There are people out there that should be forbidden to make zombie flicks (I've seen some absolutely horrible ones in my life...Zombiez has to be in the top 5's. Grocery meat used for the gory special effects, and plastic cleavers you'd see in a Wal Mart on Halloween week...complete with the painted on blood stains :| Oh, and the awful acting and outrageously supid plot). But Romero would be the last person I'd find myself saying that to. I've watched Survival of the Dead, and it was bad...B movie bad :|. It's not quite "place DVD on the hot stove" terrible, but it's like Romero isn't even trying anymore. Which is pretty insulting, considering he's my Geroge Lucas of horror movies.

The plot goes a little something like this: loosely basing the concept that zombies are gaining intelligence, there's a group of people trying to exterminate every walking corpse they see, and a group that wants to live in harmony with the undead (and I'm talking extremist, kill the living and let the dead freely roam around the land like they're drinking buddies). And in a way to make it seem like a well thought out sequel (to the twelve people on this earth that still give a damn), there's a clip from Diary of the Dead that shows the part where a bunch of soldiers run into the film crew...those soldiers are the main cast, and boy are they the cartoon stereotypes you'd ever see in a movie: the rugged, manly commando guy with the rogue attitude, the Spanish guy who always thinks he's sexy, the commando woman who's into other women, the wimpy soldier that's always trying to have a philosophical conversation with the sarge, and the teenage boy who suddenly appears out of nowhere and ends up joining the crew (complete with the cliche' of him being the one to save the main character's ass by doing something uselessly convenient before fading back into the shadow). Throw in the "I know we shouldn't go to the place where this creepy old guy is offering solace because it could be a set-up, but let's do it anyway" plot complete with the "but we have nowhere else to go" logical answer to the one smart person who's always the first to bite the dust plotline, and you have a story that's pretty hard to hold your attention to.

Story aside, it's the zombie threat that's the meat (:P) of any horror flick. And it's hard to find any zombie attack imposing when you've got a bunch of goofy rednecks that find some Three Stooges way of getting themselves offed (mind you, they're as gruesome as ever, but when some fool gets his foot caught in a rope and is hanging above a dozen hungry zombies, it's a pretty big buzzkill...or even better, when some idiot breaks his own weapon, stares at it in disbelief with that cartoon expression before getting mauled :|). Heck, the "creative" zombie fatalities are even harder to watch, with such iconic setpieces like a guy setting a zombie on fire, then lighting his cigarette on it, some guy swinging an axe, but having the blade fly off and hit a zombie behind him square in the forehead, or my personal favorite, the infamous "Chuck Norris Kick" that sends a zombie attacking by suprise flying off a boat :|.

Oh, but there's more...god, there actuall is more! :cry: Since we're on the concept of evolving zombies, don't be suprised to see them starting cars to attempt vehicular manslaughter on someone, a zombie riding a horse (complete with "if that zombie woman can do it, THERE IS HOPE for the rest of them!") as well as (jesus christ...) newfound undead that still hold their life long grudge in the living days. And what the entire conflict boils down to in the end...oh, god...what the entire reason for the opposing factions to start the war, what this epic journey of unimaginable horror reveals...the overlord of the undead (who looks like a John Wayne clone who went on a bacon diet) is trying his dastardly scheme of training zombies to eat something other than humans so they can coexist as one race :lol:. I mean, this is going on while zombies are on the loose and causing mayhem, and these guys actually have the time for a lenghy, deep conversation :lol:.

It's really hard to imagine that Romero is capable of something like this. I mean, Night of the Living Dead was iconic, Dawn of the Dead was memorable (you got a game whose setting is in a zombie filled shopping mall, as well as a remake...sounds pretty memorable to me :P), Day of the Dead brought the true vision of zombie gore (meaning I was actuall pretty shocked at how graphic the violence was :o), Land of the Dead was...alright. And even Diary of the Dead wasn't that bad either. So I'll guess and say that Romero tried the Shaun of the Dead route to lighten up the mood (because I swear to God this is proof he's either senile or run out of ideas) but unless bad acting, terrible characters and a lame plot was his idea of going out with a bang (because I really doubt I'll be seeing another chapter in the Living Dead series) I'll accept this as one thought: he's sitting in his little retirement home full of zombie props that gave at least two old patients a heart-attack, solemnly chuckling as he's lighting his cigar with the twenty bucks I just blew on this craptacular DVD :x. Seriously, I've seen Youtube rants that have more soul than this movie.

Well, I'm downloading Mafia 2 as we speak, and I'm looking at 5 hours of waiting :| (yes, it's 12 a.m. here, and I've got my cigarette ration in check, my five ashtrays around my monitor, a gallon of orange juice, and a lot of movies to watch...I am marathoning the night! 8)). Mostly because of what every person who's got a day off dreads to hear: something to do on that day :evil:. Luckily I won't be doing errands until the afternoon, so I'll at least have some playtime before I have to get ready (and reading the review just got me pumped for it). Anyway, an 8.5 seems like a kick in the balls, considering the amount of praise the reviewer gave the game (the only fault I could see in the review is that there's nothing to do while free-roaming...but then again, there wasn't anything to do in the original Mafia's free-roam either :?). Still, hearing about how finely crafted this game is, I just wish my download speed didn't suck :P.

