31/08/2011

The 'Meeple' Carcassonne Tournament

I can never get enough of the 'meeple' they are a strange breed in that they like to either populate cities, lay in the fields all day wondering, command a cloister or loitering on the roads.

It is time for us, the Carcassonne players to stand up to these meeple & show them who is in control. So grab your meeple's and sign your name below to take part in 'The Meeple' tournament.

The Meeple tournament will consist of 3 rounds.

1 point for vs match win
2 points for group match win & 1 point for coming 2nd in group match

1st Round all the players will be split into groups of 3 and take art in 3 matches (2 x 1 vs 1 & 1 group match) - the top two players will go through to the next round.

2nd Round will be split into equal groups (depending on number of players) and there will be vs matches & a group match - the winners of these groups will go to the final

3rd Round will be the same vs & a group match - the person with the most points is the champion.

Cut off date to sign up for the tournament is 10th September & the total number of players must be dividable by 3 - any left overs I'm afraid the last players signing up will be dropped.

Players signed up (game center user names)
1. gospvg
2. Lufferov
3. actionabbas
4. monstermohsin
5. satsuma
6. kevlarx
7. phorce
8. FPEX
9. bluewomble88
10. boxoctosis
11. jochta
12. Fluffmyster
13. Bushtopher
14. MightyMiniMan
15. HaggisHunter
16. Chunty
17. Altashheth
18. kerumba
19. Bensm
20. chimpz
21. Synozeer

'Custom' Disc Drivin Tournament

I'm not good at this game but there is no denying that it is fun so time to start another tournament.


Depending on numbers my plan is to have groups of 3 playing 3 matches each with 5 points awarded to the winner, 3 to 2nd & 1 point to 3rd.

The starting order will now be rotated ABC, BCA & CAB - once the first turn has been played, it will be easier for you to wait for the other 3 games to catch up so you can play all your turns together.

So get your custom discs on the starting grid & sign up below
Closing date is 10th September and the last to sign up may get dropped so I can keep the group numbers the same.


Players signed up
1. gospvg
2. actionabbas
3. monstermo
4. thermalsatsuma
5. lufferov
6. trooperlooper2
7. GusTavToo
8. kevlar
9. SomethingWitty
10. jochta
11. Fluffmyster
12. MightyMiniMan
13. Sessile
14. HaggisHunter
15. LALeaf
16. dls911
17. Jamma
18. arn
19. cts125
20. Indy
21. smes3817
22. Mike552
23. mcevoy
24. selector
25. benkort
26. Inspector42
27. Zinger223
28. KiwiAcer
29. dizzyjw
30. Zomoniac
31. Orrah
32. becs
33. carldjcross

UGVM Disc Drivin Tournament - Final inc Results

So the top 4 from the group stages go through to the final

Gustavtoo (10 Point)
HaggisHunter (4 Points)
Lufferov (13 Points)
SomethingWitty (9 Point)

James wins another tournament !!
Congrats & Thanks to witty for organising it 




Race 1: Jump Start - HaggisHunter invites GusTavToo, SomethingWitty,
Lufferov - Gus won





















Race 2: Hangtime - GusTavToo invites SomethingWitty, Lufferov, HaggisHunter - Witty won





















Race 3: Fork in the Road - SomethingWitty invites Lufferov, HaggisHunter,
GusTavToo - Luffers wins





















Race 4: Bumper Beware - Lufferov invites HaggisHunter, GusTavToo,
SomethingWitty - Luffers Wins

Carcassonne Tournament - Final Round inc Result

The final round poppa_f vs lufferov. Just the one match to see who will be the tournament champion.
I want a nice clean fight & no punches below the belt & good luck.

poppa_f has not been available to take part in the final thus Kerumba has taken his place. Hopefully it will be a quick game to decide the winner & then I can start another tournament :)

Luffers wins the final game to be crowned "I am CHAMPION" as he put it :) Well done James.



Thanks to all taking part, I will be starting another tournament soon :)

26/08/2011

Disc Drivin - Custom Disc's

The latest update to Disc Drivin gives you the option to have custom disc's. On the default disc you can change the background colour  & the colour of the logo.

