This week I need to have an interview with some employers to see if I can get a new job, and then another interview to apploy for a new college course at the Thornes Campus. Also this week I will need to employ some writers to help write the script for Dutch Hammer as I'm not very good with scripts. This should be my first film to be co-produced by an outside company, and the first not to immediately fall under the short film category, so I'm looking forward to it. I also need to get cracking with the writing of our comedy series, which isn't going to well at the moment, an entirely new setting is needed as there are no deserts withing 5 miles of here. Other than interviews and film crap to do I also a religious studies paper to hand in (currently 17 pages), and when I do I should get my RS A-level.

I'm not going to be very active, so please comment on my below blogs. It would mean much to me.

OK, so not COMPLETELY true, but you do get to pick a game from this cute little list, so whichever game you think I should reviw next, make a nice little smiley face or little "x" along with the game title so it looks pretty. SO here is the list, so pick which you think I should review, I have a score in mind for each:

• Alex Kidd in Mirace World (SMS)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (X360)
• Super Mario World (SNES-Wii VC)
• Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island (SNES)
• Aladdin (SNES)

I also ordered a game over the internet for just £9.99. It's pretty old and it's pretty difficult for points. I shalln't say what it is at the moment (guess if you want), but when it arrives next week you'll see. I'll show all of you!

Sorry to say that the title of the blog is most misleading as this has nothing to do with pirates whatsoever. It does howeverhave something to do with the Wii (once again), only this time a selection of titles that have wet my cheek (?) and should definately be purchasedat one point in 2008. Those games are:

While there may be 6 titles on my Wii list, I guarantee I may buy some others out of impulse, though I am trying my best to keep my Wii collection small (any unwanted games I give to my parents to use on the downstairs Wii for whenever company arrives, why are old people obsessed with the Wii? "OMG If I move this remote it moves a arm!" I mean yeah I love the Wii and it's motion sensing, but I didn't spill my guts when I saw what you could do. Guess it's because they grew up with PONG or nothing).

The aim of this blog is to (dis)honour those games of the next generation that have strayed too far from their roots. When a game is too similar to it's predecessor then the game is considered to be a waste of money, and if it strays too far from the original guideline, there is the feeling of "why did they take that out" or "why the hell did they add that"? Games such as DMC 3 and Half-Life 2 have stuck close and adapted their original formulae. Here are a few that haven't:

Conflict: Denied Ops (X360, PS3) - The 5th in the series of modern strategic shooters. Everyone remembers the Conflict series (and if you don't, why?). The first two games, Conflict Desert Storm and Conflict Desert Storm II were heavily based on squad tactics (the oringal Conflict DS is one of the few games I still play on backwards compatibility) and lengthy campaigns. Then came Conflict: Vietnam which took it to a new setting, Vietnam in the past. The game is arguably the best in the series, as it contained great natural scenery and intense gunfights in the jungle. The forth game was Conflict: Global Storm, the first of the fictional Conflict wars. Conflict GS was ok, and very similar to the originals. Now, each one of the first 4 Conflict games was third-person squad based tactical shooting, Conflict DO is a first person shooter with two generic characters. A step in the wrong direction, Pivotal.

Sonic the Hedgehog (X360, PS3) - There are quite a few people that love and adore Sonic. They were disheartened by this trainwreck of a next-gen adaptation of the original Sonic. An f-ed up story, lackluster control and poor camera conspire to make this game a tragedy. But it's just a poor sequel, it doesn't stray THAT far from the original. Well its strayed far enough for it not to be recognized if someone slapped, say, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger characters on instead. Sonic the Hedgehog is the worst Sonic game to come out since Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis.

Turok (X360, PS3)- Yet another next-gen sequel that features none of the original's charm. This new Turok title abandons the titular character of the original and focuses more on "target practise" than dinosaurs or magic. The story omits what happened in Turok and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, instead creating an original title following on from Turok Evolution, the first of Turok's long departed sequels. The game is destined to have unrealised potential, suffering the same fate of Blacksite, but no matter what lies under any myriad of flaws, what's the point of a sequel when it hardly "sequ's" at all?

