymore.

Overall: 9.9

It really is The Next Big Thing. I can't begin to imagine how HUGE the sequel is going to be... Yes, a sequel is already in the works!

~The Damo

Reviews Have Changed....

2008-12-03T20:19:00.002Z

Or at least mine will be. From here on out I've set out to clarify my scoring and review techniques.

Before I write a review, I try to play as much of the game as possible, for example if a game has a single player component, I will try to finish that so I have good ground to discuss. If a game also has an ample multiplayer component, I will play it to the point where I feel I have formulated a good enough opinion of my experience playing the game.

What I've found in the past is that I have been changing the categories under which the games I review are rated, such as Unlockables or Multiplayer etc. So what I am now trying to do is tie up my system to consist of basic units which can be counted for every review, and thus allow if a game doesn't come with multiplayer or specifically isn't designed with unlockables. So below is the criteria for all future reviews:

Presentation - this deals with graphics, appearance and sound. Basically it deals with all elements into which the game looks. This won't deal with my personal taste for style choices as I will leave that to the design element.

Gameplay - this scores how well the type of gameplay being presented is executed and allows for innovation in the genre. This score will not be hampered by performance issues but is subject to a FUN factor.

Story - as you may have guessed deals with the storyline if there is one, but also entails any voice acting, character design, atmosphere, setting and architecture. For example - even if the character models don't look "good" they can still be good characters to interact with, and any unimpressive visuals are accounted for in Presentation.

Design - mainly deals with framerates and game peformance and general score for the idea or style behind the game and whether I feel the developers have successfully implemented what they advertised they would do and whether or not they could have achieved more.

Content - covers anything from unlockables, trophies/achievements, length of the game, replayability, multiplayer etc, anything which can give you an idea if you've got something that's worth your money. A game won't be critiqued on all of them, for example Bioshock is 20 hours long, but has no mulitplayer and no unlockables for completing the game, but that doesn't suggest your not getting a great experience for your money.

Hopefully these changes will turn out for the better, check out the LittleBigPlanet Review above to see how it works.

~The Damo

Updates and Delays

2008-11-27T21:33:00.003Z

Apologies for lack of blogging but I have an unbelievable amount of work on my hands at the moment. Too much in fact. So here's a list of things on the horizon:

AVGN: Philips Cd-i Parts 2 & 3
LittleBigPlanet Review
Resistance 2 Review
Top Ten I'm On Setanta Sports
Top Ten Theme Tunes

On the verge of meltdown.... :(

~The Damo

Rise.Stand.Resist.

2008-11-22T13:34:00.001Z

Resistance 2 - Preview

2008-11-20T19:47:00.003Z

Are you going to make your last hours count?

Resistance 2, the sequel to 2006's best selling PS3 game Resistance: Fall of Man finally makes it way to Europe on the 28th of November. Why it was released in the US on the 4th is beyond me, nevertheless the wait is almost over, and its time to kick some Chimeran ass again!

Resistance 2 picks up directly after the events of Fall of Man and continues the story of Nathan Hale, the sole survivor of the American led re-invasion of Britain after the Chimera invaded. Hale is resistant (hence the name of the game, clever eh?) to the Chimeran virus and much of why this is the case is set to be revealed throughout the sequel.

The sequel is set this time in the United States, as the Chimera launch a bi-coastal assault on the last free nation on the globe. What adds more to the story is that we learn - from the trailers - that Hale has only 19 hours left to live.

As well as the single player the boys at Insomniac have set about creating a 2-8 player online co-op campaign which is separate from the game's main story and up to 60 player multiplayer mayhem!

I'll be leaving the rest of the talking for the review, but for now here's a host of trailers and gameplay footage.

First Teaser Trailer:

E3 2008, Henry Stillman Trailer:

Last Hours Trailer:

Target Practice Gameplay:

Crash Landing Gameplay:

Reactor Gameplay:

The Chimera are Here:

Oh, and they also promised BIG FUCKING BOSSES!!!!

Rise. Stand. Resist.

~The Damo

P.S. LittleBigPlanet Review soon....

AVGN: Philips Cd-i Part 1

2008-11-20T19:45:00.002Z

Do you remember the Philips Cd-i? No? Don't blame you. Watch and see why.

Plus we get a little taster of the history of the PS1.

~The Damo

The Great Debate

2008-11-15T14:34:00.002Z

After much consultation with a colleague, and by consultation I mean a brief chat and by colleague I mean Bren, I now find myself with the difficult task of deciding whether I want to get either Guitar Hero: World Tour or Rockband 2 this Christmas.

Before I get into the nitty gritty of both it’s important to know a few things. The people who originally made Guitar Hero are now the people making Rockband, and the crowd now making Guitar Hero are better known for making the Tony Hawk games. The latest installments include the full kit – guitar (with solo buttons), drums and mic. These were all standard in the original Rockband and are now included in Guitar Hero for the first time.

So down to the facts. As it currently stands, Rockband 2 sits with an average metascore of 92/100 compared to Guitar Hero’s 85/100. After watching and reading several reviews it is undoubtedly clear that the latest Rockband is the “better made” game. From what I’ve ascertained you can import songs from the original Rockband into its successor but this feature is not available on World Tour because of the new instruments included – which were standard in the original Rockband. It’s unfortunately very limiting, considering that Guitar Hero has had more games and the current iteration doesn’t support them.

However, Guitar Hero includes a feature to make your own songs – albeit highly complicated – which once people get to grips with will undoubtedly result in some great tracks to play, and techincally an infinite number of tracks so long as people continue to support the user created content. Also in Guitar Hero’s favour is the release of Guitar Hero: Metallica in February-March ’09. Naturally this release holds a special place for me and would be another reason to favour the Guitar Hero brand.

Having said that though, the team behind Rockband are the most experienced at this type of game and more likely to improve the brand with each new release. Also in Rockband’s favour is the option to make it impossible to fail a song, a VERY useful feature for the musically challenged such as myself – I are n00b.

So what should I do??

~The Damo

AVGN: Frankenstein

2008-11-15T12:35:00.000Z

The Nerd finishes his Halloween two-parter with a review of all games about Frankenstein's monster...or Frankenstein himself/itself since some of them don't really seem to know what the fudge is going on....

Apologies for delay, just very busy.

~The Damo

Grinds My Gears!! - Issue 17

2008-11-08T13:39:00.000Z

200th POST!!!!!

I can't believe it's been so long since my last GMG blog. Perhaps I'm mellowing out? Or am simply ignoring things that annoy me? Or is just that I wasn't arsed to type about anything up till now cos I'm a lazy bastard????? I'll let you figure it out...

Regardless - Issue 17 is here NOW!

Is Student Unions, or more correctly how they work. Don't get me wrong now before I start, I understand the benefits SU's have such as book shops, normal shops, exam help services, study services, counselling, health screening etc. but I'm not working up a sweat over those things. It's the other things....

It has been my experience of SU's, and from the people I've spoken to prior to writing this, that in general SU's seem to think they are more important than they really are, specifically when as a naive first year you may be confused into believing that the SU actually run the college. The best example that comes to mind is the elections, which are easily the most farcical (sp?) display I have ever come across. In my three years now there has been no difference in the manner things are run under the SU. The candidates would lead you believe that they are making a difference, as though they are somehow going to change the world. In fact, they change nothing. All they do is occupy a space, carrying out their respective duties, but they change nothing!! Obviously I have a somewhat biased opinion on this matter, given that I'm an Engineering student and the general consensus is that we (Eng Students) have no time for SU stuff (and by that I mean dedicating time to volunteer to work for them).

Don't confuse what I'm saying with societies, where they generally do change with administration changes. I just can't help but feel that the SU (in general, across all 3rd level institutes) is there simply because it can be there, not because it needs to be there. In my three years here I cannot recount one occasion where I "needed" the SU.

Perhaps the most evident example of how little I care for the SU comes in the shape of the "Coke Ban" - and is in fact the reason I'm writing this blog. No, not "coke" as in cocaine, I'm talking about Coca-Cola. It was my understanding upon going to UCD that Coke was banned outright, little was to know that it is in fact only banned in SU shops, and is widely available in vending machines and other shops across campus. The Coke ban is perhaps the most in-effective thing I have ever seen and the recent "scandal" (parenthesis used for good reason) of Coke being sold in a SU shop has only illustrated how sad the whole thing is. This was such an important item that it made the FRONT PAGE (complete with picture) of the Observer. Furthermore, the President said he was "really shocked" upon hearing the news. What had actually happened was a vending machine attendant was filling the machine, had a few cans left over and offered the staff the cans (FOR FREE) to be sold in the shop!!! I mean how sad can people get to feel offended by this. The majority of the UCD campus doesn't even know why Coke is banned in the first place, and if it's "banned" why can we buy it in the other shops. What a fuckin' joke!

The Coke story in the paper summed up and confirmed just how much of a joke the SU are. I can't take them seriously for anything, do they really think they are making a difference? I also highly disapprove of the SU organisation of protests at practically anything and everything that goes on around campus or in Dublin. If it's not about some politician it's about some former porn-star talking to a society about his/her experiences or some other stuff like that. This falls right back into my GMG about protesting, and it makes me wonder do these people have anything better to do with their time??? I have absolutely no problem with protesting for a just cause, and I certainly don't disapprove of a demonstration regarding fees, but if I cared enough I would go of my own free will, not under the influence of emails and texts sent to me or reminded of in person by speakers that it was on and that we should all go!

