gamezine.co.uk: Game review - WWE Legends of Wrestlemania

I used to be a huge fan of the then-WWF a long, long time ago and so reviewing this was a wonderful blast from the past. I have a couple more games reserved for the next couple of weeks so expect more of the same soon.

Click here for the full review.

The Latest (Column): Work together or fall apart

This is one of my favourite articles in a long time, although to keep to a decent length I had to cut it down a bit. Ideally I would've loved to have done two separate ones on this but it seems to fit together nicely in light of the events at G20.

Usual drill applies: click here to go to The Latest or continue below to read the raw, unedited cut.


In the coming days, the world's leaders will come together to discuss the crippling problems of the current global financial crisis and how to solve it. Better late than never, I suppose.

After several months of frantic last-ditch attempts to do everything within their own countries, leaders have finally accepted that global problems need global action. Many people have been telling them this since before the worst effects of the recession took hold of the world, but leaders know best. Or don't know anything at all, as it's turned out, with countries continuing to slip up.

The worst thing is, the G20 summit is showing us a lot about ourselves. Getting together at such an important event highlights that we are not galvanised into action through the desire to do good things for people across the world and the futures of younger generations, but out of fear that if we don't do anything together at all, there won't even be a future to think about.

However, if people are getting worried about the current state of affairs, the future we are creating ourselves already could be a very troublesome environment for anyone to live in.

Armed with the information handed down to us by worldwide and national governments through their mistakes and attempts to get out of economic difficulties, people are starting to truly understand the fickle nature of capitalism, the stock market, pension plans, the property/mortgage sectors and, perhaps most importantly, politics in general.

What a lot of people may not realise is that a new group of humans around the world – those currently between the age of 0 and 25 – is the ultimate generation. Even some of the people in that group will likely not know this.

Surely it stands to reason though: with the freedoms in technology, reporting, claiming information and the like... do they not have all of the information they need at their disposal to sort out the mess of their forefathers and stop it from happening again?

I know this sounds like a big claim but bear with me. The demographics of the UK and worldwide are set to change dramatically over the next few years through developments in technology, medicine and socio-cultural ethics.

Essentially, the real problems humanity will face will be created by recession, just not out of the debt we are left with - it will be the attitudes they gain from the whole experience that will cause trouble. If we do not work together on a much deeper level, the entire exercise exampled at G20 could be a joke.

Here are a couple of points which have frequently crossed my mind over the last couple of weeks which lead me to believe that our future is officially shafted without meaningful intervention.


1) Lack of a strong employment sector

The most important changes to opinions will come through employment issues. With the prediction that the British unemployment level will reach three million by the end of 2009, people have already established that a lot of these jobs were, before the tightening of purse strings, unnecessary when money is not being spent (as many industries are not conducive to the quality of life of many people when food and housing are the only major concerns).

With the population of most countries growing continually and people living longer, the working age needs to shift higher to match life expectancy. If more people can work, more people will need factories and offices to support their twilight years.

Which is a shame, considering the UK's primary industries are all but dead and everything hinges on the tertiary service industry and other invisible trades such as those operating in the City of London. The same is happening across the world too.

2) No support for people in later life

Perhaps unsurprisingly, pension plans have been largely exposed as a sham. Although many will focus on the boring tribulations of one or two annoying individuals like Sir Fred Goodwin, the real tragedy of pensions is that of the outright destruction of schemes due to a lack of confidence in the stock market. Investors are – or at least were – gambling with people's futures, which many people are happy to ignore to focus their hatred onto one or two greedy bankers.

So if there's more people needing to work, more jobs will be needed, with all pension plans having to withstand market forces such as inflation which could devalue them. Is this possible to sustain in an ultimate generation full of criticism for a boom and bust ethic?

Nope. Work won't be there, or will not meet the demand. Banks are not trusted institutions any more, so pensions will also largely fold in the private sector or, in fact, have already. The ultimate generation will face ultimate hardship unless this problem is not sorted out.

3) Developments in life-saving techniques

The allowance of stem cell research in medicine is already working to treat previously cureless elderly problems like Alzheimer's disease, stroke and Parkinson's disease. Other major killers are also being stopped in their tracks. More people are going to stay alive, which is great.

However, speaking over a much longer term and despite us morally doing the right thing, buzzwords such as the carbon footprint suddenly ring that little bit more true and the effects on the environment could be devastating. Demand for food will also heighten, which is a bit worrying given the climate is set to change dramatically in the next couple of decades.

It's funny, really. By the end of my lifetime, there could be the very real concept of there being a limit on children which a family can have. In even very recent years, people have criticised these ideals put forward in China, where many people are not allowed to have more than a certain amount of children. It may, rather ironically, be the only safe way to save the world as a whole in future.


