LEAD THE REBELLION!

It's time to rebel, to rise up against the tyrannical King Logan - also known as your thin, pale and generally sickly looking brother. In Fable III it's all about rebellion and leading an army to restore Albion to its former glory. This is the story of a prince (or princess) and their journey to becoming the ruler of Albion.

You start out well enough - woken up by your butler, dressed in the clothing of your choice, it's all very relaxed and peaceful. You go and meet your girlfriend (or boyfriend) in the gardens, you fool around a bit and then suddenly your calm and easy life is shattered right before your eyes. There are protesters outside the palace, yelling about the cruelty of Logan and how he has changed over the past four years of his rule. It is then that you are called to the throne room where your brother forces you to choose - send a group of protesters for execution, or your love interest? It's a difficult choice, but it has to be made. Once you have decided who dies, your Mentor, Walter, informs you that you must escape the palace along with your butler, Jasper, and your dog.

You have to agree he looks pretty unwell.

Once you've escaped your journey begins. It is you who must gather the armies together to fight against your brother in order to repair the broken cities and civilisations that live in Albion. Starting from the mountains way to the East of the palace before moving down to the city you will earn the respect and following of the people of Albion. The game is filled with personal choices on what you do, choices that can make your character good, or turn them into evil future rulers. With every quest you do and the enemies that you kill you collect Guild Seals which allow you to buy new skills and emotes to use with NPC's and other players, as well as allowing you to unlock the gates on The Road to Rule - the road leading you to the palace. It's not a particularly long game, the storyline is very linear which allows you to complete the story pretty quickly. However, there are loads of side quests that you can do too, meaning that you can either take longer to complete the game or do them once you've finished.



The controls are pretty easy to get the hang of, it's nothing drastically different from every other games. It's a simple game to play which allows for relaxed gameplay. The co-op features are excellent - you can complete the whole game whilst playing with your friends, I did it on XBOX live. You can enter business contracts with your friends, allowing them to buy/rent properties in your game (you share the money earned), you can marry the other player and even have children with them. It's a lot of fun, especially with the different interactions that are available to you. I have to say it's on of the best forms of co-op - gaming can be so much more fun when you're playing with your mates.

The graphics aren't amazing quality, and I know it's a slightly older game being two years old, but they could have been better. Regardless, it doesn't take away from the great storyline. There may have been a few parts of the main story that I found a little disappointing, such as the length of certain battles during the game, but you can never have a perfect game. Despite the few flaws it is a fantastic story and allows for really great, enjoyable gameplay. I highly recommend picking up a copy of Fable III from your local game store. Partly because it's a great game, but also as rumour claims the next Fable game will allow you to merge your Fable III save with it - but more on that later, watch this space...

Valhalla

10 Best Game Intros

The intro to a game is probably one of the most important parts - it's what starts getting you involved in the story and gameplay, and there is nothing worse than a bad intro. Of all the games I have played there have been good and bad starts, and listed below are 10 of my favourite game intros with the video so you can watch them yourself. In no particular order, here we go.

1. World of Warcraft: Wrath of The Lich King

2. Star Wars The Old Republic

3. Diablo III

4. Skyrim

5.  Halo

6. Baldur's Gate

I know it's old, but I still love it.

7. Batman Arkham City

8. Modern Warfare 3

There's something hypnotic and intriguing about it. 

9. Fable III

10. Assassins Creed: Brotherhood

So there you have it, 10 of my favourite - and what I would consider the best - intros. Hope you've enjoyed this little update, tell us if you think there should be any other intros up here. 

Valhalla

Pokémon Black and White 2

I've said it before - whilst the Pokémon in Black and White were lacking creativity at best, the game really made me think about the morals of keeping Pokémon in tiny little balls and using them in fights for money. With this in mind it was with great interest that I delved deeper into the sequel of the most recent addition to the Pokémon saga...

