Woah, I listened to a LOT of podcasts over 2009, and according to my scrobblings, it was CNET that got the top spot. I suppose all those daily episodes of Buzz Out Loud did that.
Podcasts. They're like radio but interesting. As always I will be promising myself I will start a podcast in the new year, and will more than likely carry on the tradition of not actually doing it.
I got Burnout Paradise again (already played it to death on the PS3) because I was challenged to some matches by a 360 owner. I was surprised to not hear ONE SINGLE person talking online with Burnout Paradise. The only difference between the two versions is that in just a few days, the Xbox 360 version has crashed a few times, where as that hasn't happened to me in a LONG time on the PSN. I purchased all the DLC for the PS3 version, so if I do get anything extra for the 360 version, it would probably just be Cops and Robbers, as that's the only payed download that really added something fun to the game.
Arkanoid was good, even though it had some strange Steps vibe. The music was odd.
This weeks on-hold items are; GTA IV on PS3 - Abandoned the save a while back to get trophies, and really enjoying it this go around.
Fable 2 - Sorry but I TRIED to like it, but it really isn't my thing. The game is set in what looks like where I used to live in England. Perhaps homesickness is what puts me off?
Overall I seem to be remembering that I just prefer the PS3 to the Xbox 360. Nothing specific, but I think it's got something to do with why I didn't bother with an original Xbox until very late in the game. Now the question of which system to buy a game for is not going to be such an issue as I just prefer the PS3 and the way it works. The creepy Xbox 360 avatar doesn't help.
I remember looking at the Intellivision over and over in the Littlewoods catalogue. In fact, the word 'Littlewoods' in Greek, means 'small payments, long time, big total'. The Intellivision had two fairly large controllers which were 8-way directional discs with buttons on the front. You got two plastic overlays with each game that you slid into the controllers for your basic selections. There were also two buttons on each side of the controller for more action packed goodness.
One I think I played a lot of was Auto Racing. Top down racer, with the tracks that were much larger than just one screen. Five different cars, from slow and turnable, to fast and drifting. In two player mode, it was simple, as you both played on the same screen, the first player to reach the leading edge of the screen won the point. So it was a good balance of, I'm in front but have less time to see the corners. The part about this I got into later was going off the track into the wilderness. Which was really just what ever the programmers had put in areas you were just never meant to look at. I get the feeling that you COULD go into these areas because they simply never even considered such a thing might happen. It was an exciting adventure that could last many minutes, navigating the bushes/trees/random squares of concrete. If you did this, you too would have discovered the drag strip. Once you knew the track layout, and put in a little time, it seemed that your car was always oriented for one turn ahead, and you could even perform 360's on the turns. But remember ONLY try this if you're a professional. Looking at it now, it does seem strange that the tracks were all set in what looked like residential areas, and not just raceways.
Also played a LOT of Soccer, because I think it's the one you got with the system. This was the first I remember of how you always could score a goal if you shot from the corner of the penalty box. A life skill which carried me through many soccer games for years to come.
Astro Smash was just a vertical asteroids of sorts. Left, right, shoot, avoid incoming death. Even had endless random teleporting. This resulted in anyone playing it the first time thought they were first to figure it being a way of being invincible, and got killed about 10 seconds into the teleport-button-spamming technique.
Space Hawk, now that was something. Adventuring through space coming across all sorts of weird aliens, and hopefully one day being able to tell my grand children, that I was one of the few that met, in person, the Space Hawk.
If you feel the need, you can get this as an Xbox Original, directly to your Xbox360. Gosh darn it, after all this, even though I have it on the PS2, I may just have to splurge the Microsoft Points myself!
Yeah I was going to be clever and mention that you can now get this in the US via Club Nintendo, for the DS. It includes three original 'Game and Watch' titles, of which, Donkey Kong was the one I had as a kid.
Register your DS or Wii games to get gold coins, then you can redeem them for weird Nintendo related shwag. The games come with a printed serial number. Remember to stop and look at all those health warning flyers that you normally throw straight away, and other useless little pieces you get, as the codes are on the back of one of them (somewhere).
Complete a survey, get coins. Do enough surveys, cash in your coins, get stuff.
I don't have enough coins for this particular trip down memory lane... yet.
"We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do."
At the end of 2008 I heard more classic gaming stories, than in previous years.
So here's my journey...
The earliest game I can remember is a yellow LED battery powered game, Galaxy Invader 1000 that was something like Galaxians... only er... not quite. Played it to death, and I remember it being VERY hard!
I originally put the entire gaming history of Krysss.com towers in one post. However it became a long list of YouTube videos which while a lot of people would identify with, wouldn't really be that interesting. So I need to go away and try to remember some vaguely interesting stories to put around these games.
As for this little plastic game, I cannot remember much about it, but I am shocked I could track it down online.
Super futuristic racing. Great design, great music, and weapons. You may notice me here, nearly being smooshed all over the track by some awesomely swooshy rocket thingies. This futuristic 1080p racer (a $20 download from the Playstation Network store) may make me get out the surround sound speakers again.
In my recent run of crustily grungy computers, I had the misfortune to find one which doubled as a 'mystery box o' stench'. Within moments of pressing the power switch, an aroma of frown filled the room. I took a LONG time cleaning it, then myself, then the room, then the things I used to clean the room. Oh and if you were wondering, there appeared to be nothing else wrong with it. It was a case of 'well it worked fine when I tried it'. The below image doesn't show the grot that fell off just by moving it around, and removing the front of the case.
