Decent Video Game Dry Spell Coming?

It looks like after GTA4 comes out we won't be seeing many games being released untill June. That's not a bad thing though. I still have a bunch of games to finish. Once I start playing GTA4 it will probably take me longer than a couple of months to finish it anyway. That is if I finish it all. I have three other GTA games that I haven't even finished. It just seems like one of those games that is more fun to just wander around blowing shit up and being a criminal. You just end up not giving a shit about finishing missions. I never really cared for the structured missions anyway. I've heard that's supposed to change for GTA4, but we'll see. I am looking forward to playing it, but I'm not exactly excited about playing it. I did pre-order it, so I am kinda looking forward to it. Circle April 29th on you callendar.

The games that are being released a couple of months after GTA4 don't have me all that excited. It could be a long summer or it could be a summer of going back and playing or finishing those games we want to or need to play.

Release Dates For Games Worth Mentioning
----------------------------------------

April 13th
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Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (PS3)

May 20th
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Haze (PS3)

June 3rd
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Ninja Gaiden II (X360)
Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway (X360, PC, PS3)
Alone in the Dark (X360, PC, WII, PS2)
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (PSP, DS, X360, WII, PC, PS3, PS2)

June 12th
============
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

June 23rd
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Battlefield: Bad Company (X360, PS3)
Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath (X360)
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (WII, PS3, PS2)

June 24th
============
Soulcalibur IV (PS3, X360)

June 29th
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Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (X360)

AAAAAACHOOOOOOOOOOOO

The past few days have been hell on earth for my sinuses. I haven't played a game since Wednesday. I'm popping sinus pills every four hours. I haven't felt like doing anything. I'd try to play a game, but my head won't allow it. I have that dizzy head cold feeling going on. I'm about to break out a drill and make my sinus cavity bigger. It looks like I may be using some sick time come Monday. Looks like I'll just have to kick back and watch the Stars game tonight and read the latest Official Xbox Magazine while I pout about feeling like crap like the little bitch that I am.

Random Thoughts Re-Revisited The $5.98 EP

Congrats to Xbox Podcast on their 52nd (unofficial 1 year) episode! I wish I could have been on the show, but I have this thing called a job that gets in the way of having a social life. Anyway I hope to see at least another 52 episodes! Xbox Podcast

I watched Stephen King's The Mist last night. Wow! Just wow! What a great movie. I haven't seen a horror movie this good in at least 10 years. I've been a huge Stephen King fan since the 80's. I've read a lot of his books. He's basically the only fiction writer I read. The ending was definitely a shocker that only King could come up with. Brilliant! If you haven't seen this you really NEED to. It's a must watch movie. On a side note I share a birthday with Stephen King.

I've been listening to a podcast that is NOT gaming related lately. I've been listening to the Stuck In The 80's Podcast. They mostly cover music and movies from the 80's. It's a great podcast if you are stuck in the 80's like I am. Stuck In The 80's

The latest Three Red Lights podcast on IGN was great. They actually interviewed Don King. He's a riot. He's a riot because he's just so damn over the top with his whole spiel of bullshit. It was entertaining to say the least. Three Red Lights

I was looking forward to buying Dark Sector untill I saw the reviews. Now I'm really not so sure I'll be buying this game. Knowing me I will though. Right now I have more than enough games to keep me busy. Not to mention GTA4 is coming out the end of April. I may end up waiting a few months before I pick it up. I'm in no hurry.

Lately I've been in a big movie watching mood. Three nights in a row now I've watched a movie. I generally play video games for about four hours straight, but the past few nights it's been an hour and a half for gaming and then a movie. I might watch I Am Legend tonight. I'm not really expecting to like it all that much though.

Cheers to the three of you who actually read this blog. I got nothin' but love for ya. ;)

My Top 5 Johnny Depp Performances

If ever there was a guy to have a "bromance" with it would be Johnny Depp. To me he's just oozes cool. He's been my favorite actor for a number of years now. Of all of his films I'm most impressed with "What's Eating Gilbert Grape". In my opinion it's his best work. There are other roles that have come close, but to me this was Depp at his best. It would have been easier for me to do a top 10 which is why I've decided to limit my list to just 5. The following are movies that I think Depp did his best work in order.