According to my sources the  game is due for release in Japan later on this month, with us Europeans seeing is towards the end of August/early September. The story will begin two years after the end of the previous game and will be in the same region as before - the Unova region. A mysterious icecap has covered parts of the region, leading to new cities and gyms forming to replace the ones that have been captured. There are two new conformed gym leaders - one who appears to be a rockstar of some kind (I would assume he uses electric Pokémon) and another who seems to use water-types. It would appear that Team Plasma are still wandering around and will likely serve as the main villains again. You'll have a new rival and apparently new playable characters too - something which I find highly intriguing. It looks like you can play characters that aren't traditional looking Pokémon trainers. However, it's hard to say. Many of the routes have been altered or changed drastically, making the area a lot different to the previous game, most likely so that it does not appear repetitive. You will begin the game in an area of Unova that was previously unreachable - a town called Aspertia in the South West.

The Pokédex is different too. Instead of starting of with a regional Dex of 150-200 Pokémon there will be 300 available in the region - most of which are Pokémon from other regions such as Psyduck and Mareep. It is the largest local Dex yet - the National Dex is sure to be massive.

There is also a new minigame known as the Pokéwood in which you will participate in the filming of a movie. Seems like an interesting idea. There is also the Pokémon World Tournament which will allow you to battle gym members from previous versions of the game - leaders such as Brock and Misty (I was very pleased to hear this).

Have a quick look at some of the official gameplay - it was unavailable in English but it gives you a good idea.

It's said that it will be released on DS, so those of you fearing that Pokémon would only be on 3DS from now on you can let out the breath you've been holding for the past year or so. Looks like things are going to work.

Whilst there is little information on the game out there, what I have discovered has been incredibly exciting. Being a Pokémon fan from pretty much the beginning, I can see myself buying this game. I love the Pokémon games too much to say no.

Valhalla

3, is the magic number

This year 3 seems to be the magic number when it comes to game releases, and on that note so does 2...and 4...

Regardless, it's a year filled with numbers and exciting games to go with them - we all love sequels. So, without further ado I present to you a post displaying all the awesome sequels that are due for release/have been released this year. 

Out now:

Final Fantasy XIII-2

Soulcalibur V

Disgaea 3

Witcher 2

Max Payne 3

Diablo III

Coming this year:

Prototype 2

Darksiders II

Boarderlands 2

Dead or Alive 5

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Halo 4

Resident Evil 6

Assassins Creed III

I have to say, I don't think I've been this excited about a year's gaming for a while. 2011 was pretty epic, but this year just pushes it aside. Are you looking forward to this year too?

Valhalla

"I'm Batman"

I finally got Arkham City for PS3. I'd been meaning to pick it up for some time, and this week I decided to just do it and stop procrastinating. I'm so glad I did.

I haven't finished the game yet, but I already know that this game is one of the best I have ever played. Being a bit of a comic book nut, I was expecting to enjoy Arkham City anyway, but my mind was blown by the sheer awesomeness of this game. From the second the start screen appeared and the music began to play, I prepared myself to enter a game unlike any other.

You are Bruce Wayne, a.k.a Batman. Set after the events of Arkham Asylum, you are opposed to Arkham City you hold a press conference to express your anger. However, during this press conference you are attacked and kidnapped by Hugo Strange's men from his group TYGER. You wake up in a dark room with a TV that is showing Dr. Strange listing the rules of Arkham city - you have to escape. I can tell you that after listening to Strange list the rules over 15 times it starts to drive you a little crazy yourself - I had some trouble escaping. After moving the L stick left and right for what seems like an eternity, you'll eventually fall over, alerting the guard outside. You're prompted to counter attack him, and do so before being captured again.

As you're led through the prison, the other guards and inmates will refer to you by your nickname 'rich boy' and throw other insults at you such as 'you're my bitch, Wayne'- you'll take the intimidation and the insults, 'cause you're Batman and nothing can get you down. Eventually, you're given the opportunity to beat up the guards that had been guiding you to a different part of the prison before climbing up the walls and escaping onto the roof of the prison, Dr. Strange yelling at you from below. After giving Alfred a quick call, he drops a package on top of a nearby building that contains your suit. Time to suit up and get to work. The thing is, the whole of Arkham city is crawling with criminals, it's an open-air prison and the inmates are allowed to roam free as long as they do not attempt to escape. It makes moving around ten times more difficult. The first thing you do when you escape the prison building is go in search of Catwoman - she might have information you need.

