Rant over.  What isn’t yawn is my DS and Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training.  Yeah, I know, it’s old, it’s very old.  I must have got this game years ago when the DS first came out… however, I’ve just rediscovered how actually brilliant it is.
Bit of background info for you: I’m going to University in September but I have had 2 years out from any form of education and I can sometimes almost feel my brain cells depleting.  The other day, the little brother asked me for help with his maths homework, wow.  I mean, I have never been a maths whizz, it was my absolute worst subject in school… I’m more of the creative sort.  But I managed to get  a C in the higher tier paper in my GCSE’s so I figured, how hard can Year 6 homework really be?

The answer is: VERY.  Adding, dividing, subtracting, multiplying FRACTIONS.  Basically, I was no help whatsoever.  The best I could offer was underlining the date for him and sticking his sheet into his book nice and straight.
So, feeling very annoyed at myself I felt the need to do a bit of brain training and hopefully get my intelligence levels up to the standard they were in school.  Honestly, I’d forgotten how much fun it is.

I must now admit that my brain age came back as 39…  not great considering I’m nearly half that age but that’s not the point.  It was so much harder than I thought it would be, I mean I knew I was gonna be a bit rusty but I didn’t expect to have real trouble multiplying!  I used to be able to do Pythagorus’ theorem and trigonometry and now I’m struggling with 4 times 6.

Other than depressing myself with my lack of mathematic ability, you can also test your reading skills.  Now, in all honesty, I don’t really understand this part.  I don’t really see why it’s more clever to be able to read a book faster… I like to take my time when reading, I mouth all the words as I read and I read sentences three times over if need be so I make sure I understand exactly what’s happening.  But, say you’re in a job that requires you to speed read, or you love reading but haven’t got the time to spend hours on a few chapters, then I imagine this would be very helpful practice.

My FAVOURITE part is the memory games, in particular the one where they give you 20 words on screen and you have to remember as many as you can in the time given.  Then the words disappear and you have to write down as many as you can remember.  I probably like this so much because i’m good at it, but it’s really fun!

I urge you all to buy a DS and Brain Training, or if that’s not you’re cup of tea, a different game.  I know everyone is raving about the Xbox and the PS3 (I’m no exception considering my last post) but the DS is a whole different gaming experience.  I mean, the mother and father and I all sit there and connect our DS’ and play scrabble… SO sad to admit but I love it!  Seriously, they’re cheaper than the more advanced consoles, you can take them anywhere and they come in a variety of cool colours… (mine’s pink, I’m so predictable.)

Till next time gamers…

I’m back now though, never fear. So the best thing about gaming at the moment in my opinion? The XBOX Kinect.
My little brother received one from Father Christmas and I’m hooked. When it first came out, I was sceptical. I mean, I have a Wii and I love it so I kind of resented Microsoft for trying to copy off Nintendo and really, what’s the difference anyway? I don’t mind holding a controller, I don’t see how much better the experience could be without one. But boy was I wrong.

Kinect sports, the equivalent of Wii sports, is great fun. Our whole christmas was spent challenging each other to games of Volleyball and Football. Kinect Adventures is even better though. With mini games such as raging rapids, challenge obstacle course and my personal favourite- the leaky, underwater laboratory, the fun is literally endless.
I must admit that it’s not without it’s ‘accident waiting to happen’ moments.  For instance, the older brother smacked his whole arm into the little brother’s face… however, with the built in camera that takes photos as you play, this moment became utterly comical as the Kinect caught a picture of it!  The camera is my favourite part about the Kinect, but the mother’s least favourite!  I suppose that depends on whether you’re up for having your photo taken whilst your jumping up to spike the Volleyball… I find it amusing, Mother finds it mortifying!

The Kinect also has voice activation, which I find incredible.  My family haven’t really taken much advantage of this feature though, as the brothers insist on saying ‘Xbox Kinect’ (to power the console) in a silly American accent like on the advert… but it keeps them entertained.  Boys will be boys I suppose.

The older brother got me ‘Dance Central’ for the Kinect for Christmas and that is also immense.

Similar to ‘Just Dance’ on the Wii, but literally ten times better. And ladies, if you’re looking for a fun way to keep fit, this game is definitely for you.  The brother’s girlfriend and I were on it constantly on New Years Eve… I would like to point out that you should never ever agree to a competition against a dance teacher like I did. YOU WILL LOSE… badly.

One word of warning- the game ‘Kinectimals’.  No matter how lovely and calming it looks on the advert, do not be fooled.  And do not disregard the age range as we did.  It’s a 3+ game but the parents figured that my 10 year old brother might like it anyway, besides 3+ is just a general guideline really isn’t it?  Wrong.  If you’re child is between the ages of 3 and 6, I’m sure it’s a gem, but any older and it changes from a calming, relaxing game into a frustrating and annoying game.  The brother got annoyed at how little he could control and he really hated the game guide which was some form of flying insect…  Just don’t make the same mistake we made and do take note of the age range.

Basically, Microsoft have outdone themselves.  Seriously, I was and still am amazed at how responsive the Kinect is and how enthralling!  To the comment asking for a Wii review, please take this as my review: The Wii was immense, but then again so was Dial-up internet… until Broadband came along and now we don’t know what we ever saw in Dial-up.  Kinect is to the Wii what Broadband is to Dial-up (sort of), you may be sceptical at first but it won’t take long for you to change your mind.
As Heraclitus said in the 4th Century BC- “Nothing is permanent, but change”.