1) What's Eating Gilbert Grape
2) Donnie Brasco
3) Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas
4) Nick Of Time
5) The Ninth Gate

I think a lot of people would have added one of the pirates movies, but to me it just wasn't that serious of a role for Depp. I did enjoy his work in those movies, but they weren't his best work. I'm also hoping and praying that he never plays a pirate again! ENOUGH ALREADY!

John Cusack Rocks

Last night I decided to watch another movie even though I actually had a great night of gaming. I kicked a bit of ass in the single player campaign for RSV2. Anyway, I decided to download "Martian Child" in HD from the Xbox Live Market Place. I read some critic reviews over at rottentomatoes.com, and most were not favorable reviews. Not that that is ever a determining factor for me, but I read some anyway. Then I decided to read some of the user reviews. Those reviews were mostly favorable. I'll admit that I have not seen every Cusack movie, but the movies I've seen him in I've been mostly impressed with. He's a damn fine actor, and he's coming really close to knocking Johnny Depp out of my top spot. I definitely plan on seeing every movie Cusack has starred in. I loved him in "High Fidelity". "High Fidelity" is in my top five favorite movies. I really enjoyed "Martian Child". I went in not really knowing what to expect of it even though I did watch a trailer. I guess I was even kinda surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I won't even attempt to review it because I suck at movie reviews. It did keep me interested the entire time, so that's saying a lot for someone like me who has a short attention span most of the time. I really enjoyed Cusack's acting. He's always believable no matter what character he's playing. My rating for "Martian Child" is 8.5/10. I recommend seeing this if you like dramas.

SERENITY NOW!!!

One of the things I look forward to every night after I get out of work is gaming. I'm addicted to it. I get out of work at 11:30 at night Monday through Thursday. Every night I get home I eat dinner, jump online, and then start gaming. Last night was like any other night or at least I thought it was going to be. I turn on the old 360 and start playing Rainbow Six Vegas 2. I get from one checkpoint to the next one and then I just start sucking horribly. It really didn't even seem like it should have been as hard as it was. I just keep dying which was really pissing me off. I finally ran out of patience. I had had enough. I then decide to pop in Condemned 2. Basically the same exact thing happened. I ran out of patience and quit that game because agian I'm just seriously sucking ass. OK fine! I'm getting no love from my 360. I then decide to play MLB 08 The Show. I play that for a bit on Road To The Show mode where I continue to just royally suck! I couldn't even get a damn hit! Enough was enough already. The video game gods were laughing at my pathetic gaming skills last night. I said screw it and watched John Cusack in "The Sure Thing". I enjoyed it much more than totally sucking at games that's for sure.

Hopefully I can get out of the gaming funk I'm in. Maybe it was just an off night. I obviously needed a break. I may just watch another movie tonight and skip gaming for another night. If you lose your patience and get angry over games and are forced to say "SERENITY NOW" it's time for a break!

NHL 08 Is Easily The Best NHL Game I've Played Yet

Last night I finally finished my first season of NHL 08 on franchise mode with the Dallas Stars of course. I'm happy to say that I won the Stanley Cup. I only played on the pro level, so I'll play the next season on the next hardest level.

I've been playing the EA NHL games since the first one on the Sega Genesis. Every year I buy the latest NHL game on whatever system I happen to own. Though I did skip a few years to buy the NHL 2K games which for a few years were much better than the EA games. This is no longer the case though. This year EA really nailed it. The AI is the best it's ever been. It's the most realistic hockey sim yet. It's definitely the only time I'll get to see Dallas win another championship. Who knows maybe Dallas win another Stanley Cup before I'm dead and gone, but I'm not holding my breath on that.

Local Co-op/Multiplayer A Thing Of The Past?

Remember back in the day when you could grab just about any video game and play with a friend from the comfort of your own couch? Those days aren't entirely gone, but they sure are becoming less and less. Now it seems like games on current gen consoles are either single player or ONLINE multiplayer only. After trying to find suitable games that me and my wife could play together this weekend we ended up trying to play some shooters. Not such a good idea. It wasn't her thing at all. She tried, but it was just too much. She's a casual gamer to say the least. It's not like we play games together all that much, but when the mood strikes it would be nice to have some local co-op games that aren't shooters. I'm not saying that there aren't any local co-op games, but there really aren't many. There's only so many times you can play SCENE IT before it gets boring.

