The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile Hands-On

If you have not even tried The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai, what are you waiting for? The Dishwasher is the brain child of Ska Studios (aka Jame Silva) and what a... dead... child it is. The game is hand drawn/animated and it has a dark gritty style.

But I will dare and assume that you have played Dead Samurai and what you are here for are my thoughts on Vampire Smile. In any other context that sentence might not make a whole lot of sense but alas that would only be from the outside looking in.

At first sight, Vampire Smile appears to be more in the same vein as its predecessor. It has the same art style but upon a closer look the game is much more crisp and clear. This is attributed to a newer version of the XNA engine.

The follow-up to Dead Samurai also brings better control of The Dishwasher. The controls feel more precise and they actually made the game feel easier than I remember the first game being.

In The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile we will be treated to three campaigns: one for The Dishwasher, one for Yuki, and a co-op campaign. Yuki is a character that breifly appeared in the previous game but in case you did not remember she is the Dishwasher's (now dead) step sister.

James said that this game will be great because it is all new - from the ground up. He said that the first game started as something small, in order to win the Dream. Build. Play. Competition, that he kept adding to but that Vampire Smile started from the beginning as a full title.

Look forward to it, "when it's done."

Raskulls Hands-On

Raskulls is the addictive little game - with the Castle Crashers art style - by Halfbrick Studios. It is being compared to Dig Dug, Mr. Driller, Mario Kart, and other multiplayer party games. I can tell you that all of this is true and more.

Raskulls fast-paced addictive gameplay includes a full story campaign as well as competitive multiplayer. The story is three chapters long with roughly twenty levels per campaign. The game is exclusive to Xbox Live Arcade unlike the studios other games which have ranged from PSP Minis to various other platforms such as the DS and the original Xbox.

The inspiration for the game was described as the desire to make a simple pick up and play title in the vein of a Mario Kart type party game; having played against another person, those last few seconds of a race get very hectic. I even managed to eek out one of my few wins by being on top of my opponents head. You can also add bots to your multiplayer match (they vary in skill based on four difficulty levels ranging from easy to intense). My opponent and I were bested several times by the, quicker than believable, bots (and we were only on hard - one level below intense). It becomes very clear that this will be a very popular title over Xbox Live or whenever you have friends over. It has four player same box multiplayer and the same over Live.

You know when a developer says that when something like this is more fun to make rather than making a big budget title, something good is bound to come of it.

There was no clear date and price set down for the game but the Halfbrick representative that I had the pleasure of spoking to said that summer looked ideal along with a tentative price of ten to fifteen dollars. Whenever it releases I will be first in line the download queue.

PAX Day Three Wrap-Up (The End)

On the last day of PAX East it felt very much like the winding down of something epic. There was a sadness in my chest that can only be explained as the end of something special. The experience was like nothing I had ever had the pleasure of attending. It is like they say, "We made the kind of convention we wanted to attend when we were growing up."

To start off the beginning of the end, my wife and I attended the XBOX LIVE Enforcement panel which even my wife said was a learning experience.  You can hear the full audio of the panel above if you missed out.

Afterward we met up with our friends again to see the last Penny Arcade Q & A. Mike and Jerry (again Gabe and Tycho respectively) are as funny as they are weird and seeing them arm wrestle was priceless and perhaps a once in a lifetime (or once a year) experience.

Then, it being the last day and all, we had to finally meet Wil Wheaton. My wife and I waited in line for an hour and a half; let me just say this, meeting him, was one of the best experiences I have ever had - ever. I will be writing more about this later so if you are interested I will have a link on my Twitter or in this post sooner rather than later.

The last things that I took away from PAX East were interview questions that I asked a couple of studios (once more, more on that later). I also had the pleasure of playing Monday Night Combat which (again) will have a hands-on write-up soon.

