England!

Alright People? Just here to tell you all I'm in England for a while so I won't be writting much up here...

I'll post up pictures and a full post soon so check back soon and get the full write up then.

Have a good one!
Bye

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Weekly Poll

This week I want to know how much memory your MP3 or Personal Media Player has. Is it a flash players with 256MB? Is it a HDD player with more than 30GB? Vote bellow and see what other have themselves!

How much memory does your MP3/PMP player have?
	I don't have an MP3 or a PMP
	Less than 256MB
	Around 1GB
	Between 2GB and 6GB
	Between 6GB and 20GB
	Between 20GB and 60GB
	60GB or more

Have you got an iPod or a simple Mp3 player or even a PMP with 60+GB? Leave a comment and discuss the reasons of your choise!

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Not much happening

Hey Blogees,

Just here to say that I haven't had time to write up any [real] Blogs last night and today but I'm working [so very hard] on the layout and theme of this blog. I've had a few minor updates such as the java link for the comments but I still want to get rid of the sidebar and have something like Cabels' Blog [a tab on the top of the page]. It may take me a while and I may just go ahead and use Dreamweaver at some point.

Hope you're all still enjoying my Blog and I'll get some interesting stuff up this weekend.

Yours,

The Blogger

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Alan Wake preview

First announced at this years E3 in Los Angeles, Remedy games is bringing us yet another winner. The developers of the two Max Payne titles are this time going for a psychological action thriller set in a small town in Washington. The game will feature a fully explorable environment in which the action will take place during day and night, giving the gamer some scary moments when playing this.

Alan Wake, the game's protagonist, is a bestselling horror writer, who writes a novel about his darkest nightmares. In the game, those nightmares come true...

Read the full post for more info on Alan Wake!

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Alan Wake is a writer who was inspired by his dark dreams which he had dreamt when he was with his girlfriend. His nightmares soon became on of the best selling horror novels. But when his love suddenly disappeared he had no chance of living a normal life again. He stopped dreaming and soon stopped sleeping all together.

Like the trailer shows, he moved town only to get help at the sleeping clinic and not knowing what was awaiting him. Alan soon finds another woman who reminds him of his past love and soon he starts his psycho dreams again. This time something changes though. When he starts to write novels again, his dreams start to become reality.

Alan can only question himself, are these dreams really becoming reality or is he the target of a dangerous dementia of which there is no return?


The way the game will be portrayed will be very Max Payne-ish, the dialogues and cut-scenes are approached in film noire style which will really get the dark vs. light effect going. The dramatic dreams come to life at night, which will have great effect on how scary the game can get, and tools such as flash lights and car headlamps will be of great use.

The trailer [which is linked bellow] shows some of the in game graphics and the film noire style of portrayal. It seems the game will be mixed up of components from Indigo Prophecy and the Max Payne series, giving it that real psychological action thriller feeling.

I’m definitely looking forward to this game and I hope Xbox Live will have a demo up at some point.

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What did you think of the E3 show and are you into these types of games? Hit the comments button and shout out your thoughts!

Thanks to alanwake.com for the images and videos. Visit the Official Homepage for HD images!

Related links:
Official Homepage
E3 2k6 Trailer [HD 720p @ 15Mb/s version - 117MB]
E3 2k6 Trailer [HD 720p @ 8Mb/s version - 66MB]
E3 2k6 Trailer [SD @ 1.5Mb/s version - 13MB]

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Zombies: Feast #1 read & reviewed

ZOMBIES: FEAST #1 [IDW Publishing] brings you the most a horror story can give you: great story, surreal images, scary characters and a good visual layout for comfortable reading. An exciting opening to a 5 part mini series awaits you!

Read the full story for a review of Issue 1 [warning: this is a spoiler!]

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Issue one opens up the story [of 5 parts] by putting the reader right into the scene.

It rains. A bus travels down a country side road and the first words read

"IT'S DEAD."

As we turn the page we soon find out the bus if filled with police and prison men. The scene is set as the policemen can't figure out the cause of their faulty GPS and radio signals. We are introduced to Marshal, someone who seems to look important. The prison men seem to get frustrated but locked up as they are they don’t seem to be moving anywhere.