Now I think I understand just why the Wii is selling like hotcakes. The Wii is a console that is a social experience. It's a console for people to play casual games. Being a hardcore gamer I'm really not interested in buying a Wii. At least I wasn't untill I put some thought into it. I'd be willing to shell out 250 bucks to play some local multiplayer games a couple times a month. I'm sure a Wii would only get about 10% or less of my gaming time, but when the mood strikes I'd like to be able to play some fun games with my wife and daughter. Nintendo obviously knew what they were doing when they created the Wii. Not everyone is a hardcore gamer. Actually a small percentage of gamers can be called hardcore. A very small percentage of people go out and buy 3-5 new release games per month like me or other people reading this.
A Wii could be in my family's future...if we can actually find one on a store shelf.

Hopefully Microsoft and Sony will start catering to people who want to play local co-op and multiplayer games. Not everyone wants to jump online and play with a bunch of people they don't know to get their multiplayer fix. Not that I'm saying I don't, but it would be nice to have the option of playing locally with friends and family.

Sidenote: I just now googled LOCAL MULTIPLAYER and it seems that other people are feeling what I feel. http://www.planetgauntlet.com/node/907

Rainbow Six Vegas Is My Type Of Shooter

I started playing RSV2 last night. I forgot just how much I loved the first Rainbow Six Vegas game. A lot of shooters are constantly intense with tons of run and gun moments. RSV is more of a thinking man's shooter. You have to strategize. I also love the fact that I can order my team to do whatever I tell them to do. They may actually be the best AI teammates you could ask for in a shooter. RSV games are definitely my pace as well. I'm pretty much average at FPS games. It just seems like I'm much better at this particular shooter. I'm not a stud or anything, but I seem to be better with this shooter. I'm nailing way more head shots in this game than I do with others.

My above average skills will no doubt change as soon as I play online or online co-op with real living breathing people. This happens to me all the time. I don't deal well with pressure, I guess. There have been a few times where I'll play Halo 3 online and be kicking ass. Then when my friend gets on and wants to play I'll go from doing well to straight up sucking ass. It's gotta be a mental thing for me or something. I need to not think about playing against real people online and just trick myself into somehow believing that I'm playing against AI when I'm playing with friends. I don't know if anyone else has ever had this problem, but for some reason I do.

Yet Another Reason Why My Woman Rules!

I found out today that my "wife" (We aren't married, but after 17 years she pretty much is my wife) bought me Rainbow Six Vegas 2. She told me over the phone that she bought me something for easter, and that I couldn't go out and buy anything untill after easter. I told her that I had to go buy RSV2, and that I couldn't wait. At that point she pretty much had to tell me that she bought it. She knows I would have bought it tomorrow after work. For the past couple days I had been thinking about buying it, but decided I'd just buy it on Friday. A few blog entries ago I went on about how so many women suck because they nag their husbands about their game playing. Mine goes out and buys me a game that I want. For this and many other things she rules.

I know she'll be reading this soon because earlier she asked me on the phone to send her the link. I'm sure she'll be majorly bored with my blog, so if she is she asked for it.

This may be the first time I've blogged about something that has happened in my every day personal life on this blog. This is not that type of blog, so you won't see entries like this often. Big sigh of relief I'm sure. HaHa

10 Things That Every Kid Growing Up In The 80's Had To Have

10 things you had to have in the 80's in no particular order.

1) Rubik's Cube
2) Big Wheel (Preferably a "Green Machine")
3) Atari 2600
4) Nintendo Entertainment System
5) G.I. Joe Action Figures
6) BMX Bike
7) Walkman
8) Hot Wheels Cars
9) Merlin
10) Play-Doh

Do I Need To Go Back And Watch The Matrix?

So I'm on my xbox 360 looking at the video market place movies, and I see that they have The Matrix in HD. I've only ever seen this movie once. I saw it in a room full of people who were talking and carrying on, so I couldn't pay attention to it. When I watch a movie there has to be silence or I just can't pay attention to what's going on. I've always meant to go back and watch The Matrix, but just never have. I know this is reguarded as one of the greatest sci-fi movies, but is that just hype? I guess I won't know untill I watch it again. I can honestly say that I don't really remember a single thing about this movie, so it will be like a new movie to me.