It was one of the greatest weekends of my life and also one of the most exhausting weekends. I would have never thought I could get my fill of video games but in three short days I managed to have more (pent up) conversation about video games than I could have ever imagined. Part of me wants PAX to continue FOREVER (like an every day sort of thing) but part of me is glad that I will have to wait for the next one.

PAX Day Two Wrap-Up (The Experience)

The second day had come to pass and the gaming overload said, "Let there be knowledge."

This is my general feeling about yesterday's delicious PAXy goodness. Overall the day felt more organized - I am not entirely sure how this came to pass and whether it was my anticipation of lines or just better knowledge from the Enforcers of how things were supposed to run. A fine person whom I had the pleasure of thanking for the show also said that the convention should be running smoother.

My wife and I also woke up for the show rather early so that I could attend the Joystiq Blueberry Muffin Tops Breakfast. At the breakfast I had the opportunity to play a second map in Split Second that I will also be adding to my thoughts on the game later on.

From the breakfast we (again just my wife and I) went to the panel for the Penny-Arcade series and it was hilarious. Jerry (Tycho) and Mike (Gabe) did a live commentary on two previously aired episodes; I was doubled over in laughter most of the time. We then saw an episode that will not be aired until this Friday so that was a nice treat for PAX attendees.

Directly thereafter we got back in line for the create-a-strip panel having met up with some friends. Watching the strip was not only entertaining, but it was visually unbelievable. Watching the whole strip come together, in person, could not have been a better experience. Later when I spoke to Mike, albeit briefly, he said that the create-a-strip panel is his favorite of the weekend. It can only imagine how humbling and awesome that must be to share that.

For a good portion of the day after that panel we turned our four person group into a seven person group and just hung around chatting about what we had seen in the previous two days. This is truly what is so great about PAX - to be among friends whose heart is in the same place as your own.

I also had the distinct pleasure of introducing my friends to the Joystiq Podcast LIVE and that was great.

PAX Day One Wrap-Up (The Experience)

The day past has been an interesting one. It has gone by about as quickly as I expected it to and there were both sweet and sour moments to the day.

Let us start off sour so that we may end up sweet. The first disappointment of the day leads in to the second disappointment of the day and that is that the whole event feels very much like a first go of it. It feels as though the people who organized the show were disorganized in their organization. Regardless, the place was definitely stuffed to the gils.

The first disappointment was that I missed Wil Wheaton's keynote - not only that but I did not sit in on any panels at all. A tip for the show that goes without saying is that you should get there early for what panels you want to see. Missing Wil's keynote was heartbreaking but my group and I moved on into the Expo Hall which proved to be a great time.

I have every intention of writing up the games that I saw and had a chance to get my hands on but I did want to briefly mention them in passing here.

The first booth we stopped by was the Ska Studios booth so that we could check out The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile and Charlie Murder. James Silva (Ska Studios one man army) was talking about the game as we played and my friend and I were floored by how down to earth he was. It was my first of many great experiences and a good chance to get to know an Indie developer.

We then proceeded to stop by and see The Behemoth's new game, Battleblock Theater (which I do not think is all that memorable of a game title). It looks like good fun but more on that later.

What really stole the day for my friend and I was Raskulls by Halfbrick Studios - here all of the way from Australia. It is similar Dig Dug and Mr. Driller except it is competitive in nature: campaign is vs. the computer while multiplayer is PvP. It is a very fun and addictive game that I will have more to say about later.

We also had a look at Split Second, an awesome new racing game from Disney.

More to come tomorrow like actually catching a panel and a chance to meet (not just look at) Wil Wheaton. I also plan to get more hands on time with what I did today and more, like: Splinter Cell: Conviction, a new XBLA game that I can not remember the title of, etc.

Stay tuned.

XBOX LIVE Deal of the Week - Fallout 3 Add-Ons

I do not post the Deal of the Week with any regularity - never - but this week I'll make the exception.

Arguably the most infamous Lone Wanderer picture.

