.

These days I don't seem to have any fun. There's a simple reason for this - money. Ever since the advent of me becoming a fully independant human being, I've ironically become like a lot of other people - struck down with a self-imposed mortgage and a plethora of bills to wade through. Almost half my wages go on the aforementioned mortgage, which then leaves all the other bills to be bulldozed away from my already-crumbling bank account. Recently I got an insanely huge bill for electricity when I realised that it was a very bad idea to leave my heating on at a low temperature setting all the time - and - try out the sexy underfloor heating. Yep, I have underfloor heating. How modern! Modern and bloody expensive. For three months, the bill totalled £340. This is quite a gap from the £135 I expected the bill to come to. The itemisation revealed that, yep, the heat was insanely expensive. After a panicked phone call to nPower (incidentally, their call centre is down the road from me), they told me to take the readings of the meter for seven consecutive days - with no heating turned on - then get back to them, where I would then have an invigorating phone call of reading out numbers. My curiosity has put me out of pocket of £205. I still find it funny they welcome me to nPower (being my first bill and all) with a huge debt. That's no way to greet someone for the first time!

This is it though - when I first moved in, I assumed there would be only one reading - like most ye olde fashioned meters out there. This is new-fangled though, and new often means needlessly complicated. It's almost as if the creators of these things are trying to impress the ladies of the world somehow. So this meter has three readings - one for day usage, one for night usage and one for heat. I'm not sure if this includes water heating or not - it probably does. It's my responsibility though to sort it - like a lot of things in this flat. I mentioned the bubbling sink unjoy last time and this is sometimes coupled with the alarming sound of dripping water from a pipe behind my washing machine. Well, a quick e-mail to the supervisor and it turns out the seller of this place was hiding another thing - she had the opportunity a while ago to get someone out to clean the pipes and remove the blockage. It seems to be a common thing for these flats, though she bottled it. From the e-mail, it turns out that I'd have to call out the team responsible, somehow get the person who lives below me (her name is Anna) to be at home when these guys come round, and then - oh yes, this is the best bit - shell out £150 to get the job sorted. My supervisor tells me that this is fine because I can give the reciept to her and she can reimburse me via the maintenace fee I pay every month anyway.

Sometimes I realise why some people live together - the convienience of it all. Sharing the load. Sharing the burden of constant bills eating away. "You can pay the mortgage, I'll pay the bills!". Surely it's not as blatant as that? Surely there has to be some element of love in there? Love confuses the crap out of me. I have often been in love with many women though it's always been from afar and always been the unrequited type of love. I've never been the one to go up to someone and ask them out - I always feel that the arseholes of the world have got that covered and I'd just pimp away into the shadows. I got an e-mail recently from someone who noticed my okcupid account - a man, although he was actually one of the guys who worked on the website. "Hey, why haven't you got a photo up on your profile? You'll get more people contacting you and have more fun!". My account kind of imploded when I had a hissy fit over the whole notion of these dating sites. Looking through some of the profiles, you see many women who are frankly scary individuals. I guess this is why they have profiles up on okcupid though, right? Did I just generalise and say that all crazy women frequent online dating sites? I have wondered whether I should make a project out of trying to find out more about love as an emotion, as motivation, as a tangible thing. So instead of the selflessness of hunting for that so-called "true love", I can make it into a project which will inform me and other people. An anonymous love blog? Could be!

The bastard upstairs neighbours are leaving next Thursday. I couldn't contain the manic laughter which emitted from me while I was rustling up some Earl Grey and Jaffa Cakes. It will be nice to no longer hear the banging, the noise, the inconsiderate things which may have annoyed other tenants. I try my best to not make any noise when I come in from work though the scum above me don't seem to have that in their nature. I only hope the next inhabitants will be a lot less like those arses upstairs.

Although I'm now in lockdown mode (all heating off and penny-pinching schemes in motion), I actually went out with some guys from work and enjoyed myself for once. We met up in The Gate in Newcastle and waiting around there, I realised why I hated the place so much. It's such an unusual thing - the cinema is on the top floor so you get families and the like heading up there, though it's also what can be best described as a shopping mall of hedonism - so there's nightclubs (we noted that Mood has subliminal vagina patterns on their windows), pubs, a casino (we had the last Midway Christmas do there) and restaurants. The plan was to eat in Nando's, but past experience of their food from the constant late nights in the office turned me off this and it was agreed that as we were waiting so long for two more of our party, we'd head off into Frankie and Benny's and enjoy some delicious Italian food. I have to add at this point that I haven't been in there before, though I was glad I did because the BBQ Chicken pizza I had there was the best pizza I've ever, ever eaten. It was like a pizza to be savoured - every chew was slowed down to catch all the subtle flavours. This also compared favourably to the piffling amounts of food you would get from Nando's. I will definitely go to F&B's again as I was torn between four different menu items.

Kung Fu Panda was the film we also treated ourselves to. I didn't pick up any snacks because - hell - I've got a mortgage and prices in the cinema these days have become dangerously close to DVD pricing. I'm glad I saw it at the cinema though - not only is it a beautiful film, but there were some genuine moments throughout which made the collective masses laugh, gasp and look in awe. The soundtrack was achingly well-crafted, the animation was super-fluid (probably the best character-driven CGI animation I've seen, actually) and it wasn't until the end where I discovered some of the voice talent included Ian McShane as the baddy, Lucy Lui, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman aaaaand Jackie Chan! As a monkey! A monkey who kicked ass! The film is so much more than a movie for kids - I cannot recommend this movie strongly enough. Rotten Tomatoes also has the film rated highly - I think it's great that Dreamworks are bringing the fight to Pixar in such a way. It can only motivate them to come up with a better movie, right? Actually, Wall-E could be a blast. I wasn't that keen on seeing Cars. Still not seen it.

So, yep. A treat though one I wish I could sustain on a weekly basis - alas, it feels like I've been sitting on my hands to the point that they feel numb. Next month I have to renew the hornydog.co.uk site - though I will be killing off daisyjones.co.uk as it was a crazy pipe dream which these days I couldn't sustain due to all this work. *sigh* All this work. We're nearing the end of Wheelman's development and we're getting close to the polish stage. I've been working on the thing all this year (and some of last year) with extended hours, as have other people. There's this core unit of developers within the studio who really want the game to succeed. We've been getting excellent feedback amongst the dirge of "LOL Midway" which I'm getting sick and tired of hearing these days. For fuck's sake, we're doing our best to make the best game we can out of the time we're given. Give us a break. As mentioned previously, gamers are a fickle lot. They can run with opinions which range from pure excitement to pure derision. I really believe this game is going to do well for us and the company - there's a hefty marketing budget, but I think we've got a few advantages to also consider.