You find her in an old museum, tied up and dangling over what looks like a pool of acid. She has been captured by none other than Two-Face (who have never ceased to make me shiver when I see him)who is trying her in his own court for stealing. Catwoman, being her usual self, tries to flirt her way out of it. It's you who has to save her. After battling with Two-Face and his goons, Catwoman exchanges places with her captor and she's free. Sadly, it seems she doesn't know too much, and after the Joker attempts to assassinate her you decide that he's the one to track down and find. Leaving Catwoman, you encounter Harley Quinn next who runs off leaving you with her thugs. You dispose of them, but all the criminals think you're dead - good cover for you. It's then that you pick up the Joker's radio signal and start to follow is across Arkham City to the Sionis Steelworks. After entering the steelworks you start tracking down the Joker, knocking some thugs out on the way. Turns out that the Joker is dying, and the doctor they borrowed to try and cure him has failed in making him any better. As a result they plan to torture and no doubt kill her, so you go and save her - classic superhero stuff. You learn from the doctor that the Joker is dying from toxins on his blood caused by TITAN - an unstable steroid that turns men into monsters. The Joker has basically overdosed himself and there's no way to save him. With this useful information tucked away safely in your mind, you continue to track the Joker down.

That's as far as I've got, took a few hours, but I'm a leisurely gamer. I'll tell you all how I do in the rest of Arkham City as I play.

Let's take a look at how good gameplay, control and storyline are.

Gameplay:

It's a tactical game that involves being stealthy and secretive - something I'm not particularly good at. The Dark Knight has always been known for his ability to camouflage himself in darkness and his epic gadgets - a lot of which are in this game. Unfortunately, I don't have any of these gadgets, when I levelled up I chose more durable armour. should have gone with the gadgets. The only gadgets I currently have are my little throwing weapons, such as the Batrarang, and my grappling hook (which has come in handy numerous times).
There's a lot of useful technology - such as the radio and criminal tracker as well as the detective mode which is used to find evidence and potentially dangerous traps.

When it comes to battle it tends to be a 'beat-em-up' game that involves a lot of hand-to-hand combat. Traditionally, the Bat has never carried firearms and has always relied on his skill as a martial artist. The only problem is that he's pretty weak against guns and other firearms, resulting in a near instant death.

Robin and Catwoman are also playable characters - but you need to either buy and download them from the online store as DLC (e.g. PSN) or buy a copy of the game that includes them. I was supposed to buy the Robin version but ended up with Catwoman.

Controls:

It's all pretty easy to get the hang of. Fighting controls use the typical, Circle, Triangle, Square movements with X serving as the control for running. Combos include pressing two or more of the right hand control pad buttons, sometimes using the L and R buttons located on the back of the controller. All the necessary controls and combinations are quickly accessible which prevents you from stalling and losing HP as a result. The game will also prompt you to use certain controls during battle, so if you forget you've always got the game to lend you a hand.

Storyline:

I am guilty of having never played Arkham Asylum before. It's a game I really need to pick up at some point. Because if this, some say I may not be able to fully appreciate the storyline of Arkhamn City, but I think they're wrong. I was intrigued by the story from the first line spoken. I have found it gripping throughout and there hasn't been one moment so far that hasn't excited me. I am looking forward to my next Batman Arkham City session.

That's what I think of the game so far. For those of you who may have already played, what did you think of the game? Was it better than Arkham Asylum or were you disappointed?

Valhalla

Valhalla's Adventures in Skyrim Continue

It's been a little while since I told you all how my adventures in Skyrim were going. The truth is, I haven't had much time to play it  - which is quite sad. So, today I thought I'd spend a couple of hours playing so that I could tell you all how things were going. Since my last update a lot has happened. I took a carriage to Riften, bought a new horse and killed another dragon. I fought some undead - which I will never do again 'cause they make me jump - and I paraded around shouting at people (mainly guards) and laughing evilly when they hit the walls. I'm good friends with the companions, have a couple of houses and am looking for a warrior spouse. Today though, I focussed on questing, and questing alone.

