Day 22 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Chibi Robo Let's Go Photo UK Release

Yesterday it was announced that Chibi Robo: Let's Go Photo for 3DS will finally be making its way to UK shores on 3rd July 2014. I'm a huge fan of the series starring the adorable little robot so let's see what he has in store for us this time around.

Chibi Robo is now working for a museum but unfortunately it's lacking any exhibits. The Curator has given you the task of finding objects (referred to as NostalJunk) to fill up his museum, it sounds simple enough but you'll have to use your 3DS camera to do it.

You will be given a specific shape and it's your mission to go out into the real world and take a photo of something identical to that shape. It will then be rendered into the game so Chibi Robo can cart it off to the museum and put it on display. Here's a video to show you the process in action.

When you're not snapping photos of the weird and wonderful there's a number of side-quests and tasks to keep you occupied. Chibi Robo will have to make sure the museum stays clean and tidy, while also helping the games cast of eccentric characters with their problems.

In Japan Nintendo were apparently running NostalJunk contests where you have to submit your best in-game photographs for a chance to win fabulous prizes. Hopefully we'll get the same thing here.

This could be one of the best community based games since Animal Crossing: New Leaf, so make sure to mark 3rd July 2014 on your calendar.

Day 21 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 completely revitalised the franchise, shifting focus from tank controlled characters and static cameras to an over the shoulder perspective, getting the player closer to the action than ever before. This however, altered the kind of terror on offer; unnerving atmospheres were replaced with heart pounding, white knuckled excitement that kept you on the edge of your seat. 

The game stars Leon S Kennedy, the rookie cop from Resident Evil 2, who is now working for the US Government and has been given the task of finding Ashley, the President's abducted daughter. Capcom set the tone for the game in brilliant fashion, within the first ten minutes you're barricading yourself in a house surrounded by an entire village of lunatics, including one fellow wielding a chainsaw. I lost count of the number of times I had my head brutally removed in this first scene.

 You later discover that the entire community has been infected with a parasite capable of taking over the hosts body and turning them into mindless puppets. This allowed Resident Evil to move away from the signature zombie masses to a more intelligent enemy, one that would evade your attacks and use weapons and strategy to defeat you.

A considerable portion of the game sees you escorting Ashley to safety, a task that many players found frustrating as she's very slow to move and little more than baggage. Many a time I've been surrounded by enemies only to quick turn and end up shooting her in the face, it was kind of funny the first time but gets old pretty quickly. Thankfully Ashley gets recaptured at certain points of the game, usually when you have to defeat a boss, so there's sufficient breathing space that allows you to have a bit of fun without having to worry keeping her from harm.

There's plenty of replay value on offer thanks to the various unlockables and side quests that are worthwhile devoting your time to. Completing the game will unlock the Mercenaries mode, allowing you to pick from a number of characters and fight waves of enemies until you die or the timer expires.

Resident Evil 4 was a risky endeavor for Capcom as they had completely changed the series formula, but the gamble paid off as there's no denying how good this game is. If you like your horror games exciting, terrifying and a roller-coaster ride to the very end then this game is just what you're looking for. So what'll it be, stranger?  

Day 20 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Halo: Combat Evolved

At a time when the majority of my friends had their Playstation 2's, I was getting acquainted with Microsoft's new Xbox console and it's launch title Halo: Combat Evolved. In a market that's now over-saturated with first person shooters it may be difficult for some to find something special about Halo, but at the time this was considered a masterpiece of gaming that made people believe Xbox was a true contender in the 'console wars'.

Halo begins with a massive starship, crewed by human space marines, coming across a mysterious ring world after being chased across the galaxy by the alien Covenant. When the Covenant send in their boarding party the humans decide to abandon ship and flee to Halo, but before they leave they revive the last of their race of super soldiers; Spartan 117, otherwise known as Master Chief. 

Accompanied by his digital sidekick, Cortana, Master Chief had to fight his way through 10 brilliantly designed levels that saw you uncovering the secrets of this fascinating place. The levels would see you venture across snow covered mountains, tropical islands, dense swamps and alien cruisers, with the variety and attention to detail being phenomenal in every sense of the word.