Kingdom Under Fire - Circle of Doom (X360) - After Heroes and Crusaders, Circle of Doom has completely abandonned the original RTS concept of the KUF series, instead now focusing on RPG elements. That coupled with poor level design and combat, KUF: COD has culled whatever poultry admiration the KUF series had after the transition to next gen.

Well here are just 4 examples from the next generation. Why not post any games that you thought were too different from the original from any generation, for example Zelda II or Super Mario Bros. 2? Go nuts.

:PDi-Man

Now that Christmas has come and gone, and all but two highly anticipated titles have hit the market and amazed (or in one case disappointed) me. So what lies ahead in the year of Intercultural dialogue? Well, GTA IV has slipped further back, and I am quite pleased too, meaning I can fit more games in between. Admittadly there are only 4 games that I will be picking up between now and when the Reapers come back from the harvest .. I mean, March. Those games are:

For Xbox 360:

And for Wii:

There are a couple of contravances though:

• These do do not include "maybe" titles such as Cars: Mater-National Championship etc.
• It also does not include titles which I am sure about, for example Bully: Scholarship Edition is a definate buy, but it is scheduled to be released at the end of February, I might not get it upon release.
• Also does not include games I get for the sake of it (I made a pact not to purchase any old games for the sole purupose of exploiting it for achievements, which I haven't done since NBA 2K6, seriously, I bought TMNT and Eragon because I liked the films and actually liked the games, which some achievement gigalo's may find hard to understand).
• I shallonly buy Medal of Honour Heroes 2 when I have completed Vanguard.

Well I just wanted to submit my proposed idea in writing so that I wouldn't forget.

Buona sera.

Everyone remembers Banjo-Kazooie on the Nintendo 64 of old, as well as it's sequel Banjo Tooie for the same console. But, 8 years after the release of Tooie, Rare shifted from the Nintendo console, and is about to bring us the next generation of Banjo madness on the Xbox 360. Of course, this is common knowledge. The newest title in development Banjo Threeie (at the time of writing this title has yet to be confirmed, thought it is strongly hinted that it will be) certainly looks like it plays the part of a new generation Banjo-Kazooie.

• Wikipedia had this to say about the development:
• (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjo_Threeie)

• According to Eurogamer magazine, the original team from the earlier Banjo-Kazooie games will be working on the new game. The music will be composed by Grant Kirkhope, and it is suggested that the soundtrack will be orchestrated, following in suit to Viva Piñata and Kameo: Elements of Power. In a video interview, concept artist Ryan Stevenson said, "It's still gonna be the same characters, and it's still gonna be the same thing. It was just so many years ago that Banjo was around and we've got a lot of technology and a lot of new things to pour into that world. It's a game for all the people that appreciated the game years ago, and also for new people coming to the 360." According to Rare's website, Banjo-Kazooie 3 may also be released for the PC.

  The game was absent from the E3 2007 show floor. However, Peter Moore, the former Senior Vice President of IEB at Microsoft, stated in an interview that they could have shown games such as Banjo-Kazooie but they decided to focus more on games being released in 2007. Moore stated, however, that it would be included in next year's E3 line-up, implying BK3 would be released in the third or fouth quarter of 2008.

  Phil Spencer wanted to reassure gamers that Banjo's 360 debut is very much in the right hands. He revealed: "Team sizes are so different now and we have more animators now than the full Banjo 1 team, but the key core team is really the same."

  The August 30 edition of Scribes at the Rareware website announced that Banjo and Kazooie will both speak in the "gibberish" language the original games have been known for. The announcement stated "You'll be pleased to know that we have gone for the 'last-gen' option - no fancy speech for us!" As of October 17, 2007, the game is still in designing stages. Originally Rare had no intention in making a third Banjo-Kazooie game, but decided to do it. Rare has announced in the latest edition of Scribes that they will release trailers and game screenshots when they feel the time is right.

  In Rare's December 20 scribes edition, they have stated that Isle O' Hags, the hub world for the second game Banjo-Tooie will not return. In the same Scribes editon, Rare said that "the player will determine the difficulty level by how they approach the Jiggy tasks", hinting at what the game may offer. The moves from Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie will not be at Banjo and Kazooie's disposal. "Banjo and Kazooie haven't got many of the abilities that they used in previous games". Whether they will be able to regain them or not has yet to be specified.

