Just back from a silly 12 hour shift we tend to do. Thought I'ld say "HELLO!" on the site to everyone. Sorry things are slow, but this damn dial up really hinders me from updating G-D properly. Oh, and I'm busy sorting things out in Animal Crossing! Yes folks, DO NOT BUY THAT GAME unless you want to waste your life away infront of a purple cube and a big blaring box.
See y'all later
Day 2 of my Animal Crossing chronicles. This might sound really insane, but this morning I woke up thinking of the Crossing village and wanting to go see what's happenning! it sounds absurd, but I think I'm starting to like this game *cough* addict *cough*
But the idea of going around a small village, helping delivering stuff to people, selling fruit and digging up fossils isn't that exciting, surely? Nintendo have cleverly made sure that you get back to the Crossing. Using the real-time clock, things change in the village according to when you visit. So for example, the store is open from 9am to 10pm. The carpet salesman left a note saying he's coming to town tomorrow. I have a raffle ticket for the 27th of September. If I don't play tomorrow I miss out on both these things.
The lady that sells turnips only works on a Sunday. And things are also tied in to national holidays, so if it's a holiday in the UK, it's one in the Crossing (that's why I waited for the local PAL version than to import)
I'm also waiting for 2 important letters, one's definitely coming tomorrow but the other could be any time!
It's scary that a game can do this to someone. But millions of NTSC gamers couldn't be wrong when they all raved about it years ago... now it's my turn. and YES, I am throwing my life away. Now, let's see if Belle got my post......
or so they claim. For 2 years now, those lucky NTSC gamers have been enjoying something called Animal Crossing (on Gamecube). A village that carries on living while you're not there (it comes with a special memory card that has an internal clock). Things are different at the village each time you visit it, and you practically "live there".
So, it came out on PAL yesterday (well europe, PAL australia have had it for a year!) and it's taken so long to convert that most people just imported the NTSC version. I waited. Till now, I still don't see the fuss about this game. Walking around the village you can do what you want, whenever you want. Not my type of game. I want to go from A to B without figuring out where A and B is, but just worrying about what's in the middle. In other words, I'm a sucker for good old linear gameplay.
So why did I get this? cause it's Nintendo that's why. I very nearly didn't get the Legend of Zelda - Wind Waker cause it wasn't linear, and very nearly missed out on one of the best gaming experiences on the Gamecube.
I'm gonna give Animal Crossing a bit more time and give good old 'tendo a chance. After all, they did conceive a certain fat plumber with a moustache.
Good-delicious
Today the VERY KIND postman delivered aero through my door. Man is this album amazing! in true 5.1 surround it really blows anything else I've heard by a mile!
I'll try to post a more detailed review but for now, I got back to the AEROzone :)
Greetings from Amazon.co.uk,
We thought you would like to know that the following item has been sent to:
Ali Alsawaf
x xxxxx xxxxx
xxxxxxx xxx
xxxxxxxxxx
xxxxx xxx xxx
using Royal Mail.
For more information about delivery estimates and any open orders, please visit:http://www.amazon.co.uk/your-account
Your order #202-9635323-2105438 (received 31 August 2004, 00:18 BST)
1 Aero [CD + DVD] 8.99 GBP 1 8.99 GBP
This completes your order.
SoB comment: those interested, go to www.jarre.net and listen to the amazing excerpts from the album!
Those of you following Good-delicious will know that it's been 2 weeks since my last cigarette. I'm happy to say that I'm still 100% smoke free. It's not easy you know, I get the cravings every day, especially those good-with-cigarette times (when I wake up, after food, before food, on the loo, with/without tea/coffee, between laps on burnout 3, watching tv/movie, before/after sex.. all the time actually!). But I use my trusty gum and try to forget all about it.
In a nation where nearly everyone smokes, it's not proving to be easy.
Ok, so finally decided to buy a DVD player. I've been watching all my movies on either the PC or the XBOX (via ethernet streaming). Problem is, in the flat the lounge is far from the PC (bedroom), and I didn't fancy getting a wireless network. The solution? get a standalone DVD player.
The KiSS DP 1000 is an awesome thing. It plays DVD, DVD-/+R(W), VCD, SVCD, XviD, DivX, OGG, MP3 CD and DVD, multiple .avi/mpg on DVD and loads more!
it's also firmware upgradeable, hence potentially future-proof (and region free as well). A great buy with tons of cool features.
If you're thinking of getting a standalone DivX player, this is one of the best!
over and out
Hi All
Thought I'ld let you know that I've moved from my old single room to a one bedroom flat within the same area. Hence, good-delicious hasn't been updated for quite some while. I still don't have BB here so using snail-speed .net at home for the time being *sigh*
Hope everyone's been ok. Over and out!
Yesterday I went to a place called Docklands in London. It's this modern sky scraper-ish place with lots of funky stuff. It also has ExCeL, a massive indoor show room for exhibitions. I took my good friend Wisam (gaming-freak-geek also) and we went to see the first public gaming exhibition in the UK. Usually, stuff like eGN and others are trade-only, just for the press and other lucky gits. This time, some bright spark decided to open one up for the public, and called it Game Stars Live.
Man was this thing cool! it was a massive showroom with all the major players in the market. Starting off in the xbox section it was great to play pre-releases of outrun 2 (AWESOME!) and fable and loads more. Ofcourse the legendery halo 2 was in a bunker section all by itself, with 2 real life Master Chiefs guarding it. Inside the atmosphere was too cool, dark strobing lights and 100% completed code of halo 2 for us to get our hands on!
Next stop: nintendo. Good old tendo made it's exhibition area into a massive traditional British sea-side pier, with a working helter-skelter and all! Inside, playable demos of Metroid Prime 2 (the original metroid prime is the best game I've played to date on any system, bar non) with 4 player deathmatch support! Also, there was the wacky but totally cool donkey konga game, where you got to groove with the kong using a special bongo controller, great fun stuff. They also had playable demos of Paper Mario 2, Animal Crossing, and Mario Tennis. All in all a great exhibition.
Ubisoft demonstrated their power with playable demos of Prince of Persia 2: The Warrior Within. Now that game is going to piss all over the great first part. Sam Fisher was there too in Splinter Cell 3: Chaos Theory. They had loads more stuff as well.
EA had massive sport arenas where you could play the real and virtual sports. Atari was publicising the remake of Sid Mier's classic Pirates!, and also the imminent Roller Coaster Tycoon III. They had installed a big virtua coaster machine which was awesome to ride!
Sierra had playable demos of the new Larry adventure (magna cum laud) in an 18-only booth with naked babes!
There was just so much stuff there that all the above doesn't cover the half of it. A great time out, and ofcourse I got my hands on tons of posters/stickers/badges and all that crap you get from exhibitions!
Just makes me feel lucky to both live here, and still have the gaming spirit.
Keep gaming y'all!!
Oh how I crave for a cigarette right now... sitting infront of the PC on this lazy afternoon, the curtains are closed and my room is dark and warm. Robert Miles' "fable" is blasting out of the sound system, and I'm updating Good-delicious. What more could a man want other than a puff of his favourite poison. *sigh*
After running out of some cheap fags I got from Barcelona, I decided not to fill the taxman's pockets with my money for buying cigarettes at the outrageous British prices (the average price of 20 marlboro lights is £4.70, about $7. MURDER!). So this morning, went down to good ol' ASDA and bought some Nicotinell FRUIT 2mg gum. You chew one everytime you feel the urge to have a puff, and it should help ease the pain. Till now I've had about 4 gums, and the pain is still there. It feels weird not to smoke, but I guess it's for the better. My appetite has significantly improved (even though I only quit this morning), I just pigged out at a Harvester pub with a friend, I ate more than a coach party to Blackpool.
Here's hoping I can keep it up. Keep your fingers crossed for me y'all
Good-delicious (now 100% cancer free!)
The other day on VH1 I saw a great song, it was called Perfect 10 and it's by The Beautiful South. The song tells about the love of "larger" body sizes, and on how it doesn't matter how fat you think you are, there's still someone out there for you!
A bit sloppy yes, but this isn't a teen-love-britney-crap song, with lyrics like "if he's extra large, well I'm in charge, I can work this thing on top!" it makes for a refreshing hear. It's old, but it remains an all time favourite here at the Good-delicious HQ.