For a start, we're a Teen-rated game. People have mentioned that this could be the GTA-esque purchase for people who couldn't get a copy due to not being sneaky enough or just, I dunno, obeying the law and not playing a Mature-rated game? We're a lot more accessible than GTA4 in some respects too - we've got handling models which are a lot more forgiving than GTA4. That could either be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on how you look at it. The common mistake of comparing us to GTA4 is also a moot point when you consider we're more spiritually linked with Driver ("when it was good" to quote one preview) than anything else. Interestingly, Ubisoft Newcastle are working on a Driver sequel and EA have announced Need For Speed - Undercover which is achingly close to what we're trying to achieve with Wheelman. It's reassuring that bigger companies like Ubisoft and EA are considering this as an option for future game releases. It shows that we're doing something right.

At the same time that we're nearing the end of development, some workmates are leaving the company. I'm assuming it's down to the natural cycle of game development where people feel like they've closed the pages of one book and want to get stuck into a different book. I can't help but feel dislocated from this process when I see other people going through with it. Personally, I would like to stick around and see what comes up next after Wheelman. I feel like I've settled in nicely and (mostly) enjoying the work which I'm doing. Of course, there are greivances which I am determined to outline after the game is released and we're going through the post mortem. I've worked almost 9 years in the games industry and there's always been a harrowing sense of deja vu related to how games are developed. We'll see if anything will be learnt from this game's development and see if it'll make the next title we work on a more fluid experience. I'm looking forward to getting back to normal hours so I can start producing my own artwork again - persue other disciplines like character design and modelling - and feel like I'm progressing with my time on this planet. As mentioned... we'll see.

We were recently bigged up on the 1Up show -

Top Gear's back! Last week I was in fits of giggles when the threesome decided to buy cars and turn them into Police cars. Hopefully YouTube hasn't cut the above clips from the annuls of digital space and time so you too can see why I was giggling. There's something about that ice cream van jingle which cracks me up everytime. This week's episode was indulgence for - cars! No hijinx - just car reviews and the like, though it was still perfectly watchable. Next week there's promises of their crazy antics again. Can't wait!

I also can't wait for the next episode of Doctor Who. Season Four has been mostly enjoyable with some truly stand-out episodes (the claustrophobic Midnight and the wonderful parallel universe shennanigans of Turn Left come to mind), though The Stolen Earth was a bombastic orgy of Doctor Who fan fiction and I absolutely adored it. No spoilers though the ending was quite a shock, which has left forums questioning if the BBC really are that hardcore. If you've seen the episode, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

How's that for a taster!

Music-wise, I recently enjoyed Ben Folds live at the Newcastle Academy. It was quite the show - I danced, I geeked out and I sung loud and proud to a lot of the tunes he belted out with his very, very talented band. I knew this would be a special night when the guys tore into classic old Ben Folds Five tunes and sounded like every part the band which started it all. I think I was in the wrong part of the crowd though - I tried to get as close as possible to Mr. Folds to see his crazy jazz hands fritter across the keyboard, though it turned out that the more vocal fanbase were right of the stage to obsessively stare at Ben's mug. There was strong audience participation and the support from Corn Mo was quite special too. Corn Mo appears to be a bearded gentleman who may have been on some kind of narcotic, though this did not dampen his enthusiasm or the fact he had a rather impressive set of lungs too.

There were many, many geeky ladies in amongst the crowd too. *sigh*

In other news, Chris Merritt has released his new album - The Pixie And The Bear. Sadly I can only currently order it from PayPal (I don't like 'em) and there's no link to download just the mp3s though I keep asking so maybe one day... I think it's probably a bad thing I'd rather have an instant fix than patiently wait for the physical album.

I mentioned GTA4 and I'm still playing it, although there's a few things which - after playing for so long - piss me off. This definitely isn't the 10/10 game which so many have proclaimed. These include -

• There's one mission which is quite tough later on. Like all missions in GTA4, repeated play will reward you with the foresight to know what to do. Unfortunately failure means restarting the mission and then partaking in five minutes of unskippable driving. Bad game design, surely?

• Police. They're bastards. When driving, they're a lot more tamer than in previous GTA incarnations, but on foot? Oh, god. I was doing an Assassin mission when I managed to acquire three stars. Police soon streamed into the building I was shooting criminals - and continuned to stream in. It got to the point where it was pointless to go on because shooting these unrelenting cops (who quite like running at you from out of cover) meant the wanted levels would increase and more cops would come at you.

• That fucking mobile phone. It's a nuisance. Sure, it's great to do stuff with it but sadly the metagame of keeping everyone happy wears thin way too quickly. I go on a date with someone and Brucie decides to phone me as I'm travelling to the date. What to do? Either way, if I deny one person then they get pissed with me. Also characters like Roman and Little Jacob end up in different areas of the map - they give you an in-game hour to travel there, though sometimes it's frankly impossible to get there in time meaning - yep - they get pissed off with you again. Characters I phone have their phones switched off at times, so why can't I do the same with mine?

• Car flipping. Sometimes it's extremely easy to turn a corner and somehow flip your car into a barrel roll. I know there's an achievement for this, but it's quite alarming that it can be done so easily. While we're on the subject of driving - trees. Why can I drive into a lamppost made from metal and knock it to the floor where I end up stopping dead when I hit a spindly tree? Just so you know - Wheelman will let you drive through both smaller trees and lampposts with little or no fuss. Hooray!

• Pigeons. I'm a sucker for running about a town finding hidden stuff, but the pigeons are the most evil of all hidden things. For a start, they're tiny and can be absolutely anywhere. They can't be killed by a baseball bat or any melee weapon, so you have to use a pistol. Shooting a pistol in a pedestrianised area means police though... *sigh* In one instance, I found two pigeons in a Medical Centre with a huge staircase. By the time I found and shot the second pigeon, a mass of police were waiting for me downstairs and I barely escaped with very little health. Out of 200, I've found about 32 - and that's after 70 hours of gameplay. It's crazy.

I've now decided that any future game purchases will have to be made by trading in other games. It's the only way I can save money and also could be a sneaky motivational factor into making me complete the games I currently own. Am I mad for doing this? I'm not sure. I lament sometimes the things I purchased when I was young and carefree, though I can't go thinking back to those times. The past is just that - the past. I only wish I had the funds to enjoy my life more. I spent very little at the shops today while I was in my mental lockdown mode - only buying the things I actually needed. I picked up my usual bag of popcorn and thought... "Do I really need this?". Nope, I don't. Back on the shelf it went.

Heart-breaking.

