No Rest For The Wicked

So whilst my bout with hives winded down (still having outbreaks, though very light), I began to feel the beginnings of a cold kicking up. I don't think this cold, rainy weather is helping my cause any either. I also guess having a reaction does more to one's body then simply having weird marks/bumps and itching like crazy.

Great.

Regardless of that, I absolutely want to go out and see the new Sherlock Holmes movie (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) and I am determined to drag myself out of my house if need be to get it done. The plan was to see it yesterday, but both myself and my girlfriend fell asleep just before we were thinking of going and when we awoke, it was just too late.

The only plus I see here is I have some time to play a bit of Skyrim, which I've been keeping away from simply because many hours of life disappear whenever that game is on. I just can't believe how time consuming the side quests are! I've been trekking all across the land and have found encampments and enemies I didn't even know were my enemies. It is, however, quite difficult to ignore someone dressed in skins and throwing fireballs at you. My plan going forward? I think I'll take my Nord character and join up with the Stormcloaks. Screw the Imperial bastards, hate that smug attitude of theirs...

Four Days of Hell

So much has happened in such a short period of time, I think I'm still trying to figure it all out. I think the events of this past several weeks will play a role in shaping how 2012 starts out for me. Good or bad, that part remains to be seen.

For starters though, I spent just about a week recovering from a mysterious allergic reaction from food(s) and/or contact with materials/substances unknown. All I know for certain was I had a pretty nasty reaction to it and had a nice little introduction to what I now know as hives. Life threatening? I don't really think so, but thanks to the power of the internet, I was almost convinced I was going to be stuck with it from anywhere between a week or three or maybe even the rest of my damn life. Thankfully, that doesn't appear to be the case and it has all but cleared up at this point.

This was all fairly scary stuff to me as I've never had such a reaction to anything before in my life. I am absolutely thankful for my mom, who gave me all the right advice and I have to think that is what spared me from a prolonged bout with whatever happened to me.

Thanks mom.

I just hope it is done and over with, because have that many itches on both of my arms, legs, back and bottoms of my feet was absolute hell. I do not want to ever have to experience that again! Ever! Never!

Going For Broke!

Yup, the title for this entry is the surest statement I can make because I am backed up on games till probably some time in 2012. Of the few (read: many) games that I've been playing, Skyrim has been put on hold for the moment, just because I tend to spend way too many hours at it during every session. That is a digital drug, I shit you not.

One little gripe that I can recall from my last time around with the game was having a fight with a dragon and it did not fight back. I mean it did circle above, it blasted the jeebus out of me from the sky and all of that. But then it just landed and looked at me. Surely it was a menacing beast, but he/she/it just stared at me and so I did what I've been having fun doing so far: Summoned my magic sword, equipped my dead enchanted sword and hacked it to death.

Epic, but totally not epic all the same...

WWE '12 is/was pretty damn disappointing in that the controls seem like they've only gotten worse since last year. I kind of wished they'd include an option to have the controls function as it did back in 2010. As for Universe 2.0... it is slightly better, but a little boring and just not really that fun to play. And the whole SUPER COOL presentation of stringing the matches together is just so silly it is stupid. And to top it off? Community Creations (online portion) does not work. But wait! They are working on fixing the probably 24/7 right!

That must be one hell of a fuck up somewhere...

So what have I been occupying my time with lately? Surprisingly enough, Saints Row The Third has been my current choice of mayhem.

It is a little over the top, but it isn't like every single thing in the entire game is completely bat-shit insane or anything like that. The gun play does seem better, so at least being swarmed by rival gangs and cops doesn't feel quite that bad like before (and you will be swarmed by gangs and cops a lot).

Just kind of a quick post onto my dead blog, for what reasons I cannot say. I guess I like repetitive shit that equates to nothing. And yes, I am very quickly losing my goddamn mind and I just want to jump up and down and rant and rave and just scream at every living being that crosses my path.

But I won't.

Yet.

Ugh

I hate these guys, but more on that below.

I think I probably just experienced two of the worse dragon fights imaginable this morning. The first one happened in a town who's name I can't remember. It was out there and just randomly I noticed a number of the guards drawing their bows and looking to the skies.

Uh, wonder what that could be?

So there was a dragon flying about overhead, blasting guards with it's ice breath and just having a merry old time. Me being an avid hunter of these poor creatures, I spring into action and blast it squarely with my recently unlocked fire shout which caught the dragon's attention. It took a couple of shots before it retreated onto some rocks on the outskirts of this little town. Seeing how the guards are not pursuing the dragon, I continued my chase alone as my wander companion decided against jumping into what I assume was freezing water, and opted to find a better route.

As I got to said dragon, it blasted me over and over though I did return the favor with shots of fire to it's face. Trying to jockey for a better position and perhaps get near enough to make use of my sword, I run and hop around the rocks beneath the dragon and then I get stuck.

Yes I was, in fact, stuck between a rock and a hard place...

There Be Dragons!

So my sessions have shorten down a little, I think mostly because I'm actually starting to be able to fast travel between places and that speeds things up some. That isn't to say that I've given up exploring, which I spent much of today doing. I've come across trolls and vampires and abandoned prisons in some extremely out of the way type of places.

I even advanced a little in the story, picking up some cool new tricks in the process. But I was not satisfied, because something very important was missing and I just didn't feel right about it not being there. What was this you may or may not wonder?

The one thing that was lacking was dragons! Where were the dragons? Why were they not terrorizing the skies as I imagine these awesome beasts to be doing?

First Impressions: The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim

So I did make it out for the midnight release for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on Thursday night and I was a little surprised to see so few people. I guess I was expecting somewhat of a line like we saw with Halo: Reach, but I suppose that is entirely different animal all together. Still, there was a decent collection of guys that were far more into this game then even I was, as hyped as I thought myself to be.

Watched three guys hugging and jumping up and down like a bunch of little school girls or something, which was odd. Watched another guy rip the game open before he even left the store, just to pull out the map inside to show off to his friends who also got the game.

I don't feel so bad anymore...

Anyhow, shockingly I've put away about 10 hours into the game today and it was just about ten minutes ago that I came across my first dragon (and finally unlocking one of the dragon shouts). I was kind of expecting it to happen sooner, though I'm not complaining in the least that it happened when it did.

Destiny Begins Tonight

So it looks as though I am actually going to be heading out for the midnight release for Skyrim after all. I suppose it is for the best, considering all the madness going on with APEC and what not. I surely wouldn't want to get caught up in that mess tomorrow. Now as long as everything moves along smoothly, it looks like I'll be exploring the world of Skyrim before the sun rises tomorrow morning!

Here's hoping that works out...

The Plan

At this moment I'm finding myself sitting in front of my computer, just staring at the clock and willing it to hurry the hell up. Needless to say, that plan isn't working out all that well and it just makes time seem like its going even slower then normal. Surely I could continue playing other games, because I'm a little backed up at the moment, but that isn't going to happen. But my focus is aimed directly towards one game and one game alone at this point. Unlike how I treated my short time with Oblivion, I'm intending on fully dedicating my time solely towards Skyrim.

In some ways, its like my entire gaming world and life have come to a sudden, violent stop and now I'm waiting on bated breath to see and hold and play this gaming legend for myself. There is just so much to see and do in Skyrim, I'm hoping I don't get overwhelmed and lost in the process of wandering/exploring.

So sorry Rage, it looks like your time is up.