Arrow to the knee...yes...haven't heard that one

Today I packed up my bag and decided to make my way to a quest that I had long ignored. After all, I'd left this guy on the mountain for weeks now and figured he was probably a little chilly. Being the thoughtful elf that I am, I grabbed the next carriage from Whiterun to solitude, one of my horses tied to the back of the cart. It took a long time to actually get there - it was afternoon when I left and around midnight when I actually reached the gates of Solitude, capital of Skyrim. The 'taxi' driver hadn't been kind enough to drop me off at the gates and so I had to run up an incredibly steep hill to actually get into the city - hills are always off-putting to potential attackers. According to the guard outside I was "Just in time to say 'hello' to Roggvir". Apparently he helped the Stormcloaks assassinate the High King. I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious. 

Midnight execution

It seemed a bit odd to have an execution at close to one in the morning, but I figured they must be pretty desperate to get ride of the guy. a child begged for the executioner not to kill Roggvir, everyone else was pretty keen on him dying. I decided to get a front row seat, get in the splash zone for when they hacked his head off. Sadly, the spray wasn't powerful enough, but I still got a decent view - wood elves are bloodthirsty, you know. After the execution I spent the night at the Winking Skever. According to the innkeeper the name comes from his childhood pet - a Skever that winked. Back when Skevers were smaller and less dangerous. 

In the morning, I decided to go buy another horse - I like to buy a horse in every city I visit. This time is was a nice pale/cream mare that I named Creamy. Creative, I know. I left my black horse, Knight, at the stables because I only really ride him in Whiterun and Creamy needed to be tried out. Supplies packed, I made my way to the now freezing man on the mountain. As I galloped up the mountain something strange crept into the screen. It looked like it was a moving flame but I couldn't be sure so I decided to take it slow for a moment. Of course, taking it slow is never really a good idea and it only led to me being pounced on by a witch and her flaming servant who I can only guess was a fire elemental of some description. From this point I legged it as fast as I could and made sure to escape her and the wolf that jumped out of the bushes. Escaping the crazy witch and the wolf I realized that my destination was actually down the cliff - which was annoying. There was a cave next to me that I thought might lead down, but instead I decided to see if I could jump. Most people would realize that that's not really possible, but I only figured that out when I died half way down the cliff. Going back to my last save, I decided to try a different route and made my way along a lower path. However, I jumped my horse at the wrong time and her legs and neck broke, killing my Creamy instantly. I was quite sad. Partly because I quite liked my new horse but also because I had lost 1000 gold pieces. Leaving her body on the road (I couldn't move it alone) I went back up the mountain. 

Creamy :(

Flaming corpse. Nice...

Going back up the mountain I realized that having a horse is really helpful, mainly because you can outrun psychotic sorcerers and their weird elemental minions. I came across an apprentice and his minion and was killed pretty fast - setting me on fire was really impolite. They just threw my burning corpse aside. Returning to my last save point next to my dead horse I decided to walk back to the stables and grab Knight, even though I didn't want him in any danger. I have an incredibly loyal steed, you know. My horse, my awesome horse actually walked from the stables and to me as if he knew that Creamy had died. Touched by his gesture, I jumped on and decided to try and whole new route - around the mainland. I reached the docks and after some exploration of the area decided it would be best to try and use the path that seemed to wind around the mainland and beside the sea. I would have been able to see if that path actually led me to my destination but I was interrupted by a webcam call that made my game freeze and enraged my poor laptop. Annoyed, I accepted the call to complain about the interruption and then got distracted. So, I'll be back on Skyrim tomorrow and on Monday or Tuesday I'll tell you if that path actually worked. 

Knight! So loyal...

Oh, and I'll be telling you all about our new blogger. You should be excited about that. 

Valhalla

R.I.P Creamy. March 31st 2012 - March 31st 2012

Valhalla's Corner

Well, it would appear that my fellow bloggers were abducted by aliens and failed to inform me that they would be missing for over a week. Obviously, I wasn't invited to the abduction party and have been left wondering where in all the galaxies they are and whether or not they've been eaten or are being treated like some strange gods some weird alien race. That's actually a pretty funny image...

