Happy 2009 everyone!

I hope everyone is recovering comfortably from the festivities and celebrations. As always, I was disapointed by the London fireworks on the telly. For a fraction of the price they could have just blown up the London Eye and would have been much better.

Michelle and I have spent the best part of the last two weeks getting beaten at Scene It and Trivial Pursuit by Michelles mum. At the moment Michelle's trying teach her mum to play Rock Band and I'm on the verge of having kittens.

Our flat is now looking like an add for Hawkins Bazaar after we spent a small fortune in there for xmas pressies. We've got racing grannies, racing snails, weird blue things, painting by numbers and all sorts EVERYWHERE! I did get an airfix kit to keep me amused for a few days which is now sitting comfotably on the telly. We've now gained a slow cooker and a George Forrman grill for the kitchen, Michelle's got a new telly (Samsung LCD) and I've got a new Xbox 360 Elite under my telly to replace the old Boxy who's gone off to repair only to be sold off on his return. It'll be sad to see him go but it's become a bit tiresome having to send him off every year for more surgery. It Should be looking something like Lolo Ferari by the time it gets back.

We've stocked up on Microsoft points from Zavvi as they're selling them off for £2.50 (so I'm told) than it is to buy them online. So now we've got the new maps for Gears of War 2 to try out (although I still believe 800 pts for 3 maps is a rip-off) so will have to hit Horde mode again next week. I've just had a quick go at the demo for Legendary although after seeing some of its reviews, I wasn't expecting much and that's just what I got. Controlls are sluggish at best and there's just no point trying to aim half the time. It's not even a game I'd concider renting but try the free demo on the market place if you fancy a laugh. The new Scene It? BOS is really good. We've played it so much we've already started getting repeat questions so it's now a case of who remembers the answer the fastes from the day before. Michelle's already whored a load od gamerpoints out of it but it'll be interesting to see what they do with the download content for it. They better do some as it was a big selling point for it.

I've nearly finnished the final prestige level on Call of Duty 4 but trying to work towards getting all the gold weapons which may take quite a while since I need about 150 headshots with every weapon and I'm simply not that good. With patience and a lot of luck I should accidently get there by 2011. :o) Still got a long way to go on the next Call of Duty, though.

Right, time to go find snacks. Maybe I can talk Michelle and her mum into bacon sandwhiches...

Dont forget about me!
Cute Bunny Ears

Welcome back everyone.

We've loaded up with tree and decorations ready for December. It's the first year we've actually got enough cash to get pressents for the family and it'll be the first time we actually have some form of decorations.

This month has seen the release of the new Xbox 360 dashboard. I was suprisd how quick it downloaded but maybe I'm still use to our restricted internet speed from before we changed providers. Anyway, no major bugs so far that I've come accross, the frinds list freezes up from time to time if you go to fast. The layout is a lot more visual and interactive than previously, not just lists but I-player style scrolling box covers for games, etc. With the addition of avatars (little stylized people that represent you), makes some games and the friends list more personaland light-hearted. I just hope they bring out some more customizable stuff to put on the. Cough-bunny ears-cough.

Also this month we've been spending far to much on new games so I wont go into depth so here's an overview:-

• Gears of War                            Much the same as before
• Call of Duty: World of War       Not as good as 4 but better than 3
• Guitar Hero: Legends of Rock   Michelle got bored of it in 3 days
  
• Rockband 2                              "Rockband Again" more like it
  
• Lips                                           Really good, unlike my singing
• Scene it: Box Office Smash        Not opened it yet, saving it for Christmas
• Fallout 3                                    Pretty gripping but I'm wussy so not got far
• A Kingdom for Keflings             Live Arcade game. Really addictive CIV type game

We went to see Saw (whatever number the latest one is). Still not as good as the first one. Could see everything coming a mile off like liklyhood of a car alarm getting anoying. We also got Redacted on DVD about soldiersgetting up to naughty things but wasn't very good. Got the box set of Indiana Jones but Michelle hasn't let me watch it yet. Currently working through series two of Ghost in the Shell that Michelle got for me allong with a new live show by Bill Bailey, which was fantastic. We're still waiting for Daywatch to come out with the special subtitles and for the last Batman film tobe released.

I'm hoping to get a new laptop shortly and this time I'm determined to avoid Packard Bells with the faulty screens my last two have had. The Acers look pretty good so might scrape the bootom of their barrel for a cheap one.

Well, I'm off to put the heating on and I think pizza might be in order tonight, sinse it's nearly pay day.

Laters taters
CuteBunny Ears

Hi peeps,

We're getting a sofa!!!! Will be delivered on Tuesday and we've got cusions and throws ready to make it pretty. It's one of those metal framed sofa beds (much like Scary and Zombies). We decided it was time to upgrade from a beanbag now that I'm getting paid more. My work hours have changed so I dont work past 6pm any more too. :o)

There's been news about some changes to the release of Fable 2 due out this month. It will not have online co-op straight from the box so will be released in a patch. So, when Mr Molyneux said at E3 "Fable 2 is finished," what he actually meant was "Fable 2 isn't quite finished so we're making a patch to get the rest in on release day" Combined with the last minute removal of a lot of the intended contents of the CE box set, my faith in Lionhead has taken a bit of a knock. You can bet Peter had a few choice words for his management department.

Still enjoying Battlefield: Bad Company but not very good at it online. It's worth picking up second hand if you like FPS's and it's hard for me to say that about an EA game as it's no secret that I'm no fan of their after sales organisational morals (or lack of to be precise).

Been playing Duke Nukem 3D aswell since it came out on the Live Marketplace last week. Brings back memories. I havent found a means of using any of the old cheat codes on it though, which is disappointing. Still good though.

