Top 10 Highlights of The World Cup 2014!

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The World Cup of 2014 has ended with Germany the ones lifting the trophy. They certainly deserve it after easing their way through the group stages and then the finals, not one of their players looked out of place.  The World Cup wouldn't be the World Cup without a share of upsets, controversies and unexpected triumphs, so we've collected the 10 biggest moments from this years tournament!

10. Portugal crash out

After winning the Ballon d'Or and securing himself as the best player in the world, the stage was set for Cristiano Ronaldo to captain his country and go for a good run in the World Cup, although it wasn't all on his shoulders as Portugal are the 4th best team in the world according to the official Fifa World Rankings. They should have easily got through to the finals after drawing Germany, USA and Ghana in their group but instead they were smacked 4-0 by Germany, drew 2-2 with USA and just beat Ghana 2-1. These results allowed USA to go through on goal difference instead of Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo's dream of lighting up the biggest stage was shattered.

9. Holland vs Mexico

These two met in the last 16 straight after the group stages, Holland had topped their group and Mexico had finished runners up so it was going to be a cracking game to watch. Giovanni dos Santons scored for Mexico just after half time at 48 minutes and the Mexicans held on for most of the game, it looked like Holland were going home earlier than expected. Holland's manager Louis Van Gaal made a nervy substitute, replacing Robin Van Persie with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. This move paid off, as Huntelaar ended up providing an assist for Wesley Sneijder on the 88th minute mark and then slotting home a penalty in the 94th minute to seal Holland's win, taking them into the quarter finals. It was a great comeback and some genius tactics by Louis Van Gaal, who unfortunately will be going to Manchester United soon.

8. Costa Rica

When it was announced that Costa Rica would share the same group as England, Italy and Uruguay, they were immediately written off and 3 huge losses was expected. What happened couldn't be any more different, after a 3-1 win against Uruguay, a 1-0 win against Italy and a 0-0 draw with England, they stunned everyone by finishing top of the group of death. They then went on to beat Greece on penalties before losing to Holland on penalties. They made history and it's not like they were lucky, they were actually good enough as a squad. They proved that you can have a couple of world class players but to do well you need a team that can work together and stay focused.

7. Spain crash out

Having won the last World Cup, Spain were finalists in everyone's predictions but what really happened is something that Spaniards won't want to mention for a long time. In a group with Chile, Holland and Australia, they looked certain to progress but they were demolished 5-1 by a Dutch masterclass in their first game, then after a further loss to Chile they were on their way home. I think Diego Costa was the most annoyed after choosing to play for Spain instead of Brazil. We're not quite sure what happened to Spain this World Cup, but most of their best players will have retired before the next one so this was their best shot at another trophy.

6. Goal of the tournament

What a goal this was, James Rodriguez has had an excellent tournament, picking up the golden boot for most goals scored and should have lifted the golden ball, or at least been in contention to. The ball fell to him, he chested it down and volleyed it perfectly, rattling the crossbar and going over the line. Although it's not officially the goal of the tournament at the moment, it's widely agreed that no other goal comes close. Watch it here.

5. Suarez's bite

Suarez missed the first Uruguay game due to an injury but came back for the next game to score 2 goals against England, from there he was set to star in the World Cup and show everyone just how good he can be on the big stage. The next game he didn't manage to score, but he did manage to bite another player, Chiellini. I'm not sure why he did it, it is his third time in his career he's bitten another player and each time there's been no signs or provocation. It's disappointing that someone with so much potential has to have a drawback as bad as he has. If you want to read more about Suarez, we have an entire top 10 just for him here.

4. Messi wins the Golden Ball

I think it is fair to say that Argentina wouldn't have gotten to the final if it wasn't for Messi, but it's also fair to say he really didn't deserve the Golden Ball. He scored some good goals in the group stages but didn't deliver in the big games (such as the final they lost, he missed a sitter). The award should have gone to someone who did consistently well throughout the tournament, Toni Kroos, Arjen Robben, Thomas Müller all come to mind.

3. Team of the tournament

Although there's no official team of the tournament, I've had to go through all the teams picked by various sporting authorities and websites and find the most popular players. This will be the most accurate team of the tournament you will find on the internet (unless someone else has done the same). Sites taken into account: IBTimes, BBC, Goal, ITV, CNN, Sky and AOL. Votes are out of 7.

Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer (5 votes)

Left back: Philipp Lahm (4 votes)

Centre back: Giancarlo Gonzalez (3 votes)

Centre back: Mats Hummels (7 votes)

Right back: Daley Blind (5 votes)

Left wing: Arjen Robben (7 votes)

Central midfield: Toni Kroos (5 votes)

Central midfield: Javier Mascherano (4 votes)

Attacking midfield: James Rodriguez (6 votes)

Right wing: Lionel messi (5 votes)

Forward: Thomas Müller (5 votes)

 2. Brazil vs Germany

Everyone knew it would be a good game but we were gifted one of the best games to watch in a long time (as a neutral anyway). Brazil were without their talisman Neymar, who had been injured in a previous game. They were also missing captain Thiago Silva due to suspension, who was badly missed. I don't know what happened to them, but Brazil were complete shambles, Germany had scored 5 before the half hour mark and went on to win 7-1. Besides being the heaviest defeat ever in a semi final, Miroslav Klose also became the highest goal scorer in World Cup history, even passing the legendary Ronaldo. This defeat humiliated Brazil so much that they went on to lose the third place play off against Holland, losing two games on home soil for the first time in many decades.

Germany looked the best team on the planet by far at that time, they were fluid going forward and solid at the back (Brazil has 13 shots on target yet scored once).

1. The final

We all knew who would be lifting the trophy, I doubt anyone thought Argentina would be the favourites going in. The difference between the two is Argentina look for one of their star players to produce some magic whereas Germany are just a solid, technically gifted, tactically proficient team. Argentina had some spells, Higuaín and Messi both missing sitters each but the Germans were largely dominant for the most portions of the game. It was a thrilling meeting, the referee was outstanding, blood was spilled and hearts were broken. But that's what the World Cup is all about.

Congratulations to Germany, World Champions 2014!

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Top 10 Best Fire Type Pokemon!

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Fire type Pokemon are some of the most powerful and awesome looking Pokemon there are. They tend to be very offensive Pokemon, dealing high damage and burning their enemies to give them a good advantage. There's plenty of them to choose from, but we've put together 10 of the best. 

We take into account stat total, stat distribution, evolution levels, rarity and difficulty to catch. (FYI The author is in no way a competitive battler, he's never even finished a Pokedex outside of the Kalos national dex)

(mega evolutions not included)

10. Ninetales

Starting off with a fan favourite, Ninetales is one of those Pokemon that you can't help but like. It evolves from the ever-popular Vulpix using a Fire Stone so it's quite easy to obtain in the games. The stats are well balanced, a 505 total favouring speed and special defence allow Ninetales to hold its own against other special attackers. The HP and defence is weak, so pull it away from any physical attackers. The default ability, Flash Fire, allows it to absorb any fire attacks and grow stronger, making it perfect to switch in for any Pokemon about to be blasted by a fire attack.

9. Magmar

I chose Magmar instead of Magmortar because Magmortar is way more difficult to obtain, Magmar can be obtained by levelling a Magby to 30 and that's all (or catching it). It is pure fire type (like Ninetales) so it has no extra weaknesses and just by looking at it you can see how awesome it is. The stat total of  495 is nothing special really, it is very attack/special attack/speed based with low defences and HP so expect it to deal a lot more damage than it can take. The Flame Body ability burns any foes if they hit you with a physical attack which is a nice way to make up for the low defences.

8. Typhlosion

Our first starter Pokemon of the list, Typhlosion is another pure fire type that you get as a starter in the Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal/HeartGold/SoulSilver games. It's a good, well balanced Pokemon that can use physical or special attacks to deal nice damage and the defences aren't too shabby themselves, so it can also take a few hits. A well rounded stat bonus of 534 (favouring special attack and speed) is a good combination and it's no surprise that many trainers hold this as their favourite Pokemon. I think, and this is where I might get a lot of hate, that it looks stupid when the fire is down, I mean look, it looks like a Snorlax that has lost a lot of weight.

7. Infernape

An awesome looking fire/fighting type, Infernape is the second starter on this list and is available in the Diamond/Pearl/Platinum games. It has a 534 stat total with very high attack/special attack/speed stats, meaning it can rip through entire teams with ease. Infernape's power is best shown here, although it is the anime and not the game, you can see why it makes it onto this list.

6. Moltres

Moltres is one of the legendary birds, the first fire type legendary we had and for some, the first legendary they had. Like all legendaries, it's a pain to catch but you don't have to go through anything really time consuming like you do with other legendaries (like Suicune). The stats are fairly low for a legendary at 580 but they're well balanced, it's essentially an Infernape (stat wise) but it has more defences/hp. It's a fire/flying type meaning it has that 4x weakness to rock and another weakness to electric, which is why it only reaches number 6 in this list.