Artists Impression...

So, whilst they were gone I started writing the next instalment of Valhalla's Adventures in Skyrim. However, it's not finished yet and so I'm afraid you'll have to wait until next week (I'm sorry!). So, I'm sitting here on a Monday evening scratching my head and wondering what to write about. Once I manage to scrape enough money together I'll be picking up Mass Effect 3 because I know there are some of you who wanted a walkthrough and you are going to get it even if it takes us a little while. It looks really awesome and I need it on my game shelf. I really do.

Every week I'm going to be starting something new on our YouTube Channel. It's called The Bloggers Corner where my currently abducted co-bloggers and myself will be providing you with videos about all sorts of games, consoles and accessories. It may also inspire you to send us your videos with your own opinions on certain games, consoles and other technological things. Make sure you check it out - the first entry will be up this weekend with yours truly.

Now for a little bit of gaming news for all your World of Warcrafters - an it's pretty exciting. Most of you will know about the Scroll of Resurrection. You know, the one that you send to your friends and it will give them seven days of WoW time free? Yeah, there's nothing super special about that. Well, there never used to be. The Scroll of Resurrection just got ten times more awesome, Blizzard have really outdone themselves here. It will give you the incentive to send out as many scrolls as your tiny mouse can click on. What are these rewards, I hear you ask? Well, just take a look.

Send your friend a Scroll of Resurrection which can be found in the friends panel on your WoW screen, or do it from your Battle.net account.
Your friend receives it and opens it, not expecting what comes inside. Your friend will receive the following:
- a FREE upgrade to Cataclysm
- ANY character boosted to level 80 instantly (you can even make a new one)
- FREE realm/faction change to the same realm/faction as your friend (or either one)
- 7 days of game time for FREE
Yeah, you want to be receiving this in your inbox.

For those of you who send the invitation you will get an extra special gift as soon as your friend buys 30 days of WoW time. You have a choice of:
- A Spectral Gryphon for Alliance players

Bold and mighty Gryphon

- A Spectral Wind Rider for Horde players

Nice Kitty...

They're pretty good looking mounts, wouldn't you agree?

If I were you I would go out and find a player who has an inactive account and needs a scroll. Go forth and find that poor player and receive your mount! Or, go find someone to resurrect you and reap the benefits. Go on little Warcrafters, go on and find those awesome gifts!

Valhalla

Disappointment in Star Wars: The Old Republic

It was a sad day yesterday. It was the day when I found something very wrong about SWTOR, and something that made me feel incredibly annoyed. It's to do with PvP and how unfair it is.

So, yesterday I started up my laptop ready to play a bit of SWTOR and to perhaps get my starship back...finally. I logged on, prepared to fight some foul enemies and level my character up as I had progressed through the quest to get my ship back, but was now too low a level to get past a certain gang that were keeping Skavak from me. In order to annihilate them I had to level, and levelling meant killing a load of creepy people in order to gain some XP and credits (which I sorely needed).

PvP was so intense that even Mikal needed a rest.

As I was wandering around the RP server I play on, chatting with some other characters, talking about how sexy cyborgs are and so on, a player was telling me about the warzone they had just entered. Intrigued, I asked more about these warzones (I didn't bother reading the 'welcome to level 10 email SWTOR sent me) and how I could get there. The guy told me how to enter and I was quick to do so - the desire to earn XP was strong.

I had to queue for quite a while, but that didn't really bother me as I could kill whilst I waited. Yes, my cyborg is a killing machine. Eventually, I was asked to join the warzone and I accepted the invitation, wondering what could be waiting for me on the other side of the loading screen.

