When completing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare you take on the role of an AC130 Spectre gunner tasked with clearing the way for allied ground troops in the level 'Death From Above'. It was always one of my favourite levels as it broke up the ground running and gunning of the rest of the game and I appreciated how understated a piece it was. The dialogue throughout didn't feel forced and it sounded like the characters we thinking about what they were saying and having a conversation. I was given the impression that  this was just another day in the life of  this particular soldier as opposed to the heroics we so often see video game characters involved in. Overall, I think I enjoyed this level because it seemed to carry a certain realistic weight to it; the kind of weight which is so often sort after in video games. People often speak of the future of videogames, imagining games which feel so realistic you struggle to distinguish between them and real life.
 
Today I saw a reversal of this. Video game reality. Wikileaks posted a video showing US Apache pilots killing what they then believed to be insurgents carrying weapons but in fact turned out to be war reporters carrying cameras. This is a horrific tragedy but sadly a costly mistake which happens in war. I watched the video and felt horrified to see innocent reporters crawl away wounded but feel that if it had been insurgents I would still have been left with a similarly sickened feeling. The over-zealous nature of the pilot's cries to hurry up so he can engage a van arriving to help the wounded made me cringe. It felt like a video game in which each gunner was competing with the other in order to set a high score. I am not in the military and have no idea what it must be like to lose friends on the battlefield. If I did have military training as I must imagine the US military thought the targets they were shooting at had, I'm sure the last thing I would do is risk my military trained men by sending them to pick up fellow wounded soldiers whilst there is an Apache flying above. The driving of a van by someone who is clearly unaware of where the danger is (above) is the driving of someone who is not trained but wishing to help someone who they perceive to be innocent. This naivety is clear when you learn that children were in the van and I cannot believe that someone aware of the overhead danger would risk the lives of children who could easily be left away from the danger zone if the threat was recognized. 
 

 

The other week I began my attempt to get the Fifa 10 achievement "Ton Up". It's a pretty simple achievement- Win 100 ranked online games. It's worth a 100g but it's not the point value that I am particularly interested in; more the challenge. It seemed a good one to get especially since my chances of getting the 50g achievement "Time for a Testimonial" took a pretty substantial hit after my virtual pro was deleted by myself last week as I tried to rectify a local mulitplayer issue.
 
 I have started by setting myself the manageable target of two wins a day everyday- more if I can be bothered playing. Finding the time hasn't been a problem as I really do like FIfa 10 and the way, in general, the franchise has separated itself from my former lover Pro Evo over the last two editions. In fact I probably wouldn't even be writing this had Pro Evo not treated me like the wife of an abusive husband and kicked me around its metaphorical kitchen for the last three years. Eventually last year I said enough is enough and I went out, black eye and all, and bought myself a copy of Fifa 09 for cheap and had a really good time with it. It had issues, but they paled in comparison to the dinosaur that is Pro Evo. It felt fluid and snappy and provided hours of entertainment whilst my bundled copy of Pro Evo sat (and still remains seated) in my cupboard unable to the sold but now kept as a trophy and reminder to any of my other loved series that if you push me around too much I will eventually snap.
 
The implementation of the 360 control in Fifa 10 really does an a new dimension to the play and I think the AI is clever than years past. It has rectified the problem of advantage from last year but my still major grudge against the Fifa series is how easy it is to score. Most games end 5 goals plus whereas I really loved grinding out a 1-0 win in Pro Evo. However, I am willing to swallow this small pill and see Fifa 10 as probably one of, if not the most, complete sports games ever made to this point. I should point out that I do like a lot of other sports games. I have slowly warmed to Madden 10 after proclaiming it to be god awful a game into my experience with it. I think the changes made to that series, however small this year, have really made great leaps in terms of gameplay and realism, however Peyton Manning can still throw a 50 yard smart-bomb down the field whilst running backwards. I think in the coming years that series could push Fifa tight for realistic gameplay in the sense of passes being affected by player's footing and positions.
 
I also have a lot of time for the NHL franchise which I believe to be the most consistent of all the sport's franchises. I can't say too much about the NBA series' as I have only a little experience with them including my recent 1000g of NBA Live 07 (RIP). I also join fans either side of the pond waiting for a good baseball or rugby game. In fact I think I would take any rugby game at this moment in time. Honorary shout out to MMA games which look to have a bright future.
 
