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posted by craig2562 at
6:25 am
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Saturday, April 12, 2008
Sunday, July 30, 2006
One month later....
First off I will say sorry to those who were waiting for a follow up to the New Super Mario Bros game and for not updating in a month, things have been up, down and back around the past few weeks and it has meant some things I wanted to do didn't happen. Luckily though I finally got around to updating this after alot of boredom and spare time!
So what happened in this past month? Well to start with Vagusnet (Site I am currently working at), decided to shut it's doors (don't worry, read on) after the domain was expiring and most people weren't doing any posting. Since that happened though we are now NOT closing down (yes we aren't closing) but will be under new management in the form of someone who is a close friend to VN (even though I don't know him, I am sure we'll get along fine). It's a sigh of relief from my end, especially considering VN was a site I felt alot of my effort went into. Watch this space for more, we'll start posting as soon as a few details get sorted and host is moved! Ain't too sure of my position either but I am pledging my help to getting VN up and running again, sadly some people won't be contributing like Duncan as he is busy with a home study course, however they will be on the forums still! Vagusnet closes but stays open, well that gave some people heart attacks, now you can breathe again and wait for the next level.
Also I have been playing in the SI World Cup - we got off to a bad start last week with only 1 game being played (wasn't even a game that was meant to happen that week) but things were still good! As always I played for my lovely UK team vs those USA bullies and we ended up doing rather well despite losing both maps, I was a player of the match both maps but my skill wasnt enough to keep a victory, we also had a silly svar (server variable) on one map, which meant the game was almost all research in half the time. Still alley was a fairly decent game and I enjoyed both, looking forward to some more SICup action Today (if teams show).
On a more positive note, I managed to pick up a new mouse at last! Although I would have liked the G5, I went for the MX518 and I have to say it's alot better compared to the old wireless ball which sucked, also means I can actually hit targets now and my games have been much improved thanks to it. I seem to have lost all the problems I had with the wireless ball by getting a new mouse, which must have meant the mouse was broken or the drivers were corrupt. I'll be making good use of this mouse, especially with some newer games like Prey which I picked up a few weeks ago and HL2 Ep2, TF2, Portal bundle which is coming out later this year.
Prey is good while it lasts and it performs better than Quake IV and Doom 3 did on my PC so it's nice to actually get a game that feels optimised for my system. Played some Multiprey (multiplayer) as well and that might not have the same depth as other multiplayer games but it's seriously mindbending at times (especially when your opponent is on the ceiling above shooting the hell out of you). Still haven't finished Prey single player either, nearly at the end but other games took up my time and this has had to be put on hold for the time being, although I was playing more multi then single. New Super Mario Bros has also been put on hold, I am on the World 8 final castle but it's a pain in the ass to actually complete so I gave up on it for now (usually play in short bursts to keep entertained and calm about dying on fireballs :().
Reminds me, I still have a few other uncompleted games which I am just being lazy to finish, like The Movies: Stunts and Effects, Metroid Prime Hunters DS, Perfect Dark Zero (omg I still haven't finished it :() and Kameo: Elements of Power. I just need to find myself a time machine, play them all and go back in time and edit this to say I finished every game ever made, then I'll be a god at gaming :P (I know time travel is virtually impossible so I might have to rely on stopping time for a while, but then I would be stuck as well and no one would be able to undo it :/).
Moving onto a catergoy that will probably slate my entire career and get my ridiculed by virtually everyone in the SI/NS/VN community, I say to hell with it, my life, my choices and my movies. I managed to pick up a copy of The Best of She-Ra which included my absolute favourite film of that time being The Secret of the Sword (I have wanted this for a very long time, now it comes to DVD and I get extras and some closure on that part of my life now that I don't have to wait for it!). While I may or may not get laughed at for this, Secret of the Sword is/was for it's time a great kids movie and even though I have got to the age of 20, I still find a blast from the past entertaining. This isn't to say the movie has it's flaws which I previously didn't see being very young at the time, despite these however it still gave me a decent hour or two of memorable moments. Although I can't watch it in my PC DVD Rom thanks to it being a Region 1 DVD and I ain't changing any settings just to watch 1 film, when I can watch it on the Multi-Region DVD player downstairs without any fuss. First import as well, never in my life have I imported something and while it wasn't the next big console or piece of tech, it certainly made me happy knowing how fast I got it.
