I don't think I've ever beat a first person shooter. I've played many FPS' from GoldenEye to Far Cry 3, andI don't think I've finished one. My experience with first person shooters goes like this:

I

Start a First Person Shooter.

Find It Fun For About

2 Hours.

Become Bored by the

3rd Hour.

It makes me hesitant to spend any money towards playing a critically acclaimed first person shooter. The last first person shooter I played was Far Cry 3. That game was nowhere on my radar screen, but things were boring in December 2012, and Far Cry 3 was getting some pretty impressive reviews. I played the solo campaign, and found myself turning it off every 20 minutes. The game had plenty of fun things to do, but I just wasn't enjoying the experience. I traded it in a week after I bought it. All of those positive reviews, and I didn't enjoy Far Cry 3. Shame. I didn't enjoy Far Cry 3 because I hate first person shooters.

I Hate First Person Shooters.

 

Well that's not entirely true. I enjoy watching people play First Person Shooters. I would have no problem watching someone play Far Cry 3. I probably would have gotten more into the game if I had watched someone do their thing. If one of my friends had gotten into Far Cry 3, I would've been right there watching it like a movie. Heck, I'd even play the game for a little if my friend wanted to take a break.

Come to think of it, I enjoy playing First Person Shooters with other people. I spent months playing  Turok Evolution with my friends back in the day. Multiplayer is where it's at. My friends and I would meet up after school and play deathmatches for hours. I remember I would pack my Wavebird controller in my backpack so I could go straight to my friend Brian's house from school.

 

I Love Multiplayer Tho...

 

Hanging out with friends and playing a first person shooter has always been a joy for me. It goes back to the days of GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64. Four people playing split screen on a 13 inch TV having a blast. Those were the days. There's something about being in the same room with a person while I play a First Person Shooter. Maybe it's just being able to hang out and play videogames you know? I hope Split Screen games never goes away.

These days I find myself having the most fun playing Split Screen Co-op with one other player. Modern Warfare 3 surprised me with its Spec Ops mode. My friend Tino and I finished every mission in two nights. I thought Borderlands was best when I played it split screen with my friend Blake. I found it boring when I played by it online, but when Blake and I played together it was magic. We played it until 7 in the morning one night. It was crazy.

 

Playing Online? 

Not So Much

While I enjoy playing with other people, I'm not a fan of playing First Person Shooters Online. Not only do I suck, but I just don't have a lot of fun playing. I'm a different kind of gamer in an online environment  My focus is completely different. When I play any game offline I find myself trying to be stylish when I play. For example, in  Grand Theft Auto IV, I'll always have a rare or exotic car in my garage. When I'm online my only focus is not to die. It's different. It makes it worse when the game I'm playing is a first person shooter. I'm never see anything coming. It's the worst.

I thought maybe playing online with friends would help, but it doesn't. It's just not the same when I can't accuse anyone of looking at my screen. This is one of the reasons why I consider GoldenEye for the N64 to be the best First Person Shooter ever. Multiplayer games weren't online back then so you were forced to play in the same room with people. I've got nothing but good memories from those days.

 Bioshock Infinite

 

BioShock Infinite is set to be released at midnight. I don't think I'm going to play it. The good reviews Infinite has received are doing little to influence my decision to play it. I don't want to end up disappointed like I did with Far Cry 3. Who knows? I might end up bored enough to give Bioshock: Infinite a shot. When there's nothing else, a first person shooter will have to do.

Assassin's Creed 3 was the most disappointing game of 2012. AC3 was proof that the series has hit a wall in terms of new ideas and innovative gameplay. Think about it. What was the major marketing point of Assassin's Creed 3? The setting. There weren't any ads about Connor's climbing ability, or his weapons. It was "hey America come get a glimpse of your history with Assassin's Creed's version of the American Revolution." I'm not going to lie, the setting is what convinced me to give Assassin's Creed 3 a shot. I was done with the series after Brotherhood, but figured enough time had passed for the series to be fun again. Boy was I wrong. Colonial Boston is nowhere near as beautiful or fun to explore as say Italy in the 1400's or the Middle East in the 1100's.

 

The biggest new thing in terms of gameplay for AC3 was the Naval Battles. Naval Battles are the fights between battleships that took place in Assassin's Creed 3. Many people who criticized AC3, gave praise to the Naval Battles. Some even used Naval Battles as an excuse to finish playing the game. I guess it comes as no surprise that Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is set completely around the idea of ships and pirates. Ubisoft is pretty much taking the one thing (some) people liked about Assassins Creed 3 and making it the center point in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag.