The bus seems to be getting in worse condition and suddenly the lights malfunction. As the driver fixes this the comic strip shows the face of a man. The bus swerves of the road and crashes on its side, giving one prisoner the chance to escape. He kicks a policeman straight in his face and walks away, not even considering to help the other prisoners. Marshal punches Clancy, the escaping prisoner, right in his stomach and as he’s, falling Marshals speech reads

"STAY."

The policemen talk and we are told the driver is dead. The pedestrian who was nearly hit by the bus seems to have disappeared, and the prisoners are caged up tight in the bus. Marshal suggests they get going by foot seeing as they don’t have radio reception here it’s not a good idea to stay.

We soon find out how Marshal really is. He doesn’t want to be played with and one prisoner pushes his luck too far. Marshal shows no fear towards this notorious murderer and breaks his nose in a snapshot. Blood spills and one policeman's line reads

"SEE?"

They walk until they reach an old looking country side house. The prisoners are chained up to a swing whilst Marshal and one policeman walk to the entrance of the house. Blood is shown on the front door steps only to show that at this point the story really gets going. They enter the house and are greeted by a disgusting smell, but no person. The policeman seems to be worried and Marshal asks what’s wrong, only to be answer by the joke of the policeman.

Back outside we are shown a gruesome picture of what seems to look like a dead girl walking up to the prisoners. The scene changes once more and we are shown great artwork of a bloody bedroom which Marshal is inspecting, not knowing that just behind him is a zombie creeping through the door.

Back outside again we find the girl to be getting closer to the [still chained up] prisoners. The girl starts to attack one prisoner whilst, other just looking away in disgust. A rather large looking prisoner got hold of a metal pipe and beats the girl until she falls down. The pictures are frightening yet the artwork is marvelous. One prisoner can’t stand the scene and vomits onto the floor whilst others are staring with revulsion.

The last page displays an outside view of the house with a speech reading

"AAAARRGH!"

The policeman just mentions marshals name and the line reads to be continued...

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Zombies: Feast #1 [IDW Publishing]
written by shane mccarthy
art by chris bolton
letters by tom b. long
covers by chris bolton & ted mckeever
edits by chris ryall

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Story:
9.8 - The story, from start to end, fulfils everyone’s need who has a passion for gruesome horror graphic novels. The fact that it’s a five part [mini] series just means that a lot more can be expected!

Artwork:
10 - The way in which this short novel [or comic] has been displayed is unbelievable. Every scene is perfect, giving the reader the ‘need’ to look at what’s coming up. From rain to blood, every detail has been carefully drawn and the style of Chris Bolton fits great to the story.

Atmosphere:
9.8 – The feeling of surrealism is incredible in this novel. Every speech bubble has been carefully places in order not to mess with the feeling of the shots. The overall mood [of both story and artwork put together] is just what a perfect nightmare novel needs.

Overall:
9.9 – The minute I got my hands on this puppy until the minute I sat down to review it was terrific. I enjoyed every scene as much as the other, making me just sit there in anticipation think what going to happen?!?

A must buy for any zombie style graphic novel [comic] fan!

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Have you got your hands on this yet? And if yes what did you think? Is it not your type or did u enjoy it as much as I did? Visit the comments section and tell me what you thought!

Related links:
IDW Publishing Website
Scott's Comics online shop [$3.99]
Shane McCarthy's homepage

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New Super Mario Bros. Hands-on

New Super Mario Bros. is an excellent if not perfect 2D side-scroller that reminds you of just how good the old games were but never feels like it's just cashing in on past success.

The good: great gameplay, fantastic sounds, simple controls, new modes and power ups, feels like a classic.

The bad: mini games are a copy of Super Mario 64 DS, saving is a pain, some levels seem short.

Read the full story for more info!

Updated!

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From the very first screens, to the first videos and then to the first reviews, New Super Mario Bros. has always looked good. And finally I got my hands on the European version of this game.

I'm not going to write a full review of this game at this point, but I will mention a few words to what I think impressed/upset me most.

