If you haven't already guessed from the title of this Journal entry, I managed to pick up a Game today that I have been waiting for for a LONG time - Final Fantasy XII.  :D

Now I must admit, I haven't managed to do NEthing else with it apart from watch the opening movie sequence (which looked suitably spectacular - nothing out of the ordinary for a Final Fantasy Game), but I'm looking forward to playing it some more over the next couple of days.  I'm particularly interested in the Licensing System and the whole Gambit thingy - from reading through the manual, they both sound kinda interesting...

I'll let you know more about the Game when I've actually managed to PLAY it, but from what I've heard from other people, I'm in for a treat.  :)

On to other Sony-related things.  Managed to put some more money down on my PS3 today, and it's now less than a month until the official Australian release date.  Getting kinda exciting now, what with it almost paid off and all that.  Also decided to get myself a second SixAxis controller, and even pre-ordered a copy of Resistance - Fall of Man.  From the looks of it, it's a pretty kewl shooter, and I like the story behind the Game. 

I can't claim to be too excited about the rest of the release titles for the PS3, but I know some more good ones will come out in due course.  Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII are both looking like they're gonna be good when they're released, but I won't be expecting them here before next year...  :(

I'm still playing on my 360 from time to time, but I'm getting myself into a Sony frame of mind for the 23rd of next month.  Gotta find out which Games I own on the PSOne and PS2 are actually gonna PLAY on the PS3, but from what I hear from my local Game story I might be OK...  Hopefully.  More when I know more, K?

NEhow, gotta settle down for a quiet night in with my lovely fiance - we're gonna watch a few episodes of 24 (Season 2) and relax together for a change.  In the meantime, you make sure you all have a good weekend, and continue to...

GAME ON!  :D

Evening all, how you doing out there in Gamespot Land?  I thought I would sit down this humid evening and bash out my latest entry in the Chronicles of Matt(ick?)...

Tonight, I was just looking to beat my chest a bit and make noise about the fact that I've finally broken 4000 for my X-Box Live Gamerscore.  I'm actually pretty happy, as I've made some leaps and bounds over the past few months, heading from about 2500 to over 4000 in a (relatively) short period of time.  :)

Several Games helped me out here, but mainly Lego Star Wars 2, Marvel - Ultimate Alliance and Gears of War.  I've thoroughly enjoyed playing (and finishing) each of those Games, and I think I may have reached a turning point in my Gaming career when I can actually focus on ONE Game until I finish it.  (Surprising but true...  *grin*)

So I've decided to take a (brief) break from my 360, and move back to my PS2.  I'm reading some disturbing rumours about Backwards Compatibility issues for the PS3 in playing PS2 Games which is upsetting me.  (It's the whole X-Box 360 compatibility thing all over again, just on something made by Sony this time...  :()  So I'm not quite as excited about the 23rd of March as I was. 

In the meantime, I've been playing Okami a lot - about seven hours in now, and I've just beaten my first big boss type creature by painting it into submission with lots of vines.  Thoroughly enjoying the gameplay and the graphics.  The characters are interesting enough, and the challenges of painting my way out of trouble continue to impress me.

If you've never played Okami, I'm gonna recommend you check it out.  I don't think I'm too far into it just yet, but I've managed to clear out several cursed zones and am doing my best to complete all the lil' quests I keep getting.  :)

NEhow, I should get some sleep now as it's late and I'm kinda tired.  I'll chat with you all another night, K?  In the meantime, don't forget to...

GAME ON!  :D

Well, after that Wedding entry, I figured I should also write something Game related - just to keep you all posted on what's what in the life of WerePaladin...  :)

Finished another Game.  Yes, I know it's a bit scary - but I've gone and done it again just the same.  It's almost habit-forming, all this finishing of Games and stuff.  NEhow, the Game in question is Marvel - Ultimate Alliance, which I knocked over earlier today on my day off...

*Spoilers Ahead*

Yes, I finally managed to beat the evil Doctor Doom, who wasn't quite as tough as I expected him to be really.  After all the challenges I faced in defeating Ymir and Loki, and even Galactus, I figured the final boss of the Game would be a lil' tougher.  *shrug*

Maybe I have just pumped up my Team to the point that they were too tough for Doom to just wipe 'em out, or maybe I just got good at stringing together some Power combos, I'm not sure.  But he bowed out with all that much of a struggle...

