I might as well do it since I have the time now and there's no alcohol in my system yet. I don't like saying Merry Christmas, Happy Hanuka or any of the 'Christmas' greetings so I'll just leave 2 pics. Enjoy the holidays people.
Is this TVR Sagaris:
And before you ask me, the team I will be racing for is Vibe. Which is an all TVR Sagaris team, which should make for an intresting championship.
Mainly because we are the only TVR team in the championship, that and in season 1 of the Tora GT3 "FM2". I ran a TVR Sagaris, which is like returning to a new friend.
But as far as my target, my aim for this season is to finish near the top 10 or in the bottom half of the top 10. Which will not be any easy task.
Moving On
Yesterday I watched Avatar 2D, and I must say it is one of the best movies I have seen this year. But I tell you this, the movie got me thinking.
The universe may have beings similar or like the Na'vi, seeing how it is a big place. That and if I was ever reborn, once I die of old age.
Then I would love to be born on another planet, and reborn as a being similar to the N'avi.
You may not believe this but just about every item you all received was thanks to the GS editorial and GS Live Production staff. While the last 5 blogs are deleted to clean up my profile, majority of the items you may recall seeing came from them.
Feel free to use this blog to check in with a huge thanks to them! All of them have contributed in some way, and obviously we wouldn't have had some of them items if it wasn't for publishers and developers continuing to make awesome schwag for their partners and fans. While I might have done the grunt work to packaging, here is our awesome crew worth applauding for their donations!
Editorial/News
Shaun McInnis
Ricardo Torres
Andrew Park
Justin Calvert
Brendan Sinclair
Brian Ekberg
Chris Walters
Tor Thorsen
Sophia Tong
Kevin VanOrd
Lark Anderson
Stanley Lin
Thomas Magrino
Giancarlo Varanini
Bethany Massimilla (former staff who donated Blizzcon goodies)
Video Production
Ryan MacDonald
Frank Adams
Dan Mihoerck
Homer Rabara
Takeshi Hiraoka
Jim Maybury
Tyler Winegarner
Justin Porter
Anthony Errisuriz
Last but not least, I wouldn't have been able to do any of the packaging without Charles Harrington's effort to round up boxes, packaging, and tape (difficult to get in the office!).
Feel free to use my blog to post your pics if you have any worth sharing of your game rooms or decorations.
Żeby karp był doskonały
i pierogi smakowaly.
Dużo szczescia i radosci,
w tym dniu samych pomyslnosci.
Prezentów i humoru dobrego,
wszystkiego najlepszego!
Remember, You`re special, you`re unique. May your Christmas be also as special and unique as you are. Merry Christmas!
Christmas kitty wallpaper. Click on image.
Something for my Polish friends.
Cos dla moich Polskich znajomych.
23 December - my birthday ( 28 ). Moje 28e urodziny.
24 December - Wigilia u brata. Christmas Eve in my brother`s house.
25 December - rodzinka u mnie w domu. All family will spend holidays at my home.
26 December - swieta swieta i po swietach. I think there`s no translation. I guess it would be: Christmas... Christmas.. and... after Christmas.
I'm already at 62%. I guess this is a easy level. I'm sorta glad that there is one, level 56 took forever. Level 56 and Level 58 take 50 days to pass. So I'm gonna be on level 58 forever to. 
Level 57 - Karateka. Karateka is a 1984 computer game by Jordan Mechner, the creator of Prince of Persia. Sadly I've never played this game or heard of it, have you? This topic is where I get the information for the levels, in case you didn't know.
I'm also in charge on updating a list called "The Top 25 User Levels" I do this once a month, and I've been updating this list for close to a year now. I'll post a new update in a few days, also if anyone is interested, I can give you a link to it. There is also a union where other stats are tracked to.So what have I been doing? Well gaming wise, I've decided to try and complete some of the games on my backlog list. Progress is slow, but I'm working on it.
As for gaming in general, I haven't been gaming too much. But the game I've been playing the most lately is the game I recently added to my playing list. It actually inspired me to play my psp again, since it has been sitting around for nearly a year. I have more games and I'll probably mention them in my next bloggie, whenever that is. I promise I won't make you guys wait so long on it.
