Bank Holiday Monday !

So yet another bank holiday rolls around and as far as I can see there is no bond film on tv today , now personally I'm not a big bond film fan but surely it's a sort of tradition . But there is a superman film on you may cry yes I can see that but it is in no way comparable to 007.

I've recently picked up mafia 2 on xbox 360 so most of my free time is being taken up by that at the moment , in terms of it being a open world game it's actually very unopen as you do really have to stick to where the game wants you to go to complete the next mission.

The combat system works very well with only the occasional glitch in the targeting, the story it's self is quite compelling following the story of Vito Scaletta in his quest to make it to the top of the mafia tree .

The game lends heavily from mafia movies such as the godfather & goodfellas among others but any fans of the those films and the sandbox style of game I think will find this very entertaining .

I also like the look of metroid : other M on wii which I may pick up even after a few dodgy reviews if so I'll give a little review soon.

That's all for now but keep a eye on the blog for a very special interview coming up with a genuine podcast legend

You Cant Trust Anyone

With all the new money coming in to the premier league you simply cant trust all of the supposed big 4 to get a result these days , confused let me explain

Fed up with placing accumulators and not getting a return for my money i decided to use a tactic once employed by a friend ( Jack Curson if you must know ) of putting £10 on the big 4 clubs plus the two Scottish teams (I'm unaware of other Scottish teams named anything other than Rangers and Celtic) so this weekend i had £10 Safely placed on Arsenal , Chelsea , Rangers , Celtic and Man Utd now two of these teams destroyed there opposition with 6-0 wins and the other two also won fairly comfortable , but the supposed mighty Man utd couldn't beat an admittedly decent Fulham even with all the help Fulham gave them in the form of a penalty (missed) and a O.G . Frustrating in the extreme

So in closing don't trust any of the big 4 its going to be one of those seasons

WWE Holiday !

So it's now just 3 weeks until a little weekend away at butlins now that may not sound exciting to you but I have neglected to tell you that whilst there we will be seeing wwe wrestling !

Now yes I am 26 and I know it's not real amazingly but I find entertaining and I'm not ashamed that people know that I watch wrestling.

Now if you don't watch it let me update you on a few things yes ric flair and hulk hogan are still wrestling (kind of) but no stone cold and the rock both are no longer involved in wrestling they are both movie stars now !

In short I'm looking forward to a weekend away with my wife two very good friends and 20 + men in baby oil.

Posted from my iPhone 4

Special interview with "We Talk Games' " Kyle Von Kubik

Before we get to the meat of this weeks interview id like to take this time to thank Kyle for agreeing to be a part of this interview, Kyle is currently the co host of the We Talk Games Podcast which can be found on iTunes in the podcast section and also a very active member of the we talk games community which you can check out for yourselves over at wetalkgames . Whilst there have a look around you can sign in with any of your current social media site username and passwords for ease of use 


Ross - As a long time listener of we talk games i have to say i like the new format , how did you become involved in the new direction of the show ?


Kyle - In March of 2009, I was contacted by Wiggly about joining his reboot of "We Talk Games" for reasons he could answer better than I. During the first couple of months of "Volume 2," Wiggly and I were talking almost daily about how to take the show in a new direction. A lot of our discussion revolved around a new format. We bounced a lot of ideas back and forth the weeks before and during the first three months of "Volume 2." We agreed that while we wanted to be on the same level as our contemporaries, we also wanted to be different from them. We agreed the "news" and "numbers" segments were pointless, because they were boring, dated the back-catalog and could be heard in a thousand other places; so they were dropped. We wanted listeners of "We Talk Games" to enjoy something that broke from the norm. You can listen to a handful of "top-tier" video game pod casts each week and essentially find the same discussions about the same games. That's why I feel our retro-game discussion, special guest interviews, "man-on-the-street" approach with correspondents and Stinky & T.T. characters are extremely important to the show's direction. It was my idea to have interviews with special guests from within the video-game industry and it's culture; which is why my largest responsibility for the show is to finding them each month. I also handle the manufacturing of our show's "Pro-Gear" merchandise.

Ross - What is it like to be able to see the community of we talk games grow now that you have the social media style site ?

Kyle - From the beginning of my involvement with "We Talk Games," I wanted our show to have a rocking website on par with our contemporaries. It understandably took some time, but the result -in my opinion- outshines our contemporaries and continues to evolve. Wiggly and Kyle DeFranco deserve all the praise and credit for their work. Being able to connect, communicate and share with the "We Talk Games" community and watch it grow is extremely rewarding.