The Time Is Near

I'm thinking it is pretty safe to say by now that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim may very well be the death of me. Okay that statement might be a little too far to the extreme. I think, at the very least, Skyrim will be the death of me financially. Though whist I'm still alive, the anticipation for this game is reaching staggering heights. I feel like a kid again!

A very broke kid...

As it goes so far, I've pre-ordered the collector's edition for both the game itself, as well as for the guide also. Why I pick up guides anymore in this day and age is a little beyond me, but I like how they look? It's an expensive love affair some days. Now thanks to the fact that I've been listening to the main theme song for the game (titled "Dragonborn"), I've even gone as far as to pre-order the 4-disc soundtrack on top of all of this!

What? It's supposed to be a signed copy from the man beyond the music for this game. I don't think I've ever gotten an autograph anything as far as video games are concerned...

But this madness must end and end soon, though the wait for that day is just a mere 3 days away. If life and my plans were to have worked side by side, I'd have been off of work from Friday until Monday. But damn you life! Way to ruin what could be a non-stop gaming session that would stretch on for days!

It doesn't matter though because I fully intend on playing the hell out of this game come Friday and I don't intend on stopping until my eyes dry out. Or I have to head out for work. Which ever happens first...

Interesting...

So, digging through my junk mail tonight I find a most interesting email apparently from "Blizzard" which states basically there is "strong evidence" that my account is either being traded or sold and that is a violation of their terms and policies and what not. So with that, I should click on the link provided in the email to "verify my password."

Um... no?

I haven't logged into my account in quite a few months by now, so I'm afraid I'm just going to have to call bullshit on this. If it is actually legit, then they can go ahead and lock up account up all nice and tiddy if they so choose. If not, well how much money can a person actually make off of a level 20 Orc anyway? Now unless the level cap was dropped to 20 and my dude suddenly gained massive god-like powers, I don't think that will amount to anything.

Ah, junk mail... thanks for the laugh!

Bastion

Bastion was a game I initially played the demo for during the Summer of Arcade this past Summer and I've been pondering about this game for quite some time since. I really liked the art style and the narration as you move along was a nice touch. And the music? Pure awesome.

Truthfully though, I didn't pick it up then and I sort of forgot about it up until only recently when I seen the game on sale on Steam. More then that, there was a bundle that included the game AND the soundtrack. I am a sucker for soundtracks...

So now Bastion has become my go-to game on PC, since I've played Bejeweled 3 to death by now. From the little time I've spent with the game so far, I am enjoying it as much as I expected I would. I'm mostly curious about how this story will unfold. What happened to the world? And where is everyone else? Just writing about this makes me want to fire the game back up right now and play...

Damn you adult life and your need to throw grown up responsibilities at me!

One Week Away

It's always hard to believe that a game, after being hyped endlessly for months (sometimes years), is actually nearing it's release date. As a manner of curbing my overly active geekness (RPGs are one thing, but fantasy? With castles and dragons and magic and all of that good stuff? I'm practically a kid in a candy shop!) has been to tell myself the game could get delayed at the last minute.

Of course if that did happen, I may just lose my goddamn mind. I wonder if  a workplace would keep in their employ a person who drools mindlessly and just mutters incoherent nothings about missed release dates and eternal gaming damnation?

Everything It Should Be

WWE '12 is shaping up to be a very good game or at least that is the way things are sounding this year. It has been a crazy trend with this series, the way things have worked themselves out. Generally new ideas are shit the first year they debut, but the second year things pan out and actually work worlds better then they originally did.

Now from what I've been reading, the WWE Universe 2.0 mode sounds like just about everything the original was not. Open, more options and a lot more attention geared to make it look and feel as though you were playing what you see on TV every week. I'm also liking the fact that you could actually "injure" a superstar, which will take them out of action as far as the WWE Universe mode is concerned.

Big change that I like is the ability to be able to put together matches for championships, which was not possible in last year's game. It was very annoying to build up someone you want to push towards a title reign, only for the game itself to decide it wants someone completely different in the title picture instead. That brings back memories of trying to push Brie Bella for the Divas Championship and Yoshi Tatsu for the United States Championship. Both were pushing up to #1 Contender status, but both ended up sitting out most Pay-Per-Views and generally never got the title shots that they earned.

Electricity In The Night

Infamous 2 has quite an interesting first DLC for itself in the form of Festival of Blood. I mean having Cole? As a vampire? So you get to mix a few powers of a vampire with all the electric jazz that Cole brings to the table? That sounds strangely promising to me, though I wish the power(s) gained here could somehow be shifted over to the main game itself.

One thing I also didn't read much about was if the secondary powers picked up in Infamous 2 would be present with Cole's other powers.

Wishful thinking eh? I guess that would sort of make the guy near god-like...

Still, having see what I've seen and read what I have about this DLC, it seems pretty clear that this might actually be one of the better DLC released for any game. Might I actually get my money's worth here? I'm thinking so. So I think this might actually be reason enough to draw me back to firing up my dusty, underused PS3 in the very near future...

Wolverine & The X-Men

Note: There was much intention on making this a bit of a worthy read, but after having to rewrite this about a half a dozen times, it is what it is unfortunately. Thanks Blogger... -_-

It was many long years ago when I stopped buying into the world of comic books. At the time, things just didn't seem as interesting and my interest had actually swung over towards Manga, which had compelling characters and stories that seemed like worlds beyond anything in any comic I'd ever read.

Fast forward to the present day and basically all Manga that I've ever had interest in has basically all but fallen off the face of the Earth. Besides that, the release schedule for those books was just too ridiculous for me as having to wait 5 months to a year is just insane to me. So after muddling around the idea of collecting/read comics for a number of years now and even reading through a few different titles across Marvel, DC and various other comic companies, I've finally decided to get back into the world of comics. What am I following? Well seeing as I've always been partial to the X-Men, that is exactly where and what I've decided to come back for.

Bits of Random In Every Box!

October has been kind of a slow month, not too much happening and I am finding myself a little empty on subjects to write about. I suppose this could be considered the calm before that massive gaming storm that starts next month and rips across the entire month of November. So many games, so little time and money...? As I think I mentioned previously, the games I'm actually getting is short this year and I can't really complain because I think I'll enjoy every one of 'em.

Also sort of wish I could get a couple other games, but I'll live without 'em.

I think.

I also suppose I am overdue for a post filled to the brim with random topics, so here it goes! Random list of random things that I randomly thought up over the course of an hour or so! Wait, does that make it not that random if I actually thought about it?

The Sky's The Limit

A little more then a month away from the release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and I am actually really looking forward to this game. It helps that it has a special edition that includes a dragon statue (more on dragons a little later). Like I think I've mentioned before though, I didn't fare that well in Oblivion and I actually didn't really like it all that much. Granted, it probably wasn't smart to try and steal from a knight in front of his face or rob a monk in his office with him sitting there either. But ultimately I just couldn't get into the game all that much and ultimately I gave up on it well before I ever got into that massive world.

Here Comes The Pain!

Suddenly WWE '12 just jumped up on my list of games that are coming out in November. In case you haven't a clue as to who this monster of a human pictured above is, that is former UFC Heavyweight Champion as well as a former WWE Champion, Brock Lesner. What's so important about this guy? Well hell... in the WWE, he was one of the youngest to ever win the WWE Championship. In the UFC he rose up to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship not long after debuting for the company. From a gamer standpoint, he is in a WWE video game for the first time in a very, very long time!

