Christmas 2010 Round-up + HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wait...WHAT? It's the New Year already? 2011? FOR HOW LONG?! Well how the time flies....Well you better make the most of this Year, seen as once 2012 hits (aka THE APOCALYPSE!) we're all going to go the way of the Dinosaurs (or so my Dad tells me). To be honest, waking up on New Year's day was hardly anything spectacular, in fact, it was JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER FRIGGING DAY! I felt cheated. Just another excuse for partying I suppose. I have no doubt that the number of Drunkards and big-bellied people roaming the streets QUADRUPLED over these past few Weeks...(not to mention the number of dead birds) nothing but party, party, party. Tut-tut. Well as you'll find out in my next Blog Post, the New Year has brought nothing but misery and depression for me (BAH-HUMBUG!). So far, so rubbish. Oh, and don't forget you're New Years Resolutions now! Make a wish, and hope to God it comes true. Just a load of FALSE HOPE if you ask me: so just do what I tend to do, and make sure you brake and forget EVERY single one of them by the end of the Year (like forgetting to write a certain Grandma a 'Thank You' card for Xmas, for example...don't worry Grandma, I'll remember to do it next Year...HONEST! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! ARGHHHHH!!!). Come on, be honest, the New Years Resolutions are all in your head, you never get to fulfill ANY of them, do you? Life always just gets in your way, spoiling it at the last moment. Now stop trying to shove New Year hope endlessly up your arse and FORGET ABOUT THEM! Even the New Year's celebrations were underwelming (The Eiffel Tower over here didn't even bother to change the colour of its lights!), and the fireworks are the same every Year, the London Eye has had the same choreographed light show for Years now! BORING! At least Christmas was just as fun, exiting and sleep-deprivating as every Year:          

It started like every Christmas starts: Kid waits in Bed on Christmas Eve night, eyes wide awake...impossible to go to sleep...just thinking about all the lovely presents that awaits them come morning. Its both the most exiting, and longest, night of the Year. He waited til' 6am then decided to wake the Parents up, who grumpily told him to go back to bed. The kid perservered though, and kept waking them up every Hour until they finally awoke from their cumbersome slumber. A lot of gasps and 'Ohhh's' and 'Ahhh's' followed: We all lie before the Christmas tree, worshipping the many presents under it. This, we all decided, was going to be a GREAT Christmas:

   

 
Look at all this cool stuff! Once again I thank my Family for the kind generosity, and the real thought that went into these Presents. One question though, who gave me the Reindeer toilet paper? Really? Was that a joke? Nevermind. Of course, every Christmas there are a few duds (Mum got me a Ping-Pong table! WTF?!), and we all have our favorites: this Year was a certified 'A' Class as far as quality of Presents go! Here are just a few (of the many) highlights from such a wonderful Xmas: 

 Well I had to include Doctor Who now, didn't I? The Christmas Special has become an annual tradition now for the show, with millions flocking to see it every Year. David Tennant's exit from the role of the Doctor in Xmas 2009 had produced some of the finest television moments ever for the show, though it did fall a bit flat due to some tiny shortcomings, mainly because it wasn't exactly the be-all-to-end-all-epic it was so hyped up to be from Day one of announcement. It focused on the 10th Doctors exit, and Christmas was in the backround, just an afterthought. Whereas this Year was Christmas to the max, utilising Doctor Who to its full potential and (dare I say it?) one of best pieces of T.V this Year. 'A Christmas Carol' was just so weird: Flying Fish that live in clouds? Shark instead of reindeer? The Doctor marrying Maryln Monroe? Absolute bonkers. It knocked it out of the park, to be honest, blending Dickens' tale perfectly with DW. The annual guest celebritys weren't just there simply to add grandeur to the special this time, and they really weaved well into the Story. Series 6 looks just as bonkers, albeit with alot of scary thrown in as well. And did we see an Ood in there somewhere? Was that a Silent pictured in the mirror ('Silents' are rumoured to be the species behind the whole 'Silence will fall' thing)? 