Ross - What moves are you and Wiggly looking to make to take the show to the next level ?

Kyle - Unfortunately there are a lot of things going on right now that I cannot discuss, but some thing should start to be revealed soon. Bringing "We Talk Games" to the "next level" is something I'm constantly thinking about. Undeniably, growing our audience has been the biggest struggle and frustration for us, especially because it isn't the fault of our product. New listeners and our special guests within the industry have largely had nothing but positive things to say about our show. Former special guests like Trip Hawkins, Alex Neuse, and -more recently- Team Meat have said that our interviews have been the best they've ever had. We were commended and promoted by Taito of Japan. So what's the problem? I believe the problem is "We Talk Games" is lost in a flooded market. There are a million other video-game podcasts out there and most of them suck. People are loyal to two or three shows, because they know what to expect each week. That's how I feel as a listener of other podcasts. Anytime I deviate out from my set roster of shows and tried something new, I'm usually disappointed. We have to get our brand out there and get people listening, so they can discover the quality product we're delivering. Wiggly, John and I can are always promoting the brand in different ways, but the efforts from our core community shouldn't be over looked. Listener like yourself and many others -I don't want to name names in fear that I'll forget someone- have been very instrumental in promoting the show. We're all very thankful for that. 

Ross - How many subscribers do you have to the podcast and in which ways are you trying to attract new listeners ? 

Kyle - I honestly don't know the hard numbers for our subscriptions, but whatever they are, I want to double them within a year. There's no one thing that will accomplish that goal, so we've been delivering weekly content, running contests, getting interactive and hitting the payment; rewarding our current listeners all the while. Good old "word-of-mouth" works too. I urge our listeners, if you like what you hear, tell as many people as you can.

Ross - Do you listen back to the shows yourself ? 

Kyle - I listen to every episode "We Talk Games" at least twice. The first time through is because I'm truly a fan our of product. However, each time after that is for personal improvements and quality-insurance. Thus the "addendum." I take my role in show very seriously and I'm always looking to improve.

Ross - Which are some of the best games that people may never have heard of on any of this generation of consoles ?

Kyle - This is difficult because a couple of my picks have been discussed on the show already, which is why "We Talk Games" is great. "Chromehounds" for the Xbox 360, "Little King's Story" on the Wii and "Retro Game Challenge" for the DS. I think you can get those titles on the cheap and they should bring a lot of enjoyment.

Ross - What areas of the gaming genre market do you feel is over saturated at the moment , by this i mean do you feel there are to many FPS , RPG Etc ?

Kyle - There's definitely an over-saturation of first-person and third person shooters, however even within those genres one can find a new fun experience. For example, "Transformers: War of Cybertron." Japanese role-playing games (J-RPGs) on the other have been over-saturating the market since the Playstation (PSX) and haven't brought anything new or interesting to the table since 1997. That's one genre that I've grown tired of.

Ross - And on the flip side of that what genres do you feel don't receive enough love from developers ?

Kyle - I'd like to see more good point-and-click adventures like those currently coming out of "Telltale Games" and arcade-style games of the same quality of "Pacman CE" and "Geometry Wars." Thankfully the current DLC marketplace scene makes this request economically viable.

Ross - What is your favorite genre of games ?

Kyle - I really like Western RPG's like "Fallout 3" & "Dragon Age: Origins."  I really dig the customization, exploration and narratives found in titles like those. Although my personal schedule has limited the amount of time I can invest in games like those.

Ross - Of the current gen consoles which is your machine of choice ?

Kyle - My Playstation 3 gets the most burn of all my consoles, mostly for playing PSN games and Blu-Rays

Ross - In your opinion which are the best and worst games that have been made into movies ? 

Kyle - Everyone cites the "Super Mario Bros." films as one of the worst, but "Street Fighter" was even worse. Dennis Hopper as "King Koopa" was a lot better than Jean Claude Van Damme as "Guile." Why is "Sagat" is 5'0" and 120lbs.? Both films are hilarious for all the wrong reasons. I remember "Mortal Kombat" being fun when I was 12 years old, but I have no desire to see if that film holds up today.

Ross - and finally can you settle a age old debate over who is better mario or sonic ? 

Kyle - One only has to look at the anthology of games from their respective franchises to see the clear winner. How many bad "Mario" games have you played? How many bad Sonic games were you too afraid to play? There's your answer.


Once again thank you Kyle i hope everyone enjoyed this interview if so let me know in the comments section so i can push on with more of them .


