My Top Games for 2011. Shameless punts and shunts

Here is just a quick run down of my Top games for 2011. Some may be from 2010 


Punts
Definitely my favourite game for 2011 has been Uncharted 3. It got a well deserved perfect 10/10 from IGN.  Playing U3 is pure bliss, and spectators will sit on the edge of their seats watching the story unfold. With truly masterful writing and stunning graphics U3 blurs the line between games and high budget adventure films.


What can be said abut this title that has not yet been said, it really needs to be experienced. It kept me enthralled for the entire time i played it, putting in truly epic gaming sessions.


I feel that no PS3 game collection would be complete without at least 1 of the Uncharted games, and U3 is simply the best of the lot. As for future titles? I am really filled with excitement for any possible sequel or any other game in fact coming from the Naughty Dog studio.


Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Platinum)

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (Platinum)

Apart from being incredibly impressed with Uncharted 3, I have also been playing a few other games. ID sofware's Rage, was probably my favourite shooter this year (I have not yet played MW3 or BF3), with my only complaint being that it was a bit short. IGN gave Rage a well deserved 8.5 What put Rage apart for me was the graphics and the character animations. I kept finding myself shooting the baddies in different body parts, just to see how it effected their movement. You may say that sounds a bit morbid, it may be, but it is a hell of a lot of fun. It was pretty cool to see how a recently deceased baddy would carry his momentum and stumble a few steps before hitting the ground upon being dispatched.


Some however did complain about the story or the lack there of... Its an ID shooter, and the story is just there to give an excuse to demonstrate their latest ID Tech 5 game engine. Oh and to show of the Blade Wings - the awesome boomerang things.


As for the racing portion of the game, I am not the biggest racing game fan at the best of times. (With the only racing game that I can stomach are the MotorStorm franchise) I must admit that I did enjoy the standard run and gun races, they were a lot of fun.It was the rally races with the check points that were downright frustrating at time, and in my opinion, these could have been left out of the game. The effort that was spent on the rally racing portions could have been better spent in adding a few more story missions to the game. 

Rage

Another gem was Resistance 3 which got a well deserved 9 from IGN As with Rage, I also took delight in shooting the Chimera (alien nasties) in different places on their bodies. In fact some bad guys can only be killed by being shot in specific (thankfully highlighted) places. You will pick this up quickly as yo notice that most of the standard BullsEye (one of you primary rifles) fodder will die quickly and violently if y shoot their cooling back packs. Nice!


Again as with Uncharted, no PS3 collection is complete with out one of the Resistance titles.


Resistance 3

Resistance 2 (Platinum)

Resistance: Fall of Man (Platinum)

Crysis 2 and Killzone 3 were also awesome shooters. Crysis 2 got a well deserved 9 on IGN and Killzone 3 got a very respectable 8.5 on IGN 
Infamous 2 is also very good, although I have not finished it yet, it is very entertaining. It has a nice 9 on IGN


As I stated above, I have not yet played either of the 2 big shooters right now (I am hoping that Santa drops them off for me)


Battlefield 3 got a 9 on IGN
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 also got a 9 on IGN




With any luck I hope that a few of the above titles make their way into your christmas stockings. But beware, if you were naughty you may get some from below...


Shunts
One title that I think was trying to emulate the Resistance franchise was HomeFront (Resistance edition nog al) Here the alien Chimera are replaced by the nasty Koreans. Firstly I enjoyed the story, it seemed almost plausible. HomeFront, actually got a 7 from IGN I am not sure what to say about the game, I found it boring and only finished it due to a sense of obligation, obligation  to what? North Korea maybe?


Dante's Inferno - IGN gave it a 7.5, I feel that was a generous review, I found the game to be an annoying button masher, meh...


Fallout: New Vegas - IGN gave it 8.5, again I feel this was very generous, the game was so buggy, that I would simply stop playing. Fallout 3 was flawed, but this game was a travesty, the bugs were unbearable.... Normally I feel a sense of loss when I finish a game, o this one I felt a sense of relief when I finally finished it.

RoboCop - No Really

Now this is exciting!!! Finally we are starting to realise that robots can be used for more than just the mass producing of cars and the like. The South Korean's are now going to use to monitor the inhabitants of their prisons. 

South Korean Prison To Feature Robot Guards

Sad thing is the robots are only taking a supervisory roll for now, I am assuming their unions have rules and regulations which frown upon the bots from maiming wayward inmates. 

