Latest Posts by darkora - Page 8
Day Twenty-One - My favourite thing to drink
I must admit, my favourite drink at the moment is Sprite, it's not the most healthy thing to be drinking regularly, so I try to mix things up and have fruit juice too. Though I also admit that I drink rather too much Orange Lucozade too... I probably should cut down on that...
Day Twenty - Dinner
A rather random topic change, after the topics of previous days to suddenly depart to last night's dinner. Anyways, answering the question: my dinner last night was Spaghetti and Meatballs; was yummy though as usual there was too much of it :P
Day Nineteen - Something I Fear
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.” ~ Ambrose Redmoon
I'm rather thankful that I am not cursed with an abundance of irrational fear; the only thing I really fear is loss of the people I care about - and I will do pretty much anything to prevent that happening, other than that you can throw pretty much anything else you want at me.
Day Eighteen - Your Plans for Tomorrow
Thankfully, tomorrow is Saturday, so my plan is pretty uncomplicated. I'll probably be getting up with Amanda at about 9.30/10.00 and then walking her to the bus stop when she goes to work before heading home and doing a few chores and then relaxing and playing computer games for the rest of the day until Amanda gets home... ah the simple life
Day Sixteen - The Weather; Return of the Haiku
The great British Summer
Best weather of the year! Beach time!
Oh Wait, it's still raining
Day Fifteen - The Greatest Gift
“The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
I must admit I don't like writing about stuff like this, I'd rather not rank the gifts I've been given because I feel that a gift is more than just a material present - it also includes the intention and the feeling behind it. So I'm going to sidestep the question and say that they've all been awesome and if you don't like it, you know what to do.
Day Seventeen - My Favourite Gif
Had to go for a classic, reminds me of my cat tbh
What I've Learned This Week
Since I haven't been able to continue my daily challenge thanks to my shiny new training course, I figured I'd come up with a new idea, this is a weekly rundown of things that have occurred to me during the week and probably won't make a whole lot of sense to anyone but me... but oh well
22nd Feb 2011 • iPhones do not charge when they're not plugged in • Bicycles (whilst annoying) are going to be a necessity • Virgin Cross-Country trains are actually quite awesome and comfy • the 1812 overture is a fantastic accompaniment to a train journey through the countryside • I need to put more classical music on my iPod • you dont get what you want unless you try for it • little children should not be permitted in the quiet carriage of trains 25th Feb 2011 • thought can shrink • loud restaurant was loud 28th Feb 2011 • 2 hours sleep is not enough • it's very cold just after 7 in the morning • Zenos has a dress code • the virgin cross country train home is surprisingly crowded • relaxing and reading a book is a fantastic way to spend an impromptu day off though sleeping would have been a good plan • Stealing people's kidneys is surprisingly profitable • blathering crystal salesmen to sell a worthless lump of sulphur is also highly profitable • boltguns are great but if you don't know how to use them, you can't hit a daemonette in close combat • being a tech priest is a mix of McGyver and Steve Austin and is easily the best class to roleplay as. 01st Mar 2011 • 6 hours sleep is not enough either • "if you think you can or think you can't - you're right" • my stomach really doesn't like being woken up early • Amanda is really cute when she's sleepy • I can get up, dressed and ready for work in 5 minutes with some preparation • I need to get to the station far earlier in the morning if I want a decent seat on my morning train • coming up for fun ideas for an activity on a presentation is not easy • I hate presentations • on the way home the 24 mins past train is great until Winchester, then very busy • slow train home is slow • comfy seat is however comfy • I can't do homework on trains • I still hate essays • English tests as homework are a really mean idea 02nd Mar 2011 • sleep is good • Amanda is even more amazing than previously believed • my stomach *still* dislikes early mornings • despite arriving earlier than the train, I still couldn't get a window seat • I need a warmer scarf otherwise my face is truly going to freeze off in the mornings • even I don't know everything about office • the manga for fullmetal alchemist somehow manages to be even more awesome than either of the tv shows • making PowerPoint presentations is a mighty fun way to spend an afternoon
03rd Mar 2011 • Chinese yi jiao coins look rather like a 5 pence piece but are worth approx 1/50 of the value • socialising more makes a day run nicer • trains are ridiculous • Winchester is the new Fareham • Gilgamesh is a confusing yet very interesting anime • I need to start my own webcomic at some point entitled "why I should never be allowed to time travel"
04th Mar 2011 • breaking news: my body still hates early mornings • you really can build a house from spaghetti and marshmallows but I wouldn't want to live in it • English assessments are quite a challenge but I can get a decent grade • I am at level 3 standard for maths ^^ • I already know a lot of the basics I'm gonna need for my A+ • CV note: qualification logos look good to prospective employers • early starting, late finishing weeks make a weekend worth so much more • people who can't be bothered with headphones on public transport need to be shot... repeatedly • I still need more classical music on my iPod
castleoflions:
(Click for high-res)
Collaboration between myself and Sammi.