So with the economy now seen as a bit of a joke and everyone generally lacking trust in individual governments, doesn't it stand to reason that we all need to get together and sort this one out?

Not to many. Here, we've seen the Tories – a party characterised by anti-European ethics and more isolationist policies – use the entire recession as a way to bolster their standings in the UK. Not necessarily out of real support either, just ignorance. The global crisis is being used as a way to blame the domestic government. Such is politics.

It's not all wrong though – the Labour government have been far from the top of their game in the last year – but it wasn't long ago when Gordon Brown would have walked a general election when he came into power. Then the CREDIT CRUNCH – which Charlie Brooker states must be capitalised to carry more unnecessary shock factors – hit everyone.

The laws of personality politics have distorted our view of the real issue at hand – one that must be solved through international cooperation and not through solitary conservative politics which will, in effect, bring about the same capitalist structure which continued to grow before things got too much for everyone.

Sadly, world leaders have also used the current crisis to blame each other in a set-up more like a boxing match than an international summit. The most recent example of this mud-flinging came from Czech prime minister Mirek Topolanek, who described Barack Obama's policies as the "road to hell". Well done mate – that's going to be comfortable this week in Prague.

Yet people need to understand that if everyone has problems, everyone must sort them out. Right-wing ethics simply will not work in this situation as the recession is already characterised by a lack of trust and confidence. Add international scapegoating and isolationism into the mix from conservative governments and it is almost certain that problems will be exacerbated.

Sadly, this brotherhood we must have to move forward in a safe world is very unlikely to happen. Many people are hung up on national identity and will likely shun their European or worldwide neighbours out of fear, ignorance or contempt.

What will likely happen at G20 is that the world's leaders will get some photos together, have a few harsh words here and there, get a scapegoat or two and then propose a so-called plan which will not be really seen by anyone. The recession will take a couple of years to see the back of through simple causality, the whole period will go in history books and we'll move on.

I just hope that the ultimate generation read these books. If we do not learn quickly that the foundations of our lives are generally shambolic, years of hard work in all sectors will be ultimately fruitless.

Through working internationally, everyone will feel the benefits. I'd go as far as to say that in a refined European structure, it could very much work. And yes, I'm openly saying that we should join Europe and, by extension, the Euro – after all, a centralised bank powered by major Western forces would, in my view, continue to be stronger.

This is also unlikely to happen however because, dear reader, people find it very hard to make short-term sacrifices for long-term comfort and safety.

Greed, selfishness and ignorance are holding us back. It's what started the damn recession in the first place. If G20 leaders don't learn this in the next few days, they might as well have stayed at home.

gamezine.co.uk: Game review - Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

A flight sim was on the cards for me, in, of all things, a Tom Clancy title. My work for Gamezine is expanding at the moment so look out for forthcoming reviews of WWE Legends of Wrestlemania on the Xbox 360 and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time on the Nintendo Wii!

Look at my review on Gamezine by clicking here.

inthenews.co.uk: Music review - Silver Poetry EP (Digitonal)

In another music review for inthenews.co.uk, I tackle Digitonal's Silver Poetry, a four-track EP released this month. It provides both a great song and a surprising score, given my usual tastes in music.

Click here to read it!

The Latest (Column): Sport is the untapped resource Britain needs to exploit

After months of thinking about this subject, I decided to put pen to paper. Sport's role in the UK is bigger than many people may think, although many may not realise the true extent as to how much we really do need it in our society.

Click here to read more about it, or continue below to the raw version.

In times of economic strife, it's easy to lose touch with the things that will be most dear to us in the future. With the upcoming Olympic Games in London, one thing seems key to helping the UK on more levels than may initially be realised.

Despite adjustments to the national schools strategy by Ed Balls and the number of developments popping up left, right and centre to support the international sporting event of choice for London in 2012, we've lost focus on the role of sport in modern society.

I'd go as far as to say that if I was appointed Prime Minister in the immediate future - a future I'm not particularly inclined to rule out at this current stage - the first change I'd make would be to completely restructure our sporting system to that of a close ally. Or an unwanted friend, many may say. That's right, the US have definitely got something completely correct. Who'd've thought, eh?

The whole epiphany moment for my ideas on sport came when yet another debate about an English national team took hold in one of the many studios at one of the hundreds of sports pitches in the country. Were we good enough? Well, no, because we never are. Why not? Because our players are rubbish. But aren't they meant to be the best? ...yeah, that seems to be a problem.

