And It's Good to Have You With Us, Even If It's Just For a Day

Random Updates:

I got to see David Beckham bend in a penalty kick. That like seeing Ali or Jordan do thier thing. People talk about going to see a real soccer match in England as something you have to do once, Ill do it, but I think this will be so much more memorable. I still dont like or dislike soccer (watching it), but that was really something special. Here it is, for those who werent there (sucked in).



Damn game companies. Coming out between now and christmas are:
Rock Band - Like Guitar Hero, but set up for a band. A guitar, a drum kit and a mic. Guitar Hero was great, this looks exponentially better. The only problem being that I have to find two (or three) other people who are willing to be in a room with me. A difficult problem.
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - I was initially sceptical of this game, I'd heard it has a great story but still wasn't impressed. However I recently bought Hitman: Blood Money (Made by the same people). This game is so much fun, so well made, that I now have complete faith in the developer.
Assassins Creed - This was a much hyped title. I bought it the other day, havnt had a chance to play it yet, but I am excited. I know that some people might not like it, but I am sure I will.
Mass Effect - Another game I had heard of, but wasn't all that excited for. Then I heard more of it, saw more movies and so on. Now i'm excited for it.

Who knew that vegan was pronounced vee-jan?

Caught in the Web:

Drunken Slash is awesome. His band mates staring in awe of his drunkeness is even better.


List of things that I hope dont come to Australia:
Columbian Devils Breath - The only thing in Columbia more scary than the Cali Cartel were, the Columbians Devils Breath. Its bad stuff. Kind of like the ultimate date rape drug.

Japanese Hornets - These hornets are two inches long. Think about a nest of these damn things, its insane. Their sting can kill humans, even if they aren't allergic. Just a few of them can destroy a whole european bees nest quite easily. Fortunately the asian bee has developed a defense, they surround the hornet with hundreds of bees, heat up the bee ball and cook the hornet alive. If that isnt evidence of evolution then what is.

I am now addicted to these sites. They are PostSecret and OneSentence. PostSecret involves people sending in homemade postcards with secrets written on them, if they are all true, they provide a fascinating view into other peoples lives. OneSentence is quite similar, it has people submitting stories in one sentence. I guess its no different to watching big brother, but then again, Im dont care about the things these people do. I just like seeing what some people are too scared to say in person.

Reviews:

Halo 3: To really review a game such as this you have to break it down into its parts, review each, then decide how good the sum of those parts are. So to begin, the parts

Single Player, Multi-Player and Extras.

Single Player:

The Good:

• Level Design: Gone are the repitious nature of the first game (excluding a trip to a ring, where, as assumed, it is quite similar to the first ring). The levels each feel different, the jungle shows signs of a prolonged campaign against the Covenant, lots of small battlements litter the land scape in between larger bases, while the mission set inside a flood infested ship shows how virus like they are, with floodling spores and organic doors throughout the ship. There is one part of a mission, where you are tasked with taking out three anti-air ships, here the sections are quite similar, however it does end with a fight against a scarab, so it redeems itself.
  Speaking of, at one point you are against two scarabs and have a small ship to gly around, I landed on the the first, pushed the ship off the edge, destroyed the scarabs power core, jumped off and managed to get into the ship and sly away as it was exploding. It made for one intense experience and rewatching it was just as fun.
  
• A.I: Both the allied and enemy A.I. is much improved, and considering it wasnt exactly bad in the first two thats saying something. As before the grunts will attack, untill you fight back, in which case they turn and run. The brutes use their items (Bubble Shield, etc) well, although they do seem to act independantly when in a group, which can result in Bubble Shields overlapping.
  
• Scope: Everything seems, grander, in this encounter. The set pieces are bigger and with more players, the levels are not always larger but seem more real. You feel like you are fighting a war, not rushing from one set of corridors to another. Being able to take on a Scarab (or two) is also amazing.

The Bad:

• The Weapons: As with Halo 2, some new weapons are added, some are kept some are changed. Overall however the newly added weapons don't add much to the gameplay. The sword was introduced in Halo 2, and the Gravity Hammer, while immensly satisfying to use, feels very similar in terms of tactical use. The brutes weapons mauler is fun to use, although its limited ammo and slow rate of fire mean that as soon as you can replace it you will.
• The Enemies: Through out the game you fight the Covenant and the Flood. Fair enough, but the Covenant have lost the elites, as they are now your allies, so as far as the Covenant are concerned you fight Grunts, Brutes and Jackals. You also fight the Hunters and Drones, but so rarely as to barely warrant a mention. Fighting the three main enemies does get repetitive. Mixing it up with another level, between Brutes and Grunts would have been good. Perhaps a larger kind of jackal, as they are relegated primarily to snipers.

