Quite possibly the best resource on the net for game soundtracks: Galbadia Hotel allows you to download mp3s from a shed ton of games. Unfortunately, to download full albums in one fowl swoop, you need to join the rewards program (which is free) and earn the right to do so, BUT you can download albums track by track without any registration whatsoever :)

Just seen this article from gamerhelp.com, entitled 28 Games You’ll Never Get To Play. Quite enjoyable, if not a little sad, to read.

I’m going to try and add a “What I’ve been playing and hope to play” for each month to my blog, since I’ve very little else to talk about these days. That statement may insinuate that all my time is fully consumed by playing games, but right now (and more than likely for the next three years, holidays aside) it is actually quite the opposite; my time is completely eaten up with University life, PhD researching, going to the gym, socialising, and getting the sleep that is required to barely keep me going on weekdays. Unfortunately, games are getting pushed aside for a more mundane lifestyle. Such is my love of video games that I’ve considered giving up the gym and filling that time slot with game playing, but after further thought I realised that no exercise would lead to a quicker death, in turn giving me less time on the whole to play games, so it actually works out better doing the gym routine.

Moving on to the topic at hand, this month I’ve mainly been playing a little known game called “Halo 3” on the Xbox 360. “What the hell is that?”, I don’t hear you ask. And since you didn’t ask I’m not going to bother explaining. Anyone who has any sort of interest in games will know about Halo, be it whether they love it or hate it. Personally I’m more on the love side of the fence, but love is such a strong word for me; the force ain’t quite as strong with me as other Halo-ites. For me, the game’s main strength is in its multiplayer, with the single player being more filler material than anything else. Currently, I’m about half way through the single player campaign, and I just haven’t found the magic ingredient yet. It’s not a bad game per se, but its not a great one either. In fact its a pretty average shooter campaign that has little innovation or variation to hold me to it, other than my own determination to be able to say that I’ve finished it (as well as my gamer profile being able to sport the sexy “Finished the campaign” slogan so people will think I’m “l33t”, as it were). That, of course, may change as the game progresses.

The coin completely flips when it comes to the multiplayer action. Last weekend me and around 7 other mates gathered 4 Xbox 360′s and HD TV’s together in one room, linked them together via the technical marvel that is ethernet cabling and a hub, and enjoyed some great system link matches, as well as team battles over Xbox Live. Such is Halo 3′s multiplayer magicness that no other game really got a play that whole weekend. Such is the magicness of beer that I managed to achieve my MVP (statiscally the best player in the match) achievement. Magic! So why is the multiplayer so compelling? Could it be the mass multitude of games modes, maps, weapons and vehicles that mix together so divinely to form the most inviting cocktail since the olive met the martini? Or could it just be the fact that the game is so darn fun!? Most likely is that its neither of these, and more the fact that I can actually kill some people in this game, regardless of the fact I usually have to endure multiple deaths before getting a kill (what can I say, I like living dangerously). Whatever Halo 3′s multiplayer drug is, its obvious that this is going to a top title on Xbox Live for years to come, regardless of what brilliant games the future holds for the 360.

Aside from Halo 3 this month, a small portion of time has been devoted to “Puzzle Quest” on Xbox Live Arcade. By small portion, I literally mean a morsel of midget food proportions. Having played the DS and PSP versions before, this is much the same formula, except a bit sleeker and shinier in all its HD glory. For those who don’t know, Puzzle Quest mixes the game of Bejeweled with RPG elements. Sounds strange doesn’t it? The strangest thing is it actually works, and works well at that. Very well, in fact. My good friend who encouraged me to take the 1200 MS Points plunge and purchase the game has already clocked up over 10 hours on the game, and he’s barely a puzzle game fan (he is, however, a huge RPG nut). One feature I’ve instantly enjoyed is the fact that the game isn’t timed. No pressure on your moves allows you to ponder for minutes and hours on end, giving you the feeling of a chess-virtuoso (until you realise you wasted hours of your life just to feel like a chess nerd… I never made it into the chess club :(). I look forward to many puzzling quests over the next few weeks and months.

On the cards for the rest of the month, and indeed the next gaming update, is Tri-Crescendo’s “Eternal Sonata“, which just arrived in the post this morning. Having played the demo of this, the visuals really drew me in (despite the fact Shane B from 1up said it looked like a Dreamcast game), giving a breath of fresh air to the Xbox 360 RPG scene through a rich colourful cell-shaded environment, such is the gorgeousness of Chopin’s dream-world. The gameplay wasn’t half-bad either of course.

Other games which may be picked up between now and the next update include “The Orange Box” (having played HL2 and HL2:E1 on the PC, I know this is going be fantastic) and “Assassin’s Creed“, as well as whatever gems may appear on good old Xbox Live.

Oh yeah and I got a PS3, but I’ve barely played any games on it yet. Tremendous, £315 well spent!

Just read on gi.biz this morning that HMV are to open an in-store gaming zone in their flagship Edinburgh store this Friday, backed by Microsoft and the Xbox 360:

The 2000 square foot space will house 27 Xbox 360 consoles and Samsung hi-def TV screens, offering multiplayer for up to 16 players on the network as well as full access to the Xbox Live service.

Access to the area will be through a membership scheme, with customers paying GBP 5 for three hours play. The retailer also plans to run regular competitions with Guitar Hero III, Project Gotham Racing 4 and Halo 3 events already planned.

“Games are now an integral part of the HMV offer, and whether we’re selling them or, as in this case, also making them available on a pay-per-play basis, it’s about getting our customers closer to the things they love, and giving them access to content however they wish to consume it,” commented Tim Ellis, head of games at HMV.

“This is a really exciting project, which I feel will generate a great deal of interest.

“If the HMV gaming zone proves a hit, then we’ll consider if there are opportunities to roll out the concept to other stores in the chain,” he added.

Lets hope its a success then, would be great to see this at my local store :)

Umm.. yeah.. about that last entry.  Kind of pointless having it there.  The PS3 fan-monkey won by a good mile.  Once student discount came in to the question there was very little hesitation.

For the longest time I’ve been debating with myself as to whether I should purchase a Playstation 3, and now with the price cut to £349 in the UK, the debate is more persistent in my mind.  I’ve been flicking through various deals, with Play.com’s bundle including 2 games, an HDMI cable, and “Click” blu-ray proving to be the most inviting package.  The thing is I love having new toys, but what with my lack of time these days (having to constantly read journal papers) this could just be a completely unnecessary purchase for the time being.  There’s a lot of good exclusive titles en route for the platform, but the majority of them fall into the 2008 release window (I do have to say at this point though, I’m not a fan of the “Metal Gear” series).  All the same, I could very well have a PS3 much sooner than I anticipated, it just depends which monkey on my shoulder wins.

Also, I need an instant cure for tiredness, its overwhelming me these days.  I’m sure the Halo LAN marathon which my circle of friends have organised for this weekend won’t help matters either.

So as promised, here’s some photos from Berlin, September 2007…