I may be very late, but ... 

 STRONG CAUTION - There is a lot of language and suggestive themes and crude humour and whatnot ... but oh man, is this funny.

 :D I'm a little man, I'm oh so evil ... also into cats ... also into cats ... :P

So, where did I get the title for this blog? Well, I was randomly listening to Radiohead's "Backdrifts" when one of the greatest lines of the song kicked in while I was looking for blog title inspiration. "This far, but no further", sings Yorke. Well, I find that quite ironic.

Last night I dared to start the final quest in Diablo II: Lord of Destruction - or, as the sitcom Friends probably would say, "The One Where You Destroy Baal, The Lord of Destruction, Once And For All". Worse still, I dared to do it alone, in a locked-up game, with my own defenceless sorceress. All I gained out of it was a certain spirit of independence and the knowledge that I at least tried.

It's a case of 'try again later', I guess ... my sorceress needs major vitality statistics and major leveling all around, and even though her lightning spells are still very potent, I probably won't prevail.

Aaah well, I've always said that I like challenges. No exception here.

 Yet still, I've got to say a few words.

 _______________ * cue large speech * _____________________

Diablo II, along with its majestic expansion, are now quite confidently on my "greatest games of all time" list. I'm not understating that in any way, no matter which way you look at it.
This is the best RPG I've ever played, and scratch that, it's one of the best games ever created in my eyes. I'm glad that Blizzard put the effort into the expansion pack's last act, just to provide an amazing conclusion to an outstanding game.

I've had gratuitous amounts of fun with this game, right from the "hey, I'm getting the hang of this" moments in Act 1, up until my current struggle in Act 5. And, here's the thing - the game has such immense replay value.

Most environments, in fact 95% of them, are all randomly generated, which gives you huge opportunities to play the game a different way every time. Every single one of the character classes are very different, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are people out there who have finished the game with all seven and still not burnt out on the game or get bored of it in any way.

Top that with the fact that there really are some great production values here - the best game soundtrack ever, in my opinion, some outstandingly designed cutscenes, and a pretty nice story to boot - this is the definition of dungeon hack and slash, and, quite simply, it's brilliant.

No school like old school, they say ... Diablo II spits on that saying and makes it look ridiculously childish. If I'm not wrong, Diablo II still absolutely crushes the vast majority of role playing games that have spawned upon us since then, and holds up to the others.

You can expect a euphoric, gloating, wonderfully descriptive (?) and praise-filled review when I destroy Baal ... on my own, for once. Spirit of indepedence indeed. OK, I've got an AI freak, but come on ...

Writer's block prevents me from writing anything interesting, so I'll just drop another "talk about everything" blog on your agenda, whether you like it or not.

Damn stupid writer's block. See, I can't even think of an interesting INSULT for the reason I can't write anything of real coolness. I've even resorted to using "real coolness" as an adjective ...

So I actually went back to school on Monday ... and to be perfectly honest, it hasn't changed one bit. Actually, it's become drab and dull, but that's probably because I only got back from California like a week ago ... sure, it's good to see your friends again, but ... it's hard to fight off the depression. and the weather, oh god the weather. It's grey, rainy, depressing, oppressive... and my town... so rundown and claustrophobic... and my house... WHY IS IT SO DAMN SMALL?! My aunt's, grandma's, and ... other aunts' houses are all pretty damn big and open-plan ... mine is just so cramped... I mean whatever happened to wide-open valleys, substantially big houses, with blazing sunshine? Who knows?

Either way, I want to go back to California so bad it's hard to even put into words how much I love that place.

To ward it all off, I've been playing games. Quite a fair amount of games. I've been perfecting my scores on Guitar Hero (which are in dire need of perfecting, might I add) and desperately trying to 4 star Bark at the Moon ... but neither have really happened yet. I beat the game about four days ago maybe, I don't know if I mentioned. :)

Also, Diablo II has been a major occupant of my time ... but isn't it always? I've been using all three of my characters instead of just the one. They're all pretty far apart in game progress and level status (that being a sorceress at Level 29, a paladin at Level 18, and a druid at Level 7... 11 levels apart. It actually isn't a lot of levels for about 60 hours in game according to xfire, at least i think its 60 hours, who knows?)