5. Volcarona

For a while, we never had a bug/fire dual type Pokemon, we had electric, grass, poison, steel and even flying but no fire. Then Volcarona came along and it became an instant hit. A huge stat total of 550 made it viable in a competitive environment, the stat distribution gave it a lot of speed/special attack/special defence so it can really hold its own against almost any other Pokemon. Flame Body burns those pesky physical attackers and it has its own signature move, Fiery Dance, which is very powerful. It sounds perfect doesn't it? One thing though, it's not that easy to obtain. You have to level a Larvesta all the way up to 59 and you that Pokemon is rather difficult to obtain too.

4. Houndoom

I've never actually owned a Houndoom but it's one of those Pokemon that everyone loves. It evolves from a Houndour at level 24, Houndours are moderately difficult to obtain but with the amount of breeding that goes on you'll be able to find one on the GTS or if you have any friends who play, they might have one. Houndoom has an average 500 stat total favouring special attack and speed, it it also dark type so you have a lot of type coverage. I feel like much more could have been done with Houndoom although he did get a mega evolution, it would have been better if he had higher stats/better look to start with.

3. Arcanine

Arcanine is a great Pokemon, it has the highest stat total (excluding Moltres) out of  any other Pokemon on the list at 555. Like Houndoom it's very easy to obtain, all you need to do is evolve a Growlithe with a Fire Stone so you can get an Arcanine on your team fairly quickly. The stats show it has nicely balanced defence/speed and small boosts to attack/special attack, but you can use Arcanine for whatever you need at the time. It's one of the tougher Pokemon you face when battling your rival in the Red/Blue games and because of this it has a pretty awesome reputation. It was thought that Arcanine would be a legendary Pokemon due to appearing on a stone depicting the three legendary birds.

2. Blaziken

The third starter on this list as well as the second fire/fighting type, Blaziken is a huge fan favourite and for good reason. His stat total is 530 which isn't bad, the distribution is pretty much the same as Arcanine but with more offence and less defence. Blaziken was the first fire/fighting starter we had and it started a trend of fire/fighting from there (Infernape and Emboar). Take advantage of Blaziken's hidden ability Speed Boost (which raises speed each turn) and you have a very powerful asset on your team.

1. Charizard

Had to be Charizard. This Pokemon is arguably the most recognisable out of any other (besides Pikachu). To a lot of players, Charizard was the first third evolution they had, whether it was before Mt. Moon or after getting the SS Anne ticket. It has a predictable starter stat total of 534, favouring speed/special attack which makes it a great attacker. It has dual flying type giving it bonus resistances to bug/grass as well as fighting, although it does adopt a weakness to electric. (Pokemon X/Y SPOILER) You choose a Kanto region starter in the newest games so it's easy to obtain if you want one, if not you can find a Charmander on the GTS very easily.

Hope you enjoyed the list!

Top 10 Best Daedric Artifacts in Skyrim!

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Daedric artifacts are some of the more interesting items you can find in the Elder Scrolls universe. The methods of obtaining them are always great quests that are really fun and the items themselves are usually really useful. It would be very difficult to pick 10 of the best, never mind put them in order but I've managed to choose what I think are the best deadric artifacts in Skyrim. Bear in mind that every Daedric artifact is really good, this list takes into account easiness to obtain and usability to any play style.

10. Skeleton Key

I'm sure you've heard of this outside of the Elder Scrolls games, the Skeleton Key in "real life" can open any door whereas the one in game is the same as a lockpick but it can't break. This means you can open any kind of chest (Master for example) without any fuss. The downside is (STORYLINE SPOILER) you only obtain it through the Thieves Guild quests and if you want to complete the entire quest line you have to give it back. I recommend obtaining it, using it until your lockpicking is 100 and then continue with the quests.

9. Spellbreaker

This shield is the Daedric artifact of Peryite and belongs to the Heavy Armour class. It has the highest base defence out of any shield in the game, so physical attackers won't stand a chance. When blocking it also creates a magical ward that absorbs 50 points of magic damage, combine this with the Block perk that allows you to move faster while blocking and you're a walking juggernaut. It's only entry number 9 because shields aren't widely used when compared to other things (like swords or useful items).

8. Dawnbreaker

Dawnbreaker comes at just entry number 8 not because there's anything wrong with it, it's because the others are pretty much a lot better (and easier to get).

See here for a better description

7. Wabbajack

This staff allows you to have some of the most fun in Skyrim, it is the artifact of Sheogorath and the effect description sums it up perfectly "A blast from the Wabbajack has an unpredictable effect". Here's the most awesome effects.

- Disintegrates the enemy

- Transformation (into an animal, Daedra or even a pile of sweetrolls)

- Instant kill

- Un-equip armour

- Switch places

- Replaces enemies with a random amount/variety of cheese

As you can see it's pretty funny, these effects happen at random too so you never really know when or what will happen. That's the downside, because of the unpredictability it doesn't have much viability in battle.

