So Jeff Gerstmann and Crew finally launched GiantBomb.com, a video game site that seems to mix things like Wikipedia, Mobygames and game sites like these all into one. It's like a Twix bar: Chocolate, caramel and cookie all into one. Although I loved the Cookies 'n' Cream kind more.

Anyway, what does that mean? I'm not using this, or 1UP, or GameTrailers as a place to post interesting stuff anymore. It's all going to Giant Bomb. Reviews, rants, everything. I might still post rants on the aforementioned sites if they only pertain to that group, such as 1UP still not understanding the concept of "community features", GT not having a WYSIWYG editor and being rife with retarded fanboys, or just GameSpot in general. Yes, I still don't trust GS for really anything but screenshots and video. And pre-Gerstmann fiasco reviews. Watching E308 videos felt kind of sickening still, over 8-9 months later.

So yeah. I'm over at "the Bomb" at TonicBH, as usual. Send me a friend request if you haven't already, and state who you are beforehand if you don't use the same account names from site to site.

Until then, see you later.

The PS3 games were part of a GameStop "Two used PS3 games 25% off" deal. Uncharted was $37, Warhawk was about $22. The Saturn and DC games were picked up as part of a garage sale.

Yes, I bought an old sports game. Sue me. There wasn't much else there that I wanted (most of them were games like Crazy Taxi, the original UT, few more sports games, Sega Superstars collection, RE: Code Veronica and Blue Stinger). And I believe that Virtua Cop, Virtua Fighter 2 and Daytona USA are the full retail versions bundled with the system or something. Plus I always wanted to play NiGHTS.

Ritual's SiN and SiN Episodes for $5? Sold. DOD:S Free Weekend? Sounds good.

Also, the purchasing of SiN Episodes over Steam is the first ever online purchase I've ever made. It's a milestone for me. Woo.

(NOTES: LIMITED SPOILERS ABOUND. NOTHING CRUCIAL, BUT IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE GAME BY NOW, YOU'RE AS BAD AS KEEPING A SCHEDULE AS I AM.)

17 hours. Got the ranks of "Hyena", "Pig" and "Jaguar".

Hyena = Frequently procure items. (I got into this feverish habit after finding iPod music.)
Pig = Constantly use health items. (This I'm guilty of during boss battles and critical moments in the last two acts)
Jaguar = Frequently spotted by the enemy but rarely died or killed enemies. (Partially not true, in the first two acts I constantly killed enemies, but started using the tranq guns by mid act 2.)

My comments stem of the following:

- Inconsistency with framerate. Sometimes it would push a solid 60, other times chugging at sub-30. Perhaps this might have been due to having to get it out by the release date.
- Back when I was playing through Act 2, I tried to go under a car and fall into a ditch near it. I couldn't. This as well as some other annoyances (like Snake going into crouch when I wanted him to stand) made me want to constantly spout "THIS IS NEXT-GEN!", ridiculing people who hailed this as the first true game of the next generation. I kid, of course, I doubt this could be pulled off anywhere else.
- You meet up with one character from a previous MGS in Act 2, only for said character to rebel to the enemy by act 3's end, and to suffer a sad consequence by act 4. I wish I could've just let Snake put a bullet in that character after the constant double-crossing.
- Another MGS character reappears in Act 3. I am also saddened the character died so soon. It would've been nice to hold some vague rebellion with old and new.
- I never used the Mark II. At all. Perhaps for a second playthrough?
- MGO is basically the same as MGS3: Subsistence's. And the KONAMI ID/GAME ID crap is retarded. THIS IS NEXT-GEN! (Even companies like EA wouldn't pull this **** last generation.)
- Hard drive installs seemed to do jack. I was suffering 10-20 second load screens, and during crucial chase scenes in both Acts 2 and 3, really ruined the flow. And I still dislike them. The way the game does it intermittently between acts is a step in the right direction, but it clogs up 4GB of my PS3's 40. Well, the rest are filled by demos like GRID and Condemned 2, which I downloaded when I first started playing MGS4, but have only played Heavenly Sword's (which is exactly as how Yahtzee put it.), so that's not wholly their fault.

The only things I'd ask to be changed would be to nix (or minimize) hard drive installs, shorten the load times (to fix pacing), fix the controls (again), and not make MGO a clusterfudge to use, it would be my first 10. But instead, those give it a 9.5. Surprising, I give this game the same score of my most favorite game of all time. And if those mistakes wouldn't have happened, it would've superseded it. Which would shock even me.

This is certainly a great game, and definitely should be on everybody's "Games you must play" for 2008. No question.

Although, if you're an MGS newbie, please download the MGS4 Database. Or get the Essential Collection and play them all from first to third before you tackle 4. Unless you have a 40GB PS3.

I say that because while you may GET what they're trying to say, it's easier to KNOW what they're talking about than to nod your head and go "huh?" at every reference you don't get. Trust me, I played MGS2 before MGS1, and some things didn't make sense until I played the Twin Snakes remake years later. I learned my lesson. The only series to date that can get away with skipping installments so far is Final Fantasy and Call of Duty. Maybe another series or two, but I don't know of it.

So yeah. I'll keep this PS3 longer. Probably until September. By then E3 will have passed, and hopefully Microsoft will not be retarded and not drop the 360's price.

It's in my hands. I've played a good amount, won't spoil anything, but I'm not real far in. Had to stop because I'm starting to fall asleep.

I agree with my online friends's sentiments: the US cover is friggin' ugly. I want my Shinkawa art, not this CG 3D ass-looking cover of Old Snake.