cftopper.com

Shhhssss, don't tell anyone - but I stayed in the office all night playing Oblivion. I'm in love with the game. I even uncharacteristically shunned drinking for the game. I must have played for 10 hours straight.

Trying hard to limit myself to just one session as the weekends, but it's hard. Think I need to join GA.

Why the office? Well you see, I had a little accident with my laptop during the week and now it doesn't display the colour red too great, which as you can imagine doesn't make for the best gaming experience (blue blood isn't quite the same), so I have it hooked up to a 19" screen (that I stole from Adam) in my office instead.

Anyhow, I must go home and sleep now; must go drinking tonight.

p.s. I honestly think Oblivion is one of the best games ever made and should be played by everyone. So so so emmersive, varied and ..zzzzzzz

p.s.s. I have all this work to get done before my holiday to Thailand next Friday - shame on me for playing O all night instead of getting things done.

p.s.s.s. IE7 is still rocking my boat - i like it more than Firefox - sorry Firefox zealots.

I heard it was coming and I heard it was going to be good... but I paid no heed. Then I stumbled across the Boomtown review in which the writer struggles to contain his joy:

Maybe it was the time I saw those two male mages climb into bed together. Or when the Imperial guard chased me for twenty minutes across Cyrodil before I even realised he was there. And what about that time my horse was prayed upon by a vicious wolf that was subsequently kicked to death by the beautiful steed?

Actually, no – it was the time I spotted something small moving in a nearby lake. Upon closer inspection I discovered a deer that was swimming away from a nearby hunter. And when the deer saw me standing there, fearing for its life it turned and swam in another direction. A safer direction.

That’s about the exact moment I truly realised the sort of game Oblivion is… A masterpiece. One of the best ever made.

So I rushed out to GameStop yesterday at lunch, even borrowing money because I had left my wallet at home and demanded the game... The guy in the shop laughed and warned me that it would totally consume my life. I grinned sheepishly and nodded. He also warned me that I need a crazy powerful PC to play this on as it's one of the most demanding games to date. Finally he said, good luck! 

He was right on both accounts. I loaded up the game for a quick look at about 1AM last night. It's suddenly 4.30AM, my quick look had turned into a 3 hour exploration. The game is just outstanding.

The graphics are awesome. I remember looking at the stars when my character emerged from subterranean passages for the first time and being blown away. Then statues, faces and even horses had me walking around them impressed with their quality. Later I realised that I had been playing the game at 640x480! I bumped up the graphics... shit, I'm running out of adjectives to describe this colossal game.

This really is the first completely immersive RPG I've ever played. I would have played all night if it wasn't for that pesky work thing. To quotes one of my favourite songs, "I wish the real world would just stop hassling me".

If you like your games (even slightly), get Oblivion.

Last week EA announced Battlefield 2142 and oh my good God it looks bloody amazing!

The year is 2142, and the dawn of a new Ice age has thrown the world into a panic. The math is simple and brutal: The soil not covered by ice can only feed a fraction of the Earth’s population. Some will live, most will die. In Battlefield 2142, players will choose to fight for one of two military superpowers in an epic battle for survival, the European Union or the newly formed Pan Asian Coalition.

Armed with a devastating arsenal of hi-tech assault rifles, cloaking devices and sentry guns, players will also do battle using some of the most imposing vehicles known to man. Massive battle Mechs wage fierce combat on the ground, while futuristic aircraft rule the skies. When facing one of these new behemoths, players will need to use their wits and an arsenal of new countermeasures like EMP grenades to level the playing field.

"Battlefield has long been synonymous with innovative, best-of-breed online multiplayer action," said Sean Decker, Executive Producer, DICE. "By stepping into the future with Battlefield 2142, the team at DICE has reinvented the rules of engagement for the next century.”

Team play features allow up to 64 players to enter the action on the front lines as part of a formal squad, or work behind the scenes in Commander Mode to direct the strategic assaults of their teammates. With in-game success, players increase their rank and unlock awards, including new weapons, medals and more, delivering the most comprehensive and flexible persistence in the Battlefield universe to date.

There is a video available from fileplanet that shows it off fairly well. The giant mechs are kick-ass and I can't wait to take one of those babys for a spin.

I think its due out this November.

• EA's Battlefield 2142 page