New 3DS XL Bundles

So i've got a bit of time while my Guild Wars 2 updates since I haven't been on it in a while. Checking out stuff I thought I may as well post an update. There's 2 new 3DS XL consoles on their way packaged with an install of either the new Monster Hunter or Fire Emblem games.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate:
A new, all black 3DS XL will be shipped with Monster Hunter pre-installed onto the console. This i'd actually love to see in person because I like the metallic look and feel of the XL's, I may even trade mine in to upgrade? Hmm.

The release date for this console and game is 22nd March. Nintendo will also be releasing the black XL on it's own shortly after.


Fire Emblem Awakening:
This will be exactly the same as the blue XL but will have a Fire Emblem design on the front. Because this is a limited edition the only way you'll get the console is to buy this package. Looks pretty sweet though!

Release date is 19th April. This game has been rated so high that this is one i'm not going to miss.




Both will be available in Game for £199.99. That's it for now! Have a good weekend y'all.

Yush.

G'day everyone! As you may know, apart from earlier I've not updated since last Friday. I apologise for the delay to those of you that actually read this page. I've been very ill this week and it's made me practically bed-bound 24/7.

So Aliens Colonial Marines had bad reviews, stating that the story is only 4 hours long, the sound effects are awfully ripped from the old films, the guns suck and the game plays so bad the only exciting thing about the game is waiting to finish it. I was actually tempted by this, as the leaked details and trailers seemed so inviting, but not anymore. Oh well, on to the next new releases! Crysis 3 and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance are out in a weeks time which will be a bomb. I downloaded the Crysis 3 multiplayer beta about a week and a half ago, but got sidetracked with Ni No Kuni, by the time I got back to it today, I found out it ended 2 days ago! Damnit, I'll have to find out in a week to see how Crysis' compound bow will cope.

Ni No Kuni is still soo good! I implore all of you that have a PS3 to get a copy! One: It's amazing, two: it's starting to be rare already. We've passed 25 hours and have done so much, from finding a crabs lost friend to healing a dragons heart, gaining his trust so we can call him at any point to ride on his back around the world map. When I was finishing work the other day, Toby (Another GAME employee) came in and showed us his wizard's companion book that he got with the collector's edition. IT'S AWESOMME, hardback with intricately detailed markings on the front with the stone in the center. Every page just like in the game, even when you open it up it'll have the ownership page where you enter your name. It's magical it is.

Other news:
I pre-ordered Bioshock Infinite Premium edition! I was thinking about the Songbird but I don't think we'll have enough room or money for it. I'll be happy with the game and art book, don't need no statue.

The Last of Us has been delayed, from 7th May to 14th June. Naughty Dog said: "As we entered the final phase of development for The Last of Us, we came to realise just how massive Joel and Ellie's journey is. But instead of cutting corners or compromising our vision, we came to the tough decision that the game deserved a few extra weeks to ensure every detail of The Last of Us was up to Naughty Dog's internal high standards." Fair enough. I just hope it'll have more than 10 hours of gameplay because other games have been let down due to lack of story.

Projects' Durango and Orbis have both stated that the consoles will not be backwards compatible. How sad. GameStop in the USA have done a survey to see if customers and gamers will buy one of the next-gen consoles, the outcome was not good. More than 60% of people said they wouldn't buy one if they couldn't play used or old games.

If everything will go to plan, I'll be holding my kick starter competition next week.
1st Place - 2100 Microsoft Points & a 1 ltr bottle of Mountain Dew
2nd Place - 400 Microsoft Points & a 1 ltr bottle of Mountain Dew
3rd Place -  A 1 ltr bottle of Mountain Dew

Everyone loves the Dew.

So keep reading and you'll find out more soon enough!

Animal Crossing: New Leaf Release Date Confirmed!

Nintendo and Animal Crossing Fans! Nintendo announced and confirmed the release date of the 3DS version of the new Animal Crossing this morning!