It seemed quite cool at first. The aim of the game is to get to the ball in the middle and capture it before the enemy does and to do so within the allotted time. It seemed like quite a cool concept. A load of NPC's sit around you in a sort of Colosseum as you battle each other. I was excited and couldn't wait until I was allowed in. As soon as it began I raced out and began to make my way to the ball in the middle. Then, I was stopped in my tracks. In front of me was a level 50 and a level 44, lightsabers in hand as they prepared to slaughter me. I was only level 12, it wasn't fair. I did what any decent gunslinger does, I ran.  I ran and I hid. I took a moment to scan over my team and saw that I was the lowest level there. It turns out that SWTOR had decided not to make PvP fair and so let any level battle in a warzone. It was wrong, very wrong. Incredibly unfair too. I had no enjoyment in that warzone. I fought as much as I could and died more often than I would have liked. The Sith won on the end, no surprise there considering they had nothing lower than level 40. As the window showing damage done etc came up, I was surprised to find that I was the fourth biggest damage dealer in the whole match. I had to look again as it couldn't possibly be correct - I hid for most of the match. The higher levels ended up dealing the least damage...it was strange indeed.

As I spent the PvP match hiding and running I got not screens...but Mikal wanted to dance for you all...

Anyway, this has to be the biggest fault in SWTOR. I was really annoyed and I won't be participating in PvP for some time. Creators of SWTOR, please sort this out as it has really irritated me.

- Valhalla

Temple Run??

Hi guys.

So I’ve been really busy lately as my English teacher was sent to hospital so I had to write an essay that wasn’t due until January and was very complex, it needed to be in this week. So it’s been crazy and Valhalla has been doing a lot of work, big thanks to him, in return I promised I’d write tonight’s post alone but as usual little Titus has somehow managed to get Valhalla involved again. Praise to Mighty Valhalla.

Next week we have a Christmas special planned for you (this is honestly exciting me despite the fact that I’m a total Scrooge when it comes to Christmas).

We also have the December competition which I hope all of you are looking forward to (us not so much, it costs money).

What would you originals say if we brought back follower Saturday after Christmas? I think it’s a great idea seeing as there is more of you now so we are more likely to get a suggestion (which we didn’t get many of last time, I think it was about 2).

On a note of complete randomness, I found a game for iPhone, iPad and iTouch users which totally sucks but is also totally awesome in the most qwfully addictive way. So if you are looking for a game to entertain you while your bosses back is turned at work or under the desk where your teacher cant see then I suggest ‘Temple Run’ or the likes, as this game has had me playing it endlessly since last Friday, any spare minute, and I mean ANY, I have automatically begun to play it. There is a small clique, me and two of my peers who literally cannot put the game down, although I suck and have to get them to reach my objectives for me. The graphics are standard for a game like this and it’s somewhat unimaginative but it gets 10 out of 10 for addictiveness. If I find any game more addictive I will make sure to let you know. Although I don't think that the wallpapers you can unlock are what every 18 year old wants this Christmas.

Sorry tonight’s post is so short, I’m really short on time and despite Valhalla’s attempts to help I think he fell asleep again, he’s not well, I don’t blame him, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that sick, although it also means that I don’t get the Boltgun Metal paint I needed to borrow to paint my Orcs.

X-men movie

Hey there ladies and gentlemen (mostly gentlemen).

Tonight me and Valhalla (I think I’m going to start shortening it to Val., despite his many protests, let me know what you think) wanted to do a post on all the fantastic Marvel movies that have been coming out lately as the latest one will be here soon. Who here is excited about ‘The Avengers’? I think me and Val. are both extremely excited. I was upset when ‘Captain America’ came out as Val. had promised to come and watch it with me but every time we planned it he cancelled on me (all his excuses were valid and forgivable….:( but it also means I haven’t been able to see it yet). It came out recently on DVD and as soon as I am able to get to town that will be the first thing I buy.

Tonight, Val. supposedly left me his part of the post in our blog email account drafts box but I’ve been through the whole thing and it’s empty and I left my laptop at college so tonight’s post is a bit late again (you’re probably thinking, ‘so how is he sending us this?’ well, my smart muffins, I managed to convince my reluctant mother that it would be a good idea to let me use her desktop (which incidentally is better than my laptop) for a short period of time, and this is all I have time to supply at this hour as she was adamant that I get to bed as soon as I can for college tomorrow and the rescue of my laptop, she seems to have forgotten that I am, in fact, 18).

I thought that I would be cool to at least do a brief review on my favourite Marvel movie so far.