Halo had a graphic quality that really demonstrated what the Xbox was capable of, sunlight would slip between the leaves of trees, while plasma shots would burn brightly across the battlefield; sometimes leaving you so stunned that you'd be shot to pieces before you realised what was happening. Audio was also impeccable as grenades would give a satisfying explosion; followed by the trickle of falling debris, the Covenant's plasma weapons had their own distinct sounds and not to mention one of the most wonderful gaming soundtracks of the era.

AI was also very well presented, not just from the enemy standpoint, but also your allies as they would provide suppressive fire and other tactical manoeuvers to help you secure victory. The Covenant however are also just as clever, especially in the Legendary difficulty mode where they seem almost unbeatable, flanking around you and using stealth to make you feel helpless. You can always get your own back though in the easier settings, with Grunts retreating when their Elite leaders are killed by a well placed plasma grenade.

Halo had some great multiplayer support as well, no Xbox Live, but there was support for up to 16 players via system link. You could customise maps how you wanted, deciding which weapons to include, alongside vehicles and power ups to add tons of variety. You could even tackle the story in co-op mode, which was great for when you needed a helping hand beating the game on Legendary, and you could even partake in Warthog jumping (something that you can't do now as the Warthog's are destructible).

Halo: Combat Evolved was everything a launch title should be. It demonstrated the power of the system, delivered excellent gameplay and set the standard for all those to come, while making owners of rival consoles green with envy. 

Day 19 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Sunset Riders

Sunset Riders is my favourite western game, after Red Dead Redemption of course.

This western-style arcade game from Konami was ported over to the SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis. It was a side-scrolling run-and-gun shooter where players would have to blast their way through wild west themed levels and defeat a boss to collect a bounty. The console version has two playable characters; a young gunslinger named Billy and a shotgun wielding Mexican named Cormano, other than the weapons there wasn't really any difference depending on who you played as. The game also featured a two player co-op mode so you could tackle the game together with a friend.

The SNES version of the game has some slight differences due to Nintendo's family friendly policies. The Mega Drive version featured female enemies that threw dynamite at you, but these have been replaced with male bandits in the SNES version, probably Nintendo not wanting to glorify violence towards women. Also the Native American themed boss in the Mega Drive version, known as Chief Scalpem, was renamed Chief Wigam in the SNES version.

Sunset Riders is perfect if you want something simple to just pick up and play, so grab a buddy a wreak some havoc through the west. Yee-hah! 

Day 18 out of 100 Happy Gaming Days: World of Illusion

I'm a bit late with this one. I was extremely busy yesterday and to be honest writing a blog a day was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, but that just means there's going to be a double post today!

World of Illusion was one of the greatest Disney platformer's of the 16 bit era. It featured some beautiful graphics for the time based on Disney's animation style, with levels taking inspiration from classic Disney movies and cartoons such as The Little Mermaid, Mickey and the Beanstalk and Alice in Wonderland.

The story begins with Mickey and Donald rehearsing their act for a big magic show, and while they're rehearsing they discover an unusual wooden box carved to look like a face with a velvet curtain across its mouth. All of a sudden they both fall into the box and are transported to the World of Magic, where an evil Sorceror explains he will show them the way home, as long as they can find him and defeat him in a magic duel.


The game is pretty easy to complete, however there is a lot of replay value as you can play as Mickey or Donald, and in co-op mode with a friend. Depending on which character you've chosen you'll encounter different routes and levels, for instance with Donald having a bigger backside than Mickey he can't squeeze the through smaller spaces like Mickey can, so he needs to find an alternative route to proceed.

The co-op mode was also very inventive with players being encouraged to help one another, otherwise they stood no chance of completing the game. Some sections involved giving each other a boost to higher ledges and then throwing a rope down for the person left behind, or jumping in sequence to move a rail cart across a level.

