Hey all

Just a quick blog. I got Portal 2 last weekend and managed to complete the game (admitedly with a guide at the last chapter as it got so very difficult and also I just wanted to get to the end game).

Chances are I will do a review (don't hold your breath though) to go into spoilers so I will not be posting anything like that on my blog. I totally reccomend getting the game if you enjoyed Portal 1 and could play a game that is a fair ammount longer but offers more dialouge. The review is likely to be done, if at all, after playing through the co-op campaign with a good buddy of mine (Bennyishere, you should check him out on here if you do not already, also he is on youtube where he has some footage of our co-op so far I think). Good times anyway.

I have picked up Enslaved on Xbox 360 as well on sale for a limited edition pack (apparently it has a book, a music cd and some fancy box I think, should be good). I will wait and see what else I get gaming wise. LA Noire and DiRT 3 are interesting me at the moment but I am not totaly convinced on the full price nature of them.

Anyway thanks for reading. I hope to hear from you    :)

So in keeping with doing things when I have the time. I thought another blog was in order.

 
Gaming

 
Gaming wise has been pretty quiet recently. I have completed Scott Pilgrim Vs The World on Xbox Live Arcade with Scott and have started a new character file with Knives Chau. I may write a review for this at some point but I feel compelled to try more with another character before really giving the game a review as it would feel harsh to not get another characters approach into the mix incase there is more depth to the level system than how it seems on the surface.

 
I have also been playing a bit of Chris Sawyers Locomotion on PC when I literally have no energy to be doing anything else. Its a good time killing game and the mod support out there is really strong community wise. There are real life train, tram, truck etc updates as well as scenarios and the like. Boring to some but for me it really adds to the depth of this game.

 
Marvel Versus Capcom 3 is out soon in Europe and I just ordered the game today. Apparently it is on its way as I have a despatch email but I can not say if this will be arriving quicker than I expected or whether a release day arrivial will happen.

 
Movies 

I have been watching more films and TV recently as my time focus shifts from gaming a bit (I am still a gamer but I tend to do more of it at a weekend as after work I tend to just be in the mood to watch a film, read or listen to music than doing anything more energy consuming). I have seen Black Swan in the cinema as well as Tron Legacy (I may have mentioned that in the last blog, I can not remember). Black Swan is unusual as it is a film I did not really think would interest me but the character development is really excellent and the story has some interesting twists. I would not reccomend seeing this film to people without an open mind or people of a younger age as there are a few scenes that are a bit mature perhaps. 

I have been watching some of my DVD's as well recently and have seen the recent Batman Begins and Dark Knight. I know actually get the references to "Why so serious" and "I'm not wearing hockey pads" so expect me to be blurting them out more and more.

 
My recent purchases include SALT (I kept looking at the film in the shops and it sounded interesting but over the weekend I decided to take the plunge). I have also got Hot Fuzz (as Edgar Wright interests me since watching Scott Pilgrim, I like his attention to detail and he seems to get good work out of the films he has made so I am watching a few to see how they are). I also picked up About Schmidt as it looked interesting and a friend wanted a film in a multibuy deal so I got this to share the cost.

 
Books

 
I have recently read through the Scott Pilgrim books. I was supprised by how much I liked it, because graphic novels have not really been something I have paid attention to before but after several reccomendations I have given it a go and liked it. I may look out for similar things in the future but I am open to suggestions (although I did not enjoy The Watchmen, I like something a bit more light hearted. Watchmen is good but seems a tad too serious in what it approaches to me). I have also got The Beach to read through still, I keep getting bits of it done but I should really have read it before watching the film.

I am looking to get Mr Nice next as the book sounds interesting after looking at some reviews online.

Other than that nothing really has changed. I got the new Robbie Williams album (the best of collection thing) again in a multibuy offer as a friend wanted another album so I got this to share the expense and it looked good at the time.

 
I have been a bit quiet on the old posting side recently. This is nothing personal, I read the boards from unions to the general games and uk Gamespot boards but I infrequently post as I only do so if I feel I have something to add.

 
As allways I am open to feedback from this blog, any suggestions for books and films will be taken on board and gaming wise I am on Xbox Live usually on the weekend or when I am off work. Anyway thanks for reading.    

 Left 4 Dead 2 - the first few hours

After a sudden switch in decison from Dragon Age Online to Left 4 Dead 2 for my next game purchase, I am happy to say it was a good choice (though I plan on getting Dragon Age at some point still). My first play on the game involved playing through the first chapter/campaign on single player. This was an interesting affair as I found on normal I was running out of health packs quickly and also the AI seemed shocking. At times it will help you and other times it drags behind taking out every single enemie. Now thats pretty good but when you are having to rush due to low health and respawning enemies and your team mates do nothing it starts to get frustrating.

