Stunning level design, innovative combat system, and beautiful character models make this game worth all your resources.

Though quite a few websites have given this game a sub par rating, I'll try to analyze in so far as I can why that is.

Rise of the Argonauts follows the story of Jason and the Argonauts from Greek Mythology, though with quite a few changes which, all in all, make for an amazing gaming experience.

The story of the game begins with Jason's wife Alceme being assassinated by a shadowy character, who you must then pursue to uncover his motives. Vowing to bring your one true love back to life, a trip to the Oracle at Delphi reveals that you must seek the Golden Fleece, which can revive Alceme. But in order to accomplish this, you must rally a group of heroes with divine blood in their veins. After that, it is revealed that the Golden Fleece lies in a place where none have ventured. The game has all the elements of a good story: famous heroes from all over Greek mythology, such as Hercules and Achilles, an ancient prophecy, a powerful antagonist, and much more. The story is revealed gradually through dialogues and quests which make it all the more gripping.

The character design in ROTA is crisp and well-detailed, and goes a long way in showing how much time and effort was put into this game. The gods and the Titans have been created masterfully and will be in your mind long after you are done with this game. The level design is rich, featuring varied and well-made terrains, ranging from lush, verdant jungles to the fiery, molten, and abysmal depths of Tartaurus itself.

The game also has a variety of god powers, though some of them are not as powerful. You gain these powers by gaining the favor of one of four gods: Ares, Hermes, Apollo, and Athena. As you complete quests and achieve certain objectives, you can dedicate the achievements, or your "deeds", to any one of the four gods, and once a specific number of deeds has been dedicated, you can use them to buy powers. You may favor more than one god, but which one you do will significantly effect the damage and health, among other things, of your character. You also gain favor by choosing god-specific dialog choices, which keeps things interesting.

The game has four weapons, each of which is favored by a particular god: mace by Ares, sword by Hermes, shield by Apollo, and spear by Athena. Spending deeds and gaining the powers of these gods will make you more proficient with that god's favored weapon. The combat system reminded me of King Leonidas from the movie "300", especially when you fight with the spear. Though innovative and very convincing, it does get a bit tedious towards the end, as irrespective of what weapon you choose, you'll be able to dispatch all enemies quickly as you become more powerful. The enemy AI is not that good, and they come at you in more or less predefined ways. The enemies are not very different, and are a combination of big or small, with shield or without. And that's about it as far as enemies are concerned, but thankfully the overall concept of the game is more than sufficient to keep you enthralled during this drudgery.

Excellent graphics, great storyline, amazing character and set design, good, though sometimes tedious, combat system make this game a must-have in my list.

After watching a lot of comedy shows and stand-up performances, I thought it was about time I compiled this list. The particular kind of stand-up that I like is when people are just on stage, being themselves, instead of impersonating otherwise boring people desperately trying to make everybody laugh. So here it is: the ViSigoTH's five most favorite comedians list, full with recommendations on what to watch.

[ [ [ 5 ] ] ] NUMBER FIVE
 - Jeff Dunham

Jeff Dunham is a ventriloquist, and he's damn good. He gives all of his very distinctive puppets different voices and personalities, making his act very fresh and varied. Youtube is full of ventriloquism videos ranging from so-so to very good, but none of them are as good as this. Jeff Dunham is genuinely funny, and his presentation only makes things better.
RECOMMEND : Jeff Dunham - Arguing With Myself

[ [ [ 4 ] ] ] NUMBER FOUR
 - Dylan Moran

Dylan Moran, the Irish dude from Black Books and Shaun of the Dead, happens to be an excellent comedian. I said "happens to be" because I honestly had no idea he did stand-up until after I saw all of his TV shows and movies. Most comedians give the impression that standing up there, on stage, and talking to them is a very good experience, while Dylan Moran, smoking and drinking on stage, makes it look like a monumental exercise that he'd rather not be doing. And this is the best part about his performance: he just doesn't give a damn.
RECOMMEND : Dylan Moran - Like, Totally

[ [ [ 3 ] ] ] NUMBER THREE
 - Robin Williams

Before I say anything else, I will say that Robin Williams is unusually energetic for his age. He's up there on stage, usually dancing and skipping and prancing around like it's no biggie... he is what I call an "entertainer". Robin Williams's act is "exciting", which is a word we don't normally use when describing comedy.
RECOMMEND : Robin Williams - Live At The Met

[ [ [ 2 ] ] ] NUMBER TWO
 - Christopher Titus

One of Christopher Titus's shows, named Titus, was one of the first comedy shows I ever watched. The show was a dark comedy about Titus and his life, alcoholic father and schizophrenic mother. The show's presentation and humor were literally unparalleled. It is hard to compare that show, and the rest of his work to anything else because it is really without equal and unlike anything you've probably ever seen. He is witty, funny, and unusually frank and honest. If only we had more shows like his...
RECOMMEND : Christopher Titus - Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding

[ [ [ 1 ] ] ] NUMBER ONE
 - George Carlin

I'll make this easy for everyone. George Carlin is a GOD. He is one of the few men I've seen who have become legends in their own time. Sadly, George Carlin is no longer with us, but the legacy he left behind will inspire and humor for ages to come. The late Carlin's comedy sees no boundaries, experiences no guilt, and doesn't give a damn about political correctness. He is vulgar, straight-forward, and very convincing whether he's discussing politics or toenails; the only comedian who teaches through his comedy, George Carlin's ideals and quotes will be with us for a very long time. If you do not like his work, then there is seriously something wrong with you. Period.
RECOMMEND : Here is one of his many, MANY videos on youtube.

