Happy New Year!

Just over three hours to go in the UK - so Happy New Year to those already in 2014 as well as to those of us who aren't quite there yet.

I hope the new year brings new games, challenges and all sorts of good things.

Also, now I'm back home (after 5 days of traveling around the Midlands and finally back from Reading), normal-ish service should resume. Expect more content coming up, including posts about Dragon Age: Origins and the first Borderlands game.

Catch you all in 2014!

Games Revisited - Guilty Gear Judgment

I adore fighting games. Of all the genres I play, fighting and platformers are my forte. So it was lovely to find a copy of Guilty Gear Judgment(PSP) in my local CEX. 

Annoyingly, I haven't had the opportunity to play this version of Guilty Gear in about 4-5 years - I used to borrow it off a friend before I got very into Monster Hunter. Guilty Gear overall, I haven't touched in around 2 years, mostly due to not being near my PS2. So I've been re-familiarizing myself with the characters and the series to great delight.

Most of the Guilty Gear games are the usual arcade fighters with a vague plot and outlandish characters with wildly-variant move sets. Judgment goes the way of things like Streets of Rage and turns it into a side-scroll beat'em'up through a deserted island, looking to find out what happened to the hundreds of residents.

At the start, only 5 characters are available. But as you play through the story you meet more of the Guilty Gear cast and they join the roster. Some meet no new characters and some meet more than 1 - Millia Rage has met 2 so far and I'm only just half-way through.

As well as Judgment, the disk includes a slightly cut-down version of Guilty Gear X2 The Midnight Carnival #Reload, which is the more arcade, traditional fighting game affair.

I fully recommend you play this, even if you're not a fighting game fanatic. It was what got me into them fully, having a fighting game with a bit more plot and interaction.

Merry Christmas!

And a happy one to everyone who reads this blog!


I got gifts, I owe many gifts...but all in all it's a good day. Hope you lovely people out there are enjoying yourself, with or without family. 

Normal service will resume...probably after the New Year, I can guarantee some regularity (and hopefully a lot of items to show off)

Have a good one!

Lately playing...

...Quite a variety actually.

I've still been at Sonic 4 - stuck on the final boss currently. My partner got me A Link Between Worlds for Christmas (which I finished in 5 days...) and I'm currently trying to blast my way through New Super Mario Bros 2.

Oh yes, and the Steam sale hit. So I've been buying...very little. I got Final Fantasy 7, debating whether to get Dragon Age Origins and keeping my eyes open for others. 

Also been watching my partner play Starbound, which I should really download and play myself...

Back from Reading!

Well, I actually returned yesterday but today is the day I actually update you fabulous people.

I've been in Reading for the last week, and in that week I...only tackled one piece of sewing. However, this does mean I have nearly finished the skirt I've been making for a very good friend of mine.

As well as that, I recently got to watch a good three quarters of the first series of Arrow. Kind of totally really need to watch the rest. I highly recommend it - I've never seen much of the Green Arrow in comics, so this somewhat gritty and quite depressing intro is actually a good way of getting into it.

Now I'm back, I need to carry on with various things that I've been neglecting, like the rest of my sewing...

Lack of Activity, and Another upcoming dip

I did let the activity drop, and for that I apologize. I have no excuse beyond a lack of things being made but games being played instead.

Mostly Killing Floor. It's the Twisted Christmas event, so I've been spending time playing online on Normal difficulty. Keep dying a lot unfortunately (I blame the team-mates) but slowly improving - and leveling up Firebug perk.

Tomorrow is when I travel to Reading for my week-long stay, and I'm quite looking forward to it. I'm currently packing up craft stuff to take with me (mostly knitting and embroidery) and the last bits of clothes. Hopefully I'll have the time to finish some of my projects (at least the presents that I haven't finished...)

Ongoing projects plus other things

Apologies for a sudden drop-off in posts, I managed to forget to stack some posts before I went off to Reading for the weekend.

Anyway, lots has been going on. Newport Craft Fair is this weekend, the Christmas Craft Fair in Cardiff is ongoing until the 23rd of December, I'm going to Reading for a whole week next week. I'll try not to let it drop off again, but no guarantees. 

