So I was browsing through my Steam profile, and was actually pretty suprised at how much hours of my live I've wasted playing videogames :lol:. So, I'll show you guys why I'm still single and what the hell I do during my days off :D

Dragon Age: Origins: 59.7 hours...and this is without playing any of the expansions! :o

Mass Effect: 26.7 hours, one playthrough only (made it to level 45 I think...never wanted to replay it again, because I wanted to import my character to ME2).

Mafia: 15.2 hours. That's right, it took me longer to beat the original game than it did for the sequel :|.

Resident Evil 5: 14.6 hours...and combine that with the PS3 version that I tweaked on for months (and almost unlocked everything) I can only imagine how many hours I've clocked in total.

Splinter Cell Conviction: 14 hours. Not just the campaign, which flew by pretty fast, but Deniable Ops is a pretty good time waster when you're bored :D.

Call of Duty: Black OPs: 9.2 hours. And, I didn't even touch the MP yet...so far, all I've done was finish the campaign...not bad for a game infamous on its short length :P.

Dead Rising 2: 27.7 hours. Seriously, damn! I've beaten the game once, and stopped playing halfway through when I reached level 50...funny thing is, it never felt that long :o.

Fallout 3: 32.3 hours. Which would've been more, if my game didn't crash and corrupt my save (I was near the end of the Broken Steel campaign :evil: ).

Fallout: New Vegas: 52.5 hours. Keep in mind, I'm not even done yet (not to mention I had to start the game over again :x) so subtract about 30 hours, and it's how long I've played the game, "technically" :P.

And the winner is...

Mass Effect 2: 92.6 hours :shock: :o 8). Granted, I've beaten the game three times, but still...I don't think I've even played a GTA game for that long! You can also add in the DLC that stretches the game, but still...I never thought I'd dedicate myself to a single game this much. You know your game rocks when I've played the thing for almost a hundred hours. Honestly, I don't know whether to feel proud of myself, or realize how much I have no life :lol:.

Dear Bethesda: FIX YOUR ENGINE! :evil:. The same engine used for Oblivion, Fallout 3, and New Vegas, it's famous for being one of the buggiest, unstable ones used for a videogame (don't these guys ever learn? ??). I'm a little peeved, because I finished all the quests for the Brotherhood of Steel, and I was supposed to trigger an initiation quest that rewards me with Power Armor training...thing is, after a few days (hell, a week also) of waiting in-game, I realized the damn thing is bugged :|. I read up online, and what's supposed to happen is [spoiler] you either help out the Elder with his needs, or as an optional side of the quest, help Hardin overthrow the Elder, which triggers one of the two initiation quests...but all I get is the same looping dialogue about the preparations...basically, what you're supposed to do is visit Hardin FIRST if you're going to overthrow the Elder, or not bother doing the optional quests if you want the Elder to stay, and your reward is Power Armor training...doing the opposite will pretty much bug the quest. Just a little heads up for my bros :D Although I read up that there's an optional way of getting the training, so I'm stalking Google for hints. [/spoiler] . Anyway, it's disappointing, to say the least...but I'm one level away from the max, so unless I end up running into an army of Deathclaws somewhere in the main quest, I doubt I'll need it.

Aside from that, my greatest accomplishemnt so far has to be whacking Caesar. Seriously, I stormed into their main camp (I did enough quests for the NCR for them to hate my guts anyway, so I had nothing to lose :P) and decided "what the hell" and just went nuts with the Super Sledge :D. Let me tell you, it was one long, exhausting battle. Caesar's elites are pretty buff, and attack with their Ballistic Gauntlets (which is the ONLY weapon I use now...it's pretty much a Power Fist with a bang) and after a few hits my limbs are crippled. I had to restart the checkpoint a few times, but eventually did the deed. After I level up more, I'm entering the base again to off his right-hand man (there's more of these guys in there, and I'm low on Stimpacks...I'm just preparing :D). Other than that, another grueling battle has to be taking on the Deathclaw Alpha and Mother...if you thought Deathclaws were pretty though, these guys kill you in two hits, stick together with a family of five...and well, took me about an hour of trial and error to figure out a good strategy (mine was using a missile launcher as a sniper rifle :P). Anyway, that's about it...I'm in no hurry to finish the main quest because I'm waiting on the expansions (if it's anything like Fallout 3, it probably has the "once it's over, it's over" ending, and I really hate playing these kinds of games back to level 1...they really should add a New Game + because I'd gladly tweak on this game from the beginning if I could keep my levels and perks :D).

