it helps if you have long sleeves

Finally received ESPN NHL2K5 at the back end of last week. What a brilliant game. I've been tweaking the sliders to setup the game properly. So far I've played about 10 games as the Canadiens against Tampa Bay. The results have gone from being thrashed 4-0 a few times, up to getting walloped 7 or 8-1 (when I moved to All-Star level). More tweaking and I've gone from winning 2-0, 1-0 to losing 0-1 in OT. A few more changes to make both me and the CPU a little more potent and that should do. I'm looking forward to trying this online.

I'm stuck on the last level of Ratchet and Clank 3. The bit after the first round with Dr Nefarious is killing me.

Me and HP both played ICO for a while on Sunday afternoon. It's absorbing. I started on it again after she'd gone to bed. I got my copy from Ebay and it came without the instruction booklet so the first few times of playing I didn't know that: you can pull Yorda out of the black hole things and you can save your progress by sitting on the seat with her. Armed with that knowledge the game is even more enjoyable. Battling the smokey baddies gets a bit tedious sometimes but other than that it's a fantastic game.

officially boring

We borrowed one of those dance mat games for the PS2 from our neighbours. HP didn't like the music and I got frustrated with the mat slipping around our laminate floor. It quickly went back into the box. How boring are we?

Last night I finished The Getaway: Black Monday. I'll hang on to it because I like the special features like racing around London and the Black Cab game. I'm not sure which game to play next (I prefer to play one game at a time or I get confused over the button assignments)… I think Ratchet and Clank 3 because it seems quite light – a nice contrast to the very dark Black Monday.

where d’you learn to drive?

I'm progressing slowly through The Getaway: Black Monday on my PS2. Progress is hampered by my being absolutely crap at the driving parts. I don't know why but I seem incapable of braking which certainly makes cornering fun, if nothing else. Also the 3rd person viewpoint doesn't help because I find it difficult to see when I'm approaching obstacles. The game is very enjoyable though.

I've just pre-ordered ESPN NHL2K5. Going by reviews, it's the best hockey game out there. I'm a lapsed hockey fan and used to love playing NLPA '93 on my Mega Drive so I can't wait to get my hands on this new game.

HP is playing Rayman 3 which is nice to look at but I find the gameplay boring and the camera does my head in. At least she can't claim to be a game widow.