With all of this being said I've never even been a big fan of the sci-fi movie genre. I like the original Star Wars trilogy, but I also grew up in the 70's and 80's, and really what people who are in their 30's don't like the Star Wars trilogy? It seems like with some of the sci-fi movies I have seen I was just left bored and wanting something that would really hold my attention.

I do plan on downloading the HD version of The Matrix on the 360. If anything it will be cool just to watch a sci-fi movie in high definition.

Favorite Cereals From The 80's

I've been talking games so much lately that I forgot about the robster craws part of the blog which is basically anything I want to talk about besides video games. I want to talk cereal! My Mom was actually one of those moms who didn't load me up on sugar when I was a kid, but from time to time I'd get some sugary bounce off the walls and ceiling cereal. Here are my top 10 favorite cereals from the 80's in no particular order.

1) Cinnamon Toast Crunch
2) Blueberry Waffelos
3) Captain Crunch
4) Lucky Charms
5) Pac-Man Cereal
6) Honey Combs
7) Sugar Smacks
8) Just Right (The only good for you cereal I liked)
9) Cookie Crisp
10) Alpha-bits

On a side note I couldn't stand Corn Pops or Life Cereal. I also remember trying Kix at a friend's house and hated it. Terrible stuff.

Blah

Woke up today feeling like I needed to barf. I'm happy to report that I did't. This really has nothing to do with video games or robster craws, but then again it does. It explains why I haven't posted any new blog entries. I felt like crap yesterday too. I've had a headache all day despite popping numerous ibuprofen tablets. I did manage to finish ARY OF TWO and play a couple games of NHL 08 though. Feeling crappy or not I gotta play some games. More entries to come when I start feeling like myself again.

Pacman, The Time Killer

If you own an Xbox 360 and you find yourself wanting a game that you can play when you have about 30 minutes or less to kill then I suggest getting Pacman Championship Edition. I've had this since November on a disc that came with the Arcade bundle. I've played it a few times since then. I thought it was good the few times I played it, but last night I really had some fun playing it. I had about a half hour to kill before I went to bed, so I popped it in and before I knew it my 30 minutes was up. There are some really cool game modes. It may be Pacman, but it's really NOT a been there done that experience. I highly recommend downloading this if you don't already have it.

Two Top 20 Lists That Would Make Me Buy Rock Band

Let me just start out by saying that I'm far from being a casual music fan. I'm an obsessive music freak. I've even been called a music snob and a music eliteist. Maybe I am. I don't own Rock Band the game because I think 90% of the songs suck. Just my opinion of course. I bought Guitar Hero 1&2 on the PS2 well before the game became a smash hit. I enjoyed it for a bit. The songs just got old. I need variety. That's probably why I own well over 3000 cds as well as a boat load of LP's and yes even cassettes. I love metal music. Yes, I am one of those people who laugh at other people who think Metallica are heavy or even relevant when it comes to metal. If Metallica is the extent of your heavy metal knowledge I won't even bother to talk about metal with you. I know that may seem like a shit thing to say, but I just can't deal with people who don't go beyond Metallica for metal. Ok, I'm getting off track now, so on to my two top 20 lists that would actually get me to buy Rock Band.

Top 20 Rock/Hard Rock Songs That Would Make Me Buy Rock Band (In no particular order)

1) The Jack - AC/DC
2) Jane - Starship
3) Meanstreak - Y&T
4) I Stole Your Love - KISS
5) Fantasy - Aldo Nova
6) Rock Me - Great White
7) Fire Woman - The Cult
8) Still Of The Night - White Snake
9) There's Only One Way To Rock - Sammy Hagar
10) Into The Fire - Dokken
11) Lack Of Communication - Ratt
12) Ain't Talkin' Bout Love - Van Halen
13) Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin
14) Turn Me Loose - Loverboy
15) Do Ya Wanna Touch Me? - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
16) Don't Tell Me You Love Me - Night Ranger
17) Peace Frog - The Doors
18) Stone Cold - Rainbow
19) Cities On Flame With Rock N Roll - Blue Oyster Cult
20) Rebel Yell - Billy Idol


Top 20 Metal Songs That Would Make Me Buy Rock Band (In No Particular Order)