The game is based on [duh] the classic Super Mario Bros. game. The 2D design, simple [2 button] controls, melodic music and straightforward story have all been implemented from the original NES title. Some of Mario's acrobatics from Super Mario 64 have been implemented, such as the double and triple jump and the wall slide/jump. These come in handy when you need to get to those hidden places in some levels. The power-ups are nearly identical, the mushroom, the fireball, the star, etc. but there are some new ones which can become really fun to play with. The mega mushroom makes Mario huge, filling the top screen. You can run through obstacles and enemies without getting hurt and the more you do so, the more the Mega Meter at the top fills. This gives you lives for every block filled up so go ahead and smash your way through the level! The mini mushroom just makes you tiny letting you fit in small places you usually can't get to. The blue koopa shell lets you slide along like an empty shell, taking out enemies as you move. Although these are all fun, you'll probably find yourself using fireball power most of the time to get rid of those enemies.

The amount of gameplay is just enough for you to not get bored of the game, but also have that feeling of actually finishing a full length game. Some levels may seem very short, but considering the 8 worlds the game has to offer there isn\'t much to complain about. You can take the classic short cuts if you want to [which would reduce the game by about 2 worlds and a few levels]. The [3D] world map clearly shows where you are in each world and where you can buy get power-ups.

The single player part of the game is what you'll be spending most time on. Whether you want to speed run or collect every coin it's entirely up to you. The two-player multiplayer part of the game consists of Mario vs. Luigi where you'll battle against each other to collect stars. Jump on their head or use the fireballs to make your opponent drop stars in order for you to get them. One of the biggest disappointments in the game is that the mini games are just direct copies of the ones found on Super Mario 64 DS [except for one new mini game]. Although you probably don't mind this since you'll be playing the story mode most of the time, it would have been nice to see something new here.

My personal mark is 9.7 only to say that if you could save whenever you wanted to I would give it 9.9 out of 10!

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Graphics:
9.7 - Even though it's a side-scroller great use of 3D elements are used. Vivid colours and great character animation add to the feeling.

Sound:
9.8 - For a full 10 they just had to include the classic world map song, but other than that they did a great job in combining classic and new!

Gameplay:
10 - Best platformer on the DS [if not on any console]. Great balance between difficulties and length. It's not a huge chalange for those Mario nerds but it's a fun game from start to end.

Lasting Appeal:
9.0 - If you just want to blow the game from start to finish [and take those shortvuts] it may only take you a couple of hours. But the multiplayer, hidden areas and mini games add on top of all the single player action.

Overall:
9.7 - Great game with lots of new features but still reminds of the classic SNES version

What did you think of the game and what mark would you give it? Hit the comments and drop your thought down!

Update:
Now that I\'ve been playing NSMB for a while now I have to say that the saving is no problem at all. As soon as you clear a few levels and get those coins you need to open the path ways [in order to save] you\'re fine. Also, I was wrong about the mini games. Theres more than just one new one [still not a lot but it's better than all copies].

I\'m even more than impressed and everytime I reach a new level I'm amazed by the game. Fun Fun Fun! Again I gota say this: It's a must have!

Thanks to amazon.co.uk for the cover and screen shots! (temporarily taken down)

Related links:

New Super Mario Bros. Homepage
New Super Mario Bros. on IGN.com
New Super Mario Bros. on Amazon.co.uk (£24.99)

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RSS Feed [from feedburner]

LIKE I SAID, this Blog is still in the making. It needs further improvements and much more content should be added soon. I just want to mention now that I got the RSS Feed working [thanks to feedburner].

Click read full story to get the full list of feeds!

Subscribe to Enblogged

As you can see there are quite a few and I just want to thank Feedburner at this point for bringing out their great [free] service.

Alternatively, you can directly add the feed to your Firefox browser [if you don't surf using Firefox I strongly suggesst you get it through the link on the right, or the one bellow]. To add an RSS Feed to your browser simply click the RSS icon at the top of you browser window.

You will get a pop-up window, something like the one bellow. Just name the Live Bookmark [Enblogged would be a good idea] and hit OK.

There you go! The Enblogged Bookmark will now be with your other Live Bookmarks.

Any comments are, like always, appreciated!

Related links:
RSS Feed [on Wikipedia]
Feedburner.com
Get Firefox

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Angry Nintendo Nerd

ANY OF YOU ever played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Well the Angry Nintendo Nerd has! I can tell you one thing for sure, he didn't like it! He makes some effort in explaining the good points of the game, but after little time wasted on that he goes straight into telling you what's crap about the game. His points are very valid and after watching this [review] I can ensure myself that game would never make it into my collection!

