badotori

Fixed. Common typo. Couldn't agree more, Sousa. EDIT: IGN (UK, I think) have just reviewed XIII: they've given it an 8.3 which is pretty impressive, really. The closing comments aren't particularly encouraging though: Rest of the article is here. The bit about the lack of towns and the sheer dearth of side-quests until the 30 hour mark is personally disheartening as some of my favourite FF locations have the likes of Lindbulm, Midgar and Rabanastre . The fact they've taken the XII system and appeared to mix it with that of X-2 sounds like a welcome addition though.

This pick goes out to all his freaks...Scott Steiner.

Arrrgghhh, they still haven't sorted that? That was, beside from the way the plot veered into insensibility near the end, my biggest pet peeve about Fahrenheit - there was always one area in every stage where you'd (Read: I'd) end up doing it.

EWB'S TOP 25 WEBCOMICS ===================================================================== 23= SHORTPACKED Written & Illustrated By: David Willis Active From: January 17, 2005 - Present. Total Points: 3 points (1 vote - 3rd) What it (seems) to be about: The shitness of retail and the greatness of Transformers. ===================================================================== First Strip Latest Strip ===================================================================== 23= MEN IN HATS Written & Illustrated By: Aaron Farber Active From: August 5, 2002 - March 20, 2005. Total Points (Total Votes): 3 points (1 Vote - 3rd) What it (seems) to be about: "Men in Hats is the gripping story of 6 guys who stand around in the desert... talking... sometimes they have breakfast." - Aaron Farber. ===================================================================== First Strip Latest Strip ===================================================================== 23= LOOKING FOR GROUP Written & Illustrated By: Ryan Sohmer & Lar De Souza Active From: November 6, 2006 - Present. Total Points: 3 points (1 vote - 3rd) What it's about: A party of adventurers exploring fantastical worlds and, for the most part, causing chaos along the way. ===================================================================== First Comic Latest Comic ===================================================================== 19= SCHLOCK MERCENARY Written & Illustrated By: Howard Tayler Active From: June 12, 2000 - Present. Total Points: 4 points (1 vote - 2nd) What it (seems) to be about: A sci-fi epic revolving around a mercenary called Schlock who enjoys killing things. ===================================================================== First Comic Latest Comic ===================================================================== 19= PILED HIGHER AND DEEPER Written & Illustrated By: Jorge Cham Active From: October 27, 1997 - Present. Total Points: 4 points (1 vote - 2nd) What it (seems) to be about: The world of academia and how it slowly turns you into an insane, unsociable husk. ===================================================================== First Comic Latest Comic ====================================================== The first five are finally up. Sorry it's so cramped, I've tried putting gaps in but it ain't playing along, sadly. With those comics that scored five points and lower, there are a lot of ties as most of them only got one vote. From then on, it's been easier to allot them their own place. I'll probably set all of the posts out this way, with the links and (admittedly) sparse info and all that. I admit, I was going to read as much of the comics as possible and try to write a synopsis of sorts. I got about two years through Piled Higher and Deeper before I realised it was going to be fucking impossible in such a short time so, for the comics I haven't got prior knowledge of, I've just given my notion of what they're generally about. If I'm off the mark with your comic of choice, then I apologise now. I'm going to be away from my computer over the weekend, so the next five'll be up on Monday. Probably.

Carrying on from the discussion about hot women's curlers, the Japanese team that are playing Britain at the moment are all pretty cute - when considering the stereotypical curler. The only problem is that, on about 80% of their shots, they makes noises that I can only liken to a bunch of really pissed-off kittens just yowling at each other constantly. It gets annoying really quickly. Ah well, that's my punishment for watching women's curling at 4:30 in the morning instead o' sleeping. EDIT: The "kitten-like screaming" technique appears to work as they've just had their way with the Brits. 11-4 for in the end (very flattering really) but, it has to be said, their skip played phenomenally well. Took a crazy shot from Muirhead to get them to 6-4 after eight ends, but the Japanese bossed the ninth easily.

Alien Ant Farm - "Smooth Criminal" - Because it's better than Movies and those are the only two AAF songs I've heard. Aqualung - "Good Times Gonna Come" - Tough one for me because I was a big Aqualung fan back in college, but Good Times just pips Strange & Beautiful and Easier To Lie because of the great memories I've attached to it. Avril Lavigne - "Hot" - Largely because of the video but it's pretty catchy as well. The fact it's the only song of hers I can recall doesn't help really. Badly Drawn Boy - "Once Around The Block" - Had to check what it was called, but this is easily my favourite. Brilliant guitar riff and, lyrically, it's one of his better efforts. Biffy Clyro - "Mountains" - Not really a Clyro fan so this is one of the only songs of theirs I know. Always leads to me and my mates belting out the chorus if it's played on a night out. Coldplay - "God Put A Smile Upon My Face" - I still really like the majority of the first two albums ("A Whisper" can go fuck itself, for instance) and this is the highlight of them both for me. Great anthem. "Cemeteries of London" is surprisingly awesome also. Daft Punk - "Around The World" - So...so difficult as I love me some Daft Punk but I'll have to stick with Around The World. The bass-line is brilliant and it's one of Punk's more danceable tracks. "Da Funk" and "Digital Love" are pretty close though. Feeder - "Summer's Gone" - Off Comfort In Sound. One of their quieter efforts, but I love the brooding tone of it. Plus, the verse after the second playing of the chorus is brilliant. The Killers - "Midnight Show" - I've only got their first album and this my favourite song off it. Up-tempo, plus a great guitar lick. If I had to pick another, it'd be either "Mr. Brightside" or "Read My Mind"(?). Muse - "Sunburn" - I'm a big Muse fan (haven't bought the latest album yet though ) but this is the song that got me interested in the first place, so I suppose it's my favourite. The likes of Hysteria, Bliss and New Born are fantastic, but none of them illicit the reaction Sunburn does. New Order - "True Faith" - My dad was a big New Order fan when I was growing up, so I heard quite a bit of them when I was growing up. True Faith is the song that's stuck with me, probably for its lyrics. It's either this or "World In Motion" for the epic John Barnes rap. Pendulum - "Propane Nightmares" - One of the only Pendulum tracks I know well enough really. It was going to be either this or "Slam" to be honest and Slam farts about too much for my liking. Sigur Rós - "Hoppipolla" - A group I've heard great things about but I've never taken the time to listen to. Hoppipolla is probably the only track of theirs I've heard completely and that's only due to its brief flirtation with the charts last year. Weezer - "Undone - The Sweater Song" - Favourite by a LONG way. Can be either a bounce-along anthem or dirge depending on my mood, but it's a song I'll always come back to.

Hollingsworth was really unlucky, Doc. Her start was awesome but she took one of the early turns too aggressively, clipped the barrier on the way out and then banged into the opposite one when she tried to straighten herself. She picked up her speed later on (got up to about 140km/h, which is standard at the bottom) but she couldn't pull any time back. She looked distraught at the end of it, but she held herself together pretty well. The pressure just seemed to get to her, which is understandable really. I was expecting it from Williams in all honestly but, thankfully, she didn't fall to pieces. I still can't believe GB have got a gold, it's mental - first individual gold medal for Britain since 1980.

Skeleton bob is now officially my favourite sport (and name) ever. GET IN THERE, AMY WILLIAMS!

Reet, this thread can be closed now. The results will be put up over the next few days - 25-21 should be on EWB by tomorrow. It'll probably be just a short paragraph about who writes/illustrates it, what the comic's about, along with an example, and what it's up to at the moment. Thanks to everyone that voted.

Also, a symptom of that particular comic. Moving swiftly on, I'll leave the voting thread up until 6pm GMT tomorrow (that's about 18 hours) for the stragglers (plus anyone who wants to jump to the defence of that comic we've been referencing ). At the moment, I'm considering bumping it up to a Top 25 as a Top 20 as, at the moment, there is a definitive 25. This'll probably change though if more people vote and stuff. Just wondering if I can get your opinion on a thing as well. In a situation where say, three comics were tied on six points with: 1) This one receiving three votes - 1 third, 1 fourth and 1 fifth 2) This one receiving two votes - 1 first and 1 fifth and 3) This one also receiving two votes - 1 second and 1 fourth What order would you put them in? Because, if this situation arises, I would place them "2,3 then 1" as the fact that 2 is seen as the best comic by 1 voter gives it more credence over a comic that picked up a second place at best. Very long-winded explanation, I know, but I just want to know if you think that system is fair or unfair before I sort out the results.