To date, my favourite has been X-men. Yeah I know, not exactly similar to the comics (they could at least have made the costumes SIMILAR, poor Wolverine, missing out on his yellow and blue and getting instead a plain blue x-men, rubber, one-piece).

Despite it’s dissimilarities to the original I would like to examine the movie as something separate to any comic.

I am a HUGE fan of X-men and regardless of the movies lack of respect I thought it was a pretty amazing movie.

I thought the actors were impressive, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine was pretty darn cool, James Marsden as Cyclops (If I was gay James would be my man crush), loved it. I loved Halle Berry as Storm, she was pretty awesome and of course totally hot in her cat-suit, even Professor X was awesome, Patrick Stewart was perfect. Enough about the actors.

I thought the school was well done, the filming, the acting…let’s just say that I have watched that movie more times than I can count on my hands and probably toes together.

I will have to leave you with this brief post tonight as I am falling asleep at my desk and I have a performance tomorrow night so I must be awake.

Slaying my first dragon

I'm way behind other people with Skyrim - they're always asking me if I've done this and that. It's depressing having so little time to play games at the moment. I haven't even been on WoW for the past week. Anyway, I hat a few hours to play Skyrim tonight, which pleased me greatly. I've been looking forward to slaying my first Dragon for the past week or so. When I was at college, I thought about it. At work, I thought about it. Basically. it hasn't stopped. A can of my good friend Dr. P by my side, and a pair of toasty socks on my feet, I started up Steam and continued with my adventure. I may be writing this at two in the morning, but all those hours of Skyrimming were well worth it.

Irileth was standing in front of me, waiting to tell me what to do next. She was rather abrupt (we never got on very well) and ordered to meet her by the watchtower so that we could take down the dragon that was threatening our lands. Filled with passion and love for Whiterun, I raced on at full speed towards the watchtower, jumping over tall grass and dodging pointy rocks. As I approached the little stone tower, I met up with the guards and Irileth, all of which were relatively pleased to see me. Staying as close to the other soldiers as possible, I surrounded the tower with them, my weapon held firmly in my hands. It was only a matter of seconds before the dragon arrived. Lacking any sense of strategy or thought I raced in there with my mace, hoping to strike the beast in the head with my mighty mace. Yeah, that failed epically. I was cooked like a spit-roasted hog. I decided that the second attempt should be better planned. Best to think before I start getting all heroic and feel like I can destroy anything. I took a moment to think out the second phase, and decided that the best thing to do was to go long range  -which I did. Using my hunting bow I was able to get a good shot and slew the Dragon in a minute or two. Easy stuff, didn't take me long. Despite how simple the battle was, it was absolutely exhilarating, and I cannot wait to kill my next. I am no longer a Dragon slaying virgin. Feels good, I tell you that!

The Dragon was dead, and I was feeling pretty good. Striding over to the corpse of the fallen beast (brimming with confidence, of course), I stood before it ready to loot its body. Suddenly, something strange began to happen. A fiery light surrounded both the Dragon and I, consuming us in a mesmerising, powerful force. The Dragon's flesh began to tear away from its bones and turn into energy, energy that was absorbed by me. I figured this was a pretty weird thing to occur, and judging by the muttering from the guards behind me, I was right. Once I had absorbed the power, I discovered that I had gained the ability to shout like a Dragon - I was pretty pleased by this. The guards were incredibly excited, asking me to shout for them, praising me on my heritage and exclaiming how proud they were to be fighting by my side. I appeased them by shouting at the top of my lungs, with a force so strong that it blew the guards backwards. They were massively impressed by this act and continued to shout my praise.All except that damnable woman, Irileth. She just stood there, unimpressed and telling everyone how she couldn't care less about anything that I was able to do. As long as I could kill Dragons, all was well. Her reaction just irritated me, so I hung out with the guards on my way back to Whiterun. Well, part of the way - they were being far too slow for my liking.