Oh yeah, commuting is fun again! And the best part is, I'd forgotten about the pre-order, so it was like an early Xmas present when the post arrived on Saturday :-)
The trailer, as I'm sure you've seen, features the Apprentice walking down a corridor with Vader and Yoda trying to convince him to turn to the dark or light side - and of course there's Juno in there too. It sounds as though it's going to be a similar storyline in the sense of him choosing between the light and dark side, and I think that should mean it should be just as good as the first one, and is also a good thing because it very much follows the OT formula of good vs evil and it's battle within a person.
However I do hope they fix the gameplay issues that occurred in the first game, which although wasn't game-breaking or noticeable most of the time, were sometimes annoying. If they do both these things, I can see this new one being even better than the last and sell even better, too.
I must admit I was hoping Battlefront III was announced, but this is just as good, if not better.
Hey guys,
Just a quick message to ask you guys for some support. My previous blog showed I have been nominated for Gamespotter of 2009, and now I need you guys to vote for me pretty please. 
The voting system is simple, here it is in three easy steps:
1. Enter in the Send to: box the word Staff
2. Put in the Subject header my username Tyzwain
3. Put a fullstop or period in the message box.
Here's a screenshot to show you guys
I would very much appreciate any support from you guys, and of course if you guys need any support, I'll always be first in line to help you out.
Also a big thank you for all your support, just reading my blogs and commenting means the world to me. It's nice people are...well...nice
Thanks to Homer Rabara for the image.
So it's December already? I really can't believe how time flies. November was a good month for me. It mostly consisted of hard, time consuming gaming and cleaning. Both were worth it in the end though.
November Purchases:
Star Trek Steelcase Blu-Ray - True Romance Blu-Ray - Angels and Demons Steelcase Blu-Ray
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony - Xbox Live 1400 Microsoft Points
Clint Eastwood Comedy: 4 Movie Pack - Clint Eastwood: American Rebel Book
Movies Watched in November:
Play Misty for Me (1st Time) (TV) – 11/02/2009
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Blu-Ray) – 11/02/2009
Blue Velvet (1st Time) (TV) – 11/08/2009
The Taking of Pelham 123 (On Demand) – 11/09/2009
Pulp Fiction (DVD) – 11/10/2009
Tropic Thunder (Blu-Ray) – 11/15/2009
Every Which Way But Loose (1st Time) (DVD) – 11/16/2009
Star Trek (Blu-Ray) – 11/17/2009
Orphan (Blu-Ray) – 11/21/2009
Panic Room (1st Time) (On Demand) – 11/22/2009
Wedding Crashers (DVD) – 11/22/2009
21 (1st Time) (MovieCentral) – 11/23/2009
Young Frankenstein (1st Time) (TV) – 11/26/2009
November movies seen in the theaters:
2012
Books Read:
Shutter Island - Finished on 11/04/2009
GameSpot Progress (November 2009)
Level 39 | DJ Boy | 39.45 – 39.64 in November
Posts: 9306 (9 in November)
Profile Views: 27924 ((Apparently) 0 in November)
Emblems: None
Xbox 360 Progress:
Gamerscore: 15410 (510 in November)
Xbox 360 Achievements:
GTA IV
NHL 10
Best of the Month
Purchase of the Month
Star Trek Steelcase Blu-Ray
Movie of the Month
Pulp Fiction
Game of the Month
Grand Theft Auto IV
Songs of the Month
Slade and Quiet Riot versions – C'mon Feel the Noize
Slade – Run Runaway
Eric Prydz - Pjanoo
Picture of the Month
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This is probably my last blog of 2009 so I'll wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. Sorry my blogs of 2009 were only monthly blogs. Hopefully I get back into the GameSpot groove sometime in the new year
It has been a while since i have done a review here at Gamespot, to be honest i've not written a review in general in months. Just too busy enjoying playing games to write about them.
So to get back into the swing of things ive written a quick review for Nintaii on the iPhone. Check it out here - Link
More than a year ago, I wrote this here in this very blog:
"A few friends and I built a site dedicated to games on the iPhone."
I was referring to a little iPhone gaming site we had built, called Slide To Play. There were four of us back then, with one guy doing the majority of the writing. Our pace was pretty leisurely, releasing a few reviews a week.
