I have finally received my two new games to occupy my "spare" time with – LA NOIRE and Portal 2. Not that I have much of a spare time, but still. I started off with LA NOIRE and my first impressions were that the game looks groundbreaking. Not so much graphics wise in general, but the facial expressions, character movements and such are outstanding and never-before-seen. I will leave the rest for my upcoming review once I am done with the game.

Another interesting piece of news around me this week is the fact that I finally signed up for a Steam account. I don't have a gaming PC (just a laptop I use for work and such) but wanted to see what Steam was all about. Care to say, all of this was prompted by my excitement over Half-Life 2 (which I completed again not too long ago), so I kind of wanted to see what else Valve has to offer. Steam is a pretty cool client. Don't know if I will ever use it (not much of a PC gamer these days).

My IT certification exam preparation has been slow these past 3 days. I have less than a month until my exam, so from this weekend on, I will be busy and I do mean BUSY.

This past week I also tried a couple of demos – Dungeon Siege 3 and Red Faction Armageddon. I was a big fan of DS 1 but the third one plays like an arcade game – so streamlined that I could not complete the demo. Red Faction was an OK game, based on the demo, but I don't think I will be buying it. With the ton of great games coming out later in the year, I think I will skip that one.

One more thing to say before I complete this blog – update. Lately we have seen three games that have come out , which support offline co-op gameplay (as far as I know, correct me if I am wrong) – Fear 3, Dungeon Siege 3 and Hunted: DF. I think I will be picking up those at some point because I am a huge fan of "couch co-op" games.

Well, this is it for now.

Until next time,

EvilSelf…

Read EvilSelf's Borderlands review here!

If you liked Borderlands...you would probably like...

Fallout 3

Both games feature FPS mechanics with RPG elements, buth Fallout 3 is more of an RPG first and shooter second. Borderlands is the other way around. Both games features vast, open-world terrains.

Fallout New Vegas

Same as Fallout 3 above

Mass Effect series

Mass Effect series is a third person shooter with RPG elements. The gameplay is slightly similar, even though the game setting is different. Mass Effect also features an outstanding story, something that Borderlands lacks.

EvilSelf...

Read EvilSelf's The Orange Box review here!

If you liked... The Orange Box, here are some suggestions:

Portal 2

Half Life

Mass Effect series

Crysis 2

EvilSelf...

I have been away from these forums lately and simply put - i was taking care of more important things.

Being an IT guy, who just graduated from college (well, "just" meaning a couple of years ago) and having to seriously plan my next big move job-wise, i have made a big step towards achieving a "proof" of dedication, hard work and "brain capacity"...

Let me step back a bit and elaborate. This might be an easy question to answer, but "Dear reader, Do you know how IMPOSSIBLE is for a person without job experience to actually gain some job experience?" Yes, the previous sentence does sound redundand, a bit like the famous GLaDOS and her over-elaborative computerized statements (remember "the cake is a lie"). But the truth is, we, the younger population are faced with lots of struggles getting a job, and not any kind of job, but one that you can actually excel in - both in financial and experience-wise point of view.

So, TODAY (in order for me to show and PROVE any kind of ability, knowledge, as well as "paint" a prettier picture on my CV) i have booked an exam appointment with the hope of getting my first IT Certification. I have been studying diligently for two months now (which explaines my lack of gaming evidently), along with working full time, just so i can pay for the darn exam.

I will not reveal the details of which exam and when, purposively. I will be too ashamed to even mention that i failed or that i was so closed to passing (if it actually happened of course)...

One thing is for certain though: All you my online friends who care to read this blog, know that life is a very tough road, even tougher for college grads OR people without experience. Spending an hour doing something that will most likely be beneficial (like education) for your overall status and way of life later on is more wisely spent than spending an hour in Tamriel...

Start plan for your futures early! This is the only advice i can give you, since i am experiencing the struggle now...

'Till next time,

EvilSelf...

(fingers crossed i pass my exam, i need it bad)

Read EvilSelf's Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Review!

If you liked...Undead Nightmare...

Left for Dead series - If you like mutilating zombies then the Left for Dead series should be one of the series that you should reference. Nothing quite like RDR as far as story or "epic-ness" but hey, who said zombie slaughtering is not worth it by itself?

EvilSelf...

Man, I am getting old...

On this day, exactly a year ago, I joined the big family called GameSpot. Time has passed by me so quickly, that blogging and posting about video games has often seemed like a waste of it. But, of course, things that we enjoy doing, should not be considered wasted time...but I had to motivate myself with that same thought from time to time.

I have not been extremely active these past several weeks, but decided to post this special (for me) blog. I am celebrating my anniversary today wishing all my family and friends (offline and online) first and foremost good health and successful and enjoyable experiences in anything you do…

Have a drink for me tonight!

Cheers,

EvilSelf…

Read EvilSelf's Crysis 2 review here!

