Resident Evil Degeneration

Anything with a 'Resident Evil' prefix on it is guaranteed to find me reaching into my pocket. When I saw clips of the CGI movie 'Degeneration' on the Internet, I couldn't wait to see it. Avoiding cinemas and shipping straight to DVD, the film cost me about £15. Unsurprisingly, this is a fan-only movie. Despite the CGI being immaculate, the film never feels just like a movie*, it feels like a massive RE cut-scene all the way through.



Now that actually is not a bad thing for me. I love finding out more and more about the machinations of Umbrella, I love the cut scenes that tie together the plot lines of all Resident Evil games. I'm also constantly impressed at how good CGI films can look, and this film impresses on every level visually. Seeing two Resident Evil stalwarts as Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy getting the full movie length story line treatment is always going to go down well with obsessives like me.



But therein lies a problem. The story is just not that enthralling. It's standard Resident Evil fayre. Zombies, viruses, corrupt government, explosions, tragic family ties and a 'boss battle' with a big monster, that keeps metamorphosing into something scarier every time you think it's dead.




Still, it comes in a pretty packet and I enjoyed it for what it was worth. Buy it if it's cheap, or rent it. Download it for your viewing pleasure if you wish, But it's definitely worth a watch if you are a big fan of the franchise, or want to know the minutiae of the Umbrella story so far... FK rating 7.5/10




*(It still had Mrs. K absolutely terrified...)

Kiss Psycho Circus - Videogame Torture

You'd have thought after the last harrowing few weeks of Fallout 3, that I'd have promised myself only positive videogame experiences for the rest of 2009. I am seemingly not that kind to myself. For the last few days (since finishing Resi 5 really) i've been playing/enduring a Dreamcast game called Kiss Psycho Circus: the Nightmare Child. And what a fucking nightmare it's been.



Ostensibly a first person shooter/mythical quest type thing, the game has very tenuous links to the band Kiss. You might find a jukebox or stereo which will play a kiss song. As the player, you go around collecting pieces of Kiss costumes... Ace Frehley's platform boots, Gene Simmon's shoulder pads or Peter Criss's cod-piece.



The game is just a tedious run through of a middle of the road, dated, FPS. Some of the game's monsters are pretty well designed, some of the landscapes boldly coloured in psychedelic hues, which make it alright to look at, graphically a kind of cross between Half Life and the more trippy boss levels in NiGHTS.



But the game gives you nothing for your dogged completion of levels. If you die you get put back a long way, meaning the replaying of elements of the game over, and over, and over again. The story is literally one of the most convoluted pieces of bullshit ever, one that I can't be bothered to relate. The cutscenes are minimal, there's nothing to unlock or collect and the boss battles are never really going to inspire. After literally hours of playing through seventeen, long, long levels, the game just fizzled out with one of the most boring and simple boss fights ever. Nothing memorable at all.



I was hoping for a Dreamcast revelation, a repeat of the joy I found when I played 'SOTB: Gut's Rage' last year. but the only joy I had from completing this game is knowing that I beat it and I'll never have to play it again!

Royksopp - "Happy Up Here"- Space Invaders Ahoy!

Hi Folks!
Right I've got two weeks off work! Hooray! I've actually got a lot to tell you, so expect a glut of posts before the usual drought. Just to tide you over whilst your waiting I'll hit you with this videogame inspired video from Scandinavian ravers, Royksopp. The video is superb, but the tune is even better. Sounding like a piece of syrup-laden synth pop at first, there is something very dark and twisted underneath. I love it! There's actually a version of the track out by a Russian brass band which is equally good, but that's another story...

Glass Cabinet Full Of Lovely Junk

Click on image to enlarge!

I used to have all this junk on display in a huge glass cabinet in my room. I kind of cobbled it all together in a contrasting montage as I collected it. (I'm terrible for hording nostalgic or setimental crap!) I hoped it might look a little like something psychedelic artist Peter Blake might create. Unfortunately, it was totally getting in the way and Mrs. K said she wanted rid of it. So I took this photo and now it's electronically preserved as my screen saver. Spot anything in there that you recognise?