There are additional packs for 69p each ranging from starts to shapes. I went for the letters pack & have the letter G on a bright green background.

I failed in the UGVM Disc Drivin tournament & even though I have won the first race in the RLLMUK tournament, I am not doing so good in the others.

I'll post more details shortly about another tournament I will be starting soon where the winning prize is that you get to play against one of the developers of disc drivin.

25/08/2011

Here come the GAMES !! - Recap

So a quick recap on my "Here come the games" post

Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
Chances of buying? 0/10
Sorry I'm not tempted to play anything on the Wii, far too many games on the 360/PS3 to enjoy.

Deus Ex - Human Revolution (360)
Chance of buying? 10/10
Um I've purchased this already, Gamestop had an offer on yesterday for a few hours and were selling this for £20.97 !!
Now my only dilema is do I stop playing Torchlight/Splinter Cell Conviction & play Deus Ex to ensure I finish it before Batman AC is released or do I put it on the shelf & leave it till after Batman AC?

Dead Island (360)
Chance of buying? 7/10
Depends on the reviews the 4-player campain appeals to me with a cross of Left 4 Dead & Borderlands style of gameply this could be interesting.

Gears of War 3 (360)
Chance of buying? 10/10
It is easily one of the best local co-op games & good fun online but I will not be buying on release unless any offers below £24.99

Rage (360)
Chance of buying? 8/10
This looks like a nice Fallout style game but again I am going to wait on the reviews.

Batman Arkham City (360)
Chance of buying? 11/10
Obviously this is the big title for me, however I do not have a pre-order & will wait until release day before buying just in case there are any offers.

Battlefield 3 (360)
Chance of buying? 3/10
Yes it looks amazing but I am bored of these online shooters.

Uncharted 3 (PS3)
Chance of buying? 5/10
I've yet to play the first two games so no need to rush out and buy the third.

Modern Warfare 3 (360)
Chance of buying? 8/10
Highly likely because the boys want it & it will almost guarantee be on offer on release day.

Skyrim (360)
Chance of buying 1/10
Does not interest me at all, I'm more interested in the game engine because I expect it to be used for the next Fallout game.

AC Revelations (360)
Chance of buying 9/10
Highly likely depends on how I get on with Batman AC & if I have finished it.

Halo Anniversary (360)
Chance of buying 2/10
No interest to buy it on release when it drops in price then yes I will.

Sonic Generations (360)
Chance of buying 7/10
My youngest son wants this game so depends on release price.

Now to go and finish off Torchlight & Splinter Cell Conviction on local co-op.

Borderlands - 3.5 Hours !!


3.5 hours !! 3.5 HOURS !!

Aaargh stupid friggin DLC

3.5 hours to complete 20 rounds of 5 waves each on The Gully Arena !!!

Seriously whoever came up with this DLC, deserves to be severly punished. How about getting them to sit down & play 3.5 hours of Mad Moxxi's?

Only two Arena's left to go but I'm going to try a different tactic - will post back soon.

23/08/2011

Tuesday A to Z - # Numbers

Even more obscure than the last few letters of the alphabet are games beginning with numbers. I have completed no games that begin with a number, the only game I remember having played in an arcade is

1943 The Battle of Midway (Arcade)
Not much to the game its a classic shoot em up that has you piloting a WW2 aircraft to attack oncoming enemy planes & destroying ships. You have your usual end of level bosses, I don't remember getting much further with the game that the first few levels.

This post also brings an end to the A to Z, I have mainly only focused on games I have completed over the last 30 years of gaming with some references to uncompleted experiences. It is only fair then to make one more post to recap & go back over all the games I have posted about to pick out my top 30 completed games of all time.

22/08/2011

iOS Gaming - Whose go is it?

I seemed to have hit a lull with my iOS gaming, the only games I play are the 'Your go, my go' specifically Word with Friends, Carcassonne, Disc Drivin & Hanging with Friends. I started playing Space Miner on the ipod touch a long time ago but I am stuck on the final boss (admittedly I have only had one attempt). On the iPad I did start a while a go playing Plants vs Zombies & Sid Meier's Pirates but have not been back to them in a few weeks.

