Wrestlevania

I'd say this is still fair game, as I'm convinced people are exploiting glitches in the all-time top 10. Any objections, fellow scoreboarders?

Nifty papercraft Guy Fawkes mask, too. Much more visually effective, though sadly not as entertaining.

Titanic or The Nautilus Pirate Cove for me.

This is my dream house and it didn't cost anything like a million (whatever).

I've really wanted to play Vice City Stories since it was first announced and I should be getting a PSP some time soon, courtesy of my brother. He's back from Iraq for good(!) today and says I can have his PSP as he doesn't want it any more. Double bonus.

Thanks for the tip. I'd been trying in vain before now to sticky 3 raptors together in a chain, using severed mace heads...

Miffy and ysbreker settle it for me then: decent property investment plus 3 Veyrons in the garage.

I will now make it my mission to ensure my children kick these sorts of people to death on sight. Fucking decrepit morons.

Honestly? What a truly despicable waste of money.

You do know there's a big spiky ball you can trail behind you as well, don't you..?

I'm not talking about just the music, I mean the whole 'world' the game was set in.

Got a further or so hour's play in last night and it's starting to gather pace. I did indeed have the necessary collectible to unlock not just one but several different puzzles in rapid succession. One of which also led me to collect a second quest item whilst introducing a third puzzle. Above anything else, I can't stress enough how luscious the locations are in this game so far. Each area, whilst not extravagantly modeled, is richly textured and steeped in atmosphere. I'm actually now glad the game forces you to run around the castle a lot, as it means you get to see lots of interesting details which you may have missed before. On a technical note, regarding exploration; the camera is awkward at times, but not a show-stopper. Having it flit from fixed perspective and then free look - or vice versa - as you move from one area to the next is crap. But I can appreciate the cinematics being attempted with this and so, to my mind, this is forgivable. I'm now very much enthused about the game and have unlocked several more fighting techniques already. The fighting system is maturing nicely and the combo system is definitely rewarding. Especially as it encourages variety over repetition. If any of you haven't tried the demo yet, PS3 or 360, I'd say definitely have a go.

To my disgrace, I've never completed any of the GTA games even though I've played them all (excluding the Stories spin-offs, yet) for a considerable amount of time. I'd also have to confess to liking Vice City over San Andreas by some margin, but that's largely because of the setting and the soundtrack. I'd burnt out on gangsta rap by the time San Andreas hit, but I can never get enough of 80s Electro-Pop, "fashion" or cars. Still, I'm very much looking forward to the 4th iteration of the series -- it's looking fantastic and I mean specifically in terms of its locales, timeframe and central characters. Lots and lots of potential for treading some much-less worn ground again.

And with that, we have a top ten!

Damn. So much for my surprise trip to our nation's capital for Mrs V. then...

OK, so I bought this on Friday during my lunch hour -- and succeeded in picking up the Limited Edition tin for the same money as the regular version. Managed to play about 45 minutes-worth that evening and so far I'm pleased. The demo makes the game seem deceptively more dynamic, in terms of combat, than it initially is. I'd estimate that the Nero in the demo has had about 3hrs-worth of skills advancement than, as your basic moves arsenal at the beginning of the retail game - across the same levels as shown in the demo no less - is exactly that: basic. But this certainly doesn't mean you're cut loose and expected to play the game with surgical precision in order to progress. It's still fun and you can select a couple of new skills at the end of each 'mission' within a short time. For those who like being dropped in at the deep end early on, there are hidden tasks within the game world. These are like challenges mini-games, where you might have to clear out a section of the level in a strict time limit. This requires some considerable skill, even at the start of the game, and I wasn't able to do the first in the game despite several retries. I'm inclined to believe these become significantly more achievable when you have more moves at your disposal... In terms of game design, there are a few obviously papered-over cracks; it suffers from Capcom's lazy design habits of locking certain 'portals' in earlier levels until the player has acquired a specific skill or weapon from later in the game. Meaning I expect a fair bit of backtracking in a few hours' time. This has blunted my enthusiasm somewhat, as it's about 5 years out of date in terms of game design mechanics. Some reviewers have already leveled criticism at this arrangement and I'm presently inclined to support those views, based on the fair number of elements I've been forced to leave behind because I can't yet interact with them. Whereas Resident Evil 4 had smooth, steady progression through its game world, DMC4 flops back into Resi 2's bad habits of forcing backtracking to artificially prolong the experience. It's not crippling, however, as the slight intrigue given in the "can't" messages makes me want to find the required weapon or skill. And I've just picked up something that will (hopefully) solve one of the puzzles I discovered early on.

Apologies - fixed.

All it needs is analogue control, seriously. It'd be sublime then. And yes, any tips would be good as I'm just frustrating myself with low scores still.

Episode 10, Censorship, is out, with one of Rab's best critical one-liners in ages: I'd like to nominate that for QotM, please and thank you.

I usually avoid coming into discussions like this, as it invariably reminds me of the embarrassing number of games I've spent my limited funding on and have consummately failed to complete. I'll need to pour over the list a while and publish it in a bit.

You should have a read of the in-game achievements.

I watched Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang with Mrs V. late last year but completely forgot to mention it here; it's a good story, definitely worth watching if you're at a loose end and need a backup film. As for BSG, I think you should start with the episode '33' (S1E1), LOP. If you don't enjoy that, you won't enjoy anything more of the series.

Excellent - how many have you got now? I think I was down to the final dozen last time I played...

*ahem* Actually I'm "just off din the toon" to buy myself Devil May Cry 4.

You joke but, within the space of 4 weeks, it's all 5 of my immediate family's birthdays! And 4 of them are within one fortnight.