How in the world can I make use of this monster? At the very least, I'm thinking I know who I'll be crowning as one of my world champions in Universe Mode 2.0 this year. From there? A revisiting of the rivalry between himself and The Rock? Or maybe face off against Stone Cold Steve Austin? Or maybe Mark Henry or Sheamus? Hell, maybe another match against John Cena would be in order as well...

The possibilities are endless... and I can only wonder who else is still hidden that'll round out this year's roster. Rob Van Dam last year was a surprise, but Brock freaking Lesner? In a WWE video game? That is HUGE. I can't wait for November!

Something New, Something Different

Yes, the changes being made to this blog are still going and am I happy with the way things are looking now? Maybe, maybe not. Am I ever really happy about these sorts of things? Simply put, no... I can't say I am ever really satisfied with these things. I am always wanting to change something, just because at that moment I think it'd look good or might add something to the mix.

So now with this dynamic view business in use, I think I am kind of liking the way things are looking right now. But could it use more options for customization? Absolutely.

Regardless, it looks like this might be the look I'll be using for the foreseeable future unless something else pops up on here that changes my mind. It could happen! Though I am a little disappointed that I don't have any of my many useful links cluttering up the face of my blog anymore...

Hour One: RAGE

Trying out a couple of new things here for this writing (using a cut off point, so maybe I won't have any long winded posts clogging up the entire length of my blog) and hopefully this post will be a little more coherent then my usual fare. I've been trying to gather up my thoughts better on singular subjects, though that ended up being much easier said then done. Anyway, onto my thoughts on my first hour in Rage.

So now that I've gotten through my first hour in Rage, I think I have at least a mild idea of what's ahead. Despite what is being said out there, I can't help but feel like I am on Pandora (Borderlands), though I admit the looks of the Wasteland is quite nice though baron as it might be. I've caught myself admiring the scenery a time or two and both times I've snapped back to find a bandit charging right for me. So note to self: Kill first, admire the scenery later.

Brain Could Be Melting

A random post just because I'm at work, on my lunch break and am pretty much just bored out of my mind at this point. What to do?

I have gotten Rage and am about an hour and 30 minutes in so far. I started a little write up about that, but that post is still a work in progress. More on that later today me thinks.

One feeling I cannot shake off while playing Rage is just how familiar everything is, in so many ways like Borderlands. The quests aka jobs I've gotten so far are extremely similar, most fetch jobs or go somewhere and kill all bandits/mutants or whatever might be there.

Beyond the wastelands of Rage, it looks like my end of the year gaming frenzy will include only Skyrim, Saints Row The Third, WWE '12 and maybe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. A smaller list this year, but hopefully it'll be a good bunch nonetheless.

Others that were on consideration but fell through for various reasons were: Assassin's Creed Revelations, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and some others that don't quite come to my mind right now.

Edit: This was suppose to have been posted a few hours back, but apparently mobile Blogger and I are having some issues right then. On top of that, it did a terrible job at saving what I had written. I might have to reconsider this blogging on the go deal or at least find a better means then this.

Raging

Is it October 4th yet?

No?

Well there are a number of reasons why I am looking forward to October 4th, the biggest of them being the upcoming game called Rage.

I am really liking that it looks like how Borderlands originally did and the fact that there are really so many options for weapons it seems a little overwhelming to me. Having just watched the new trailer for this game today seems to confirm just how many different ways you can kill a mutant and/or human in a post apocalyptic world.

Going back to the look of the game world, I have to say that it looks amazing from what I've seen so far. With it's looks and everything it is promising, this is almost too good of a game to be true. How can a single game pack in that much content? Can it really be as good as it sounds?

I know I've fallen for these ploys before and the results were always pretty goddamn horrible. Thank you Alpha Protocol, Brink, Final Fantasy XIII for those slaps of reality.

But all of that aside, my only real fear as far as this game goes is that it will end up playing like Fallout. Now I am sure Fallout is as awesome a game as anything out there. It obviously has a ton of fans and it sounds like a boat load of fun if you can get into it. As for me personally? It just was not my cup of tea. And I've tried Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas and just never got sunk into it.

On the flip side though, this game is being made by folks who have a deep rooted history in first person shooter games, so what could there possibly be to worry about? Maybe this will be a smashing hit and this could very well be the best game I've played this year...?


I'll find that out in 4 days.

Irritated

While I am trying to keep the ranting on here down to a minimum, there are a couple of things in life that bother me enough to have to rant. And I don't mean just having a bad day, oh I hate my job, that kind of ranting. I mean it bothers me to where I just wanna throw these things away/ across the room just so they will not be in might sight. Anyhow, today one of my most hated peeves has come to pass: Buying a used game that isn't in it's original casing.

UGH.

This even extends to stuff like movies and music CDs, I just do not like to have these things if they are not in the case they were originally with. My girlfriend has no problems with stuff like this and that generally drives me fucking insane! She tried to give me Ponyo without the case once... she hasn't seen the disc since.

Back to the game, it was a Xbox 360 game and you know those things come in their own nifty green cases. Well this one doesn't have it, nor does it have the cover art (some generic piece of something that has the title typed out on it) or even the goddamn booklet that comes with the game! It has nothing! And my girlfriend expects that this.... THING... will be placed on our shelf next to the rest of the collection?

Ho, ho, ho! I don't think so! Do I foresee this game sitting under the shelf? Yes, yes I think I do.

This wouldn't be such a issue really, if only I could find this game in places other then goddamn GameStop (game in question is Warriors Orochi 2). But since I cannot, I either pick it up here or buy it online for a much higher price.

Let me repeat this: UGH.

Still, I am already searching anew for a proper copy of the game. Having it was sort of a relief, but thinking about it is driving me crazy. It does not fit! Maybe I have OCD? Or whatever it might be called... I don't care! Everything has a proper place and this monstrosity looking the way it does does not fit in! It does not conform! It does not work!

Fantasy Trigger

You know I was one of the many who was overjoyed to have read the confirmation that both Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI were coming to PSN immediately. As a fan of those old school masterpieces, sure I have them on various other consoles/devices already. But you know what? I enjoyed them so much that I actually don't mind putting down money to get them again. Why? These games came from a time where RPGs were more about the story and character over the graphics.

I always wondered how long of a game could a developer make if graphics were in Chrono Trigger/Final Fantasy VI style?

Anyway, it was very disappointing to find out that there was an error and neither of the games were actually released. What was funny about the situation was that even the official PS blog reported the games' imminent release as truth, only to have to retract that statement after the fact. What's worse is that wasn't even the only error in that blog. Kill the messenger? Well if the messenger got the message wrong, maybe... just maybe...

Seriously, if the official blog itself cannot even get it's news correctly and if they don't know the difference from truth or fiction, who can you really believe here? 

Change Keeps Rolling

So my blog is suffering a bit of an identity crisis around here lately, but nevertheless the changes are still coming. I just haven't found the right group of changes where I wouldn't mind just leaving it alone for a while thereafter. Instead I just keep finding myself coming back here and just wanting to throw in more changes.

As it is right now, I think I like the background and having everything a little lighter and brighter is a nice change from having mostly all gray. The font isn't sitting too well with me though, but I like it to a degree. But can anyone actually read it? I mean in a way where you don't get a headache during and/or after? I guess I am going back to the drawing board and soon...

