Merry Christmas Everyone :)

Enjoy the day, be safe and Game On :)

Yes finally, time has passed and it'll be August. This for me means GAME TIME! New games will be released in a couple weeks. Now, not that there hasn't been a few games that haven't come out in the past couple of months for the 360. It's just that there really hasn't been any decent types that I like to play. The best one I picked up in the past month or 2 has been The Darkness, GREAT Game! I picked up Transformers and so far it has been a big let down, then again I really haven't messed with it that much. Maybe today after I do somethings around the house (since I have the day off) I'll put it in the 360 and give it a try again.

Anyways I've been waiting for August because the 360 games will start rolling in. The three that I have prepaid for are Two Worlds, which will give me the joy of single play like Oblivion and 4 player Co-Ops which will be almost like FFXI. At least this is my hope. Bio Shock will becoming which seems to be a pretty wierd game, which I like. From what I've read one of the main things to do is go after this little tripped out girl who has this big freak watching over her. LOL Something kinky going on there LOL!! Long waited Stranglehold will finally be released with all it's special effects. There's been alot of talk about this game, as well as time put into it. So I feel or at least hope it won't be a flop like other games that have movie ppl involved. Two other games I've been thinking about is Blue Dragon and Medal of Honor: Airborne, this will depend on what I read on the boards and who has them on my 360 friends list.

Now September is going to be a big month for alot of us. HALO 3 will be released on the 25th and I plan on taking a couple days off. :) Now it's said that this will be last of Master Chief but do you really believe that? I don't !I can't see have Xbox would give up on a big $$$ maker and believe there will be another. Halo 3 isn't the only game in September I'm waiting for, there's Blacksite: Area 51, which will be released first. Now when I first heard Are 51, I thought it was going to be like the Xbox Area 51 version, which was very cool but, it's not. I did play the demo and I believe I'll have some fun with this one.

So soon I'll have some more gamesin my collection and enough to hold me over till Halo 3 is released. Hopefully enough to keep me busy while waiting for Half Life 2 Orange, GTA IV, Time Shift, Mass Effect, and COD 4.

Yes time goes on, and it's been a long wait but soon the games will be rolling in :) At least as long as there is NO set back, like Mass Effect, Two Worlds which was to be released this Monday, the day after my birthday and others in the past.

Well my friends just wanted to say Hi, and GAME ON!! :)

Just want to wish everyone a safe and enjoyable 4th of July :)

Special thanks to my fellow Vets and those that are serving our country today. Because of us, we still have our FREEDOM.

God Bless America

On a note things been pretty busy for me with a new job working for the school district in my area.

I know I should post more blogs and do some reviews, which I'll try to catch up on the next couple off days

Well, I'm a level 21! So what's next ? Move on to the next Level? Surely there's more to being in a Union on GS than worrying about leveling up! Yes I know POST! POST! POST!But come on, there must be something else I can do! Well I started to do some more art work with Gimp and Photoshop.

I've made a new banner for myself  ^^^ and for ENGU

I also made a poster for Xbox 360 Live Players Union

I'm kind of green at this art stuff, takes me some time and patients, LOL! Me with patients!

So! OK I'm messing with art stuff! What else? POST, POST, POST!  Make, blogs, Vids, and POST, POST, POST! Kind of seems like the same old, same old to me, which gets old !

So what is there? Well time to start doing what I said I like to try and do in one of my other blogs! What's That? Help out the new guys with GS stuff! Thanks to The Everything Next Gen Union I might be able to do this. You see I feel that alot of members don't post as much because of their level, and in posting new members ask alot of questions! Which to me is cool, and part of learning the How To's! However some GS members get into knocking the new guy or just ignor them because their levels are not worthie to them! Well not in ENG Union! They're breaking the union down to squads! Think of it as small groups, or the difference between talking in front of 600 people to 20 people! Now I've seen this atemp mentioned in other unions, but never put into action! I'm glad to see one of the unions I'm in actually trying to do this, and guess what ? I'm and officer in ENG Union so I'll be one of the squad leader in a squad. This should make it a little easier for the lower level to get more involved, without the concern of being knocked down.

Well enough said for now, I seem to ramble on to much in my blogs :lol: So need some help with something, want to meet a bunch of guys that are human? Get over to the ENG Union  and check us out.

Game laws or their ratings have become a big issue these days with the government lately!

With Minnesota, Oklahoma, New Orleans, California attacking game developers on their ratings, violence, sexual hints, language, blood and guts stuff in games. The ESA has had their hands full.

Now this attack on the games really bugs me because a this stuff they're complaining about, I see on TV after 6pm! I'm talking regular TV! Like common alot of language that is used on TV,  actors running around half naked, the good guy, bad guy stuff, and the drug use in some of these everyday shows is really know different than some of the games!

