So I haven't written in quite a while, although I've done a significant amount fo gaming since then. I just wanted to get down some of my impressions of yesterday's Pressers and the news that broke throughout the day before the Sony conference starts.

First of all, I thought Microsoft did a fantastic job, and I look to Sony to see if they can beat it (doubt it). Since I last write, I proudly bought a PS3 and have been playing it quite a bit. In fact, Killzone 2 and MGS4 are both currently two of my all time favorite titles...and they are both PS3 exclusives. With that said, I no longer consider myself affiliated with either brand. That's right, I am not a fanboy in the least. I've played all of the Sony consoles to death, yet they are usually the second console I buy every console cycle. To clerify, I do not own a Wii and likely never will. In my opinion, it's more of a novelty or toy than an actual game system, and this is reflected in the audience at large that they target. I consider myself a "core" gamer and I'm simply not interested in a lot of the titles, first party or third, that are being pushed onto the system. I'm also not really that interested in portable gaming, so the DS or any of their new SKUs also do not appeal to me. (Although I do have a PSP and recently bought Patapon 2 since it has been collecting dust).

It's running on 2:00 EST, which is the beginning of the Sony conference, and I must attend the Live stream. Now that i've written that little disclaimer about where I consider myself in the current gaming word, I can write up a full comparison following the Sony Conference. I will also probably be twitting my thoughts throughout the show. See you in 2 hours!

-Mirror's Edge

-Fallout 3

-Gears of War 2

-Fable II

 

So I haven't posted in a while but now that I'm actually a subscribing member to the total access program I probably should...

With that said there are a ridiculous amount of games coming out with so little time, or more importantly, money, to spend on them! In fact, i've got about 15 minutes before I need to peace out and head to my calculus lecture. But I thought I'd write down some thoughts on the upcomng games that I'm looking foreward to playing over the next few months into summer:

Turok-I was a HUGE fan of the original series of Turoks that came out for the 64, playing all of them. I neer got into the one for the Wii simply because I do not own one, but I'm really looking foreward to seeing what they've done with the series for the 360. Form what I've heard it's not as good as people wanted it to be, but since I'm a diehard fan I'm guessing i'll probably enjoy it. The Multiplayer is supposed to be awesome as well.

The Orange Box-5 awesome games for the price of one? This is a f*cking steal! I will definitely be picking this one up. Most of my aming has shifted onto the 360 since I've been at college, and I've really wanted to play through the Half-Life 2 series. I almost finished the first one, but I'd like to beat that and explore the episodes. TF2 is just awesome, I have it on steam and I was playing it for a while on my windows boot until my Macbook decided to crash and burn...And finally, PORTAL! It looks like an awesome way to just kill time or chill and take a break from classes and such. This will definitely keep me occupied for a long time.

Mass Effect- I'm definitely curious as to just how good this game is. I love a great story line, and it almost seems like a Final Fantasy set in sapce for the 360...which actually leads me to my next game...

Lost Odyssey- From the guys at square, this looks like an epic alternate universe RPG. I haven't played a solid RPG in a while and I can be certain they know what they're doing. It's being heavily advertised pretty much everywhere. Because of money constraints I'm probably going to have to choose between this one and Mass Effect, playing one now and leaving the other for summer gaming.

Skate- I played through the demo of this game last night instead of doing some much needed reading (skipped writing class. wasn't worth my time anyways), and I was completely blown away by the new controls. It's incredibly fun, and I had to play through the demo just one more time this morning to see how great it was. The skate mechanics are done so well, and since I can't actually skate outside with the weather being so bad, it's a good alternative haha.

Devil May Cry 4- Common....it's DMC4...Played through 1 and 3, amazing. Next gen is going to be even better. 'nuff said.

On the Horizen I'm still waiting patiently for the release of Warhammer Online, which will probably end up soaking most of my summer time outside of work. It looks downright incredible, far better than WoW. I've also applied for a summer internship at Insomniac Games out in Burbank CA. I really want this job, so we'll see how it goes. I'd make the perfect intern...I can make coffee!!!