VERILY. SHE DID SO.
I wish all teen shows were like this... I'd watch this show to death
Day Fourteen - Valentines Day
I must admit, I'm not a big one for the big V - I don't see why you need only show someone you love them once a year, why not every day?
Unfortunately I don't really have much practice with valentines day anyway, most of my life I've either been a) too young, b) single or c) too far away from my partner, however this year was different! this year I got to spend the evening of Valentines with Amanda (only the evening though because she had uni during the day) and she made me a really nice dinner and then we watched a DVD, yay for snuggles!
The day after that we actually celebrated valentines day, going out to the cinema and just generally having a nice chilled day together, was awesome.
hopefully next year we'll be free to go out for a meal on the day instead *fingers crossed*
so yeah, short post this time, my inexperience shone through I guess?
Love you lots Amanda!
Nik
Nerdy Joke of the Day (NSFW)
Again, courtesy of /tg/, it contains rudeness, so it's snipped to hide the nsfw material
A dropship of veteran Sisters of Battle is shot down, and all aboard die. There is a bright white light, and the Sisters find themselves atop a white marble tower with a small fountain in the middle. Blue sky and white clouds surround the tower, but all immediately recognise the Emperor standing before the fountain, arms open wide.
"My faithful servants, you have served me well in countless battles. However, I cannot yet grant you peace, as I sense the taint of men on more than one of you."
The Sisters murmur and look around their number in shock, before the Emperor raises his golden gauntlet and gestures to a young sister, the unit's medicae Sister Velum.
"You. Have you had any congress with a man?" he asks, voice commanding yet gentle. She nods, ashamed.
"Yes. I was treating a wounded Guardsman and... well, I pleasured him with my hand."
The other Sisters are outraged. The accused tries to defend herself, telling of the extra penance she forced upon herself and the countless hours she prayed for forgiveness, but eventually she stops talking, expecting the Emperor's divine wrath. But the Emperor merely gestures to the fountain.
"Fear not, my servant. Your service in life was far greater than your transgression. If you wash your hands in my fountain, your soul will become purified."
The medicae meekly walks to the fountain, all eyes upon her, and washes her hands in the cool water. As she does, white light bathes her and before she can turn to bid farewell to her friends Sister Velum disappears to her reward.
The Emperor looks around the remaining Sisters. "I still sense the taint of men upon this unit." Again, he raises his great golden gauntlet and singles out a Sister, this time the Heavy Flamer wielder Sister Areale.
"And you? Have you had any congress with a man?" the Emperor asks, eyes looking into hers. As before, the sister nods.
"Y-yes, o Divine Emperor... I... I once pleasured a member of your Inquisition... with my breasts..."
The unit once again erupts at this, although not as loud as it had the last time. Sister Areale averts her gaze to the white marble floor before she weeps in shame.
