Bobfoc

I'll add myself to the Zelda bridgade on this one. While the games in the series have never really struck me as being particularly bad, I never got into them myself. Under normal circumstances, I could probably let my feelings of indifference for a video game slide, but it just irks me that Zelda seems to be the franchise that most posters on other message boards deem immune from criticism. The mere suggestion that Ocarina of Time, for example, isn't a divinely perfect creation sent from the heavens is akin to blasphemy in the eyes of some people, or so it would seem. The general distaste for the FPS genre doesn't surprise me, particularly as far as Halo and Call of Duty are concerned. I quite like shooters myself, and I do enjoy the Halo and Left 4 Dead series, but the main problem nowadays is that there are so many "gritty" shooters out there that everything seems so stale and saturated at the moment. We all know that Activision will continue to churn out new COD games every year until people eventually lose interest, and I certainly can't see Microsoft abandoning Halo and Gears of War for many years to come. As a result, quite a few of the other genres tend to get lost in the mix, which is a real shame. As for Guitar Hero/Rock Band, I can't see a great problem with them, other than the fact that they seem to be released far too frequently. To me, as other people have said, rhythm games simply serve as a source of harmless fun, and those who genuinely believe that they will turn them into rock stars make up an extremely small minority. Those who try to take the high ground and slam them for not taking up a real instrument instead are far more irritating to me.

1. Ronnie James Dio 2. Bruce Dickinson 3. Corey Taylor 4. Steve Perry 5. Rob Halford 6. Tim "Ripper" Owens 7. Ozzy Osbourne 8. Sammy Hagar 9. Ian Gillan 10. Vera Lynn

Some of the achievements for the Xbox 360 version have now been revealed: List Several predictable ones there, such as those relating to the Road to Wrestlemania mode, but the first few achievements on the list seem quite interesting.

A pre-load is now available to those who pre-ordered the game through Steam.

I am looking forward to the prospect of playing the likes of Mass Effect 3 and Uncharted 3, and I fully expect both to be formally announced within the next year or so. You could throw Half-Life 2: Episode 2 in there as well, but that should have already been released if Valve had stuck to their original timeframe. As for sequels that appear to be unlikely to ever materialise, I will echo the support for Jade Empire 2 and KOTOR 3, but particularly the latter. The KOTOR series is one of my all-time favourites and, even with all the cut content from KOTOR 2, it still had more than enough legs to carry a third instalment. Other than those two titles, I would really like to see a sequel to XIII, the cel-shaded game from around 2003. Its reviews were mixed and it ended up in the bargain bins very quickly, but I loved the story, artistic style and simple FPS gameplay. The cliffhanger ending left it wide open for a sequel, but poor sales have all but killed off such a possibility.

Out of curiosity, what exactly did you dislike about Condemned? I can see that it has some flaws, but I would call it one of my favourite games of this generation.

I thought that was already in the game. Correct me if I'm wrong, though, as I haven't played a game in the series since FM08.

I only played the trial version of Magic: The Gathering on the Xbox 360, but I didn't get into it enough to consider a full purchase. I really miss the 1997 Microprose version of Magic on the PC, which had an RPG-style quest to go alongside the card game. It was packed to bursting point with bugs and crashed more often than any other game I've ever played before or since, but it still holds a special place in my heart.

If Spain defeat Holland in the final, New Zealand will end up being the only unbeaten side at this year's World Cup.

I read somewhere that you can avoid having to put up with censored versions of games if you get someone from a region in which the uncensored versions are sold, such as the UK or USA, to send you the uncensored versions as gifts. So, if you know a generous Steam user from another country, you might still be in luck.

Half-Life 2: Episodes 1 and 2 also have 66% discounts, as do the Borderlands DLC packs.

I have just got the game and would be interested in joining in some multiplayer at some point.

Ronnie James Dio was my all-time favourite vocalist of any music genre. To me, nobody blended raw power and vocal range quite like Dio, and I am proud to say that he was the closest thing I have ever had to an idol in the world of music. I was fortunate enough to see him live twice in my life, once with Dio and once with Black Sabbath, or Heaven and Hell, as they were more recently known. I sincerely doubt that anything will top those experiences for me. To be honest, I find it hard to say much more at the moment, and I certainly can't find the words to do this great man justice. I don't like to throw around outlandish comments in the heat of the moment, but I truly feel justified in saying that the world has lost THE heavy metal legend.

