Saturday, 30 March 2013
SPECIAL UPDATE - Happy Easter
Greetings readers, this is a quick update to wish my readers a happy Easter! Whatever you are doing, eating chocolate eggs, giving praise to the lord if you are religious, or just chilling, have a great time and keep it real! More posts coming soon, in the meantime enjoy these Easter themed photos and check out this proper funny mini egg commercial on youtube! http://youtu.be/Jm8kCF_9Uns
Friday, 29 March 2013
Three different things to do in Birmingham if bored - Part 2
Welcome to the longly anticipated second part of my trio of different things to do in Birmingham if you are bored.
#2 Go to Broadway Plaza
Broadway plaza in an entertainment district on the outskirts of Birmingham. If you take the number 9 bus route into town you will hit the plaza before the city centre. In case you are unaware a plaza is basically a town square designed for people to meet in. What is special about Broadway plaza is it is exceedingly modern and cutting edge, only being completed and unveiled to the public in the mid 2000s. The 80 million pound district contains an extreme 12 screen AMC cinema and an awesome Bowlplex bowling ally which is extra cool as this also includes a video game arcade on the premises. It's might be time to re-test your skills on the classic games, air hockey, Sega Rally, and the radical VIRTUA COP!
There are plenty of places to eat at the plaza, ranging from low to medium price ranges such as Subway, Dominos Pizza and one of my personal favourites, the delicious Frankie & Benny's. The plaza also has a couple of pubs and a night club, however it is difficult to recommend Broadway Plaza for night life in comparison to the ever fruitful Broadstreet.
What sets Broadway Plaza apart from other plazas is the interesting activities you can do there. In the centre of the plaza there are a couple of outdoor table tennis sets which you can play for free. This is a totally extreme way to let of some steam after your film or bowling game. It is also really funny to smash the table tennis balls hard so they fly in to the bushes forcing you to rummage through them. In the summer time they also have this weird mobile beach where you can pay a couple of quid and lie on a deck chair for an hour, I have never tried this as it has always been damp when I have visited the plaza so if anyone has experienced this mobile beach wonder please enlighten me.
Overall, it's hard to go wrong with Broadway plaza if your looking for a good time during the day. It may even be a cool place to stay if you are ever visiting Birmingham as there are two hotels at the Plaza. I rate Broadway Plaza even higher than Chinatown so do your self a favour and give it a shot!
#2 Go to Broadway Plaza
Broadway plaza in an entertainment district on the outskirts of Birmingham. If you take the number 9 bus route into town you will hit the plaza before the city centre. In case you are unaware a plaza is basically a town square designed for people to meet in. What is special about Broadway plaza is it is exceedingly modern and cutting edge, only being completed and unveiled to the public in the mid 2000s. The 80 million pound district contains an extreme 12 screen AMC cinema and an awesome Bowlplex bowling ally which is extra cool as this also includes a video game arcade on the premises. It's might be time to re-test your skills on the classic games, air hockey, Sega Rally, and the radical VIRTUA COP!
There are plenty of places to eat at the plaza, ranging from low to medium price ranges such as Subway, Dominos Pizza and one of my personal favourites, the delicious Frankie & Benny's. The plaza also has a couple of pubs and a night club, however it is difficult to recommend Broadway Plaza for night life in comparison to the ever fruitful Broadstreet.
What sets Broadway Plaza apart from other plazas is the interesting activities you can do there. In the centre of the plaza there are a couple of outdoor table tennis sets which you can play for free. This is a totally extreme way to let of some steam after your film or bowling game. It is also really funny to smash the table tennis balls hard so they fly in to the bushes forcing you to rummage through them. In the summer time they also have this weird mobile beach where you can pay a couple of quid and lie on a deck chair for an hour, I have never tried this as it has always been damp when I have visited the plaza so if anyone has experienced this mobile beach wonder please enlighten me.
Overall, it's hard to go wrong with Broadway plaza if your looking for a good time during the day. It may even be a cool place to stay if you are ever visiting Birmingham as there are two hotels at the Plaza. I rate Broadway Plaza even higher than Chinatown so do your self a favour and give it a shot!
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Three different things to do in Birmingham if bored - Part 1
Greetings readers, as I have mentioned I am back in my home town of Oldbury for Easter. For those of you who don't know, Oldbury is a residential town and a ten minuet bus journey to central Birmingham, subsequently I spend a lot of in the city when I am at home. Many people I know have been to Birmingham as some point or another so I am not simply going to write a list of the top 3 attractions but instead compile a trio of fun and cheap things to do in Birmingham if you ever find yourself bored and fancy doing something different.
1# Go to Chinatown
Birmingham has a modest but vibrant Chinatown which contains the usual Chinese essentials such as quality restaurants and stores. My personal favourite restaurant is Chung Ling bistro which has a large selection of hand cooked delicacies. In the town plaza the community often hold Chinese exhibitions such as dancing and lantern making. These can be surprisingly fun to watch and give you a good taste of traditional Chinese culture. If you are lucky enough to be in town on Chinese New Year I strongly recommend a visit. You can expect to see a grand show with the classic Chinese dragon dancers and a reenactment of the legend of Chinese New Year! Grab some noodles a give Chinatown a taste!
