First of all, I've been extremely busy with classes and moving in to my new home to really get on here. So, to all my friends, I'm sorry I haven't had time to catch up, but once things slow down I'll be able to contribute more. And while I'm thinking about it, I must mention that I don't know how long I'll have my internet service. My landlord was supposed to shut it off when he moved out of the house, but it's still up and running. Doesn't really matter though...I have a contengency plan in order, so I shouldn't be without service for long.

Anyways, back to my topic...

I had an old friend stop by the Gamestop I work at right before the holidays. He, his wife, and I went to high school together so many, many years ago. We exchanged MySpace addresses and we'll chat back and forth once in a while. I got a message from him the other day that a young lady had posted in a forum that they were searching for me...and knew my full name! I, of course, was worried, but I investigated and found it was another high school friend. So, I guess my point is, it's good to be home and to know that there are some people that actually cared. (I wasn't really popular in high school...I just went to school with most of the same people for so long and never really became 'friends' with too many of them.)

Now, on to videogames...the real reason you're reading my blog. :D My latest achievement was completing Bioshock. And what a 'shock' it was. I can't even put into words how awesome this game is. I've forced myself to move on to another title to keep from sitting down with it and trying to get the 'bad' ending right away. I want to let it rest for a little while and move on to something a little more...uhm...stupid? I really did feel overwhelmed by the story and the world of Rapture. There was so much to take in...so many things to look at and so many audio diaries to collect and listen to. And then the twist! Holy hell...I thought I was going to soil myself. Then there was the build up to the climactic battle and the emotional reslove...I was fairly exhausted when I got to the end. That is why I've picked up the affore-mentioned 'stupid' game to fall back on. I don't want to go straight into another gripping story because after Bioshock, nothing will hold a candle right now.

So what to play? I've got a few to choose from...I've got mindless superhero brawlers, childish movie tie-ins, and plenty of run-and-gun action shooters. I just don't think I'm ready to take on another intellectually-stimulating title at this point. Will it be one of my original Xbox titles I previously missed out on like Munch's Oddesy, X2: Wolverine's Revenge, or Ultimate Spider-man? Or will I stay with the 360 games and break out Cars, X3, or Transformers? Whatever I pick, it'll be a nice down-time from the Bioshock rollercoaster. Once I've finished off something a little less involved, I'll be ready for my next big title...

Now a question to all of you: Has a game ever brought about this kind of emotional response for you like Bioshock has for me? I'm sure there were plenty of you who were a little choked up at the end of disc 1 of Final Fantasy 7. And who wasn't overwhelmed by the sheer emotional power of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus? So tell me...without spoilers...what games should I look to for this kind of powerful storytelling?

Thank you everyone for the input on my recent crisis, but I'm happy to report that there was nothing wrong with my system. I tried contacting customer service for both 2K Games and Microsoft and both recommended trying another copy of Bioshock before doing anything drastic. Well, that didn't work...but I'll tell you what DID: I created an Xbox Live account and when I went into the game it told me that there was an update for Bioshock available and automatically downloaded it and now everything works perfectly! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a tissue before I can blow away more splicers.

Cheers everyone!

I've treated my system with kid gloves...I only play an hour at a time at the most...but it seems I may be next in line for the 360 ring of death. I was talking with a co-worker and he said that he encountered the same symptoms I currently have right before he got the red ring. Last night I put in Bioshock and the system said "Insert this disc into an Xbox 360 system". I took the disc out and checked it and put it back in and it worked fine. Today, I tried playing again and had a horrible frame rate drop. Now I'm worried that I'll be stuck with a dead system since the one I bought was refurbished from GameStop.

So what I need everyone's input on is this: Do I trade everything now while the system is still working somewhat properly and get a PS3 or do I hold out and deal with the red ring if it should happen?

I did all the math today at work and it looks like I have enough to trade to get a refurbished 60 GB PS3 and maybe have enough for one game. But that's a LOT of stuff I'd be trading. And Bioshock is my new favorite game. I think my PC can handle it but I really want it on a console. Not only would I not have Bioshock, I'd also loose out on some other system exclusives like Dead Rising, Bullet Witch, and Blue Dragon. However, on the up side, I'd have access to Heavenly Sword, Resistance, Uncharted, and Ratchet & Clank. It's a lot to think about, so I need everyone's input ASAP since I'll be deciding in the next 24 hours (since we only got 2 PS3 60 GB units in stock and we've also got a bonus trade deal going on).