 

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is apparently a Pirate Themed game set in the Caribbean. The promo picture being set on a ship is a big indicator that Naval Battles are going to be a focal point in Assassin's Creed 4. That's a bummer. I for one wasn't a fan of the Naval Battles. By the time they showed up in AC3 (around the 6 hour mark) I was tired of everything that made Assassin's Creed 3 up to that point. I was tired of the plot that was going nowhere. I was tired of running from one cutscene to the next. I was tired of a series that clearly hurt itself with yearly releases.

 

AC4 being announced less than 6 months after the release of Assassins Creed 3 is a huge red flag for me. It more than likely will be available this holiday season which means Ubisoft learned nothing from it's mistakes in AC3. What I liked about the Assassin's Creed series was actually being an assassin. Nothing made me happier than climbing structures and stealthily killing people. I'd have fun climbing each viewpoint no matter how repetitive it was to jump in a stack of hay. I loved searching for treasure before AC 3 added a stupid lockpick minigame to the mix. If AC4 can go back to a beautiful city with gorgeous skyscrapers and fun gameplay, I'd be more than excited for it.

Will Assassin's Creed 4 remind me of the things I love about the series, or will it be another snoozefest with more cutscenes than actual gameplay? That remains to be seen, but if it's coming at the end of the year. I almost guarantee it won't be much different from AC3. That means more running from cutscene to cutscene combined with a boring character, boring location, and a boring story. If that's the case I'll gladly pass on Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. I'll wait for the reviews before I decide whether or not to give this game a try.

PAX East is right around the corner, which means another fun weekend for myself and the thousands of people who attend the Boston Convention Center from March 22nd to March 24th. If you plan on going I hope you already got your passes. I just went to buy a three day badge, and they're already sold out. I'm not worried about it. Craigslist usually has 3 day passes for sale the week of the convention as does ebay. Just gotta look out for fake badges, but anyways I'm excited for PAX East 2013. There's some seriously cool videogames coming in the near future that would be perfect for this years PAX East. Here's some of the things that I think would make PAX East 2013 the best PAX ever.

GrandTheft Auto 5

A playable demo of Grand Theft Auto 5 would be AWESOME. With a Spring 2013 release window, I think it's very likely GTA V will be at this years PAX East. Rockstar was present at last years PAX East with a booth showcasing Max Payne 3. I can't see why they wouldn't come back for Grand Theft Auto V. The rumored May release date makes GTA V a strong possibility for being at PAX East..I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed for this. If GTA V is there expect long lines and cool free stuff. I really hope this game is there.

The Last Of Us

Another big title with a Spring 2013 release date. I'd say it's 50/50 we'll see a playable demo of The Last of Us at PAX East. Naughty Dog has been present at previous PAX East's but have only done panels in the past. I've never seen a Naughty Dog booth at PAX East before. Maybe Sony could showcase The Last of Us, but Sony has been absent from PAX East since 2010. With a May release date, The Last of Us would fit perfectly in the PAX East lineup.

Xbox 720 Anybody?

Wouldn't it be cool if Microsoft or Sony announced their next console at PAX East? I know it's a stretch, but why not? Everybody is expecting these big announcements from Sony & Microsoft at E3. Why not stay ahead of the curve and announce you're new console at PAX East? PAX East is supposed to be the conference for gamers which would make an announcement there cooler than E3. Chances of that happening are slim to none tho. I doubt we'll see that happen.

More Celebrities

I'm not saying we need Eminem & Jay-Z performing at one of the concerts (that would be awesome), but wouldn't it be nice to see more famous people in the gaming industry roaming the Expo Hall? Last year I met Suda 51, and it was awesome. I couldn't understand a word he said, but I was honored to take a picture with the guy, I heard Cliff Blizinski is going to be there this year. It'd be nice to see him at the Expo Hall. Imagine if there was a panel with Shigeru Miyamoto & Hideo Kojima? That would be dope.

Wii U

Another thing that was absent from last years PAX East was the Nintendo Wii U. It was still unreleased at that time, but that didn't stop Nintendo from letting gamers play the unreleased Nintendo 3DS the year before. I kind of just wanted to see a Wii U last year Now that Wii U is available, I hope to play it at PAX East. I don't own a Wii U, and don't intend on buying one, but a cool demo at PAX East could help change my mind about that.

