"You were weak when I found you. Now you hatred has become your strength."

Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader

The Force Unleashed comes out early next month and promises to deliver a Star Wars experience like no other. The Sith have always been very interesting in the Expanded Universe. From Darth Bane, to the fall of Anakin Skywalker. Even Vader's grandson, Jacen Solo, disrupts the galaxy by becoming Darth Caedus. But George Lucas is about places Star Wars in a unexplored era; the rise of the Galactic Empire. There have been book series such as the Last of the Jedi starring Anakin Skywalker's rival as a Padawan, Ferus Olin. One of the more remarkable releases has been Dark Lord, which shows Anakin's mental and physical struggle to become Darth Vader and Sith. And we can't forget about the upcoming live-action TV series still in development.

But the Force Unleashed is not only suppose to be one of the biggest story elements outside of the films(and probably one of the more important ones), but it looks like one hell of a game. I downloaded the demo from Xbox Live, and as a action game alone it is quite remarkable. There is so much you can do with the Force, and because of that you truely feel powerful! You play Galen Marek(aka Starkiller), son of a hunted Jedi who is taken by Darth Vader as child to be raised in the Dark Side of the Force in secret. He is not only helping Vader destroy his enemies but also in Sith fashion, help the once Anakin set up the destruction of Darth Sidious.

The development team at Lucas Arts have implied that it will be a great game; even the trailers look sweet. After playing the demonstration myself I believe The Force Unleashed is yet another great Force-based title since the release KOTOR and the Jedi Knight series. It takes a lot of elements from platforming-based action/adventure games(God of War, Devil May Cry, etc). But it's the ability to use the Force that allows you to do some pretty remarkable stuff thanks to the Euphoria engine. It's definitely going to be one of my September purchases!

Initially I was kind of fustrated when it came to purchasing a Playstation 3 or a Xbox 360. I had to pick one last September of 2007. Honestly examining the two I decided to pick a Xbox 360; the price playing a big role in my decision. In fact the question was, how much money can I save to play EA's Skate? I wasn't thinking about Halo 3, Final Fantasy XIII, or any other RPG for that matter. And still, to this day Skate is the most played game for myself this generation.

At the time of my purchase I had little foresight into the realm of RPGs on the Xbox 360. I did know that North America and Europe were supplying the western style of roleplaying games to the Xbox 360 without a second thought. But I could never expect the Japanese development of several RPGs coming from the rising sun. Because of this a RPG game(including Final Fantasy XIII) wasn't going to persuade me in purchasing one console over the other(at least in September of 07).

Obviously, FFXIII coming to Microsoft's console is just more icing on the cake(I'm still considering purchasing a PS3 for FFXIII). But I wanted to talk about The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion with a Xbox Live experience. Honestly, there is one thing that Live does so much better then PSN; it brings gamers together. Because of that, "online" is a native aspect to the console community and it is possibly gaining the highest priority amongst many.

Anyone who has me on their friends list on Live knows I've been play Oblivion a lot lately. I've gotten farther then I ever had in this game. The biggest reason is, I've been playing with another. Oblivion isn't a multiplayer game by any means, but with the voice chat feature in Live it sure does feel like it. About 90% of the time that I played Oblivion this week, a friend of mine was also adventuring in Tamriel. What was so fun about it? For one it is Oblivion, and two we were sharing out experience over voice chat through our entire session each day. In fact we completed the Arena together, and the first two quests for the Dark Brotherhood.

It was interesting to see how we both played the open-ended RPG differently. He became a aggressive Mage living off of combat and fame. I was more of a Ranger; strong but possessing some ability to remain hidden. As time passed he became a powerful user of Destruction magic, but with a focus on pure enjoyment through the experience of battle. Me, I evolved into a strong warrior gaining a healthy dose of stealth elements which now allows me to literally play the game in two different ways or even go hybrid in specific situations.

It was truely a unique experience. It was easy to share information and guide one another through Oblivion. Both of us talking about our high and low moments in the game. Or perhaps showing how we approached specific situations. For instance we both became vampires. With the way I play, I use a lot of brute force, but also giving a light touch. Becoming a vampire provided me some useful bonuses. With me working with the Dark Brotherhood in assassinations, plus being more active at night. I love being a vampire. On the other hand, my good Live friend could not stand being a nightwalker.

