is rather strange after 3 years....

You know it always made me sad when i read goodbye blogs, and it makes me sad to write this one. But i think it is something that has to be done. As most of you have known i am not really active on this site. I comment on blogs i find interesting and funny but mostly i just can't seem to get involved. Blogging, commenting and forums are just things i have lost interest in here. It is a shame since i have spent many hours here and met a lot of great people. For those wondering where i am going leave a comment, however no promises i will get back to you. Fairwell Gamespot, thanks for all the good times :)

For the last time

Many thanks

Stuart Fraser (02sfraser)

ME :D now where have i been you ask? a number of places actually so i am going to try and make this blog as short as possible while trying to fill you guys in on the past few months. i mean i was getting excited about E3 as my last blog. and that was the reason i didnt blog. i didnt want to write another E3 blog like everyone else but then so much happened i just dropped behined. but hopefully i am back despite being busy in the upcoming months :) i miss you guys. right lets get started.

E3: Microsoft had the best conference but i dont believe Natal can change gaming like they say. Sony, Nintendo and some rubbish company that make plastic lumbs all made the point of players still need to hold something for interaction.

Nintendo: well it is what you expect mostly. a new Mario Galaxy is exciting and Metroid Other M was by far the highlight for their show :D

Sony: well for me Sony had the best content and have really got some of the best exclusive titles for next year. however it is all for next year :( also with PS3 Slim and the price drop i think Sony are set to take a huge leap... NEXT

Rockness 2009: this is a music festival near to where i stay. started of as a 1 day thing and has fast become one of the big festivals here in the UK which is amazing. had an awesome time starting on friday where i got so drunk i lost my friends band (couldnt find the tent they were playing in), got a picture taken with a guy with a horse head and yelled at some girl who said she knew me and tried to pull me (have a girlfriend). Saturday was good with more drink and an awesome dance sesh in the big tent with a DJ called Crookers. saw a few more bands but was mostly drinking. Sunday however :D saw a lot of bands and didnt drink that much since i was waiting for the higlight of the weekend... Biffy Clyro! they were one of my favourite bands but after seeing them live they are now my favourite band :D soo good. oh also saw the Prodigy. you must know them ;)

Summer: now this summer consisted of work mostly and seeing my girlfriend Melody. i am trying to think back but i dont think anything of particular importance happened. just enjoyed the weather with my friends, played tennis and drank some lovely Wheat Beer. was another joy :)

Belladrum 09: now this is another music festival. i was at it last year if you remember. yea drink and catch up with friends on the thursday since there wasnt any bands. also did some promotional work for my friends band and met some nice people through it. Saturday i started the day by brushing my teeth with beer.... not the smartest move but hey thats me :D saw my friends band and a band called Bronto Skylift who were one of the highlights of my weekend. they are going to tour america soon so if they are near you pay a visit ;) some more bands and didnt drink much (hungover) and then moved onto sunday. now sunday.... what a mess i was. sooo drunk and dont really remember much until i started sobering up about 2 in the afternoon... still really drunk. saw my friends Twin Atlantic (remember them? they were in LA recroding their album and it comes out in the states... BUY IT!!) and chatted with them. then drank some more and i gave a minute long speech about music for a shot of whisky. good times :D then saw Sucioperro and they were my favourite band of the weekend. truly brillliant. weekend OVER!!

University: now after i got back from Belladrum i decided to get my University stuff sorted. yes i got in and am leaving in 2 weeks :D this year i am studying Computing and IT and can continue that for a Honours Degree or i can change next year to do Computer Game Application Development. which i think i might do :P is exciting but dont have a place to stay yet :S think i am going down Tuesday to get something sorted.

Video Games: right lets see if i can quick fire what i have played, liked and finished. LETS DO THIS!!!