I want to write some reviews. i'll probably start posting up a schedule of reviews that are due, given the fact that I have a lot of games that I need to review.

Aah well, see you guys. I'm off to review something, probably. Note that I'll probably edit this blog with a review plug later.

Ugh, writer's block. Why is it so evil?

OK, maybe sleep deprivation actually worsens the jetlag, as it turns out.

I haven't had decent sleep since last year, to be honest with you. :P Every night since I've been back has been spent awake, playing a game of some sort. I go back to school on Monday, so it's not the healthiest of things to do. Aaah well, it's been fun anyway.

I'm not going into detail as to the games I'm playing, though - you already know what they are, thanks to past blogs and the Now Playing list that GameSpot so thoughtfully provides. I'll just update you all on the coolezt events in my gaming exploits in the last few days.

I'm at the very end of my Expert quest in Guitar Hero - yeah, I've hit Bark at the Moon, and, predictably, it's beating the crap out of me. Evil song. The highest I've got is something like 88% ... which isn't too bad, but it's so darned evil that I get 63% every other try. I always fail on this one part in the solo ... but never mind, I'll get there in the end. Then I've gotta 5 star everything... that's 28 SONGS to 5 star. I only 5 starred two, if you do the math. Aaah dammit.

I also played some CounterStrike: Source last night with jimb0, ezra1, and Slunks - pretty fun, but Battlefield surpasses CounterStrike in my opinion. CounterStrike is a lot smaller in its scope, it's less tactical (in my opinion, anyway) and there aren't dropships and walkers everywhere, but it is still a horrendously addictive game - there's always this 'one-more-round' thing that keeps you going and going and going. Plus, there's always the fact that when you're a total noob you have to prove to everyone else that you're dangerous than they might have thought. Well, that's what I TRIED to do anyway. But failed. A game definitely meant to be enjoyed with familiars and friends, not with the hacking nooby aimbotting strangers you'll usually find on there. ;)

And finally, I got to play some Diablo II with houtx! We both started new characters - a paladin for Travman, and a druid for I, and we did the first quest (Den of Evil) like complete nutters. That's mainly due to the fact that I got my sorceress in the game (act 5, but still only Level 27) to put 4,000 gold on the ground so me and Trav could buy some decent gear free of charge (free of charge for paladin and druid, not for my ever-so-glad-to-help sorceress) I guess that could be called foul play, but hey, when you can buy 1337 armour when you haven't so much has killed any Fallen yet... I'm in. And then we went and dealt out the ownage. The druid is a new class to me, so transforming into a werewolf is freaking awesome and having a raven pecking the faces of Diablo's minions... it's a sight to behold, I tell ye. :D

And of course, there's been the aforementioned Battlefield. DrummerX and I have had a few great games, as I think I've mentioned somewhere above... or not - but either way we've had a lot of fun with the game so far. DrummerX is a recon dude if I remember rightly, so that means a lot of sniping for him. There are a LOT of camping spots and high ground in the game, so its a doddle for recon soldiers to just get themselves up a ladder and start firing at targets who THINK they are hiding but have just forgot the fact that there could well be watchers from above.

Me? I'm a support and assault type of guy, they are my favourite two classes by a mile - I've never liked the patience for recon and I've never liked the fact that engineers are heavily relied on to destroy walkers and gunships, so a character class that can mould into my playing style is well worth a go. I like to take things pretty slow, I like to play things methodically - but I still get shot down anyway, I get back up, I wash, rinse, repeat. Assault and support don't really have any guidelines, which is why I like them - you can practically do whatever you want with them and you still won't necessarily be doing something wrong.

I also had a game or two with houtx last night after those hasty lag-filled rounds of Diablo II - again, fun, but we managed to find a server filled with either higher-level players or aimbotters. Either way, they freaking owned us. :P It was my favourite map, though, Fall of Berlin - and let's just say being capped about eleven times in a row really capitalises the feeling that virtual war is also hell. Well, virtual war is a different kind of hell in the way that you're not writhing on the ground in the snow with a gun in your hands frozen to the bone, but your character still is... but nevertheless, it's still hell.

