Staff writer: X360 Magazine

Just thought i'd post and say that i've been given a job writing for X360 Magazine! Check out the mag or you can contact me through the X360 website. Keep a look out for the podcast and blog too!!

Dave

Age of Conan: The Hyborian Adventures: PODCAST

New PodCast this week. Rob and Dave get a magic preview copy of Age of Conan: The Hyborian Adventures, a new mmorpg from Funcom. Take a listen and find out if this is the game to finally topple the mighty World of Warcraft?

Check out the PodCast. Just follow this LINK and click on the blue 10.2m

Enjoy

Grand Theft Idiots

I’m sure everyone is pretty sick of reading about GTA4, but feel I need to throw in my two cents for good measure.

I, like a lot of people, was up at the crack of dawn on Tuesday. Blurry eyed I stumbled to my local Game and dutifully took my place among the other tired looking shoppers, all who looked as excited as they did knackered.

We were there of course to wait for the shop to open so we could purchase our copy of GTA4 and let it take over our lives for the next couple of days. This particular Game did not open for a midnight launch so I was unfortunately stuck with the early morning.

Whilst in the queue I looked around to see who else had braved the early morning cold to secure their copy. Nosy guy that I am I couldn’t really help myself. The usual staple of lone guys in there 20’s (myself included), the odd old bloke, the group of students who had dragged there rather depressed looking girlfriends. The usual suspects.

It was only when we were allowed into the shop that I noticed ahead of me in the queue was a schoolboy, complete with school uniform. He was obviously trying in some idiotic and vain attempt to trick the staff into selling him a copy, when he was clearly under age, I scoffed at his fool hardy bravery, and fully expected him to be laughed out of the shop.

When he approached the counter his Mum was with him and it was her that was doing the purchasing. Now, this situation clearly posed a smidge of moral ambiguity. I watched in awe, as the staff member didn’t blink as he served the woman as the boy stood by, excitement growing. I felt it was my duty to say something. Was Game really going to sell this mother GTA4 when it was clearly intended for the underage boy?

Have these people learnt nothing from the whohaa that the Government has made recently with the Tanya Byron report. Clearly this mother must have known what she was buying. Otherwise she wouldn’t have had to be there. It is clearly intended for adults. It’s got 18! literally written all over it. Perhaps the fact that he was the only child in the shop would have given her some clue?

But no, she bought the game and the moron behind the counter joked; ‘I suppose this is for you?!’

I didn’t speak up as I should have and point out the idiocy of the situation. If you see this happening don’t be a coward, try to save the industry. These shops aren’t going to do it. If they don’t enforce the age ratings then we are going to run in to trouble and it’ll be Man Hunt times a million as the Government tries to enforce and limit the content of games.

Gran Turismo Prologue

Gran Tursimo has been a staple of the Sony brand for years, almost as popular as the GTA franchise. Yet the PS3 has yet to see either franchise come and fight its corner, that is until now. There can be no doubt that GT5 will be a system seller. Driving nut developer Yamauchi has been promising that GT5 will break new ground and offer players a true next-gen experience. Until that time comes however we have this teaser ‘game’ to tide us over. Make no mistake, GT Prologue is a demo, albeit one with a few more bells and whistles than your average demo.

2008 is looking to be the year that the PS3 finally starts taking off, more and more games are coming out of the woodwork and we’re really seeing what the machine is capable of. Running on the PS3 there is no doubting that Polyphony Digital has crafted one good-looking game. Running at 1080p the HD vistas presented are nothing short of breathtaking, you’ll be racing through London’s packed streets, screeching across Daytona’s sun drenched strip and careering through the mountains of Eiger Nordwand.

Cars, which have always been stunning, now look ultra-realistic. Each one is presented with loving care and an attention to detail that goes way beyond anything in the previous iterations. A new racing perspective is available, you can now race inside the car itself for the ultimate ‘Stig’ experience. This new viewpoint adds immensely to the realism of the racing, there is only one small problem.

In fact the only jarring experience, which will jolt you back to reality is the time old omission of damage. Once again the cars will merrily bounce around the tracks with glee without sustaining so much as a scratch. Which is immensely frustrating and there really is no excuse for this, other games have licensed cars and damage, so that argument doesn’t hold up anymore. The Internet however has been rife with talk of a patch via the Playstation network that will finally correct this. Which would really help the game.

GT5 Prologue offers a substantial online package. Not only does it give you a direct news feed from car manufacturers but you also get Gran Turismo TV. Here you can download videos from trailers to Top Gear episodes. At its heart though are the online races, and they do not disappoint.

Racing online is an absolute blast. It has been missing from the franchise and now finally we get the chance to face off and test our racing skills against drivers the world over. This element of the GT5 Prologue suffers from the same issue that the rest of game suffers; it is just a taste into what will be a huge online game.

What this game offers is a tantalising glimpse into what GT5 will be like. You get a taste of the HD racing, catch an idea of the tracks (you only get 6), and also try out the new online elements. And this is where the future of GT lies. If you are a fan of GT you really must pick this up. But remember, it is just a demo of what is to come.

New Assassins Creed PodCast

Assassins Creed has been out a while now. Did it live up to the hype and was it even worth the wait? What do these types of big blockbuster games mean for the future? Also, is this a new change in direction for the PS3? Is 2008 the year for Sony? With the death of HD-DVD it most certainly looks like the Playstation 3 is on the up!

For witty banter (ahem) and in depth discussion check out the podCast!

Click here and then click on the blue 38.5m link and enjoy!

Happy listening.

Game Stadium!! Bournemouth

The smell, the sweat, the sticky floors and the husk of competition, the British Arcades are often remembered with a rose tinted dollop of 70’s and 80’s nostalgia. But alas they have long since gone the way of the dodo. A few remain in bowling alleys and such places but none contain the spirit of competition that many people so fondly remember. Local arcades were a great idea, they gave gamers a place to meet face-to-face, to indulge in their hobby with like-minded people and challenge them to test their skills.

The online domain has long since taken over and the anonymity it brings means that sometimes you will inevitably run into some idiot who thinks it’s hysterical to act and talk in a racist, misogynistic and violent manner.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if the arcade went through a re-birth? Rising like a phoenix out of the ashes and into an arcade for the modern era, sleek, beautiful and full of Hi-Def next-gen technology where we can all come together and celebrate our passion.

Game Stadium in Bournemouth is the ONLY independent new arcade centre to be opened and it deals exclusively with Playstation3. Its sleek look is down to the vision of owner Phil Reed. It offers the perfect conditions for competitive play for gamers of all ages. In fact Game Stadium runs its own competitions, from Call of Duty 4 to Pro Evolution Soccer, for which they offer prizes of up to £1,000.

A large number HD screens complement a private gaming booth with a gigantic HD Bravia screen. Not to mention that the whole place is connected to the net, so if you already have a Playstation3 you can use your own identity and play online, and if you don’t have one? Don’t worry, because Game Stadium will provide you with one.

This is the first of a new breed of arcade. If you are in the area and a gamer you really have no excuse, you have to check out Game Stadium and sample its gaming goodness.

Check out its website here.

Check out some pics here.