Anyway, for some lighter news, Dead Rising 2 is available on Steam...first I'm suprised this game has a PC release, and second, I'm shocked the game's selling for $40 :shock:. And it's only a month away! :D Kind of disappointing that there's no pre-purchase goodies to reward the early birds (so I see no reason why I shouldn't just get the game on release day :P), but it came to a pleasant suprise nonetheless. I mean, zombies in Vegas, man! One is my favorite place of all time, and the other is one of the greatest monsters to exist...put 'em together, and I find it hard to botch this kind of concept (especially since the first one was one of my all-time favorite games). So as you can see...I'll be tired as hell tomorrow, but I'll be wearing one huge smile all day :D. Although I fear for the public...under these conditions, I tend to be a little...psychotic :P.

Well, it's official: I'm no longer a GameStop customer :|. I swung by a few days ago to pick up some games, and imagine my suprise when I don't know a single person there :o. I mean, all the people I've known for years has either quit or got fired...I ran into one of them who manages a store somewhere else, and told me all the old timers got fed up with the place. I mean, when you're no longer among friends, it's hard to swallow the rip-off prices and lack of knowledge when it's being done by complete strangers (somehow, I don't think I can "ignore" a used game having one massive scratch on the disc when I don't give a damn about the cashier....then again, I used to get quality inspection before). So nowdays, I just buy my games off Steam, or PS3 games at Best Buy whenever I need a new keyboard or mouse (you'd be suprised how frequently I destroy my mouse! :lol: ) Look at it this way: back then, everyone knew my name! Now I'm just some faceless nobody blending in with the rest of the drones here to blow cash on interactive entertainment...

And now, some fond memories: I remember I used to hit on the cashier everytime I went there (which I used to swing by after work :oops: ) and once in a while saw her eating at the resturant I work at (never made a move, though :x). Hell, she used to leave messages on my cellphone about whatever games came out (an honest to God voice mail by her...not those crappy automated messages by that Ashely robot with the annoying, preppy voice.) Or the time Yakuza 3 was sold out and stupid me didn't reserve it...and one of the guys offered me his copy...hell, I remember talking to one of the other guys about which videogame character was the hottest :D. I really don't think I can goof off like this now, under new management :cry:. Well, I guess it's time for me to jump on the "I hate GameStop" bandwagon now...but hey, at least you all know I've got a personal vendetta for an excuse :P.

Well, I picked up Global Agenda...it had a price drop (that was actually pretty fast! :o) and no more subscription to play the game, so it's a perfect one to dick around with and not worry about wasting my money :P. After seeing some screens and actually playing it in motion, I must say the graphics are pretty good. Other than that, it's your typical online role playing game with stat boosts and whatnot, just with a futuristic settings, some very awesome looking armor, and a story that's...you know, to tell the truth, I took a leak when the story was playing (yeah...watching a cutscene in an MMO redefines boring), so I'm in the dark here :oops:. I can't really say for certain how good it really is, because I'm still in the low level areas (I did just buy the thing) but so far at least it's not money wasted on total crap. Seeing as it is free to play, I doubt I'll be playing this game as much as the usual MMOs, so I may take a while :P. On another note, just pre-loaded Kane and Lynch 2...and I'm crossing my fingers that this game doesn't completely blow (I've got some pretty low standards, so it's pretty hard for any game to actually disappoint me :P). Good news is I've got the day off on Tuesday, so I can just hop in it the moment I wake up (which would be about 4 p.m. :lol: ).

Well, I just finished Singularity, and to put it bluntly, I'm satisfied. It's pretty rare that I say I was neither disappointed nor blown away by it, but it was a pretty entertaining game. Although I do commend the game that dangles an obvious conclusion the closer you get, but don't quite hit the Aha! moment until the end (in other words, quite a plot twist that was unexpected). Anyway, the faults I could find in the game were some random flat textures that happened quite a lot and got pretty annoying, but other than that it was a seamless playthrough (I can't even complain about getting lost in the game, since there's a button to help point you in the direction, Dead Space style). The weapons are both creative and fun to use (a rifle that shoots a bullet you control with your mouse, a grenade launcher you can steer grenades using the keyboard) and of course, the TMD itself which was always fun to abuse. And I must add, the last 20 or so minutes of the game does nothing short of making me feel like a god :D. Bottom line, a great game to RENT if you've got a couple days of nothing to do, but if you pass it up you're not really missing much here. Like I said in my last blog, I'm most likely going to uninstall the game since I doubt I'll be returning back (I'm on the fence about re-playing the last chapter to see the other endings). Anyway, just 13 more days until Mafia 2! :D

I've been playing this game for a couple hours, and I have to say I like it more than I thought I would've. I'd like to call it creative, but I'm getting some serious de ja vu from Bioshock and Half-Life 2 here (and with the controls, a little MW2 vibe). I'd like to say I'm impressed that Activision decided to make this instead of another Guitar Hero, but the credit goes to Raven Software...the geniuses behind X-Men Origins: Wolverine which was one epic game :D. Anyway, I'd love to recommend it, but it feels like one of those games I'll play until I finish and stuff back in the desk drawer (probably why I decided to buy the retail version instead of Steam...really didn't want to wait hours on end for a download I'd play for two or three days :P). I'm thinking my next purchase is going to be Kane and Lynch 2...which I'll say I did enjoy the first one, and I'm keeping a positive attitude that there's no way they can make the sequel any worse than the first one. Which I hear you play as Lynch this time, and seriously...Lynch was pretty bad-ass (because I really hated playing as the whiny old man who wanted out of the game :|). And of course, who can deny...Lynch's Hulk Hogan hairdo :lol:.