You might have found yourself wandering The Wasteland for the past year with nothing to do. You may or may not have been penniless, unable to spend the money to pay for new quest information but today is your lucky day; this week you will find that all of this information is five dollars down from ten dollars. You'll find that this Lone Wanderer's interest is officially piqued.

[Source: MajorNelson.com]

C.C. Sabathia and Sweetwater in a PSA from F.R.A.G.S. (Battlefield Bad Co. 2)

I'll stop posting things about Bad Company 2 when DICE stops giving me the fodder.

F.R.A.G.S. = Friends Really Against Grenade Spam

This video hits at the perfect time - baseball season is about to start and I just got MLB 10 The Show in the mail (more on that later). It also takes another playful dig at Modern Warfare 2.

Remember, friends don't let friends spam the grenade button.

My Love of Battlefield Knows No Bounds

I wish I had a PC so that I could and would be playing Battlefield Heroes but alas I do not - shed a tear for me. Really though, I just wanted to share this funny little trailer with you that you might not have happened on today.

The news that can be taken from the video and the post on the Battlefield Blog is that from today, March 16th, until April 19th Bad Company 2 content will be available for Battlefield Heroes. New content includes: 6 new weapons, new skin designs for your character, etc.

If you are a Bad Company 2 VIP (that code that came in your game box) you will automatically be given 700 Battlefunds (equivalent to 5 USD).

Sign up today, it's free.

WAIP: March 15, 2010 - The "300th" Post Edition

This week was the week that I finally moved off of my second playthrough of Bioshock. I netted myself the Brass Balls achievement and then proceeded to start Bioshock 2. I played for roughly an hour making sure that I was on track to nab the Big Brass Balls achievement. After I hit that hour mark - roughly fifteen minutes after nabbing my first plasmid - I was drifting off and I decided that it would be best to give myself a Bioshock break.

Since that moment, and for the remainder of the week, I have been playing Battlefield Bad Co. 2. Raise your hand if you are surprised. I have strictly been playing multiplayer leaving the single player for sometime after I have finished all of the other games I have been playing (God of War Collection, Bioshock 2, Brütal Legend, Borderlands DLC, etc.)

I have played as all of the classes and I feel like I finally have a good grip on the maps (Side note: Have you noticed how much easier it is to learn points on a map when it does not involve "rushing" for the best weapons (ex. Halo)?) I have been primarily playing the medic class which is a big step for me seeing as I have to do a good job sticking with my teammates or squad.

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge Special Edition (GDC '10 Reveal)

Going along with the success of The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition comes, and hopefully it does not come as a shock, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge Special Edition - to be released on XBLA, iPhone, PSN this summer.

From a purely artistic standpoint it looks to be shaping up to be as beautiful as the first special edition. It is a well-deserved and welcome sequel.

While I did not get to play these games the first time around (I was in my box where only the FPS genre mattered) I am relishing the fact that I am getting to play these games and that a newer generation is blessed with the privilege of enjoying them as well.

Once again you will be able to switch between art styles (old and new) and I will be completing it twice (both old and new), as I did with the first edition of the well... special editions.

Not that you did not know but you will again assume the role of Guybrush Threepwood in your ever-lubbin' quest to become an arrggh-Pirate. Summer cannot come soon enough.

WAIP: March 8, 2010 - Still In Rapture Edition

Lately I have been thinking that I would like to change the name of this feature and make it more of a tale than a description of what exactly I have been playing. At the moment that is neither here nor there but I was thinking of calling it The Diary of a Geeky Gamer or The Misadventures of a Geeky Gamer. Thoughts on that?

Otherwise things are as back to normal as they are going to get when it comes to gaming. For the most part I have been playing daily but I am still stuck on Bioshock. I managed to nab a few achievements that I did not nab the first time through the game. I still do not think I will be getting the Historian and Research PhD achievements; the former because I am sure I have missed at least one and I have no desire to follow a guide for it and the later because it honestly just seems to be glitched for me. I have taken every picture I could possibly think of to no avail. It is at the most, disappointing.