I figured that since I'm about level 22, I can take on Deathclaws (since they were a breeze in Fallout 3 when you're at the right level) and I'm pretty surpised that they're still pretty imposing :o. I don't know if it's just my weapon of choice (I'm a melee person, and maxed out Unarmed and Melee) and have been taking on hoardes of armies with brass knuckles 8) (even better when I found a unique one called Love and Hate which does a ridiculous amount of damage). Heck, if I could, I'd give away all my surplus of weapons I don't even use to other people (yeah, still in that MMO phase :P) like my 20+ missiles, a thousand rounds of Flamer fuel, a crap load of 5mm ammo (and I've actually stumbled on a Fatman! :shock: too bad I don't have a single mini nuke yet)...it's amazing on what kind of stuff you find when you're wandering around the game :D. I'm still trying to figure out a way to find someone to teach me to use Power Armor though...I've done all the Brotherhood of Steel quests, and so far, the only "reward" I get is "wait a few days" :|. (although I thought the Enclave armor looked much cooler though...kind of miss them in this game). Anyway, for those of you who own the game, maybe you can help me out: all these hours poured into the game, and I haven't even found my two favorite weapons, the Shishkebab and the Deathclaw Gauntlet...I've tried looking it up, but all I get is how to find it in FO3 (which REALLY helps me a lot here :roll: ).

Well, I had a long day...aside from work (can you seriously BELIEVE people lined up to buy pumpkin pies on this day...and the sad part is, I only made eight...yep, by tomorrow, I'll have no ass left after it's been chewed by the boss :?). Aside from that, most of the waitresses famous for wearing as little as possible on this magical day were off :|. After that, kids. Lots of 'em. My cousin's three kids, tag teamed with my uncle's three, and this was a battle I could not win :cry:. I've done so many pony back rides, carrying two children at once, playing hide and seek (I guess it's obvious where I am when I pick a spot to hide, then decide to smoke while I wait :lol: ) and of course, the "chaperone" as I walk to every friggin' house to watch kids collect candy (and boy, do they complain...how do you complain about FREE candy!?). Here I am, in my Iron Maiden shirt, surrounded by two geishas, a hula dancer, a police officer and a firefighter who all got hit by a shrink ray :P. Although, honestly, it's not that bad. As much as I hate kids, I'm pretty sure I'd be a pretty good father 8). What can I say, I've got the skill to turn a crying kid into a laughing one in under 30 seconds, I know how to keep them entertained for five hours while distracting their attention from my laptop in my duffel bag (in this case, I'll gladly sacrifice my cell phone and keys)...and hell, if I can take on six kids at once, having one is...well, it should be easy :P. Anyway, hope you guys had a blast on Halloween! I'm 25 years old, and suprisingly enough, candy still tastes as sweet as it did 20 years ago :D.

Well, I managed to beat Force Unleashed 2. Not that it was difficult or anything...I mean, the review states they mix and match enemies immune to lightsabers and the Force (can you seriously believe that? :?) but I found that spamming Force pulse narrows the battles down (that way, you push half the guys back, and the others still standing you just whack away with your lightsaber). My problem with the game is that it's chock full of enemies that shouldn't even be in the Star Wars universe :|. I mean, there's enemy duels that feel more akin to God of War or the Matrix than here. Not to mention it's pretty hard to feel like a Jedi when you're fighting enemies that simply brush off a Force push, or have such annoying weapons that it makes me feel pretty helpless. Hell, I feel more like a Padawan than a Jedi here :lol:.

Anyway, this game still has its share of epic moments. Even some akward boss battles have its satisfying conclusions. And there's an unexplainable good feeling about using Force grip on a Tie Fighter, and watch the thing crush into a ball :o. Even more so when you trigger Fore overload, which is basically a one-hit-kill button (too bad this damn thing takes FOREVER to replenish :|) where no matter who's immune to what, or how big it is, it dies in one second :D. I'd also like to applaud the game for actually feeling like a sequel. Upgrading Starkiller feels more like simply choosing which power you enjoy the most instead of having to waste points on health or upgrading the Force meter (this time you collect holocons to upgrade your health and meter, or use different lightsaber crystals to give you more points, faster regeneration, or increased damage). Other than that, whatever combos you've unlocked in the first one (like throwing your saber into someone or using electricity while using Force grip) is already available.