Dragon Slaying makes you thirsty

I made my way back to the Jarl so that I could report my findings to him. On my way, I met some strange looking soldiers, who appeared to be the Skyrim equivalent to a Middle-Eastern soldier, that wanted me to track down a woman from their clan. According to the foreign men she would be going by a different name, and although they refused to tell me why they wanted her, they were offering money for me to return her to them. As they were not welcome in Whiterun, it was up to me to complete the task. However, I'm having a moral problem here, and wonder if it's right for me to hand this woman over. What do you guys think? I also heard a long anti-Elf speech, which I took the time to listen to. Apparently, we Elves are bad creatures and this guy who was preaching happened to be chosen by Talos (who I am sure is made of metal in Greek mythology, the servant of Hephaestus.) which made him divine and wise. I'm not sure I believe any of what he's saying, after all, I'm an Elf and I haven't stolen anything yet; even though I've been incredibly tempted by that horse outside the stables. Ignoring the preacher (who goes on a lot, I have to admit), I continued to the palace at the top of the hill where I approached the Jarl, respectfully and politely of course. He was very pleased that the Dragon was dead, and that Whiterun was safe from harm for a little while longer. Slouching in his chair, he asked me what else happened during the fight, as if he knew about my new found power - the power that the guards had called that of the Dragonborn. Reluctantly, I told him about what had happened, how I absorbed the Dragon's power and what the guards had called me. The Jarl was intrigued by this and asked if I had heard the rumbling noise from before. I had almost forgotten about it. The noise was deafening and the whole ground shook. I nodded, showing that I did indeed remember the event. The Jarl told me that a special group of people (it's early in the morning, I've forgotten their name) were summoning me. He also told me that nothing like this had happened for many, many years. I could tell that everyone was shocked, even sceptical about what was occurring, but I knew that it was something vital to my destiny. Listening intently, I took in everything the Jarl told me to visit High Hrothgar where they would be waiting for me. I accepted. As I was about to leave, he gave me the title of Thane -  a hero of the land. All the citizens of Whiterun would know who I was and would respect me. Feeling pleased with myself, I thanked the Jarl and bid him goodnight.

Adventuring takes a lot out of you, and I was shattered. I desperately needed sleep, and I could find no where to go. The Drunken Huntsman had no rooms, and whenever I went into an unlocked house someone would scream for the guards. After hours of searching, I arrived at the HQ for the Companions, an elite group with limited membership. I had planned on being a long ranger, but being in need of sleep I decided to do things that no free Elf should ever have to do...I joined the club. I spoke to a guy called Vilkas first, he was a little grouchy, but I thought he was alright. He directed me to his superior, who was next to him. I had a quick chat with him, and in the end I was told to practice fighting with Vilkas outside, which I did. I won that mini battle, no problem there. Vilkas seemed annoyed, but remained respectful and took the defeat like a man. For me to become a full fledged member, I was required to take Vilkas' sword to a blacksmith so that it could be sharpened. So, I began another quest, knowing that I would have a bed by the end of it. It was the thought of warm blankets that kept me going.

After I found the smithy

Warm blankets are a myth, and beds are lost in time. That's what I was thinking as I searched hopelessly for the blacksmith and a bed. I searched so long and hard that night turned to day, and I had gone yet another night without sleep. Exhausted from all my previous battles, I was overjoyed to discover an inn known as the Bannered Mare where I was able to rent a room and take a well deserved rest. By the time I rose from bed, refreshed and full of life, it was dark again, but I no longer cared - I had a blacksmith to look for. I continued around the whole of Whiterun again, but to no avail. It was by luck that I found the smithy, and only because I saw the very corner of the stairs on my way around Companions HQ. I raced up the stairs and chatted to the blacksmith, who was pleased to receive the sword. Once I handed Vilkas' sword over, I was asked to deliver a shield to one of the other Companions, which I did loyally. Once it was done I became a member of the Companions and was given my very own bed (yay!). I was very pleased by this.

I didn't feel like going to my main destination right away, especially as I wanted to buy a house and level up a bit before heading out. So, I accepted a load of side quests that I haven't done yet. I completed two tonight. One was beating up and intimidating a rather vicious woman, and the other required me stealing a book that gave evidence for someone;s kidnap. The others will have to wait.

Beating her up...

Stolen book

Breaking the news to the family

Join me again soon for another Skyrim update. Happy Dragon slaying, readers!

A very tired Valhalla.