I just played the demo off Steam, and let me be honest: the only bad thing I've experienced was a meager 10 minute demo of pure awesomeness :x. I mean, this game is absolutely perfect! If I thought the original Mafia still looks good today, I pretty much peed my pants when I took control of this game. I'm glad to see the attention to detail is still intact here, as I drove like utter crap (nope, still can't do a perfect drift in 1950 era cars...I wiped out a freeway's worth of cars and got a ticket for the effort :P). But the gameplay is what took my breath away. You're given one mission in the demo, which is pretty much a hit on someone. And I really can't believe how fluid the game is. I mean, now weapons don't completely suck to use, you have a cover mechanic in the game, and whatever reason you miss a shot, you're blowing a hole in something else. I mean my award winning moment has to be trying to kill someone hiding behind a concrete pillar...I shot a corner off and exposed the guy's head and gave the sucker an unexpected dirt nap (which was by pure accident...I had no idea the game was THIS detailed :shock: ).

However, I have no idea how to shoot while driving (if it's even in the game...I'm still used to the original game's controls, so while most actions make sense, I'm still trying to get the hang of controls :P). I'm not sure if there's a jump button (space bar seems to do nothing but control the handbrake :?. Then again, it's only a demo). And I really miss the inventory key, where you have a limited amount of space...but more importantly, I know firsthand which gun I want to take out (in this game, I'm easily packing a .45, a shotgun and a Thompson while wearing a polo shirt :().

All in all, August 24th seems like a year away now! :cry: I'm even more pumped for this game, and for what a measly demo offered, I can't find a single disappointment so far :D. So for all you on the fence about this game, I suggest downloading the demo ;). I'm the kind of guy who doesn't like drastic changes made to his favorite titles, but these are well-recieved in my eyes. I just...you know, have to get used to the new controls (I'm still in the era of right mouse button being the action key) :P.

I know, this add-on came out eons ago, but I finished it now :D. To be honest, I forgot I bought the thing :P. Anyway, I just booted up Mass Effect 2 because I heard about the new Shadow Broker expansion, and seeing what new DLC was available. I also bought the Firepower pack which is a collection of seriously bad-ass arsenal. The pistol has the whole RE4 style laser sight, and the geth shotgun is utterly epic (never got to abuse the assault rifle though...I HAD to pick Vanguard :x). Anyway, Overlord is well worth the money. It's a lot longer than I thought it would be, and some setpieces are just downright creepy in a Dead Space kind of vibe. I just wish I had something to earn for it...I mean, the last expansion at least gave me a cool submachine gun. After beating Overlord, all I got was the gratitude of fictional characters :x.

Well, I just picked up Starcraft 2 (this being my first RTS, by the way...I was planning on skipping it altogether, but after checking it out for myself, I at least want to give this game, the holy grail of PC gaming if you will, a try :D). Well, my plan for the night fell apart in a couple hours. I also picked up Kick Ass and Clash of the Titans as well (over a $100 total...whose bright idea was it to charge console price for a PC game? :?) stopped by my mom's house for a while, and on the way home I just realized I left the package at her house :x. So...here's to another night of grinding in Age of Conan. The game I do absolutely nothing in :|. I'm level 80, not part of any guild, have no friends in-game, bare ass naked (seriously...at the expense of zero armor bonuses, I'm willing to stare at breasts for hours :lol: ) weilding one bad-ass warhammer that I BOUGHT from someone...you know the pride of either creating the weapon or randomly finding it? I was too lazy to do so (and behold....this level 70 weapon actually owns all the level 80 ones I've come across so far...this just might be Thor's hammer!) :P. Needless to say, I don't take this game seriously. Anyway, Starcraft 2...I'll most likely get to play it sometime next week :evil:.

Believe it or not, I once again feel like a kid who just got a present from Santa: got a letter back from the Fallen Earth team, and it's just obvious they read the thing...I mean, I'm touched that the entire letter was handwritten by the producer of the game as it is, but part of my letter had a humble request: a really bad-ass idea for a war hammer...and they "might put it in-game someday" :D. Now, I'm pretty sure it won't be for a very long time (even so, I'm not even close to max level yet :P) but first time in over 15 years I was excited to read a letter in the mail (I usually dread those things...it's usually a bill for something, or a notice of an overdraft :|). Anyway, this blog is dedicated to the awesome team that is Icarus Studios, may they lead a successful project for years to come and keep up the good work! :).