IN my 32 years I’ve often been accused of needlessly ‘staring into outer space’ daydreaming.
And with one of the natural world’s most awe-inspiring light shows set for tonight (Dec 14th) I have every excuse to repeat the act with a purpose.
The Geminids shower is usually considered the best opportunity for younger viewers because the show gets going around 9pm or 10pm.
Despite the optimal viewing time is around 2am there will be plenty of scope for the spectacular.According to Nasa there will be approximately 50 meteors per hour.
And while tonight’s show is said to be the best, the show will continue until Thursday (Dec 16th) night.
Somehow the sky was clear in the centre of Plymouth, but when we reached our pitch the sky had almost completely clouded over.
However between the few broken cloud formations we did see about five shooting stars, including one which left an incredible green trail in the night sky.
With the current cold snap hitting the UK, most night skies are particularly clear meaning that now is almost the perfect time to see a truly spectacular natural light show.
This week’s show is the last real chance is seeing shooting stars this year.
However visitors to Nasa’s Asteroid Watch website (www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch/newsfeatures.cfm?release=2010-385) will be able to get key advice on when is best to catch them in the New Year.
The website offers tips and guidance on the best places, dates and times to view the meteor showers.
As well as gazing skywards this week I’ve also been laughing out loud at former Nirvana drummer and current Foo Fighters front man, Dave Grohl.
That guy is possibly one of the funniest guys in rock.
And here’s the evidence to prove it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eOR6b6TAZw&feature=related.
If you check out the clip starting at 30 seconds you will discover the reason why people in Derriford may have heard uncontrollable laughter from Herald HQ in recent days.
He’s a legend. ‘Wirwee?’ For sure.
Here’s the best of the latest games releases and the latest charts:
Title: TRON: Evolution
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 73%
It’s amazing that it’s taken 28 years for TRON to be revitalised on the big screen – the 1982 original movie is certainly showing its age these days, but the thought of a person getting sucked into a computer world and battling it out in games for real is one you’d have thought developers would have jumped on countless times.
Evolution does an effective job of bridging the old and new movies in terms of content and offering up an above average licence tie-in from a pure gameplay perspective.
A mixture of futuristic wall running, disc-throwing combat and vehicle racing is executed well, making for enjoyable action fare, but there’s no standout differentiation from the melange of movies-turned-games currently on the shelves.
What made the original movie such a cult classic was true innovation, and it seems that the game could do with a healthier dose of that, too.
Title: Def Jam Rapstar
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Music
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 79%
The karaoke revolution has transformed the way we interact with our consoles, as USB microphones grant gamers young and old access to the musical career they could never have imagined (or deserved in most vocal cases).
And it’s now gone a step further as the dedicated world of rap is laid out for you to get stuck into on Xbox 360.
From Beastie Boys classics to more current beats from Busta Rhymes, the vocal challenge won’t be lost on anyone who’s tried it – timing is everything and some of these tracks are too darn quick for anyone but professional rappers to master.
But you’ll have a hell of a time trying, and you can upload your most polished performances for all to see through the Xbox Live community set-up for the game, which impressively also allows you to edit down your video recordings and add bling-bling after effects.
It’s unlikely to produce the next Eminem, but is a cool interactive rap music collection nonetheless.
Title: Gran Turismo 5
Platform: PS3
Genre: Racing
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 90%
Six years in the making, the wait is finally over.
And for gamers keen to pore over every pristine detail of the hundreds of vehicles on offer and the exquisite track environments, it’s the moment they’ve all been waiting for.
Gran Turismo 5 does deliver in pretty much every respect, but perhaps a feeling of over-production lingers throughout.
This is almost to the point where, unless you’re a motoring perfectionist happy to tinker and tweak your engine for hours on end, you might find the overall gaming experience akin to that of handling expensive bone china – handle with care.
You rarely feel free to throw your car around like a good old ’arcade racer’, but then this has never been the objective with GT5.
It’s the thinking man’s racer with a true connoisseur’s car collection.
And for that reason alone, it’s worth parking up in your gaming garage.
Title: Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
Platform: iPhone
Genre: Racing
Price: £2.99
Hit count: 80%
Hot Pursuit delivers what pretty much all Need For Speed fans crave – instant racing gratification. Whether you’re trying to take down a perpetrator, outmanoeuvre another cop or beat the clock, you’ll struggle to put your iPhone down as you get behind the wheel for one mission after another.
With more than 20 challenges to conquer in the career mode, the simple premise of putting your foot down and steering is enhanced by different race objectives, and a selection of weapons such as tyre-puncturing spikes and road blocks can be employed at strategic points in races to give you a competitive edge.
What Hot Pursuit lacks in depth, it makes up for in cheap racing thrills. And what’s wrong with wanting a bit of that on your iPhone?
GAME CHART ALL FORMATS FULL PRICE
1. Call Of Duty: Black Ops
2. FIFA 11
3. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
4. Gran Turismo 5
5. Just Dance 2
6. Michael Jackson: The Experience
7. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit
8. Wii Party
9. Wii Fit Plus
10. Professor Layton And The Lost Future
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (c) 2010 UKIE Ltd
