April Fool's Game Diary (Call of Duty 4 Game Diary/Review)

So by the time that you read this April Fools day will have came and went without any interesting jokes coming to pass. What is funny is that this entry was really meant to be posted yesterday but I fell asleep with only the rough draft in hand.

I am disaapointed because this industry usually comes up with the best ones (this year Google came up with CADIE). Googles last year was much better. For Gmail they gave you the ability to send email dated for the past (funny because at first I thought that it was true) so your paper, proposal, PowerPoint, etc would always be in on time. Think of the possibilities, one could never be late.

Anyway that's not what we are here to talk about. Or was it. If you had any good ones from this year, drop it in the comments. Okay bye.

Still here? Anyway, I have been playing and completing Call Of Duty 4 for the first time [I played pieces of the single player campaign long ago but I was mainly centered on playing the multiplayer aspect]. I know I know, hang me; Sacriledge or heresy, if you will. If you saw my last post you have an idea of what I am going to say regarding this game though. It gets a ten for the single player experience alone.

I have not felt as involved as I felt in a single player, first person shooter experience, since Halo: Combat Evolved. All I can ask for in the sequel has even better visuals and brings as much innovation to the level design as they did in this one.

Let's have a little makeshift review party right here:

Let us begin with the stunning visuals. The game was just that, stunning, though I do remember it looking even better (even a short time has it's toll).

The immersion I felt was so great because of the excellent sound and gameplay design. The gameplay felt so solid I really felt like I was in it. Which brings me to the sound which was so perfect. The combination of the perfect clicks of the guns and the helis overhead were great; firefights, when you are in the middle of them, it truly feels as though bullets, grenades, whathaveyou, is coming from all directions. In less words, the sound design was perfect.

As far as replayability goes I know I am going to give it a shot on Veteran (it has scared me since COD2) tomorrow and I look forward to getting involved with the multiplayer again and giving the arcade mode a run through.

I remember what originally left a bad taste in my mouth or why I think that I stopped playing the game. I had purchased the GOTY edition which was supposed to come with the Variety Map Pack. Instead my card that was supposed to have a code on it was blank. I went through a whole hub-bub-a-loo which involved contacting both GameStop and Activision several times to no avail. I was pissed at the time - you should have really seen those emails to Activision - but what can one do? I ended up finishing the game and loving it.

Has a game every put a bad taste in your mouth, so to speak, and left you not playing it, despite it being a good game? Leave those thoughts in the comments.

All Ghillied Up (Holy F' Wow)

The fact that you just read the title of this post and are reading this now will either have you interested or knowing exactly what I am about to say...

THIS IS THE GREATEST LEVEL OF ANY GAME THAT I HAVE EVER PLAYED!!!

Okay. Now that I have that out of my system I just needed to tell you why. I was so incredibly immersed and I could feel my heart beating in my ears. The part where you were under the Jeeps... when the army is walking through the field and you have to maneuver... O.M.F.G...

Okay. I think I am better again. No wonder folks were talking about this level when the game came out. The whole time I am thinking, "This is so cool... okay move this way to avoid this guy... do I really want to shoot this one... be patient Nate... this is sooo cool." After my thoughts sounded something like, "I think I'm ready to be done now, I want that achievement," and then after I got the achievement (Ghillies in the Mist) I was thinking, "that one should have been longer."

If this does not give you a good idea of this level and you have not already played it yourself I honestly cannot figure out what you are waiting for (what was I waiting for?!).

And the level after 'All Ghilled Up', well great level also, but I wanted to murder that level.

OnLive

I just got finished reading this article about all of the details that are being shared about the OnLive service. I really want this to work and if it does it will become my second choice for gaming entertainment. I say second because there is no way that I want to give up the community and achievements that I have accumulated through the Xbox platform. Xbox is my mistress and she always treats me right.

This, however, is my biggest interest, besides the obvious lack of hardware limitations, of the OnLive platform:

Sure, there is no question that the OnLive platform will have the lowest cost of entry for a new user. But, to be clear, OnLive also will certainly be catering to gamers who are less price sensitive, and are seeking the highest performance games, and also it will be opening up a universe of games to Mac users who, before OnLive, have had a very limited selection (MTV Multiplayer Blog).

