Just a quick question. How do I get my 360 to select a particular gamertag as the default to sign in as? I did this previously, and it carried over when I upgraded to NXE, but now that I have my 360 back from repair, it isn't defaulting to my gamertag. I have to select it everytime I play a agme. I've looked through all the settings, even using the guide button menu, but I can't seem to find that menu again. Can anyone give me a hand here?

I haven't done a heavy subject in a while. But some soft stuff first. I watched Final Fantasy VII Advent Children the other day. Endured might be a better word. The animation was fantastic... but what the hell was up with that story? Yes, movies like this are bound to be loaded with fan service for people who know the series, but you should have it make at least some sense to people who haven't played the game. There is a big fight towards the end of the movie, and all of a sudden every character from the game just turns up. I knew that one dude was Cid, because someone said his name. Some chick had a big shuriken type thing. I don't think anyone ever saying her name, so I've got no idea who she was. That movie was terrible.

Also go my Xbox 360 back after a red ring incident (it's second). The folks were kind enough to include a month of LIVE Gold which I wasn't expecting, though given the inconvenience caused I'm sure others would expect that at the minimum. The process was simple this time around. I don't know what I will do with the Gold membership, as I don't really have games I want to play online. The only games I might be tempted to play online is some co-op Gears 2, Halo 3, or Castle Crashers. If any of you are interested perhaps drop me a line. I haven't activated it yet, and I might scope out what I might play to get the most out of it. On with the heavy subject.

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I watched The Woodsman recently (spoilers may ensue). Kevin Bacon plays a paedophile who has been jailed for 12 years. He has just been released, and has found himself a new apartment, and a job. His sister won't talk to him and denies him access to his niece. His brother in law keeps contact but still remains wary, going so far as to return a hand made gift at his sisters request. Make no mistake, this movie does not condone paedophilia, but it does manage to humanise him, as opposed to the completely evil portrayal normally given to the subject. Of course this is mostly due to the fact that he is a recovering paedophile. He appears to want to be normal, yet he also struggles with his desires, particularly as he resides across from a school, a scant 20 feet more than the statutory requirement. What could have been acting suicide is a haunting performance because it strikes that middle line, not condoning the act that landed him in jail, but also not denying him humanity.

As you would imagine, he also faces external struggles. Someone at his place of work discovers his past by searching his name on the internet. The local police officer sees him as scum of the earth, and rides him every time he comes to visit, barging into his house and treating him like dirt, . Not being able to see his niece hurts him. His shrink seems to strike the line between helping him and trying to find out if he still has the impulse to act upon his urges.

So the question I raise is; Is there room for the recovering paedophile in our world? Most are shunned like evil creatures that can never be redeemed, even if they are only suspected. But can they? Before I'd seen this movie... I will admit it. I don't know what I would have done had I met someone on the street and learned they were a paedophile. Possibly I would have inflicted physical pain upon their person. Had I suspected someone of baiting children, there would be no doubt. But that doesn't mean it would have been the right action. Maybe all they needed was help. Has my opinion changed? Probably somewhat after seeing this movie. Of course, this only applies to those who actually want to be normal. I certainly don't support those that want to overturn laws to make it legal to have sex with pre-teens.

I'm not going to go on about the subject, because I wouldn't say I've really come to any conclusion, but I have found it interesting to think about. I thought it might be more interesting to invite discussion. What are your views on paedophiles? Does it matter if they have served time for their crimes? Is that punishment enough? What would you do if you saw someone you thought was scoping out your local school. Would you report them, or take matters into your own hands?

I decided to do another 'picture is worth a thousand words' piece. I've put the picture at the end so you can choose whether you want to read it first and then see the picture, or you can scroll down and look at the picture first and then read. Instead of grabbing one randomly I decided to choose one this time. Not that I chose one that I had a story in mind for, just one that leapt out and seemed like it would be easy to write one for. Though I did choose one randomly first and would have liked to write a story about that one, but the images I found of that art on the internet weren't very good. So here goes. Foolz3h, feel free to critique the artwork if you so desire!

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He panted hard as his strides took him through the snow. He knew they were not far behind him, out of eyesight, but he expected only just. His boots left large marks in the snow, and his trail would be easy to follow given that the snow had subsided. He knew he did not have time to slow and make an attempt to cover his tracks. While he wore it to fight off the cold, the heavy clothing upon his person combined with the effort of escape was making him sweat. The trees here were sparse enough that there was very little cover or opportunity to hide. However he knew the area well, and if he continued in the direction he was headed, the trees began to become more dense and might give him the chance to lose their trail.