Sewing and knitting projects are dropping off a bit in favour of presents I'm making for people (and have to finish before the 12th) so there's nothing new to show today - however, over the course of this week I will be arranging quite a few patterns and whatnot to be completed the week I'm away - so hopefully I'll have some things to show off when I get back, or even during the week.

As well as that, I will be taking my laptop and trying to play and even complete some of the games I've had sat on my Steam library for a long time. Maybe even try some new ones - after spending time watching my partner play Saint's Row 4 I've wanted to settle down to play the third game. Whether my laptop can handle it is another matter, but we live in hope...

I may try doing some reviews of older games, as I have several I'm either replaying to finish or replaying because they were that good. If anyone can recommend a better N64 emulator that would be great as well - Project64 has a tendency to crash regularly.

Plastic canvas

As an experiment, I bought some little shaped pieces of plastic canvas - one triangular and the other circular.

So on the triangular one, I made a Triforce, and the circular piece got turned into a Pokeball. I'm quite pleased with them, as my first venture into plastic canvas.

I'm thinking of doing a whole series of Pokeballs - since the ordinary design came out so well. Once I've perfected them, I may sell them on as bag charms or large keyrings, not sure. Either way, it'll be a nice little project.

I may look into doing more with plastic canvas, as it's a really easy way of doing simple motifs that are in a durable format.

Craft Fair!

So on the 14th of December, there will be a craft fair in Newport Market. I won't have a stall (though I was very tempted to try and make a load of stock), but I will be around for a bit checking out the stalls and trying to meet up with people in the area who do make stuff and sell it for a living.

If anything, the networking will help.

So if you happen to be around Newport (Wales, not California by the way), head to the upstairs bit of Newport Market on the 14th, between about 11AM to 3PM.

Online Clothing Patterns

I love clothing patterns. I've not had the courage to make one yet, though I have three patterns I picked up at a charity shop in Reading.

Over the years, I've found various places that have patterns online, and I'd love to try them out, but I have two problems. One, I have no idea if they'll work on a normal printer, and two: the printer in my house isn't mine, it's my father's. Not sure how pleased he'd be with me demolishing his paper and black ink for patterns...

This is why I tend to settle for cross-stitch and knitting patterns online these days - seems much easier when I don't need a paper copy. One day I will obtain my own printer, or start buying ink and paper for my father's printer instead.

Yet more patterns + Fake Fur?

I've been stuck to DeviantArt, checking out the patterns and getting more inspired to learn to knit properly - Look at these! TARDIS gloves! Someday (when I have the wool and right needles) I'll try making them.

As well as enjoying staring at patterns I can't make, I'm about half-way through making one gift for a friend - just have one more piece to knit and then to join it all up.

I recently obtained some fake fur cheaply, and tried making something small (simple wristers) - I wish someone warned me that sewing fake fur would be quite difficult! It's not easy to keep track of my thread while sewing up seams. It might be easier with a sewing machine, but alas I was hand-sewing...

Let's talk about Knitting (Patterns everywhere!)

So, not long after setting up my account on DeviantArt, I decided to have a look around in the knitting section. What I (oddly) didn't expect was to find knitting patterns for items of cosplay/other incredibly geeky items.

I mean, I really should have. I now have a pattern from about 20 years ago for Sonic the Hedgehog jumpers, a pattern for a Dawn hat (4th generation female Pokemon trainer) and a pattern for Rinoa Heartilly's duster + wristers (FF8). As well as these I found a great pattern for a Christmas present I was planning on making for a friend.

There is so much more out there that I have yet to discover. Given the chance I think I'll spend a few more hours cruising DeviantArt for more patterns of a geekish nature. As well as Ravelry.

Maybe I'll even make some of these items...

Yet another place I'm now on: DeviantArt!

Recently started a DeviantArt account again, just to broaden my horizons (and get more people to see my work).

If you're interested in checking it out, my profile is 8bitgoggles. If you have a DeviantArt account yourself, feel free and encouraged to follow me!