I have not gotten bored of the devices far from it I use Newstap, Twitter & Tapatalk on my ipad & the ipod touch gives me internet browsing & emails in my pocket. Somehow I seemed to have made the decision that if I have time to play a game I prefer it to be on the Xbox 360 currently playing Splinter Cell Conviction & Torchlight.

With the start of the 'AAA' games season on consoles coming soon I don't see myself returning to play a game on the iPad or iPod touch anytime soon. Which reminds me it's my go on Carcassonne

19/08/2011

Batman Arkham Asylum - Mr Freeze

Another villian added to the list with Mr Freeze.

Confirmed so far
Calendar Man
Catwoman
Dr. Hugo Strange
Harley Quinn
Mr. Freeze
The Joker
The Penguin
The Riddler
Talia Al Ghul
Two Face
Victor Zsasz
Black Mask



Borderlands 2 - More Screen Shots






18/08/2011

New Logo - Splinter Cell Conviction

Time for a new logo, I've had Assassin's Creed Brotherhood since 21st April. I was tempted to go with a Batman Arkham City logo but I will save that for when the game is released. So until then I give you Splinter Cell Conviction. Also a little note for myself remember the width of the logo should be 975 x 3??

Old Logo - Ezio looking into the Colosseum

New Logo - Sam Fisher getting ready for action

Borderlands 2 - Screen Shots

Get ready to snipe

Gorgeous Visuals

WTF Marcus?

What's that on my shield?

Sandworm Monster

UGVM Disc Drivin Tournament - Group 1 Finished - Results

Group 1:
a) HaggisHunter (15 Points)
b) gospvg (5 Points)
c) Xexyzx (6 Points)
d) trooperlooper2 (10 Points)








1. Track: RC Raceway - Player a invites (in order) players b, c, d.




















2. Track: I in the Sky - Player b invites (in order) players c, d, a.























3. Track: Round and Round - Player c invites (in order) players d, a, b























4. Track: Bump in the Road - Player d invites (in order) players a, b, c



17/08/2011

Splinter Cell Conviction - Completed


“Do you think we are stupid lochlear?!”

This game has some memorable dialogue but this line we have used a lot in the Khan household when responding to silly questions.

I was stuck for quite a few days on a level at the end of the game where you are in a restaurant & soldiers are coming at you from two directions. All you have for cover is a small piece of furniture, I tried various tactics. Launching grenades at the enemies to charging in all guns blazing but I kept on dying. I was adamant I wanted to do this section myself & not let Abbas have an attempt life my previous frustration. Also to prove I still had it in me to play games.

After a break of a few weeks I came back to it and noticed a climbing pole in the corner, so I promptly went up this pole & was invisible to the enemies who I now easily dispatched. Then I dropped to take cover & used my grenades for the 2nd wave of soldiers. Amazing a few weeks off makes you think more clearly. I then promptly continued the last few stages to get to the white house & saved the president.

It has taken me nearly 3 months to complete the game, I’ve been side-tracked by a few other games mainly Borderlands but I have enjoyed my first experience with Splinter Cell. It is a mixture of Metal Gear Solid style stealth & Gears of War action cover & shoot gameplay. By performing a melee attack on an enemy you get the option to mark enemies & take them out with a special attack. The storyline is what drives the game forward and has you saving your daughter whilst trying to prevent the President getting killed.

I have now started the co-op campaign with Abbas, the question on the single player is do I go back and replay to unlock some of the other achievements or do I start another game? Abbas’s response is play something else specifically Red Dead Redemption but I like to get full value out of my games & I am not done playing Sam Fisher yet. So I intend to start the campaign again albeit on a slightly easier difficulty than my completed realistic play-through.

16/08/2011

Tuesday A to Z - Z

Finally we have made it to the letter Z
Zone of the Enders (PS2) - When Hideo Kojima got bored with Metal Gear Solid, he decided to make a flying mech based shooter. This is purely an action based shooter that has you controlling an "Orbital Frame" (Flying Mech) to blast down your enemies to a thumping soundtrack. There is a story, something to do about Mars I forget.

Zone of the Enders - Fist of Mars (GBA)
Now this little gem of a game is more my style a turn based strategy RPG :) with MECHS :) Again obviously there is some story about Mars but that is irrelevant to the turn based action you get to enjoy with MECHS.