What still gets me about this play through is how powerful I am feeling compared to my first time through. It does not make sense because it should be harder with the Vita-chambers switched off.

I still have plans to move on to Bioshock 2 after Bioshock's completion and after that the single player of BFBC2.

I attempted to dabble in the multiplayer of BFBC2 and yeah, you do not dabble with Battlefield.

WAIP: March 1st 2010 - Where Have I Been for the Past Month Edition

I know that we seem to have this conversation too often but alas, this time, I have a good excuse. As you may or may not have known, I have been in grand jury duty for the past month. In between I have been working my normal job in between and thus, in the month of February - I have had one day off.

I am back and better than ever and I am here to let you know what I have been squeezing in, in terms of games played, while I was on my little hiatus.

At the beginning of the month I had been delving into Mass Effect 2 a little further but nothing really came to fruition. Jury duty really disrupted my flow and I forgot how to make time to play.

I did manage to squeeze tiny bits of 'Splosion Man in there but nothing more than a few levels at one time. It is quite a charming game, I just wish I made more time to play it.

Lastly, the coup De grace, I have been replaying the original Bioshock on hard with no Vita-Chambers. My wife had ordered Bioshock 2 for me as a Valentine's Day gift so I wanted my recollection to be refreshed for the sequel.

Bioshock is just as fantastic as I remember - just as beautiful, disturbing, and perfectly crafted. I walk into a room and I am overwhelmed by the design for a second time (yes this is only my second time through). It felt amazing to take down a Big Daddy in one shot (no deaths, nothing). I feel like this is the way the game is supposed to be played because I am just as jumpy on this playthrough as I was with the first. If you cannot afford or have not been persuaded to buy Bioshock 2, just play the original again.

I wonder if having the original running through my head is going to help or hinder my experience of Bioshock 2. Stay tuned for those impressions. I did want to say though that the Bioshock 2 Special Edition is fantastic in its construction and beauty. Have a look:



Now my only problem with all of this is that I have the remainder of Bioshock to play through, Bioshock 2 to play through, and Battlefield Bad Company 2 is coming in the mail tomorrow. I suppose that it is lucky that I am finished with jury duty.

Did I mention that I also wanted to pick up MLB: The Show 2010 and Heavy Rain for the PS3? No. Well... yeah, those too.

Bioshock 2 (TBNTB - To Buy or Not To Buy)

While our faithful PC enthusiast Kara Walker has already sipped the Bioshock 2 Kool-Aid - as she already pre-ordered it on Steam - I, who was blown away by Bioshock (as were a few others), have been the everlasting skeptic when it comes to the game that is receiving middle to favorable reviews.

I feel that because Ken Levine (the mind behind the first iteration) was not really involved, and had no plans for a Bioshock 2, that it [Bioshock 2] is the bastard child that was never supposed to be. I was waiting for the reviews to be terrible but alas they are not - now I must play this game.

A few things that I remember reading from Metacritic (not quotes):

The return to Rapture is welcoming but the magic of first discovering Rapture is no longer there.

Problems with the first game (no specifics) are improved upon but where the first game had bright shining moments, the second installment is "just good" the whole way through.

The multiplayer is there, decent, but not necessary. It will be fun to play but it probably will not have any lasting value.

Your thoughts?

Posted by Nate

Free DLC Today on the Cerberus Network

Shocking.

More Mass Effect 2 news.

Today, February 9th of the star date 2009, when you boot up Mass Effect 2 (if you are anything like me, this happens at least once per day), you will find that there is new, free content up on the Cerberus Network. While it is nothing as cool as a new mission it is still nice to receive something that is always keeping Shepard in fresh new duds.

The following is a description from the Bioware community forums:

Cerberus Assault Armor
Cerberus assault armor is designed for shock troops, turn the tide of battle against creatures or forces that would decimate normal soldiers.
Increases heavy weapon ammo capacity by +10%
Increases shields by +10%
Increases health by +10%


M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun
The M-22a Eviscerator Shotgun is a longer-range shotgun with armor-piercing loads. This design also violates several intergalactic weapons treaties, so the M-22a is not distributed to militaries.

