Just started Oblivion for fun...I have finished the game but it's been 2 years since I last played it...and...

Well games have not progressed that much, in my opinion. Bethesda did so much right with Oblivion that it is amazing.

Personally, I liked the story of Morrowind much better...however, Oblivion has nice features/better graphics/prettier scenery to explore.

I kind of wish Fallout 3 never happened. I mean, I enjoyed Fallout 3 however I would rather have seen Bethesda put the resources into another Elder Scrolls game.

Also been playing the God of War Collection. I had never played much of GoW so I was pretty impressed. It's a good console game, but lacks the depth of a good PC RPG.

Trine is alot of fun...it's a PSN network game that I would recommend.

Also, I was a bit harsh on Modern Warfare 2. I really do enjoy the multiplayer...it's oustanding...however I'm so impatient that even the 30 second intermission between games gets on my nerves.

I have friends who are level 30 something in that game; I can't believe that, because I'm still in the teens.

Also...I'm getting the feeling that I don't care much for Assassin's Creed games. Why?

1) I probably have not given the games enough time

2) The cutscenes/characters/story seem boring

3) The combat feels kind of weak

4) I'm impatient...and the dual story concept seems to get in the way.

I would sell Assassin's Creed 2, however, there aren't any games that I want to trade it in for. I will give it some more time and will possibly come around to really liking it.

The most unexpected suprise of the month...gaming-wise...was by far Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010. Seriously, the game is about nothing but stalking and shooting animals but wow is it fun.

I enjoy hunting in real life, so undoubtedly I'm part of the demographic the game was meant for. It has a really interesting x-ray vision kind of feature in which you can see an animal's vital organs before you take a shot. Very cool (my apologies to any PETA members...well, on second thought, I'm not sorry lol).

I'm going to alot of college basketball games lately...also, doing some shooting. I would like to purchase a SCAR-H, yet I don't want to spend $3,300+. I made the decision to be content with my current firearm collection and not look to add to it...collecting guns gets to be expensive...however, I might pick up a certain old Swiss bolt action rifle if I find one I like.

I've been deferring alot of my income into a 401(k) plan, which will be nice when I retire in 50 years...however...it has dampened my spending habits.

Still working and dating...nothing life-changing there...it would be nice to settle into a long term relationship...sometime.

Saw Star Trek...thought it was great. I was never a big fan but thought they did an excellent job with it.

Oh, I picked up cigarette smoking for 1 week...and then developed a respiratory infection so I quit. A week later I started again, and, well I can't stop coughing so this is my first day off of the cancer sticks. I will work my way onto the gum, and then off of it...it's something I have done a few times in the past (the cigarettes were new...usually I would smoke a pipe or cigar here and there and then go to the gum).

I'm also scratching my head wondering why I bought so many military simulation games two months ago. I bought like 3 or 4 in a month, which is unusual for me...however, I have had a lifelong interest in military history so I'm fairly certain I will eventually get back to enjoying them. The learning curve is steep with each game, however, the knowledge is cumulative...so it gets easier each time I sit down to play them.

Things are busy. I have plenty to do every day, which is good...but I really appreciate the days off (like Thanksgiving).

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. We shot pumpkins (long story) and played Mahjong...

Much is being said about the campaign for Modern Warfare 2, and in particular, a level called No Russian. Personally, I thought the level was effective and the campaign as a whole was nothing short of spectacular. It's easily earned a place as one of my favorite shooter campaigns of all time.

One of the criticisms I've read levelled at the campaign is that the writing is poor and the story is ludicrous. I agree completely that the story is ludicrous. I think that most video game stories are ludicrous. But so what? The important thing in a game like Modern Warfare 2 is to cram as many intense moments into its five-hour campaign as it can. I can't think of a game that sustained such an unrelenting pace, and since the story does its job of providing a vehicle to string all these things together, in my mind, it's a success. I won't argue that it's great writing for a second. But it's writing with a very specific purpose, and I think it does a great job of accomplishing that purpose.

There may have been a time where I would have enjoyed it less, where I would have spent half my time stepping outside of the absurd action of the story and yelling at the screen, "Oh, come on! That would never happen!" Perhaps it's all that 24 I watched, but at a certain point, my outlook changed, and I realized that I was willing to sacrifice a certain amount of plausibility if, and only if, something succeeds in delivering over-the-top thrills so incredible as to make my suspension of disbelief worthwhile. Most of the time, 24 succeeded here for me. In the end, it's not the overall story of a 24 season that matters, but the moment-to-moment thrills that story allowed the season to deliver, and seriously, if you think Modern Warfare 2 is implausible, watch a season of 24. I don't know for sure, but I'd be willing to bet that 24 has been a direct influence on the Modern Warfare games.

24 ushered in an era of television where viewers could no longer be sure, one week to next, that any character (wiith the possible exception of Jack Bauer) was safe. Audience favorites are routinely killed suddenly and unflinchingly. The Modern Warfare games certainly followed in the series' footsteps here. The death of a player character in the first Modern Warfare, like the death of lovable Edgar on 24, was shocking. Perhaps in Modern Warfare 2 they go a tad overboard with this and it starts to lose its impact a bit, but I still found most of the twists and character deaths surprising and impactful.

