The quiet period

As promised,after i hit the 100k mark,Ive started to take it easy on the achievement whoring,circumstances out of my control have also contributed to me not updating my blog for a while,but i have not been totally inactive.
A nice quick game appeared called LEGO:BATMAN......2 1/2 day turnaround for the full 1000 points,although i really do think the LEGO games are getting a bit stale now with this installment not being as fun to play as either the indy or starwars games.There were a few nice touches,and the whole experience was less stressful as the others although not having online co-op is a huge oversight in the current state of the gaming market.
I have also been asked by the guys at gamingladders.eu to have a look at the xbox side of their site and write some reviews and stuff to help the community out.Fear not,i will be keeping this blog in the same capacity as it is now,while providing the guys at gaming ladders with more in depth reviews.
watch this space for fable2 and the might hype machine that is gears of war 2

magic numbers

I finally reached my target today of 100k gamerscore,i couldnt have done it without the help of a lot of people ive been fortunate enough to meet along the way,i wont name names cos i know some of you will get all shy and stuff.
It has been a long haul though,and i will be calming down a bit,I've been hammering the points for a while now and the stresses involved have taken its toll,not to mention the friends ive lost along the way(mainly through clashes of personality and ,my often volatile temperament).
THANK YOU! YOU'RE ALL STARS

Soul calibur 4

I'm not a big fan of beat 'em ups normally,tekken bored me,virtua fighter didnt light my fire and streetfighters just went stale,but the soul caliburs have always been good to me in the past.
I was a bit hesitant in buying the game after being owned online in dead or alive and it wasnt something i wanted to go through again.The achievements looked fair and im just a sucker for games with chicks that have large breasts in.
The game itself is well done,the graphics are sweet and the onus is on fun rather than having to learn every move to get anywhere near finishing it (im lookin at you vf series).
Some of the characters are a challenge to fight against and some are practically useless to take control of,but theres a fighting style for everyone,especialy perverts that like big mammaries.
theres plenty of game modes to keep you occupied although none are anything new to the genre.The game is a must have just so that everyone can have the chance to beat the shit out of that little green b**tard that is yoda.

BIG BIG UPDATE

I have been so busy in trying to beat a friend to 100k gamerscore that ive been somewhat neglecting the blog,but in an attempt to fill you all in ill just briefly note what ive been playing lately.

• Prince caspian (average third person game,controls like a lego starwars game,grafix are ok and in my opinion one of the better movie tie in games=rent)
• wall-e (a really fun game to play,its not going to set your world on fire but it's a real laugh=rent)
• the golden compass (one of the poorer titles ive played in the past few weeks,a bland movie tie in,last gen grafix and a bore to play through =rent)
• Conflict:denied ops (one of the worst games I've played so far.last gen grafix,poor controls,bad achievements and no real depth to the story.Army of Two was better=rent,but only cos its a crime to pay full price for this toss)
• Turning point (better than expected,after the demo i wasnt interested,but im glad i did now,HOWEVER....online is dead=rent)
• Scene it (a movie quiz party game,fun for a bit then frustrating,especially seeing as i dont get chance to watch movies now i have the xbox=buy,just for when you have parties)
• Rock Band (amazing game i just wish i had a drum kit=buy)
• Guitar hero:Aerosmith (the easiest GH game around=rent)

I've probably played a few more,but those are the ones i can remember the most.

Profile hacking alert

just a post to let everyone know that theres another scam going on...yesterday i recieved a message from a friends profile saying that microsoft were having a promotion,and the message contained a link to a site.I'm always up for a promotion so i had a look,and the site was very basic and the home page explained that microsoft was doing poorly in the gaming sector and that as a reward to XBL users they would be giving away either 12 months gold or 1600 points,all you have to do is give them you're email address,gamertag and password (are alarm bells ringin yet?).
i tried to contact the friend and got no reply then his tag went to the account creation tool,which isn't a good sign.
Please be aware of sites like this that ask you for any details,any true microsoft site wouldnt need to ask because of the windows live id button at the top of every legit microsoft site.Also note that if you do fall for one of these scams,it is an absolute bitch to get you're tag back.