It's remained my side project, but over the past year, I've watched something amazing happen. The site started to get traffic. We then started to get some sponsors. Then we were able to get some freelancers, and were able to produce more content. And so on.
Well, the most gratifying event in our site's existence happened just yesterday, thanks to GameSpot. The announcement was made public that GameSpot is now covering mobile games, and editorial content, at least iPhone game reviews, is coming from none other than SlideToPlay!
I'll be honest. When I started building STP, and even after it launched, I didn't have an iPhone and didn't really plan on it. It didn't seem that important; I'm not an editor after all. But just a little exposure to some of the games on the system changed my mind. I got myself an iPhone and have been a believer in its gaming capabilities since! It can handle an intense combat flight sim in the form of FAST to flawless ports of old stand-bys like Myst and The Secret of Monkey Island or ports of great new games like Peggle or completely addictive simple pick-up-and-play games like Flight Control and Harbor Master and everything between.
I was a little skeptcal at first, but I gotta say, it's really hard to put down the iPhone: it doesn't hurt that it's always with me packaged into a phone I'd need all the time anyway.
Regardless, I'd just like to say thanks to GameSpot for giving us an opportunity to expose to a new audience all the cool things you can find on this platform! Keep an open mind and try it out!
Hey people, after a long long time, its a blog from me (omgomgomg). I've been obsessed with Batman Arkham Asylum since the past few days and to describe it in one word : AWESOME. If you remotely like action/detective/platformers/stealth games, you should NOT miss this.Too lazy to write a full review, but here are my short thoughts on the game...
I play on the PC with maxed settings and the game looks simply awesome. The environments are dark yet colorful and realistic. Too bad we need to spend so much time in detective vision.
The story is the usual I-want-to-take-over-gotham-with-my-ingenious-plan-type but the progression is weaved nicely with the sidequests, the riddler's riddles in particular. Those are fun to figure out. Collecting trophies which are hidden in different locations is fun too. I was more worried about collecting trophies rather than saving the hostages at some points
The combat, according to me, is the best aspect of the game. There is a freeflow combat system which allows you to chain combos together. You can counter, flip-dodge and perform some takedowns without losing the flow, making the dark knight faster and more agile as the combos start to build up. Batman sure knows how to dance. Take a look at this challenge mode challenge to see what I mean...
Did I tell you the combat is awesome?
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Until next time...bye!
This time next week I will 28 years old. Shortly there after, I will have been married for the some total of 2 months. So I am getting older and being all growed up, and now have a wife to think about as well as myself.
Like many people, I am searching for something though. Not happiness in love or anything as cheesy as that since I have already found it, but rather contentness in my job and career. I have never really thought of myself as particularly creative until the last few years, when I have been unable to scratch a growing creative itch, and it is getting annoying.
So, like a lot of people reading and using this very site, I have decided I want to go into the games industry and here is a short account of my attempts thus far. I have to point out at an early stage though, so far, I have not been successful, I am still working as an IT support analyst and not particularly enjoying it anymore. It's a good job don't get me wrong, but it is not what I want to do for the next forty years.
So for the last couple of years I have been applying for jobs as a QA tester for various companies, trying to get into the industry on a low grade footing and work my way up. Unfortunately, this has gone quite according to plan. The first interview I ever had I was suited and booted and ready to go, and I walked in immediately felt over dressed, since everyone else, including other interviewee's where in jeans and a shirt or t-shirt. Also insulted a game one of the interviewers made, so that wasn't so good. Alas, that job, at Kuju in Surrey, was not to be mine.
So I continued applying for other studios, eventually having a interview with Outrun 2006 developer Sumo Digital. Having learnt from my previous attempt, I attended the interview with a shirt and trousers, which I felt was a lot better and meant I wasn't as out of place, especially when one of the guys interviewing me walked in still wearing motorcycle leathers. The interview seemed to go well, though I still wasn't to get the job.
At this point I got more than a little bit determined, and started sending my C.V. into various Yorkshire studios on a regular basis (one to two month intervals). Eventually, this scored me a second interview with Sumo Digital, which again went well and the guys recognised me and we had a great informal interview. They told me they had a new round of tester roles coming up and I would be high on their list. I am still waiting to here from them, and that was coming close to 2 years ago now.