What makes the experience even more unique? His reason for choosing to play Oblivion. "I just rented the game because you and another person on my friends list were constantly playing it everytime I checked your profiles". I'm glad this time his curiosity got the best of him. And! It has resulted in him purchasing Oblivion!

I'm going to keep this simple. We have two "remarkable" candidates running for office. On MSNBC while watching my love Serena Williams loose her tennis match, I came across some news on what McCain thought about Russia invading Georgia. He said that in the 21st century countries don't invade other countries. Pretty much saying that invasion isn't suppose to happen in our civilized world. Regardless if you're for or against the war in Iraq; you can't help but notice that McCain forgot about his own nation invading the Middle Eastern country. All I could do was laugh, and I hope McCain caught himself afterwards.

[NHL 09 UPDATE]

I've been keeping a closer eye on this game and its release date is getting closer. There are so many games this year that I do want for the Xbox 360, but for the first time(excluding alternative sport games, like Skate) NHL 09 is the most wanted game I want for this year. Pretty much, the online concept is something I've been longing for in EA's NHL series.

I wasn't big at playing online considering I hate the competition. But, I've decided to play online with NHL 08 for the first time in about a year of owning the game(sad). I won 2 out 5 games. What did I notice? Even if I don't deliver a lot of hits, I can still protect the passing lane, and I'm not too bad at dangling(fancy feet, and shots). Also a lot of player leave themselves open at the point, and I've scored so many deflection goals. Also, any unselfish player can be a playmaker, so I am not to bad at passing. When NHL 09 comes out and the EASHL is up. My player will either be a offensive-defenseman, dangler, or a playmaker. I'm leaning more to a offensive-defenseman since a lot of people will want to play forward positions, I like shooting from the point, and I can work on my physical game.

While I was laughing at myself while typing up the blog entry below this one, today someone called me up and said my ghetto concept I drew for a band was accepted. All I could say was, how? Literally...how? The picture was crude, and was drawn very quickly as a what-if. Then they told me they wanted something similar to the work I did with The Color Red, so the picture was ok. I'm like, ok? So what I did was I took the image and just used illustrator and photoshop. The band does a lot of acoustic; the music is sweet and dark. This CD is based off of their dreams so.

Hell. I know I'm a geek! The best thing to do is use it to your advantage. The only problem with me is women. Not because they aren't interested but I have no clue. I returned to the town I graduated high school from. A lot of graduates there don't leave the place where they grew up since it's in one of the smallest counties in VA, plus family is very big. There was this girl I use to stare at in high school as if I were stalking her in biology. She was amazing; a short brunette, smooth, and kind.

When I flew into Dulles, VA we stopped in Manassas(a hour away from where I graduated) on the way up to the mountains. It was my birthday and the guys treated me to Hooters. There she was, the crush I had in my junior year. She was still fine, and immediately we started playing the staring game all over again. I ended up writing a blog about it awhile ago and she responded to it saying that I should've said something. So she was saying that I had a chance? Stupid me!

What do other brotha's have that I don't? Smooth talk. If it happens then it's totally on accident. A black guy could hit on your girl in front of you; that's balls. If I was that confident I could be that black guy; then again I'm not like that. There is one thing I do have on my side, dancing. Moving to South Carolina the atmosphere is different at night because you have a lot of hole-in-the-walls, and very little dance clubs in Charleston, SC. If you're a social drinker, or a drunk then these places are for you. Not for me. Yet, I'm always talked into going out at night. There are a lot of nice bars downtown though.

What's funny is that today you see more women dancing together then actual men trying to jump into the fray. So how do you do it? You just jump in! Believe me, you won't feel embarrassed especially if you have a few drinks in you. Check it, my sister's boyfriend has this dance called the horse. If he can score a girl like her with the horse(and playing FFXI), then anyone can dance.

In Charleston the Black clubs are near Ashely Phosphate Rd. and any club there is pretty much a no go since people like to carry weapons(besides I'm not into Southern crunk, rather then hip-hop). But when you go downtown the atmosphere is lively. Plus if you're a single guy like myself, and much more open with your choices there are more opportunities. So I start off dancing with a friend and then you transition to women you don't know(like it's an accident).

But honestly those places aren't the best locations to meet women period; work is even a better option then a club or a bar. But you know what they say about mixing up work and play. With a club or a bar you might have fun with a person, but that doesn't mean he or she's the one(especially in this world today). If you're thinking long term relationships then stay away. I've seen some scandalous things; worst then UNO Live with a Xbox 360 camera.