Seeing as our SICup is fast approaching, I need the toilet and time is running out, so I'll end this blog entry with hopes that I'll post something more exciting a bit later.
-Craig
So what happened in this past month? Well to start with Vagusnet (Site I am currently working at), decided to shut it's doors (don't worry, read on) after the domain was expiring and most people weren't doing any posting. Since that happened though we are now NOT closing down (yes we aren't closing) but will be under new management in the form of someone who is a close friend to VN (even though I don't know him, I am sure we'll get along fine). It's a sigh of relief from my end, especially considering VN was a site I felt alot of my effort went into. Watch this space for more, we'll start posting as soon as a few details get sorted and host is moved! Ain't too sure of my position either but I am pledging my help to getting VN up and running again, sadly some people won't be contributing like Duncan as he is busy with a home study course, however they will be on the forums still! Vagusnet closes but stays open, well that gave some people heart attacks, now you can breathe again and wait for the next level.
Also I have been playing in the SI World Cup - we got off to a bad start last week with only 1 game being played (wasn't even a game that was meant to happen that week) but things were still good! As always I played for my lovely UK team vs those USA bullies and we ended up doing rather well despite losing both maps, I was a player of the match both maps but my skill wasnt enough to keep a victory, we also had a silly svar (server variable) on one map, which meant the game was almost all research in half the time. Still alley was a fairly decent game and I enjoyed both, looking forward to some more SICup action Today (if teams show).
On a more positive note, I managed to pick up a new mouse at last! Although I would have liked the G5, I went for the MX518 and I have to say it's alot better compared to the old wireless ball which sucked, also means I can actually hit targets now and my games have been much improved thanks to it. I seem to have lost all the problems I had with the wireless ball by getting a new mouse, which must have meant the mouse was broken or the drivers were corrupt. I'll be making good use of this mouse, especially with some newer games like Prey which I picked up a few weeks ago and HL2 Ep2, TF2, Portal bundle which is coming out later this year.
Prey is good while it lasts and it performs better than Quake IV and Doom 3 did on my PC so it's nice to actually get a game that feels optimised for my system. Played some Multiprey (multiplayer) as well and that might not have the same depth as other multiplayer games but it's seriously mindbending at times (especially when your opponent is on the ceiling above shooting the hell out of you). Still haven't finished Prey single player either, nearly at the end but other games took up my time and this has had to be put on hold for the time being, although I was playing more multi then single. New Super Mario Bros has also been put on hold, I am on the World 8 final castle but it's a pain in the ass to actually complete so I gave up on it for now (usually play in short bursts to keep entertained and calm about dying on fireballs :().
Reminds me, I still have a few other uncompleted games which I am just being lazy to finish, like The Movies: Stunts and Effects, Metroid Prime Hunters DS, Perfect Dark Zero (omg I still haven't finished it :() and Kameo: Elements of Power. I just need to find myself a time machine, play them all and go back in time and edit this to say I finished every game ever made, then I'll be a god at gaming :P (I know time travel is virtually impossible so I might have to rely on stopping time for a while, but then I would be stuck as well and no one would be able to undo it :/).
Moving onto a catergoy that will probably slate my entire career and get my ridiculed by virtually everyone in the SI/NS/VN community, I say to hell with it, my life, my choices and my movies. I managed to pick up a copy of The Best of She-Ra which included my absolute favourite film of that time being The Secret of the Sword (I have wanted this for a very long time, now it comes to DVD and I get extras and some closure on that part of my life now that I don't have to wait for it!). While I may or may not get laughed at for this, Secret of the Sword is/was for it's time a great kids movie and even though I have got to the age of 20, I still find a blast from the past entertaining. This isn't to say the movie has it's flaws which I previously didn't see being very young at the time, despite these however it still gave me a decent hour or two of memorable moments. Although I can't watch it in my PC DVD Rom thanks to it being a Region 1 DVD and I ain't changing any settings just to watch 1 film, when I can watch it on the Multi-Region DVD player downstairs without any fuss. First import as well, never in my life have I imported something and while it wasn't the next big console or piece of tech, it certainly made me happy knowing how fast I got it.
