It seems like a while since I last did a Monster Month post, but December and January have been pretty hectic; now resuming normal service.

Over the last month I’ve managed to get through quite a number of Xbox Live Arcade titles, including Qix++, KrissX, Diner Dash, Gyromancer and Vandal Hearts: Flame of Judgements. Both these latter games have plenty of playtime for the cash, although I can’t help but feel that Puzzle Quest, now selling for just 400 MSPs , represents a much better deal over Gyromancer.

Of all of these titles, it was KrissX that surprised me most of all. Initial I thought it was a pretty poor effort – way too easy and very boring. Yet something happened as I ventured further in to the game, it suddenly got addictive and more challenging. It’s a pity that the trial version of the game didn’t get this across properly, as I doubt many people will have given this title a chance, simply from the demo version.

I haven’t been completely neglecting the retail releases, having been working my way through White Knight Chronicles. It’s a game that starts off quite slowly, as many RPGs do, much of what’s on offer isn’t introduced straight away; it takes a good two or three hours for more of the game to be revealed. This includes the online hub-world, known as the GeoNet, which allows you to go out adventuring in groups, in a very MMO like way. Perhaps the combat system is a little ill-thought out, but the story has been interesting so far, and it looks fantastic; definitely not just filler for the epic RPG coming in a couple of weeks.

March seems like it could be an expensive month for gaming. There are a lot of titles on the horizon for both PS3 and Xbox360 on their way, not least of which is Final Fantasy XIII. Others include God of War III, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Way of the Samurai 3 (well new to the UK anyway), MotoGP 09/10, Yakuza 3, Alpha Protocol: The Espionage RPG, Just Cause 2, Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow, Thief 4 and the Awakenings expansion pack for Dragon Age:  Origins.

I hope you’ve been saving your pennies up, see you next time.

It’s been a while since I did a blog for Console Monster. You have to go back to November to read my last one so here’s my latest attempt at getting back to blogging being a regular occurrence. Last Sunday, I, Rob Rymond, Lauren Wainwright and Chris Taylor recorded the Monster Cast, now available to listen to and download from here.

As you can probably tell from listening to the podcast, my headset wasn’t great. Reason being I used my Xbox 360 Wireless Headset, having failed to find my ‘good’ headset before the podcast’s start. Hopefully I will be able to address this issue before the next podcast to be recorded in a week’s time.

Back onto the subject of the podcast, being a generally shy person, I wasn’t too sure how it would turn out. Luckily Rob did an amazing job of forcing the turn-taking throughout, forcing everyone to have input, even when I least expected it. Similarly to my headset issue, I hope to be better prepared next time.

Whilst recording the podcast, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out after a few failed attempts at the start. Luckily, once we got into the swing of things, it all became apparent that this would either be a hit or miss – considering it was almost totally unscripted. Having listened to the end result, I’d say it was a pretty enjoyable listen. In saying that, I’m pretty biased in all this.

If you’ve listened to the podcast, then thanks for listening. All feedback (positive or critical) is welcome and I’ll be sure to pass it all on to the rest of the team. I hope you’re as excited as I am for the next!

January was meant to be a relaxing month after the excitment that was November and December for gaming, unfortunately for my social life however the months gaming time did not decline one bit. Why was this?

Needing to complete past games: I had started to get sloppy with my gaming, leaving games half completed or missing the odd achievement that I could easily have obtained (and yes, I am a mighty achievement 'open-legged lady'). Borderlands was the main game that I made sure to catch up with, which until this weekend I had become close to hitting the conclusion of the game.

I'll make sure to pick up on Borderlands and a few other games at the bottom of my list in the coming weeks (mostly looking at you Dead Space).

Mass Effect: Every now and then a game comes along that demands attention, and I think managing to fit in 40 hours of gameplay in a single weekend accounts for giving it attention. Such an amazing game with rich characters and a story that holds your hand always teasing more, it was difficult to put the pad down.

It's been a blast, and now I'm exhasted.

Getting a PS3: As mentioned in my alternate recent blog I have managed to secure a PS3, and whilst I haven't put the most time into it just yet a few hours have already dissapeared into Little Big Planet and I expect many more before the night is over.

With the new toy here for Febuary, and some fantastic games upcoming (looking at you Bioshock 2 and Alien vs Predator) I expect Feburary will be another busy month of gaming. Life is so hard.

After much trying and failing I have finally managed to secure myself a Playstation 3. I have been close to purchasing several times but had victory snapped away from me as more 'important' things like bills need to be accounted for... well not this time!

Already registered and online (PSN: Wo33er) I look forward to seeing things from the otherside, and trying my hardest to stay unbiased and not show my love of all things Xbox I already find the menu navigation a nightmare to say the least. Thankfully I quickly diverted my attention to Little Big Planet (after some fantastic sized game updates) which was a bucket of fun. I certainly cannot wait to delve further into that game, and perhaps create a level or two of my own.

I decided wise to boot up Home and give that a look, if just to see why it has recieved such harsh critisism so far and now I fully understand. Even on a 20mb line it took an age to load each individual, and then an age longer for their conversations. Control and navigation around the world plagued with queues and downloads, along with the typical montrosity troll trying to cause a nucense. I didn't get a fantastic first impression, and doubt I'll give it another try.

I look forward to meeting some of you on the battlefield, and hope it's not a silent battle with many opting out of buying a headset. Until then I will sit on my hands in anticipation for why I bought the console in the first place; Heavy Rain.

I have always regarded Mass Effect as one of the best games this generation, and I generally adore any and all BioWare games that get thrown at me (Dragon Age being a favourite of 2009). Based on these two facts above, I cannot wait to get my hands on Mass Effect 2 and pilot the Normandy, for a while at least.

Going with Play.com who are usually very good for me never missing a release date (and usually getting it to me a day early), I have my preorder down and look forward to rushing home from work on a Friday night to jump on in. I would hope to get the game finished on the weekend alone, as my general play style is that of a crackwhore that took a slight overdose and has little choice but to ride the wave.

Try as I might, it is unlikely to be the case as life generally wants me to place my attention elsewhere as the years have progressed (in point, growing up isn’t fun).

If you haven’t already seen it, make sure to hit the launch trailer, and whilst you are it at checking out current reviews would be a good idea whilst we await EA to pop our copy in the mailbox. Until that day, keep checking Console Monster for the full review and hopefully my continued coverage of an engrossing adventure.