The fact that so few people voted over the last 3 years in the elections, and that the majority of those who voted were first years further illustrates just how little the student body cares about how the SU is run, and hence it's existence. I'm not saying it should be eradicated, no, that would take away the good things they do, but I do think they should have a serious reality check, and realise that no one cares. The SU are rarely - if ever - going to change how the college works. The college administration run things, not the SU, and they need to realise this - as do young and naive first year students.

If they didn't act like they were running the world and they are the ultimate source of everything just and righteous things would be fine, but they do. If people have a problem with "Shell to Sea" or whatever let them worry about it in their own time, not sending out emails or posters advising us to storm Dail Eireann and piss people off. It should be illustrated that SU's do not speak for all students.

~The Damo

Bioshock - Review

2008-11-08T12:38:00.006Z

When Bioshock first hit the scene this time last year, reviewers hailed the game as one of the greatest experiences ever made, so you can imagine my disappointment when this was an Xbox 360 only game. Now, a year later, the PS3 version has hit the shelves, but does this game truly deserve the accolade of 2007’s Game of the Year?

Having now completed the game once, I can certainly say yes, it does. Even though the game may be a year old, it’s still as good as (and indeed better than) most of 2008’s big games. Bioshock is set in the fictional underwater city of Rapture (deep in the Mid-Atlantic), created by the sole imagination of it’s grand architect, Andrew Ryan. You’re character, Jack, survives a plane crash and enters a mysterious lighthouse which transports him down to the city via a Bathysphere (the main mode of transport across the city). Upon reaching the city you are greeted by Atlas via radio, who acts as your guide for the game. It is apparent almost immediately that something is severly wrong with Rapture, with its inhabitants boosting up on Plasmids and ransacking the city clean. Not only that but it seems as though the city itself is falling apart. The game’s approximately 20 hour experience takes you around several key areas such as a Medical Pavilion, an Oxygen forest, the Central Core and a shopping district to name but a few.

Each level is perfect in design. It’s clear the designers put a lot of thought into both the architecture and planning of each zone, creating an incredible atmosphere, making you feel like you are truly exploring a new world, though still making it feel familiar with the 1960’s art style. The atmosphere is consistent throughout, enhancing the experience on the whole. The audio diaries which you can pick give you a taste of the events leading up to whatever it is that happened to Rapture, and answers several questions you may have been asking yourself as you progress through the story.

While the game ultimately forces you down a particular route in the grand scheme of things, the areas are so massive that you will spend a lot of time exploring, especially if you want to find all the radio diaries, plasmids and gene tonics. What’s more, you’re free to return to these areas if you wish later on. This non-linear design keeps the gameplay interesting, which can be a problem in some first person shooters. Fortunately Bioshock manages to keep the first person shooter experience interesting from start to finish by the use of plasmids, gene tonics, weapon upgrades and enemies.

Plasmids are special abilities that rewrite your DNA, and thus allow you to unleash spectacular powers like shocking someone with a bolt of electricity, freezing them where they stand with a blast of ice or even swarm them with a horde of bees. The variety of these plasmids allows for different playstyles, and given that you can equip a maximum of 6 at a time means that no two players will use the same plasmids for the whole game. In addition to these are the gene tonics, which enhance your abilities, such as being able to resist fire based attacks, or allow you to turn invisible when standing still. With 3 gene tonic tracks – Physical, Engineering and Combat – and 6 slots in each, the game allows a whole host of different combinations, further dispersing the likelihood that any two people will progress through the game in the same manner.

In order to expand your plasmid and tonic slots, you need to collect ADAM. As it so happens, collecting ADAM is easier said than done. The Little Sisters harvest the DNA of the dead, and convert it into ADAM. But these girls are protected by the Big Daddies, and as their name suggests, they’re quite a handful to take down. When you do take down the Daddies though, you’re then faced with the binary choice of harvesting or rescuing the Little Sisters. Harvesting gives you maximum ADAM but the girl dies, Resucing gives you a reduced amount of ADAM but the girl lives. This choice tests the players morality, something which isn’t done that frequently in video games and makes a huge difference in the course of the game. While collecting ADAM from the Little Sisters isn’t mandatory save for one or two occasions throughout the game, not collecting ADAM will make the game very difficult.

Throughout the game you will encounter a variety of enemies, including automated turrets and security bots as well as Raptures inhabitants which could be anything from the ranged combat Lead Splicers to the vanishing teleporting Houdini Splicers. Naturally when you enter an area it will be populated, but just because you killed them first time round doesn’t mean the room will be empty should you return. Rapture is a living city, and the movement of its inhabitants keeps you on your toes, and ensures that moving through any one particular area is neither uneventful or labourious, regardless of the amount of times you pass though it.

The game does help you on the way to taking down your enemies. During the progress of the game, you receive a research camera, which you use to take photos of your enemies. A little bar at the bottom of the photo indicates how far along your research is. The quality of the photo determines how much the bar moves, and of course there are a bonuses and penalities which will either add or subtract from the score your photo receives. Researching your enemies grants you damage bonuses when attacking them or may even unlock gene tonics which are specific to that class of enemy.

There really is a lot to Bioshock to fully experience the game. The story, the atmosphere and gameplay is so fantastic; it’s hard to imagine how its sequel could do any better. With the addition of Playstation 3 exclusive downloadable content coming in November and the inclusion of Trophies to the mix, you will certainly have more than one reason to keep making that fateful trip to 400 fathoms below.

Graphics: 10
Gameplay: 10
Sound: 10
Longevity: 10
Presentation: 10

Overall: 10

One you don't want to miss!

~The Damo

Teeny Weeny Update

2008-11-07T10:14:00.001Z

Ok I've been REALLY busy the last few weeks.

6 Blogs this weekend.

+++++++++++++END COMMUNICATION++++++++++++++++

AVGN: Dracula

2008-10-18T15:34:00.002+01:00

The Nerd starts off his double Halloween special with a review of a couple of Dracula games. No prizes for guessing if they're good or bad!!

Now playing Bioshock on PS3. Oh yeah....

~The Damo

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Review

2008-10-18T15:30:00.002+01:00

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (SWTFU) promised to give gamers are truly unique experience set in the Star Wars universe, by putting the power of the force at our fingertips in a never before seen way. Has it delivered? The simple answer is Yes and No.

SWTFU follows the story of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice – Starkiller – during the period of time between Episodes III and IV. The story is without a doubt one of the games strongest assets, which fits well into the canon – if stretching it just a little – but still leaving the player with a satisfying finale and a worthy respect for the games protagonist. Starkiller’s journey fits across 9 stages, from Felcuia to Bespin and even the under construction Death Star. As with all Star Wars games nowadays you are faced with the standard “Light or Dark” choice close to the games end. The twists seem believable and the actions of the cast feel real, certainly showing that there is some originality left in the Star Wars name.

The levels themselves are quite enjoyable in my opinion. The are quite long and expansive though they do force you down one specific direction. The design is fantastic in some places and lacking in others. That’s not to imply that the levels get worse as you go on, it’s just that some areas feel like they had more thought put into them than others. For example moving through the Sarlaac on Felucia is certainly interesting, whereas the Bespin seems rather bland and ultimately uninspired, with no memorable moments.

The game does have its moments though. My best memory is the segment where you have to pull a Star Destroyer out of the sky using the force. The boss fights are ok aswell, though they can feel very straightforward (but not repetitive if you know what I mean). The problem with the boss fights is that when you reduce your opponent to a low health, you then trigger a quick-time event, which will continue to loop even if you get wrong, meaning there’s no consequence to hitting the right button. The actual action that occurs during a quicktime event is quite impressive, and is definitely the most entertaining part to watch in a boss fight. Having said all that the boss fights are real battles of the force, with the challenge only becoming more of a battle as you raise your difficulty level.

Using the Force is fun, I mean come on, who doesn’t like picking up a helpless stormtrooper and fling him miles into the sky. Or how about leaping in the air, raining sith lightning down on the people below. The combination of using the force with your close combat attacks works well, with a good variety of combos. Coupled with the variations of force powers using the Force has never been so much fun. Going with the new manipulation of the force was the much hyped molecular matter programming, which was designed to make materials react realistically to the conditions, for example wood splintering where its cut, or metal bending according to the reactions its put under as opposed to the game being pre-programmed to respond in a certain way. This technology was very evident in the Prologue but didn’t seem to feature as much as I thought it would as the game progressed. It’s quite possible that the tech was simply too expensive to impliment into the whole game. The only times the tech is seen is when you really have to use it (like bending metal panels so you can jump on them or force pushing your way through a door). The levels are a physics fun house, but just not as much as we intitially expected.

Naturally giving you all this power would make killing stormtroopers and co a little easy, but the game appropriately confronts you with enemies that have means to at least temporarily resist the force or are simply to large for a force push to knock them over. These enemies require you to change tactics, meaning you don’t need to resolve to the same old combos for success. Further incentive to vary the combos is that you’re rewarded for style. You get more points the better style you use. When you achieve a certain number of points you level up, allowing you to upgrade force powers, combos etc. You can also pick up upgrades in the form of Jedi Holocrons, aswell as new lightsaber colours, crystals and robes. The main problem here is that when you obtain new upgrades you have to open a menu to carry them out. And there’s a bleedin’ load screen in between!! This seems totally unneccesary and evidence of shoddy design. The game isn’t without its glitches either. I’ve gotten stuck on terrain, or was half floating of the ground during an in-game cutscene and there is sound clipping left right and centre. Boss fights can be a pain in this repect aswell, as during the first fight he stood protected by a force shield indefinitely, not letting me land any blows or nothing.