Thanks everyone!

Well, here I am...1st week of school behind me, moving in to a new home, and trying to make ends meet. I got to talk to my little girl today (who is still in Florida with her mother) and it reminded me how hard everything can be. It's not a simple thing being a father, student, employee, and gamer all at the same time. It's been 10 years since I last took a class, and trying to get back into the routine of studying has not been easy. But that phone call also reminded me as to why I'm pushing myself so hard to get through this certification course. Soon enough, I'll graduate and be able to get a real job and have my daughter move in with me. By making the necessary sacrifices today, I'll be a better father and hopefully be able to get a set schedule that will allow me to spend more time with her and also get back to playing a few games. I've restarted Bioshock 3 times now because I'm just too tired to keep my eyes open when I try to play.

May 3rd -Graduation day. I think.

I can't seem to keep up with anything anymore. It's all a day by day basis. But I have my goal and it's within sight. Just a few more months and I'm there. And that's my advice to everyone today: Set your goal, keep it in sight, never forget why you made that goal, and do whatever it takes to make it happen. I already feel like a better person and father after this first week of sacrifice. I haven't slept well in days, but I feel like a better person.

Cheers!

Still working on the move, the job is keeping me busy, and school is kicking my @$$! I've recently given Halo 3 a 5 minute test (not literally 5 minutes) and traded it. I've gotten my hands on the God Of War: Chains of Olympus demo, but it seems that firmware update 3.72 is bad and caused my system to do funky things. I'll have tosee if there's a fix...I think there is but I'm not sure.Anyways, homework calls...I'll be back soon! All the best everyone!

Why is it that GameSpot can review games released for the Wii virtual console that have been out for YEARS within a few weeks, yetthey can't review a new DS or PSP title for several months?

Why can one bad tempered customer ruin your entire day no matter how many good things happen?

Why is it that the temperature drops and so does the humidity? I've been wanting to see snow for4 years and now I'm back in North Carolina and it's dry as hell but freakin' cold.

Why do people feel the need to ask "a quick question"?

Why is it so irritating for people to ask for a Wii?

Why is it so hard for people to understand that there are only a limited number of things we can have in the store and when we sell out, we'll get more later?

Why is it that I'm forgetting everything I wanted to say?

Anyways, I'm moving intomy new home this weekend. I'll be working too so I have no idea when I'll be back online. Everyone have a great weekend and I'll be back when I'm able.

I can laugh about it now that it's all over, but yesterday had to be the worst waste of a perfectly good day off I've ever had. It all started when my girlfriend wanted me to go with her to Savannah, Georgia to meet her ex-husband and pick up her children. We were going to have (2 of) her kids for New Years since she couldn't see them for the holidays. After arguing about it for an hour, I finally agreed to ride with her. I grabbed my portable DVD player and a few DVDs and off we went.

About halfway through South Carolina, we ran into trouble. It had started raining and there was a police warning sign stating that there was an "incident at mile marker 86" and to "prepare to stop". That's where it got bad. We never saw what the "incident" was, but we sure found where the traffic stopped. Then it happened. The car jolted and came to a halt. In the middle of stop-and-go traffic on the interstate, the transmission went out. It took some doing, but we got the car off the road and down the exit to a service station.

Mind you, it's still raining at this point...we pull in to check the engine and try a few things to get it going again. My girlfriend is in tears at this point since she's obviously not going to see her kids at this rate. I made the executive decision that they should turn back and go home (back to Florida) and we would try to get the car back to North Carolina. That was about the best thing I could come up with because I was able to get the car rolling again, but not for long. We made the mistake of stopping at a rest stop and that's when it happened. We were able to back out of our parking space and then go far enough down the interstate to make it a pain in the @** to walk back later.

Apparently the tourque converter went out on the transmission, so here we are on the side of the road witha nearly-dead cell phone, one with hardly any signal, no car chargers, and it's still raining. We call my father in North Carolina who says he's figuring out what he can do and he'll let me know something. We used up the last of the battery on the DVD player to kill time, (about an hour and a half)just to find out that my father hadn't left yet. Once he did get on the road, I finally decided to just take a nap until he got there.

Upon arrival, we got the car loaded onto a trailer and were about to head home. That's when I realized that, there in the dark, I was standing on a large fire-ant hill. A perfect end to the perfect day. And for those of you who don't know what fire ants are, let's just say that they are little ants that bite the **** out of you if you happen to get them on you. We rolled into the driveway at 4:30 this morning...18 hours after we embarked on a 10 hour round-trip excursion. Long story short; always prepare for the worst.