The game is suprisingly short, though...in the entire game, it takes place in four different locations (one being a massive cutscene :|) which defines boring. While boss battles have a breathtaking conclusion, fighting them is just simply awful. I mean, most of them didn't stray away from the God of War style of evade, jump and counter, then press the button to trigger a QTE to finish it off. And on PC, dear god, the button commands are hard to read. There were times I had to retry the finishing moves because they're hard to see (you know, like having a command to press "Space" or "Q" in such small letters that blend in with most of the environment...I would've appreciated it if it were a little bigger or at least a different color).

Aside from that, I'll say it was worth $40 (on Steam...I wouldn't recommend paying any more for this game). I'm still going to look foward to the sequel, however...as disappointing as it was, gameplay wise, it's on the right track (they just have to get rid of the weird as hell enemies). And hopefully there's enough fan feedback for Lucas Arts to improve the next one.

First, I'll start with the bad news: I'm pissed :|. I got up to level 7 so far, did a few quests...I quit the game to go out to dinner, come back home, and find out my autosave reverted all the way back to when I was in level 2 :evil:. This isn't the first time either. Whenever I exit the game, the same damn glitch occurs. The last manual save I did was at level 5, so it's not "that bad," but developers really should hurry up with a patch for this (if anything, I'm guessing it's because of that Caravan pack you get when you pre-order the game...just call it a hunch). Anyway, I'm pretty pissed, because I have to replay a certain moment that I originally beat out of sheer luck...taking on an army of bandits all on my own with no stimpacks, a couple land mines and a baseball bat (don't worry, there's no spoilers here...it's just one of those random encounters :D).

Well, now for the good news: ever since launch I was wondering why this game always stuttered on my computer. I mean, with the settings cranked, simply turning a corner gave me some slowdown...even with the settings lowered, it was still pretty bad. Well, I updated my drivers, now I can crank this to Max and have a buttery smooth playthrough :D. I mean, I'm still living off the GTX 260, which isn't the best GPU, but it does get the job done (I mean, this is Fallout we're talking about...not exactly the kind of game that's too demanding :P). Anyway...sucks to have to replay the last two hours of the game, especially since I already know what's going to happen :?. I'm seriously hoping the game gets patched soon, because I tend to rely on autosaves (it's been rumored that these kinds of games can crash when you have too many manual saves...it's just a rumor I've known about since Oblivion, but you never know). The bright side is it's not "that" bad, considering I'm not that high up in levels, much less got that far into the game. Well, this killed my buzz for playing the game for a while, so I'll just pop in a movie (still have yet to watch Spartacus season 1. I guess now is a good time to do so :)).

Well, it's been over a year since I popped in the game. And to be honest, the only reason I did it because it's been free to play a while back, and since I already own this game, I figured I'd give it another go. I still stand by the 6.0 rating, because it's as bare-bones a game as it gets. Still, it's easier to swallow now that I'm not tied down to a mandatory subscription to play it. While there is a subscription model (that gives tempting benefits like more XP, better loot, and the like) I really don't see much of an impact over someone like me, who isn't taking this game seriously. Don't get me wrong, the game has changed so much that it's obvious the developers are trying to sway you into a subscription by any means necessary: the black market has been streamlined to be accessible in your character sheet (Black Market is basically a market you use gold bars, in-game special currency you buy from the website, to purchase things like different outfits, or change your character's hairstyle, skin color, or facial features). Well, I guess in a way to keep an economy flowing, things that should be permanent are merely "rentals." Some things like custom clothing to hair color, hair styles and changing your face has a limit of two weeks (or more, up to a month if you spend more gold bars) which is...well, a little weird :?.

A few months ago when I hopped on, I had no problem buying the ninja outfit, or having an overhaul of a character that looked like ass into something pretty decent. I guess I picked the right time to do it, considering outfits are pretty underwhelming (and not worth it, considering it gives no armor bonus, and you're "renting" the feature...not to mention, no more ninja outfit, which I've sadly deleted a long time ago :x).

