Amazingly, I actually have time to play some games this week, so I’ll talk about the games that I’m playing, as well as the games that the Goonfather is playing, currently.

I swear the Goonfather has become a zombie mutant, probably from over-exposure to radiation from Fallout 3. He doesn’t have opinions anymore. For example, I asked him:

“What do you like about Orochi Warrior? Why are you playing this game (instead of other games) on the PSP?”

His reply was, “I don’t know. Because the game is there.”

“What about Fallout 3? Tell me why you like it. You MUST like it because you’re spending 5 hours a day on it.”

His reply: “I don’t know. Because the game is there.”

Tell me you don’t want to punch him!!

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Table of Contents

1. Gears of War 2 officially out now
2. Join in the GOW2 bloodbath this weekend
3. Sheylara is now playing…
4. The Goonfather is now playing…
5. LittleBigPlanet is not just a cute game
6. Results of last week’s contest
7. Ask Sheylara
8. Win a Gears of War 2 poster!!

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Gears of War 2 officially out now

I’m not a huge Gears of War fan, so I can’t write a super long review this time. Also, GOW2 seems to be just another GOW, except with better graphics.

Everything else is about the same. Same startup screen, same theme music, same war, same gameplay, same bloody COG icon, same cheesy humour.

Maybe GOW fans like that, so I guess that’s fine.

The biggest difference between the two is probably the new multiplayer modes, specifically the Horde mode, in which players team up to defeat 50 waves of increasingly difficult Locust attackers.

That should be fun, but then I don’t know if any sane gamer would want me on their team.

We’ll see.

In the meantime, here’s a video montage of the mayhem you can expect from the first act of the game.

Gears of War and Gears of War 2 are titles exclusive to the Xbox 360.

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Join in the GOW2 bloodbath this weekend

Okay, here’s your chance to chainsaw me and get away with it.

I’m making an appearance at the Gears of War 2 launch events today and tomorrow, together with my fellow Xbox Xpert, Merdeka.

Come and join us! Here are details of the event:

Gears of War 2 launch activities

Day 1
Fri, Nov 7
7pm – 10pm
Xbox Xperience Zone
Best Denki, VivoCity

Day 2
Sat, Nov 8
4pm – 6pm
Xbox Xperience Zone
Challenger, Funan DigitalLife Mall

Activities
– Try out and buy the game
– Play the game with Sheylara and Merdeka (and other GOW fans)
– Compete in friendly tournaments to win Gears of War premiums
– Photo opportunity with lancers and carmine helmets
– Bring your cameras! We’ll be getting you to submit photos!

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Sheylara is now playing…

Monopoly (Xbox 360)

I would prefer to be playing Fallout 3, but I don’t have the luxury of time and can only play quick games that don’t leave hooks on you. Monopoly is a great choice! The animations are so cute and it’s immensely satisfying when you beat all your AI opponents.

LittleBigPlanet (PS3)

No matter how many times I play this, I will never get over how cute it is. I could just stare at the little sackboys and sackgirls forever. Not that I’m playing it a lot. Mainly during the weekends when I have a few hours to get together with my friends.

The World Ends With You (DS)

I decided to pick up this old game after multiple recommendations from DS-loving friends. Now I regret it deeply. It’s making me steal hours from my sleep to play it. I started not really liking it because it’s too complex for my life right now, but the creativity and the storyline hooked me real bad.

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The Goonfather is now playing…

Fallout 3 (Xbox 360)

One big reason I’m not playing this game right now is that the Goonfather is hogging my Xbox 360. He hasn’t spent so much time gaming since EverQuest 2 (where we met!), so it goes to show how awesome this game is. When I showed him my media copy of GOW2 on Wednesday, he was, like, FALLOUT THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

LittleBigPlanet (PS3)

I am honestly amazed that the Goonfather loves LBP as much as he does. Well, he has only been waiting for it since the day the PS3 was launched. I was the one who initially brushed it off as just another stupid cute game. Do not make the same mistake as I!

Travian (PC)

About two years ago, we were both addicted to this stupid web-based game and would wake up in the middle of the night just to send our troops off to attack enemies (for guild raids). We eventually quit. Now, suddenly, he’s back into it and always staring at his phone browser while driving, in the elevator, walking, eating, in the toilet, etc.

Jawbreaker (Mobile Phone)

He plays this game when he has nothing to do in Travian and he’s stuck at a traffic light or something.

Warriors Orochi (PSP)

He plays this game when he has nothing to do in Travian and he’s stuck at a traffic light or something and his PSP happens to be with him and it’s charged.