- June 14th -

For all of you thinking "What the hell is this childish game, and why do we care?", PLAY IT, then judge. It's great, I know so many people that are excited about the 3DS version that they've bought the console just to play this and many other great exclusives. It's fun, relaxing, colourful, friendly, social and creative.

Here's the new English video that's also just been released:

It's gonna be awesome.

Dead Space 3 Launch

Today was good fun! Went in to work thinking it was going to be busy as hell, but instead it seemed like there was too many of us working and too little customers to serve. Since it's the release date for Dead Space 3!!! We were sent a Dead Space branded blood/cut make up kit with badges and stuff. So after the first initial half hour, the boss said "Lloyd how about you go upstairs and get done up", I was like "Alright?" But had no idea what to do. Looking at the kit I thought i'd do a massive line cut around the front of my elbow as if someone (Isaac?) had tried to dismember my arm. I made it look a lot like this but more bloodier, since there were 2 bottles of the jelly blood! I also wanted to do another one somewhere else and a bullet hole in my neck but it would've taken a while. Besides, it would've been a step too far the way customers were treating me, someone said I should've taken the day off!

New news about Bioshock Infinite, nothing too special but when you pre-order it you get a free digital download of the first game as well as the BioShock Infinite: Industrial Revolution puzzle game.

I got one freebie the other day, when Tomb Raider gets released I get a download code to play as Zachary Levi (‘Chuck’)! I was like "What the hell has Chuck got to do with Tomb Raider?!" But my sister-in-law found out he's doing the IGN commentary for the game, so that's why.

I hope all of you are enjoying Dead Space! Go stomp the hell out of dem Necromorph.

GTA & Next-Gen Console Updates

Righto just letting people know that we had a rep come in store the other day, he had a chat with us about marketing etc. and letting us know when GTA V will be out. He explained that there will be 3 versions of GTA V, a regular copy, a special DLC version and a limited statue version with extras. No clue as to what the statue will be, or the price range but if it's anything like all the other games being launched, they'd go like this: £44.99 (Standard), £59.99 (DLC) and £89.99(Statue). Hopefully this game will be waaay more enjoyable and longer than IV, as I really didn't get into it as much as previous GTA's.

Everyone's talking about the new-gen consoles, or project Durango (Xbox) & Orbis (PS), 'cause I don't like PS4 & 720 since they're unimaginative. The specs sound fine, I don't care what they look like, but what're Microsoft doing?? First off, every disc will be Blu-Ray. Rumours are that the new console will not be able to play pre-owned games, and every disc will be accompanied with a one time use code, so the game will be linked to your account (Gamertag). The console will be constantly online and will not work without Internet access.

Stupid idea, because: 

• Companies will fall even more so, just as GAME have gotten back on their feet and HMV are in administration.

• People will not be able to afford the games, meaning lack of sales unless every new release becomes around £30.

• No point of making blu-ray discs if you need the code, all games may as well be download only.

• The "online only" console is aimed at the wrong kind of audience, people that play CoD all the time. Yeah it's nice talking with friends and comparing achievements etc. but what if you want to casually watch a DVD (Or in this case Blu-Ray), avoid awkward or nasty people online or even just play a game offline?

I know Steam has done exceptionally well, but that doesn't mean it's everyones cup of tea! Most of us actually want a physical item for the money we pay, that or it has to be a load cheaper for digital content. If Microsoft have to create the console online only, at least do what steam have done and make you log in once a week just to verify your games and account etc. so you can play offline.

The price range for both new consoles will be around $400 (£260-280). Sony have confirmed that their new console will not be backwards compatible, so if you want to play all your current games, keep that PS3 of yours! Not a word about backwards compatibility from Microsoft though. What will become of Xbox Live too, still active? If so, will it be free for all users? I wish. There are so many chinks in the chain, too many unanswered questions.

Asus Google Nexus 7 32gb Wi-Fi - Review

This review may be slightly late, but better late than never and it'd be more accurate since I've used it ALOT.

