With a generation and genre awash with FPS titles no more complicated than "shoot alien die now", Team Fortress 2 strikes you as being immediately different. Released as part of The Orange Box alongside Portal, and accompanied of course with the Half-Life 2 trilogy thus far. Counteracting the other titles in the box, the games' emphasis here is on multiplayer co-op, with zero backstory, and no further exposition needed. To sum it up in three words, it is online multiplayer that is simple, entertaining, and fun.

As a multiplayer title, the game once again differentiates on some pretty standard conventions within the genre. First and most notably, the game is organised by a class-based system. What this means is that within the game you're choosing your play method, with the nine different in-game characters all having their own unique abilities. Pyros and Demomans' expert fields, are, naturally, flamethrowers and bombs, but the notion of class spills over into far more exciting ideas that help reinvigorate the genre as a whole. Engineers for example are capable of building sentry guns and health dispensers, while The Medic is responsible solely for healing. The Spy on the other hand, is capable of disguise and infiltration, and in some respects could be argued as being the strongest available class, as you'll soon be aware of after mere minutes of gameplay. The class system is undoubtedly what dominates the game, and the emphasis on having to work together in order to succeed has never really been stronger in a game before- everyone has a part to play in the quest for success.

The game's immediate draw however comes entirely from it's completely unorthodox art-direction. Again as a contrast to the genre, Team Fortress 2 brandishes it's own style of comic surrealism, with the afore mentioned characters painted in bright shades of cartoon. To begin with it's a little odd to have such a seemingly simple art-direction for what is easily one of the bloodiest and competitive genres, but as with the Timesplitters series before it, the humour that the game presents only makes the whole experience a lot more fun, as well as welcoming. But it also compliments the gameplay mechanics itself, with decapitated bodies seeming very normal in such a comic world, and with each of the classes having such strong personalities and character, it does reinforce the whole concept and indeed thinking behind the lone notion of "team deathmatch".


The game currently, only has six maps. While this may be a bad thing for many people, the ability to truly know you're plan from the start and still manage to mix it up a little can only be a good thing, and as with the genre itself, the real variable is of course, the other people you're playing with. Like stable-mate Portal, while seemingly short, there is an incredible amount of both fun and depth to be found within this title. Similarly, it is just as memorable, exciting, and, entertaining throughout as you'd expect- ignore what the game press told you about a certain title last month, this, is the multiplayer game experience of the year.

One of the few Lego websites I continue to visit regularly-Classic-Castle.com- has recently announced it's annual Colossal Castle Contest, now in it's fifth year. Course, little reason is ever needed not to build something out of Lego, but contests and events like this are great for bringing out the community- a perfect mix of both inspiration and friendly competitiveness that means everyone benefits in the long-run.

I entered last year for the first time, and was pleased with my efforts back then, but a lot can happen in a year and I now think that I can knock out something a lot better. In fact, i'd like to think in the past few months i've already succeeded, but i'll try not to get too big-headed just yet. I'm not studying at the moment but being back at work it's near-impossible trying to get everything done- when I read the announcement last night I was a little hesitant to enter. But after a day of thinking and throwing out ideas, i've decided to enter after all, and i've just been to Bricklink for some extra pieces critical to the overall idea- hopefully it'll all work out nicely. Starting is the other big problem of course. It's relatively easy to conjure up ideas and draw them accordingly, but it's always pretty intimidating once you go to actually start building, especially if you've got a big baseplate to begin with.

I'm hoping to start this weekend, irrelevant of if my order arrives. The deadline is the end of December, but with Christmas and such I want it out of the way pretty quickly. And besides, once you've finished your own entries, the real joy is to be had from merely standing back and viewing everyone else's, an activity, which will, of course, subsequently inspire for the next year.

The contest begins this Thursday!

Bloc Party return on the 19th of next month with a Special Edition re-release of their album from earlier this year, A Weekend In The City, in a package surely only relevant to the hardcore and the fools who missed out first time. As the follow up to the fantastic 2005 debut Silent Alarm, the album differentiates slightly from the band's original sound but still retains some of the elements most associated with the band, including lyrics and more importantly, structure. But as with all re-releases the album also contains a DVD with video and gig footage, and interestingly, the band's newest single recorded especially for it.

As with the lead-single for Weekend last time, new single Flux is an interesting contrast to past Bloc Party singles and indeed tracks, with much more emphasis on 90s euphoric dance than the somewhat expected indie. That's not to say there's no guitars, but this time past traits and characteristics of the band's style are fully manifested into something altogether. As an exposition of overall existing ideas all the same, there's no denying the feeling that Flux feels new- both as a song by the band and indeed, contemporary mainstream music in general. Admittedly it takes a while to get used to, but with a 90s European beat and signature Bloc Party guitar, it's not long before the chorus sinks into appreciation.

