tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48764814717322865202024-03-13T09:36:46.589+00:00Riaktion's ReactionWelcome to "Riaktions reaction" - a gaming blog. I am someone who loves to talk, debate and write about games in all thier forms and hopefully my blog will inspire the same!
Gaming is the new past time of choice and its now out of its underground infancy and firmly acceptable to tell your girlfriend about. Its my favourite hobbie, something I care about deeply and whatever happens to this industry, I intend to be along for the ride. Hope you enjoy the blog. :o)Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-64910899270218083142010-07-19T18:31:00.005+01:002010-07-19T18:43:05.197+01:00ITCHY TRIGGER MUSIC<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Hey All</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Came across this today and thought i'd share. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The clever chap or chapette that goes by the name of "One shot film" has noticed something YOU HAVEN'T (I hate you so <span style="font-weight: bold;">MUCH </span>for that)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">If you listen closely when playing COD 4: MW 2... you can hear music....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Just tune out the death, screaming, gun fire, explosions, radio chatter, beeps, clicks, bangs, grunts and that 13yr old swearing down your ear hole... </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">and just listen... video below...</span><br /><br /><object width="400" height="250"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9ztMmXtBPOI&hl=en_GB&fs=1?rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9ztMmXtBPOI&hl=en_GB&fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-43031900832964420992010-06-09T18:47:00.005+01:002010-07-19T18:46:45.012+01:00ITS ELEMENTRY HORROR MY DEAR WATSON<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So I know you've <span style="font-weight: bold;">ALL </span>be rushing out to buy the new adventure "SHERLOCK HOLMES NEMESIS" which features:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >2 legendary English characters from the 19th century in a terrifying investigation!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Terrifying is bang on actually... just see Dr Watson here....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Turn up your speakers first! *Runs away*</span><br /><br /><object height="300" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/13YlEPwOfmk&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/13YlEPwOfmk&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="300" width="400"></embed></object>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-2920517699801423232010-06-06T21:05:00.003+01:002010-06-06T21:11:54.199+01:00ITS OFFICALLY TIME TO GET EXCITED ABOUT THE WORLD CUP!<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Hey All</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Yes I am back, now my big move to the new place is complete and the wizards have weaved there arcane works to restore internet to my home Riaktions Reaction is back in full working order.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">That all said, gonna kick off with a quickie. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">If you hadn't noticed by all the car flags the World Cup starts next weekend and its now </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: trebuchet ms;">OFFICIALLY TIME TO GET EXCITED.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Why?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Play the below...... </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Enjoy!</span><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/07K_kHV7BXk&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/07K_kHV7BXk&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-48513814943078742312010-03-13T09:21:00.003+00:002010-03-13T09:24:32.767+00:00IS CALL OF DUTY FINISHED?<span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Hey All</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Just another quickie... the new Medal of Honour game thats in development has released an annoucement trailer which I thought I'd share.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Is this the end of CoD? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">No... no its not.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Trailer below!</span><br /><br /><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" id="gtembed" height="392" width="480"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=63075"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <embed src="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=63075" swliveconnect="true" name="gtembed" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" allowfullscreen="true" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" align="middle" height="392" width="480"></embed> </object>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-81490027133965778032010-03-07T12:36:00.004+00:002010-03-07T12:44:27.753+00:00WINDOWS GETS A CENTURY, NICE INNINGS!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Just a quickie...<br /><br />Every month I back up my music, pictures, por..... erm... personal videos... and all the other stuff that would be awful to lose in case of internal hard drive fires.