"I... I did not perform as much penance as Sister Velum, a-and my transgression is greater... I am not worthy to stand by your side...” she sobs before awaiting judgement. But once more, the Emperor merely smiles and gestures her forth to the fountain.
“Fear not, child. I know what happened, and the sin is his, not yours. Please stay your tears, for I will not damn you. You have earned my reward. Please, bathe in my fountain and I will give you your reward.”
Sister Areale is humbled by the Emperor’s compassion. Just as meekly as Sister Velum before her, she steps forward and strips of her armour and robes to stand naked before the small fountain. She starts to wash her breasts with the water silently when a commotion breaks out at the back of the unit. All eyes turn to Sister Daphene who is pushing her way through the ranks to stand at the front. The Emperor looks to her with a puzzled expression.
“What is the meaning of this?” he asks her gently. The sister replies huffily.
“If I have to gargle this water, I would rather do it before Sister Lavisa has to wash her arse with it!”
Nik.
Day Thirteen - Beliefs
The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. ~ George Bernard Shaw
I consider myself to be an agnostic atheist - I would like to believe in a divine creator but I don't really see there being any proof to that end. Unlike how most atheists are portrayed, I do not hate god, nor do I hate religion particularly much, I merely find it distasteful the number of atrocities that have been committed in either's name.
I do however find the bible a very distasteful document and it is my opinion that anyone who feels otherwise has yet to actually read it thoroughly. The sheer volume of horrific actions that the book condones and encourages do nothing positive to enhance the image of Christianity as anything but another reason to kill people.
I do however hold firm beliefs that everyone is entitled to believe what they wish, so long as they don't mind me doing the same nor attempt to influence me - a few of my closer friends and even my girlfriend are Christians, and while I admit to a faint selfish hope that they one day turn from this path, if it makes them happy I will do nothing to change their beliefs just as they do nothing to change mine.
If however the existence of an all powerful creator can be proven to me beyond all doubt and scepticism, I will happily alter my path but between now and then; enlightenment is bliss.
Nik
Day Twelve - Relationships with My Parents
"Bloody parents - they're worse than children" ~Me
My relationship with my parents hasn't always been perfect, like all children I started off seeing them as opponents - everything was a struggle, everything was a contest, but thankfully as I grew up I began to realise that they were actually there to help and that between us we could get far more done by pulling in the same direction than in opposites and I can safely say now that while we don't always see eye to eye, we're always there for each other.
My parents have always been fantastically supportive of everything I've tried to do and always been there with advice and gentle guidance to help me find the right path.
"Just because you know how it's done, doesn't make it any less magical"
I've always been somewhat in awe of my dad; his musical talent (and his humility when anyone comments on it) and his ability to do DIY tasks that almost seemed mystical to me, when I was growing up he always had a little story or a joke for every situation and it was always him that made me feel better when I'd fallen over, he's also always protected me as best he can (an example that springs to mind is him making a particularly draconian English teacher of mine actually cry infront of me) I think it's because of this that I've always strived to make him proud of me (though I have occasionally missed the mark considerably).
"Any mother could perform the jobs of several air traffic controllers with ease." ~ Lisa Alther
My mother has always been the organiser from my experience; while she insists that she doesn't hold the power in our household, in truth she does (our house operates on a fully democratic system: myself and my father get one vote each, my mother gets four votes) Again really, I've been in awe of my mother for a long time, she works very hard for our family, keeping up fairly long hours in a job that was the only thing that kept us afloat for the last few years, in that time she's had to cope with a lot of stress and while I would hope that we've helped her through that as best as we can, she's mostly coped by herself and for this reason it is my firm belief that my mum is truly the strongest person I know.
If either of you are reading this (which I don't doubt will happen) I love you both so very much and am truly grateful for everything you've done for me over the last 22 years.
Nik.