13/08/2011

Vandal Hearts - Flames of Judgement - Last Boss fight strategy

Spoilers below concerning the last boss fight so read with caution.

Here Konami decide to ramp up the difficulty ten-fold and to make it extra difficult you can only use Tobias. None of the other characters, gone are your melee knights, your wizard & your archer. I got truly annihilated on my first attempt and turned off the game in disgust.

It was not till a year later when my youngest son started to play the game I thought let's go back and tackle that last boss fight again. On my first attempt again I died but then I clicked and restarted the fight again (after going through umpteen loading screens)

When the first set of minions appear you have to attack them but make sure you deal the final blow on them to convert them over to your side. You have two types, mages & attackers, when you have converted the mage minions you need to get them to continue performing healing rain on all your characters. Also you need to ensure that the skill divine power (increases your attack power) is always topped up, you can perform this spell.

When you have taken control of the first set of minions, you can then set out to tackle the next avatar enemy (you have three to attack) I would have the mages use the ice spell but only if none of my characters needed healing & then my attackers would go in and attack. After a few turns you can easily kill the first fire avatar. This then releases more minions for you to attack, again make sure you deal the final blow to convert them to your side.

Now you should have a large team of mages & attackers to control. Use the same strategy for the second fire avatar but ensure that no-one is standing close to the avatar because they can perform a devastating attack that will attack nearby players. I just stuck with my mages using ice spells & then went in and performed the final kill myself.

The important point to remember is that the mages are your important players, do not let them die. If you need to use up a whole turn on just healing spells, do so because you need the mages more than the attackers. Also ensure you make the final blow to any fire minion to convert them onto your side.

The last fire avatar is obviously more tougher but all I done was have all my mages case ice spells to take his health down & then dealt the final swing of my mighty sword to finish him.

Now sit back and enjoy the ending & then start the game again to get the alternative ending

11/08/2011

UGVM Disc Drivin Tournament - Group 3 Finished - Results

Group 3:
a) monstermo (5 Points)
b) SomethingWitty (16 Points)
c) Fluffmyster (10 Points)
d) jochta (5 Points)








1. Track: RC Raceway - Player a invites (in order) players b, c, d.





















2. Track: I in the Sky - Player b invites (in order) players c, d, a.





















3. Track: Round and Round - Player c invites (in order) players d, a, b






















4. Track: Bump in the Road - Player d invites (in order) players a, b, c


10/08/2011

UGVM vs BETEO - Final Round - Result

6th round – THE FINAL !! The best UGVM player vs The best BETEO player. After having played 6 games to get this far you have 1 more game to play. The winner takes with him the Player Championship but who will win the Team Championship with 5 points up for grabs to the winning team !!

UGVM have already won the Team Championship for the Player Championship in the blue corner from BETEO we have AlarmBee vs in the red corner from the newly crowned team champions UGVM we have Jochta

I want a nice clean fight, DING, DING !!

Result - A great win by AlarmBee winning 480 points to Jochta 397


The final team scores are

UGVM - 20 Points
BETEO - 15 Points

AlarmBee (Philip) wins the Player Championship

UGVM Disc Drivin Tournament - Group 4 Finished - Results

Group 4:
a) ThermalSatsuma (11 Points)
b) carldjcross (3 Points)
c) becs (8 Points)
d) Lufferov (14 Points)









Results - Group Stage Races:
1. Track: RC Raceway - Player a invites (in order) players b, c, d.




















2. Track: I in the Sky - Player b invites (in order) players c, d, a.





















3. Track: Round and Round - Player c invites (in order) players d, a, b





















4. Track: Bump in the Road - Player d invites (in order) players a, b, c

UGVM Disc Drivin Tournament - Group 2 finished - Results

Group 2:
a) Zomoniac (4 Points)
b) actionabbas (11 Points)
c) GusTavToo (14 Points)
d) Sessile (7 Points)








1. Track: RC Raceway - Player a invites (in order) players b, c, d.





















2. Track: I in the Sky - Player b invites (in order) players c, d, a.




















3. Track: Round and Round - Player c invites (in order) players d, a, b





















4. Track: Bump in the Road - Player d invites (in order) players a, b, c