Mass Effect should be played last, as it will require a significant amount of time and dedication to complete. It's an amazing game.

A new blog to read, Happy Birthday. Have fun playing and congrats on the Star Ocean review making the front page.

Happy birthday, mate. I had Mass Effect just sitting there since release day, and only recently played through it. A brilliant game. But yeah, what Sweep said on Banjo Kazooie: N&B being your first choice. It's a great way to ease into the block-rockin' trifecta awaiting you.

Happy birthday dude, those games should keep you ticking over for a while. If you liked Star Ocean (you did, judging by your review) then Mass Effect should create a nice contrast. However I'd recommend you begin with some Banjo action, its not really like anything you are likely to have played before and it has an excellent sense of style and humour. It also has a nice pace to it - Mass Effect and Viva Pinata are both a bit more slow moving, though equally endearing. You can't fail :)

So the birthday comes around again, bringing with it a bit of disposable income to buy games with. Hoorah!

I went out shopping today, and apart from the obligatory bottle of Jack Daniels and slab of Carlton's I came home with three games: Mass Effect, Banjo Kazaooie: Nuts and Bolts, and Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise. All of them were marked down to Au$44 each, which is a bit of a steal. Funny thing was, I had to scout around to three separate shops to find a copy of Mass Effect. Neither EB or JB had a copy, not even in their pre-owned piles! In the end, I had to settle for GAME, and was a little uneasy when the pricetag was 70 bucks. Turns out though, that their computer said it was only $44, so I got a hat trick. Nice birthday present!

Speaking of birthday presents, my review of Star Ocean: The Last Hope made the front page, on my birthday no less. Thanks Giant Bomb! :) Star Ocean is one of those games that if you go for it looking for an interactive movie, you'd probably be disappointed, but the game side of it is pretty damn awesome.

Time to dig in to some games... Which one should I play first?