I'll let you into a little secret. I've never woken up to the sound of happy-lady-noises until this faithful morning when at 9.40AM, Old Faithful decided to splutter and moan into life right above me. The strange thing was that in all my time I've lived underneath those inconsiderate noisy bastards, I actually rather enjoyed it. I giggled as this epoch-shattering moment in time etched itself into my life history. Thankfully she made all the noise too - her monotone husband/boyfriend/whatever made not one peep. At one point I was wondering if she was even having sex with the bald bastard and imagined dirty, dirty thoughts. It's weird... I should have been angry but I was the complete opposite. Still, this month or next month should be the month they get the hell out of Dodge and leave the place for a more respectful homeowner. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and it'll become the office/studio of an internet porn company. I wouldn't mind at all. Just as long as they don't have kids. Kids which run up and down and make me wish aforementioned kids would take a tumble and I'd be treated to the sweet, sweet sound of their bawling faces.

Before I go on a bit more about my hated neighbours, I found out the reason why my plugholes are sometimes stinky. I was washing up yesterday morning when I heard a rather ominous rumbling noise coming from my sink. I lift up the washing bowl and was rather alarmed to see bubbling liquid and foam come up from the plugholes...

I did hear above me the neighbours use their sink, so I'm guessing this is the result. It keeps me sane to think that this is really "a feature" of my flat rather than "a problem". I don't normally bump into them, but the description of my upstairs neighbours is this - they wouldn't look out of place on The Jeremy Kyle Show (think an English version of Jerry Springer - Jesus Christ, that clip is one and a half hours! Don't watch all of it, it's not worth it...). Lucky me! All of a sudden my brain has been invaded by this tune.,.. RIP Robert Palmer. Those arses will be gone soon. That thought alone keeps me sane - if I knew they'd be upstairs indefinitely, I would seriously consider a trip to the hardware store before knocking on their door with a fireaxe. Or a chainsaw? Perhaps I can say videogames did it! Speaking of which...

Uncharacteristically for me, I arrived home from work on Friday at a very reasonable hour and I'm currently enjoying my weekend "off". Normally I'd be working like a crazy person getting stuff done and slowly getting fat from the takeaway food which is festooned upon our expanding persons. I think I need some time off the relentless treadmill of crunch - I've been in the office for about 3 months now and although the advantages of such a thing are it gets me away from the noisy neighbours, the gut is slowly swelling and I am in serious need of getting back into an exercise routine. I used to go on runs last year and the year before to train for the Great North Run and although it did wonders for my health, as with getting old these days, I discovered I had a bit of a wacky knee which maybe could have been the result of sitting in front of a computer monitor most of my working life - who knows?

Wheelman's coming on nicely - the city looks a lot more alive now we've added more traffic and I've had the pleasure during the past few months of seeing missions take shape before my eyes - although the design team are currently working all hours to get stuff done. That's the thing with game development - it's a gradual process and when it works, I keep an old build on my dev kit to remind me how far we've progressed - looking at snapshots of screen captures which almost has a feel of a technological photo album. I'm actually in two minds whether to keep on including Wheelman in my updates - it's telling that most of my blog up to a point has been Wheelman-centric due to the time I've spent working on it when the blog started. I need time to myself though, for the foreseeable moment. This is why I'm lounging in my jim-jams updating this blog and putting the finishing touches to a new title graphic! I've had very little time to work on artwork which is from my heart and I miss that. When I was a teenager with more time than I could possibly do stuff with, I was a maniac when it came to creating artwork. I drew so much it became second nature, whereas nowadays creating artwork needs thought and planning. Where's my spontaneity?

I'm also going to visit home next week - the first time I visited home since I bought this flat. I had a bit of a mini-heart attack when I checked my bank balance - I don't normally look at it as "Ignorance Is Bliss", but the account now has two very distinct stages to it. There's the growth stage when Midway shove my pay in there (and I'm very grateful for this event) and then there's the "getting the shit kicked out of it" stage where not only does the bank take a sizeable chunk for the mortgage, but all the bills queue up behind the bank and take it in turns to kick more shit out of it. I think I saw the account when it was in this stage, although I'm going to check the bank statement on Monday just in case one of those wacky e-criminals is making merry with my hard-earned cash. The bank are still in love with me though through all their charges... did I make the right decision with the mortgage? I'm also thinking about taking up freelancing again - there was a situation where I freelanced to soley pay the bills and there's nothing worse than chasing up payment when you really, really need to get that money in your account. It was unthinkable when I was crunching, though after Wheelman ships and we calm down a bit, I may consider going back. I miss it, I don't miss filling in the tax returns though. I just need some extra money to play with as the mortgage ties my hands behind my back and doesn't allow me to enjoy myself. I've become frugal.

I may also go back to using a Pay As You Go phone to save a bit on bills. I currently pay £40 a month though with a PAYG phone, that figure suddenly becomes £10. I hardly ever use my phone only for those rare sociable moments in my otherwise work-fuelled life. I have a home phone now so I can phone Mum on that... again, I hardly use that either. I think it's there "just in case" like my mobile and like insurance policies. Chris Rock commented that insurance is "in case shit happens - so what if shit doesn't happen? Can I have my money back?". Insurance is paid for by people who live in the constant fear in the backs of their minds that their house will suddenly spontaenously combust.

I did get to use my phone last night as I met up with some guys from work - we were going to see Vendetta play live at the Newcastle Academy in town. An extremely talented concept artist called Pete sold us tickets and we gladly turned up. Actually, it was me, Corlen and Neal (probably spelt that wrong) - a concept artist and an FX artist respectively. We were all sad and single old men so we had plenty of time on our hands to go to this gig. I was wearing the Vendetta t-shirt Pete had given me months before and was armed with a camera phone...

As we entered the place, I noticed that there was a poster for Ben Folds who would be playing there in a fortnight. "I'm going to that gig!" I excitedly buzzed in my brain. I am too. There will be a very different feeling to that gig than any other I've been to because the man is not only a genius, but a lot of his tunes have got me through a lot during my time on this planet and goosebumps will effortlessly appear while electric shivers run up and down my spine. This is what music can do. Anyway, we got in there and the place was filling up nicely. I met some of the other band members while Corlen was hugging them all as if he'd known them all his life - they had a huge beer bonding session a few months back in Krakow. "What happens in Krakow stays in Krakow" perhaps?

There's Mr. Pete Thompson striking the pose. He beckoned me to the drum kit where I discovered his artwork which has been used on their first album gracing the drum skin!

The band was being supported by two more groups - 300ft Gorilla were rather enjoyable as the music seemed more modern than the rest of the set. Plus the lead guitarist was infinitely entertaining for all the Vogue-esque hand shapes he was pulling. He'd raise his hands up and clap Radio Ga-Ga style while we watched on holding our beers and wondering how we could ever do that and not spill any. At one point he actually did a Nazi salute, then soon realised the error of his ways before going back to the hand shapes which made him look more like Madonna and less like an evil dictator. I could say at this point Madonna and Hitler were similar in that respect, but meh. The lead singer was noted for having a very, very impressive singing voice which rattled my eardrums nicely.