There was only one moment where I was out with my friends at night and someone really caught my interest. I was trying to get into a bar my gang told me to meet up at. But I was wearing a TMNT shirt and because of that the guy at the door wouldn't let me in. He said that it "matched" with everything else I was wearing but seemed out of place. My response was to his lame Metallica shirt. I guess that humored him and he let me in. Because of that situation I just felt that people were going to continuously rag on my shirt. Meeting up with the guys, they took the time to introduce me to group of girls that had their attention. In the mist of our conversation I ended up joking on a pal of mine and his WoW addiction. It wasn't until I heard one of the girls mention that she too played.

Her name was Tyler and she was something else. She had Mary-Jane red hair; what a comparison, eh? But also these thick black framed glasses which made her look intelligent. And when she took em' off I was even more stunned. Even though her figure looked much like every other blonde in the facility. The glasses, and the hair made me melt. She liked my humor(even if it's crude toilet humor). We also had a lot of similar interest from art all the way down to Star Wars(I'm literally laughing right now). By the end of the night she was calling me her Mace Windu, and I was calling Tyler, Mara(in reference to Mara-Jade Skywalker). Maybe it was the drinks that had us goofy? She gave me her number, and I was so excited. Though later that night I decided not to call her because I found out she had a boyfriend. Scandalous I tell you, SCANDALOUS!

Before you read the following, don't take me seriously. Ok you can. :D

Goatees and mustache

Honestly, I don't know what it's all about. I guess people like Jay and Silent Bob so much they not only dress like them, but the hair style is still popular. Just throw on some jeans, tie your hair in a ponytail, and wear your favorite black Radiohead t-shirt! The shoes are all up to you.

Females + Manga = Fetish

Young female nerds love manga! Of course they aren't the only ones who do. In fact everyone does! There have been many times when a young lady has asked me if I read, Vampires All Excorist. Yes, it's not a real manga but it sounds like one.

Niche Gamer

If you like Japanese roleplaying games, PC shooters, and/or PC strategy games you are a geek. Simple.

Cosplay

What the hell?! Now the anime cosplay isn't the worst, I say that because the women actually stress up in those skimpy outfits. It's actually the cosplay related to sc-fi/fantasy from either Europe or North America. Why? These people actually believe they're Jedi!

J-Pop and Rock

You know what? They can actually sing, I just can't understand what they're saying. There have been a few artists who have tried to break thru other markets. In North America, Asian pop singers aren't popular especially males. For one reason many Japanese singers bring a alternative form of music to what's already popular here. Most of times something heavy on electronic beats. Not to mention they'd have to change their entire image. Check out this article from a blog.

Internet dating

The love of internet dating. People have been forming relationships, and marriages over the internet. For geeks, the woman or guy you might love for a lifetime could be on Xbox Live or even in World of Warcraft right now so subscribe!

Being scared of the opposite sex is a natural thing with nerds. Only time can fix it, and it is. How? The type of work we enjoy is becoming more noticeable and in fact we make good money annually. Money is attractive. We're getting a sense of S.T.Y.L.E. and have even created our own look. The weirdo you knew in high school blossomed into something amazing, and you can't resist them! I've ran into a lot of gorgeous women who love videogames; it's Grandma's Boy all over again!

During E3 there was one game I was interested in but I never reported on it. It was a Xbox Live Arcade game called Braid. It's a puzzle-platformer that allows the user to manipulate time to solve the obstacles in the game. Well it finally came out this week, and I purchased some more Microsoft points. Now I do enjoy the game, but at the sametime it's 1,200 points! That's is my only complaint about it. When playing this on a HDTV, it makes the 2D graphics look amazing. I was absolutely stunned at the artistic approach to the game(straight from a painting), and even the music. For those of you who've played Portal, remember how you got giddy after your first few puzzles(and even then some)? That's how Braid makes you feel. And you also might laugh as well. I saw a pink bunny-rabbit come up from the ground and it tried to attack! What's worst is they came at me in a flock! Check out the E3 stage demo here at Gamespot.