I've also been playing with another notion and that is to start up a new blog here on Blogger. The concept? To write a post everyday for a thousand days just to see how I may or may not have changed in that period of time. Am I working at a job I enjoy? Or am I still in the same place? Do I still enjoy gaming as much as I did before? How about movies? Or just everything in life, focused to a single post a day for a thousand days. How difficult could that be?

Granted, the idea of it just popped into my head as I am writing this post and to write a thousand posts? I've only gotten past 600 in what, 6 years? What the hell could I be thinking?

I'm thinking I am looking for something new, something challenging and just something different overall. Surely I could do the same thing here, but a lot of times now I feel like this is a blog mostly dedicated towards the gamer in me and not really much else.

Perhaps I'll continue to entertain the thought and who knows? Maybe something will become of it in the near future.

Future

Surprise, surprise... looking around here recently, making changes as I tend to do, I've discovered that I've been writing in this blog since August of 2006. Where has that time gone? I never would have thought that my simple little blog would still be around today. Anyway, back then I didn't mind having a simple blog for the mere fact that I did not believe I'd still be writing one years down the road. At that point, I really had not done anything in life that went beyond a year or so. Well now that I am down that road and finding myself still here, still writing, it has gotten me thinking a little bit.

Danger! Danger!

Yeah, I've been thinking about maybe moving house to a different blog site in the near future. I am still finding Blogger functional and all, but I guess I am just looking for something more then what I am finding here. I've been messing around with Tumblr for the past few months and have been finding that place to be a bit more to what I am wanting. Hell I at least have a small chance at pulling in an audience!

It'll be strange, actually moving this blog out and away from here and focusing my writing elsewhere. But maybe the time is right.

Getting Into Gear

Short and simple: I, no, we are enjoying the holy hell out of Gears of War 3! Well, for the most part we are anyway. Horde 2.0 is pretty damn fun and the boss battles are pretty bad when trying to get through them with only two people. But we've gotten up to round 17, which is absolutely higher then we've ever achieved in Gears 2 as a duo. The rounds get real chaotic, real quick and even with the addition of cash and the ability to buy defenses, it only helps so much before you get overwhelmed. Even the A.I. seems a bit better and seeing some of the bigger monsters on the Locust side hopping walls is a sight we both are still getting used to.

Fun times.

The other mode we gave a try was Beast mode, which we actually didn't quite like as much. Sure it is a little fun to play as the Locust, but man... the A.I. on the Gears/human side is pretty damn crafty and we've ended up dead and failed quickly. It feels like this mode would be much better off playing with a full group, rather then a small one.

As far as the campaign is concerned, we've actually not tried it out just yet. As mentioned, I think we've been a little more focused on putting the updated Horde mode through some paces beforehand. But then I think the idea was that we give the campaign itself a go probably tonight. Can't wait to see how that has changed and if it does a better job of story telling...

Dead Island

Note: I've only given this game a short amount of play time (roughly about 30 minutes) and this is my feelings on what I saw and played through. Played this on Xbox 360...

For starters, the game play itself seems to function pretty well, nothing really overly complicated about it. The fights with the zombies can end up being pretty chaotic from what I saw as well. If you happen to pull away from the people you are playing with and happen upon a group of zombies scattered on the ground (a lot of 'em are playing dead... ha ha), the game is pretty much over. I've found myself a few times swinging away for my life, only to see the stamina gauge run out and I was pretty much attacked/eaten/mauled to death. 

Team work? At least in this limited amount of time I've played it, generally does not exist. Sure there were moments where my randomly selected "partners" would gang up together and attack the same zombies. But more often then not, I'd find these guys were long gone and reaping the rewards (money, items, weapons) while I was stuck with dealing with the mess. Maybe I was just doing things all wrong? Still, I think this is yet another game where it would probably work out better if you played with friends.

Speaking of which, sadly there isn't any options for any split screen co-op to be had in here. There doesn't seem to really be any options, other then to play with either your friends or randomly selected people over Xbox Live. 

The story itself? Well obviously there are a ton of questions and next to no answers as to how and why there are zombies in paradise. There are different characters to choose from (3 or 4 if I recall correctly) and I picked the martial arts girl. Did it help? Well my first encounter with zombies/infected ended up with me throwing punches, taking none of them out and pretty much dying.

Damn.

Everything changed once I got a hold of a weapon (a paddle) and the weapons seem much more durable then I thought they'd be (kept reading how annoying it was how these weapons break so much). Money wasn't too much of an issue at the start, so when I finally got around to making repairs and upgrades to my weapons it wasn't bank breaking. Then again, how much could it possibly cost to repair a crappy pipe and a knife anyway?

Overall, the game doesn't seem that bad at the start and the game play is good enough to where combat and movement aren't really that awkward. The surroundings are pretty nice, though I can't really say the same for the story itself. I'd hope that picks up as the game progresses... but being that it is a game set in a zombie apocalypse, story never really was a strong suit to begin with I suppose.

Still, I think I'd consider on playing this again...

Regenesis

Finally reading into detail as to what the Schism story is about and so I got the gist of the story all wrong. Cyclops isn't killed in the ensuing battle against Wolverine. Instead the team is broken apart in the wake of this long overdue meltdown. I can still only speculate as to what finally tears these guys apart after all of this time, but I imagine it has something to do with the change that has been happening in Cyclops.

I mean he was a leader whom didn't really have any confidence in himself and he has always fallen back to the Professor (Xavier) for support. But with him out of the picture and basically the entire X-Universe on his shoulders, everything changed. More importantly, Cyclops himself changed. Long gone was the unsure leader and in his place was a man who was growing increasingly at ease with making the "tough decisions."

Having also just read the prelude to Schism, it was amazing to me that the long standing dream of both Xavier and Magneto had come to pass under the leadership of Cyclops: Mutant kind (what was left of it) was united under a single banner and even just seeing Cyclops, the Professor and Magneto together and not trying to kill one another was a huge deal to me. It made me question just what the hell have I been missing out on after all of these years...?

What also surprised me about this different X-Men was the change that happened to X-Force. Wolverine was leading the charge and they had become the black ops for Cyclops' plans.

Damn.

Eventually I think I am aiming to catch up and read through this change in X-Force. Having only read a few issues of it, I did actually like what I read in that. But I wonder what the future will hold for X-Force and generally every single mutant left? Who will side with who when the dust settles? And come on, is the world really big enough for two X-Men teams?

Slump

Random thought time!

Since moving to this new place, I feel like I've been in a bit of a slump all around. I've fallen behind on some games (Deus Ex has lost me and I am barely started into Disgaea 4). And as stated here, Gears of War 3 is just days away! I hope some running and gunning will help kick start my gaming drive once again...

I've been slowly picking up games for my PSP, though I've not really made much use of that recently either. I still intend on playing Persona 3, though I have Breath of Fire 3 and Final Fantasy IV The Complete Collection to go through as well. What I am thinking of picking up is The 3rd Birthday, Dissidia 012: Duodecim Final Fantasy and maybe Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties Dood! and perhaps even God of War: Ghosts of Sparta as well.

Thankfully I've been signed up with Gamefly long enough to get an okay discount on used games, so the overall price isn't really that bad. It definitely comes out a lot cheaper then trying to buy them at my local GameStop. Speaking of whom, I have a little rant about those guys (again), but I will save that one for another time. I wish there were more convienant options of buying games here so I would not have to deal with those assclowns anymore.

