HTC & ICS

I’ve had my trusty HTC Desire for just over a year now. I do like the phone in fact I really really like the Android OS. It does everything I could ask for and a little bit more. HTC sense though was the first thing to go, I opted instead for a clean custom ROM called Oxygen. The battery life seemed far superior to that of the HTC ROM. Plus to be fair I love to fiddle and tinker with my gadgets, getting bored with the look and feel quite quickly. So when I saw the first images of Android 4 (or ICS) I licked my lips with anticipation – then it was announced that the Desire wouldn’t get support for it. Boo! Luckily though some budding young programmers out there; simply wouldn’t take no for an answer, thus last week I took the plunge and installed their latest beta. OMG it works (to a degree). The ROM is still in beta, yet already its fine for everyday use. The main issues I’ve found have been with sudden reboots when using certain apps. Mainly the marvel and dc apps to be precise. The camera isn’t the best, but it does now work and currently video capture is extremely choppy. However everything else seems (touch wood) to be working fine.

I have to say I’m impressed with ICS, Google have really overhauled it and it feels like I’m using a new phone. I’m going to keep using this ROM (unless something major happens) and will endeavour to keep all of you updated. If you want to have a look for yourself head on over to ICS for Desire Rom

Skyrim

So for Christmas my gaming collection was increased, with some major titles I had been waiting to get my grubby little mitts on. Since then I have managed to sink my teeth into Sonic Generations – a review of, which can be found over at the awesome Death By Robots. I’ve tasted a little of Assassins Creed: Revelations and played some multiplayer on Battlefield 3 (please it is mainly the multiplayer, I was interested in!). However the game, which has really been grabbing most of my attention, is the mighty Skyrim!

I’ve managed to sink 10 hours into this mammoth game and it still feels like I’ve barely begun to scrape the surface. Yet I can’t help myself!  Dawdling along; taking my time to let every part of this wonderful landscape sink into my tiny little mind, I find myself aimlessly walking around for hours on end. Picking fights with bears and bandits; there seems to be no end to my fascination, not with just the story but the whole delightful experience that Bethesda has bought to my senses. I’ve also been very lucky in not finding too many bugs so far – I think that’s more to do with the lack of stuff I’ve even attempted to do to be honest though. So expect a possible rant post in the future!

Seriously I have to give Bethesda their due; the magnitude of the gaming world they have managed to create is just staggering. I thought I’d get bored by now switching to fast travel just so I could progress the story. God no! In fact it’s the surprises that you come across whilst dawdling along that has kept me hooked. For instance this evening, climbing up a hilly path I saw some sabre tooth cats lurking. I prepared myself with my favourite spell and mace, getting ready to throw the first punch I begin sneaking along trying my best to use the trees and greenery to hide me. I hear something above, I look up, oh shit! Theirs a bloody dragon circling me; before I know it the cats pounce upon me, as the dragon lands breathing fire I try to dodge him only to see my character being leapt upon by the cats!

It was a magic moment that really got my heart pounding, shouting at the monitor complete with a few curses.  It’s a beautiful game one that I intend to savour every moment…

On another note getting a little bored with my custom android rom, I decided to take a chance and install the beta of the first ICS rom. Things are looking promising, expect a post of my experience very very soon.

Penguins, Lemurs & Flamingos!

Even though the weather was not the greatest, I found myself on Sunday wanting to explore. So I decided a trip was in order, we jumped into the car and headed out – destination Blackbrook Zoological Park…

I’ve visited this charming zoo, set in 30 acres of Staffordshire countryside quite a few times since moving up North. Blackbrook offers great charm and I have never felt let down from a visit. Being a big kid I’m easily captivated by the animals in their care, spending hours just watching their individual characters float to the surface.

My favourite part has to be the amazing Penguin enclosure, which is made up of three different levels. Being able to watch them glide through the water thanks to the underwater viewing cave always leaves me with a sense of wonder and amazement. Then walk up to the top viewing station looking down upon the enclosure, watching them dive into the water – a truly magical experience, which to me could only be bettered by visiting them in their natural habitat.

On the trip I also managed to get to play with my fiancés new camera, a Fuji bridge camera. I bought it for her for Christmas as she never goes anywhere without her point and shoot camera, so I decided a little step up in quality was definitely in order. I have to say I’m very impressed with the results, which you can see on here for yourself.

So if you are in Staffordshire and stuck for somewhere to visit definitely checkout Blackbrook…

Gaming Challenges 2012

Pile Of Shame…

So last night I found myself looking through my games, blowing the dust from some of them! Thanks to quite a few posts on twitter earlier from other gamers, I realised how many I’ve played but never actually completed. This was my pile of shame staring at me from my desk – grinning at me! What the hell have I been doing? Obviously being a very bad gamer!

With this in mind I’ve decided that this wont do, Cookie needs to take action and now! So without further ado, just like many others I have decided to clear (well attempt) my pile of shame. Later this week expect my shameful titles to appear and I will do my best to keep you up to date, as to how well I’m actually doing.  As for a sneak peek, a little picture has been attached, please don’t scream at me too much!

Gamer Score and Trophies…

So I play both on PS3 and the Xbox 360. I’m currently sitting at level 6 on my PSN trophies and at a comfy gamer score of 18563. To be honest I think I can do better than that! So heck I’m going to try and get past the 20k mark before the end of January. As for my PSN trophies I think that perhaps I should attempt to increase this to a minimum of level 7 – once more by the end of January. Means I’ve gotta lot of gaming to get through, so instead of boring you all to tears I’m off to see what damage I can do….

My Top 5 Games Of 2011

As the end of 2011 approaches, it only seems appropriate that I look back at my favourite hobby – gaming. It’s been a year full of reboots, sequels and the end for some of my favourite gaming characters. It’s been a year full of surprises and a few stinkers!

Below are my top five games of the year, the games that have made the hair on my arms stand on end. The games, which have really made me buzz and left me feeling rewarded after the final scene. I’m sure that with my picks there will be a few disagreements, but I have to say these are the games that I have loved personally….

• 1: Batman: Arkham City
• 2: Gears Of War 3
• 3: Skyrim
• 4: Deus EX
• 5: Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D