If you’re a Star Wars fan, certainly give this game a look. The story is interesting enough to at least give it one playthrough, and collect holocrons adds a little replay value. The lack of Trophy support is pretty inexcusable, especially considering the PS3 was the lead platform.
Ultimately though, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a good experience, which just about gets by even with all its technical glitches. It’s hard to shake of the feeling that Lucasarts have put out such an unpolished game, but they know it’ll sell…because it’s Star Wars.

Graphics: 8

Gameplay: 7

Sound: 5

Longevity: 6

Presentation: 7

Extras/Unlockables: 6

Overall: 6.5

~The Damo

The LittleBigPreview

2008-10-13T12:48:00.005+01:00

11 days to go. That's all that's left to the release of one of the most anticipated games this year - LittleBigPlanet. Never before have I seen anyone - and by anyone I mean Media Molecule - look to have gotten it so right.

LBP is unique in the sense that theoretically the game can never end, with the slogan "Play, Create, Share" defining the aspects of the game. LBP puts you in control of Sackboy (or Sackgirl if it takes your fancy) and will allow you to not only customise your Sackcharacter, but also to create your own levels or even modify those that come with the game. This level of creation in a game is something unique to the console experience, it is far more than a map editor which allows you to rearrange predetermined items - here you can make your OWN items and share them with the world.

Combining this incredible experience with lovable cute characters is the driving force behind LBP. Further down in the blog you can see images of how Sony and Media Molecule have exploited this cuteness by re-incarnating Sony's mascots in Sackcharacter style. All the customisations and creations give this title limitless possibilities, which is a dream for an engineering student such as myself.

The genius behind the design is that the tools are simple, easy-to-use, and with practice can be combined into designs that rival those created by the game makers themselves. All the levels and items in the game are made using these tools, further bridging the gap between the limits of the developers and the gamers - something which has yet to be accomplished save for MODS.

All the final details will come in the final review, including my thoughts on the gameplay and full range of creation tools. Until then, here's a host of media from the game, including the Sony mascots I mentioned earlier:

Dream/In Love Trailer:

Sackzilla Trailer:

Pirates & Ninjas:

Making Fun:

And these two are well worth the look - complete with Crocodile Hunter style narration!!!

SackPeople Documentary 1:

SackPeople Documentary 2:

And the Mascots:

Introducing...

Kratos from God of War

Nariko from Heavenly Sword

Helghast Troopers from Killzone and Killzone 2

Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid Series

Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII

With more likely to be announced such as Nathan Drake from Uncharted and Nathan Hale from Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2.

Grinds My Gears returns soon!!!!

~The Damo

Bioshock Preview

2008-10-03T12:18:00.000+01:00

Last year's Game of the Year (well at least that's what most people say anyway) is finally coming to Sony's PS3 this month. The developers have stated that it will not exceed the graphics found on the Xbox360 version but the game will feature a new and exclusive difficulty mode entitled "Survivor - Where every bullet counts" and add-on downloadable content which require you to use the skills learned throughout the game's story.

So what is Bioshock???

Bioshock is a shooter, though by no means is it a regular run of the mill shooter. I'm not going to talk too much about why it's different - I'll be saving that for the review. What I can say though is Bioshock stretches the boundaries of freedom of play in a game. The fictional city of Rapture was designed with open world freedom in mind, thus eliminating the fatal flaw of modern shooters where it's all running and gunning down corridors. What's also special about Bioshock is the plasmids, which are special powers that can shock people, set them on fire, lift them up and throw them and so on. The combination of using different plasmids in different situations coupled with the various weapons and customisations means that no two players will experience the game identically.

After downloading the 1.8GB demo from the PS Store and playing through it I can certainly say I'm quite impressed. The visuals are great, the atmosphere is astounding and above all it's fun. The details on everything will come in the review but here is the breakdown of the demo:

The demo begins with you (Jack) sitting in the seat of a plane smoking a cigarette looking at a picture of what I assume is himself and his parents. (This is the 1960's remember). Suddenly, the plane crashes and the screen is mirky from the water, a handbag sinks past your eyes and as you scramble upwards you can see the carnage around you. A wall of fire surrounds the area and directs you towards a lighthouse. Inside is dark and as you go inside the door shuts.

You are then directed to a capsule which leads you down to the city of Rapture, built entirely underwater. A presentation is shown on the way down, telling you about Rapture and why it was built. As your sphere emerges up into the "Welcome Area" (I guess) you are momentarily trapped in the sphere with a splicer (one of the enemies) trying to attack you. It's here you're brought in contact with Atlas, who communicates with you via a radio. He guides you out of the area and towards you're first plasmid "Electro Bolt". As you inject yourself, your hands begin to shake, with bolts of electricity crawling up your vains and arching from one hand to the next, your vision blurs and you fall over the railing to the floor below.

Here, in a sort of dazed state, you see some other splicers who examine your body and are then introduced to the eerie Little Sisters and Big Daddies (more next paragraph). As you awake and leave the room is suddenly very apparent that something is very wrong with Rapture. When you enter the "Kashmir Restaurant" you can see a huge sign saying "Happy New Year 1959" and can hear a couple arguing on the floor below, something about who owns the "Adam" - more on Adam in the final review. Killing the man out front prompts the wife to come out to see why he's not talking. You can also pick up and audio diary from a woman celebrating New Years when there is possibly some sort of explosion. The woman has clearly had too much too drink, prompting "Wait - I'm bleeding...." before the message ends.

Leaving this area you are then properly introduced to the Little Sisters. These little girls - if you could call them that - have some kind of ability which lets them harvest the DNA of the dead. Shortly after entering this room the Sister is attacked by a splicer, wanting to steal her Adam. Here, the Big Daddy comes crashing through, killing the splicer mercilessly. The Big Daddies protect the Sisters, so if you want their Adam you have to kill the Daddy first.

The demo ends with the lockdown confrontation before you enter the Medical Pavillion. The encounter lets you practice with the two plasmids available - Electro Bolt and Incinerate - and the three weapons you pick up - the Wrench, the Revolver and the Machine Gun. The closing part of this piece has you trapped in a room where Andrew Ryan - the creator of Rapture - tries to have you killed - or at least that what it seems like to me anyway.

So there you have the preview, Bioshock is currently set for release in Europe for October 17th, so the final review will be some time after that. Until then, here's a few gameplay videos from the PS3 version of the final product:

~The Damo

Top Ten - Engineering Projects!!

2008-10-01T20:08:00.010+01:00

I figured that given I'm an engineering student and all that, and that my blog has the word "Engineer" in its name, I should at least once in a while do something Engineering related. So what better than a Top Ten of my all time absolutely most favourite engineering projects ever???

When I was putting this list together I made the decision very early on that the list would comprise of projects under construction already aswell as projects which have/were only proposed/imagined. So here we go:

10. X-Seed 4000 - Tokyo and Tsui Tower - outside Ulaan Bataar

I've put both of these in tenth place because at the core they both plan to do the same thing. Build HUGE F**KING....YOKES.... that would literally accomodate the population of an entire city. I mean these things are like what we see in science fiction movies/shows. They get on the list for their shear scale. The X-Seed is the tallest building ever imagined that has blueprints (4000 metres by the way). IF we're really lucky, and we behave ourselves, we MIGHT just see these buildings in our life times.... after when pigs fly, the Klingons invade, I get a date, Liverpool win the Premiership, I buy an Xbox, Final Fantasy 5000 is made, Ireland uses up all its peat, I find Dara O Briain funny and I'm declared the sexiest man alive.

9. Pyramid City - Tokyo

The plan, at the very least, is to build a self contained city in a giant...and I mean GIANT pyramid which would sit somewhere in Tokyo Bay (I believe anyway). It's earned a place on the list solely on its ambition, but I find the likelihood that we'll ever see it in the flesh to be less than impossible.

8. Gibraltar Bridge - Gibraltar??

Strangely enough this is the only project I have on this list that isn't a high rise structure. The Gibraltar Bridge while ambitious is a project who's benefits are very evident. Coupled with the innovative design of combining bridge styles aswell as the shear scale of the project, the Gibraltar Bridge is certainly one to look out for in the future.

7. Sky City - Tokyo

My first experience of Sky City was on Discovering Channel on "Extreme Engineering" and at the time I thought it was simply incredible. And it is, but I can only give it position number 7, simply because there are projects in circulation now that are simply more ambitious. I must say however that of all the buildings "proposed", Sky City most definitely looks to be the one that has been planned out the most. All it needs is planning permission....:P

6. Hyder Tower - Dubai

I don't know too much about this tower and as far as I know it is completely in the conception phase of design. To the left of it is the Burj Dubai and to the right in the distance is the Al-Burj. There's not much I need to say....just look at it....

5. Al Burj - Dubai

While still only in the design phase, should it be built, Al Burj looks set to be one of the most magnificent high rise structures ever imagined. Where modern high rise buildings tend to taper off as they get higher, the design of Al-Burj looks to be so solid that one can't help but admire the vision.

4. Burj Dubai - Dubai

Currently the world's tallest man made structure... and it's still not finished. Set to top off at around 900m high, Burj Dubai is certainly a site to behold. As incredible as Burj Dubai is, and for all the world records it (broke and) set for engineering and construction, it only reaches number 4 on my list.

3. Taipei 101 - Taiwan

The highest position on this list of a building that is actually complete, Taipei 101 set a new standard for high rise buildings. The pendulum idea which resists the buildings sway in the breeze is an ingenious solution. As well as the classy design, Taipei well deserves its position here.

