It’s strange really. To think that 99.9% of people who use a blog, use it to do nothing but moan and complain and rant and criticise. Whereas I’ve really only ever used mine to write general items or inform people of things happening [e.g. my moving from York back to Hull]. However I think it’s time that for once I jumped on the critical bandwagon and spoke my mind, and perhaps voiced a few home truths. Why? Cause I’m in the mood to do so, do I need a better reason? Nope? Didn’t think so…

My life over the last few weeks has took quite a turn in the road. I’ve left one uni and enrolled in another, left one city and returned to another, moved from one home and returned to another, the list goes on. The reason I did such a drastic change was because I was simply unhappy. Unhappy with my course, unhappy with my financial and professional state, and mostly unhappy with the people surrounding me. The nail in the coffin for me, wasn’t just my uni expecting me to repeat a year through no fault of my own, but also because most of the people who I wasn’t unhappy with, mostly didn’t bother. If it wasn’t for perhaps 2 people in total who made effort for me, and didn’t just jump in and out of my life when it suited them, for the last month or two I’d have been completely on my own.

There was one positive that came from plenty of time on my own though, it gave me chance to think, chance to realise. And the conclusion that I came to, which at first seems pretty obvious I agree, is that people are incredibly selfish. But more importantly, they are also incredibly thoughtless. There are millions of examples I could give you, and I’m sure in the coming paragraphs I’ll write about some of them, but for now let’s paint my current picture. Give you an outline before comparing yeah?

At the age of 21 I’m single, unemployed, living at home, in debt [through no fault of my own, thank you bank charges!], being threatened by my own bank who are willing to ‘take it further’, having to start my next course from scratch thanks to my previous one messing itself up, and having to come to the conclusion that I’ve wasted [at least] the last 12 months of my life. Now I’m sure you can imagine that coming to that conclusion as one whole paragraph, in the space of a few days on my own thinking, was a bitter pill to swallow. It also didn’t help upon arriving home my own mother openly admitting that the idea of me being back made her ‘unhappy’ and ‘miserable’. But that’s another story for another day…

Thing is, I can handle all of the above. To be perfectly honest I’m used to having a pretty hard life up to now. And that’s without going into the operations and medications that have happened prior. But like I say, it’s not that which I can’t handle. What eventually gets to me is how people, once they’re aware of what’s going on, don’t give a shit. In fact, not only do they not give a shit, they have this amazing ability to sit and listen to everything you’ve said, then sit in silence for a few seconds looking at you, and then talk about themselves as if I’ve not said anything. I can be talking for 20 minutes perhaps about issues with my course, or my bank threatening me. And within seconds we’re discussing a fabulous new dress, or how their partner did this wonderful thing for them the night before. For quite some time now I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not even worth bothering opening up to people, and to just sit there and let them gloat about how wonderful their lives are.

An interesting side note I thought I’d share… isn’t it amazing how all these people who have everything they want in life, a perfect partner, seventeen wardrobes full of designer clothes, the best laptop to work on, etc etc… have parents who do everything for them? They very rarely admit it, or in extreme cases they’re not even aware of it. Always amuses me, how deluded they really are… deluded, self centred… one of the two…

If you’re not sure what it is when someone is being a self centred individual, here are some examples. It’s moments where I may be feeling down because I feel noone will ever like me more than a friend, and then someone turns around and says how they’re missing their partner cause they’ve not seen them for 12 minutes. Or when I’ll feel useless cause I’m finding it impossible to get work, and they’ll reply by saying how many things they’ve sold today, or how they’re off on a staff night out.
There’s another way people can provide this scenario, and that’s by taking what they have in life, and making it sound worse than it is. Examples include being in a relationship but saying their partner is horrible… so why are you still with them? Having a job but saying it’s tough and that it’s too much… so why keep it? Constantly going on about your best friend being a bitch and never being there… and yet you always text them and always remember to put three kisses on the end? It’s things like this that really irritate me. Where you’re happy, and you have everything you want… and yet you just HAVE to find a problem in life. It’s like you can’t be happy unless you’re unhappy!

Yes that’s right. I’m not writing in third person anymore, I’m writing about you, the reader. Chances are 99% of you who click on this and choose to read it, aren’t doing it because you’re anxious I’m upset about something. You’re just being nosey, looking for new gossip material. Afterall that’s one of the two things I’m good for isn’t it.
It’s either that, or not bothering with me for weeks or months on end, and then texting/emailing out of the blue seeing how I am… but still managing to add a sentance in there asking how you reset your iPod, or how to install something on your computer, or asking where’s best to buy a new console bundle and what games are worth buying. I’m not seen as a friend, I’m seen as a walking, breathing google by most of you aren’t I. And to be perfectly honest I’m getting sick of it.

It’s about time I stopped being a human google, a living doormat. Someone who is only worth knowing when you need someone to help you, or to keep you company when noone else is available. How the hell do you think that makes me feel? Knowing deep down that the only reason you bother isn’t because you want my company, but because I’m useful. Well enough’s enough, and in future if you try it then you’ll hear all of this to your face. Take this blog as a written warning.

From now on, unless you’re someone who deserves me being there, it’s going to be about me and what I want. Because let’s face it, that’s what most of you do. As long as you’ve bought the thing you want to buy, as long as you’re spending time with who you want to be with, and as long as you’re happy with your life… nothing else matters. And so that’s the mentality I’m going to start using. As the old proverb says: If you can’t beat them, join them.

And the amazing thing that I know is the case, is 99% of you will read this, and refuse to take any blame. It’ll all be in my head, and you’ll all see this as me just having a problem. And in a warped way I can understand it, cause afterall it wouldn’t be fair for you to be honest with yourselves and realise how selfish you really are as individuals. How dare I speak the truth and make you realise how you’ve made me feel the last 12 months… that would be incredibly selfish of me wouldn’t it?

Good… then you know how I feel don’t you…

For many of you out there whom either bother or care about me, this may be the first place you’re going to hear about this. As you’ll know, for the last year I’ve been living in York attempting to live my own life and do well on a ‘Film & Television Production’ course at York St. John University. However for reasons I’ll explain in a moment, this will not be the case for the upcoming year. Or if we’re to be more specific, any year.

There are many reasons that I’ve decided that York isn’t the place for me, and I’ll be sure to list the majority of them during this blog. So let’s go through the issues in order of occurance, seems the logical way to do this. Starting from the top we have the student accommodation I ended up in, namely being the most expensive scenario any first year student could end up in. And while 99% of the people living in that studio had other people paying for them [whether it be parents, grandparents, fairy godmothers, whatever], I didn’t have such a luxury. Meaning the £118 a week rent had to come out of my own pocket. Not that I’m blaming anyone for that scenario, but it’s still not the best of scenarios to end up in let’s be honest.

Next on the list of issues ties in nicely with the first, work. Although I started off with a job with the people over at Game, this wasn’t to last very long. Shortly after the Christmas period, Game decided it was only right to start ignoring me, and not even having the decency to inform me I wasn’t needed anymore. So after a few weeks of not being given any work, I kinda had to come to the conclusion myself. Thanks for that guys, real professional! Anyway, the point is that without the work, there was no money. And without money, a £118 a week studio starts burning the money in your account pretty quickly! Between the months of February and now, I haven’t been able to get my hands on a single job. I’ve applied, but noone has got back to me… not in York anyway, but that’s for later in the story.