Aside from that, you also pick one profession to craft, be it gunsmith, clothing designer, engineer or someone who's a master at making power-ups (which is disappointing that I'm only tied to one, because I'd love to create my own weapons and armor). If you're the craft loving type, you'll spend a lot of time in the Stockpile PVE areas, where you collect certain containers, depending on your profession, or what kind of ingredients you want (although it pays to collect whatever you see...sometimes armor containers will give you armor, or weapon containers will sometimes give you a weapon instead of salvage) and since you're also sharing the map with other players...well, it can be frustrating. These have to be the most greedy, obnoxious players I've seen in an online game...some will play dirty, and wait for you to enter a firefight with enemies while they run ahead and "steal" the containers you've fought tooth and nail for. Lots of self-centered players here. And the thing is, those are randomly generated and placed in extremely random places, so it's basically first come, first serve here. My gripe with this is there's way too many players allowed in one instance...you'd think that a 4 maximum would be bearable, but in a small map, there were times that I'd go through a match with absolutely nothing (and don't get me started in dealing with 8 players in a larger map :x).

So, having a few containers tied to your profession is pretty much like finding gold. As so, it's aggrivating to click on it, and eagerly await what contents come pouring out, only to find a surplus of...weapon paint :|. As much as I'd like to complain, I'll only sound foolish...the subscription boldly states that you'll have more XP and better loot, so I just have to grin and bear it when I recieve a fraction of the advertised XP in missions, or overwhelmed by crap when I collect resources (although it's not horrible...I've still found my share of better weapons every now and then). The crafting part...well, it's not fun. I'm still in the apprentice level in my profession (like I said, it's been a year since I've played this game) so what I am able to make is pretty mediocre. It's not easy to boost it up either, especially when what I am able to create gives me less chances to level up my profession (like a 25% chance to gain a skill point) so it's a coin toss whether I'm wasting precious, hard to find salvage, or if I'm actually accomplishing anything.

As far as entertainment goes, it's a decent game that runs well on my netbook, so I can pop this in when I've got nothing else to do for a couple hours, away from home. I don't recommend getting this game either, because it's still an above mediocre game. Rather, if you already own a copy of the game, you've got nothing to lose here ;). And if you're really that curious...well, I'm sure we've all spent $10 on far worse things before :P.

Some call it ballsy (without a million dollar advertisement that shows up on commercial every minute, it's pretty hard to get the world to know what youre product is), and some call it the ONLY way to make it to the top without "selling out." And, some just simply can't afford to spend the money, and rely on quality alone to make it big. Anyway, as a metalhead, I'm always down for new or unheard of bands. One of my friends posted a link on my Facebook about this band called Amon Amarth...some Viking stuff, melodramatic instrumentals (I've listened to a few Black Metal bands, so I'm no stranger to these kinds of things) and published by Metal Blade records, which...well, most of the songs on my iPod are from that company :lol: so I'm not exactly in the dark about it. Not to mention, it's where I got my first lip piercing about five years ago...just stroll in where the Punk Rock guys hang out (don't believe the stereotypes...metal guys aren't enemies against punk rockers...we all dig anything rock, and hate what isn't :P) and asked the big scary guy where he got the sweet body art from...because I sure as hell am not going to walk into some chick clothing shop to get it done :|. Anyway, for all you guys who dig metal, Here is something I'll be buying after I get my paycheck :D. What can I say, this is one of the most epic music videos I've seen! :shock: (a battlescene during the solo...damn! 8)).

I love Tuesdays :D. I mean, that's my dedicated day-off from work (hell, my only day-off :lol: ) not to mention it just so happens to be the day that new releases come on store shelves (and in most cases) games as well. Yep...picked up Spliced (I've heard some bad things about the movie, but I'm a sucker for Sci-Fi plots :P), the Human Centipede (which looks utterly sick...but another kind of movie that will probably disgust and offend me and I still wont' be able to stop watching :lol: Just like the movie Inside...I'm down for controversial and gory movies, but I refuse to watch that movie ever again...and it takes a LOT to disturb the hell out of me :| ), Nightmare on Elm Street, and Karate Kid (never got to see it in the theateres...at first I was turned off by the direction, but after seeing the commercials, it looks freaking epic!). Other than that, some less-than-epic journeys to pick up some body wash (Irish Springs all the way 8)...but only because the store was out of Axe...can you believe that? :?), a carton of cigarettes, a new belt (when your favorite belt fails at what it's supposed to do which is hold up your pants...well, it's time for a new one) and a swing to Best Buy to continue to drool over the laptop I've wanted for the past six months (although I refuse to buy it...I already got a desktop, and a netbook that's actually decent for gaming).