Day Eleven - Being an only child
I've grown up without brothers or sisters, don't get me wrong, I would have loved to have a brother or a sister to share stuff with and to annoy and to play stupid games with, but I've always respected the decision that my parents came to.
Being an only child has been boring and somewhat lonely over the years but it has had it's advantages: it's taught me how to entertain myself and make the most of otherwise boring stretches, it's taught me to value company and friendship when it presents itself, it's taught me to be self sufficient to some extent and it's given me an unrestricted relationship with my parents - I don't have brothers or sisters to compete with for attention or praise or sweets, so I suppose to some extent it has spoiled me but due to the financial difficulties of our family, this has been tempered and I have learned to be resourceful with what I can get.
Do I regret not growing up with brothers and sisters? alittle maybe, it would be nice to have a younger sibling to look out for or an older sibling to learn from, but as things stand at the moment I wouldn't change a thing; it's made me the person I am today and given me a fantastic relationship with my parents and some solid and long lasting friendships that I wouldn't trade for all the money ever minted.
Nik.
Day Ten - How I Wake up in the morning
I feel not unlike a small boy, waking from a bad dream to find reality not much of an improvement. ~ John Byrne
I think I was probably born to hibernate; I find waking up to be the biggest challenge of each day, especially if I have nothing on my to-do list for that day. Usually I require the assistance of an alarm clock with several alarms set to ensure that I actually stay awake. Once I've been awakened by my alarm I have a minute or two in which to actually get up, if I don't - chances are I'll go back to sleep again until the next alarm wakes me.
I'm not adverse to getting up early - this morning (with help as usual from Amanda) I was up at 7.45 in order to go to a local market and for a previous job of mine I had to get up at 6.30 to get a train... which wasn't fun.
...anyways, that's today's topic roughly covered, more to come tomorrow!
Nik
Nerdy Joke of the Day
As Posted on /tg/
An Ork warboss is sitting in a trench with his horde of boyz behind him, when he hears an Astartes shout from the other side of no-man's land "One Space Marine is worth ten Orks!" Recognizing a challenge when he hears one, the Warboss immediately sends ten eager boyz up and over to make the space marine eat his words. A moment later, the sounds of battle echo across the field, and ends just as quickly without a single Ork returning.
Then the same voice calls out "One Space Marine is worth fifty Orks!" Now a bit miffed, The Boss sends fifty lads to stomp in the challenger's face. Once again, the sounds of combat are heard, the Orkish warcries filling the air, but after a few minutes it dies down and the greenskin attack is completely silenced.
"One Space Marine is worth a HUNDRED Orks!" cries the champion. Utterly furious, the Warboss summons a hundred of his best warriors, taking a while and enlisting a few Grots to help count that high with their fingers, and the warhost charges the Imperial position with a deafening WAAAGH. An epic battle is heard for ten minutes, but much to the boss's frustration, even that peters out until the field is silent once again.
However, this time a single nob crawls back into the Ork trench, and tells him "They cheated, boss! Dere was TWO of 'em!"
...Made me laugh anyway, thanks Anon.
Nik.
Day Nine - My Favourite Pillow
My favourite pillow - it used to be a t-shirt but when I grew out of it, my mum altered it into a pillow cover and now it sits behind me in my comp chair
Nik.
Day Eight - A Poem
I'm terrible at poetry so I figured I'd have a go at making a Haiku... so here's mine:
Snow to the horizon
Arctic tundra unending
Feet not happy; just cold
I got bored so I made a minecraft Haiku too
You hear a hissing
Nice everything you have there
Shame to destroy it
Nik
Day Seven - The Arts
Of all the subjects so far, this is one of the ones I've looked forward to least. I'm not really a big person for art - I can't draw, I despise dancing in all but a few cases and I'm not in the slightest bit musical, so my interest in the arts is more from a consumer point of view. Seeing as I know next to nothing about painting, the obvious choice is music.