Anyway back to my challenge- 100 wins, 2 wins a day. Simple enough. Or so I thought. There was a certain expectation of frustration that came with this challenge but nothing compared to the levels I am reaching. I'll admit that I am a pretty aggressive gamer, in the sense that when stuff isn't going my way I get annoyed. Not turn off my console annoyed, more sit there screaming through clenched teeth. I guess my problem lies mainly with the former kind of annoyed people who find it quite alright to switch off mid-game or five minutes from the end when I put my sixth goal past them. Why goal 1-5 didn't rattle their cage I'm not sure but number six pissed them off. Worst off is when I get thrashed 6-1 or something, get challenged to a rematch and when I go ahead in the second game they quit on me. I feel my act of common courtesy should be repaid but clearly I am wrong.
 
I'm feel myself getting more and more disheartened with the lack of variety in opponent's teams. I'd be quite happy never to see the Chelsea, Inter, Barcelona or Real Madrid logos never again. I really thought there would be more people out there choosing different teams. I've been mainly playing with Aston Villa as I like the strength of the team mixed with the pace of Young and Agbonlahor. It seems I am one of a rare few who venture out of the 5 star team range but even I am picking a four and a half star team just so I am able to compete. I look forward to the day someone challenges me to a League One or Serie B game but I feel that I will have completed this challenge many times over before that day comes.
 
Some of my frustration must also be vented at EA for the ease in which players can get away with leaving the game early. I think on games similar to Fifa the option should not even be on the menu. If you want to quit then you must turn off your console to do so and put up with the game's excessively long intro. Also, whilst Fifa records peoples' DNF stats, it does not post them in the lobby screen. In fact, you only really get to see them on the leaderboard after they have quit on you making them as useful as a chocolate teapot.
 
All in all I hope I remain sane long enough to complete this challenge. I've won just over 30 so far so am I good course and only hope that as I progress higher and higher in the level system, the players around me, although better, do not feel the urge to quit on me quite so much. 
 
Also if Siik SKiilZz from my earlier game of Fifa on the 360 reads this- My threat of finding you and gutting you like a fish still stands you Barcelona, rage quitting bastard.

As a relative newcomer to the Steam store page, I was amazed this Christmas at the deals that were available. Come 5pm GMT I would be refreshing the store homepage like a madman dying to see what the deals would be for the next 24hrs. I picked up over 15 games and it would have been more had I not hit the financial wall. As the days clocked over I became more and more aware of the fact that the deals were eventually going to end. These kind of things don't hang around forever but I, probably in  a vain attempt to keep it together, convinced myself that Steam would still throw a few deals my way a week. How wrong I was. 
 
Now at this point I feel I need to state the fact that I think that Steam, as a whole, provides an excellent service with many of its titles being offered at good, reasonable prices. It is far superior to all the other download clients out there, not that this is a particularly mean feat what with EA and GFWL both treating you like you were born yesterday. Anyway. I think this weekend's deal of Dirt 2 for £14.99 is a corker especially as it has achievements but I WANT MORE. I run the risk of sounding like Veruca Salt but god damn it I want deals all the time. 
 
I feel like a crackwhore needing my next fix. My conditioning, mindlessly leading me back to the Steam homepage everyday. Like putty in Valve's hands I wait to be shaped by whatever deal they throw my way. Clearly, I don't need a metaphor game. Although, if you are reading this people of Steam, I would not complain if you were to put a game based on or requiring the use of metaphors as a deal. I just don't understand why they don't just put Bioshock down to £3.49 forever. In fact, if they did it forever, I probably wouldn't buy it because I would be too worried that it might get put as a deal and heaven forbid I buy a game at its normal already discounted but not sale price. Stung by the fiery tale of a discounted Torchlight at £7.49 only to see it further reduced to £3.49 days later, my lesson has been learnt cruel Steam Gods.
 
