I am making a full-out return to Gamespot after my disappearance (which turned out to be a monthly thing). But things have changed, and I am hoping to comeback and blog and comment on yours. Even if I haven't left comments in your blogs, I have been reading them. Daily. Just a little "writers block" is all.

I bought NHL 09 a couple weeks ago, and I must say its one of the best sports games I've played. Its so good I'll even say its one of the best overall games released this year. It has everything a hockey lover wants. Be a Pro has a lot of depth, and I love seeing my player on the screen, score a goal, and then have the coach congratulate me after. I've been playing some online (I have yet to play EASHL) and it runs much smoother then the previous NHL games online. If anyone wants to play some "old school rivalry" (*cough NeoJedi cough*) I'll gladly accept the challenge. Oh, if anyone wants me to join a hockey team I'll do that as well (Keep in mind if I may not show up some days...Grade 12 is a ton of work). I must clap my hands for EA's huge turnaround. I mean, they've been releasing some quality games the past little bit, so I think it's safe to say we should all stop hating them. Ubisoft on the other hand...no they deserve all the hate they can get until they stop releasing those damned Imagine or Petz games.

Speaking of hockey, the NHL pre-season has begun. I've been trying to catch as much coverage as I can and it seems this year's season will be amazing. With the hockey season ending, the baseball season is coming to a close. I actually got tickets to see the Toronto Blue Jays vs Boston Red Sox last Sunday. Even if they lost, I had fun and got to see Wells, Rios, and Scutaro play...with the addition of Ortiz from the Sox.

Thats a wrap, see you guys later!

Who thinks the new Gamespot profile look is...worse then the original?

I'm tired, arm is twitching...and basically I really don't feel like making a big blog. I'll just shoot down some stuff I thought about the show:



Microsoft: I liked the stuff they showed like Gears 2, Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5, Fable 2, Final Fantasy XIII (That was a shocker), and Portal: Still Alive. I'm still skeptical about the new interface and avatar system, but we'll see when it hits this fall. Lips also looks pretty damn fun, as does Rock Band 2. That "Your In the Movies" game was horrible, just another gimmick. Overall, a pretty good show. Oh, moreover I downloaded Too Human today, and became quickly addicted to it. Theres still some things I would like changed, but overall it was fun.



Nintendo: I don't even want to talk about this trash. Nintendo disappointed me for the second year in a row. The only reason I watched the entire thing was because I thought they were going to announce a new F-Zero game or something more core. Thankfully, Nintendo saved themselves a tiny bit today by announcing a new Pikmin game. But thats still not enough.

Sony:Hmm...I thought Sony came out on top this year, with lots of stuff for the PS3 (Resistance 2,Valkyria Chronicles, LittleBigPlanet, inFAMOUS, MAG, SOCOM Confrontation, and...GOD OF WAR III!!!!11 (*sorry*) and on the PSP (Resistance:Retribution, Buzz!, Patapon 2, NBA 09). In addition to the price cut, and updated Playstation Store...I need a PS3



I'll blog tomorrow about the "best of the rest" (I'll admit, I'm very anxious to see the game "Pure" tomorrow). I'll just let you guys know, that I'm leaving for Italy on Friday for two weeks. So, tomorrow will be my last blog for two weeks.

Well, the past couple of days, I have been busy with Eden Studio/Atari's big summer blockbuster "Alone in the Dark" for the Xbox 360. Lets just say, that my first impressions of the game were dark. I disliked many things about it, like the camera, some of the graphic textures on the main characters, the cheesy dialogue, and the stiff controls. I hated it. But as I played, the game started to grow on me like an old B-movie would, and I began to like the little things that made up Alone in the Dark. Like the soundtrack, the fire effects, the atmosphere of Central Park, the cool TV show format (When you click continue, the narrator will say "Previously on Alone in the Dark" and if you want, you can "fast forward" to any section of the episode in case you were stuck on one). Hell, I began to get used to the controls I once thought were impossible to use. I also started to like the cheesy story, and then I began to like the game. I believe it's going to achieve that "cult classic" label, where only a small amount of people truly like it. Anyways, I beat the game and achieved both endings (Thanks to that episode viewer) and although the endings left a sour taste in my mouth, I was still quite satisfied with the game. Sure its not perfect (It has it's fair share of glitches), going to achieve Game of the Year status, but for what it is, I can say any fans of the survival horror genre (Silent Hill, or any Resident Evil before 4) will enjoy this game. If not, you'll probably dislike this game. In my opinion, a 7/10.