I'll be tuning in to see what's announced for the show as we get closer to March 22nd. If you're going to this years PAX East what would you like to see? I'm hoping this years PAX East is better than last years.I think PAX falling on Easter weekend last year kind of killed some of the fun out of PAX, but I still had a good time. Maybe some of my wishes in this post will be granted. If they are I think this years PAX East will be one to remember. See you there.

The VideoGame Award's have improved significantly over the years. I mean when Samuel L. Jackson is the host and Linkin Park is performing, you're probably at the right place. The 2012 VGA's did not disappoint. I think I counted 4 awards being given out, but that's nothing compared to some of the trailers we saw. The one that sticks out the most to me is The Phantom Pain. I have no idea what the gameplay for that game will be like, but that trailer was badass.I was hoping to see a Fallout 4 announcement, but I'm happy it wasn't announced. I'd rather wait another 5 years for the next Fallout than to play another rushed game.As good as the 2012 VGA's were, there was one thing that wasnoticeablymissing besides myself. Where was the Hall of Fame Award VGA's?

The VGA's began handing out the Hall of Fame award at last years award show. Shigeru Miyamoto graciously accepted the award on behalf of the Legend of Zelda. I remember standing up and clapping to my television as the crowd cheered for the legend himself.Mr. Miyamoto. That was the first moment where I felt like I had an opportunity as a gamer to thank Shigeru Miyamoto for his many contributions to video games. I think I shed a tear at that moment.

After Mr. Miyamoto accepted the Hall of Fame award, I began wondering what game would be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2012 VGA's. Would Miyamoto be back on stage to bring Mario into the Hall of Fame? Would Hideo Kojima swag it out for Metal Gear Solid? Would Cliff BlizinskiannounceResident Evil 7 if he accepted the Hall of Fame Award? The world will never know since the VGA's didn't give out a Hall of Fame Award this year.

Not giving out the Hall of Fame Award feels like a missed opportunity. There's so many timeless classics that need to be inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame. We don't have time to waste. Let's say the VGA's gave the Hall of Fame award out every 2 years. That'd take forever to catch up with the current generation of classic games that should be up for consideration. Maybe the VGA's could do it like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and required a videogame series to exist for 25 years being, but that's not what this post is about.

What I'm trying to say is the VGA's Hall of Fame Award is a big deal, and it's a shame it wasn't awarded this year. There are plenty of games and developers that deserve their moment where gamers can thank them for creating timeless art. Yes video games are art Roger Ebert. Hopefully I'll be in the audience as the Hall of Fame Award is given at the 2013 Video Game Awards. Maybe I'll be the one presenting the award. Guess we'll have to watch the VGA's next year to find out. Until next year VGA's.

If Fallout 4 is set in Boston, the first thing I'm doing is heading North. I live 10 miles north of Boston and am curious to see if my city gets the post apocalyptic treatment that only the Fallout series can deliver. Boston is the perfect city for the Fallout series, but it's not that big. There's plenty to do in the city, but you can pretty much walk anywhere in Boston if you're feeling adventurous.

I'm curious to see how much of the state of Massachusetts is up for exploration. Fallout 3 had parts of Maryland and Pittsburgh as well as Washington DC. Fallout: New Vegas was pretty big as well. There's plenty of areas in Massachusetts that could be recreated. There's the North Shore, South Shore, Central Mass, and the Berkshires to name a few places. I could see Fallout 4 having DLC set in Cape Cod similar to Point Lookout in Fallout 3. Providence Rhode Island is about an hour south of Boston. That might be close enough to be included in the game. If Fallout 4 is set in Boston, I'm exploring every nook and cranny of that map.

Regardless of whether Fallout 4 is set in Boston, I just hope the developers take their time with this one. Fallout: New Vegas felt rushed. I don't mind waiting a few years for a phenomenal Fallout game. I don't play New Vegas anymore, but I still play Fallout 3 to this day. That game is going to be hard to top, but if the location is set in Boston, that's definitely a good start. Please let this rumor be true.