And then there's No Russian, in which, as an undercover CIA agent embedded in a terrorist cell, you must stand by, or even participate, while your fellow terrorists slaughter hundreds of civilians at an airport. Many of the arguments I've read about this level are rooted in the illusion of choice. There you are, holding a gun, but you must stand idly by as this massacre takes place. You are unable to turn the gun on the terrorists and attempt to stop this atrocity, which is something that any moral person would surely at least consider doing in that situation. Anthony Burch, in this Rev Rant at Destructoid, argues that as the player, your feelings of revulsion about what's happening totally pull you out of the moment. (At least that was what I took away from his argument, but I'm paraphrasing, and I encourage you to watch it for yourself.) And maybe that's true. He contrasts this, though, with the player's relationship with Alyx in Half-Life 2. In Half-Life 2, he says, you like Alyx. Because the game reinforces your positive feelings about the character, Gordon's choice to not just use the gravity gun to fling her into the nearest bunch of headcrabs and run jibes with your own feelings, creating a seamless relationship between you and the character you're playing. But to me, that's an arbitrary distinction. Another player may totally loathe Alyx and actually wish to kill her. In both Modern Warfare 2 and Half-Life 2, you have no choice. Choice is a complete illusion.

Some may feel that games are more enjoyable when we always feel a positive connection with the character we're playing and the actions of that character. I'm fine with that not being the case, with sometimes being cast in an unsavory role. If Modern Warfare 2 were a film, could the actor cast in the role the player plays in the No Russian level say to the director, "You know, if it were really me in this situation, I think I'd say to myself, 'To hell with this undercover thing, I'm turning my gun on these monsters!' So is it okay if I do that in this scene?" Of course not. It's essentially the same thing here. We are cast in this role. We have a part to carry out, and we must carry it out, whether we like it or not. If you're playing Metal Gear Solid, you must stop Liquid Snake. Trying to join forces with him is not an option. If you're playing Ocarina of Time, you cannot shirk your responsibility to defeat Ganon and just go live on a farm somewhere, no matter how much you might rather do that. In games, almost always, choice is an illusion.

The other criticism I've heard about No Russian is that some feel such a horrific scene of violence is inappropriate in something that's essentially just trying to be a piece of pure entertainment, that it's exploitative to use something so terrible in the context of something that, let's face it, doesn't really deal with the consequences in a serious, meaningful way. Maybe I'm just callous, but I didn't mind. Again, perhaps it's all that 24, which doesn't shy away from crashing commuter jets, releasing chemical weapons in hotels, and detonating nukes in densely populated areas, killing anywhere from hundreds to hundreds of thousands at a time. Nor is it reluctant to try to make you feel the loss of a single human life.

And always, not long after one of these moments transpires, Jack Bauer is back to kicking ass and walking away from unsurvivable situations unscathed, all in the name of delivering pure entertainment.

i have just come back from a black stone cherry gig at the UEA (University of East Anglia) now the two support groups, the parlor mob and Duff Mckagan loaded were nothing to write home about, or write in a blog about as the case may be...but black stone cherry were as good as i expected, with Chris's voice as powerful as it always is and the music was great. i had to spend this gig standing near the back and trying to wriggle my way closer seeing as i got there half way through the parlor mobs set, which wasnt good because it was a sellout crowd and finding a place to stand with a good view was a pain in the A$$. So i didnt get the full experience i was hoping for, but i can still say that it was a great gig and if you even remotely like black stone cherry they are a band you have to see live.

...did i mention they threw out donuts for the crowed?

Hey Everyone, this is Dilan94 (Also known as Dilan11)

I'm here quickly to post that anyone that has been on my profile recently has known that i've been MIA (Missing in Action) since late Janurary. I'm sadly here not to say that I am coming back, but that I will be continually gone from the gamespot community hopefully intill July.

This MIA is very unusual then my usual yearly absenses, where I leave from about September to December, and come back for the rest of the year. This MIA has actually been here since about last year September!

I wanted to apologies for giving any hope that I would be coming back anytime soon. I know i've logged on a few times and have said that I will be coming back; but the opposite happened.

I hope that you guys can understand why I'm MIA, life's getting tough here and school is odviously getting harder as the years and days pass on. I've also been doing other things, if you get what i'm saying . To be honest with you, I have no idea what games are the best right now, and I haven't played a console game in about a month

Because of this MIA I will also have to hand in my leader position in The Runescape & FunOrb Union. If you are part of this union, I would suggest that you tell other's in the union that I will be giving away this position. I do have a few names in mind, but if you do want this position, please COMMENT ON THIS BLOG. I refuse to read my unread messages, because I honestly do not have time.

If I do come back in July, it would be appreciative if I do get my leader position back, but if you feel that you deserve to keep that position, thats fine.

I'll talk to you guys later, hopefully sooner then later.

-Dilan

I you didnt vote in Nov., VOTE now for whats really important!LOL Happy Holidays to everyone out there in Gaming land!! I have been pulled away from GS for quite a while recovering from another fun trip to the VA...Now its time to get back to gaming and I hope to see you all out there!

sup, i'm jonathan and i don't write blogs. i'm not mean or antisocial or anything like that. simply, i don't write blogs.

but, if you want to get in touch with me, send me a message, i check my profile pretty often.

also, please check out my video page and friends.

L8a