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A common occurance.<br /><br />On setting off the back up to my External Hard drive Windows gave me the following estimated time of completion:<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfD1oWNDeWKqX6udRLtlvdVjelrXagGHbT5-tBVnY5ESMpVJAVG1RBDY3Q5kXyk_bi-fGqjJfuRGgKNZo2uMgb51kvseGTlniMGq5Y5yg2bG7vaBloVHpqkCFzsuyGNJJs-mAi_4gdRzlS/s1600-h/How+long%21.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfD1oWNDeWKqX6udRLtlvdVjelrXagGHbT5-tBVnY5ESMpVJAVG1RBDY3Q5kXyk_bi-fGqjJfuRGgKNZo2uMgb51kvseGTlniMGq5Y5yg2bG7vaBloVHpqkCFzsuyGNJJs-mAi_4gdRzlS/s400/How+long%21.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445870515636192562" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Thats just over 114 years.... not to bad then!<br /><br />I think the best thing is thats its <span style="font-style: italic;">"about" </span>41712 days. I'm sure you'll agree though, as stabs in the dark go, thats pretty shite.<br /><br />Who programmes these things!?<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-77227457152715705662010-03-06T11:51:00.004+00:002010-03-06T12:04:36.707+00:00HOLOGRAPHIC TECHNOLOGY!? YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Hey All</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Came across this the other day and had to post it simply because I couldn't believe it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Some band I have never heard of.. called the "Neurosonics" teamed up with famed beat-boxer "<a href="http://www.myspace.com/beardyman">Beardyman</a>" (and I encourage you to look at that link) to create the following piece of music that was performed live on stage with HOLOGRAPHIC Beardyman heads....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">There is no CGI here and this is what the audience saw... check out the video below...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I have my holo-deck on pre-order.</span><br /><br /><object height="225" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9543537&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9543537&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="225" width="400"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/9543537">Neurosonics Live</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user898664">Chris Cairns</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-7476114179140741312010-03-03T19:35:00.008+00:002010-03-03T20:16:33.287+00:00SONY GETS A HOT DATE!... WRONG!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnnt-G3-4PkPWgfq_clr93el5ZJqU5dyF51PhcvtLCjMwRHCCFXzlCloWOs1eh1vs_fcwGm3ksyIFOElpim2zTyeQ1_0IMst7Fx0X0H9F0TM4P3QGqRvyJ1GCg4M0zQlCPam2m817pJAQ/s1600-h/PS3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 124px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnnt-G3-4PkPWgfq_clr93el5ZJqU5dyF51PhcvtLCjMwRHCCFXzlCloWOs1eh1vs_fcwGm3ksyIFOElpim2zTyeQ1_0IMst7Fx0X0H9F0TM4P3QGqRvyJ1GCg4M0zQlCPam2m817pJAQ/s320/PS3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444502245578655122" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sony made a boo boo. A big boo boo. Thankfully a short boo boo... but a boo boo nonetheless.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">They might know how to create highly prized televisions, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU8ZtH60O8o">huge mechanical hearts</a> for the start of football matches and <a href="http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/0,39030108,49303933,00.htm">dodgy touch screen phones</a> (I think I have lost my train here) </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />BUT they can't read a calendar.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />HOW EMBARRASSING.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Did you try and log onto your £400+ shiny black box of hardened gaming flint on the 1st of March.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Did you see this?</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkD9tKc3xYR_Pn3QCyExUUijRrDZzpLiqSIx205O5nnmQrfm1Tpd51CT9q_mw3Xq9Bavku1q1CZBXW17xZXQKe2QQfUTgYAMJK1qeZvRCD6KFvVYR8ZlF4EdU5UA44FF3YK4de8UX7rJl/s1600-h/IMG_0400108_embed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnkD9tKc3xYR_Pn3QCyExUUijRrDZzpLiqSIx205O5nnmQrfm1Tpd51CT9q_mw3Xq9Bavku1q1CZBXW17xZXQKe2QQfUTgYAMJK1qeZvRCD6KFvVYR8ZlF4EdU5UA44FF3YK4de8UX7rJl/s400/IMG_0400108_embed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444502676558337202" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Did you get confused? Then annoyed? Then ANGRY? </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Well that's Playstation speak for I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE DATE IS.. ARRRAGAHGAHGAHGHGGGAHHAHGGGHHH *weep, gurgle, death*</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Millions of gamers worldwide weren't able to use their PS3.. and here's why:</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />A long long time ago, a promising engineer in the dark Sony Dungeons knew that 2010 was a leap year.. he KNEW... and taught the original "phat" version of the PS3 this <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">irrefutable</span> fact in Playstation school.