...after five years of using a Sony Ericsson K750i I've opted to jump on the smart-phone-band-wagon (umpteen years late I know) and got myself one of those iPhone 4S thingamajigs today. I managed to get a pretty good contract with O2 as well with unlimited texts, unlimited minutes and 1GB of data usage a month all for the affordable price of £36.00 a month, minus the one off fee of £50 to 'purc...
Hope Everyone Had A Merry Christmas! Here's the list as promised, enjoy :) Best of 2010 Hamz: Best of 2010 1. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Each new iteration of the already brilliantly refined Assassin's Creed series brings with it a new layer of polish and AC: Brotherhood is no exception. Adding a much deeper single player experience, with an intriguing story and set of characters, that conti...
Video Games Played Split/Second ; I've not got much else to add about the game that I haven't mentioned already (see: Patch Notes v0.04 ) but I did just want to conclude that having finally finished it I'm hopeful the game will see a sequel. A superb experience, albeit frustrating when the AI cheats, that ended in a suitable bombastic and dramatic way that caught me by surprise. Final Fantasy X...
Videos Games Played ModNation Racers ; the gameplay was dull and the blatant cheating by the AI was frustrating and off-putting. So much so that I couldn't motivate myself to continue playing it to completion. That being said the game had a lot of charm in its visual style and design. The creative opportunities available were also something worth applauding, albeit even if I had zero desire to...
Video Games Played Dead to Rights: Retribution ; not long after Patch Notes v0.02 was posted I finished this up and put it to rest. As I mentioned before my main criticism with the game stems from the clumsy feel to the combat and controls as well as a few technical issues. However I found the game's visual design to be very appealing. There's a gritty, grimy feel to everything that fits in ext...
Video Games Played Singularity ; barely anyone talked about it up until it was released then it seemed like they couldn't stop talking about it, probably because it's one of the better games released this year. A pretty solid story accompanied by gameplay that is familiar to anyone who's played BioShock and some design decisions that feel like they were inspired by games such as Half-Life 2 . I...
Video Games Played Heavy Rain ; excellent cinematic experience with a brilliant atmosphere and tension that had me on the edge of my seat for fear of missing an on screen prompt for almost my entire time spent with the game. Definitely a fine example of how a game doesn't need to involve a tremendous amount of violence or complexity in order for it to be a deep and enjoyable experience. God of...
Cutting straight to the point! Its my all new favourite website . A website that has been appearing in my twitter feed with some regularity over the last few days. The site is run by a gentlemen called Ben Paddon (never heard of him either!). I won't bother going into an explanation of what the site's purpose is as its blurb does a fine job of explaining that on its own. A catalogue of the stup...
No poor attempt at a witty intro in this blog today folks, we're jumping right into the bullet points! Battlefield Bad Company 1 & 2 (PS3) I felt the first game had the stronger single player campaign while the second game had the more entertaining multiplayer portion. The sense of humour in both games was a refreshing change to competing products :P Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time Definitely...
Some of you may remember way back during January of this fine year I was experiencing some major issues with my PC. Well that computer promptly died not long afterwards and sometime around February 1st I ordered a new computer and was forced to use my old laptop which has no sound in the meantime. All was going well and the machine arrived by the 17th of February but sadly that's when things to...
To the victor go the spoils! Those of you that follow my ramblings on twitter will likely know I've been aiming at getting a highly coveted Platinum trophy in a game for awhile now. If only so I can get into that elite Platinum club. Well thanks to Assassin's Creed 2 I can now say with great joy I am 'in da club' as it were. Unlocking every trophy for the game sometime in the very late/early ho...
A few days ago everyone was actually going about their daily business on the site as usual. Then one simple blog is created that sparks up some ridiculous debate that now has half the community lunging at each other's jugular. What the hell happened here? Why can't we all just get along? Is nobody thinking about the effect this domestic is having on the children? Somebody think of the children...
The USS Luchadeer continues its mission through the Internet Quadrant, to boldly go where no Hamz has gone before. To seek out new memes and discover new levels of fail and win. Our primary mission to record and categorise new information for the wiki database so that future generations of the Space Neon Lobster race may learn from what we find..... Alright enough with the poor Star Trek rolepl...
I felt considering it is New Year's Eve and with my PC being on the blink I'd post this up now while the computer actually works. So without further delay here is the top ten games of 2009 as voted for by me, your friendly neighbourhood moderator ;) Best of 2009 My top ten games of 2009! 1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves A perfect example of how a game can lend itself to being both a fine cinematic...
It'll be Christmas Day by the end of the week and right now feels like a good time to just slap down a list of my ever favourite bullet points! Still waiting on LoveFilm to send me a rental copy of AC2, R&C: A Crack in Time, The Saboteur and a plethora of other games on my rental list for the PS3. Currently playing through Killzone 2, so far so good. It's growing on me like a bad rash, controls...
So having recently setup a LoveFilm rental plan I had PS3 copies of both Batman: Arkham Asylum and Modern Warfare 2 shipped to me. Since I've already written up an extensive blog of my views on Batman: Arkham Asylum on the PC we'll bypass comments on the PS3 version. Except for the mention that it controls so much more smoothly with a controller than it does with a keyboard and mouse. Now onto...