After those guys, we had SkinFlint - who were more old skool rock highlighted by the fact the short-haired singer was bookended by what I can only describe as human mops with guitars. Some good stuff, though I still preferred the Gorilla. At this point, the venue was nicely filled with all manner of people - including some kids! No, they weren't boozing away but were at the front of the stage admiring the handiwork of guitarists, even capturing some footage on their mobile phones of plecdrum technique. Pete was doing some friendly heckling though he told me that he was very excited to just get on stage and rock out. He soon disappeared and the band were setting their equipment up for their set. I suggested to Corlen that they would increase productivity if the stage was a revolving one and the next band could already be set up and spin into view. He agreed.

I was totally caught off guard by Vendetta's impressive entrance - there was sadly no pyro, but the lights dimmed and we got some very impressive intro music as the band strode onto the stage one at a time before seamlessly blending their live music with the music from the PA. I filmed most of this performance and need to find a way to upload it onto YouTube - it was rather amazing stuff though. Vendetta know they're old skool rock and we were treated to insane guitar solos, booming vocals and a bass player who likes bumping into microphone stands. Cover versions were aplenty and it was strange seeing Pete transform from Pete the Concept Artist to Pete the Rock Star. There was an encore although my old legs didn't forgive me for standing for so long...

So, yep, good night. We had a great time and something to remember. I was glad to have supported Pete by just being there and thought that if I ever did get my shit together and hook with my true significant other, would I be able to go out and enjoy myself with the freedom I do now? Again, the whole single/together debate sparks up in my head... pros and cons, never an ideal solution. Is there ever anything ideal in this world any more?

Well, I've still got stuff to do around the house - tempted to put on some sealant taping stuff for the bath (I've only ever used the bath as an actual bath once so far during my time here - I really should invest time bubble-fuelled soapy-time in it again tonight..!), watch a HD DVD or two, catch up with Doctor Who via the magic of iPlayer on cable, wash some more laundry, clean up a bit around the house... all internal chores. Outside it's lovely and sunny but sometimes I really can't be bothered to go out, especially on a Sunday. I also hear no child running about above my head, so I best make the most of this situation!

Before I go, I've been constantly hooked to thesixtyone and getting friends to invest in it too. I sometimes find some shiny musical gems amongst the "other stuff", so allow me to share with you. Oh, and if you ever feel like joining, don't forget to mention who sent you! First of all, I've been trying to revive this tune constantly - due to the new-found popularity in the site via a mention in Digg, this is becoming a hard task as I am constantly told that "a song has been revived already, you'll have to wait". Grrrr. Here's the tune courtesy of The Citadels -

Next up! My Chris Merritt love continues with a new tune from his new album - I really can't stop listening to this, it's lush -

Today I celebrated my 33rd year of being on this floating rock in the middle of an almost-infinite universe. In a birthday phone call to my Mum, she still remembered how heavy I was when I was born and what time it was, although I'm modest so I'll only tell you the time - 2.30PM on a Sunday afternoon. This got me thinking - I shouldn't be officially 33 until after 2.30PM, right? Today's been special because I didn't spend it in the studio like a lot of people did - it was an important deadline to Wheelman's schedule though I've spent many a late night working all the hours God sends me to get the work done. So no work today. I met up with a workmate in town and we went to see Indiana Jones And The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at the newly-refurbished Tyneside Cinema. I have to say that the place definitely looked a lot more different from what I remembered - the old charm had been replaced with new modern lines, though they had some museum pieces of old projectors and the like throughout the building. I wish I had time to explore it more - though saying that, I really want to spend more time going there more often. I digress!

Before we met up, I spent some time slurping hot chocolate in the cafe next door, staring at the raindrops drip from a sign and also visually analyse the Indy 4 poster. It was painted rather than a mish-mash of Photoshop so some brownie points there, but something about it didn't sit right. That skull. I heard rumours about there being aliens in the storyline, but I was hoping the presence of such beings would be kept to a minimum. I have to warn you now - there be spoilers ahead!

The new Electra part of the cinema was very impressive - lovely comfy seats, huge screen and a loud sound system. So the possibility of watching a fantastic movie in a fantastic cinema wasn't lost on me. It's a pity, then, that the movie wasn't all that fantastic. The first half hour was hopeful - they even began the movie with the old Paramount logo and the dissolve to a mountain - or in this case, a mound of earth from which popped a CGI groundhog. Wooo! CGI! My old friend, the ruiner of all things practical and real. I used to be a huge advocate of it, but now I'm not too sure. Anyway, the credits continued to roll and they had even gone to the trouble of matching the typeface from the previous movies. I'm a graphic designer so I can pick up these things. Roswell soon makes an appearance as well as Ray-bloody-Winstone and - yes! - Harrison Ford! It was like an old friend had come back into my life bolstered by John Williams orchestration. Hope still remained.

The duo had been captured by Russians and were took to an Area 51-style warehouse which evoked memories from the end of the first movie with the Ark being stored there. Cate Blanchett also turns up as the female baddy and she does a fine job at being that. There's flashes of passion in her like the Nazi lass in the excellent Last Crusade, though they aren't for Indy - more for the search of the skull. They go looking for a mysterious metallic metal box with extremely magnetic properties before Ray-bloody-Winstone reveals himself to be a double agent and sides with the Russians. Ohnos! The box contains - yep - an alien. No skull though... Then follows a rather excellent action set piece in the warehouse and Harrison still holds his own at his ripe old age - it's kind of inspiring to see actors like Ford and Stallone still doing action roles well. After this, Indy has a scrap with a huge Russian, goes for a rocket ride and then for some bizarre reason, ends up in a fake town which is set for a nuclear bomb test. This was nicely done, but I had to wonder why it was put in at all.

Later on we're introduced to Shea LeBoeuf who is a James Dean wannabe on a motorbike. He gives Indy some paper with a load of code and diagrams on which he was told to give to him by his mother. Already I had guessed who Shea really was and his mother. Oh, dear. They have a chase with the KGB which was made all the more enjoyable as Harrison Ford appeared to be doing a lot of his own stunts on the back of Mutt's (Shea's character) motorbike. Practical stunts = good. They translate the text and visit a graveyard via a mental asylum covered in clues scratched on the walls - this was more goodness as it evoked memories of the previous films. They were descending into a tomb-like structure finding out where the skull was. Eventually they find it and it possesses magnetic properties like the skeleton in the metal box. Inevitably, the pop back out again and Ray-bloody-Winstone is there with Russians and plenty of firepower. It's a classic Indy trick, surely he'd know by now there would be enemies waiting for him outside a tomb...