Anyway, I'll have a review up for Elite Beat Agents soon, so keep a-your eyes open!

See ya!

Today I am sadly forced to start getting ready to go home to depressing Britain - but to ward off sad, lurking, crushingly horrible feelings of saying goodbye to everyone, I went to the mall with a few family members, and, as custom, I of course had to go to EBGames while everyone else went to look at clothes, gifts, and the like.

It got me thinking... where am I going to go in 2007? Which console shall I buy? SHOULD I buy a console? This is the same debate that faced me in the later stages of 2007... and I still haven't reached my decision. And I'm a latecomer to the new console generation, so I better make a decision sooner rather than later.

I intend to get some of this dilemma straightened out in this very blog - why I like a console, why I dislike a console, and whether I'm leaning towards buying a particular one... it's going to be a tough blog, but I'll get there eventually. Here goes nothing!

PS3: I should probably cross this off the list right now. The PS3 DID interest me for a very short while, and that was at its launch... call it curiosity if you will. But I don't really like the fact that there are ever-decreasing numbers of reasons to buy this console. It's losing exclusives fast, it's overpriced, it has very little games that interest me, it's not as powerful as Sony bragged about, etcetera. I just don't think I'm going to be buying a PS3, end of story. It looks like a thoroughly average console to me, sorry to say.

360: aaah, the 360 - most people's natural choice. I had such an interest in the Xbox that it seems unreal to think that I STILL HAVEN'T GOT a 360... I mean, I guess for me it's a natural choice too. Until now, I've tried to deny I don't want a 360, and whether I get a 360 or not depends on just one factor - the fact whether I get Live or not.

 Xbox Live is the single overriding reason for me to buy this console, unless you count the fact that Halo 3 is nearing and I want to be there when it releases. I've seen so many people on my friends list talking about their recent Xbox Live experiences that I simply cannot count on all my fingers and all my toes how many people I've seen with joyful tales of mirth, swearwords and laughing at complete n00bs who just can't seem to figure out how to zoom in with their sniper rifle and asking for what button to press to open that door or whatever.

I'd like to join in all the fun. It's hard not to feel lonely and left-out. I probably sound akin to that abandoned dog with the big watery eyes you saw on the sidewalk earlier this week right now, but... I really like the prospect that so many people are having gratuitous amounts of fun on Live and quite simply, Scotty WANTS A SLICE.

There, I said it. I'm this close to caving in and deciding that I am going to jump on the 360 bandwagon sometime soon. This close!!!! Because Gears of War, Call of Duty 3, and so many other potentially incredible games to come in 2007 just makes scotty want to go get a premium 360 (and a warranty... >_>) and attempt to shoot up everyone else who are clearly more experienced.

 You see, I could well be one of those complete n00bs who just can't seem to figure out how to zoom in on that freaking sniper rifle I've never before encountered in this game, and the same complete n00b who is flicking through all the buttons on the controller just in an attempt to open that goddarned door.

Put simply, the 360 looks more appealing every passing day. (waits for Denis to shove it in my face that I finally said that I kind of want a 360.) Even more simply, I'm a hypocrite.

Wii: this is the wildcard. I've said for a while now that I'm leaning towards the Wii. I'm not so sure anymore.

I want the Wii, not because it's Nintendo, not because it's got all these awesome games (?), not because it's this or that or whatever. I want it for the same reason that all the casuals want it. Sounds like I'm alienating myself, but I want it because it looks new, fresh, innovative, and because it looks so darned fun. Actually I want it so I can indulge in multiplayer with the family whenever I want, and I KNOW I will get the whole family up to play this thing. That may sound like an "omg why would you want to do that" situation, but that's basically how it is.