I would strongly suggest Condemned: Criminal Origins. The game may be a little old, but its atmosphere and pacing is fantastic, and you can probably pick it up for a low price too.

Anyone who doesn't have this game on the PC yet should definitely consider it now. For this weekend, it can be purchased for £13.39/$19.99 on Steam. What's more is that The Passing is free for PC users, unlike the Xbox 360 version.

I thought that was a surprisingly good announcement. I will be particularly looking forward to seeing Rock Sugar.

It seems there's a fair chance that Rage Against The Machine could be one of the headliners. Their free gig will take place at Finsbury Park on 6th June, just a week before Download, and it's being promoted by Andy Copping, the Download promoter/booker. Guns 'N' Roses are also a possibility now that they have been confirmed to play the Sweden Rock Festival during the Download weekend, but my gut feeling is that they won't end up making an appearance.

This was a solid announcement for PA purposes, with a nice mix of different genres on offer. While I don't care much for Wolfmother and Bullet for my Valentine, I am excited at the prospect of seeing AC/DC, Motorhead and Megadeth. The likes of Deftones, Stone Temple Pilots and Them Crooked Vultures aren't my favourites, but they could end up winning me over out of intrigue. With any luck, most of the other rumours, such as Alice in Chains, Metallica and Van Halen, will come true in due course.

I have been waiting for Mass Effect 2 ever since I finished the original for the first time. It's definitely my most anticipated game of 2010, with Alan Wake and Bioshock 2 (which comes out just a week or so after Mass Effect 2) my next most wanted titles. Sadly, I live in the UK too and will have to wait an extra three days, which means that I will stay a long way away from any topics remotely related to Mass Effect 2 until next Friday.

In case anyone here didn't already know, in celebration of the anniversary of its release, Crayon Physics Deluxe can now be purchased at whatever price you like until 15th January. It has a retail value of £15.99/$20 on Steam, so this is a great chance to pick up a fun, relaxing and creative game for a low price. http://www.crayonphysics.com/

I would take a look at some of the deals in the Steam Holiday Sale, which runs through to January 3rd. There are some great games on sale at fantastically low prices, such as The Witcher at a 66% discount and the Eidos Collector's Pack at half price. There are also a few daily sales each day until 3rd January, with five games a day getting further price cuts.

Ronnie James Dio is my favourite vocalist of all time, so this news has been very hard to take. I was actually going to see Dio on their UK tour that was scheduled for this week too. According to Eddie Trunk, Ronnie is in good spirits and the cancer has not yet spread, but things are still looking worrying. To me, Dio always came across as being invincible, much like Lemmy and Alice Cooper, so the thought of him battling cancer is a very sobering one indeed. All anyone can do is hope for the best and keep the faith, which is what everyone connected with the man himself has been saying.

It will definitely not happen immediately as Haye has a mandatory defence against John Ruiz lined up, and Vitali will be fighting Kevin Johnson next month. I would guess that the time it takes Haye to fight Ruiz, taking into account the fact that his hand may be broken at the moment, would allow Vitali to fit in another defence if he wanted to. After that, as long as both men keep winning as expected, a match would surely be on the cards. Honestly, though, I agree that he would be an underdog against both Klitschko brothers. I believe that a fight between Haye and Wlad would be 60/40 in Wlad's favour, whereas Vitali would be a much, much tougher task than many people suggest. He may not quite be on the same level as Lewis, Holyfield and Tyson during the 90s, but Vitali is possibly the most underrated boxer in the world right now. Both he and Wlad are usually tarred with the same brush as the sleep-inducing Eastern European heavyweights that make up most of the heavyweight division, but both would probably be megastars if they were American.

Haye had signed a deal to fight Wladimir Klitschko in June this year before pulling out, and he has been relentlessly chasing a fight with Vitali for over a year now. Both Vitali and Haye expressed a strong desire to fight one another on a radio show earlier today, although both men have mandatory defences of their respective belts before it could happen.

I will be rooting for Haye all the way to win and add some much-needed excitement to the heavyweight division. While I have no doubt that he has the skills to outbox Valuev, who was outworked by a 47-year-old Evander Holyfield in his last bout, he will definitely be hard pressed to knock him out. Despite all the hype, this fight could end up being much more boring than the "David vs Goliath" billing would suggest if Haye cannot find a way to take out Valuev in the early rounds.