1) ANYTHING by Overkill
2) Chopped In Half - Obituary
3) Gods Of Wrath - Metal Church
4) Stand Alone - Iced Earth
5) My Precious Lunatic Assylum - Annihilator
6) Invisible - Dio
7) Warriors - Savatage
8) Aces High - Iron Maiden
9) Hammer Smashed Face - Cannibal Corpse
10) Procreation Of The Wicked - Celtic Frost
11) Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - Black Sabbath
12) Snap Your Fingers Snap Your Neck - Prong
13) Inner Self - Sepultura
14) She Rides - Danzig
15) Electric Eye - Judas Priest
16) Disciples Of The Watch - Testament
17) Bored - Death Angel
18) Surf Nicaagua - Sacred Reich
19) Angel Of Death - Slayer
20) Can You Deliver - Armored Saint

I could name so many more, but you get the idea.

Nagging Wives vs Gaming Husbands

I'd like to start out by saying that I'm so glad I have an understanding woman in my life who has no problem with my gaming habit. I know that there is a huge percentage of women who rag and nag on their boyfriends and husbands for spending so much time and money on games. I've read numerous posts on message boards where guys talk about how their wives complain about the time they spend on gaming. I also listen to podcasts where guys send e-mails talking about how much their wives complain that they play video games all the time. These men even ask questions about how they can get their wives into gaming just so they can game without their wives nagging them. Why do women feel the need to give their husbands grief over gaming? If I had to deal with it I can assure you I wouldn't deal with it for long. When will women learn that they can't change us? I'm sure most men were playing video games long before they met their wives. Gaming isn't a phase that we go through. Get used to it wives! While your husband is playing video games why don't you go find something to clean. You could even bake a cake or something. Heck, go get your husband a beer while he plays COD4.

Will You Still Be Gaming When You're Old And Gray?

I'll be 36 years old in September. I don't feel old. That's because I'm not old. I really do believe the saying "You're Only As Old As You Feel". On some days I feel old physically mostly because my job takes a toll on my body. I do exercise regularly, so I usually feel good, but I do have aches and pains now and then. Mentally I feel really young. I'm young at heart. Maybe that's why I still enjoy gaming. Most people my mother's age look at video games as something kids play. Anyone reading this blog probably knows that's not true. If anything games are geared more towards adults these days.

A while ago I wondered if in 20 years I'd still be gaming. Of course I say yes right now, but people's tastes and hobbies can and do change. 20 years ago I enjoyed skate boarding and did it every day. I can't exactly see myself totally giving gaming up, but after time I figure my mnind and motor skills won't be as sharp as they are right now. I figure I'm average at best when it comes to first person shooters right now. I figure when I'm pushing 60 my reaction time won't be nearly as good as it is right now. I also think that I was better at games in my teens and 20's. Either my skill level has dropped or games have gotten harder. I may just end up being one of those gamers who play a ton of casual games. God forbid! At any rate I'll keep playing as long as I'm having fun. I can see myself playing well into my 70's as long as my eye sight holds up.

The Best Video Games For My Money

There is a lot of talk about whether a game is worth the 60 bucks you pay for it these days. Is it a buy or is it only worth a rent? The days where people are willing to shell out 50 or 60 bucks on a single player game aren't over, but I think less and less people are willing to buy single player games unless they can get a lot of quality hours from it. I'm still one of those people who don't mind paying 60 bucks for a solid single player game. I don't mind that there isn't any online multi-player if the game is solid. For example BioShock and Mass Effect were great games. Both are single player only games. Those games are the exceptions. I'm not a big online multi-player gamer anyway unless I'm playing with a friend. There are exceptions though.

Overall I think the games that I personally get the best value from are sports games. I've been playing the EA NHL series since the first one on the Sega Genesis. I always play a full season as well as the playoffs. You figure the regular season is 82 games and then how ever long you go in the playoffs. That's a lot of gameplay and definitely worth the 60 bucks. It is to me anyway. The same can be said about baseball games as well. I also think that games like Halo 3 and COD 4 are a great value as well. Once you finish the campaign you can go get your ass handed to you on Xbox Live. HaHa Well I generally do anyway.