But back to the subject of the PSP, of course another of my other fears is my old PSP may just kick the bucket and that would mean a lot of wasted money on games. It's also a little disappointing to hear that these PSP games are useless with the Vita.

Which makes me wonder why Sony continually changes their media whenever they get a new device? Money grab probably? Meh...

Anyhow, I suppose I will try to get a little gaming time in today... I'd like to see what changes have been made to Disgaea 4, aside from the much nicer looking character sprites. I heard something about customization? Now that could get me interested, considering there are more options then just changing their names and weapons and such.

Final Fantasy X HD?!

So Final Fantasy Versus XIII is still missing in action here, there is Final Fantasy XIII-2 on the horizon and now Final Fantasy X is getting a HD facelift? In some ways, I do sort of miss the days when there weren't sequels to Final Fantasy games. Sure it is good to see where the characters have gone to, but this is getting a little out of hand.

Granted, I imagine a HD make over for FFX would make the game look much better. But what I want to know is if it ends there or if there will be more added into the game? How about those international missions? I think I recall there being some for this game. Maybe a few more Aeons? Or some side quests to give the characters a bit more story?

I'll be keeping my eye on this one for certain...

Uh, Why?

To be honest, I am liking that there are more of these special edition bonus crap that gets bundled with video games nowadays. I'm a sucker for that stuff. I have a few statues sitting around now that I probably would not have bought otherwise. I think it is because of the years of watching other countries (*cough*Japan*cough*) got so much stuff with their games that I am going insane with buying these now.

But what bugs me more and more these days are these damn videos about how some random person gets to unbox these special editions days before the game's release date and show off all the stuff within.

Why? Why must there be these goddamn videos of this kind of crap? I doubt it is for promotional reasons, I mean the big name games tend to always sell out by the release date. So why would anyone promote a special edition you can't buy?

I got a splendid idea! How about releasing the game a couple of days sooner and we can all just unbox these things ourselves?

Seriously, I think this will join my gaming pet peeves right next to region exclusive special editions/games. Why can't we all just get these things equally? And what makes people think other people want to watch someone else open up boxes for shit we can't even get to yet?

Agh!

Just Another Day

In some ways, I wish somethings in life would change and yet I want it to stay the same. I guess I've gotten into a comfort zone and break out of it isn't nearly as easy as I thought.

Anyway, just a short thought for now as I sit at work on this beautiful day. I'd love to go to the beach on days like this, but alas... I don't really like being sun burnt.

Then again, this morning had a bit of rain which is nice to have in the city. I always liked the cool air after a good rain.

And sometimes, the rainbow at the end are just flat out amazing. Today was one of those times...

Back to work!

Gearing Up For War

The biggest deal (gaming wise) for me going forward is the upcoming Gears of War 3, which sounds almost too promising to be real. Just 8 more days until I can know for myself! I think I am most looking forward to the expanded and refined Horde mode, which was what became a damn near obsession in my house for quite a long while. We still break it out every now and again, just to scratch that itch of shredding a hapless Locust grub or twelve with the ever fun Lancer. Or Boom Shot. Or the Hammer of Dawn. You know that shotgun was always fun too...

Speaking of the armory, I am curious to see how the new weapons affect things. The new shotgun and its damn near one shot kill was a bitch in the beta. The retro Lancer seemed a little tough to make use of, but I'm sure that will be an afterthought once we can get more play time with these new weapons.

I hope Epic keeps up the flow of map packs with Gears 3, though I suppose they didn't really do a bad job with Gears 2. Still! Its always fun to have a lot of variety to pick from and games like this seem to benefit from having that sort of choices. Which makes me wonder about this season pass of theirs? Buy it and gain access to the first four DLC? What about the others (if there are any)? Hmm... that one is going to wait a bit I think, at least for us anyway.

Anyhow...

8 days remaining!

Chobits

Chi

With my internet issues now behind me, I can focus on getting back down to business and the business at hand (or what was before I moved) was an Anime I had just finished watching called Chobits.

Before ever seeing anything, I'd have sworn this would be a show that my girlfriend would be interested in. She doesn't mind the high schooler types of Anime nor does she seem to mind the cutesy appearances of the characters. Hell, she was a fan of Card Captor Sakura, whom also is behind the Chobits series as I understand it. So interest on my part has been next to nil for many, many years and I didn't even bother to pick up the Manga either.

But fast forward to about a month or so back and Netflix has given us the chance to watch a ton of different movies and TV shows at will. My interests grew as the library of Anime on there expanded and considering I didn't have to buy anything, why not give some random shows a try? And before I knew it, I was 6 episodes in and loading up the 7th.

How in the heck did that happen?

I enjoyed the characters and their interactions probably the most as it reminded me of how the cast in Tenchi interacted with each other. Despite the differences between the characters, they all meshed together rather naturally and I never really felt any of the pairings were forced or wrong even before the explanations for the hows and whys ever took place.

The main character (Hideki) was ever a bumbling, kind hearted fool who was kind of a perv but was probably way too innocent to really be so. Still, I couldn't help but feel for the guy for trying even in the face of overwhelming odds. And the guy was such a country guy that he was absolutely clueless to nearly all forms of technology, which makes his relationship with Chi all the more odd and entertaining.

The other aspect that really won me over was all of these chances for this series to sink into something twisted and overly sexual were never touched on. Where other shows would have went with the easy perv out moments, Chobits keeps it clean and I think that actually helps the overall story of this show. Would I have cared about this as much if Hideki had tried to have sex with Chi or become overly obsessed with seeing her nude or something like that? Probably not.

Now that isn't to say that certain thoughts do pop up in Hideki's mind from time to time and in no thanks to Chi's innocent and naive manner, but he never crosses the line and as I said, things are always kept clean from the start and until the end.

One last little thought about this show is this: I rarely pick up entire shows as far as Anime is concerned. I usually don't like how a lot of these series ends, but Chobits is one of the exceptions. The start of the series does go a little slowly, but towards the midway point things pick up and the conclusion to the series was fitting though it gets a little strange in getting there. Still, this ended up being a purchase for me and I wish I could enjoy more shows like I did this.

Back In Action!

Finally...

After spending the last few weeks (about 3) being "disconnected" from the world, I am finally back! In some ways it was kind of nice, though there were days where I felt like I was getting a little stir crazy. I think what I missed about not having the internet was being able to watch stuff like ThunderCats. What? I love the heck out of this reboot and it kind of hurt to miss it these past few weeks.

Then again I could/did watch the episodes from my phone, but still! Full screen videos wins over a tiny cell phone screen any day!

But the most frustrating thing about all of this was having to deal with so many uncertainties. I never would have guessed that moving into a new place and having internet service transferred could be such a hassle. Hell, I didn't even think trying to sign up with a new company would also end up being a headache, but that is how it worked out also.


Thankfully, we at least won't have to pay for the full month's bill because of the lack of service up until now. But I hope in the future these companies will do more to keep their customers informed when they have issues, rather then leaving 'em in the dark as much.

Our first idea for an alternative internet provider was Clear (formerly Clearwire), but I think they were quickly ruled out because of everyone we ever asked about it, two said they liked it and everyone else said it was the worst of the worse. Ouch.

Our second option was going back to Road Runner, which we had used a number of years prior. I can't say we had the best experience with their service, but in the years since then, it looks like they've added more options to their service and it looks and sounds worlds better then what we had.