 So, how is everyone else coping? Also, does Steam do any other holiday deals? I know Burn's Night is only just around the corner. That's a pretty major holiday right? Anyway, hopefully most of you are coping better than me and if you a seasoned vet at Steam let me know if this painful withdrawal gets any easier as the months go by.
 
Freddie

So I have just got a new PC and I love it. It's fast, looks great and runs really well. I also love my 360 and am a little bit of an achievement whore coming in at a modest 37000 or thereabouts. This puts me in a dilemma, what platform do I play my games on? For things like Modern Warfare 2 the choice is simple. My friends all play on the 360 so I got it on the 360. I've just seen that Dirt 2 is Steam's weekend deal and at £14.99 it's a steal especially as it has achievements. I could get it for the same price or near enough on the 360 but I want to push my new PC and see how good a game can look so why not get it for the PC (it also has controller support so I won't know the difference) 
 
There are, however, a few games I am unsure about. Most recently these have been Borderlands and Dragon Age. Both of these games supposedly play better on the PC due to the controls but neither supports achievements on the PC.  I think I will get Borderlands on the 360 because my brother has it but with Dragon Age I am split. It is definitely a game I will get into, which then leads to me sinking 50+ hours in to. But do I put the hours into a less well fit version of the game for the achievements or do I just suck it up, get over my achievement craze, and play it like it was supposed to be played?
 
I know for PC gamers this will be a no-brainer but to anyone who has been in a similar boat to me with regards to their own achievement addiction, let me know.
 
I could make the argument that if the game is so good I will eventually play it on both, but, if I playing it on the PC first, I may then not be able to get over the control flaws on the 360 version of the game.
 
Also for all the people who are dually in love with achievements and Steam deals, check out Killjoy's awesome guide to see what Steam games support achievements. If he's missed any that you know of, add them!

 So I am fairly newish to this whole Steam malarkey. I have played games through Steam for years but only because my retail copies forced my hand. Anyway, I stumbled onto the store tab a few weeks ago after a hiatus from PC gaming and holy shit I have no money! Steam has stolen my money and left me with a list of games I will probably never play- I don't know what happened. I saw the words "Sale" and "80% off" and then, in under a minute, I had a list of about 10 games ready to be installed on my ancient laptop. Not good.
 
Anyway, after a bit of snooping on other people's blogs and forum posts, I was relieved to find I was not the only one. I had heard the GB staff speak of buying games on Steam that they will never probably play but I put this down to them working in the industry. I didn't think it would be a problem for a Joe No-one like me. I guess it's like muggings in foreign countries- You hear about them; but you never think it will happen to you. Well it did. Hats off to Valve, they have me hook, line and sinker.
 
I am only now starting to come around to the thought that this is probably what the next few years of my life will be like. I am now onto damage control. I have been trying to find out whether there is a way to combine my love of Xbox Live Achievements and Steam. I am aware that Steam has its own infrastructure of achievements for games like L4D2 etc but read somewhere that the Steam version of Fallout 3 allows you to earn Live achievements. I was just wondering if anyone could verify this and if anyone knows of any other games that when  downloaded through Steam allow you to earn Live achievements. I have done a quick scout of the internet in its entirety and struggled to find a completed list or even a started list for that matter.
 
Any info would be much appreciated.

So I have just ordered the parts for my new computer. Been wanting it for awhile but have only just managed to get the money together for it.
 
I'll get the tedious part out the way and list my components:
 
Case: Coolermaster Sileo 500
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD2 iP55  
Processor: Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz Socket LGA1156 8MB L3 Cache  
RAM: 2gb Ddr3 1600mhz Hyperx Memory 
Graphics Card: Zotac GTX260 192 Core synergy edition 896MB DDR3 
Harddrive: Seagate ST3500418AS 500GB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 16MB Cache 
PSU: OCZ Stealth XStream 600W
 
It's not completely state of the art but it should play everything on the market at the moment and for the foreseeable future after over-clocking. Anyway, the reason I am posting this (other than showing off) is because this is the first computer I've built and I was after some tips from the experienced GB community. I'm not really after build tips but more starting my new computer up tips.
 
For example, I remember seeing a quality website posted on GIzmodo where you just ticked the programs you wanted it to download and then it would do them all at once. I cannot for the life of me remember what it is called and if anyone knows that would be grand. 
 