Seeing as our SICup is fast approaching, I need the toilet and time is running out, so I'll end this blog entry with hopes that I'll post something more exciting a bit later.
-Craig
posted by craig2562 at
4:52 pm
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0 comments
Friday, June 30, 2006
Day 2
After spending all of last night waiting for the morning to come and the postman to deliver, I finally got hold of my copy of New Super Mario Bros! So what is it like? I don't want to go into great lengthy detail as I plan to actually review it this weekend (yeah amongst other things), but I'll give you a taster of what you can expect.
To start with it's best summed up with a mix of 4 games, Super Mario Bros 1, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World and Super Mario 64. The style of the levels are like Super Mario Bros 1, worlds are like Super Mario World with multiple exits/routes depending the way you go in the level and moves are just like Super Mario 64, things like wall jumping, butt stomp (at least I think it's called that!) and a few others. Keeping it Mario means a good sound base and to be honest they are keeping in tune (haha) with every other Mario game, even the death sound is basically the same as the original Super Mario Bros (infact you would be hard pressed to tell the difference). Where this game really shines though is the sheer speed you can get out of it, for example in some Mario games you could basically run at a very fast speed and complete the level in under a minute if you wished or take it slow and explore the levels in detail, that exact thing that made the original games so much fun is back and it feels alot more fluid then previously. DS visuals make it a joy to play, 3D models with lovely backgrounds and level design still had the good old Mario charm of days gone by! Controlling Mario is by far easier then some of the latest Mario games with the touch screen only being used to show you a "how far along" meter, 3 star coins (which you can collect to open up new routes in worlds) and a spare item, which you can use to keep you from dying in emergencies.
I have one problem with the game however, I know people will slate me for this but it could have been worked on. When you want to save it's not a case of simply pressing start and selecting save (oh no), It's like you have to find a place to save it like opening a new route or defeating a castle. To some this would be fine but when you consider those people who just want to sit down and play every now and then it becomes a bit annoying when you have to retrace your steps just to play the level again (if you don't save all the time you will need to go over some levels after your last save).
Problem aside I have nothing else negative to say about the game, to me it is simply the best Mario in recent years and yes even beats Mario 64 DS. It was a shame the multiplayer has no "WiFi" mode and the mini-games are simply taken from Mario 64 DS (a couple were new but most weren't), something Nintendo could work on for the second New Super Mario Bros game perhaps?
Apart from the New Super Mario Bros, my day has pretty much been quiet except now coming to notice that my mouse is broke. When I got this PC back in September last year, it came with a wireless keyboard and mouse (wireless ball). At first the mouse was a bit of a problem to use after spending so much time with my old logitech mouse (which is huge), since getting used to it however it became easier to use and had no problems with it despite it being something I wasn't used to in games. Few months back I had no Internet and found myself on the PC less and less but one day when I did, I kinda dropped the mouse on the subwoofer and it hit hard. This might be the reason it's now starting to play up or it could be another reason which I can't figure out. Whatever it is, I need a new mouse soon and I have been looking at a few replacements on the Internet, such as an Air Flow mouse which would keep my hands cool when playing games (cheap) or a Logitech MX518 (4x as much) - really want the Logitech G5 but it's a bit far out of my range for now. Many people I spoke to seem to like the MX518 and it is the mouse of choice for me if I can't get the G5, but again the price is something I can't really afford right now unless I put a little bit away at a time. Silly thing is, if I get a new mouse and find out the problem wasn't my mouse then I have spent money which I didn't need to spend and I need a wired mouse as the mouse/keyboard I have at the moment is tied into one wireless hub, the Air flow isn't but the other 2 are. I will probably get the MX518 and just Prey (haha joke, game out on the 14th need to buy!) it works.