The video, directed by Ace Norton, is also something of a departure. With obvious Japanese tendencies and visual drama it could be perhaps best compared to Intergalactic by the Beastie Boys- easily one of the finest music promos of the last decade. It does seem a little out of place compared to the visuals certainly, but as a lead-in single to an upcoming re-release, interest is sure to be piqued.

The Orange Box was released this past Friday for the X360. As a selection of five titles all produced and developed by software powerhouse Valve, the main draw for many will undoubtedly be the ability to finally play Half Life 2 and it's subsequent episodic gaming on a console for the first time- not being a PC gamer, myself included. There is of course, more, as also included on the disc is the renowned multiplayer-fest Team Fortress 2 and Portal, a spiritual successor to Narbacular Drop, and the game I played and completed last night to much delight.

Beginning in the overtly-clinical Aperture Science laboratories, the story starts with you waking up from a cell, as with all good stories, your memories in tatters. From here and through the voice of a computer AI governing your every move, you soon learn that you're to take part in a series of tests. Armed with the subsequently found portal gun -a device that allows you to create portals in space, this is where the majority of the gameplay lies, and where the game naturally gets it's title from. Controlled entirely from a first-person-perspective and set largely in corridor-based mazes, your job is to reach the end of each of the nineteen chambers, in an idea that's seemingly very inspired by the notion of "guinea pig". Your new-found 'gun' allows you to move about the 3D space at your leisure, with you able to create both exit and entry holes to the portal. What follows is a somewhat inhumane endurance of traversing the chambers by solving the puzzle(s) in that room, where early levels involve only teleporting crates to act as lever weights, and later levels demanding you think about momentum between the holes and the scenarios around you.

As you progress, levels become more sinister and taxing, with obstacles such as toxic waste and even robot sentries standing in your path, slowly making the game more difficult with each chamber. The lone notion of this sinister, dark, even doom-laden experiment however is reinforced numerous times throughout the game. With the environments so disturbingly white and clean there's a slight shock to be had from discovering that you are indeed not the first person here, and obscure wall markings of madness and paranoia make a rather interesting distraction from both the game mechanics and the art direction as a whole. This idea is emphasized further with the fantastic mini plot-twist that takes place within the final chamber, and the closing half hour of the game is at a complete contrast to the previous three hours, the game ending both fantastically eerie and surreal at the sametime. For a game that seemingly needs no story whatsoever, it is appreciated, and as a drive, a focus, it certainly helps. While not noticeable at first, there is, very much, an enemy or two in this game as you'll soon discover.


At anything from two to four (or more?) hours playtime, Portal certainly isn't a game with much depth or even lifespan. As a title however, it's surprising how much thought and production has gone into the game overall- certainly more than many contemporary full-price games. Similarly there's more innovation and fresh thinking in these four hours alone than many first-party titles, making this game an absolute must. With the game's ending fresh in the mind however, it is slightly difficult to go back to the game again, but also because, well, you know how to solve these puzzles. As an adventure into gameplay mechanics and physics on crack however, that first play of Portal is awe-inspiring, special, and more importantly, memorable...there was cake.

Harry followed Hagrid out on to the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.
'How did you get here?' Harry asked, looking around for another boat.
'Flew' said Hagrid.
'Flew?'

After avoiding the franchise for years i've finally caved in and decided to give the Harry Potter books a read, now that I have the time to do so. Against my best wishes though, i'm really enjoying the experience so far. I'm only fifty pages in, and really not able to pass judgment fully, but I am enjoying the light-hearted, easy-reading surrealism, so much so that I am tempted to keep reading the series. Suddenly I can quite easily see why the books are so popular.

I hate it when mass-mainstream culture wins.

So following on from my exam (and hopefully the subsequent passing!) I decided to treat myself- I bought myself a Lego Creator Set 4954. Certainly a little unorthodox as a celebration, especially from someone at the age of 21, but getting trashed isn't really something that appeals to me. But more on that later.

£45 gets you a lot of tan bricks, and that's why I bought it, but I know the black slopes will be incredibly handy also. It was fun though, and mildly challenging- I'm strangely tempted to buy another one.

The Peter Serafinowicz Show debuted on BBC Two last week as part of their new Thursdays Are Funny strand, and that it was. There's no denying Serafinowicz's impact on comedy, and i've enjoyed his appearances in numerous things for ages now, most notably retro-spoof Look Around You.

The second episode aired earlier this hour, and while not as good as last week's great debut, I think the show has lots of promise. Like That Mitchell and Webb Look last year, the Beeb are certainly onto something- hopefully something they already know. Eitherway, this was one of the funnier sketches from the first episode, and one that, presumably, will develop something of a cult following. And hey, anything with supporting work by the lovely Catherine Shepherd is an instant viewing as far as i'm concerned.

Loosely inspired by Shep and also because i'm too lazy to do full reviews, here's a round up of the season premieres i've been watching recently, as well as, naturally, the subsequent episodes that follow.

Heroes-
Following on from an inspiring and refreshing debut season, let down only by the episodes in the finale, Season 2 of this show has a lot of work to do, both as an enjoyable follow up to that preliminary year of awesome, and additionally, to help rid fans of any lingering nasty thoughts they may still have regarding the finale. Thankfully for the latter this is achieved rather quickly with the second season itself set a full four months on from the events of the previous season finale, allowing for new stories and plots to be created with ease, while still building on many of the themes and character plots established or left dangling the previous year.

Most interestingly, the new episodes present are a nice reminder of the show in simpler inspirational times. Without the obvious menace of a master villain -though, that will presumably follow- the show is back to basics, allowing both the viewer and the character to once again discover the superpower ever relevant to the show itself, achieved primarily with the inclusion of new characters, though, naturally, often with the inability to rival the characters that have already been established. This is noticeable as ever as the show continues to focus very primarily on the Bennett and Petrelli families, the characters seemingly at the centre of the show's mythology, while show-leading geek Hiro resumes a dominant force when it comes to providing flashbacks and an all-manner of time-based confusion. Elsewhere, the other signature theme of Heroes, that of the crossover is also thankfully in place, allowing new pairings to be matched for the first time, and once again, giving the viewer a slight benefit when it comes to watching.

With such a successful debut season both critically and commercially, Heroes now has more fans to continue impressing and astounding on a weekly basis. While the show to some extent still follows the core formula of the first year while changing it only slightly, Season 2 feels new and old, but most of all, exciting.

Prison Break-
Going on vacation for the whole of the previous season with very few scenes actually set in a prison, the show about breaking out of a prison returns for a third year, with, unsurprisingly, a storyline about breaking out of a prison. For all it's moments of drama and tension, it's creative charm and evil yet interesting characters, Prison Break once again defies logic with it's silly over-the-top storyline that would be seemingly impossible in real life. But like LOST and the show a paragraph above, there's no basis for arguing against this show simply because of it's lack of realism.

Changing both setting and tone, the third season of PB is set entirely in Panama, with the Sona Federal Prison acting as a backdrop to both the plot and conspiracy central to the show. As with Season 2 beforehand, the show is remarkably different to the previous year, once again allowing for a different kind of exposition for many of the main characters, and yet again, allowing them to show their different sides. This is evident alone if the defining concept behind the third Season, where the hero, the rapist, the jail guard and FBI Agent are all imprisoned in the same institution. While it once again defies logic, this idea of having four enemies having to work together to survive can prove to be an interesting dynamic, more so if you've followed them from the start of the show. In some respects, it is the best part of it all. As with previous season however, the show continues to feature external storylines and subplots set entirely on the outside. As with the debut season, they provide little satisfaction or excitement, but do keep the show moving as a whole.

As an originally intended miniseries, it is evident in places that Prison Break is jumping the shark, or perhaps, has already performed a double frontflip over the said vicious fish by conception alone. Now in it's third year, Prison Break is beginning to show strain, as well as a seemingly lack of future prospect, this presumably being the final year. Despite this, Prison Break is fun, entertaining and altogether a nice distraction from conventional TV, as long as you're willing to ignore logistics.

House-
With the shock events and subsequent firing of Cameron, Chase and Foreman in the previous season finale, House is alone in the opening episodes of Season 4 with no-one to help with the CSI-esque diagnnostic work, other than the Janitor, early providing the signature light-hearted humour that forms a big part of the show's appeal. The following episode expands on House seeking help, this time with the addition of a lecture room full of medical students old and young, thus beginning an elimination process that looks set to continue for the following episodes. Breaking up structural convention as far as the show is concerned certainly, but providing a solid, episodic storyline, that looks set to run, something notoriously lacking from many past episodes with no clear focus.

The early build-up of something that looks set to redefine the future of both the season and show is a welcome addition, but the doubling back by re-adding characters removed last year (currently for reasons unknown) is a suspicious, irrelevant direction the show seems to be taking once again, suggests that, despite all minor adjustments to the show as a whole, nothing much will change. It is a little unfortunate, especially given the shock-value of the afore-mentioned finale. Still thankfully, the focus as always continues to be House himself- the character never changing despite the surrounding plots and scenarios, making the season finale perhaps even more irrelevant to begin with. That and a weekly patient in dire need of diagnosis means that the show is cemented in it's conventions, but if something ain't broke, why fix it?

Now in it's fourth season, House hasn't changed much, retaining the character and humour/drama mix that made the show so successful to begin with, and despite a reluctance to change itself too much, the show still continues to impress and entertain with it's golden formula, something many shows can only dream of. Three seasons past and only two episodes into the fourth, House looks set to continue it's reign as medical drama king.