There's a lot of great Disney games for the Mega Drive but World of Illusion stands out for it's great design and multiplayer, and with Castle of Illusion recently getting an HD remake some are expecting World of Illusion to get the same treatment. If they keep the same design values that encourage true cooperative gameplay, I'll be happy... and maybe some bonus content too! :P

Day 17 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: The Silent Hill Collection

Never has a game series been so terrifyingly disturbing, and with 3 games in one box you better make sure you're not wearing your best underwear before you play this.

This collection is comprised of the second, third and fourth games, and while there are some that I prefer over others this is still a great collection.

Silent Hill 2 tells the story of widow James Sutherland who has journeyed to Silent Hill after receiving a letter signed by his deceased wife. The letter beckons him to meet her Silent Hill, the town holding great meaning for the couple, so James wanders over to the cursed town to see what's going on. He arrives to find the town shrouded in fog and seemingly deserted, save for the horrific monsters crawling the streets and stalking your every move. Can James discover the truth before it's too late?

Silent Hill 3 follows the story of Heather, a teenage girl who is being pursued by the cult of Silent Hill. After she finds her father bludgeoned to death by a monster controlled by the cult, Heather goes to Silent Hill to seek revenge. I'll be honest I really didn't enjoy this one, I found Heather to be really annoying and the story was nowhere near as gripping as Silent Hill 2. Some still consider it a great game but I just never saw the appeal.

Silent Hill 4 sees poor Henry Townshend of Room 302 wake up one morning to find the door of his apartment sealed from the inside. As if things couldn't get any worse a huge portal appears in his bathroom wall leading Henry to various locations, and eventually to Silent Hill, where he tries to unravel the mystery of just what on earth is going on. Some feel this is the lower point in series as Silent Hill 4 was never intended to be a main Silent Hill game, and although the gameplay here does deviate from the previous games, the story will keep you playing until the very end.

All-in-all a great collection that every survival-horror fan should own, try it if you dare.

Day 16 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Super Mario Kart

With only 7 days remaining until the release of Mario Kart 8 (I've got my pre-order), I thought it would be a good idea to look at the game that started it all; Super Mario Kart for SNES.

Super Mario Kart set the standard for the future of the series introducing imaginative track design, multiplayer fun and showing what Nintendo's Seal of Quality really meant. The game had a total of 8 playable characters; Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool/Peach, Yoshi, Toad, Koopa Trooper, Bowser and Donkey Kong Jr. There are a total of 20 tracks on offer from all over the Mario universe; Donut Plains, Bowsers Castle, Choco Island and the now notorious Rainbow Road.

Players could compete for various cups in the Mario Kart GP mode racing solely against the computer across 5 tracks in each competition, or they could have a friend join in too. There were two difficulty options available, 50cc and 100cc, and if you managed to earn gold in the first three tournaments you'll gain access to the Special Cup with the remaining 5 tracks. If you reached the top spot in a tournament you would see a wonderful animation showing your character with their trophy, with a different animation depending on the character you chose.

You could also race one-on-one against your friends or compete in a Time Trial across any of the 20 tracks, but my favourite has always been the Battle Mode. In Battle Mode you and a friend could fight it out across 4 arena-type stages, firing weapons at your opponent to burst the 3 balloons attached to their kart. Unfortunately you're unable to get any AI controlled opponents to fight in Battle Mode, but the arenas were just the right size for 2 players.

Super Mario Kart, as previously mentioned, also had a selection of weapons available. Thankfully the Blue Shell was yet to make an appearance, but banana skins, green/red shells, mushrooms and many more were there to make or break your race. The computer also had their own weapons to use against you, for instance Yoshi is able to leave Eggs around the track for you to crash into, but as far as I'm aware a player controlled racer is unable to access these exclusive weapons (which was a bit strange but it kept things interesting as you didn't know what was going to attack you next).

Super Mario Kart was a fantastic game and the hype for Mario Kart 8 has built to ridiculous levels, and with an amazing series behind it it certainly has a lot to live up to.
         