Catching Up

My posting has gotten rather erratic again, largely due to a lot of game-playing. Oh and I've gone back to work (half days) so I guess I've had less time than I envisaged. Apologies for the lack of updates and thanks for still dropping in here!



Back To work!
As stated above, I finally dragged my cardialogically challenged ass back into work. It was good to be back and the support from my colleagues (especially my boss) has been overwhelming. Unfortunately , in 2009, one of my target children has been permanently excluded from the school three months before he would have left for high school and a second has suffered the most awful trauma. Again. The poor kid has faced having to go through the process of fleeing a war zone with his family (age 4), growing up without his father, who is in prison for rape (seven years so far), moving from housing project to housing project because of harassment from neighbours, a mother who is (understandably) depressed and most recently the death of his grandmother, who committed suicide by pouring petrol on herself and setting it alight. Kind of gives you a perspective on your own troubles doesn't it?



Watchmen
One of the last things I did before going back to work, was go out on a Tuesday afternoon to the cinema with Mrs. K. We went to see Watchmen. I thought it was a stunning film and enjoyed every aspect of it. Despite having dipped in and out of the graphic novel, I'd never read it properly so it had no bearing on my opinion of the film. I thought the acting was excellent throughout, the plot was superb (if not a tad confusing at times) action sequences and fight scenes were brilliant. The musical score and particularly the songs chosen for the movie, were completely integral to the atmosphere of the film. The cinematography was technically excellent and well executed. my favourite characters were Rorshach and The Comedian. A tad worrying perhaps!? For a well written and considered review of the film, check out what Junlee has to say about it, here.



PS2 Love
Recently, (since finishing God Of War actually,) I've just been feeling loads of love for the PS2. I have bought Tomb Raider Anniversary (Special edition - three disc pack featuring: the game, -Tomb Raider Anniversary development/'making of' documentary- DVD- and soundtrack CD.
All this in a nice presentation box which only cost me £4 (pre-owned) in the Blockbuster sale.
I've played the first couple of levels and it is a stunning looking and very playable title. I can compare it to the Saturn original as it's the only other Tomb Raider game I've ever played properly, which adds to the whole experience. Overall the game celebrates Lara's legacy very well!
I also picked up Headhunter, Code Veronica X, and Yakuza 2. When you factor in Kingdom Hearts - which I swear I will finish this year - and DMC 1 & 3, the PS2 is going to get a lot of action in the Krishna household this year.





Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
I bought this for me and the, boys after beating my son Joe in a hard fought race, on a demonstration stand in the local HMV. The game was displayed on a 50" High Def flat screen TV with surround sound speakers. It looked gorgeous! I've not played it since we got it home, but it has all the ingredients of a classic arcade racer that me and the boys can play competitively for an afternoon every once in a while.




Gears Of War 2:
I'm slipping this in mid-post without any fanfare, because that's how it slipped into my gaming life. My middle son Martin had borrowed it from a friend, but not played it. The game had sat, neglected under the TV for a couple of months. I was in my usual 'post game completion indecisive stage' after finishing Headhunter and couldn't decide what I wanted to play. On a whim I stuck GOW2 into the 360 and then chugged happily and easily through it over the next few days. I thought it as enjoyable as the first in terms of playability and visuals, but I'm just not as drawn in by the characters or plot as I could be. Consequently, I'll play Gears 3, but won't be chomping at the bit for it's release date... In terms of sheer shooting/carnage induced pleasure, however, it's great!



Resident Evil 5 Co-Op:
Well I've played a couple of sessions with random strangers online, notching up quite a few levels and achievements along the way. On one session I was guiding a new guy who was playing for the first time. In the next, I was being guided by a guy who knew where every obscure 'easter egg' was. Conversation over the headset was almost strictly reserved to the game, but was nevertheless pleasant. We even had rest spots, such as 'tea breaks' that were mutually agreed to, and built into the play time! So that was all good. I've also started a file playing co-op with my little son and I'm enjoying that. But overall, I enjoyed playing the solo campaign more. I've yet to play online with a friend though, so if anyone fancies a session, drop me an email and we'll arrange it!