I've grown up listening to quite a wide range of music - from early to late 90's pop music (thanks to local radio and television) to Blues and Rock music (thanks to my father's influence) to Classical music (thanks to my maternal grandfather).
Ever since I was small, the majority of the music that my father would play in the house was Blues and so it was obvious that my tastes would start there, my enjoyment of this genre was cemented by my dad's performances in multiple local bands, appearing in various venues through the south of England and being roadied for (more than a few times) by yours truly.
My interest in pop music tailed off to near nothingness in the late nineties when I began to notice just how similar each song was becoming, I started to see just how corporate pop music had become and how it almost seemed production line based.
I've had a love hate relationship with Classical music since I was young - at first it just felt like lift music - tinny noises in the background that were more to be ignored than admired, but in the following years I've grown to see it as a pure art-form in itself, capable of being just as soothing as modern music and just as rousing and energising as any rock music.
Thanks to a few of my friends, my real passion in music over the last few years has been rock, it seems I found bands like Evanescence, Fightstar, Within Temptation, Paramore, Nightwish and The Foo Fighters (to name but a few) at exactly the right time in my life in order to provide relief and some guidance.
...well that's sort of a potted history of my musical tastes - can't really say I feel like I've done a good job on this one, feels like I've rambled again, but what the hell, right?
Tomorrow you get to watch the fun as I attempt to write a poem... yay
Nik
Day Six - Recommended Books
I used to spend quite a lot of time reading books, so here's my highlights;
Good Omens (Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman)
The Truth (Terry Pratchett)
Carpe Juguluum (Terry Pratchett)
The Fifth Elephant (Terry Pratchett)
The Janus Man (Colin Forbes)
Snow White and the Seven Samurai (Tom Holt)
Magic Kingdom For Sale - SOLD! (Terry Brooks)
The Bible According to Spike Milligan
Puckoon (Spike Milligan)
The Northern Lights (Phillip Pullman)
The Founding - A Gaunt's Ghosts Omnibus (Dan Abnett)
Of Mice & Men (John Steinbeck)
Fullmetal Alchemist (Manga) (Hiromu Arakawa)
I've had the pleasure of reading pretty much all of the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett and I would happily recommend them to anyone that likes fantasy comedy. If you haven't read one of his books, do it! (And then read the rest... and tell them Nik sent ya)
Nik
Day Five - List of things I fancy doing
To some extent, this is my 'bucket list'
See the earth from space (Bill Bailey: Conveniently missing out 'become an astronaut')
Visit Australia
Learn to Drive
Fly faster than the speed of sound
Get Married & Have kids
Have more money than I know what to do with
Go Zorbing!
Learn to play an instrument
Finally finish working on my RPG system that I started six months ago
Play an MMO to completion (Max Level and do all the end content)
Learn Japanese
Stand at the summit of a mountain
See a tiger in the wild
be chokeslammed by The Undertaker
I dare say there are more things that should go on this list but that's all I can think of.
Nik
Day Four - Someone I love
It'll probably come as a surprise to... absolutely no-one... that my subject for this post is none other than my girlfriend of nearly a year - Amanda.
As I mentioned - we've been together for nearly a year (11 months as of the 4th of Feb) but strangely it feels like much less, we're still learning things about each other and making each other laugh with our foibles and little in jokes that are growing daily in both complexity and quantity.
Amanda herself is the most amazing girlfriend I could ask for - both physically beautiful and the most wonderful and kind person I have ever met. She's not afraid to be different from most of the other women her age - keeping a level head and logical mind that I've not seen from many adults whilst still able to do the cutest and craziest things without much shifting of mental gear. Her kindness and consideration knows no limit - she truly is a beautiful person inside and out.
Apologies to anyone who may think I waffled somewhat - perhaps that's what love does to a person.
All that's left to say is: I LOVE YOU AMANDA!!
Nik.