I am eager to get my hands on the shotgun and the armor does not look bad either.
Another one posted by Kara for Nate.

Microsoft Abandons LIVE for all Original XBOX Games

Be calm. No, Microsoft is not abandoning Xbox LIVE altogether. They are, however, abandoning the LIVE service for all Original Xbox games. This includes all Xbox Originals which I now feel was a test bed for having downloadable Xbox 360 titles.

For most this will not matter but there are sure to be a few folks that will feel personally slighted at Microsoft's decision to ditch the part of the LIVE service that they [Microsoft] imply is holding the 360 version back. Perhaps Microsoft will offer some free Xbox LIVE Gold Memberships to those "new" adopters of the 360. Only time will tell.

Could this mean that we will finally have a friends list that containing more than 100 slots for friends? Probably - but as I previously have stated, this is not something I am excited for. I am eager to see if any further changes to the LIVE service come to fruition. I believe that to abandon the service for all Original Xboxes we will have to see more than one oft requested feature.

What are your thoughts, speculations on how this will bring changes to the service?

 Posting this for Nate while he stuck in the hell that is grand jury duty! Damn the government for blocking Blogspot! Anyway, on with the post!

Mass Effect 2 Review

If you are a previous fan of Mass Effect, this is the game that you have been waiting for. If you love a good space faring story (Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc.) this is the game that you have been waiting for. This has been called the Empire Strikes Back of the Mass Effect series and in turn, it may be the best game of all time. Something I read on Gizmodo puts it better, "Mass Effect 2... transcends to science fiction that you can play."

The events of Mass Effect 2 take place two years after the events of the prior entry in the series. The Collectors are abducting human colonies and you are charged with taking on the suicide mission to stop them. Throughout the game you will assemble a team in order to stand a fighting chance against the Collectors and assembling that team takes you to the far reaches of the galaxy.

The majority of the experience takes place in the middle of the Terminus Systems - only previously mentioned in ME1 - so the subject matter is far grittier and the subject matter is significantly darker. The story that we are given in the Mass Effect series is some of the greatest because the information - the Mass Effect bible if you will - was created at the same time and it allows for a lack of plot holes. Most science fiction stories that we encounter have been told over many generations and Mass Effect has had the luxury of being told over the span of one - let alone one platform.

The story could not exist without its characters and the characters that you encounter are nothing less than gorgeous, gritty, deadly, and charming - there is everything to be said about the writing that surrounds them. Depending on your play style you will have your favorites and there will come a point where it becomes upsetting that you can only take two of them with you on each mission. Each character has a rich back story that will leave you feeling as though you know each one personally. I personally became attached to many characters and one would be a surprise those whom have not yet dipped their toes into the ocean that is Mass Effect 2. At the games end, though I did not take him on a wealth of missions, Thane had become my favorite character.

The combat - this time around - actually feels like combat. In ME1 we were given combat, based on dice rolls (To the naysayers: I know this to be a standard RPG element) that was supposed to feel more like a third person shooter. In its successor we are given complete third person "control" and are still, in the way of an RPG, if not more than the first game, encouraged to deploy our squad and continue doing so throughout the remainder of the fight. You could also set menu options and rob yourself of this experience having the computer take control of your squad. Everything from the controls to the way actual combat takes place feels fluid and perfect. It is a third person shooter, much like Gears of War, inside of an RPG. Having compared the combat to Gears of War, ME2 ends up missing a few bits. You cannot move from cover to cover and I also noticed that there is no animation for turning around a corner. These things never get in the way of gameplay but they will be welcome additions in Mass Effect 3.

