Okay, so I checked out the vido of the Fallout 3 Gameplay footage.

After my initial disappointment by the first screenshots, I was praying that the video would prove to me that everything would be okay, and that Fallout 3 would indeed rock.

I feel worse then ever about it now. I mean, I can appreciate the idea and the craftmanship of it, but it really doesn’t look like a Fallout game anymore.

There are some really clichéd things in there, that really are all flash and no bang. A prime example is after targetting an enemy with the advanced system (you can aim for arms, legs, torso, head etc as in the previous games) the shot that is fired is “filmed” from an off-side camera in slow motion. The whole thing looks like it should be in a movie.

You know how after The Matrix was released, the bullet time style was grossly overused, and to some extent, still is. That is exactly what this “addition” to Fallout 3 feels like.

I am so totally underwhelmed by the footage, I really am. I’ll still play it when I get the chance, but most likely, I’ll play for a couple of hours, get bored and play something far more enjoyable.

When Duke Nukem Forever was first announced all those years ago (I believe we’ve reached a decade since it’s announcement), I think everyone had high hopes for the game. Year after year new screenshots were released, and excitement was palpable.

However, by 2003, after a graphics engine update, 3D Realms removed any screenshots on thier site, stating that “the screenshots and videos that were there have been removed as they no longer represent the game’s current look and feel.” The frontier has been fairly quiet since then, except for the fanboys and nay-sayers bickering here and there.

Finally, a teaser trailer has been released showcasing the current graphical elements of the game, as well as showing fans that the original voice actor, Jon St. John is still on board.

Just like Fallout 3, Everything is being “3d-ized” and I just feel that it’s losing some of the appeal it once had. Maybe 3D Realms should have just pulled the plug years ago, and not bothered. I’d rather be left with my memories of the originals, than feel let down by the latest release.

Well, at least there is a trailer to enjoy now, let the speculation begin! Enjoy the trailer over at shacknews.com

Ladykildare has a shop over at Etsy.com where she sells her handcrafted World of/Warcraft related items. I must admit, I’m a bit of a sucker when it comes to Warcraft stuff, and especially so, when it’s novel little things such as the Hearthstone Mobile Phone Charm.

If you don’t know what a phone charm is, I’ll give a little rundown of them. Basically, on most modern phones (and some older ones) there is a little handle or hole (typically on a corner) that I believe was originally intended for threading a wrist strap through like they have on the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS/Lite. Some rather shrewd individual thought, rather correctly, that there would be a profit to be made selling little trinkets to hang from these “strap holes”. These phone fashion accessories, have really taken off, with many different brands looking to make some money from the fickleness of the techno generation, most notably in Japan where these “Phone Charms” originated.

I’ve seen some crazy things people want to have hanging from their phones, including Lucky Golden Turds, but there are also less shocking things such as Hello Kitty, ILoveEgg and Pokémon. The sheer variety is staggering!

I also, have to confess, I have my fair share of these phone charms. Yes I know, not very macho, but I got most of them from those £1 Gashapon machine, and I tend to like gimmicky things. So to find a Warcraft themed charm, is a blessing (more macho, still geeky).

The site is American, but ship’s worldwide, so to the UK it would be $7.50 for the charm itself plus $4.00 S&H, so $11.50 or (at the time of writing) approx £5.60. Pretty darn cheap if you ask me, granted it IS rather small, and not official, but still definitely a good buy and a superb late/Christmas gift for any Warcraft fan, who wouldn’t want their own personal Hearthstone.

Of course, don’t forget to check out the rest of Ladykildare’s shop for other Warcraft trinkets and gifts.

Well, looks like Bethesda have gone and made Fallout 3 a first person game. Seems all that talk of keeping it true to the originals was a load of hot air and flaming BS. The few screenshots that have been released, all show first person views, and it has been anounced that it IS first person, with the option to change to a 3rd person, over the shoulder kind of thing.

Curse you Bethesda, WHY did you do this!

*sigh*

Damn, Lord knows how I missed this. I understand that so many people have known about this for a long while, but I only found out recently. I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for any and all Fallout 3 news for so long, and after Bethesda got the rights, I kinda started to lose hope.

Now we have a website with a countdown to a teaser of some sort (at the time of writing this there are 2 days to go). It probably wont give away much about the actual gameplay, which is what I and a LOT of the fans are concearned about, but it is still, at least, proof that the game IS coming out, and that’s something, right?

The artwork on there, and the music is damn impressive, so I’m VERY happy about that. The music was always something I loved about FO1 and FO2.

Here’s hoping it is as good, if not better than the originals.

Check out the official website here.

Video game remix albums, or arrangements as they seem to be known by some (most?), are one of my prime sources of aural enjoyment these days. They bring back the memories of my youth, and at the sime time wow me with the fantastic edges they have been given. I love that feeling of “Oh wow!” when you recognise a song that’s been done in a totally new way.

Recently, I found a supurb resource for downloading remixed versions of “classic” video game songs, all free of charge of course. and on this holy grail of websites, I found 4 full albums that for me stood out. Project Chaos, which is a Sonic the Hedgehog & Knuckles arrangement album, Hedgehog Heaven, which is all about Sonic 2, The Dark Side Of Phobos, a Doom remix album, and Blood on the Asphalt, a Street Fighter 2 remix album.

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Ahh my sweet innocent little DSlite, the Nintendo console that has brought me so much joy as of late, Now don’t get me wrong, I love my Wii too, but this baby can go anywhere, she’s a real loose console, and that’s why I love her.

Okay, maybe it’s getting a bit extreme, but I honestly do think that the DSlite is a gorgeous piece of kit, robust, friendly, and most of all, touchable!

So in honour of this little machine, I whipped up a bit of fresh Pixel Art goodness for you all to take a gander at. It may not be flashy and big, but then the DS isn’t either.

Enjoy and feel the love.

So, I got payed, headed to croydon to the nearest x-electrical there, and I cracked, I gave in to my temptations, and bought the import versions of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and Hotel Dusk: Room 215.

So far, I haven’t had MUCH chance to play them, but of what I have managed to squeeze out of the odd hour or two here and there, is absolutely fantastic.

Let’s start with castlevania… The graphic are wonderful, since I LOVE pixel art, this really pushes all the right buttons for me, the gameplay is fabulous, if a little tricky to get the hang of at first (I’ve never really played any of the other Castlevania titles, for shame) I don’t know how this stacks up with the others, I am wise enough to know, however, that there is a very large Castlevania fanbase, and particularly Symphony of the Night. And I am hoping that will please the fans, since it has, thus far, brought me a lot of joy and entertainment.

Hotel Dusk on the other hand, is a far more complex game than it may appear, I find myself constantly analysing, possibly even over-analysing ever bit of dialogue, every item, every location, in the hopes i may come to some kind of revelation sooner than expected. Time will tell. It has a very fluid control scheme, and the art is wonderful, playful yet somewhat noire-ish with a Japanese twist.

I shall reveal more once i have played more.

Shake-a-bye-bye

Christmas is over, and everyone seems to be waiting for the new year.

Lets roll back a few days to Christmas day…

My Nintendo Wii arrived! I was most shocked, seems like Santa really DOES exist, The tale goes something like this:

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