Following the conclusion of AC Brotherhood, I wasn't sure what would be the plot of Revelations aside from what was eventually shown in trailers. Even then I was hoping it would be more like AC 2 then AC Brotherhood. In many respects my hope for a mysterious plot was answered and my wish for an interesting supporting character outside the Assassins was likewise given form in Sofia Sartor. Venetian by birth, native of Constantiople (Istanbul now), runs her own rare book shop, which was once the trading post belonging to Niccolo Polo, and the Polos like prior historical figures were friends to the Assassins. Though not all historical figures have been friends to this centuries old organization. Others were and have been allies to the Assassins' timeless enemies the Templars. So we learn more about the twilight years of Ezio Auditore and experience more of the memories belonging to his Masyaf predecessor Altair as well as learn more about former Templar Maria Thorpe who becomes the mother of Altair's sons (it finally answers indirectly why Abstergo went after certain individuals).

It wasn't just genetic memories.... it was something a lot more specific in some ways... Ezio's last journey puts into the decision of whether or not this fight is still his... can he live a life of his own instead of one in reaction to his family's heritage?

Sofia Sartor may very well hold the answer to all this... perhaps this is the most important of all revelations.

First Halo: Reach, then Halo 3, and more recently Halo 3: ODST - Legendary each one. Once I did Reach I felt compelled to do the others on Legendary. I had already done all 3 on Heroic. I rarely resist a video game challenge. As the Rookie, I already had access to all the caches and some Mongoose bikes. Still getting around was a haphazard in trying to avoid fights whenever possible. As for the mission flash backs, I took it slow and tried to pick them off since well as the Rookie - I got no shields or any armor abilities. It took fewer days to finish to ODST than it took to finish 3.

Still like all other Legendary play through I did one level at a time save for Data Hive and Highway.

I just beat Halo Reach on Legendary with 2 for 275G (Campaign/Alone). I didn't jump for joy... I didn't make much noise. I probably smiled and made a quiet hurrah. The same spots that were a pain in the brain on Heroic were in some respects worse on the approach yet I made it all the way to the hand off of the Package before I saved/stopped for two days. Then today after playing Quantum of Solace for a few hours I went back to the final portion of the Pillar of Autum on Legendary.

I 'died' numerous times in and around the door way to the area before the MAC cannon. I killed the Grunts only to be blasted by the Zealot Elites. Those guys are insanely fast on Legendary though by hiding behind things I noticed they couldn't see me. So twice I lured one into the area near the stairs and snuck up behind him.

Assassinated two of the four just like that... not at the same time obviously. One on the right side of the lower floor and the other on the left side. The third didn't follow suit... so I had to try to sneak up on him... didn't work... still I kept melee up and almost lost all my health. Now I got a Checkpoint repeatedly during this dance with the four Zealots.

So the third is down and oddly the fourth with Fuel Rod Gun is facing away from me so I go straight up behind him... and Assassinate him too... I was like... I died at least 10 or 12 times trying to get up here... then I take all four in the space of ten minutes.

Of course the last challenge stood upstairs... the MAC.

I knew the approach patterns of the Phantoms so I tried blasting them when they about to fire or I was still too far away for them to shoot. Of course it worked and then I got a checkpoint on the MAC itself. I died a few times on the gun though in less time than it took me to beat Heroic at that spot... I wiped out enough airborne targets to get the target marker for the Cruiser overhead... so powered up... fired... then it was over.

Patience and Planning...got me through what I thought would be the hardest part of playing Legendary.

Two years in a row I have gone to it with my former college roommate. Heard lots of familiar music once more. So we had to navigate through snow and traffic to get to it. All the same it can be said to be worth it with some faces to put to music we have heard before. Such as this beautiful lady who sings part of the one of those mesmerizing pieces in Assassin's Creed II. I actually started replaying the game just so I could hear her singing again.

Likewise relations of mine who had gone to Rome and Venice this past week came back with a mask or masque that resembles that of the harlequin. Someone else gave me a novelization of Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. I choose to ignore the connections there... but yes it feels a tad coincidental to me. Kind of coincidences I can be cool with.