He paused briefly next to a tree, knelt down and picked up some snow in his gloved hands. He breathed upon it in an attempt to melt some of it, sipped what little had done so, and put the rest of the ice in his mouth. It was chilling, but melted in his mouth to give him some hydration. It tasted of dirt, and he spat out a small twig. He used the back of his glove to wipe away some of the snow that had settled into his beard. His legs complained as he tried to move again, and the burning in his calves fired anew. After he broke back into stride, the burning subsided to a dull ache. One hand went to the hilt of his sword to hold it steady so it didn't swing wide and affect his balance with each step. He knew it would have been faster if he were to discard it, but that was not an option.

He thought about his chasers. He had given them a good run for their money for the past couple of days. There was something exhiliarating about the chase. There was the thrill of knowing that one person could elude a dozen. There was the knowledge that one person alone could move faster and conceal their movements much more effectively than as a group. He knew he wasn't infallible. They would catch him eventually. But he was determined that it would not be this day. In his reverie he had continued running towards his intended destination, but he slowed, realising that he had not been paying attention to his surroundings, and something had just caught his eye.

He slowed to a walk and turned around to ensure his safety. The foot prints in the snow were large, about three feet from heel to toe. He frowned, and his mindset shifted. The exhiliration turned to fear. He was now in real danger. He could see the tree line he was heading to, and the footprints led in that direction. He looked back in the direction of the tracks he had laid himself. He thought for a moment that he saw the glint of metal. It may have just been a reflection of light on the snow, but if not it meant they were coming into line of sight with him. He turned to the trees, once more behind him, then planted his feet into the snow to make a cautious trot towards the trees, his hand still on his hilt, but with the intent to use it if necessary. His hunting skills told him that the tracks were fresh.

As he approached the trees, he heard a rustling from within them, and that rustling soon turned into the creaking of branches. His heart sank as he saw the tops of the trees sway, and the top of the giants head was revealed before its head raised higher and he could see its face, as it stood up from its makeshift hiding place. He knew it was likely to be fruitless, but he turned to run back towards his chasers. The crunching of the trees behind him indicated that the giant was forcing them aside to give chase. He slipped awkwardly, and the hilt of his sword ground into his hip as he failed to regain his balance. He winced as he stood and continued to run. He could most certainly see the glint of metal ahead, though it was just a speck and still in the distance. The crunching of the snow beneath his feet, which had sounded loud to him when he had been running before, was now drowned out by the giants great footsteps. With the giant three times his height, he knew it was only a matter of time before it caught up to him.

He turned back to see the giants progress, and it carried with it a branch that looked thicker than his thighs, and probably twice as long as his sword, if not more. He pondered his mistake. Perhaps he should have ran towards the beast, and tried to reach the thicket before it could reached the barrier of the treeline, and tried to evade it there in the concealment of the trees. Out here where the trees were bare, there was little hope. He felt like he had been running for several minutes since sighting the beast but knew it was probably not even one, and the specks in the distance appeared no closer. With a feeling of morbid dread he turned as he approached a near dead tree, stricken of all it's leaves. It was scant comfort, but at least this might offer some form of advantage for when he inevitably faced the beast. He may as well catch as much breath as he can. At its current pace, it would be here within seconds. He tried to think, tried to plan, but nothing appeared good enough. The reach of both the giants arms and it's humongous club seemed insurmountable. He thought about which way he would evade, to try and dance around the tree, but no train of thought seemed to end with him being able to land a blow.

And then there was no time for thought. He pulled his sword from its sheath as the beast lumbered towards him. He had put the tree directly between the two of them, and the beast swerved to one side and swung his club around the tree. The tracker jumped as the club thudded into the ground and rolled away, but the giant took another step around the tree and brought them almost facing each other. The tracker had no time to think and made a desparate attempt to continue to run around the tree, but there was no way to escape. With his back to the beast, the club swung through the air and crashed into his back with stunning force. The sound of his bones cracking that reverberated through his body sickened him as his entire upper body flashed with incredible pain. He was flung forward, and a spray of blood flew from his mouth. He landed hard, his sword dropping from his hands next to him, his helmet falling from his head. He lay on his back, his body too wracked with pain to move. In his attempts to breath he could hear and feel the gurgling in his throat, and the taste of blood. That, more than any of the pain he was enduring, told him immediately that he would soon be dead, even if the giant did not strike again.