Two Totally Different Games Both Fun For Different Reasons

Today I picked up MLB 08: The Show for the PS3. I played it online with an internet friend (Repro). It was a fun game, but man the pitching was a pain in the royal ass to figure out. I had never played. Needless to say I got smoked. I haven't exactly played a lot of baseball video games, but this one was quite difficult. It's not like the baseball games I've played in the past where pitching is simple and knocking a ball out of the park is easy as can be. I had a hell of a time throwing strikes. I guess I'll just have to practice a lot. The funnest part of the game was getting hit by pitches. It was a riot to watch my player fall to the ground dramatically.

Next up I played Army Of Two for the Xbox 360. I found myself totally immersed in this game. It's totally built around co-op, so I need to play with someone online. I had read that the single player campaign was average, but man I'm having a blast playing it. It's an above average shooter in my opinion. The graphics are really good and the gameplay is great. Sometimes the AI of enemies is retarded. Twice during the game I had an enemy not even know I was there to shoot him in the head. Also during one mission my partner got stuck under a platform. What sucked is that I needed him, so I could flank an enemy that has to be shot in the back to be killed. I had to restart from the last checkpoint. No big deal really, but it was irritating. Another plus is that I ended up with 155 achievement points after a few hours of playing. I'm just hoping that this isn't one of those games I'm going to be able to beat in 6 or 7 hours. I will be playing again though after I finish it because I want to finish this game on co-op.

Graphics & Gameplay

How big of a role do graphics play when you plan on buying a game? These days with "next gen" consoles it seems like there is a big emphasis on graphics. I must admit that graphics do factor into my decision on whether I purchase a game or not. I don't base my entire decision on it, but I must admit that it does matter to me. Over and over again I hear gamers talk about it being about the gameplay and not the graphics, but is that entirely true? I don't think it is. Obviously I don't want a crappy game with great graphics. Gameplay does matter, but so do good graphics. I want a game that looks as realistic as possible or at least cartoonish with smooth graphics. Console games have come a long way since the NES and Sega Genesis. The gameplay was there for a lot of games, but I was always wanting a better graphical presentation. I basically want the whole package. I think that anybody who says it's only gameplay that matters and not graphics is kidding themselves.

These days there are quite a few games that contain both elements. Gears Of War comes to mind right away. Gears is a beautiful game that also has some damn fine gameplay. It was a bit short for my liking, but still awesome. There are quite a few FPS that got it right. Rainbow Six Vegas also falls into this category as well as GRAW2, COD2, and COD4. I can't even imagine how realistic FPS will be in the next generation of consoles, and I can't wait either!

Another Entry Of Random Thoughts

You all know you want that Pacman guitar!

You know how gamers are labeled as nerds or geeks? Of course you do. In some ways I see it. In some ways I don't. I don't really consider myself a nerd. I've never been a nerd. I don't look like a nerd. I don't act like a nerd. I don't talk like a nerd.
Today I was thinking about gamers who I would definitely call nerds. The biggest gaming nerd is the guy who creates a massive video game walkthrough. Don't get me wrong, I use walkthroughs from time to time when I get stuck. I just can't imagine anyone actually wanting to sit down in front of their PC and create a walkthrough. I wouldn't even want to create one if I was getting paid for it. Walkthrough creators have got to be the biggest gaming nerds. God bless them when I need a walkthrough, but man do they need to get lives. LOL

As you know I picked up God Of War: Chains Of Olympus. I'm probably about an hour into the game. Let me just tell you that so far it's awesome, BUT this boss battle I'm on right now is so pissing me off! I may just need a geeky walkthrough.

Bully: Scholarship Edition is great mindless fun so far. I've probably played it for about 5 hours so far. It's not for everyone, but for me it's entertaining. I'd say it's definitely worth a rent for most people. I guess there is a multi-player mode, but I haven't checked that out because afterall I am mostly a lone gamer.

Planet Earth on blu-ray is just simply amazing to watch. It's just beautiful. I don't just throw around words like this for any old program. This is truly breath taking stuff and very interesting as well. I've seen things I've never seen or heard of before. Top notch stuff here.

I just found out that THE KING OF KONG and WAR are both on Xbox Live Video Marketplace. Both are in HD as well. I had planned on buying THE KING OF KONG, but now I'll just rent it in HD. Mrs. Overkill1972 rented WAR for me, but I never got a chance to watch it. Looks like I'll be buying a points card this weekend. That also reminds me that I need to renew my gold subscription as well.

