It's funny to think this is one of the first forums I ever began posting in in my life. I've pretty much moved on to GameFAQs at this point, but it's pretty fun to just look back at how time has moved on. Man, how I have changed...
So, Nintendo didn't announce any new Wii Zelda game, but knowing Nintendo that likely means it's not in presentable form at the moment. Yet where I wasn't expecting anything (and one where I was for a LONG time) is where they delivered.
Since some, most, or all of you will no doubt be absorbing all things E3 over the week, here's just a simple list of what I'm excited for, even if I'll curb my enthusiasm til a price drop (more for Wii games than DS games):
New Super Mario Bros. Wii (finally, real multiplayer co-op Mario in 2D!).
Mario Galaxy 2 (finally, Yoshi's back for real!).
Golden Sun DS (FINALLY INDEED! Took you long enough, Camelot Software!).
Metroid: Other M (finally... some story focused... Metroid game? Dang, this came out of left field. I'm wowed, but cautiously optimistic).
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (nothing like some tongue-in-cheek humor to round out the package. The subtitle is hilarious).
So, looks like there's going to be some good stuff.
I picked up Stoked for $9.98 today at Toys R Us in a bargain bin I thought I was seeing things but I wasn't. I had to pick this game up for less than 10 bucks. Especially since Gamestop gave it a 7.5 well worth my $9.98.
wow i cant even remember the last ive been on this site, feels like ages now, well im nearing graduation thats always a good things, plus im getting a Wii as a grad present so thats cool. got RE5 the day it came, havent stopped playing it since, Mercs is just too damn addictive lol
The Lakers won the Western Conference again, but seriously they have a problem keeping leads, they play the score, not the game. Last year was such a disappointment, I mean cmon, you have a 20 point lead yet still lose in Game 4. I better not see that happen this year, and they better win the title or I'm throwing my Kobe jersey out lol.
Just saw Chris Cornell in concert, I doubt many know him, but he was the lead singer of Soundgarden, Audioslave, etc. It was really cool, except for the fight these two fight white girls got into, that was pretty annoying. Every song sounded tremendous and I must say Scream live is better than the album version due to the fact that it is rocked out, not the usual Timbaland BS. I knew he would close with Blackhole Sun, that's like his definitive song, plus I loved hearing You Know My Name live, just awesome.
Ugh, a research paper?! You have to be kidding me, there are like 2 months left until we graduate, giving us a research paper when no other classes are doing it is truly absurd and what the hell?! My english teacher basically has his head up Shakespeare's ass, who by the way is an overrated writer (yes, and I mean it), everything is Shakespeare with this guy, it gets really irritating.
And i got my first beer at a bar too!
2008 was definelty a great year for gaming. Many games were worthy of being the Game of the Year, but for me, 5 games truly stood out as the best of 08'.
5) Super Smash Brothers Brawl This game definetly deserves to be on my list. With the vast number of characters, amazing maps, and the customization that the seris has been known for, Brawl is one of 2008's best party games.
4) Grand Theft Auto IV I had an absolute blast playing GTA IV. I haven't ever experienced a game with so much detail. From hot-wiring cars, to using police databases to hunt down thugs, this game has it all. Hell, you can go get wasted with your friend and try to drive home! All in all, a game that everyone should play through.
3) Call of Duty: World at War I'm sure many of us had our doubts about CoD5, but when I began the campaign, all my wories were blown away. World at War definetly lives up to the standard Cod4 set with immersive firefights and enviroments, and the feeling that your ARE fighting for your life. And the top-notch multiplayer that sucked me in for 4 days playing time returns, making this game a package no shooter fan can resist.
2) Gears of War 2 Such high expectations, and all of them met, even exceeded. Gears 2 returns with a bigger, more baddass story, beefed up multiplayer, and all the chainsawing, curb-stompin, neck-snappin glory that the first game had. Gears 2 is home to some of the years most thrilling firefights, not to mention all the chainsaw duels you can imagine. If you have a 360, make sure this game gets into its disc drive.
1) Left 4 Dead Ididnt know much about this game untill like a month before its release, but knowing Valves track record, I had a feeling that Left 4 Dead would be a stellar game on all fronts. First off, its simple interface makes it easy for anyone to pick up and play, as well as having only 5 or 6 weapons that all sound and perform well. This definetly makes it simple to jump in and get to tearing apart zombies. But, the greatest element is the focus on teamwork. Nothing beats holding up in an old farmhouse, wating for that military truck to pull up and take you to saftey, all the while you have zombies beating down doors and Hunters poucing on your fellow survivors. Sticking together and making sure that everyone is healed up and protected makes the experience unforgetable, and its really hard to explain to someone who hasnt played it. So for your own sake, pick up Left 4 Dead.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Fable II Ive only rented this game for a few days, but im having a blast so far and cant wait to delve farther into it. Definetly considering purchasing it, cause there are just so many things to do.
Battlefield: Bad Company Blowing the f*** out of everything you saw never got old, and this surprise hit definetly had me hooked. If only the campaign was as fleshed out as the memorable multiplayer, this would be in my top 5 for sure. Heres for hoping that BF BC2 is just as good!!
