As you can guess from the headline, I just wrapped up the F.E.A.R. demo and I must say it's amazing.

Aside from a few exceptions in which the graphics weren't so much as "bad" as they were "not as incredibly perfect", it just looked stunning. There are some of the coolest visual effects in this game; from the smoke littering the air after a frantic gunfight to huge chunks of wall ripped out from every single shot you fire.

I especially like your character's ability to slow down time, which is handled perfectly. It's sort of a response to all of the slo-mo in third-person action games these days, but it allows you to be more strategic than just jumping backwards with duel pistols. While some of the weapons were a little bland (pistol, shotgun, SMG, assault rifle- I've heard it before), my favorite gun of the sample was this huge weapon that, when fired, completely obliterated an enemy and left only their skeletal remains. Mix that with your slo-mo, and you can see how your character will slowly become an unstoppable element of destruction.

Not to say that the game's easy. Far from it. I was playing on "Moderate" difficulty and died a number of times- but every single time, there was a legitamate reason why, unlike most other games. Typically, the reason is that you weren't thinking and charged right into the fray. While the visual effects may make this look like an action movie, be warned: your enemies will do every single thing in their power to make sure you're taking a long dirt nap, as soon as possible. You can withstand quite a few hard hits, and you can carry around quite a few medpacks, but take too many risks and your mission will end, fast.

Most of all, I was really intrigued by the story. I'm not going to give away some of things that happen towards the end of the demo, as they're the sort of things you absolutely must experience for yourself, but between the opening video and some well-done events towards the end, this had me wondering what would happen to our fearless (and faceless) hero.

In the end, I highly recommend you at least try out the demo (note: not for the faint of heart, the demo alone is quite bloody and creepy), but be fast, or I'll have my pre-order in before yours. And wouldn't that be a shame?

Saw Advent Children. ... Still incapable of complete senteces forming, I am. ... Short posts, sorry for writing, I am. ... See it, you must. ... Oh, hey, George Lucas just sent me an E-Mail that he's suing me for copyright infringement... Nonetheless, it was a breathtaking experience that cannot be described in words. Advent Children is a work of art, and for you non-intellectuals out there, it has a lot of slashing, too. I'm really hoping that Squenix is working on FFVII for the PS3, because I need my Cloud fix and the PS1 just ain't workin' for me. It'll do, but let it be known that it would be my main motivation for getting a PS3. Mmmm... Dirge of Cerberus....

To quote that evil Cinnabon guy from a Penny-Arcade comic: "Oh, it's good. It's so good."

Simply put, go to Google, type in "failure", and hit "I'm feeling lucky". Happiness ensues.

Yeah, I'm a little bit excited about the new MGS game.

...

Fine, that's a complete understatement. You can't see it, but I'm throwing a party right now.

There are lots of chicks. And David Hayter.

...

Maybe this party is just in my mind.

...

Anyways...

I got a GeForce 6600, and now I've experienced the awesomeness that is Battlefield 2. My only qualm with the game is that unlike Counter-Strike, there is no 'friends list'-esque thing. If there is, please tell me about it.

The card also makes Half-Life 2 look even more gorgeous! Valve is so cool. Now the water effects are really amazing. "Water Hazard" has officially become my favorite level.

And, uh... I hear there was a bad storm recently.

All kidding aside, this is a major tragedy we've endured and I want anyone who reads this post to donate something to the relief effort. I don't care what it is, it can be a used blow-up doll of Jessica Alba (note to self: by the time you read this I'll have patented that idea), but just do something.

Well, there's my good deed for the day. I'm off to keep saving up for my 360...

Oh, wait! There was a recent gaming announcement... what was it...

I think it involved three letters and some snakes...

...

MGS4!!!!

Man, Snake looks old. Typically I wouldn't have a problem with it, but I hate the moustache. It makes him look like Commisioner Gordon in a skin-tight suit. Which makes me regret the incredibly detailed graphics a little.

Otacon looks a tad like Kurt Russell gone geek, which isn't so bad. I like the article (you know, on this site?) that comes up with that idea of Snake's advanced genes leading to accelerated aging- which I think is helped by Grey Fox's comment in MGS1, when he says, "You've aged terribly, Snake."

Continuing with my theories, I think that when Snake says he's still fighting because he "found a light" (what, you didn't see the trailer? Go watch it, then!), I think he means that he dragged himself into the battle again for Meryl, who it has been confirmed is in the game. The reason Snake is coughing- aside from the possibility of him having emphysema- could be that FoxDie is finally attacking his cells, but Snake's advanced genes are weakening its attacks and his injections are holding them off altogether.

Nonetheless, this looks like the famed hero's last battle.

And what a battle it will be.

Let me preface this entry with the notice that I have become a PC gamer only recently. I just started up the rig again to play Half-Life 2, and suddenly realized all of the cool games I could play. As such, my immense letdown of an experience led me to a discovery that thoroughly embarassed me. My video card is an Nvidia GeForce (insert various acronyms here) 4000. Yes, I know all of you PC gamers just gasped. It's not really my fault, actually. I, being a console gamer, entrusted my local computer geek with the task of putting, and I quote myself, "the most advanced video card on the market right now", into my PC. Instead, he put the leftovers. I was embarassed when I found that Battlefield 2 wasn't working because it required at least a 5700. Adding to the scene, directly above that revelation (on the web page I was on) was an advertisement for the new 7800. This sucks. ... I ain't payin' six hunnert bucks for the 7800. though, I tell you that.

I can't play Battlefield 2 yet, because I need to update my video card's driver. I know it only takes a little while, but come on! My PC ran Half-Life 2!

I just hooked my PC up to the Internet (finally, it used to run on a 56K modem and that made Steam unusable), and I'm now playing Counter-Strike: Source like a madman. It is a masterpiece! I'm so addicted to it because I find that everything about it is so perfect. The community is that perfect balance between difficult and too easy, and everyone seems quite nice. The graphics are just gorgeous, and you'd be hard-pressed to prove that Valve developed the Source system without CS in mind because the whole game shines because of it. Gunfights are stunning- bodies twist and recoil just as they would in real life as smoke and debris litter the battlefield. The guns themselves look so cool you'll have fun just looking at them, but when you fire them- hoo, boy- you feel a thrill. My personal favorite weapon is the M4 (CT's only), just for the look of it. And I can rip people's heads off from across the map. But the coolest part is that you have fun no matter what. When you're playing, there's the obvious attraction of everything, but even in Spectator mode it's very cool because you can make the camera zip around like all the recent action movies. You feel like a director, actually, and the gunfights all force that feeling even more. I hope to pick up Battlefield 2 soon, but I'm starting to wonder whether or not I'll enjoy it more than CS: Source. At the very least, I want to get a City of Villains pre-order to get in on the beta. I am very happy right now.

I just updated to Firmware 2.0, and I must say it's pretty cool. My PSP is slowly replacing my iBook...

I greatly dislike Jack Thompson. If any of you ever meet him, give him a good punch for me.