LEGO Indiana jones

I could sum this game up in just one sentence........I love this game.
After getting hooked on LEGO star wars,I was waiting anxiously for this to be released and it didn't disappoint.
Although shorter than the star wars complete saga and a lot easier,this game brings gaming back from the stagnant pit of realism and physics engines,all it offers is balls out fun.The main worry was that Force powers would be missed but it's not the case,the game manages fine without it,and there are a lot more character abilities to make up for it.
Most of the cut-scenes are ROFL type funny and the missions are well planned and just playing the game is a joy,this is what gaming should be like.Don't get me wrong realism in gaming has come a long way but this has come at a price,most games take it too far and just getting through them can be a struggle at times,but LEGO indy doesn't rely on any of that,the gameplay fits the visual style,and the games puzzles aren't going to make most of you scratch you're heads,simple "fetch" puzzles and "pull and push" types are frequent.On the odd time i got a little stuck but the game is,in a round about way,logical.
Everyone must play this game,it should be LAW. :)

Lost planet : Colonies

I really didn't see the point of getting a re-released version of an old game that I'd already played,but on recommendation from a friend i gave this a whirl.
It didn't start off too well seeing as my local blockbuster was charging £39.99 for it (its only a classic edition,which everywhere else is selling for around £25).
I bought it anyway as it was the only place that had any copies,but when i got home,i dropped straight into multiplayer and felt a wave of nostalgia hit me.Nothing has been changed,all the maps are here including the bonus DLC maps that were released on the original version,making a hefty 20 maps total.
To tempt buyers that have already played the original,a whole load of new game-types have been added (variations of CTF modes and modes based around the mechs and akrid instead of just elimination matches).And it works.There's enough there for it to keep old players feeling like they're getting a new experience,while new players will be able to experience the game how it should have been originally.
Single player is much the same,and this is reflected by the achievements being sparse for this mode (the bulk being in multiplayer).However new modes have been added to offer a little bit more value for money.The first mode makes you play the boss battles one after the other,and the second lets you go through each campaign mission,with everything that is destructible is given a points value.
Definitely worth a look if you liked the original and should now be reasonably priced (apart from at blockbuster) for people that missed it the first time round.

Racedriver : GRiD

The 360 is definitely not short of racing games to chose from,and the qualities are strewn across a wide spectrum,with GriD sitting at the top end.
graphically its a step up from forza,with better looking tracks,better looking (although there isn't as many).The crash damage is impressive and made a little less painful by the use of the flashback feature,which allows you to rewind time a short moment away from the accident and restart the action rather than having to restart the race.
The race disciplines are varied enough to keep boredom at bay with ranges from track/street racing to a few drift events with different methods of winning,with NFS:carbon style canyon runs thrown in.The only poor event is the destruction derby class,with only 1 car to chose from and not even a handful of tracks (the only ones available are variations of the same track.)
The demo may have put people off with the poor controls,but the full game is a massive departure from what was seen in the demo,each car handles differently and some cars are blisteringly quick to the point of sheer lunacy,many races seeing me cross the finish line with very little of my car left due to the pace and aggressive AI.
The only real downside to this game is that its raced in seasons,with each season ending after 4 events,with a "bonus" opportunity offered to race in the le mans 24 hr race.These races however can be skipped if you just don't fancy it.
A definite must play game.

heres a piccy a few hours later after his second feed....well chuffed :)

heres a pic of kobe.born today at 2 mins past 2 pm.7 pounds and 4 ounces.he gets my goodlooks.