-Craig (with a possibly broken mouse) out.
To start with it's best summed up with a mix of 4 games, Super Mario Bros 1, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World and Super Mario 64. The style of the levels are like Super Mario Bros 1, worlds are like Super Mario World with multiple exits/routes depending the way you go in the level and moves are just like Super Mario 64, things like wall jumping, butt stomp (at least I think it's called that!) and a few others. Keeping it Mario means a good sound base and to be honest they are keeping in tune (haha) with every other Mario game, even the death sound is basically the same as the original Super Mario Bros (infact you would be hard pressed to tell the difference). Where this game really shines though is the sheer speed you can get out of it, for example in some Mario games you could basically run at a very fast speed and complete the level in under a minute if you wished or take it slow and explore the levels in detail, that exact thing that made the original games so much fun is back and it feels alot more fluid then previously. DS visuals make it a joy to play, 3D models with lovely backgrounds and level design still had the good old Mario charm of days gone by! Controlling Mario is by far easier then some of the latest Mario games with the touch screen only being used to show you a "how far along" meter, 3 star coins (which you can collect to open up new routes in worlds) and a spare item, which you can use to keep you from dying in emergencies.
I have one problem with the game however, I know people will slate me for this but it could have been worked on. When you want to save it's not a case of simply pressing start and selecting save (oh no), It's like you have to find a place to save it like opening a new route or defeating a castle. To some this would be fine but when you consider those people who just want to sit down and play every now and then it becomes a bit annoying when you have to retrace your steps just to play the level again (if you don't save all the time you will need to go over some levels after your last save).
Problem aside I have nothing else negative to say about the game, to me it is simply the best Mario in recent years and yes even beats Mario 64 DS. It was a shame the multiplayer has no "WiFi" mode and the mini-games are simply taken from Mario 64 DS (a couple were new but most weren't), something Nintendo could work on for the second New Super Mario Bros game perhaps?
Apart from the New Super Mario Bros, my day has pretty much been quiet except now coming to notice that my mouse is broke. When I got this PC back in September last year, it came with a wireless keyboard and mouse (wireless ball). At first the mouse was a bit of a problem to use after spending so much time with my old logitech mouse (which is huge), since getting used to it however it became easier to use and had no problems with it despite it being something I wasn't used to in games. Few months back I had no Internet and found myself on the PC less and less but one day when I did, I kinda dropped the mouse on the subwoofer and it hit hard. This might be the reason it's now starting to play up or it could be another reason which I can't figure out. Whatever it is, I need a new mouse soon and I have been looking at a few replacements on the Internet, such as an Air Flow mouse which would keep my hands cool when playing games (cheap) or a Logitech MX518 (4x as much) - really want the Logitech G5 but it's a bit far out of my range for now. Many people I spoke to seem to like the MX518 and it is the mouse of choice for me if I can't get the G5, but again the price is something I can't really afford right now unless I put a little bit away at a time. Silly thing is, if I get a new mouse and find out the problem wasn't my mouse then I have spent money which I didn't need to spend and I need a wired mouse as the mouse/keyboard I have at the moment is tied into one wireless hub, the Air flow isn't but the other 2 are. I will probably get the MX518 and just Prey (haha joke, game out on the 14th need to buy!) it works.
-Craig (with a possibly broken mouse) out.
posted by craig2562 at
4:46 am
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0 comments
Thursday, June 29, 2006
The start of a wonderful Blog!
For a while now I have been placing all my thoughs and ideas in my head which isn't really the best place to get everything sorted. I decided to get myself a blog to mess around, talk about my days and what I could dream about. I'll start by telling you a little about myself and then we'll go right into what is happening at the moment.
My name is Craig, I was born on Februrary 24th 1986 sometime in the morning (I was a cute baby, nothing like now :)), been to a few schools (most sucked), skip forward a bit as my blog isn't created for my whole life - check myspace profile for that. At present I am a Journalist working for a gaming website - www.vagusnet.com - as an Assitant Editor and a general gamer, love Xbox/360, ANYTHING NINTENDO, PC (spend many a days just having online fun), movies, music I am not really into as much as some but I still have a bit of a listen to the latest tracks every now and then.