Part 2 - Coming Soon
1# Go to Chinatown
Birmingham has a modest but vibrant Chinatown which contains the usual Chinese essentials such as quality restaurants and stores. My personal favourite restaurant is Chung Ling bistro which has a large selection of hand cooked delicacies. In the town plaza the community often hold Chinese exhibitions such as dancing and lantern making. These can be surprisingly fun to watch and give you a good taste of traditional Chinese culture. If you are lucky enough to be in town on Chinese New Year I strongly recommend a visit. You can expect to see a grand show with the classic Chinese dragon dancers and a reenactment of the legend of Chinese New Year! Grab some noodles a give Chinatown a taste!
Part 2 - Coming Soon
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
GAME REVIEW - 'SONIC RIDERS ZERO GRAVITY'
Greetings readers. I am going to take the opportunity of creating a blog to review one of my all time favourite games, 'Sonic Riders Zero Gravity' which is on Nintendo Wii and PS2. Upon release this game received very mediocre or even poor reviews from critics. Gamespot.com gave the game a 4.5 out of 10 and IGN gave the game a slightly higher but equally unfair score of 5.8.
'Sonic Riders Zero Gravity', the sequel to the original 'Sonic Riders', is essentially a racing game in which the large roster of characters ride hover boards which can travel at speeds of up to 400mph. The game takes place in a futuristic world which includes the locations of, robot factories, hover train stations and water parks which defy the laws of gravity.
Sounds cool? Well that's because it is. The extreme sense of speed is amazing, it is without a doubt one of the most fast pace games I have played. It is amazingly fun to blast up ramps on your hover board and perform wicked aerial tricks, which if pulled of correctly increase your air gage.
What is an air gage? When loaded, the air gage allows you to perform 'ZERO GRAVITY' moves, hence the title. These moves include slowing down time in order to get round that tight corner and, my personal favourite, blasting through the air at super sonic speed.
The game has an interesting story in which the robots of the world stop responding to orders and attempt to capture the 'Arks of Cosmos', these are bracelets which allow the wearer to harness the power of gravity. Before you ask, no, they are the same as Power Balance wrist bands but it seems as if the game developers were inspired by these devices. Sonic and co attempt to stop the robots and solve the mystery of these powerful bracelets. Along the way they are confronted by the Babylon Rouges, a team of misfits who's leader, Jet the Hawk, claims to be faster than sonic.
Overall this game was a total blast and one of my all time favourites. The controls and graphics are radical. The futuristic environment looks more convincing than ' I robot' and the character roster including Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, Blaze the Cat and of course Sonic himself is simply off the hook. Do your self a favour and play this incredible game.
Verdict
10/10 - BO SELECTA
'Sonic Riders Zero Gravity', the sequel to the original 'Sonic Riders', is essentially a racing game in which the large roster of characters ride hover boards which can travel at speeds of up to 400mph. The game takes place in a futuristic world which includes the locations of, robot factories, hover train stations and water parks which defy the laws of gravity.
Sounds cool? Well that's because it is. The extreme sense of speed is amazing, it is without a doubt one of the most fast pace games I have played. It is amazingly fun to blast up ramps on your hover board and perform wicked aerial tricks, which if pulled of correctly increase your air gage.
What is an air gage? When loaded, the air gage allows you to perform 'ZERO GRAVITY' moves, hence the title. These moves include slowing down time in order to get round that tight corner and, my personal favourite, blasting through the air at super sonic speed.
The game has an interesting story in which the robots of the world stop responding to orders and attempt to capture the 'Arks of Cosmos', these are bracelets which allow the wearer to harness the power of gravity. Before you ask, no, they are the same as Power Balance wrist bands but it seems as if the game developers were inspired by these devices. Sonic and co attempt to stop the robots and solve the mystery of these powerful bracelets. Along the way they are confronted by the Babylon Rouges, a team of misfits who's leader, Jet the Hawk, claims to be faster than sonic.
Overall this game was a total blast and one of my all time favourites. The controls and graphics are radical. The futuristic environment looks more convincing than ' I robot' and the character roster including Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, Blaze the Cat and of course Sonic himself is simply off the hook. Do your self a favour and play this incredible game.
Verdict
10/10 - BO SELECTA
Sometimes it snows in March...
We are now drawing towards the end of March and spring has officially begun in the UK. However the snow continues to fall and sub zero day time temperatures are imminent. I am back in my home town of Oldbury and it, as well as Birmingham have been struck exceedingly bad in comparison to Worcester. On the flip side I have heard that northern counties such as Cumbria have been worst affected.
It is obvious that people are tired of this treacherous weather. Personally I only hate the build up of ice on pavements which makes my walk to the local barbers seem like Olympic speed skating. The well known saying 'Sometimes it snows in April' can be put on hold for now but if we have another downpour next week people will be less than happy to hear it being said.
It is obvious that people are tired of this treacherous weather. Personally I only hate the build up of ice on pavements which makes my walk to the local barbers seem like Olympic speed skating. The well known saying 'Sometimes it snows in April' can be put on hold for now but if we have another downpour next week people will be less than happy to hear it being said.
Monday, 25 March 2013
The Story Goes...
Greetings! My name is Stephen Dodd aka King of Oldbury. I am a first year student at the University of Worcester and am studying a degree in English Literature & History. I have had many good and comical experiences since I started university which is one of the reasons I decided to create this blog. This is my first blog appropriatley titled 'The Story Goes...' as I have created it to share my many stories with the world and listen to other people's familiar experiences. Those of you who know me, can expect to see much of my personality reflected in this blog as I will attempt to express my real life presence through writing to give a sense of perspective to my writtings.
I am very much looking forward to posting my first story and see how I rate blogging.
Stephen Dodd
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