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This week i decided to go Toys ‘R’ Us for the afternoon as a treat for me and my girlfriend. With it being a rainy day with some horrible driving conditions (one half of the carriage way was flooded and slowly flooding the other side) it seemed like a good idea. And with a few spare quid i was sold on the idea.
After not having the chance to go shopping in one for a few years, i was looking forward to seeing what toys were given lots of space and what was new. I’ve taken a few photos to record the ocasion, although there won’t be a photo of the 10ft Hannah Montana huge singing wall display with High School Musical 3 slapped all around it. Honestly, it was hardly noticeable and in no way annoying in the slightest.
I bought myself some new Bakugan, in which i think i have an addiction to. I got a Pyrus Fortress with 680g, while someone else got a Pearl Pyrus Dragonid at 610g. Not bad i say. Next time we’ll go prepared a little better so we can maximise our buying time in there.
(Please excuse the bad Photoshop work. It’s 8.44am. Not the best time of day for me to care about images so much. Plus i had to take a photo with my laptop pointing towards the wall off my projector, much harder than it looks. Next time i’ll try harder)
Each Thursday the PSN store gets updated around the world and at random points in the day i log into my various accounts to see what content has been put up. Starting with my Hong Kong account, i go to my Japanese one, then when i finish work the UK and then if i’m still up in the morning around 2am or so check the US store. Majority of the time, the HK store is just made up of stuff from all the other stores, it just has descriptions for any Japanese game in English (though obviously the game is still in Japanese, unless it’s a Chinese/English/Korean version). The other stores usually fill up with new content.
Normally the problem i have with this is that when content finally appears on the UK store (Street Fighter II HD Remix anyone?) it’s either months after a US or Japanese release, or that it costs more to buy it then the other stores. The last one isn’t so much of a problem as i can buy from any store, it just irritates me to see that some games (which i’m getting to in a second, promise) are priced more over here then the States.
Now if the store was updated with more demos of games this wouldn’t lead me to my ‘rant’ in a moment. I still can’t see why there is only ever one (if we’re lucky) or so demos a week put up, sometimes not even any. But instead it gets filled up with PSP content, which by now i’m not convinced anyone pays for PSP games anymore, and haven’t for a year or so. The PS1 game selection is shocking (just look at some of the games in the store, they really do not need to be there at all), but much like the demo situation it’s not as easy as to put up e.g. MGS or FFVII just because the fans want them, or demos for games where they haven’t even developed it enough. I understand it’s a case of rights, timing and other such factors, as well as it being a free service in which developers have to pay for data allowances. Just couldn’t help to try a little harder is all i’m saying.
But onto my main point. Flock. What the hell. £12? Really? I’m going to say it right now before i forget to. I haven’t played it or the trial. Yes it’s slightly bias, but £12 very much changes my opinion very quickly on a game. I work like most people to afford things, and £12 isn’t a problem for me to spend on a game. But for that £12 i would expect something more than Flock. With the release of Rag-Doll Kung-Fu (had it, played it, deleted off Steam, wondering what place it has on PSN) and Worms (unlike Sonic which i’ll buy regardless of how many copies of the same game i have, i ain’t paying for a game i have on my mobile), 2 games i thought would be near the £10 mark, i was honestly expecting Flock to be about the same price. The other 2 games are priced at £7.99. Why are they so cheap compared to Flock? I’m assuming that Flock is just a hyped up version of Sheep on the PS1 (which is on the PSN store funnily enough) but with space ships and other little features. And where is Trashbox while i’m at it?
(To not be so much of a fool i’m now waiting for the trial to download so i can at least give an valid opinion rather than a misinformed numpty reading and looking at stuff off the internet to base his argument)
While i wait for that to download (my lovely Sky connection is not infact lovely, but quite the opposite, but that’s what you get for living in the middle of no where) i must quickly just say about Ben 10 Alien Force. I know it’s a random thing to bring up, but it’s rubbish. I own a lot of Ben 10 stuff, too much for a man my age. Why? Because the cartoon is sweet. Not the case with Alien Force. Gwen likes Kevin? New watch design? Grandpa Max has lost some weight? No. Just no. I didn’t spend hours measuring and sculpting a 3D version of the omnitrix to see it turn in a regular watch design. It should look like a fancy alien brick you wear on your arm.