And the giant did not strike again. It had looked back and seen the glinting of metal that approached, and decided it had had enough fun for one day. It began to saunter back to the woods, while the chasers approached. Against a single human opponent, giants were the clear winners. While the giants size and range would still be a great asset, the giant had no interest in fighting multiple humans that were fast approaching.

Minutes later, the hunting party approached. The person leading the party, a blonde haired woman, seperated herself as she approached the body laying in the snow. She dropped down to her knees beside him, the scene already indicating that he was gone. She laid one hand on his chest. She could not fathom his steadfastness. It was just a training exercise. Why hadn't he forfeited and returned to them when he had come across the giants tracks? What had convinced him that this risk was worth it? Suddenly she wanted him to be alive so that she could hurt him. She began to cry, though otherwise she maintained her composure. After a moment she turned to the other men with her, and promptly asked them to prepare a litter. She stayed with the man as the snow soaked through her pants, and the other men went about their work and left her be. Eventually it was complete.

"Let us return," she said, her eyes distant. The men loaded their dead comrade onto the litter. With her eldest brother now ready to be returned home and laid to rest, she led the party back the way they had come.

I've been playing a bit of Buzz : Quiz TV on the PS3 lately, and it would form a good choice for my Sequel Me This series. In short, the biggest thing they could do here is this; include all the stuff that for some reason they didn't bring over from the PS2 versions of the game. It would be preferable if these things could be patched in, or at least made as a decent downloadable pack, but no doubt it will come in a sequel.

More question types
This isn't a matter of question categories, I have no problems there. I just wish there was more variety in the question types, and notably missing are some of the question types from previous versions. Where are the 'order these answers' questions? Or the 'older or younger' questions? Where is 'around the world'? Fact or Fiction? It is also annoying that one of the fun new variants, 'All That Apply', is only available if you play online against other people. Why would this not be available offline? The vast majority of rounds are of the 'Here is a question, pick the answer from these four choices' type. I have no problem with this being the most common type, but more variety would be appreciated.

Customising the gameplay
Again, this is another step backwards for the series. Previous versions allowed you to select short, medium or long games. In Buzz : Quiz TV, you start a game. That's it, no choices as to how long the game might be (I think offhand it is 7 rounds). Furthermore, it would be great to be able to customise your games so that you can play as many rounds as you like, in any order you like (with the obvious caveat that Final Countdown can only be the final round). This way you can cater to the particular group you are playing with. If you are playing with older people whose eyesight or reflexes aren't so good, playing several rounds that all consist of Points Builder would be good as it would reward knowledge instead of reflexes. If there is a particular round most people in the group don't like, then it can be removed.

Statistics
What happened to the statistics? At the end of a game, the game simply ends and you go back to the menu screen. What happened to finding out which person got the most right answers, who was the most enthusiastic, and who answered the questions the fastest? You could even break it down further into which categories they score better in. Having players able to keep an individual profile and keeping cumulative track of their score, wins, and even rivalries, would be much appreciated.

Couch vs. Couch play
When I first heard about the game, I was excited to be able to pit a team of 4 players in my living room against another group of players online. Alas, this is not the case and when playing online, it is one person per console. I think there is definitely scope here for team play. I don't know exactly what the structure would be, but I'm sure they can come up with something.

Improved user-created content
One of the interesting features of the PS3 version of Buzz is the ability to create a quiz on the web and then have it sent to your PS3, and share it with the world. There are a few limitations however. First is that the quiz can only contain 8 questions. This limitation was fairly established because they designers found that it was hard for people to create significantly more questions than that in a category. It would have been nicer to have that as a minimum and be able to have longer rounds. Even better would be to have a huge database of questions for that particular category, and then only have a few questions selected for the round in question. For example, no doubt there are a huge number of user-generated Simpsons quizzes. It would be great in the next iteration of the series if people could suggest via the website that certain quizzes be combined and added to an existing category instead of having the same old stuff rehashed.

Furthermore, you can't save other peoples quizzes to your hard drive. Everything is downloaded off the server on the fly. While this process does not take very long, it still seems uneccesary if you wanted to download them ahead of time so that you had a bunch of questions ready to go. Being able to add these into the normal game (possibly removing stat-tracking features if they were implemented) instead of having to play them as single 8 question rounds would also be good.