Because my phone decided to be a constant pain in the backside, running out of battery mid-day every day and running up my contracts' bill, I looked around at tablets just before winter. I felt like I was missing out on something. I had no easy way to enjoy the Internet and all it's glory when I got home from work, or when I went to family or friends'.

My interest originated from the gadget show earlier on in 2012, when they reviewed the Kindle Fire HD because they were in the USA, so I really looked foreward to that for a while. I read through countless reviews about what'd be the best one for value, comparing all of the iPads to the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD, while finding other new tablets in stores.

One memorable day, my father took me to a nearby shopping centre just before Christmas and we had a nice evening looking around the shops. I personally and closely compared all of the tablets PC World had to offer, the Nexus 7 just stood out completely style and performance wise. It flew ahead turning on, downloading & opening apps and the video playback is just incredible. I had adopted the need for the 32gb version since it was only a tad bit more than the 16gb. We had a chat and eventually went to Currys to see if they had one a bit cheaper etc. trying to squeeze out every last penny. The salesman persuaded us enough to buy one but the funny thing is was, they actually gave us a years worth of anti-virus and 1TB cloud storage just for "Choosing Currys over PC World"! Result.

Google Nexus 7 32gb Wi-Fi

On to the details -
Nexus 7 is built by ASUS and comes with a NVIDIA® Tegra® 3 quad-core processor so everything is faster.
Official website. If you wanted to check out the tech specs etc.

Design: Its sleek, thin design sits really well in your hands and looks great comparing to any other tablet within the price range. It has a lovely frame which i have no problems with (others online say it's too big, but i don't know what they're getting at), with a nice professional metal surrounding. It has one camera, which is front facing for Skype etc. and really doesn't need one on the back. The back of the tablet is made from anti-slip grey material with a nice big 'Nexus' imprinted. Asus have done really well making sure that all of the essentials are included, even on the smaller 7" screen tablet.

Performance: Running on Android version 4.2 (The most up-to-date) the N7 is so simple to use, anyone can pick it up and get used to it in minutes. It's battery life is amazing, Asus say that it'd run at 8 hours "full on" but it's so much more than that if you're sensible. We've altered some of the settings and adapted to extend uses, such as turning down the screen brightness and closing all apps after you're done with them. With a full charge, we can use it in the morning for light Internet and Facebook use, mid-day doing the same and around 4 hours in the evening between myself and my wife on-off playing games and everything really. As long as you turn it off at night and if you're not using it, it'll easily last this routine 3 days, pumping out more than 12 hours. 

Out of the box comes a usb charger, the cable and adaptor that snaps together, easy as pie. Done. 

Both Asus and Google have advertised this tablet as a "Gamer's choice", and I'd defiantly agree. The second I set it up, I was on the store downloading a few games like Minecraft, it was extraordinary and still is today. As stated before, the Nexus 7 does incredibly well with everything at a super fast speed. YouTube videos run constantly without stopping to buffer (Depending on your Internet speed). Facebook looks great and we have no problem with the on-screen keyboard, very easy to use.

Notes: There's nothing I don't like about the N7. I am still pleased with it after many many hours of use in every aspect of it's purpose, and the screen is still crystal clear with no lag. If there is one thing I'd say to make it better, it'd have to include an SD slot for more multi-compatibility, just so i can take a few photos on my camera then upload them straight on to the tablet. For the price you pay, you really can't complain though.

Result:
If you're thinking about getting a tablet or even a Netbook, go for the Nexus 7. You won't be disappointed. I chose this over a new iPod touch & a mobile upgrade and will never regret it. I bought an official case for it instantly too, which is a great add-on because the front bit folds back and keeps the screen nice, clean and safe.

My Rating:
10/10 - Purely because I did my research to find the best.

Ni No Kuni & Other News

So we've been on Ni No Kuni for a few hours now, and we're totally addicted to it. So far I'd recommend it to all of you, it's a one of a kind RPG and it's probably going to be extremely rare because we're already sold out in GAME. Well to be fair we only had a few in! Totally jealous of my work colleague Toby because he got the Wizard's edition, with a Drippy plush and the 300 page Wizard's companion book.