Hope everyone has a better weekend than I'm having. Cheers!

The busiest shopping days have come and gone. I've spent a day rushing about going from home to home visiting families. The worst day for returns is over. Today I rest. I'm not sure how I'll celebrate my much needed time off, but I'm sure I'll be busy yet again. Plenty of things to finalize before my certification class begins in 2 weeks, lease details to sort out for my new home, people to call so I make sure to get my tax forms sent from Florida, and yes, even games to play. Nothing new added to the pile...just a bunch of titles I haven't been able to start proper.

More than anything I'm glad the 26th has come and gone. That was probably my worst day in retail. I've done holidays in the trenches for 15 years and I always forget that it's not the shopping days that are a pain in the @**, it's the RETURNS. That's when people get cranky because the line isn't moving. People have gift cards to redeem and trades to bring in. So many times yesterday I said "I'm sorry but once it's open we cannot take it back". Of course I bent the rules for those people and made exchanges or gave them store credit, but these were the same people that we told last week or so that open product could not be refunded. My "holiday spirit" is gone. I've smiled at too many people for the past few weeks and bit my tounge far too long. Yesterday was all about keeping the line moving and bollocks to the ones complaining. It's now over, done with, and I won't have to do this EVER again. This time I am truly retiring from retail. Once I've graduated and have that certificate (and have that high paying job waiting for me) I will bid farewell to retail forever. What a glorious day that will be.

But before that glorious day can happen, I must first finalize my requirements for admission into the school. All I have left to do is mail my paperwork from my doctor that says I have a clean bill of health and take a CPR course at a local Red Cross or American Heart Association location. Why is this so difficult for me? I got my physical done 2 weeks ago. I could have mailed the paperwork the next day. I could have registered for a CPR class as soon as I was made aware that it was required. But for some reason, I've been a little lazy about it and haven't managed to get it done. Well, I guess today is the day and everything will be over and done with soon enough.

Now if I could just get the homeowners to get their s*** out of the house so my girlfriend and I can move in. We've got so much we could do if only they would get out. But the problem lies in that they are both flakey. They want us to rent the house because my sister lives next door, but they don't return calls like they should. We thought we had a move-in date andrental price settled, but something else gets added on or they won't be going until this day or that...I want to get off my parents' sunporch and into a house where I can hook up my surround sound and crank up Bioshock. I haven't played but a few minutes of it because I want to really experience it. Which of course brings me to my final thought of the day...

So many games to play...I don't know where to start! For the holidays I decided that I was not going to play any violent games (since that's what the holidays are supposed to be about...a time of peace and joy) so I started working on Disney/Pixar's Cars. Yeah, I know...30 years old and playing a children's game. But I had a blast. I'm not much for unlocking achievements, but there was one that I just had to have on my record if I should ever get on Xbox Live...the Tractor Tipping achievement. I worked for a good half-hour to get that achievement. It was fun too. But today, I may go back to blowing away big bad bugs in Lost Planet or Gears Of War. I may finally decide which PSP title I'm going to work on. I think it's time to finish a few of my own games before I try to buy anything else any time soon. Which I almost did...

(Sorry...THIS is myfinal thought of the day) We began the Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale at Gamestop yesterday (Wednesday)...I had a copy of Assassin's Creed on hold and I was sure I could find 2 more titles. It was beautiful. Not a single scratch on the disc. I was the one who took in the trade. I was determined that I would buy it, but when I started thinking about what I COULD use my money on...*sigh* It just didn't seem like it was worth it to spend $55 on it. Not when I could get Doctor Who DVDswith my discount from Barnes & Noble!Booyah! The Doctor won out over Altair. Sure, the game would have only been $45 with my discount (+ tax) but when would I get to play it? Games drop in price over time. Doctor Who DVDs never quite seem to drop. They just disappear from shelves never to be restocked. Then you have to order them from the internet where it's not as easy to get your employee discount. So that's what I did. With a $50 Visa gift card, $15 Circuit City gift card, $5 Best Buy gift card, and $25 in cash, I got myself 4 more DVDs for my collection. It was a good holiday.

Happy New Year everyone!

