So I bought some Xbox Live points, being the nerd that I am, they were not used for stupid crap like themes and gamer pics this time. All games this time around baby!!
Half the reason I even bothered to get'em was for the obvious must have, Prince of Persia. By far one of my most adored games since I was a child, and one of the first games that actually made me toss my controller... :oops: You can't find genuine frusteration like that anymore without turning a difficulty setting up. No doubt, it took me a minute to get use to the analog controls, and with NO option to even use the D-pad approach, Iwas a little rattled on thisnew twist on old school joys. One thing I got a real kick out of was the graphics overhaul... wow!
Not only does the level design match the original, but the added area details and generic 3D affect works very nicely. I almost didn't feel so bad dying so much all over again :P

One thing that really pissed me offtho was around level 10when everything came back to me in a flood of memories, I started to become the Prince! It was the almighty zone any fanatic gamer or accomplished athelete can relate to, so I started flying thru the game whooping @ss and manuvering like a champ. Yet, after neglecting the timer for so long, I only had a matter of moments to save the princess, which got me thinking of starting over. Instead, I kept on playing and to my surprise the game kept on going. So I played to the end,laid the smack down on the evil wizard Jaffar and... saved the pricess?! :shock:

Maybe this was a glitch in my copy of the game, but some how I still recieved the achievement, plus saw the proper ending for saving the persian babe. Not saying points are not appreciated, but I get the notion that I was given sympathy for falling to my death one to many times tryin to be fancy... curse them!! So now I got survival mode unlocked and thats the orginal original mode. Time to really earn my stripes!

I got a few other arcade games like Solitaire, Joust, Paperboy, and Xenious. Easy achievement points? I think not! More like good reasons to get my blood boiling like the old school games use to with what else... old school games. I was checking out that Aegis Wings and I know I didn't purchase that one, so power to the casue for free arcade games. That game is pretty cool, and I look foward to mixing in multiplayer with someother peoples. Speaking of multiplayer, how bout that PREY game! Have you got the chance to play online against yer fellow Cheroke brothers and sisters?Neither have I... :?
Apparently, being a year old game in the world of FPS's is more than enough time for trigger happy digital killers to move on to the next best thing. I couldn't find any players online in regular or ranked matches... very frusterating! Not because I'm hell bent on getting anymore points from the game, the story was good enough for me to walk away pleased for 15 bucks. Sadly, if the game is gonna be in my collection, I'd at least like to experience every aspect of it before I try to write up a review on the game.

Besides small complaints, how bout this biggie... DiRT is here!! And yes, the game is simply awesome! I'm a racing freak when I wanna be, so when I picked this one up after tryin my damn'dest to enjoy Forza2 (something I was once excited about) this game rocked my little world. But like anyworld that rotates and celebrates greatness wherever the sun shines, there was one dark area that struck me like a earth shattering meteor... NO MULTIPLAYER!! :evil: yea yea, it has a "mode" for others to socialize, compare, and race against each other, but no actual racing is done. Instead, you start a race off on the screen all by yer lonesome, maybe wondering where yer competition is, and quickly realize they are in the clock. LAME!! I can't even begin to express how silly I feel for talking so much trash to fellow racer fans about how I was gonna own the road anddemolish anyone who stepped... and now... all I got is time to brag about...

Kind of gets me thinking this game is not totally worth owning. But you didn't hear that from me...

Prey will continue...

What kind of shat is that?! :| No doubt, the game was very enjoyable, but for the ending to wrap like how it did thats considered one nasty joke to play on a fella like myself who just spent sunday evening whoopin on alien foo's with Cheroke power. Oh well, the game has only been out for a year and no word on a sequel has come up, so most likely people simply forgot about it. Honestly, the game doesn't need any follow up, and for anyone who finds entertainment in FPS's that are taking place other than World War combat, PREY is worth checking out.

I'm debating if I should write up a review now while the game is still fresh in my mind. It has been some days sinceI've slepteven some what decently, so the idea of typing and barely awake sounds likeit would make for an interesting read later on. Yesterday was a wonderful day tho,being that all I did with my pops was speak with him... over the phone... briefly :(
Almost 48 hours of non stop going, and only a few cans of cherry pepsi. Pushing the mind and body without physically yelling for it to continue caught up with me in a bad way... one full bag of pizza rolls and a moment of silence and I was out for the count. At the least,I took care of some loose ends that I've beenbeen naggin meAND got some new shoes out of the hussle before I crashed. And man O man, are they some nice ones!Sporty for the summer time and hopefully much more to come.Nowthat I think about it, alot ofclothesof mine have been losing the good battle against father time, and its not themost flattering thing to pay witness to. My shirts are okay, but pants are desperately in call for.