Score: 7.5/10

Pros

Beautiful Graphics

Uncharted: Golden Abyss is a great looking game. The PlayStation Vita really impressed me as it displayed Uncharted: Golden Abyss on it's screen. This game looks like a portable PS3 game. I guarantee anybody who catches a glimpse of you playing Golden Abyss will be impressed. I've always felt like screenshots of portable games never did the graphics to a game justice. That changed when I started taking screenshots of Golden Abyss with my Vita. The picture to the left is an actual screenshot taken on a persons Vita. Beautiful if you ask me. Nathan Drake gets some really pretty places to explore.

Fun Combat

There's reason to argue that Uncharted is the best at 3rd person Action Adventure series out there. My favorite part of Golden Abyss was definitely the combat. When it comes to action, Uncharted delivers. You still have a variety of ways to approach how to take down enemies. You can be stealthy, run and gun, melee on people, shoot and cover, throw grenades, shoot rockets, or (sometimes) be a sniper.

My favorite way to play any Uncharted game is to perform Stealth Kills. Stealth Kills have never been easier in Golden Abyss. Golden Abyss makes it easier to track every enemy on your screen. I find that in other Uncharted games I tend to get caught performing a stealth kill by a person I didn't know was there. In Golden Abyss there's enough space between enemies to make clearing an area with Stealth Kills a lot easier to accomplish. Also the addition of touchscreen controls to perform Stealth Kills helps as well. As soon as you get close to an enemy a huge fist pops up on your enemy that you tap in order to perform a stealth kill. Easy.

Gunfights are fun as well. Just about every gun from Uncharted 3 is in Golden Abyss, and they work well. I find that being on my fourth Uncharted game, I'm more open to using the variety of guns the game has to offer. When I began Golden Abyss, I felt that the aiming system was a bit off. I felt like the controls didn't react fast enough with my moves. I found that the aim sensitivity settings were set to 50%. I adjusted the sensitivity to 100% and was good to go.

Rear TouchPad

Golden Abyss emphasizes the use of the various functions of the Playstation Vita. You've got to tilt the Vita to maintain your balance at times, use the front touch screen to move stuff, etc. My favorite Vita function was the use of the rear touchpad. The rear touch pad is something I've never done before, and is used for various reasons throughout the game. One reason is to move objects around as you search for clues, and another is a zoom function.

The zoom function is what really impressed me the most about the rear touch pad. It took some getting used to, but once I did it was all good. I liked being able to adjust the zoom on my scope without lifting a finger. The rear touch pad also made it easier to get specific shots with this camera Drake carries with him. The camera icon appears at times for Drake to find a clue. The shots require a certain zoom level which the rear touchpad made easier to adjust. Sure you could use the front touchscreen to adjust your zoom as well, but I preferred the rear.

Front Touchscreen

The front touchscreen is probably the most used Vita function in Golden Abyss. There were things the front touchscreen did really well, and others that frustrated the hell out of me. It was fun using the touchscreen to perform stealth kills, climbing was a breeze as I moved my finger across the screen to get around, and adjusting the scope for the sniper rifle was a breeze with the front touchscreen. That's about where the front touchscreen stops being cool, and started becoming an annoyance tho. The touchsceen was cool in the first half of the game, but by the end of the game I was done with using it.

Cool Treasure

Golden Abyss added a new element of finding hidden treasure to the Uncharted series. The hidden treasure you find in Golden Abyss come with a back story of the people and place Drake is exploring. I remember finding a lipstick case which came from a woman who had dropped it as she and her husband were being kidnapped. Pretty grim, but it's a lot cooler than finding a ring that I can only rotate and zoom in on.

Cons

Game is Too Long

Call me crazy, but Golden Abyss is too damn long. The game has 34 Chapters. I was done with Golden Abyss by the 17th Chapter. At that point you've seen damn near every weapon and Vita function this game has to offer. Things started to get repetitive at this point. The worst parts were getting stuck over a stupid puzzle or something. It was a huge sigh of relief to see the ending credits in this game. It shouldn't be like that, but with Golden Abyss it was. I'm not saying to make future Uncharted games shorter. What I'm saying is it shouldn't feel like a hassle to get to the end of the story.

Quick Time Touchscreen Events

Later in the game (Chapter 20 something) quick time events becomes a major focus in the game for no reason. Instead of moving the control stick to perform these actions, you are required to use the touchscreen to perform some really mundane quick time actions. It would've been cute if the Vita read my finger movement every time. I found that when there were back to back quick time events, my Vita had a hard time reading my finger movement. It sucked because you'd have to sit through a boring cut scene every time to perform the same quick action. I also found myself constantly missing my quick time cue due to simply not being interested in the cut scene.