2. The Illinois - Chicago

A building that was no doubt beyond its time, the Illinois would have stood over a mile high, indeed its other name is in fact "Mile High City". While constructing the Illinois would have been beyond Frank Lloyd Wright's America, it is only now that the construction is a possibility... a true sign that it was ahead of its time.

1. Dubai City Tower - Dubai

Unfortunately I don't really know a whole lot about this one. It's only recently been proposed but at 2.4 kilometers high this is certainly one of the most incredible (and viable) engineering projects I've ever seen. As you've seen from this list already, Dubai is the place to be for engineering right now and as ambitious as this structure sounds, I've no doubt that they will pull it off! (NOTE: it is quite possible that Dubai City Tower is actually Hyder Tower in position 6. however due to the lack of solid information on both projects, particularly Hyder Tower, I can only assume they are two seperate projects)

As I mentioned above, right now Dubai and (to be more general) the Middle-East, is the capital of modern 21st century Engineering. Given the buildings currently under construction, as well as countless projects that I haven't even mentioned, and all the other projects in the design phase, Dubai will most certainly be the home of the skies for decades to come.

In past centuries, engineering - and indeed architecture - has left the marks which shaped those time periods in the history books. After the 20th century was scarred by conflict and war, the outlook for the 21st is promising, especially with so many things being built for people to leave their mark on the planet, showing prosperity and a desire to achieve greater and greater things, further bridging the gap between the impossible and our imaginations...

~The Damo

LittleBigPlanet Beta - Impressions

2008-09-29T12:59:00.005+01:00

Yeah, I'm in the beta!! And let me sum it up with: "It ROCKS"!!!

Let me start from the beginning: there I was, happily browsing the Gametrailers forums when I discover a post revealing that Eurogamer.net were giving out free no-strings-attached beta codes for LittleBigPlanet. I was one of the lucky few who managed to nab a code before the servers crashed and were offline for some time. Nevertheless the second I got that code I switched on the PS3 and started the 900MB download.

This is an online beta, and as such is really there to test the online functionality of the game, not necessarily to exercise the game tools (which I must say are quite extensive for something which is practically a demo). I'll be doing a proper preview of LittleBigPlanet as the release date approaches but to put it in a nutshell - the only limits of this game are those of your imagination!

The beta lets you play through a few story mode levels which upon completion unlock different tools and stickers for use in the create mode. I can tell you here and now this is the single most addictive game I have ever played! Stephen Fry's narration also gives the game a very unique atmosphere, something that I haven't experienced before.

It's quite difficult for me to discuss the beta when I haven't done a proper preview of what to expect so, being the lazy person I am, I've whipped Gametrailers gameplay videos from the beta.

Enjoy!

Tree:

Stickers:

Pod:

Racing:

Sexy:

Scary Castle:

I've already made one whole level (which half filled the thermometer) and is currently available online. Actually making your own level provides you with far more experience than the tutorials ever could. The possibilities are quite literally - and quite cliche-dly - limitless!!!

~The Damo

UCD Gateway

2008-09-22T12:13:00.000+01:00

A long time back I wrote a detailed blog about the UCD Gateway Project, which is redesigning a HUGE part of the campus. Well, finally the offical website is up and is available here:

http://www.ucd.ie/gatewayproject/index.htm

I could totally waste this space copying word for word what's written there so I'm leaving it at that if your interested in looking.

Yeah I know it's a short blog, but the computer I'm on here on campus won't let me save the draft or add pics >:(

~The Damo

AVGN Double: Battletoads and Dick Tracy

2008-09-22T12:02:00.000+01:00

In Battletoads the Nerd and Kyle clash, in more ways than one. Though a great game, Battletoads suffers from one fatal flaw....

Battletoads:

The only time kids were allowed say the word "dick" so much....

Dick:

~The Damo

Death Magnetic Review

2008-09-15T12:34:00.000+01:00

Some time back I wrote a piece about the Heavy Metal Renaissance and how the early indications of Metallica's forthcoming album were good due largely to the demo track "The New Song". I can now say "Yes", they have succeeded...

YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE WHOLE FREAKIN' ALBUM HERE!!!!!! FOR FREE!!!!!

http://metallica.com/index.asp?item=601231

That Was Just Your Life

The End of the Line

Broken, Beat and Scarred

The Day That Never Comes

All Nightmare Long

Cyanide

The Unforgiven III

The Judas Kiss

Suicide and Redemption

My Apocalypse

Let's face it, St. Anger blew a lot out of its..ye know. And Load and Reload weren't all that great either. Finally, after so many years, I think they've got it right again. Death Magnetic is the first Metallica album I've listened to since the Black Album where I liked every single song upon its first listen. I couldn't do that with the other 3 mentioned above. I guess in part the anticipation leading up to Death Magnetic influenced how I would judge the album and God forbid I am no expert when it comes to music in any regard, but I know what I like - and I like Death Magnetic.

Rather than discuss each individual track (okay, I can't because I really know nothing about the technicalities of music) I'll instead just mention my experience of it. Metallica fans are familiar with the concept that Metallica can potentially sound very different from album to album. Part of what makes the first 5 albums so good and so successful is that...broadly speaking...they all had a similar sound/tone/whatever that people LIKED. All their work after that till now has had varying sounds, with a more mellow Load and a highly aggressive yet ultimately bland St. Anger. The first thing I thought after listening to Death Magnetic (in actual fact it's the second thing after saying to myself "That was freakin' savage" was that it was a return to form for the lads. Death Magnetic - to me - sounds like it could have slotted anywhere in the Metallica timeline between Ride the Lightning and the Black Album. In fact, The Judas Kiss feels to me like the closest thing Metallica have written to the song ...And Justice for All.

One flaw with the songs off St. Anger was that they never felt nor sounded like they would be suitable for a live performance. Metallica's first 5 albums all feel natural for a live performance, and Death Magnetic certainly feels like the whole album could be played live aswell. The line "Show you scars!!" in Broken, Beat and Scarred is just screaming to be played in front of an audience to let everyone sing, much like the low-key chants of "Luck....runs...out...." in All Nightmare Long. The chorus for Cyanide and The Judas Kiss feel like they could be sung much in the same way as the chorus for Master of Puppets and Creeping Death. That interaction between the live performance and the crowd is what helps the success of Metallica songs in the fan's eyes, yet another element to why St. Anger failed.

You will also notice that Metallica have reintroduced complex riffs and variations in sound throughout the songs, much like they did in their early work, again annexing themselves from the overly simplistic and repetitive nature of St. Anger. There is a sense of continutity between this album and the better previous ones with The Unforgiven III - a song I highly anticipated prior to the release - the only song on the album which could possibly be called a ballad. It doesn't necessarily sound like The Unforgiven and The Unforgiven II but it feels like them. My suggestion is that you listen to all 3 (probably on Youtube) to see what I mean. Suicide and Redemption is also the first instrumental Metallica have written since To Live is to Die from ...And Justice for All. It is as though the band listened to the cries of the fans for a return to glory and I personally feel they have answered those cries exceptionally.

I could continue to waffle on for longer but I personally recommend listening to the album at the link above. If I was to grade Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, ...And Justice for All and the Black Album with 5 out of 5 stars, St. Anger with one, and Load and Reload with 3 stars, then Death Magnetic would certainly garner 4 (if not 5) stars from me. Hopefully this is a harbinger for future albums to come from the boyz...and not have to wait 5 years for the next one!

~The Damo

Back in Action!

2008-09-10T13:23:00.000+01:00

Long time no proper blog. Here I am once again, using up my free time in college to type up blogs... Day 3 of a long semester and my judgement is: good. My timetable is pretty damn good this year, with 3 o'clock finishes every Monday, and 1 o'clock finishes every Thursday and Friday!!! Wednesdays - today - are a little strange since I don't have to be in here till 2 for a tutorial (which right now I'm not even sure if it's even going to be on) and then I have a lecture in one module, an hour break, and then another lecture in the same module in a different freakin' place?!?! Like, what's that all about??? Tuesdays are easily the worst, 9-6 every Tuesday... :(

Anyway so the modules this year...

Theory & Design of Structures III - with only a 3 hour lecture Monday mornings I've enjoyed the past two modules in this and when I found out it is an open book exam AND that we will get about 60% in the final exam without even using a calculator you know you're on a winner!

Design of Structures - strangely this module is feeling like Theory & Design II and after looking at the book of notes I can see the exact same examples used last year!! Easy module perhaps....

Maths for Engineers VI - more bleedin' calculus, all about solving ODE's (Ordinary Differential Equations) and Partial Differential Calculus....*snore*

Professional Engineering Finance - speaks for itself really, basically business studies from an Engineering perspective.

Continuum Mechanics (Elective) - fluids, soils, solids and how they react to forces, shears and god knows what else. I smell the brother of the dreaded Mechanics of Solids I...

Design and Project - this one goes on for the full year and it probably the one I'm anticipating most. We will have companies working on projects coming into us asking us to come up with a solution to their task, then our solutions will be compared to theirs. This will also include site visits, YAY! The other half involves project work - in pairs - under the guidance of a senior student/member of staff. I'm also assuming that we'll have to write some sort of formal report like we did in Design and Communications...

History and Theory of Architecture IV - no, just no, I'm not going to ramble on about how f'n much I hate this subject. Last semester was so great with no History of Architecture and now...guess what...this module goes right back to the START!!!!!

That's all for now, stay tuned!

~The Damo

Metallicaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!

2008-09-03T13:47:00.003+01:00

Three more music pieces, the first here is the VIDEO for The Day That Never Comes which I posted a while back...looking good!!

Next is studio quality My Apocalypse. It's a more thrash metal sound and could argue that it is a return to form for the lads.