I have to admit some of the games caught me by surprise ! Like Darkwatch, and God of War with their sex scene. Nothing I would like my nephew or grandson to see. Yes at times the language is heavy, I was pretty surprised with the "f" word in the demo Prey, and yes there is the gore, blood and guts. All of this stuff is part of the games I like to play, well I don't care about the sex stuff, cartoon character don't turn me on! There's also the issue of people going to court saying they got the ideal from a game, the so called " The game made him do it " that lawyers are using! What bunch of BS!! Like some of that video gangster stuff they call RAP/ music doesn't put off the wall thoughts in kids head! What about the things that go on at home? I grew up in a pretty messed up home Dad was King, Mom was like the servant! Now some kids grow up thinking that because that is the way it is, because that is what they saw . Does it mean it's right? NO! AS I got older I realized what a jerk my father was about alot of things, but that's what he experienced growing up! What I'm trying to say is that we have minds, we know right from wrong, we can separate fantasy from reality! Games don't make people do wrong! People us games for their way out for doing wrong! Like Guns don't kill ! People Kill!

There are ratings on the games, and the retailers are responsible for making sure that certain games are not sold to the wrong age group! Yes I feel that game developers should reveal everything so that it is rated properly, and if you have to be over 25 to buy a game then so be it!

The government has already come up with a fine of 1M for not exposing important details of a game, but to try and ban games from a stat I feel is a little much!! I watch some TV and wonder how they get away with what they say and show. What about the Movies, cable, language on the radio! Letting the government attack the games could lead to opening the door for them to attack another entertainment area. Then I think why haven't they attacked the other entertainment areas! So like somethings up to me!

I'm posting this blog in hopes that gamers will read it and go to Video Game Voters web site, register and give them your support. These are the people that fight for us to have our games. If states start banning games, it won't be long before games are banned from the country! I would hate to have to start buying my games from the UK or Japan!

So here's the link http://www.videogamevoters.org/

They need our support! These are the people that will fight for us to keep on gaming! If the government takes our games. What's next?

Well it's over! The Long Hill Climb of Leval 20!

This has to be the toughest level to go through! It does seem to matter how much you post, games you add, vote, of anything. you only move up 2% maybe by some flute 4%.

Now I try not to let this rank and level stuff bug me, and it doesn't. It's not like I can benefit from it in the real world, but it's nice to get some kind of recognition for participating. I don't post much, how ever for an older guy like me coming up to 2,000 posts that's kind of alot being that most of the people I'm chatting with are 30 years younger than me!

So what's next? I'm not sure. I think I'm going to find away to help out lower levels! I still see upper levelblowing the little guys off and I seen a lot of peoples heads swell up after they past 20! It's like all of a sudden they're so smart! Like how many of them have a job, are out of school, able to get into college, have their own house, drive a car, do they have a licence, what about paying the house hold bills, their own cell phone, buying groceries, and just doing something for their parents with out them asking! Not to many from what I seen in fact maybe 2 I have meet but not on this site. Seems to me most of the kids for get if it was for their parents they wouldn't even be on Game Spot. I guess it bothers me when these kids think they're all that when all they really do is chat on their pc or play their games and have no time anymore for the newbie! They seem to forget that someone here helped them!

So some how some way I'm going to find the newbies and offer  my help! Help them set up their profiles, where to find things, how to pick a union that would work for them, sigs, tags, banners and how to level up! All that kind of stuff that upper levels, start acting like it's a big deal to tell the lower guy the how to.

So if you're a newbie that has come across this blog and you need some help, pm me . May be I can help. I was a level 1 also at one time.