Work stuff finally settling down a bit,saw a few good movies like the new Fantastic Four, andgot a few bucks to my name... I'm feeling mighty nice about getting my game back on. It been a lil bit since I've even sat down and played some of my arcade games (Prince of Persia for one) which are always there for cheering up, yet I wasn't even turning the 360 on. No worries, I was getting a little obsessed about the points thing, so a break was not that bad. And now that I'm back in the groove, I can actually play some games I want to play!!
Not saying my babies in the collection are not worth it, but onceyou play thru a good game and embrace it for what it is, I feel like its disrespect to force myself to sit downand conquer all the achievements. If I didn't get them while playing thru the first time, I'm not that interested.
Speaking of achievements and conquering... how bout that C&C3!! I only played thru the training mission,but I can see now why so many praise the great series return to consoles. Last time I played CC on a console was back in the day on the PSone... and those were some good times for what we had back then. Now, the graphics are crisp, clean audio, new features and weapons, online battle (which I'm terrified to explore as a rookie), and Billy Dee Williams! :D

BeforeI melt anything that is left of my brain, I think a samich is in call for.

Honestly, when a team, not just one player chokes under a highly pressured situation... they are in my eyes done! The NBA 2007 finals have just eneded, and the part thatI feel the worst about at this moment is not that my underdog squad just got swept, but more of the fact it happend within their own HOUSE!! :shock:

Talk about a smack to yer momma's face!

No doubt, the Spurs earned it, and like any hater who knows they can't even conjure hate juice out of semi-joy for yer opposition... they are the champs. I could go down the list of what makes these guys and their coaching staff so deserving, but I'll save that for ESPN and talk shows to come.

I wonder if a rant is in call for to state all the obvious reasons why the Cavs were not good enough... :roll:

Something that started off as a righteous quest to document my gaming exploits in the world of 360 games, now has become a simple memory. Half the reason Iwantedto do reviews was not only because my immense enjoyment in sharing my actual first hand experiences with who ever would listen, but 360 games have an element worth reviewing that most games do not... achievements!
Not like such a minimal reasoning would be enough to type paragraphs about, but I like the thought of how this wee little addition to my reviews could seperatethem from the rest. And sadly, most people who write reviews don't have much to say about the games they've played, which is very strange to a blabber mouth like myself :oops:

I've been pretty quiet in the world of gaming because of life crap and financials,but thatsokay for mebecause one big reason why I love vids so much is they areALWAYS there! Unlike TV shows orspecial events, I can throw inMario for the first time and flip out like I never knew why it was one of the most talked about games for so many years. You could do that with just about any form of media, but something aboutvideogames gives the experiencing person a warm and rewarding sensation for finally being in the know. AWESOME!!
Beyond the girly complaints, this feeling of lacking will be changing thisfriday, no doubt! Will I be splurging like afool once in the possesion of moola? Of course not, I got bills sucka!! I will be cashing in on some old junk that I just don't need anymore (which ispainful to say out loud) and with the old out, the new will happily usher in. As to what I'll be shopping for depends on a few small factors such as prices, mood, weather, what girls I speak with from now unil then, and my personal favorite... whatwould be fun to review :roll:

Spending money is a serious matter for me... even if I do buy tons of crap... its serious business and since I've been missingout on sharing the valued thoughts with the masses, my next purchase has to be something GOOD! I could sit down and dig real deep and write up some what not about games I've beensecretly playing, but I want to really stick to the 360 only reviews until I reach at least30 or sogames.
The sweetest part about this approach, I think, is how honorable my achievements will be compared to all the other dorks who play crap just forcrap points. What kind of lame sh!t is that?! I could writea whole blog about how achievement whoresmake me sooooo angry, but then again that doesn't make me look any better than them. It reminds me of the days when I use to mic up on CS and argue with annoying wanna-be elitest... shameful days, but good remindersof why society have such sour views of people who carry the title "gamer".
Hopefullythis weekend that is forecasted with rain showers, I'll have something to keep me busy. Play some new games, write some reviews, have a few drinks, see Fantastic Four with Jessica Alba on fire... yea... good times are inmy forecast 8)

Many exciting games are on the verge of coming out soon, and as I count my pennies, I begin to shutter in pure horror. HOW WILL I AFFORD MY ADDICTION?! :cry:
Moderation and strict spending. Without it, there is a good chance I'll end up with another mountain of crap games and sour opinions. Back when games ranged between 20-50 bucks I felt pretty good pinching every dime and coming out on top with hidden gems. Now with my 360 where games are 60 bucks and everything else for handhelds and PC are a little over half that... money is too tight for splurging now a days.