They all go off to a Russian camp and we see Ray-bloody-Winstone pissed and staggering about with his new Russian friends. Cate interrogates Indy with the Crystal Skull which has strange mind-reading powers and this triggers memories in John Hurt's brain (he plays a crazy mentalist who was took from the asylum) which he uses to draw pictures and let them know where they need to "return" the Crystal Skull. While this goes on, we get to see Marion - Indy's old squeeze from the first film - and they argue a bit. Mutt causes a diversion, they leg it into some dry sand where it's revealed by Marion that Mutt is Indy's son. At this point, we know this but I'm more concerned by the fact that the actress who plays Marion hasn't aged too well at all. She's definitely not the woman I fancied in the first movie. Oh, man. So many fantasies of me and her in an abandoned log cabin trying to out-drink each other. A man can dream...

Then follows a genuinely funny bit where Mutt throws Indy a rope to get out - except he's throwing a snake at him. It's nicely done and it's a nod back to the old movies - in fact, I forgot to mention the bit where Indy is told that he's getting older and this is when "things are taken away from him rather than given" while he stares at a portrait of his Dad - Mr Sean Connery to you. It's a shame there aren't more genuine moments like this. After that, they get recaptured again and then there's some stupid jeep chase where they play Pass The Parcel through a CGI forest. Mutt ends up befriending CGI monkeys and swings through the jungle with them before saving the day and getting the skull back. There's a bit with a load of CGI killer ants followed by three waterfall drops before finding the entrance to the aforementioned Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. More tomb raiding, being chased by natives and other Indy favourites, although it feels strangely empty. There's a tangible feeling of going through the motions which is hard to shake off.

The final parts of the movie are rather unforgivable. The band of adventurers end up in a huge antechamber after descending a circular stairwell which almost kills them. There's 13 alien skeletons on thrones in the antechamber except one doesn't have a head! Aha, I see where this is leading... well, Ray-bloody-Winstone takes out a pistol again and, I dunno. Why the fuck didn't Indy deal with him first time round? Stupid. Cate Blanchett says hello and puts the skull onto the skeleton. At this point I had a thought which I tried to surpress. It was a "what if..." kind of thought. Sadly it was proved true. The skull is returned, the room starts spinning with the Inca-esque architechture being thrown away in favour of a metallic interior. The gang escape while Cate Blanchett gets a load of knowledge from the skeletons. Ray-bloody-Winstone falls over for some reason (too much gold hoarding?) and end up being sucked into some alien portal. Cate Blanchett watches as all thirteen skeletons merge into one CGI alien made flesh before her eyeballs explode on fire and she turns into dust. The gang run casually towards the exit as everything starts exploding around them. They escape thanks to some handy, er, water which magically appears and shoots them up through the circular stairwell.

What follows is a startling piece of CGI wonderment as the Inca temple falls, swirls and we see.. a spaceship! Hahaha! A spaceship! It disappears and the area crumbles with waterfalls filling up the rubble. Indy gets married and thankfully grabs his fedora from Mutt before he has a chance to put it on and give filmgoers the fear that he will be "New Indy". I leave the cinema feeling slightly violated and once more suckered into the whole "re-imagining" thing.

Now is it me? Am I getting older so I don't appreciate these movies like teenagers do? Perhaps that's it, I dunno. I didn't totally hate the movie, just there were bits which were totally un-necessary and put in there for the sake of looking purty. Harrsion Ford still comes across brilliantly as Indy though Marion's haggered features only reminds me of what used to be. All this and I have more new-found hatred for George Lucas. And if that isn't enough to hate the man, there's always this -

Why does this even exist? Genndy Tartakovsky's excellent Clone Wars Cartoon Network series far surpasses this and it had very little creative input from George Lucas - which kind of makes sense. I've got Star Wars apathy and yearn for the good old days. Nothing in that trailer above excites me in any way and it looks like it's come straight from a videogame console. Maybe that's the whole point, I dunno...

I was rather proud of myself when I did my weekly food shop - I spotted a DVD I just had to grab... Dragon Wars! I remember the fantastic trailer for it on YouTube (below!) and it seemed batshit-mental enough for me to appreciate. Who cares if there's no plot? Dragons versus helicopter gunships! Now you're talking! I've read reviews and it's been panned something rotten, but what the hell. It's chewing gum for the eyeses...

In other geeky visual news-type-stuff, I'm grabbing the rest of the Lost episodes tomorrow so I can play catch-up with our American friends and I don't have to worry about all the spoilers I have to avoid. In other TV news, I'm really looking forward to how Doctor Who is going to play out. I've already seen the first episode of the new Moffat-penned Silence in the Library and there's more good stuff to come...

So there you go - it's been a quite mellow birthday. A lot of my workmates have been working today, so there's been no chance to go out with them and enjoy my birthday. I have got some extremely cool things on the way this month though - I couldn't resist ordering the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive. Yep, I know it's redundant technology due to Blu-Ray's "victory" though the drive now costs £20 and I got a great deal from Gamestation where I grabbed that and three HD DVDs for £30! I really need to see some proper HD content on my fancy HD television. It feels like I'm missing out on something, and I know for a fact I can pick up the HD DVD of Tremors for a ridiculously cheap price too! Next week I get to see Vendetta play live - they're a rock band which contains one of the concept artists I work with. It should be a good night, albeit slightly rawk-filled. Then.. Then! 23rd June is when I get to see Ben-motherfucking-Folds live!! I've not seen him live and I'm counting down the days. It's going to be incredible. Until then, here's some classic footage of the man himself when he was part of Ben Folds Five performing one of the best songs about being dumped ever...

The BBC are a crafty lot. They impose a licence fee on the entire nation and have TV adverts with friendly warnings that we should all pay unless we want a huge fine. The plus side of this is that we get television with no advertising and that's a good thing, right? I did have to shake my fist at Auntie Beeb when the fee increased in value due to the advent of digital TV - all well and good to those who could get it, but at the time I didn't have the chance to. Now in the space year of 2008, it all makes sense. iPlayer has been a huge success online with the fact it's an opportunity to catch up on shows you've missed, but now it's been integrated into my cable service and - my god - it's the future.

I lament at the lack of jetpacs and meals in pill form, but the fact I can sit down on my second-hand sofa, select the iPlayer option and watch again a wide selection of television shows is something which has suddenly made the licence fee payments all the more bearable to endure. There are teething troubles - sometimes iPlayer will lock up my cable box and I have to reset it, but like my magic kettle which can boil water in 3 seconds flat but make a huge noise doing it, miracles can be temperamental little things of wonder.

Speaking of my magic kettle, I was looking for filters for it in Comet and I chanced upon the display - it had changed a bit. Next to the price was a little note which made me laugh out loud in the middle of the store. What did it say?