I've remembered why I loved the Wii...
I'd become completely bored of my Wii and had banished it from the "little" living room, up stairs to the kid's rooms... It was most recently residing in my son's sock draw, underplayed and unloved.
After completing RE5 however, and needing a further 'Resi fix'... Umbrella Chronicles!!
I hitched up the Wii to the biggest TV in the house, in the less used, but much nicer, "big" living room. WOW! I loved everything about the experience... The sound it made when it came on , the menu screen, all the great retro game downloads it has on it, the way the controls felt and responded. I also remembered just what a fantastic game Umbrella chronicles is... Even as good as Resi 5? Just may be!

Anyway folks, it's getting late and my keyboard looks like it's in need of new batteries. Typing is becoming quite frustrating, as letters keep getting missed out of words, so I'll sign off for now!
I've one huge (for me life-changing!) piece of news I've not mentioned, so come back soon, OK? :) Take care my brothers!

Complete Resident Evil Retrospective!

As anyone who knows me well will tell you, when I'm playing a Resident Evil game I get all obsessed with the whole Umbrella mythos. This retrospective from Gametrailers.com, is about as good as any synopsis I've ever seen, carefully linking footage from all of the games and meticulously piecing together a definitive Resident Evil timeline!

I first became aware of it over at Caleb's most wonderful Hunyak Blog!

RE 5 Completed!

Well, I bought RE5 on Friday and I've played it a few hours each day (except Sunday.) I played it in the easiest mode and struggled with some of the bosses, but in the end, I finished it! I breezed through the game without any tears (unlike RE: Code Veronica or RE: Umbrella Chronicles...)



So, after all the hype and waiting was it worth it? I'd say a slightly hesitant "yes".... Great looking, very playable, forgiving save system and weapon/ammo supply, excellent use of cut-scenes, great musical score etc, it was an excellent experience all the way.

I knew it was going to rely heavily on the gameplay mechanic of Resident Evil 4, but didn't realise how much... At times it felt like the same game... but as RE4 is one of the bst video games ever, that's no bad thing! The new weapon selection/resource management, having to be accessed in-game 'real time', as opposed to the luxury of the last game's system, can be hard to manage- (although the enemies, right up to the final boss, seem to give you plenty of time to prepare your weapon.) The save system is better and checkpoints frequent.



I did begin to panic at the amount of time it was taking me to beat the final boss, and resorted to restarting Chapter 6. I wondered if the arsenal I had, packed enough punch to finish the boss.
That old nagging doubt, seeded by my lack of success in RE:CV and RE:UC...
The surprises weren't very surprising, but like Umbrella Chronicles before it, the game tied up some story strands nicely. I wouldn't say it was a massive upgrade in technical terms from RE4 or Umbrella Chronicles, which IMHO looked almost as good and play equally well. But on the whole, I've loved RE5 as much as I knew I would.

I liked having Sheva as my AI companion. Her importance as a partner becomes fully apparent in the final boss battle. The fun will now come from Mercenaries Mode, playing online co-op (something I've yet to experience properly, my online escapades being restricted to SCIV, VF5, and Sega Rally) and waiting to see what the DLC is like!




Having seen Dead Rising tailored to the technical capabilities of the Wii as "Chop Till You Drop", I wouldn't be surprised if Capcom don't bring out a 'Wii edition' of the game at some time in the future. Certain levels and scenarios would have played well with a Wii-type control system. RE5 delivers what was expected, I just don't know if all the hype and long waiting were that necessary!

So what next? I think that might just be RE:Code Veronica again, or maybe the Umbrella Chronicles...

Resident Evil 5 tomorrow!

Well, both me and my son Martin have got our pre-orders for RE5 in at our local Blockbuster. He's buying the PS3 version, (me the 360 version.)