I think that covers most of the things I would like to see. Anything else that you would like to see in Buzz or a trivia game? Maybe an electro-shock headband peripheral to give players a shock if they get the answer wrong?

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Noby Noby Boy is a bizarre experience. The basic gameplay mechanic is interesting to play around with for a short time, but the lack of goals in the game means that interest is likely to be fleeting.

You play as Boy. Boy is a... creature that begins as 2 spheres joined together, a couple of legs on each, and a face plastered on one of those spheres. Each of your analog sticks controls one end of Boy. Thus pulling in separate directions stretches Boy. After a brief moment of elasticity, Boy starts to grow new segments in the middle, and gets longer. It's possible to stretch yourself across an entire stage and drape over the edge of them, and you can also shrink yourself at any time. There are no enemies in Noby Noby Boy, but each world is populated by various objects, and it is initially amusing to stretch your body in different directions and wrap yourself around some of the larger objects. You can also interact with objects by eating them if your head is large enough. This is where the game is a bit confusing, as I'm not sure what actually makes your head bigger. I assume this is from eating, but when I shrunk my body down to the starting size, sometimes my head was bigger than my tail, other times it was normal size. Thus some items can not be eaten until your head is big enough. If you eat something when you haven't stretched yet, you will poop it straight out. You will also poop out an object if you have stretched, but can't hold any more objects in your body.

And really, that is Noby Noby Boy in a nutshell. There are no obstacles and no goals, just a virtual playground and some physics to mess around with. Apparently eating some objects in succession means you will poop out a combined object, but I never noticed it, and objects can fly away so fast you don't really get the opportunity to see them anyway. While you do have control over it, the camera can be a bit troublesome at times. You might zoom it out to a desirable level, but then it may autozoom again based on your movements, or not be highlighting the part of your body that you want. The worlds are all randomly generated (and you can load a new map at any time), and some of the charm is seeing just what will turn up next. There are people roaming around (and will sometimes jump on your back for a ride if you are stretched), sometimes there will be giant mushrooms, sometimes people will drive around in cars, jungle gyms will appear to wrap yourself around, or windmill type constructs to get tangled in.

The graphics and sounds are all on a very basic level, but work as part of the games charm instead of against it. It is obvious that this came from the designer of Katamari, and a similar styIe is displayed here. Each part of your body can also jump, and by having both jump you can effectively fly up to the clouds and drape yourself over them if you desire. The jump button is also the same as the eat button, so it can be annoying to try and eat something and jump instead because you weren't placed exactly where you thought you were. The physics are interesting to play around with, and it can be fun to see your back half of your body slingshotting around while you only move the front around, trying to tie yourself into a knot, or watching your body fly about from explosive pooping after you shrink yourself while you have a full belly.

There is one overarching goal in Noby Noby Boy, and that is to grow Girl. This represents the online component of the game. The game records how much you have stretched, and this is added to a tally comprised of every online player in the world. At the outset of the game, Girl grows towards the moon, and has since also reached Mars. When these are unlocked, you can load maps on these worlds, with new objects that are unlocked. This is an interesting concept to make players feel like they are contributing to a larger goal, but it seems like the going is slow and only dedicated players who have worked out strategies to stretch while they aren't at their system are the main contributors. You can also play two players on the same system, which is fun for a short while as you can eat each other and poop each other out, but the camera focuses on player 1 and it's issues are exacerbated here.

Noby Noby Boy is an interesting concept, but is more like a virtual toy than an actual game. While you may only get an hour or two's enjoyment out of it, it's cheap price means it won't feel wasted. If you don't want to get stressed while gaming and just want to relax, then you may get more longevity out of Noby Noby Boy.

Score 6.0

So I finished Eternal Darkness and reviewed it, it seems to have been a while since I've done a review. I will probably pop out a few more over the week. I think I'm done with Noby Noby Boy as there doesn't seem much to do. I've still only finished about half of Everyday Shooter and Super Stardust HD because they are both freaking hard, but I still think that is adequate to review given the type of game they are. Perhaps I will try and unlock a few more levels in Everyday Shooter first. I also tried Rogue Squadron 2 today, but I just couldn't get into it. I seemed to keep flying around in circles while the indicator on my radar went crazy and I could never get any TIE fighters in my sights while all my transport ships got blown to pieces.