Random news:

• Skylanders have announced a new game, Skylanders Swap Force. You get swap force figures, that can snap apart, mix and match to form new creatures with totally different powers. Could be good, who knows. I think they're being a bit hastey since they've literally only just brought out Giants. Parents won't be happy!

• Square Enix have said that they're holding back Versus XIII even more, now called Final Fantasy XV so it can be one of the main "exclusive" releases for the new "PS4". But I bet everyone's a bit fed up of that since it was announced yeaaars ago back when Dissidia wasn't around yet.

• If you're an online PC gamer who doesn't mind a bit of free action (if you didn't know), TERA is free to play now, so no purchase necessary! I've been meaning to give it a try so I'll let you know how it is soon. If you're also on TERA or Guild Wars 2 leave a comment, 'cause I'd like more of a reason to come online!

I've read a few reviews about Dead Space 3 already, not looking too good. I think EA messed up releasing it early in the states, because the current reviews are dragging down pre-orders and messing around with fans' loyalty in the UK. So I've heard that the campaign's story is extremely repetitive;  Isaac stranded, finds group, group sends him on a mission, does mission then gets separated, back to stage 1 again. This apparently happens at least 3 times and doesn't sound too appealing. The co-op on the other hand is where the game really stands out from the other games, but it's down to personal opinion since some people prefer to play on their own. Oho i forgot to add, we got some branded Dead Space make up today with blood and stuff, so on Friday most of us at GAME will be "Dead". Come and see us!

For all of you Warhammer 40k fans too, an extremely awesome friend of mine has nearly finished his new animation 'Space Hulk 2'! Watch his animations here, if you like what you see check out and keep up to date by following his website or Facebook page here.

I've hit and passed the 300 pageview mark now, and i'd like to thank everyone for reading or for even glancing at this site. Without you guys i'd be pointless on here! I'll do a little thank you when I hit 1000 and so on!

Week 28

Ni No Kuni is amazing so far. I've been on it for nearly 3 hours so far and there's so much I can say about it! Everyone you come across is a legend, i mean it. Oliver's mum is a hero, Drippy's voice is well cool and every square pixel inch is beautifully designed. When you finally get into your first City, there are cat people & the King is a Cat! Not only that, but he's called Tom, Tom...cat! Fuck yes. Also, everyone calls him "Your Meowjestie"!

Dead Space 3 is out Friday, can't wait for it. I really want to know more about the story and play a bit of co-op. If you preorder and purchase Crysis 3, Dead Space 3, Sim City or Army Of Two: The Devil's Cartel from GAME, you will receive Mass Effect Infiltration, EA SPORTS FIFA 13 and Need For Speed Most Wanted download from the App store to use on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch!

Gears of War: Judgement will have a download code in every game to download Gears 1, also there will be a demo of it on the launch day.

Mass Effect 3 DLC - If you haven't seen the screenshots, click here and here. Too many possibilities, could be on the Citadel, new missions on Tuchanka? Illium?? Looks like the Zakera Ward from ME2 though. I don't know what it's going to be like but people aren't too hyped about it. I hope Bioware whip up a good FINAL DLC.

Our friends are selling these cute Android figures!! Get one, they're soo coool. Unless you're an Apple fan, go play on your Facetime. We got one today, he's awesome. And I'm thinking about upgrading my phone, any recommendations?

I have a Far Cry 3 Vaas bobblehead too if anyone wants to buy him, rather that or it's straight on ebay!


As I said on facebook, I'm thinking about holding a couple of competitions. I'm going to start small though, in a couple of weeks I'll be asking all of ya to enter for a chance to win 2100 Microsoft points. To enter all you'll have to do is make a small donation to my paypal account or in person, answer a question that I'll be posting here and wait until the weekend! I'll be posting more about it soon though, so keep checking up on here or you'll miss out.