Spaced, a show by Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, is about two twenty-somethings Tim (Simon Pegg) and Daisy (Jessica Stevenson) who lie about being married to get a flat. While keeping this secret from their landlady Marsha, we are introduced to the eccentric painter Brian, and Tim's best friend Mike (Nick Frost). In the midst of all the parties, great jokes and infinite Star Wars references, we find that the show is, ultimately, one of Simon Pegg's best works. If you liked Shaun of the Dead, don't miss this.

Gossip Girls is about the lives of a few priviledged teenagers living in New York City, and I have to say since I was expecting the usual high-school drama of one popular chic trying to destroy another, I was a bit surprised, although it is also that. The pain, hardship and parental pressure in the life of a not-so-average teenager has been showcased very skillfully, and it is all rather impressive. I'm hooked. Will say more after I finish watching the first season...

I'm glad I decided to check this show out... it's just plain amazing. David Duchovny is great as the struggling writer trying to win back his ex-girlfriend (Natascha McElhone) while trying to raise his daughter at the same time. Oh, and he's also a sex addict. I can't quite place this show just yet, I've honestly never seen one like this. The last time I was this eager for the next episode of any show was Entourage. Check out the first season, guys.

The Large Hadron Collider. 17 miles, 11 billion dollars, and I don't know how many years later. Theoretically this behemoth is supposed to simulate the instant after the big bang, find out more about the Higgs Boson, and explain things like how matter have mass and what not. First phase of testing just got completed, and the fun, smashing part starts in October, if we're still around to see it. Oh, and this thing can create black holes, though the scientists say there's nothing to worry about.

I mentioned in my previous post that Gamespot Wide wasn't displaying correctly with Adblock enabled in Firefox 3, and it seems I have solved the problem. It's crazy how often the simplest solution eludes you the longest, and you only find way after you've embarrassed yourself with all your crazy talk...

Anyway, just go to Adblock and check your downloaded filters. Yes, your downloaded filters. I just removed a filter called "Easyfilter+Easylist" or something and my adblock and Gamespot BOTH are working fine. I know, I know, it was stupid, but atleast I'm telling everyone about it. Make sure all your friends know...

Well, the new Facebook layout does suck; it's unmanageble, unfamiliar, and for some reason designers these days seem to think that putting stuff on a wider base page is a well-accepted defacto standard. Sheesh.

Anyhoo, I don't check Facebook that often anyway, and atleast I have the option of revertiing to my old layout, even though the "Try the new Facebook" crap on the top is annoyeeng. Gamespot Wide, and I'm talking about the home page especially, has too much text content to take in at one go. You have to constantly look up down and sideways to make sure you don't miss anything. And the new layout seems to have problems working with Adblock in Firefox, which I'm sure everyone is using by now. I just hope GS fixes this issue soon...

Okay, keeping my general hatred for Microsoft aside for a moment, I have to say that the conference was nothing unexpected. The Avatar thing was just plain lame, and the rest was pretty much taking Sony PS3 concepts and trying to copy them less efficiently. Somehow the conference was incomplete with Gates and Peter Moore. The FF13 announcement was already expected, and I still feel it's PS3 version is going to be a lot better. GOW2 looks incredible, and I'm eagerly awaiting Fable 2...

All in all, nothing new. And did anyone notice GOW2 being restarted in between and then proceeding exactly as before, even though they said it was realtime? And the absence of CLAPPING???

I still remember how I used to stay up late to play this game for days on end... Diablo one, two, LoD... ahhhhh...

I'm so happy about the new installment that I can barely contain myself, so I'm going to go and lock myself in a room and shout out my joy for a few days; you can go and read this in the mean time

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6193003.html?tag=topslot;title;1&om_act=convert&om_clk=topslot

All of you might have already gotten this update on Gamespot, but I like re-mentioning this monstrous fact. "According to a study by accounting and financial services giant PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2007 saw $41.9 billion in global sales of all types of games, including mobile and online games. It was unclear if that figure included game accessories, as NPD does." Also, "... predict that in 2012, global game sales will hit at staggering $68.3 billion--dwarfing all other media sectors other than online advertising."

Also, I would like to thank PricewaterhouseCoopers and Reuters for being more painfully obvious than is humanly possible. If the industry is at around $40Billion now, then maybe it is going to increase in the next four years, right? I mean, they're just games, who plays games?

Anyway, here's to Blizzard and Microsoft and Sony and Activision and Square Enix and Ubisoft and pretty much everyone else in the gaming sector who're going to be filthy rich !@#$#$% in the years to come. Good for you ! Maybe now you can cut prices with all of this extra pocket money rolling in *shakes fist angrily*

Okay, so after four long months of adding wierd games to my collection in the hopes of getting it above 8.5, I finally recieved two new badges. Hooray for me!!!