Far Cry 2 Im about half way into the story, and its a pretty good game. I think that it can get a little stale from time to time, but sneaking into enemy camps, blowing up guard posts, and pretty much doing what you want to do in the 50 square mile map makes for some good times
Just bought myself a Sennheiser HD600 should be sweet..
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I hope everyone is spending the time the way they like it.. Happy holidays
Yeah, so not only has it been a ungodly amount of time since I've posted here (since Giant Bomb is still pretty happenin'), but stuff has actually happened gaming related since I last wrote way back when.
Unfortunately I won't really be caught up on the holiday releases until I get out of school in a week or so, but still I essentially have Fable 2, Gears of War 2, and Fallout 3 waiting for me back home so for once my backlog is actually pretty huge which is something I don't think I've ever had happen to me before (especially not with three games I really want to play). Not only that but I missed out on the bikes update on Burnout Paradise and the title update for Halo 3. Not exactly huge additions, but still I've got plenty of gaming ahead which is cool because I've done fairly little this quarter.
So yeah! I'll have more to say about all of those games when I actually get some solid handson time. Peace.
It's been over 5 months now and I'm finishing up my 6 month tour of Iwakuni Japan. I'm very excited. As you can see, I'm posting when I should be in bed. It's 0015 here, that's midnight plus 15 minutes for all of you. 
Three more weeks and I will be back in the loving arms of my wife!!! I can't wait. We have talked at least twice a day since I've been here but we still miss each other immensely. I can't wait to get home and hold my baby girl. She has gotten so big and I'm looking forward to every minute that I will be home.
The best thing about going on deployment, vacation, or traveling is coming home to a family that loves you and misses you. I hope all of you get to experience that in your lifetimes!
Semper Fidelis.
-Mo sends.
Havent posted one of these in a while, so i thought it was about time
Anyway, its been slow time of the year in terms of gaming releases. The only notable game for me coming out in the past month or two being GTAIV, which is awesome btw. (I havent finished it yet, but im getting there. I just get so easily side-tracked in the game.) And in the near future, with the only notable releases being Race Driver: GRID (loved the demo), Battlefield: Bad Company and thats it...oh, and MGS4!, I thought i'd catch up on some gaming i missed out on last-gen.
In terms of the Gamecube, i think ive experienced all the great games. The only games i can think of that i still want to play being Fire Emblem and Tales of Symphonia. I cant find these games anywhere
Onto the Xbox, and there are a few i still want to play which have been brought to my attention through the Xbox Originals feature in Xbox Live. Games like Black, Sid Meier's Pirates, Farenheit and Psychonauts spring to mind. If i cant find any of these in stores, ill updrage the HDD in my 360 to 120GB (damn M$ and their overpriced HDDs) and just download them there.
Now the PS2 i think is were ive missed out on the most. Could be because it had the largest and biggest library of all three. Could also be because i was a bit late to the Playstation scene, and when i did finally purchase one all i played was Vice City. Also could've been because i was addicted to Halo 2 multiplayer pretty much the whole time from the games launch in 2004 until the 360 launch in 2005. In fact, i was still playing Halo 2 well into the 360's life, and still do to this day (not a big fan of what they've done to Halo 3 multiplayer).
Anyway, i thought id go out and search the bargain bins, preowned baskets and sale....racks to try and find some hidden gems, and i think ive found a few . Ill list my purchases here:
I have played God of War, and thought it was a great game even though im not a big fan of the genre. I do like the whole greek mythology scene going on, which is why i thought i'd get the sequel. Especially since there's a third installment heading for the PS3.
Metal Gear Solid 2 had to be bought! Ive never went near the MGS games until recently. Ill admit i have owned MGS3: Snake Eater for a few months now, and i did attempt at playing it once, but couldnt get into it really. I was foolish. With all this talk going on about the near release of the big MGS4, i thought i'd go hunt for Twin Snakes. I knew my chances of finding the original MGS game for the PS1 were next to nothing unless i resorted to the internet and ebay, so i thought i go for an easier buy. I only finished Twin Snakes yesterday, and my god the game is epic. I was hitting myself knowing that ive missed out on MGS for all these years!! Im am hooked on the story, and as soon as a finish writing this blog, ill be off to start on MGS2. My goal is to finish MGS2 and MGS3 and possibly Portable Ops before the 4th is released. Cant wait!
Shadow of the Colossus was another must have. Ive seen it mentioned all the time on forums, with nothing but good things to say about it. In fact the store assistant who was selling me the game even complemented me on my purchase, telling me it was his favouite PS2 game of all time. This can only mean good things. I was also on the lookout for Ico (the original version) but that game is incredibly rare, i didnt get my hopes up.
Beyond Good and Evil, again ive heard so much about on forums. Same goes for Valkyrie Profile 2. If anyone knows of any other hidden gems out there, let me know!
All in all, i can say im going to have a few great gaming sessions these coming weeks. First priority is to play MGS2 and 3 for two reasons really. First, im hooked on the story, i want to delve deeper into the MGS world, and secondly i want to be able to play MGS4 on launch and know whats going to story-wise.
