Just got another hard disk. 320 gigs from NewEgg. That'll come in handy since I was an early adopter of the hi-def camcorder. Companies are finally showing some support for the avchd so I'll finally have a reason to put those huge hd video files on my computer.

I also got Guitar Hero II for the 360. On Tuesday, I failed a song on easy. By Friday, I had beaten my first song on expert. I had no idea it would be this addicting. The downloadable song can't come soon enough though. The songs in the first Guitar Hero were clearly superior.

Rich made a comment on The Hotspot last Tuesday that I found to be completely accurate. "If you get four people in a room who are there just to have a good time, they can play the worst game ever and it'll still be cool." Earth Defense Force 2017 is that game. I can't play it alone, but it's such a great game to play with friends. It makes me wish I had more friends that play video games. I own so many games that I'd play if only there were someone to play them with.

Hopefully I'll get a picture up there at the top of the blog soon. Photoshop is confusing, son.

Yeah, it's been a while.

Wow, so where do I begin? I camped out for a Wii. Got a high-def TV (Sony BXR3). I loved Gears of War. Loved God of War and God of War II, which I had to borrow a PS2 to play. Bought 2 DS lites. Got into Warcraft (only a few years late). But forget the past, let us concern ourselves with the present.

I have a huge 'to-play' list but seem to be getting nowhere. I miss out on games because I like to get everything in a game. I really need to break that habit. I need to play through a game for the experience. I explore way too much. I'm constantly asking, "did I miss something?" And I'm always loading previous saves when I do something wrong. I wish I could play through an rpg like Oblivion without loading a savestate just because my horse died.

On top of all those unplayed games, I keep buying new ones. Bad games, cheesy games, just to experience first hand how odd they are. Latest purchase: Earth Defense Force 2017, enough said.

I sewed a pocket inside my jacket to carry around my DSs (middle school sewing class ftw) to which I attribute my playing of FFVI Advance, my very first Final Fantasy game. Super Mario RPG held me over as a kid, but I wish someone would have turned me onto FF back then. Amazing game.

Still unofficial, but I believe that Xbox 360 Elite is really gonna happen. And I'll get one. Yes, I'll get another 360 before I get a PS3. The PS3 just can't give me what the 360 can right now. Maybe with those new Playstation Edge dev tools, and integration with Home, PS3 games will be better in the future, but right now... meh. The only game I have any interest in is Ninja Gaiden Sigma, but I've already played through Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox several times. Dropping that kind of cash to play an updated version of a game I mastered... again meh.

Getting too long now. I don't want to scare anyone away with a novel of a post. Hopefully I can keep updates smaller and focused on one topic in the future by posting more often.

Dude, I'm really dying to play Gears of War. It looks great, the premise of the game is solid, and I dig the soundtrack. I'll be honest though, I'm not a big fan of the Unreal engine. I'm sure it's come a long way since Unreal Championship, which is the last game from Epic that I've played, but there was just something about it that I didn't enjoy, although I never placed my finger on it.

I just want a new Halo. I'm ready for the next big thing. Don't get me wrong, a bigger Halo fan you will not find. I just want to see a new game take over on a new console. I loved Goldeneye on the 64, but when the Xbox came out and I discovered the joys of the Halo LAN party, I was like, "James who?," "Golden what?"

I don't know if the feeling will ever be the same though. I totally didn't foresee spending hundreds of hours playing Halo when I bought it. In fact, I didn't want to buy Halo at all. I was so used to the 'realism' of Goldeneye that I didn't think a sci-fi shooter would be any good; the review in OXM said otherwise, so I reluctantly purchased a copy. I started playing it with friends after track practice in high school, just to show them the power of the new console, but the first time I stuck a plasma grenade on a charging foe's face, I was hooked. The game was nothing short of magic.

With Gears it's different, though. I'm anticipating a killer app. I'm counting down the days until launch. I'm hyping up the game to friends and strangers alike. Now, if the game is good, there will be no surprise, no awe, no magic. And it's no wonder! When a game falls victim to over-hype, even if it becomes recognized as the greatest game in the world, it's just... expected. It takes a game that can come out of left field and sweep you off your feet to make that spark. Think Guitar Hero.

Ah, well, anyway, it'll still be a decent game. Hopefully an amazing game. It reminds me of Contra in some way...