• "Important: The Quick Cup is not a Kettle. The water is heated to 90C. This is 10C cooler than required to make a perfect cup of black tea according to the Tea Council. So it maybe not for tea connoisseurs but good enough for the rest of us."

Really. That's what it said. I have evidence but the photo looks a little bit like someone's smeared Vasoline on the lens. Couldn't they have pushed for that extra 10C? I feel rather gimped and cheated now. As this revelation hit me, the tannoy harped on about how you can buy a "futureproof" television which is HD compatible, though I know you can never have anything futureproof these days. There will be SuperHD, SuperMegaHD and all other kinds of HD improvements which will make the impulse purchaser feel cheated. My Sony Bravia (pictured) has given me so far a year of joyous non-complaint. I don't care if it isn't "proper" 1080p. It makes my videogames look lovelier, and for a graphics whore like myself, this is a plus point.

Before I go on, I've spent all weekend at home resting before the final push on Wheelman. I've not had a weekend off in a while and it feels rather strange. I was out and about shopping for stuff today if only to get away from the bastard neighbours above me. Even as I type, their out-of-control brat who visits at weekends (how convienient!) is running up and down their flat. I think they're the main reason why this is the "problem" block and maybe why the seller of this flat wanted out. There was a notice on the front door regarding the fact someone had vomited on the porch steps "again". I know who was responsible. Yep. The cunts upstairs. There's good news though - I phoned the supervisor and she told me they're out in the next two months - "maybe even sooner". The owner of the flat will be selling the place instead of renting, which means you'll get someone more responsible than those fly-by-night renters that I used to be part of. There's a light at the end of the tunnel and I'm glad of that. I'm counting the days and will celebrate when they fuck off to somewhere far away from here.

We had a pretty eventful work shindig on the Friday. Free bar and a lot of workmates to natter to and have fun with, although my art director was persuasive enough to make me forget about the cardinal rule of "Never Mix Your Drinks". Sambuca is an evil liquid to behold and I was introduced to it on that night. I do remember all of the night though - I have a habit these days of remembering what happened including some impromptu dancing, persuading my HR manager to send a text message to her boyfriend with the content "I am sex. Would you like sex? I am sex." and queueing at a cashpoint outside Digital nightclub, only to have a lesbian tell me she should be at the front of the queue because "she's a lesbian". At that point I knew the night was tainted so I staggered home and unwisely recorded some rambling on my camera phone. It was unwise because moment-of-clarity ranting actually is extremely truthful and logical - mostly about how as humans we must have purpose. We've got hearts and souls and if we don't fill those things with love and compassion, we're merely shells with no purpose.

I think at this point in time I'm very much a shell of a man.

The intense work schedule hasn't helped - I've had very little time to myself and at times I feel a bit like someone's took me out of a drawer, used me and then I go back into the drawer to be used again the very next day. This weekend break has been a bit of a good thing - one of the guys at the shindig persauded me that I should do it and I'm glad I have done. I also need to start being creative for myself too - so I will begin work on the first painting for a friend of mine in earnest. Maybe even tonight - I'll get a thumbnail Painter sketch produced for him to aid with colours, etc. then next weekend I can run down to the local crafts store and pick up a canvas and what I need to begin work. Saying that, my walls in this flat are mostly bare and need some prettification.

Ah, the flat. Summer has almost arrived and it's only now that I appreciate just how wonderful it is. Inconsiderate neighbours aside, the view from my window which I'm typing this very e-mail is full of trees, blossom and singing birds in the sunshine. It's quite a transformation and one which isn't lost on me. Actually, let's take a quick photo...

No bad, eh? So this feels a lot more like a sanctuary for me to kick back and relax. Sure, there's no one else to relax with and maybe one day I'll rectify that. Solitude can be the best and worst thing. I'm sure some people who know me are envious, but I'm not sure I should be considered a lucky person due to this. I'll continue to meander through this life and see where it leads.

TheSixtyOne is still filling my heart and ears with beautiful tunes. As a source of independant music, it's a very intoxicating one. You can check out my profile here and see what I've bumped, favourited and played to death. I recommend it to anyone who likes discovering new music. Speaking of which, I'm also planning on producing an animated music promo for Chris Merritt's excellent tribute to Karl Pilkington called "Cult of Karl". I'm currently making a list of all the best things Karl has uttered during his fantastic XFM shows and the podcasts he produced with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. I've also got a shopping list of what I would like to see in the video. It's going to be hard work but I really want to give something back to Chris and also Karl for providing me with countless hours of enjoyment while working.

I've also been researching animated music videos and below are a selection of three music promos which I only just discovered while researching. There's something a lot more enjoyable watching a music video than some horrible pop-pap with idiotic product placement for Nokia phones and the like. So first of all...

This is a video for the Atomic Swindlers called Float by an extremely talented animator/designer called Joel Trussel. His style reminds me a lot of Genndy Tartakovsky though this is in no way a bad thing. He's got more music promos out in the wild and they're all brilliantly executed. I love the story-telling behind this promo very much. Next...

This is a favourite Zero 7 track of mine though the video captures the spirit of the song brilliantly. There's rotoscoping involved, but it's creatively done and I can empathise a lot with the subject matter.

This was number one in Fasthack's Top 10 Animated Music Promos (Fasthack has become an insta-bookmark due to this) - it's new to me and it's an insane journey through the evolution of humanity - tied up nicely to the subject matter of the song in question, Pearl Jam's "Do The Evolution". It's a frantic joy-ride of a video and that what makes it all the more incredible when seeing it for the first time.

I'll post progress of the video and the painting up on this blog - stay tuned!

So Grand Theft Auto 4 arrived on Tuesday into my anticipating hands. The day had been taken off work and I mentally prepared myself for the gamegasm which was to come. Thankfully I wasn't disappointed - GTA4 is an insanely dense experience which floored me from the beginning. Imagine the scene - I'm an Russian immigrant called Niko Bellic and I've just driven my drunken cousin back to his "palace". He shoots off in his taxi back to his workplace and I stand in his pokey flat looking around at my new surroundings. There's a bed, a scattering of furniture resembling a kitchen and a television.

"Press LB to watch TV"

Hmm. Watch TV? Okay. Maybe it'll be a 5 minute looping cut scene. Nope. There's whole channels on there. Programmes with ad breaks! So for the next 30 minutes of the game, I'm watching a television on my television - a perfect satire of American broadcasting. Things get even more mind-bogglingly insane when Ricky Gervais appears. A GTA version of him. In a comedy club you can actually visit. Virtua-Rick then performs a section from one of his stand-up routines complete with rather explicit languange before I get more programming. I have to wrench myself from the virtual television and into the outside world of Liberty City.

