After deciding on 20 great games of the noughties because of the NGamer forum I decided to add it to my blog, maybe cos I'm lazy but I don't care, it's going on here too so here we go.
20. No More Heroes (Wii) 2008
A genuine surprise for me, absolutely crazy yet that's the appeal, the perfect example at proving the Wii isn't just for family friendly games.
19. Batman Arkham Asylum (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) 2009
A great service to Batman, the character and the overall darkness of the game made t and some great combat helped it just as much.
18. Luigi's Mansion (Gamecube) 2002
A great opener for the Cube and with my love for Luigi being so strong it helped me enjoy it even more. A fresh idea that should get a sequel.
17. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Gamecube) 2004
Probably the first RPG I seen all the way through, I see now similar it was to the first but this one had the better story and writing anyway.
16. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS) 2009
A real treat for GTA starved Nintendo fans, used the DS wel and never felt like a chore. Was a very welcome return to the old 2D GTA games as well.
15. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) 2007
The best handheld Zelda, great use of the DS and just as charming as Wind Waker. I really look forward to playing Spirit Tracks.
14. Grand Theft Auto 3 (PS2) 2001
The game that made sandbox games what they are, was unbeatable at the time and paved the way for future GTA games.
13. Advance Wars: Dark Conflict (DS) 2008
A strategy game that I was actually able to really get in to and my favourite DS game yet. Very accessible yet enough depth to allow re-runs for mastering.
12. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg (Gamecube) 2003
A brilliant surprise, amazingly fun and cheery yet a challenging platformer that was something different. Despite looking that it might be rubbish it should be played.
11. Animal Crossing (Gamecube) 2004
I waited years for this games and as soon as I got my hands on it I was even more in love with it than before. A brilliant odea that needs to be re-invented for a 2nd Wii outing.
10.Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (Wii) 2007
Excellent controls for an already brilliant game, the definitive Resident Evil that ticks all the right boxes.
9. Mario Kart Wii (Wii) 2008
The best Mario Kart! Online was made for Mario Kart and despite a few poor Wii exclusive tracks the retro inclusions more than make up for it.
8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii, Gamecube) 2006
The most cinematic Zelda of all, great atmosphere, some fresh idea. A good template for future more mature Zelda games.
7. Grand Theft Auto 4 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) 2008
Lived up to the hype in my opinion, the story was different from what you'd expect, Liberty City was so full of life and it still is one of my favourite online games.
6. Little Big Planet (PS3) 2008
Such a brilliant idea, even without the level creation it'd be an enjoyable platform however with the level sharing it's an essential for any PS3 owner.
5. Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (PS2) 2003
Probably the most flawless entry in the series, not the best now but definitely felt more special at the time than the current one does.
4. Super Smash Bros Melee (Gamecube) 2002
Just beat Brawl due to how much I played it at the time, Brawl definitely wins on content but Melee probably had the better stages.
3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) 2009
The game of 2009, great story, characters and near perfect gameplay as well as added online play and lots of action make it even better than the already great first installment.
2. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) 2007
Does exactly what you expect from Mario, full of brilliant moments, amazing levels and brought together with some top nothc platforming.
1. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Gamecube) 2003
My favourite of all time, amazing graphics, sound, story, gameplay, utterly charming and just brilliant from start to finish.
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
Song of the Week
This weeks choice is an obvious one what with it being the season to be jolly, it's going to be a Christmas song. But which Christmas song?
Definitely not band aid anyway, such condesending lyrics, just cos they're poor doesn't mean they can't grasp the concept of Christmas. Mariah Carey? No thanks, no thanks.
The one I'm going to go for is a lovely song that is quite simple really but the use of the piano and the brilliant voice make it a great song.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=THcbQyFtCqg
Definitely not band aid anyway, such condesending lyrics, just cos they're poor doesn't mean they can't grasp the concept of Christmas. Mariah Carey? No thanks, no thanks.
The one I'm going to go for is a lovely song that is quite simple really but the use of the piano and the brilliant voice make it a great song.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=THcbQyFtCqg
Monday, 14 December 2009
Song of the Week
I'm gonna make this post earlier than usual because it needs to be said as soon as possible, go out and download this song.
This week's song you may have heard a bit about in the news as of late. The reason, well it's part of a Facebook campaign to get it to Christmas number one and for a very good reason.
Not only is it a great example of 90's rock but hopefully it'll stop people from making the latest X Factor single the instant number 1 (which by the way is probably the worst X Factor debut singles yet). It sends out the perfect message to Simon Cowell which will hopefully wake up the sheep that buy the song because it was on TV.