Lately I've been addicted to Diet Cherry Chocolate Dr.Pepper. Good stuff though I've been trying to lay off of pop. This stuff is not helping.

Thank God Friday is here! The weekend is near, and it's time for some gaming!

Worst Games I've Played On The Xbox 360

I've owned an Xbox 360 for over a year now. I've bought something like 50+ games, and I've even rented a few. For the most part I've had good/great experiences on the 360 as far as games go, but of course there have been some really crappy games as well. Here are the games that stick out in my mind as being the worst I have played on the 360.

Call Of Juarez

Quake 4

Fuzion Frenzy 2 (By far THE worst Xbox 360 game!!!)

TMNT

Viva Pinata (I actually liked this game for about an hour or two. Hey at least I can admit it!)

Dirt (The title sums it up nicely)

Call Of Duty 3 (It was just a total letdown after playing COD2. Too bad Infinity Ward can't just make all of the COD's!)

Dead Rising (The save system for this game is just crap)

King Kong

GameStop N' Go Because We Don't Have New Releases On New Release Day

A while ago I pre-ordered God Of War: Chains Of Olympus for the PSP. Today IS DEFINITELY the release date. Well, it is unless you're GameStop. For some strange reason they seem to think that wednesday is the day when new releases hit the shelves. Here is my visit to GameStop today....

Employee: Hi, can I help you?

Me: Yes, I pre-ordered God Of War for the PSP, and I'm here to pick it up as well as a couple of other games.

Employee: That's not out today.

Me: Uhh, isn't this tuesday?

Employee: Yes, but the game ships on tuesday and won't be here untill tomorrow. That's the way it always is.

Me: Well, do you have Bully or Army Of Two?

Employee: Nope, not untill tomorrow. Did you see these dates on the internet?

Me: Yes, I did.

Employee: Games always come out on Wednesdays.

Me: Ok then.

Employee: We'll see you tomorrow then.

Me: Yep.

I then go look around the store and see that they have like five new copies on the new release shelf for Bully. I then say to myself screw this I'm going to Best Buy. Best Buy is just across the street, and I'm glad to say that I was at least 99% sure that Best would indeed have the games I was looking for. I walk in to Best Buy and sure enough they have both Bully and God Of War in the racks. To this I say IN YOUR FACE GAMESTOP! Best Buy gets my 95 dollars and you do not!

What irritates me is that I am positive I could school this GameStop employee when it comes to current video game news and release dates. This guy acted like I had no idea what I was talking about. I wasn't about to argue with him because that would be idiotic. I'll tell you one thing though when I do go back to Gamestop I'll make it a point of letting him know that I got the games I wanted on the day of release right across the street at Best Buy. I also swear that from this day on I will NEVER pre-order another game from Gamestop. When I pre-order a game I expect it to be in the store on THE day it's released. By the way this is not the first time I've had this problem with Gamestop. I guess I'm the fool for thinking that Gamestop would actually have the games I want on release day. Here's to Best Buy! You actually have the games I want on the day they come out.

Ramblings Of A Gamer

With all of the podcasts I listen to lately I find that there are six that I basically can't live without.
Those five being Xbox Podcast, Video Game Outsiders, Three Red Lights, Podcast Beyond, Game Scoop, and the CAGcast. Three Red Lights, Podcast Beyond, and 
Game Scoop are all IGN podcasts. All are entertaining as hell. My favorite host who is on Game Scoop and Podcast Beyond
Is Greg Miller. The guy is a crack up. He's totally silly, and just a goofball. Hillary Goldstein is funny as well, but in a cocky smart ass way. He kinda reminds me of myself. As far as the CAGcast goes Cheapy D sounds about as professional as you can get. He has a great voice for radio. His sidekick, Wombat is decent. Basically Cheapy D and Wombat are good as a duo.  Xbox Podcast has a really good format. You know what to expect show to show, and Wingman, Brun, and Moroniccow are just super nice guys.

Now on to some podcasts that I think are getting a bit stale. Lately Major Nelson's podcast has been well...rather dull. The OXM podacst hasn't been all that great either. Both need an injection of something. I still listen to both, but I don't rush to DL either.