Cheers

Special Interview with the Grandfinale !

This weeks i have a very special interview with the co-creator / co host of Da Sharpshooters wrestling podcast its Mr Grandfinale himself Marcus so lets not waste any more time lets get right to it .


Ross - Before you started the podcast how would you and your brothers get out your wrestling frustrations

Marcus - Well, i  really don't think it's anything different from you hear on the show. Us going back and forth with alternative story lines of our on. Most of the time our conversation would be while we are playing video games or with our action figures. Some how and someway wrestling would enter into a conversation.


Ross - When you were young which was your fav wrestling toy , for me it was the ultimate warrior with the White trunks that did the gorilla press motion .

Marcus - My favorite wrestling toy was my ultimate warrior wrestling buddy. I love that thing. I remember having matches with the wrestling buddy on the patio, doing all sorts of different moves. My favorite part about the wrestling was trying to come up with new moves to make the best match possible rather it be me doing a move on him or him doing a move on me. So much fun.

Ross - As Eric will never reveal his top 5 , what is your top 5 for current and former wrestlers ?

Marcus - My top changes almost every year. They appear in different order so I think I'm just going to list in any order
Ultimate warrior
Bryan Danielson
The macho man randy savage
Stone cold Steve Austin
The rock
Hulk hogan
And mr. Perfect
And Bret hart

Okay that's seven but 5 of those are in the five just can't separate. Maybe a few ties in there


Ross - How did you find it was coming back to do the show after the passing of your mother , was it therapeutic in some ways ?

Marcus - At first it was weird. I can't explain it. Coming back I was wondering if we could care as much,or have as much fun. It turn out to be more fun second time around, because knowing we still had the support of our listeners made it feel even better. All the polite messages, e-mails and the feeling of being appreciated made it very therapeutic. I have always felt that this show was my sanctuary from all the madness in the real world. It's funny how something so fake can be so real.

Ross - Ryan has often been accused of being a hater of certain things about wrestling , what one thing currently makes you angry about the business ?

Marcus - Tna. Easy answer. No, just kidding. I really don't get angry about the business. Frustrated a little but never angry. To me it's all fun. Really even the dumb stuff makes me laugh. It's all entertainment. And without all the problems this show would suck. So to wrestling I love your crap. That's deep.


Ross - What is if like to know that you have so many listeners that want your opinions on things in the listener feedback section ?

Marcus - It's still blows my mind. It's very indescribable. I mean it continues to fuel me every time I do the show. I never in a million years though we would get one listener, let alone listeners who would email the show asking me and Eric what our opinions are. It's quite spectacular. Especially the listeners we have. Each and everyone have there on unique spin on wrestling, and they are all very creative about sharing there emotions about the sport. Very fun stuff.

Ross - Do you enjoy the live shows you do and would you like to do more frequent ones in the future ?

Marcus - Love the live shows. It's nice to know your just not talking to air and someone is paying attention. Wish we could do more of them, but our crazy insane schedules seem to be in the way. Maybe one day we will have another. My dream is to do one in front of a jam pack audience live on some stage. That would be Interesting


Ross - What are your honest opinions on the state of the wrestling business currently ?

Marcus - It is what it is. To me it seems very healthy and strong. Of course not as strong as the attitude but strong. I believe that wwe is heading in a interesting direction. In which they can't cheat by going all out with hardcore blood and guts. PG is a lot more challenging then the edgy programing we are a custom to. It's really testing your audience patients. Tna on the other hand  is still to be determined

Ross - What is you favourite match of all time ?

Marcus - Hogan vs Warrior wrestlemania 6. Just great storytelling. And cheesy to an extent. But still a great match.

Ross - Where do you see the wrestling business in 5/10 years time , will tna still exist what will become of Roh , dragon gate etc ?

Marcus - Tna gone from the map. I think unless they come up with a business model they are screwed. That company needs strong leadership. I could actually see one day when roh or dragon gate becomes wwe number 1 competition, because wwe keeps stealing there talent. But it's all about money, and can they last.

And finally will the best of show ever see the light of day !
Yeah one day. Just gotta get some stuff together. You saw how long it was for me to respond to your email. So the best of show is always around the corner.

I'd like to thank Marcus for participating in this interview with me it has been great to get his insight in to the wrestling business if you want to check out his work for yourself then head on over to dasharpshooters website or search for Da Sharpshooters on itunes that is unless you like to spit in a bottle , once again thank you Marcus much appreciated 


Ross

Posting from my iPhone 4

Well the time is currently 3:45am and I'm on my tea break at work , so I thought I'd give it a go to posting a blog from my iPhone so far so smooth.

I still have 3 hours and 13 minutes left until I finish work and can go home and get in bed. For those of you that don't know what I do it's actually rather thrilling brace yourselves ............ I stack shelves for morrisons in Gosport town but not during normall working hours OH NO I do it from 8pm until 7am it is far from the best job in the world (space cowboy is by the way) but it pays the bills and allows me to enjoy myself on the nights I do have off when I'm not to tired that is.

One problem I do have is finding new music and podcasts to listen to while I'm working so if anyone has any ideas for new albums or shows then please let me know

D.I.Y

Now I've never been very good at diy hey that's what dads are for right ! but ever since Ive moved in to the flat with my wife I've been trying to do more of it my self . I'm getting pretty good although i do think that i should invest in a actual spirit level rather than using the iPhone app spirit level which I'm sure is not calibrated properly as a just today i helped my friend Dave out by putting up some shelves which to the human eye look a little shall we say wonky but according to my iPhone it was level as long as things don't fall off them i suppose they serve there purpose though.

But i shall continue to plug away at it I'm sure ill get to the dad level one day , Heres hoping anyway

The Upcoming Football League Season

So with the Npower football league kicking off on Friday night with the televised game between Norwich and Watford i thought id give a little run down on the teams i think will be making a splash this season 

League Two 

For league two i don't think you can look beyond Rotherham for the title , with Adam Le Fondre leading the line they will have plenty of goals in them and they also look good at the back 

for the other promotion spots i think Shrewsbury , Crewe and Aldershot will all be fighting it out with which ever finishes forth going on to win the Playoffs 

as for relegation to the conference its a tricky one obviously the two promoted teams from last season Oxford and Stevenage are going to the favorites but i think they will both stay up with southends recent financial troubles i can see them having another season of misery.

I also think the football league will be saying goodbye to Stockport this year they have been struggling badly for a few years now 

League One 

As for league one this is a league i know very well and it is one of the hardest leagues to get out of for the big clubs down there , with that said i don't think you can look beyond Southampton if they can keep a forward 3 of Rickie Lambert , Lee Barnard and Adam Lallana fit all season they will have more than enough firepower to shoot them out of league one 

In second position i'm going to plump for Swindon even with the departure of Billy Paynter to Leeds in Charlie Austin they have one of the most exciting young Strikers in the whole country who is surely destined for big things 

As for the playoff winners i think Huddersfield will be the team to take the third promotion spot they were a tough team last season and with Lee Clark now having another year of experience as manager they could very well win the playoffs 

To be relegated i think its going to be a long hard season for both Bournemouth and Notts County with the Notts County losing one of the best young keepers in the country in Kasper Schmeichel who kept 24 clean sheets last season is a big blow and bournemouth have had a really hard time bringing players in along with bigger clubs sniffing around there talisman Brett Pittman it could be a very long season were they to lose him 

Hartlepool and Tranmere both stayed up by the skin of there teeth last season so they are my other two picks to be relegated 

Championship

 Middlesboro are far and away the bookies favs for this season with Gordon Strachen stregthening his team with lots of players from the old firm clubs i cant see beyond them to be champions especially is Kris Boyd can reproduce his SPL scoring achievements 

to take second place im going to go for Notts Forest they looked very strong last season only losing to eventually play off winners Blackpool in the semi final if they can keep there squad fit and healthy i can see them nicking second spot from Cardiff who i can see finally taking that giant leap into the (so called) big time , they lost last season playoff final and have since lost Joe Ledley from there midfield but i think with Dave Jones as manager he will be able to get them up and going again no problem 

Going down from the championship its a tough one but with Portsmouth's troubles i can see them staying up , as i write this they have 6 senior players on the books and are under a transfer embargo as for the other two im going to have to go with the bookies again and say its going to be Scunthorpe and Barnsley heading into league one this season 

Top Scorers 

Championship - Kris Boyd 6/1 a excellent choice along with Michael Chopra 10/1 and Nicky Maynard 14/1 both looking good value 

League One  - the 3 players pointed out in my league one section of Rickie Lambert 4/1 Lee Barnard 10/1 and Charlie Austin 14/1 all represent good value 

League Two - Adam Le Fondre is your best bet at 7/1 but i also like the look of Jack Lester at 14/1 

all odds provided by http://www.skybet.com/betting