They should come and work here, but then how much would you bribe a robot? That would really stump most of us.

This is all sounding very anime'esc. Do your self a favour ad watch BuggleGum Crisis 2040 along with GenoCyber, I am sure you can find both locally. Basically they both depict a world where robots are an integral part of our everyday lives. And yes, they rip us limb from limb every chance they get. 

I did a quick search, and could only find clips for GenoCyber (quite gory) but bum bum bum! You can actually watch all the episodes of BuggleGum Crisis 2040 on YouTube

(I will be busy for the rest of the week, checking what else YouTube has to offer)

Sorry I got distracted there. What I want to do is take the South Korean's robots and add a few "upgrades" which may or may not be inspired by the above anime, and may or may not inspire the fear of god in the lowly prison dwellers.  

None of this Johnny 5 BS, I want blood guts and gore! not my own of course, only bad people, or those that are really annoying... My SK 39s (South Korean 39s - modified prison robots) will have rambo knives for fingers, machine guns for headlights and flame throwers just because. All these things and more go into your friendly localized Apocalypse 

There are also anime's about friendly robots. Astro Boy for one, I have a copy of the old Apple Seed that I am going to watch when I get home... Appleseed

Typety type type

I've been trying to get into a regular writing pastern, this is quite difficult. I can't tell you why, this is for me and my therapist..... And mr tiddles says I need a bit more time before I can share with the world (Okay, now that was just crap, I've just been lazy)


Recently I read an article o how to improve your writing, how to be more consistent with the frequency of updates etc etc. At the onset, I was a bit anxious I was expecting to have to go to some far far away exotic jungle and take dangerously high doses of hallucinogenic drugs while running around naked covered in goats blood. But alas, the suggestions were far more mundane, apparently you just need to sit down and write, even if its crap (like that's ever been a problem for me) just write, set aside an hour or 2 and just write, it can be once a week, twice a month, or even daily if need be. The whole point is just so that you get used to the idea of writing, and to get you committed to that. This really sounds like a hell of work... Think I am going to the travel agent and a dealer this afternoon. kthanx bye


No wait sorry, I was not done yet. On the topic of writing I thought I'd give you some interesting facts about blogging. My first stop was Wikipedia..... There is quite a bit there, and I lost interest after the first word. But please feel free to edumacate yourself http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blog


I then decided to research hallucinogens http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallucinogen, although there were a few pretty pictures, I lost interest very quickly too ....


Um, ja... err

Random Thought: fifty (50)

I always wonder why people still write a number as a word followed by the number in brackets. For example fifty (50), the only reason I can think of for this is that back in the day before Arial, when people still used clay tablets, it may have been difficult to read other peoples hand writing (ie monkey scratch) But now, in a digital age, I find it insulting to see the fifty (50) used. 

Do you know why? It is because I do th exact same thing, when I believe I am writing to a complete idiot, someone I do not believe can read or understand basic ideas like numbers and values. I use it, so I have written  proof that I believe the reader is an absolute idiot and requires that I write something twice for them to understand.

Now the next time you see this on the web, think. Is the author trying to imply, that I, the reader, am a complete idiot? Do all my shirts have built in bibs? Am I Julius Malema? For my and your sake, I hope this is not the case. Instead I propose tat is in fact he author of the article that may need help sitting in a chair and not voiding his bowels. I really did not Julius Malema had a blog, he is clearly just free lancing and every time yo see fifty (50) you will know it is him, after all he has a lot of debts, that are clearly not being met by his day job.

BUY SOUTH AFRICAN – BE SOUTH AFRICAN

I don't normally share motivational or happy emails, but this one struck a note with me so here goes. I got this forwarded to me, there is no name for the author, but that should not detract from the message.

Dear Friends

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide us with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods — merchandise that has been produced at the expense of South African labour. This year will be different. This year South Africans will give the gift of genuine concern for other South Africans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by South African hands. Yes, there is plenty.

It’s time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?
Everyone — yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? It’s appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn’t appreciate getting their car valet’d? Small, South African owned car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the cash on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway fixed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or roof waterproofed and painted.
There are a Gazillion owner-run restaurants — all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn’t the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn’t about big National chains — this is about supporting your home town South African with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn’t use an oil change for their car, truck or motorbike, done at a shop run by a South African working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could do with an upgrade, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people are great. They make jewelery, pottery, knitted stuff, Teddy Bears, paintings and home preserves etc.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre.