Why kids expect to be rich

After reading that article I took it as some magical sign from the higher power that my spending habits must and will change from here on out. I've been working like a dog lately which isa routine I ocassionally fall into so that I can maintain my living expenses, which is cool no doubt, but my gaming time has been dramatically cut.Back when I fell intodraining routines, I always foundtime for a few hours of afavorite game... who cares if Itackled the next day looking like zombie man, I made it to the next level and everything was okay in my world :PI can't really tell if this lack of gaming is due to other habits becoming more entertaining (god forbid!) or if I just don't have anything of serious interest to make me rush home after a long day.
We all had those kinds of games at one pointor at the very least a "thing" going on in game worlds worth being punctual for. Ultima Online was the start of the obsession for me, then onlineFPS's, some RPG's had me hooked, 4 port consoles was the fad for a bit, thencounter-strike consumed me, and since then... there's nothing but small flares in the rainy night :|

Come friday, something will happen... something I haven't done for some time, but I think its the most necessary call... I will trade in the remains of my Sony videogame collection and move on entirely from the company. In no way is this ment to be a blow to them or declare their company a lost cause... I just don't have any enjoyment left to squeeze out of them :? This could be my fault, but at least I can walk away from this divorce knowing I really tried. I hold every item in my collection very dear to me, and damn near everything I have was earned, purchased, or simply given to me. And being the pack rat that I be... this stuff kind of means a lot to me.
My slim ps2, some controllers and memory cards, a few scattered games, my psp (again), and whatever else I can scurry together until then, will be sent to the evil clutches of EB Games. Yea, I hate them too... but I use to work for them and I know a guy who hooks me up, so hopefully with the destruction of the old, new things may blossum. As for what may take the place of these items, I'm not quite sure yet.

I do have my eye on PREY, C&C3, TenchuZ, DiRT (my new passion)and I need a new copy of Test Drive which simply blows monkey @ss, so depending on what my mood is come that time and how much credit I can get for these lost souls...

Like any person who spends oodles of their hard earned money on just about anything that has a price tag, you like to think its a worthwhile purchase. Novel concept, but like any fool who even makes it this far with such questions, there is a good chance yer a compulsive spender like me.
Not entirely a bad thing since most of the items I spend on are entertainment, booze, and women. Small investments are here and there, but the majority could be a easy target for any person who doesn't have the common sense to see we all have our faults when it comes to money. At least I'm open and honest about mine... :Pwhich does very little to help me maintain a fair balance, yet I like to think when my years begin to slip I'll have nothingbut awesomememories instead of a home and car under my full ownership.

All financial nonesense aside, I finally finished catching up on my recent favorite show, HEROES. Not so bad watching it over the internet, and if the show was not so damn enjoyable I most likely would have waited for the DVD, but... the show is pretty good stuff!! Reminds me a lot of this comic I really like called the Walking Dead. Think afternoon soap operahs meets zombie infestation... cool concept if yer a total sap like muwah 8)
One thing I didn't like about this show HEROES was the idea that once all the characters in the overall story full develop their powers and become all "LEET", everyone dawns this Neo-esk angular selection of dark clothing that just seems silly. Especially when some of the same characters were justplain joe's in the first few episodes and later on they are all dark and cynical. Its a apocolypsetype of story, so I can't hate on it completely.

I've been on a serious movie kick lately, so I like to think my avoidence in videogames has a decent cause. Not much is available until the next few months, so what better way to hang onto money than to embrace what you already got! Which has been working mighty well if I must say so... but that may change reeeeaaal quick tonight. No, I didn't buy anything new just yet, even tho C&C3 is looking real tempting and Tenchu should be on the shelf tomorrow. I have tendecy to be pretty simple and keep focused on one joy at a time rather than jump back and forth between different forms of entertainment. This may not make sense to many who do such things, but if I'm in a writing mood and feel like typing up some stuff thats been in the back of my head for some time, I'm most likely on my music kick. If I've been working a lot, movies and TV get the best of me. With time to kill and days off from chores, vids never seem better!!
I should be outside a lil more, but since I work outside and lounge outside, why not cheerish the cool and relaxing comforts of AC and electronics. Yea... I can be a real sell out when I want to, but at least the worst has not even begun to show.