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Mr.Three (as he is known) graduated with flying colours and went on his way to live a life of honey and candy.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Years later, this Monday just gone... this <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">irrefutable</span> fact he learned was proudly displayed to the world..<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"look everyone, its the 29th of Feb" he said... eyes wide with innocence and pride.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Only to find Gamers all around the world silently shaking their heads with barely contained fury... and with disappointed hearts they pointed to the date on all the other, and much cheaper, branded products they owned... and they all said....</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />"Its the 1st of March you stupid black paperweight"</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />This revelation, NO!... this PARADOX, which to Mr.Three was a crack in the very LAWS OF TIME AND SPACE ITSELF caused its tiny brain to melt and its hopeful soul to shatter.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />As his sanity slipped away, people heard him jabber...<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"I am unable to find the trophies... I am unable to find the trophies... "</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Gamers turned their back on him... switched off the light... and to their life partners surprise... took them out for a nice meal.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Mr.Three was left cold and alone under the T.V... with dust its only blanket for warmth.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">........................................</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Now that isn't the official press release... but that's the gist of it.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Suffice to say once the sunset on 29th of fe... erm.. sorry.. the 1st of March.... sanity was restored and Gamers abandoned their partners again for a serious Call of Duty session.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">All is well with the world again!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Riaktion</span>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-86532743689911951472010-02-28T14:16:00.005+00:002010-03-03T19:22:20.811+00:00UBISOFT - NOT SOFT ON DRM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPKPCXuI2CPhr3rvOhjqLtLIxGcQq5g9Ex8wr11gvU9Grynl38bGi3ucGYL7HXZhc9fUP1gv9hpWW3RWoWQFyKuk2c1K_nxtoL-fbyQcCCxhzDHaGOTCF2JxmHGzMFzV-GYpEzlTjp-9t/s1600-h/ubisoft.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 104px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPKPCXuI2CPhr3rvOhjqLtLIxGcQq5g9Ex8wr11gvU9Grynl38bGi3ucGYL7HXZhc9fUP1gv9hpWW3RWoWQFyKuk2c1K_nxtoL-fbyQcCCxhzDHaGOTCF2JxmHGzMFzV-GYpEzlTjp-9t/s320/ubisoft.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443309584868347874" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Have you heard the news?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Thats right from now on all UBISOFT games will require an "always on" internet connection to play thier games.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">PC gamers out there will cry...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"This is nothing new sir! We have had to activate our games online before we can play them in the past! Remember Half life 2?"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">But no no, we aren't talking activation here, I am talking about playing a game.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">UBISOFT products will now <span style="font-style: italic;">constantly </span>check that you are online, and if you aren't? The game quits out. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Yep, moving house, haven't got your net up yet? <span style="font-style: italic;">No Ubisoft games for you</span>. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Intermittent problems with your wireless connection? <span style="font-style: italic;">You can play! When it works.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Internet goes down through no fault of your own? <span style="font-style: italic;">Best play something else. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In summary... No net connection? YOU MUST BE A PIRATE! YOU DON'T DESERVE THIS GAME. (Then I assume they spit on you as well)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Those of you that know me are well aware of my dislike of pirates, and although its clear to me that Ubisoft have gone insane and have decided to punish <span style="font-style: italic;">LEGITIMATE GAMERS</span> instead of the pirates, I find myself getting annoyed by our downloading brethren.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The sad thing is, this crazy internet only DRM <span style="font-weight: bold;">*will*</span> be broken by Pirates and in the end they will get a better service because they won't need a net connection all the time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Crazy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now I have mentioned the mighty <a href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/">Rock, Paper, Shotgun</a> before, probably the best PC only website out there. Excellent games journalist <a href="http://ento.wordpress.com/">Alec Meer</a> has recently posted about Gamers spreading the word about this and getting out there to tell people that this is unacceptable.