Day 15 out of 100 Happy Gaming Days: LSDJ

Little Sound DJ is a music workstation intended for use with the original Nintendo Gameboy. The software was developed by Johan Kotlinski and is designed to make full use of the audio capabilities of the Gameboy and is used by many chiptune artists.

There is a slight learning curve due to the whole piece of software being controlled by the Gameboy's 4 buttons and a D-Pad, but if you persevere for a few hours you should be able program a piece of classical music with relative ease. Included is an in-depth sequencer, arpeggiator, a nice selection of samples from various drum kits samples from machines such as the TR-808 and the ability to sync two Gameboys via link cable for added polyphony. 

Obtaining the software isn't too difficult, just wander over to the LSDJ website and pay for a license to use LSDJ. This however, only gets you the file as Johan no longer flashes the ROM onto Game Paks, so you'll need to find someone offering this service unless you know how to do this yourself. I used kitsch-bent and they were awesome, got the cartridge over to me very quickly for a reasonable fee.

Alternatively you can use plugins like the Magical 8bit Plug from YMCK, that can be used with most popular DAW's, or Rhythm Core Alpha 2 on Nintendo eShop for 3DS which is pretty much based on LSDJ and is a great title to have installed on your console for when you're feeling creative. 

Day 14 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: God Eater Burst

I said I would try to find something unusual and I think God Eater: Burst for PSP fits that description, along with freaking awesome!

God Eater: Burst takes the Monster Hunter formula and mixes in anime cutscenes, a kick ass soundtrack, engrossing story-line, the option of having AI controlled characters fight alongside you (something I would have really liked in MH) and best of all, your own customisable character that wields a buster sword/cannon capable of devouring enemies to steal their abilities.

The game is set in a world that has been overrun and destroyed by the hideous aragami (big nasty monsters) and it's up to you to get out there and exterminate them. Like MH you have a specific monster to aim for in order to complete the mission and you can craft new armour and weapons from your fallen enemies, some of it looking especially cool. Some of the missions can be tackled on your own, or with AI controlled allies, but the game is best played with a friend so you can add some strategy and more cohesive teamwork to your game.

The weapon you carry is capable of devouring cells from monsters so you can steal their abilities. For example having your weapon take a bite out of a giant snow monkey will give the power to use ice based attacks. Keep in mind that enemies do not surrender their powers easily, so you'll have to be cunning if you want to wield new abilities without getting clobbered in the process.

God Eater: Burst is a fantastic game and every PSP owner owes it to themselves to seek it out. Whether it's for the great story-line (which I refuse to spoil), engaging multiplayer, addictive gameplay or just because you can find it for less than £10, it doesn't matter. It's awesome, play it.

Day 13 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Nintendo Playing Cards

Long before Nintendo became a video games company they manufactured playing cards, and since we had over 3000 points on Club Nintendo, we decided to choose these Premium Mario Playing Cards to see what all the fuss was about.  

The first thing you notice when you open the pack is that they're not even made of card, they're a strange reflective plastic, and the second thing you notice is the care and attention to detail that's gone into making these things. Each suit has a different image of Mario (King), Peach (Queen), Luigi (Jack), while Bowser takes his place on the Joker cards. The numbered cards and Ace cards have pictures of Mushrooms and Coins on them, and I love the way they printed the design so only part of the reflective surface is visible. I'm also glad they decided to use the Super Nintendo-era designs, rather than the more modern designs, as the bolder outlines and colours really make them stand out. 

We're thinking of taking them out of the pack and fitting them into a big frame to go up on the wall, which is going to look pretty amazing with the light reflecting from them. And since Nintendo has been the main focus of the last couple of days I'll if I can find something a little more unusual for tomorrow's blog. :)

Day 12 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Nintendo 'Cool Stuff'

Nintendo have revealed their 'cool stuff' page on the UK website today and to be honest I'm quite impressed. A lot of the Nintendo merchandise I find when I'm out and about can be quite poor, and while some of that is also present on the cool stuff page, there's also some great exclusive items to purchase as well.