Day Three - Love
“To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.” ~ Brandi Snyder
Love is certainly one of the more... complicated emotions, one that is never the same twice. I feel privileged to have experienced love a few times in my short existence to date, I won't go into the sordid details because 1) a gentleman never kisses and tells and 2) it's none of your gorram business :p. Unfortunately (as I have learned through a lot of pain) lust can seem very similar to love at first sight and so the only way to truly find out is by riding it out and seeing where it leads.
Obviously, so far I've merely covered Eros (erotic love as defined by the greeks) and briefly mentioned Thelema (lust) however the greeks identified three other forms of love too;
Agape - which is defined as an unconditional, self sacrificing love - something that has been identified with religious experience though is also reserved for close loved ones like a partner or a child. Until recently I couldn't've said I'd experienced this, as I'm not in the slightest bit religious nor do I have any children however I admit that my feelings for my amazing girlfriend Amanda seem to have merged into this category - I would truly do anything for her (even though she can drive me crazy sometimes :P)
Philia - Brotherly love or close friendship, is again something I am blessed with - despite the fact that I am an only child, I feel a close bond with my best friends - while I cannot compare this directly with brotherly love, I can only estimate that it's roughly there... :P
Storge - is defined as familial love, something else I can certainly say I am blessed with, being part of a close knit family.
As far as I see it, love is an essential part of life in all its forms, for a start it keeps things ever changing, but also it is the glue that binds people together and has allowed us to create the great dynamic culture in which we live...
I probably rambled quite a bit there but Love is quite a hard abstract to talk about without going all tangential, though I must admit the timing is rather apt seeing as it's V day tomorrow...
Nik
Day Two - Introductions
"I'd like to introduce a man with a lot of charm, talent, and wit. Unfortunately, he couldn't be here tonight, so instead . . ." ~Melvin Helitzer
Today's topic is introduction; how you introduce yourself to new people, unfortunately it's been a long time since I've had to introduce myself, perhaps that's a sign of how closed my social circle has really become so tbh I don't have a clue beyond the usual "I'm Nik, I'm not crazy, honest" - usually I'd only introduce myself after I'd been chatting to the person for a while and thus built up some kind of a rapport beforehand so it's less likely they'll be horrified by my terrible introduction and run a mile... or three.
So yeah, short post for today but hopefully I'll be able to make longer ones about some of the other subjects... that's the plan anyway.
Nik
Day One - Death
“I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting me is another matter.” ~Winston Churchill
Rather a morbid topic to begin with, but here goes.
Death to me is just another part of the natural cycle; things die, things get consumed, their energy continues through the chain, the power of death seems to be the one thing that has powered our entire ecosystem - which is easy to say in general because there's no personal ramifications, it's easy to say shit dies because the thing that's dying is merely an abstract.
However when that thing is something or someone you've built an emotional attachment to, that concept becomes a scary one and I will admit that the death of someone close to me is the one thing that I am truly scared shitless of because despite what a large percentage of the population will tell you, we don't actually have the slightest of clues what truly happens when we cease to be on this mortal coil.
While I would like to believe in reincarnation (it sounds like a fantastic concept) there are far too many question, for example; do you get to choose? if so, why aren't there trillions of cats filling up this planet? do you have to start again from the bottom as an amoeba? do you carry on up the chain and turn into something else? what is up the chain from humanity? why am I asking so many questions? when will this topic end? and so on...
I also like the concept of an afterlife but the various different sets of qualifying criteria set out by the great (and tiny) religions of our world make this rather over complicated too, what if they're all true? what if none of them are true? what if just one of them is true? how would you know you've picked the right one until it's too late?
I suppose my best guess at the moment would be the 'you just cease' argument though the only crumb of comfort that comes into this is the idea that all the time someone is remembered, they are never truly dead, to me this makes life worth something.
It sets us each with a challenge; do something that would actually make your life memorable, bonus points if Hollywood make a film about it.