So yeah, I had no money, and I had no job. But surely I could fall back on the main reason I’m in York right? Surprisingly enough no, no I couldn’t. And this is my favourite statistic in the whole story, ready? Out of the 120 people on the course I’d signed up for, I was the one and only person who wasn’t given access to Blackboard. Which for those who are unaware, is the online network used by the Uni to send you work and paperwork. This managed to last for a whole 9 months of my year there, and if it wasn’t for me sending countless emails, causing endless meetings, and eventually getting in touch with the admin of Blackboard myself in London, I may have never got an account on the flippin’ thing! Then once I was finally on Blackboard, I spent the remaining months fighting to gain access to the work I’d missed over the 9 months previous, eventually resulting in me having to do the entire year over the space of just a few weeks in the summer! And even then once results turned up, the Uni felt the need to cap my marks, even though the reason for late hand in’s was their fault and not mine!

It isn’t just the Uni themselves though that managed to make the year difficult, it was the people too. 99% of the people I met through York were nothing but artificial, fake, and selfish individuals who’d be friendly to your face, and bitch behind your back. The amusing thing with this scenario, is they never think you’ll find out. News flash, people always find out! When I was taken ill and became missing for quite some time, instead of fellow students getting in touch and finding out what was wrong, they took it upon themselves to gossip about my absense and put it down to sheer laziness. Although to be fair things like that don’t overly bother me. They merely aid me in figuring out whose worth knowing. And the cold hard facts were that hardly anyone was worth it. In reality I would say that roughly 6 people I’d met in York were honestly worth knowing, and the rest could be forgotten pretty quickly. Which of course makes it easier when it comes to leaving in the next fortnight. Infact if previous experience is to go by, people will bother more with me when I’m 40 miles away, then when I was 40 steps away. That seemed to be the case the whole time prior to York, so we’ll have to see if it happens after York.

So what’s in store for me now I hear you ask out of sheer politeness? Home beckons, and home for me is Hull. And at Hull there are two courses asking me to enroll [both with far better facilities anyway], my former college asking for help, potential actual work at 4 different places, and a number of people who’ll actually bother with me on a daily basis. Instead of just ringing/texting when they want help or advice.

I guess it’s not fair to finish this blog without forming some kind of positive experience from the last 12 months of my life. Even though if I’m completely honest I’ve missed a lot out so it doesn’t end up becoming a short novel [I didn't even mention the 2 credit card fraud incidents and the theft occurance within actual Uni grounds]. One positive is of course the small handful of people who’ll be worth staying in touch with. Without those people being there I’d have probably ended up in a padded cell somewhere. And I suppose the biggest thing I’ll take from York in a positive way, is the realisation that what I presumed was a bad life before I ventured to York, was infact nowhere near as miserable or unlucky as the 12 months that came infront of it.

As for what happens infront of that, I guess we’ll have to see…

As surprising as it may be to you, being the writer of a blog, I am someone who uses social networking websites… I know, surprising isn’t it. MySpace [the one were you can do anything], Facebook [the one where you look like a Lemming] and Twitter [the one where you can’t do much]. Never Bebo, no, cause I’m not a chav [or chive, as spell check wanted me to say]. But on whatever social site you personally prefer, you will see something pop up quite regularly… mostly from the female audience, although that can differ nowadays… and it goes along the line of, well, what my blog’s title is.

Preferred insults to be inserted tend to be along the lines of cocks, dicks, wankers, arseholes, fuckers… in fact pretty much any word that’s attached to the male body to begin with. But personally I don’t have an issue with any of those words. I don’t mind it one bit if a girl says that we’re all evil, heartless, two faced bastards who eat from the table of Satan himself. No, not one bit. The thing I do have a problem with, is the use of the word ‘all’.

Hi, I’m Ben, a near 21 year old male… yes that’s male… student, currently residing in York. And news flash, I am not an [insert word here]. In fact I have no intention of ever becoming an [insert word here], never ever ever. And yet which is the guy who gets told men are everything listed above? That’s right, the one whose never ‘it’. It’s not just me though, it’s every decent male on the face of the planet. The ‘nice’ guy, the ‘overlooked’ guy. The guy you wouldn’t want to screw, but you like to rant to when some other guy has screwed you over.

And here is where the issue lies, cause when us ‘nice’ guys are stood there listening or reading your rants about our gender, and we turn around and do the comedy cough implying “hellooo, I am a guy remember!”, you reaction is instantly “oh but you’re different”. Now different can imply two different things, one: that we’re not male [cheers], and two: that your use of our language is flippin’ wrong! Ironically most women never go for the latter option, I wonder why that is…

It’s funny really, as a male who befriends a lot of girls; you get a big insight into their logic and how they think things should work. Now I’m not saying men are perfect, but women have a few loose ends that need tying up as well. And the biggest end they need tying, is their choice in men. Cause time and time again you will sit there and listen for hours on end, tissue after tissue about how ‘all’ men are jerks [yeah, thanks again] and how you are never going to trust another one, and how you should become a lesbian, yada yada and so on… and yet instead of learning, and instead of ending up with a nice guy [sorry, a nice ‘other’, cause he’s different], you go back down the sewers to find the scum of the universe again. And somehow that’s our fault?!

It annoys me that in a world that has a fairly decent population of nice guys, it’s the nice guys who get stuck into the friendship category, and then get shouted at cause there’s no nice guys around. Err hello; you’re stood right in front of one moaning at them!!!

Here’s an idea, try looking at them as more than just a friend. Cause chances are, everything you tell them you’re looking for, they actually are themselves. In fact if there was any justice in the world, every ‘nice’ guy would be issued at birth with a hat that has a great big flashing arrow on it pointing down. Cause maybe then, the ‘nice’ guy would finally be noticed. Until that day the guy who’d make you happy, instead has to sit there and be the loyal friend, watching you get treat like shit over and over and over again. Not only feeling your pain, but listening to it. And the cycle continues, and continues, and flippin’ continues.

So next time you want to turn around and accuse men of being everything under the sun, here’s a few useful tips:

1. Don’t use the word ‘all’, he wont be very pleased with you. Try ‘most’, then you’re using English wisely.
2. Think back and realize who is the guy who has sat and listened to you every single time this has happened, through every male whose treat you like what you’re accusing men of being.
3. Listen to what you’re asking for in a man, and see whether the male you’re telling it all, strangely enough has all those qualities [flashing hat not included].
4. And lastly, don’t put all the blame on the male, after all, you’re the one who keeps going back down to that sewer for some god awful reason when there’s plenty of males up on the surface waiting. But wait, they’re ‘too nice’, how silly of me…

Aaaand relax, got it all out of my system now! I knew I’d write this one day, and after a day where I spot 12 [yes that’s twelve] girls on Facebook calling men… sorry, ‘all’ men… I thought I’d finally give my 2 cents. Let’s see how much good it does… not much I reckon… now if you excuse me, I’m about to go hide behind a steel wall for after you’ve read this… *runs*

Here we are again for another one of those games which I thought most gamers had played, but was mistaken. For those who haven’t then here’s an insight, and for those who did perhaps some information you never actually knew…

Released on the SNES in 1994, Plok started life as an unreleased arcade title years previous entitled Fleapit. Half completed and fully playable, the game was canned after the developing company went into administration. Eventually the two main designers [known as the Pickford Brothers], decided to bring the red and yellow spud back to life.