Multi-Player:

• Its all good. There might not be enough maps for some, but the maps they have are SO solid. I play primarily team objective, which changes between Zanzibar, High Ground and Valhalla, primarily, and honestly these three are all I need. Being on a good team, using lots of communication and teamwork, makes a big difference but its fun either way. Although I have spent a lot of time playing it online, as I said, 95% of it has been on the one mode, so my analysis isn't as in depth, its good.

Extras:

• Skulls: These are hidden, well hidden, throughout the levels. Once you collect them they change the game a little, making it more challenging / interesting to play. You can turn them on and off. I am currently going through collecting them, then I will play with them on and see how good it is.
  
• The Forge: I havent used it but its basically allows you to edit the multiplayer levels on the fly, as you are playing them.
  
• Saved Films: This i have used. Wipe out an entire team, no one else saw it? Doesnt matter, go to the save films and relive the glory over and over and over. So much fun to watch it and see just how much is happening at all times, in both multi and single player.
  

King of Kings Recommendation: If you have played the first two it is a must have, if you havent and have no interest in going back and playing them / finding out what happened, I might find something else. For me anyway, its probably top three from all my 360 games.

Hits of the Week:
1. Sams Town (Abbey Road Remix) - The Killers
2. Lonely Soul - Unkle


Babe of the Day:
Jennifer Ellison

You just frigided your way out of a biscuit.

I found a list of 100 things to blog on. Not all of them are great but I will do some of them, starting now.

What I Spend Money On
Well I suppose the best way to break this down is to have recurring costs and non recurring costs, I will also include how I savce my money, just to show that I am somewhat responsible. For recurring costs:

• Two mobile phones.
• Board
• Health Insurance
• Income Protection Insurance
• Comics (I get certain titles each month so there is a set recursive cost). For non recursive costs:
• Food (Lunches at work)
• Transport (Train to & from gym)
  

For Non recursive costs I have:

• Dining Out
• Clothes
• Games
• DVDs
  
• Food (Coffee etc)
• Comics (Whenever I go to the shop I end up picking up a few extra things if I want to or not).
• Hotels (About once a month with Alana, we share the cost)
• Transport (fuel whenever i use the car)

For Investment/ Savings I have:

• Emergency Fund (this only gets a little each month, but it will build over time)
• ING Savings account
• Shares

Looking at it like this I do know where I could cut some expenses. In a year I will be down to one phone, I am on a contract I wont renew for my second). I suppose If i was to take on a loan for a house I would cut down on hotels, dining comics and games. I wouldnt eliminate these completely, but I would reduce the amount of money spent on them. As it stands I feel i put away enough each month (44% of my after tax income) to justify having fun with the money leftover.

12 New Commandments:
Commandment the Second:
Never allow yourself to be overweight. This is a polarising commandment, although only because people have taken a "if everyone else is, why can't I be?" approach to looking after themselves. Do not think of this as, I should go on a diet. Instead think I should live a healthier life, It must be a long term change for it to work. It is no more difficult to live a healthy life, however changing the way you think, changing from one lifestyle to the other could be difficult. This does not mean you have to spend all your free time at the gym. You just have to realise that some foods are once a week foods, and more importantly everyone should exercise, if not everyday, every second day. On that point there can be no discussion, you must exercise.
This commandment is not done to punish people, but to ensure that they live longer healthier lives. Do you want to spend your 'golden years' in and out of hospital because you have one of the dozens of problems associated with being overweight? I didn't think so.
Some easy ways to live a healthier life:

• Replace soda with water, or natural low sugar juice.
• Reward yourself with something other than food. Go and visit a friend, go for a walk, go to the zoo.
• Go for a 30 minute walk an hour after getting home. Get home, relax, have a cup of tea, what ever. Then go for a walk, use it as thinking time, go with a friend, learn something via podcasts.
  

Random Updates:

Cats like Fish
Big's a Cat
Big likes Fish

Thats a poem I made years ago. Its not really a poem, more like a bad exercise in logic. That might have been what it was intended to be originally. I can't remember. Big is from the Sonic games.
Another long weekend coming up. I don't have any plans yet. Im sure i will find something to fill the time *cough*HALO F'IN 3 *cough*. Yeah, I dont know, I might just hang out at home all weekend ;). Its not that I have been caught up in the hype for Halo 3 (which in my opinion has been lacking Down Under, compared to Halo 2). I ruh-heally want to see how it all ends.
You always here about unsung heros, and you're reading about another one right now. My entire life, I have been fighting a one man war against seasonal foods (Christmas Cake, Hot Cross Buns etc). Their numbers are many, but my appetite is large. Unfortunately it is rather a bleak period, Christmas still seems so far away. I suppose I will have to demand a thanksgiving lunch so I can get some turkey.