Oddly enough I'm not that excited. I've begun to worry that I won't enjoy it! I just 'completed' Left 4 Dead (every level is available from the start of the game in single player mode, so you don't have to 'earn' the right to play them, they're just ...there.

Consequently, there is little satisfaction in 'completing' the game, (although it is a nice zombie shooter!)

I'll most likely be playing RE5 in single player mode and I just worry it will be a restriction to have Sheva as my AI companion... But I also don't want to miss out on the excitement that a lot of us here in the blogospherewill be playing the same game at the same time!

Anyhoo, you'll know my thoughts on the game soon enough! In the meantime enjoy the IGN review above...

Michael Jackson Live

Incredibly, much to the surprise of his fans, when it looked like he was going to disappear forever, Michael Jackson is playing some live concerts, here in the UK. Tickets "go on sale" tomorrow (13.03.09), although all tickets for each of the 10 shows at the O2 Arena in London, are sold out due to "pre-sales".

I'm gutted! I would love to see MJ perform, but the chances of me getting a ticket for under £300 (if I am able to get one at all,) are very remote. He has announced another 10 dates, but they will be equally difficult to get hold of! It's so frustrating to be so geographically near to the venue of his first live appearances in years, and yet have little chance of fulfilling my ambition to see it!

Headhunter

I'll start (as is now becoming customary) with my apologies for the lack of posts, and thanks to both BJ and Gnome, for enquiries about my health, which is satisfactory, and by no means an excuse for the appalling lack of updates here.

That said, let me fill you in with what I've been up to gaming wise... from one retro console to another, I decided following the joy of God Of War on the PS2, to finish a Dreamcast game I had previously played half way through, before abandoning it. That game is the mighty Headhunter. The game is set in a not to distant future, where the government is all pervasive, fascistic and working hand in hand with global multi-national corporations. (Sound familiar?)



As well as the rather worrying scenario mentioned above, there is a rather unhealthy trade in human organs, both sanctioned by the government and criminals via the black market. The world in which we find ourselves is beautifully illustrated through out the game via "news bulletins", videos interspersed throughout the game, which tie up the game's back-story and provide a humorous distraction after tense missions!

The character you play is Headhunter Jack Wade. Headhunters are future cops, stealth assassins and all-round bad ass dudes. And who's the baddest bad ass of 'em all? Why YOU of course! Only at the start of the game, you've lost your gun, your license and your memory.
Does this hinder our hero? Fuck no!! That's because Jack is a hybrid of Dirty Harry and Snake Plisken. I'm not gay, but I could swing in that direction for Jack, he's THAT fucking cool!



Fortunately, your former chief and a wealthy heiress who's father has just been murdered are there to set you on your feet again and restore you to your former position as Headhunter number 1. In order to regain your license you need to go through a series of virtual training missions in cyberspace, facilitated by the L.E.I.L.A virtual reality computer.

Oh and did I mention that you travel through your futuristic city-scape on a whopping motorbike? The better you ride your bike, the more experience points you acquire assisting your progress through the game.



The game plays like GTA (the bike-riding bits) and Metal Gear Solid (the stealth bits). The game really shows the potential of the hardware it was produced for, being one of the best games on the Dreamcast and delivering some stunning graphics for it's 2001 release. Unfortunately it never merited a release in the USA on the Dreamcast, as the console was already doomed to obliteration by the PS2 when the game came out. However, it did get a PS2 port, which you can pick up for a pittance if you're silly enough to not have a functioning Dreamcast in your house.



The save system, health regeneration and weapon/ammo upgrades are all conducive to a satisfying gaming experience, although some of the boss battles are bloody difficult! The soundtrack, by Sega stalwart composer Richard Jaques is amazing, so good in fact that I've thrown it up in the videos at the top! Overall I'm glad I delved back into this game and would say it's an essential Dreamcast purchase/experience. Father K rating 9/10.

God Of Wargasm

After the sour taste left in my mouth after the latter stages of Fallout 3, I needed to revert to a video-gaming comfort zone. That was provided by the most excellent God of War, which I started back in the early part of December, then left hanging for two months.