Lastly is studio quality Cyanide

NINE DAYS TO GO!!!!

~The Damo

THeY're c0ming, wE toLd yOu aLL alONG.....

GetAWarJob.com

2008-09-01T13:52:00.000+01:00

Extra Extra!!

2008-09-01T13:51:00.000+01:00

Fight Against The European Influenza!!

2008-09-01T13:48:00.001+01:00

Technology of Tomorrow!!

2008-09-01T13:19:00.004+01:00

The Day That Came

2008-08-22T10:32:00.002+01:00

First single from new album and it freakin' RAWWWKKSSSSS!!!!!!!!

The Day That Never Comes:

September 12th ALMOST HERE!!!!

~The Damo

Metallica, Marlay Park, August 20th

2008-08-22T10:19:00.002+01:00

I've been trying to come up with one word to sum up the whole thing; savage, amazing, fucking-insane, incredible, but I think my good friend Daithi summed it up best: EPIC! Of all the things I've done this year, that is most definitely number 1. Okay so we didn't get our pit bands despite being there mad early, and yes my feet were in agony from being on my feet for well over 12 hours and fine the beer was expensive but it was all worth it. The second The Ecstasy of Gold starts echoing around the place the pain disappears, the adrenaline starts running and the crowd echo the tune. You've got about 2 mins to make sure the adrenaline is going 'cause once Creeping Death starts, you don't get a single break.

Setlist:
Creeping Death
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Ride The Lightning
The Memory Remains
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Cyanide
...And Justice For All
The Four Horsemen
Fade To Black
Master Of Puppets
Whiskey In The Jar
Nothing Else Matters
Sad But True
One
Enter Sandman
- - - - -
Last Caress
So What
Seek And Destroy

It's a real credit to the guys - given that they're in their mid-fortys - to be able to practically go non-stop for 2 solid hours. You could see they enjoy it though, at one point James even told the crowd that we were singing too loud. I was a satisfied customer for other reasons, mainly hearing ...And Justice For All and Cyanide live, but also because Tenacious D were animal aswell. Other defining moments were possibly when Hetfield's daughter sang the child's lyrics for Enter Sandman.

Really it's so hard to put it to words, I mean you really had to be there. The best way for me to describe it is probably what Daithi said "Best thing I've ever been at" and Daithi is a hard man to please given that he goes to practically every concert/show going anywhere, including Oxegen! I mean, even the light show and pyrotechnics were enough to keep you happy, hell they didn't need to be on stage the other bits were so good.

Now is the agonizing wait for the show to go up for download (which I pre-ordered) so I can at least in a hearing sense relive the experience over and over, and I'm also secretly looking to hear just how loud we were...

~The Damo

D News

2008-08-16T11:43:00.000+01:00

I think my lack of posting over the last two months requires somewhat of an explanation, truth of the matter being that I’ve barely been at home. In fact, I’m writing this very post on my mam’s laptop, which I then plan to transfer to my computer within the week. As I mentioned in the last “Update” post I was on camp for a week and a bit, and most recently I was away in Germany for a wedding, which was INCREDIBLE I might add. I had considered writing a blog about it but the more I thought about it the more it seemed I was being a bit big headed about how incredible a country and experience it is.

Anyway, so what else has been going on? Well next week I’m off to Metallica in Marlay Park, then I’ve to register for 3rd year college. Actually I’m really looking forward to this year with our full year project, and it is degree year aswell!! After the 6 A+’s in summer, I reckon I got the 30% I was supposed to get for my degree contribution. I’m also interested to see if I can hold on to the scholarship I won last year.

I’ve also started pre-season back with my Under 13’s. After getting Kickstart 2 under my belt I’ve now got more advanced routines and sessions for the kids. With Division 1 the challenge facing us this year I’ve got a hell of a lot of work ahead of me. Not to mention the Under 8’s team I’m taking aswell, meaning my Saturday and Sunday mornings are going to be taken up completely, sorry ladies! (joke).
Also coming up in September will be the St. Johns’ recruitment course for this year which I’m taking again this year. I enjoyed it last year and with some of the new training material Bren has in store I’m looking forward to the new challenge.

With the Under 8’s situation it seems I’m now coming under increasing pressure to get that elusive driver’s licence and I actually think I really need to get the finger out now and just get the mother fucker.

Other than all that I don’t think there’s much else going on, last but not least a big congratulations to everyone getting their Leaving Cert results, I’ve been there – two years ago now… - and wow does it make me feel old!

Stay blogged till next time, same blog blogger, same blog site, same blog blog!!

~The Damo

Final Piece of the Puzzle!!

2008-08-16T11:40:00.003+01:00

That’s it ladies and gentlemen, first we had the album title, followed by the track list and now the release date – can’t freakin’ wait!! What we also know now is that the first single from the new album will be The Day That Never Comes. But I now also have for you from metontour a look at the song Cyanide from the album.

Played at Ozzfest in Dallas, Texas:

Suicide, I’ve already died, it’s just the funeral I’ve been waiting for….
Cyanide, feeling dead inside, break this empty shell forever more!

~The Damo

Angry Video Game Nerd Bonanza

2008-08-16T11:38:00.001+01:00

It’s been a long time since I posted any Nerd videos so I’ve got a bit of a kitty to post today. First up is the follow up to the last post, which was about Superman on the NES. The Nerd gave the fans what they wanted and has here a video of quite possibly the worst game ever made in the history of video games….

Superman 64:

After that the Nerd began a build up to the release of The Dark Knight with a two-parter review of several Batman games on numerous systems. I think these two videos are some of his best yet, well worth a watch. How will the Batnerd escape this one?????

Part 1:

Part 2:

I have to tell the blog I’m Batman before I publish it…

“I’m Batmaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnn”

~The Damo

PS3 Momentum

2008-08-16T11:33:00.002+01:00

Some time back I wrote a blog about the ever increasing success of the PS3. I use the word “success” as an expression of improvement, as with 14.4 million sales the PS3 is far from a “success” with the Xbox 360 at 20 million and the Wii at 30.

However, from where the PS3 started November 2006, vast improvements have been made. The phrase “Sony have finally gotten the finger out” is probably the most suitable one for this situation.

When launched, the PS3 faced much criticism; high price tag, no rumble, lack of games, PSN not as good as Xbox Live to name but a few. Now finally, after 2 years later (based on US release dates) these issues have been addressed if not solved completely. The expression most commonly used when describing the PS3 is that it was “over-engineered”. It did a hell of a lot of stuff, most notably being a Blu-Ray player. Upon its release that didn’t really matter as there was also the HD-DVD format. Since the “format war” is now over, Blu-Ray is king, and the PS3 is undisputedly the best Blu-Ray player on the market. Score number 1.

I recently got hold of a Dualshock 3, prior to release of MGS4, and my god thank Jesus H. Christ rumble is back. Playing games on PS3 used to feel very like there was something missing. And it was rumble. After getting hold of the DS3 my first game Resistance: Fall of Man felt like a whole new game, it was incredible. Really it actually was. Rumble gave R:FOM that edge it was missing, firing a gun felt right. And now that the DS3 is available all games now come with it featured as standard, and older games have since implemented it via an update.

It is also a strange history with the Playstations regarding games. When they first launch they always face criticism, and generally don’t have the greatest games in its first year. And then something happens. A Metal Gear Solid is released. MGS did it for the PS1, MGS2 did it for the PS2 and MGS4 has certainly done it for the PS3. The release of a new Metal Gear seems to kickstart not only sales of Sony’s consoles, but also the number of quality games that follow it. Already in the next 3 months there are 4 guaranteed quality games coming out, the latter 3 being Playstation 3 exclusive: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (September), LittleBigPlanet and Bioshock (October) and Resistance 2 (November). There are others of course like Motorstorm but I don’t plan buying it simply because it doesn't interest me. The idea that the PS3 had no games was more of an argument used by people who were too embarrassed to say “I can’t afford it, it’s too expensive”, and the masses have spoken…

Already, since last October, the PS3 has been outselling the Xbox 360 month by month, with some experts expecting the PS3 to overtake the 360 by next summer. Many people wonder why console sales matter, and it’s that the more sales, the larger the install base, therefore the more likely a company is to make a (good) game for that system. Is it any wonder why the PS2 is the unchallenged greatest console of all time?? 140 million sales to date = lots of $$$ = lots of quality games. Perfectly balanced.

With the success of more sales Sony has finally given people what they want. I wrote a blog earlier in the year about Firmware 2.40 which gave access to the XMB in game. Most recently Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune was patched with trophy support and I believe by the time this blog is posted, Warhawk will also have received its trophy patch. Trophy hunting is quite addictive and has added a great amount of replay value to Uncharted. With Sony saying that ALL previous PS3 games will be patched and all new games coming with trophies as standard, the difference between PSN and Xbox Live has been 90% eradicated, with the last 10% (i.e. game invites and chat) set to be eradicated with the release of Playstation Home which may in fact create a new gap between the two with the PSN out in front. And the great thing about PSN is……..it’s FREE!!! Microsoft’s justification for charging $50 for Live a year is coming under increasing scrutiny when PSN can do it for free and offer no lag for online games.