Previous novel by the same author wrote about several events that were either in AC2's DLC or in flashbacks in AC:B - in the novelization of AC2 called Assassin's Creed Renaissance. This new novel is called Assassin's Creed Brotherhood just like the game. Mostly it plays out the game though there are moments I don't recall seeing in the game during the siege and escape from the ruins of the town and villa. Still its been interesting to read a different version and like the previous novel there's actual tie to the present day events.

The only passive reference to at least Desmond is when Minerva says the message is intended to be pased through Ezio to the future, to someone else. Another switch is that it appears that Rodrigo tries to poison himself or so it appears yet once Ezio left the Vault... he can't find Rodrigo's body. So at least to avoid conflicting continuities between novels and games Bowen apparently has him vanishing. As for what precedes throughout the game, it felt at times predictable or at least I felt quite sure who they would pit Ezio against in the end yet who Ezio would go through to get to that last person who was most responsible for the death, damage, and destruction at the village and villa... well he had it coming.

Ezio's one act of mercy... could have easily been his total undoing. Just the same I wonder who exactly passes on Ezio's genetic memory into the future so that Desmond and Subject 16 will have it. Maybe the novel will answer that or maybe we'll never know. Plus there's still the matter of what happens after the end scene of AC:B. That was by far like as sad to me as Ezio being unable to stop his father's and brothers' execution.

Anyway... VGL great fun again... thanks for the invite my friend.

Noble Map Pack as generally known raises Reach's achievements from 49 to 56 (another multiple of 7). Without seriously trying I obtained of the new 7 on my first night using the Noble Map Pack. Armor Lock-Up = Vehicle Blow-Up... it wasn't until last night that I was on the receiving end of the same tactic... I got mine on Breakpoint... someone else may have gotten theirs on Tempest when I tried to splatter them. I veered away too late to avoid it.

On a different night between these two events I got You Blew It Up during Invasion on Breakpoint and Totally Worth It. It would seem not trying to get these multi-player achievements actually causes me to get them. The same concept seem to have worked last night when I was playing Long Night of Solace... on Legendary... when I got Wake Up Buttercup. Noticing that some of these achievements have been named for lines spoken by various characters in Halo-verse.

Buttercup - Romeo calls the Rookie that just before the drop in ODST.

I Didn't Train to be a Pilot - Dutch says that after 'flying' a Warthog in ODST.

Heat in the Pipe - Buck says that at some point during ODST.

Monument to All Your Sins - Cortana via Gravemind in Halo 3

Honor Serving - Cortana to Master Chief aka John-117

I'm certain there are others but these tripped in my mind as a result of playing Halo 3, ODST, and Reach in tandem.

I have completed all 3 on Easy, Normal, and Heroic. Heroic on all 3 was by far the most demanding patience, strategy, and tactics. Of the 3... only Reach proved to be truly an enraging experience at different junctures on the later levels such as Exodus, New Alexandria, The Package, and especially Pillar of Autumn.

Darn that MAC cannon and those Banshees/Phantoms.

Honestly should I continue on Legendary?

[Edit]

More than 2/3rds answered by reaching the midpoint of The Package. In the all areas of various levels without Spartan back-up creativity and flexibility is more than a must. It keeps from replaying the same zones over and over. Having four out of five and then all five for a time on Winter Contingency was gold. Having Jun on Nightfall. Having Kat and later Jorge on Tip of the Spear and Long Night of Solace on the Corvette (distracts the enemy for me to go after them quietly via assassination) still I was wiped out multiple times throughout the ship boarding.

In the infiltration, in the corridor after, in the hangar bay (before and after getting the bomb aboard), in the first room en route to the bridge, in the second room with the ship to ship weapons, and the bridge itself (getting in & out). Lost the entire fire team before I got to the bridge. Pulled off a few remarkable assassination moments throughout the level.

Watched the Super-Carrier's 'accident' only for the entire Covenant Fleet to jump into orbit over Reach. Fall straight back to Reach and head for New Alexandria to face the first truly solo mission (meanining only Spartan). On Exodus again was taken out in the same spot multiple times... getting to the elevator, defending the elevator, advancing pass the jetpacking area, , the area before all those Brutes, clearing the zone for the Pelicans and Hornets, and constantly in the final area... after arming the auto-missile turrets.