To anyone that reads this who is grieving for a loved one or close friend, my heart goes out to you, take solace in the thought that they are free from the struggle of this world and that all the time you cherish their memory, they are never truly dead.
Love, light and peace
Nik.
Games I Played in 2010...
After a brief look through this page, I decided to do my own mini review of the games I played that were released this year... 'cause I can...
Dark Void (Xbox 360)
I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical of this game when I first bought it (I got it second hand on a whim) but after a bit of play, I really enjoyed it. Something about this game screams low production values - some of the controls are somewhat clunky and the graphics aren't exactly up to scratch, however the flying mechanics are this game's saving grace, making the whole affair seem intuitive and fluid without being overly complicated.
Mass Effect II (Xbox 360)
I got ME2 with my '360 and it seems to be one of the games I keep coming back to. I'm a huge sci-fi nerd and this game just has everything I want. The graphics look smooth and realistic and the game play manages to be fast paced whilst staying laid back and enjoyable with a very engaging story.
Star Trek Online (PC)
As I said before, I'm a sci-fi nerd, primarily star trek but I've never before been able to really enjoy a star trek themed video game, their lack of production values has tended to destroy any immersion that I might have felt. While the ground segments of this game felt unwieldy and awkward, the space segments more than made up for this short-coming and kept me immersed and lost in the endless nerdgasm that this game rightfully induces.
Sims III (PC)
While not actually released in 2010, the awkwardly titled 'high end loft stuff' expansion was released in february. While the Sims III certainly brought a lot of extra features from the Sims II, it did regress in quite a few key areas. For a start the whole game feels heavy and sluggish when compared to the ballerina that was the Sims II - the loading screens grate on the nerves and it just doesn't feel as fluid as its predecessor. Admittedly a lot of the missed features will probably be crowbarred in via expansion pack, however until that happens and the game loses a few pounds in the process, I'll stick with the sims 2.
Formula 1 2010 (Xbox 360)
Being an avid formula 1 fan and a recent 360 convert, I couldn't resist buying this game, for once I actually paid full price on the day of release - so eager was I to get my hands on this game. And for once I found very little to be disappointed about. The graphics looked fantastic, nearing a level of photo realism that certainly impressed. The weather effects too are amazing with dynamic weather meaning that no two races will be the same. I wasn't impressed with the rule enforcement mid race, meaning that certain accidents that are infact the fault of the AI cars are treated as though they were deliberately instigated by the player. All in all though I have enjoyed this game, though there is perhaps a touch too much of a role-play aspect, this is a small price to pay for a fantastic F1 sim.
Smackdown vs Raw 2011 (Xbox 360)
Sadly I used to be a fan of this series but unfortunately it stopped being quite so fan after 2003 when it stopped being about gameplay and fun and turned into yet another way for the WWE to make money following the madden principle of keeping the core game exactly the same as it was the previous year, introducing a few peripheral components like some slightly different match types and then updating the roster to match the current year's crop. It was the stagnation of innovation in this series that made me stop buying them in 2008... unfortunately such is the draw of this series that it caught up with me this year when I bought '10 and then '11 - the only real reason I play these games now is in order to make my own characters and then match them up against each other... yeah... not really that good a reason to buy a game series, is it? I'll try and give smackdown vs raw 2012 a miss.
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (Xbox 360)
I must admit I have barely played this game as I was bought it for Christmas and haven't had much time to devote to it however I have watched my Girlfriend's sister play it quite a bit and the animation and attention to detail is fantastic, even aside from playing through the main story, the free-roaming sandbox aspect of renaissance Rome and the ability to dive from a roof top solely to end a guard's pixellated existence in a stylish and amusing fashion just never gets old.
Minecraft Beta (PC)
this song says it all, there are few words to describe the sandboxy awesomeness of this game, I doubt it will ever get old.
Scarily enough, that is all thus far, I still have a ton of games that I've bought and not played... I guess that'll have to be next year now :P