Actually I think I’ll take this moment to have a dig at some of the dickheads at Microsoft…

At E3, Microsoft claimed that both Sony and Nintendo were slacking off, whilst they were the only company innovating. The irony there possibly being that the only stuff they showed off was 1. a blatant copy of Nintendo Mii’s, 2. a 99.9% rip off of Singstar and 3. games which use a camera which seems remarkably like Playstation Eye. More recently, Cliffy B has come out saying that in comparison to Gears of War 2 – his game – Resistance 2 on PS3 simply falls short. That’s great how he knows a game that doesn’t come out till November is worse than his. What makes his dickheadedness even better is that when the CEO of Insomniac (the people who make Resistance 2), Ted Price, was asked the same question, he said “I couldn’t tell you, but what I do know is that if you own both an Xbox 360 and a PS3, you’re going to have a great Christmas”. Ten points for who can guess who the gentlemen is!

To sum it up, forget what I said last time about “then” being the best time to own/buy a PS3, NOW is! So go on, get out there now, they’re only €350. Go on, what are you reading this line for? GO NOW!!!!

~The Damo

Super Stardust HD - Review

2008-08-16T11:25:00.006+01:00

Super Stardust HD (SSHD) is special for me not only because it was the first PSN game I downloaded from the PS Store, but it also the first game I’ve played that has “Playstation Trophies”. Certainly when I set out to download SSHD it wasn’t because I had heard it was a great game, it was simply to get my hands on trophies as – at the time of buying it – it was the only game supporting trophies. And boy was I happy with my purchase!

SSHD is an arcade style game. You can play it at certain difficulties gaining higher scores with the more enemies you kill, the longer you stay alive and what not. My top score which is ~72,000,000 lies about 87XX in the world rankings. At my last check the highest score is 228 million! Little was I to know when I first downloaded it that I would playing possibly the most addicting game I’ve played since Pokemon.

The game’s premise is very simple – you control a spaceship which flies above planets clearing them of asteroids and enemies to save the planet below. Your ship has 3 weapons; a green rock crusher, a red gold melter and a blue ice breaker. As you can imagine those descriptions tell you what each weapon is best suited at. Enemies will somewhere on them have a colour, indicating the best suited weapon for them. By blowing up asteroids and enemies you gain points. You steer your ship with the left analogue stick and fire your weapon with the right. L1 and R1 change between weapons. The more things you obliterate without dying the higher your multiplier goes (a 10X multiplier actually unlocks a Gold Trophy), thus creating an intrinsic challenge of obtaining a higher multiplier aswell as a higher score. When you blow up larger asteroids, they may contain glowing green rocks, which when destroyed release white point tokens or colour coded tokens for each of your weapons. The more of these you collect the more effective your weapons become. Picking up an upgrade after reaching 100% with any weapon sends it into “overdrive” firing faster and dishing out more damage for a fixed period of time.

Along with your three weapons you have bombs triggered by R2. These can be picked up by destroying special carrier crafts which are found on certain levels. When fired a bomb will destroy all targets in a certain area or at the very least weaken larger ones. You also have a boost activated by pressing L2 which thrusts you in a direction determined by the left stick destroying anything in your path. Unlike the bombs which you need to collect, the boost regenerates over time, so using it appropriately is an acquired skill (a silver trophy is unlocked for not using a boost during a single planet). The other two power-ups available are a shield (purple) and an extra ship (or life) which is yellow. Picking up subsequent “shields” whilst already equipped with a shield has the same effect as firing a bomb, only your total number of bombs is not depleted.

The game’s basic mode is arcade, which sees you blasting away over 5 different planets. Each planet consists of 5 phases, with increasing difficulties and the 5th and final phase consists of a boss battle. Alternatively you can play all these missions co-operatively with a friend.

Released after the main game was the Solo-add on, which I have only recently downloaded. This mode offers new gameplay in the form of “Endless”, “Survivor” and “Bomber”. Endless sees you fighting hoards of enemies, Survivor leaves you with one life and bomber disables everything except bombs. I can’t comment any further on these as I really haven’t played them enough. The most recent add-on was the Team Add on which I believe allows for split screen co-op.

In conclusion, SSHD is a highly addictive experience, with impressive colourful visuals, a rockin’ soundtrack, and the addition of Trophies makes it a must own for any PS3 owner.

Graphics: 8

Gameplay: 9

Sound: 9

Longevity: 10

Presentation: 8

Overall: 8.8

~The Damo

The Art of Shaving

2008-08-16T11:20:00.002+01:00

The perfect shave. That is what all men strive for. In my 5-6 years of having to shave frequently I’ve tried many a technique and apparatus to try and achieve the closest shave (like the Gillette ads always say) to make my face feel as smooth as a baby’s bottom – not that I’d know what that feels like. The idea of the perfect shave has also gained added value for me, since I am now sporting a perfectly cultivated goatee. A goatee which has been in the works for almost a year now I might add.

Obviously the angle of this blog reflects on the male perspective of shaving, since I am fortunate enough only to have to shave above my neck so sorry to anyone who thought I was giving tips on shaving anywhere else.

So what is it that I think is essential for the perfect shave? Well ignoring a brand of shaving foam – which are generally the same anyway except for smell – both a good razor and aftershave are required to give the overall perfect sensation. Shaving foam, whilst essential for raising the hairs to ensure the blade removes as much hair as possible, should really only be used in my opinion to gauge your progress as you carefully make your way around and across your face.

Any aftershave is suitable, again the main difference being smell (of which I go for the nicer smelling ones) but I myself prepare to go for balms. It is essential to make sure that when applying the balm you cover everywhere you have shaved, otherwise it can be apparent to others that you don’t value nor do you care about the way you shave.

The most important element of the trio is no doubt the blade, which is the binding element in ensuring the closest shave. I began my shaving career with a Mach 3, which for many years was the shaving razor for men, the Coca-Cola of razor blades if you will. There were two further iterations of the Mach 3 in its lifespan, Mach 3 Turbo and Mach 3 Nitro, all of which added to the better shave. I myself have now upgraded to Gillette Fusion and since then Fusion Power and Fusion Power Stealth have hit the market.

The technique (and secret) of a good shave is this: the blade is a car, and you are driving it across your face. Why do you think the previous ones had “Turbo” and “Nitro” in the names? Those words are associated with automobiles. In fact it’s practically mandatory to make the “Vrrroooommmm” noise in your head as the blade glides across your face. Not only that but the Turbo was a sporty-red colour and the Nitro was a popping crystal-green. Those colours just scream speed! Now with Stealth they’re upgrading the speed of shaving to a Stealth Bomber, i.e. you should imagine a bomber flying across your face eliminating the hairy targets below. We can make shaving a game like that, and the game ain’t over till every last hair is eliminated. Fusion and Fusion Power added variety to the shaving experience by adding in the single blade on the back to account for those hard-to-reach places. I have personally found great use in them when precision shaving is needed to keep the shape of my goatee consistent. If you are completely clean shaven, then it is essential to begin your shave at the sides, ensuring you get clear uninterrupted sweeps to the chin allowing for maximum velocity of the blade. From there you can tidy up above the lip and then begin the back strokes from the neck upwards. If however you are of the bearded variety like me, I recommend starting above the lip, then a quick tidy around the bearded area before beginning the long strokes. Ultimately, if your initial strokes are unsuccessful in removing all traces of hair, there is nothing to stop you from making a second lap or second bombardment of the difficult areas.

Post shave you should be able to move the tips of your fingers around your face, feeling nothing but smooth skin. Once you can do that you can park your razor in its garage/hanger/case for the next time…

~The Damo

The Butter Debate

2008-08-16T11:16:00.002+01:00

What is the best butter? Or is the best butter not a true butter afterall? For some time the issue of which brand/style of butter is the best has been rumbling around the nerve centre of magic that is my brain and now I feel it is an appropriate time to start the debate.

For as long as I can remember, the brand of butter that has been used in my house up until recently has been Dairygold. I don’t think many can deny that Dairygold has a superb taste. Indeed, Dairygold is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of “butter”. However, I was not privy to a flaw in Dairygold until a few years ago. As you can imagine, for a period in my life my mother buttered my bread for me. But when I began to butter bread for myself, it became quite clear to me that Dairygold does not spread all that well. It has a tendency to rip the bread it is buttered on. Of course this isn’t an issue on toast, where the butter is melted, but on a perfectly fresh slice of bread, perfection becomes catastrophe. I found that the only way to truly spread Dairygold properly was to leave it out to “warm up” or only use it exclusively on toast. Even the solid brown bread doesn’t hold up well to the un-spreadable Dairygold. I realise of course that this is entirely from my experience, but that is the angle I’m discussing this issue on.

In my grandparents house in Palmerstown, they have been a fan of Kerrymaid. Like all butters, the advertisements on TV would have you believe that their butter is the best. From my experience, Kerrymaid spreads easier than Dairygold, but is still what I would regard as a “solid” butter. Its taste was also quite unique in the sense that I found it to be – what I can only describe as – sweeter. Ultimately Kerrymaid never took off with me, and it was an experience I could only examine when in Palmerstown.

In my grandmothers’ house in Walkinstown, she was a fan of Utterly Butterly. Whether this was a decision on her part I cannot say, as she wasn’t physically able to go to the shops herself, so the choice of Utterly Butterly may well have been the decision of the person that regularly went to the shops for her. The only times I can recall using the butter in that house were for crackers or for potatoes and each time I was reasonably satisfied. However there was something about it that I just couldn’t see myself wanting to have it at home.

Then, the butter of butters and myself collided in what only could be an act of fate. Low Low. I can’t remember exactly why I bought Low Low, or for that matter where I bought it, all I can remember nowadays is that it was just there, in the fridge. Popping the lid open and bealing back the aluminium cover, I can remember the sense of amazement at how easily the knife glided through the butter and then delicately spread an even layer of the golden yellow substance on my fresh slice of bread. Not only did it spread well, but it tasted just as good. A worthy rival to the superb taste of Dairygold! Toast, toasted sandwiches, you name it, it was superb. It was so superb that I even managed to convince my parents – the very people who had been buying Dairygold for the last 16 odd years – to start buying it.