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly, people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house? When you buy a R50 string of lights, about fifty cents stays in the community. If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining South African pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about us, encouraging small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other South Africans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn’t imagine. THIS should be the new South African Christmas tradition.

Forward this to everyone on your mailing list — post it to discussion groups — throw up a post in your local newspaper in the Rants and Raves section — your radio stations, and TV news departments. This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn’t that what Christmas is about?
BUY SOUTH AFRICAN – BE  SOUTH AFRICAN – The job you save might be your own.

Time to write

Recently (sorry forever) I have been struggling to write, I could say it was due to a lack of creativity, a lack of motivation, or a lack of small furry things to put in my pockets. But to be honest it is purely down to my exceptional ability to procrastinate (Grammar Nazi note. Never start a sentence with a conjunction. Raping the English language is no way....CraCK!!!! Sorry, had a grammar nazi, had to shut him up, where was I?) 


Oh yes, I am exceedingly good at procrastinating, that is different to going off on a tangent. Tangents, are meant, to be gone off of? (Thank gidness we killed the grammar nazi) I recently tweeted that I would spend an hour each day trying to improve myself. Wow, that is a lot harder said than done. After all t i so much easier to pop in a movie, play some Play Station or just lose yourself in Google Reader.


Lately I have been reading up quite a bit on social media. Personally I really enjoy Twitter, I really enjoy the fact that I can read things from people who actually say interesting things. With all the people and spam I have blocked on FaceBook I am surprised they have not just closed my account


A Quick Link from Forbes' twitter feed. I remember reading something similar before, but can not remember where...

Forbes Forbes 

If it's Free Then It's You That's Being Sold onforb.es/uiYjZD [by@worstall]

Another Interesting article about how smart phone users multitask. 


80% of Smartphone Users Multitask While Watching TV [STATS]

Trust me if you know anyone under 23, then yo will know exactly how pervasive those blackberies truly are. I really do not think this is limited to smartphones, it could be any web enabled device (for instance I am blogging on the laptop, while the tv is displaying some moving pictures with sound, called a shite b grade horror movie) 


On reading the above article I tweeted.

davidchedder A Horse at the bar 

I would not call it multitasking so much, rather a dilution of concentration across tasks till you do none properly.

I really feel this is very true, I do not believe that even a woman is truly capable of multitasking. When PC's first started multitasking it was brilliant. The PC would queue different tasks in such a manner that we thought the tasks were being done at the same time, the fact of the matter is that the tasks were divided into little pieces and these were then fed into the processing queue. That is exactly what we do, we are continually siftig our focus from one task to the next. But what does this lead to? Personally I feel I have developed some kind of adult ADD, constantly needing something to occupy my attention, this leads back to the procrastination that I was complaining about.Does this also explain the popularity of Twitter? Say what ever you want as long as it is 140 characters or less.


Follow me on Twitter and read a book and watch tv, and play video games

Time to sit down and write

Time to sit down and blog

Time to sit down and bleh

Bleh.....

I hope everyone is following me on twitter? I really enjoy twitter it allows me to share my brain farts with people, and the best thing is that I can pretend that people read them...

Check out www.twitter.com/#!/davidchedder Yes!!!!!

Welcome to another belated blog entry. I know that in order to get people to read the blog it needs to be topical. From there it is just a small climate change to Tropical, a bit more to Sub tropical, down to Arid. I am sure you see where this is going. A little more climate change and we get desert. What's great in the desert!? 
Dessert of course and what's the best dessert? 
Whisky of course, and what's better than whisky? It's probably Whisky

I have also decided to make the blog more visceral, that is I am going to put more pictures in it, and try put in more daily life stuff

Oh yes and Bleh.......

Recently I have developed a bit of gangrene in my thumb, sorry I mean I have developed a green finger (sans chlorophyll of course). I recently bought a mushroom kit from www.mushroomfactory.co.za made me some yummy oyster mushrooms. The kit worked well and we ate our first batch of oysters this past week.

Here are the mushrooms 6 days after setting up the kit

3 days after spouting

4 days after spouting

3 days after spouting

5 days after spouting

6 days after spouting - Harvest day

Yay for harvested mushrooms!!!!