Solution get the jackal sniper rifles and the human one... snipe the biggest Brute of them all... you know which one I mean... the one with that plasma bazooka like gun. Taking out the rest didn't take long after settling on sniping the biggest guy first. Sure I had to use a few clips to nail him... but in the end I got through... close call with the Brutes carrying those missile launcher type guns.

At least I reused the old drop shield trick from Long Night of Solace... that kept me alive longer than expected plus it regenerates health when there's a shortage of health pick-ups.

New Alexandria by night - Hornet was torn to shreds with me flying more than once. Interior running firefights were similarly marked and to escape the one on the way out of the hospital... I jet packed up to two or three floors and got the heck out of there. My next interior firefight came from either the ambush or Club Errerra. Both were a challenge in different ways... usually I try to thin the ambush area out via Hornet except a few times aforementioned Hornet 'sniping' got the Hornet blown apart by roaming Banshees. As for the Club... inside with the Hunters. After that I tried to focus only on the AA guns except Banshees were hammering me periodically so had to switch to them.

The Package made way into Sword Based (took several tries thanks to the turrets, the Ghosts, and the Revenants beyond the massive AA guns. It was also frustrating to keep the tank in one piece because it was necessary for close range destruction of vehicles. Tank would never survive long under fire. Thought I was clear more than once, but forgot a turret up higher to the left on the way to the base exterior doors. So between DMR rounds and a Beam Rifle I got through. Tripped Tanks Beat Everything except just as I got to the door... there's one last Revenant right next to me... we fire at the same time... the Covie vehicle explodes... the Scorpion's smoke venting turns to fire venting.

Now inside Sword Base on the way to Halsey's underground lab.

Pillar of Autumn - whole darn way... especially on the way to the MAC and at the MAC.

As for Halo 3 - still at the start of the game on Legendary. Haven't gone near ODSTs Legendary... having shields is good... the ODSTs... have none... not they aren't good without them... but surviving alone at night by yourself repeatedly... that's probably the highest challenge in that game... on Legendary.

Of all the Halo games, I have replayed Reach quite regularly, whether its Campaign, Firefight, or Matchmaking. The replay value for me is high, even on higher difficulty settings. So far I have finished Easy, Normal, and as of the wee hours today I finally made it through Heroic.

Pillar of Autumn Mission is by far the hardest level on Heroic - you'd expect that in any game... for the last or next to last part of the game to be mentally taxing and physically wearing on your hands. Autumn is that and more. On lower difficulties I would have said New Alexandria is the greater annoyance - on Normal it was for me, but on Heroic... it still was. Not as much as Exodus's final stretch yet the curves within each difficulty remind you of just how smart enemy AI can be.

On Heroic I was being killed by every type of enemy... even Grunts... either by plasma grenade, energy pistols, or in extreme case the Grunts packing the bazooka type guns (name of it escapes me). Of course all the other types were knocking me off too... usually Brutes with Hammers, Elites with Swords/Dual Plasma weapons/the guns that kill you in one shot if they hit you (name forgotten too).

So I haven't been able to even get the Flawless Cowboy commendation (yet?). Every other Campaign Commendation save for that one and assist has been climbing with each playthrough. I made Lemme Upgrade Ya Achievement after making the designated number of kills with Precisely Commendation. Last night I picked up the Walking Tank Silver after finishing Pillar of Autumn on Heroic.

MAC gun operations have to be really quick on Heroic... I died countless times during the Phantom/Banshee shoot up session. More than once the Covenant Cruiser overhead actually triggered a mission failed effect when the screen turned completely white and then I got reset to the staircase leading up to the MAC Cannon.

My health was low and shields take a heck of lot longer to regenerate on Heroic. Getting on and off the MAC gun didn't work particularly well so it was shoot at targets of opportunity or proximity. Even at long range the Banshee could kill me despite having blown away a handful of Phantoms. They just kept coming until finally the Cruiser reaches the spot where you have to shoot it to finish the mission. It took me over 20 tries to reach the moment where I could clearly fire at it without getting blown back by either Phantom or Banshee (in worse turns getting shot up by 4 Phantoms and a Banshee).