This Ganondorf statue will set you back a whopping £281.99, but the attention to detail is phenomenal. The statue is 23 inches tall and cast in high-quality polystone, which has been hand crafted and hand painted. What I really like is hand tailored fabric cape, and the fact it looks so bloody sinister. Awesome.

Another item I feel I should draw your attention to is this Tanooki Mario Figurine with a Leaf power-up.  The price is £150, which I think is hideously over-priced, but it's still a very nice piece all the same. It's 15 inches tall and is made from high quality polystone resin, there's also another version without the Leaf Block for £130.

The cool stuff page stocks everything by character and you can find hats, bags, phone covers and other knick-knacks to show your love for Nintendo. The only problem is, like Club Nintendo, a lot of these exclusive items are selling out faster than a red shell rebounding off a drain pipe. So if you want something, be sure to get it quick.

Day 11 of 100 Happy Gaming Days: Megaman Zero Collection

I found this last week at a pawn shop and I have to say this was a pretty lucky find. The Megaman series is kind of difficult to get into when you're from the UK, this is one of only a handful that I've picked up in the wild, and the games usually demand high prices. 

This contains all four games in the brilliant Megaman Zero series originally released for the Gameboy Advance. The gameplay is your traditional Megaman adventure, a hardcore 2D run-and-gun fest with superb level and character design. Then again if you simply want to enjoy the story this collection comes with a 'Easy Scenario Mode' which lowers the amount you take from enemies.

There's also a number of collectables to keep you entertained if four games in one isn't enough for you. Clearing the Easy mode will unlock character cards, whereas playing through the games on their usual difficulty will unlock mod cards which apparently alter content in Megaman Zero 3. And there's wallpapers to be unlocked throughout the game as well, certainly worth the effort as the artwork is nothing short of amazing.

Day Ten: Toejam and Earl

Is there a game that's funkier than Toejam and Earl? ...probably not.

Toejam and Earl have crashed their spaceship on a hostile and deranged planet, otherwise known as Earth, and they've got to find all of the scattered pieces to put their ship back together. It's a great top-down adventure game best played in co-op mode with a friend; that way you can cover more ground when exploring the map while also sharing items and health as well.

The game has a fantastic soundtrack with some of the most recognisable melodies of all time, perfect funk rhythms to match your casual strolls across the Earth. The only thing that keeps the game from being a walk in the park is the eccentric earthlings that attack TJ & E wherever they go. There's Boogie Men holding pitchforks, cackling dentists with drills and even a platoon of chickens armed with tomato launching mortars.

TJ & E aren't entirely helpless however, as there are presents scattered throughout the world that contain a wide variety of power ups. For instance Super Hi-Tops that allow for sprinting, Icarus Wings for flying and Boom boxes to distract enemies with a funky groove.

Sega have released Toejam and Earl on every platform imaginable now so there's no excuse for you not to have played this classic game. So grab a friend and give these two aliens a hand putting their spaceship back together.

Top 5 Nintendo 64 Games

Retro Gamer posted a message on their forums asking members to submit their Top 5 Nintendo 64 games, with the possibility of your response being quoted in their magazine. I might be a bit late for that but I thought I'd share my top 5 with you all the same, enjoy...


1. Lylatwars/Starfox 64- A brilliant on-rails shooter that improves upon the SNES original in every way. There's a ton of replay value thanks to the varying pathways to take throughout the game, the alternate endings and simply playing to achieve the highest score. Not to mention the task of winning medals on each level to unlock the hard mode. There's also a great cast of memorable characters and multiplayer fun to be had as a bonus.
2. Super Mario 64- The game that set the standard for 3D platform games for generations to come. The level design is fantastic in that it's simply fun just to explore each level down it's last detail, and there's so many memorable moments to be discovered e.g. defeating Bowser in 3D for the first time. Mario himself was equipped with a wide variety of new skills to traverse his terrain and battle his enemies, along with some new power ups such as the Metal and Pixel caps. I feel I should also mention that Super Mario 64 has one of the best soundtracks of all time, my own personal favourite being the Dire Dire Docks theme.

