Given the circumstances, I figured it would be a good idea to fire up my recently purchased PS3 slim a bit more often. Just so that I could learn to appreciate it a bit more because what I've seen so far is, as a matter of fact, great graphics and a handful of enjoyable titles but nothing that really makes me say: waw, I'm really happy that I bought a PS3. (NOTE: Heavy Rain will do that, for sure, it's just not out yet )
But - and I haven't said anything about this before - I am a HUGE Wipeout fan. Ever since the very first game which I bought on the Sega Saturn back in 1996. I am aware that it was first released on the Sony Playstation but I didn't get a Playstation until 1998...
The sequels; Wipeout 2097 (aka Wipeout XL) and Wip3out both made for a damn fine futuristic racing trilogy on the Sony Playstation! I was also pleased to see Wipeout 64 on the N64 but for one reason or another it didn't quite feel right to me...

Unfortunately the next-gen version of the Wipeout series entitled Wipeout Fusion on the Sony Playstation 2 was a bit of a let down. They tried all sorts of different things with this one and it just didn't work. I say: if it's not broken, don't fix it.

Then came Wipeout Pure & Wipeout Pulse for the Sony PSP. Both games are so close to perfection I remember the first time I played Pure I said to myself out loud: Now THIS! is Wipeout!

Now...

A few days ago I bought Wipeout HD from the online store... And though it's an HD remake of Pure & Pulse combined, this one's even better than those two for a whole bunch of reasons:
- it's in HD :p
- it feels like a tribute to fans of series with many, many unlockables including the Wipeout 2097 & Wip3out HUD's.
- Zone mode is gorgeous!
and probably the best feature; a custom playlist. And I thought I might share my playlist with you guys (I'm more into goth/new wave music but let's face it; those genre's don't fit with Wipeout's futuristic setting )

009 Sound System - Dreamscape
Antiloop - In My Mind
Bad Company - Nitrous
Black Sun Empire - Porcelain
Black Sun Empire - Unfamiliar
Kernkraft 400 - Zombie Nation
Kosheen - Catch
Kosheen - Pride
Machines of Loving Grace - Acceleration
Pendulum - Bacteria (remix)
Photek - C Note (originally from Wipeout Pure)
Robert Miles - Children (GREAT for Zone mode)
Robert Miles - Fable (GREAT for Zone mode)
Sunchase ft. Yana Kay - Remember Me (Pendulum remix)
The Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy, Hey Girl
The Prodigy - Breathe
The Prodigy - Firestarter
The Prodigy - No Good
The Prodigy - Smack my b!tch up
The Prodigy - Voodoo People (Pendulum remix)
U96 - Love sees no colour (GREAT for Zone mode)
VNV Nation - Electronaut
Wumpscut - Black Death
Wumpscut - Golgotha
Wumpscut - Is it You?

In short: Wipeout HD makes proud of owning a PS3 because this game is so beautiful and awesome that it would RROD my eyes if I were an xbox 360

NOTE: There's also an expansion called Wipeout HD Fury but one thing at a time, let me finish HD first.

Today is the day... At approx. 5:50pm my xbox 360 elite gave me a red ring of death. I called the microsoft helpdesk and they told me that they're sending someone to pick up my console on monday.

I'm not even angry and I'm not going to call microsoft names or anything. I'm just really, really sad. I mean, I love my xbox 360 damn it... I bought it from launch and I'm surprized that it lasted so long but I knew the day would come that it would eventually die on me. Let's just hope it won't happen too often...

At least I finished Shenmue I & II on the Dreamcast last week and I started a run of RE4 (Gamecube version) on normal and afterwards I'll start again on professional. That'll keep me busy for the next two weeks...

Oh yeah and I finally got my driver's license. So hurray for that as well.

Shenmue. Wait, let me increase the font size. Just a sec.

Shenmue

There. See that? Now why did I just do that? To illustrate how this game is made out of GREATNESS. What is greatness? Something you cannot touch or see but need to experience. So, in a way, a font size cannot express that properly but whatever. I'm trying to make a point here. Damn it!
This game is just great! The story, the music, the graphics (ok, they're a bit dated but at the time they blew us all away)...
I actually should torture myself to death for not playing this game in years. I think I even forgot to mention it in my 'most memorable games top 20', which I posted a while back.
'Shenmue' is the type of game that should've been a current-gen title on the Dreamcast 2 (let's just say that it exists for the sake of arguement). Imagine how PERFECT it would've been...
Sega was always ahead of its time with games like this and hardware like the 'Dreamcast' and the 'Saturn'. Unfortunately that's what killed them in the end.

I'm sorry but I don't feel like continuing this post. I'm on Disc 2 of Shenmue and I prepped Shenmue II in case I finish the first game this week. (Hehe, yes, we Euro's got Shenmue II on the Dreamcast ). I'm hooked!

Anyways, for those of you who don't know Shenmue and the Dreamcast: burn in the sweet flames of hell! I apologize, what I meant was: look it up here on Gamespot and Wiki just to get the basic info on this game. Check out some trailers or even a Let's Play on Youtube.

I'm off time travelling Cheerio!