Anyway, I'm about to pop in Karate Kid...the rest will have to wait. My mom...well, "borrowed" the other movies :P. And I saw Enslaved was also released today...honestly, I never knew that :o. Didn't pick it up though...after blowing $300 the last week, I'm trying to spend as little as possible until the games I'm waiting for comes out (I get paid by the time Fallout New Vegas comes out, so I'm sort of "responsibly" monitoring my account :P). And a funny thing...I noticed that there were TONS of Survival of the Dead DVDs on the shelf, as if I was the only one on this island who bothered to pick it up (seriously, it was stacked in such a way that there was only a single space in the massive stack...it was great! :lol: ). I wonder why? :|.

I really don't feel like publishing a review, so I'll just do a mini reflection of the game :D. Basically, it's the kind of game that starts off extremely challenging, and later on becomes extremely easy (when you're in the higher levels, bosses pose no threat at all...in fact, no need for careful timing or reflexes...just carry along a surplus of OJ and you're all good). In fact, I'm doing my round 2 in the game, pretty much just unlocking achievements (so far got 1,000 zombies killed on a motorcycle, killing 100 zombies with the Smash move, painting my motorcycle :roll:, and the "secret achievement" which if you'd like, just PM me if you don't feel like looking it up :P) and just saving survivors to finally max out (so far at level 46). Although I'm having trouble with escorting 8 survivors at once...not that it's hard or anything, but I'm loading on everyone I find, and by time time I get to six of them, I'm running out of time to do another case file (in other words, I'm actually WAITING for another announcement to roll in about any other people)! :lol:. Anyway, I'd love to go ahead with the Zombie Genocide achievement, but if I don't unlock any sweet bonus, I may not bother (the first one gave me Mega Man's Blaster...if I get nothing for this one, I'm not wasting 6 hours of my life for 20 points :|).

The worst thing I can say about DR2 is that...well, I'm underwhelmed by the locations. Aside from the obvious casinos, everything else seems like a re-skinned Wilamette. I mean, there's the food court, an abundance of two-story malls, and of course...the "under construction" side of the game that looks damn near similar to the first one. I know I'm obviously not going to see Fremont, Stardust or (my personal favorite place) Ceasar's Palace as they look in real life, but the nearest actual mall is miles away from the Strip...not to mention that their malls are flashy as hell (Ceasar's Palace entire mall section looks pretty much like Rome...not to mention New York and MGM Grand also have their share of sweet looking environments). All I'm saying is, this is Vegas...they've spent billions of dollars just to make their souvenir shops look better than the crap they sell :|.

Aside from that, I'm actually suprised with the innovations in 2. Collecting combo cards are rewarding, and give you devastating power in your grasp...take a handful of seemingly useless crap, and combine it with other crap to make something awesome (I've finally found something utterly epic to make with the gems! :D). And, survivors aren't total imbeciles this time around...save for the annoying mandatory small talk you have to do in the middle of a mosh pit of the undead (complete with a lot of reading...seriously, this is getting ridiculous :|) to get them to follow you out of death's hand...and some throw a curve ball at you...some actually have requirements in order for them to follow you to safety (giving a starving survivor food before he follows you makes sense...paying someone ten grand just to save their life is just...weird.).And, the time limits in the game are a lot more lenient this time around...after finishing up a case file, you've got a few hours to mess around...even getting your daughter Zombrex isn't that much of a burden, considering it lasts a full day, and the radio tells you right off the bat which survivor is carrying, and also a few random places you can find your fix. So yeah, I really wasn't hindered at all by the time limits, so for those of you worried about it, there's a ton of downtime even when the missions are triggered. Anyway, great sequel to a great series, but if you never grew too fond of the first one, there's nothing here that will draw you in.