Mass Effect Series - if you liked Crysis 2, then you would most definitely like the Mass Effect series. Both games have outstanding graphics, interesting stories and high tech references. Crysis 2 is the better shooter, Mass Effect is the longer game with a better story.

Halo Series - there are visible similarities between Halo and Crysis and both being benchmark shooters. If you liked one of them, you would most likely like the other as well.

Read EvilSelf's The Saboteur review here!

Mafia 2

I found The Saboteur very similal to Mafia 2, but just longer and with more things to do. Both games incude good stories, but Mafia 2 definitely has the better of the two.

Red Dead Redemption

An open world game with an engrossing story, shooting mechanics and side mission system.

Grand Theft Auto IV

Same as above, after all both are Rockstar's creations, which The Sabotuer borrows a lot from.

EvilSelf...

Read EvilSelf's Two Worlds 2 review here!

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - open-world action RPG, one of the best and longest RPGs out there on the market.

Risen - Euro RPG with similar gameplay mechanics.

Arcania Gothic 4 - Euro RPG, but not as elaborate as Two Worlds 2. It provides a very simiplified RPG experience and you should only pick it up if you there are no other open-world RPGs available.

EvilSelf...

I haven't posted a blog in a while and I would have to apologize for my gaming inactivity, so to speak. I have been lacking any passion for gaming due to lack of extra finances to fund new game purchases. The past two months have been hard on the finance issues, due to tax times, car repairs and insurance bills and other unexpected "money-drainers" that happened recently.

Anyway, I needed a serious inspiration to write a blog about gaming and it seems I got two very good reasons that prompted me to spend the best part of an hour writing this piece of blogging you are conveniently enjoying right now.

I think game developers are taking the easy way out…

In one sentence: "What the hell is wrong with the lifespan of a solo video game campaign these days?" After reading the recent Homefront reviews and the mentioning that the campaign is about measly 5 hours long, I can't stop being continuously mad and questioning the reasons why this is happening. Where did the time when we had 13-15 hours long FPS campaigns such as Half Life 2, or the 10 hours long Bioshock go? Every installment of a major FPSs which has come out for the past "insert time range here" has sucked majorly when it comes to longevity…Halo Reach, COD Bops, Bulletstorm and now Homefront…I don't even want to mention previously released games like Vanguish, Metro 2033 and The Darkness…I can at least argue that those three at least left a relief in my mind, being the immersive atmosphere (Metro 2033), the well-presented story (The Darkness) and surprisingly open-mindedness of a Japanese developer and its take on a Western strategies (Vanquish)…

I actually have come up with another idea that at first seems like it is a "no brainer" to come up with. Why do we have so many FPSs out which do not provide us with a long-ER solo campaigns? OK, you ready for it? Because a superior multiplayer is fast-ER and easi-ER to develop, perfect and satisfy company goals and deadlines in the shortest possible time. We have all heard that having a decent MP is will be better "perceived" by – let's say- XBL for example. Microsoft will make more profit from a MP campaign that the solo one (I am not going to list the reasons, I am sure you can come up with them).

Let's face it: solo campaigns are no money makers. They appeal to a particular game's fan base, but it has to potential to earn new fans to a certain degree. A good solo campaign requires a good writing team ($$$), good visuals ($$$), good mechanics ($$$). A good solo campaign requires a lot of work with an original idea, original story and solid gameplay.

Multiplayer is usually plain, shallow and a money maker. It appeals to a broader range of gamers - give someone a gun and watch them shoot without thinking. Multiplayer is basically this – create decent enough graphics, smooth controls and slap all of that on a single map. Easy, peasy…You don's have to worry about writing, script, cutscenes, better visuals etc…

So, since MP is easier to develop, corporate deadlines tend to be met by developing a MP-based game. And when corporate deadlines are met, everyone is happy, right?

At the end of the day, the majority of gamers would still purchase a game, solely based on MP action, so everything I just said does not even matter in the bigger picture. Nobody listens, but everybody wants to make money, first and foremost. Some of you might say: "You wanna play a solid solo campaign, pick up a RPG, or an action game…"…No kidding! What if I want a play a solid story-driven FPS for a change? And one that actually lasts longer that a freaking 8-hour day at work…

Bioshock Infinite, I have high hopes for you!

What's up with Bioware?

The second point I wanted to make in this blog was the state of mind that Bioware are finding themselves in? I promise I will be short with this, but what the heck is wrong with them?

For me, they ruined the RPG in the ROLE-PLAYING-GAME-CLAIMED-TO-BE Mass Effect 2 after a great first one. Now, the same thing is happening to Dragon Age 2 – less customizable options, less role-play, streamlined, dumbed-down…

What the hell is wrong with you people? The quality of your games seems to be going down, watch out!

Once again "looking at Skyrim's release date"…I have high hopes for you to deliver…

'Til next time,

EvilSelf…