So who did they blame? The manager came pretty highly. As did the coaches, the players themselves and - the one I always find most funny - the fans' expectations being too high, as if people are being bad by not wanting their team to win. Not one of them even considered that the players on the team had, at best, played the sport at school and ended up being spotted by a plucky talent scout So, what's the argument against making sport another huge cornerstone of education?

The National Collegiate Athletic Association of America (NCAA) works like this: all schools and colleges in the country compete in local and national leagues. The best usually go to a fairer-than-fair playoff to see who is the best, much like the current March Madness of men's collegiate basketball currently taking hold of Stateside as we speak. They get a platform to show their skills and later get picked to bolster the roster of a sports team in their chosen field.

It stands to reason: why do we not do that here? In today's sport-obsessed, health-fearing culture, are we not in dire need of such a strategy?

Sports in schools across the nation, apart from in various anomalies such as those found in Loughborough, are substandard. Most people's experience of sport in their early years is that which is foisted upon them by the physical education department, associated with cross country running, all-weather pitches which constantly defy their name, and the national staples of football and rugby.

Very poor indeed.

It's weird, isn't it? Fitness is one of the biggest topics in Western culture. Scare stories tell us that all kids will likely be obese in 20 years, will die trying through choking on a pie crust or will have their hands, feet and head amputated after diabetes ravishes their body. Why not bond them through sports they actually like, or can learn to like, or will at least play? There's a whole host to choose from. They could even use the Jasper Fforde theory of croquet becoming the number one sport in the UK if it meant the young ones would get outdoors and improve their quality of life and thheir desire to win and take defeat graciously.

There are dozens of emerging sports in the country, from ones established elsewhere such as basketball and ice hockey to the European fair game Korfball. Most people will never play them in their life and many - including my favourite, American football - seem to be written off by some kind of xenophobic attitude which pervades the psyche of most people (myself included, until I played it for university). How can children and young adults know if they hate it when they've not engaged in it?

A recent trial in New York City helped establish a number of floodlit basketball courts to the streets. The use of sport here largely dropped the rates of crime in the areas they were installed. Simple things for simple minds many may say, but the same could happen here. Many half-arsed attempts have been tried in a number of areas in the UK, but a programme to respect sport as a social medium needs to be employed to accompany these things.

Sport is also packed with incentives. Aside from competitions and trophies galore, the actual following could prove enough of a push. One of the greatest feelings I ever had was playing in front of a large crowd at an established stadium in the north-east of England. In the US, university sports alone can attract upwards of 80,000 people, putting money back into the game and developing the abilities of those who enter it.

What's more, valuable lessons can be learned from playing sport, particularly team-based games - even if it's those we already play, such as cricket, rugby or football. Teamwork is a very obvious one to say but from that, we can develop skills such as communication, selflessness and mental strength and agility. CVs across the land are already buoyed by the simple mention of a team game - after all, many workplaces require you to interact with fellow employees. A happy workplace is a productive workplace.

Speaking of offices and other such establishments, why not expand the industries in which people WANT to be employed? In a country ravaged by job cuts, it stands to reason that the development of small stadia and arenas would not only create jobs for stricken builders and surveyors but also require others to run them. Fitness and team coaches can enhance the quality of the games in which they operate. Build it up on an increasingly quickening scale and we have income from the gate, an improvement in sporting standards, and plenty of people employed by schools, colleges, universities, councils and local governments between counties.

The best bit is that the European Commission would jump to support such an initiative. Sport is a wonderful way to bond people both in a specific team and area as well as on an international scale. Boundaries would be broken down through various plans to link educational establishments with one another on the continent. Competitions would thrive and money would continue to come in. Unfamiliar things such as baseball diamonds and basketball courts would become a more familiar sight, as would proud parents and talented youngsters.

Essentially, sport characterises so many of the essential human demands and traits that it is impossible to overlook its benefits. The need of the average person to be noticed, to make friends, to be good at something... it's all there. If we don't do it now, the technological revolution will firmly nail the derrières of those in education to their seats, too busy to look outside due to the pixellated screen that sits in front of them. Hello, continuing obesity epidemic... goodbye, human interaction.

gamezine.co.uk: Game review - Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection

In a true blast to the past, I got my hands on the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection for review. I'd never thought about reviewing old games, never mind so many, so it was an interesting one for me to cover.

Visit the article on Gamezine by clicking here.

inthenews.co.uk: Music review - The Sound of Madness (Shinedown)

Here's another music review to add to my growing collection. It's for Shinedown's The Sound of Madness, which was one of the most interesting CDs I've had to review in a while. You can read it here by clicking one of these words that is so usefully linked to said review.