ITSMYYARD

Last Year I saw Push the Button, the game show with Ant and Dec and was thoroughly unimpressed. Not because it had Ant and Dec, not because it wasn't live so much, it was because the end game was thoroughly stupid. Memory games rarely make good TV, it's tense for the family playing, but at home it's rather subdued and uninviting.

So with the new aspect of having it "Live", there was always the chance it would actually work now. Well you're half right. Having live did add the tension, but couple things annoyed me at the beginning. First the introductions of the family. When you've announced the family and each individual member, why do you need to talk to them again and ask whose who? Waste of time really.

Then onto the challenges themselves, nothing wrong with them at all, stupid contestants but nothing wrong with it! :-p But there should be music to unveil each challenge, not just explaining it as it's being turned about. Oh I missed Ronnie Corbett too from announcing.

Onto the viewer competition, which felt Ant and Dec like with Saturday Night Takeaway, but still different, but was boring compared to the weekly changeabout they did with SNT.

The final round before D.A.V.E was a nice touch to add money back if a team is behind, but having it only 5k and 10k for the first two questions I feel is a bit too low, perhaps 10k and 20k max makes more sense. Now the Lever team member if he had sense would've betted the minimum (or nothing if possible) on the final 2 questions to avoid losing, as you knew the Braun member was going to bet practically all of it by the final question. Poor strategy on his part but he obviously didn't think that far ahead.

Now onto D.A.V.E., Now in last series they had teamwork to get the jackpot, but while having 1 team member doing it all make sense, it loses even more tension that the first one had. In fact the whole new series by having 1 team member only in each challenge is rather rubbish, I preferred when there were teams of two doing generation game style challenges, it made the show good, so removing it is a big drawback for the show. Hopefully there is such games in the future that involve running about and some team work otherwise the series won't go past this one in my opinion.

I still favour the whole concept but the whole D.A.V.E. thing is still rubbish, and I actually think the show would do better without Ant and Dec, they have never been bad presenters but this style just doesn't suit them as much as SNTW.

Good Concept, Poor Execution Overall.

After playing Smackdown vs Raw 2011 for several months now, you can't help but laugh sometimes when an opponent hits an object awkwardly and unrealistically too. Despite the new engine it's still not great, but neither are other physics engines either.

I mean take Endorphin for example, it's great for rag doll physics but all engines have the same flaw. They rely on pixels, a 2D Object which can never fully replicate a circle. No matter how detailed a ball is, it's not perfectly round, it has straight lines in it. Until somehow we can have proper 3D making capabilities, which utilises spheres instead of squares, physic engines will never be perfect, just really really good.

This not a go at any journalist or anything of the sort, this post is basically why video games mean a lot to me and thread the needle around my sweater of life.

When I hear news stories about past big events, you often hear journalists going on about “where were you when it happened?” to random pedestrians on the street to earn a living, and probably you hear them reply back with “off done the pub” if they tried to get a response from someone in Glasgow... My point being is that when something big happens in my life, I will always remember it thanks to video games.

Video games have been the backbone of my life, it's my passion, it's my hobby, it will be my eventual full-time job if I can help it. Why? Because video games don't cause you pain, they don't cause you agony, they may cause you frustration and the occasional crying from it because it's a nightmare (aka Ninja Gaiden), where as in the real world you lose loved ones, or move house, or go through a major operation for example and that pain can't easily go away. With video games though I forget about everything, much in the same way as having Sex to remove stress (and yes I'm familiar with it thanks!)




On the very day of my birthday I received a brand new N64 many moons ago, but just as I'm about to hit the driveway, carrying my N64 in hand, the police were waiting, with bad news about a family member passing away. I remember hooking that N64 in my room, playing Mario Party by myself to distract my attentions as my parents tried to cope. Yes I was young, but it was the best medicine for me. I remember travelling down South with my newly found mate, hooking it up to my deceased family members old black and white TV and playing Mario Party all week. It made no difference to me if my friend was colour blind, I could still tell who Mario was, what were coins, who bowser was, it didn't matter.