If the price is right and I can play a few games here and there that I cannot play on my Xbox I will give it a shot. I will still remain skeptical until it is in my hands, amazing me. There are not of original ideas going around as far as gaming hardware goes these days and I think that everyone is quick to rain on this parade, myself included, but I am sure we can all remember a time when publishers were skeptical when Xbox LIVE was shopping their ideas around. Let us just keep an open mind for now and then if it does not work out as planned we can all chuckle to ourselves and say, "I told you so."

Something that I forgot to mention in my previous post is that if you like reading what I have to say then check out this podcast that I guested on. Pardon the fact that a mongoose salivated all over my microphone just five minutes proir to recording (there is a lot of static coming from my end that I cannot explain).

A Cavalcade of Updates (Mass Effect, Bad Company 2)

When I sat down to write this post I only had an inkling of an idea on what I wanted to write about but, now that I have crawled through a minimal amount of my feeds, I have a few things that I would like to cram into this post.

First off, we will go with the most interesting part of the past few days of mine. I decided to pick up and play Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare after my last post. I am at least halfway through according to the Mission Select screen and the game is more awesome than I remember. Every little thing is so detailed and I feel like I am in the thick of it at all times.  An interesting thing to note is that the headphones are a big help for finding helicopters that are circling around the building that you are in. The game is so obviously well-done and it really has me wondering what they are going to improve for the next one. You can officially count me excited.

Speaking on the subject of warfare the teaser trailer for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has made its way onto the internets via a GameTrailers WORLD EXCLUSIVE (exciting, no?). It really is quite the boring trailer but I am still excited for the game because the first one was a riot and the multiplayer was something different than I am used to. I had never really found interest in a Battlefield game before this one (Bad Company 1) and I feel than many people who primarily game on consoles felt the same way that I did (first Battlefield game exclusive on consoles = fun). The funniest, most interesting part of the trailer was a joke that I understood despite not actually playing the game that it referenced; "Specializing in warfare since 1942," was what the tag line at the end of the trailer read.

In terms of other news, Bioware did unveil thier level design videos for Mass Effect 2, but as you can see I am not giddy in excitement because they did not really show much of anything. Do not believe me? See for yourself.

The only other thing that I have to report is that I may be moving this blog over to WordPress soon because I feel that it is a site that offers more to an up and coming blog such as my own.

GDC (The One and Only Update... The Only One Necessary)

The most interesting thing to come out of GDC for me is the Modern Warfare 2 trailer. It doesn't excite me in any other way other than the fact that is coming out. Jarvis and I talked about it on his podcast which you will get to hear in a couple of days but basically I haven't completed the first one so I will have to get to that. Here is that trailer:



The only only other thing that I wanted to mention is the OnLive platform. Everyone (Joystiq, Jarvis, etc.) has high hopes for it but I am sure but without an insane amount of money it doesn't look like it will ever become profitable let alone get off of the ground. Maybe I am being shortsighted on this one but I like my physical console and I do not think that everyone is ready to give that up just yet. I will give it a shot but I think it might just be a fourth console and not the end all be all of gaming. It is gaming from the cloud like we have been talking about. Let us just see if we are there yet.

An honorable mention of GDC is Zelda: Spirit Tracks, which looks like it used all of the assets from Phantom Hourglass and added a choo-choo train.

Off the top of my head that is all I can think of. I think I have a hankering to play COD4: MW now... funny how that works.

Game Developer's Conference 2009

It kicks off today so you can look forward to my excited rants about all kinds of games and features of said games.

What I am looking forward to the most is the panel of the level design of Bioware's Mass Effect 2. I am excited to see what they are doing differently this time to hopefully make each level area a more dynamic experience.

I know that Joystiq and MTV Multiplayer will be there and I am looking forward to their hands-on opinions of Bioshock 2 and, if it is being showed, Overlord 2.

This is all I have until the news really breaks so be on the edge of your seat and I will try and bring you all the news I can in the coming days.

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 18, 2009 and Excitement For Overlord II

Yesterday I recieved my first game from Goozex, Overlord, and I love it. It is a lot of fun so far and I will have more to say about it once I have completed it but now I can officially be excited for this:

Overlord II:

For Those Who Liked The Resident Evil 5 Review

Oh my Gods, two updates in a span of time less than 24 hours? This is new. And this new update regards news and not a review? Curiouser and curiouser. Could I perhaps be possessed by Nate? While this is not a definite answer to the query, it is a definite possible answer.