I managed to get to the rollercoaster with the AI for those who have played the game. Overall I was left with mixed feelings, whilst it felt an improvment on the first game, I felt the AI was not up to scratch and lack of checkpoints and health packs made the game more challenging but rewarding at the same time. The next day I finally got online (not due to lack of players, due to lack of internet connection where I was playing on the xbox). When putting this online the game felt alive all of a sudden, having other people who know what to do is great but having people who wont help you is a pain in the backside. I managed to get online with a friend though by pure chance as I was not aware he had the game until it came up friend playing game at loading. We had a blast doing achievments and even managed to rescue a certain gnome so I am happily sporting a pink t-shirt award (which the game gives for avatar awards, such as X ammount of zombies killed, story completion to more challenging things like carrying a gnome through 3 chapters). Versus also was an interesting experience, the game rotates which type of zombie you are each time you die to keep you on your toes. Again with this mode you need to have good planning and communication with your team.

So far this has been a great game with a few problems such as checkpoint issues and health packs being too spread out. However if you have friends with this and can play online, its a blast, but if you only want to do single player, you will have to really consider the AI issues before choosing. If you have any questions let me know, this is purely a first impressions blog and not a review.

Also for those interested, the "Hey Ash What are you playing- Left 4 Dead" video got me interested in Left 4 Dead 2, man the music was catchy on it.

Hey all
 
I am considering doing a new blog set up here. Basically it will be random musings, games I am after, and other stuff. I hope to incorporate a quick look style approach to any new games I get, where after a few days of playing them I will try and post a blog saying how I am finding it so far and just a general overview before completing the game for review (if said game will be completed that is).
 
I hope to get the ball rolling with Left 4 Dead 2.
 
The reason this is coming about is I am getting fed up at some boards elsewhere of the constant arguments and having to shout to get your views seen basically. This blog will be for whoever wants to follow it in essence, and so done in my own approach and style.
 
If you have any thoughts or questions just let me know.
 
Garfield

Hey all

Here is a general update on things at the moment:

I made some impulsive game purchases last week for the Xbox 360. I got Amped 3, Crackdown, Kameo, and Viva Pinata/Forza 2 pack for £20 which is about $40 US. So far I have enjoyed Viva Pinata after some reccomendations from the UK board. Its a good game to chill out with and have a relaxing game session rather than being active constantly on the game. Amped 3 disapointed me a bit as I expected it to be like SSX from the Playstation 2 days but its not as good, it does not have the total score on screen for instance and the game seems to try too hard to be funny. Crackdown I have yet to play but Forza 2 is a good game.

I plan to get some more games for the Xbox 360 after trying the Madden NFL 09 demo and actually scored! Thats big for me on this game as I have never scored on a American Football game before (I had Madden on Mega Drive and Madden 06 for 360 but I did not get a single goal or achievement for it). I plan to get a Madden game but I am unsure whether I will stick to 09 or get an older one as its probably cheaper to do that.

Also, I am thinking of Soul Calibur 4 but my friend seems a tad disapointed with the single player mode on it. This is disapointing as thats the main pull for the game for me, I would play it online sometimes and possibly take it to a friends now and again but single player would be the main point for me.

I am thinking I could get some older games instead of the new ones as to get more for my money and pick up older titles I missed like Assassins Creed etc but I shall see.

If you have any thoughts on that let me know.

In other news, Social Gaming General has picked up alot in activity so thanks to all those there who made it possible. I hope to see more members joining as we have some trivia games running, votes, and just general good discussions and a good laugh.

Also, I decided not to get a new console in the end as the Xbox 360 still is plenty of fun and the others may drop in price when they get more games I want to play.

Anway, comment away :P

Hey all

I have recently started up here at GiantBomb. Some of you may know me from Gamespot (I am under the same username on that site, I am usually on the UK board or in my friends unions).

I plan to start being more active in reviews, blogs etc as I was quite poor with what I did on that side at Gamespot (I made a blog less than once a month).

A few ideas for this site for me personally is they need to improve the layout to make things clearer and maybe have game boards as well as the general discussion thread etc. Also unions 2.0 would be nice (hint hint :P)

But appart from that I hope this web site takes off as it really deserves it and I look forward to meeting old hands and new faces alike.

Garfield