This is kinda of a surprise highlight for me, I didn't expect it to be THIS good, I just put it on my Top 10 wishlist because it looked kinda cool. Set in the mythical land of Albion (In short: Every fairy tale/fantasy world thrown into one) it is your job as a Prince to form a Revolution and take the throne from your tyrannical brother who has turned Albion into a pit of poverty and dispair. First of all, I was amazed at the quality of voicework: Simon Pegg, Zoe Wanamaker, Sir Ben Kingsley, Stephen Fry, John Cleese, Jonathan Ross, Michael Fassbender, Naomie Harris, Nicholas Hoult, Sean Pertwee and Bernard Hill (you'll know him from the Lord Of The Rings films as the King of Rohan) all lend their voices to the very funny and likable characters, who can be checked out here. The game is a hoot, the first half being funny, relaxing and time-stealing while the second half takes a much more dramatic and dark turn of events. Games are now (financially) the biggest entertainment industry out there, and seem to be braking new gounds year-on-year. Mass Effect 2 aside, this is one game were I felt that my actions would truly effect both the outcome and the world as the game progresses. Interesting moral choices will present themselves, that really makes this game standout from the rest like no other: King Logan is about to take care of a band of Protesters that are amassing outside his castle when you interrupt him and tell him to stop this madness once and for all. The King is digusted by your lack of authority, and presents you with a sticky situation...In order to show you how hard being a King can be, he gives you 5 seconds to decide whether he should sentence to death either the protesters, or your girlfriend. Such a situation has no right or wrong answer, and it really makes you think. I personally chose the protesters, as the death of one human is smaller than the deaths of at least a dozen people. A video showcases this choice here. What amazed me the most was how the game continues even after you've claimed the throne, which in a normal game would be where it ends. As King, you have to decide between punishing the kingdom for its own good to raise 6,5 million gold (to raise an army to protect Albion) or restoring the kingdom but at the cost of 6,5 million lives (the number of people in Albion). Its a cruel choice to make, one that actually lingers on your conscience. Very, very interesting indeed. And terribly immersive, Albion just sucks you into a realm unlike no other.

 
This is blockbuster gaming at its finest. The best selling game of all time (it sold 5,6 million copies on it first day, each priced at £60-70  each!), this is the most polished and action packed game you can get. Taking place mostly in the Cold War era, its a game about Russian sleeper agents, toxic gas, World War II experiments, Vietnam, conspiracys and Zombies all thrown into one. In short, its the greatest action movie...turned into a game. From start to finish it just doesn't stop with the explosions, set pieces and breathtakingly beautiful environments. The story is probably the best in the franchise as well. With more gigantic, leg shearing weapons than ever before, this game is the (*Non Censored Version*) SHIT*!

Well I wasn't expecting this, thats for sure! This boxset is amazing, totally cool and by far one of my cherished Blu-Ray Collections. It really complements the mindblowingly awesome film that messes with your head more than the Matrix (So they're in a dream within another dream, within yet another dream within in a dream? And they all have to die at exactly the same time in each dream for it to work? DAMN!)! Add to that stunning action sequences: Car chases, Avalanches, Explosions and a zero gravity fight scene and you've got one hell of a movie! The second Blu-Ray has a neat Documentary on dreams which is really thought provoking as well, so add another bonus!

 
How could I not include Toy Story 3? Its one of the best movies of the Year! Watching this movie brought back all the nostalgia of my (not long ago) childhood. It really was like meeting old friends again. It just produces a sense of emotion that is unparalleled in my opinion (well, okay, Bambi's Mum getting shot is THE tear jerker), the end just had me well up with tears, and I don't know why? It just unlocks something inside of you. Pixar ARE the best company out there in terms of storytelling, they almost feel wasted because of all the beautifully crafted children movies they make! How would they fare in a Live-action movie? The Blu-Ray is one of the best out there in terms of picture and sound quality, a real MUST-BUY if you have a Blu-Ray player. The bonus features are nothing to scoff at either, and make you really feel like you're been taken on a guided tour of Pixars finest.

I was trying to eat it....

Well those were my absolutely 10/10 highlights for this Xmas. Honourary mentions include Dead Rising 2, Can't be Arsed (a book which is just soooo me), Harry Potter 1-5 Blu-Ray and Green and Blacks Chocolate (GET ME MORE!). Yes Grandma, I love your gifts, and yes, I forgot to write you a 'Thank you' card, but that will be corrected next Year, I promise. - Signed Tim