  It's funny that when people talk about games today, alot of them think PC or console games especially the younger crowd. I'm 47 and been gaming on PC for 6 yrs and Xbox almost 1 yr. To many I'm a Newbie!! But I've been playing games for years!! I grew up in Chicago, in the Humbolt Park area or Grand and Division. I remember when I was a kid in 3rd grade we moved into an apartment across from Cameron School, which was great, because there was this huge play ground. It had 2 sets of slides, 2 sets of swings, a merry-go-round, monkey bars, a sand box, softball field which in the fall we played football,and in the winter that area plus was turned into an area for ice skating,and or hockey. There was  2 basketball courts and all you had to do if you didn't have a basketball was go to the field house and sign out for one. That field house was a great place to hang, you could sign out for bats, softballs, basketballs, hockey sticks and other things. We were able to hang out there in the winter and play, ping-pong, bumper pool, or table soccer, or table hockey. As a kid I couldn't wait to go out and play some games, it just depended on the time of year which decided what we did. I remember my baseball mit. Use to play what was called pinners, which was done by throwing a rubber  ball to the foundation edge of a building as hard as you could, to make your opponent miss catching it. there was lke a cubbie hole around the school building, this was where we had tournaments. Did this alot with the older kid upstairs, he help teach me how to play ball. Then there was fast pitching, which was done in certain areas on the school building. you knew where because of the rectangular box (representing a strike zone) drawn on the wall. This was done by one person throwing a rubber ball at the rectangular box on the wall, and another trying to hit the ball, if the ball hit with in the box it was a strike outside the box a ball. You had to be a pretty good place hitter, these teams at times would only have 2 people per side and certain areas were out, meaning if you hit in these areas you were out.Then there were the tag games, we played 1 called catch 1 catch all. We would have at times over 12 kids playing. 1 person was it, and he have to catch someone, and when he did that person help him catch another and so on. As we got older the game got wilder, we use to play a 2 block area, in and out of alleys, jumping fence, after fence, after fence, climbing up onto a garages jumping roof to roof, climbing trees, dodging in and out of park cars, running through peoples yards, Yes we were a bunch of pain in the asses at times, and yes everyone knew our parents. My Mom sold Avon in the neighborhood, so I always caught it from her, but we always had fun.I started playing Chess in the 3rd grade, won some tournaments while I was in the Army. We us to play over the radio with our boards when we out in the field, there wasn't any internet, laptop, and all that kind stuff. My grand father taught me how to play Cribbage which is a board game using pegs and cards. This was a common game played when I lived with my dad, a couple others were Yahtzee, Monopoly, Royal Rummy, Poker,7 card stud, and 21. My dad and I use to play Poker, 7 card stud, and 21 for my allowance, and he us to kick my ass alot. Then there's Frisbee. While I was in Germany (thanks to the Army), I was on a Frisbee team. I loved showing off in free style, still do. Heck they even have Frisbee golf coarse and tournaments going on. Volleyball, I always loved to play volley ball since high school. Big hyper game for me, till I blew out a knee at a church picnic, when I was in my early 30's, I was on bowling teams, I wasn't great but I played, Pool (not swimming pool), played alot of pool. With my Mom's second husband Ray, once you were able to reach over the table you were able to toss the balls around. I was pretty good, played 9 ball, 8 ball, last pocket, call your shots, bank your shots, you name it I played it all over the states and in other counties. Won a few, lost few, this was something my stepfather, Ray taught me and something I always whipped my real father in. Which is probably why he whipped me in the early years at Poker. You know I could go on and on, my point is that, I think it's kind of funny being called a NEWBIE, when I've played all kinds of games all over the world as far back as I can remember. I feel kind of sad for alot of kids today, it seems that with some of them, all they do is sit in front of a TV or computer. I worry a little about my 3 yr old grandson Nate, Its like I have to drag him outside sometimes to play. To get him off the Xbox or the PC. PC and console games is just a new area for me and yes its something that I can talk about with the younger crowd, parents (that want to know about a game for their kids), a great way for me to relieve stress, it's wild to do things that I would other wise spend time in jail for, and it's just plan pretty cool, but I still think it's funny to be called a NEWBIE at gaming

Time to move on, or in other words get in the Game. Been with GS for awhile checking out all the forms, and reviews of what's out there. Started messing with a PC (which I picked up for work) a few years back (never did like computers, family thing)and my kids showed me the games on the computer. Well the games that came with my PC was getting old, and I needed more. So I picked up Delta Force, and I found a new and wild world. I put in hours, days, weekends with out sleep. Yep I was hooked (still am), just couldn't stop till I was actually falling asleep while playing. Up graded my internet for on line gaming, grabbing on to any 1st person shooter game that was out there or coming out. Then (and now) I had to be 1st, at Best Buy to pick up any new releases, I remember when Black Hawk Down came out BB said they didn't have it yet and I told them their web site said they did! sure enough it was in the back.   Well, some years have past and this past Xmas I was given an Xbox. That's all I wanted, and it's been a blast. Alot different with the controls, but I've gotten better, I'm not great, but I can hang.I'm still into the 1st person shooter games, I guess the stories turn me on, it's like watching a movie, and being part of it. I've picked up some other types of games so I can game with my wife, kids, niece, nephew, and grandkids, like Shrek, Mega Man, Sonic, and of coarse some Starwars. I've picked up the 360, which was to leave me with an Xbox all to myself, but as I noticed this past Thanksgiving I had to share my 360 (while my original Xbox is upstairs) with others, plus my new 360 games. This past Saturday was (which is when our house had everyone come over for Turkey) OK and if there is anything I have in common with the kids (ages 3 to 25) is gaming. So now it's time for me to get more into the game, interact more with GS, hook-up with other gamers, and do some online ( I have Comcast's High Speed Internet)gaming with my 360. Won't get any better unless I play others. Xbox GT: PapaSr :wink: