My Week Off

I'm really lucky on this blog. Lovely people visit it and leave comments on it even though I don't update it regularly, write bollocks and post music that they don't like. Last week I promised that I'd get posting and that those posts would be worthy of reading.

Well it's a week later, I've added nothing to the blog and there is nothing worth reading. I've drunk every night this week and then spent a large part of the week in bed (I do believe I have to catch up after seven weeks of eighteen hour days though...)

It's been a great week though, I've thoroughly enjoyed myself! I've played lots of games, watched some excellent films and television and spent quality time with friends and family! I've eaten out twice, been to the pub twice, watched Ricky Hatton (Manchester boxer) triumph in his home coming fight and got very romantic with Mrs. K.

So firstly, the films! Well I'll only tell you about two, but what stellar films they are...

Number one: Blade Runner. Based on the novel "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?", Blade Runner is the epic film from director Ridley Scott, starring Harrison Ford as a 'Blade Runner', a specialist cop in 2019 LA, whose job it is to 'retire' killer robots known as 'replicants', virtually indistinguishable from humans. The plot of the film is sublime, but is eclipsed by the cinematography, soundtrack and above all the vision of a future metropolis, all hover cars, giant moving billboards, decaying art deco buildings, a very Japan influenced America and techno punks. Subtle references to the present such as product placement (especially Atari! - how wrong they were!!!) antiquated American gas guzzlers and even the Hare Krishnas jostling down the street make it so cool. 10/10!

Secondly: Twelve Monkeys. It's hard to know where to start with this time travelling, mind bending, paranoid psychosis inducing epic, but it's a trip and no mistake... Directed by Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame) and featuring stunning performances from Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, the film tells of an apocalyptic future where five billion people have been wiped out by a virus spread by the mysterious 'Army Of The Twelve Monkeys'.

Bruce is sent back in time to find information on the army and get a sample of the virus before it mutates. Of course when he arrives in the past,spouting his futuristic babble, he's slammed straight in the nuthouse. This is where he meets Brad Pitt, who gives an Oscar deserving performance as a well erm... loon. If I wrote all night I couldn't explain it, so have a look at this lovely wikipedia page.

In terms of TV, I caught loads of episodes of my favourite TV shows, Everybody Loves Raymond, Malcolm In The Middle, South Park, Family Guy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Futurama, Simpsons, Maury Povitch and Jerry Springer. YES! I love trash TV!!!

Games? Hmmm... Since you asked, it goes like this... After a late birthday present (cash) from my parents I was able to buy myself the following games...

1.) Dead Rising- Capcom produced zombie-fest loosely based on George A. Romero's 'Dawn Of The Dead'. The game is great looking and although I've not played that far into it, it looks great.

What's not to like about a mall full of zombies with '72 hours' to waste them and uncover whatever it was that caused the outbreak? Wanna know more? Look here...

2.) Dead Or Alive 4 - Originally this title raised it's head on the Saturn and provided a great alternative to Virtua Fighter. It was a solid fighting game that introduced brilliant characters, all American stereotype's who speak pure Japanese! The size of the female protagonist's breasts (huge) was a bonus (huge!!!), as was the destructible environments and two tier fighting arenas. The current gen incarnation rocks and at only £10 represents my best purchase!

3.) Viking- Battle For Asgard. Hmm.. This Sega produced opus has stunning graphics, an amazing musical score and a huge free roaming environment. But it hasn't grabbed me yet. However, it got the thumbs up from my Portugese homie Nebacha and I trust his opinion totally, so I'll wait for it to 'grab me by the booboo!!'

Talking of Nebacha and great gaming, today saw the second clash between myself and Nuno on VF5 online. This time it was pretty evenly matched! We showed up as Kage (me) and Akira (Nebacha) and we'd both gone to the trouble of donning new costumes! LOL!

It became a 'family affair' when I said hello to Nebacha's mum over headphones and Nuno played VF5 with my youngest son Ted!

So there you have it!! A great week and hopefully a post of some substance! Now all I need to do is get me and BJ playing VF5 online and post some more music you don't like and my work here is done!!!! Peace out my brothers!!!!

Tattoo You

I'm feeling lazy about posting at the moment, I've got one day left in my school before the half term break and the kids and head teacher are doing my head in. Consequently, I've only had one night this week without drinking and my posting skills are depleted.

So, I'll post some video of the awesome Wii title, Ghost Squad and the stellar Sega Superstars Tennis for the DS, my two newest games. Oh and since I'm feeling lots of Sega love, here's a rather lovely Sonic tattoo pinched off the awesome UK Resistance. Now I've promised myself that my next tattoo will be Sega related tattoo, but I'm not sure I'll go this far. Why not nip over to UKR right now? They've also printed two pictures I sent them, which I'm rather thrilled about.

I've got nine days off, so I'll promise more posts and make them good ones for a change! Cheers!

Duffy... Warwick Avenue

Yet more proof that the UK has far more talent than drug addled Amy Whinewhore, here's Duffy. She's Welsh too! Come on!

Sweet About Me

This has to be my favourite tune of the moment. If any proof was needed that we don't need that skanky crack ho 'Amy Shithouse' for good music, then this is it. Listen and enjoy.

Clash Of The Titans...

(this is just a re-hash of a post I did on the Saturn Junkyard, but I figured there are a couple of people here that would never see it over there, so here it is...)

Well, it had to happen sooner or later! At last, me and Nebacha have finally met on Xbox Live to battle it out in Virtua Fighter 5. Ladies and gentlemen... In the Blue corner, representing the nation of Portugal and fighting as Akira we have the mighty Nebachadnezzar! In the Red corner, representing the United Kingdom and fighting as Kage we have the old and slightly knackered Father Krishna!

After five fights (each bout the best of three) the results were... Father 4 - Nebacha 1! It was a great laugh, and the best part was getting to talk to my good friend Nebacha at last. The only snag for both of us was a horrible lag on the game, making the fighters movements incredibly jerky and also making conversation difficult. Still we had our first online exchange and I hope there will be many more.

It was a total novelty for me to win, as I usually get my ass kicked in online battles with VF5 experts and I enjoyed the feeling of victory...

In the end I had to call a halt to the battle, as Mrs. K had got my dinner ready. Not very Ninja-like I know, but hey! You don't cross Mrs. K when she's been slaving over a hot stove all evening! LOL!

The fights went pretty much like the one above, just without the fancy costumes or fancy moves. Maybe one day we'll have the technology to film one of our battles and get it up on the SJY... We could even have a weekly league!

Hello To Halo...

Having sons can be very beneficial to an old Father. My youngest, Little Ted has just got into console gaming. Before now, he was very much into his World Of Warcraft. But having completed COD 4, he's decided he wants to explore the world of Halo 3, having played it at a friends. He's been doing chores all week to 'earn' enough credit with his dad, for me to buy him a copy.

So we went to Game today to get him a pre-owned copy, for the not too shabby price of £14.99. In return he gave me a £15 voucher for HMV that he received for Christmas off his uncle. So in a sense, I paid nothing for it. I've had him doing housework, I've got a voucher that I can use to buy music, games or DVDs and I've got a copy of Halo 3 which I can play myself! Happy days!

So far this year, between the family, we've got every significant 360 title... Bioshock, Gears Of War, Mass Effect, GTA4 and now Halo 3. Considering this time last year I only had my Saturn, Dreamcasts and PS2 to game on, I've slipped into the current gen pretty well.

I'm still in love with No More Heroes on the Wii at the moment. The game just goes from strength to strength. Within the game is a mini-game, a rather lovely shmup by the name

of 'Pure White Giant Glastonbury' which you can play at any time simply by turning on the TV at Travis's appartment! This is an unlockable feature that you can access as you progress through the game... My progress is tootling along nicely and I'm now the number 3 ranked assassin in Santa Destroy! I urge you to find a means of playing this stellar game by hook or by crook! In the mean time enjoy this video from the game by imaginary Santa Destroy favourites, the Genki Rockets.

Lovely Resident Evil Bundle... 'Resident Evil Essentials'

For those of you who own a PS2 or comapatable PS3 and are lucky enough to live in the US, our good friends at Capcom have got a nice little present for you! For less than thirty bucks you can pick up this lovely Resident Evil bundle. The game pack contains two of my favourite ever games: RE:CV and RE4. OK RE: Outbreak wasn't quite so great (I've never completed it, but do own it) but the other two are classics...

Here's what you get for your money...

Available Platforms:Playstation®2

Resident Evil® Outbreak: The outbreak has begun. You have only moments to spare before Raccoon City erupts into complete virus-infested chaos. Play as one of the eight survivors, online cooperatively or offline, against crushing zombie hordes!

Resident Evil® Code Veronica® X:Welcome to Rockfort Island, private isle of Umbrella Corp and home to the beauteous Spencer Mansion and Ashford Family Palace. Too bad the inhabitants aren't very hospitable...

Resident Evil® 4 Take the role of Leon S. Kennedy as he investigates the abduction of the President’s daughter, leading him to a mysterious European location where unimaginable horrors await!

Not bad eh? I'd definitely pick this up if I were you!

Just For Deitrix... A Gayer Video Than The Last One...

When my good friend Deitrix throws down the (leather) gauntlet like that, I just have to find him something gayer... And here it is! I absolutely love this band and this tune! I used to play it all the time in the car to my kidz. When the music died down to the ultimate lull, I'd shout to them "Have you had enough? Or do you want some more?!!" They'd always reply, "More!"

Then I'd rock their world with more homo-erotic rock. Between that and allowing them to play Grand Theft Auto from an early age, I guess my parenting skills would register under 'dubious'...

LOL! Enjoy!

They Don't Really Care About Us...

I (along with Junlee) love the damaged, former superstar, that is Michael Jackson. I thought I owned and had seen everything he had ever produced... I just 'Youtubed' one of my favourite MJ tracks and found this! I've never seen this, but considering that Mike obviously equated his (not necessarily) unfounded police investigations into his questionable lifestyle, with the plight of the disproportionate amount of black males incarcerated in the US is further proof of his self delusion... Discuss!

Just in case Mike is a regular reader of FK's Wiikly sermons, I've got a message for him... Mike, I love you, get yo' shit together rapid!!!

No More Heroes Review & Trailer

No More Heroes

You can't seem to go anywhere in the blogosphere at the moment without people getting all hot under the collar about GTA IV. Personally, I just can't get excited by it. On Saturday I bought 'No More Heroes', the universally acclaimed cell shaded oddyssey of anti-hero, wannabe assassin and cyber punk, Travis Touchdown. This highly original game (described in N-Gamer, -where it acheived a stellar rating of 94%- as "a love letter to gamers") has all the killing, sassy chicks and riding around the city that I need. I can honestly say that this game holds TONS more appeal for me than GTA IV and I will not be in any rush to go out and buy Rockstar's trump card for 2008... (Cue derisory comments from Funnyman... and yes, as far as I know you cannot have sex in this game...)

Having said that, I'm also totally sucked into the world of the Gamecube Resident Evil remake, so I'm having to divide my time between the two. But for the first time in a long time, the Wii is satisfying all my gaming needs and the 360 has been somewhat left behind.

Dizee Rascal - Uniquely British

I'm just watching documentary on Dizee (a very successful British MC) touring Austin Texas. It's so obvious that Americans don't get him or UK hip hop in general. But we swallow up even the shittest of US rap and don't ever spit! (OOOOH!) LOL!

So I present Mr. Dizee and my favourite UK MC, the legendary Skinnyman! 'Enjoy!'

Umbrella Chronicles Review

Resident Evil 0 (Wii edition)

As you might have guessed, I'm having my usual Resident Evil enthusiasm period. This happens about once every two months and I get all giddy for anything Resident Evil. Right now I'm praying that the Wii edition of RE Zero (originally brought out to mixed reviews on the Gamecube) becomes a European release as well as a Japanese one.

The Wii edition of RE4 made a great game even better. If this title gets a PAL release, I'd snap it up in a heartbeat. If not, I'm already determined to secure it's Gamecube edition. Anyone out there played it? My only experience of it is the RE Zero section of Umbrella Chronicles and I liked it pretty well!

Billy Cohen? Your Wii destiny awaits!

Resident Evil Remake (GameCube)

Having just about run out of steam on Half Life (I'm about 4/7 of the way through), I needed a break. I do intend to come back to it at some point and will keep a Dreamcast VMU dedicated to it, but sheesh! it's become a grind!

Looking through my "bought but not played" pile of games (not an unsubstantial horde, you understand...) I found the RE remake for the Gamecube. On popping it into the Wii, I was stunned by it's gorgeous graphical representation of environments I'd only ever experienced on the DS - a direct port of the Saturn/PSX version.

Now this could have been partly due to the fact, that for all it's innovation and originality, Half Life on the Dreamcast is no looker! Resident Evil GC on the other and is sumptuous. Now I've played through the DS version this year (my best ever handheld experience) so I know the plot inside out. But there are a lot of twists, variations and expansions to keep those who played the original, more than satisfied. The main variation is that zombies you have dispatched will come back later in the game, twice as fast and fucking scary, unless you blow their heads off or set them on fire! (nice!)

Now, I'm not garanteeing I'll finish this, Resident Evil games have a habit of making me cry, and I'm still stuck on the last boss in UmbrellaChronicles. But for now I'm loving it!

BTW it's really interesting to see how much of RE:GC has been recycled (very sucessfully) in Umbrella Chronicles - character models, environments etc.

I'll let you know how I get on!

This One's For Junlee...

The Age Of Innocence Has Gone...

As I came home from work tonight and walked through the door, I could hear the familiar sounds of 'Call Of Duty 4' eminating from the living room. Expecting to see one of my older sons battling the virtual-Russian horde, or wasting the cyber-Arab militia, I was somewhat aghast to see little Ted, my youngest Ginger, sat with his eyes literally watering from squinting into his scope, nerves on edge and hanging on the every word of Captain Price...

But hang on dear readers! Little Ted is only 10! (and a child like soul with no pretensions of approaching adolescence) He likes Dr. Who, Pokemon, Ben 10 and so on... His gaming preference is World Of Warcraft (about four hours a day for the last four months) and the only 360 game he owns is Viva Pinata. He's even got Nintendogs for Christ's sake!

But sure enough, there he was kicking ass like a good'un! He can really play the game and is sweeping through the missions from checkpoint to checkpoint. I guess he's finally growing up!

Lord knows he's been exposed to the game enough. Since Christmas, his brother Mart is on the Xbox, playing online death matches at every opportunity.

I guess the influence of his older siblings has finally filtered through. I'm kind of proud of his gaming ability and his graduation from the world of blood elves and dwarves, to the blood stained alleys of Chernobyl or wherever the fuck Call Of Duty plays out it's campaigns. But it's also a little bit sad too. He's my baby and he's growing up.

What next? Is he going to be pimping ho's in 'GTA4' or popping a cap in the ass of rancid tramps in 'Condemned 2' ? No...

Now you may be wondering as a parent, what my policy is on censorship and age appropriate games etc. Well, my policy is this... My kids grow up in one of the most gun riddled, gang influenced and fucked up areas of the UK. They've all been mugged (the oldest three times.)

Can playing a game warp their sensibilities or brutalise them? Nope! Whilst playing games, they're inside the house where I know they're safe. They're all good kids with good manners who do well at school/college. Their morals and views on life are well rounded and wholesome. They know a game is a game and that the taking of life or exploitaion of women (in real life) is fundamentally wrong. They are anti-racist, vegetarian, anti-war and tolerant of those who are different. The older boys don't drink, smoke or do drugs and have a healthy scepticism of those who do...

The moral code bestowed on them by me and Mrs. K, play a fundamental part in who they are. A game, movie or gangster rap tune, is never going to rock that foundation. So they are allowed access to all of the above. (The two older boys have seen both Eminem and The Sex Pistols live!!)

I say let them enjoy the fruits of the gaming, movie and music industries, if they are comfortable with it. From what I saw today, Ted is very comfortable with COD4 - despite it's socio-political imperialistic leanings! (He was back on World Of Warcraft as soon as I took over the TV to play Half Life and very pleased to be so...)

And he'll always be my baby ;)

Half Life (Dreamcast)

This game is something of a slow burner, but when it takes off, it really goes with a bang. What an excellent piece of gaming history this is! It's great to be playing on the Dreamcast again, as I never played a FPS on that particular shooter, and I figured my favourite console deserved some love after my Wii and 360 dominated start to the year...

My Dreamcast and Saturn stash...

As you can see from my picture of my recently ordered Dreamcast and Saturn stash, I shouldn't be moaning about lack of games... And Half Life is a brilliant re-introduction to the last generation!

I'm only about a third of the way into it, but I figured I needed to play it before I get my grubby mits ont 'The Orange Box' (yet another title on my wish list.) I'll post more on this when I'm a bit further in (or have completed the game...) For now enjoy the video!

Blacksite Area 51

Well, it seems I've made something of a 'faux pas' in terms of my gaming choices, as I'm currently the above title. My good friend Funnyman, literally slapped himself in the face, he was so horrified!

As the title suggests, this is an alien based FPS, with a fairly flimsy backstory...

OK, what are my impressions? Well, I haven't found it too bad so far, and I have to say I like the mixture of driving and shooting... Alright, I'll admit that there are a lot of flaws. The graphics are sub-standard for a start... Umbrella Chronicles for the Wii and even games like God Of WarII and RE4 on the PS2 are far superior. There are some really jarring glitches, like guns floating in mid air once they've been discarded and an inconsistency in objects that break when shot.

But as it goes, I've played far worse. I'm wavering as to whether I should complete it now. I want to totally reorganise my games collection and trade a few titles in so I can buy No More Heroes for the Wii and Call Of Duty 4 for the DS...

So, we'll just see, I'm not abandoning it yet. What do you think dear friends, should I take dear Funnyman's advice and trade it in? It'll take me a while to sort out my games, which I might do over the weekend. So I'll hold fire for now and play through for another few days. I've got a bit of a reputation for enjoying games other's have panned... (Red Steel and Blue Stinger spring to mind...) As usual, here's some links!

Blacksite Area 51 Official Site

Blacksite@IGN

Blacksite@Wikipedia

Give A Little Love Original...

And if you don't remember the original, shame on you! I saw this at the pictures like, thirty years ago! I wanted to live in Bugsy's world!

Once again, enjoy!!!

Coke GTA Commercial...

Sometimes commercials show a stroke of genius. This one inspired by Rockstar's GTA franchise and employing a great feel-good songfrom the classic kid's movie Bugsy Malone demonstrates such commercial goodness! Enjoy!

This One Is For Elderly...

Words (or indeed music) can't express how much I miss dear Elderly... hope this goes some way to displaying my love.

Love you dude, please come back to us!

Big Pimpin' (Cyprus Style!)

This is the first official pic of your's truly in Cyprus. Yes, I know I'm in my 'best man' suit, but I couldn't help feeling a little pimplicious in that get up... Should I turn my attention away from teaching kids and start pimping ho's?

Answers on a postcard please! LOL! =D

Call Of Duty4:Modern Warfare

Well, it was somewhat inevitable wasn't it? In a household where COD4 is played online at every hour of the day by gaming ginger-ninja big Mart, I was eventually going to give in and be lured into the world of 'Soap McTavish' and Captain Price...

And after a week of non-gaming in Cyprus, I needed a big dose of videogame fun to satiate my needs... And so it was that Call Of Duty4 was the game I plunged into on my return from the Med's most beautiful of islands.



What can I say? This game is an essential 360 experience! The graphics are stunning, the environments brutally realistic and the gameplay sublime. I've never played a 'war-game' before, but I've loved it!



Of course, there is a certain moral dilemma in deriving pleasure from the horror of war. This is not the same as destroying the Locust Horde in Gears Of War. The game's main antagonists are Eastern Europeans and Arabs. You (of course) represent the 'forces of good' i.e. UK and the US of A. But in real life, their campaigns in the real world, largely impacting on civillians, are less than morally acceptable. Is this Western morality propoganda disguised as gaming?




Still, if you can put your moral high-ground on hold (and I managed to do just that) this game is a great piece of escapism. The ammo and weaponry are abundant and the health gauge forgiving. The auto-save system allows you to progress through the game with ease and I found myself completing all the missions in a few hours. Bonus!!! I love the games I have played on the 360 recently. Bioshock, Gears Of war and COD4:MW are all easily achieveable, not time consuming and represent a realistic proposition in terms of my available gaming window of opportunity. That is, I can play them in the snatches of time avilable to me in the Krishna household.


I've not forgotten the Wii during this time, however. I've been playing Umbrella Chronicles in my down time and I'm in love! I'm stuck on the final boss, but I play it every day in the hopes I can bring the game to it's conclusion! This game is indeed THE best gaming experience I've had since playing Bioshock back in January...



I've also enjoyed a little DS magic by playing Need For Speed Carbon: Own The Streets, Resident Evil DS and my new discovery, Brothers In Arms DS. Handheld gaming never felt so good! Here's some links!


Call Of Duty 4:Modern Warfare
Umbrella Chronicles
Brothers In Arms DS

Ali G

I'm back from Cyprus...

Wow! What a trip! Cyprus was amazing! Firstly may I say, just breaking the confines of the UK was amazing! Getting on a plane and heading for an unknown destination was a trip indeed!

So me and Mrs. K headed off to Cyprus without knowing a thing about it!

First of all, let's place it on the map! I thought it was in Greece, but it turns out this idyllic holiday isle is nearer to Iraq, Israel, Egypt and Syria! Surely that's an advert for getting to know more about the world!

Number one, it was great to head off to warmer climes, and hitting the mediterranean climate in March was fun! We're talking sun! Warmth! T-Shirts and shorts!

Despite being a million miles away, Cyprus is very English! They drive on the same side of the road, have just given up the pound, and even have the same electric hook up! But that's where the similarity stops...

The place is a historic and mythical goldmine! I went up 'Mount Olympus', saw the 'birthplace of Aphrodite' and gazed on many a Roman mosaic while I was there... Truly inspiring!

The Cypriot people are fabulous and the welcome was amazing... If you want to know more look here...

Suffice to say the holiday was amazing, and to be best man at my best friend's weding was an honour indeed.

Now back to videogames and television, I knew there was a reason for me being here...

I'm Off To Cyprus

OK peeps! I've advertised it enough. But within ten hours I'll be on a plane to a beautiful Mediterranean Isle. Right now in the UK, we've got snow storms invading the earliest Easter for 100 years. OK, I'll miss all that. I'm going to be best man at my best friends wedding... I HAVE to spend a week in Cyprus, whilst the Gingers are tucked away with Grandparents back in the UK.

I've got the PSP and the DS to keep me gaming, but maybe the lure of a foreign country and my best friends wedding, will keep me amused...

I'm a little phased, I don't have opportunities like this thrown my way too often!

Still, thanks to the wonder of the inter-web, I'll be able to keep track of any feedback on my phone! See y'all soon!

Respect Is Due...

I had the honour of meeting and chatting with Joe Strummer, and what a thoroughly nice chap he was. How often do you get the chance to meet and spend some time with one of your idols?
I managed to do this twice! It's great to see a bunch of megastars paying tribute to this legend, and I think they managed to pay him a fitting musical tribute... Enjoy Elvis Costello, Little Steven, Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen sending him off in a very fitting way...

God speed Joe!

Tony Sings The Clash...

The Clash Says It All...

A Perhaps Uncharacteristic Post...

My friends, my brothers...

If you are even nominally religious, perhaps even by virtue of your parent's or even grandparent's religion, Jew, Christian or Muslim, we all 'worship' the same God.

The 'big daddy' in the sky, Jehova (or whatever you want to call Him) is the same God to all of us!

Abraham is Ibrahim, Joseph is Yusuf, Mary is Maryam, Gabriel is Jibril, Isaac is Ishaq, and so on...

We all have so much more in common, than we do have differences...

I personally respect all religions equally, and have my doubts about all of them!

Personally, the infinitely non-religious Mr. David Icke, is where I'm placing my bets... For all of those humans that have pointed us in the right direction, I'll put my money on him! LOL!

Maybe, like me and Gnome, you hold the belief that religion is one of the opiates for the masses... It distracts us from the evil workings of those (governments) that subjugate us, and make us rely on salvation from a higher being, to placate our questioning... However, to allow yourself to be deluded by a 'schism', makes you part of the problem...

Love is all you need!

I'll reflect on this, as I soak up the Cyprus sun and play my DS. I'll be back to peddle more shit in a week or so...

Jigger, Macca and Linkin...

And finally I'm off to Cyprus for a week, so I'll leave you with this...

No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn...

Walk This Way...

Metal and Rap... Surely the greatest of all combinations?

My way or the highway...

Break Stuff...

Limp Bizkit

More metal-ish stuff...

Kickapoo

If you're lacking a connection to the metal type vibe, let this be your inspiration...

Mike Strutter... Need I say more...

Me and the Wii are friends again...

Well this is supposed to be the Wii-kly Sermons isn't it? I've shared my thoughts on the 360 (Bioshock and Gears Of War), the PS2 (God Of War) music and films this year, but have I mentioned the Wii? No...

You see me and the Wii fell out, around the time I got the Wii Zapper whilst it was great for playing Link's Crossbow Training (which even got Mrs. K hooked...) it was diabolical for playing Umbrella Chronicles... Using the Zapper made shooting and QTEs very unrewarding, and thus progress was difficult. I stalled on the game, started playing the PS2 and then forgot about the Wii when the 360 entered the house...

Then I got down right cranky about Umbrella Chronicles, gave it a couple of re-tries and then decided I might even trade it in, and I hadn't even finished the second level.

Then I tried it co-op with my best friend, but then made the mistake of BOTH using the Zapper!

it was fun until we had to shake them about for a QTE and then that was it! They didn't respond, I 'spat my dummy' (an old English phrase meaning I spat out my pacifier in a tantrum) and that was it! Both the Wii and Umbrella Chronicles were finished for me! Harumph!

However, flushed with the success of beating Gears, I decided to give UC another try using the Wiimote and Nunchuck. TADA!!!! Revelation!!!! I've completed two levels and two sub-levels in two nights! As well as playing through the original Resident Evil level, I've unlocked two secret wesker levels that I kicked ass on as well.

Those of you who are aware of my gaming tendencies will know a few facts... I love Resident Evil. It makes me cry tears of rage at really difficult points. I'm a fickle bastard.

So now you'll be unsurprised to know I've come full circle and Umbrella Chronicles is now my new favourite game! the controls are just right, the unlockables and cut scenes fill in a lot of the blanks in the Umbrella Chronicles. The graphics are fabulous and one in the eye for anyone who says the Wii's capabilities are sub-par. I see them as good as Gears or Bioshock... (but then again aren't God Of War's???)

I won't offer any proper sort of review... many people have already done a better job (including J's excellent review.)

I'll just offer the usual screenshots and video, plus the following lovely links! I love you Nintendo Wii! I love you Umbrella Chronicles! I love you world!!!

Umbrella Chronicles Official Site

Umbrella Chronicles Wikipedia

Umbrella Chronicles IGN

Here We Go Again...

Bloody machines! No sooner do we get the laptop, than the sodding keyboard on the PC goes on the blink! Bastard! Still, there's always the XBox...

Oh yeah, I forgot! I just got to the bloody boss on the final chapter... Cue crying, gnashing of teeth and many, many swear words. Yep, I've played through the game (on casual I admit) without recoursing to a walkthrough, or getting my middle son, Marty, to play the hard parts for me.

Then all of a sudden I'm fucked! I've tried and tried to beat him, I really have, but he just keeps kicking my sorry ass. Oh Lord! Why God, why???

Now I don't want it to be too easy, like the final boss in Bioshock was, but then again, I'm ready to move on... Games to play, people to see, you know the score... So what do I do then? I either get pecked to death by Kryll or shot to pieces by Mr. Badass. Ho hum... Maybe I'll just leave it and start Call of Duty 4...

Room 1408

Well here I am again, still plugging away through GOW (I've just uploaded a large map showing a honeycomb of locust tunnels from my old house, and am currently trying to get to a train, if you know the game...)

My blogging output has reached an all time low recently, as has my visiting and commenting on other blogs! All this should change soon as the competition to get on the computer at my house has recently been reduced due to the addition of a shiny new laptop courtesy of AOL.

Yes I know it is probably the WORST IP known to man, but a recent deal by the company, sees signing up for another two years rewarded by a Hewlett Packard laptop, an offer I couldn't resist!

So you know what my gaming habits have been lately, but what of my movie watching? Well apart from a Matrix weekend at my caravan in Wales (all three movies plus beer), I've also just seen the excellent 'Room 1408' starring Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack.

This excellent Stephen King yarn sees Cusack playing a paranormal hunting author, staying in and writing about 'haunted' places. He's cynical and disbelieving (desparate for proof of the afterlife since losing his only daughter...)

He then hears about a certain hotel in New York with the titular room, where several guests have met a grizzly fate. Still cynical he attempts to book in, only to be met with a refusal from the hotel manager, (Mr. Jackson...)

So he gets his lawyers on the case to force a booking. The manager begs him not to go in, bribing him with vintage liquor, fine cigars and an insight to just how horribly other unfortunate tenants have met their bitter ends...

But of course, Mr. Cusack ignores these warnings and that's where the 'fun' begins!

The film has a sinister and trippy edge to it, the viewer immediately put in the position of thinking of how they would cope with the trials and tribulations the protagonist experiences within the ghostly room.

The best horror films for me aren't those that overload the viewer with guts and gore, but those that give you pause for thought, weird you out and give you goosebumps!

I can't get enough Stephen King at the moment, I'm onto my third novel 'Needful Things', following on from 'Dreamcatcher' and 'Deadzone'. I love the way he conjures up small town America and slaps a twisted little spin on things.

So there you go, not much news really. I'm off to Cyprus for a week, two weeks today, to be best man for my friend, just me and Mrs. K, no gingers! I guess that's news. I'll try and squeeze in a few posts before I go!

Senser 'The Switch' (For Nebacha)

My dear friend Nebacha has recently opened my eyes to excellent Portugese act, Da Weasel.
They remind me of this lot of punky rappers from the English festival scene a few years back...

See what you think!

Second Gear...

OK I'm completely sucked in by this game it's amazing!!! I'm currently nipping between patches of light to avoid some ravenous crows (or bats or something) on my way to pick up a ride... Those bloody pesky "grubs" keep trying to shoot me and I'm in gaming heaven. I've worked out the weapon system, got the hang of knowing when to take cover and even on how to keep my squad alive and useful!!! SUBLIME!!!

Of course, I haven't got to my usual point of throwing down the controller, crying and proclaiming this the worst game ever, which will inevitably happen when I get stuck, but for now, I'm LOVING IT!!!

God bless you EPIC!!!