From that point on I have been scanning games industry job sites on a regular basis to find a suitable position, even taking the tactic of sending my c.v. in once a month for a as long as the QA position was listed on the studios site (sorry Rockstar leeds!). As you can probably tell I am getting a bit desperate here.
The reason I chose to tell you about this so far unsuccessful venture is because on Saturday, I had a very nice chap come round to my home from a company called Train2game. For those of you who don't know about them, train2game offer TIGA endorsed game programmer and game designer courses on a work from home basis. The idea behind his visit is that they only offer the courses to a select few individuals in a given post code area, and after a 2 hour interview about my gaming habits, what I want to do in the industry, why I want to change careers and various other things, he said that he wants to offer me a position on the course and that he needs to know by 10am Monday if I want it.
Unfortunately for me, £135 a month for three years to be able to pay for the course is too rich, so, being unable to get any decent help from the government or parents or anything, I had to decline the course, effectively ending my dream for at least another year. I am still trying to find that dream job but the current economic climate isn't making it any easier.
The morale of the story is this: decide what you want to do with your life quickly. In school I wasn't much of an academic, and the only thing I really decided on was that I wanted to work with computers when I got older. If I had decided I wanted to work in games a lot sooner than I had, I may well have put more effort in, knowing I had to get the grades to get onto a decent course at university to be able to leap into the industry. Alas, I only realised what I really want to do in the last five or so years, which is just about the right time to be way too late.
So kids, decide what you want to do quickly. Take a week out of your life and really look at yourself, what you like to do, what interests you, what makes you happy, and decide to make that career a reality. Hell, if you genuinely want to become a real life pet detective, do it, but decide soon because even though people say you can always re-train, the reality is an expensive and time consuming process that at a point, just isn't viable anymore. Don't make my mistake, take the advice and figure out what you want do soon.
I hope my story has helped and you take away more than 'this guy is a looser' from it. And if anyone from a games studio is reading, I am looking for work right now so please contact me for a copy of my C.V!
Fat Princess & MotorStorm: Pacific Rift (PS3)
August 25th starting at 4pm PT
1. How do I get in on the action?
First thing to do is make sure you have at least one of the games.
It is important to join the chat room so staff and GameSpotters can communicate with all of you. If you cannot remain in chat, exit and return once you want to play another match. We'll open the chatroom between 3 and 3:30pm PT on the day of game night.
For more Community Game Night, information make your way over to the Game Night Union and read the FAQ
No, I am not talking about the unending economic troubles, the impending energy shortage, credit and financial debacles, governments conspiring against their citizens, or a world destroyed.
Well, I guess I am talking about a world destroyed. Today's announcement of the new World of Warcraft expansion definitely sounds awesome. Changing the face of Azeroth sounds turbulent, but also promising for shaking up the world, the game, and the addition of some exciting new races. I am very much looking forward to playing a Worgen, almost as much as I had anticipated the arrival of the blood Elves.
Now if you will excuse me, I will go back to taking in Blizzcon, less people.
...and hosted by me!
You can find it here. As those of you who've been following the podcast will know this is my first time hosting it... and don't worry, it's not going to become a regular thing.
As explained in the intro, Guy's been struck down by swine flu, Luke's off on a super-secret mission for us, and Mark is having fun moving house... which left me. I rather enjoyed the challenge, and think that our brief show worked rather well, under the circumstances... it'll take more than a few piggy sniffles to get the GSUK podcast.
Hope you like it.... we've got all the usual segments (though the news discussion is a little brief), and have two competitions to give away 20 Champions Online beta keys and 5 signed copies of Ashes Cricket 2009 on PS3. So go give it a listen... and be gentle.
Of course there are plenty of quality exclusives, such as Killzone 2, infamous, Metal Gear Solid 4, BlazBlue, Fable 2 and many, many others, but everyone (including me) doesn't feel like investing in a console such as Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 to pay $60 for a single game, or considerably more in case you live outside the United States. Not to mention the costs of a HDTV and a sound system - horrible built-in flat panel screen speakers just don't cut it if you want the 'true HD experience'.