When I look through my gaming collection, just looking at a particular game brings back a vivid memory. Like Rainbow Six 3, killing people on Live TV on Gamerweb, or playing against Guru Larry for the first time on Wrestlemania 21, or how about playing with my school mates on Turok's Rage Wars in my parent's bedroom with a 12 inch screen on split-screen no less? I don't sell my games because the value of nostalgia is priceless.



Memories define us as people, define our emotions, our step forward in life by looking at the past, and with out video games my life would be incredibly dull and forgotten about. So next time you look in the attic and see that old Alex Kidd game in a box upstairs, think to yourself...

What a great childhood that was.

A day doesn't go by when I don't see a line like this on youtube...

“Wrestling is fake and gay.” Of course I've cleaned up the grammatical errors that most trolls put in wrestling videos, but they put up a valid argument...kind of. Why should you watch something that's fixed? If football was fixed, people would be in uproar... If cricket was fixed... you get the idea, so why is it wrestling is so universally loved and loathed? Because it's more than just being “fixed” it tells a story.

A story about life and death, good and evil, the invincible force versus the immovable object. Wrestling is essentially the storytelling of the universe, the big bang and everything that goes in the world. Why? Because it has emotions. Emotions are the very essence of a human being, and in wrestling it is showed to full effect. Take the classic match between Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels. Despite it being well known that Flair would be “retiring” it didn't stop fans from chanting his name to try and win the match, or to stop HBK fans from chanting HBK, or to hear WOOOOOOOOO chants every 5 seconds. Not to mention the heart-wrenching moment when Shawn says “Sorry, I love you”. I question any wrestling fan to not feel some sort of emotion when they saw that the first time.

On top of this, when a wrestler wins their first BIG title, it shows the viewer how much blood sweat and tears it took them to get to the top of the mountain, to be seen as the future of the industry. The Miz is the perfect example. He is the absolutely perfect example to explain the number 42, he fought from the very beginning, in small independent shows, to tough enough, to the developmentals, to teaming with Nitro/Morrison, to winning tag belts, to winning the US title, to win money in the bank, to finally winning the World title. Despite being pushed back from time to time, he has showcased that you do not give up. He is the PERFECT role model for kids despite his heel persona, that if you want to succeed in something, never give up...

“Never give up, never surrender.” - Galaxy Quest


Now the same can be said with video games, and i'll discuss that in the next blog.

Ever since I first played Xbox Live I have been pretty much in or around the pro gaming scene in one form or another, though last couple years I haven't and probably for good reason. Read on young adventurer...

I hate the term "Clan" at least in the gaming scene. Every time I hear it, I get the urge to teabag a noob who thinks MLG is the greatest thing ever. Yet when I hear the word clan in any other context (bar of course the KKK obviously) I have a warm feeling in my heart. Maybe it's my Scottish routes that gives me some sort of satisfaction when hearing it I don't know but it doesn't have any negative feelings for me, yet when I hear someone say "Do you want to be in my clan?" I feel like wanting to punch them in the nose.


Competitive gaming in general like MLG and what Xleague was about annoyed me, not because of teams facing each other off but because of the petty immaturity that was and still is around with teams bad mouthing each other, spreading lies and rumours left right and centre. Every "Clan" wants to prove they are the best, but to prove you are the best you have to be gracious in defeat, crying and pleading against a loss makes you look terrible and you become forgotten in a heartbeat. Granted there are "clans" out there which play for fun and just enjoy hanging around each other but I never regard them as a clan, more of a community. Even some types of games having clans is outer pointless and sounds really stupid as well...