Another moment of jaw-droppery - it's now daylight and Liberty City is moving at its own pace. Pedestrians go about their business, traffic meanders on the roads and I decide to go for a casual stroll. A run-down funfair grabs my attention and I try to take in all the detail of this new world - there's too much. It's totally believable and astoundingly detailed. I stroll past a bowling alley called Memory Lanes. Hmmm, can I go in? Fuck! I can! Not just that - I can play bowling. This bowling alley had it's own microcosm of life too - people were bowling and jumping up in the air when they got a strike. Already this game has sold me and I've not even scratch the surface.

GTA4 is an astounding achievement - for a start it's probably the most expensive videogame ever created - $100million! Of course, it made all that back times four on day one sales and will continue to earn Take Two nice pots of cash. This is good news for the industry in general, though bad news for our good friend, Jack Thompson. For those who don't know who he is, the man is an attorney and a crusader to stop the sale of so-called "murder simulators" like GTA. GTA4 has just been released, so he has gotten back into the limelight. I recently heard a woeful "interview" with him on the we're-so-cool-it-hurts Destructoid podcast and it wasn't good. The interviewer was a British fella who was too soft-spoken and tried a bit too hard to be humourous, as Jack made good on this opportunity and started to bring out all the stuff involving how GTA encourages you to shoot cops, kill hookers, etc.

Except it doesn't. I've been playing GTA4 now and I've done many things. I've taken my girlfriend out to that bowling alley. I've got drunk with my cousin. I've enjoyed the company of a hooker though didn't beat up on her. I escaped police without shooting a single cop. GTA is what you want it to be. When you kill people on missions to progress through the game, they're bad people. Drug dealers. Gangsters. Small time crooks. Jack did bring up some valid points through all the "please don't talk over me" vocal dick-dangling - like the fact the game shouldn't be sold to minors. Jack came across as someone who would gladly talk over his mother to get his points across, even if they're as wrong as "there's sexual content in GTA4 which is worse than Hot Coffee". Again, a falsehood. Lies. "Have you even played the game, Jack?" asked the nervous interviewer. Question was dodged. Jack ended up ending the interview immaturely like a small child who's been told by his Mum that it's time for bed. I think Jack doesn't realise a lot of gamers out there are educated people who know when a bullshit merchant comes along.

GTA4 has a very solid storyline and the characters are brilliant in their conception. Niko has had a history of war and he recounts horrific tales of the past. There's no happiness associated with these tales - no sick boasts that Mr. Thompson would expect. Niko has been fooled by his cousin into thinking Liberty City is the land of opportunity, but is really a place of crooks and gangsters. The cut scenes all look gorgeously realised and I'm surprised at the quantum leap of quality from San Andreas on the Xbox to now. Also worth noting is the multiplayer mode - it's a fantastic addition to an already-brimming package and I'm still amazed how smooth it feels and how right it all is. It's going to keep me occupied for many, many weeks to come.

Of course, there's the comparison some guys in the office are having with Wheelman... I think we're okay in that we're offering something different to GTA4 and we know it. I know we can't compete directly but we can offer alternatives. I hope the guys working on Saints Row 2 have enough to be different and fresh - I did note some clever in-jokes in GTA4 including a road called Stillwater Avenue (direct reference to Saints Row) and a high-rise building called The Majestic which is also featured in Crackdown. Oh, and the Hot Coffee Shop..!

So I'm not even halfway through this long weekend and I feel like I've already achieved a great deal. I had a fantastic time out with some workmates courtesy of the company (and learnt a lot too). I've scored a sofa and chair. I've done some artwork! I'm almost tempted to go out for a jog tomorrow for the first time in ages. I'll be knackered but accomplished - like I always am these days.

Oh, one more thing. This -

This is why videogames make me smile. Enjoy your long weekends!

If there's one good thing with having noisy neighbours inconsiderately walking about in high heels, creaking doors and letting their brat run wild at the weekend, it's the fact that I can't stand being in here and it forces me to be less of a shut-in and more of a man determined to make good use of his weekend besides inflating his Xbox gamerscore. In this case, it was a jaunt to one of my favourite places in NewcastleGateshead - the Baltic Mill.

The journey there could have been made via bus, but I'm the type of person who likes using the appendages dangling from his torso (all three of them at times), so walk it is. It takes about 50 minutes of casual strolling, but I take in some sights and also experience just how diverse Gateshead is. I roam through the tranquil surrounds of Saltwell Park followed by a trip through the largest unorthodox Jewish community in Europe. As you approach the town centre, things feel a bit more... urban. It soon becomes more tourist-friendly though as I reach my destination - the Quayside!

Before I hit the approach to the Quayside, I was gutted to find that Gateshead Council removed some gorgeous street art. This is what it used to look like...

I hadn't the heart to take a photo of how it was "improved" - basically those tendrils were scrubbed off and the mouth opening was painted white. They've not got a clue. Street art when done well can be a beautiful thing to behold and can stop you from thinking bad thoughts when strolling through a semi-dodgy tunnel.

I always stroll through The Sage when I hit the Quayside only because it's such a beautifully stylised bit of architecture and something which looks like it's landed from space...

...step inside and it's even sexier! Norman Foster sure knows what he's doing -

The Sage, in case you're curious, is a place where you get musical performances and help in learning musical instruments. I'll never forget the time I walked into an orchestral rehearsal on an earlier lazy Sunday and I was transfixed with the sound coming from these immensely talented people. I digress though - out of The Sage you can see the wonderous Gateshead Millennium Bridge, a bit of the newly-created Gateshead College campus and our destination - the Baltic!

I think it's a converted bread mill but it's another example of a fantastic building (almost) on my doorstep. I haven't visited in a while, so all the exhibits were new to me. I had a ponce about the Baltic Shop near the entrance - lots of nice arty things for too much money (£40 cushions? Purleaaase.) before checking out some of the artwork which graced the entrance. This is an impressive piece of art from the London-based Cut-up Collective -

Basically these guys will take an advert from a billboard away with them, cut it up, re-arrange it and then put it back again. I love stuff like this - it reminds me a bit of the bloke who decapitated people on posters in London. Continuing the theme of "using my legs", I ignored the luxury of the lifts and started to ascend the vast staircase to the first floor. "Last of the Dictionary Men" was a great starter - it covered the Islamic population of South Shields and featured a very informative film called King of South Shields. Who's the King? Why none other than Mohammed Ali - at the time he was the World Boxing Champion and due to his faith in Islam and friendship with a fellow boxer from the region, he visited South Shields and was swamped with people amazed that he came. It made for some enlightening viewing especially regarding the Islamic population and the attitudes of people towards them after 9/11. This was complimented with a gallery of their portraits and many televisions featuring each one of these men talking about their lives.