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LittleBigPlanet is not just a cute game

There was a debate among my readers last week over whether LittleBigPlanet is a disgrace to Sony because it’s too cute and kiddy and going the way of Nintendo.

LBP is certainly very cute, but it is also very clever. Because it allows players to interact with every damn thing in the environment in fun ways, it is highly graphics-intensive. The physical interaction is also very realistic (not to mention cute).

There’s also the option allowing players to make their own stages in creative ways. Check out this stage made by a guy to propose to his girlfriend.

The creator of the video said in the video description:

My (now) Fiancee was playing the level. She was so shocked she kept playing and knew i was filming. Afterwords we hugged, she cried, and I gave her an engagement ring.

How sweet! Raises a lump in my throat! :)

Okay, enough serious talk. I wanna show more cute peektures of my sackgirl!

My sackgirl holding a frying pan. I love it! Best for smacking naughty sackboys (such as the Goonfather).

Here, she’s pulling onto some paper foliage:

Group shot with my friends:

Minou’s the one in the green dinosaur costume, holding a wooden sword. (There aren’t things to kill in LBP, though. The “weapons” are just for decoration.)

The one in the construction worker hat is the Goonfather. And the ridiculous-looking skeleton-thing in a rugby helmet is Mince Pye. We call him Monkey because his sackboy reminds us of Mojo Jojo in Powerpuff Girls.

The guys, pasting LOLZ stickers on their faces:

Can’t wait to play with my friends again!

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Results of last week’s contest

I offered a 1GB Imation Nano Flash Drive last week! How nice of me!

Would you like to know who won it?

Okay, then…

The winner, picked by Mr Randomiser, is Contestant #7!!

Yay! Congratulations!

Okay, I’ll be nice and tell you who he is. *lol*

His name is Cornflict! Woot woot!

Please do me a favour, Mr Cornflict, and e-mail me your mailing address so I can mail the prize to you!

Thank you very much!

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Ask Sheylara

heartless asks many questions:

Fallout 3 is that fun?
No other reviews this edition?
BTW is Fallout 3 only on consoles?
Does it have the PC version?

Sheylara Says:

Yes, Fallout 3 is that fun. Just ask the Goonfather… and he’ll start singing you the song, “I don’t want to set the world on fire”. He practically has it memorised already, the amount of time he’s spending in the game, listening to the song. Fallout 3 is available on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

And I would really like to review more games but I am only one person! ;)

Austingy asks a review question:

Hey Sheylara, when will you be reviewing RA3 and Far Cry 2?

Sheylara Says:

Sorry, but I don’t think I will be reviewing those two games since I won’t be playing them. Too many games, too little time! :P

yh asks an age-old question:

Do you think I should get a Xbox 360/ PS3/ new computer with good specs?

Sheylara Says:

As Xbox ambassador, of course I will say get the Xbox 360! Haha! But as a neutral gamer, I will say no one knows better than you what you like. But I guess one of the main things to look at when making your choice is what games do you want to play?

If there are specific games you’re dying to play, and those games are exclusive to a console or the PC, then there’s your choice.

If you’re looking at cost, Xbox 360 will be your best bet because the console and the games are cheaper. PC would be the worst because you have to constantly upgrade it.

If you want Blu-ray, PS3 has that.

If you want great multiplayer experiences, go for Xbox 360 because there’s more community support in Singapore for Xbox and the connection is much better. (It takes forever to download stuff on the PlayStation Network and playing multiplayer online is not always reliable.)

Or get a PC if you want to play MMORPGs.

Xbox 360 gives you achievement points for playing games, which all your friends can see when viewing your profile. PS3 gives you trophies for playing games, which you can display in your PS3 Home and invite friends over to view them.

So, you can consider those if you like collecting your achievements!

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Win a Gears of War 2 poster!!

Since today is the official launch of Gears of War 2, I’m giving out a Gears of War 2 poster!

Yeah, yeah, I know some of you will be demanding the game, instead, but I’m not Santa Claus.

So, poster! =)

It measures about 42cm by 59cm.

If you would like the poster, please post a comment saying something about GOW2 and include the words “I want to chainsaw you”.

The winner will be randomised and packed into a tin can to be sold as tuna mayonnaise.

Just kidding.

Closing date is Thursday, Nov 13, 11:59 pm.

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Okay, then. Don’t forget to join me and Merdeka for the GOW2 launch activities tonight and tomorrow! Come show us your leet skillz and win some great GOW premiums while you’re at it!

See you soon!