'Tis The Season To Play Games & Watch Movies

Well, I'm on vacation right now. I really haven't done much though I still jump on my treadmill so as to not be totally lazy. I've been playing video games and watching some movies on Netflix. Oh, and I even started a Gamefly account.

The first game I finished while on vacation was CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR. It didn't take long to finish, and I knew it wouldn't because I have heard from several sources that it wouldn't. I think there might have been about 6 hours of gameplay or maybe 7. There were times where I found myself getting bored with the game. There were also times where I was having quite a bit of fun. I loved the sections of the game where I was able to use the flame thrower and mortars. Watching enemies scream in pain while on fire was a blast. That's sounds sadistic, but I'm just being honest. I also enjoyed manning the machine guns while on the fighter plane to take down enemy ships and other planes. This was easily the best looking WW2 game I've played. The graphics are just beautiful. There were some frustrating moments in certain sections, but that's to be expected. I don't want a shooter that's a walk in the park. I found myself having to take breaks after playing for an hour or so. Then when I came back refreshed I had an easy time getting through irritating parts. I already mentioned how the game is short, but I really didn't mind that because I felt like I had played all that I wanted to when it was over. That's not really the sign of a great game, but whatever. It's a fine enough game. It's just that I've been in the WW2 genre for too long. I'm tired of it now. I haven't played any multiplayer, and I don't think I will either. If I want my multiplayer shooter fix I'll go play COD4 or FRONTLINES: FUEL OF WAR. I can't recommend this for a buy, but it's a definite rent if you're a fan of shooters. I rented it because I knew going in that it would be a short experience. Just based on the single player campaign this game is worthy of a 7.8/10

I'm also playing SAINTS ROW 2. It's a poor mans version of the GTA series. At this point I'm renting it, but depending on how I feel after putting some time into it I may end up buying it if the price is right. I'm definitely having some fun with it, but my attention span isn't the greatest, so who knows how long it will keep me entertained. Right now I'm doing a bunch of side missions like spraying sewage all over buildings and doing tons of property damage with various cars and rocket launchers. It's all just mindless fun really. It also has it's fair share of bugs that can be really annoying such as getting stuck on objects and console lock ups. Not a bad game so far.

As I said earlier I finally signed up with Gamefly. I chose to only get a game at a time. I figure I already have a bunch old games to play that I own. I also don't want to be renting two games at a time and having to pick between the two. I'll just play the one game they send me and finish it if I like or send it back if I don't. Of course this may change later on. I'll probably end up wanting two at a time. By the way they are sending me Mercenaries 2 which I have played, but haven't finished. It was probably the fifth game on my list, so I'm not thrilled about that, but I do want to play it more. It would have been nice to get Prince Of Persia or a couple of the PS3 games that I wanted above it. Oh well.

Finally, I watched a couple of movies through Netflix on my Xbox 360. First I watched NOBODY'S FOOL with Paul Newman and Jessica Tandy. I've been in the mood for serious dramas lately. Anyway I really enjoyed it. Paul Newman is/was an incredible actor. 8/10

I also watched THE BASKETBALL DIARIES which I've only ever seen bits and pieces of. For some reason I just love watching movies where people are destroying their lives with drugs. It's fascinating to me how addiction can take over a person and make them do insane things. Damn good film. I enjoyed it. 8.5/10