This week has also been a very movie filled one, because I saw Get Smart, Indiana Jones 4, and Wall-E...and at the same time I created a significant dent in my wallet. I'd like to start off with Get Smart. Although critics are mixed on this one (53% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes), I liked this movie. I thought that Anne Hathaway (who is gorgeous by the way) and Steve Carell worked good on screen, and many of the jokes were pretty good. A nice film to see with some friends, and a great movie if you liked the TV show or spy flicks.

Indiana Jones 4 was another movie I saw. Now, I'm glad that Ford is back, and overall I did like the movie. Indy kicks just as much as$ as he did in the original trilogy, and Shia Labeouf's character was a nice addition, and I also liked most of the plot...but there was a certain element to the plot that I disliked greatly, and that was the certain "sci-fi" twist that was added (To anyone who has seen it, you know what I am talking about). But, I still liked it a lot, and any action junkie should go out and watch it.

I have been waiting for Wall-E since it's trailer was accompanied with Ratatouille. After watching it, I was extremely happy. Pixar truly has outdone themselves this time. I honestly could not find one thing I disliked about the movie. The simple fact that Pixar used two basically speechless characters, and create such a strong emotion of love between the two is impressive. The visuals are there (Pixar's prettiest) and the score provides the right tune for the right time.I was so into the movie, I didn't even notice my friend cry twice during the film. She told me afterwards, and I was shocked. See, Pixar does know how to draw in the audience. I'll be sure to post up a full review of this (and Get Smart) on MovieTome most likely tomorrow.

That brings me to ask anyone who reads this: to please, please, please take the time to visit MovieTome's community. The amount of people there is quite shocking, and thats in a bad way. But if you bring yourself and your friends to at least take a peak...then I guess everyone will be much happier there

See you guys later!

Well, I'll like to begin explaining my absence after I specifically said I'll be back. For one, that blog was bad timing, as I was given end of the year culminations in all of my classes. On top of that, this week is exam week, so I was studying for those. Right now, I have one left, my Ancient Civilization. It's a hard course, but I'm good in that class so nothing to worry about.

My title relates to the Euro 2008 in Austria/Switzerland. I don't know if its the same where your from, but in Toronto people take huge pride in their country's respective soccer team. Everyone has a flag on their car, and soccer jerseys are selling like hotcakes. Even I got caught up in the whole "futbol" craze. I grabbed my Italian jersey, flags, bracelets, and hats. It's funny, because two people can be such good friends, but when it comes to World Cup/Euro they absolutely argue about everything (Much like my Portuguese friend and me...the Portuguese/Italian rivalry in Toronto is tremendous). But in the end, we all laugh and have a great time. Toronto is the perfect soccer city. We got such a diverse culture, that literally everyone will get caught up in the craze...even if that person doesn't really like soccer. The street of St. Clair is notorious for being home to huge soccer parties when a team wins. I should know, I was there when Italy won the World Cup in 2006. The street was literally a sea of blue (After all, the Italians are nicknamed the Azzuri), and the road had to be shutdown as a result. Anywho, what I'm trying to say is that soccer truly brings out the pride and wicked celebrations in people. After talking about this...I feel like buying FIFA 08.

In gaming news, I've just been playing some Halo 3 with some of my buds, grabbing the last of my remaining achievements. I even got the "Steppin Razor" one yesterday. Yes, because we all know, the bigger your gamerscore, the bigger your penis is I also rented LEGO Indiana Jones for the 360. This was the first LEGO game I've ever played and I was impressed. It was a cute little platformer that "LEGOfies" the film series. It's full of charm, and I like it. I did not get to beat it though, because my school work was keeping me from playing within the week. But I may buy this as well so I can beat the game and grab all the goodies.

Well, right now I'll be going to finish watching the Portugal/Germany game (In which Germany is winning 3-1...and they scored the third goal as I type this).

See you guys later!