The combat is not the only improvement on the first game. There is no longer micromanaging of weapons and armor but instead a simple upgrade system that allows for everything to be upgraded as you collect or buy research items. The minerals that you have to mine throughout the game (again another fluid system) fuel those upgrades. The mining system no longer involves landing on the planet but instead scanning and sending down probes. It is only annoying some of the time, especially when you are scrambling to look for Element Zero and Platinum.

Another change, subtle as it may seem, are what I like to call "Action Moments". These moments allow you to either take a Paragon or a Renegade action in the middle of certain conversations and they vary depending on how you are choosing to play through the game. They involve a left or right trigger press (left = Paragon; right = Renegade) and it dramatically changes the way that scene would have progressed if you had pressed nothing at all.

All the revamps and additions to Mass Effect 2 are welcome and they all feel like the team at Bioware were listening to what we had to say.

There are not enough good things that I can say about Mass Effect 2 but one is that I will be playing this game, over and over, for years to come. I still plan to return to ME1 in order to create more "Shepards" that I can drag over to ME2. There is not a soul that should go without this gem of an experience. You should not be one of the few that choose not to play. Join the team and, "Fight for the lost."

The Blogger Is Out: Mass Effect 2

Yesterday I spent every waking second playing Mass Effect 2 and I have plans for the same - today and tomorrow. I have nothing else to say on the matter so I will talk to you on the other side.

My Best,
Nate Kowal

P.S. - Still not playing Mass Effect 2? I hope this Friday, when payday comes, that will change.

Mass Effect 2 Launch Hub

This is for those who want to watch the same trailers over and over again, read reviews that they have already read, and mostly this is for those who have not yet let themselves get excited. After all, this is the second coming of the greatest game ever. Please be aware that I, myself, have not watched all of these trailers for fear that it will reveal too much of the game before I even get the chance to play it. Do not say that I did not warn you. I do not have any plans to post every video that Bioware had blessed us with so if you do feel so inclined to let me know - don't.

First the launch trailer:


Then the teaser that, just last February, started it all:

I remember being very excited after watching this trailer knowing, of course, that Commander Shepard was not dead. It was later revealed that one of the potential endings for Mass Effect 2 was the death of Shepard. Knowing that, this teaser makes a lot more sense in retrospect.

This is the cinematic trailer that was released just a few weeks ago:

This trailer is powerful. I would like to think that even if I never played Mass Effect I would want to after seeing this trailer. I would also like to take this moment to mention something that will make any fan of Mass Effect happy. I happened to be in Best Buy a few days ago - I decided to purchase the game there since GameStop, once again, does not want my money - just looking around and I noticed that every copy of Mass Effect was sold out. It made me happy to know that newer adopters of the 360 console were interested in playing ME1 before picking up the sequel. Lastly, if you are one of those people and it is taking some willpower to get through the slow beginning of the game, push through, the reward is worth it.

This was the second trailer after the 'Shepard: KIA' teaser:

Here is where we found out that Shepard was not dead - yet.

We know that at least one character from the first game will be able to come with you on your suicide mission and that ladies and gentlemen is Tali:

I wish we were able to see that shot of the flotilla for a bit longer but it does put the taste in your mouth. I just started a playthrough with Tali in my party and in this trailer she looks infinitely more interesting than she did in the first game.

This is the character I am most excited for mainly because she was in that little game, Mass Effect Galaxy:

Nothing really to say except that I think this is [one of] Shepard's new love interest[s].
If you do not remember Mass Effect Galaxy or never heard of it, here is the review.

If you recognize Miranda's voice from one of Chuck's characters here is why:

I love Bioware's ability, like many other developers, to get celebrities on board.

The next three videos showcase my next three favorite characters:






If you are not excited after all off this than you did not watch anything that I have attempted to show you or you are just ignorant and should die in a fire. Okay, kidding, but seriously, what is wrong with you?

I am picking the game up myself in just short of seven hours at the 24 hours Best Buy in Union Square, NYC. Where will you be when Mass Effect 2 releases?

