Jammy

I can't get that extra stuff as I've not yet succumbed to Live!.

I do remember this, and the theme tune too... "Animal Kwackers, Animal Kwackers, Mungo, Rory, Twang and Boots." Glam Rock animal musicians. Whatever next ? If someone else remembers Jungle Ted & The Lacey Buttonpoppers my day will be complete....

I dunno, but it's not a bad idea....

Hadn't heard that it was so serious - I thought the same as everyone else i.e. although bad, it was one that he had a good chance of recovery from.

You may have just sold it to me there - I remember that reaction back in the day... Perhaps as you suggest, the more enclosed environments help. And perhaps, more than likely, I'm barking up the wrong tree completely. Sorry, JJ. I was trying to think of a phrase without using the usual hardcore/casual distinction that gets trotted out. I realise this is a generalisation, but the type of person who has played Frequency and Ico,Metroid and Zelda, Halo on Legendary. Rather than the Friday night after the pub gamer who...well, hasn't. And isn't interested in anything other than a half hour bit of carnage on GTA or a quick game of footy.

Clive and Hitcher - it's true, I haven't seen Riddick yet, although I hear it sure has a purdy mouth...has it got great AI or is there a horsepower trade-off between under the surface behaviours and veneer ? No specific title in mind, it was just a conspiracy theory based on the early change and the poor frame rates in some games.

I'm not so sure about the Xbox - admittedly not everyone is using it to it's full potential, but I suspect it's tapped out in some respects. What made it initially attractive to develop for - well known off the shelf hardware - may possibly be what's driving an early change. In that regard, perhaps some flagship title that they were pinning a large hope on has proved to be too much for the current machine, and a short delay to 2005 will see it debut on Xbox2 instead, with no running problems. Just speculation, but perhaps a possibility ? And Poet - I agree. My point earlier was that Nintendo cater for pure gamers with these games, not the majority of the curreny console crowd. The problem is that people are approaching this argument from a purists' mindset, and although the logic is sound for the old school, it just doesn't cater for the majority of the current market who want to be Michael Douglas in Falling Down, rather than Link.

Agreed. Nintendo have always been excellent at producing games that cater for gamers rather than age brackets. However, I think it's more than just adolescents. I was thinking as much of the 20-somethings who see GTA or The Getaway, to use 2 obvious examples, and decide that coupled with FIFA or PES, that they should buy a PS2 or Xbox. Quite a large market who basically wouldn't give Pikmin or Wind Waker a second glance just on looks alone, have never heard of Metroid, and think that Mario is shit. Maybe sad, but definitely true.

On the other hand it opens up gaming to people who don't have to answer to parents who think that maybe, rightly or wrongly, games are a bit childish ?

Now that I agree with. The nagging feeling I have with Xbox is that because its technology is very well known and documented, unlike the proprietary hardware used in PS2 and GC and also in Xbox2 and the other next-gen consoles, that it's being maxxed out a lot earlier in its lifespan than expected. Bottom line is that if you don't want to be stuck with a 4 year cycle, don't buy it at launch.

And yet Nintendo are just as guilty with regards to next-gen announcements. It's a given that everyone's working on their next console. Whether or not it's better to be first is obviously open to question - it certainly didn't help the Dreamcast - but it's also no better being late. The GC and Xbox sales could be used to show that, if you were really that bothered. I don't really get what he's driving at with the GTA jibe - the Playstation and PS2 proved that 'mature' games are what draw quite a large portion of the casual market in. Is this sour grapes that he didn't have the GTA series at his disposal ? It certainly might help the GC sell to a casual crowd who don't care about Mario and have no idea what Zelda and Metroid are all about. Maybe he's just got the hump because he's not allowed to release anything 'til about 6 months after everyone else has got it.

Some of the fastest, best riffs evah, two of Metallica's best songs, and a fantastic bass performance. On the other hand, some very young lyrics don't compliment the fantastic music in some songs. No life 'til leather indeed....

I remember it too, but I always thought it was a re-release poster rather than the original ones, which were this one and this one. You could well be right though... EDIT - You are right, it's a 1983 one, as are the two I listed. Wonder why there were so many...

It's a must-do. You might even feel guilty at some points. For a second, like.

Good choice Miffed - I thought the normal/short combo was miles better than the double-ender for combat. Did you get any Krait Dragon pearls ? They really up the rating on those sabers ! Well worth running through again as the opposite to what you're doing now. Not sure what you're playing at the moment, but you won't believe how bad you can be if you're playing darkside.

Nice - I thought that there was a panel missing from the front, but it seems that the original photos were on the money. It looks to me (using my considerable engineering skillz) that those front wheels can be lowered and shifted outwards to create a wider wheelbase and change the ride height for different terrains. Third row down, second one along shows some sort of concertina struts coming out of that central pylon, and also shows that the front wheels don't have an axle joining them. Although in actuality it means that the car has been built rear-wheel drive, I'm sure the inference will be an independantly all-wheel driven all-terrain vehicle.

I saw all these at the cinema first time round, and loved them all. Over the years I've grown to dislike Jedi. The Ewoks are an obvious reason, but it's with this film that it becomes apparent that Lucas is starting to aim it more for kids than fantasy fans (although that bikini makes up for a lot !). Look at the difference between Empire and Jedi even down to little things like the love scenes - passionate snogs between Leia and Solo in Empire, and by the end of Jedi they are reduced to that stiff-lipped kissing you get in all kids movies. As for AOTC - I thought it was a quite clever plot ruined by Lucas not letting someone decent write the script. He obviously tried to not be so heavy handed after criticisms that he'd dumbed down the original trilogy with his re-dubbing of various dialogue. Unfortunately he made it so vague hardly anyone realised what the hell was going on. You don't give away the two main plot details with one sideways glance from Yoda and a single line from Jango Fett.

It would have worked, except I had no recollection of the product, only the advert itself.

Fair enough - but you left out Black Christmas, damn you !

Biglime, less than half your list is actually scary, if that's a criteria.

I don't think they usually evict anyone in the first week - the nominations start next week. N.B. However, I think they did last year, as a 'surpise'.

So it's OK to be British rather than Irish when it suits for a whinge then eh ? The 'I' stands for Independant. If your local ITV station is too pikey to get their own commentator to voice over the generic ITV feed, that's not the vast majority of the British population's fault.

Almost as much of a shock as the two English terrestrial channels mentioning England a lot.

If Brian Moore were still alive it'd definitely be ITV for me.

Have to agree with Biglime about The Stepfather. Great film. But really, no Black Christmas yet ?