VIKING:battle for Asgard

I had been puttin this off,even though i had heard it was a good game,i just didnt feel like playing it but i decided to bite the bullet and rent it out.
It is a good game.More fun than the Conan game,but much of the same.Its a no-brain hack and slash that has at times repetative missions,but who cares when its so much fun to hack people to bits.Achievements come in a steady stream and none are too difficult to get,although i made the mistake of playing it on normal difficulty first so had to play through again for the last 3 hard difficulty achievements and to be honest it doesnt hold up to multiple playthroughs,once you've seen it all there's nothing new to see.
I would recommend this to anyone wanting some easyish achievements but rent it instead of buying,as its pretty short (5 days for 2 playthroughs).

Condemned 2

Lets cut to the chase shall we?This game is not for the weak hearted,it will scare the pants off you.On numerous occasions i found myself having to feel at the back of my trousers just to make sure I'd not had an accidental release of mammoth proportions.I have played the original and that was at times scary but in a different way,the first game made you feel on edge all the way through and threw little shocks at you throughout the game,however the second game lulls you into a false sense of security,with times of peace and then hits you when you let your guard down.Even on the second playthrough i found myself jumping out my skin a few times.
The single player is brilliant,carrying on after events in the first game,the main protagonist is a broken man,haunted by the events that took place during the first game,this story explains why you are linked to events taking place over both games.Locations are nicely designed but very linear,so don't expect to get lost while playing.Do however expect to be squinting at the screen trying to see a little bit further into the darkness as this game is very very dark,even with the flashlight its often still a struggle to see past your gun.
Multi-player was a disappointment,often laggy,but mostly just dull.variations of your basic match types.There's deathmatch and team deathmatch,which no multi-player game should be without and Crime scene,which is a "capture the flag" type mode where the "flags" are hidden by one team and found by the other,then there's bumrush,which is a cross between deathmatch and teamdeathmatch(where 2 SCU's are pitted against a lot of infected).
Achievements are nicely spread between easy and time consuming,needing at least 2 playthroughs of the single player to gain all the story based achieves,and the there's enough to keep the average person busy for a couple of weeks with the multi player achieves.
In my opinion this is a must play game though,unless of course you have a heart condition or weak bowels.

BULLY:SCHOLARSHIP EDITION

To be honest i wasn't that bothered about playing this game,because of all the reports of bugs and glitches,but i had also heard that there has been a patch released to fix some of the major issues,so i bit the bullet and borrowed it of a mate at work and i really am glad i did.
The rockstar boys really have done a great job of porting this over to the 360 and have created a game that reminds me of the gta series,in the way the missions are set out and the whole feel of the game.Although it plays very similar to the gta games,this one is not as punishing to the gamer,the difficulty is high enough to keep you going but not too difficult to make you throw tantrums.Its not a long game,taking about 30 hours to complete.
The humour is dark but clever and funny,especially the relationships between the rival cliques,but the true genius is the amount of pranks you can pull on people.....I tell you know wedgies do not grow old and throwing bangers in toilets is a must do especially when there is someone in another cubicle.
I hope there will be a sequel to this as i really enjoyed myself playing this and i would rather play another bully than most new games that are out now.

LOST ODYSSEY

This game is huge! hitting you right from opening the box,hitting you with its four discs,its obvious that getting to the end is going to take time,and lots of it.
Cut scenes are plentiful with you not being able to walk 10 minutes without seeing some sort of cutscene or text heavy dream sequence,but these just fill out the main story.the characters are likable and the story is dramatic and often emotional.for the first half of the game the story is on rails but hit the fourth disc and the whole map is open to you.grinding the levels is a must as is the same with most rpg's but certain areas make it easier to level up.
easily passable as a contender for the final fantasy crown and definately the best rpg on the 360.
If you do choose to take this game up,make sure you have plenty of time on you're hands.