Anyway, like I said, feel free to post tips or anything that you think might be of help and I'll let you know when my computer is up and running.

I noticed the other day that now when I go on someone else's page (or my own for that matter) it no longer displays two pieces of information which I used to find pretty useful. I am using the term 'useful' fairly loosely here but I referring to the user's Giant Bomb page DOB/reawakening- the day they subscribed to Giant Bomb and their wiki submission position in relation to all other GB members. I'm 98% sure that my disappointment is NOT related to the feeling of superiority over those who were not as quick to join as myself but like I said, there is a 2% chance it is....
 
I find both stats useful or interesting because it was a good way of seeing the GB community grow. I, like many others I am sure, often peruse the GB forums and blogs and end up looking at specific people's profiles in a non-going-to-find-where-you-live-and-cut-off-a-lock-of-your-hair-manner. I liked seeing people who hadn't joined at day 1 but still got stuck in. For me, some websites are like Gears of War- if you haven't been playing from the start, don't even bother trying to play online now. This is what it felt like at Gamespot and just as I was starting to feel comfortable- they went and isolated me even more by losing close to 10 of the writers whose opinions I cared about and trusted. But every cloud..... yada yada yada and here we are on Giant Bomb.
 
I know that at the time of writing this there are 62,456 members on Giant Bomb- a hell-a big number but where do I rank in that? I remember the days when I was in the top 1000 (we are talking Week 1 when no one had any points because the mods were so overwhelmed with the info being sent to get checked). I imagine I am nowhere near that but I like to think that if I was in the top 10, lets say, that I would get some small recognition on my page. I am sure Marino, who currently sits in 1st place for wiki submissions by a fair margin wouldn't mind it but maybe I wrong and he is not as shallow as me.
 
Either way, I can't work out why this info was removed. I'm not trying to start up a petition or anything just pondering and if I have missed it on the summary page or anywhere on the profile page let me know so I can deem this post even more irrelevant than it already is. 
 
Also I guess this isn't really a look at the complete user summary page- more of a look at two specific points which aren't even part of the summary page anymore. My bad.

Two flawed games.
 
I have just finished trying to play Mercenaries 2 and Bully: Scholarship Edition on my 360 and my god, both of those games are terrible. I knew what I was getting myself into with Mercenaries but after enjoying the first one I thought I owed it to Pandemic, God rest their souls, to give it a shot. Got to say, glad they got closed down. Actually I will refrain from sticking to that comment until I have got my hands on The Saboteur which is looking quite promising, but then again, so was Mercs 2. For as bad as Mercs 2 looks, it plays worse. The AI was a poor excuse for "last-gen" AI let alone trying to compete with the big boys. The animation was shoddy and the voice acting was like being spoon fed last Christmas' turkey's entrails. All together it was a painful experience and last no longer than 40 minutes.
 
The second game, Bully, is one that is dear to my heart as I loved it when I completed it on the PS2 when it was first released. I was pleased a few years ago to hear that it was coming to the 360 and even more pleased that I caught it on the PS2 when I  heard that it was a buggy excuse for a game. I believed, and still did till a few days ago, that these were all minor bugs and things that Rockstar could easily patch to make right. I eventually learned the hard way. Bully: Scholarship Edition is a piss poor attempt of a port from Rockstar still riddled with bugs. After putting a few hours into it, I managed to switch it off and salvage a few of those fond memories which I have hidden deep within myself, away from the parts of my brain which have registered that I have played the 360 version. Not only does it look extremely dated, as most Rockstar games some time after release do, it's buggy flickering lines of missing code ruined what I can remember as an engrossing and humorous story through a different but strangely GTA familiar setting. It is such a shame to see this game like this and it appears that the Bully has finally been caught with his pants down ready to take his lashing from the cold belt that is the ever more expectant video gamer.

  This would have probably been more fitting a month or so ago when we were all mourning the death of the beloved Dreamcast, but I stumbled upon this video of Jeff on ABC's Good Morning America and thought someone might be interested to see how impressed Jeff was with the graphics.
 
Good also to see that the American Sports top and shorts look is not just limited to one decade, century or even millennium.