I barely made any kills on Lone Wolf on Heroic. Once the visor was cracked I knew I was done and customary achievement pop noise says Folks Need Heroes. I'd question my sanity just a bit for going for Even Gods Must Be Strong. It me nearly an hour to finish to finish the MAC Cannon part on Heroic... its doable... just frustrating when you die on the same part repeatedly. But hey... should remember its game right... in the heat of the moment you forget that though... I mean I tend to do that.

So far I have made it to 41 achievements. The 8 remaining ones are either difficulty specific or extreme difficult to obtain.

Of all the Halo games on 360, this is the only one that I have gotten really close to getting all the achievements for.

A world first known to us by Halo: Fall of Reach novel that was a trilogy pack of Fall of Reach, The Flood, and First Strike. A world like many human colonies was glassed by the Covenant. We knew it fell. We just didn't know what it was like to be there when the world burned... until now because of Halo: Reach.

In solo mode, you become the newest member of Noble Team. Referred first only as Noble Six. Its clear from early chatter that your record is debatable. Noble One aka Carter is glad to have you so that now his team is back to six with you on aboard. Kat is less than enthusatic at first anyway. Jun and Jorge definitely appear to be more welcoming than Emile, but given that the guy has skull paint on his visor... I wouldn't expect him to be your pal.

However when it comes together the six are a squad to be reckoned with.

It was said Spartans were never listed as KIAs because Spartans don't die. If only that were true. Of course I'm paraphrasing something Dr. Halsey spoke of in different ways both in First Strike and in Ghosts of Onyx.

Repeatedly I found Eric Nylund's Halo novels and stories to be the universe immersing tales that take you beyond the games. Now with Reach it comes full circle... literally.

Something from the opening cut scene left me with this feeling of dread and excitment. The SPARTAN helmet on the charred surface of Reach. At first I didn't realize it was mine or rather my version of Noble Six's helmet.

It was then that I started to suspect that my character wasn't going to make it off Reach.

What I didn't expect however was everything else that happen before it got to that moment nor what happen after.

Live the Fall... Reach maybe over... but the battle has only begun.

I got a 360.

Splinter Cell Conviction for 360. Arkham Asylum for 360. The Force Unleashed for 360.

Preorder for Halo Reach too.

Elation and nerves together.

To be honest I don't even know if I chose the right FF game to start my FF experience with. All that I know about FF is limited to the characters that made a crossover to Kingdom Hearts and to any films based on the worlds on FF (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and Final Fantasy VII: Advent's Children).

Final Fantasy XII begins with a wedding of Lady Ashe and Ralser Heios Nalbradia only their marriage is short lived as even a loving union of lives and kingdoms is not enough to stave off a war. A war between empires and ultimately makes Dalmasca, their shared homeland, an occupied land. All goes badly from then onward and eventually authority figures from the Archadean Empire assume control of both Dalmasca and its neighbor ally Nalbina.

The first character you control is a younger soldier named Reks who is there to witness the death of the Dalmascan king as he is apparently been slain by Reks' commander Basch. Basch is henceforth considered a traitor so he like Ashe are likewise numbered among the dead.

The game time skips to where you next control someone named Vaan who is eventually revealed to be the younger brother of Reks who eventually died from the wounds infliced upon him by Basch or so it seems as it turns out that Basch has a twin a brother who impersonated him that night.

Some members of the Dalmascan nobility owe their survival to siding with the new authority in their homeland and the apparent survival of many presumed dead persons threatens that false stability. Vaan is quickly embroiled in this on-going conspiracy to silence the wayward Resistance and its famous or infamous leaders.

So Vaan joins with Sky Pirates Balthier and Fran only to later accept the disgraced Basch into their company as they set out to recover Vaan's closest friend Penelo only to come upon another person of note also using a false name. The younger brother of Vayne Soldior who goes out of his way to protect Penelo until she can be reunited with Vaan.

At this point I have only made it to where you free Ashe from confinement aboard the Leviathan.

How many 'bad guys' have a ship called Leviathan? (So far I got two - Gabranth and Karath from KOTOR).

After 4 years I finally finished all 3 games in the Sands of Time trilogy though I took the longest with the first because I stuck in early part of that with a boss fight that I later learned was easier than I thought once I had the strategy/tactics down. Usually my defeat before then was getting swarmed by the enemies I couldn't vault off, rather I had to do an off the wall jump to strike them. Once they were out of the way I had fight the sand enemy which used to be the Prince's father, the now Sand King. After I was relatively moving fast except when I hit longer wave fights throughout and the visions became more fractured with each save point. Meaning you had to decide how to act in the blank spots which grew in numbers and length as the game progresses. Its relative to the assumption I would guess that you really should know what to do with certain spots or certain enemies after awhile.