Hyrule Historia

So earlier on this week, I was on my way to work and randomly looked in the display window of Waterstones, and there it was. The Hyrule Historia. Open before my eyes. Sadly I didn't have enough time because time was getting on and I had to be at work as soon as possible. Those of you who don't know what this is, you're not worthy of reading on. I was thinking about how glorious it was to see this beast of an encyclopedia throughout the day, and if only I could buy it, sigh. Very excited, I saw it again the next day on my way to work! Very briefly however, but this did not change my mood. I got into work and notified my colleagues as soon as i could! But this was yet another day of wanting to get my hands on it, to feel it's glory and feel the light of the triforce empower me. Enough of the worshipping.

I got paid Thursday. Guess what I was going to do as soon as I got out from work? But something changed my mind. While I was running upstairs to the stock room getting something for a customer, Laura was at work sorting out the delivery, and there it was again.

"LOOK AT DIS!" She said. My heart was racing with that feeling again. I was like "OHMYGODIWANTDAT, I've seen it in Waterstones twice now and I wealllyy want it!!". So being the very nice person she is, she put one in the boss' office with a big note on it stating that "Lloyd is going to buy dis at de end of his shift." <--something like that.

It looks awesome, everything about it. The intricate gold triforce and crests of the goddesses centring the front, the four corners bordering it with an ocarina and a harp, and no other colour than the complimentary green of Links tunic, you just want to stroke it. With just under 300 pages, it feels a lot heavier than you would've thought.

As you open the first page it has has a well detailed Hyrule shield crossed with the master sword, followed by credits, title page and a nice 2 page spread with a message from Shigeru Miyamoto (General producer of The Legend of Zelda). Just after the contents page that's where everything starts.

It contains 4 Thick chapters:

• The Legend Begins: The World of Skyward Sword - 60 pages about the creation of Skyward Sword. This section really goes in deep showing everything they've done to create this game,  such as colours and variants of Loftwing, explaining that only Link's and Zelda's bird has a longer tail and feathers. All of the artwork put into this game is so beautiful, clean and flawless that you can see all the effort from thumbnails to final designs. One part I love about this section is the attention to detail in every room created, making sure about size and scale so when it comes to making the game, all the proportions are exact and link can actually climb up walls etc.

• The History of Hyrule: Chronology - Explaining with a timeline how each game comes into history. This tree splitting in two directions just after Ocarina of Time, depicting the events that follow Link's triumph over Ganon, and the other his defeat. The Era where Link is triumphant, then splits into another two branches of child and adult Link. After this timeline, it then explains every event and era happening after the creation of the land with generally 4-5 pages each.

• Creative Footprints: Documenting 25 Years of Artwork - I loved this section, purely because there is so much to it and I love production art. There is seriously a never ending list to what follows this chapter, including; characters action stances, facial expressions, outfits, tools, weapons, storyboarding, dungeon layouts, general design sketches, fine detail of Zelda's hair variants, Gannon's many forms in trial and error, "Who is tingle?", stained glass artwork, experimenting with Link in different ages and changing in character design throughout the games.

• Comic - If all of the above isn't enough, they've also created a 32 page A4 comic (Manga, because it was drawn in Japan) called The Legend is Born. The first third is in full colour which is awesome. This comic shows link as a knight protecting his land, with his fellow warriors at the beginning of time fighting the demon king. With Zelda as a goddess, it explains how she became the mortal she is today, and how Link is the hero we all know and love with a great destiny to come.

This was worth every penny. I have been a fan of The Legend of Zelda since Ocarina of Time and have savoured every one of them but Skyward Sword (Which I seriously need to play). Dark Horse have done an amazing job putting this together with Nintendo for Zelda's 25th Anniversary, so all of you fans better make sure you get one too! Before they vanish like the limited edition Zelda 3DS.

Blog... review, whatever you want to call this, this book isn't missing a single thing that I want to know or see. 10/10