Well i’ll come back to Flock and write up about how the trial plays, but i can’t say i’m looking forward to it. I know i should play it with a fair and honest opinion, but if it is any good then it will be a nice surprise. As a bonus here’s a space type image i’m working on. Enjoy.
Could be anything though couldn’t it.
Well i must say it’s been a while. And no, i have no good reason as to why i haven’t bothered to post anything on here. The only excuse i can think of is that it takes time and i like adding silly pictures to the posts to liven things up. But times have changed. Thanks to my newly acquired laptop i can now be one of those laptop guys in Starbucks ala Family Guy.
I joke of course. There’s no Starbucks where i live. But now i have the ability to be on the internet a lot more, and to be honest, i can’t see how i can fit in any more time. I feel i must apologise though to the laptop community. I’ve often held a prejudice against laptops. Reasons stem from the simple “why buy a laptop when a pc is better?” and “you can’t upgrade a laptop like a desktop pc” to the downright stupid “why buy a laptop without a cd drive that is the just bigger than a sheet of A5 paper and costs 2 times more than most other laptops with more power?”. The last one still counts, as i cannot see a single reason as to why anyone would want ‘that’ laptop/netbook/etc other than because of the brand it is. Yes that’s a little arrogant, but if the only thing it can do better than my laptop is be smaller than it then i stand by my view.
(I must interrupt for a second, as i fell i must quickly complain about the amount of 360 adverts I’ve just had to sit through during the advert break in The Simpsons. Would it hurt that much Sony to just for once advertise a few more games or the system? I’m quite fed up with seeing them as they’re always for games that are multiplatform. And the episode of Simpsons is where Homer gets tethered to Bart, is ok but it’s mainly just background tv.)
As i was ranting before, my opinion has changed on the laptop situation. I do have another laptop but it’s about 10 years old and a hand me down from my brother. It barely works, the screen needs to be in the right position, the battery lasts for no more than 4 minutes, and it doesn’t run my DJ software to any usable state. Having the ability to do the same at home while at work or other places is rather useful. The main one i first tried out is a bit of a weird one, but oh is it so good.
Hands up ( and i know i can’t see your hands) who can play Guitar Hero at work? Anyone? Technically ( so i don’t get someone pulling me up on this) it’s not Guitar Hero, it’s Frets on Fire, but it works just as well and now i don’t have to pay for songs on PSN. Imagine you go to the petrol station. You fill up with some fuel but can hear a music coming from the store. And as you walk through the door you see someone jamming ( or rocking, what ever works best for you) to Kansas. Personally, i think it’s genius.
Other than my laptop, i have bought far, far, far too many games. And sweets and crisps. My pointless quest to acquire more trophies on my PS3 has led me to buy a lot of games just to get some more. Having said that, it’s not like the games i have bought are rubbish, but there are a few that have swayed me because of the reward of a few bronzes or silvers. My ‘Quite impressed/didn’t think i would like/prolly wouldn’t buy full price’ game so far this year has been H.A.W.X. It’s awesome, i didn’t want to use that word but i can’t think of another that i can use to describe it. Following the guides for missiles and intercepting doesn’t get boring even if it is easy ( and i assume you can turn it off or it switches off on harder modes, other wise i might complete it faster than i thought). I 100% Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Omega Turbo Super Ultra Collection, which was satisfying. It made start playing Shining Force II all over again, and i thank it very much for that.
And i must mention how i have spent too much money of Bakugan. Sad i know, and i have no comeback or sarcastic remark, but if you’ve tried one they’re pretty fun to watch open and even funner to figure out how to close.
As a close to this first post, i wanted to add a picture, but couldn’t really think of anything to put. Instead i leave you with a picture i made a while ago as well as a youtube video of a 3D omnitrix i made a year ago. A shiny penny to the person who gets all the games and anime people ( and if you can’t see well enough i have a 3072×2304 version). I made the video as i randomly searched for the image i put up to see if it would link to my website, but instead someone had turned the still render into a 30 second video on youtube and some muppet had said that it was his picture ( i corrected him in the comments).
Job done i say.