  A podcast of 1UP Yours from the website 1UP.com stated that "A big Microsoft first-party title that has been in the works for a very long time, that people are very excited for, sounds like it's being canceled."This led to the belief that Banjo-Kazooie 3 was the canceled title. However, Rare later confirmed that it had not been canceled. As of December 30, 2007, the game "is more than halfway done."

Well, the whole point of this blog was to raise awareness of the return of Banjo and Kazooie, as alot of 360 users seem to overlook it's potential. How you liking the blog title, a play on the song "My Kind of Trust is a Shareware" by The Ark?

Also, I would like to call attention to this game (Applies exclusively to Wii gamers):

Mario Kart Wii has come alive in late 2007, as the release date currently sets at Q2 2008. Some see it as a cheap pack-in for the Wii wheel, as Link's Crossbow Training was for the Wii-Zapper, but it most definately will not be. Mario Kart Wii will reinvent the Mario Kart we all grew up with by adding new characters, different tracks and motorcycles.

• "We sent the ransom note to the lab. They're demanding a million dollars." - Cpt. Ed Hocken
• "Why would the lab demand a million dollars?" - Lt. Frank Drebin
• "The kidnappers made the demand, Frank." - Cpt. Ed Hocken

Was browsing for some personal quizes but they're all about sex and dating, so I browsed and browsed and nothing good came up. So I found this one (from the blog of Nico4), so enjoy and if there is anything you want to know about me that is not featured in the survey then go ahead and ask in the blog post.

Well as part of a New Year's tradition, I am going to regularly post updates on how my 360 gaming is going. I know I've gone so far without posting anything of the sort, but now I shall. So to begin:

On the 30th December (a bit lating documenting this) I earned all 1000 gamerpoints on Clive Barker's Jericho, having only just earned 1000 points on Cars on Christmas Eve (having got the game exactly 364 days earlier). So what's next? My goals are to complete Mass Effect and Kane & Lynch, as well as Call of Duty 4 and replay on veteran. Plans on what game to get next have primarily been dominated with the words, "Dark" and "Messiah", which hits shelves in roughly 10 days, so I'm holding out until then (having passed on the chance to buy a game on Saturday). Well that's it for now.

¡Buenas noches!

If you live in Britain and watched the fireworks at the London Eye you would know they were fantastic. They beat Sydney to s**t. Well Happy New Year to you all and enjoy these pics of the fireworks.

OK, I'm trying not to make this a generic "my favourite games of the year plus some games which I did not like", I shall award the games that have amazed me (and hurt me), not the games I fanboyishly liked. So, without further adure, I give My Best (and Worst) Games of 2007: (Winners of each category are in bold)

• Assassin's Creed (X360)
• Tomb Raider: Anniversary (X360)
• Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (Wii)
• Conan (X360)

Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (Wii)

Yeah I know, the actual game was released in 2005. Well I never played those OK! Aside from my personal amazement at the game, it has obviously taken silver medal in the Wii game market, with almost every Wii advert featuring the game (as well as Super Mario Galaxy or Metroid).

• Call of Duty 4 (X360)
• The Orange Box (X360)
• The Darkness (X360)
• Clive Barker's Jericho (X360)

The Orange Box (X360)

Yup, no Halo 3 and no BioShock, because I think they were overrated and too strenuous, respectively, in my opinion. But The Orange Box is nether overrated or too strenuous. Half Life 2 is enticing, Portal is amazing and Team Fortress 2 is so addictive you'd step over your own mother just to play it.

• The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles (Expansion Pack, X360)
• Eternal Sonata (X360)
• Mass Effect (X360)
• The Sims 2 Castaway (Wii)

The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles (X360)

Shivering Isles wins over it's closest competitor, Mass Effect, as it makes you feel alot more at home, whereas Mass Effect feels cold and forboding. Well done to The Elder Scrolls IV, for taking 240 of my hours!