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And I agree... so here it is. You know now, spread the word. You can find an interview with a Ubisoft PR man <a href="http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=235596&site=pcg"><span style="font-weight: bold;">here </span></a>if you are interested in thier side of the story</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">That all said... I am fed up with pirates ruining my past time, and then equally so with companies who don't help with hardcore DRM measures like this, but the truth is I don't know what the solution is when it comes to pirates and thats the most frustrating thing of all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For me... the worst thing is... I don't do anything about it. I am talking about the friends I have that pirate games freely by downloading them. I try and tell them not to, but they don't care, so do I report them? No, they are my friends and I NEVER WOULD, so they carry on, and in truth.. how can I blame them?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Free is a difficult price to beat and if you aren't invested in the games community... why should you care?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">How about.... companies going out of business.. like Iron Lore.. see story <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17702"><span style="font-weight: bold;">here</span></a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">How about... massive AAA titles maybe moving away from the PC... COD 4 anyone?.. story <a href="http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/50748"><span style="font-weight: bold;">here</span></a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">How about figures of 10 millions games downloaded illegally in a month.. 10 MILLION!.. see <a href="http://www.gameplanet.co.nz/news/134516.20100219.Snippets-ESA-10m-games-pirated-in-December-A-warm-fuzzy-Kotick-speaks-at-DICE/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">here</span></a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I suppose in the end, if you Pirate its down to you. I know none of this will change your mind about copyright infringement, but I guess the question is.... what will? Will anything?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Or does any of this even matter or change anything?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Let me know your thoughts here or at Facebook.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Riaktion... signing out.</span>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-14860099324978621142009-11-15T11:52:00.003+00:002010-03-03T19:22:42.335+00:00I'M A WINNER AFTER ALL!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhj-18vOPyMnTwM-nAGVZ70A4eR-6i5FL5ZHFkx6Aedj1WRbfwZNEFxo2HbxFLUKRq3bM6kZWOISXDAni31KOrWYEVsIoSu-S4I2xZU__BcF2WKtxbVM49zX12wVeIP1lsbIqxIWKfFat/s1600-h/Gamezebo.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 96px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhj-18vOPyMnTwM-nAGVZ70A4eR-6i5FL5ZHFkx6Aedj1WRbfwZNEFxo2HbxFLUKRq3bM6kZWOISXDAni31KOrWYEVsIoSu-S4I2xZU__BcF2WKtxbVM49zX12wVeIP1lsbIqxIWKfFat/s320/Gamezebo.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404297939128156434" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Yes thats right, I entered a quick competion that the kind people at </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.gamezebo.com/">Gamezebo.com</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> where running, and I won!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Hooray! Therefore I wanted to pubicly say thank you to them and point all of you in thier direction for your casual game reviews and news!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So what did I win?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1 free game at </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.gog.com/en/frontpage/">GOG.com</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (good old games) where old PC games are released to work on new Windows systems for low low prices. Hooray again! I decided to pick up Freeapce 1 & the expansion, introduction below.... </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Also I won £10 on the lottery this weekend... BONUS!</span><br /><br /><object height="295" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NJ-xcgBL1mY&hl=en_GB&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NJ-xcgBL1mY&hl=en_GB&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="295" width="480"></embed></object>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-32837189720361168982009-11-07T10:33:00.004+00:002010-03-03T19:24:13.049+00:00THE RESULTS ARE IN!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kIi9ezz176AGxeOekAvO1q1TsTIT8vunJzTAe3DotFz1CmFU6URU6tcDXeOQWp8fnpxNbLbEgMyPEvRz67NzApHGWrzbyJNP8kxG6jb2MCnUFxZllUqbUawMBEPwYSsmo42n6ts6UTzJ/s320/Rock+Paper+Shotgun+logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401308671572944690" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Yes the results are in... and I didn't win.