In conclusion, I recommend Low Low as the champion of butters. Obviously none of these types of butters have anything on REAL butter, which I would only use exclusively for cooking.

Oh, and one final thing. No butter and I mean NO butter spreads in that curly shape with ripples like the TV ads would lead you to believe. I’m looking at you Kerrymaid, especially you!

~The Damo

...And E3 For All

2008-07-28T15:19:00.003+01:00

So this years' E3 has past, and what have we learned? Well, surprisingly not much. I'm not going to waste too much time bitching about the overall crappiness of E3 as the industries (allegedly) biggest expo. It just isn't as good as it used to be. Nevertheless there would some good points.

Since I own a PS3 and Wii I can't comment too much on Microsoft's performance completely, but the surprise of the show definitely goes to them over the Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox reveal. I can't say I was overly impressed by anything else they had to offer. The avatars are a Wii rip-off, Lips is a Singstar rip-off and all these "camera orientated" games feels a lot like Playstation Eye. Nevertheless, Gears of War 2 and Fable 2 were excellent, but still didn't show us anything we didn't already know. Nintendo was pitiful, seriously. It was so bad than an offical apology was released. If ever there was a sign that the novelty of the Wii has worn off it was E3. Not one memorable game was shown, and right now the only games I would consider playing on the Wii are Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Bros Brawl.

Anyway, where it's at for me is Sony, which most analysts seem to consider the best press conference overall. I'll be doing a blog later (maybe next week) going into more detail about the PS3's current successes but for now I'm going to focus on FOUR main things.

First of all is two videos regarding LittleBigPlanet. I'll be writing more about LBP as its release approaches but for now I'll say this: LBP could well be Game of the Year.

If this isn't the cutest and best video for a video game ever I don't know what is. What's important to remember about LBP is that ANYTHING you see in the videos you can make yourself in the building tools. It should also be noted that given the set-up of the video (with the Playstation 3 gliding across at the start and the "This Is Living" logo at the end suggests this will be a TV ad.)

E3 is now better known for talking about Facts & Figures than games, and Sony definitely put together the most interesting piece to talk about all that boring crap. Like I said before - you could make this level in game yourself!

Secondly was the Resistance 2 footage. Like LBP I will be making a more concise blog about R2 as time goes on. All that needs to be said is that this is the sequel to one of my favourite PS3 games - Resistance: Fall of Man and everytime I see it I'm more and more impressed....

Gotta love this trailer, the 50's narration and everything....

And the 300ft Boss Battle....*drools*

Sony also showed off Killzone 2, which many are touting as currently the best looking console game available, and this video should illustrate that.....

AND FINALLY...the one trailer we ALL wanted to see. Ladies and Gentlemen, God of War 3.....

More on all these in a few blogs time.

~The Damo

Death Magnetic It Is.....

2008-07-28T12:56:00.004+01:00

Finally...after months of waiting Metallica's newest album is almost here!!!!

Death Magnetic. For a few days a while back they slowly revealed the album title in a series of image extensions. Personally I thought when the letters spelt out "Deagnetic" I thought that was pretty good but hey. Hetfield recently gave an interview explaining the album title:

"Death Magnetic, at least the title, to me [...] started out as kind of a tribute to people that have fallen in our business, like Layne Staley and a lot of the people that have died, basically — rock and roll martyrs of sorts. And then it kind of grew from there. Thinking about death… some people are drawn towards it, and just like a magnet, [and] other people are afraid of it and push away. And the concept that we're all gonna die sometimes is over-talked about and then a lot of times never talked about — no one wants to bring it up; it's the big white elephant in the living room. But we all have to deal with it at some point."

Also, the track list - in order - was posted on Metallica.com shortly after the cover art was revealed:

That Was Just Your Life

The End Of The Line Broken,

Beat & Scarred

The Day That Never Comes

All Nightmare Long

Cyanide

The Unforgiven III

The Judas Kiss

Suicide & Redemption

My Apocalypse

That looks grand and all till WOAH...... The Unforgiven III???????? Like The Unforgiven on the Black Album was awesome, then The Unforgiven II on Reload was awesome-er so does that mean by default that Part 3 will awesome-est?? That track title alone has be buzzin' over the new album. Below is a piece I got off Youtube which is like a short medley of all the samples currently available on the album.

Can't wait for August 20th, Marlay Park baby!!!

~The Damo

Where Have All the Damien's Gone????

2008-07-23T19:00:00.002+01:00

Apologies, apologies. I've just noticed it's nearly a whole freakin' month since I wrote a blog. I've been away for a bit doin loadsa stuff and just haven't had the time to write anything, but fear ye not, starting next monday I've a whole heap of stuff to post:

Whole Lotta Camp
Death Magnetic It Is....
The Butter Debate
...And E3 For All
News and Reviews
More AVGN
PS3 Momentum

And more.....

Stay tuned....

~The Damo

In-game XMB and Trophies are HERE!!!!

2008-06-30T13:25:00.002+01:00

Finally, after months of agonizing waiting, firmware 2.40 for the PS3 is here!

http://blog.us.playstation.com/

The difference in online community between Xbox Live and PSN has - until now - been a huge gap. Sony has at last got their act together and released the infamous 2.40 which will feature access to the In-game XMB allowing you to listen to your own music, send messages, view pictures, access the internet all while playing a game. The update also brings "Trophies" to the PSN, adding new replayability to past titles. The two videos in the link are excellent demonstrations of what to expect, so I won't bore you with trying to explain it here.

~The Damo

AVGN - Superman

2008-06-27T09:38:00.004+01:00

Ok there has NEVER been a good Superman game....ever! Not one on any console ever even merits being called a good game, and it's no surprise that the Nerd finally rips apart one of the worst gaming series in history. Oh God...Superman 64 is next.....

Enjoy:

I promise there'll be proper blogs next week!!!

~The Damo

Metal Gear Retrospective: Parts 5 & 6

2008-06-22T10:04:00.003+01:00

Apologies for no blogs in a while, I've just had a helluvalotta work at the moment and haven't had the time to write anything proper (no that the Metal Gear bonanza is almost over). So just as a brief post, here's the final two chapters in the Metal Gear Retrospective, enjoy!

Part 5: Handheld missions of Ghost Babel, AC!D and Portable Ops

Part 6: A final chronological summary of the games plot.

*salutes*

~The Damo

Metal Gear Solid 4 - The Review

2008-06-15T14:31:00.011+01:00

I sit here now after 20 something hours of awesomeness knowing that I have, without a shadow of a doubt, played one of the greatest games ever made. Effectively a three year wait I can now say in hindsight that every moment of it was worth it. MGS4 rewrites the script for epic gaming and story telling, once more setting the standard that all games should aspire to through jaw dropping cinematics and plot events to intense non-stop action sequences all keeping the stealthy spirit of the series alive.

War has changed. That's the message that hits you in the game time and time again. War and soldiers are controlled by nanomachines which in turn control battlefield emotions, training, experience, weapons, everything. Practically everything you meet in the game is ID nanomachine related. Solid Snake, now an old man due to accelerated ageing from the cloning process, is called into action by his former CO Roy Campbell to carry out one final request - terminate Liquid. Liquid Ocelot has amassed the control of the world's five largest PMC's (Private Military Companies) and plans to use his massive army to launch an insurrection against the Patriots. PMC's have come to the fore in the War Economy, as Campbell says: "War is to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th". The cost of waging war has meant most countries cannot afford a permanent army, and so hire a PMC to fight for them. They are only driven by profit, not by ideologies or cause. In many situations it will be one PMC fighting another. Snake is sent into the Middle East to investigate.

The game itself is split into 5 acts and an epilogue, the epilogue being the controversial cut-scene everyone was talking about. The opening act brings Snake to the Middle East. Here we are introduced to the Gekko, fearsome bi-pedal walking tanks. We also meet Drebin and Rat Pt 01.

I'll talk a bit about the game mechanics. Basically, they work really well. Sneaking has become very effective with the whole new array of movements available to Snake. The Octocamo works exceptionally well, which is only further improved when you get the face camo. As a vetern of the other games in the series, the controls can be a little trick at the beginning, but you will get used to them very quickly. With the Triangle button now governing most of Snake's abilities, the on screen prompts are a welcome addition. The new over-the-shoulder shooting mechanics are an excellent addition to the game. From where shooting was in the previous titles in the series, this new system is much more accessible and somehow feels like an appropriate feature of the game. The SolidEye is also extremely effective, the only times I don't use it is when I'm on low battery! Combining the functionality of the scope, IR and NV into one device was an excellent decision, and coupled with its ability to feed Snake battle info it is a must use for anyone trying to sneak their way across the battlefield - of which there are many by the way.

These battlefields are as realistic as they get, and although I haven't played through the game a second time yet, I've been told that they are different each time, especially if you up the difficulty. Explosions are exceptionally realistic and after I got my hands on a Dualshock 3, rumble has finally made its glorious return to the Playstation brand. You can take sides of course, and I would recommend siding with the milita as the PMC's will never recognise you as a friend. Even if you decide early on that you won't take sides, you will find yourself getting dragged into a battle, be it by heavy incoming fire or simply having to press through an enemy defence to get to where you want to. This option of participating at will adds well to the replay value of the game.