WAY Too Much Treasure

I saw a blog post from John Garvin, the creative director of Bend Studios, that said there are hundreds of thousands of treasures and artifacts in Golden Abyss. That's way too damn much. The worst part is the separate stories for hidden treasure that you find. I'd find a lipstick case from a woman who was kidnapped, then I'd find a random piece of a stone that belonged to another set of treasures with a different story. This made it really hard to keep up with the stories behind each individual piece of treasure. I think Uncharted should to stick to the 100 pieces of treasure formula and make stories behind that linked groups of 10 treasures. That would be a lot more manageable and easier to follow.

Final Thoughts

Being a fan of the Uncharted series, I was excited to play Golden Abyss on launch day for the PS Vita. It didn't disappoint. The gameplay is overall is really good. I would recommend any fan of the Uncharted series to check this one out if you get a chance. It does a good job at showing the promise of the PS Vita by showcasing beautiful graphics and adding interesting new features to the series. If I had to compare Golden Abyss to the other three games in the series, I would say this is probably the weakest addition to the series, but it's still a lot of fun. Golden Abyss is a lot like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. It's the first game on a new console, and does a good job at showing the promise of future Uncharted titles. Naughty Dog delivered on that promise with Uncharted 2, and I bet Bend Studios will deliver on that promise as well with future Uncharted titles on the PS Vita.

If I could change one thing about the Playstation Vita it would definitely be the game slot. In order to insert a game cartridge, you must open the slot that is placed on the top of the Vita. When I first got my Vita, I had the hardest time the game slot. My nails aren't that long so I had to pick at it in order to open it. When I finally was able to open it, I noticed that my method of picking at the slot resulted in parts of the game slot being chipped. That's not cute for a device that I just paid almost $300 dollars for. If Sony had designed the game slot to be open like the 3DS I wouldn't have cosmetic damage on the first day with my Vita.

I could have avoided this problem by buying games digitally from the PS Store. It's actually better to buy games digitally as they are usually cheaper than owning the cartridge. The problem with that was having to buy a memory card big enough to hold all of the games I want to play. $99 for a 32GB memory card is simply too expensive for this gamer on a budget (especially after dropping $250 on the Vita.) I went with the 4GB which could maybe hold 2 Vita games on a good day.

Another thing I would change about the Vita is the location of the headphone jack. The headphone jack is located at the bottom of the PS Vita which has proven to be a pain. Having the headphone jack at the bottom of the Vita makes it hard to place the Vita onto my desk in order to watch the screen. This makes it annoying to watch movies on the Vita, especially when the sound from the built in speakers isn't that good. It would've been better to place the headphone jack on the side or the top of the Vita so I can plug my headphones in and be able to place the Vita on my desk for viewing enjoyment. I shouldn't have to hold the Vita in my hands at all times. If Sony considers redesigning the PS Vita they should really put my suggestions into consideration.

I'm having the hardest time deciding which PlayStation Vita to buy on launch day. On one hand you have the Wi-Fi model which is $249.99 and on the other you have the 3G model for $299.99. Being a gamer on a budget my natural inclination is to go with the Wi-Fi model because it costs less. After some research I'm not sure the Wi-Fi model is the best deal. Here's some reasons why.

When it comes to practicality, the Wi-Fi Model wins hands down for me. The need for 3G simply isn't there for me. My PlayStation Vita (like my Nintendo 3DS) will barely ever leave my house. I'll mostly spend mornings and commercial breaks playing the Vita. The rare times when my Vita does leave my house I don't intend on playing games online. I focus on playing one player games when I'm out in public. Especially when I'm in ****because I don't have to focus my undivided attention on what's going on in the game. Besides that, playing a game online in a public place lets people know you have the most expensive Playstation Vita. It might attract unwanted attention from people who might want to steal it from you. The same goes for the iPad in this instance. If you're sitting on the train surfing the web, it says "Hey I can afford the most expensive iPad hear me roar!!!"