That only leaves one Gamecube game in my collection left unplayed (Metroid Prime and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles are unfinished, but I will probably replay the former with Wii Play controls and the latter... meh, probably won't play that again) and that is Zelda : Wind Waker. I mentioned once that I might try and do a Zelda marathon, because the only one I have finished is Phantom Hourglass. Maybe it's time to begin... I'm pretty sure the rest are all available on Virtual Console now. On with the review.

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What's the first thing you are going to do when your eccentric grandfather is found in his creepy mansion with his head removed? Search for clues, that's what. Thus begins your journey as Alexandra Roivas, and she soon discovers that her grandfather has been a collector of occult texts and strange objects. A core component in the game is the Tome of Darkness which is found before long, and by reading it, Alex relives the chapters of others who have had their hand in these strange events that have occurred over the centuries that are soon to culminate and be in Alex's hands.

The game is a mix of combat, adventure and puzzle solving. When it comes to melee combat, it is possible to target enemies and then attack certain limbs, which is most useful for decapitating zombies who will then roam around swinging randomly and potentially hitting their allies. This works farily well, though the movement can be a bit cumbersome when trying to avoid attacks, and then turn to target an attacker. This is because targeting freezes you in place, where a more free-roaming lock-on would have been preferred. Nevertheless, the system still works fairly well. All of the characters you play as will have access to melee weapons, though they will all be different and have different attributes, such as range or speed. Most of the characters will also have access to some form of projectile weapon, whether that be throwing stars when going back several centuries, or an assault rifle in the 1990's. The same targeting system can be used with the projectile weapons to take out enemies from afar. I used mine sparingly for fear of running out when I needed it the most, though I was probably more frugal than I needed to be.

Once the Tome of Darkness is found in her grandfathers mansion, Alex can begin her first chapter. The game design means the chapters must be played in order, and usually something discovered in each chapter offers Alex some way to further explore the mansion and find the next chapter page that are hidden around the mansion. Sometimes this can be a vision of something in the mansion, offering it for interaction when it had previously been unavailable. For example, learning the Enchant Item spell during one of the flashback adventures lets you repair a broken key that can be used to open up another part of the mansion.

Spellcasting is an integral part of the game. Runes can be collected, and then spells can be created by combining two runes, along with a third alignment rune. Codices must also be collected to learn the names of the runes, and spell scrolls can also be collected which will add that spell to your reportoire if you had not already learned it. Via game design you must collect all of the runes to progress, however it is possible to miss codices and spell scrolls. Unfortunately this led to some minor frustration later in the game when you have to prepare more powerful versions of the spells. If you don't have the spell scroll, it doesn't tell you how you made the original spell. Thus, you have to go through further trial and error to try and recreate it. The spells themselves can be fun to cast, but you have to make sure you are safe when casting them, as they take time to cast as runes appear on the ground as they are spoken aloud by an otherwordly voice; the more powerful the spell, the more runes it takes, and thus more time. The three different alignments work in a rock/paper/scissors fashion, thus choosing the right alignment can overcome obstacles that are aligned to its weakness.

As well as your health bar and magic bar, there is also your sanity to consider. This is a unique idea, and every time a character is seen by an otherwordly creature, they lose some sanity. Once an enemy has been beaten, it can usually be slain to restore the sanity loss it inflicted, although they only last for a short time before disappearing into the aether. If you lose all your sanity it can affect your health, however it is often worth losing your sanity just to see the effects that it causes. The most obvious effect is that the camera starts to tilt to one side, and becomes more severe the more sanity you have lost. Some of the more simple effects include blood seeping from walls or spiders appearing from nowhere, but there are some other effects that are very inventive. I'm loathe to give too much away as most of these are best discovered yourself, but at one point my character started sinking into the ground as though it were a gamebreaking glitch until it 'reset' to the last door I had entered, and my character gibbered that this couldn't possibly be happening. There was always something new in this department throughout the game, and it was a great way to mess with your head.

The puzzle solving comes from interacting with items, sometimes collecting them and then placing them in other locations. Other times certain spells would be required to overcome some obstacles. While most of these seemed obvious once the solution was in hand, I confess to having to use a game guide much more often than I would have liked which affected the pacing for me. However, others may not have this problem, or indeed prefer to be challenged by these puzzles. I also found a few times where I wasn't sure if I should have been continuing or not in case I missed something. In one particular case I was locked into a room and forced to fight a unique enemy with no effective melee weapon; the weapon was available if I had explored a different area first. As a result this fight took over 5 minutes of the same dodge and attack tactic before the enemy went down, and this was extremely tedious.