So in light of that, I think the plan going forward is to keep our DSL and we're signing up for cable at the same time. The goal here is to see which of the two actually functions better and we'll keep the best of the two choices. So far our DSL has been pretty okay, the speed of it is nothing like it was before we moved (damn you old house with old wiring!).

All in all though, I think I am just happy we're reconnected again!

Disconnected... The Story Continues

A little update: So our choice of isp (Hawaiian Tel) finally transfers our DSL service to our new place. But does the tale end there? Absolutely not! As we discovered, there is something amiss with our connection and the bottom line is we are without internet. Still. But the real kicker about all of this is the fact that Hawaiian Tel cannot or will not do anything to fix the problem. They claim all is well on their end. So where does this leave is? Well they say they need to send a tech out here, but they cannot tell us any date in particular and it was/is driving me insane! Where we go from here, I cannot say for certain. Finding another company for our internet has been nothing short of pure frustration to say they very least. At this point we are looking to go back to using Road Runner, but that isn't without it's own share of troubles. I just want this to be done and over with already! And more importantly then that, I want my internet back!

Life Disconnected

Here is something that was unexpected for me, that beibg trying to game nowadays without an internet connection. Generally speaking, gaming can obviously be done without the need of such connections. But as I have been finding out, DLC seems to disappear whilst disconnected and that is just a big pain in the ass.

We tried to get back into the swing of things with a session of Borderlands and to both of our suprise, we had access to none of the DLC expansions. So here we are, both of us at level 60 and trying to level off of level 34 monsters/Claptraps. Sure it can work, but I don't think either one of us was prepared to kill that much baddies for little to zero exp.

I think the hardest thing to have no access to has been Netflix. I am glad I at least got to finish watching Chobits before we moved out. What? Despite my inital thinkings about it, the Anime was pretty good. Maybe one of best I've seen even, if that means anything.

Oh and I should forget this little ditty: Our ISP apparently has no actual store/location so paying our bill to be able to transfer service was another pain in our collective backsides. Seriously, are these guys doing that poorly?

On The Move

Life has been short of crazy this past week, though I am hoping things will start slowing down now that we have made the move into our new place. The place is pretty nice, a little dated, but nice all the same. Still, I don't think I've felt so beat up anx tired as I have been lately.

One thing I absolutely cannot wait to get back is our internet connection. Granted, blogging from mu phone isn't all that bad. But trying to type up any reasonable amount of words does get a little tiresome because my fingers tend to hit a lot of others letters I don't need.

Another first is having started this little update blog at work and now I am finishing it up on the bus. What I don't understand is why a newly rotated in bus driver still has to stop and take a break. I suppose 5 minutes of bus driving must be that intense.

So all in all, might be a little quiet around here for a liitle while. Hopefully our lack of real internet will be resolved sometime soon or else I may go crazy on the spot. Or maybe I'll take up reading...?

Not bloody likely...

On Edge

The Divas of Doom, Beth Phoenix (left) & Natalya.

As stated a few writings back, I've been in the process of moving that has spanned about two months now and things are starting to wind down. Where I picked up the thinking that things would simplify as the process nears it's end, I'll never know. Because things haven't gotten any easier!

The difficult part of this has been the actual moving, since it requires cleaning, sorting and all of that. The process has been a pain in the neck and I think we've kept more then we probably should have. I don't really even want to think what things will be like, should we have to move out from where we are moving into now. I mean since we are moving into a bigger space, who knows how much stuff we'll manage to accumulate by then?

Besides this, I have been getting my interest back into wrestling again as there is quite a bit happening lately. A point of interest for me right now is the teaming of Beth Phoenix and Natalya, perfectly dubbed the "Divas of Doom (pictured above)." They've tasked themselves with the mission to destroy the "bimbos" in the company, namely the current WWE Divas Champion, Kelly Kelly.

Why is this interesting? Because I didn't realize just how much Kelly Kelly has improved and she actually held up fairly well in her match against Beth Phoenix recently. Now teaming with Eve, I have to wonder how this duo will fair against the combined might of the Divas of Doom? I do know this: The women's division needs a huge kick in the ass, as does the tag team division, so the sky is the limit. Hopefully this feud sparks some much needed change.

I've also been hooked to a few new TV shows recently, those being the new ThunderCats reboot (didn't I write about that before?) and Hell's Kitchen.

Hell's Kitchen has been an interest watch, mostly because of Chef Gordon Ramsay. The guy looks like the biggest asshole at first, but I've gotten to watch through his U.K. variation of Kitchen Nightmares and if there is one thing that looked obvious about the man, it is this: He is extremely confident and has a furious passion for cooking and food. The people he cracks down on seem to be those who don't take it as seriously as they should and he gives them hell for their lacking ways.

But he doesn't seem like a complete jerk, I mean if he sees talent he does compliment the person and he has given work to some talented folks that he has encountered along the way that he (Ramsay) felt were being wasted by being coupled with incompetent bosses.

So back to cleaning, packing, moving, etc... it has been a long process these past month or two, but the end is near. I can't wait for this all to be done and over with at last!

Revolution? Or Bust?

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is literally going to be released in a few days time and I have to wonder if this game will be at anything at all like it is promising to be. Innovative game play and story? Doesn't everyone claim this these days? And screen shots and videos make this game look pretty damn amazing to me, but I've seen this happen before and some games didn't live up to their own hype. Which brings me to my worry, something that seems to happen whenever a new game is set for release that I have any vested interest in.

Can it possibly live up to everything it is hyped for? Will this be Square Enix's saving grace? I am hoping this is the game that actually makes a list of claims and actually delivers upon them all. Wouldn't that be a nice change of pace?

And really, if this game ends up flopping out... what does it mean for Tomb Raider? Now I want Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Tomb Raider to be awesome, because I think they both look very promising. But for me, Square Enix hasn't exactly lived up to their former bar of excellence shall I say? So I am worried that this game may follow suit.

Well I suppose I will know the answer to this for myself in a few days...

Blogging On The Run - Round 1!

Here is something that is just a tiny bit new to me. Actual blogging while out and about. Or in this case, at work. My work place seems to be going through a bit of a phase these days, the likes of which has not been seen here in quite some time.

By this I mean a lot of people are leaving.

That isn't to say that no one left the place in this time. But usually it is only one or two people that leave. Now its just one after another.

I'd like to say there is a good purpose for this writing today, but I confess: There isn't any good cause. I guess you could say this was a random thought. Or maybe it is starting to make me wonder again if there is life beyond my comfort zone.

But leaving a place I've grown so used to coming to is a little scary to me. But as I am seeing these days, it looks to me like a lot more people are taking that plunge and are seemingly happier today because of it.

Maybe, just maybe... I want that too.

Surviving The Month of August

This month has been absolute madness! And we're only half way through the thing! I can't believe the headaches that have developed whilst trying to move to our new place (which must be done by the ending of this month no less), plus trying to get the money together to pay for the deposit on the place and my job is driving me crazy. Again.

If adversity does in fact build character, I think I am going to be a hell of a hand by the time this whole thing is done and over with. Am I seeing the light at the end of the tunnel yet? Well, no because the thing about this move is we've accumulated a ton of junk over the past 4-5 years and parting with things has been a bit of an issue. There is almost no agreement on what should be kept and what should be tossed out, which is a glaring headache that boiled over a bit recently.

I guess things are not helped at all with the fact that the place we are moving to is a little creepy. But it is a kind of nice place and the area seems quiet and good enough.