 6. Masque of Clavicus Vile

This mask can be obtained by completing the "A Daedra's Best Friend" quest, it is a powerful heavy armour helmet that increases Speech by 10 points, magicka regenerates 5% faster and prices are 20% better. It's not too useful in battle but if you're planning on buying a lot of items, you should equip this. If you wear heavy armour and currently don't have a good enchantment on your headgear, I recommend obtaining this as soon as you can.

5. Ebony Blade

The Ebony Blade is a strange artifact, it is a two handed sword obtained by completing the "The Whispering Door" quest. The enchantment is slightly complex but it starts off with the absorb 10 points of health effect. You increase the absorb effect (up to a huge 30 points) by killing "friendly" characters, like those who you have done quests for. The enchantment never needs to be recharged which makes it a no brainer to those starting off and wanting to use a two handed weapon, just the original enchantment is already awesome. I'd recommend giving this to one of your followers, especially if they're a tank.

4. Mehrunes' Razor

This dagger is one of the more easy to obtain Daedric artifacts, you get it by completing the "Pieces of the Past" quest, as well as some ES:Oblivion nostalgia. The dagger has a 1.98% chance of instantly killing, with the attack rate of a dagger it can be very powerful, especially utilising other methods of increasing attack speed. When using it to dual wield, I suggest placing it in your left hand as power attacks hit twice with your left hand. There's not really a reason not to obtain this, it's powerful and you can get it quickly.

3. Black Star

This item is surprisingly obtainable by completing the "The Black Star" quest, it is the artifact of Azura along with Azura's Star. These stars are basically soul gems that are not removed when used and can hold any size soul. The reason I chose the Black Star over Azura's Star is because Azura's Star can only hold white souls, whereas the Black Star can hold both black and white souls. It's an incredibly useful item that literally any player should obtain at some point. Combine this with an item that has soul trap (along with another enchantment, like the Mace of Molag Bal) and you will never run out of charge.

2. Ebony Mail

Obtained from the "Boethiah's Calling" quest, the Ebony Mail is the artifact of Boethiah and has some pretty unique properties. It has the enchantment Muffle which greatly reduces the sound you make, it also deals 5 poison damage per second to any enemies who get close to you. It's classified as heavy armour so it is useful in battle as well as sneaking and when sneaking you get some cool black smoke around you. I've not obtained this yet so can't comment on how easy it is to obtain, but by the look of it, it could be useful to a lot of players and a lot of play styles.

1. Oghma Infinium

Easily the best and most useful Daedric artifact, if not the most useful item in the entire game. It is the artifact of Hermaeus Mora and is obtained by completing the "Discerning the Transmundane" quest. It's fairly easy to obtain as you can meet the quest requirements by just going about your business as usual. The effect is amazing, here's what it does: Upon obtaining it, you read it and you have a choice of one of three effects:

- Path of Might (Increases Heavy Armour, One-Handed, Smithing, Two-Handed, Archery and Block by 5 points each)

- Path of Shadow (Increases Light Armour, Speech, pickpocket, Alchemy, Sneak and Lockpicking by 5 points each)

- Path of Magic (Increases Destruction, Restoration, Conjuration, Illusion, Alteration and Enchanting by 5 points each)

As you can see, it's a very powerful item that will greatly enhance the strength of any character, regardless of the play style. There was a glitch that allowed players to read this book as many times as they wanted, thus power-levelling themselves (although I don't see why people did that, it's a single player game that revolves around you building your character up). The glitch was patched as of version 1.9 thankfully.

This list is of course completely opinionated (as are most of my lists) so if you don't like the entries then I'm sorry, if you feel there's a real need for entries to be changed then let me know and I will change it if I agree with you!

Top 10 Highest Premier League Goalscorers!

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The Premier League has hosted many legendary players, they're the ones who get the most recognition and in turn, the most glory. Choosing a top 10 best Premier League goalscorers out of opinion would be next to impossible, as there are too many that have graced the beautiful game. I'm going with facts rather than opinion (for once), so here's the top 10 highest goalscorers in Premier League history!

10. Robin Van Persie

Goals: 134

The Dutchman starts off this list with a nice goal total across two teams, Arsenal and Manchester United. He scored 96 at Arsenal over a period of 194 games and scored the other 38 over 59 games so far for the Red Devils. He basically single handedly won another league title for the reds in his first season at Old Trafford and is hailed as one of the best strikers on the planet. At 30 years of age, he still has a couple of years left to increase his goal tally.