3. WWF No Mercy- I think I played this none stop for about a year when it was first released thanks to the wealth of content that's available. There's a number of story modes based on the various titles that were around at the time, a survival mode where you have to eliminate as many wrestlers as you can and the exhibition mode where you can customise matches as you want. The create-a-wrestler feature was quite in-depth; setting a template for future titles in the series, and this alongside the wide selection of wrestlers from WWF/WWE's attitude era you really were spoiled for choice.

4. Goldeneye 007- Another title I couldn't stop playing once I got my hands on it. The single player mode follows the movie in great detail, with graphics that were quite brilliant for the time, and a soundtrack that kept you immersed in the James Bond universe from start to finish. The wealth of replay value is enormous thanks to the 'cheats' that you can unlock by finishing a level in a certain time, along with the another two hidden levels based on previous Bond movies. And if all this wasn't enough you had what was arguably the greatest multiplayer experience on the Nintendo 64.

5. Conker's Bad Fur Day- It was rude, crude, even violent, but still the funniest game on the system. After getting drunk at his local one night Conker the Squirrel wakes up in a field next to a scarecrow, and your job is to guide him back home while making some cash along the way. The game takes on a variety of genres and does them all surprisingly well, even making fun of other games and movies such as Resident Evil, Saving Private Ryan and the Matrix. The hilarious cast of characters will make you want to keep playing through the story until the very end, with Rareware thoughtfully including a menu so you can jump to a certain chapter whenever you want to revisit your favourite moments. The multiplayer is also superb with a seven different modes to choose from (I like Raptor the most), and support for four players plus AI controlled enemies.

Day Nine: Play Expo

I've been going to Play Expo for the last two years and I've recently picked up my tickets for this years event in October. It's held at Manchester's Event City venue, which is a stones throw away from the Trafford Centre, and for a whole weekend it's crammed with games as far as the eye can see.

Last year Nintendo were there to show off Zelda: A Link Between Worlds about a month before it's official release in the UK, along with Sonic Lost Worlds and a playable demo of the upcoming Mario Kart 8! I imagine Nintendo will be back this year and seeing as Super Smash Bros Wii U has a planned Winter release they'll hopefully be bringing it along.

Ubisoft were there last year with Assassins Creed 4 demoing on PS4, also about a month before the PS4 was on sale, so as you can imagine there was queue that rivaled the Great Wall of China. The same can also be said for the Oculus Rift which was attracting a lot of attention, hopefully they'll be back this year as I wasn't prepared to wait in the queue last time around, and Namco also made an appearance to torment gamers with Dark Souls 2.

Then of course there's the retro games with several hundred machines on offer from the Atari 2600 to the PS2; so I was certainly spoiled for choice. This was accompanied by a huge selection of arcade cabinets and pinball machines, ensuring that everyone who attends goes home happy. There's also little hubs set up for people to play tournaments on Super Mario Kart, Doom and plenty other titles so if you want to have a little competition you're covered.

There's also a large number of stalls selling games for pretty much every platform imaginable, along with some great gaming merchandise and handycrafts as well, I picked up this Blastoise T-Shirt last year.

Cosplayers are also welcomed with a load of people turning up in fantastic outfits and there's usually talks with various designers sharing their cosplaying tips.

This year is already shaping up to be something special as they've just announced the screen.play feature, which is promising meet and greets with Hollywood movie stars, photo opportunities, film props and movie cars. 

The thing that I'm looking forward to most though is the Classic Gaming Championships, and the final is going to be held at Play Expo. I'm going to enter the heats at NERG in July so wish me luck, I'm probably going to need it. 

Day Eight: GTA V Selfies and Mental State Update

GTA V is arguably one of the best games, if not the best game, of the last console generation.

The city of Los Santos is filled to the brim with things to do, places to see and a huge cast of impressionable characters (like Franklin and Graham the Zombie). So luckily for us we have a camera so we can share our exploits on Rockstar's social club and elsewhere.

