Cars, Rock Bands, and Wii Wii
OK so I haven't updated this thing in bloody ages. I iz bone idol innit.
Mostly at the moment I am lamenting my lack of car-ness. I recently got it serviced (at the extortionate price of over £400) and then just after this it started overheating. Apparently the head-gasket has gone and there's a slight chance it's because of the service (though we can't prove this or there would be solicitor-related shennanigans in my near future). Thankfully it's covered by the waranty so I shouldn't be getting another massive bill.
Unfortunately it's still at the garage and it's only "hopefully" that it'll be fixed by tomorrow - and without it I don't get to go to the Maelstrom this weekend.
That said I've had all my energy sucked out and I'm running on fumes thanks to work at the moment. I'm having the piss taken out of me at present (not by the company so much as my co-workers). Today I nearly walked out at lunchtime I was so angry. Instead I indulged in a little naughty retail therapy and bought a second hand game for the new toy my other half got me at the weekend.
Which brings me to computer game-related gubbins.
As mentioned at the weekend me and my missus went and spent lots of money we really don't have. First up we bought Rock Band as I had seen that it works with the guitars you get with Guitar Hero. We didn't get the drum kit and mic, but even without those, my god is this game so much better than GH3 (IMHO).
Most importantly the songs are waaay better than GH3s (the intro has Highway Star by Deep Purple - one of my all-time favourite songs). In games details are superior like there are way more options for how your on-screen persona can be customised - mine currently looks a little like Ian Astbury and Peter Steele's scary love child that ran off and joined Fields of the Nephilim (now ain't that a mental image). Once you're playing the characters on the stage, though not necessarily better drawn, are a lot better animated. They actually jump around stage like proper performers rather than being rooted to the spot (the singer character has a habit of crowd-surfing at times). There are other details that make the experience better, for instance if you get the crowd on-side sufficiently, they start singing along with you which is very amusing.
It also plays better, though it is a little unforgiving compared to GH, there are features like proper solos for the guitarists which earn bonus points, you can continue to accumulate Star Power (called Overdrive in this game) while you've got it activated which means if you time it right you can coast through huge sections of the song with overdrive going. S'definitely better than GH, which is high praise indeed, as I think the Guitar Hero (especially GH3) series are all also bloody good games.
The other computer related stuff, my other half bought me a Nintendo Wii... and much as I hate to say it, it's really quite a good laff. I'm still not convinced about it as a machine to play games on single player, but multi-player quick fun games are great fun (especially the sports games you get with it - we're addicted to tennis). Nintendo really knew their stuff when they made this thing.
And now there's a funny taste in my mouth, I'll leave you nice people in peace ;)
Mostly at the moment I am lamenting my lack of car-ness. I recently got it serviced (at the extortionate price of over £400) and then just after this it started overheating. Apparently the head-gasket has gone and there's a slight chance it's because of the service (though we can't prove this or there would be solicitor-related shennanigans in my near future). Thankfully it's covered by the waranty so I shouldn't be getting another massive bill.
Unfortunately it's still at the garage and it's only "hopefully" that it'll be fixed by tomorrow - and without it I don't get to go to the Maelstrom this weekend.
That said I've had all my energy sucked out and I'm running on fumes thanks to work at the moment. I'm having the piss taken out of me at present (not by the company so much as my co-workers). Today I nearly walked out at lunchtime I was so angry. Instead I indulged in a little naughty retail therapy and bought a second hand game for the new toy my other half got me at the weekend.
Which brings me to computer game-related gubbins.
As mentioned at the weekend me and my missus went and spent lots of money we really don't have. First up we bought Rock Band as I had seen that it works with the guitars you get with Guitar Hero. We didn't get the drum kit and mic, but even without those, my god is this game so much better than GH3 (IMHO).
Most importantly the songs are waaay better than GH3s (the intro has Highway Star by Deep Purple - one of my all-time favourite songs). In games details are superior like there are way more options for how your on-screen persona can be customised - mine currently looks a little like Ian Astbury and Peter Steele's scary love child that ran off and joined Fields of the Nephilim (now ain't that a mental image). Once you're playing the characters on the stage, though not necessarily better drawn, are a lot better animated. They actually jump around stage like proper performers rather than being rooted to the spot (the singer character has a habit of crowd-surfing at times). There are other details that make the experience better, for instance if you get the crowd on-side sufficiently, they start singing along with you which is very amusing.
It also plays better, though it is a little unforgiving compared to GH, there are features like proper solos for the guitarists which earn bonus points, you can continue to accumulate Star Power (called Overdrive in this game) while you've got it activated which means if you time it right you can coast through huge sections of the song with overdrive going. S'definitely better than GH, which is high praise indeed, as I think the Guitar Hero (especially GH3) series are all also bloody good games.
The other computer related stuff, my other half bought me a Nintendo Wii... and much as I hate to say it, it's really quite a good laff. I'm still not convinced about it as a machine to play games on single player, but multi-player quick fun games are great fun (especially the sports games you get with it - we're addicted to tennis). Nintendo really knew their stuff when they made this thing.
And now there's a funny taste in my mouth, I'll leave you nice people in peace ;)