Anyways I gotto run to calc so I'll leave with my Now Playing list:

Halo 3 (Got back into it)

COD4 (took a break to play halo)

Skate Demo

PEACE SUKKA

I had completely forgotten about a bunch of games that I have sitting unplayed on my Direct 2 Drive account, so as the poor college student that I am, I decided to go back and give one of them a try. I had played through the demo of Indigo Prophecy (The US edition of the game) demo back when it had first come out in 2005, and I was immediately drawn into the story and uniqueness of the game. The game takes place in New York City during a severe snow storm, and follows numerous characters interacting throughout the game. (Think the movie Crash, except in a game. The story is fantastically driven, and I'm beginning to really feel attached to some of the characters. Lucas Kane, the main protagonist, ends up killing a man while in a trance in the bathroom of some run down diner. Although he did indeed commit the murder, he was possesed by some unknown force. I have yet to get to the bottom of it, as you not only play Kane trying to gain control over his life, but also the policemen trying to get to the bottom.

Although the game is pretty dated (certainly apparent in the visuals...), it is still incredibly enjoyable to play. I'm also thinking about grabbing my PSP from home because I'd really like to play through Manhunt 2 at some point. Anyways, its 2:15am and I need to go to bed. School is a **** Lata

So Saul Williams is officially releasing his new album, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust, and I couldn't be more excited. It's going to be amazing to see what Trent and him have collaborated on and released. A track was recently leaked onto a torrent site (definitely leaked by either Saul or Reznor himself.) and I'm incredibly impressed. Check it out:

So a couple of days ago I ended up buying Team Fortress 2, and I'm extremely impressed. The game was roughly three years in the making, so I was expecting a fantastic game, and that's pretty much what I recieved. Being in college, all I have with my is my Powerbook, and the amount of games i can play is limited due to the graphics card. However, it runs the source engine pretty damn well. That being said, I plan to play a lot of steam games based off of it.

TF2 is a lot more cartoony than its gritty original, and I think it's a good thing. THe game still feels familiar enough, but the cel-shaded design is pretty humorous. I actually laughed out loud a few times seeing my body burst into 30 peices after catching a rocket to the face, only to see arrows pointing out my seperate body parts. The classes are perfectly balanced, and all of the new material fits in nicely. Touches like the spy's cloak, critical hits, and the engineer's collection of metal is flawlessly integrated into the game play. The game itself also does not carry the kind of competative nature that CS:S or Halo 3 does. It's a refreshing break not to feel like you need to top the charts every game (although I'm obviously 1st without trying :P). I find myself leaning more towards the offesive classes, either soldier or scout. The scout is incredibly fun to leap around with and empty a shotgun barrel into an enemy. There certainly is nothing more satisfying than emptying round after round into a heavy only to club him to death from behind. I'll be playing this one for a while.

Next on my list is Half-Life 2, I'm looking to get back into it and actually finish it, and then exploring the episodic content. Finally, the juggernaught that is WoW has been calling my name. I'll be giving the jewish kid on my floor a trial, he'll make his jewbo baggins, and we will explore Azeroth for at least 10 days. Hopefully I will be hooked again. However, WAR is coming.............

lata

So after a long absence away from not only Gamespot, but gaming itself, I'd like to get back into the gaming scene. It was such a huge part of my life growing up, and now that I'm in college, it feels like something is missing. In fact, it feels like I'm headed towards a very bad place. Grades a declining and what time I used to spend playing WoW or **** around on CS:S is now spent drinking and smoking.

Don't get me wrong, these things will not stop..

However, I feel like it was my gaming that kept my life in check during high school. I didn't smoke TOO much because I was usually playing a video game instead of smoking a bowl. Now it's smoke up and eat Dorritos instead of doing calculus homework. Engineering is unforgiving, and there is certainly no place for weed in my major.

With that said I will be getting back into gaming, and hopefully back into the community here at Gamespot. I have just bought and am in the process of downloading Team Fortress 2, which we have been patiently anticipating for at least three years. I'll be purchasing it for my brother as well, as I owe him 30 bucks (WTF WAS I THINKING?!). It will be interesting to see how gaming fits into my life here at Boston. Peace.

I dunno how many other people are going to be tuning in or not, but the Spike TV game awards are being broadcast on their website at 10PM. I'm going to watch, but what bothers me is that I feel like Spike added their "gaming" section to the network just because they saw some possible money there. They really just relay what they major gaming publications write, which is pretty obnoxious.

Anyways, I'll be updating the list of winners in my real blog. Later.

I just found this on feedburner, thought it was a useful little widget I could add to my profile.

So Launched a full new blog, you can find it at
www.quadshot.net

Check it out! Or if you're feeling lucky...spread the word!