The story, setting and mood are the highlight of the game. The first chapter has you playing as Pious, who actually becomes your enemy. You will play as various characters through the ages, and each of them gives you a glimpse of how Pious is attempting to bring back an Ancient that will devour all of humanity, and their visions of the past bring you ever closer to the looming conclusion. As the title indicates, there is plenty of darkness here and it doesn't usually end well for our reluctant historical 'heroes'. The way the story is told via the chapters is very effective. On a few occassions you will find yourself revisiting the same area hundreds of years later as a different character with different options open to you, and areas that have changed as the centuries have passed. The enemies also add to the atmosphere. The most common is the zombie who lumbers about slowly, but can de dangerous in numbers if you get surrounded. A few other creatures out to wreak havoc on your sanity are lumbering horrors that can also cast spells, to trappers who can send you to another dimension and demons who will pounce on your head if they get close enough.

On a technical level, the game is adequate. It is obviously dated at this point, but nothing graphically stands out like a sore thumb. The lack of camera control is somewhat annoying, especially when you can hear enemies just ahead of you but you can't see them due to the chosen camera angle. The sounds of your enemies is effective, such as the sloppy sound of skinless zombies stepping across floors, and horrors howling after they have been defeated and crashing to the ground. The voice acting from the main characters got the message across, but did feel a little insincere at times.

Eternal Darkness has a few gameplay issues, but these are equally weighed by some interesting design choices (especially the sanity effects) and a compelling an interestingly told story. There may be better action adventure games, but there isn't one quite like Eternal Darkness.

Score 7.0

Raven mentioned something about Gamespot's Game Guides recently, though I've usually not had trouble with the ones I've looked at. I've been playing Eternal Darkness, and I guess I must be crap at this game because I tend to need to check the Game Guide multiple times each play session. So I come across this gem;

"There is one accessible door right away. Head this way only if you've collected the ruby, sapphire, and emerald effigies."

That's great. Don't suppose you want to tell me where the sapphire effigy is? You know, the one I couldn't find after re-exploring the whole area?

There have been few games I've really disagreed with the official scores of games by more than a point or so. Eternal Darkness got 9.6 from Gamespot and an average of 9. I'm near the end, and I will probably give it a 7 (it's about time I reviewed another game). Just a difference of opinion, or does it have something to do with the fact that it is 7 years old?

For some reason I can't view other peoples blogs but I'm going to try and post one anyway. I've been wanting to get back into writing, so I thought I'd try a little experiment. I used to collect fantasy art cards, so I decided I would pull one out and write a short piece about what I see. I think it is quite a bit under 1000 words (I only have WordPad which doesn't have word count) but the title gets the message across. It was belted out pretty quickly and does lack polish, but your thoughts are appreciated. I will give some more of my thoughts soon, but I don't want to cloud your judgement by giving you preconceptions. I couldn't figure out how to spoiler the image (my html was not well formed. Sigh) so I've included it at the end of the piece. You can choose whether you want to scroll down and see the image first, or read the piece first then look at the image. Note that I am only vaguely aware of the fiction the artwork relates to, so this does not contain any of the original characters or story; only one of my own imagining based on the artwork.

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Her grip on the chains were futile, yet she still felt the need to hold them, to pull at them, to show sign of resistance, even though she knew she had no hope of tearing them from their holdings. The shackles were clasped tightly around her forearms, and pulling against them only forced them to dig into her wrists. She contemplated her carelessness. It had been her watch, but she had fallen asleep. She berated herself for such foolishness. She had awoken to the insipid touch of scaly hands upon her, but one had clasped about her mouth before she could make enough noise to alert her comrades, and that scaly hand contained a cloth with a fragrant substance that had caused her to lose consciousness once again, though this time unnaturally.

She had awoken, shackled yet otherwise apparently unharmed. Her virtues had not otherwise been violated. The pedestals to which her chains were permanently attached housed shallow dishes which were being used to burn some form of incense, and fragrant smoke rose slowly from them and billowed out into the room. The smell was unfamiliar and somewhat confronting, though not particularly unpleasant. Based on her vague memory of the hand that had enveloped her, she had already come to the conclusion that she had been captured by the Dre'kor. The sound she heard from behind her, a cross between a hiss and a snarl, gave further evidence, and she turned as her eyes gave final confirmation that this was the case. He was an orange beast, and she saw armour upon him, and a spear in his hand. She did not take much notice of the Dre'kor, as something far more captivating had commanded her view.