PS3: Fallout 3 - Love and finished, Eternal Sonata - Love and still playing, Fight Night Round 4 - great and not finished, Dead Space - Love and still playing, Batman - LOVE and finished :P haha

Xbox360 - emmm Guitar Hero World Tour Band Kit - love and nothing like some band practice ;)

PS2 - Final Fantasy X - Love but stopped

DSi - Castlevania Dawn of Sorrows - great but stopped, Phoniex Writght 2 and 3 - good but hard :( Big Bang Mini - great but can get stuck in, Chrono Trigger - LOVE and near the end

Mac - World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft Burning Crusade, World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King... this is where i have been haha. love it. such a fantastic game and i dont care what anyone says haha.

so there we go my few months summed up in a, hopefully, bite size blog. oh and that Mac games bit made me realise... i got a MAC :D so much better than a Windows PC. i could never go back to Windows after using Mac OS X and the build quality and beauty of the machines is just beyond anything i have ever seen. worth every penny.

so yea i am back hopefully :D see you around your blogs

Many thanks

Stuart Fraser (02sfraser)

PS this blog is dedicated to Colmillios :)

as you all know i am a massive Metal Gear fan. one of my favourite franchises of all time and the idea of another coming in the next year or so just makes me want to cry with happiness. now the Kojima teaser site is on its final countdown and it has just got a whole lot more interesting. they have added 2 more letters to the formula as well as 2 pictures. now before we all managed to realise the code 5@E3 but now new letters are R and P. now i havent found a website that has commented on the 2 new letters because the pictures are far more exciting :D there is a picture of Big Boss and a picture of Raiden :D now these 2 characters cannot be in the same time period so it is most likely going to be 2 games. im thinking PSP and PS3 myself but the new timer will end as soon as E3 starts so i am going to stop speculating and just wait until then :) to be honest this new timer never had me that excited due to me knowing that i would hav to wait for E3 to get any sort of real answer but it was a awesome revelation :D

in news of my own i have been playing a LOT of Fallout 3. im about 2 thirds of the way through the story but havent bothered going any further. i have mostly been exploring and doing side quests as i think they are so much fun :D i am level 15 and have 6 bobbleheads which means if i find 4 more i get a silver trophy which is pretty awesome :D so far i hate the Enclave because they have such good weapons. im going to play more today and hopefully finish the story, get 4 more bobbleheads but make sure i DONT save it when the story is done because i know it doesnt let you go back :) also i got Dogmeat yesterday. he is so awesome and when the DLC comes out for PS3 im getting the Dogmeat puppy perk for sure :D

other things? emm i got Dirge of Cerbrus the Final Fantasy VII game that stars Vincent Valentine. it got it for the story because it is the only story i dont know. i have played Crisis Core, watched the anime, have the film and of course played the main game. its the only missing piece from my knowledge of Final Fantasy VII haha. only cost me £7.50 and the box and disc is in mint condition. thats what i love about working in a game shop. you find rare games and get to keep them for yourself :P

well thats all the exciting stuff for now. i have exams right now and the Math Paper 2 was stupidedly hard. everyone had trouble with it and there was even a mistake in the paper. whats that all about it? as for Physics i have already passed the subject before so wasnt really fussed. it was very much like the last time i did it so i might get a better grade. we shall see. i have Computing a week Thursday so im taking the day of today and then its work and revising. fun stuff. but after next week it is Holidays for MEEE :D until i get my grades back and then meet up with the University guy.... i should really see if i can contact him again. oh well see you all soon :)

Many thanks

Stuart Fraser

i woke up today and check my usual updates on Joystiq.com and i found out that Team ICO have revealed the trailer for their new game, "Project Trico". it looks fantastic. it has the same art type (i hate how gamespot block certain words) you would expect from Team ICO except in HD. it looks brilliant. really atmospheric with a sort of cel-shaded feel to it. also it looks like there is going to be a close relationship between you and some sort of creature. they seem to be close and looks like this creature is going to be a big part of the game. much like your horse was in Shadow of Colusses yet with the ability to swim, climb and possibly even fly? it is certainly going to be interesting and a big title im going to be looking out for. i hope there is something at E3 :) i will put the trailer link at the bottem of the post.

things i have been up to invovles work. although i was in Edinburgh seeing HORSE the band :D i was so happy watching the synth player (Eric i think) set up his synth, do the sound check for everyone and asking the sound guy to make it really really loud. was like getting beating up by sounds. was amazing :D they probably had the best possible set list for the time they had. and they played the song i shouted for in their Encore. was soooo happy :D proper epic. i went to glasgow the next day which was like every other trip there really. although last time i was in glasgow the fire alarm went of in this starbucks. no biggy. then when i walked past it this time it went of. i thought wierd :) but when i was in the apple store the fire alarm went of in there as well. i think im cursed :? haha.

