So I gave in to the much hype surrounding Castlevania and decided to pick up a copy on eBay. If nothing else, I know this game is very hard to find now in European terrotories (PAL edition anyway) so maybe it'll become collectable in a few years... OK... so I just wanted it, but i always justify my purchases!

Also got Phoenix Wright as that has just been released here in Europe. Must say, it is one of the best games i've ever played, let alone on the DS. Awesome storylines, great twists, very fun to play and i really don't want it to end. Im on the second to last trial so far - but im pacing my self so it's not gone too quickly!

What else is there to look forward to? Well it's easter break so that means lots of revision for my upcoming final A-Level exams in June............ as well as buying Tetris DS and Trauma Center later this month!

P.S Less than 60 days till the world cup - get your England car flags out everyone - even you Americans! :)

Finally, after what has seemed like forever, the UK launch of Animal Crossing has arrived. I picked the game up on the launch day (Friday 31st) and have been playing it pretty much ever since - yes, I had the Gamecube version but once again i'm hooked. From the star gazing, to the coffee shop to the awesome WiFi, all the new features just add to this game being one of, if not.. the best game i've ever played. My town is called Vanilla and is open to visitors! If you want to arrange a visit, then PM me and we'll sort something out. Cherries and Peaches are growing for now....

Like london busses, DS games come along in 3's - Along with Animal Crossing we also got Resident Evil and Phoenix Wright. Just picked up the latter on eBay after hearing glowing reports of the game. Will pick up resident evil later if it drops in price! Maybe..

It's a busy week before easter for me with English A-Level coursework in for Thursday. Damn.. I guess Phoenix will have to stay in its box until I finish that... ... . well... :roll:

Just to let you know, my long promised Gripshift (PSP) review is now online. It's not my best but you get the picture. I can't praise this game enough and only hope that more people pick it up.

Gripsfhift Review: http://www.gamespot.com/psp/driving/gripshift/player_review.html?id=264447

In other news, plans for my late-july trip to New York are coming on well. I've never left Europe before and visiting America has been one of my dreams since I was a little boy - so yeh, i'm really excited about this one. Anyone from NY got any good ideas on what I have to see or do? I suppose the Nintendo World Store is a must too :D

Well what a surprise we were dealt today. The day after the NoE chief executive said that there were definantely no plans to bring a new look DS anytime soon... Nintendo Japan go and reveal it. Quite unbelivably really - a few weeks ago everyone was certain for a new look.. but then the rumours subsided. It was a big shock to log on and see the pictures today.

My wallet is scared for sure. I'll have to get one, although i'll probably wait till it comes to Europe before taking the plunge this time. Too many good games to enjoy first.

But seriously, this could see very hard times for the PSP in Japan, and worldwide. The DS already has a lead and only for its looks in some places, is it not doing as well. At least, from my experience. This new iPod-esque look will certainly remove that barrier and with the launch of MP:H with only deathmatches, I can't see it being matched this year by the PSP.

I love my PSP and this few months i bought loads of new games.. but to be honest, you cant help but feeling you'd have more fun with the PSP games if you'd bought them on PS2. The DS has original and new games that simply wouldn't work on anything else, and that is something that no other console offers yet.

2006 will be an interesting year for the portable market.. certainly keep your eyes peeled for new PSP accessories and killer games to try and grab that market share.

Just like to start this post by saying it is my Birthday tommorow (Monday 9th January) - a nice new Phone and MP3 player should keep me going for another year anyway. I'm also hoping to get Madden NFL for the PSP, which I always wish I had when we come to the Superbowl in February... Yes, I am from England but I still have a huge interest in American based sports. As you could probably tell by my NBA Live post below, and my review on NFL street. :P

As most of you have already seen, the new iRiver G10 was revealed at CES this week. It's basically a new handheld gaming console but with an 800x600 resolution screen, a 4(or 8)GB built in hard disc, run Windows CE 5.0 and even use WiBro - a broadband speed version of WiFi which will allow for fast online gaming and downloading music and games from the iRiver G10 download service. It's certainly impressive and it looks gorgeous (if not slighlty impractical to play games on), but surely there is no way a company like iRiver can establish itself in a handheld market that, over the last year, has become completely saturated.