What I personally found interesting was the future Timeline thing they did at the end, summing up all the "Optional" quests I completed during the Game.  I was pretty happy with most of 'em, except I didn't manage to save Lilandra (ooops, kinda ran outta time when trying to save the ship), and the other bad one was with Jean Grey.  From the tone of the comments in the Game, it seems like I could have saved her - although I suspect I would have a similar one for Nightcrawler had I chosen differently...

Question for those of you who have beaten the Game - is it even possible to save both Jean and Nightcrawler?  From the way I was playing, it didn't seem so, but maybe I was wrong.

I've since started again on Hard mode, with Nick Fury unlocked and a spare space reserved for the Silver Surfer - once I managed to unlock him.  *grin*  Got a few more Comic Missions to defeat before I can add him to my Team, and then I'm all full up.  Working my way through the early stages of the Game again, and just up to the point of combatting Fin Fang Foom - that nasty Dragon beasty...

May even sacrifice a few points of reputation, and swap in some of the other heroes to better flesh out their skills and costumes and stuff as well.  Any suggestions on some good combinations of characters?

NEhow, I'm pretty happy with all my achievements in the Game, and I'm trying to convince a mate of mine in Adelaide (who just bought himself a 360) to play it as well, so we can do some of the online stuff - wanna try out Arcade mode to see what it's like and all.  NEone interested in forming an online Ultimate Alliance and seeing if we can beat the Game with four players, rather than just one?  :D

*End Spoilers*

So since then, I've been playing a new Game I picked up a week or so back - Okami.  It's actually really good, even though I'm only a couple of hours into the Game.  I've managed to unlock a few Brush Techniques, and am working my way through the first few areas, ridding the land of evil as I go.  I like the lil' quests you can do for people, and the way you earn Praise from people, animals and even nature itself to increase your abilities in the Game.  :)

I'll have a proper update on my progress in the Game once I've devoted a bit more time to it.  Until then, I'll prolly be alternating between Okami and Ultimate Alliance for a while, and try and play some more Smooth Moves when I can.  :)

So, given the first part of this Journal entry, that means I get to publish my list (again - it's almost becoming a regular thing, ain't it?  :D)

 Malkav's Completed Games List (tm)

We Love Katamari - 25th February, 2006

Tomb Raider: Legend - 15th of April, 2006

Me and My Katamari - 6th of May, 2006

Guitar Hero (Easy Career) - 12th of June, 2006

Guitar Hero (Medium Career) - 24th of July, 2006

Guitar Hero II (Easy Career) - 4th of December, 2006

Lego Star Wars II (100%) - 21st of January, 2007

Guitar Hero II (Medium Career) - 21st of January, 2007

Gears of War (Hardcore) - 7th of February, 2007

Marvel - Ultimate Alliance (Normal) - 19th of February, 2007

Right, now that I've finished all that, it's time for bed.  I hope you're all doing OK out there in Gamespot Land, and that (as always) you continue to...

GAME ON!  :D

Well, it's time for another life update of what's been going on with all things Wedding related since we last spoke.  (So if you're a guy - and therefore possibly not interested in NEthing I have to say from this point on - then skip to the next entry...  :))

Things are going quite well in the planning stages.  Anna and I have finally managed to sort out a Reception venue, which has taken us about four months to decide on - what with interruptions from having to pack a whole house and dog bites and whatnot.  Booking the Reception venue has enabled us to finally confirm the date of our Wedding as well - March the 1st, 2008.  (So don't expect to see me online here at Gamespot that day, K?  :))

With a confirmed date, we have also managed to sort out the Church, and arranged for our own Minister to marry us (which took a bit of negotiating, but worked out OK).  We have also managed to book a Photographer and Videographer for the day, which is nice.  (We're using the same ones my Sister did for her Wedding last year - I was impressed with the end results, so that saved us a lot of time in sorting things out).

Anna has also found her Wedding Dress, and has put some money aside for that.  Of course, as the man in this relationship, I am unable to know a THING about the Dress until the special day itself, so I will remain blissfully unaware of what it looks like until then.  (Although I have been reliably informed that it will knock my socks off...  :))

All of these places and services require deposits, so we've spent the past week or two throwing money at people, to confirm bookings and secure venues and services for the day.  Still have other bookings to make, but some of them can wait a few months (such as my Suit for the day, and stuff like that)

Currently, we're checking out some DJ's, and looking at what type of vehicles we're gonna be making use of - personally, I like the idea of Anna parachuting into the Church from on high, and then I'm planning on bursting in through the doors on the back of a Harley or some such thing.  All very dramatic, and not terribly realistic, but it's fun to imagine.  :)

NEhow, that's where we're at for the time being.  Some point closer to the Wedding, I'll give you another update on how things are going, K?