And for green thumb tasks that actually included chlorophyll, I have started a cactus obsession. I bought 4 lophos from www.sheilamnursery.com I also got some seeds from them... I also ordered some seeds from  www.cactusplaza.com really not sure how long these will take to get here. I really wish we did not need to deal with the South African postal service, they are for lack of a better word useless. On a side note you can buy agave seeds from cactus plaza..... so think about it, if you order those, you could make your own tequila in 7 to 10 years time... I never knew it took so long for the plants to reach maturity, I certainly hope that they have enough agave in Mexico to keep up with my demand.

But from the seeds I got locally I am starting to realise that succulents and cacti are far more difficult to grow than herbs and chillies

Potted Lophos

On a  side note, happy belated birthday http://twitter.com/#!/Gabriele_Wood Hope you have a blast later on tonight!!!!

Random Rant

Today's Random Rambling, is a random rant. or at least generalized hate speech. Earlier on I was ready to use CAPS and unleashed the fury (but furry works too). I would have made Samuel L Jackson, seem like a nice quiet calm person. (Have you noticed that Samuel L Jackson, shouts in every single movie role he has been in? Was he in the school play, shouting, Repunzel, repunzel, let down yo mutha fuggen hair woman, do not make me go up 2 decibels and break down this mutha fuggen buildin with the shear volume of my voice. - and while you up there get me a royale with cheese, JT says they are real god.)

Oh yes anger and rage... arg. Pirates? Not quite, I remember now, my generalized hatred is aimed at cell phone spam. Nasty little bastards trying to sell crap I do not need, via sms. Please who uses sms anymore, oh yes, just those freaken cheap assed telemarketers. I have a cell phone thank you, seriously who does not have a cell phone. I DO NOT WANT TO DEAL WITH VODACOM OR CELL C. EVER.. If i had wanted to do so, I would have walked into one of their stores or gone to their website, and I would have said.Please may I have a cell phone from you. Have I done this, no. The only reason I am still with Mtn, is because they have not pised me off enough to leave.. Which leaves me wondering where will I go should i need to kill the mtn contract? Not vodacom and cell c for sure. I will just use my phone on wifi at home and coffee shops. Who needs sms, and the only people who phone me are sales people or vampires. (One day I will find your hive and nail your coffins shut, you hear me.)

Oh and now for some good news, the PSN store is back up, I have been happily downloading some random games that I will probably never play. And the world, contrary to poplar belief, did not end on th 21st of last month (Late sorry, I misread the memo and was out hunting rabbits in the kalahari while on obscenely powerful hallucinogens - note to self, that actually sounds like fun)

Another point of contention - Yes I am err content with the point of err, the subject and stuff. I have been looking into the whole new world order story that has been floating around for some time. Th people who are complaining about this obviously do not come from south africa. To be honest, any kind of order sounds awesome, old world, new world, hell I will even take other world order. The key word is order, it implies some kind of decorum, a purpose. So the next time you are at home affairs or the licensing department, just think I'm sure that those lizard people could do this better.

And sorry for the americanised destruction of the english language. I could not(did not bother) o change the spell check

Archibald the werewolf and his werepoodle bitches

It's cold outside, the full moon peaks sneaky sneakily like through the thick clouds. It's cold, colder then usual for this time of year. Some say that it has been the coldest year in overr 60 years. I really do not know why anyone would care, I don't think it effects house prices or anything. Reminds me of some interesting person telling me about their love exity8 level what's a ma thing, doing level f to poop, or something to that affect. Sorry about that, I am trying to say that it is cold outside. But that is outside, we are inside. It's warm, musky, crowded and the its where all the fantasy folk go when they need to let go, and don an Afro.

There he is, Archibald the werewolf, surrounded by his werepoodle bitches. But he's not sleazy, well not too sleazy. Think of him as the guy behind the counter at your local green grocer, okay you have me he's pretty sleazy. He's wearing a pin stripe suite, top 2 buttons on his shirt are open, with some chest fur peaking out, not quite as much as the green grocer though. Now the good bit, the werepoodles. They are typical sleazy guy paid for company...... not sure if I should describe them it may offend some and the scary thing is it may excite a few who find the idea of a poodle lady appealing.
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Sorry what were you, woof, woof arooo, sorry just day dreaming a bit there.

Not sure where that was going, but it could of had everything, clowns on unicycles, intrigue, suspense watrmelons filled with vodka, monkeys in bikinis and romance, crowmance, cheese and more cheese. The rude word of the day is bum partgoing