I thought I'd also take the opportunity to talk about the latest update to GTA Online; the High Life update. As usual this update includes some new vehicles, one new weapon, also a number of new apartments to rent along with the ability to rent multiple properties, but most importantly the Mental State feature.

The Mental State feature monitors a player's behaviour throughout a Free Roam session in GTA Online. The more damage a player does to NPC's, or other players, causes their character's mental state to become more psychotic and they'll be shown as a threat to other players on the map. If you bring down a psychopathic player you'll earn extra experience points, however your character will also start to become more mentally unstable as a result of that.

The presentation of this new feature is a little confusing as mentally unstable players are marked on the map with red blips, which was previously how players with bounties on their heads were represented, but now I think these have been replaced with red skulls. Either way, if you see red, shoot it and you'll earn some extra cash/XP. It's certainly revitalised the Free Roam sessions which were often very tame with not a lot happening, and now since there's some incentive to causing mayhem you're not safe anywhere in Los Santos.

Hopefully in the next update we'll finally get the long awaited heist missions added to GTA Online, and maybe I'll finally earn enough cash to buy a Z Type or a Rhino Tank.




 

Day Seven: Cats

For day 7 of the 100 Happy Days challenge I've chosen our three cats. Clockwise from the bottom there's Rosie, Oscar and Patches, they also seem to like games to some extent as well.

Rosie's favourite game, for some reason, is chasing bottle tops. If we have any drinks that require a bottle opener she'll eagerly wait until she hears it being opened and then belts the tops around the room. She also saves them for later by hiding them around the house, under the radiator covers seems to be the best place.

Oscar enjoys chilling out and watching other people play games. His favourite game at the moment is Grand Theft Auto 5, so he'll happily sit on your lap and stare at the screen for hours on end. He's also a huge South Park fan so he was very pleased when Stick of Truth finally came out.

Last, but not least, is Patches. Since he's the youngest he demands a lot of attention from the other cats, so his favourite game involves tormenting Oscar and Rosie until they pay attention to him. Whether that includes meowing at the top of his voice, attacking their tails when their backs are turned or practicing his hunting skills by hiding behind furniture and scaring the crap out everyone, Patches goes to great lengths to gain attention. He also enjoys trying to catch the cows and sheep that walk across the screen in Minecraft.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wGgssatKe0

Day Six: We Love Katamari

We Love Katamari is so bonkers it's brilliant.

The idea is simple, roll a ball into various objects and try and make the ball grow as big as you can, but why would anyone find that fun? Well, the game starts off in a very modest way as you pick up small objects like sweets and paperclips...eventually you'll be rolling up planets and universes. 

You can also add to the fun by playing the whole game in co-op mode with a friend, which really adds to the challenge as you have to be in sync with one another to perform the various moves required to progress through the game. Myself and my wife spent many hours playing We Love Katamari and even though the concept of the game is very simple it never gets old.

The game also has a ton of characters to unlock, the only thing that differs about them is their appearance, but it's still fun seeking out where the characters are hiding in each level. You can also unlock outfits and accessories for your characters by completing various challenges, for instance rolling up a certain number of objects in the fastest time possible, which adds to the replay value as you try to break your previous record.

The last thing I feel I need to mention is the soundtrack. It is possibly the most eccentric soundtrack I've ever found in a video game because you find a mixture of everything. J-Pop, J-Rock, Disco, Orchestral Music, Scat Singing and Beat Boxing, the tunes are seriously catchy and you'll be singing them for months on end. To be honest if you weren't interested in the game I would strongly advise you to pick up the soundtrack, it's that good.

Day Five: Strawberry Cheesecake Mochi

For day 5 of 100 Happy Days I thought I'd mix things up a little and show you one of my favourite desserts, Strawberry Cheesecake Mochi.

You can pick these put at Yo Sushi for £4.10 a plate and they're absolutely delicious.

Warning: They are very addictive, a friend of mine nearly bankrupted himself on these.