By now I must have plenty of console gamers breathing down my neck for underrating their system of choice so much. Just like you might prefer the hassle-free console experience, we are ready to spend time tweaking our games and systems to get the most out of what we have. I even enjoy the hours long tinkering to some extent and I'm certainly not alone.
It's not that I don't want to play on 360 or PS3, I just don't have the time or money to do so. A gaming PC isn't as expensive as some people make it to be but games cost, even if they are often half cheaper on PC. I might save $20 or so when I buy the PC version of a multiplatform game but in the end I save nothing because I still use the same amount of money on games, I just buy more of them and spend even more of my precious time gaming.
But I believe that no so-called hardcore gamer can call himself a true aficionado if they only game on one system, whether that system is a 360, a PC or an iPhone. There is so much singleplatform users are missing. I don't care too much if a game is 10 or 20 hours long, as long as the time I spend playing is quality time. I want the most and the widest variety of experiences. Once I'm done with the singleplayer campaign of a game, I'm done with it and move on to a new gaming experience.
When choosing a console to go with my PC, I have to choose carefully because I only a limited amount of time and money. Whether you like it or not, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 more or less emulate a media center PC and with the huge amount of multiplatform games, the differences between console and computer games are becoming less and less visible. Plug in a 360 controller to your PC and you won't even notice the difference. So why invest in a console when we have already spent time and money on our gaming rigs which in our opinion offer the superior experience?
Fortunately Nintendo does things differently. Rather than following the mass, Nintendo has made the mass follow them. As much as ''current-gen hardcore gamers'' seem to loathe Nintendo, I very much have to give them credit for what they've done. The Wii might not have the best or the most games out there, but what they've created is something you can't experience on any other system; unique control scheme (resulting in unique games) and Nintendo's own game development studios, arguably the best in the business.
What does it matter if Wii doesn't have as many quality titles as the other two consoles, I don't even have the time to play every PC game I want. Super Mario Galaxy, Smash Bros. and Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 are enough to keep me busy when I don't feel like playing on PC. After being a happy Wii owner for two years I decided to purchase their even larger success story, the DS. And I can say that I don't regret it one bit. Neither Wii nor DS try to compete with graphical prowess, forcing developers to come up with unique game ideas to stand out of the crowd, rather than developing lite versions of console games. And the risks are low thanks to low budgets.
Even if I have a gaming PC capable of producing marvelous 1080p graphics, I know that graphics don't make a game. I still play old games because many cIassics simply are that good. I'm currently working on Arcanum, which was released eight years ago and still is better than any WRPG I've played in the past year. And for example Secret of Monkey Island is still just as good as it was 20 years ago.
The World Ends With You, Boom Blox and Rhythm Heaven might not look like much but they are an absolute joy to play. Same goes with the rest of weird-looking ''kiddy'' games on Nintendo systems. Don't let the looks fool you. If you are a PC gamer, grab a Nintendo console or two. Wii is the worst choice for a singleplatform gamer but Wii and DS are fantastic choices for a secondary system. And that goes for everyone.
The weirdest thing of all, as soon as I start a round of Wii Sports, my friends suddenly find it cool that I'm a gamer. I never got that kind of response when I tried to show how awesome Bloody-Killing-Massacre 3 is.
I took a break from video game consoles this last September to try my hand at PC gaming. (I must admit, the prospect of using an entire keyboard to maneuver a character when my experience with gaming peripherals had been limited to joystick controllers for over two decades, was intimidating.) I upgraded my computer's graphics card, power supply, RAM, keyboard, mouse, and bolted up the diving board stairs and jumped off into the deep end.
Now, I'll be the first to admit I was drawn in by the flashy advertisements, the overwhelming number of users, and the massive environment that comprises World of Warcraft. Yes, I am a sucker. Warcraft, as far as I was and am concerned is sort of like the Harry Potter bastard child of PC gaming (hype much?). There are probably hundreds of other amazing titles (Crysis) that I could have chosen to purchase and probably would have enjoyed, but, how could I ignore Warcraft's 11.5 million user base? When 4 out of 5 doctor's recommend a particular brand of toothpaste, I use it. Why should this be any different? Furthermore, I wanted an experience all together different from the rich single player modes my consoles all ready offer me. Granted, I have played several multiplayer games on my Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, from Guitar Hero to Tiger Woods to Gears of War, but felt multiplayer was lacking that extra something. Never in my time on Xbox Live or the Playstation Network did I feel that I was actually part of a gaming community – more like I was in a queue with a bunch of antisocial people who had been thrust together for the sole purpose of proving superior gaming skill. Warcraft proved to be more than advertisements and hype by creating the community my consoles could not, and for this reason, I am happy this was my first PC game experience.