All Pro Football 2k8 is coming early next month and I'm pretty sure I haven't been this excited about something since that one time this stripper dance for me without charge cause she thought I was "funny" :P Not only have a been a true blue fan of the developer since day one, but I love just about every sport theywork on and what great realism and control they bring to a once glory days athlete. For anyone who knows, then you know... but even forrookies whojust like to press buttons and see cool things happen on screen, they got you covered too!! With the immaculant comeback ofa sport they seriosly defined themselvesas the best in videogame history in creating. 2k returns with a some football action... HALLA-LUYA!!

When this game hits, I'll be on Live constantly, creating imaginary franchises and players with a Frankenstien passion/obsession. Graphics is one thing, but to have a game that is no longer constricted by a league where rules nearly take the fun away, what more could a pig skin fan ask for?! I plan onpicking up where I left off on my achievements conquest and finally playing thru Splinter Cell. My friend still has a few of my games, so I have plenty tokeep me busybefore July.
Until then, this evenings agenda is in debatebetween Counter-Strikeor Test Drive...

I want something new so bad I can feel the shivers sneaking up my spine when walking by store shelves full of crap I really don't need. Is that unhealthy... possibly! But in the mean time I've been working like a dog and tryin to get a little out of the hole which I like to think has been keeping my spending in check. Beyond the lame excuses, I'm thinking the new Command&Conquer would be a awesome pick for someone who barely has time to enjoy their Xbox Live account which is quietly expiring :cry:
I use to play that game like a freak on the PC and when it came to the PSone me and my cousin use to link play all the time... entire weekends dedicated to who could build an army of mammoth tanks the fastest. Good times!

The Halo3 beta is about to wrap up I believe, and even tho I feel like I got my fair share of goodness out of that dish, I haven't even bothered to compliment the chef's that worked so hard to provide such a treat before the main course. Simply go to bungie.net and all is well... but as you can see I'm kind of busy right now not doing anything of what I speak of and most likely when I'm done here I'll be back on NBC.com watching more episodes of HEROES like a freak. Man I love that show!! I'm kind of sad that I missed them when they aired on TV, but thats kind of my thing... miss something good, see it a little later, rave about it to the world like its the hottest thing ever. Nerds don't come as savy as me kids... back up... admire and awe 8)  

Boy... now that I really think about it, maybe a different female in my life would be the right fix I've been craving. Could all this angst that I feel over wanting "something" new to entertain me really be a internal cry for "someone" new??
If so, how can I go about this without burning some valued bridges. Even more important, how can I go about this while getting everything I want and giving little in return! Is that even possible with women?!

I just seen one of the best B-ball games in my 20some odd years EVER!! DET vs CLE just played a double overtime game where the underdog who was considered done and out 2 games ago just came back from multiple ties, good defense, tough shots, rough gameplay, emotion, heart, hussle, and my favorite... hurt feelings! :D
Yea, it could all be on the other end or even worse people could compare this to the PHX and SPURS series where a bogus rule was called and a valubale player for a team that "needed" them was handicaped... yet in all honesty DET is nowhere near PHX's vunerability. DET lose somebody like their star 1 or 2 and oh yea, they are in trouble! But PHX was in a spot where they needed their whole roster simply cause they had so little to begin with. All thats another subject tho... for anyone who didn't watch the best possible basketball game in the last 5 years, you missed out. I'll shad up now.

After watching some video on Halo3 where you can adjust tons of options for multiplayer combat, I literally started to salivate. Maybe I'm way too hungry after yelling at the TV for the last 3 hours, or maybe Halo really is what all the hype makes it out to be. Would that be too much to assume?! I sure hope not, cause when I hear others speak ill about the game in terms of sub-par graphics, lame FPS gameplay, nasty online opponents, I can't help but scratch my head and wonder... what else can a game do right to please picky gamers!! Halo does it right. Maybe not in all ways... but a majority of what Halo/Bungie does right is what any game of any genre must do... stay consistent and stick to what works. Some may say that is the major reason why the game sucks, but since the working formula from day one was solid, whats to change?
Just playing the beta alone is enough to get me stoked at whats to come, but thats from a stand point of someone who is having oodles of fun simply playing the basic build of the game. Not all weapons, modes, options, levels, and so on... WOW! Does there really need to be anything else said? How bout a real story this time to push the single player mode.