RAINBOW SIX VEGAS2

I wasn't even going to bother with this one after seeing videos,mainly because the graphics aint any improvement on the last installment and it didn't look like it was offering anything new,but to my surprise it turns out to be a bigger improvement than it first looks.
single player is easier than the last,although it is short and the new sprint function makes the time spent going through the levels much quicker.theres a few sections where you have to defend a location but none are as hard as the theater section in the first game.The co op function is a lot more functional this time round,although its better to let someone else host if you're going through realistic difficulty for the achievement.
the ranking system is better in my opinion though as exp gained in single player is added to a grand total,so with enough playing you could get to elite without ever touching multiplayer.
A lot of people are unhappy with the multiplayer side of the game,mainly because theres a lot of spawn camping,but to be fair i'm enjoying it in much the same way as i enjoy call of duty 4.
The achievements are glitched though,so the full 1000 is gonna be a little tricky until an update,but don't let this put you off..It is a good game even though it doesn't feel like a new game,and you don't actually spend a lot of time in casino's.

Army of two

one word sums this up.....short.
the campaign is way too short,in a rental period i had completed it 3 times(once on each difficulty)and was left feeling cheated.This is a big disappointment because it is such a good game,the single player can be a bit frustrating mainly because the AI is quite basic,but get a partner in co-op and it s a whole new ball game.working as a team feels natural,the controls are fluid,and the gameplay is a lot more fun than gears of war.The difficulty levels are hard in places but with a decent strategy it doesnt seem too bad and after a few tries at some sections.
If they decide to release a sequel i just hope it lasts a lot longer.
Multiplayer is ok,nothing outstanding,but coupled with the fact that theres not a lot of people playing this online,it all makes a refreshing change to not have to wory about other teams too much cos the objectives are where the money is and theres plenty for everyone.
As soon as there is copies available i will be buying this just because its so fun to play.

LOST:VIA DOMUS

I went out and bought this one mainly because im a big fan of the lost series and from what id seen prior to release looked ok.After 2 sessions id completed the game and was left with a feeling of disappointment,dont get me wrong it a good game but it is way too short.the achievements are easy if you know what to look for,but the puzzles(although only 3 or so types)are quite frustrating at times especially towards the end.It is nice however to play a more sedately paced game after the month or so of frantic cod4 playing.
my advice is to rent this though rather than buy.

Call of duty 4

Yes i know its an old one,but with funds being tight at the moment games are slow coming into my possession.
I have been pleasantly surprised by both the gameplay and graphics.The multiplayer aspect of this game is absolutely cracking,with no achievements to worry about its all down to having.....whats the word?....oh yeah fun!!The unlockable challenges more than make up for it.Game modes are standard fare but solid,and maps are varied enough to cater for everyones taste.
Single player is challenging on the harder difficulties,which leads us to the only bad point of the game which is the very unfair constantly spawning enemies.These were a pain in the other call of duties but in this one it kicks it in to overdrive.
Not one for hardcore boosters but if you want a game thats gonna last some time and have a great time in multiplayer then this is a must have game

All this hate?

Right lets set the records straight,unlike the "quick" list that matty so kindly left in the last post about my achievement whoring,i'll tell you how it is.
i dont lie to people about my gamerscore,or how i got the points,bare in mind that nearly all the people that are/have been on my friends list has helped me boost most of the online achieves,so i wouldnt be able to tell people that i got them all legit now could i?
it is true that i havent done avatar,fusion frenzy,any of the NBA games(apart from street homecourt) or surfs up.
now just run through my list and pick out all the single player only games that i have done myself and got either full points or near enough..........done it?i count 31 games that i have decent points on that i haven't boosted on.
i may have quite a few online achieves but im not bothered by that,why should it bother other people?its because a certain few miss out on boosting sessions,sometimes they even help me get my achievements and then disappear and then blame me because they don't stick around.I will always try and help the people that help me but i dont want to be stretching achievement sessions out over a couple of days,if you want them dont leave the game till you get them...
There are people out there that have played twice as many games and have half my score and even if they turned up to the boosting and got most of the online achieves that everyone else got,it wouldnt matter because they still suck at playing the single player aspect of the games.
I also know someone that calls me now for letting someone recover my tag and do a few games,but that same person used to moan that noone would recover his.....funny that is innit?
I like getting achievements but at the end of the day its my choice,i didnt judge a certain loudmouthed londoner just because he sleeps with men and women so people should just let me get my achieves the way i want,and all the friends that are left on my list are more than welcome to join me for some cod4 action without worrying about achieves.