Moving on. I've been playing a lot of NHL 08 and Skate. On NHL 08 I've notice that in Dynasty mode the AI is forcing me to learn new strategies to approach both defense and offense. That is amazing and because of it I have learned many new things compared to lessons learned in previous NHL games from EA. One-timer goals are no problem. Before I was having trouble with 1 on 1 battles between the defenseman guarding the goalie. He would either physically knock me down, or simply just poke check the puck away from me. This forced me to use some of the new puck handling features, and I am able to deke the opposition. And my fore-checking was absolutely horrible but now I can apply enough pressure to open my opponent's defense, and score a goal. So if they block the passing lane in front of the goalie, I can just pressure them to open it up.

My defense was actually more of a problem. I couldn't setup screens, and the opposite team always seem to score high above the goalie's shoulders. Adjusting my team strategy features and being more responsible for each player while playing D; those easy goals that use to get pass me are far less then before. Also I notice that if you over-pursue a player with the puck you might leave your defense hanging, and your goalie wide open for a shot. Plus if your protect the center as they enter your defensive zone it forces your opponent to the outside; then you can send him flying with a hip check!

On the Skate side the game is still fun after a year, and it is cool to see that Skate 2 will be arriving early next year. I've actually met some cool individuals on Xbox Live, and we always play Skate. We'll have best trick contests, and we even film each other for the Skate.This Community. In all honesty I can't see Xbox without Live; it's such a remarkable feature! And the update is just going to make things even more sweet! My group of friends are already a talkative bunch, so that 8 player chat option is going to be a plus.

Who is Anthony Green? He's a young musician with a high vocal range. Not only that but he and his affiliated band, Circa Survive, are growing into something much bigger then they thought. Normally you hear about indie-musicians coming up, but still they never get recognized by the audience who enjoy mainstream music. This can't be said about Anthony Green or the band he sings for. They bring another experimental sound to rock using the lyrical formula of past bands like Led Zeppelin. Imagine ambient rock instrumentals much like Incubus(to a exent), with a lush voice paving lyrical metaphors, stories, and psychedelic writing. That's how I explain AG and Circa Survive.

Anthony Green has become a diverse musician in the indie scene, and has played so many different sounds. During his time with a band called Saosin he made a decision to leave in order to help create a idea that later became Circa Survive. They released their first album called Juturna(2005), and then On Letting Go(2007). Besides The Cool from Lupe Fiasco and Finding Forever by Common; the album On Letting Go is still one of the most played collection of songs on my iPod.

Now Anthony Green's side project called Avalon will be releasing in stores and on iTunes tomorrow! He brings his lyrical preference to a different form of music which is a little bit more consistent, up beat, and sometimes dark. Think Modest Mouse with a obvious twist. I CAN'T WAIT!

Anthony Green - Dear Child music video from Avalon.

Alright guys! This is it! This could really help the unions out of the slump that they are in. Go and vote to convience Gamespot that we're still here and want improvements to the Union system!

http://beta.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=26516073

Let's keep this going! This calls for a blog chain! Copy and past this in a new blog post to help the unions out!

Batten, a Harvard-educated lawyer, was a Software Development Engineer in Test for Microsoft, supporting Rare on its 360 titles work. She had worked for Microsoft since 2002, earning credits in Halo 3 and Gears of War as an SDET. Earlier, as a lawyer, she had been a public defender for the Mecklenburg County (Charlotte, N.C.) Public Defender's Office.

Her husband, Joseph Batten, was also 36. He had also worked for Microsoft but most recently worked for Wizards of the Coast, publisher of hobby games such as Magic: the Gathering. Melissa had obtained a restraining order against her husband on July 21. Another news story describes Joseph Batten as obsessive and verbally abusive, and when she learned he had obtained a handgun, she sought the protection order.

There has always been murders in this world. But today it just feels like you can't tell who's right in the head. It could be a neighbor, friend, or even a family member. It's so unexpecting. How do they get to that point, and what drives these people to commit these crimes. It's like the existence of natural love is becoming non-exsistent. Even amongst the living we do some pretty shameful things. Sometimes I feel as if people have a shallow soul, or are just cold. You can find anything on the internet. Ever since the world wide web has grown popular you have people who commit suicide live on their webcam with people cheering them on. There is something wrong with that.

Another example. Not to long ago a man in Germany put a ad in the newspaper about trying to find a victim to be killed so he could eat them. Someone actually responded to the ad saying that for the longest time they wanted to die in that manner. The result, another person finally questions what he/she saw in the newspaper and reported the ad. Later that year police found the killer who was eating his victim over the past few months. Later he would become a vegetarian in prison?! It's just not that someone replied to the ad that bothers me, but also the newspaper allowed it to be published!