<br /><br />Booo! But the winners are worthy ones to be fair.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />You can see the winning entries <a href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/11/06/face-off-dragon-age-giveaway-results/">here</a>!<br /><br /><br />Make sure you put <a href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/">Rock Paper Shotgun</a> in your favourites, its a site well worth reading if you want to keep up with the strange new world of gaming.<br /><br />In other news I picked up Dragon Age anyway and on the 2 hours I have played its looks to be excellent. The voice acting really stands out, in a good way, and I am looking forward to playing through the epic story.<br /><br />Hope you are all well!<br /><br />Thanks<br /><br /><br /></span>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-78628544436109989622009-11-02T21:51:00.006+00:002010-03-03T19:23:45.125+00:00RIKS ENTRY TO THE RPS DRAGON AGE COMPETITION<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Hey all sorry I haven't updated the blog in a LONG time, if I am honest I have been saving up tings to write about... and there will be a GLUT of updates soon. I have thoughts on piracy, Borderlands, Batman Arkam Asylum, Dirt 2, FIFA 10, Wolfenstien and the Far Cry2 movie (yes movie).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In the meantime however, my usual Internet haunt the mighty </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/">Rock, paper, Shotgun</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> are currently running a rather generous competition about upcoming mega RPG </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://dragonage.bioware.com/">Dragon Age</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">You can see the details </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/11/02/age-of-panic-dragon-age-compo/">here</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br />Now for the attention of Jim, Kieron, Alan & John, my entry is below:<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br />NOR AMELL</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And so our hero stepped from the tower of magic... and he was... unremarkable.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A mage of moderate magical prowess, of moderate tastes, moderate views and moderate fashion sense.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">He loved the magic circle, mostly for the grey shade of robe he could wear. The constant instruction to resist temptation.. to be dull. It was great!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">He wears a smirk (which can be seen on his portrait)... one someone could only wear when completely confident in his own adequateness.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It is if the gods themselves, the creators of this indifferent hero simply let their tools of divine creation rest in the middle, the centre... the boring boring middle of the road. Nothing to either extreme. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">He is our hero, your hero and he is normal. They named him well.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfP7Zjy6NdPSc0FaurO4Yp0HJaapky06LvyHrKo1LQSjNnI0ZZouWambHsGGBo0b0js7w_9EnQ6BSVQ_T7-CK_BEQy1foL5YURIjgOMxD2qoBcLBFF_MpyNz-AJ8btq8LuA4YyqMIeoHL/s1600-h/DAOCharacterCreator+2009-11-02+21-50-17-90.bmp"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfP7Zjy6NdPSc0FaurO4Yp0HJaapky06LvyHrKo1LQSjNnI0ZZouWambHsGGBo0b0js7w_9EnQ6BSVQ_T7-CK_BEQy1foL5YURIjgOMxD2qoBcLBFF_MpyNz-AJ8btq8LuA4YyqMIeoHL/s400/DAOCharacterCreator+2009-11-02+21-50-17-90.bmp" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399635055533139394" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-53355193325673216902009-09-09T14:07:00.016+01:002010-03-03T19:27:45.192+00:00REVIEW - AGE OF PUZZLE (iPhone & iPod touch)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOxyT7ybvh-9Cuf6cxNKpehASaepBrhBO1gqOSwHQaGMisfh1T85GgEnbs6SWf6TATh5aeplk9fS4gC-XZkonkUKRXU_iP59qCjD4TzmoNAqu0GCX7nG6HmEhXvwtiwXtwIjkZB9LriYD/s1600-h/age+of+puzzle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOxyT7ybvh-9Cuf6cxNKpehASaepBrhBO1gqOSwHQaGMisfh1T85GgEnbs6SWf6TATh5aeplk9fS4gC-XZkonkUKRXU_iP59qCjD4TzmoNAqu0GCX7nG6HmEhXvwtiwXtwIjkZB9LriYD/s200/age+of+puzzle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379454874444858770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Hey All!</span><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >OK well I have been away for a few days and sadly I haven't been around to update "Riaktions Reaction", however while I have been out and about I picked up </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >AGE OF PUZZLE</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" >for my iPod and thought I would share some brief thoughts on this little match 3 game; Read on!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />OK firstly If you don't know what I mean by a "match 3" game, its where the main game mechanic is you matching three colours, symbols, shapes and sometimes animal heads together to WIN! And that's it. The most famous example the Genre would be </span><a style="font-style: italic; font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.popcap.com/games/free/bejeweled">Bejeweled</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, which I am sure you have heard of.