Hockey Coach Loses His Cool

This clip is great for a laugh. After disagreeing with a referee's call during a American Hockey League game, Abbotsford Heat coach Jim Playfair gets emotional.



Do you think Jim got his message across? Have a look at the player just behind the coach on the right, he cannot stop laughing!

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

I read today that Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is coming to XBLA. It looks amazing! The gameplay looks pretty similar to PixelJunk Shooter, but the art style is very exciting indeed.



Screen shots, and more information for this game can be found at www.insanelytwisted.com. A release date has not yet been confirmed.

Do want.

Impressions: P.B. Winterbottom

I haven't written about anything other than Battlefield for a while, and have been meaning to write about this game, so here we go... P.B. Winterbottom, or Winterbottom for short, or The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom for long, is a quirky puzzle game which was recently released on XBLA.

Mr. Winterbottom is a rather shady character who has a big liking for pie. So much so, that the only purpose of this game is to collect pies. Before you stop reading this, the way you collect the pies is rather unique: You can create clones of yourself and use them to reach areas of the level you normally cannot, and use them interact with objects, like switches. This gameplay mechanic really makes you think outside of the box. The puzzles in Winterbottom can be rather challenging, but it is very rewarding when you finally find a solution to that puzzle which was troubling you.

I'm not normally the biggest fan of puzzle games, but I really like this game. Much like Portal and Braid before it, Winterbottom is an experience. It's unique gameplay is perfectly complimented with the macabre Victorian art styling, and the music sounds like it is straight out of a silent movie.

Here is the trailer which shows off the awesome art style, and some of the ways you can interact with your clones.



Winterbottom is available on XBLA for 800 space bucks ($10?). There is also a demo which can be downloaded for free. I recommend you give Winterbottom a go, and please let me know how you liked this game.

BC2 And You: Canuckistan Thanks You!

Over the past week, I have been giving Battlefield Bad Company 2 a royal thrashing. This is not only due to the game being so much fun, and offering many choices in how you can approach it, but by having my friends around to enjoy the game with.

Team work is massive in this game, and friends obviously help in that matter, but that isn't the main reason why I prefer to game with friends. You can share your experiences. Share the joy of doing something amazing (like your first Anti-Tank kill), and equally, share the frustrations that can arise in multiplayer gaming (like spawn rapists). Gaming is supposed to be fun, and I use it to unwind from the stresses of work. Having a laugh with my friends is very important.

I'd like to personally thank a few of my buddies, who have the patience to ride the rollercoaster that is my emotional state when gaming (and putting up with the many profanities spewing from my mouth)... Wound, Bear, Random, Necris, Pinbot, Beefie, Roadie, Zefron, Thumbs, and an extra special mention to KC, who drove halfway across the country to game with us last night!

I'm looking forward to many more sessions with you all, especially over the next week, now that I'm on annual leave.

... More sessions like last night would be great too! We kicked much arse.

Awesome Bad Company 2 Videos!

I found a link to this youtuber on the oldskoolgamers forum who posts many crazy vids from Battlefield Bad Company 2. This guy, named Cr1TiKaL has a wide variety of videos, and some of my favourites include tutorials on Smoke grenades, Anti Tank mines, and fun with C4.

Here is one to whet the appetite... REPAIR TOOL!



If you are looking for more creative and fun ways to get kills and points in BC2, head over to his youtube channel HERE.

First Look: Pacman Battle Royale

Holy shit! This looks awesome! 4 player Pacman versus mode, which looks alot like Canuckistan favourite, Pacman Championship Edition.

Hopefully it will eventually find it's way to XBLA...



Since majority of the arcades have closed in Melbourne, a XBLA release would be the only way I'd get to play it.

Dice Owns Infinity Ward Again

Not only have EA Dice made Battlefield Bad Company 2 much more enjoyable than Call of Duty 6, Dice also sink the boot into Infinity Ward at every opportunity.

Last week, Dice were rubbing in the fact that they're offering free maps, compared to $15 for five COD 6 maps (and 2 of those being existing COD 4 maps). This week, Dice have taken the piss out of this "Public Service Announcemnt", seen below...



And here is the much better version from Dice, with alot more wit and sarcasm...



Team FRAGS > Team FAGS.

Battlefield Bad Company 2 Multiplayer Tips

Bad Company 2 kicks alot of arse. Yesterday, I finished the single player campaign, and was very impressed. While I would rate the single player maybe an 8 out of 10, I rate the multi player a 9 or 10. I love it. The first Bad Company was great, but BC2 is an improvement in every way. I cannot recommend it highly enough for fans of shooters. There is so much variety in this game. So many ways to rack up points, and to achieve the objectives.

I will say first up, that I'm far from being a great player, or a winner, or my gamertag does not contain the letter x (singular or in multiples of 3), but I do have a few tips for players. Not all of these tips were born from my brain (I got the list of 10 from Sarcasticgamer.com), but I am posting that list, and adding a few of my own...

10. In any gametype, stay close to the medic. Not only will they keep you on the battlefield, but they’ll get mad points for resuscitating you as well.

9. If your heliocopter gets blasted out of the sky, you can still jump out before it crashes into the ground and survive by pressing A (360) or X (PS3) to deploy your parachute while in the air.

8. In Rush and Conquest hitting the select button to designate a target location gives added xp to the attackers or defenders of that point. There are also bonuses and Achievements attached to taking a selected target.

7. In Rush, you don’t have to blow up the M-Com, you can also destroy the structure it is in. Sometimes its easier to blow up the whole building.