in game news i have gone back to DIRT and my cousin has tried to make a bet with me. it is to get 10000 gamerscore before May runs out. now we always have these bets and i never lose. like once he bet me i couldnt get 1000 from Sega Ultimate Collection. i said i could do it under a week. and i did it :D we always have bets like this so i cant lose this haha. will finish DIRT and then move onto either Mass Effect, Too Human or Kameo. any recommendations? after i win this little bet im going to go back to Fallout 3 on my PS3 because i really want to finsih it and give it a good chance :) get through it because i think i would really like it.

well thats all for me today :)

so until next time

many thanks

Stuart Fraser (02sfraser)

LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF3fED8EXl4

today was just a near perfection day. i woke up and was brought a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich in bed. was just awesome. then i look out my window and there is sunshine everywhere. i mean just such a beautiful day. i was just :D because i knew this day was going to be something special.... and to be honest it wasn't haha. but was still a great day :)

i went into town to run a few errands but the most important one being getting the new Marmaduke Duke album. they are a Scottish band from Ayshire (outside Glasgow) and they do experimental rock. it is a really strange genre and i can't really define it but it is awesome. it is preformed by the 2 front men of bands Biffy Clyro and Sucioperro and they call themselves "The Atmosphere" and "The Dragon". it is weird i know but they are doing 3 albums following the life of "The Duke". the first album titled "The Magnificent Duke" was about how The Duke was sad and depressed and had quite a hardcore sound to it. now The Duke is feeling better and is back to party in his second album "Duke Pandemonium". much happier beat :) the last album is going to be labelled "The Death of The Duke" and is apprantly going to have "a completly disgusting sound". looking forward to it :D sorry i get excited by this band haha.

so after town i went to my friends house to revise for exams (bad times) but we took a break and lay on the grass to sunbathe a bit.... but we both feel asleep and have total burnt arms haha. they are so red and stingy but it is due to our white scottish skin. it will develop into a tan i hope haha. was just so nice to be lying on the grass under the sun. good times for Stu :D

not much else is really happening. Mac is still perfection... oh actually i got the keypad for my PS3 so i can type messages fast if i am writing a message or LBP comments. it is acutally really good. although it looks awkward and stupid it is really comfy to use and fast for typing. i really like it and is worth a purchase if you write a lot of messages on PSN. although the trackpad on it is useless. just use the controller. if you want to add me on PSN it is - sfraser182 :)

i am going to Edinburgh for a concert on wednesday. in fact you might know of them. they are an American band called "HORSE the band"? they are amazing. hardcore rock infused with synth. just awesome. is going to be insane. also going to the Apple Retail store to get some help, attend a workshop and get a bag for my Macbook :) is good times.

well that is all so i hope you are all doing well

many thanks

Stuart Fraser (02sfraser)

yes it is that day again. the day where i age by 1 year and get presents :) although i won't be getting any presents that will outdo my beautiful Macbook (i will talk about this later). another thing about my bday is nobody buys me games anymore because i work in a GAME shop haha. there is no point in buying my games. but i think it will be good. so far have clothes vouchers (i love Topman), driving lessons and money so its all good :) Melody also made me a wonderful book of Stu. i might post a pic if you want? oh and im 19 now.

but my birthday is not the most exciting thing in my life right now. my Macbook just reins supreme. want to know spec? well i shall tell you but you have to remember although lower than some PCs. its a Mac. doesnt need high spec and what spec it has just runs as smooth as anything. its just pure bliss

CPU - 2.4 Ghz dual core, RAM - 4GB DDR3 RAM, Graphics - NVidia 9400M 256MB GPU, HDD - 250GB SATA.

they are the main things but some small things are it has a backlit keyboard, 13.3 inch LED backlit display, Mac OS X Leopard, iLife Suite '09 and it has what is called a unibody. which means the laptop is made from a single peice of Aluminium so it is strong, light and beautiful to look at :) also has 4 hrs of battery. the thing i love about Macs is of course the OS. it just works so much smoother and nicer than Windows. it does everything but just faster and in a nicer way. and i can even run Windows on my Mac thanks to my Intel Processor. once you go Mac i dont think you can ever go back.

sorry im totally starting to ramble. i could go on for hours about the genius behined it but you could just watch the Macbook promo video :P so game wise i started playing the Bourne Conspiracy. its alright. nothing special at all but worth the £7 haha. but although im ashamed to say it im playing "World of Warcraft" a lot :( im sorrryyyy. its acutally such a good game but i can only play in like 4 hour bursts every week. i couldnt do what some people do and play for weeks on end haha. i also think im getting near the end of Chrono Trigger which is another fantastic game. i highly recommend it to anyone with a DS or who is a RPG fan. just fantastic. anything else? oh yes i got Flower and Worms from the PSN Store :) Flower is just bliss. it looks lovely, plays well and has the most relaxing soundtrack. with so many moments of "WOOOWWWWWWW :o". and Worms is just good for multiplayer :) its really good fun.