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Age of Puzzle</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">'s twist on this is to steal.. erm sorry... borrow.. the basics from another game called </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.puzzle-quest.com/warlords/index.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Puzzle Quest</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and do a worse job of making the game engaging and fun. In </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Age of Puzzle</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> you take the role of a male or female (you choose) fantasy warrior and fight your battles via the power of match 3</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0HTd6TtjC8sYWG9WcDaLT6p49HPo3jKCe3etoLtF6GrdLOeQJHmlXmzPvihIyvPiht9myBhxGBpGY5ZNGD9Qut5NCjeIYb92Q2eHAIBzS1U5rLnDBO8_LoI26xO5NJQIhvln5cPJsbfW/s1600-h/Age+of+Puzzle+SS+-+Match+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK0HTd6TtjC8sYWG9WcDaLT6p49HPo3jKCe3etoLtF6GrdLOeQJHmlXmzPvihIyvPiht9myBhxGBpGY5ZNGD9Qut5NCjeIYb92Q2eHAIBzS1U5rLnDBO8_LoI26xO5NJQIhvln5cPJsbfW/s320/Age+of+Puzzle+SS+-+Match+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379461000822451698" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkWuT5cbLNpl5XXEav0YIKK2p1NjjL2QiArZH-gChSIUyrwSib1AnJAEzxoTf8B6oXbif2rJFPfZnxhiILjYSmWHozGLvsu9Pv17q3qVFgVCKUVRN4YFJ1nsKSzBjqMLEzRlE5vD1ecre/s1600-h/age+of+puzzle+SS+-+you+win.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkWuT5cbLNpl5XXEav0YIKK2p1NjjL2QiArZH-gChSIUyrwSib1AnJAEzxoTf8B6oXbif2rJFPfZnxhiILjYSmWHozGLvsu9Pv17q3qVFgVCKUVRN4YFJ1nsKSzBjqMLEzRlE5vD1ecre/s320/age+of+puzzle+SS+-+you+win.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379461156701713394" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The way battles work is you match 3 of the symbols with a Star like explosion background and by doing so hurt the bad guy.</span><br /><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">3 Red swords do melee damage (WHACK!)</span></li><li><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">3 Orangey wands do magic damage (ZAP!)</span> </li><li><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">3 Green bows do ranged damage (TWANG?)</span> </li></ul><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Getting 4 of the above does more damage and gives you an extra turn, and getting 5 does even MORE damage. As exciting as this sounds.. I never once whooped or punched the air.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This mechanic is identical for defending.. get 3 swords, wands or bows with a shield as the background, and you will earn "defense points" against that attack type from your opponent. 3 swords with shields means defense against a melee attack (WHACK). You get the idea I'm sure ;o)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">As you play you will level up and get to increase the power of one of the 3 attack types as well as spending points on defending against them. You'll also pick up some basic rudimentary loot to equip on your character, and that sits in your investory which can be accessed once per battle.</span><br /><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMb-bzU9TbRPrxP_ES7SOHhHfKDRZEiiY2ILla9pd8h6X6qaqFmn6cz1VgCY5XBeh47wijdHOyhIgheu-Xloe9kv9IEJnk9wWUFprEtqfueE6ZSH7xNycUQsg81qTK6oJ2IrBUuK2row2t/s1600-h/age+of+puzzle+SS+-+loot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMb-bzU9TbRPrxP_ES7SOHhHfKDRZEiiY2ILla9pd8h6X6qaqFmn6cz1VgCY5XBeh47wijdHOyhIgheu-Xloe9kv9IEJnk9wWUFprEtqfueE6ZSH7xNycUQsg81qTK6oJ2IrBUuK2row2t/s320/age+of+puzzle+SS+-+loot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379464032219523746" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Regarding the loot finds, you'll never be scratching your head trying to find the right mix of attack and defense with your loot, its just too basic, if I am honest it all becomes pointless if you pile all your level up points into just one of the skills, say the Melee skill; whenever you match </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:trebuchet ms;" >three red swords</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, you do so much damage its pretty much game over.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Its a basic game. No quests, no story, no dialogue, just a chain of battles linked together to give you the chance to match 3 symbols together. The graphics are clear and bold and animations are smooth and its ideal for passing the time on a short journey or while sitting in a waiting room.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Oh.. there is one big thing in its favour... its 59p, and for me that the exact RRP.</span>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-66638361222111537462009-09-02T09:29:00.002+01:002010-03-03T19:23:08.537+00:00FAIL - DONT TRY THIS AT HOME<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">OK I'll admit this has nothing to do with gaming.. but I thought I would share this regardless.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Don't try this at home.