So go out and download people:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkuOAY-S6OY
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2228594104&ref=nf
This week's song you may have heard a bit about in the news as of late. The reason, well it's part of a Facebook campaign to get it to Christmas number one and for a very good reason.
Not only is it a great example of 90's rock but hopefully it'll stop people from making the latest X Factor single the instant number 1 (which by the way is probably the worst X Factor debut singles yet). It sends out the perfect message to Simon Cowell which will hopefully wake up the sheep that buy the song because it was on TV.
So go out and download people:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkuOAY-S6OY
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2228594104&ref=nf
Alot more than (big) nothing
David Schwimmer and Simon Pegg, two actors whom I'm quite fond of, both have starred in very good sitcoms and for Simon Pegg at least has done some very good movies with the likes of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz but how does he fare without Nick Frost by his side?
Well first of all the title of the movie "Big Nothing" is very misleading because there's quite a lot going on. The movie is about Charlie (David) who's about to start a new job in a call center however after being sacked on his first because of the influence of Gus (Simon), things look a bit desperate for Charlie who doesn't want to fess up to his cop wife. So Gus attempts to make it up to Charlie by letting him in on a scam where they will blackmail an unsuspecting Reverand (who's been up to some unholy things). A third co-star Josie (Alice Eve) soon wants in and so begins the madness.
The plan of just picking up the money of course doesn't go to plan as a number of plot twists arise, all based around money, murder and misunderstandings. Nobody ever really turns out to be who they seem and at times it makes the story very difficult to follow but sometimes the crazy twists turn out to be quite hilairious. The relationship between Charlie and Gus as you might imagine is also pretty funny, the two contrast quite a bit and this makes a few good back and forths.
The story is very dark as well as strange and if you enjoy not knowing what will happen next it's worth giving a shot but if not it may be hard to get in to, the story never really grips you and it's only until a very un hollywood like ending that you start to feel a bit of a connection with the characters. Still it's a welcome change from movies that take themselves too seriously and because of this it aims to entertain rather than be a piece of "moving art" which in somes cases is the better option.
Well first of all the title of the movie "Big Nothing" is very misleading because there's quite a lot going on. The movie is about Charlie (David) who's about to start a new job in a call center however after being sacked on his first because of the influence of Gus (Simon), things look a bit desperate for Charlie who doesn't want to fess up to his cop wife. So Gus attempts to make it up to Charlie by letting him in on a scam where they will blackmail an unsuspecting Reverand (who's been up to some unholy things). A third co-star Josie (Alice Eve) soon wants in and so begins the madness.
The plan of just picking up the money of course doesn't go to plan as a number of plot twists arise, all based around money, murder and misunderstandings. Nobody ever really turns out to be who they seem and at times it makes the story very difficult to follow but sometimes the crazy twists turn out to be quite hilairious. The relationship between Charlie and Gus as you might imagine is also pretty funny, the two contrast quite a bit and this makes a few good back and forths.
The story is very dark as well as strange and if you enjoy not knowing what will happen next it's worth giving a shot but if not it may be hard to get in to, the story never really grips you and it's only until a very un hollywood like ending that you start to feel a bit of a connection with the characters. Still it's a welcome change from movies that take themselves too seriously and because of this it aims to entertain rather than be a piece of "moving art" which in somes cases is the better option.
Friday, 11 December 2009
Song of the Week
This week's song has been chosen mostly because it's my 20th Birthday on Sunday. I could have gone a few ways about this such as maybe choose the number one from that time but instead I decided on this song becuase it basically says it like it is and not only that, it's a brilliant song.
I'd become aware of this band a few times before as my friend Andrew went on about them although he goes on about a lot of bands so I don't have time to listen to every one of them. I stumbled across these though after hearing this song on the Pro Evo game and I feel foolish not listening to them sooner as this is a very nice song. This also proves how well things like computer games and TV can help to influence the music you listen, proving that it is a very viable option for many artists.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC8FET-EGVM
I'd become aware of this band a few times before as my friend Andrew went on about them although he goes on about a lot of bands so I don't have time to listen to every one of them. I stumbled across these though after hearing this song on the Pro Evo game and I feel foolish not listening to them sooner as this is a very nice song. This also proves how well things like computer games and TV can help to influence the music you listen, proving that it is a very viable option for many artists.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC8FET-EGVM
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Brown is hard to beat
No I don't mean Gordan Brown, everyone knows he's already been beat. I'm talking about Chris Brown, the guy that many have hailed as the new king of R&B and a future successor to Michael Jackson. That's quite a title to have and to be honest I don't think there'll ever be another MJ but I also think it's fair to say that the king of R&B crown is Chris' for the taking.