So the whole goal I have for the month of August is simple to SURVIVE. If I can just make it another few weeks and everything should be okay. And writing this, I some how remembered that Deus Ex: Human Revolution comes out this month too!

There is just too much going on right now... time for work too! Gah!

WWE SummerSlam 2011 Predictions

WWE SummerSlam 2011 Predictions

Undisputed WWE Championship - John Cena vs. CM Punk
Special Guest Referee: Triple H  

I’m hoping this doesn’t end up with a finish where Triple H ends up screwing either Cena or Punk. But considering how these guest ref deals usually works out, my guess is that is what will happen. But who gets screwed over? And who walks out of SummerSlam as the Undisputed WWE Champion? I’ve gotta stick to my choice in CM Punk.

Prediction: CM Punk

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match / No Holds Barred - Christian (c) vs. Randy Orton

After all the build up and everything that has been happening over the past few weeks, I really don’t see Christian losing the title back to Orton. I’m picking Christian via some sort of underhanded tactics for the win.

Prediction: Christian

Sheamus vs. Mark Henry

This is a tough choice to make here, because I think both of these guys are moving up the ladder so to speak. As much as I am a fan of Sheamus, I am liking this new agressive streak in Mark Henry. It reminds me of how he was some years back, before he turned and became happy, go lucky again. My choice? The World’s Strongest Man, Mark Henry.

Prediction: Mark Henry

Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett

I kind of wish this match had a bit more of a build up, considering these guys have a touch of history with each other (Nexus) and Bryan’s “departure” from the Nexus wasn’t exactly described as a leaving on good terms. Factor in also that Bryan sided against the Nexus at SummerSlam last year to help Team WWE win the night. 

So really, why the rush job?

Despite that and while I am a fan of Daniel Bryan, I think Barrett will walk away the winner. He needs something to do over on Smackdown and maybe a feud with Bryan could help he get going? So yes I am going with Barrett for the win, though likely not a clean win.

Prediction: Wade Barrett

WWE Divas Championship - Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Beth Phoenix

I am still believing Beth Phoenix will leave SummerSlam as the WWE Divas Champion. I am suspecting Natalya will have a role in the victory, considering her turn over on Smackdown.

Prediction: Beth Phoenix

X-Men Gone Wild

Basilisk (Cyclops) in X-Men: Age of X

My re-entry into the world of comics has been a slow process and I've been dabbling back into it more and more over the past year or so. I've read a ton of stuff I never really got into before such as Batman, Wonder Woman, The Incredible Hulk, Wild C.A.T.S., Gen-13 and even Spawn. But things have picked up considerably when I finally came back around to read the comic that got me into it in the first place: X-Men.

I loved the Astonishing X-Men series and I especially loved the fact that Cyclops, hell all of the X-Men, were finally truly evolving. The world wasn't perfect here and mutants were either powered down or being killed off left and right. But one thing I especially liked about this series was the evolution of Cyclops himself. To see him even speaking out against Xavier was surprising and as he fully took control of the team, he became the leader he never really was before.

Things sort of fell off when the creative team changed out, but I still followed along a bit with Cyclops moving the team to San Francisco. What I did not know was the team even went as far as to raise Magneto's old base, Asteroid M.

I'm also currently reading through X-Men: Age of X and it is a interesting take that is almost like the Age of Apocalypse. While Xavier did not form the X-Men in this time and Apocalypse did not take over the world, human kind has hunted the mutants nearly to extinction and Magneto has taken the reigns as General of the resistance. 

But maybe more on all of that stuff later on. I mean I thought everything I had been reading was interesting and it really has been, but you know what? All of the pales in comparison to what I am reading about what comes next for the X-Men (pictured below).

Apparently after all this time, the shit finally hits the fan and Cyclops and Wolverine have at it once and for all. I have to wonder what causes everything to finally boil over? I know it was thrown in there that Wolverine didn't care at all that Cyclops got into a romance with Emma Frost so soon after Jean Grey's death. I can't imagine if that is the cause of this war, but I am sure this has added a bit of fuel to the fire.

What is also interesting about this is the X-Men team will end up splitting at the end of this story arc. One team being lead by Emma Frost and the other by Wolverine. So... I guess we know who goes down in this war? Or does he?

I am actually strongly considering on actually following this story myself, rather then waiting for a paperback collection. As I said, I am curious to know what sparks this fight between these two mainstays and how in the world does this end? And who is following the soon to be new leaders of these two entirely different X-Teams?

Undisputed WWE Champion

Interesting situation with the WWE Championship, especially since John Cena defeated the newly crowned champion Rey Mysterio and CM Punk returned to the WWE with his title in the same night as well. Now there is a match in place to crown an undisputed champion, which leads me to wondering...

Will there be a new design for this undisputed WWE Championship? Or will the tired old spinner belt continue on? I am hoping for a redesign personally, but then people expected a new belt when The Miz and Rey Mysterio faced each other to crown a new champion on Raw a few weeks back. And that didn't happen. More important then that though is who will walk out of SummerSlam as the WWE Champion? I think the situation is something to keep an eye on because I was surprised that CM Punk, like Cena, is starting to get as mixed a reaction as John Cena.

I can only imagine the type of atmosphere there will be at SummerSlam, with these two guys facing each other in their rematch from the Money in the Bank PPV. I doubt that night will be relived, but who knows? Maybe the second time will be better then their previous match.

Updating The State of the Blog

So I've finally gotten around to cleaning up my blog here, which has been plugged up with quite a bit of extra weight. I suppose the idea was to merely simplify the whole thing, since I had a ton of links and gadgets and things that just cluttered the hell out of everything. I think I attribute this change up to having watched a ton of TV shows (Kitchen Nightmares, Hell's Kitchen) of Chef Gordon Ramsay recently.

He (Chef Ramsay) always goes on and on about how simple is better and less is definitely more. Why complicate things when you can do something simply and have much more of an effect? And while I am not blogging on food and cooking and I cannot really cook for the life of me (aside from the simple stuff), the repeated message has hit home.

Recap!

This is going to be a big run down on a bunch of different topics which I've either been too lazy to write about recently or... ok, I was probably just too lazy to write about it. Regardless! I will try to keep myself from going overboard on any one particular topic also, though that may or may not work out for the best. Anyhow, here goes!