Nate's Best of 2009 - Game of the Year - GOTY

Whenever it comes to writing a Game of the Year post (and trust me that is why this is late) I always put it off because I almost feel guilty about stacking all of my games up against each other and fighting for one that I can call the best. What it comes down to is that some genres and games do not compare well when it comes to listing out features -you should just end up choosing based on what you felt like was the best experience that you had all year. This is at the least, the ideal situation. I am sure that there are some sites that will just go by review score or some other merits that do not make any sense to this blogger but that is not the case here. Here you will find my honest heartfelt opinions on games that took me by storm this year or failed to impress me on any level.

First lets get the games that I missed this year, for some reason or another, out of the way:

• Assassin's Creed II (X360/PS3) - I am heartbroken that I had to miss this game this year as I enjoyed the original so much (and I am one of the few I know). I avoided all of the media on the game so that I would go into it fresh but alas when release week came around I could not swing the sixty dollar asking price. I'll play it soon as it is on many outlets GOTY lists and I will not be without this experience come April of this year.
• The Beatles: Rock Band (X360/PS3) - Another game that I did not get to this year because of the price. I honestly wanted to pick up a version of the game with instruments because my Rock Band 1 instruments are crappy.
• Demon Souls (PS3) - I heard good things but had no time or money.
• Dragon Age: Origins (X360/PC) - Same as Demon Souls.
• InFamous (PS3) - I had an interest in the game and played the demo when I picked up my PS3 but I am not sure that I want to play it anymore. Perhaps when there is a game drought and I have NOTHING to play...
• The Maw (XBLA) - I played the demo and loved it but never brought myself to spending the money.
• 'Splosion Man (XBLA) - The same here as with The Maw but I do plan to go back and play both of these games.
• Resident Evil 5 (X360/PS3) - I played the demo and wanted to give my first Resident Evil game a shot but I just never got around to it... I am not all that disappointed.
• WET (X360/PS3) - I may be the only person that had a soft spot for Elisha Dushku but it is why I initially wanted to play this game. I then heard decent things about the game and wanted to play it even more. I just have not gotten around to it yet.

There were also a few games that I did not get to finish and they are:

• Scribblenauts (DS) - In a game that had one of the most promising gameplay innovations I did not even fathom that I would never finish the game. It is not that I could not finish it but more like I HAVE NO DESIRE TO PLAY IT WHATSOEVER. Honestly, it is boring and probably my biggest disappointment this year.
• The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai (XBLA) - I was so excited for this game, started playing it, got distracted and never got back to it. I plan to finish it and I have loved it so far.
• Brütal Legend (X360/PS3) - This was probably the game I was most excited for this year because Psychonauts was my favorite game of the last console generation. It was fun and funny while I was playing it both it otherwise felt a little flat to me. Perhaps I did not give it a fair shake but I have plans to complete it sooner or later.

The one Honorable Mention:

• Halo 3: ODST (X360) - I do not believe that anyone, at any point, felt like ODST was going to be a full retail title but when Bungie added Firefight, Microsoft felt like it was worth the $60 asking price. I had no problem paying for the game but I quickly realized that any game could distract me from ODST and as a result I only played Firefight a little and I did not go through the campaign a second time as I usually do with Halo titles.
  

Here it is! THE TOP TEN:

• 10. Halo Wars (X360) - Halo Wars had me playing an RTS on a console so in that respect the good folks at, the now defunct, Ensemble accomplished what they set out to do. I greatly enjoyed the co-op campaign experience and although the game was not without its faults it still merits being played by any Halo fan or any fan of the RTS genre.
  
• 09. Left 4 Dead 2 (X360/PC) - This game deserves to be in any top ten based solely on the merits of the Gnome Chomski achievement. The experience on any difficulty level is a great time mostly because you must finish the campaign in order to get it. There is no giving up, there is only the Gnome. The game is great fun otherwise and while I was initially skeptical on picking it up, it became one of the better gaming experiences I had had this year.
  