Slight background noises which had not registered before suddenly became apparent as the five-headed dragon dominated her senses. There was a rhythmic pattern as the heads breathed in turn. The rub of scales, almost imperceptible as it was, immediately sounded like a cacophony. Perhaps most striking was that the necks and heads were all of different hues. Another oddity was that the heads had quite different features, as though they were from different species, and this creature was some conjured mix, a chimera forged from separate beings. The black head had three horns atop its head, and two folds of skin extended from the end of its snout, almost like whiskers. The blue head had two horns atop its head, with a line of raised scales down the back of its neck. The red head, central to the creature, had multiple horns not only on its head, but also continuing down is neck like a row of thorns. The green head raised up, showing a collection of whiskers that hung from its jowel. The yellow head had a crest of horns, which it wore almost like a lions mane. Two rows of smaller spikes continued down its neck.

Fear instantly gripped her. Her pull on the chains grew taut, all reason fleeing as her stomach clenched and her mind went awash with horrible outcomes. The thought of one or more of those giant jaws reaching forward to rend her flesh made her lose all coherence, and she slipped on the stair near which she had been chained, and the chain jerked her body around. She quickly turned; the sight of this beast scared her to her core, but not knowing exactly where it was or what it was doing was even more disturbing. She noticed the other Dre'kor then out of the corner of her eye, still unwilling to divert her attention from the vast beast that towered over her. The crimson head came forward, and she fell backwards, and the shackles cut into her wrists as she began to scream. All ten eyes were upon her then, and the red head moved slightly backwards from the noise, as though apprehensive, before once again advancing towards her. Her panic had begun to subside, as it appeared as though it was contemplating her, its head cocking from one side to the other. She wondered if it were intelligent, whether it spoke a language like the Dre'kor.

"Elzera!" At the voice that came from behind her, the dragon's eyes narrowed as it drew it's head back. Elzera turned to find that her companions had found her. The three were running across the cavern floor, brandishing their weapons. She saw the Dre'kor closing in on her peripheral vision as two distinct shrieks rang out behind and above her, echoing in the cavern. She pulled tight on the chains as she tried to step towards her companions, with hope in her heart that she would be freed from her containment, and fear for both her life and for those that would attempt to rescue her. If they survived, this would be an encounter they would never forget.

So my Xbox 360 red ringed again. Should still be within warranty, but I don't know if I could find the receipt. It's been repaired before so I'm hoping that is should be registered and on record. I can 'manufacture' an invoice if it is required, but then if they do have that information on record they will probably check the date I originally provided. I will have to give them a call shortly to check out the particulars

Before I knew the 360 had a problem, I was going to check out PSN and download some games. So I downloaded Noby Noby Boy which was only $7. I don't think I understand this game, and checking the forums didn't help give me any insight. As the game itself mentions, there isn't really any goal, but as a result I don't think this is going to hold my interest. It has some similarities with Katamari, as you stretch your body, and once stretched you can eat things. This appears to make your head grow, and you can eat bigger things. Once you are 'full' (have more objects than can fit in your currently stretched body) you expel them out your butt. Gamespots review mentioned something about eating a strawberry and a cheerleader and expelling a cheerleader with a strawberry for a head, but I've seen no such combinations from all the eating I've done. And even if that does happen, those items can be expelled off the play area from your awesome butt clenching skills before you can even really see them. Without some form of direction, the only thing to do is just play around with the physics and stretch your body around everything in the stage. If the idea was to combine things (which I haven't seen) and repopulate the stages with certain items, this could have had longevity. As the review indicates, it's kind of like a slinky in digital form. It's fun to play around with for a short time, but you will get bored quickly.

I was going to whinge because the two games I most wanted to download are not available from the Australian store. The recently reviewed Comet Wars, which got a 9.0 from Gamespot and is it's highest ranking PSN game (and equal PS3 game altogether) is not available. Lame, after playing the death out of PixelJunk Monsters I was looking forward to another game to take its place. I was also miffed that Everyday Shooter was not available, but I've since found it under the name of Riff : Everyday Shooter and is currently downloading. I also downloaded Super Stardust HD and gave that a whirl this morning. That game is tough. Good, but tough. But it isn't the sort of game I could play for extended periods of time.