Hello ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, transgender and ewoks alike! Been awhile since I popped a blog out into the blogosphere (I used that term, shoot me later) and figured I'd do one now. As I sit here in anticipation for the plethora of comments I envision getting. We'll get straight to it then, no waiting about or delaying here people, I deliver the goods and I deliver them on time! PS...
So I finally finished Batman: Arkham Asylum last night and felt the need to blog about it. Lets get it out of the way first, I enjoyed the game and as the title suggest I thought it was pretty awesome. Definitely the best game I've played all year and if I'm going to be even more high-praising of it I'd say the best single player game I've played in the last five or so years. "Hamz, what exactl...
So I bought a kickass 42" plasma screen TV ( link for those interested) on Sunday. I was thinking of buying a new gaming PC with the money but after doing a little research and general comparison of which would be a better investment I decided on the television instead. The current PC I have for gaming is almost 6 years old and to be quite honest I haven't really bought many PC games this year...
.......is now on hold. Over the last few weeks I've been super busy dealing with numerous things ranging from credit card and bank fraud to work and janky internet problems. So to all those folks who were anticipating the blog being posted yesterday I apologise. I just didn't feel comfortable posting what I had started as I'm not too fond of releasing a half-assed piece of work just to meet a d...
I don't consider cell phones or mobile phones as platforms for gaming. Thus I do not care.
....will be the name of my first game once I get the money, staff and booze together to create and develope it. It just also happens to be a humorous play on the title of the recent adventure game from Telltale Games, Tales of Monkey Island Chapter 1: The Screaming Narwhal which I have just, as in right now at 3:14am, finished. And I've gotta say it was a brilliant little game that has left me...
FireFox has failed me for the last time. The past few days have involved the loss of two different blogs, three emails and a stock report for work. It crashes again it gets uninstalled and replaced by something more stable. I am tired of trying to google self-help guides or topics on fixing this damned browser and its bloody crashes. That being said thanks to everyone who took time to read my l...
Time to get on my soapbox a little and express my views, thoughts, feelings and opinions on a few things. Some related directly to GiantBomb and recent events and others related to general random things. Take from this blog what you will, if you hate it then let me know by leaving a rage fueled reply in the comments! Moderator Positions For the time being we are NOT looking for or considering t...
Prequel can be found here for those unaware as to what this is all about. For those of you who can guess what this is a spoiler for then please leave links to forum topics / wiki articles / memorable occasions or quotes and general suggestions etc. .....suggestions for a final title are also welcome :) Hamz XOXO!
Hello my name is Hamz and I'm an alcoho....err....video game enthusiast. First order of business is the complete mind-fuck Valve has done in regards to the upcoming class update for Team Fortress 2 . First the Sniper was announced and then out of the blue the Spy was announced to be released alongside his Austrailian colleague. But more shenanigans were to be had with the early leaking of the S...
I had intended to blog about this awhile ago. But things cropped up and time flew by quicker than I had anticipated. However here you are, another random blog with another random yet witty image by myself for your viewing pleasure. I could go into a long speech and rant to express my views on the 'hardcore vs casual' argument and why I feel it is such a flawed idea that we have to split what is...
So a friend of mine sent this to me the other day and I have to say it is pretty damn catchy and rather touching in a nerdy / soppy way. I suggest you get your other half, sit down with them and just listen. Listen and share a moment GiantBomb, a moment worth remembering! :P Enjoy!
Hey guys and girls how are you all? Enjoy the GDC coverage and news? I was going to blog about some of the stuff coming from GDC. Specifically OnLive and why I can't see it working out the way the creators seem to think it will. But instead I've opted for something else, something less negative..... If you happened to be paying attention to my Twitter feed ( link to follow me) last night you'll...
Hello GiantBomb, it's been awhile since I last blogged and if memory is correct my last blog was before the new site redesign. So it really has been awhile. And as I type this I'm drinking a can of Red Bull so I'm going to try and see how much I can type before I finish it. A challenge, not as cool as the coke drinking challenge but one none the less! So what has the great Hamzini been up to si...
Its Friday evening, its cold, its snowing outside and tomorrow is Valentine's Day. I'm sure I wont be the only guy going to bed tonight wondering if they picked the correct size of lingerie for their other half or if the piece of jewellery they bought has the right design they'll like. I've got a table for two booked tomorrow evening and did remember to book a taxi to take us this time after la...
So I haven't done a proper blog in awhile, my last blog was more Moderator focused than anything personal or actually interesting. However I will make up for that by providing what I hope is an interesting blog for you, the community, to read. So lets bypass the introduction crap and get right into the gooey stuff shall we? I was reading through Crispy Gamer today when I came across an article...
So kids, been awhile since I last blogged or even made a topic on the forums (other than stickies, or "anchors" as they sometimes get called). Seems a lot of my time has been in the IRC or moderating the boards as of late. I failed at my goal to try and reach 5000 points by the end of 2008 which sucks. So I have set a new goal for myself, reach 5000 points by the end of January this year! we'll...