Coupling was brilliance until Jeff left, then it became increasingly shitty and formulaic. The episode in the first season where Jeff meets the French woman (?) and we can understand Jeff for half of it, then her for the rest is particularly awesome. Plus, remains as true today as it ever was. "...Daleks!"

I would pick any one of Changes, Rebel Rebel, Ziggy Stardust and Under Pressure depending on my mood at the time, really. And, I also agree with you, Jacob. It's never Christmas for me until I've seen the Coca-Cola advert and heard Little Drummer Boy on the radio/TV.

Champions League Last 16, First Leg (12 points) AC Milan 2-1 Man Utd Lyon 0-2 Real Madrid Bayern Munich 2-0 Fiorentina FC Porto 0-1 Arsenal BONUS QUESTIONS (5pts) 1) How many away goals will be scored in the games above? (3pts) 4. 2) Which teams will fail to score a goal in the first leg? (2pts) Lyon, Fiorentina, FC Porto.

The Appleton Sisters, Natalie (Left) and Nicole (Right) from the 90s UK-based girl group, All Saints. I know the pic's a bit crap but it's the best that Google Images had . Individually, there's probably a plethora of amazing pictures to look at but this'll have to do. So far, I've gone for Right on every picture (including the Appletons) - 'tis very strange.

Got round to downloading the Heavy Rain demo this weekend and I liked it. It was a good introduction but, to me, it was just that. There's no doubt that it is superb graphically - at times the character models are scarily life-like - but, on the whole, it didn't set my world on fire. That is probably because I'm still seeing it as just Fahrenheit 2.0. It has a lot to live up to in my estimation as I thought for about 80% of its story, Fahrenheit was top-notch. I have to admit though, the FBI dude's sunglasses are pimp as fuck. Those, the QTE in the flat (vastly improved over the original in every conceivable way) and the slope struggling were easily the highlights. Not sure if I'll end up buying it, but I'll probably end up renting it at some point.

I thought the urban areas were brilliant in FFXII, the likes of Rabanastre, Bhujerba and Mt. Bur-Omisace were some of the more interesting cities or towns that I've seen in an FF game. That's probably due to the graphical opportunities that the PS2 presented and the fact that I still haven't played 7, thus haven't walked around Midgar. The bit that annoyed me though about XII was how quickly the dungeons and other locales became noticeably samey. They just became so stereotypical - "you are now entering a desert, it is sunny and orange", "this is marshland, it's wet and boggy" - that I stopped giving a shit about Ivalice until I got back to a city and actually felt like I was exploring a lived-in world. Whilst, in FFX for instance, Bikanel Desert had rusting machina, collapsed building and signs of life in it. Macalania Forest was this sparkling, idyllic place to marvel at. It felt like Square, to me, appeared to care more about creating Spira then they did about Ivalice. But, that might just have been me expecting too much from XII, which I still do every time I go back to it. I've still only got up to Mt. Bur-Omisace, so I may be missing out on something amazingly beautiful - I dunno. I think it stems from FFXII being influenced by Square's MMO's - whenever I've played an MMO, I find my attention wanders more when I'm traipsing around countryside.

Cheers to those who've voted so far, I had a very fun couple of days checking out some all these new web-comics - there's some sickeningly funny and talented buggers out there on the Intertubes. Sickens me. Anyway, all the votes have been counted up - a very arduous task - and it looks like I'll end up doing a Top 20 list in the end. I'll leave this thread up 'til Thursday then try and write the results up by Sunday and post it up after I get back from work in the evening. Hopefully this bump ('cos let's be honest, it pretty much is one) will drum up a little more voting .

I'll always have a soft spot for Chocobo Hot & Cold in IX - partly because of the music, but mainly because it made mashing the crap out of the X button into a mini-game that I enjoyed, which takes some doing. But, I gotta admit, I did love me some Blitzball. I especially enjoyed recruiting players that tended to get overlooked (Zev Ronso, Vilucha, Shuu) and levelling them up to epic proportions. And I remember getting addicted to that chocobo race around Yunalesca's temple - took me a good few hours to get all them treasure chests and then still beat the other chocobo as well. It's one element that really suffered in FFXII thanks to its maturity and drama really. There wasn't really a place for fun mini-games that gave a different impression of the world you were in and that you could just play to pass the time/reap rewards.