So, you’re probably wondering (my one loyal reader…) whether or not I put my theory of dreams into action… well you won’t be disappointed as I well and truly did.  I played the Sims an hour before bed, my little brother played his WWE wrestling game and my parents played on the newest instalment of Professor Layton.
Now, here’s my issue. I have no way of monitoring whether or not they actually dreamt what they told me.. so this game is all about trust evidently.  My mum said she didn’t have a dream. For those of you not familiar with our lovely Jeanette, she’s one of those lucky sods who falls asleep the minute her head hits the pillow so it didn’t really surprise me.  Father, ever the optimist, was clearly determined to dream about the game.  He said that his dream consisted of having to solve puzzles in order to find me and my brother who had been kidnapped… I’m a bit suspicious as to whether he exaggerated for my benefit! Jason, the little one, dreamt about wrestling. Thing is, he’s totally obsessed with wrestling so I wouldn’t be shocked if he dreamt about wrestling EVERY night and just neglected to tell me that part for fear of disappointing me. And then there’s me… in fairness, my dream didn’t really have anything to do with The Sims however, I was a cartoon figure in my dream! So that’s something I suppose…

Okay, maybe I’m clutching at straws but hey, it was a pretty good hypothesis.
I would be intrigued to hear if anyone else, other than Mike the comedian (LOL), has any opinions on the subject? Let me know!

Anyway, the most exciting thing that’s happened in the gaming world this month in my opinion is…. THE RELEASE OF LITTLE BIG PLANET 2!  It’s such a brilliant game, and clever too! I urge you all to invest in this wonderful game, it keeps me entertained for HOURS!

Here’s a little trailer I found for those of you who aren’t aware what Little Big Planet entails…

Looks good doesn’t it? Honestly, it’s a wicked game! And if you’re feeling the January squeeze as we all are, it’s good to know that Game Connection are selling it for £39.99… £10 squids cheaper than the RRP.  Thumbs up from me!

Crime Scene Investigation
Law and Order
The Mentalist
Criminal Minds

So it’s not really surprising that my dreams have consisted of crimes, death, police, murder etc… for example, on my birthday I woke up crying thinking that my mum had killed my friend from College and my dad had forced me to lie to the police about it! Disturbing but that’s the sort of story lines that  feature in the above programmes.
However, the whole reason this relates to the gaming world is that I’ve decided to conduct a little experiment especially for all our loyal readers. For Christmas from the little brother, I got the new CSI game for the DS and I’ve been wondering whether or not I’d have the same nightmares if I played on that before bed… especially compared to if I played on something light hearted like the Sims. The thing is, if I do, surely I should have dreams about the Sims… which would then lead me to question whether or not other people dream about Fifa or Call of Duty or Dance Central…
Basically it’s one big long line of questions upon questions, so I figured I would just test my theory. Tomorrow night, I’m gonna have my family play on completely contrasting games on their DSs just before they go to sleep and see what the outcome is…

I’ll let you know what I discover with my findings!

When the Sims first came out, I used to spend hours upon hours creating new families and taking their lives in different directions.  I loved the power you had as the player to make or break your sims’ lives, be it fictional or not.  Being a younger version of myself when the game originally was released, I used to enjoy creating myself and having myself married to my current crush… juvenile, yes… also very fun.  However, having grown up (ever so slightly) I now prefer to create famous people… my most recent Sim is the ultimate Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City.  I also made Mr Big and moved him into the house next to hers so that I can get them together, just like the show I don’t care how sad I am!
Anyway, my point is that I’m really trying hard not to use a cheat code to get extra money.  It sounds silly but having no money on the Sims is very much like having no money in real life.  Your whole day is taken up by going to work, it’s so tedious.  I mean, I know it’s tricky in real life but on the Sims it’s worse because when they are at work, you don’t get to do anything.  Thus, I have discovered the major flaw in this otherwise brilliant game.  The gamer should be able to control the Sim when they’re in work, and I refuse to accept that all Maxis and Electronic Arts could develop was a little drop down box that allows you to choose how hard your sim works or whether they just chat by the water cooler.  I want to be able to interact with my co-workers and my boss IN the office and get challenges every day in order to further my work performance.
You might think I sound a tad neurotic but at least I’m moaning to the world of  internet about it rather than emailing the developers… although that does sound like a good idea.  But either way, any players of the Sims will agree with me completely, I guarantee it.  The temptation to press CTRL + Shift + C and type in motherlode in the box that appears to gain 50,000 simoleons would be greatly decreased if having a job was actually any fun!

Now, I’ll admit- I’m a complete gaming novice.  I love the Sims and could play on it for hours, and I did used to love that game on the DS where you looked after your pet? (don’t tell anyone please). But fast paced, action packed first person shooter games have never really been my fort-ay.  When I was younger, it was a tradition that when my mum was at work at the weekend, my brother, my dad and I would sit in the bedroom and play on Tomb Raider for hours on end.  I absolutely loved it, however the one time my brother trusted me with the controller, a tiger pounced at me and I screamed and through it across the room.  He wasn’t best pleased to say the least, as we hadn’t exactly saved the game… (my bad).  My point is that I’m not a seasoned gamer who revels in these sort of games.  However, my little brother (seemingly more relaxed than the older one!) allowed me ‘a go’ on his Call Of Duty Black Ops and I loved it!  Again, I’ll be honest and say that my favourite part was actually customising what my soldiers looked like- hey I’m a girl! But the multi-player shooting part was brilliant too.  I know that probably everyone but me already knew this, but you put this headset on and connect via Xbox live and you can talk to people from all over the world!! You all work together as a unit and help each other complete the level etc. The little brother did kick me off eventually but it was absolutely thrilling and I’ve officially added it to my christmas list.

So back to my original point, I think that this game will be the must-have thing this Christmas.  Whether Santa pops it in your stocking or you buy it yourself tomorrow; on Christmas day I believe that the nation will be honing their tactics against A.I bots as opposed to singing carols.