In the end after all that you do, Prince just rewinds back to before he opened the Hourglass and kills the Vizier in an alternate past and so that remains the time line until he gets hounded by the Dahaka in Warrior Within. He consults the Old Man who tells him about the Island of Time, but warns even if he should reach the Empress of Time - he cannot change his fate - no man can. Still he would try.

Warrior Within has two endings - one has you fight the Empress Kaileena a second time then her 'body' gets absorbed by the Dahaka along with Farah's medallion, which the Prince still had from before despite turning the Dagger over to Farah at the end of Sands of Time. He returns to Babylon alone to find it in flames.

The second ending which it seems The Two Thrones follows is that Prince obtains the Water Sword - pits him against his hunter the Dahaka after an elaborate temporal backtrack as the Sand Wraith. Acting as the Sand Wraith puts him outside of time and thus even if a past version of him dies at the hands of the Dahaka - it won't erase him from the time line.

For by the mask he is outside Time. Once the other past Prince is gone - you take his place and forge another alternate time line from that. The past conversation with Kaileena repeats except the Prince discovers a final Time Portal hidden behind the Empress' throne and uses that to pull her forward to the present day along with you.

In this present is when you must fight the Dahaka because it is now Kaileena who is not when she is suppose to be and ultimately - the Dahaka appears to be defeated. Now both you and she can leave the Island together aboard a ship built together.

Still you return to a Babylon in flames and Kaileena is captured by oddly familiar looking enemies. You fight your way through them as you try to follow her through what used to be your family residence only to find the Vizier alive and well. Not apparently sick like he was the first time you encountered him or rather that version of him 7 years ago.

He stabs Kaileena with the Dagger of Time while you watch helplessly shackled by the the Daggertail. She appears to die and then the Vizier stabs himself with the dagger thus mutating into Zurvan - self-professed God of Time.

You must flee only to spend the remainder of the game fighting your way back to the Palace while engaging his sands altered army along the way with the help of a mysterious archer who is a very different version of the Farah you left behind in India 7 years earlier.

She's quite suspicious of you despite the reputation attributed to your father Shahriman. Plus some of your statements to her make her question just how well do you know her or how you came by certain facts about her.

At the same time - your darker half emerges for longer and longer periods of time until finally Farah spots you while looking like him - she attempts to shoot you, but appears to miss on purpose or from being emotionally overwhelmed.

It is only when you rescue a huge number of imprisoned Persians including this time line's version of the Old Man that she comes to forgive you and you seriously apologize to her for the deception about your dark half. She'll be with you until you get separated again, but you'll find her once more except Zurvan will snatch her while leaving you to fall to your death.

This precedes your final switch into the Dark Prince and from the lowest depths you must escape before the sands that keep the Dark Prince alive are spent, but you find your father's sword... and him... he is dead. The Dark Prince mocks you by way of all your past methods to undo the bad things. You resolve that no more major rewinds, no more avoiding the consequences, but by having your father's sword you have supressed the Dark Prince from taking over again.

After that you work your way to the tower where Zurvan is to be with Farah so another battle with him is predictable.

There came my only trouble with the game after the final turn in Dark Prince mode - I made it through the first two parts of the three part battle only to die on the third part thus start over. Most recently I did my best to not waste sands and to be better at speed kill strikes. You have to do a total of six in the second phase without getting killed by the spinning boulders - no easy feat - agility is key.

You have to keep ahead of his sand burst attacks in the third part and eventually reach him on high for the final strike.

A very long slow motion leap takes you across to him so you have to wait for the speed kill flash for the final blow.

Ultimately after nearly six months I finally made it through to the final part of the game where you must leave the Dark Prince behind by accepting what you did in the past, put it all behind you, and get on with your life - to reconnect with the love you left behind all those years ago.

He does his best to slow you down but to no avail on his part.

Prince of Persia must now eventually become the King of Persia... perhaps with Farah as his Queen.