Set on the island of Akrillic, a large land in the region of Polyesta, Plok’s story begins when he wakes up one morning to find that his grandfather’s flag [a family heirloom] has been stolen in the night. And so Plok goes on a quest around nearby Cotton Island in an attempt to discover who stole Grandpappy Lum’s flag. After finally getting his heirloom back from the Bobbin’s Brothers, Plok returns to Akrillic to discover the whole thing was a scam to lead him astray while fleas took over the island. Plok then sets off on a secondary adventure to find the Flea Queen and destroy her.

Designed as a traditional platformer, there are several elements of Plok that have been seen else where as a result of their underground success. The most obvious of these being Plok’s ability to fire his arms and legs out as weapons, being seen just one year later in the now Rabbid infested Rayman series. Another thing the game introduced to the SNES particularly was memorable music, to the point where even the upcoming Let’s Tap game for the Wii has taken inspiration from the game’s “Beach” level for the track “Milky Way Rendezvous”.

Composed by brothers Tim and Geoff Follin, the soundtrack used just 5 SPC channels out of a possible 8 that a SNES was able to use, leaving the remaining 3 for the sound effects characters used. All of which resulted in quite the memorable soundtrack, still causing gamers to hum the theme music or the melody from becoming the Cowboy powerful available to Plok during levels.

The game’s downfall isn’t actually a fault of the game, but more the time the Pickman’s decided to release it. At the same time as characters just as cute and attention seeking [for example Busby the Cat who was released on the SNES and Mega Drive the same year], were appearing on the shelves. And sadly the consumer decided that Busby and Co. were more appealing and edgy then out multi coloured and multi limbed friend.

An official sequel has been asked for from fans of the original for years now, at first for the N64 and now for more accessible platforms such as Wiiware and DSiWare. The brothers in charge of the original have been aware of the demand for some time, and have said when queried on such matters that they “had plenty of ideas for Plok which never made it into the first game, so maybe one day we’ll get round to developing another outing for the red and yellow spud”.

Plok Video [Intro and Beach Level]

And for those who don’t want to wait for an official word to appear during an upcoming E3, a team of online coders are currently in the middle of building their own sequel to the title. The early engine from the development is available on their Blogspot page for those who would like to have a play around with the control scheme they’ve built.

Next time I’ll be screeching over to the Gameboy Advance, and looking at a rather well… crazy game, which got overshadowed by the Italian one…

Well there we go, tonight the first E3 conference of the year took place, and this year it was in the shape of the Xbox 360. So now I’ve given myself chance to think about it, what good points were there to pick out? But more importantly, what gimmick based copying was there to point out aswell… sigh, where to begin…

I’ll just say it as bluntly as I can, Microsoft were stale, boring, predictable, and most importantly, unrealistic. There wasn’t really a single game that made me go “oooh I wasn’t ready for that!”, well, apart from Halo: Reach. But that was rumoured as Halo 4 months ago, so it’s only semi gets away with it.

Anyway let’s now do this in order shall we?

Rock Band: The Beatles
A title which, although is a lovely addition to the music game genre, ain’t what I’d class as a game which sets the tone for an E3 conference personally. We get 10 tracks announced which, just like the game itself, were extremely predictable. Then we get strange cameo appearences on stage by Yoko and Olivia, then followed by clearly computer illiterate apparences by both remaining Beatles members Paul and Ringo… their appearences proving they knew nothing about what they were putting their music on, although I’m sure the big fat cheque they were given as a result was more than enough of an incentive to fly to E3 nonetheless. Is this game really the reason Microsoft started 5 minutes early?! How odd…

Tony Hawks Ride
Yay, another controller add-on to clutter our living rooms with! And as something I’ll point out later proves, a completley unrequired one at that! The man himself comes out on stage [how much money did all these cameos cost exactly?!] and plugs the new controller and how he had imput into its design. This of course followed by some footage of people at the studios trying it out, which results in much scripted laughter as you can imagine. Expect this to game to bail big time… sorry for the pun there…

Modern Warfare 2
Yeah we’ve already seen that trailer… *yawns*… next!

Final Fantasy XIII
The Enix team come back to the stage for a second year running, this time proving they feel Xbox gamers don’t really know the franchise. How? By giving us a complete history of the Fantasy series! Perhaps this is the reason for the additional 5 minutes, or at least I’m hoping so otherwise they’ve just wasted precious Facebook time…. ahem, I’ll explain later.

The Trailer Segment!
No not a game based on making trailers, just a segment of the show which showed trailer after trailer after trailer… to be more specific Crackdown 2, Left 4 Dead 2, and the new Splinter Cell title “Conviction” which was given some play time afterwards, and looked like the game did most of the work for you. “Open Window Here”… no shit!

Forza Motorsport 3
If you like conferences where the speaker sounds like he needs to convince himself the game is good, before convincing the gamer… then this is the segment for you! Dan Greenawalk, the director of the game [who 'really loves cars' by the way] managed to mention that Forza 3 is “the most groundbreaking racing game ever” about 7 times… yes, okay, we get the point, stop convincing yourself this is true!!! And of course if you’re too lazy to go pimp out your own car, and take it to shows around the country and compare with other passionate customisers… then Forza 3 is for you, where you can simply pretend to pimp out cars, and take them to virtual shows to impress people who probably don’t even exsist… wonderful no? This segment of the conference did contain one of two comical moments, as during the live demo the gamer flipped his car and burnt it out, causing the onstage team to end the demo very early…

Halo ODST / Halo: Reach
That right people, Halo isn’t dead! For all those out there who belived Bungie when they said Halo 3 was to be the last, please slap yourselves across the face for being so gullable! Not only are the team creating a new spinoff in the shape of ODST, but they’re making Halo 0 under the fancy subname ‘Reach’. “You know how it ends, find out how it started”. Interesting how the Reach title is co-built by Microsoft Studios. So I know where the Bungie team are heading once their company collapses.

Alan Wake
Or as I like to call it “Resi Evil for Pratchett fans”. Looked fairly playable, but I don’t think a mix of a starting basic level, and an obviously overly practised gamer helped make the game look exciting or hard. It might be one to look out for in coming months however… and I must say, the lighting effects were very impressive.

The Social Networking Section
Like the trailers, not a new game for the 360, but a selection of features budled into one segment of the presentation. Over the next year features such as Last.FM, Facebook and Twitter will be heading onto your Dashboard, free of cost [like they cost anything in the first place]. Clearly an attempt at introducing the Wii’s casual market to the 360 family, these are features we’ve seen several times before now. Whether it be on your computer, browsing on your Wii’s Internet Channel, or downloaded as apps on your iPhone. So why do we need them in a 4th variation?! Waste of time, and a waste of harddrive space…

Non-Download Streaming Films, In 1080p!
Yeah, if you have a minimum 8mb broadband service, and bandwith that could choke the whole of Japan… so let’s just pass over that one shall we? I’ll make do with the already announced Sky Player thank you very much.