right well i dont think i have much else im afraid. probably do since it has been so long since i have posted a blog haha. oh wait i forgot to say. this is my 100th blog :D it has only taken me about 2 years haha. so should i do something? probably. can i come up with a good idea? nope. how about.... ask me anything you want? :) that seems easy enough plus it gives all my new friends to find out something about me.

well thats all so thanks to everyone :)

Stuart Fraser (02sfraser)

hey everyone i know i havent posted in a while and sorry etc. but i just have to tell you all.... my Macbook is in Inverness somewhere :D soon it will be in my hands. a Mac you say? yes i ordered a Mac yesterday morning and i cant wait to get it. my next blog post will be proper and from the beautiful backlit keyboard and my Apple Notebook Mac OS X Leopard :D

i love you all..... yes i really really do

Stuart Fraser

PS Colmillios im glad your better/getting better :) *hugs*

well i saw a video earlier with gameplay footage from Bioshock 2. and yes it was Bioshock 2 before you start saying there is no such video. i will post a link at the bottem so you can go see yourself. and i would like you to go see because i want to know what other poeple think.

personally right now i dont think it looks like anything new. but to be honest how new can you make an underwater city horrer/shooter fresh and new. a few things i noticed is they are going for a lot more of a dark scenario than the first one. there is barely any light and you walk around with a torch from what i could see. also you are a Big Daddy in it and instead of your wrench you get your drill :D although the drill just acts as a wrench... no drilling people. they better change that.

something i found hilarious though is your little helper friend (like Atlus) is an Irish woman haha. the Irish just cant stay away from underwater cities and violence. you see a clip of the enemies but you dont really get a good look. there is quite a few of them and they seem faster than the Splicers but its hard to tell as its pretty manic when there fighting.

a final part i would like to talk about is the first half of the trailer is about the player chacing a Big Sister. now she looks crazy. i mean proper mental. she is fast, powerful and is really determined that you dont get caught. there is a scene where she tears open a massive glass panel to try and kill you. you dont see the outcome but you do start walking under water. new gameplay possiblity?

well thats just my views on the short new trailer for Bioshock 2. i loved the first one and this one looks like it is going to focus a lot on story rather than major new gameplay mechanics. why fix what isnt broken? also was hoping to do a vlog this morning but it looks doubtful. if its still sunny when im out of work then i will so it then :)

well thats all so until next time

many thanks

Stuart Fraser (02sfraser)

link: http://www.joystiq.com/2009/04/10/heres-your-first-look-at-bioshock-2-gameplay-footage/

hello everyone. my new Nintendo DSi is beautiful :D i really think Nintendo did a great job upgrading the DS. now this isnt going to be a long blog because i wrote a pretty lenghty blog the other night but closed the tab it was on by mistake :evil: i was sooo annoyed. it has let me to think that maybe gamespot should have some kind of save draft thing every couple of mintues when writing a blog. like myspace has. so i will round things up.

got GTA:Chinatown Wars and i think it's amazing. really awesome game and no compromise even though it is on the DS. go out and buy it. it is really really good. next thing. i was on a boat seeing a band called The Xcerts. it was awesome and it was for their album launch and their album is just fantastic. every song on it is brilliant. Melody and myself celebrated our first year together yesterday (awwww) and to be honest we did absolutly nothing. we went for a long walk as it was really sunny but other than that we didnt really do anything. but its what we do best :)

DSi news... i got one :D as you already know from the top. i got a 1000 points free from Nintendo for some reason. i think its a welcome gift. i bought WarioWare:Snapped and its total funny. tradtional WarioWare fun and great value for 500 points. makes you look like a right prat when you play it but its part of the fun. also bought Chrono Trigger with it which was only like £20 so im happy. for everything which is a new DSi, 2 years accidental cover and Chrono Trigger i only spent £43... i love my discount :P im really looking forward to having more DSi ware games come out because i think it has so much potential and cant wait to see what companies are planning to do with it.

right thats all for now. short but sweet :)

many thanks

Stuart Fraser (02sfraser)