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Favourites
I love to read, and would be doing an English degree if it weren't too much hard work. My favourite author's are Bill Bryson and Terry Pratchett. Pratchett most of you are familiar with, while Bryson is an American travel writer who lived in England for twenty years. Consequently his outlook on life is a little skewed, and his travels through Europe and America make wonderful reading because of it. I might as well mention that I've recently become somewhat attached to the Harry Potter novel's, despite the rival charms of John Steinbeck.
Of late, a whole other group of authors have laid claim to being my favourites. They are the men and women of Terra Group. Their work can be found here
Music
Music is a passion of mine. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have a Jasonian collection of music, but, apart from the Eternal period I went through just after my 18th birthday, there's very little rubbish amongst my discs.
For want of any better way of doing this, and as he nicked so much of my site design for his own site, I shall now copy a little something of Jason's.
| Album Title | Artist | Description | Best Song | Alternatives |
| Take Off Your Pants And Jacket | Blink 182 | Blink are one of those nu-punk style of bands that have emerged, mostly from California, in the last five years or so. This is their latest album, and I first heard just before I went away to Kintbury in 2001. Jason insisted we listen to the final bonus track, called F*ck A Dog and so we did. I loved it, and went out to buy the album soon after. Imagine my surprise to discover that tales of bestiality were but the least of this album's charms. | What Went Wrong | Wheatus by
Wheatus or ANThology by Alien Ant Farm |
| International Superhits | Green Day | Jason will likely try and take credit for this, as well. He won't get it. I've liked Green Day for a while, but somehow always overlooked them when buying CDs. I'll give Jay credit for alerting me to the special offer V-Shop were running on CDs, though. The album is of the loud-with-clever-lyrics school that so appeals to me | Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) | ...Pants And Jacket by Blink 182 or Is This It by The Strokes |
| White Ladder | David Gray | Everyone owns this by now, surely. For those of you who don't, go to HMV. Or Amazon. Or any shop, online store, or anything that will sell you a copy. This is, simply, one of the most moving albums I've ever heard. | Say Hello, Wave Goodbye | No Angel by Dido or Left Of The Middle by Natalie Imbruglia |
| Affirmation | Savage Garden | Chances are you will have heard of this group. But did you know that I Knew I Loved You was voted 2000 Song of the Year by the Songwriters Guild? That's a hell of an achievement, and yet the song is typical of the quality shown on the album. Alternatively romantic and rocky, the Australian duo dissect every aspect of relationships, especially the parts most songs won't go into. | Chained To You | Ocean Drive by Lighthouse Family or I've Been Expecting You by Robbie Williams |
| B*Witched | B*Witched | I get so much hassle for liking this album. Tough. I like pop music, and this is about as poppy as it gets. This is an album where the sun always shines, the party is always hot, and love is always fresh and new. Occasionaly, it's nice not to care if a band is pushing back the boundaries of musical understanding. | Blame It On The Weatherman | Seven by S Club 7 or Invincible by 5ive |
| Ocean Drive | Lighthouse Family | I've been a fan of this group since I was 15, and for nearly all that time, it's been this album I turn to when I need a soothing influence, a remembrance of times past, or just a catchy song with a toe-tapping beat and lyrics can mean anything or nothing, depending on your mood. | Ocean Drive or Keep Remembering | Affirmation by Savage Garden or Earthbound by Conner Reeves |
| Earthbound | Conner Reeves | 'The Guy With The Hat' is an established songwriter who's worked with everyone from Tina Turner on down. Finally going alone in the mid-90s, he turned out a soulful debut, full of lovelorn hope, and the belief that, somehow, it'll all turn out alright in the end. | Ordinary People | White Ladder by David Gray or No Angel by Dido |
| No Angel | Dido | It was bound to come up eventually. Dido has won more awards than you can shake a stick at, all thanks to this album. A great voice coupled with great songs will usually make an impact, and Dido proves this here. I won't go into specifics about teh album. You've surely heard it all by now. | Hunter | Hands by Jewel or Greatest Hits by Texas |
| Let's Go | Avril Lavigne | Jay can go away again. For sure, the first time I heard this CD was in his car, but I first heard *about* the CD from a friend of mine in the States. Fresh, funky, and a little bit rude, the Canadian teen sensation has perfectly captured the feeling of being young and full of energy, love, and life. | Sk8er Boi or My World | Missundaztood by Pink or Britney by Britney Spears |