Twilight Princess looks like a great game to play when the family isn't there, too - actually, it looks incredible. I've heard great things (sometimes random rants of euphoria and disbelief...) about this game from fellow gamespotters, and again, Scotty waNtS A sLLIIIICE. There's also Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Whatever, Animal Crossing, and whatever the hell else to come in 2007, and, providing these get good scores, bingo! there's another few reasons to get the Wii and to cherish the Wii.

Hell, it looks like a new spin on gaming. I like.

SO, IN CONCLUSION...

At this moment in time, I'm balancing between the 360 and the Wii. I can't last on PC gaming all year when there's so much other great stuff going on. Of course, I will probably play PC games more than anything else this year (UT2007, Spore, Crysis, Supreme Commander, Bioshock this year's releases, and Oblivion, all those Star Wars games Starcraft, and Battlefield 2142 from last year...) but still, I've gotta be a part of the console race too.

And, yeah... if I absolutely HAD to pick ONE console RIGHT NOW... if the 360 came with Live and some suitably awesome games... I would probably get it. It's going to dominate the market this year, and there are so many people on my friends list with Live that I'd like to play some gamez with that it's just hard to turn it down. But then there's always the Wii, which is the console that probably wouldn't affect my already insubstantial social life as much as the 360 would... no. I would probably say the 360, but time will tell. Maybe I'll just get my computer upgraded. Who knows?

Thanks for reading this largely hypocritical blog... see you later. The next blog will be back at home, and it will be quite a surprise, let me tell you...

See you soon...

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(oh yeah, I found a Crysis image that would be a great choice for a profile banner, so there it is. inferior to my last banner, but still... :) hope you likes it.)

Following on from my superduper top 10 most listened artists list yesterday, I guess it's only fitting to utilise the whole last.fm charts thing for another sleep-inducing blog, this time double the size and focused on records and albums rather than the artists themselves.

Fairly self-explanatory, I think - sit back, relax, and enjoy the predictable countdown.

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#20 - Foo Fighters: The Colour And The Shape 12 plays

This is probably my favourite Foo Fighters album, mainly for the fact, that, obviously, it features my favourite tracks. I especially like it for the who-cares tracks on it, "Enough Space" and "Wind Up", two crazy rockouts that may be a bit one-sided but they're enjoyable nonetheless. The most complete Foos album to date.

#19 - Muse: Absolution 12 plays

While this is Muse's most wellknown effort, it was actually quite disappointing in my book. A step back from Origin Of Symmetry, it features the most weak album closers in history and it seems that it starts off strong and gets progressively worse. Muse can do much better.

#18 - Idlewild: The Remote Part 12 plays

I was introduced to this band by reading somebody's post on a forum - and I tried them out, and I actually quite like this album. It's a bit straightforward, but it's still good. It borders on some cheesy punk rock stuff at times, but some of it is a bit more mature.

#17 - The Raconteurs: Broken Boy Soldiers 13 plays

Jack White from The White Stripes makes a new band? Count me in. Rock with a hint of retro.

#16 - Stereophonics: Just Enough Education To Perform 15 plays

This may be the Phonics' best album. Overall, it feels the most polished and finished. It just feels like a natural album for the band. Great tunes here.

#15 - Radiohead: Hail To The Thief 17 plays

This may be the most underrated album I own. It's wildly varied, for a start, features Radiohead tunes from all of their genres (their electronic stuff, their rock stuff, their in-the-middle stuff, it's all here) and they are all topclass. Whats not to like, I ask you.

#14 - Gorillaz: Demon Days 18 plays

It features a bit too much rap and hiphop influences to my liking, but it's every bit as experimental and flat-out awesome as its predecessor.

#13 - Muse: Black Holes And Revelations 22 plays

It's a surprise to see this album so low. It's probably my favourite release of 2006 - maybe I didn't listen to it as much as I thought. That said, it's a great album to listen to on the iPod while travelling, and of course they don't get scrobbled, those plays. Either way, it's definitely a return to form for Muse.

#12 - Muse: Origin Of Symmetry 22 plays

I used to say this was my favourite album of all time. I'm not sure whether it still is. It's still an incredible album, maybe a bit pretentious, but nevertheless pretty freaking awesome, and I'm just not sure whether it deserves the title of "best album evar."