6. Play any class you want, because as you level up, you’ll get a pool of guns that you can use with any class. Want a shotgun and a ghille suit? You can do that!

5. Turn your aiming sensitivity up about two notches. The default sensitivity is way too slow.

4. When you see an enemy, press the select button. Not only will it put a big orange arrow pointing out the target, but your squad will see it as well. Great for counter sniping and you get 20 points for a spotting bonus if a squadmate kills that guy.

3. Stick with your squad. Keeping each other alive is priority. Revive them, spawn on them, spot for them. Do these three things to max your score and bet the best squad bonus every round.

2. Do not leave an area with a vehicle without picking up other teammates. All vehicles benefit from additional passengers and you don’t want to be “that guy.”

1. All ammo types fire on an arc. Tank shots, missles, bullets will gradually lose speed and hit the ground at some point. You fight a lot at distance, so compensate for that when shooting from distance.

Now for the Canuckistan pro-tips:

- An engineer can repair a helicopter from the inside. Just make sure you are not in the driver or gunner seats. Be a passenger. Do the right thing.

- Place tracer darts on enemy vehicles. Not only will it let your team know where this vehicle is, you get 30 points for a successful dart hit. Rocket launchers (apart from basic rpg) will home in on a traced vehicle. Every kit can use the dart gun as the secondary weapon.

- Have diverse squads. Each class has it's pros & cons. Each class has it's own ways of directly supporting other people: Engineer has the repair drill, Medic has health packs & defib paddles, Assault can distribute ammo boxes, and the Recon class can use the Motion Sensor. There are many points to be had by assisting your team mates. Stick together.

- Medics: Throw as many health packs around as you can. This will increase your chances of healing your team mates. Even without knowing it. Also, stick with your team, to maximise heal/revive points.

- Engineers: It's better for your team that you don't drive the vehicle, as when you jump out to repair, it leaves the passengers vulnerable. Be a passenger/gunner. Do the right thing.

- If you can, steal enemy vehicles instead of destroying them. The vehicle cannot respawn, if it has not been destroyed.

- If you cannot drive/fly... Don't!

- Shooting team mates with a tracer dart is only funny the first time.

These tips should go a long way to making you all winners. Hopefully I will see you on the Battlefield soon. Hit me up with a game invite on xbox live.

A Tragedy, In More Ways Than One

With the recent murder of toddler Gurshan Singh (an Indian national on holiday with his parents) in Melbourne, there was alot of shock and outrage. The shockwaves were felt, not only here in Melbourne, but in India too. People are right to be outraged: The murder of anyone is abhorrent, but the murder of a child is much more impactful.

There has been alot of press of late regarding not only about this attack, but many attacks on Indian nationals in Australia, and Melbourne in particular. There have been many bashings, and stabbings of Indian students, and taxi drivers living in Melbourne. This press has lead to, in the eyes of India, the perception that Australians are racist. That these people were attacked because of racial reasons. While I do believe that Melbourne is getting more violent, I don't believe that we are all racists. Of course, there will always be an element of racism, but I would think that these idiots only make up a tiny fraction of the people in this city.

I would think that these victims may do things that increase the risk of danger. Would I walk the streets alone at night? No. Would I catch a train alone at night? No. Would I bring a laptop computer on the train at night? No. I am not an expert (am only offering my opinion), but I would think that these attacks are more about opportunity, rather than race. These idiots probably don't see an Indian person, they see a laptop, or a person on their own, and see an opportunity to rob someone & steal a laptop, or a mobile phone. These people are scum, and we would love these people locked up, so we can all feel safe.

Now, with alot of tension between India and Australia already being there, this horrible attack on young Gurshan has inflamed things even more. There is so much negative press, and threats of boycotting Australia altogether (in both Tourism and the lucrative 'International student' industry). Things are really getting out of hand.

Victoria Police have tonight, arrested a man suspected of this horrible murder. He is one of the people who was sharing a house with Gurshan's parents. The man charged over this death, is Dhillon Gursewak. It is not yet clear if Gursewak is an Indian National, an Australian permanent resident or citizen.

What is clear however, is that Mr. Gursewak is not the 'Australian racist' that many in India had in mind. Not everything is as it first appears to be. It is very easy for people to jump to conclusions, and I hope both India and Australia are ernest in their attempts to mend the political bridges.

May Gurshan rest in peace.

The Gaming Twilight Zone

This is a once in a lifetime event, where planets align and the gaming gods have blessed us with something truly special.


Look at my gamerscore in the above picture... 41114! The first and last numbers are the same, while all of the three centre numbers also match. This is spooky stuff!

Most achievements deal out gamerscore in multiples of 5, but somehow I've ended up with a weird total ending in 4. I would like to thank the following games for making this wonderful thing possible: Crash of the Titans (183 gamerscore), The Orange Box (112 gamerscore), and Cloning Clyde (79 gamerscore).

... I'm scared!

Hello, Neglected Ones!

...I'm back. Well, I was never gone, but my internet connection was. It turns out you have to PAY for internet. Strange I know, but thats how we do things in Australia. Damn Communists!

Anyways, enough shit-talk... What have I been doing in the last week? Working. That's about it. Oh, and playing alot of video games which don't require an internet connection. That's right, I've been playing the PS3. That was, until PS3's around the forgot to carry the one, and get confused about there not being a February 29th this year.

Y2K bug, 10 years too late. Sony again, is late to the party.

Jokes aside, I have my internet back, and normality will resume. The PS3 is again, the DVD/BluRay machine like it should be. Time to play the Xbox...