Metal Gear Solid: Rising
Finallt something decent… predictable… but decent, pops out at the Microsoft conference. Just a shame Kojima thought he was funnier than he actually was, laughing at everything he said whilst the audience stayed silent. The interesting thing to point out here is that the MGS “franchise” was now on the 360, not just Rising. So does this mean Kojima has actually jumped ship at last?! Time will tell…

Project Natal
Total Recall and Minority Report make their way to the 360, in the most ludicrous and implausable gimmick the gaming world has ever seen. If this were to work, it would be marvelous. But it wont, because technology simply isn’t this far advanced yet. Everything that worked was ironically pre-recorded and shown alongside rendered and ficiticious games… all placed ironically in a Ikea styled front room, showing families enjoying each other’s company. Now where else have I seen that style of advertising before… hmm…

Now whereas the videos made it look very impressive, the on-stage demo’s however… were, well, embarassing. One guy attempts to control his Avatar using his body, and when trying to show the sole of his Avatar’s shoe, ends up turning the Avatar into a jumbled mess. Poor thing…
Another interesting point I’d like to make, is how an hour previous Hawks shows off his new Skateboard controller, and yet during the rendered Natal video, a boy scans in his real skateboard and uses that to control the game! So what’s the need for a plastic skateboard if they think this camera is actually going to work!

And finally for the Natal camera was the revealing of Milo, the new virtual friend created by the guys at Gateshead. A young boy you can talk to, draw pictures for, and go fishing with. Impressive if it wasn’t yet again a predetermined video, but what is more impressive for a gamer, is if you managed to obtain real life friends who actually exist, get them to come around and play on your 360 with you, and let them break their Avatar’s backs just like you can with your new Natal camera! If this thing does happen eventually, I wouldn’t expect it to be within the next few years. So showing it off now as an upcoming piece of kit, in my opinion, seems stupid.

So there we have it, Microsoft’s E3 2009 press conference summed up in however many words I’ve managed. Overall a rather disappointing turn out, and something which didn’t really seem all that Microsoft based. All it did, was prove that Nintendo are seen as a personal threat, and have been replicated as a result. Now don’t get me wrong, if it’s a working formula then go for it, but I don’t actually this it is. But I’m sure over the coming months I’ll either be proved right or wrong, we’ll see!

Tomorrow evening is Nintendo’s press conference, followed by Sony on the night time. Hopefully one of the companies will give us that ‘wow’ factor we’ve been looking for from E3 for some years now. But at a small guess, after both the PSP Go and the PS3 Slim already leaking prior to E3 starting, I’d put more money on it being Ninty who takes the E3 crown this year…

Speak to ya’s all tomorrow gaming geeks!

Over the years games have included some of the best music there is, and also some of the most memorable. Just like most of us could dum-de-dum the theme tune to Big Brother or Eastenders, we can also la-de-dah music from Super Mario Bros and Sonic the Hedgehog. And while many casual gamers laugh at how people are interested in such music, proper enthusiasts are aware that more effort goes into writing a 40 track score for a videogame, then Take That or U2 put into a whole concert. So in my usual over analysing way, here is what I feel to be the top 10 most amazing and influential soundtracks in the videogaming world… enjoy…

10. De Blob [2008]

Starting our top 10 with the rather recent Wii title De Blob, John Guscott has managed to show how the Wii doesn’t just innovate with it’s gameplay, it can also innovate via its soundtrack. A game based around covering an island with different coloured paint, the music develops and builds depending on which colours you use, and how much of each is splattered around each city.

Eventually released as a soundtrack on CD, the release of each track just contains the versions of each song at their most full. And although you miss out on the personal development of the score itself [which lets face it, is rather difficult to achieve on a predetermined disc] the hip hop and jazz hybrid that flows throughout De Blob is a worthy CD to be within your gaming collection.

9. NiGHTS Into Dreams [1996]

The Sega Saturn may not be remembered for many things, but one thing it sure is remembered for is the birth of NiGHTS. Being one of the most popular video games ever, it also included one of the best soundtracks ever. Written by Naofumi Hataya, a soundtrack consisting of 50+ tracks, was in fact made up from over 200 files on the disc, which again varied and blended depending on which part of the level you were flying though [for example, changing for when you went underwater].

The games begged for and eventually released sequel appeared on the Wii in 2008, and was joined by a remake of the original for the PS2. And while graphics improved, depth of levels was increased, the music never changed. At the same time as the sequels soundtrack was released, the much requested original “Perfect Album” was also released across three discs, and actually reached the top 10 in Japan. And they say no one listens to gaming soundtracks…

8. The Sims [1997 Onwards]

An entry I doubt you were ready for seeing here, but has more to be credited for then you’d first think. The Sims as a popular gaming franchise took what was initially a dull genre of music [known by many as ‘lift music’] and brought it into the mainstream. And while many of you will probably not agree with that theory, someone could probably play you any track from the first two games [if you’ve played them] and you would know whether it was from the opening titles, adding wallpaper, or changing your Sims clothing.

Over the years Marc Russo, Mark Mothersbaugh, and now Steve Jablonsky in the upcoming Sims 3 title, have created soundtracks that have become praised globally. Even selling millions of copies not only online, but in HMV stores around the world. They may have become more advanced as the years have past [even introducing a choir in the third title later this year], but the basic idea remains. The music has been that successful, that EA have introduced the style through their entire PC based games library, including both Simcity and Spore.

7. Mega Man 9 [2008]

When it was revealed that Konami were ressurecting the Mega Man series, one of the first questions that people asked [along with what style would the series be taking] was whether Ryo Kawakami was involved with the game’s score. And to people’s relief, yes he was. The part they weren’t expecting was how, along with the games visual style, the soundtrack would be returning to the games original NES routes, and be written entirely in traditional computer chip format. Many tracks were also similar to those used in Mega Man 2, traditionally seen as the series’ most successful entry.

Along with this soundtrack, an ‘arranged’ version was also released on CD, allowing fans to hear what the score would have sounded like if the game took a more modern approach. However, although praised, many people prefer the in-game sound to the sound written for the arranged album. Both releases were successful online, and have made entries in many gaming charts.

6. Metal Gear Solid 4 [2008]

Seen as the final lap of Snake’s journey, Nobuko Toda wanted the game to be the most grand and film like to date, which of course includes a film worthy score. The entire 47 track score is played live, many with cultural sounding Japanese vocals embedded throughout. And, because of being used as the score’s template, included the track ‘Here’s to You’ from the film “Sacco e Vanzetti” as homage during the game’s climax.

In the same year, Snake made a surprising debut in Nintendo’s series ‘Super Smash Bros’. As a result, the composers of this fourth title came back together and wrote a new version of Snake’s Love Theme to play during his stage in the game. It is seen as one of Brawl’s most popular inclusions, and has helped make Snake a popular character in the game… along with his cardboard box of course…

5. Halo [2001 Onwards]

Many people over the internet give the Halo series a lot of credit, however not in the place most casual gamers would give it. See while the series itself became weaker and weaker, the soundtracks composed by Martin O’Donnell became stronger and stronger. The mix of rock and synth that flows throughout not only is easy on the ears, but manages to tell a story at the same time. Something all impressive scores should be able to achieve.

