• 30Jun 09

  The British Soldier's Creed

  

  British Army ~ Soldier's Creed

  I am a British soldier, and a warrior.

  I will train hard, fight hard and think hard,

  And I will do so with courage.

  I fight for my comrades, my commanders and the Queen,

  And I will do so with pride.

  I will defeat the enemy through my professionalism and skill,

  And I will do so with self-discipline.

  I will earn the trust and respect of fellow warriors,

  And I will do so through honourable actions.

  I will lead and mentor, all those who fight with me,

  And I will serve them with integrity and commitment.

  I will overcome adversity and fear,

  And I will help others to do so.

  I will never forget those who have gone before me.

  I will always be a British soldier.
  
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  Well, I celebrate my birthday tomorrow, and I thought the Creed would be fitting, as this birthday is significant for me because it is possibly the last time I celebrate such as a civilian or at least in civilian life, for I'm handing in my application form for the British Army towards/at the end of this year.

  

  I've always had a keen interested in having a job with activity, and I've always been interested in Tanks and their operation, which is why I've chosen to go for the position of Main Battle Tank crewman, with Gunner in the Royal Artillery as a backup.
  This job is going to push me both physically and mentally, and I look forward to it immensely.
  
  I shall blog again shortly after my birthday, and give my thoughts on the games I get with the dosh I receive.

  • Posted Jun 30, 2009 4:53 pm GMT
  • Category: General
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• 25Jun 09

  Video Games ~ Favourite concepts/settings

  Having played a wide variety of games in the past, set in a wide variety of time frames, settings and environments, I thought it would be quite cool to catalogue my Top 5 settings in video games, starting with number 5 of course.

  5. Modern Day ~

  Coming in at number 5 is the good ol' modern setting. I'm a fan of this because it can aid in making a game far more believable if I know it can at any moment. I enjoy controlling modern day task forces and firing modern weapons, even if it's not entirely accurate. Still, video games arn't real, so I can forgive.
  
  Notable games: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Act of War: Direct Action, Battlefield 2.
  

  

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  4. Alternate Reality ~

  At number 4 it's Alternate Reality. I love this concept in games because I love imagining what could have happened. Although not always very serious (Red Alert 2/3) I still love the idea and allows for some cool concepts. The German invasion of the United States in Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, for example.
  
  Notable games: Resistance: Fall of Man, Command and Conquer Red Alert, Turning Point: Fall of Liberty.

  

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  3. Humanity vs. Aliens ~

  Creatures from other dimensions, creatures from other planets or just creatures that look really weird. Humanity has been in fights with most of the galaxy's locals, and often has available some form of super soldier, or just guys in cool suits. I like this concept because it allows developers to use their imagination when it comes to crafting the aliens, weapons and landscapes. Whether they use this imaginiation though, is another thing.
  
  Notable games: Half-Life, Halo, Gears of War, Crysis, Doom 3.

  

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  2. World War 2 ~

  Say what you will, but I still thoroughly enjoy my World War 2 games. Sure, it's been done to death, but World War 2 still holds interest to me, both in and outside of videogames. Things would be far more interesting if the Americans weren't taking center stage most of the time, but I understand market appeal and such.
  
  Notable games: Call of Duty, Company of Heroes, Medal of Honor, Hidden and Dangerous.

  

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  1. Dystopia ~

  At last, we arrive at my favourite setting; Dystopia. Whether the world is under the control of an evil power, nuclear war has leveled civilization or even humanity just having an incredibly bad day, this is my favourite setting when it comes to videogames. I like Dystopia because it allows developers to create great stories about heroism, uprising or simply one about surviving in a harsh world overrun by violence and oppression.
  
  Notable games: Half-Life 2, Fallout (1-3), STALKER: SoC, Red Faction.

  
  
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  There are, of course, plenty of other concepts and settings when it comes to videogames, such as Fantasy, that deserve recognition, but aren't favoured by myself enough to make my Top 5.
  
  What I've been up to: Well, being human, I've been up to a few things and none of them terribly interesting.
  A friend of mine, who recently aquired a PS3, has lent me Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, which is an amazing game!

  I've also got myself a copy of the Orange Box on the Xbox 360. Some of you are probably questioning that decision, and I understand. Being a PC gamer, I bought a console copy of my most beloved PC franchise. Still, it's great fun on the Xbox, and playing through the three Half-Life 2 games again is giving me some great inspiration for my own mod.
  
  I'm also progressing through Medal of Honor Allied Assault. Still great fun after all these years!

  • Posted Jun 25, 2009 2:40 pm GMT
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• 17Jun 09

  Reliving old favourites

  Well, firstly, I went to see Terminator Salvation with my other half, and we both enjoyed it. It starred Christian Bale, so she was happy. Anyway, the film itself was entertaining. Bale wasn't actually the centre of the film and instead the film chooses to focus on the character of Marcus, played by Sam Worthington, who was actually pretty good. I can see him doing well in the future.

  The action was fun to watch, but the film doesn't have much in the way of plot (and what was there wasn't brilliant) which is a shame, considering it's a Terminator film. There's a few homages to the originals, including a famous line of dialogue, and the appearance of a fan-favourite.

  

  I'm not going to write a full review here because well, it's a blog. But overall I found it to be entertaining and fun. If you're a fan of action movies, I recommend giving it a chance.
  
  ------
  
  Secondly, I've been playing Prototype which is an absolute blast. I haven't finished it yet, but it's great fun, with plenty of carnage and mayhem. The cut-scenes between story missions aren't of the quality of GTAIV, and neither is the voice acting. However, they set the scene fine and that's what is important. Gameplay is cool. Lots of shape shifting abilities, and the disguise system is pretty neat.

  

  
  Plus you can throw cars at helicopters. C'mon, you can fling cars at helicopters!
  
  ------
  
  Anyway, on with the topic.
  I'm in the mood to play some of my old games. Games that I loved in the past, and want to experience again. I've compiled a list of the games I will install (if not already) and play through again.
  
  Half-Life ~ It's a timeless cla ssic, and I want to replay it before Black Mesa Source is released.

  
  
  Medal of Honor Allied Assault ~ I've just ordered the Warchest for a tenner, so I'm going to replay 'em.

  
  
  Call of Duty ~ The original game is still the best in the series. One of my favourite WW2 games.

  

  Homeworld ~ Amazing story. Amazing gameplay. Amazing game.

  
  
  Dark Reign 2 ~ Such an under appreciated game, IMO. I never played the first game, but I love DR2.

  
  
  Those are the 5 games I want to retread. Whether or not I'll get the time to actually play the entire way through each of these games is another thing, but I shall try my best to do so amongst the many new games I've yet to play, and other things that need to be done.
  
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  Lastly, I've been on and off the modding scene for a while, what with other things to do and new games to play. But in my free time when I'm not out and about or playing games, I'm going to actually start work on my mod for Half-Life. It's not going to be anything big or amazing. Just a small singleplayer storyline.

  • Posted Jun 17, 2009 8:21 am GMT
  • Category: Games
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