Just like the real world, Warcraft has its fair share of punks, know-it-alls, spammers, idiots, and slackers. But for every one of these people, there are at least 10 or 20 other people who are well mannered, love gaming, have jobs and families, and are eager to play the game with other polite gamers. Warcraft is a lot like Myspace or Facebook, or even Gamespot, in that it will allow you to connect with others who have similar interests and hobbies.
However, because Warcraft is an interactive 3D experience, where you can use voice chat and emotes, it is a much richer communications experience than what you will find on Myspace or even your video game console. The difference between platform multiplayer and Warcraft multiplayer is perhaps best represented by the Guild system which allows players to form a cooperative ensemble, kind of like a club. Some guilds stay reasonably small (around 20 or 30 people) and some are quite large (100+). There are advantages and disadvantages to the various sizes. Larger groups are more likely to perform 25-man dungeon raids together, but people tend to know less about one another are more "game focused". Smaller groups tend to be closer knit, often have multiple players from a single household, or friends from the same town, and tend to be a more social group. The pitfall of smaller groups is they often have more drama. Whichever type of guild you join, chances are you will have gotten to know numerous people over the course of several weeks. Therefore, there is a sense of belonging, camaraderie, dedication, and commitment which feels altogether absent from platform gaming.In other words, the entire time you play Warcraft, you are making friends and, potentially, enemies.
Communication as a lower level character is not as rich or enticing as that of a higher level character, but it is possible. Many of my Warcraft friends have other friends that they've been playing with since their first day in the game. Friend networking is also beneficial when you have a hard quest to complete, don't know how to obtain items, or just need general advice. More often than not, people help people playing the game and many enjoy doing so. The Warcraft community is unlike any community I have seen in any other game and with the right communications skills, is one of the single best ways to connect with other gamers.
The game itself is rich with content and is not entirely unlike other RPG's such as The Elder Scrolls or Mass Effect. Its greatest pitfall is that quests often feel repetitive and a great deal of the game is spent grinding through levels. However, the world that is Warcraft is constantly changing. New gear, items, and dungeons are regularly available through patches, and with the implementation of the achievement system (similar to the 360) there is always something new to do. What keeps users coming back to this game despite its repetitive qualities is the community. Obtaining gear upgrades from a 25 man dungeon is sort of like sporting a BMW through town. Furthermore, co-operative play with friends who help you get that special sword or helmet is incredibly rewarding. Gone are the days of obtaining that long sought after sword alone in your living room, where you stifle your cheer because it seems rather ridiculous to be applauding yourself by yourself. There is a reason 11.5 million people have subscribed to Warcraft and aren't playing another installment of Rainbow Six multiplayer on the Xbox 360. I hope that console game developers are looking at the success of Warcraft and trying to figure out a way to implement more community-esque multiplayer.
I am looking forward to news regarding The Old Republic MMORPG from Bioware at E3. While many other MMORPG's have tried to capture the Warcraft audience, most have been unsuccessful (Warhammer Online). Where The Old Republic may convert Warcraft subscribers is in story and deviation from the repetitive formula – something Bioware has been very successful with over the years. Only time will tell.
For those of you who have yet to take the Warcraft plunge, either because of some bizarre nonconformist value which dictates you should not play what everyone else is playing, or because like me, you have little PC gaming experience – avoid Warcraft no longer! That is, unless of course, you hate interacting with people, can't stand role-playing games, have no desire to explore an open ended world rich with story and atmosphere, or can't afford the monthly subscribers fee. No, Warcraft is not a perfect game, but it is an engaging communication experience.
Just finished the game on PC...really is an underrated game. I wish more western games would come out, Red Dead Redemption and Call Of Juarez: Bound in Blood just isn't enough
