Well I am thinking of maybe writing a fictional piece for here based on and around the events of Borderlands. Not sure how I'd do that just yet, something maybe along the lines of Wolf's excellent Skyrim journals I'd expect. Watch this space!
Not done much as of late with On Live, though got some more free stuff. A game called Edge which looks interesting and NBA 2011 to name but two. Also writing projects coming my way for other stuff other than computer games and for this site so I could well be a very busy guy! Hope it all pays off.
But hey if you don't try, then you can't get what you want. What's the worse that can happen eh? Beats sitting around doing nothing doesn't it?

follow up report. well now have 3 of the abe's odyssey series to play, bought bastion and got helldorado for free as well as a couple of other games. I am tempted to buy Dark Void, nice and cheap, for a game that yes, is flawed but has a neat idea behind it, a pretty good story to boot plus unique combat.
Most weeks we get something new added to the subscribers pack and I can happily say that for 6.99 a month this is a darned good service. I still strongly recommend that you at least go for the free trial (and don't forget, if anyone has NOT got borderlands yet, it comes FREE!).
Rumour has it that Body Count and Bullet Storm are coming and beat 'em up fans at last have street fighter 4 to play. Maybe more like that to come, I will keep you posted. I'm hoping split/second velocity is on it's way too the UK service, I can only hope so.
There are lots of games I have yet to try (Lego Batman being one) and will dip in and out of the service and keep you informed as to what's going on.
Happy gaming.

Well here I am again and have been now dabbling with more games other than Borderlands (got it on console yeah I know but love the game and it's FREE with the initial sub!) and an alien shooter, that's shaping up rather nicely as is the multiplayer Homefront game. I have experienced SOME lag at times but heck you can get that on the PS network and X Box Live so I'm not too fussed.
The games are constantly added too and updated so yes, I think I can see myself still using this service. Now I see the original Deus Ex is there so may well give that a go and again it was FREE with the initial sub. Not bad for 6.99 a month I think.
Anyone else out there using it?

and it's been a while since I last wrote anything for the blog. Since last time I have been blasting a path of mayhem and chaos through Borderlands but not just on the PS3. I have been trying out OnLive and playing it there. My opinion of OnLive?
 So far so good. For 6.99 a month I can gain access to a load of games that are not on the console and I don't have to worry at all about not having the resources on the PC to run the games.
I have heard people criticizing the system as suffering from lag and connection problems. Well I can say that so far I have not experienced any problems with that at all. Indeed Borderlands runs as smoothly as a very smooth thing indeed and once you get used to using the keyboard and mouse instead of a control pad then bob's your auntie. I can run games smoothly on the Mac and our main PC with no hassles at all. There are a wide range of games here indeed from the original Deus Ex right through to puzzlers and even Warhammer Space Marine. Bare in mind you'll have to pay for some stuff but the player pack gives you Borderlands and other classics such as Stalker Shadow of Chernobyl. With more titles to be added as time progresses I think this could be a very good system indeed. Will it kill console gaming? No, I think it will be an alternative that should exist side by side with no problems at all. Way I see it is, if I was on holiday abroad and was ill or the weather was crap, then I'd have something that would run via the hotel's or sites wifi, and I could be playing a top title in minutes with no downloads, no discs and more importantly, no hardware to take up luggage space. 
I'll keep you posted as to how things go.

You know what? I am currently in a frame of mind that says, damn it I need to get some games clocked! So when not engaged in review mode, I am focusing on Drakes Fortune, Borderlands and Red Dead Redemption. I have already arranged targets for the next completion tasks (if you want to put it that way) Mass Effect, Fallout 3 and one other (which I have not thought about as of yet) Actually I might go retro here and try and finish an older game, Jade Empire is a tempter now I think about it. Resistance Fall of Man is another that I have in my sights at the moment. I'll keep you posted!

since I wrote anything for my gamer blog and too be honest, I haven't had much to say. And what I have written has hardly been earth shattering or had any breath taking revelations I suppose. (unless you count me as being one of the number that you can count on one hand that has said, "I like and use the Wii!) But now I might say something that may ruffle a few feathers. Here we go then.
What the heck is the fuss about Halo all about then? OK I admit I like Halo's one, two (although weaker) and three and then my opinions on the series became seriously soured thanks to the mess that is/was Halo: O.D.S.T  I don't like it when they decide to make a game with such a damned steep learning curve for the solo campaign thereby twisting your arm to play in co-op mode. I have just started playing Halo Reach and I already think this is the best since one and heck, maybe it could turn out to be BETTER in mind than the original. Reason? Because OK things get hectic on single player sure, but it's not seemingly impossible to get through without crying out for help or risk putting the control pad into near orbit with frustration!
And I'll be fair, the Halo series isn't the only culprit. The latest S.O.C.O.M has the same problem. A steep learning curve that rises (albeit due to different circumstances) in the stealth single player sections. OK I have friends out there on the X Box Live and Playstation networks but unless I can get something organized well in advance, meeting them online to play co-op is damned tricky. If I find them online I find them playing something I haven't got or maybe I am not in the mood for!
I hear that Killzone 3 has a similar idea behind it and I wonder how the latest Gears will play in solo mode. Then there's the flip side where a game like Bulletstorm that cries out for a co-op mode lacks one. Why??
Is it too much therefore, to ask that developers strike a happy balance? Surely with steep learning curves that are tagged onto title like O.D.S.T, some novice gamers may well be put off playing it and end up trading it in pronto. I know one young guy on FB, who had O.D.S.T for Christmas 2010. He could not cope with single player and had (too the annoyance of his parents who had hunted high and low for a copy) therefore traded it in for Fallout Vegas by the beginning of February. So come on developers, get your act together!