Have fun watching and tell me what you thought of this fun video.

To watch the movie click link [read full story] bellow. Anyone under the age of 16 should NOT click bellow! The use of violent languade is common.

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St. Catherines Google Calendar

THE ST. CATHERINES Calendar is up and running, with just one exception. The only event it has so far are the summer holidays, so until September the 7th you won't be seeing much else in there. Click on the button bellow to get the calendar or use the HTML link bellow to get an online view.

Alternatively, you can also go to you google calendar | Settings | Calendars | Add Calendar [in other calendars] | Friends' Calendars | enter kyle.saric@gmail.com and you should the get the calendar.

HTML version [the HTML version is for use with normal internet Browsers]

Any comments are appreciated and I will try to add all upper school events as soon as they are announced!

Related Links:
Google Calendar Tour
What's a "Calendar Address"?
Google Calendar Home

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Weekly Poll

THIS WEEK I want to know what type of mobile do you have? Is it Basic? Does it have colour? Has it got a camera? Vote bellow and see what others have themselves!

What mobile type do you have?
	Basic, no colour screen
	Colour screen, no camera
	VGA camera Phone
	MegPixel Camera Phone
	Camera and MP3 Player Phone
	SmartPhone
	Blackberry/Treo/Pda

Do you spend hundreds of Dollars on a mobile or can you live with a basic? Leave a comment and discuss the reasons for ending up with your type!

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GIGA 2 presents eSports TV in a new dimension!

"ADVANCED GAMING" is the slogan of GIGA 2, a new channel completely focused on eSports which will be brought to you by "GIGA DIGITAL Television GmbH". In style of a genuine sports channel, GIGA 2 will be presenting the best eSports has to offer to its subscribers. The channel will broadcast the most spectacular international events in English and German, bringing the incomparable atmosphere of the international tournaments to your living room. Six hours of fresh eSports content will be produced each day.

"We are evolving eSports while being able to reach more eSports fans at the same time," states Jens Hilgers (30), Chief Executive Officer and managing director of GIGA DIGITAL Television GmbH. "The new channel will raise eSports and GIGA to a whole new level."

GIGA 2 starts 6th of June and it promises to be an exciting launch! You will be able to view GIGA 2 all over the world using IP-TV technology. Eight highly skilled and well known eSports hosts will commentate the games from a brandnew and exclusive studio consisting of a shooter, a strategy and a sports set to shape the atmosphere for the games.

On the 6th of June GIGA 2 will also present a team of experts called the "competence team", who will attend the program and open an in-depth look into the eSports scene. Competent players and managers of different teams from all over Europe will be included.

GIGA 2 will be available for a small fee every month or in the near future by using the GIGA Premium Account. Subscribers need to be over the age of sixteen.

Related Links:
Giga//

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The new MS Ipod Packaging

SO I was just on youtube.com checking out some vids and this is what I found: a video representing what Microsoft are really like. Over the top I-wana-show-of kinda thing. Don't get me wrong MS, I like you, but it's true. Apple did a great job with their simplistic style. Here's the vid for you.

Just some advice: make sure you have speaker on and loud, the music is just ace!

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Figuring out how a Blog works

SO IN desperate needs of knowing how I could make my very own theme for this blog, I went and googled "how does a blog work?". Of course I got a link to the very well known howstuffworks.com web page. This is the page google linked me to, and to be honest it was quite useful.

But until I get something like this going it'll take me a while. The page features very nice animation when the pictures enlarge, beautiful colour schemes and general layout is user friendly and focused towards being easy to use.

So now all I want to know is have you got your own blog up yet? Which provider are you on? Do you know any CSS or HTML at all or have you used a theme?

Let me know! Post a comment! Give me tips!

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Blog|One

SO... what's there to say? Nothing much really. I do want to point out that this Blog is still in the making and the contents, layout, style and features are not in their final stage. I could say we are in Beta mode but Matthew told me of and said a Blog can't be Beta... Sorry...

So check back soon for updates and blog entries!

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