We've now changed Internet Providers since Tiscali were unable to find and fix the cause of our limited connection speed. Now we're with Plusnet who do a good gaming package that gives priority server access when gaming and so far it's proving lag-free. There is a download limit but any usage after midnight is free so I've been queuing up my marketplace downloads before bedtime so our usage limit is hardly touched. :o)

Right, the battlefield is calling so I'm going to go kill some people before we do Sausage and mash for tea.
Cheerio!

CBE

Welcome one and all.

So, it's been quite some time since I last blogged, sorry. First I'll start with the "me" stuff, as that's what first comes to mind. Michelle and I are still very much in love and in the same flat although now we've managed to re-hang the curtains so there's no longer a really annoying gap. Michelle is still at the same job so needles to say she's now friends with everyone within 300 metres of the building. I'm still on the complaints lines and gradually starting to get the hang of it though I still find that I keep taking on more than I should. Michelle and I were taken on team bonding day with her work bunch a few weeks back. It involved climbing trees and very long zip-lines. Being a wuss and scared of heights, I quit half way through and just followed everyone else from the ground. All good fun though.

On the film front, we saw Wanted recently. Plenty of guns and action but with such a flimsy plot that really pulled the whole thing down. One to rent at some point on one of those "rent 3 films" nights so at least the other two can compensate. We also saw Cloverfield recently and it was better than I was expecting but still not great. Typical Saturday night flick. The new Indiana Jones film was pretty good although the plot takes a rather extreme turn towards the end but I still liked it. Michelle didn't think it was true to the previous films but I think it depends how recently you saw the earlier films. The real news is the upcoming release of the new Batman film that we've already said we'll go see even if I have to sell a kidney. Looks to be as good (hopefuly) as Batman Begins. Also, there's a new X-Files film on it's way and a new Hellboy, got to see them.

In gaming news, It's time for E3 2008 so there's going to be a host of gaming announcements we can expect over the next few days. I'm still keeping an eye on Fable 2 and still need to complete the original Fable which I picked up for less than a take away, second hand. Gears of War 2 will be out in November and looks to be quite interesting but I wouldn't call it "cream my pants exciting" that's a term that only Fable 2 is currently worthy of. Been working through Alone in the Dark of late and that is what I'd call ground braking. The controls are a bit tricky and that can be a real frustration when it comes to combat but the real fun is to be had in the inventory. Remember those text games? The ones where you type in "look at table" and "open door." Well, it kinda feels like that to play as to get anywhere, you need to " add sticky tape to bottle of flamable liquid" and use inginuity wit simple items in order kill enemies and find your path. A game everyone should try, if only they made a demo. I suggest renting it for a weekend. Rock band, on the other hand, you can really only experience by shelling out the cash to get the instruments. We're fortunate enough to have two guitars and the drums. Be warned, though, downstairs neighbours wont be impressed if you play the drums late at night, ours weren't. Really good fun but a pretty steep learning curve.

Well, on that note, I'll have a quick drinkie during the last of CSI Sunday and then off to bed.
Night night all.

Cute Bunny Ears

The new year has well and truly landed!

Dream and I have now got ourselves pretty much up and running in Plymouth. I'm still hunting for a job so if anyone knows of anything... hint hint.
Our broadband kicked in before the weekend but unfortunately, all we seem to be able to get is a pathetic 512k connection (not even that half the time), in the heart of Plymouth!!! I'm currently still waiting on the return of my 360 from it's second trip to the repair centre. It came up with the phantom three red lights part way through the packing at the old flat but the repairs are free and as it's the second repair, they sent me free gift from a list that I could choose from. I got a wired controller but better still, they sent TWO free controllers, either by mistake or because the guy on the phone liked me. Dream seems to be settling into her new job but I think we've decided that as soon as we're both earning and have the money, we're going to move, again, to somewhere that has at least a half decent broadband connection. The pain in the bum is that we cant find out how good the BB is at an address until we move in, get the phoneline connected and subscribe to an internet provider. If anyone knows where to look for info on good Broadband areas, give me a shout.

In gaming news, I've seen some more game footage from Army of Two, Battlefield: Bad Company and Brothers in Arms: Highway to Hell. Army of two looks interesting but not overly groundbreaking. I get the impression that, like most EA titles, it'll be good for a few days but enevitably end up either buried in dust on a shelf or traded in. Might worthe a weekend rental from Blockbuster though, dont count it out entirely. Battlefield: Bad Company is starting to look a bit better. They're going for the destructive angle with this one. Graphics aren't much to write home about but the big (and really only) selling point is that you can run round blowing up EVERYTHING in sight. Think of a standard FPS set in the present, then make the environment destructable. No more running round obbstacles and buildings, just blast your way through it all. Again, I think it'll have a short lifespan but certainly worthe a go if only for the glee of running round, randomly blowing up stuff and quickly leveling the entire area. All they need now is a map editor  (PC version only, consoles couldn'y cope with it) so people can build their own place of work, then level it, cackling manicly all the while. Lastly is the new BIA. It too has jumped on the "destructable environment" bandwagon. I've always had a soft spot for WWII games but above all stood two for me, Call of Duty 2 and Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 40. CoD saw us fighting and dieing alongside troops that we came to recognise as we progressed through the war... game. BIA gave us the angle of being able to order small squads about in order to execute tactics and achieve the same ends via slightly different means. BIA was more about telling a historicly accurate(ish) story and getting us to care about our comrades. This is deffinately going to be a must for anyone into WWII FPS's but be prepared it is more of a thinking kind of shooter, tactics over bullets. A really fresh style of game that hasn't been copied to death by every other developer on the planet. It's staying put on my wish list, this one.

Right, time for a shower and fish and chips for tea.
Catch you all soon.

Cute, the Bunny, Ears.