What other PSN games are worth playing? I've got my eye on Dark Mist, but looking at the reviews it appears that while we might not have Comet Wars, perhaps America didn't get Dark Mist. Reviews are average, but it still looks like the sort of game I would enjoy, I'm on a bit of a dual-stick shooter kick at the moment. The Last Guy also looks decent. Are there any others that are worth looking at?

I asked a client where she worked to update some information. She said she worked at Twisted Scissors "but they spell it with two S's instead of 2 Z's".

I am glad that was over the phone or that could have gone badly.

I found it difficult to keep away from screens outside of work as I had mentioned I was going to do last week. I had already planned to see Star Trek at the cinemas on Wednesday (which was great, I was even teary-eyed during the opening sequence. I'm such a pansy sometimes). I also went to my sisters place for dinner, and of course they had to watch a regular TV show while I was there, but both those were of a social nature. I did get a bit of reading done, about a book and a half. I also discovered Hashi in a Sudoku book I had lying around, which I quite enjoyed. In the same book I also finished my first Kakuro... after about 3 hours total worth of time invested.

I wasn't avoiding the screen because I'm sick of it, just thought it might be better for my eyes (as such I had less time to comment on blogs, but I have read those from this week). Aside from reading and good old pen and paper puzzling I pondered what else I would do, and we have certainly come to rely on computers. Generating a list of my Magic cards to sell them off? Needs to be done on the computer. I thought about writing again... but handwriting? No thanks. Want to research something? Need the internet (ok, could go to a library, but that lacks convenience).

I broke on Friday and started up the computer. I don't think the monitor liked being off for most of the week, and and it punished me for the neglect by not working when I turned it on, making whiny noises from inside, and lacking the 'gauss' noise that should happen when it turns on (old school monitor). Smacking it about did not fix the problem (I had nothing to lose). Luckily I've been able to borrow my housemates while her computer is off being repaired. Suppose I need to go buy another one, darn it.

I think I'm done with Bionic Commando Rearmed. I'm up to Area 6, and I land in the water every time. Not to mention that it seems near impossible to avoid the fire of the first few enemies you meet in the level. Yes you usually recover the health from other enemies, but it still feels dumb. I tried to persevere, but if I'm no longer having fun, what's the point? I considered doing a Sequel Me This on it, but my main request is this should have been on the Wii. Aim with a reticule, press a button, swing there. Or at least use the second analog stick to aim the bionic arm. It feels like it stuck too true to the original gaming conventions when it should have been reimagined. Maybe I should change the difficulty to easy, apparently they give you extra platforms to work with in some locations.

I'm not sure what I did in Fallout 3 to become such a bad character. I mean, I know I stole some stuff from some people. But otherwise I've helped people out in most encounters. I came out of a building and was immediately greeted by bounty hunters out for my head. Those guys don't much about. I had to reload a few times. Can anyone give me some insight as to whether I may have stuffed up collecting the Declaration of Independance? The first time I met Button (or whatever that robots name is) I got my arse kicked and high tailed it. I went back later, and he was somehow dead. Is it behind the door that I can not currently access (as I don't have the skill)? Or is it possible that someone else wandering the world has beaten me to the punch? Just realised I could go and ask the coot who sent me on the mission to answer that question...

Forgot to mention in my last blog that I broke my Rock Band drum pedal, and it is outside of warranty. I went on the EA forums and acknowledged it was out of warranty but asked if they sell them separately. Nope. A look on ebay and ringing a couple of local gaming stores indicates no one seems to be selling them in Australia and I will have to get it shipped from overseas. Lame. Does the GH : WT drum kit foot pedal work with the Rock Band (1) kit? If I need to spend all that money (looks like about $60 for a replacement third party drum pedal on ebay from overseas), perhaps I should just get that instead, and I will still have two working drum kits. Thought number 2. I know the kits themselves are platform specific, but are the drum pedals? i.e. If I buy a PS3 drum kit, will that foot pedal work with my 360 Rock Band kit? A friend has GH : WT with guitar on the PS3 so this would let us play the game in a band environment should I take this path (if able).

There are many parentheses (the brackets that this sentence is in) in this blog. Sorry. (Hey, it's better than saying 'as an aside').

(Note : This footer is an excuse to add more parentheses.)