9. Teddy Sheringham

Goals: 147

Old Teddy himself comes up 9th in this list after getting a long spell in the Premier League, he played for Nottingham Forest (scored their first ever Premier League goal), Portsmouth (scored their first ever Premier League goal too), Tottenham, Manchester United and West Ham. Growing up, he was one of the most recognisable players as his unique name combined with his goal scoring abilities made him a household name in England. He kept on playing until the age of 42 which very few players are able to do.

8. Les Ferdinand

Goals: 149

Yes, he is related to Anton & Rio Ferdinand (cousins). I was actually too young to watch him play in his prime years (around the QPR/Newcastle time) but a quick YouTube search and you can see how good he was. By the looks of it, he was just a generally good striker, he wasn't on parr with the likes of Raul or Ibrahimovich but he got the job done. Finishing, skill, pace, good in the air, strength etc all contributed to his goal scoring tally. His contribution was so great that he nearly won the title with Newcastle, something that would be unimaginable nowadays.

7. Michael Owen

Goals: 150

One of the finest English players we've had this generation, Michael Owen was known and loved (or hated depending on who you supported) by everyone and for good reason. He played for Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool (where he scored 118 of the 150 goals). He was revered as a legend to Kopites everywhere until he joined the Red Devils, where he lost his legend status due to the fierce rivalry between the two clubs. He ended his trophy filled career at Stoke City after his goal scoring abilities seemed to have disappeared.

6. Robbie Fowler

Goals: 163

At number 6 we have another Liverpool legend who was nicknamed "god" by Liverpool fans for his ability to score at will. He spent 8 years at Liverpool before he moved to Leeds and from there he went on to Manchester City but he never recaptured the goal scoring form he had at Liverpool (seems to be a habit of ex-Liverpool strikers). He scored 20 league goals for Manchester City and 14 for Leeds, his most came from his Liverpool days where he scored 120 in 236 games which is quite a feat.

5. Frank Lampard

Goals: 171

To be on this list is quite an achievement, coming in the top 5 even more so but to be a midfielder and come in this list is really something. He's not even an attacking midfielder, he's a central midfielder and yet he has scored so many goals. Frank Lampard is arguably the second best English midfielder of the century (second to Beckham) and at 36 years of age he is still playing, albeit for New York City FC. He scored 24 Premier League goals for West Ham before he moved to Chelsea and scored 147 over a period of 429 games. That tally is better than some strikers and this list doesn't even take assists into account. He's a Chelsea legend and respected by all football fans.

4. Wayne Rooney

Goals: 173

The scouser playing for Manchester United (who would have thought that?) has been one of Europe's hottest prospects for years. His Premier League debut goal was nothing short of remarkable and since then he's scored a lot more spectacular goals. Out of his goals, 15 have come from his short time at Everton and the other 158 have come from 307 games with Manchester United. He's just 28 years old and I wouldn't be surprised if he's much higher on this before his career ends.

3. Thierry Henry

Goals: 175

I think it is fair to say that Arsenal miss this man very much. During the 8 years he spent there he scored 174 goals (and another when he came back for a one off loan season) and won the hearts of Gunners everywhere. He is easily one of the best strikers of the century so far, definitely top 3 at least. He didn't just sit around the box waiting for a good cross that he could tap in, he would regularly get the ball from midfield, walk it past his opponents and put it in the back of the net. I think this video is the best example really, you won't find many players with goals close to as good as those.

2. Andy Cole

Goals: 187

Another player I never had the privilege of watching live, Andy Cole has and will always be known to Premier League football fans. I said Thierry Henry wasn't the kind to stay in the box and wait for the ball to come in whereas Andy Cole would kind of do the same thing. With players like Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs in the same team he didn't need to do anything himself besides get the ball from his feet into the back of the net, which he did very well. He scored 93 goals for Manchester United over a period of 195 games, he also played for Newcastle(55 goals in 70 games), Portsmouth(3 goals in 18 games), Fulham(3 goals in 13 games), Blackburn(27 goals in 83 games) and Manchester City(9 goals in 22 games).

1. Alan Shearer

Goals: 260

Holder of the most goals scored in a 48 game season, tied holder of the most goals scored in a 38 game season (with Luis Suarez) and the highest scoring player in Premier League history, Alan Shearer is without doubt one of the finest players to grace the Premier League. He started off at Blackburn Rovers where he won a league title, scoring 112 goals in just 138 games. He then went on to finish runner up with Newcastle and his career there ended with 148 goals in 303 games. How he didn't get snapped up by Real Madrid or Barcelona I will never know, but he was good enough to create records that I don't think will ever be broken in our lifetime.

Hope you enjoyed the list!