Hey all. I am playing with my bday gifts. I did not have a party. I enjoyed an evening of shopping and dining. Here are two of my gifts.

Life is good. I'm enjoying my new age.

Hello GS fam. How have you all been? I miss your awesome blog entries. My c.lass and athletic schedule fills my days. Even now I'm taking a little break from school work. I did my Psychology homework and am turning the television back and forth from the 'Skins game to Lie to Me. I love that show. Right now the Redskins are down 17-0. They have possession and it's first-n-goal on the 5 yard line.....Touchdown made by Devin Thomas...Score 17-7.

I came to the site to see what new games are coming out and to check on some of your blog entries. I like Katamari's pumpkin avatar. Oh, Friday night I saw the new Saw movie. Saw VI. What a creepy movie.(spoiler) I'm ready for that cop who's the new jigsaw to be caught. I'm tired of him.Jigsaw's wife needs to stop while she's ahead.I think, in the next movie, Jigsaw's wife and the bad cop are going to come head to head. Who do you guys think will win? Will she kill him or he her? Lots of cool movies are coming out this holiday season...

Oh before I go *clears throat* HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT ORANGE CRUSH!! BRONCOS UNDEFEATED!!

I am angry. Angry at the presentation and play mechanics of NCAA 10. I purchased the game on Thursday evening. Excited that I was going to get a college game on par with the Madden game I'm playing. I like that I can rise as a college athlete and get drafted into the pros. Man am I fired up with disappointment! NCAA 10 has Erin Andrews following you through your college career. There are cameras following you but you can not see them and there is no after-game interviewing. It's not that sophisticated. The game can do without this addition especially if it is at the cost of actual game play and on the field visuals. This game, outside of the Erin Andrews bit, looks like s***. It does not look like you are playing on a next gen console. I mean really guys. This is bull.

As a wide receiver you have a circle under your feet, or star. When the quarterback throws the ball you can barely see the yellow circle indicating the spot where the ball will travel to. Catching the ball will make you want to spit and cuss the television out. The QB will throw balls right into the hands of the opposition regularly or right into a defensive backs helmet. The fans are one big ugly color. One fan is not detectable from the next. Camera angling is the worst. When a play is done, the camera swivels on the field literally on the green of the grass giving your eyes major strain. The video highlights of your game look exactly like the on the field game, ugly. I thought the day of little people catching a little ball was over.

Many people give this game a raving review. Pointing out the ability for on-line customizable teams and plays and the graphics, no less. What are they seeing in the graphics that I'm missing? I'm serious people. The graphics look like old Sega Genesis graphics and PlayStation 1, except for the part where Erin Andrews speaks. That particular spot is made to look like the half time show in Madden 10. That is a horrible combination. In this game you can upload your highlight videos and pictures and be a part of a leader-board but really people does being able to do that make NCAA 10 a great game. Am I missing something? I think we've been duped by flashy new toys to play with in the game sacrificing streamlined mechanics and several other particulars. One of which is the ability for your road to glory athlete to raise his attributes level. No matter how many balls I catch in practice I have not received any new additions to my attributes. After every practice you are supposed to see your practice results showing how many points you've received for that practice. After I made the first string spot on my team I have no longer been given a breakdown as to where I've earned achievement points. The achievement points I do receive are temporary ones from participating in an evening event.

I do not think this football game is good. I will not complain about the cost. Sixty bucks is the set price for most if not all next gen games and oh well but dang do I wish I'd played the game prior to purchasing it. My current plans are to get my man to the NFL and then trade the game in.

I purchased Madden 10 last week. More so because my brother-in-law was on my behind to play. I was taking my sweet time but he hurried the process. My first impressions are that the visual quality is awesome. I'm sure the gamedetail can and will be improved but, this time out, a good job was done on making the fans and players look a little more like real people. I am a Madden fan who enjoys the little things along with the major upgrades. For example, Ilike the game-play movie that runs when the game begins, interacting with the crowd after a big play or seeing the coach of the opposing team yell at his players after they flub up big time. Yes I get pleasure at seeing the players get into trouble. Now, I know Madden takes a hit for its commentary but I actually like hearing Chris Collinsworth's voice. He is one of my favorite football commentators. Not a bad replacement for John Madden. I enjoy the half-time show with Fran Charles and Alex Flanagan. It gives the game more of a visceral feel for me. I will not be surprised if the technology improves to where the players look like Fran and Alex eventually. The Pro-Tak system, where up to nine guys can tackle one player, is crazy. Crazy awesome.

I've played on-line once and have not come to a conclusion on how I feel about the on-line play. I know that I do not like how the game slows down. But I'll play on-line more and see how it goes. I think Madden creators do just enough to wet Madden fan appetites but really do notcome out of the gates with a big bang. EA Madden creators remind me of a football team who, in the off-season, upgrade different positions but really do not come out with a team recipe that fits perfectly. Some pieces that worked just fine were removed and greatly needed pieces were added. I am sure, though, that eventually a Madden game will come out that will blow Madden fans away.

Now off to college football opening Saturday. The season has begun! Woooooohooooo! Maryland plays Cal State tonight. If I was still in Cali guess where I would be. Maryland smacked Cal State in the mouth last year so this is a much anticipated rematch for Cal.

Students have a 4 day weekend because of the Labor Day holiday. If you have any, what are your plans? My brother-in-law might barbecue or I might have everyone at my place.

I purchased Batman: Arkham Asylum a couple of hours ago. I've cracked the case but have not yetbegun to play. I had some work to do. I'm looking forward to playing this awesome looking game. I watched the 360video review, not bad. One person complained that there were too many spoilers in it. For me, the review was just right. The game seems so full of awesomeness that what the reviewer shared does not dim the light of the game. I'm quite sure there are more than enough surprises that a reviewer can not cover in a 7 minute video. Check out the 360 review for the game. It is detailed and clear. If you have not purchased the game the review just might help you make a decision to pick it up.