The latest Bioshock 2 ad - this is the extended version of it:

Sander Cohen is probably the most engaging character in the game, bar Andrew Ryan and, for me, Peach Wilkins - which is saying something as the Wilkins section in Neptune's Bounty is my favourite in the game. Sander's entire stage, from the opening "reveal" onwards, is sheer brilliance. I haven't picked up number 2 yet as I'm waiting for it to drop below £30 and nowhere is obliging as of yet - if I'd got the Amazon pre-order, it wouldn't have been a problem but I deliberated too long. Plus, I have the likes of Heavy Rain, the latest Ratchet & Clank and Uncharted 1 & 2 on my to buy/rent list so it's all up in the air currently.

- The last ten seconds are just brilliance. - Not really a video game commercial per se, but anything that involves Final Fantasy IX is a win to me. - One of the strangest adverts I've personally ever seen. The laugh at the end still haunts my dreams to this day. Saying that, I did buy a PSX though so it looks like it worked. - Not strictly an advert, but I couldn't help but grin when I saw this affectionate, and official, parody of Punch-Out. As you say though Inquisition, the recent Bioshock and Bayonetta ads really raised the bar - I think game developers are becoming more confident in showing in-game footage now which, to me, makes me more excited about the product. Only a spectacular FMV (a la Gears Of War) makes me really excited about a game over a decent representation of its in-game graphics.

I agree with you, Warnock's had a great season and it's been largely because of his consistency that Shorey hasn't had a look-in at Villa. But Shorey's playing regularly for Fulham now and both him and Konchesky have been capped by England in the past. There are better players available, and I'd personally go for either Warnock or Baines myself, but I'm just saying that Capello has plenty of possibilities open to him and I'd like to see the likes of Konchesky and Shorey get an opportunity in a friendly game before the WC if Cole is still injured.

1) Penny Arcade 2) Brawl In The Family 3) Cyanide & Happiness 4) Blank It 5) Fanboys Honourable Mentions: XKCD VGCats (Agree wholeheartedly with Kaney even though I've voted for Fanboys which suffers from the same quandary ) LeastICouldDo Hark! A Vagrant Any of the above could have been included but I think the top 5 are the most consistent. EDIT: I hadn't heard of Axe Cop until today - it's amazing. So amazing, I am seriously considering buying this T-Shirt to commemorate my new-found man-crush.

There's a fair bit of competition over in the left-back position really, although some would argue that they're all much of a muchness. To me though, Capello could choose from Wayne Bridge, Stephen Warnock, Leighton Baines, Paul Konchesky or Nicky Shorey and they would all play the role pretty well. 'Tis a shame for Ashley Cole as he's been playing really well this season, as somebody already mentioned. I can see him figuring in friendlies before the World Cup though so he could still gain a place, barring further injuries. It's been revealed that Giggsy fractured his arm against Villa and will be out for a month. He'll miss three Premier league games, the first-leg against Milan and the Carling Cup final. Shame really, as he's been a real inspiration for Man United this season and I could have seen him captaining against Villa.

...but I'll plough on regardless. Not sure if it really fits in here in the Movie & TV section, but the comics and anime threads are here, so bugger it. Essentially, I've recently got back into reading a few web-comics that I used to read in my late teens in an attempt to find distractions from uni work, and it gave me the idea of finding out what EWB's comic of choice is. This is not only a chance to preach the virtues of your preferred webcomics thus furnishing them with the glittering praise that they so deserve, it will also lend us more ways to waste time at work/college/home than ever before. HUZZAH! Plus, it gives me the opportunity - nay, the privilege - to compile a list thread which can only mean good times. Anyways, the rules are simple: If you want to post up a particular piece of hilarity from your webcomic of choice, then go for gold. We can always use something to chuckle or stare in awe/barely-concealed disgust at. I'll probably leave up the voting thread for a week or two so you've got plenty of time to vote and stuff...that's about it, really...