Another con against the 3G model of the Playstation Vita (besides it being $50 dollars more than the Wi-Fi) is that 3G service requires a monthly payment for the service. That's a huge no-no for this gamer on a budget. Lets say you decided to go with the $14.99 plan for 250MB of data. That comes out to $179.88 dollars a year for the service. That means you're shelling out close to $500 dollars for your first year with the Playstation Vita. It's not all bad though. You don't have to sign a contract so you can cancel anytime. I'd much rather stay home or hit up a hotspot and use the Wi-Fi for free thank you very much.

At this point I was all but sure that I was going to go with the Wi-Fi model of the Playstation Vita. Then I was introduced to the various bundles Playstation is offering with the 3G model. The first bundle they have is the First Edition Bundle. The First Edition Bundle includes the 3G model of the Playstation Vita, A case for the Vita, The game Little Deviants, and a 4GB Vita Memory Card. The big thing about this bundle is that it allows you to purchase the Playstation Vita a week before it's launch date. Meaning on February 15th you can be playing Uncharted: Golden Abyss while the the rest of us wait until February 22nd. That sounded really cool until I saw the price of $349.99. You're paying an extra $50 dollars to be able to play the Vita a week early. I'd rather go to Boston and play the Vita right now (3 weeks early) at the Vita Hill Social Club for free.

The bundle that has my attention is the Launch Bundle that comes with every 3G Playstation Vita on February 22nd. The Launch Bundle includes an 8GB Vita memory card, a free month of 3G service, and a free Playstation Network game to be announced all for the price of $299.99. This bundle has my attention. The free stuff included is worth over $50 dollars. The 8GB Vita Memory Card alone is $34.99 and a month of 3G from AT&T is $14.99. I was planning on buying a 4GB Memory card because it's the cheapest one, but seeing an 8GB memory card included in the 3G bundle has me curious. Who knows what the free games going to be. Good or bad the PSN game is free my friends.

On launch day my original plan was to buy a Playstation Vita, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and a 4GB memory card. If I go with my original idea, I'm looking at spending $324.97 before taxes. If I go with the 3G bundle, I get a 3G Vita, an 8GB memory card and Uncharted Golden Abyss for $349.98 before taxes. The question I'm left with is this. Is the extra $25 worth it to buy a 3G bundle? I'll let you know what I decide on launch day.

Welcome to the Vita Hill Social Club. That's the name of the pop up shop where gamers around the United States are allowed to experience the Playstation Vita before it hits stores next month. The shops will be open until launch and allow gamers to try out various games on the Playstation Vita. Today was the official meetup for the Vita Hill Social Club in Boston Massachusetts. I was one of the people who attended, and I figured I'd share my thoughts about the experience.

Overall the Boston Vita Hill Social Club meetup was fun. I got there two hours early, and was able to play the Playstation Vita before the meetup began. I went so early because of the free t-shirt giveaway for the first 100 people that arrived. I expected to have to wait in line for two hours, but the store was open for people to play the Playstation Vita. I walked right in, registered for the PlayStation Vita Social Club, and minutes later had a Playstation Vita in my hand with Uncharted: Golden Abyss to play. Employees made it clear that they wanted me to enjoy my experience, and brought me juice and granola bars while I played Uncharted. It was cool.

The Playstation Vita is a fun piece of hardware. I really enjoyed the time I had playing Uncharted: Golden Abyss. The graphics were nice and the touchscreen controls were a nice touch. It kind of felt weird using the controls, but I bet I'll get use to them as I play the Vita more. The Playstation Vita is a wide. It's bigger than a cellphone, but it's not as heavy. I brought my Nintendo 3DS to make comparisons, and I'd say the Playstation Vita is lighter than the Nintendo 3DS. I can't really say the graphics to the Vita are better than the Nintendo 3DS though. In 2D the Vita wins hands down on graphics, but when the graphics in 3D on the 3DS look impressive as well.

At 4:30 we had to wait in line outside for the meetup to begin at 5:30. The hour wait wasn't so bad. Our host for the night, Sid Shuman, appeared and handed out free slices of pizza to the people waiting in line. The pizza was pretty good as I enjoyed having conversations with others waiting in line. The doors opened at 5:30 sharp and I was apart of the first group that got in the door. I received my free shirt, got more slices of pizza, and proceeded to play Uncharted 3 on the Playstation 3.

