RTS', RPG's, Platformers, OH MY (Release Dates in May for DLC, in October for BRUTAL LEGEND!!!!)

I want to start off by saying that I hope this never happens.

I have been on a sort of break since my birthday (the 21st; I'm now 24) but it was not really planned. It just became one of those stretches of days where everything in life feels like some form of work (even the things I find pleasure in). I have still been playing less games because of the dog though I did pick up and play some Rock Band on my birthday. Enough about the personal life though here is more of what you came here to read:

I am going to attempt a package of news because I only feel like writing one post right now. Count on it being longish...

First on the docket, Brutal Legend now has a release date. I can now look forward to a psychotropic adventure on a specific day as opposed to a generalized period of time. Though I wish it was just for me, I won't keep the date to myself it will drop on October 13th of this calendar year. I wonder if it would have been a different date if Sierra was still publishing it.

Second up, Halo Wars is getting some new multiplayer DLC. What this means to you is that the game is getting 3 new multiplayer modes and 100 new achievement points all of which you can read about here. I am excited because I might go back to the game which I have uncerimoniously neglected ever since I started playing Call of Duty 4 some weeks ago.

Last but not least, Fallout 3 is getting its last piece of the current set of DLC on May 5th. Broken Steel is going to raise your level cap to 30 and allow you to continue past the games original endpoint. How far past, you ask? Infinitely. Look forward to it. I know I am. I'll get back to it for sure this time, right?

Fable 2 also has some DLC coming (another game I neglect (seems like a common theme)) and I do not yet know that I find LEGO Rock Band worth mentioning. Oops.

February NPD Data Opinions

There has not been a lot of news as of late that has caught my interest but I am sure that will all change when it comes down to GDC (Game Developer's Conference) in just a few short days. I know that I will have something to say about Mass Effect 2 because I know that it is going to be there but other than that we will just have to wait and see. Maybe we will see something from Bioshock 2 that will do something the quell all of our inhibitions about the prequel/sequel.

But none of this is what this post is actually about. It is about the February NPD Data that was posted by everyone under the sun yesterday. The Xbox sold 391K units while Nintendo sold bajillions (technical term) of Wii's and DS's. Street Fighter IV and Wii Fit rounded out the top three games sold and that is about all of the interesting information that is there. The rest is just standard stuff other than the fact that DS games that are at least a year old are somehow in the top ten for the second straight month.

What I am looking forward to seeing is the March NPD because I'll get to see how RE5, Halo Wars, and Chinatown Wars faired among Nintendo's glut of hardware and software (well the later is Nintendo software).

Game Diary March 15, 2009

Late last night I stepped back onto the deck of the SS Normandy and it felt refreshing. It has been almost a year since I last saved the galaxy. This will be my fourth time through it and I am excited to be enlisted once again. I sincerely want all of the achievements for this game and I feel that the probability of that happening is more likely than not. I have wanted to jump back in since the Mass Effect 2 teaser and last night was the night.

Other than Mass Effect I have been playing Halo Wars still feeling equally neutered and equally powerful. I am surprised at myself because I have not yet completed the campaign but I do not feel compelled to rush it. I am savoring it and right now that is okay with me.

I wanted to play Halo 3 this week also but it never made into the drive. It should happen this week seeing how refreshing it was to play it recently.

Resident Evil 5 came out on Friday and while I want to play it, I am okay with not having the money for it right now. I want to spend my money on other things right now anyway. I want Peggle for Cindy (the wife) and I. I would also like to have the DLC for GTA IV. I would also like GTA: Chinatown Wars (DS) but that will also have to wait. Another thing that I do not need is the Premium Mass Effect Theme. I will get all of the above listed things before RE5 though.

P.S. - Kara should play Mass Effect for PC, its HUD and menu system looks fantastic and the game is f-tons of amazing.

My Halo Wars Tournament Experience

I walked into GameStop on Saturday, having just being released from the clutches of work at nine to two. The tournament started at two so I was naturally feeling a little itchy. When I got to the store, having it two blocks from my job helps a lot, I began counting how many people were in the store. There were a lot but there was not 32 (the tournament cap).

I ambled about the store trying to figure out where they were going to have all of it set up (I had no idea how makeshift this whole thing was). I was feeling like there should have been more than one kiosk for an entire tournament but I would find out in no time at all how wrong I was.

I finally found the sign up sheet and when I tell you that I was the fourth person to sign it, what I am saying is that there were only four people there for the tournament.

Fast forward a few minutes - While I was meeting my opponents I was paying more attention to the GameStop employee turning their demo stations into a Halo Wars battlestation. I chuckled to myself.

I also chuckled when, what turned out to be my first opponent, said, "I think I should be a little nervous about going up against someone wearing a Penny Arcade shirt."

And so when it got right down to it I selected Commander Forge and my opponent selected Commander Cutter and then my first and last Deathmatch of that day was on. I started building quickly and efficiently but before I knew it I found myself overwhelmed by uber units that i had never seen before. It was over, despite my futile attempts, and I shook his hand.

I then watched him beat the person that I, myself, wanted to beat. It was not that he was fast as much as he was efficient and smart about everything he was doing. He saw a clearer line to the finish that I can only hope to develop. Naturally I wanted to learn a thing or two from him, so I got his GamerTag.

All in all it was a great experience and an even better learning experience. I could not have asked for a better opponent and I was not even nervous when I played... which is an accomplishment for me. He was an RTS player from the bottom of his heart. I did not think big enough, instead I only thought about people who would have played the demo instead of a lot of other RTS's.

I would like to have this experience again soon someday only next time I'll know the maps better and I'll be a more efficient opponent.

i was confident going into the tournament