The GBA is still selling hundreds of thousands each month, for those younger gamers, the DS is selling millions monthly and the PSP is selling loads because of all it's media capabilities. So where exactly would this iRiver fit in? There is no doubt that it could shift a few thousand on it's looks and desirability alone. It's a nice device and with a 8gb hard drive, then the potential is pretty impressive. But I just fail to see where this device, with little 3rd party game support and no first party game experince, is trying to aim itself. Time will tell i'm sure, but I personally don't expect much talk about this next year.. at least, not positive talk.

More info and pics: http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/03/more-deets-on-irivers-wibroin-game-console/

Well my newest PSP from Sony Europe is pretty much perfect. Finally. No dead or stuck pixels, no damaged casing - so that was a nice Christmas present.

Just realised I have about 4 exams to do in January, which is great, just as I have my 18th birthday. (that's on the 9th incase anyone is interested :wink: ) It'll be a less than exciting time than I would have hoped.. but once I get the exams done then I can enjoy it more.

Anyway, I picked up Gripshift for the PSP the other day. It was only £20 (half price of normal retail PSP games) so I really wasn't expecting much - but its really damn good. It has a challenge mode (where you have to race/platform to the end of a level) race mode and loadsa mini games (including penguin bowling which is sweet!). You have to drive these cars with crazy physics which allow for accelerating and steering in the air, around mad tracks.
What really impressed me was the fact this game has a track editor. A feature most games priced at £40 do not include. IT's really easy to use buy very powerful, and you can easily share your tracks over the internet with other GS players. It's a great game and i'll write a full review of it soon.

Anyway, Hope you all have a great new year - 2006 will be an awesome year for gamers. Lets hope so anyway...

So my replacement PSP arrived...

...2 dead pixels, 3 stuck pixels (the white ones) and a casing that looked like it had serious water damage.

Gee thanks Sony. A quick phone call ensured another replacement will be here this Friday (again, excellent service) but lets hope this time it is actualy better than the one I send back in the first place!

The saga continues....

My third this year. My first PSP I got back in February from Japan, but sold this in August so I could use the money to get a nice new English PSP.

I've had that PSP up until today when I rang SCEE to ask for a replacement because of some troubles i'm getting with the screen. (its screwed up basically) A woman with a cold seemed more than happy to sort out an exchange for me - to my disbelief, she said a courier would be around at my home tomorrow morning to swap my PSP for a brand spanking new one. Now that is service, even during the busy Christmas period.

I'll let you know if it ever shows up anyway :roll:

Picked up a shiny new copy of NBA Live for the PSP today, and must admit, it's pretty impressive. The last portable basketball game i played was NBA Jam way back on the GB Color and so this is worlds apart.

Graphics are sharp, commentary is awesome and the gameplay is fast flowing with seemingly, loads to learn and get the hang of. Shame EA took the online play down for the PAL release though .. i was looking forward to some online matches. Next time, i'll have to import a US copy I guess.

Anyway, 7 days till Xmas now and still struggling to pick up the last few pressies. Girlfriend's still hooked to Mario Kart DS so she hopefully wont notice a distinct lack of presents this year... well, heres hoping anyway.... :roll:

Also forgot to mention (nearly!) - well done to the lads in blue today. 2-0 over Arsenal and already 9 points clear at the top. Looks like another great season for the Chelsea :)

Firstly if you are taking the time out to read my first blog entry then thanks! Obviously, writing for no audience is not something that feels great, but if I can get some feedback from someone then i'll continue to write in this blog. Any comments welcome.

Anyway, 7 days before christmas again. Last christmas saw me get an imported DS with Mario 64 - this year, im hugging my PSP close to me while the DS collects occasional dust along side my Gamecube.

The biggest regret of the year? Possibly buying a GB Micro. It was an impulse - sure it looks gorgeous, but the games really don't stand the test of time like I thought they would. Shame really because it really is a beautiful piece of hardware. Half of me wants to keep it....... hm...

Tips for Christmas? To be honest, its a pretty dull one. If you own a PSP then games are mostly ports. For DS owners, you should already own M&L, Animal Crossing and Mario Kart. PS2 owners have the usual stampede of games to enjoy as do Xbox owners. Gamecube devotees can still be enjoying Battalion Wars and Fire Emblem till the new year!

Those of you who took the plunge on a 360 - well... Merry Christmas to you too! At least if its a cold christmas, you can all huddle round the 5ft power adaptor to keep warm. I'm jealous deep down...

More soon.. I hope. Happy Christmas to everyone.