Caught in the Web:

Im sure this is old, but its just plain funny.

http://www.shoutwire.com/viewstory/104019/Secret_Societies

Reviews:

Prince of Persia Classic (X Box Live Arcade):

I remember playing Prince of Persia all those years ago. I remember vividly not being able to get past the third level, because that was where the 'splicer' traps appeared, and I could never master them.
When I fired this up on my xbox, I wasnt sure if it would still play as well as I remembered. After all there have been a lot of changes in gaming since then. Could a simple side on action game compete with interactive worlds like Oblivion? The answer is obvisouly no, but it doesn't try to. POPC simply tries to deliver an hours (Just the 1 hour) worth of challenge and fun, and on that it delivers big time.
This is a game that is easy to pick up and play. None of the puzzles, or enemies present enough of a challenge to cause someone to stop playing, but they are not so easy that you will run through it perfetly the first time.
King of Kings Recommendation: Get it if you want a quick gaming fix.

Kanye West - Graduation:
The first listen through of this, to be honest, was below expectations. This was because I was expecting something similar to his second album, with more stand out hits, thinking "Gold Digger" & "Touch the Sky" stuff that really blows you away with the beat. This cd does have some standout songs, "Stronger" obviously being the one that really stands out. After listening to it several times, I realise its excellence. The difference in the songs is strong enough to make each one stand out. Kanye uses his guests to his advantage, I love Coldplay (I own all thier CD's as in the actual CD's) but its still wierd to hear Chris Martin on a rap song (Having not heard Jay Z's Kingdom Come). Personal favourites include "Good Morning", "Everything I am", "Stronger", "Homecoming" and "Barry Bonds". Thats not saying the others are bad, thats just the ones I like the most.
The one thing that this CD really highlights is Kanye's lyrical skills. He's not quite Jay Z, and sure isn't Nas, but he is good and he is growing, especially with this CD.
King of Kings Recommendation: This is a CD that I would suggest for those who like music, not just those who like rap. It really is one of those CD's that could convert people to liking rap.


Top 5 Hits of the Week:
1. Ayo Technology - 50 Cent, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland
2. Homecoming - Kanye West & Chris Martin
3. Heart Shaped Glasses - Marilyn Manson
4. Will 2k - Will Smith
5. Although I dropped $100'000 - Paul Frees

Babe of the day:
Dita Von Teese - I realise I didnt post a picture last week. Correcting that now.

It is a blurred line that lies at the edge of Godhood and insanity. Guess which side of it I am on?

I bet 50 Cent is feeling pretty stupid right about now. He 'promised' to stop making individual CD's if Kanye's outsold his in the first week, and going by first day sales, it looks like he's going to have his word put to the test. In a suprise to no one, fiddy has already retracted that statement.
Staying on rap, how has Snoop Dogg been able to coast along, with this image of being a corner stone of rap, without releasing a decent song for the last who knows how long. Now Snoop has been on songs that have done well, but for the most part as a guest or with other people backing him up. I suppose looking back he seems to always be the second man, behind 2Pac, Dre and now Pharrell, Pussycat dolls and anyone else who needs some relaxed rhymes in the background.
Im not saying he's bad, he is one of the best at what he does, he just doesn't deserve the legend status that seems to be applied to him.

My Top Tips:

Get Halo 3. Its going to be the biggest entertainment premiere ever. Mark my words. This will blow Spiderman 3's opening weekend so far out of the water. Its so big, GameStop (American computer game shop chain) is firing employees on the spot if they open the boxes early. Its going to be HUGE.
Finish the Fight.

12 New Commandments:
A new feature. Like my top tips, but this will cause me to actually think things through, rather than short rants.
Commandment the First:
Drink Water. Starting the commandments off simple. Water is quite simply the most beneficial thing in the universe for the human body. The brain, skin, blood and digestive system all benefit from drinking water. Provided you don't over do it (2 Litres in 30 mins without a bathroom break would be over doing it), drink as much as you can. Even the best juices are high in sugar, and there is nothing worth drinking in soda's, but were all going to drink them any way. There is a lot that anyone can do to improve their lives, without a doubt the easiest is to drink more water.

Random Updates:

The long weekend has come and gone (Thank you APEC). Although I didn't go down to the snow, which was my plan up till the Monday starting the week, I didn't find myself wishing I was down there once.
I hung out with Alana all weekend, which as always was incredible.
I had a night of drinking with her brother, his friend and her cousin, which was one of the most fun nights i've had in ages. That night and the casino night, I don't go out a lot but each time its a lot of fun. Late night hide and seek is the greatest game ever.

If you cast your gaze to the top of the site you will see, AD's (Dum Dum Duhhhhhhm). Yes, in an effort to try and make a little money I have added Googles AdSense. Now i suppose I should just make something worth reading....yeah that'll happen.

Caught in the Web:

This is a great video, its 8 minutes long but its worth watching. Its completely inspired me to go to Africa. Some people watch as some lionesses grab a baby buffalo. I wont spoil it but ill just say there is also some crocodiles and a hell of a lot of action. Why the hell am I talking about it. This is the web of the future here it is:

Hit of the Week:

Teenagers - My Chemical Romance

Babe of the day:

Dita Von Teese