As for other games, nothing really has my attention besides my so so collection of games I've had for a bit now. Just gaining achievement status is my only real focus and as sick as that may be, I suppose thats what I get for allowing games to sit on the shelf longer than a few months. Back when I bought then I was happy to own the games... now all I want is something new and exciting. Guess I'm not the best marrige material around here :oops: 
CS is donig its best to keep me busy, but now that the weather is getting a little warmer my lame @ss PC is doing its usual over heating thing. I can't tell if its because I got a really good graphics card and a lack of other gear to keep up with it OR if its the other way around. I've always felt my PC sucked since the moment I turned it on, but thats the sacrifice any keyboard jockey takes when they realize keeping up with technology is one hell of an outrageous chore. Is it money or pure laziness?! I rather not over think it...

Sometimes I chuckle and grin at how excited I can get over videogames and what great feats of entertainment they tip toe around. Then there are the other times I find myself shamefully gritting my teeth thinking about just how sucky some of the over priced crap is gonna be.
In no way will I request for the crap train to slow down, every once in awhile there is a pretty rider and that makes the mountain of turds seem not so bad. One game that gots me nervous and full of joy is the one and only Fable2. I honestly enjoyed the first one a great deal, even with all the critical views that were lasered at the poor thing... the game was fun! Yea, there were tons of things that could have been done to make the game last longer than a weekend's worth of play, but I say that kind of stuff really depends on who's playing the game.

Say for instance a kid sits down with a new game and beats it within hours. Does that make it a bad game? Not at all... its just not worth it for some. But take that game and milk it for every ounce of entertainment it has to offer and you'll quickly discover that you have a pretty genuine thing that is a game within a game. Something GTA is well known for. Anyone can easily sit down and watch a movie one time and be done with if forever. Yet some how something like Star Wars still has viewers trippin on what little details sneak around in the backgrounds of scenes... what a treat I say!!
Fable2 not only has the potential to be what the first game desried to be, but they can really steal the show if they go that extra mile with more grit rather than starting loving families. I'm always saying comic book movies should be more rated R or children should not be the biggest draw in cash concepts... yet its big business and I can only imagine the numbers don't lie :roll: with that in mind think of the safe bet with Fable. Don't make a game that is gonna encourage childen to be better people... make a game where adults can live a fantasy life thru a controller. Might not sound like the best sales pitch, but I say to hell with all the cushy crap and give me more head decapitating arrow shooting action!! Violence... oh no... just give me more options in how I can remove NPC's heads. That is all.

GO CAVS!!  

When Halo3 comes out this september or november or whenever... this will be one of the most played games ever! Yes, it will own, pwn, shred, twist, and noobify Xbox Live to the point where the only thing you'll see when gamers are online is Halo3. Your friends, on Halo3... your family, thinking of Halo3... your spouse, most likely hogging the controller playing Halo3. Bottom line, just playing the beta at this point months before the actual game itself with campaign and suppose worth while story is this good... imagine... just imagine a few months from now :roll:

Maybe I'm being seriously over dramatic, but this is beyond Halo and FPS greatness... this is a phenom. Kind of like what Matrix did when it hit the scene. People who had some of the wildest ideas and opinions now had a stylized outlet to help express themselves or better yet make them look even stranger to others who didn't understand the concept of taking the red pill. Music that captures a mass of people does this all the time to, take Gorillaz for instance. Wacky jams with lyrics of sweet nothings and a creepy cast of animated characters to lead the charge. Wowsa!!
I was talking with someone who just didn't understand what was so special about things like Halo or World of Warcraft and I was at a lost for words. If you really are that disconnected from super popular things does that make you a bad person? Of course not, it just docks you a few points in the lame category. Not everyone is as hip as the kids who scream "noob killa" when crushing the competition. Then again, those folks are not to bright either :P

Just think, a once simple idea of yours or a few creative friends is now one of the most highly enjoyed pieces of entertainment since the radio. Thats some powerful stuff when a nation, people around the globe know about that idea and rejoice in it, compete in it, win big money and basically live for that idea to thrive more and more. Kind of scary now that I think about it... its almost like pulling the plug on a life support patient if they ever decide to stop or move on to something new. Not like people won't adore the next big thing like Harry Potter or Final Fantasy. Its our nature as gamers and people alike. We thrive off this crap and honestly I'm not ashamed one bit. I would like to step up and pitch a few ideas into the culdren myself, but I doubt any of my hair brain scheme's would ever impress so many... or is that how it aaalllll starts??