I didn't ask for any games for my birthday, which some folks who know me may be surprised by. However that of course, does not mean that there are not any titles that I am thinking of getting in the near future, heck no!
So here is my list of potential purchases coming in the next few months.
Batman Arkham City I mean any Batman fan must be salivating over this one. Have this on pre order as of two days ago.
Rage: A hybrid of Bulletstorm and a race game, looks like the closest we 'll get to Mad Max the game for a while, although Borderlands came close I suppose.
Forza 4: Love a good racer and this one looks great. Forza's predecessors still have me playing them so this one is a must.
Drake's Fortune 3 this has been a great series so far, and everyone who slags PS3 off, forgets that Drakes Fortune was a launch title.
Body Count is beginning to get my attention. There are some good shooters on the horizon, this one may just suffer from being overlooked as there are other titles looming and some of those are on my list too, such as;
Resistance Fall Of Man 3. Hale may be gone so step up too the plate with a new hero. Looks like this could be a cracker.
Killzone 3 another sequel but looks as if this could hit you right between the eyes like a sniper round. 
And despite the slight disappointment that was Metro 2033, the sequel looks a good one. Then there comes the third Bio Shock. This may be the block buster of the year. In other genres there is Final Fantasy 14, this could be a slumbering giant and should/could make up for any shortcomings served by FF13.
May seem I am after a lot but hey, variety is the spice of life! 

The above may sound like a no brainer for some people, as they say on forums left right and center. The Wii? It's a load of crap.
I ask them have you ever used one? Back comes the reply no. Then I ask then why don't you like it then? Back comes a regular list of answers.
a) The graphics are rubbish
b) There are only kiddies games on the machine.
c) control looks rubbish and doesn't work. (Oh and you know this without using one? How does that one work then?)

Well I have an X Box 360 and a PS3. And yes, we have a Wii. And I have to say I like it. Not as much as the other two granted but it has it's uses and I have no problem with it. Let's take the points one at a time.
Graphics are crap. Someone obviously has not seen Goldeneye in the flesh so to speak. OK it's not in HD but looks pretty darned good too me. No lag online and multiplayer is smooth and more than just functional. What's more it's a great little game. And obviously it is NOT a little kiddies title. Though not as gory as say Bulletstorm it isn't one for very young children,and
 has a decent challenge level. Controls are nice and responsive and what's more they are intuitive to say the least. 
So the graphics are not as cinematically beautiful as the PS3 or 360 but then it's NOT a next gen console for heavens sake.
And if it is so bad then why has it sold so many units? Sure there are kiddies titles on there but it's meant to be a family friendly console. Don't want one then don't buy it but don't run the machine down either especially if you haven't actually tried using one!
The controls I find to be easy too use and responsive. Motion is smooth when using it that way and as a general controller I have no problem with that. It's also backward compatible with the Game Cube and as there were some great games on that machine and they are dirt cheap on E Bay and Amazon..need I say more?
So the Wii is not perfect but then again neither are Sony's machine or the 360 (I'm on my third 360 in about four or five years whereas the original PS3 we have hasn't broken down once) but I say leave the Wii alone! Those that slag it off are surprisingly (for the most part) excited about the next one coming! 
Fickle tastes maybe? Anyway I'm off now to play Metroid the Other M in a bit, and then maybe see some of online for some Goldeneye multiplayer!

Well here I am again having battled my way through several levels and challenges presented by Duke Nuke 'Em Forever. You can see my full review on the site in the near future, and I sit here wondering what joys will land in my lap again in the near future. I actually have two games to review and one of them, like Duke, is a re release or reinvention of an old game series. So why are old games being revamped or rebooted? For example Tomb Raider has been rebooted and we all know that another reboot is coming with Resident Evil Assignment Raccoon City.
One theory I have is that in the case of Res Evil, I feel that the series has strayed somewhat from its roots and they have decided to claw it back before it goes too far down a new road that fans won't like. I hear mixed reviews of 4 (which I liked a lot) and even more mixed reviews of Res 5, which I tried and really disliked. Part of the reason I feel is the suicidal A.I control of your partner in the game but I'll leave that here before I start a review!
We also see a re release of Beyond Good and Evil and now Wizards Lair as well as Torchlight. Maybe it's to remind us older gamers of what was once out there, not just for nostalgias sake either. Systems get updated and as a result those classic games cannot run on a new machine. (By the way the old UFO series has been revamped for Vista and Windows 7 and is now available from Steam) With that in mind I actually think a revamp or a rerelease of the original is not a bad idea. Sure its a hark back too the good old days, but you know sometimes bigger and more modern games lack the charm of the old classics. We don't need HD graphics (or even 3D) to make a modern game want us to go and buy it. It makes me wonder what will happen if the 3D revival fails? What if people get fed up of motion control play through the Kinect or Wii unit? Simple, we shall go backwards so to speak to what we've had to rely on up till now. Think about it.

I have to be honest, it's put a whole new perspective on the hobby. I find myself looking at the game and I mean really looking at the game as I play it. I take stock of the graphics, physics and everything else and it does not matter if it's a brand new title or an old classic title. I can still enjoy the game for what it is, but heck I also spot the flaws that may have been hidden up to now.
Does it spoil a game for me? No. Instead it may make me a little more selective in what I choose to buy or play in the future.
And no for me, that is no bad thing at all. I find the review mode switches itself off after a while but it does not switch on automatically either. It also will help me develop my writing skills in other areas and that for me is no bad thing either. Oh I know this is hardly classic literature, but I find I can now find the words to sum up my opinions far easier, win win for yours truly!
See you next time.