#11 - Feeder: The Singles 23 plays

This is a pretty good compilation of Feeder's greatest hits, that's all that can be said. It's altrock at its purest, most basic, stripped-down form, and its lack of complexity and depth may put off some people. other people will like its simplicity.

#10 - Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand 25 plays

This is definitely a contender for best debut album of all time. Catchy, infectious, and innovative.

#9 - The Verve: Urban Hymns 27 plays

As I said in the last blog, I rediscovered this album this year and wondered why I forgot about it. It's a magnificent work, from euphoric opener Bittersweet Symphony through a golden hitlist of tracks and into a slightly anticlimatic finisher. Great album, it's a pity it ended not a long time after.

#8 - Ash: Cosmic Debris 27 plays

This is a rarity in my collection, not in the sense that not many other people own this, but in the sense that it's quite possibly and ashamedly the only B-Sides collection I own.

#7 - Radiohead: The Bends 29 plays

Yeah, here comes the Radiohead. The Bends is an incredible second effort from Radiohead. I thought sophomore albums were meant to be difficult.

#6 - Radiohead: Amnesiac 31 plays

Surprising to see this one so high. I always thought of this album as a bit of a lacklustre effort - it has some epic, topnotch tracks here, but there's a lot of filler unfortunately. The epic topnotch tracks (Knives Out, I Might Be Wrong, Like Spinning Plates, Packt Like Sardines) help this album uptop.

#5 - Muse: Showbiz 33 plays

Biggest surprise on my list. I have no idea why this is so high. It's probably because my top track (Muse: Agitated) is classed as Showbiz even though it's an early B-side. Either way, a strong debut.

#4 - Ash: Intergalactic Sonic 7's 35 plays

I've been listening to not enough Ash this year, mainly because their albums (1977, Nuclear Sounds, Free All Angels, Meltdown) have vanished somehow and I don't know where they are. Brings back memories.

#3 - Blur: Blur 43 plays

My third most listened album is without doubt one of the best albums of the 90's - it's just a shame that some of Blur's other stuff is classed in a somewhat other light than this one. This sounds like Blur grown up. This sounds like one of the most creative bands in history at the top of their form. And come on, what can beat a few "woohoo"s here and there? Seriously, you NEED this record. There is no filler whatsoever, except for the instrumental 'Theme from Retro'.

#2 - Radiohead: OK Computer 56 plays

THE best album of the 90's, without doubt. I was expecting this one to be top. This album has a particular ethereal theme about it... I'm not sure what it is, but it seems to revolve around some unbelievably atmospheric guitar work, insightful vocals, and a thorough spirit throughout the album from the awe-inducing opener Airbag, featuring guitar overdubbed with what seems like cello, up through a heap of beautiful, unforgettable, spiritually perfect tracks and spiralling into an incredible album closer, and what is the most underrated song in history, The Tourist, a jazzy, bluesy, mellowed-out track that hits its climax with some amazing guitar harmonies. This album is unbelievable. Marvel at the fact that five men in a recording studio made this record. They simply know just how to jerk your heartstrings and play with your emotions while being unsurpassable at what they do : make music.

#1 - Radiohead: Kid A 57 plays

Wellity wellity wellity. Radiohead AGAIN?!!?!! While I don't see this as the group's greatest work, it still managed to secure a spot in the top, just one play ahead of Radiohead's OK Computer. For one thing, this album took a lot of listening for me to get into its groove, mainly because by my standards this was a difficult album, a departure from the usual. I'm not into electronic/experimental/undefinable music in general, and some tracks on this record fall into that category, so it took a lot of repeats to get used to this album. That's probably why it's at the top. But without doubt, this is still an extraordinary record - the opener "Everything in its Right Place" is a huge new direction for Radiohead and it's a great way to introduce you into Radiohead's unique sound in this album... quite simply, this record is essential, and it's probably one of the greatest albums of this century. Probably.

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Another superduper huge blog! w00t for typing excessively. Thanks for reading, if you did, and if no, thanks for at least acknowledging I wrote this thing.