• 08. Ghostbusters: The Video Game (X360/PS3) - The formula generally says that a video game based on one of your favorite licenses in existence yields a bad game. This is not the case with Ghostbusters: The Video Game as I learned this past summer. Bustin' ghosts was great fun and if the game did anything wrong it was that it played it too safe and did not delve further into a great property.
  
• 07. Modern Warfare 2 (X360/PS3) - I am always a fan of the next great shooter and MW2 was definitely something to be excited about. I played the game in one form or another for roughly a month straight but never achieved my goal of reaching level 70 in multiplayer. I am sure I will go back here and there but for now I am all MW2'ed out. This is not the game you are playing for innovation anymore, instead it is the game you are playing for a good time because everyone you know is playing it.
  
• 06. Flower (PSN) - This game charmed the pants off me so much that I had to get as much out of it as possible. As a result I unlocked all of the trophies and I am eagerly awaiting the release of thatgamecompany's next title.
  
• 05. Shadow Complex (XBLA) - This was such a fantastic game and for myself, it was really an unexpected purchase. I was intrigued by its announcement last year at E3 but I did not look into it until the game was close to release. I was rabid by the time it released and I had only been looking into for a week or two; imagine if I had known more about it since E3. Anyway I loved the game and it is an absolutely must-have experience if you own an Xbox 360.
  
• 04. Borderlands (X360/PS3) - I cannot say enough good things about this game despite its absolutely awful storyline. It was an awesome co-op experience and an awesome single player experience. I found myself playing the game two different ways depending on if I was playing with someone or not. Highly recommended for those who love shooters and RPGs.
  
• 03. Battlefield 1943 (XBLA/PSN) - I remember not wanting to download this game for the first few weeks of its release because it had planes in it and it seemed to be a prominent part of the game. Then this was the only game I was hearing about on any podcast that I was listening to. I became quickly enamored as I had with BFBC and I even started playing BF1943 and BFBC in tandem. That was about a month that I literally could not get enough Battlefield gaming in.
  
• 02. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) - I can officially call this the prettiest game in existence as of this writing. It is so perfectly designed and plays so well that some would be hard pressed to actually call it a game. I cannot say much else that I have not already mentioned in my review so check that out here.
  
• 01. Batman: Arkham Asylum (X360/PS3) - In the month following the release of this game I struggled to write a review that the game deserved - it still stands unpublished. Everything about this game felt perfect: the combat, the basic story, the graphics, the sound, the voice-acting, E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. In my memory and among many sites GOTY choices this game stands tall as the best experience that the year had to offer. I do not remember a game being this much of an experience since 2007's Bioshock.
  

WAIP: January 10, 2010 - There are some Border Lands in your New Year Edition

Since we last spoke, or since I wrote the review for Uncharted 2, the New Year has rung in and I have been doing nothing else other than playing Borderlands.
I have devoted every free second that was not spent at work in the game and it has even cut into time with my wife. I am determined to finish this game. At the moment of this post I have logged roughly 30 hours of in game time; it has been spent bouncing back and forth between my game and Matt's (Jewnado).

I began this game in October - when it was released - but stopped promptly when I purchased myself a PS3 roughly a week later. After that Modern Warfare 2 came out and if you are like myself you know where the rest of that story goes. I had stopped playing at level 17, still in the Arid Badlands, and I knew not when I was going to return to Pandora because I honestly did not feel compelled to.

Flash forward to December 31st - New Years Eve - and Matt and I decided that it would be great fun to return to the game after we had both been away from it for a while. We logged several hours that day and have been chipping away at it ever since. I had become so enamoured with the game (more so than when it was initially released) that on a day off I played it solo four five hours straight. In the words of the tenth Doctor, "Fantastic!"

Last night Matt and I played for another three hours and we are finally on the last mission (with a few straggling side missions left over). Tonight should be the night to finish it off but that will not be the end; there is still DLC and at least one more playthrough.