All three soundtracks have been released on CD, and interestingly enough in Halo 2’s case, outsold the game itself. A remix of the 2nd theme [the Mjolnir Mix] also made it as a download for the Guitar Hero series, as part of the 3rd game’s release hype. It became one of Guitar Hero’s most downloaded tracks to date, and shows that there are people out there that are starting to really appreciate the effort put into such a soundtrack.

4. Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts [2008]

It took the bird ‘n’ bear duo a full decade to return to our screens, but Rare brought them back in the 360 title Nuts & Bolts, and this time with a full orchestral soundtrack. Inspired by the efforts made in Super Mario Galaxy [which was paid respect to via the naming of the achievement ‘Super Banjo Universe’, and a mention of ‘that Italian plumber’ during the opening sequence], Grant Kirkhope and Robin Beanland felt the Banjo series could do with the same impact musically.

Seeing this would be Kirkhope’s last composition for Rare, and also the sequel to his most popular soundtrack, the team decided to base the majority of the games score on orchestral reworks of the original Kazooie titles. Two of the most impressive tracks being the choir remake of Gruntilda’s theme, and of course the 7 minute medley used in Banjoland. The soundtrack also paid homage to Kirkhope’s first Rare soundtrack back on the NES, by composing one levels score on the old 8-bit computers used in the 80’s. The team also paid tribute to several TV shows they have loved over the years, by parodying the theme tunes in the levels opening sequences. Shows such as Buck Rogers, Dallas and Dynasty are all used as sources within Nuts & Bolts.

Although the soundtrack hasn’t been released, several of the bigger tracks have been uploaded to Rare’s website. Also one gamerip exsists on several forums [actually ripped by myself, ahem] that contains the majority of the tracks written for the game. What can I say, I’m quite the fan!

3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl [2008]

The number of tracks featured in this game speaks volumes, as it contains a whopping 312 songs, and took up over a gigabyte of storage space of the games disc. Not only is it amazing in volume, it is also impressive in the level of effort, joining several dozen of the worlds most famous video game composers in one place to write new versions of classic scores for each of the characters stages. The game’s theme was also entirely original, and not only featured a 200 piece orchestra, but included the vocals of the largest choir in the whole of Japan… who also sang in Latin! What more do you want?!

While the soundtrack has never been officially released [no wonder, it would take up 24 discs if they did!] forums all over the web have spent many hours ripping every single track from the disc manually and compiling their own collections for download. And like many of those forum wanderers, the full 312 track score from Brawl now sits rather comfortably in my iTunes collection.

2. Legend of Zelda [1987 Onwards]

With a series like Legend of Zelda, it’s hard to choose a specific game in regards to its soundtrack. So instead I thought “what the hell” and chose the entire series. Every game in it’s 20+ year run has included memorable tracks that no other game can successfully replicate. Whether it’s the opening titles in the original Zelda, the sound of Epona galloping across Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time, or even the ocean crashing against your boat in Wind Waker. All these moments have included unforgettable music accompanying them.

Written by gaming musical guru Koji Kondo, the soundtracks to the Zelda series prove that Nintendo really do hold the magic of the videogame world. Showing that games don’t just contain fun, but excitement, adventure, emotion… Nintendo realise the true emphasis a great soundtrack can have on a game, and utilise it to it’s fullest.

1. Super Mario Galaxy [2007]

The no brainer of the list in my eyes comes from the musical pen of [surprise surprise] Koji Kondo, and his eventual success in nagging Shigsy into using an orchestra for a Mario title. Winning critical awards around the world, the soundtrack to Super Mario Galaxy is one of the most magical and breathtaking feats in the history of video gaming. Over the time of 80+ tracks, a 50 piece orchestra managed to tell a story that no other gaming score has ever achieved.

From the opening titles and it’s Overture, through to the beautiful underscore in Gusty Garden Galaxy, and ending up in Hell’s Prominence facing Mario’s arch nemesis King Bowser, the two disc platinum soundtrack is something every soundtrack collector should possess. It may not sound like the Mario music of old [barring the odd remix they’ve included as nods to the past], but this soundtrack encouraged many games that followed it to drop their midi synthesizers and pick up their batons. Infact several of the previous entries in this list may have never been written if it wasn’t for Mario Galaxy’s efforts.

So there you have it, from little blobs to entire galaxies, the music from our much loved games is indeed everywhere. And just like the effort in visuals and gameplay, I’m sure the passion put into the music will also increase. Let’s hope so anyway yeah?

Welcome to a new series of blogs I shall be writing over the course of the coming weeks, after realising how many games I’ve played over the years have either not been played or even heard of by the people around me. So I’ll be picking out the creme from the undiscovered crop, and advising therefore which games you should go back and discover if possible…

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon was an Nintendo 64 title released in 1998, and was based on the popular Japanese anime series “Ganbare Goemon”. It was technically the 5th title in the Goemon series, but only the 2nd to be released in western territories [following the SNES title ‘Legend of the Mystical Ninja’]. It is known to most gamers as a hybrid, using platform elements from Super Mario 64, and action/puzzle elements from Ocarina of Time. Mystical Ninja ended up selling nearly 500,000 copies in the western world, and although not received well by most western reviewers, gained a massive cult fan base throughout Europe and America.

The story follows Goemon and his fight to stop a local group of terrorists [known as Shoguns] from turning the whole of Japan into a war mongering arts theatre. And after reading that sentance, you can tell this wasn’t a game that took itself too seriously… Goemon was easily designed to usually appeal to an eastern audience. However thanks to a huge team at Konami working on translations, and managing to turn the game into a self parody, it became dry enough for western audiences to appreciate it.

The game’s dialogue is peppered with offbeat humor, and a few instances of sexual innuendo. Such as Mokubei’s admonition to wield his pipe to impress young girls, the fortune teller’s collection of hentai and pornographic posters, and of course the use of Ebisumaru crawling under cast members skirts during the credits and taking pictures. Goemon also used one of the first video game examples of fourth wall breaking, parodying elements now seen as stale in popular games:

Gate Keeper: We’ll just keep standing here until you clear the game…kinda painful…kinda depressing…

Throughout the game, another element that became important was its soundtrack. Eventually released in Europe as an official CD [which I own], ‘Ganbare Goemon’ was the one thing reviewers simply couldn’t complain about. With IGN going as far as saying the tracks would “permanently burn themselves into your brain”, a factor very rarely known for cartridge based games. A mixture of J-Pop and film score worthy tracks, the game even incorporated some of the anime shows original music complete with Japanese lyrics. Yet regardless of it being in complete Japanese, and not understanding a word it meant, most gamers could probably still to this day recite the entire theme tune… I know I can! Infact, see if it burns into your brain… here’s a download of the theme tune from the game’s official soundtrack: DOWNLOAD HERE

As mentioned previously Mystical Ninja is predominantly a platformer with several Zelda eske challenges thrown in throughout the game’s plot. Along with these elements however, other elements such as arcade fighting and shooting are also implemented via the use of Goemon’s personal robot, Impact… who incidentally also get’s his own theme tune, complete with Japanese lyrics.