For those of you familiar with the game, I was at the Pandora's Temple stage, so I still had a lot of the game to play. The game was just the tonic I needed and I soaked up every moment of this epic title. I have also completed GOW:Chains Of Olympus on PSP this year (in hospital), so I'm simmering with anticipation for GOW III on the PS3! I won't go into detail about what I liked about this game,it's nearly five years old, so hardly hot news, suffice to say EVERYTHING is brilliant and it's a truly satisfying gaming experience, better than any current gen game.

Finishing the game unlocks a plethora of hidden gems, including a 'making of' documentary which I watched with interest. What's truly great is being able to watch all of the video sequences in sucession like a mini film. The only problem is "what next?" - I'm thinking of the epic Headhunter on Dreamcast or PS2 (I have both versions...) I'll let you know!

Class Ad

It seems as though we're lucky here in the UK at the moment. As well as the usual crap commercials which invade our televisual delectation, we have a couple of gems. the funny ey-brow chocolate commercial that I threw up the other day is one, and this my dears, is another one... Enjoy!

Decisive Move

Following the petulant tone of my last post, I've decided that firm action was required on my part...
This involved the trading in of both GTA IV and Fallout 3 (plus a few other pre-owned titles) at Blockbuster last night, meaning neither 'open-world' game can be dipped into again!


I then had to decide what I would pick up with my credit note... I was torn between two zombie blasting titles. (I often seem to revert to zombie blasting when I'm at a crossroads in my gaming life. Should I go for House Of The Dead Overkill on my much maligned Wii, or Left 4 Dead on my trusty Xbox?

I'd been bitterly disappointed by the last HOTD game I'd purchased, namely HOTD 2&3 Return for the Wii. It felt like a shoddy and cheap port, with no extras apart from some annoying bugs...



I'd got HOTDII for the Dreamcast, with a fully functional lightgun and HOTDIII for the PC. The Wii version brought nothing new to the table. Plus buying HOTD Overkill, almost necessitated me buying the new 'Magnum' Wii-mote housing/peripheral thang, meaning the whole package would have set me back nearly £50...



Left 4 Dead, my middle son 'reliably' informed me, was THE game to own this year. He'd been itching to get it since finishing Dead Space, and assured me and his two brothers, that if we bought a couple of Xbox controllers (setting me back £50), we could all play it as a 4 player co-op.

That swung it for me. I imagined us all sat round as a lovely family unit, blissfully zapping zombies whilst smiling and winking approvingly at one another. That bubble was soon burst as we got it home and realised that four player co-op meant two players in the house and two on-line... DOH!


That was a wasted purchase of two controllers then... Ho-fucking-hum! Still, the game is very satisfying if wasting fast paced zombies en-masse is your 'cup of tea'. I've enjoyed what I've seen so far, even though I've opted to play it in single player mode with the other three team members as CPU AI.

The graphics are reminiscent of the PS2, but it's well paced, camp as Christmas and has it's tongue firmly planted in it's cheek. The characters are cliche'd horror film fayre and so far ammunition and health boosts are abundant enough to stop the game from becoming a chore.


That is not to say that this is my 'new game', however, at the moment, I'm trying to decide between finishing God Of War I on the PS2 (which requires me sitiing in my son's bedroom to play...) Playing Shenmue or Headhunter on the Dreamcast (which means I'll suffer the derision of my sons for going over old ground...) or jumping straight into Gears Of War 2. Any advice my dear brothers?

Falling Out With Fallout... Living In Purgatory

After nearly 100 hours of gameplay, the discovery of nearly a hundred locations as diverse as Megaton, Tenpenny Towers, The Republic Of Dave and Lamplight Caverns, such notable characters as Gob, Mayor McReady, Daring Dashwood and DJ Threedog, after bartering, trading, stealing and sneaking, creating weapons from vacuum cleaners and surgical tubing, slaughtering raiders, slavers, traders, deathclaws, rad-roaches, super-mutants, capitalists, federalists, anarchists and bomb-worshippers, not to mention the endless wandering, wandering, wandering and wandering...