Life has been up and down in the last 4 years for me but there is no point crying over spilt milk and in time my blog will be used to give you an insight to the REAL me, something many people online fail to understand. Main purpose of this blog is to give you readers out there a chance to share my journey and have a great time doing it.
So let's begin with Today. The day started out like any normal day for me would (basically waking up, playing a few games and checking out some websites including my good old Vagusnet), and I logged into my gameplay account to find that my order of New Super Mario Bros had been dispatched meaning I would get it Thursday or Friday!
Now I am really excited about this game, don't ask me why but after reading several reviews, seeing countless screens and movies, it has made me feel like this is indeed the best DS game out there at the moment. Going to probably end up doing a review of it myself on Vagusnet, which will probably be fun but it means spending time away from the game to actually write it :D
In other news my Science and Industry clan -=[IG2KU]=- has been showing new signs of life recently with a few clan matches, members returning and a few other surprises that well, let's just say they'll make things "interesting" in SI. SICup is also starting, funny how a bunch of players around the world come together easier then a Clan Central League would. Also been rather hooked on 24, Alias and Doctor Who recently, all of which are coming to an end soon and I'll have nothing left to watch this summer :(, on the plus side it gives me more time to help out VN, IG2KU, YO | Regs and some other misc jobs that have been asking to be finished.
Don't want to overdo my first post on here, give people a chance to read it over and give me some comments, going to stay up most likely and wait for my copy of New Super Mario Bros to hit my letterbox (3:34am now) or I could have a few hours sleep but that is less likely. I will post back tomorrow my thoughts on the game, that is if I don't get caught up playing it ;)
-Craig out.
My name is Craig, I was born on Februrary 24th 1986 sometime in the morning (I was a cute baby, nothing like now :)), been to a few schools (most sucked), skip forward a bit as my blog isn't created for my whole life - check myspace profile for that. At present I am a Journalist working for a gaming website - www.vagusnet.com - as an Assitant Editor and a general gamer, love Xbox/360, ANYTHING NINTENDO, PC (spend many a days just having online fun), movies, music I am not really into as much as some but I still have a bit of a listen to the latest tracks every now and then.
Life has been up and down in the last 4 years for me but there is no point crying over spilt milk and in time my blog will be used to give you an insight to the REAL me, something many people online fail to understand. Main purpose of this blog is to give you readers out there a chance to share my journey and have a great time doing it.
So let's begin with Today. The day started out like any normal day for me would (basically waking up, playing a few games and checking out some websites including my good old Vagusnet), and I logged into my gameplay account to find that my order of New Super Mario Bros had been dispatched meaning I would get it Thursday or Friday!
Now I am really excited about this game, don't ask me why but after reading several reviews, seeing countless screens and movies, it has made me feel like this is indeed the best DS game out there at the moment. Going to probably end up doing a review of it myself on Vagusnet, which will probably be fun but it means spending time away from the game to actually write it :D
In other news my Science and Industry clan -=[IG2KU]=- has been showing new signs of life recently with a few clan matches, members returning and a few other surprises that well, let's just say they'll make things "interesting" in SI. SICup is also starting, funny how a bunch of players around the world come together easier then a Clan Central League would. Also been rather hooked on 24, Alias and Doctor Who recently, all of which are coming to an end soon and I'll have nothing left to watch this summer :(, on the plus side it gives me more time to help out VN, IG2KU, YO | Regs and some other misc jobs that have been asking to be finished.
Don't want to overdo my first post on here, give people a chance to read it over and give me some comments, going to stay up most likely and wait for my copy of New Super Mario Bros to hit my letterbox (3:34am now) or I could have a few hours sleep but that is less likely. I will post back tomorrow my thoughts on the game, that is if I don't get caught up playing it ;)
-Craig out.
posted by craig2562 at
3:08 am
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