Wasteful spending

The careless part of my brain tells me I should buy this version of Mass Effect 2 because the cover is way cooler than this one.

Who wins out? Probably the part of the brain that tells me to wait till this game is 20-30 bucks.

Airline restrictions

I know that it is fairly common knowledge that mp3 players do not disrupt airplane navigation systems or communications yet they still require them to be off until 30,000 ft. Gizmodo recently had an article showing that this practice is nonsense. I agree that everyone should pay attention to the safety announcements but then I think I should have every right to listen to music for takeoff (and have done so many times).

In other news Arkham Asylum 2 was announced. Very excited for this. That game is probably tied for Uncharted 2 for my game of the year.

Atlas may have shrugged...

...but Prince and Co. push like mad. Granted, it hasn't been a huge blockbuster like CoD:MW2 or Assassins Creed 2, this slightly overdue review of Katamari Forever is much deserved as the game is equally addicting as those mentioned formerly.
This is the latest installment of the Katamari franchise and is one that, despite the fact it is mostly the same basic game as each of the other releases, this game has kept my interest highly. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, you play as Prince (or as one of his cousins) as you roll your katamari all over the world, picking up things smaller than you as you grow until you can eventually roll up everything. Naturally, Godzilla and other monsters also possible prey for your unstoppable katamari. The point is simple: make the biggest possible Katamari so the King of the Cosmos can remake the stars/planets he knocked out of the heavens accidentally. If that sounds like a children's story on acid, just wait til you play it.

Overview aside, if you've ever played a previous game, you'll probably recognize a lot of levels that have been repeated in this edition (underwater, classroom, etc). However, there are some new gameplay types (water the desert) and new levels (roll up the Roboking's Core) keep an otherwise repetitive game interesting for hours of (re)playability. Also, after completing the game a first time through, the game opens up a new game style that allows you to replay the whole game over again without feeling bored. I definitely played it multiple times through before even realizing what I had done.

If you're into "arcade-y" style games and have never rolled a Katamari before, check out the demo. If you've liked games in the past, consider picking up the latest and greatest. You will not regret it, as long as you allow some absolutely ridiculous cinematics and overall gameplay.

Addiction

Thy name is Modern Warfare 2 and Assassins Creed 2. I think those games are the largest contributing factor in why I haven't posted in a few weeks....that and homework. In either case both are incredibly addicting.

While I love multiplayer CoD more than any other multiplayer shooter....all it takes is one really good sniper or double shotgunning player to piss me off so much and end my gaming session. Yesterday I had both. First up it was the sniper, then the shotguns 2 hours later. For each I would see them for a second and maybe get one shot off before...bam...dead.

This made this Penny Arcade strip hilarious.

Drew/Tubes

I think I found the worst MW2 Game Tip guide ever

Modern Warfare 2 is not that complex, but what if you need some tips? I would avoid this guide...

Here are some really good tips from it...

"You'll have a few seconds before the start of each match to figure things out. See if you can formulate a group plan with the leader of the team, or someone with a higher rank than you. If they don't provide any ideas (or just want to go out and kill, as numerous players do), keep a close tab on your teammates' actions."

"One death can make all the difference between a win and loss."

"You'll eventually get lost while exploring a map for the first time. That's completely acceptable, no matter what teammates say."

"These maps, expertly designed by Infinity Ward, are meant to be taken advantage of, and not just mere background settings for you to spill blood in." Oh, I thought I was just supposed to die a lot...

"Each class has specific guns, such as the Barrel M107 sniper rifle (perfect for those long-range kills)"

"Soldiers will constantly be on the prowl, looking for targets to put in their sights."

Man, after reading this guide I'll get level 70 in no time. Watch out world...

This is why modding is bad/Worst day of this kid's life

Sucks to be this guy.

Court awards $16.5m in 'Hold Your Wee for a Wii' radio stunt death

I have no words...

DJ Hero: Gametrailers Video Review

I don't know about you, but this video review makes me really want to buy or try this game out.

Video Games | DJ Hero | Review HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Who Needs a Real DJ?

I wonder if this guy will fly out for my party on Friday night...

Edit: Sadly this link is now dead, but it was a guy saying he would "DJ" a real party using DJ Hero. All he wanted was $40 and a chicken dinner for 5 hours of work. He would bring his own gear. Xbox 360, DJ Hero and a TV. Wow...

I was right....

Just finished Uncharted 2. Best game I have played this year....if only I were better at the multiplayer

Is Halo really that great?

I write this post having just finished playing through the single player of ODST. I followed that up with reading through the plot of the first three games to try and refresh my memory and connect the dots to this newest adventure.

The Halo series has been dealt its fair share of praise for each of the games in the primary trilogy and again with ODST. While I have purchased each title, I frequently have questioned whether they deserve all the awards. The setting and the story itself I have no problems with. The universe is interesting, the aliens unique, and the weapons fun to use.

Yet I have never been fully drawn into any of the games. Maybe it has been the lack of a cast of characters that you care about, or maybe it is the often repetitive map layouts (the library was a dreadful level in the first game). Halo 3 and ODST have done the best but still not anywhere close to their storytelling potential.

Thoughts?

Dead Space & a Glitch to Rant About

So I am playing Dead Space. (I will just skip the part about how awesome this game is and how everyone should play it. Its not that scary. Great game experience.) I'm about to finish the game (I'm on chapter 9 out of 12) before I have to return the game to Blockbuster in a few hours. I kill a boss and I'm running down a hallway till I reach a locked door with a slot to plug in a battery to open it. I begin my search for said battery. Nowhere to be seen. I run back the way I came to a locked door. I pace back and forth between the two doors three or four times and see no battery. Thinking its just a easily fixable glitch I let myself die and reload the area.

I do this and there is still no battery. I then turn off my game and load my last save game. I beat the boss again, get to the hallway and there is still no battery to open the door. What the eff? I pause the game and hop on my computer to search the web. I find that this is normal and that people have fixed it by going back to chapter 8 and playing through chapter 9 all over again. Some people said they had to restart the game completely. I was about six and a half hours in. Awesome. I popped the disc out and returned it to Blockbuster.

Something like this should be found as a bug during development and testing. Or, since this game has been out for a year, should have been patched by now. A simply amazing game broke so I couldn't advance any further and wouldn't let me finish. Sad news bears.

Seriously though, pick up this game, its only $20 now and you probably won't have this happen to you. If I would have paid to rent the game I would have complained for my money back, but meh.

Uncharted 2 + How to fix Indiana Jones 4: Crystal Skull

Uncharted 2 comes out tomorrow which is a game that I am very excited for. The first game had a great story-line, one that was much better than the last Indy adventure. This got me thinking of the eight (or however many I come up with) steps to fix that debacle.

1) No prairie dogs

2) No "I like Ike" quote

3) No surviving a nuclear bomb in a fridge (I would let this pass if it wasn't tossed in the air and crashed into a truck)

4) No Indy's son and more Marion: Marion was badass in Raiders and she was pointless in this film.

5) Part of getting rid of Indy's son: No using of a snake to get Dr Jones out of a sandpit, no swinging from an endless supply of vines with a monkey army, no hair combing

6) No gigantic piranha ants

7) Have the raft go over ONE not three waterfalls

8) No backstab/secret agent/backstab friend of Jones

OR they could just copy either the story from Uncharted or Uncharted 2 and be all set