Music Monday: Datadyne Central Infection (Perfect Dark)

Yes, Music Monday has returned! I'll be posting some excellent game music every Monday once again on 8-Bit Girl.

To kick things off, I've decided upon 'Datadyne Central Infection', from Perfect Dark. Originally released on the Nintendo 64 in 2000, Perfect Dark got the HD treatment for the Xbox 360 in 2010.

This track starts off slow, but gradually picks up the pace. In the game this is the perfect track for moments of quiet exploration followed immediately by an enemy encounter.

Have a listen below.

Win!: Tomb Raider (Game Boy Colour) & Zelda Keyring

I've been sorting through my gaming bits and pieces in the last week as I finish off the packing for our new house (we move in two weeks, so excited!).

I'm planning a much bigger giveaway once we've moved, (come back at the beginning of June!) but in the meantime, I thought I'd host a little competition for these two items I re-discovered whilst packing:

Tomb Raider-Game Boy Colour
Unboxed, this is the first Tomb Raider game to make it onto a handheld system!

Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D Keyring
Given to me along with an Ocarina (sorry, I'm keeping that!) at an Ocarina of Time 3D release promotion when I was at the MCM Comic Con back in 2011. For some reason I have two of these, so I'm keeping one and giving away the other!

Two winners will win a prize each!

How to enter:
Follow me on Twitter AND retweet this message:
https://twitter.com/8_BitGirl/status/336177629596110848

OR

Like me on Facebook AND like this post:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.phpfbid=587712027927578&set=a.440841629281286.101641.235231543175630&type=1&theater

One entry per person!

Giveaway closes on the 24th May 2013.
Good luck everyone!

Kayleigh

Review: Full House Poker

I was never a huge fan of card games, but the past few years changed that. As I learned to play the basics, I then moved on to try the longer, more complex games. During my Uni years, Poker was one of them.

Now for someone who is living in an incredibly small flat (thankfully only for another two and a half weeks), it's pretty impossible to play board or card games, so I started sourcing out the same games online and on my Xbox 360 instead.

This is where I found Full House Poker. Essentially the same game, but with the added fun of seeing the Xbox Avatar version of you pulling it's best Poker face (believe me, my virtual counterparts is much better than my own).

There can be plenty of rules for Poker, but thankfully Full House Poker has a helpful text and video section to guide you along the way. Once you have made yourself aware of the rules, it's time to try the actual game.

Whilst the rules definitely help you to get to grips with the gameplay, it's not completely plain sailing. AI opponents can be rather ruthless, so the first few games may seem a little tricky. However, Full House Poker rewards those for playing well, even when your chip stack is dwindling. However, unfortunately the AI players can often take the 'all or nothing' approach, taking huge risks that will more often than not see them fold before the end. Online play allows you to play against fellow real life players of varying difficulties if the AI becomes a little unbearable though. In general though, AI opponents can be fun, albeit a little challenging at times.

For those still struggling to remember what types of hands will be to your advantage, luckily there is a handy tip. Press the left bumper to see a list of possible hands in order of their strength. Using this feature stops you from throwing in a hand at random, just because you are unsure of what to play next.

Whilst Full House Poker is a great alternative to playing with actual playing cards and poker chips, it's only winning you virtual money. However, some of you enjoy playing numbers to win cash. For example, there are a great range of betting games from Paddypower, with a whole variety of Poker and other card games available to try out.

Overall, Full House Poker is a lot of fun. Whilst it may seem a little harsh for the most part, this version of Poker does reward players from any skill-set, allowing even for the amateur players who are still learning the ropes. Seeing your avatar play Poker is also a lot more fun than playing as a random computer generated player. Through their expressions, these avatars bring a little more fun to the proceedings. 

So if you are looking for a fun card game on Xbox Live Arcade, Full House Poker is definitely recommended. 

Great Rare Gaming Items Up On My eBay!

As many of my Twitter and Facebook followers are probably aware by now, me and my boyfriend are moving into a new place in three weeks time. We've been crazily saving for enough money to buy furniture and to pay for any of our belongings to be transported. However, every little extra helps.

So this is why I've taken to eBay this weekend and am listing a whole host of gaming items from mine and my boyfriends collections.

As the moment I am selling shiny, rare, mint and near mint condition Pokemon and Yu Gi Oh cards, Dungeons & Dragons books, a rare Konami Contra LCD Handheld game, Majora's Mask gold cartridge with a manual.

I will be selling more Nintendo 64 games with manuals once these auctions have ended in 7 days time, along with some other goodies I have acquired.

Here's my eBay store: http://my.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MyEbayBeta&CurrentPage=MyeBayNextAllSelling&ssPageName=STRK:ME:LNLK:MESX

Currently listed. More in a week!:

I'd appreciate it if any of you would take a look at my eBay. They are starting off at a very low price, will be sent as soon as it's closed, and are packaged securely.

Thanks all, and happy bidding!

Kayleigh
8-Bit Girl

Gaming Birthday Gifts!

I turned 25 on the 29th April, and I got a whole bunch of excellent gifts. Here's the three gaming related goodies I received. 

My Tetris light! You can remove the blocks and re-arrange to create different looks!

An example of how it looks when you change the blocks around.

Portal Sentry Turret Figure

Valve hardcover comic collection!

Playberry-Online Games for Free

There are plenty of reasons for killing a little time, and gaming is definitely a fantastic time waster. In those times when console or PC gaming are not available, online browser games can be a good alternative.

Plenty of people take to Facebook for social gaming, and forget that there are other sites out there that cater for this.

Step forward Playberry, a social gaming website that is dedicated to bringing a variety of online games to your browser. Playberry also allows for signing in and playing via Facebook if you are still looking for this type of play. 

Each game on Playberry falls under a category, such as Action, Multiplayer, Driving, Puzzle, and Strategy amongst others, meaning that there are plenty of different games to choose from, depending on your genre preference. 

Standout games include Angry Birds Online, Candy Crush Saga, and Happy Wheels.

Check out Playberry here.

Miracle of Sound: Level 3 Album Review

Miracle of Sound is back once again with an album full of songs written about games, TV programmes and films. 

Composed and written entirely by Gavin Dunne who releases under his band name, Miracle of Sound, Level 3 features gaming tracks based on games such as Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Borderlands 2 and Assassins Creed III.

As with the previous two albums, Gav embraces and experiments with plenty of different genres to fit with the tone of the game, programme or film he is singing about. For instance, 'His Father's Son' resembles a sea shanty blended with Native American influences-exactly like the game itself. 

Stand out tracks on the album include the newest release, Dream of the Sky, which is based on Bioshock Infinite, Breaking Down The Borders (Borderlands 2), The Savage Side of Me (Tomb Raider), The Best I Can (Telltale Games' The Walking Dead), and His Fathers Son (Assassins Creed III).

The non-gaming songs are just as great, with 'Halfman's Song', about Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones, is one of the best tracks on the album. 

For me though, no Miracle of Sound album is complete without a tongue in cheek ditty, and thankfully, Level 3 delivers on this too. 'Wigglesticks' is a brief track mocking Resident Evil 6's over-reliance on Quick Time Events (I enjoyed that game, but come on, it was a little too much at times!), 'The Call of Duty Circus' explains the typical type of Call of Duty gamers you'll encounter whilst playing online, whilst 'Doorfighter' is based on the plethora of door opening sequences in Medal of Honour. 

The Miracle of Sound: Level 3 album is available to buy as a digital downloaded copy via his Bandcamp page now.