One of the biggest new features to the game is Drebin points. After meeting him early on in Act 1, he offers to sell you unlocked AI weapons in return for collecting weapons for him on the battlefield. This system works exceptionally well, then allowing you to purchase upgrades for your current weapons or buy new weapons altogether. There are other features in the game where you gain Drebin points such as destroying a Gekko. At the end of each Act you are given an assessment of your performance and are awarded DP accordingly. Cleverly, the developers have this assessment system reward those players more who tried to play stealthily, thus giving new and old players to the series an incentive to play the game in the true manner of the genre.

Without giving the story away, I will say that it is simply fantastic. The resolution of issues raised in its predecessors aswell as its own gripping plot gives Guns of the Patriots a huge edge story wise over many games this generation. The addition of flashbacks triggered by the X button (and awarded with Drebin points) helps add to the interest in the cut-scenes, aswell as the interesting First Person easter eggs added to the game.... getting a look down Naomi's top anyone??? The inclusion of split screen action, where the player is playing in one half of the screen and other characters are shown in a cut-scene in the other half adds to the drama and emotion of the events in which they're used.

Whilst Act 1 and 2 are mastercrafts in game design, the change of pace in Act 3 is (for me anyway) a good thing. The recreation of Prague (I think) is excellent, and there's something very satisfying about the whole Act, especially the action sequence in the second half and arguably one of the most amazing cut-scenes I've ever seen. Act 4 is a trip down nostalgia lane for vetern gamers like myself. Whilst not as intense as Act 1 or 2, it is by no means a walk in the park, with Gekko crawling the place - which is in fact the first time you have to mandatorily fight the bleeding things on foot! And the conclusion of Act 4 is highly satisfying for anyone who has been with the series since MGS1 in 98. The sequence of events in Act 5 is what sets this game out from any others, I don't want to spoil it, but it is easily one of the most incredible moments in video gaming history. And finally the Epilogue....nah, I can't say anything, you have to see it, plain and simple.

What can I say about the sound and music? Flawless, not one bit of the game feels empty, each theme fitting each situation exceptionally well. Harry and co have done wonders for the series and his inclusion in the team since MGS2 stands as another notch in Kojima's already porous belt.

The Boss Battles, whilst not necessarily as difficult as others in the series, though Screaming Mantis was a right pain in the arse for a while, are also very satisfying. The final boss fight, though not a marvel of technology or gaming, still manages to pull of an incredible sense of emotion, nostalgia, pride and joy. The inclusion of Metal Gear Online is also an excellent bonus to this already bursting package. I haven't played enough to comment.

Kojima still hasn't lost his edge for adding unlockables and encouraging multiple playthroughs. With more things to unlock via skilled play through of the game and purchase from Drebin's shop than I can count, you simply won't unlock everything on your second playthrough. The inclusion of some very niffty easter eggs (jiggling Rose's breasts by shaking the SIXAXIS controller) is just one of many things that bring you back to the game looking out for things you might've missed on the first playthrough.

As a closing comment, Kojima and his team has created a masterpiece of gaming prowess, and it was no understatement when he said people will be talking about the ending for years to come. I've said in the past that all Metal Gear games are an experience, and that hasn't changed here. When a game is so powerful and emotional that it can bring a few tears to my eyes in its closing moments, you know you have a winner. When you finish the game you truly feel a sense of satisfaction at knowing you've experienced something that has been 20 years in the making. As for Snake? Well, you'll have to play and see....

Farewell my friend, you've earned your rest.

Graphics: 10

Gameplay: 10

Sound: 10

Longevity: 10

Presentation: 10

Extras/Unlockables: 10

Overall: 10

~The Damo

AVGN - Star Trek

2008-06-11T21:08:00.002+01:00

A video that has been in the works for some time, the Nerd takes an official look at the world phenomenon that is Star Trek. Can you guess what he thinks of the games? I can, and I only need to make one!

Whatever about the quality of the games and such, the special effects in the video are rather good! And I must say I'm rather impressed at how well the Nerd pulls off some Star Trek jargon.

Enjoy:

~The Damo

Metal Gear Solid 4 Review Compilation

2008-06-11T19:18:00.005+01:00

As promised, I've been searching for a list of all MGS4 reviews to date and courtesy of N4G.com and Gamestats.com I have the below summary:

9.9/10 IGN UK REVIEW
8/10 EUROGAMER
10/10 MERISTATION.COM
5/5 OFFICIAL PLAYSTATION MAG REVIEW
95% PSM3 UK REVIEW
97% GAMEMASTER
8/10 EDGE REVIEW
10/10 OFFICIAL US PLAYSTATION MAG
10/10 OFFICIAL UK PLAYSTATION MAG
10/10 OFFICIAL ITALY PLAYSTATION MAG
9.6/10 OFFICIAL DUTCH PLAYSTATION MAG
10/10 LEVEL (SWEDEN)
19/20 JOYPAD (FRANCE)
9.7/10 CHIEF (BELGIUM)
9.6/10 HOBBY CONSOLAS (SPAIN)
9/10 HARDGAME2
97/100 GAMEMASTER
10/10 PTOM (USA)
9.5/10 PLAYFRANCE
9.6/10 PSW
9/10 GAMEREACTOR
9/10 JEUXVIDEO
10/10 PLAYSTATION BEYOND
9.5/10 MAXI CONSOLES (PORTUGAL)
10/10 EMPIRE ONLINE
10/10 PELAAJA MAGAZINE #6
99.5/10 IGN AUSTRALIA
5/5 PS MANIA 3.0
9.5/10 GAME REPUBLIC
10/10 PSM
97/100 PLAY GENERATION
10/10 PLAYR TV UK
5/5 TTP
9/10 SPANISH ELITE GAMER

NOTE: a lot of reviews are yet to come (IGN US, Gametrailers, Gamespot, etc) following the Konami Review Restrictions and will only become available post June 12th.

Plan for tomorrow: get to Smyths by 10am, vote, play MGS, play MGO, play MGS again, play MGO, etc, etc, etc. Yes, I know I have no life!

~The Damo

Metal Gear Solid 4 - Preview: Gameplay & Features

2008-06-10T13:28:00.004+01:00

Here's the last part of my MGS4 preview detailing new gameplay mechanics and features. Being the first Metal Gear game on the PS3, Kojima and his team have the added bonus of being able to rework the Metal Gear engine used in previous games. With greater processing ability and larger disk space on the 50GB Blu-Ray, Kojima has been able to cram MGS4 with enhanced controls, more levels and more features than ever before!

First and foremost, MGS4 is the first 50GB game for the PS3. In fact, that kinda makes it one of the biggest games ever (file size) if not the biggest. This space has allowed Kojima to split the game into 5 episodes/locations. This is a first for a Metal Gear game, as previously they have all revolved in the one part of the world. So far we know MGS4 takes place in the Middle East, South America, Alaska, a city in Eastern Europe (looks like Prague) and a.n. other location. This has meant that the styles of gameplay for each location will likely be different too.

From what I have seen, the controls have been hugely refined, with L1 moving to the over-the-shoulder aim and R1 being the fire button. SIXAXIS control has been implemented to allow the game to be played as an FPS (First Person Shooter) and the right analog stick now controls the full 360 camera. Additionally, the Triangle button now seems to focus on more actions than ever, including moving over objects, pressing against surfaces, playing dead, CQC, first person view amongst other things. Square's only function seems to be toggling auto-aim on or off whilst I imagine Circle will still deal with punches and kicks. The X button has gotten an overhaul as well, where now you have to hold x to lie down rather than the classic 3 taps system.

MGS4 is the first in the series which makes stealth an option rather than a necessity. Whilst I reckon I will still play it as a stealth game as I am accustomed to, the option of playing it in a very different manner - i.e. guns blazing - opens the game up to huge replayability.

New features in the game include:

Over 70 weapons, all of which are customisable from front grips to laser sites and scopes, to grenade launcher attachments and flashlight additions. That's more weapons than any game to date!
A new camoflauge system with Snake's Octocamo suit. Pressing up against a surface, the suit will adapt to match its texture, making Snake virtually invisible to the naked eye. With this Snake can also wear an Octocamo mask which will have also have predetermined patterns, one of which is "Young Snake"...
The Solid Eye is another of Snake's new toys which acts as an advanced sensor for the map, binoculars, thermo vision and night vision.
The MkII is a little drone built by Otacon to assist Snake. It can be used for reconaissance to stun enemies and gather enemies' weapons.
The Drum can replaces the old cardboard box, it can deflect bullets and Snake can use it to make rolling attacks.
The Threat Ring is a new sense for Snake which indicates the location and proximity of nearby enemies.
The in-game iPod is used to play music tracks which can be found throughout the game.
The Stress gauge represents the effect the battle is having on Snake. When peaked at 100% he will temporarily hit all targets with absolute accuracy before collapsing.
The Psyche gauge linked to the Stress gauge influences Snake's ability to heal and relax and aim correctly amongst other things yet to be revealed.
Interactive cut-scenes when activated following on-screen prompts will trigger flashbacks to previous scenes from the Metal Gear games before it.
Re-gain energy drinks to boost stamina.
A hidden costume of Altair from Assassin's Creed for Snake unlocked by doing something "very special".
A new codec screen which lets you rewind in case you missed any important points.
Drebin points allows you to buy new weapons and upgrades. The system adds to replayability as we know already that there are certain weapons that won't be available on first or second play throughs.

There's probably a tonne more but that's all I know from what I've read without dipping into any spoilers. And of course there's Metal Gear Online aswell but I don't know enough about that to comment.

That's it for now, tomorrow I'll post up all the review scores and remarks made by credited reviewers.

~The Damo