"Hey dude you wanna join my super awesome Blur Clan?" *facepalm* or "Wanna join my smackdown clan" There are no clans in wrestling, only stables, so please have your definitions right! Clans want to win at any cost. Back on Rainbow Six 3 on the original Xbox, I was in XMCC Bravo, we had some fun times but ultimately it stopped because very few people find clan matches fun. Clans are fads, just like Tamagotchis or Digimon's, they have their cycles. Xleague brought the clan scene back, albeit very briefly in the UK, and it may have lasted longer if it wasn't for their POOR and I mean POOR website which was a hash of the old team compete website. There will always be Clans and I bet if research was actually made into video gaming clans, I have a guesstimate that about 85% barely last a year before becoming something else. Why? Because clans are a full time thing, unless you're mega rich or really unemployed you won't be playing.

That doesn't mean competitive gaming will ever stop, in fact it will get bigger and better over time with advancements in technology, just I will never get accustomed to saying Clan in a friendly manner in a video game scenario, expect a lashing at anyone who is in one... I should know... I'm in one.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Who are you?

I am William Stephen, AKA ITSMYYARD.

What's with the name?

ITSMYYARD is from wrestling obviously. I chose the name 10 years ago and it just sort of stuck.

Haven't I seen your name before?

I have appeared on numerous shows and websites over the years, the most notable would be Gamerweb which aired on Friendly TV around 2004/2005 in the UK and appearing on Xleague.tv/Pulse from 2007/2008. Basically I played video games on TV against other people.

What have you done since Xleague?

Mostly finished University with a honours degree, but most recently I am the creator and host of the original game show Last Man Standing, which airs weekly on machinima.

What ever happened to the Backyard Gaming show?

I stopped doing it :-p I called it the worst show in the world for a reason you know! But I still do reviews constantly on my own site and freelancing too.

I need a review/preview done for my site, can you help me?

More than likely! That all depends on what the review is, deadlines etc, I own all the major consoles (PS3, Wii, 360). Get in touch on my business email itsmyyard.backyardgaming.com (replace the . with @).

Every gamer and journalist always has some sort of list of what they are most looking forward to in the coming year, so why not I just chirp in with my own suggestions.

First Up PORTAL 2! I think some people were disappointed when Stephen Merchant replaced the voice of Wheatley, but personally I thought Wheatley sounds better now compared to before, though there maybe some bias there with being a fan of Extras...

Needless to say that Portal 2 will be brilliant in terms of gameplay, quirky humour and not to mention GLaDOS. Oh and Co-Op too! Can't wait to purposely kill my teammate by moving the portal at the last second so they fall to their dooooooooooooooooooom. hehehehehehehehehehehehehe.

Secondly one has to be Little Big Planet 2, not just because the first game was an absolute beast, but it's gentle nature and awe-inspiring community is what keeps you going back to it. The sequel will be no different. Having seen a few reviews already as the embargo is now off it looks great and I can't wait to have my hands on a copy to not only play, but to create a machinima game show perhaps? :D


Finally is the game which will probably be delayed and not be released until 2012 since there is no release date just yet, but we can live and hope as the beta for it will be out within the year. The battlefield series is addicting to say the least. Whether you've played the original on the PC, played the console versions, played Bad Company or played 1943 on the PSN/360 Arcade, you know straight away that this is a high quality game, with graphics that not only match Call of Duty but surpass it with a superior engine. Buildings collapsing; tanks exploding; C4 wielding UAVs (MUHAHAHHAHAHAHA) Bad Company 2 was awesome last year and I prefer to Blops. Let's hope you bought Medal of Honor as that's the only way of gaining early entry into the beta.



I could easily talk about other great games like Mass Effect 2, Uncharted 3 (drools) and more but I don't want the blog to be 25 pages long! But nearer the time i'll talk about these future classics, because they won't be bad will they? Just like Fallout New Vegas... oh wait that had bugs didn't it....

Season 1 is officially over. But don't fret, season 2 will be starting straight away this sunday! Let's look at the best moments of Last Man Standing with some of the most epic fails in game show and video game history!