Youtube Friday!

Yeah, it's a little late. Just be glad you're getting some YouTube action this week.

First up is the 'Barbershop Quartet' short from Cyanide & Happiness.
Next is a version of Scott Joplin's 'Maple Leaf Rag' - classic ragtime piano.
Lastly is 'World's Biggest Hoe', as seen on Canadian comedy show, Corner Gas.

Sonic 4? I'm Excited!

One of my first gaming experiences was with Sonic the Hedgehog. We had Sonic 1 on the Master System, and I used to love playing that game (that, and Alex the Kidd). There were many fond memories, and whenever I was fortunate enough to play Sonic on the Mega Drive, I loved it even more.

Back in those days you were either Sega, or Nintendo. Sonic, or Mario. You couldn't be both. Given that we had a Master System, you would assume that I was MR. SEGA. While I did play Sonic more, I always enjoyed the Mario games more. Yep, it's true.

The gap in how much I liked Mario more than Sonic grew throughout the 16-bit era, especially as quality Sonic games ceased to exist after Sonic & Knuckles, while Mario games got better. Mario 64, and Paper Mario are two of my favourites.

With that being said, I loved the early Sonic games. While not being a massive Sonic fanboy, I am very hopeful the upcoming Sonic game (creatively named Sonic 4) will bring me back to the good old days of the Mega Drive Sonic's.

Here is a brief trailer, and things are looking very promising...



Sonic 4 is expected to be released this winter, and will be on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 & the Wii as a downloadable title.

My Fauxtography

Since I have listed photography as a hobby of mine, I really should show off some of my work. Head over to http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottlancasterphotography/, and see some of my favourite shots.

I have enjoyed photography for about 4 years now, and over that time have owned 5 cameras. I currently use a Canon 40D, with a 17-85mm as my 'walkaround' lens. I would like to buy a fisheye lens too, so I can try some more 'arty' shots. While good gear is important, some of my favourite shots have been taken on 'lesser' cameras - thats why photography is a rewarding hobby, even if you don't pour alot of money into some gear. As you can see from my flickr page, I mostly shoot landscapes, but also enjoy auto photography.

Have a look through my photos, and feel free to post some comments to let me know what you liked, and didn't like.

Flooding in Melbourne

Today there was a big storm in Melbourne. Unfortunately, I was at work, and didn't get to see any of the lightning. Outside it was very dark, and looked like it was night time (the storm was at 4pm today). There was a fair amount of rain, with about 25mm bucketing down in around 30 minutes.

Here is a brief video of people swimming in Melbourne's newest swimming pool: Flinders Street.

Banana Peel On The Ice?

Mario Kart is finally taking over mainstream society. Green Shells will be next.

Dr. Mordin's Love Advice

If you're thinking of shacking up with a Turian this Valentine's day, Dr. Mordin from Mass Effect 2 has some useful advice. Actually, his warning regarding ingestion of tissue is something we could all live by...

What Is The Greatest Co-op Game Of All Time?

Of recent times, there has been a shift in the gaming world. For many of us, the best social experience in gaming is no longer multiplayer, deathmatch-style games, it is co-op. Co-op for me is more rewarding by being a shared experience with one, two or three of your buddies (depending on the game). A great co-op experience will have you working with your buddies, and not just next to them.

Some of my favourite co-op games on the PS3 and Xbox 360 include the Rainbow Six: Vegas series, Borderlands, Operation Flashpoint 2, and Little Big Planet. There are also a few large scale, multiplayer games which really embrace the co-op experience too, especially the ones with vehicles. Battlefield 1943, and Bad Company are prime examples where 2 people can really work together, when in the one tank/jeep.

As much as I love driving tanks in the Battlefield games, it is not my favourite co-op game ever. Bubble Bobble is. This game from 1986, is so much better when two players are working together... Usually with each player clearing enemies on their side of the screen. When one player doesn't play like this, it often means the other player gets killed.


My brother visited tonight and after watching some hockey, we jumped into some Bubble Bobble. This was one of the few games we played together growing up, and it was good to have that feeling again. It was a fun little session of us working together, and trying to steal points off each other. After we battled our way to the cursed level 72 (Kaaaahhhhhhnnnnnn!!!) and he left for home, I was really inspired to write about what co-op gaming means for me...

It's about working together, and enjoying the company of your friends. You don't get the same satisfaction playing solo, and would rarely feel that connection when playing multiplayer online.

Impressions: Battlefield Bad Company 2 (demo)

This week Wound and I have been playing alot of the Battlefield Bad Company 2 demo. The first Bad Company would definately be one of my favourite FPS games, and was one which I had played alot. With that in mind, I was very keen to give this demo a go.

Just like in the first Bad Company, there is alot of variety. Not just in weapons, vehicles, or kits, but the sheer amount of ways you can get points in this game. You can be all gun-ho and rack up the kills, capturing enemy bases or by assisting your team mates with things such as health and ammo packs. There are also 4 kits to choose from (assault, engineer, medic & sniper), each with their own weapon & gadget sets. In the demo, only 2 weapons for each kit are available, but it looks like there will be about 8 different weapons for each kit to unlock in the full game.

Anyone who gamed with me in the first Bad Company will know that my favourite roles are Medic, and designated driver (tanks are great fun). I am very pleased now that there is a dedicated medic class (in Bad Company it was combined with the engineer class) with health packs, heavy machine gun and a mobile defibrillator (paddlessssssss!) which can revive fallen team mates, AND kill enemy soldiers. There is nothing better than sneaking up on an enemy sniper, and using the paddles on him!

There is no better example of how there are many ways to amass the points than the game Wound and I had last night. Our team won the round, and Wound and I were the highest scoring players in the match. Wound was the assault class, and got majority of his points from killing enemies and restocking my ammo. I was the medic class, and got most of my kills from healing/reviving Wound, and towards the end of the match I was the gunner in a tank getting alot of kills . My tank driver (some random dude) was an engineer, so when the tank was damaged he would fall back to repair it while I was defending him with the tank's mounted gun. Both Wound and I had about 25 kills each (I only had 2 deaths!) and had simular scores, but both got there in different ways. This game encourages team work, and each of the different classes are valuable.

This multiplayer-only demo is available on both the PS3 & Xbox 360. Here is a brief trailer to whet the appetite...



If anyone is up for a game, send me an invite over XBL and we can squad up. It's safe to say that I'll be playing the demo alot before the retail release in March.

See you on the Battlefield.

People of Walmart

Let's be honest, there is nothing better than laughing at Americans... Especially the 'redneck' ones, the ones who are oblivious to everybody trying hard not to laugh when you're looking at them. It reminds me of laughing at bogans.

If you like laughing at people who dress and look funny, who also happen to be American, head over to www.peopleofwalmart.com. I double dare you.

An Australian version would be www.peopleofbigw.com or www.peopleofcentrelink.com. I hope somone makes those websites.

EDIT: What we really need is www.peopleofcentrelink.com - make THAT website please.