...I am now officially sick to bloody death of Fallout 3! I have made the huge mistake of wandering into perhaps the biggest open-world game developed for a console, using no guide or walkthrough, playing "by ear" (as it were) and meandering through the most ridiculous route any gamer could ever take.



I've unintentionally avoided main missions whilst fulfilling nearly every bastard-side-fucking-cock-mission there is to engage in. Enough is enough! I've resorted to online maps, guides and walkthroughs. Eventually, I've been led to Vault 112 and the rather splendid Tranquility Lane simulation. I've met my pops and it looks like I'm on the path to conclusion and closure...

NEVER AGAIN!!! From now on it's strictly linear gaming, possibly using a walkthrough EVERY TIME. I might even only play 'on rails' games from now on... What is certain is that I'm going to choose my next game very carefully. Might go back a generation or two to the safety of the Dreamcast, PS2 or Saturn... Might stick to the PSP for a bit... But I will never, ever play anything as big as Fallout ever again. Life's too fucking short!

Resident Evil Retrospective (Gametrailers.com)

I discovered this on Caleb's excellent Hunyak Blog and immediately ripped it off so you guys could see it! Enjoy, but be sure to visit Hunyak too!

I'm Out Of Hospital!

With a big bag of drugs and a month to see how I get on before going back to work. So hopefully that will mean I can play and blog a bit. Let's all celebrate with this lovely video! Woot!

Hello My Friends!

Well just a quick one to say thanks for all your good wishes and kind thoughts. Just to clear up the mystery, I've no idea what's wrong with me, neither do the docs! my heartbeat is 118 BPM, whereas the norm is between 50-100. I'm short of breath and I've got fluid on the lungs! Jeez! having said that, I don't feel too bad! And the docs don't think it's anything fatal at the moment (thanks Funnyman!)

Still, I've got to stay in next week, but I've had a day at home today. It's been great and I've been pampered by the family. Part of this pampering includes a brand new PSP Light to help me pass the time. I've completed God Of War and I've got Need For Speed Carbon, Gun, Tekken Dark Resurrection, Virtua Tennis World Tour, Tocca Race Driver, Micro Machines, Powerstone Collection, Fifa 09, GTA Liberty City Stories, plus Akira, House Of Flying Daggers and Kung Fu Hustle on video! Not bad eh?So I'm still alive and kicking at the moment, and hoping to be home some time next week with a conclusive diagnosis! Then I can get back to blogging and enjoying the good life! Still, my days of living an unhealthy lifestyle are firmly behind me, that is definite. There's nothing like spending ten days on a hospital ward with three guys with 248 years between them, one in the advance stages of pancreatic cancer, two who are incontinent, one blind and all three flatulent in the extreme! That's an eye-opener believe me! Stay well brothers!

A message from FK

Hi this is joe FK's son. He wants you all to know that hes in hospital so hes sorry if hes been quiet and not replying to any emails. He's unable to get to a computer and is unlikely to be out until next week. Please spread this around the blogsphere. He sends a big big love to all!
cheers everyone Joe x

Games For 2009: The "To Do" List... Xbox 360

Well, well, well... No sooner have I finished looking back on the games of 2008, when I've got to consider the games I will be playing over the coming year. I've decided that this post will come in a few parts, considering the variety of consoles available to me, this seems the only sensible way to go... Otherwise it gets a little confusing.

So let's start with the most accessible: The 360. I say 'accessible' because it's right there in the little living room, the room where we hang out the most. The TV is the biggest downstairs (not huge, about 28 ", but it has the Xbox and the Dreamcast permanently hooked up to it, so there's no messing about with cables.

The Wii now resides in Little Ted's room and the PS3 moves about from room to room. In the big living room, we have the PS2 and recently, the Saturn permanently hooked up. Nice set up huh?