Because I do need to feel the story of one game, I do, much of the time, research one, purchased, game longer than I do playing that game. Because I do need to challenge my self, to excel, achieve, to my full potential, I do, then, complete action, action-adventure, adventure, and vehicle simulation games at the hardest available difficulty; however, I only complete strategy and role-playing games at medium to hardest difficulties. By my talents, I, then, earn all available achievements, secrets, primary objectives, secondary objectives, etc., and, upon milking one game to its highest, perceived, value, then look for any one thing left incomplete. What, then, may I be considered?
Under my opinion, a hard core gamer represents he who does invest his full attention to the following game elements: narrative; visual; and aural. These 'game elements' may be, then, further disintegrated to become the following game elements: plot; graphics; technique; sound effects; music; and voice. A casual gamer is indifferent to the aforementioned elements. He plays to experience what one might view at an action or horror film--cheap thrill. A casual gamer plays for one element--of the narrative, visual, and aural--at the expense of all other elements; he does not care as to whether the game is beautiful, but, rather, only that the game works. Video games should not be, mere, tools to entertain and isolate, trite moments of phantasy. Video games should be glorious works, moving monuments of human expression.
Vote for Somvazio! Pliss, help my band! i love youuuu
It's been a long time since I last wrote about feeling dirty about my PS3 purchase. However, that's not the topic of this entry. feel free though to read the previous blog post as well for some background on the whole "dirty" thing.
My launch 360 finally died a hot death a few weeks back. It just stopped displaying anything at all, and despite trying to use different cables, and on a few different sets, it still wouldn't work. It however, did not show the red ring of death as many have done to others... it just stopped working.
I figure I bought one of the first boxes, have purchased (and subsequently sold) over 100 Xbox 360 games as well as the HDDVD kit, not to mention about 12 HDDVD movies and 4 controllers... plus those damn Scene It controllers and a dance pad for my boy. All told around $6000+ worth of 360-centered merchandise. As someone who has spent that kind of green on a company's product, I expect a little leeway with the customer service department.
I call up 1-800-4-my-xbox and encounter one of the rudest customer service reps around. I tell him my problem, and he says "Huh. Sorry to hear that. Send it to us and we'll fix it for $179." 
I explain that I have spent a large wad of cash on their product, and that since the 360 is known to have some hardware quality issues in general, I don't think it's good business to refuse a solid customer a simple repair. He replies "Yeah... do you have the three red lights?" I told him I did not, and he said "Then it's going to be $179."
So yeah... I purchased the 2 year warranty from GameStop, and naturally it was outside of that warranty too so I was pretty much screwed. After looking at all of my games, accessories and everything else that would be worthless without a 360, I opted to use some store credit and a little cash to get a 360 arcade and just snap my HDD onto that instead of having the monkeys at MS have my machine and charge me $179. The thought did run through my mind to trade all the accessories and games in for something else, but I already have both a PS3 and Wii so there wasn't anything big to go for.
In any case Now I feel bent over a barrel by two companies... and I might have even said all three if the Wii didn't grace us with Super Mario Galaxy recently. hehe... That alone justifies it's existence at this point.
In the meantime, I'm writing a pretty scathing letter of complaint to MS and see if they won't fix my old machine for free. If so, I'll probably box one or the other up and eBay it, if not I'll probably crack the box and see what I can do inside with the parts. 
It's been long time since I posted here. Reason I came back is to check some of X-Box games. With rescent purchase of X-Box I now got all consoles from that generation, and now I'm after some exclusive games for this console. I already have Helo, Unreal Turnament and couple other games.
Hopefully I will stay here longer, as last time I just got frustrated with popups and ads.
Good morning my dearest friends and family,
I am pulling an all-nighter, doing more of the web programming from the previous post. Currently though, I'm on a thirty minute break. A very soothing, spacey music plays in the background as I write this; I've tuned in to http://somafm.com/ , a free online radio channel hosting a hearty dose of ambient stations. Highly recommended.
So I promised to share my New Years resolution with you guys. Simply, it's to live life with the constant awareness of the above quote:
"No matter what you are doing, there is always a fun way to do it."
I think the main detriment to doing mundane yet necessary and significant things is the very fact that they are uninteresting. This is the same case for being timid when responding to opportunity or procrastinating, in which case the activity does not become boring, but overwhelming and cumbersome. I believe that people have the ability to control their responses to stimuli. Often times, however, we just go with the flow and let our normal responses ensue, be it procrastinating or getting unreasonably stressed out, at which point we become victims of our environment. It should be the other way around. We have the ability to change our interpretation of what goes on around us by mainly paying attention to our responses. I can see this to be a big challenge, especially in times of crisis or grief, and that's why it's the only resolution I'm planning to stick to this year -- not exercising, making more money, traveling, or spending time with friends. I think this resolution is sufficient in accommodating those necessities.
Alright, back to work for me. Please let me know your New Years resolution. Together, we can all be ready for the championship that is 2008!