The dark side

I dont know what it's all about but there seems to be a sudden rise in bad behavior patterns on xbox live recently,I myself have started to get slightly depressed with the whole achievements/gaming lifestyle.Dont get me wrong theres still nothing better than hearing those achievements pop but it seems that some people will stoop to the lowest level to attain them these days.Now usually im more than happy to help people on my friends list get achievements although its not always possible due to me not keeping games for very long,but i'm finding a few people who never seem to want to join rooms especially if they already have the achievements we're going after.I have a small circle of friends who i can rely on for boosting sessions but games are now increasing the amount of players needed to unlock achievements,burnout paradise being one of those.Even though i have plenty of people on my list who have the game,most are reluctant to join when boosting.
All this has led to my decision to start deleting people off my friends list.
I have also been witness to the effects of "achievement envy"where some are so busy trying to catch my gamerscore that they start to see me as the enemy.....I'm not too fussed if people get ahead,I'm even happy to help them on their way,but this also leads to them not wanting to help because they dont want me to get achievements that they have.Please dont take it out on me because you're gaming skills are inadequate enough to get more than 5 points on most game you play though(you know who you are!)
Xbox live is a great social hub for me,it lets me talk to people that i would never even approach let alone talk to if I was to meet them at random in the streets,so i can't understand why some feel the need to be sometimes quite abusive while playing...come on people enrich your lives and show the same respect to your fellow gamers that you would have them do the same,you can always learn something from anybody with a little respect and good manners.

turning point demo

I was really looking forward to this one an despite certain friends telling me it was rubbish.I was willing to give it a fair go,so i downloaded the demo and boy was i dissapointed.buggy graphics and the usual fps gameplay.The 360 is not short of a few fps's so in order to stand out against the likes of cod4 this had to offer somethin more than it does.
In short im not even sure i want the retail version anymore.

The club

Just downloaded the demo of The Cub today.First impressions were not good as i watched through the tutorial video,I found myself thinking "this isn't gonna be one of my types of game".
After playing the 2 single player modes on offer I found myself enjoying it.Now I was only on casual so it was gonna be easy but its also fun,sure the harder difficulties are gonna be nails but hey ho.
the first game type I played was your standard make it to the exit after scoring enough points style,it is fun though and after a few plays familiarity will be key to big combos.
The second was a kill people while doing a set number of laps affair.Now my problem is im not to keen on timed stuff,but The club is generous with extra time pickups and you get an extra 3 secs for poppin a bad guy.
My opinion on this game has already changed in just the short time i spent with this demo.I am however not totally convinced so I'll sit on the fence with this,and will probably rent it out rather than buy it.

Man.....have i been away for a while!!

Yep.xmas has passed,even the new year,its been a while since i last updated and ive been doing quite a lot of kickin ass.....Kane and Lynch crumbled before my gaming awesomeness and to be fair,waqs a better game than i thought it would be.Blacksit also didnt put up much of a struggle,but that also ended up being better than i though it would be.
Yet my crowning glory of achievements is the behemoth that is Mass Effect,its also been a HUGE pain in the ass.The game is huge..split between main story missions and optional sidequests this game has stolen my life away.The achievements come in a slow and steady stream that require multiple playthroughs (i did mine in 8 playthroughs).This is the only major downside to the game,the first 2 plays were good,there were different ways through the story,different options in dialogue were enough to keep the game fresh,even the 3rd play i was still finding stuff that id missed,then things get stale.To eke out the last few achievements is a struggle(and not because theyre hard,cos they aint).but because the ally achievements are a little vague but basically mean you have to complete nearly all the missions available without changing your teammates.around 170 hours of highs and lows...im sure its possible to do it in less time and less tries but i fell foul of not paying attention on my skills then having the whole thing collapse around my ears.
Although it is a brilliant game i'm hoping that no extra achievements are added to it,i would rather wait for the next game thank you.