Courtesy of systech: the little bug sprite in the lower leftRecently, something has upset me. Upon checking out TokyoChicken's latest blog, I noticed that systech has created a pretty awesome promotional poster-like thing for Bomb Should Have A Face. As you can see, it's a bit like a patchwork quilt, made using the icons of all the most popular and iconic regulars on Giant Bomb. A quick glance over the collage threw up some familiar faces. For example, the Notorious BoG can be seen in the bottom right of the image. The trademark dragonfly associated with Rowr is somewhere in the middle of the picture. I even spotted veteran blogger turned secret agent Sweep's infamous burger loitering down in the bottom left corner. After the excitement of recognising so many fellow Giant Bombers, I scanned the whole sheet looking for my icon. I couldn't see it. I backed up and checked again, to see if I'd stupidly missed it. Nothing. I then remembered I change my icon fairly regularly, so I analysed the image for a third time to see if one of my old icons had been used. Nope.

I'll be honest - it upset me a little bit. It's fairly trivial, I know, but it gets to me nonetheless. I'd like to think I'm a fairly well-known Giant Bomb user, and not being included on this majestic piece of art makes me feel a little sad. After thinking about it for a little while, I came to the conclusion that this could be because I don't have an icon that defines me as a user. Looking round, all the other regulars have instantly recognisable icons that have become synonymous with them. BiggerBomb has his famous MS Paint faces, Hamz has stuck with the Shinra Electric Power Company logo, and Disgaeamad is instantly recognisable thanks to the guitar-playing rodent in his icon. Because I've been changing my icon to represent what I've been playing recently, there is no one image that represents me as a user.

...Or perhaps this?Maybe this?...The point of this little story/rant is that I'm thinking of getting myself a permanent icon, one that can instantly be attributed to me. I'm not sure exactly what just yet, but I've got a couple of ideas which you can see on the right. All I know right now is that it has to be something distinctive, unique, and personal to me. I don't want it to be game-related, because even though this is a site about games, I'd like my icon to represent me personally. Again, it seems like a trivial thing, but I'd like to be recognised on some level within the community by somebody other than just SuperMooseman (who himself has an awesome Sam & Max icon). Obviously, the other side of this is that I'll have to make my presence felt a little more within the community too, something I've been working on anyway.

No other way of putting it - TR: Underworld is frickin' gorgeousIn games-related news, my foray into the mass of new releases from the past couple of months has been only very slight. Being a Uni student, I can't afford to keep splashing out on new releases, knowing I'd only be able to afford one or two. To be sociable, I decided to get hold of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (as anybody who read my last blog will probably know) and it's gone down a storm in my flat. The big downside of this, though, is that it's affecting everybody's ability to concentrate on their work. With assignments due in over the next couple of weeks before we break up for the Christmas holidays, I think it's best that I lock it away for a while so people can get on with their essays. I also bought Tomb Raider: Underworld last week while I was in town. A bit of a shocking choice, considering the other high profile games that have been released recently like Gears of War 2 and Fallout 3. I haven't played it much, but I really enjoyed Legend and Anniversary, and from what I've seen so far, Underworld maintains the same standards. My only concern is that it feels like it's going to be pretty short, so I'm hoping there's plenty of unlockable stuff to be getting on with after I finish it. I'm also playing the original Saints Row. I decided to order it after watching my flatmate playing the sequel, and I have to admit it's pretty fun. It's impossible to take seriously, mind, and there's no way I could see anybody getting attached to the story or characters in the way made possible by Grand Theft Auto. Nonetheless, it's a nice distraction.

I think that just about wraps this blog up. Thanks for reading, and see you around.


DanK

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Currently playing - Tomb Raider: Underworld (X360)