And now we return you to your normal scheduled programming...

(Yup, the talk about Weddings is over guys.  It's safe to read my Journal again.  :D)

Well, I must say that after the horrors of Level 20, this last month or so has passed quite quickly.  For some reason, the Level system of Gamespot has some "interesting" quirks to it.  I mean, let's not forget the curious Rank names - Flicky, Toobin', and other unusual ones - or forget the "feature" that most people call the Level 20 Bug.

So I was kinda pleased to find out that amidst all this confusion that you could still level up relatively quickly if you wanted to.

Having said that, you may now refer to me as WerePaladin, the:

Blaster Master

Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?  I'm a happy lil' camper again.  :)

NEhow, just a (relatively) quick message to celebrate gaining a new Level.  Gonna go do some fun stuff on my day off, so I'll give you another update on stuff later on, I think.  In the meantime, don't forget to...

GAME ON!  :D

Well, it's time for me to make another Journal entry again, I think.  Been a lil' while - as per usual - since I've written, and it's - as per usual - due to me being busy in the real world and not having a lot of time to do this sort of stuff...  *shrug*

Well, I've still managed to do a bit of Gaming since we last spoke.  In recent times, I've been playing a bit of Marvel - Ultimate Alliance, and I've managed to get a decent way into the Game.  Unlock a few characters, played through a few chapters, and done some kewl stuff in general.

*Spoilers Ahead*

Currently, I'm part way through Chapter 3.  I believe I've done all the bits required to save most of Asgard, but I'm now on my way to discover what Doctor Doom has planned for Odin and the Sword of Twilight.  It's all seemingly building up to a big finale, but I've still got two Chapters to go - so I suspect a couple of twists and turns yet.

My Superhero team is known as "Masters of Night", and I've loaded it up with some kewl characters who I like from the Marvel Universe.  Currently, I believe I'm running around with:

• Blade
• Deadpool
• Doctor Strange
• Ghost Rider

They comprise my main group at the moment, but I have a couple more members on my roster, who I rotate in and out from time to time, including:

• Elektra
• Moon Knight, and
• Spider-Woman

I've basically been not only picking my favourite characters - I mean, who doesn't love Deadpool, and that Elektra chick is scary and hot - but I've been trying to pick characters who have an affinity with the night and darkness.  Either half-vampires - like Blade - or ninja type characters - Elektra and Deadpool - and even those with mystical affiliations - Ghost Rider and Doctor Strange.  Why Spider-Woman?  'Coz she's hot.  Do I need another reason?  ;)

More updates on the Ultimate Alliance in due course...

*End Spoilers*

Haven't been playing too many other Games at the moment, although I did manage to put some time in on Gears of War tonight with my mate Bruno.  We've been playing our way through the co-op campaign every time we manage to get together, and been doing all right on the Hardcore difficulty level, which has been kinda kewl.  In fact, last time we left off, we were just at the beginning of Act 4 of the Game, and the end was in sight...

The good news is, that tonight we managed to finish the Game, and unlock quite a few achievements while we were at it.  Bruno has achieved all the Dom-based achievements available, and we've managed to score a few of the other main campaign related ones as well.  I'm pretty happy with our effort, so we've started up an Insane campaign, with him as Marcus, and myself as Dom.  Let's see how that goes, eh?

I think next time we might have to hold our Gears of War session here at home, so we can make use of X-Box Live and unlock some of those online multi-player type achievements, and pit our skills with the likes of the lovely Catamy (who I hear is kinda crap at Gears online...  :P), but that can wait for another time...

For tonight though, let's update something again (I hope you're keeping track here Mr. Znuggles, not only am I catching up to your Gamerscore, but that now makes three Games I've completed this year already - and it's only February!  :D), and put my Geeceepass Membership in jeopardy:

Malkav's Completed Games List (tm)

We Love Katamari - 25th February, 2006

Tomb Raider: Legend - 15th of April, 2006

Me and My Katamari - 6th of May, 2006

Guitar Hero (Easy Career) - 12th of June, 2006

Guitar Hero (Medium Career) - 24th of July, 2006

Guitar Hero II (Easy Career) - 4th of December, 2006

Lego Star Wars II (100%) - 21st of January, 2007

Guitar Hero II (Medium Career) - 21st of January, 2007

Gears of War (Hardcore) - 7th of February, 2007

And that should do for the night.  I gotta get some sleep, as it's kinda late.  I'll do a general life update over the next couple of days, so hopefully you can hang on until then.  In the meantime, make sure that you all...

GAME ON!  :D

Erm, no.  Hang on a minute.  I think I got that the wrong way around.  It should read the other way, as in "Dog Bites Man".  What am I on about?  Why am I sitting at home on a work day?  Let me explain...

Two nights ago, Anna and I were out for a walk.  We're both trying to be a bit healthier, and I could do with dropping a couple of kilograms, so a walk seemed a good idea.  It was a warm night, and we were just turning back into our street and heading home when suddenly there was a bit of a commotion in on eof the houses we were walking past.

A lady and a young man were shouting at some dogs that seemed to have escaped from their yard.  Now, I'm pretty good with dogs usually, so when I saw a German Shepherd belting down the road, I figured it was running away and that the owners were trying to catch it.  Erm, no.  Not quite right. 

As the dog approached (Anna and I had stopped to see if we could be of help), it started barking and snarling at us, and then leapt at me.  Now, it had a few goes at biting me, and managed to miss my arm, but sink it's fangs into my leg.  Luckily, it hit me in my shorts, so it didn't get contact with bare skin - otherwise my injuries would have been more serious...

The owners managed to drag the dog away from me, and Anna got me inside (we were almost out the front of our place when the dog attacked).  I had put a fair amount of pressure to my leg, which was obviously bleeding and a bit sore really.  The lady owner was distraught at what had happened, so I told her to go home and rest and keep her dogs under control.  Anna was a mess as well, as she was kinda scared by what had just happened.  I was just thankful that I was the only one bitten, as Anna is a lot slighter in build than me (as in, not so muscly in the legs), so if the Shepherd had bitten her, her wounds would likely have been worse.  :(

After cleaning up the wound and bandaging myself up a bit (See?  I knew being First Aid trained would come in useful one day...  :)) it became fairly clear that I would need to be checked out in hospital, as the puncture wounds were fairly deep.  So Anna drove me to our local hospital, whereupon I sat in the Emergency Department's Waiting Room for a couple of hours and tried not to bleed too much...

Eventually got looked at by a Doctor, who gave me a Tetanus shot (I hate injections!  :() and cleaned the wound with a lot of saline and betadine - which kinda stung a LOT.  The nurses then dressed my wounds, gave me some antibiotics and some painkillers to take, and sent me home.  Thankfully, the Doctor gave me a certificate to cover me for a few days of work, so I called my boss and let her know what was happening with me and how I wouldn't be working much this week.

Since then, I've had a checkup (to make sure the wounds weren't infected) and had the dressings reapplied and stuff.  Got another Doctor's appointment Friday, just to see how the wounds are healing, and to see whether they'll stitch them up or not.  Hoping to avoid stitches if possible, but we'll see what's happening.  I also now have time off until next Tuesday, so that I can keep off my leg and rest up some.  So that's kinda kewl, even though I'm kinda mangled because of it.  :)

The other good thing is that it means I can play some Games and watch some TV and relax some more, which is nice.  (You gotta take the positive out of the situation.  :))  So my next few days will be spent at home, in front of the TV - trying to look a lil' less like a dog biscuit, so that I don't get mauled by any more dogs.  Hope you're all doing a lil' better than I am out there in Gamespot Land...

In the meantime, don't forget to:

GAME ON!  :D

Well, I'd like to let you know about my Gaming times over the past few days, ladies and gentlemen.  There haven't been many, as Anna and I have spent the last couple of days of our holidays trying to finish tidying up here at home.  But I've still managed to do some stuff, and even...  FINISH a Game!  :)  (Well, sorta)

First things first - new Games.  The 360 has had another new release, and one that I've been waiting a bit of time to acquire.  It's Lost Planet - Extreme Condition.  Now, I downloaded the demo for this about six months ago, and quite enjoyed running around and splatting some bugs - got all Starship Troopery, actually.  So when I heard about the release date coming up, I went and pre-ordered myself a copy.

Since then I've picked up my Collector's Edition copy and managed to play it for an hour or two.  Got through the first level OK, and am now working on battling some Snow Pirates.  Looking forward to trying out some kewl VS (Vital Suits) and causing some trouble.  Should be fun.  :)

I've also managed to play a bit of Guitar Hero II again.  Anna and I both enjoy this one, so it's a nice Game to break out every now and again.  It's also kewl 'coz I can play a song or two, and then put it down for a while and do something else.  Well, yesterday I revisited my band (Formless) and managed to rock on for a bit.  Managed to get myself about seven songs with five gold stars, so I was pretty happy.  OK, sure - most of them were in the Easy Career, but who's counting?  *grin*  My goal is to get EVERY song on Easy with gold stars, and then do the same for Medium, and so on.  Good goal, but it's gonna take me a while...

Now, on to the good news.  Given the lack on enthusiasm from most of you on helping me pick a Console to play on, I decided to pick one myself.  I picked the 360 and selected Lego Star Wars II - The Original Trilogy as my Game to complete.  Which I have actually achieved, kinda.  Let me ask you all something - what do YOU consider to be "Completing" a Game?  I mean, I have managed to play through all the 18 Chapters of the Story, and as such have "completed" the Game.  Of course, I've only got about 65% completion listed, given that I haven't found every minikit, gold block, or power block yet.  Have I "completed" LSWII, or do I need to achieve 100% to achieve actual "completion" of the Game?  I think it's a fair question, really...

So to update my list (which hasn't been done in a while, I must admit) let's put some new entries in place:

Malkav's Completed Games List (tm)

We Love Katamari - 25th February, 2006

Tomb Raider: Legend - 15th of April, 2006

Me and My Katamari - 6th of May, 2006

Guitar Hero (Easy Career) - 12th of June, 2006

Guitar Hero (Medium Career) - 24th of July, 2006

Guitar Hero II (Easy Career) - 4th of December, 2006

Lego Star Wars II - 7th of January, 2007

(Yes, I'm putting it on the list NEway - so there...  :P)

NEhow, I should get around to doing some domestic stuff around the place on my day off, so I can then settle down and play some Games.  You guys and gals all have fun now, y'hear?  I'll CYA next time in the Land of Gamespot. 

GAME ON!  :D

I must say ladies and gentlemen that I'm a bit disappointed.  Where are the hearty congratulations?  Where are the flowers, the chocolates, and the showering me with gifts?  I mean, when a guy turns a whole year older, he kinda expects people to make a bit of a fuss over him...  :(

(I guess putting my Birthday in my About Me list wasn't a great idea then.  Are you guys feeling guilty yet?  Or should I heap some more shame on you all?  :P)

Nah, it's OK people - I forgive you.  I'm sure (in fact, almost certain) that I've forgotten many of your Birthdays in the past year or so.  I should really go and check all your details and see if you've included them now, just so I can send you some Birthday wishes on your special day...  :)

Truth is, I turned 33 on the 8th of January.  Another year older.  Don't feel a lot different, although the planet has rotated one more time around the sun since I turned 32, which has to be a good thing, right?  And I did OK this year - all things considered.

Giftwise, I managed to score myself a couple of kewl X-Box Games.  My family got me Lego Star Wars (to go with my Lego Star Wars II - The Original Trilogy on the 360), and I've managed to have a bit of a go at it.  Quite enjoy the gameplay of both Lego Star Wars Games, and I've actually managed to get a decent way through the 360 version.  Haven't achieved 100% yet, but I'm getting there...

The other Game I got was on the 360, and another combination Game.  Not Star Wars and Lego this time, but RPGs and Comics.  Yeah, I'm talking about Marvel - Ultimate Alliance.  Haven't managed to get too far at all into this one - just popped it in the console and had a wander for a bit - but I'm liking what I see so far.  Seems to be an action RPG (in the style of Baldur's Gate - Dark Alliance), although I'm not sure how much of each will occur.  I'm hoping a good balance, and from what I read, that is the case.  More updates to follow.  :)

Apart from that, my folks gave me a set of clippers - so I don't have to keep borrowing theirs to get my hair cut.  Anna took me away for a couple of days (just got back this afternoon in fact) up to Tanunda, where we revisited a lot of the places and wineries we saw on the trip where we got engaged.  Was nice to reminisce (sp?) on past experiences and look forward to the future.

Wedding plans are moving ahead again now that we've finished moving stuff across - the unpacking is just about finished - so we're looking at reception centres and sorting out our finances in the coming days.  It's all very exciting and a lil' scary all at once - it's all a bit new for me really.  Gotta start saving like crazy for the Wedding, although we're being realistic in that we know we won't be able to pay for it out of our savings alone - some borrowing of money will prove necessary sooner or later.  Yay...

It's all good though - I mean it's nice to make a big song and dance about the day you get married, right?  (Married people - just agree with me, OK?  Got the rose-coloured glasses on right now...  :))

Well, it's late and I'm tired.  I should go to bed and get some sleep.  I'll CYA all another night, people.  In the meantime (as always) don't forget to:

GAME ON!  :D