• Forza Motorsport 2 (X360)
• FlatOut Ultimate Carnage (X360)
• Sega Rally (X360)
• Project Gotham Racing 4 (X360)

Project Gotham Racing 4 (X360)

Forgive me, but I haven't played any 360 racing games (except for Cars and PGR 3) but if I were to purchase any 360 racing game (it would have to be on 360 as the Wii has no good driving games) it would be PGR 4. And here it is.

• NBA Street Homecourt (X360)
• UEFA Champions League (X360)
• Virtua Tennis 3 (X360)
• Sensible World of Soccer (XBLA)

Sensible World of Soccer (XBLA)

I shall forgive the use of the word "soccer" when the legitimate term is "football", but this game is so darn addictive. I just wish I had some MP to download the full game.

• The Orange Box (X360)
• The Darkness (X360)
• Cliver Barker's Jericho (X360)
• Mass Effect (X360)

Cliver Barker's Jericho (X360)

You definately didn't expect this. This arrived at the end of the year (for me anyway) and every second I've played is pure heaven (ironically) and is definately more fun than the reviews and demo's lead you to believe. Sure the levels are pretty cramped, but if your playing on hard difficulty, you'll spend too much time popping heads, using ghost bullets (which is an awesome mechanic) and ultimately dying (and hopefully healing teammates) at every oppurtunity.

• Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (Wii)
• Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
• Super Paper Mario (Wii)
• Endless Ocean (Wii)

Endless Ocean

A calming and relaxing submarine adventure, reminiscant of Harvest Moon's of old. With an amazing soundtrack by Hayley Westenra and a wonderful atmosphere, this bags the award for Best Wii game, you may disagree that SMG, SPM or Resident Evil lost out, but this isn't your awards blog, is it?

• Jenga (Wii)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (X360, Wii)
• Alvin and the Chipmunks (Wii)
• Tetris Evolution (X360)

Jenga (Wii)

But ... why? Why make a videogame based on Jenga? Why does Emporer Palpatine have a desk? Why does he look like a fish after being attacked by Anakin? So many questions, so little people who care.

• Cruis'n (Wii)
• Spiderman 3 (X360, Wii)
• Two Worlds (X360)
• Spiderman: Friend or Foe (X360, Wii)

Cruis'n (Wii)

Sure the graphics would be acceptable for an arcade machine, but this is the Wii, and the graphics should be slightly cleaner, and having 2D cutouts of photographed people to act as crowds at close distance, is not cool.

• Hour of Victory (X360)
• Soldier of Fortune: Payback (X360)
• History Channel: Battle for the Pacific (X360)
• Far Cry Vengeance (Wii)

Hour of Victory (X360)

You all knew it, now let's shut up and not get into it.

• Hour of Victory (X360)
• Anubis II (Wii)
• Ninjabread Man (Wii)
• Jenga (Wii)

Hour of Victory (X360)

Horribble, read my or GS's review to save me time.

Well this is the most prestigious title I award in my annual ceremonies. The previous winners of this award were Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblvion in 2005 and 2006 respectively. This year, the year 2007 if you weren't paying attention, is coming to an end. And with us ushering in the year 2008, I think it is my duty to add one righteous game to the 2 which have recieved the GOTY award from me. "So what the heck is that game already?" Well I can safely say it is a game I have thuroughly enjoyed throughout the year. A game I have spent many hours playing. The game may not last very long, but while it does, it's a blast. Now it's not five games in one, and it's not a modern war shooter. It's not a sci-fi shooter and it's not a horror-RPG-FPS set underwater. No, it's none of those. But what it is is an intense shooter, with a twist. It's set in New York. Wrapped in beautiful graphics and absolute visceral intensity, the story is well written and the characters brilliantly voiced and introduced. But this mob shooter has a twist, the protagonist is stricken with...

...

...

...

The Darkness

Yup. The Darkness won my GOTY award. So here is the GOTY list so far:

• 2005: Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (XBOX)
• 2006: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (X360)
• 2007: The Darkness (X360)

Well there you have, 1 and a half hours of my life toiling over something you won't even read. *Sigh*. Comment 'n' junk.

-Dimanicus