So with his 3rd album "Graffiti" released earlier this week it was gonna take a lot for him to win back some of the fans who he definitely lost after the whole Rihanna fiasco. However this album should win those fans back (if they're more interested in the music itself than the image of the artist that is). Whilst Exclusive was a huge leap forward from his self titled debut album, Graffiti is a much smaller leap but you can definitely see a new direction with this album, a direction that Chris himself has chose with a number of songs that are quite reminiscent past songs he had a huge hand in such as Forever.
There's 20 tracks there if you get the Deluxe edition and that's great value compared to many other albums out there that won't dare go over the 13 song mark. The album has a number of songs you'd expect from a good R&B artist such as the party starters like "I can Transform Ya" "What I do" and "Wait" as well as the token sex song "Take My Time". You also get a number of
Epic R&B Ballads such as the brilliant "Crawl" and "I Need This" which will always leave a good impession but sadly there's also the Reggae style song which some R&B singers insist on having (which as you can tell, I'm not very fond of) but the album really shines with the upbeat songs that like I mentioned earlier have an air of Forever to them such as "Chase our Love" and "I.Y.A." and the songs that are influenced by the Piano or Guitar like "So Cold" and "For Your Love" and there's also a song in there which to me sounds like a duet version of Ne-Yo's "Closer", the song in question being "Pass Out" which features a quality sample of Eric Prydz "Call on Me". Finally there is also the song which adrresses his relationship with Rihanna "Famous Girl" which basically tells you what you probably thought of what happened.
The album also has some great contributing artists which proves some people are still willing to work with him such as Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, The Game and the hugely unnapreciated genius that is Lupe Fiasco. If you're a fan of Chris Brown's other work you can be very sure that you'll enjoy this album, whilst not hugely different from Exclusive it's got some songs that will one day be classic, great beats accompanied by the undisputedly great voice of Chris, fans will not be dissapointed as he delivers another must have album.
So with his 3rd album "Graffiti" released earlier this week it was gonna take a lot for him to win back some of the fans who he definitely lost after the whole Rihanna fiasco. However this album should win those fans back (if they're more interested in the music itself than the image of the artist that is). Whilst Exclusive was a huge leap forward from his self titled debut album, Graffiti is a much smaller leap but you can definitely see a new direction with this album, a direction that Chris himself has chose with a number of songs that are quite reminiscent past songs he had a huge hand in such as Forever.
There's 20 tracks there if you get the Deluxe edition and that's great value compared to many other albums out there that won't dare go over the 13 song mark. The album has a number of songs you'd expect from a good R&B artist such as the party starters like "I can Transform Ya" "What I do" and "Wait" as well as the token sex song "Take My Time". You also get a number of
Epic R&B Ballads such as the brilliant "Crawl" and "I Need This" which will always leave a good impession but sadly there's also the Reggae style song which some R&B singers insist on having (which as you can tell, I'm not very fond of) but the album really shines with the upbeat songs that like I mentioned earlier have an air of Forever to them such as "Chase our Love" and "I.Y.A." and the songs that are influenced by the Piano or Guitar like "So Cold" and "For Your Love" and there's also a song in there which to me sounds like a duet version of Ne-Yo's "Closer", the song in question being "Pass Out" which features a quality sample of Eric Prydz "Call on Me". Finally there is also the song which adrresses his relationship with Rihanna "Famous Girl" which basically tells you what you probably thought of what happened.
The album also has some great contributing artists which proves some people are still willing to work with him such as Lil Wayne, Trey Songz, The Game and the hugely unnapreciated genius that is Lupe Fiasco. If you're a fan of Chris Brown's other work you can be very sure that you'll enjoy this album, whilst not hugely different from Exclusive it's got some songs that will one day be classic, great beats accompanied by the undisputedly great voice of Chris, fans will not be dissapointed as he delivers another must have album.