Hey folks, friendly neighbourhood moderator Hamz here with my top ten games of 2008 and end of year review. Before we get into the actual top ten list I think it should be said that 2008 was another cracking year for the video games industry. We all said in 2007 that nothing could beat that year for the number of great games released, but this year seems to have done just that. We've seen new b...
So the highly anticipated survival-horror-coop-orientated-zombie-shooter from Valve was released today at 5am, in the UK anyway, and i was one of the brave, or sad, folks who stayed up to play it as soon as the game unlocked on Steam. And i haven't really stopped playing it since, infact its now nearlly 5pm and i've only just logged out to write this blog and share my thoughts. First of all thi...
Hey all its your friendly neighbourhood moderator here, just felt like writing up a little open letter style blog to you all. The community here is the lifeblood and pulse of the site, its what keeps it running and going forward. Its probably the most important aspect of the site because without you, us, all we wouldn't have a place to call GiantBomb. So i guess i felt like writing a blog to sh...
Been bloody ages since i blogged so figured i'd make one, let those interested know what i've been up to and i've been up to a lot. From gaming to working to becoming single again, yeah nearlly 5 years sort of finished last week so ladies, i'm taking names and numbers :P. Trying not to dwell on it too much but rather difficult anyway... What i've been playing... Crysis Warhead Peggle TeamFortre...
I've been quite the busy bee this week what with covering a extra few shifts at work for some people and seeing a few friends before they head back to Uni. Aswell as doing a lot of gaming and spending money i really shouldn't be spending. And the title was picked mainly because this seemed like such a long blog, i did try to keep it easy for you all to read. First off i've bought a few DVD's......
Went to go see Star Wars: The Clone Wars while we were down there and it was surprisngly good. Infact i thought it was better than the live action Attack of the Clones film starring Ewen McGregor, Natalie Portman and Samuel L Jackson etc. It just didn't have the bad acting, angsty storyline and was all round kid orientated fun. And the scene involving Anakin and Ashoka hiding in a box to sneak...
Well just thought i'd post a blog and let you all know its my birthday tomorrow, 25th of August, and i'll be away for a few days or so. The girlfriend and myself are going off to celebrate it, yay for dirty weekends away :D!...well its not really the weekend but you get the idea. When i'm back i'll be popping up a blog to share my thoughts with you all about some upcoming games and i'll hopeful...
So i finally decided to go and get a hair cut after having my curly 10 inch mop for ages and i have to say i can't believe i left it so long. It feels weird not having long hair now, i got a good 5 or 6 inches taken off, but atleast i can see clearly when i tilt my head or bend down completely. That and i wont get mistaken for Jesus anymore. Also pulled my thumb out and got some gaming time in...
Well its been awhile since i last blogged, sorry about that i've been busy with work and a friend came up to stay for a few days so we did some catching up. Managed to get the girlfriends car windscreen fixed, insurance company sorted it out and got it replaced within a few days of sending out the form. Catching the bugger who broke it hasn't been so much of a success since the police still are...
....that its too damn popular. The site recieved 20,000+ submissions on day 1 of launch, with around 8000 users signed up. That number hasn't decreased one bit and while the moderators and staff all pitched in and got the turnaround for submissions down to the 24 hour mark. It sure as hell hasn't stopped the submissions queue from rising. But we shall persevere and try to maintain the 24 hour t...
Its GiantBomb's 1 week anniversary and i want to say thanks to everyone for sticking it out. We've had trolls, we've had goatse pictures, we've had GS vs GB hatred, we've had bugs, we've had delays in submissions, we've had uproar in the forums over certain subjects not being allowed on the site. But we've endured and overcome these issues during the first week and we'll do the same for the com...
I'd like to take the time with this blog to go over a few things. Firstly a thanks to everyone on the forums for really making them a great place to be because the vast majority of you have really started to get into the swing of things. Gaming related topics in the forums have increased and we're also seeing less trolling, infact the only real trouble makers have already been dealt with and wi...
So as many of you will have noticed by now i'm a moderator here on the GiantBomb. Its not as bad as many people seem to think it is mainly because the community here is pretty awesome at self regulating and using their common sense, just goes to show a heavy handed approach at moderations isn't the only way to keep law and order on a website. One thing i'll ask is no more PM's on how to become...
So yeah 11,811 users signed up to GiantBomb at the moment, thats a little mind blowing for a site only 3 days is it? into beta launch! Also looks good for the future success of GiantBomb aswell. The editing and submission of articles on the wiki has been astounding aswell i think, people already are close to that 1000 point mark already i believe, shocking when i only have 4 points lol. Althoug...
So here it is folks, GiantBomb in the flesh so to speak. Looks awesome, already seeing some familiar faces from Gamespot. The site looks awesome and i've already spent a good 30 minutes just in my profile section configuring everything, updating my bio etc. Look forward to browsing through the rest of the website. Already the community feel here is awesome, awesome infact seems to be the best w...