Day Four: Bioshock

One of the most influential and groundbreaking first person shooters of the last generation; Bioshock.

I have to admit when I first played Bioshock I didn't get the appeal, it didn't seem to be anything more than your typical shooter in a 1950's-1960's steampunk setting which was very popular at the time of it's release. When I gave it a second chance however, I found one of the most rewarding experiences available on the Xbox 360; thanks to its excellent gameplay, outstanding narrative and a cast of unforgettable characters.

I'll try and keep spoilers to a minimum...

You play as Jack who survives a plane crash into the ocean and winds up in the underwater city of Rapture, a once brilliant utopia created by businessman Andrew Ryan. Unfortunately Rapture has descended into chaos as it is now home to psychopathic drug addicts (known as Splicers), brainwashed/genetically altered children (Little Sisters), and violent robots who protect the children (Big Daddy's).

Your task? Somehow escape Rapture alive with the help of Atlas, an activist who attempted to overthrow Andrew Ryan, and of course Plasmids! A highly addictive substance that's turned almost everyone into a homicidal maniac, but it does give you incredible superpowers like the ability to shoot bolts of lightning from your fingertips.

One of things that makes the game so unique is that each character has their own story to tell that makes up the world of Bioshock. The Splicer's insane monologuing is both chilling and fascinating as they unwittingly reveal dark secrets from their past as a result of their addiction to Plasmids. Rapture's history is told to you through audio recordings left scattered throughout the city, which are great fun to collect, and not forgetting the weird and terrifyingly wonderful characters that can't wait to meet you.







       

Day Three: Super Mario Bros Wii K'nex Figures

I think these figures are fantastic. They ooze quality and I'm looking forward to collecting all 9 in the set. I currently have the Blue Yoshi the Yellow Toad, I'm hoping to pick up Fire Mario next!

Day Two: WWF No Mercy

This has to be my most favourite wrestling game of all time...then again I think most people consider this their favourite wrestling game. 

It seems pretty basic now in comparison to the latest offerings, but there is no denying that No Mercy is great fun to play. The game has a number of story modes revolving around the various championships (some with multiple endings), a survival mode where you have to eliminate as many wrestlers as you can and an exhibition mode where you can customise matches as you want. There is also quite an in-depth create-a-wrestler system, tons of unlockables that'll keep you going for months (make that years as I still don't have them all), and most importantly some of best multiplayer that the Nintendo 64 has to offer.  

Day One, 100 Happy Days

Day One: Pikmin



I noticed my Facebook was being flooded with messages showing the hashtag: #100HappyDays. After taking a moment to find out what this was all about; it seems the challenge is to find one thing per day that brings you joy for 100 days in a row. So I thought I'd join in with 100 Happy Gaming Days.

For Day One we have Pikmin! A great series from Nintendo that sees you organising a band of adorable little alien critters and having them beat up monsters and gathering precious loot. The game's special because you do care about the safety of your Pikmin, and feeling your heart slowly breaking as they get gobbled up, or smushed, by one of the games many enemies and letting out a little whimper of sorrow as their ghost ascends to the sky. The level designs are fantastic as well with some beautifully designed foliage, along with a very unique soundtrack to match.

I'm currently playing through Pikmin 2 at the moment as I'm hoping to finally finish it before I get my mitts on Pikmin 3 plus a Wii U. If you have never played any games in the series I highly recommend that you give them a try.

The Force is strong with this one

Just to show how much of a Star Wars geek I am, I thought I'd show you my Star Wars Xbox 360. When my original 360 was about to break down I saw it as an excuse to get the R2-D2 version, as far as I am aware it also has the largest hard drive of any of the 360 consoles (330GB).

May the 4th Be With You

Since it's May 4th I thought I'd kick off the blog by showing you some of my favourite Star Wars items from my gaming collection. Star Wars Battlefront 1 & 2 are probably my most loved Star Wars games as nothing is better than fighting it out in the Star Wars universe on a galactic scale, and I'm really looking forward to next one from DICE!