Games

• From Dust - The idea behind this game was absolutely promising and I was really looking forward to this game. But now that I've spent some time with it, it honestly didn't really live up to what I was expecting especially after everything I read about this one.
• Rage - Looks like a darker, maybe even more realistic version of Borderlands. I am hoping there is some split screen co-op for this because this game looks promising to me. I am also liking the ability to customize and upgrade, which was something I sorely wished Borderlands had.
• Saints Row The Third - I don't know what it is about this series, but I've grown to like this series after spending some time playing the second game. This one looks to be worlds better then that and the over the top humor is a fun touch too. Maybe it's all the customization that gets me... 
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Another promising game which is promising quite a bit as it is. I hope this works out for Square Enix, I think they could really do well if they can manage to get going another big time series.
• Borderlands 2 - We played the hell out of the original and looted the planet of Pandora a few times over in the process. If this sequel works out right and improves what made the first game so much fun, then this is Game of the Year just waiting to happen. As stated earlier, I hope this one includes more choices to customize or upgrade! If not, at least make the weapons better! Nothing felt more wasteful then having to keep picking up tons of crap-tacular weapons...
• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - I tried out Oblivion before (twice as a matter of fact), but just could not get into the game. But this newest game to the series looks absolutely beautiful and I am curious to see if this game will be more fun for me this time around. Hell the newly announced special edition comes with a goddamn dragon statue! I could use another dragon...
• Halo 4 - So with Bungie gone from the series, I have to wonder if anyone can pick up where those guys left off and produce the same qualities, if not better, then what Bungie had done? I think 343 Industries has their work cut out for them. Honestly, I think this game will make or break the series go forward.
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 - I am utterly amazed that a sequel has actually beaten Final Fantasy Versus XIII as far as being released is concerned. But it'll be interesting to see just how much addressing Square Enix has done towards making this game right with fans. The linear play was one thing, but I hope they address the characters equally as well. As I think I've stated in the past, this was the first Final Fantasy game where I actually really didn't give a shit about the vast majority of my party.
• Gears of War 3 - Yes, here is yet another FPS that makes it into this growing list of mine. Am I looking forward to this one? You damn right I am! I just hope the improvements made to Horde 2.0 doesn't kill things like it happened for us with Halo: Reach's Firefight mode. All indications are pointing that this shooter should be nothing short of pure AWESOME.
• Assassin's Creed Revelations - This one is actually going to be the start of something new for me. Having seen that the UK is actually getting pretty decent stuff for their collector's edition/special edition or whatever they are calling it and the US is getting shit, I am going to protest it the best way I can. No online petitions or bitching on every forum I can find. Nope, I am going to actually not pre-order or even pick this one up at launch. Will I ever buy this game? Maybe once the price drops once or twice... 
• PlayStation Vita - I hope Sony doesn't port every game they've ever made to this thing. I hope there are some good games made for this thing or else I cannot see why anyone would pick this thing up. I will be waiting to see what kind of support this handheld gets before throwing money at this. Consider this a lesson learned thanks to my PSP paperweight. 
• Nintendo Wii U - What is with these names? Wii U? And as for the system itself, much like the PSP I have learned to restrain myself from having to go ape shit over new hardware. Sorry, but I don't need anymore paperweights around my house. Now if Nintendo changes their ways and starts pumping out more then just easy cash in shovelware, then maybe I will consider picking this up. I hope they do not end up the same way as Sega (games only).
• Nintendo 3DS - Now here is a Nintendo product I had some interest in, but so far I just haven't see anything that screams at me and makes me want to run out and buy this thing. Even with this price drop I keep reading about doesn't feel like its enough to get me to spend on this. I hope this thing ends up being used for more then just ports of old games. 

ThunderCats!

While I will not admit that age is getting to me, I did forget that the reboot of the ThunderCats was coming up. Well I actually remembered that part, but I didn't realize it was nearing. So fast forward to a few days ago and I am seeing that I had missed the premiere and it was going into it's third episode already.

So I finally did get the chance to watch the first 2 episodes of the ThunderCats reboot this morning. And I was not disappointed at all. As a matter of fact, I thought it was freaking awesome! I cannot stress this enough! I will admit that I was afraid this new series was going to follow closer to the original, but this reboot is almost an entirely new beast and goddamn it all, it is awesome!

I mean I like the style that this was drawn in, which reminds me somewhat of Avatar: The Last Airbender (which isn't a bad thing). The music is great and always a point of interest for me is the characters. I was surprised to see that the characters were being built up and their personalities were shown up almost immediately. I forget sometimes that these cartoons aren't stuck in the 80's anymore and I am glad for this change. I would attempt to summarize the characters, but I think it is easiest to just watch the first 2 episodes and everything becomes clear.

And I think that is what I am ultimately liking about these old cartoons being made anew so far. The episodes are not wasted and everything is being used for a purpose, which is a far cry from the old shows these reboots were based off of.

So anyway, to make a long story short...

New freaking episode tonight! And with how things ended in episode 2, I wanna see how this team comes together because it is nothing like I remember from the original series. I cannot wait!

Human Revolution

I hope the game itself can live up to the hype these videos are building up for it. Really, if there is one thing left that Square Enix does exceptionally well is producing these videos. August 23th is just around the corner! Don't get delayed damn you!

DLC Heaven

This week is kind of a good week for gaming, at least that is how I am looking at it so far. As the title states, there are a few downloadable stuff that have caught my eye. The biggest deal for me is the release of "From Dust," which I have been very, very interested in playing since I first saw videos and pictures some months ago. And it is coming out this Wednesday! Finally!

With the promise of being able to manipulate the environment in real time and reshaping the land to your needs really sounds like a lot of fun for me. I am just imagining what kinds of possibilities there are in being able to shift rivers, break down and build up mountains and all that jazz. This could very well lead to hours of play, depending upon the length of the game and if this will get any DLC too.

The other half to this is the first "expansion" to Dragon Age II (Dragon Age II: Legacy), which expands on the game and allows you to venture outside of Kirkwall. I am curious and interested in this, though I am a little unsure if this will be an absolute pick up for me. While I did enjoy the more action based combat of Dragon Age II, I guess the story and ultimately the characters just didn't really catch and hold my interest as the original game had. And considering how disappointing the original Dragon Age DLC were, I am hoping this first DLC will change that completely.

So I suppose this one can be chalked up as a possible purchase, though I think this one will be side lined until I see some reviews and get a general idea of what has changed here and if it is worth the money.

A New Era Dawns?

These past few weeks have been an interesting ride, being a fan of the WWE. For the first time ever (I think), the WWE Championship is apparently NOT with the company as the champion (CM Punk, pictured above) did not resign with the company. I thought CM Punk would distance himself from the company, but he showed up at the presently ongoing Comic Con and confronted Triple H, the new boss of the WWE. I have to wonder where, if any where, this whole story is heading. I am most curious because this has to be one of the most interesting stories going on in the WWE in a long, long time.

Perhaps he'll turn back up in the coming months? And what of this new champion they are planning on crowning? Either The Miz or Rey Mysterio will be crowned as the new champion next Monday night, which could set up another feud with Punk if he should return.

And this story brewing up from Mr. McMahon being relieved of his duties and Triple H taking over is another interesting bit. Will this lead in a new era in the WWE? Perhaps more compelling feuds, rather then trying to be 80's style cartoon wrestling? I think the PG movement would be fine if they had not reduced themselves to stories and characters that are just so bland. It makes me wonder how guys like Randy Orton could function with such limitations set upon them.

An Impossible Mission & Sherlock Holmes

I'm kind of excited for both of these movies, especially Sherlock Holmes 2. I loved the first movie and I am glad to see that the story will continue on. I was worried that maybe the movie didn't do well enough and the story was dead in the water (Push 2, where are you?).

And what was there not to like? I mean I thought Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law were pretty dang good together. I like the style and feel of the world in the movie, plus there was just a lot of little things about the whole movie that just caught and kept my interest.

As for Mission Impossible 4, it doesn't quite hype me up as much, but I still do think the movie looks promising. I'm kind of liking how they are going kind of Splinter Cell on this, with Ethan Hunt and co. seemingly going rouge to expose some deep plot of deception I'm sure. And truth be told I've liked the previous three movies, so I can't see myself not liking this one too. Unless they start up with cyborg polar bears with wings or something of that sort. On a side note though, watching the trailer and I can't but help feeling like this whole thing is a tiny little bit familiar (like MI 3?).