Mystical Ninja was also one of the first games to include a hidden “alternate ending” depending on whether you collected every single ‘Fortune Cats’, which where the equivalent of Mario’s stars. If you achieved this, then a secondary cut scene would be shown after the standard one. It was elements such as these, that in my opinion make the game deserve more of a reputation than it originally received. Although the success of the game was evidentially enough to start English translations of the Japanese anime series, and is still shown in America to this very day.

A sequel was also released 2 years later on the N64, known in the west as “Goemon’s Great Adventure”, which attempted to be a more serious platformer and reintroduced the side scrolling element from previous Japanese releases. Although a good game, the title didn’t receive the western popularity of the previous game, and therefore future sequels were released in Japan only [including a title on the DS which was released last year].

So there you have it, a brief look at one of those games that most hardcore gamers thought was played by most, but was in-fact played by few. If you manage to find a copy at your local 2nd hand games store, or even on a website like ebay, please do consider purchasing it. I myself will be dragging out my own copy of both titles this summer and go back through them during my leave from Uni… I think after writing about them like this, I deserve to go back and actually play them.

Check back next week for a retrospective glance at a looked over SNES title that many cult followers are at this very moment petitioning for a comeback. Sayounara…

“Endings are never easy”, Zach Braff states as JD at the start of the promotional trailer for Scrubs’ hour long finale. “I always build them up so much in my head, they can’t possibly live up to my expectations, and I just end up disappointed.” Well regardless of how Dr. John Dorian feels about such moments, fans around the world will surely feel closure from this, what apparently will be, the 8th and final season of what many state as America’s greatest comedy drama, ever.

In the space of eight years, what started as a simple American sitcom, turned into one of the most successful trans-genre drama’s the world has seen. Within a single half hour, Scrubs manages to encapsulate farce, fantasy, comedy and tragedy, and tie them all up with a simple moral for it’s viewers to follow. No other product has ever done this so successfully, and perhaps ever will. And without Scrubs, programmes such as Grey’s Anatomy or House might have never got any further than the drawing board. Imitation often comes from innovation, and Scrubs was that innovation within the medical television genre.

Of course no programme is so successful without a successful team behind it. A world renown writer and producer in the shape of Bill Lawrence, the man behind programmes such as Spin City, Boy Meets World and even Friends. A team of genuine medics [Jonathan Doris, Jon Turk, and Dolly Klock] are the force behind keeping all story-lines factual, and are also an inspired basis for characters names in John Dorian, Chris Turk and Molly Clock. No other comedy has ever worked so passionately in making sure all terminology, symptoms and outcomes are as accurate as possible than Scrubs.

And then there’s the superb casting, who have helped us travel from Intern, through to Chief of Surgery, and full circle via Season 8’s new Interns [featuring in their own webisodes on the ABC website]. Over the course of 168 episodes we’ve been involved in the lives of literally dozens of characters. From Ted’s struggle with Bob Kelso, The Janitor’s secret friendship with Percy Cox, Patti Miller’s aneurism which makes her world [and Sacred Heart] turn into a giant musical, and of course the on-and-off love story between JD and Elliot. A programme which is initially about x-rays and blood pressure pills, has never managed to include so many characters, with so many stories.

Now after 8 years years in both reality and climbing the ladder at Sacred Heart, Zach Braff hangs up his scrubs for potentially the last time in “My Finale” which sees JD leave the hospital so he can live nearer to his son. And although the plot manages to tie up loose ends with himself, it also manages it with several other characters who come full circle throughout the 60 minute special. But even though “My Finale” is the end of JD’s story, ABC [the American television station who managed to sign up Scrubs for it’s last season] aren’t ready for the show to end… even if it means not having JD involved. And this is where my problems start to occur.

Carrying Scrubs on without JD is like continuing Cheers without Sam Malone, Futurama without Fry, or Red Dwarf without Dave Lister. Now some argue that Frasier survived after Cheers, but that’s a different story. If we were leaving Sacred Heart with JD, and following him onto St. Steven’s Hospital [along with cameos from Turk and Elliot] then yes perhaps. But lose JD from Scrubs, and you lose the entire narrative structure for the product, literally seeing he’s the narrative voiceover.

It wouldn’t just be JD that we loose potentially, as many cast members are now signed up to new pilots. Now obviously not all pilots end up as full term series, and even if some of them do, half of the pilots are for ABC and can therefore be worked around being on the same network. But the big question is would we want to hold onto Scrubs in any form possible and it eventually grow old and stale, or would we rather it end in a nice neat package and be remembered as something that left us on a high?

The problem is, and it’s understandable, when a writer or director has worked at something like Scrubs for 8 years. Seen it grow from an idea in their heads, to a multi million viewer classic. Well you can see why it’s hard to let go, but sometimes letting go is for the best. As JD says himself towards the end of the last episode: “It’s never good to live in the past too long”, and perhaps this is a moral the writers should take on board themselves…

Scrubs started to dip come Seasons 6 and 7, but managed to pull it back together come Season 8. And it would be a terrible shame not only for the emotional ending of ‘My Finale’ to end up meaning nothing [like Rose’s departure in Doomsday], but Season 9 could end up stinking the joint out, with half its cast missing and the narrative structure null and void. Personally, as a die hard fan of the programme, who has all the DVD’s and struggles where to place it in his top three programmes of all time… I think I’d rather it end now.

So, just incase this really is the absolute end… thank you Scrubs for bringing us 8 years of laughter and tears. Thank you for bringing new life to an industry which needed that extra spark to remind it to be brash and innovative. And thank you personally, for being the comfort blanket and soundtrack you became through several tough moments in my life.

Goodbye Scrubs, Eeeeeeeaaaaagggglllllleeeee!!!!!

In a matter of weeks Los Angeles will be holding the annual Electronic Entertainment Exhibition, known to most as E3. Bringing thousands of press related people together from all over the world… Swine Flu pandemic or no Swine Flu pandemic, now that gaming is more important than life itself of course. For those who are unaware, firstly why are you reading this blog, and secondly it’s the biggest video gaming press event of the year where the big companies usually make their main announcements of the hardware and software up for grabs in the upcoming 12 months. But with every E3 comes rumours, wants, needs, and general rubbish… mostly rubbish… so I thought I’d sort out the wheat from the chaff [or the Super Mario 64’s from the ET 2600’s, which were mostly dumped in Mexican landfills... maybe that caused Swine Flu?] and go through the three main companies and give my own predictions on what they’ll have to say, or perhaps what I would like them to say, or probably what they wont say… seems more realistic doesn’t it…

Let’s start with the overall winner from last year’s E3, even though 90% of what they made noise with still hasn’t come to light. But I’m sure we can look over that for now and just hope that’s explained this year with several dozen Final Fantasy trailers. What do Microsoft have to offer at this years expo… perhaps sudden news on the next console? Explanation of why they’re making their own Wiimote? Or how they can brick a million chipped consoles, but not get to a single one that’s been flashed? Don’t worry I’m going to mock something about all three companies… especially Sony…