Regardless, I am going to relate some information that does not even have to do with a video game console I own. Christian Svensson over at Capcom recently wrote that several old games for the Playstation have been submitted by Capcom to the Playstation Network for possible downloading. This is incredibly cool because now people who never got to play Resident Evil in all it's original glory may now get the chance to do so, not to mention you'll get other games like Dino Crisis (another survival horror game) and Street Fighter. You can already get Resident Evil 3 if you are so inclined (and 2 if you live in Japan).

On top of this, I also felt that I could throw into the pot that if you are a Wii owner, you could also play the previous 4 installments. All you need to do is go down to your local GameStop and pick up Resident Evil 1-4 on the Game Cube and then throw it into your console! It'll play just as well, and all 4 games have been put on the Game Cube (the original re-made, 2 and 3 just ports). In my humble opinion, the re-make of Resident Evil is just as good as the original if not better due to the intense graphic overhaul, script edits, and added gameplay mechanics.

Just something to dwell on in case my Resident Evil 5 review moved you so much you decided you needed to finally check out the series after not doing so for over a decade.

Resident Evil 5

It has been quite some time since I have taken a moment out of my ever so busy schedule in order to write a proper review of a video game. Part of this is due to the fact that I've been gaming a LOT less as of late. I've sold a bunch of games and I still haven't beaten the first DLC for Fallout 3. This is bad for me, I know, but with March and the release of two highly anticipated titles on my books, my XBOX 360 has once again received love for something other than a glorified DVD player/TV streamer. The first game that came out, Halo Wars, Nate and I are playing through together over XBOX Live. Resident Evil 5, however, I got and played all on my lonesome.

I'd like to add a forward notice that I've played all of the main games in this series, and by that I mean I've played Resident Evil 1, 2, 3, and 4. I've never played Code Veronica, 0, or any of the other side games. I am still well versed in all the important plot elements in those games, so it's not like I have ever had trouble following the story. Besides, with 4 we saw the beginning of a brand new story and gameplay style.

Ok, so let's do a quick retrospective here. In the original game, a group of STARS members arrive at a mansion investigating the disappearance of the previous team. What they find is a house full of zombies and an extensive laboratory underneath. You can play as Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, and each of their stories reveal little things about the mansion and it's owner, the Umbrella Company. In the next game, you take control of Claire Redfield, who had come to visit her older brother, or Leon Kennedy, a brand new STARS agent who had just arrived in Raccoon City, only to find it had been taken over by zombies due to an outbreak of the T-Virus. In the next game, you once again take control of Jill Valentine, who has made her way into Raccoon City and is now trying to deal with the same problems Leon and Claire dealt with. At the end, Raccoon City is bombed by the US Government to stop the outbreak, Umbrella is brought to trial for crimes against humanity, and disbanded. In 4, we once again find ourselves playing as Leon, who is now a special agent for the government trying to rescue the president's daughter, and we find ourselves face to face with a new bio-terrorism threat: the Las Plagas virus. In the end, you destroy the virus (or so you think!) and save the president's daughter. All is well... for now.

Resident Evil 5 once again puts us in the very capable shoes of Chris Redfield. Now a member of the BSAA, he is sent to Africa to meet up with other BSAA agents and investigate a threat of bio-terrorism. Before the events of the game, Chris just had to deal with the death of his partner, Jill Valentine, at the hands of the infamous Albert Wesker. Chris is a bit apprehensive to get a new partner in Sheva, Alomar, but she will prove invaluable during the events of the game.

Resident Evil 5 is perhaps the first real direct sequel to any of the games. The games were always linked due to Umbrella and Raccoon City, but you could pick up any of the main games in the series and just play as if it were any kind of zombie outbreak game. Resident Evil 5 is the first game that is not new gamer accessible due to the incredibly intertwined story. The overall linking plot elements of the 5 games are actually fleshed out much more in this game, which is nice, but right off the bat, I found it a little upsetting that the plot was so directly tied into the previous games because I feel it could hurt positive reception to the game for those who were unable to play the previous games. The load screens do come with an explanation of the timeline of Umbrella and the evolution of the T-Virus, but I still feel this created a bit of a problem. Resident Evil 4 certainly did have it's throwbacks to the previous games which wouldn't make full sense without playing all of them, such as the importance of the character Ada Wong, but to anyone who didn't recognize her, they probably assumed she was just some kind of super spy. Her stealing the Las Plagas at the end of 4 plays deeply into the events of this game, though. Furthermore, Chris has flashbacks to Albert Wesker and the death of Jill who, if you didn't know her from 1 or 3, must seem confusing (not to mention they dye her hair for some odd reason). I think it important to mention, however, that Resident Evil 5 acts as the official end to all the stories created since Resident Evil, so whenever the next game comes out (and you can bet it will), there will be a brand new, new user-friendly storyline and character set.