OK, so first things first... There's no point me starting anything new till I've tidied a couple of things up.


Unfinished Business #1: GTA IV I'm 50% of the way through the game. However, I can see this as being something I chip away at 5% at a time between other games. I really think I have to be careful in the future. I'm not the sort of guy who can just gun his way through a game. One because the demands of work and family necessitate that I don't put in long sessions of play, hours at a time. I'm not an intuitive gamer. Missions, routes, pathways etc. that might seem obvious to others can pass me by unnoticed. That can result in me spending ages just floundering around. Missions that some people might knock off on a first attempt, I might only achieve on a third or fourth attempt... The time adds up and it's time I don't have... So Niko, will have to be content to come out and play on my schedule...


Unfinished Business #2: Fallout 3: I'm in love with this game and the world in which you play. everything about this game is perfect to me. The atmosphere, the interaction with AI characters, the retro-future styling, the gun play with the VATS system, the apocalyptic vision of post-nuclear war ravaged Washington, the various tribes and factions, the fauna and flora, the nostalgic soundtrack and in game radio broadcasts... Sheesh! It's everything I had hoped for and more... I've played it without guides or walkthroughs, discovering new characters, quests, areas and landscapes, letting the game unfold before me. It's picking up speed now and my progress is much quicker than it was in the first few days of play. So I'm completing this before anything else is even considered. I've got my DS, Dreamcast and Saturn for short bursts of distraction if needed, but there will be nothing put into the 360 before I've completed Fallout... (Oh and do enjoy the video review at the top of the post...)



Hopefully, no matter how badly I play, I'll have managed to complete it before March 13th 2009, the day the highly arousing Resident Evil 5 comes out. This will be pre-ordered and picked up on the day of release. I'm not expecting to breeze through it by any means, so it could take up most of March. I'm quite tempted to play it co-op with someone much better than me, so I can complete it quickly, see the cut scenes and story revelations and then maybe come back and play it single player at my leisure...


Gears Of War 2: I enjoyed Gears well enough, but I'm not mad to get into GOW2. it's been sat in my house for nearly a month and I haven't even bothered to try it for five minutes, but I will get round to it.



ProEvo 2009: For the last couple of months I've watched my two eldest sons play match after match with often hilarious competitiveness. I've got to get in on the action. I love soccer games on the Saturn and Dreamcast, but both Pro and Fifa have eluded me in terms of appeal since PS2 times... Having said that I played about three seasons of Fifa 07 on my DS whilst I was off, winning every major title and taking my beloved Manchester City to the top of the Premiership.
So yeah, football is gonna feature in 2009.



Bioshock 2: Another one which will be pre-ordered and picked up on the day of release. Unlike the second part of Gears Of War, I'm gagging to see what happens in the next installment of this particular story. It's taken all of my will power to not take a backward step and re-play the original...



Call Of Duty: World At War: I liked COD4 in mission mode, and that is the way I intend to play this title. In straightforward liner fashion till it's completed, then I'll leave it alone.



I'll stop there, because that lot could conceivably take me up to the Autumn period. No doubt I'll deviate from this list or there will be something I've not considered that catches my eye. But realistically, if I also play my other consoles in the way I intend, that's quite enough to be going on with...

Pendulum/Prodigy

A couple of music videos for you here. The one at the top is by the band Pendulum, a shared love of both myself Joe and my oldest son Joe. 'Swinging' (geddit?) between rock, indie and thumping drum 'n' bass, they're a breath of fresh air within the UK music scene, appealing to a broad spectrum of music lovers. The first video strikes a blow for those of us in the "portly/rotund" section of society, although contrary to internet rumour, it's not me in the video...

The second video, is a Pendulum remix of an old Prodigy classic, Voodoo people. I love the Prodigy's punky outlook on the rave scene. It was fresh and original, dark and brooding as the quite disturbing video shows. I've seen them twice, and believe me, when they kick off, everyone in the house is rocking! expect more from both bands during 2009, though I'll resist the urge to throw up a load of videos which people ignore.