| Moulin Rouge 1+2 | Various | The best musical film ever? The best soundtracks ever? Probably not on either count. The best duet between Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor? Yes. The best version of Like A Virgin since Reservoir Dogs? Hell yeah. Great to listen to? Dam right. | Your Song or Elephant Love Medley | None, really. Maybe the original artists, for comparison. |
And I'm kind of fond of video and computer games. In some approximate order, my favourites are:
1. Elite - NES - Addiction rating: 98%
For those of you whoever wondered what it was like to BE Han Solo, track this game down. Simple wire frame graphics belied the immense depth of this game. Fly through near unlimited space, trading your goods, improving your ship, battling pirates, aliens, and the galactic police force. One of the reasons I failed half my GCSE's
2. Championship Manager - PC - Addiction rating: 94%
How I passed my A-Level's with this game on my computer, I'll never know. Take control of a football club from one of dozens of global leagues, and guide them through the highs and lows that football brings. The most realistic simulation of football management ever, and in a class of its own. The only game I'm still playing more than six years after I first bought it, although its rating suffers slightly as the current version is all screwed up on my computer.
3. Goldeneye - Nintendo 64 - Addiction rating: 92%
We all know this one, right? Big guns, big explosions, and Michal running around the caves chucking proximity mines onto our heads. Oh what fun we had... That cry of "I was unarmed, you sod!!!" still echoes thorough our dreams each night.
4. Streetfighter - SNES/Playstation - Addiction rating: 91%
As with Championship Manager, this game is more of a series, spawning regular updates across the different platforms it appeared on. The best of them was Streetfighter EX Plus Alpha, which appeared on the Playstation, and actually featured vast improvements over the other games.
5. Super Bomberman - SNES - Addiction rating: 89%
It sounds so simple. Run around a maze, chucking bombs at one another. It was simple, but it was devastatingly good fun. This game led to more screams, laughs, and fits of violence than any other for the longest time.
6. Perfect Dark - Nintendo 64 - Addiction rating: 87%
The semi sequel to Goldeneye, and probably a better game. Including computer controlled players was a master stroke, allowing people to practice the deathmatching without Michal capping them with the Cyclone. The fact remains, though, that there are times we choose Goldeneye over this, so it gets a lower rating.
7. No Mercy - Nintendo 64 - Addiction rating: 86%
THQ, at the start of the 1990's were renowned as the worst game developers in the world. By the end of the decade, they had got their act together, and had started turning out wrestling games. This is the latest, and best version of the series, and includes the option to have a four way ladder match. Which is nice.
8. UFO: Enemy Unknown - PC - Addiction rating: 85%
Microprose turned up one of the best games of all time when they released this strategic battle simulation in the early 1990's. Also known as X-COM: UFO Defense in the USA, the game focused mainly on two areas: Building your base up for research and defence, and conducting ground missions against initially superior forces. The key factor was to research the alien tech, and turn it against them. Anyone who's ever fired a blaster launcher will be familiar with the glee it brings.
9. Tetris - Game Boy - Addiction rating: 81%
I told a slight fib earlier. Championship Manager is the only game I play regularly after five years. After nine years, however, I still have the occasional bash at this, the ultimate puzzle game. Never ending, in theory, but we all know how hectic it can be when you get to level 18. Of course, if Game B was your thing, Then tackling Level 9-5 was the fiend. It came free with the Game Boy, too...
10. X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter - PC - Addiction rating: 78%
Ah, to be in the galaxy far, far away now that the supply missions are here. The third of the Star Wars flight games, and the only one I own. Despite a dodgy joystick, I get hours of pleasure from this game, especially sitting in the aft of an Imperial Star Destroyer, and nibbling away at it's shields where it can't reach me. Such fun.
Other favourites of mine; Sport: Football and wrestling.
Chris Jericho performs his 'Lionsault' on Chris Benoit
Film: Star Wars Trilogy (plus two, at the moment. Quintology?)
Duel of the Fates, from The Phantom Menace
TV: The Simpsons
'Why you little...'
And so on...
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