Some good games come out today. I plan on picking up God Of War: Chains Of Olympus on the PSP as well as Bully: Scholarship Edition for the 360. I may even pick up Army Of Two for the 360 as well. God Of War is getting great reviews. I'm a fan of the series and this is a prequel, so I'm geeked about that. From what I've heard it pushes the PSP farther that it's ever been as far as gameplay and graphics go.

There is a poll over at Cheap Ass Gamer that is broken 360 related. Can't say I'm surprised with the results of the poll. You can check that out at http://cheapassgamer.com

Just got Planet Earth on blu-ray in the mail today. I've read nothing, but great reviews for it, so I had to buy it. Got it on sale at Amazon plus I still had a 7 bucks left on a gift card that I got on the Old Spice Challenge from Xbox Podcast. Planet Earth is on 4 blu-ray discs and has a running time of 550 minutes. From what I've read about it there are just some mind blowing moments.

I'm A Loner Gamer

The Xbox 360 is known as the complete multi-player experience console because of how great
Xbox Live is. I'm finding more and more that I'm just more of a single player gamer. Video games are an escape for me. It's almost a personal kind of thing that I enjoy doing alone. Anyone who knows me knows that about 95% of the time I like being alone. Basically people bug me. Even people that I like tend to bug me after a while. Playing games on Xbox Live is usually a total downer for me because there are so many assholes playing. Anyone reading this might think that I just had a recent bad experience, but that's not the case at all.

My problem with playing on Xbox Live is that people in general suck. Give an idiot a headset and he's bound to say assinine things to you that he'd never say directly to your face.
I find that people are really brave when they are annonymous gamertags sitting on their sofa hundreds of miles away. You get bad sports, mouthy little kids, cry babies who make excuses as to why they lost a game, people who think everyone wants to hear them sing, idiots who just like to swear for no reason 
at all because they think it makes them sound cool, the list goes on and on. I don't feel the need to deal with all of these morons. I play games to have fun and enjoy myself. I don't need the irritation.

Last night I played Resistance: Fall Of Man multi-player without a headset. I couldn't hear anyone, and they couldn't hear me. It was a damn fine experience. It just felt like I was playing against computer AI. I actually played decent as well. When I'm playing Halo 3 or COD4 on Xbox Live with real people it affects my play if I'm playing with jerks. It affects it negatively. Basically
I can't play well when I'm irritated. I just have to question why it is that people have to be 
assholes and ruin other people's online experience. 

On the flipside I do have fun playing with people I know. The problem is that I don't personally know many people on Xbox Live. I get with a good friend of mine and play and have a great time. We usually chat while we play no matter what we're playing. We do this when we play Halo 3 and don't have to listen to anyone. Co-op is also great with a friend on Xbox Live. I hope more and more games add co-op.

At the end of the day after I get out of work I usually just want to unwind with a good game all alone. That's the way I started gaming, and that's the way I prefer it most of the time. That could change if people online weren't idiots, but somehow I just don't see that changing anytime soon. Untill then I'll just keep playing those single player campaigns and escaping the real world.

Oh, by the way the hot chick in the picture has absolutely nothing to do with this blog entry, but I needed a picture and that seemed like a pretty nice one to put up there.

Oh No Not A Gay Achievement!

Most gamers already know all about the gay boy kissing achievement for Bully: Scholarship Edition which is being released on the Xbox 360 this coming Tuesday. The achievement is actually kinda funny. Rockstar even gave the achievement a great title naming it "Over The Rainbow". Obviously your character is a boy. The achievement has you kissing 20 other boys for a 20 point achievement.

My question is how many guys who play this game will skip this achievement, just so they won't be ridiculed by their dippy friends? I know there are thousands of achievement whores out there who will do it anyway, but how many homophobes will refuse to go for the boy kissing achievement? It should be interesting to see. I'll know I'll be checking my friends list to see who gets it and who doesn't. 

I also plan on seeing a big fuss over this by the crazy church groups out there. I can hear it now
"VIDEO GAMES RUINING OUR YOUTH BY TRYING TO TURN THEM INTO HOMOSEXUALS".
Fox news will no doubt be the first to report this.

I plan on picking Bully up Tuesday. I was going to buy this for the PS2 a while back when it was first released, but never got around to buying it. Oh, and yes I will be going for the rainbow achievement. That's 20 points I can't pass up!