Besides being grumpy old men, we all find a soft spot in our hearts this time of year. I know I rant a lot in my blogs, but I'm not always complaining. Enjoy this moment of softness as I say happy holidays to everyone...no matter what your preference. May the season bring you peace andlove. I hope you all get to spendthe timewith family, friends, or someone special and remember that it's not all about the gifts you recieve (or give for that matter), but about being together with loved ones and keeping those who are far away close in spirit and in thought. I wish everyone all the best for the holidays and a happy new year.

-Will (aka Marked By Ashes)-

That's right, it was time again for an inventory reduction and I had to make a few sacrifices. Well, I didn't HAVE to; I chose to this time. I got a coupon from GameStop in my email last week that allowed an additional 30% trade-in credit no matter how many games I took in, so I gathered up a few titles and off I went. This is what I traded and why:

Final Fantasy 4 Advance (GBA) - I'm one of those people who likes to have everything in a series. Movies, games, books...it drives me crazy to have part of a series. And not only that, I want all of the collection in the same format. Books have to be either all paperback or all hardback. I have to buy all the games in a series on one console. All movies on DVD. It's a neurosis. So I decided that since FF4 is coming soon to the DS, I'll go ahead and get as much for the GBA version as I can before the new one comes out. I have 1 & 2 in the Dawn of Souls GBA pack and it fits nicely into the FF3 DS case, and I have FF5 on GBA which will fit nicely into the FF4 DS case once it's available. Now if I could just find a used copy of FF6 Advance...Oh, and before you ask, I see GBA and DS as the same system since the DS plays DS games. Besides, FF3 was only released for the DS and PS1 and I'm NOT trying to scour the globe looking for the PS1 versions of all the games. Anything AFTER FF6 can be on the PS1 or 2.

Resident Evil Saga (GC) - I had been fortunate enough to collect the entire saga of Resident Evil on the GameCube (0-4 and Code Veronica) and they were all in near-mint condition. What really got me to trade these was the hour I spent playing Code Veronica before I gathered them up to go. In that time, I got lost and began going in circles because this was one game that the map didn't really help with navigation. I also had no clue as to the objective. The clues and direction (or lack there of) are so confusing that I became frustrated and decided that was it. I loved the other titles, but Code Veronica was the entry that started the downfall in the storyline. 1, 2, and 3 were all based around Umbrella and the virus. In CV, things were just a little too weird. Not to mention that guy in RE: Zero that was controlling the jelly-like things...can't we just leave it as a VIRUS and GENETIC MUTATIONS? So, I got tired of playing CV and decided it had to go. And as I said previously, I can't keep just part of the series...they all had to go. Not like I had actually played ANY of the Resident Evil games since I completed each one anyways...

Christmas With The Kranks (PSP UMD) - I got it for $4. I bought it because it was on sale and I liked the movie. I don't buy Christmas movies, but I grabbed this one because it was funny. I decided to toss it on the pile because I found out I had access to a DVD copy. I only get UMDs to keep for nights alone or long trips with no access to a portable DVD player. No point in keeping this one.

Total trade value (with coupon and Edge card): $79.80

New Acquisitions

Spider-man: Friend Or Foe (Xbox 360 - preowned) -I checked this one out from work one day and my girlfriend and I loved it. We had been looking for something we could play co-op that was nothing but mindless fun. This was the game we were looking for. I opted for the 360 over two copies of the PSP version for two reasons: A.) We have tons of PSP games we don'thave time to play together, and B.) The price had dropped to $40 on the 360 version where 2 copies on the PSP would have cost $70.

Mega Man ZX Advent (DS - preowned) - I've been waiting and waiting to buy this one...the only reason I hadn't was because of the $30 price tag and I hadn't finished the original ZX yet. However, a used copy at $25 looks too good to pass up. I've been needing a reason to put down Lego Star Wars DS and finish ZX...

Disgaea: Afternoon Of Darkness (PSP - preowned) - I don't know exactly why I wanted this game for so long. I don't like turn-based strategy RPGs and I have plenty of regular RPGs in my possesion. I do have Jeanne D'Arc (PSP) and loved the demo, but haven't had the time to start on it. So what could have made me drop $35 on a game I know nothing about? One theory: Prinnies. I don't know anything about them except that they are "warrior penguins". Good enough for me. That's the ONLY thing I can think of that has drawn me to the Disgaea series.

Total Cost:$99.97 (Subtotal) + 6.75% (State Sales Tax) - 15% (Employee Discount) - 10% (Edge Card Discount) - $79.80 Trade Credit = $1.84 out of pocket. Not a bad evening if I do say so...