After that, I hiked up the next load of stairs to the next exhibition - and this was by far my favourite part of the visit. Barry McGee is an artist who lives in San Franciso and produces "tape paintings" as well as some brilliantly-realised character portraits and some interesting pieces. Check these out -

The above photo is kind of interesting because if you walk up that ladder and peek inside, you'll see a wooden head banging against the wall via a motor system. I say "interesting" because kids were walking up the ladder and as you can see by the way it's been set up - it's kind of dangerous. I took a photo inside it, but it didn't come out well at all. Ah, well.

This collection of pictures and paintings was cleverly put onto what could only be best described as a "pregnant wall".

The next floor up was an okay-ish collection by Egyptian artist Mona Morzouk of silohuettes and a short film of bizarre creatures made out of Gateshead landmarks - although I could only make out the Millennium Bridge and not much else. Meh, didn't float my boat too much. Next floor! This was kind of controversial though - a new exhibition by Mark Titchner featuring his characteristic typographical style and some interesting crazy hypnotic strobing motion graphics. I took this photo of this crazy contraption outside the exhibition hall -

- then got told off for it because "photography is not allowed", even though it was allowed on the other floors. The last time I was told off like this must have been when I was still at school. *sigh* I strolled into the exhibition hall and was pretty much blown away by what I saw - four billboards either side with almost propoganda-esque slogans and a huge central screen over a massive black glass platform. It was very hypnotic and powerful, though alas - no photographs. I strolled upstairs to the viewing booth where you can see the exhibition hall from below. I thought about taking a sneaky photo, but an impossibly cute geeky lass was overseeing everything. I couldn't help but go over and ask why we couldn't take photos. Basically the exhibition has been to a few galleries and they've all had photo bans, so they had to comply. *sigh* Here's me thinking artists want exposure. I took a quick sneaky photo in the lift -

You can catch some of the slogan boards and that spooky almost HAL 9000-esque eye of daeth. It was quite impressive - maybe you should visit the Baltic if you're in the area to check it out first hand! The trip to the outside world took another interesting turn when I was walking back home through Gateshead Town Centre...

A line of people on a very specific part of the Trinity Square Car Park. Hmm. My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to investigate. The area has been boarded up recently by the nearby Tesco as they have big plans to level this uber-urban part of town and turn it into the ultra-modern Trinity Square. When I got up to the level where all the people were at, turns out that they were queueing up to get on the lift to the very top of the car park before it will be closed to the public and eventually demolished.

The press were up on the top floor to lament the loss of the multi-storey car park which was made famous in the film Get Carter (the old one with Michael Caine, not the crappy remake). Check out the end of the trailer when he throws some poor bloke from the top of the car park -

I think a lot of people have a fondness for the car park - it has its fans though there are people out there who would like to see this carbunkle disappear. I was in two minds about it when I was there - it was the first time I had ever ventured up and took the opportunity to take some impressive photos of the surrounding areas of NewcastleGateshead -

Things always have to change even when we try our hardest to not let them change. My hometown has gone through some frankly disheartening changes from the crap graffiti (nicely-realised graffiti is a thing to behold, but crap graffiti needs to be abolished) to the faux-swanky bars and restaurants which weren't there before The Open visited. Again, I'm still undecided whether they should get rid of the car park. It was the first thing I saw when I came to Gateshead and that along with the uncertainty and the shouting drunk cemented that memory.

I fear this will be my last "free" weekend before the last few weeks towards art alpha on Wheelman. I did visit the supervisor of the flats and she mentioned that the noisy neighbours upstairs "won't be around much longer" as the owner of the flat wants them out too. They've been unusually quiet today when I got back home. Still, maybe they're a good thing to motivate me more rather than spending all day indoors. I also mused over getting back into jogging/running again. I just need to get myself totally motivated for that.

I'm also enjoying my weekend shopping sprees.... I swear that I'm getting attention from women in Sainsbury's as I pick through the apples and select my sugary kids cereal of choice. Maybe it's the haircut and new specs. Maybe it's the obviousness of my singularity. Maybe it's the confidence I exude knowing that I don't really need an "other half" to enjoy life, although yes, it would be nice.

Acceptance is a wonderous thing.

Speeeeeed!

Is it that time again? I don my marketing cape and self-indulge on the kind words the gaming press have spoken about Wheelman? We've been collating all the previews internally in the office and each one has filled us with happy feelings deep inside our guts - the press really, really like what they saw when they all attended the Midway Gamers' Day in Las Vegas almost a week ago. We've got a write-up in MCV (the industry paper) and amongst all the hedonistic beverage shunting and lady-oggles, there's more positivity.

I think there's a definite sea change in the air for the company - only recent did the long-time boss of Midway, David Zucker, stepped down to allow Matt Booty to step up and lead the company. I'm not sure if it's a permanent or a interim position but MCV liked the fact that someone who's worked in the company for 17 years and worked his way up to the top was extremely passionate about the line up. I've said this many times in my blog already - I love working for Midway. I love the people who I work with and I enjoy delving into the company twiki pages and seeing games slowly take form - as a gamer and a bit of a fanboy, this is a fantastic thing to experience. I really hope this is our year and we start to be taken seriously - I think we have this somewhat negative reputation with a selection of gamers which needs to be shook off.

Here's a round up of some of the lovely things the press have been saying... (click on the links for full stories)

• Eurogamer - "As you might expect, The Wheelman is a game with an awful lot of destruction going on. Practically every piece of scenery can be smashed to bits in spectacular fashion, while the vehicle damage modelling has been lavished with a similarly pleasing degree of care."
• Gamespy - "Overall, our first impressions [The] Wheelman are rather positive. Car combat is easy to jump into and handles better than many other sandbox titles on the market. The stunts and rams give it tiny hints of Burnout. We'd like to see Midway Newcastle address a few problem areas, but overall, the driving is rather satisfying and the streets of Barcelona look great."
• Gamezone - "Wheelman is shaping up to be a fine entry into the action-driving genre, and should be something to get excited for when it launches later this year."
• 1UP - "Where the game sets itself apart -- both from L.A. Rush and games like Driver -- is in a series of attacks you can perform while driving. You can shoot at other vehicles. You have special moves you can pull off such as spinning your car 180 degrees and firing at enemies behind you in slow motion. And you can melee attack with your car."
• GamesRadar - "The highlight of our time with Wheelman was the car melee attack and the supercharged Cyclone attack, while the on-foot shooting mission left us lukewarm. We’re certainly hoping Midway can build an entertaining world around the awesome driving features, and we eagerly await a deeper look at street-level Barcelona."
• TeamXbox - "The title has been in development for just over two years, with gameplay and visuals certainly showing an attention to detai