Let's move on to things I liked about the game. First off, the visuals are amazing. I remember reading a long time ago that Resident Evil 5 would work heavy with lighting, and by that I mean that when you're outside and it's bright, the screen will be very bright, and when you're somewhere dark, it'll be very dark. This idea was apparently scrapped, but elements of it are still there. The difference between light and dark areas are pretty incredible, and there is never an instance of too much bloom. I also really like the story to it. I like how any questions that existed before this game are now tied off and finally laid to rest. More importantly, I'm glad to see the story end. When the gameplay changed, it was only natural for the story to end. We still have elements to continue off of (remnants of Umbrella, the new company Tricell, and the BSAA) but it's not just the re-hashing and continuation of the same old plot with the same villains over and over. Also, as much as I was apprehensive as to having a companion through out the entire game, Sheva really is a God send. I can't imagine playing some of the game without her. I'm reminded of a level in Resident Evil 4 which I fondly call "The Room" which was probably the hardest part of the game since you were swarmed with cultists, and I wished someone would help me out. In 5, Sheva is that helper! It's also really great to play the game with someone else because, while the AI is incredibly intelligent, a real person works much more efficiently as a team. The people behind the game Army Of Two should really sit back and take a look at how well Resident Evil 5 works before releasing the sequel because the co-op elements of Resident Evil 5 pretty much takes Army Of Two out behind the school and beats it mercilessly.

However, as much as I enjoyed this game, it is easily the worst game of the main Resident Evil series. The first 3 were truly survival horror games. In the original, you wandered one singular mansion for the entirety of the game, unlocking new things that you'd had to walk past at the beginning as you go. The puzzles were challenging, and the bosses even more so. With 4, we stopped having a survival horror game and were given a linear action game, with a beginning, middle, and end that we achieved at the game's pace instead of our own. There are barely any puzzles in 5, and the puzzles that are there are really not that challenging. Move a couple mirrors, man a turret, do some cutscene based fights. When I played 4, all of the new things seemed truly revolutionary and exciting for the series. The one fight scene made entirely of cutscene based actions and it was such a breathtaking scene to watch. In 5, there are similar ones that are stunning visually, but they seemed less exciting. There also aren't really new evolutions in the villain base in this game. There are new monsters, sure, but they're all variations off the Las Plagas from 4, and the boss fights aren't as challenging. Finally, I think it is important to mention how much shorter this game is compared to the other ones. I might be exaggerating a bit, but I do believe I spent much more time trying to beat 4 than I did this one, let alone all the previous games and their puzzles. Resident Evil 5 is truly an ACTION horror game instead of a SURVIVAL horror game, and while it can certainly stand on it's own, it doesn't fully live up to it's predecessors.

I don't mean any of that to deter anyone from playing. I plan to play through the game again myself on a harder difficulty setting to do some of the things I didn't do the first time. It's really very fun. Some of the boss monsters are pretty horrifying to look at, and there were definitely moments where I said, "Oh my God, really? Really??" And did I mention that this game is truly an achievement for co-operative gameplay? Because if I didn't properly express that, allow me to do so again in this sentence. I am very glad to have shoveled out the money for the limited edition. So if you're looking for a solid action game in today's market, look no further than Resident Evil 5. I give it a solid 8 out 10 on the Matt-meter.

There are more games I would like to play in the upcoming future... Afro Samurai, Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (noticing a theme?), and more. I am trying to find more time to play games so I will probably be up to putting some more reviews in the future as that is mostly what I add to this blog. Keep an eye out for that as I am most certainly an expert, and the only real opinion you need is mine.

How Has The NXE Benefitted Your Marketplace Browsing?

It has been a while since I last brought up the NXE but it has faded into the background and it has become part of our everyday Xbox routine.

What I would like to concentrate on today is Marketplace browsing specifically.
Lately I have been thinking about how I have found it easier to locate and buy things when I am looking for them but otherwise I find that I go to the Marketplace less and less just to browse.

This is not because I am broke because trust me when I say that I love to taunt myself with what I cannot yet have. The reason for me is that there seems to be a mental block that prevents me from going that far "up" or "down" into the dashboard. I also watch Inside Xbox videos less whereas when there was an orange icon flashing (telling me that there was something new), that was enough for me to go and watch a few new videos. I do like, however, when new content, that is of sufficient importance, is posted, it is right there in the spotlight.

How has the NXE changed the way that you look at new content, Inside Xbox, friends online, etc.? I feel like right about now is the opportune moment to see how people feel about the NXE because it has had some time to settle.

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.

Bioshock 2 (Sea of Dreams (Hopefully))

So now that new details are emerging on the subject of Bioshock 2 I am feeling inclined to say something on the topic.

The first thing is that like most people who played the original, I do not feel like the Bioshock name needed a sequel. It is fair that it is receiving one seeing as the original made a few dollars and any business person's standpoint would say that the sequel would bring in a few dollars itself.

Accepting the fact that there is a new Bioshock game coming out the question is do I think it will be good? A better question still is do I think that it could be good? I think that it could be great. I think that it could stand to be amazing though I still think it would be hard to get a plot twist as good as, "Would you kindly," in there. Bioshock was not as so much about the place as it was about the characters that defined that place. Your character was quite literally a puppet in this world and I know that the sequel needs that character definition. So do I think that 2K Marin is going to be able to continue this enriched experience? I do not. I do not think this because it is a different studio, though it is still a contributing factor, I think this because that character direction was a unified experience that was wholly encompassed in this one story arc. Ultimately I think that it will be difficult for 2K Marin to break themselves off a piece of this and be able to keep up the rich character development without it feeling a little washed out at the end.

As far as I have been made aware this game is supposed to be a prequel and I have a hard time seeing, as far as plot holes go, how a Big Sister evolved into a Big Daddy or vice versa, if in fact it ends up being a sequel not a prequel. The only way something like that would make any bit of sense to me is if part of Rapture broke off and became its own separate entity which we all know is not going to have happened.

The last thing is that the first games story was based around the world and the gameplay and this one is going to be other way around. Realistically that should make the game easier to make. Raptures assets are already created, ready and waiting, so Marin should have plenty of resources to make the story great. One can only hope.

In the end Bioshock 2 is not going to be Bioshock, it will be a game that has the Bioshock name on it though one will have to try and enjoy it on its own merits.

[Via Joystiq, Jarvis Slacks, Game Informer]

Halo Wars: The Story So Far

My experience with Halo Wars so far is a good one. It feels like it is part of the Halo Universe which to me is the best part about it. The fact that it is an RTS where one can amass a huge Halo style army is just a plus.

I have been splitting my online matches between the win and loss columns. The only problem I have with this is that I do not know what I am learning from the losses. In the matches that I do lose I attempt to adapt my strategy based on the losing parameters only to find that those are not helping either.

But when I win it is completely the opposite; it is always a blow-out. I need to figure out what is happening here.

Just now I have come to the revelation that I need to stop attacking as much as I do but that is not the only thing because sometimes I am attacked when I least expect it (and other times still I am only caught a little off guard).

NEW STRATEGY: Build units fast, chill at base, be ready at all times. Good... Good.

As an aside, Halo Wars has me playing more Halo 3. The Mythic Maps that came with the limited edition are fun and I boosted for achievements for the first time with a few people the other day. I think that I feel bad about it.

Back to Halo Wars - I have come to like the extraneous things about Halo Wars the most. For example the Halo Universe timeline welcome along with the service records Ala H3.

That is it for this stream of consciousness; this is all that has been on my mind for the past few days.

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

Big Day Off, Big Plans (Random Diary)

Every day off I have I make these grandiose plans of what I will attempt to accomplish that day. Today is no different.

[Ed note: The caveat here is that all of these plans are usually superseded by real (meaning work around the house or going out to the store) errands.]

Usually I'll start off the day by reading hundreds of feeds that have piled up since my last day off and then hopefully with that information under my belt I'll construct one of my famous blog entries. Today I am trying something different in that I am going with the entry first and news later.

Then a bit later on in my day I plan to tackle some "big gaming situations" and by those I mean, something other than playing Gears of War 2 for hours at a time. Today for example, I am going to play the Halo Wars demo until my hands bleed so that I might prepare myself for the Gamestop Halo Wars Tournament. I have convinced myself of the notion that if I get to compete at all, I will win. Then after playing the Halo Wars demo, depending on the amount of time I have left myself, I will probably try and hop back into The Wasteland (Fallout 3) again today.

In reality I usually only complete about half of my plans and then I resort to playing Gears of War or something like it anyway.

