From Saturday 28th to Sunday 29th April 2012, I will be taking advantage of my trial month’s Rent A Server subscription to host a day of Battlefield 3 for Xbox 360 with a bit of added realism: No mini-map No HUD Friendly fire allowed Why Switch Off the Mini-Map & HUD? Machiavelli has been going on about how the HUD (Heads Up Display) makes games like Battlefield 3 much less realistic and she says it just turns it into a game of follow the lights. And it would be interesting to see how the death count and kill:death ratio change [...]

The only live music concerts I have really been to are the ones I’ve played at, the ones my friends have played at, and the ones my dad played at. I’ve basically never been to a gig where I didn’t know anyone on the stage. Seen from the Inside I was taken with my dad to gigs from a very young age. I barely remember it, but he played at Stonehenge free festival when I was about 2 or 3 years old. As I got older my dad took me along as his roadie at first, and later as his [...]

A very easy, but fancier and tastier than usual, baked potatoes recipe. This one is relatively healthy if you go easy on the cheese, and makes a simple but good-looking dish for a quick dinner on a budget. It also makes great finger food for babies or cutlery training food for toddlers. I used: 1 large baking potato per person lots and lots of cheese (mine was a medium Cheddar) ground black pepper mixed herbs (marjoram, basil, oregano and thyme) garlic granules What to do: Bake the potatoes (Google this part if you don’t know how… hot oven, an hour [...]
A big new update to Battlefield 3 for Xbox 360 has just been released. The news they’re making the most of is that you can rent a server to play on via Xbox. Yes, PS3 has been offering this for a while and it is out for Xbox 360 at last. This means you can rent your own server and create your custom Battlefield 3 gaming space. OK, you could already do this by privately renting a slot on a server if you knew how, but now it’ll just be easier for those of us who don’t know. What Can [...]

This is some of my dad’s music. His name was Roger Lewis, some people knew him as Smokey Joe. He was a song writer and rock & blues guitarist. My dad wrote and performed in many bands over his life and was devoted to his guitar. Sadly he died 4 years ago. He made his first guitar when he was a child, and played guitar for 50 years or more. He was self-taught and started writing his own music as far back as the 60′s and 70′s. His music was very important to him and it is to me as [...]

I’ve just found out on OXM online that the Gears of War Lancer and Hammerburst avatar items are no longer available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Apparently a new policy came into effect for all gun-like avatar accessories on the Xbox Live Marketplace from January 1, 2012. If you’ve already bought guns for your avatar, you should still have those, but it looks like you won’t be getting any more. What a load of bollocks! I am an adult Xbox 360 gamer and I don’t see the point of this ban. They put age limits on these gun games so why [...]
I am definitely going to get Burnout Crash, as I have Kinect already, so I’ll let you know if it’s crap :D. I am excited. But at the same time, I know how it goes when they bring out a new version of a game I love. Here’s one example: Burnout Revenge was the most fun driving game of its time for me. But when they brought out Burnout Paradise, I thought it was SHIT — only my opinion! It just seems like sequels often ruin the originals and create a less impressive track record. Is it just me, or [...]


![Spiderman Shattered Dimensions [Xbox 360 Game Review]](http://machiavelliid.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/spidey-125x150.jpg)