I was able to play the Playstation TV for the first time at the Vita Hill Social Club as well. The 24 inch screen is small, but the picture quality is impressive. I was captivated, by the level of detail in the picture quality of Uncharted 3 as I played it. I tried on the 3D glasses and they were interesting. It got dark as I put on the 3D glasses which of surprised me. I didn't have enough time to get the full experience of the 3D effect on the TV, but I'd buy one if I didn't already have a TV. I had to leave the Vita Hill Social Club for the next wave of people to experience the Vita, but I had a good time. I plan on buying a PlayStation Vita on launch day, but I might stop by the Vita Hill Social Club again.

New year, new videogames. 2012 has a lineup of releases that looks solid. This year marks the return of many beloved franchises as well as sequels to some of the most impressive videogames around. Here's my list of most anticipated titles for 2012.

Resident Evil Revelations

2/7/12

This might be my most anticipated game of the year. I'm curious to see what Capcom has in store with Resident Evil: Revelations. Capcom promises that Revelations will bring the series back to it's survival horror roots, which I couldn't be more excited about. Add the fact that it's release is only a month away and you've got me sold.

Twisted Metal

2/14/12

Twisted Metal makes its next generation debut this Valentines Day. I'm a bit skeptical about this game. I wasn't a fan of Twisted Metal Black, but I haven't played a Twisted Metal game in years. That alone is enough of a reason for me to check this out.

Asura's Wrath

2/21/12

I mostly put this game here because it's an original title. It's not a sequel or a remake, which means it's probably going to have a hard time standing out from the titles coming in February. Hopefully Asura's Wrath gets good reviews and stands it's ground against the competition.

Playstation Vita

2/22/12

Despite all of the negative stories, I'm buying a Playstation Vita on launch day. Why? Because it's being released two days after my birthday. A new portable videogame system sounds like the perfect birthday present to myself. I'm looking getting my hands on one and trying it out. Hopefully the Playstation Vita has an arsenal of quality titles that makes me happy that I bought one.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

2/22/12

Sony made the right move by making Uncharted: Golden Abyss a launch title for the Playstation Vita. It made my decision to buy a Vita on launch day that much easier. Hopefully Sony keeps up the quality titles on the PS Vita. I've got hope for it.

SSX

2/28/12

2012 marks the return of my favorite snowboarding series. SSX is the NBA Street of Snowboarding. SSX is over the top. It's known for it's gorgeous visuals, and damn near impossible tricks. I've been waiting for a new SSX for years, and I can't wait to see what we have in store with this one.

Mass Effect 3

3/6/12

Another adventure with Shepard? Bring it on. This time it looks like we'll be trying to save planet Earth. If Mass Effect 3 is anywhere near as good as Mass Effect 2, I'll probably invest at least 50 hours into it. Can't wait to play as female Shepard again.

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D

March 2012

Metal Gear Solid on the 3DS? Yes please. I've actually never played Metal Gear Solid 3. Ok I did, but I was too focused on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to get into it. Metal Gear Solid 3D is kind of like redemption for the days I put off the PS2 version. I'm curious to see what the game is going to look like on my 3DS.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD

Summer 2012

I must say that it's about time Tony Hawk went back to what it does best. Old school Tony Hawk is one of the best videogame franchises of all time. It just over saturated the market with yearly releases. It's been years since Activision released an old school Tony Hawk game. This summer marks the return of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. This version includes locations from the first and second Tony Hawk, and is going to be sold for a whopping $15 dollars this summer. First Day Purchase indeed.

Grand Theft Auto V

???

Honestly I don't think we'll see the release of Grand Theft Auto V in 2012. All we've seen so far is a minute long trailer. When a new Grand Theft Auto is released, Rockstar makes sure the world knows it's coming way ahead of time. I hope we get more details about the GTAV this year. Is the multiple characters perspective true? What's the time period? Is it going to be on the Wii U? Things like that.

Wii U

???

I doubt the Wii U is coming in 2012 as well, but I wouldn't rule it out. One thing noticeably missing from this list is upcoming games for the Wii. It's a bad sign when the only game I can think of coming this year for the Wii is Madden 13. I do hope we get more details about Wii U this year. What is the price going to be? What games are in development for it? Does it perform better than the PS3 and Xbox 360? Guess we'll just have to wait and find out.

The crazy part about this years most anticipated list is that with the exception of Tony Hawk, all of the games listed will be released in the first half of the year. This either means that the holiday season will bring even more great games, or it will be quiet due to flood of the games being released in the first half. I think the holiday season will be great. Maybe I'll do another most anticipated list as games get announced for the holiday season. Until next time.