I hope you have all enjoyed this little introspective look into my life; let me know in the comments if you care to read more like this.

Mass Effect 2 Teaser

I apologize for the YouTube quality of the video but you can go here or here to watch it in higher quality.

Okay so you've watched it.

"How do you feel?"

Great, I know. I think know I squealed a little when I saw this. I am not ashamed to admit it. I think I need to play Mass Effect again. Oh lordy, I need to catch my breath.

Naturally I think more about a post before I well, post it but this merits something different altogether. I knew it was coming but now I am stoked. Well hopefully the whole multiplatform thing does not mean that this is coming out later rather than sooner.

Maybe that DLC that I wanted is also coming sooner rather than later.

Okay I just remembered I need to breathe... and sleep. Goodnight all.

My 1st Podcast

Do not be mislead... I did not take the initiative and record this myself. I recorded with my blogging friend Jarvis Slacks. I honestly cannot be the judge of how it sounds because I think I sound like an entire toolbox all of the time. So yes please let you know what you think either through Twitter or through the comments.

How The Recession Plays Into Gaming Habits

Is the recession damaging your ability to play new games?

A lot of folks are losing their jobs these days due to layoffs and the like. Companies are hemorrhaging money and while I do not know any of these people personally, someone does.

These recent times have me thinking about how they affect how people are playing games (it might have me thinking about other topics of course but you are reading a game journalism blog who-sa-whats-it).

These are the few questions that I have been asking myself lately:
1. Is there more time for games because the unemployed are spending more time at home?
2. Are people playing less new titles because they can't afford them?
3. Are people trying to get more out of the games that they currently own because they can afford only so many?

These are all viable questions and they are probably all true, depending on the person and their situation.

I think that the unemployed folks that play are playing more because whatever time that they are not spending to look for a job they are spending in their games. It is quite a natural thing to look for a distraction from the hardships of being unemployed.

The second hypothesis I had was if one could no longer afford to buy new games. Instead we are buying more used games and trading in our games that we no longer have any use for. I think that this has always happened to an extent but I think that over the coming months it will become much more noticeable.

The last hypothesis related to playing games differently is how we are going to end up trying to get more out of our games. Will we try out and eek out every bit of GamerScore and game secrets?

I think this is how all of this is affecting me? It in not in any big way, instead I have other financial woes which may or may not have anything to do with the recession. I refuse to buy used titles and at this time I will not be able to afford to pick up Halo Wars or Resident Evil 5. I have considered selling off some of my property (not land or anything like that) in order to afford Halo Wars but then why wouldn't I do the same thing to pay off the rest of by debts. Instead I will be like option number 3, I will be attempting to master all of the games I own. I own enough.

In reality I think what is happening is that Gamestop is benefiting from this recession. I think that they are buying up more used titles and thus making a higher profit margin from the people are waiting to be able to play these games at a cheaper price. I guess another question would be is how long can GameStop can sustain this without people buying new games.

Here is a list of games I want to get back to:

Dead Rising
Obilivion
Orange Box
Fable 2

Recommend some things that I may have missed in the comments.

What about you? Is the recession affecting how you play your games and how many games you are playing? If so, drop a comment.

Of course the last option is that the recession has oneself playing no games. I'd like to meet that man.

Resident Evil 5 Demo Impressions

I figured that it was only fitting for a Resident Evil entry to be posted on Valentine's Day.

I have already told all of those who will listen that this is my first "real" (and I do say real because I once touched the first game some years ago for five minutes but it did not grab me) experience with any Resident Evil game.

I have enjoyed this experience. My reasons for getting into it are inconsequential but it goes something like, "This is the first Resident Evil game on the Xbox platform..."

After I had adjusted to the control system I was impressed with myself. I was opening my inventory, giving ammo, healing, reloading, running (but not gunning), and of course massacring the zombie-like foes. I was in love.

The game is beautiful to look at and fun to play (though I wonder if this was not my first, would I still feel the same?). This is a different gaming experience that 99.9% percent of games that I play. I now believe that the control system is THERE TO BUILD TENSION (though I wonder if I am being brainwashed).

In the past I would cite the broken control system as a reason for not playing the game, despite never touching it, and it is funny because if the controls were broken one would be lead to believe that CAPCOM would have been smart enough to fix them by now.

I normally do not think in terms of strategically reloading (I either do or I don't) but in RE you have to be strategic about it so as not to get chainsawed.

So go play it, stop reading, because it is a demo and it is free.