Sunday, 6 December 2009
It's hard to hate a Claus
I sat down and watched a full movie yesterday for the first time in a while and being near Christmas it was obviously a Christmas Movie. The movie was Fred Claus starring Vince Vaughn which I think was released last Christmas, fairly recent anyway. Now the problem however is I'm not fond of Vince Vaughn, he's starred in some good movies, Dodgeball and Old School to name two but there's something about him that I just don't like. With that in mind I expected not to like this movie as from looking at the trailer it just looked like your standard "crazy guy comes in to town and causes havoc".
At some points this was the case, a scene in particular where he's dancing and crowd surfing elves just seemed a bit pointless but where are my manners, I've not even said what the movie is about. The movie follows the story of Fred Claus, the less successful brother of Saint Nick. Being less successful leads him to resent his younger brother and with that he doesn't really get along with his family. This is basically the central story of the film, not the magic of Christmas but rather the relationship between Fred and his family after becoming the outcast, however due to cash needs Fred must visit and work for his brother for a little while.
From there the movie is all about Freds stay and work up at the North Pole, during this the movie is helped along by the character played by Kevin Spacey who in my eyes was the star of the show as he played the bad guy role incredibly well despite being limited to keeping it light hearted. The character is very sly and causes all manner of trouble that tests the strained relationship between the family to bring the story along and develop the characters. In the end though it is something of Santa's own doing that eventually starts the whole conclusion and typical moment of despair that all these types of movies have.
From this point the movie turns very typical of Christmas movie which whilst is predictable you still get that feeling where you urge the character on to save the day because of the journey (all be it the short journey (not a geographical journey obviously, the North Pole is quite a way away (too many brackets, the reader is sure to have lost interest by now))) that the main characters go on.
So with a few jokes here and there, some good characters and an ever lovely Christmas story, this is a good choice if you feel like taking it easy and getting in to the mood for Christmas and whether you find Vince Vaughn a little offensive or not, if you have a love for Christmas you'll enjoy this film.
At some points this was the case, a scene in particular where he's dancing and crowd surfing elves just seemed a bit pointless but where are my manners, I've not even said what the movie is about. The movie follows the story of Fred Claus, the less successful brother of Saint Nick. Being less successful leads him to resent his younger brother and with that he doesn't really get along with his family. This is basically the central story of the film, not the magic of Christmas but rather the relationship between Fred and his family after becoming the outcast, however due to cash needs Fred must visit and work for his brother for a little while.
From there the movie is all about Freds stay and work up at the North Pole, during this the movie is helped along by the character played by Kevin Spacey who in my eyes was the star of the show as he played the bad guy role incredibly well despite being limited to keeping it light hearted. The character is very sly and causes all manner of trouble that tests the strained relationship between the family to bring the story along and develop the characters. In the end though it is something of Santa's own doing that eventually starts the whole conclusion and typical moment of despair that all these types of movies have.
From this point the movie turns very typical of Christmas movie which whilst is predictable you still get that feeling where you urge the character on to save the day because of the journey (all be it the short journey (not a geographical journey obviously, the North Pole is quite a way away (too many brackets, the reader is sure to have lost interest by now))) that the main characters go on.
So with a few jokes here and there, some good characters and an ever lovely Christmas story, this is a good choice if you feel like taking it easy and getting in to the mood for Christmas and whether you find Vince Vaughn a little offensive or not, if you have a love for Christmas you'll enjoy this film.
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Song of the Week
As you can see, it's been a busy week for my blog, two song of the week posts in a row proves this......
Anyway to this weeks song. The song I've chosen is the first single from this artists 3rd album which is released this Monday and I saw fit to honour this. Many will think this is a bad choice as this year has seen a fair bit of controversy for this fellow as he did something very bad and while I think this is likely to affect how well this album does you still can't deny that this guy has some talent.
I have no doubt that his bnew album will be great as he's a great artist, it's a shame what happened but it shows some character that he was able to come back from it. So with a sample which is sounds quite different, an awesome video and the help of Swizz Beatz and one of the biggest artists of the moment Lil Wayne, here's this weeks song.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_N2jvyLc6w
Anyway to this weeks song. The song I've chosen is the first single from this artists 3rd album which is released this Monday and I saw fit to honour this. Many will think this is a bad choice as this year has seen a fair bit of controversy for this fellow as he did something very bad and while I think this is likely to affect how well this album does you still can't deny that this guy has some talent.
I have no doubt that his bnew album will be great as he's a great artist, it's a shame what happened but it shows some character that he was able to come back from it. So with a sample which is sounds quite different, an awesome video and the help of Swizz Beatz and one of the biggest artists of the moment Lil Wayne, here's this weeks song.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_N2jvyLc6w
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