</span><br /><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="viddler" height="333" width="437"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/28dac10e/"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/28dac10e/" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" name="viddler" height="333" width="437"></embed></object>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-11708412035854640322009-09-01T17:08:00.000+01:002009-09-01T17:13:29.129+01:00GAMER - THE MOVIE<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3dQv5n_IwG4PW-5ZPL1P5MsuewQcJXv4xsTBs-955UQkFQqa3NGwup09PEUobIbTz8THpd6C_mrHfrk1hZcwIVvEq1gX1FkF1cMuXj6h7Vzmdzn0QicbEGStUKDOiqajDgwkMLGmCoqv/s1600-h/Gamer325_000.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3dQv5n_IwG4PW-5ZPL1P5MsuewQcJXv4xsTBs-955UQkFQqa3NGwup09PEUobIbTz8THpd6C_mrHfrk1hZcwIVvEq1gX1FkF1cMuXj6h7Vzmdzn0QicbEGStUKDOiqajDgwkMLGmCoqv/s200/Gamer325_000.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376530355407640098" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So this is what happens whan you log into play Call of Duty 4 or Battlefield 1943 online... I never knew.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Yes thats right folks, a film where gamers play a real life battlefield war game... controlling real people. Its the future!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The synopsis reads as follows:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Set in a future-world where humans can control other humans in mass-scale, multi-player online gaming environments, a star player from a game called "Slayers" looks to regain his independence while taking down the game's mastermind</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Interested? Heres the trailer....</span><br /><br /><object style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T3xpjrO5_TY&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T3xpjrO5_TY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876481471732286520.post-3610663868901199572009-09-01T16:26:00.001+01:002011-05-17T00:01:52.319+01:00MICROSOFT SLASH THE PRICE OF THE XBOX 360<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFWIgm6SyLR3YSOXMFabD0syx5rT415Rdn7IXaNfP9nHvQRr5sV9cOn6gg8WIe2_WhfyobJxzHxOV54z66OVRjq2xYeB5ZKSv0lX4ZdHjCYvfJ4YG-7o4DZOMgg0-HkonkaGXLWcust0_/s1600-h/xbox_xbox360Elite.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFWIgm6SyLR3YSOXMFabD0syx5rT415Rdn7IXaNfP9nHvQRr5sV9cOn6gg8WIe2_WhfyobJxzHxOV54z66OVRjq2xYeB5ZKSv0lX4ZdHjCYvfJ4YG-7o4DZOMgg0-HkonkaGXLWcust0_/s200/xbox_xbox360Elite.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376520230893676050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So here we go, my first blog post, and just a quick one. :o)<br />Its official, the Xbox 360 is getting a price drop, probably in response to Sony's price drop on the PS3.<br />So thought I would wrap up whats going on!<br /><br />There are 3 tiers of 360 out there so lets look at each one in turn...<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; " >The "Arcade"</span></span><br />Your "entry level" 360 if you like. No bells and whistles here sorry. You get no hard drive, wired controllers, a general lack of respect from your friends and peers and it probably smells funny. It still supports component HD though (not HDMI) and Microsoft have kindly dropped the price on this to about £130 ($199)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic; " >The "PRO" (for the professional consumer I assume)</span><br /></span>This is your mid tier console, and the one you will find most people have. The "Pro" boasts a wireless controller, headset, Component HD support (not HDMI), a free month of Xbox Live gold membership and a 20gb Hard drive. There is a newer "Pro" available which added a HDMI port and a 60gb HDD (Surprising how this came out at the same time as the PS3 arriving on the scene)<br /><br />I understand that this console is being phased out and you can't pick up a new one in store anymore .... well you won't be able to in the future anyway. If you own one, its going to be a collectors item.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; " >The "Elite"</span><br />Now we are talking. This is the big daddy of the 360 family. Quieter, with a monster (in console terms)</span><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> 120gb HDD, HDMI support, wireless controller, headset and most importantly a new coat of lovely black paint, if you own one people will know that your gaming heart is an obsidian block of merciless destruction, bent on crushing your online enemies with the maximum humiliation!!<br /><br />OK well it doesn't quiet inspire that kind of reaction however the good news is that this can now be purchased for a very reasonable £200.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And in my opinion the best buy for a newbie to the 360 world.<br /><br />So there you go. My first blog, more of a news piece than anything, rest assured some true blogging is on its way as I plan to give you my thoughts on Mirrors Edge, Infamous, WipeOut HD Batman: Arkham Asylum... once I get through it and many more!<br /><br />If you think you might care about my thoughts on things, please follow the blog by "Following" me on the left hand side of the site and of course... <span style="font-weight: bold;">add this site to your favourites!</span> Thanks!<br /></span><br /></span>Rik Belfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02493753330514276755noreply@blogger.com1