- A-List Title By Rare Announced: Microsoft have a LOT of faith in their 2nd party game developers Rare [they were the ones responsible for our new Dashboard and Avatar system], and rightly so. So much so that I feel this years main title wont be Gears of War 3… why rush such an announcement… it will come from the ex-Nintendo party. What this title is, we of course don’t know. Personally I think we’ll either be looking at a potential Perfect Dark sequel, or maybe something completely new. If Rare’s personal fan base is going to be listened to, perhaps the long awaited Killer Instinct 3 will be revealed in a few weeks time? Anything but a Ghoulies sequel and I’ll not complain…

- Metal Gear Solid 4 Not Exclusive: You remember that game that Sony bragged about being 100% exclusive and impossible to make for any other console? No, not Final Fantasy, the other one… yeah, that’s the one. Well I think it’s about time Konami revealed it for the 360, and what’s more, give Xbox users some new additions just to rub it in Sony’s big mouthed faces. Konami have already spoke about how it’s very possible to make MGS4 for it’s rival consoles, and were ‘waiting for the right time’ to do so. Well I think waiting a year is about right, so let’s see it already. Some of us wanna play the damn thing

- Wii Style Content On Its Way: Microsoft have been watching Nintendo like Hawks as of late, commenting on their every move. Why? Cause they’re a threat, simple as. And if Sony can get away with copying their every move, then Microsoft can too. Difference is, Microsoft will do it properly… so expect mentions of perhaps a health or lifestyle based title, games featuring their own accessories, or even downloadable ‘Wiiware’ style content based around their new Avatar system.

- Halo 4 Get’s Trailer: Yes that’s right, the trilogy that’s now been completed and wouldn’t be returned to, will be hinted at this year. No specifics, and no release dates, just hinted at… coming to an Xbox 720 near you. Oh, did I mention the new console? Well maybe not, but the Halo part I’m sticking to!

- Goldeneye XBLA: My Microsoft ‘wild card’ which I have a sneaky suspicion about would come to the conclusion that Rare are doing more then they’re letting on, nothing new there. Last November someone’s friend on Xbox Live, who worked for Rare at the time, was online and had their recent games list updated as a result. An icon looking like a screenshot from Goldeneye 64 was present but titled ‘Bean’, the code name used for the original Goldeneye sequel Rare was planning for Nintendo. Several months have passed since then, and typical Rare have kept very quiet about this possible leak, not stating either way about it’s appearance online. But now that both Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie have been successful downloads, chances are Rare are planning on revamping their whole back catalogue. With an announcement like this, Microsoft would get tremendous coverage at E3. Especially if they go and add online gameplay like so many people have nagged about for the last billion years. I’d prefer to see an updated form of the unfairly brushed over ‘Jet Force Gemini’ personally, but what do I know, I was merely a fan of Rare before it became popular. Bet you’ve all played Lemmings, aah see you didn’t know that was one of theirs did you!

And so we come to who I place in 2nd from last year’s conference. Dreadful presentation, with the biggest anti-climax in history via the reveal of Wii Music. Not to mention that embarrassing demonstration from Reggie… kinda lost some of his Regginator status from all that me thinks. Nintendo have a lot of work to do at this year’s conference, especially with the hardcore gaming audience. Having being criticized for ignoring it’s core users, and focussing too much on the casual fan base, can Ninty pull everything back together this year and prove that we’re still being noticed? Or perhaps the answer will come in the shape of another Balance Board title. Wii Fit Resort anyone?

- Pikmin 3: I could write a paragraph on the obvious display Nintendo will make for Wii Sports Resort, but instead I’ll write about something you actually want to see. Shigsy is the master of hints, and at an interview several months ago he managed to mention that he personally wouldn’t mind seeing Pikmin return for a Wii outing. Add this to factors such as the first two being redesigned for the Wii already, along with how Shigsy himself made the flippin’ series, and you can see how I feel this is a likely outcome. It would be a light hearted start to the presentation at E3, and would also help reassure the hardcore gamers watching that there are reasons for them spending the next 2 hours watching the live stream online.

- Kirby Wii Title Revealed: Hal Laboratory, the team behind the Kirby’s Dreamland series, are usually involved with making the Super Smash Brothers games. However had to back out of Brawl’s heavier involvement, due to working on “personal projects”. Could Kirby be finally getting the modern title he/she/it deserves? Dreamland on the Game Boy is one of my favourite games ever, and to see a modern take on it announced would bring out the inner child in me and every other gamer watching. It’s more likely then you’d at first think this announcement…

- DSi Noise, Lots of It: Nintendo released the DSi without a mention in any major press conference, meaning they still have a lot of explaining to do. Afterall, why do we actually need two cameras on a gaming handheld? Well I’m sure Reggie will give us the answers to such a question, along with a list of titles that will need two cameras for some odd reason. You owe me a fiver if he includes Warioware in that list.

- F-Zero WX: Well come on, it should’ve happened by now already, so surely Nintendo are going to say something about it this year?! The Gamecube version was an instant classic, and seeing Nintendo have already used up their Mario Kart options, the F-Zero series seems to be their other logical option. And to be driving around Mute City online at 60 frames a second, while using MotionPlus to really get around those corners… is makes sense no? Probably wont happen, but should do!

- Wii TV Debuts: Nintendo have been beta testing streaming television on Wii systems around Japan for a few months now, and meetings with 4Kids have been taking place [the people who publish Pokemon cartoons by the way]. So it seems that a possible new channel could be revealed and possibly even released during E3, after all the 4.0 System Menu was available straight after their GDC conference. And with BBC already developing iPlayer features that are specifically Wii browser compatible, Nintendo could go a long way with such a feature. Look out for this kind of quiet announcement towards the end, before their huuuuge announcement that I know will 100% finally take place… see wild card at end of segment for predictions.

- Plok Wiiware Edition: What, a guy can dream right?! I’ve even suggested it to the makers of the SNES original, and they wouldn’t mind making it… so get making it already!

- Super Mario Galaxy 2: My choice of ‘wild card’ for Nintendo’s conference at this year’s E3 is in the shape of that jolly Italian plumber possibly once again floating around some nearby milky way. For a few months now Nintendo have prepared American retailers by warning them to create mass shelf space later this year, for a ‘key Wii title’ that will be made public at this year’s E3. Up until last month I had more suspicion towards a possible Twilight Princess sequel, finally taking advantage of the Wii’s features, rather than just some port of a Gamecube title very late in its development. However now that Spirit Tracks is confirmed for the DS, I very much doubt Nintendo would be going down the Hyrulian route so soon. And so the other team confirmed to be hard at work since last year’s E3, would be the Mario development team. It would seem insane for Ninty to not cash in on what became a huge success, and the closest we’ve come to a worthy successor to Super Mario 64. However we didn’t quite get there, so perhaps it’s sequel could finally achieve it. As long as it maintains the same standard of magic and beautiful CD worthy music [I should know, I own the 2 disc soundtrack!] then I’ll be jumping up and down, like only an Italian plumber would do so… of course I could be wrong and it end up being a Kid Icarus resurrection, but that would mean Nintendo listening to it’s proper fans right?

And now we come to the last of the three companies, both in blog order, and in 2008 impact. Sony spent 2 hours at least year’s E3 bragging about how it whooped HD-DVD’s to the ground [although ironically losing a lot of money at the same time, wonder who they’ve paid off?] and then showed off it’s many exclusives… only for Microsoft the next day to announce it had all the same games. Sony have a lot of wounds to still heal this year, not only from embarrassing itself last year, but to try and come back up from the gutter it’s now sleeping in. Nintendo offered to pay for it’s dinner once and give it a change of clothes, but in the end Sony stole them anyway and never gave Ninty any credit… or was that blueprints for the original Playstation, can never seem to remember…

- Hardware Price Cuts: This is the most obvious announcement at this years expo, and if Sony fail to do so, they’ll piss a lot of people off. Yes we all understand that they’re already making a loss on each unit, but that’s their own fault for adding so much stuff into one console. However, it’s been a few years now, and as with everything the components used WILL have dropped in price. Therefore it only makes sense that the product made with said components is dropped in price also. It may be the only thing that could save Sony during this generation of gaming, otherwise gems such as LittleBigPlanet and… and… well LittleBigPlanet, will go unplayed by way too many people.

- ‘Home’ Content Announced: Sony have spoken about their exclusive Home feature for what seems 2 ice ages now, but there is still a lack of actual use for it. Sony need spend the other half of this year’s conference [the first half being prices of course, and more Blu-Ray boasting] revealing several pieces of useful content that will make users actually want to go back home. Anything other than a virtual mother-in-law basically…

- Gran Turismo 5, Not Prologue: Last year Sony released the latest version of their racing classic. Only it wasn’t the next version, it was half a version? Whaa?! Anyway… the point is, 12 months later I would like to believe people would like to see, well you know, the other half to the game? So E3 seems the right place to finally reveal what gamers have been missing out on. Not that they should’ve been missing out on anything in the first place…

- Sega/Sony Partnership: Bit of a gamble here, but of all companies to see that Sega have been forgotten as of late, I strangely enough feel Sony will be the one. Expect a few exclusives from “Seee-Gaaa” to possibly be heading to the PS3. In my opinion, a wise move would be bringing back the ‘Sega Sports’ brand to the forefront, give EA some much needed competition. Like I say, it’s a gamble, but it kind of makes sense. The two lesser companies joining forces to try and get back with the big boys. You heard it here first folks, possibly even last…

- “E3 will be our biggest in 11 years”: Eleven years ago Sony announced their first Playstation, just incase you wondered why they use such a number as eleven in their statement. Another way of looking at it, is that Sony have done bugger all for a decade. Well, other than act too big for their boots and end up shooting themselves in the foot that’s inside those boots. Perhaps they’re finally not talking out of their backsides, but chances are… they still will do… Playstation Wiimote being classed as ‘ground breaking’ anyone? “2009 will be the year of the Playstation” Right… like 2008? Oh and of course 2007? Of course it will be Sony, of course it will…

- PSP 2: The last of my ‘wild card’ predictions comes not in the form of a title, but a brand new handheld. The PSP has been out since 2005, which means the handheld is reaching the end of it’s usual lifespan next year. And combining the facts that Sony are already admitting the handheld’s failure in both Europe and America, and the fact that new hardware is being made for the PS3 in the shape of motion sensing controllers [where have we seen that before I wonder], it’s not impossible to grasp the idea of Sony developing new handheld hardware at the same time. But if this were to be true, what features could Sony incorporate that it’s predecessor has lacked… well, other than a decent games catalogue of course. Likely routes are touch screen capabilities, integration with the Playstation Network allowing downloads of PSX and PS2 titles to SD Cards, and obviously anything else that Nintendo have already done with their hardware in the last 5 years. Seems to be where Sony look for their ideas usually, so why change strategy now? After all, Nintendo themselves have been quoted in saying that “while Nintendo choose to innovate, Sony seem to imitate”. Their words, not mine! What do you mean I’m biased? Psh, as if…

So there we have it, my not-so-obvious predictions for this years E3 event. Like I say, my lists don’t include titles that are pretty much confirmed as it is, so don’t be thinking I’m unaware of what IGN and Gamespot go on about, I just thought I wouldn’t waste your time with a million ‘LittleBigPlanet PSP’ or ‘Wii Sports Resort’ paragraphs.

Anyway, pop back after the three press conferences have streamed on IGN and G4 and see what I got right, or what I probably got wrong. And then send emails to the above companies, and refer them to my blog… just to give them a few logical ideas for E3 2010. Can’t do them any more damage then their own press departments are doing after all…

Wednesday 4th March 2009 marked a sad day for regional broadcasting in the UK. As a result of ITV’s current financial problems Yorkshire Television, now known as ITV Yorkshire, closed its doors for the very last time. And although other regional broadcasters such as LWT and Thames are no longer used, they were merely merged into the larger ITV Productions company. The studios known to many within the business as simply YTV, is the very first to be completely shut down.

Yorkshire Television is really the unsung hero of ITV, bringing us the finest in programming over the last 41 years. Programmes such as Rising Damp, 321, Calendar, Bullseye, A Touch of Frost, Emmerdale, Heartbeat, and of course Channel 4’s very first programme Countdown, were all produced at the Leeds Studios which will now no longer be used. The only programme from the list above which has a secure future is Countdown, as it will be moved to the studios in Manchester. Yes that means even Emmerdale and its Woolpack don’t have a definite future ahead of themselves.

Between the years of 1968 and 2004 viewers would be welcomed to their programming with Yorkshire’s iconic golden chevron and 5 chord ident. But since ITV’s consolidation in late 2004, regional identity nationwide would be scrapped to form one complete identity: ITV Productions. However, even though YTV weren’t acknowledged onscreen anymore, the studios were still in charge of the programming it always was. And between the years of 2005 and 2008 Yorkshire Television brought us even more memorable programming such as My Parents Are Aliens, Deal or No Deal, Win My Wage and the now iconic The Royal.
But even this quality of work, as well as it’s outstanding efforts in broadcasting the majority of the countries ITV Sport productions for decades, hasn’t saved that golden chevron from the chop. Yesterday over 500 jobs were lost in a broadcasting region the size of Scotland.

The question now of course is, if ITV were so quick off the mark to kill off the companies unsung hero of broadcasting… who is next? ITV for several months now have openly admitted their financial issues to the press, desperately bidding for a ‘terrestrial merger’ called Kangaroo between ITV, Channel 4 and Five. This of course didn’t go ahead after arguments from the fair competition committee [stating it was unfair to merge three companies against the BBC], which has left Independent Television back where they started several months ago.

The only logical solution for ITV now is to look into how other regions are performing. However, if they can pull the plug on one of the most successful and important regions in the blink of the eye, surely 99% of the other regions such as Granada or Anglia don’t stand a chance.

Regardless of how it pans out, yesterday was a morbid reminder of things to come, and how the future of British broadcasting is laying out ahead of us. But let’s also celebrate the passing of YTV. Celebrate the region that introduced us to television legends such as Alan Wicker and Les Dawson. The region that became the heart of children’s television for nearly 3 decades with products such as Finder’s Keepers, Junior Showtime, and of course Fun House. And of course, let’s remember them for bringing us one of the nation’s most loved farming villages in the country, Emmerdale.

So long Chevron, so long Leeds Studios, and so long Yorkshire Television. We knew you well…